Great idea to create awareness about fair trade and sweat shops. The Sweatshow is split into 2 parts: a fashion show featuring mostly Nike and The Gap with stats and labour conditions explained as the models do their little thing on the catwalk… and a display of the alternatives.
Here are some links to fair trade clothing mentioned during the show:
Just Shirts
Fair Industry
Blackspot Sneakers
No Sweat
We are back to work this week. Up at 5:10am. I must say that usually after a couple weeks off, it had been hard to come back to work. You would think that after 6 weeks I wouldn’t remember where I worked. But this is not the case. I must be ill.
I have looked forward to starting back again. Maybe starting work again is symbolic for the rest of the “new” that is to come.
Here are a few of the new:
1. We (along with our flat mates) have begun to plant veggies and herbs in our backyard. Think more along the lines of urban gardening, since we don’t own the property we live in and can’t dig up anything. The corn is growing well, and there were some strawberries on the deck, and the herbs are coming in nicely. Of course these were planted by the housemates as we have been away, but it’s a great start.
2. Jo and I have Fridays off. We are planning to get involved a bit more in our community and having an extra day will be great.
3. New church. We hooked up with a few people in our area and have started to get to know people. I am in the process of teaming up with a group that meets up with some homeless guys in a local park a few times a week. There is also a type of “life skills” for at risk youth that are looking for help one day a week. Both opportunities came up yesterday, so I am stoked to get going.
4. Nursing. I am planning on applying to an Enrolled Nursing program in April (with actual start time in Sept.). Basically I get paid to do a 12month program including 2 eight week stints of in class teaching, followed by prac. At the end of the program I am certified as an Enrolled Nurse and can finish the schooling for my RN in 2 years. It is a bit down the pipe, but it sounds great. I will keep you up to date on it.
5. ESL. Jo starts her uni program in ESL in March. She is hoping this will lead to some opportunities to work with some of the assylum seekers in our area.
We are looking forward to the coming months, and the challenges that await.
Happy Australia Day! Jo’s dad’s birthday happens to land on Australia Day so we headed down to Wollongong to the beach to celebrate. Twas a beautiful day of splashing in the surf and bbqing and hanging with the family. It was the first bit of sun we have had this summer and the first time I had been in the ocean since ‘05.
We start work again on Monday (although we are only working 4 days a week this year!) and to be honest, that 4 day week has really changed our attitude about “the work week”. We are looking forward to it! Hockey starts up for me again on Sunday. This should be a bit interesting, since I haven’t skated for 4 months, but after being home and watching the World Juniors over Christmas, I am ready. I also picked up some cheap hockey pants and elbow pads while I was at home. Bring it.
There is other cool stuff that will be starting up this year too, but I need to rub some aloe vera into my back, as I got just a little bit too much sun today. Out.
We made it. Crazy amount of travelling. But we are here. The next monumental task will be unpacking… and preparing to go back to work next week. More Later.
Here is the final version of the new tattoo. I have actually had this since the 29th of December, but only in part. The black outline initially only went half way up the flames and the rest faded into yellow. However, I thought it would look better if the outline was complete and so I went in this week to get it touched up.
Ok, so people who say that getting inked doesn’t hurt are full of shite. I had forgotten. It isn’t an unbearable pain, like say, a broken bone. For me it is more like someone rubbing your bad sunburn for 10-15seconds at a time. For an hour or 2. So it isn’t unbearable, more annoying. Up on the shoulder they hit some nerves too that shoot the spiking into your ribs or neck. All the while you act cool, and try to relax.
I wanted to finish this one before I started on another. I already have an idea for something that I think it pretty cool. And since my tatt schedule seems to once a year in January, I have a year to work it up. Apparently (I was told), that my skin takes red well… I hope so…
Took my dad and Paul to a Sens game last night where they beat up on the Washington Captials and Alex Ovechkin.
I needed to make my touch-up appointment for my new-added-onto-existing tattoo, so we went up for noon and got that done, had lunch at a Scottish pub, made a stop at Lee Valley, and got me some new hockey pants on sale at Sportscheck. Rivetting stuff I know.
After we picked up Paul we hit Mexicali Rosa’s for dinner… who by the way, provide free shuttle (read that school bus) service to and from the Rink on game nights… with the purchase of an entree.
I haven’t been to a game in a couple years (for obvious reasons) and although it was a little slow in parts, the spurts of offence were good. Because of the unexpected shuttle, I ended up leaving my camera in the truck. So no lookies. 3 Days left!
(continued)… We spent the night at a hotel downtown Toronto after dinner. Which was nice. It has only just been the two of us for a couple of days/nights while here, and just being able to be for a bit was nice.
Friday we met up with a friend of a friend who is living in a co-op community near Regent Park in Toronto. Because the co-op is non for profit, the rent is affordable as it is only covering costs. You are repsonsible to maintain your own unit (more serious problems can be taken to the landlord, but there is only of them for a whole block of units) or find others within the community willing to help. Very cool to hear others stories, and the journey they’ve taken to get to this point. Also very encouraging.
Friday night we met up with other friends, went out for some Vietnamese food, and then the lads and I hung out at Gretzky’s while Jo went to a movie.
Saturday morning we were up and in Kingston for brunch, and hit Brockville for street hockey and some hot tubbing.
Sunday featured Jo’s first Swiss Chalet experience and then hangin with Doug at the mall. We then popped into Kanata for a movie with the Bruce before driving home. Whew. I am tired even thinking about all the driving we did. Final farewells. Worth it.
Well, we are home again from our world-wind tour of Hamilton, Oakville, Toronto, Kingston, Brockville, and Kanata this weekend. Oh yes. When we do a tour we pack it in. This is the last week of the trip. We head for Australia on Saturday (and in the process we skip the 21st… it will not exist in our lives this year due to timezone changes and flights… which is kinda cool… like Quantum Leap..) and it will probably be a couple years before we are back so… this is it.
But first a word on Google Maps: don’t.
I have never used GMs before and after them trying to lose us forever, I don’t think I’ll use their services again. They tried to take us on this short cut out behind Eganville somewhere on a road that was just a clearing between the trees in some forrested area. Seriously. These roads had had no plowing, there were no tracks, and no signs. I was glad for my parents 4-wheel drive and supreme backing up skills (as it was a single lane between trees… oh and sometimes a frozed lake). So… Google has it in for me. But now I am on to them.
We drove up to Hamilton last Thursday and had a coffee at the Freeway Cafe. From their website:
They have a great space there and do some cool things, not least of which is hosting the Films 4 Food Fest, the birth child of the Movie Blog. Unfortunately we will be on our way home during it, but if you are near the Hamilton area I think you should check it out.
We then made our way into Oakville (after another map dilemma which oddly enough wasn’t due to Google Maps, but due to a street directory that didn’t include minor streets) to meet up with Bruxy and Nina Cavey of the Meetinghouse. Our little group in Australia have been listening to messages from Bruxy and using them as a basis for our discussions, and just wanted to say thanks.
I can’t speak for the Caveys but we were greatly encouraged by the meeting. As I have been working my way through my church issues I have learned a great deal through Bruxy’s teaching. I appreciate the way he works through some of the complexities of scripture through research and intelligent scholarship. This is a top dude. It was very cool to make some new friends who are like minded and a lot of fun.
It was also kinda fun to put some substance to an otherwise pseudo relationship. Listening to podcasts you kinda feel like you know people better than you really do. You have heard them tell stories, share their opinions, make jokes all without having to risk anything yourself. So, I knew a bit about Bruxy. He knew nothing of me. Now that’s a small step up from that. Which feels way less weird.
Ok this is getting long… so I’ll finish it in another post.
Since Jo and mom were making all of our stockings this year my brother and I decided we’d design something different for ours. I think they turned out pretty well. I figure, rather than subjecting loved ones to the Star Wars Holiday Special, I can just hang my stocking to include the Force into the festivities.
My brother did an AT-AT design for his. It isn’t half as good as mine.
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