Summer Employment

I find myself this morning with:
1. No boss (the man, who I thought was my boss until he recently told me that he wasn't my boss, is out of town)
2. No "Sustainability Clerk" Melanie has gone to a rodeo in Southern Alberta and neglected to tell me that she would be gone both Thursday, Friday and Monday. She just usually amuses me, and gives me something to aspire to...
3. An notel on my office table saying to count 1000 "corn husk" pens and 1000 "plantable-postcards" and then repackage them and give them to "key" members of the Dawson Creek community (aka people I am so intimidated of, the Mayor Coucillors, everybody...)
4. A short email from a lady in Vancouver saying that I could start planning the planning process, but I can't do anything with it until after the 22nd anyway.

So I made a poster...

Yes, I realize its crooked, but I was having so many troubles making it into a format that this damn blogger likes (see "Amusing Blog Title") so I scanned it in (thus using up 10 more minutes of my time). The colors are a bit scewed as well.

That is the extent of my mad altering template skillz. This poster is for the big project that I am working on all summer, to engage youth in Dawson Creek in the visioning and planning processes that will affect our future. This is not something that I would usually embrace, citing reasons of "bureaucracy" and "all talk, no action" and "mumbo jumbo and rhetoric" but since they are paying me, maybe I'll give it a chance. Maybe this process works... I'll keep you posted...

Anyways, I would like some suggestions on how to make the poster better and all that jazz. Any help?

Spring Time!

It just occurred to me...
So many of my favorite things in one picture:
Plaid, Family (complete with a very angry looking father), Campfires (fire in general), a kitty, veggie dogs, mustard, spring time, the fire pit that Grandpa and I made when I was very young, and birdhouses where I can hone my new bird watching skills.

Yes, it has been a productive summer thus far.

Birkenstocks!

Well, who would have thought that I would ever post about shoes...

These are a special scenario...

A special shoe some would say...

A shoe that in 1968, you couldn't call yourself a hippie if you didn't own. In the present time, in Halifax, at Dalhousie, you can't really consider yourself trendy or from Toronto if you don't own at least one of these pairs of shoes. You might be thinking to yourself "Bryna, that doesn't make sense! Why would you be excited for a pair of shoes that are generally sported by beautiful girls with poofy bangs from Toronto?" My response would just be that I really want a pair of these shoes, and at least for a couple of months I will at least seem to be trendy and hip.

I'm with it. I'm hip. Tak-a-tak-a-tak-a-tak-a [dances the Macarena] Well, don't look at me like I'm friggin' Frankenstein! Come here and give your father a hug. (I'm divorcing you as a friend if you don't get this quote, Grandma -- I'll love you forever regardless of your knowledge of stupid movie quotes, but my friends don't have that priveledge)

And folks, sometimes I think that is the road that I am going down. (The hippie road, not the trendy and hip Young Street or something to that effect, don't you worry)

Birkenstocks offer a variety of cruelty free and animal free products. Says one reviewer "I'm pleased to testify that Birkenstock's implementation of their Vegan line is exquisite, hardy and delightful." (I was just so pleased that she used the word 'delightful' to describe the phasing in of a line of footwear!)

Just as a post-note, these are the shoes that I really want. I am trying to figure out how to get a "Bryna didn't stress herself out so much that she died during her third year of University" present... Any ideas would be muchly appreciated.



(PS- www.birkenstocks.com)

Stephen Lewis, my Love, my older, married,so very eloquent love

STEPHEN LEWIS (http://www.stephenlewisfoundation.org/media/sl_short_biography_2005.pdf)

Stephen Lewis is the UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa, a post he’s held since June 2001. He is also a Commissioner for the World Health Organization’s Commission on the Social Determinants of Health, and a Senior Advisor to the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University in New York. Mr. Lewis is also a director of the
Stephen Lewis Foundation, which is dedicated to easing the pain of HIV/AIDS in Africa.

Mr. Lewis’ work with the UN has shaped the past two decades of his career. From 1995 to 1999, Mr. Lewis was Deputy Executive Director of UNICEF at the organization’s global headquarters in New York. In 1997, in addition to his work at UNICEF, Mr. Lewis was appointed by the Organization of African Unity to a Panel of Eminent Personalities to Investigate the Genocide in Rwanda. The ‘Rwanda Report’ was issued in June of 2000. In 1993, Mr. Lewis became coordinator for the international study -- known as the Graça Machel study -- on the "Consequences of Armed Conflict on Children". The report was tabled in the United Nations in 1995. From 1984 through 1988, Stephen Lewis was Canadian Ambassador to the United Nations. In this capacity, he chaired the Committee that drafted the Five-Year UN Programme on African Economic Recovery. He also chaired the first International Conference on Climate Change, which drew up the first comprehensive policy on global warming. Mr. Lewis holds 22 honorary degrees from Canadian universities and is an honorary fellow of
the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. In May 2003, in recognition of outstanding contributions to public health, Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health honoured Mr. Lewis with the Dean’s Distinguished Service Award. Mr. Lewis was appointed a Companion of the Order of Canada, Canada’s highest honour for
lifetime achievement, in 2003. The same year, Maclean’s magazine honoured Mr. Lewis as their inaugural “Canadian of the Year.”

In March 2004, Mr. Lewis was honoured by the United Nations Association in Canada with the Pearson Peace Medal, which celebrates outstanding achievements in the field of international service and understanding.

In April 2005, TIME magazine listed Stephen Lewis as one of the ‘100 most influential people in the world’. The same year, the International Council of Nurses awarded Mr. Lewis their prestigious Health and Human Rights Award, which is awarded quadrennially for outstanding contributions to international health and human rights.

Bryna Says: We saw him speak in the middle of January here at Dalhousie, and I have to say that he absolutely blew my mind. Without a doubt the most convincing and charismatic speaker that I have ever encountered, and really was so well informed and well thought out, that no one, not anyone at all in the huge McInnis room had any questions that refuted what he had to say. He didn't want to get off the stage, everyone would have gladly sat there and listened to him for the entire night. Everything just hit so close to home even though he was speaking of places so far away. If anyone gets the chance to ever see him speak, I really suggest it.
And thats all I have to say about that...

Crazy Spring Break

As Katie exclaimed whilst lounging on the couch at about 2:15 this afternoon, after taking a heap of tylenol for her massive headache "girls, I think the party is over."
Me, Katie, and Megan sleeping sideways on the futon because we thought that would be more comfortable than lengthwise, which is fairly ridiculous seeing as how there are so many beds in this house that are unused!
Which begs the question, "what party Bryna?"
So, I shall tell you. Katiana came to Halifax on Saturday morning, and so the party was officially on.
Saturday - Pyramid for breakfast, Megan's Chinese New Years presentation, Split Crow
Sunday - Lower Deck for the east coast music
Monday - recovery, Unassuming-ness (out on the front porch), studied a bit.
Tuesday - downtown, school, Hat Party!
Hat party invitations, honorable cheese, hats made out of various products, and a bottle of the Captain.
Ryan, Megan, Katie and I pre-party if you can believe it.
Katie and I amidst the party!
Lauren, Grace and Josh
Acting natural.
Meg and Ryan
Alex, Lauren and Evan
Bryna, Katie and Ryan all hatted up.
Lauren and Zach-my-friend.
Wednesday - Dartmouth for Egg Salad, Comedy (Rum and Coke)
Katie and I on our way back from Dartmouth, which really is the dark side, people aren't just saying that!
Thursday - Citadel, Harbour side adventure, studied a bit, Split Crow (Need I say more?)
Friday - Katie's hair cut, Recover, studied (Green tea and carrotts)
Unfortunately, I can't really remember what else we did, though Im sure this is not an exclusive list. This is a bad sign as to my mental capacity. Please, anyone who I may have talked to this week, or who may have been involved, please help me to remember. Ill check my pictures for further ideas.
Just want to give a big shout out to my big brother who I'm so very proud of for putting his own production together! Good job Kole-e-oley-o!

Split Crow

It's usually great fun to get all dolled up and hit the Split Crow for Power Hour (3 times a week, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays) which equate 3 beer for $5 so really, its every university students dream (besides Grace's). So, because it was Monroe day (Dalhousie got a sizeable chunk of money at some point from a Mr. Monroe, who didn't want a building named after him, or a statue, but instead to give all students a day off of classes, and therefore a reason to celebrate!) So, the Split Crow was nuts.
Megan and I at 6:30, 2.5 hours early, drinking Gin and Tonics, a long standing tribute to our adventures.
The artistic picture of Bryna looking creepy behind a dirty glass.
Megan, Ryan, Colin and Bryna -- Roomates extrodinaire come together for one epic picture.
Ryan and Colin
Ryan and Megan
Megan and Bryna -- BFF standoff, I think we had just headed down for a beer after boiling in our seats. Its a good thing we have a good repore with the bartender, or I dont know if we would have ever gotten beer.
Gracer, Bryna and Megan. Just missing the b-ball player again, it would have been easier for me to pick up a tall guy for her had she been there. If she had come, she could have tried out the string.
So, after we closed the bar, we headed out and ended up breaking into the Citadel (where all sorts of crazy things happen) meeting a interesting man and his curiosity in 4 youngsters hanging out there at night (maybe he thought he had struck gold!!). So we adventured in there for awhile, and then went to the skatepark and slid around in the smooth cement and freshly fallen snow, and got some pizza too!!
On the walk home, after which we were parted and met back again with Evan, Grace and Josh.
SOCIABLE!!!!!

Viva la revolucion!

It is dangerous to spend too much time in an environment learning substanciated notions of how the world is not alright, about how we are further under-developing, how we are living in luxury while others live in squalor.

It's dangerous to put me beside a stereo-typical management student, or a pro-child labour commerce kid (yes, the argument has been made), or an all knowing conservative International Development Studies student (which is the worst, as they know what has been done and what is being done, but still refuse to act). I get so depressed and ornery and absolutely revolutionary at the thought of the suffering, the blinding poverty, the unfair rules, the unbearable economic and environmental conditions and the terrible inequality that billions of the world are being forced to deal with. There is no way to console me after reading about the Rwandan genocide, the GATT and further WTO policies, the SAPs imposed and the bureaucracy of these northern aid organizations who are so drowning in jargon that they keep shifting responsibilities and filling out forms that they lose sight of what they are in those countries for.

Anyways, point of my story was actually was going to be happier, but I don't feel like its significant anymore that Megan and I are continuing in our "viva la revolucion"-ary stance. I'm going to go to bed tonight and will wake up happier in the morning.

I believe that I have been spending too much time pondering lately.

Thats all.

Oh yeah, and I have a wonderful group of friends who are interested in sharing MLKJr. day with me!!
I should be off to karate, I just thought that my 'blog-thinger' was too boring for words, and so decided to update for lack of anything less productive to do.

I'll now attempt to find a picture to add to spice things up. To google image search -- first random word that pops into my mind "critter."The first thing that came up was dead I think, which made me pretty sad, so I put the second and third ones up...
Critter soft-core
A real critter, uggy buggy

New Years

I know that I am mixing up the sequence of my blog by doing this, but I had such a great night on New Years, that I feel like I couldn't miss the opportunity to put up some pictures!
It all started out after a night of heavy drinking waking up in my old apartment in the world's most comfortable pajamas. Schuyler, TJ and I spent the entire day watching the most-entertaining TV series in the history of sci-fi! Literally we basically didn't get off the peeling black couches nearly all day. Then Greg and Kristina grabbed me, and we proceeded to get ready in like 40 minutes, which is intimidating even for a tom-boy like me to get all dolled-up and ready for semi-formality.
We made it into town, to the Columbus centre (which any karate-ka will remember from such events as Shihan James's visit or Thomas' throw-up!). There were many door-prizes, cheap booze and moderate music. The second two made for some sweet dancin! My personal favorite was Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody," which with its enchanting melodies and appearance in "Wayne's World" that convinced the entire group to get up!! :)
Ian and I ripping up the dance-floor!
The group was amazingly awesome, combining all groups of people and even people that I had missed seeing for years.
Yet another good personality-encapturing photo of TJ!
I keep trying to figure out whats happening in this photo of Katie, TJ and Schuyler. It's pretty much hilarious anyways.
The group!
We celebrated the New Years of most of Canada (and I even made a mental note at Japanese new years!) It was just absolutely excellent and we had so much fun all night. It ended by using my ninja-skills and making Tanshinites and Chuso-warriors proud!
Anyways, overall it was one of the greatest New Year's parties ever, but I didnt break any fingers this year, so I felt like it was a bit anti-climactic! (:
I guess I'll post this now, and get on with my day! B-ball game!! Go Dal!

Airports

I’m sitting in the railway station
Got a ticket for my destination

Currently I am waiting as contentedly as you can imagine by gate 52 at the Edmonton International airport. I intended to check out the duty free shops and scope out the best place to watch reunifications (which make me deliriously happy), but I had to sit down here. Many people who know me wouldn’t question as to why Im sitting in a drafty and loud area of the airport, they would assume that I have some sort of sentimental attachment to this very gate.
Nearly 4 years ago now, Mr.Shannon packed us up for “the long hop across the big pond” and this was the very gate where highly excited grade 12 students huddled together to dream of what we would see in the next two weeks. We grouped together for a big group picture, we taught Kathryn to play “presidents and “janitors”” and tried to refrain from filling my freshly minted travel journal with feelings of trepidation and excitement. That was a long time, but the feelings all came rushing back to me with the familiarity of this gate that I experienced. Much like a song or a voice can bring me back to a certain time and place and make me feel things that have been long buried within my impressive-repressive abilities.
Airports in general remind me of departures that I have missed, of homecomings that I will not be able to be a part of and of the general ebb and flow of relationships that so closely resemble flight plans of planes that I’m daydreaming about right now (corny, I know).
On a happier note, I moved to the arrivals part of the airport and now can creepily watch it as homecoming happens and be able to observe the beauty of a child seeing his mom from afar, of a pretty girl waiting for her significant other to come through the security doors.
Thoughts like these make it hard for me to be mad that I’m overnighting in a strange city, that they have lost my luggage, that I’m not allowed to leave the airport...

It's December in Our Town! (A Reference for Sam)

I just feel like dancing! I finished my last exam for this semester today, and it was surprisngly refreshing, it was such a good exam full of things that I could give gad of examples of! I got an essay back and I got an awesome mark on it when I thought I might only do mediocre-ly! I was coerced into seeing Peggy's Cove and felt the rush as the waves crashed into the rocks while we were standing dangerously too close to the edge! It was such an amazing afternoon and evening, possibly enhanced. I bought a jacket that makes me look like a fuzzy bell! I get to see my family tommorow, and with that comes good food and warm fires!! Warm fires lead to good books!!

At the same time though I am making really good friends and meeting so many people, and feel like I am branching out so much that no matter where I end up, I cant be happy without all of them together.

What do I do?

Anyways, Ill update while Im at home!!
Merry Christmas to all, and to all a goodnight!!
Te amo!

Christmas Time Is Coming (Revised)

Grace was kind enough to let us begin celebrating Christmas on November the 26th (the day after "For The Health Of It" was over). We have been listening (and to a huge extent singing) to Christmas music and eating red and green jellybeans and I even went so far as to buy mistletoe (now all we need is to place a dirty hippie under the mistletoe... or the christmas tree (: ) The dirty hippie that I am referring to needs a brown sweater, poor personal hygiene (sorry Sam, I had to say it!) and long hair, be NDP and to be interested in living in bio-regions and perhpas starting a commune with Megan and I.
Grace being adorable (if you think shes charming here, you should see her in real life!)

Tonight we went over to Zach, Nichelle, Janice and Matt's house to help them decorate the Christmas tree and listen to Christmas music and have awesome wine-punch and rum-egg nog and Matt being a pyro!! It was such a beautiful feeling to be surrounded by such warmth and happy feelings. It just seemed that even though everyone was in the middle of exam time, and needed to be at home writing essays that the good spirit of Christmas togetherness prevailed and we all understood that it was more important to be together (and develop our hearts) instead of being alone and divided.

I might have to explain this one. Emma was definetely trying to make a imprint of her boob in the nail-thinger and couldnt do it alone, so I was just trying to help!! We had to do it so many times to get the right tilt!

On the bottom are Nichelle, Aaron (sp) and Laura and laying upon them is Janice. Janice was so tired after being up since 4:30am but I think didn't want to leave the group atmosphere and take her kitty and rabbit to bed!

It's the first year in a long time that I have felt this Christmas-y. I think that I am so excited for Christmas because I know that by the time Christmas is here, that I will be at home in front of a fire (with a warm book!!) or making gingerbread houses!

Emma and Megan on the way home from NJZM's!

That being said, I definetely appreciate my time in Halifax and have thoroughly enjoyed being able to cultivate such amazing friendships!


We share everything around here, even dirty icicles! (Ok, I have to admit, that I this picture reminds me of the photo of the young girl who is sharing her ice cream with the big brown and black dog, Grace is the pretty girl, and Im trying to steal her cold treat!)
My love and Christmas cheer to all!

things that make me feel ... (not exhaustive)

looking at old pictures of good times - striped shirts -music - warm banana bread - frienship - tea - karate - conversations - roomate bonding - recycling - 'vive la revolution' - leonard cohen - couch surfing - lopsided grins - french braiding - self sufficient bioregions -apple pie - beer at breakfast - boats - spanish - turning the heat on - basketball games - basketball players - reunification - anticipation - crono trigger - kindred spirits - stitch - coming clean - dreams - theories - hot chocolate - caffeine - reactions - fresh - turning off the tv -communist commune - crisp weather - grandma warms - familiar phrases - when songs that used to make me cringe don't anymore - red wine - asparagus - ace ventura - the owl and the pussycat - reading words that I've had read to me before - phone calls - random smiles - helping strangers - wool socks - oatmeal - cats - brick - moberly lake - the rockies - christmas - blankets - halo - gin and tonic - tetris - martin luther king -
wood heat - reading - comfortable sweaters - home - snow - skiing - postcards -

Just because I've Been Thinking About it!

And how could I not?

I just thought that everyone might appreciate this, probably some will more than others (but really, who doesnt appreciate humor, Penny Arcade, Star Wars, pizza bagels, oh yeah romance, love and marriage?!) Is it bad that romance, love and marriage were the last things that I thought of?!)



Im sorry, I have no technical expertise on how to make things bigger!

Just to let you know!

I might be a bit psychic.

Congratulations Karyl and Jenna!!
All the best

And now Karyl, a word from our Norweigan Forefathers!

"Hip hip hoorah, for i dag er det Karyl og Jenna's dag"
[Hip hip hoorah, for ee dog aer de Karyl oh Jenna's dog]
Hip hip hoorah, for today is Karyl and Jenna's day

"Må deres kjaerlighet bli moderne nok til å overleve de skiftende tidene og gammeldags nok til å vare livet ut"
[Mow deres shaer-lee-het blee mood-aerne nok til oh over-laeve de shiftende teedene oh gammel-dags nok til oh va-re leevet oot]
May your love be modern enough to outlive the changing times and old-fashioned enough to last a lifetime

I found them on a Norweigan phrase sight, I thought the first was sort of funny, and the second was romantic and hopeful!
Hip Hip Hooray for lutfisk and jhetost (oh yeah, and congratulations!!)

Marriage

Sorry Vince, I thought this picture was hilarious! In my defense, I was looking for a really nice poem or picture of something to that effect!!

Mostly, I hope that I can stick to the point and just post a little note congratulating Vinny on his engagement to the girl of his dreams!

As I'm sure at least all of us have at least thought, the sponteneity of it all is very romantic. It seems like an insane thing to do, to jet across Canada to see if your love is truly the one for you, but if I can imagine anyone doing that, its Vince. It seems like he was always the one up to coming out to my house for an improv bonding session at 3 in the morning when he worked at 9, or going for a swim in mid-May in the Pouce River!

Vince also seemed likely to be the first married out of this group. Well, either him or Karyl for some reason (Karyl, if youre reading this, you always seemed like the person that shocked me the most, and it would be suitably, pretty shocking...) Anyways... I think Vince has all of those innate characteristics that will allow him to be a very good fiance and husband including kindness, compassion, a good sense of humor and some endearing addictions to internet gaming!

I wish you all the best Vince and Meghan, and am excited to see where this new path takes you!
Cheers!

Geeky Pictures!

I wish that I could remember the themes to all of these photos, I will do my best though!! This one is just a general "Megan fell off the bandwagon" one!



We thought that Emma sort of looked like Quasimodo in this one! Image search him, its striking!
Note how far Emma can stick her finger up her nose! Lots of practice?
What we look like when we are sleeping? Except for me, thats what I look like when I am rocking out with my eyes closed!
Some people "get their eyes from their Mother," some inherit kindness from dear old Mom, but I, I got my greatest skill from her!
Possibly the only nice one that we took!
In my mind, I might not go towards the white light when I die, but instead this picture!
Megan must have said something really geeky!
Pensive to our hidari-kanji-left! (Am I right?)

Wish us luck getting A+'s on the tests that we should be studying for!!
Just as a post note, the other day Greg said that finding a BC girl on the east coast was like finding a hill on the prairie. So, the chances of finding three BC girls on the east coast in the same house would be comparable to finding?? (I cant think of anything funny, can you?)