my wedding diet of pixie dust and false dreams

After about Day 3 of being hungry, I questioned why I felt the need to go on a ‘health regimen’ before the wedding while Bryan, my fiancé, didn’t. “Well, he doesn’t need to,” I thought to myself and went back to eating my salad, thinking nothing more.

After about 10 days of being hungry and cheating with carbs here or there, I realized that if there was no healthy food around, I would maybe eat something “unhealthy” because, while I wanted to eat better, I wasn’t about to starve myself either.

After two weeks of slowly breaking more and more of my diet, I came back to my original thought. Why was I doing this to myself? Why wasn’t Bryan worried about eating healthy or working out? The same thought occurred to me again – well, he really doesn’t need to.

And then it hit me. He doesn’t need to because, in my eyes, he looks pretty damn fine. He’s healthy, comfortable with his body and he knows I love him the way he is. Didn’t I feel the same way? There has never been one point in time where he’s made me feel insecure about myself. In fact, he makes me feel more comfortable about my image than anyone.

I told myself when I first got engaged I wouldn’t stress myself over a “wedding diet” and yet I ended up doing so anyways. Why? WHYYY? Maybe I’ll blame all those wedding blogs I read with all the gorgeous pixie-forest-nymph brides. Can I just see some really short brides with hips here or there? DAMN YOU PIXIE-FOREST-NYMPHS!

Anyways, needless to say, I said “to hell with it” because dieting was really annoying and my fiancé agreed to marry me the way I am, so the only one with stupid expectations was myself.

And I mean, so many brides go through this. Living day-to-day is hard enough on your image as a woman, but as a bride somehow you get this idea you should be this glowing bastion of feminine perfection. Sure, try to look your best, but consider where the image of “your best” is coming from. Is it coming from reality? Or photoshopped magazines? Or women with body types you can never emulate unless you rearrange your bone structure? Your fiance loves you for who you are right now and that’s why this whole dang wedding is happening in the first place.

Anyways, I’m not against people trying to lose weight for their wedding. I just think we brides need to take a closer look at our motives for going on “health regimens,” and whether they’re as good for us, both mentally and physically, as we think.

I mean, I’m still going to exercise, but instead of guilting myself into miserable sit ups and eating celery, I’m just gonna dance to Austra remixes alone in my room. F U WEDDING INDUSTRY. BRB.

the d-word

I haven’t blogged about anything of significance for quite some time. Sure, I have a wedding-oriented Tumblr I update frequently, but I’ve found that medium isn’t as conducive for writing long posts or much at all, really. It’s like Twitter with even more instant gratification, if you can imagine such a thing, also known as the Land of Teenagers and GIFS. Which is cool, I like it for what it is, I just never felt inspired to write much there, even regarding my wedding.

Another reason I haven’t written anything in awhile is that I’ve been thinking. A lot. Too much? I don’t know. I could never focus on one thought long enough, my thoughts moved faster than I could write, so I didn’t bother.

The third thing is that I started/continued to suffer/I don’t know from depression. I never believed in depression before, I was one of those people who just thought depression was something Big Pharma made up so they could get more people to buy drugs. Either that or it was just losers looking for an excuse to wallow in self-pity, so one day they lobbied to make “moodiness” a disorder to get away with it.

Now, I haven’t been to a therapist or doctor and I haven’t read too many academic articles on the subject, but I’m pretty sure depression is a Thing. Whatever it is, it sucks, and it’s really hard to make go away. I should probably go to a therapist, but I’ve never really got up the courage, so I’m just writing here for now. Which also takes a bit of courage, I guess.

Actually, it takes a lot of courage. Allie Brosh probably gave the world the best glimpse into depression in her comic: Adventures in Depression. Go read it and then come back.

Okay, you good? You’ve read it? Great, let’s carry on.

Being depressed makes you hate yourself. Or one day you just hate yourself and then become depressed. Either way, it doesn’t make you want to do much, and when you do end up doing something, you are critical of yourself past the point of helpful critiquing. It’s not, “Man, I really fell short there – next time I’m going to learn from my mistakes and get better at it.” It’s “Holy fuck look at what a disaster this is why do you even try you stupid fuck you should probably never do this again everyone else can see how terrible you are they just feel sorry for you that’s the only reason you’re anywhere you are right now but probably not for long because you’re a fucking idiot.”

Now try hearing that inside your head multiple times a day. It’s pretty fun. Doesn’t do much to spur creativity though. Who would want to share a part of themselves with the world, be it through writing, painting, music, etc. when you might receive even more criticism than what you give yourself? When you’re convinced you know what people will think before they think it? It blots out your will to share your vision of life with others. You reject your ideas first because it hurts less than having someone else reject them. You create your own little fantasy land of ideas that never see the light of the day because you’re convinced they are worthless. You’re convinced that you are worthless, so how could your ideas have merit?

And at this point I realized that no doctor had diagnosed me, and I certainly did not enjoy being this way – in fact, I hated it and wanted so badly to be normal, to feel normal. So why couldn’t I snap out of it? Maybe depression is a Thing, was the conclusion I came to.

It’s hard to be depressed. It’s also hard to be a friend to someone who’s depressed. It’s hard to date someone who’s depressed. It’s likely hard to be married to someone who’s depressed. There’s not much you can do to help someone who’s depressed except be. Just be there. I mean, I’m not quite speaking from the “other side” yet, but so far what’s helped immensely are just good friends and good people. Even if they don’t know it, they’ve helped by randomly inviting me out to coffee, events, chatting on Twitter, and just making me feel like a normal, valued individual and friend. And that’s another thing I’ve learned: Stop telling your depressed friend they’re special and start telling them they’re normal and that you value them, no matter what they’re going through. Maybe I shouldn’t speak on behalf of all depressed people, but I have a feeling they just won’t believe you when you try to dish out compliments, no matter how honest you are, to make them feel better. Also, what you shouldn’t do is downplay what they are going though. You might not understand it, they might not be the most fun to hang out with at this point in time, but please, just be.

I’m pretty tired of feeling like this, which is why I have decided to talk about it here. I know I’ve done nothing but set up limitations for myself, and I’m pretty tired of hating myself too. I hope to start writing again, sharing again and hopefully entering into a new era of creativity unbridled by fear, self doubt and inherited dogma. Creating gives me the illusion of control, so I’d like learn how to create some pretty neat shit one day.

And I guess that brings me to the final reason I haven’t felt like talking much. Am I allowed to not have my shit together? Should I really say what’s on my mind? Is this a wise career move? Are there any current/future employers scoping out my internet life? If I let it known I am weak and wounded, will the rest of the pack pounce and devour me? Or will they simply leave me behind, a limp who is of no use? “Better to shut up and not say anything,” I told myself for the longest time, “it’s safer that way.” And yet I know I’m not the only one who’s felt this way. I read it on someone’s blog once…

montreal!

Today I leave for the Canadian University Press conference in Montreal! I’m very excited, it’s going to be so very rad. I will learn about journalism and things. And drink no alcohol… Anyways, you can follow my shenanigans on Twitter, I’ll be using the hashtag #nash73.

I have been rather silent on this blog lately, mainly because of major life changes that have been preoccupying my mind. For example, I recently got engaged! Which is exciting. And crazy. It’s sort of turned my life upside down in a good way. So instead of blogging here, I’ve been blogging here about wedding stuff.

Also if you want to hire me, please let me know. I’m a lovely personable person, an excellent addition to any staff team =D

Umm…yes. So off I go to Montreal! Wish me luck!

i need a new recorder

Man, it feels like forever since I’ve written an article. Maybe cause it has been forever. I think my last one was in October about amateur stand-up comedy, which I’m pretty proud of. Anyways, I just did an interview today for an article coming out in January – hopefully the first issue. It was really fun! That’s one of the things I like about being a student journalist, meeting really cool and talented people and sharing their stories. It’s awesome.

However, I’ve become quite the expert in improvising recording methods. For awhile I would bring my laptop and use GarageBand to record, or record a video conversation over iChat, or simply write down furiously on a notepad, or use the really terrible recorder on my phone. This time I used my phone recorder, but considering I now have an android, as opposed to the piece of…garbage I had before, the audio turned out much better. Still, one day I will hopefully get one of these: a Samson Zoom H1. It looks amazing! And something I could maybe even put on the radio if I needed to as well. And for only $99? Provided the audio is as good as they say it is, that’s a pretty awesome price. I know the average Olympus recorder, at 70 bucks, doesn’t really have audio worth bragging about.

Anywho, I’ll keep you posted when I finish the article, I’m excited to write it!

Also, I’ve started a new blog that is a bit of an experiment called amaretto musings. I’ve decided to give tumblr a try. So far it’s interesting, I’m not so much a fan of how it’s set up…only posting one thing at a time, like video, pictures or text without being able to combine them in one post. Maybe I just need to mess around with it more. Anywho, I expect this might be my last post of 2010 so happy new year everyone!

merry christmas!

Student newspapers are so versatile! This lovely front page of The Calgary Journal provided the perfect wrapping for my boyfriend’s present.

I don’t know why the text is backwards, but in case you aren’t dyslexic it says “give a little bit…”. Perfect right? Anyways, I hope everyone has an absolutely wonderful Christmas, especially all the student journalists who have to write and edit stories over the break to make sure they can fill the first issue in January. <3

 

 

hashtags

I’ve never seen a Twitter hashtag in a lede before, at least not one used as an adjective. This article used “#yyc” to replace the perfectly usable word “Calgary” in its lede sentence. I know it’s pretty easy to figure out that “#yyc” refers to Calgary, but I’m not sure Twitter use is proficient enough to justify it. I might be annoyed if I were not a Twitter user and expected to know why we’re using an airport code preceded by a pound sign to refer to a city in news articles now.

I personally wouldn’t use any hashtag in an article without still explaining what it is first. I’m talking about this, though, because I’m pretty sure there are no style guidelines for using hashtags yet, so the rules right now are pretty arbitrary. What say you, fellow writers and editors? Would you let this fly?

Also, I love how they chose a picture of Jessica Alba and not Kelly Oxford.

last 2010 issue of the gauntlet

I absolutely love this week’s cover. A couple of us gave Remi double takes when he asked Sarelle, “Hey, can I put a naked girl on the cover?” We were all a bit wary, but I think the final product turned out quite well and tasteful. Good job, Remi and Christian! The lovely model is a girl named Nicole, a feminist and volunteer at the Women’s Resource Center. She must have been cold though!

It’s been quite the first semester, a crash course in being a Gauntlet editor. I love it so much, though — even when I hate it. I’ve made absolutely wonderful friends, learned a lot and have had so many great experiences. It’s inspiring how everyone there puts so much time and effort into making the Gauntlet something we can all be proud of. Not to mention the camaraderie at the office cheers me up even at the most absurd hours of the night. Thanks to everyone who’s contributed to that! =)

I really like the features section this week too. It was fun to put together and perfect for getting people excited about the break and holiday parties to come. Not to mention the photos were pretty fun to shoot as well. Thanks to Josh and Andy for helping me out. I originally was planning on a more “girly” look, but then I decided it would be more fun to get the boys in there.

Also, my titles are all alphabetical alliterations. It just sort of happened that way.

And of course there was the Gauntlet’s 50 year anniversary history supplement! I put together the ’70s page — check it out! It was really crazy to see what other student journalists wrote over the past 50 years. Some articles are awesome and some were just insane. I imagine they’ll say the same thing about our decade 50 years from now. And yes, of course the Gauntlet will still be around in 50 years. We’ll be the last bastion of print media because we can’t afford to redesign our website.

Also there’s a tiny picture of me on the front cover — as well as pictures of many editors and contributors over the past 50 years. I think I spotted Naheed Nenshi and Ezra Levant — can you? Have fun scouring the intense front cover for familiar faces.

So now as I get back to studying I will leave you with a look at some quotes overheard in the Gauntlet newsroom during the past semester. They pretty much all come from Brent and Andy. Either A) Everyone else just isn’t witty enough or B) Brent and Andy are the loudest in the office so they’re the only ones I can hear anyways. I should probably try to diversify the quotes next semester. Enjoy!

• “You’ve changed, Sarelle. You’ve sold out, just like the double rainbow guy.”
• “Actually, when you think about it, Star Wars is a great movie about what people with amputations can accomplish.”
• “Quitting early? It’s not even tomorrow yet!”
• “No narwhal this week, that’s fo’ sho!”
• “We should use Paint to layout the paper, I hear its more stable than InDesign.”
• “You know what I just realized? You have the same haircut as Ahmadinejad.”
• “I’m not malicious, I’m delicious!”
• “Who thinks I swear too much? Give me a f***ing answer!”
• “You owe me big for not saying in today’s meeting  your outfit makes you look like Link from Legend of Zelda.”
• “There are fruit flies attacking my scotch!”
• “You’re a phony!” “I’m gonna beat you with this phone, then we’ll see who’s phony!”
• “Could a man who loves bubbles this much be racist?”

most boring interview ever

I found this a couple weeks ago and keep laughing to myself about it. How Peter Cocking designed the new cover for the Sentimentalists. It’s hilarious how uninterested the designer sounds. It sounds like he’s saying, “Yeah…I did this in a couple hours. Changed the fonts. Cropped the image a bit. I mean, does it look that complicated? Why are we talking about this?”

Q: When did Scott McIntyre give you the green light to design a new cover for The Sentimentalists?

A: I basically just did this on Sunday. I knew it was going to happen, but I didn’t get the final approval and material until Saturday afternoon. We had it all done and approved by Sunday afternoon.

How long did it take?

I started Sunday midday and finished Sunday afternoon.

How many covers did you mock-up during that time?

One.

Just one?

That’s it. Ten minutes on the front is maybe all it took. I knew exactly what I was going to do. Friday, when they told me what was going to happen — I’ve got a little pencil sketch on my desk here. It was literally bang, right away.

Have you ever done a cover that quickly?

Oh, lots of times. It’s not that unusual.

———-

Nothing to see here. Move on, move on. We should probably talk about the page design of my latest feature instead, because that’s far more interesting. Or something. Anyways, I’m pretty stoked about it. Designing pages is probably the closest I’ll ever get to being an artist. Now that I know more about InDesign it’s becoming less frustrating and a lot more fun to layout pages.

This week’s feature is a very personal story about a student’s struggle with alcoholism in Scotland, so I decided to give it a sort of journal-entry look. I know, big deal, right? Well, compared to part 1 I think it’s a vast improvement, so I’m pleased as punch (not to mention I don’t have an obnoxious Chili’s ad on the front page…that helped lol). I mean, it wasn’t bad, it was just a bit boring.

That is all, carry on.

first health and beauty section published!

If you picked up the current issue of the Gauntlet you’ll notice I’ve got a bunch of new writers! They’re the lovely columnists who will be writing once a month on subjects of health, beauty, relationships, etc. It was absolute fun working with them and putting together this week’s section. We really got to be very creative with our content and I got to mess around with new layout designs as well, which I think turned out quite nicely! The web version doesn’t do it justice right now, so check out the PDF for the best web rendition.

As you can see, the theme of this month’s section was do-it-yourself. Each month will have a different general theme and each of the writers will offer a specific take on that theme. The next health and beauty section will be published the Dec 9 issue!

 

obligatory christian music follow-up post

In my last post I reiterated a complaint that has been going on for years now. Christian music is awful. But why say it again when it’s been said so many times before? Well, because nothing has changed. Nobody is listening. And I care about that.

But there are always exceptions.

That is why I would like to draw your attention to musicians who write songs reflecting their Christian beliefs that, for the most part, maintain some shred of originality. Feel free to add more or bash me in the comments (but don’t be too mean, k?). For those of you who have extensive knowledge of the music scene, enlighten me as to what I am missing. Maybe I’ll let you write a guest post! I don’t intend to offend, I’m just sharing my opinion on a really subjective topic.

Anberlin – This band has hit a bit of a snag since leaving Tooth and Nail Records and signing with Universal Republic Records, but it’s never too late to bounce back. Their third album Cities is widely considered the pinnacle of their music thus far. I eagerly anticipated their growth only to find they got stuck  and have stayed (relatively) the same for their fourth and fifth albums. The band’s affinity for soul-searching lyrics and Stephen Christian’s rich voice packs the perfect punch for any listener. Now if only they would stop trying to recreate Cities and try something new. I believe in you, Anberlin! You can do it!

While Anberlin doesn’t refer to themselves as Christian, their albums often possess what I like to call “Christian flavoring.” What does that mean? I dunno, probably what it sounds like.

Cold War Kids - Well, this was the scandal of all scandals. Back in 2006 Cold War Kids’ debut album Robbers and Cowards received a scathing review from Pitchfork for the religious undertones found throughout. This caused a fury among critics and religious folk alike — was the review deserved? Did Christian undertones really ruin the music? Or was this Pitchfork guy just a huge jackass with a chip on his shoulder? You decide. I haven’t kept up with the Cold War Kids much, but felt this incident should be included here. (Apparently they’re still at it — whatever “it” is — and Pitchfork still doesn’t like them.)

Edison Glass – Rumors have been swirling around that Edison Glass broke up, but I can’t find anything official. One site says they have not broken up but are currently not working on any music together. Their MySpace looks relatively abandoned and their domain name has been bought by someone else.

Despite this unfortunate lack of activity, there are still two excellent Edison Glass albums in existence, A Burn or a Shiver and Time is Fiction. Perhaps the most distinctive quality about them is their avoidance of generic 4/4 timing — math rock ftw! For a band named after Thomas Edison and Phillip Glass it only makes sense to have an atypical sound in the Christian music scene. Come back, Edison Glass!

Jon Foreman – While Switchfoot’s career peaked with The Beautiful Letdown (okay, apparently their latest album is decent? I haven’t listened to it much), lead singer Jon Foreman showed us where his heart is with his solo EP’s, Spring/Summer and Fall/Winter. Foreman took Psalms and created beautiful melodies one could imagine David singing out in the field as a shepherd, not marketed or performed for Sunday morning audiences.

Jordan Klassen – This local enables music lovers of all stripes to hear his decidedly Biblical lyrics and still admit, “Damn, that’s good music.” In my mind, that’s exactly how it’s supposed to be. Klassen’s music meshes folk with ambience in such a way you’re physically aware of the space the sound occupies, like smoke or water filling a room — minus the distraught feeling, plus joy.

Joy Electric – Joy Electric is Christian music’s ever-present underground synth-pop solution. Sometimes light and upbeat, sometimes dark and dreary, Joy Electric is a forever-pleasant oddity. While I haven’t listened to the entire discography (and it is extensive), I am quite the fan of their 2007 release The Otherly Opus.

Kevin Max – Ohhh Kevin Max. What an enigma. While Toby Mac went on to be an uber successful solo rapper and Michael Tait is now frontman for the Newsboys — both fellow former DC Talk members — Kevin Max still operates out of obscurity. Often referred to as the “Black Sheep” of Christian music, Max has always been a bit of a rebel who doesn’t like playing by the rules. He’s an avid poet and spoken word artist as well as musician — not to mention he’s working on a novel/graphic novel called Fiefdom of Angels.

Max is also quite the label-hopper and seems to have had difficulty finding the right creative team to help harness his talent. Despite being the “Black Sheep,” Max still exclusively markets himself towards the CCM audience, but I feel like he has what it takes to bring his message outside the Christian scene.

Mute Math – Take Paul Meany’s soulful voice, catchy drumloops, keytar riffs, and a touch of ambience mixed with spiritually-laced lyrics and you’ve created one of the best Christian bands in existence.

Okay, backtrack — there’s a complicated history here. For those unfamiliar, Mute Math is one of those bands that has tried — and achieved — to break free of the Christian industry and exclusive fan base. As I stated in my last post, the CCM industry often shackles creativity so I understand Mute Math’s decision to distance themselves from the “Christian” label.

What I don’t understand is the dramatic shift in tone between their first two albums, Mute Math and Armistice. Their self-titled debut is brilliant and, while not overtly spiritual, there’s definitely a  message reminiscent of Earthsuit, the band’s earlier overtly-Christian persona. Their second album, Armistice, is amazing, but downright depressing. Are they simply musicians exploring the darker side of human emotion or are they purposefully trying to distance themselves even more from Christian labels? I suspect a third album will give a definite answer.

Sufjan Stevens — Sufjan doesn’t talk overtly about his faith in interviews, but neither does he avoid overtly Biblical themes in his music. Sin, death, redemption, forgiveness, hope, salvation — it’s all there. Why is he so popular among secular listeners then? Well, he’s just a damn good musician and that kind of thing can’t be ignored.

I guess one might ask, why does this matter? Isn’t music music? Why must we label things?

I’m a bit of an idealist in that I’d like to see musicians be able to express their Christian beliefs without alienating secular fans. Mute Math is almost paranoid to have any affiliation with Christianity now because they think it will put them in a box or something. Pitchfork seems to have vendetta against the Cold War Kids over ideology. It’s absurd.

I’d also like Christian artists to fully express their creativity within the CCM industry without feeling like they are trapped and have to go mainstream to be unique.

It basically brings us back to what I said here.

christian music is awful

People have been saying this for years now, but I’ll say it again anyways.   Christian music is bad. Just awful. Will there ever be a day when this statement is unjustified? My Dad was listening to Shine FM today and I nearly threw the stereo out the window. The latest Newsboys single — featuring auto tune! dear God, no! — is the worst I’ve ever heard from them. Natalie Grant’s obnoxious song Human plays every half hour.  Third Day has been packaging the same material with different wrapping for years now. Smaller bands try to emulate the formula of the more established bands instead of creating something unique. The lyrics are dull and unimaginative.

So what gives? If Christians have this personal relationship with God — the omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent God — shouldn’t there be more inspiration and creativity behind a their music? Why is there this formula? Why is there the need to copy the style of the mainstream?

I know that being a Christian artist doesn’t mean you have to write Christian-themed music all the time, but it’d be nice if artists could throw together a couple songs reflecting their beliefs that had some level of creativity or — dare I say — brilliance.

And even if that existed I’m sure Shine FM would be the last place to find it. So pray tell — where can I find some non-terrible Christian music?

…I mean, legitimate non-terrible Christian music. I don’t need the Christian version of the “punk” Marianas Trench or Fall Out Boy. That doesn’t count.

h&m hits and misses with lanvin

Lanvin’s line for H&M was released in North America today. I haven’t been to the mall yet but I’ve formed a love/hate relationship with the line by just looking at the website. Some pieces are adorable and some are just hideous. I mean, it’s not like I can buy any of it anyways, but it’s fun to yearn for/despise just the same.

For example, this is very cute.

 

But this….

 

 

…this material reminds me of Bianca’s prom dress from 10 Things I Hate About You — which is terrible. Also pink and red makes my eyes hurt.

 

first and third person

Huzzah! Another feature article. I kind of went out on a limb with this one but I think it worked out. And the layout is quite lovely! The best layout I’ve done so far, I think. It’s just so pretty.

I just noticed I’m missing an “and” in one sentence. Hm. Oops. And the paragraphs on the second page probably don’t need to be indented. Other than that I think it turned out quite well.

So far most of my features this year have been written in first person which I think reflects my love of blogging. Articles are more  interesting to read when they have a personal touch to it. In fact, I kind of modeled this feature after a blog post — it’s pretty informal and personal. I also directed people to share their thoughts in the comment section of the website, like a blog post.

I get that removing yourself from an article makes it sound more professional and appears more objective, but if you have the opportunity to write in a more engaging way then why not? I think you can still remain objective and write in first person too. I’m not saying news articles should be written this way, but sometimes it just works. Jeremy Klaszus’ FFWD cover article on Ric McIver is a great example. He briefly incorporates his own interactions with McIver near the beginning of the article, establishing a personal and informal tone that speaks directly to the reader. He does not refer to himself very much after that, sticking to quotes, history and facts. The informal tone is still there, but you don’t doubt the integrity of his reporting. It’s great.

Anyways, that’s how I like to approach writing whenever I can. Not only is it more interesting to read, I feel more connected to my writing which makes me want to invest more in it. It only makes sense — there’s  an incredible distance between first and third person. I recognize the importance of both, but prefer the first.

another jane eyre movie…again

1983, 1996, 2006, 2011. Man, people love remaking this film. I actually have yet to see any film adaptations of it, so I don’t have much to compare this trailer to. It looks a bit too dark and gloomy for me, though. I might go see this or I might just rent the 2006 version because I’ve heard good things…

Which is your favorite version? Do you think this new adaptation has potential or will just fail? Click the image to watch.

what you should read

I have many wonderful blogosphere friends — all of whom you should check out on my sidebar, but here are some of the most recent additions!

> My friend Richard Lam is now writing for a FFWD blog called Cemetery Polka! Film, theatre, music, what-have you, Richard’s writing is insightful and entertaining no matter what the subject.

> Also new in the blogworld is PC in YYC, Peter and Christina, an adorable progressive conservative couple, write about politics and life in Calgary! I think this is only the beginning for these two, we’ll definitely be hearing more and more from them and about them in the future!

> Zoey Duncan is a journalism student and publishing editor of the Reflector, Mount Royal University’s student newspaper. Zoey’s Journalism Blog documents her experiences in her field and provides helpful advice for fellow student journalists.

> Trevor Bacque is a journalist and freelancer currently writing for the Airdrie City View and the Rocky View Weekly. Definitely not a shrinking violet, Trevor’s storytelling at The Bacque Bencher is smart and engaging.

> It Is All Happening follows Drea L‘s adventures exploring (soon-to-be influencing) the Canadian and Calgarian music scene. If you’re looking for some great local talent, Drea can direct you to the up-and-coming, genre-bending and/or party-inducing Calgarian bands.

> Blogiraptor is the internet home of Radiosaurus, the radio show of some random hot guy who loves music so much he stays up all night listening to it – literally. On Sunday mornings from 3-7am Bryan Leedham fills the airwaves with music worth staying up — or waking up — for on CJSW. Check out his blog for his playlists and CD reviews!

(Also click on the owl picture for more cute owl photos. I want a pet owl now.)

flame

If I could write about love well enough to do it justice I wouldn’t write about anything else. I’m a sappy sapface. And I like this video.

a conversation with writer john devore

You may recall one of my earlier posts extolling the writing of a certain John DeVore (I write sophisticated reviews, clearly). Well, I decided that he and I should probably talk about writing,  blogging and media and he kindly obliged to answer some of  my questions!

DeVore has written for a plethora of different websites on many different subjects, hosted a talk radio show on Sirius Satellite Network, writes plays and makes regular TV appearances as the “sacrificial liberal” on Fox News’ late night talk show Red Eye. Currently he is the deputy editor of Premier.com, writes a weekly column called Mind of Man at The Frisky and gives relationship advice at Guy Speak. For more background information on DeVore you can check out his website here!

So let’s jump right to it.

<!>

What is your favorite subject to write about?

DeVore: Well, look, I am a hack writer. A lot of people cringe when I say that, but you know, I’ve lived in New York for 14 years and that was incredibly important to me — to make a living as a writer. So the first thing I like to write the most is whatever pays. I do like plays and I make absolutely zero — I make negative money on that. But really, I’m a hack writer, I write for hire. And I tell a lot of young writers too, anyone that really loves to write really loves to write anything. You know, a writer writes. A writer wants to be read, a writer has a degree of vanity, he or she likes to see his or her byline…but write whatever. I’ve written some incredibly soulless stuff and I’ve written stuff that I’m very proud of.

I like to write for money and if I write for love then, you know…I do like plays. The theater and the internet are kind of similar in a way.

How so?

DeVore: They’re both live mediums. I mean, the web isn’t a dead page. A magazine was written in the past and web is now – it’s live and it’s throbbing and it’s breathing. Bloggers and playwrights both know what it’s like to write for a live audience and both know what it’s like to endure immediate praise or immediate scorn. Playwrights live to have their words spoken to a live audience and there’s no greater thrill than that audience laughing and there’s no greater pain than that audience sitting in stony silence or asleep.

How about your relationship writing? You’re not a psychologist, you’re just a guy who’s dated a lot of girls and they pay you to write about it?

DeVore: When I write about relationships, of course I’m not a therapist or a psychologist…  Good relationship writing asks very basic moral questions. You know, what is right, what is wrong? And as a blogger my job is to try, and without being a dick – and granted there are plenty of dicks online – try to create conversation. A lot of my pieces start with an opinion and then I just sort of blabber from there. But you know, I want to start a conversation, that’s what makes blog writing blog writing. That’s what makes web writing web writing. I’m not trying to be the last word, I’m trying to be the first word. This week I make the statement that I don’t think two people of opposing political parties can fall in love. I don’t, but that doesn’t matter whether I’m right or wrong. You look at the comments and people are engaging. They say “No, I don’t agree with that,” “Yes, I agree with that.”

There was a debate at my university between Howard Dean and Fred Thompson moderated by Mark Steyn. A couple of my friends asked me, “Oh are you into American politics?” and I was like, “Well, I was, but not really,” and they asked why. The conclusion I came to was that there was just so much entertainment everywhere. The media and everyone had just turned everything into a joke, into a punchline. Everything was put up as entertainment value instead of informational value…

They call it the Information Age with the internet, but I’m looking at it as the entertainment age because that’s what gets the hits, that’s what gets the people reading. Do you think there is possibly too much entertainment?

DeVore: A lot of people criticize the media, but I’m in the media and we’re really not that smart. You know, there’s this idea that the media is this powerful pillar that dictates things to the people. The media has always been a marketplace….The media dictates nothing.

Don’t get me wrong, there’s tons of information out there. It is the Information Age. There’s an impressive amount of information out there for the taking. There’s a lot out there a generation ago most people wouldn’t have even had access to, but people don’t want that — they want showbiz. They want to feel hope or they want to feel anger. They want to feel, you know? And yes, I do contribute to the decline of western civilization.

[laughs] I’m not saying that!

No no no, it’s okay, it’s okay, Emily, I know what you’re getting around. I know what this is — this is a “gotcha” interview!

Yes, you found me out, I’m the next greatest journalist there ever was!

[laughs] You’re going to misquote me! John DeVore says, ‘I am the decline of western—’  actually that’d be a great quote.

Well, you write for pay, you write for whatever, but hey – if it’s good writing, it’s good writing no matter what it is.

Well, when I say I’m a hack writer that doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy it, I love it!

So what are five things you always look for or try to achieve with your writing? What do you try to go for to make your pieces good?

Be entertaining. Be compelling. You know, be concise. Respect the flow. Sometimes when you’re writing it takes a lot of effort to get started. It’s really tough to get into it, like jogging. I hurts until you reach a point where it doesn’t hurt. When you hit that point where it’s just flowing out of you and the music’s playing, that’s great, don’t fight that. And be very wary of over-editing the stuff that you’re writing when you’re in that flow. Don’t tell but show. Make people feel. If you can make a person feel something, that’s incredibly valuable. If you can make them feel, if you can make them cry, if you can make them laugh, if you make them horny, if you make them feel something, that’s a hell of a thing for a writer to be able to do.

Do you have any plans to write a book?

I’ve thought about that and I’ve talked to agents and editors, but right now in my life I am a blogger. It’s such a new thing, people just don’t get it. It was only ’95 that the browser as we know it was invented and back in 1999 I was in print magazines and I made the decision to jump online. People weren’t doing it, I was told I would destroy my career.

But you know, every writer has their romantic writer heroes. Like any friggin’ douchebag male wannabe writer in high school, I loved the Beats, I loved Kerouac. Cliche as hell, but I remember in ’99 asking myself, who was a writing hero of mine and would he have gone online? And I had to say ‘Yeah!’ That’s what it’s about, new ways of writing, new ways of communicating, new kinds of music, new social movements – he actually would have been online. So I kind of feel excited being part of the evolution of something that has never been before.

There are a lot of people who grew up being like, “I want to be a magazine writer.” But really at the end of the day, I want to be a writer. I want to make a living writing. And if that means…Well, bloggers don’t get any respect, that’s a pretty good bet. You know, but history’s shown groups of people who were pioneering something and got no respect.

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did obama pass his mid-term test? live-tweeting whaaaat?

Howard Dean vs. Fred Thompson – moderated by Mark Steyn! It was like a dream. It was wonderful. I wanted to go back stage afterward and hang like we were bff’s but they all left pretty much immediately after. Fine then. One day they’ll all be clamoring to hang out with ME because…I dunno…I’m so good at live tweeting? Because I pre-drink with the free alcohol the School of Public Policy gives out at its events and party at the Den afterward? Yes. All of the above.

Update: Wow, linked front page on Mark Steyn’s website! I wondered why my  blog hits spiked so much today… Thanks for the link and welcome SteynOnline readers!

Okay, so let’s get started.

all blurry images from @TheInvisibleDan

 

The first reason to go to ANY School of Public Policy event is for the free alcohol and food (for students, at least. Non-students have to pay to get in). Usually there is pizza and beer (Big Rock! Mmm.), but since this was a bigger event there were sushi, samosas, veggies, chips and dip (artichoke and something. ooooh) and red and white wine. It was pretty good, except for the mediocre wine. Should have stuck with Big Rock for this event – but who am I to complain? It was free after all.

You certainly learn a lot in university…like how to exploit the system for free food and drinks. Students – seriously, take advantage of the School of Public Policy Events (read: free food).

Anywayyys, I decided to live-tweet the event because I feel like live-tweeting is a necessary skill these days and practice makes perfect. So I made a #sppdebate hashtag and tweeted away. I was the only person live tweeting this event too, so I tried to get as much as I could.

So here’s my live-tweet feed. Maybe it was coherent. I haven’t read it through yet, I’m just going to copy & paste and we’ll find out together:

john donne’s holy sonnet x

Also known as Death Be Not Proud. Like I said earlier, I had to do a presentation on this poem today, so here’s some notes from it. One thing we didn’t focus on enough was the form of the poem itself, so I added in some notes about that at the end. What I have here is pretty basic, so if you have any more notes or interpretations, leave them in the comments!

We also played this video at the beginning. This lady is actually criticizing the version of the poem that is in our textbook =P

Death, be not proud, though some have called thee
Mighty and dreadful, for thou are not so;
For those whom thou think’st thou dost overthrow
Die not, poor Death, nor yet canst thou kill me.
From rest and sleep, which but thy pictures be,
Much pleasure; then from thee much more must flow,
And soonest our best men with thee do go,
Rest of their bones, and soul’s delivery.
Thou’art slave to fate, chance, kings, and desperate men,
And dost with poison, war, and sickness dwell,
And poppy’or charms can make us sleep as well
And better than thy stroke; why swell’st thou then?
One short sleep past, we wake eternally,
And death shall be no more; Death, thou shalt die.

Death, be not proud, though some have called thee
Mighty and dreadful, for thou are not so;

Line 1 – Donne’s thesis statement
- Pride was the first sin, brought about death.
Ezekiel 28: 13, 17:
13. You [Satan] were in Eden,
the garden of God;
every precious stone adorned you:
ruby, topaz and emerald,
chrysolite, onyx and jasper,
sapphire, turquoise and beryl.
Your settings and mountings were made of gold;
on the day you were created they were prepared.
17. Your heart became proud
on account of your beauty,
and you corrupted your wisdom
because of your splendor.
So I threw you to the earth;
I made a spectacle of you before kings.

- Death is not mighty, just a tool.
- Not dreadful, for Christian it is a good thing.
-  A tool subject to fate, chance, kings, desperate men, but also a tool God uses for good – death brings about life through Jesus Christ, ironic how God used something Satan meant for destruction of men, to bring life to men.
Romans 6:3-14: “All of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death. We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the father, we too may live a new life.”

For those whom thou think’st thou dost overthrow
Die not, poor Death, nor yet canst thou kill me.
From rest and sleep, which but thy pictures be,
Much pleasure; then from thee much more must flow,

- Physical death cannot affect spiritual life, more like sleeping.
John 11: 11 -13
11. After he had said this, he went on to tell them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up.”
12.His disciples replied, “Lord, if he sleeps, he will get better.”
13. Jesus had been speaking of his death, but his disciples thought he meant natural sleep.

And soonest our best men with thee do go,
Rest of their bones, and soul’s delivery.

Philippians 1:21: “For me to live is Christ, to die is gain.“
- “Best men” are willing to accept death, they understand it is just a transition from life to everlasting life. They are the “best men” because they live their life to fullest, accept the time that God has ordained for them, live without fear. View death as rest, not dreadful.

Thou’art slave to fate, chance, kings, and desperate men,

- Death is just a tool, not autonomous
- If we are no longer afraid of death, we are no longer afraid of those who use it against us
- Romans 8: 31 – “If God is for us, who can be against us?”

And dost with poison, war, and sickness dwell,

– the results of sin, personified and inhabitants of hell? death keeps lowly companions. Temporarily have power over the earth because of sin, but will soon pass away.
– Revelation 21:4: “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

And poppy’or charms can make us sleep as well,
And better than thy stroke. Why swell’st thou then?

- Death does not have the upper hand, even when we ourselves want rest and peace, we do not have to resort to death. Poppy, charms, (drugs, other things that bring comfort), etc. can help us deal with pain, and sadness.
- Rebuttal of death’s pride. Death is not the only option.

One short sleep past, we wake eternally,

- emphasizes the temporary aspect of death
- “short sleep” contrasts with “wake eternally.”

And death shall be no more; Death, thou shalt die.

1 Corinthians 15:26 – “The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.”

- Death is ultimate result of sin. Sin shall be destroyed as well as death, sickness, war, pain etc.
– Revelation 21:4 (see above).

Death dies a spiritual death – eternal. It is a spiritual concept, cannot die physically, only can die eternally.

Rhyme scheme
abba abba abba cc
- first 8 lines (octave), envelope rhymes, talking about more positive aspects of death, defensive
- last 6 lines (sestet), direct condemnation, offensive

2010 canadian blog award results!

The results were released yesterday and gin and tonic came in 4th for Best Personal Blog in the 2010 Canadian Blog Awards! Didn’t quite make it into the top 3, but I’m okay with that! Fourth in the country ain’t bad, really. =P Thank you all who voted for and promoted my blog! I hope you’ll keep reading and sharing =)

Congratulations to all the winners and especially CalgaryPolitics.com for coming in 3rd in the Best Political Blog category! Plans are in the works to have a blogger reunion photoshoot which should be very interesting. I will definitely let you know when that happens!