Meh, worst case we can park across the overpass at Emily Murphy...

So who's that crazy fucker standing on a slackline in the Journal today?

and... on another note, you all missed an amazing talk by Morgan Spurlock on Wednesday night. He was AWESOME. And then I guess he went up to RATT and did karaoke until the cows came home. He was so incredible, I wish more people had come to see him. and do I ever wish I'd stayed for the karaoke...

I was just about to say something about soccer at Hawrelak, but it turns out that I'm wrong. You may be obstructed a little in your plans because Sunday is Earth Day and they'll likely be setting up for it on Saturday, but it shouldn't be a big deal, and they won't be stopping you from driving like they do on Sunday...



Thanks Jess, Percy and Paras for your comments. If nothing else, I've been learning a lot this past year of how best to approach things, and sometimes I still get it dead wrong. You're right, I have to stay away from personal attacks if I want to get anywhere with my discussions, but it can be really hard. and my opinions and feelings can run really deep. I think you're right, Jess: to only bring up an issue once and let the other person decide from there is probably the best way to go. So, I guess that means I'm done talking about ski hills for a while... and probably a whole lot of other things too.

I can't make people dedide things for themselves, I really only want to share what I've learned about some of the myriad consequences of those actions. (it's like the idea of an informed electorate being able to make the best decision, how can you guarantee people are acting in their own best interest if they don't know about the consequences?) and it's hard not to say those things when I've spent five years learning it all in school, and the past couple years working and volunteering for those causes too. it's kind-of nice to be that shit disturber from time to time, I'll just have to work on exactly how I do it, I guess. I don't want to have to drop my views in order to socialize with people, but I suppose sometimes it's inevitable, actually, I know it is... and I guess I'll leave it at that.

Feel free to continue giving me your input. I'd like to know how you all feel about this. tell me if I'm being too militant or too self-righteous, because I don't want to come across as a holier-than-thou asshole, really. and tell me when I've crossed 'the line' of dency and acceptable conduct. the only way you grow is by learning how to improve and seeing where you've gone wrong.

Yeah, I'm totally down for soccer as well. Paras or Pam; if either of you are driving would it be possible I could get a ride???

I'm all for soccer at Hawrelak at 4:00 on Saturday.

I'm also all for drinking on Thursday (it may make the dry run of my presentation more difficult, though.)

Alison, I don't think anything is wrong with your posts. You do what you gotta do and if you have any doubts, let it burn. BURN!!! It's always fun.

Oh yeah, and as Alison pointed out to me, my email said Pam and I are having a party the 28 of May, when it is in fact the 28 of April. I'm sure you all figured that out anyway but it's a good excuse for me to mention the party here too, for the benefit of those people whose email addresses I do not have. So if you didn't get the email:

Party April 28, meeting at my house 7:30, drinking continued on Whyte Ave later. (so call me if you're gonna be late, so I can tell you were we are). There will be cake!

I'm going to respond too, Alison, because you asked us to.

Firstly I wouldn't say you are the token environmentalist here. Certainly you are the only one crazy enough to try and do this as a living, but I think most of us here try to do things that may minimize our impact on the environment in ways that are big and small. I do think you are the only angelicizing (sp?) environmentalist here, but that's a different thing.

Where I think you, and many other environmentalists do themselves and their cause a disserve (though improving tone would help a lot too) is that they fail to consider the neogiation that people need to undergo to minimize their impact. Everything that humans do has a negative impact somewhere. Eating, shitting, even breathing. And there is a huge gap between us now and us being sustainable. Huge enough that I would say it is uncloseable within our lifetimes. That doesn't mean we shouldn't try. But we all need to do things that make us enjoy life, and if Jeremy's is mountain biking, then I think we need to respect that. Mine's horseback riding despite the fact that it's a money (and therefore resource) pit, I waste a ton of gas driving back and forth all the time, and barns aren't exactly careful where they dump their wastes. And horses piss a lot. There are burnt out fields all over Gorsline (some in places where birds nest). I do think it's really important to educate people about their impact their preferred activies have, it is also really important for activists to remember that what people do with that information is completely outside your control. People won't change unless they want to, and that too is outside your control.

A good example of this is the girls I ride with. They have some ideas that are pretty different from mine. They all vote Conservative, none of them bother recycling, they drive big goddamn cars everywhere, think women should stay at home, hate gay people, and don't think people should get divorced, ever. (they don't all think all of these things (they did all vote Conservative though)). And there's nothing I can do about that. If it comes up in conversation, then I'll share what I think and why, but only ever once. What they choose to do with that is totally up to them and I try to not judge them for choosing to ignore it (and I make really sure they never know I am judging them, when I can't help it.) Anything else I try to do to change their minds (I think) is rude and, ultimately, counter-productive. I do more good by making them all leave their empty pop and water bottles in the corner and taking them in myself.

Having said all that, Alison, I do really respect a lot of the things you do and try to do. You've made me more aware of environmentalist-y things that I probably would never have heard of otherwise and I appreciate that. But I do think sometimes, and your response to Jeremy was one of those times, you do need to distance yourself from the choices that other people make.

I would love to welcome Spring - because we've been having this wonderful weather
However i fear, that sometime before the end of may, we will have a dump of snow.
But as for now, i must welcome this beautiful weather.

AS for this weekend goes:

Friday night - doesn't seen to fit a lot of people schedules, so the 7pm soccer is off. However, if you want to come over and relax around 8:30pm or anytime there after, feel free. And if we have a bunch of people, maybe we can go play some midnight basevall or soccer or frisbee.

SATURDAY- Soccer, 4pm. I think that is the plan so far. As for location, I was thinking Quad because then people could study, and then realized it will probably only be Jere and I studying there. So i have decided on Hawerlak(sorry, i know i can't spell). By the big Parking lot, where we usually meet to play.

Everyone OK with that?

Did I say "light-hearted"? Because I meant "annoying as fuck."