type writers

07Jan12

An evening of letter writing with friends/strangers at the regional assembly of text (main st, vancouver). Typewriters hurt your index fingers – and sound fantastic.

the letter featured here will soon be hidden somewhere in my neighborhood – looking for an anonymous penpal to write back.

ew-too-cute-think-yer-gonna-barf?

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Tags: art, craft, letter, regional assembly of text, type, typewriter

12 seconds at year’s end

31Dec11

   

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Tags: 2011, east sooke park, sound, vancouver island, wind

i caribou’t you

24Dec11

for making your music, for stealing my bike. for walking cross the cambie st bridge with me at night.

in truth and respect, in silence and awe. in morning cafes, and in gratitude – for all the moments i saw.

for rotting vegetables lost in our fridge, for 65 classrooms of 16 year old kids.

in audio production and editorial cues, in not letting me falter on impending dues.

for the island, the interior, and the friends i don’t see. for burlington, bucerias & beijing, my family.

in kindness and pun, and a whole lot of grace,

let’s whip out the rum and smash up our face(s)!

happy holidays.

xox

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musical foray: where time is passed

12Dec11

Feast your ears. I learned 2 weeks ago that a close friend of three years has been busy making music for the past little while… without telling anyone. I think he’s extremely talented, and last week we sat down with a microphone and recorded some lyrics for one of his trax.

Abashedly, intriguingly, this is the result.

Where Time is Passed by monkt&bnna …

thanks monkeywrench.

ps. i am beyonce.

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white spot waitress

06Dec11

she greets me with a forward face and we play from there. “want some?”
“i’d love to but my bosses would frown.”
she is my white spot waitress.
“well, if all they’re going to do is frown…”
“and maybe something else that starts with an F.” she’s funny, quick-witted, slow of step.
my bills, split because business doesn’t pay for booze, tell me that her name is Amy.

Amy Amy Amy.

i wonder if i’ll serve again. it seems to have that appeal of hopeless desparity that the magazines seem to love. But then i wouldn’t get flown to far off Canadian towns like Kelowna for work. that’d be a shame.
John Henderson tells me the prime reasons he’s upset about having to retire. “in those days it would be me and sheryl and we’d drive across BC for shows. we got stuck in Prince George for 4 days once in a snowstorm. That was when CBC had money…” 

i think my plane is boarding. Amy tricked me and i’m staring at the largest ‘pint’ in airport history. white spot is closing for the night and 2 more sips of this yellow slooge and i’ll be in the sky.

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mdd // next

09Nov11

occupywallstreet, occupyvancouver, occupysesamestreet, occupylols, or bake an occu-pie.

meet the young woman who took direct action. work across the hall from the founder of a local movement, 10 years wise. mobilize that movement. have a phone call with the founder of a national campaign, 500 000 strong. call your mom, ask about her all-candidates debate.

realize that butterflies are different than twitching eyes.

“keep up the good work…” says Joe in passing as you paste another poster to a pole outside the skytrain station. “are you free at 4:30 tomorrow?” frieda wants to phone you into the women’s radio show at your campus station. “there are a lot more women in the MDD programming this year..” she says with a warm glint in her eye. it’s conscious. but it’s also responsive.

“how are you not burnt out?” i ask this with great curiosity, intention, and surprise as i talk to a man who is simultaneously walking his ex’s dog, picking up his daughter from inner-city music practice, having a cas/professional meeting with me, and has been working in arts, culture, community-building, and social justice for the dtes for the last 15 years (more?), and running on something like adrenaline – as i’ve realized one must, when in the business of coordinating people & events. “am i not?” he responds. “i say i’ve been burning through for quite some time now…”

it’s hard work in the social gospel.
> try not to let the perfect, become the enemy of the good.
> if not us then who, if not now then when?
> values are the door.
these are notes from monday night’s session. expect 6 months more.

and Sunday evening marks the visual end of an era. of coordinating Media Democracy Days. last week you wrote an article on the history of MDD, now in its tenth year. It was founded out of concern. genuine concern for the public sphere. concern for the values of equity and fairness.

… on the left, someone lets up an equation: Hope + Possibility + Despair. the challenge has been revealed.

today your heroes are writers, organizers, storytellers, fighters.

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Tags: brigette de pape, heroes, mdd, media democracy days, next up, occupy, the left, vancouver