Face to Face

From now on, I'm going to only talk to people in person. That is, when they are someone I don't know, and I want to interview them for a journalism story. It turns out that my voice on the phone is very easy to say no to. And it must be my voice, because I'm always polite and accommodating.

But, when I meet someone in person, they simply don't say no. It's like magic. A phone call is intrusive, but stopping someone on the street, in the cold, is welcomed. Why?

I've been writing this article, well trying to at least, and I'm not going to lie, I've been pretty stressed about it. Stressed because every time I called someone to set up an interview, they were too busy. And not only too busy that second, or even day, but the whole week!

Then today, out I was in the freezing cold trying to talk to people. By this time, I had given up on the phone. But to my delight, everyone was incredibly nice. They didn't only answer my questions, but did what they could to help me along in my story.

I really shouldn't have expected anything else, I mean, if it came to an unknown entity at the other side of the phone, or a smiling face in front of me, I'd choose face to face as well.

To be honest, this kind of gives me hope. In a world where everything is run by technology and the newest gadget, It's comforting to know that people still appreciate the human connection.

A Review on - In The Chamber 2010: Last Men

Imagine you’re all set to see a play. You’re excited to see the actors interact in front of you as the plot unwinds and you can’t wait to get lost in the show. Well, I have some bad news. If this is the experience you want, you will immediately dislike In The Chamber 2010: Last Men, playing at the Rachel Brown Theatre.

That was me. I was expecting to see a huge production and everything that comes with it like an elaborate set, an expensive lighting display, and more than one actor on stage at a time. What I got, however, was a bare set, a few spot lights, and one man speaking.

Initially, I was unimpressed. I was bored. I was disturbed. If you had asked me immediately after the show what I’d thought I would have said it was one of the worst things I’ve ever had to sit through in my life. My opinion has since changed.

You see, I didn’t know what I was about to watch. My unreal expectations were not met because they were just that, unrealistic. The play I witnessed was really two separate monologues preformed by two separate actors. Each was a speech about a big issue presented in a way that made you think, really think, about it.

Some people during the performance laughed, me not being one of them. I simply didn’t see the humour, but others clearly did. Some people were disgusted with the subject matter, and some were even angry they were watching. The thing is, I’m pretty sure every single person left thinking about the issues raised, and with an emotion ready to erupt.

Watching a monologue for 115 minutes is not my thing, but it was quite a thing to have experienced. How talented the actors must have been to cleverly evoke such diverse emotions within their viewers.

On Stress

Believe it or not, I'm way happier when I'm busy and stressed than when I'm not. I think this is because when I have the time to actually stop and think, I realize how much I have to do and what I'm not doing at that particular second. I like how focused you can be when there is too much to do at once, even though I would like a few extra hours in a day.

I've recently discovered, as you may have guessed, that I like stress. The thing is, however, that I have to be in the middle of it to thrive. If I stop, even for an hour, I realize that I'm stressed and that is when the negative repercussions happen like worrying, cleaning the same space multiple times, and eating chocolate.

I think stress can be a very healthy feeling as long as you're preoccupied with it.

Road Trip

During the holidays, I went on a road-trip out west.
On the first day, Monday, December 28, we drove
from Winnipeg to Calgary. I would tell a story from this day, but I'm pretty sure you'd find a story about me sitting in a car all day quite dull, so I'll try to fast-forward to the fun stuff.

On Tuesday, we drove out to Banff. Wow. I've only seen mountains once before, so I was amazed. The scenery around there was astounding. If you've never seen a sight like this one, I strongly recommend you go here, even just to see the beautiful Rockies.

The next day, Wednesday, we stumbled upon Bridal Falls. Nestled in the mountains was a secluded paradise of moss covered trees, freshly fallen snow, and a waterfall that looks like a bride's veil. The site was closed for the winter, but a server from a small dinner up the road said we could make to the top on foot. We had the falls all to ourselves.



And then, we went to Seattle. Which, by the way, is where I'm going to end up living one day. I spent the past weekend exploring the down-town of Seattle. Everything was amazing there. From seeing the original Starbucks location, standing on the top level of the space needle, watching men through fish around Pike Place Market for a crowd of camera-clad tourists, the architecturally-praised new public library, to simply seeing the view from my 24th-floor hotel room.


The main thing I learned from this trip was that I have not seen enough of the world around me. Even within Canada, there is so much that I have not yet seen. So far, however, Seattle is my favourite.