LAYER ONE:
Spell your name with bands/artists
LoudLove
Arcade Fire
U2
Rebel Emergency
A 311...ok I couldn’t think of another A band
LAYER TWO:
-- Name: Laura Anne Marie Nicol
-- Birth date: August 13, 1983
-- Nicknames: Laur , Laura-loo, Laura-lee Laura-loo, chaton
-- Current Location: Ottawa
-- Eye Color: Blue
-- Hair Color: Brown
-- Righty or Lefty: Righty.
-- Best friend(s): Theo, Salma, Daniel, Christine, Nicole ...
LAYER THREE:
-- The shoes you wore today: black flats to and from work, 2 in black heels at work
-- Your perfect pizza: sauce, green peppers, mushrooms, pepperoni, cheese OR bbq sauce, chicken and cheese
-- The last time you cried: Probably like a week ago
LAYER FOUR:
-- Your best physical feature: Eyes? Breasts?
-- Most missed memory: I have a horrible memory. I miss my memory. And the cottage. :>
LAYER FIVE:
-- Pepsi or Coke: Coke
-- McDonald's or Burger King: McDonalds
-- Adidas or Nike: neither
-- Lipton Ice Tea or Nestea: meh
-- Chocolate or Vanilla: Chocolate
-- Cappuccino or coffee: French vanilla
LAYER SIX:
-- Curse: I don’t know what exactly this is asking?
-- Do you sing: Yes...when I’m alone.
-- Take a shower everyday: Usually.
-- Do you think you have been in love: Yes
-- Want to go to college: Went to university and took college classes in PR. I’d go back in a heart beat
-- Get motion sickness: rarely
-- Think you're a health freak: nope
-- Get along with your parents: yes.
-- Play an instrument: I can play guitar, bass and drums in Rock Band
LAYER SEVEN:
In the past 3 months...
-- Gone to the mall: yes
-- Kissed someone: yes
-- Eaten an entire box of Oreos: no, but I did share one with Mat and Theo
-- Eaten Sushi: yup
-- Been on stage: no
-- Gone skating: noooope
-- Made homemade cookies: Not cookies—but cupcakes and banana bread
-- Stolen anything: nope
LAYER EIGHT:
Have you ever...
-- Gotten in big trouble with your parents: not really
-- Used a fake id: Hmmm maybe? I don’t recall. Don’t think so?
LAYER NINE:
-- Age you hope to be married: No rush...but maybe by 27-28
--Number of Children: 2
LAYER TEN:
In a guy/girl...
-- Best eye color: don't care
-- best hair color: ditto
-- Short hair or long hair: ditto
LAYER ELEVEN:
-- Number of people I could trust with my life?: 10ish?
-- Number of cds you own: tons!!
-- Number of piercings: 4
-- Number of tattoos: none
LAYER TWELVE:
--The one place you never want to go back to: cottage, montreal, kap, toronto, NYC, D.C., boston, Vegas
--The one place where you want to die: wherever home is
--The one feeling you have never felt: loss – true, deep loss
--The one person you would like to meet: Hmmm...does 311 count as a person? If not, George Stroumboulopoulos. I’d love to go to a concert with that guy.
6.24.2008
6.23.2008
Banksy
I've been a fan of Banksy for a few years now. I don't recall how I first came across his graffiti/political art ... but I especially adore his recent work in Palestine/Israel. It's not mindless tagging on public property type graffiti - it's always got a point.
At Urban Outfitters I found a book of some of his work. Some of my favorite quotes:
"Once upon a time there was a Bear and a Bee who lived in a wood and were the best of friends. All summer long the Bee collected nectar from morning to night while the Bear lay on his back basking in the long grass.
When Winter came the Bear realised he had nothing to eat and thought to himself 'I hope that busy little Bee will share some of his honey with me.' But the Bee was nowhere to be found - he had died of a stress induced coronary disease."
"The human race is the most stupid and unfair kind of race. A lot of the runners don't even get decent sneakers or clean drinking water.
Some runners are born with a massive head start, every possible help along the way and still the referees seem to be on their side.
It's not surprising a lot of people have given up competing altogether and gone to sit in the grandstand, eat junk and shout abuse.
What the human race needs is a lot more streakers."
"We can't do anything to change the world until capitalism crumbles. In the meantime we should all go shopping to console ourselves."
At Urban Outfitters I found a book of some of his work. Some of my favorite quotes:
"Once upon a time there was a Bear and a Bee who lived in a wood and were the best of friends. All summer long the Bee collected nectar from morning to night while the Bear lay on his back basking in the long grass.
When Winter came the Bear realised he had nothing to eat and thought to himself 'I hope that busy little Bee will share some of his honey with me.' But the Bee was nowhere to be found - he had died of a stress induced coronary disease."
"The human race is the most stupid and unfair kind of race. A lot of the runners don't even get decent sneakers or clean drinking water.
Some runners are born with a massive head start, every possible help along the way and still the referees seem to be on their side.
It's not surprising a lot of people have given up competing altogether and gone to sit in the grandstand, eat junk and shout abuse.
What the human race needs is a lot more streakers."
"We can't do anything to change the world until capitalism crumbles. In the meantime we should all go shopping to console ourselves."
4.22.2008
Banana Bread
I tried studying his face while he spoke on the phone. It had been 12 hours since we'd heard any news.
Normally I can hear the conversation because her excited voice carries through the 680 km of airwaves to his cell phone and loud enough for me to hear sitting next to him. Not tonight.
"Why didn't you call?" in a frustrated tone. Does he normally chew his bottom lip? Are his eyes welling up or is that the lighting in the room?
"When will you know?" in an anxious tone. He lets go of my hand. Am I making it worse by watching him?
I leave and go to the kitchen. I open my recipe book to the banana bread page and immediately start throwing the ingredients into a large bowl. Not in order. I didn't sift the flour. I had no vanilla extract but used homemade vanilla sugar instead. That looked about a quarter cup. Blend. Butter pan. Pour mixture into pan. Bake at 350 for 60 minutes. Wash, wash, scrub dishes. Clean countertop. I feel better. At least if I have to go anywhere tomorrow I can bring a banana bread. Banana bread helps everything. As a recent recipient of one of my banana breads noted: Banana bread is the greatest stuff ever as it serves as a snack, breakfast or dessert. It's a disorganized mother's best pal. A disorganized mother and an anxious girl.
I'm an anxious eater. And apparently an anxious baker.
Normally I can hear the conversation because her excited voice carries through the 680 km of airwaves to his cell phone and loud enough for me to hear sitting next to him. Not tonight.
"Why didn't you call?" in a frustrated tone. Does he normally chew his bottom lip? Are his eyes welling up or is that the lighting in the room?
"When will you know?" in an anxious tone. He lets go of my hand. Am I making it worse by watching him?
I leave and go to the kitchen. I open my recipe book to the banana bread page and immediately start throwing the ingredients into a large bowl. Not in order. I didn't sift the flour. I had no vanilla extract but used homemade vanilla sugar instead. That looked about a quarter cup. Blend. Butter pan. Pour mixture into pan. Bake at 350 for 60 minutes. Wash, wash, scrub dishes. Clean countertop. I feel better. At least if I have to go anywhere tomorrow I can bring a banana bread. Banana bread helps everything. As a recent recipient of one of my banana breads noted: Banana bread is the greatest stuff ever as it serves as a snack, breakfast or dessert. It's a disorganized mother's best pal. A disorganized mother and an anxious girl.
I'm an anxious eater. And apparently an anxious baker.
3.26.2008
Why we should NOT pass Bill C-10 in Canada
For those Canucks who haven't heard about Bill C-10.... it essentially gives the government the power to not fund Canadian movies with "controversial" subject matter.
Yeah. Ok. Censorship much?
GREAT interview by George Stroumboulopoulos here: Charles McVety on The Hour
From the Facebook group: Keep your censoring hands off of Canadian film and TV! No to Bill C-10!
Please concentrate your letter writing/lobbying on
the Senate Commerce, Banking and Trade Committee.
General email:
banking_banques@sen.parl.g
3.24.2008
3.05.2008
On The Fire
My lovely and very talented pal Teresa is completing her Masters at Carleton -- working on education and the environment. Her very cool blog is tracking some of the things she's coming across in her research/interest and she's looking for feedback on some of her thesis thoughts...
Check out On The Fire.
Entries of interest:
Vampire Energy/Phantom Load
List of Foods that Contain GMOs (2003)
Check out On The Fire.
Entries of interest:
Vampire Energy/Phantom Load
List of Foods that Contain GMOs (2003)
3.04.2008
Terminator Seeds
I've written before about Terminator, or Suicide, Seed technology, but I wanted to include a few more links and facts from a forum I attended here in Ottawa. There were three speakers - Dr. Ricarda Steinbrecher of ExoNexus, U.K.; Susan Walsh, Executive Director of USC Canada; and Colleen Ross, Women's President of the National Farmers Union. Lucy Sharratt, Coordinator of the Canadian Biotechnology Action Network hosted the evening.
First some notes from Dr. Ricarda Steinbrecher's portion:
Genetic Use Restriction Technology (GURTs) is used in Terminator seeds to render them sterile in the second generation (ie. the seeds this plant will produce will be sterile). Terminator seeds DO NOT prevent cross-pollination - or contamination - of other fields/plants. Other problems with transgenes/GURTs:
- By definition, any biological system is not static, but dynamic, it changes.
- Evolution, genetic adaptation, metabolic adaptation
- Mutations (alteration of DNA sequence)
- Gene silencing (epigenetic changes - as a defense mechanism within the seed)
There is insufficient data for assessment of environmental, socio-economic and cultural impacts, as well as economic, legal, societal and food security impacts.
Have we even considered if we NEED this technology?
From Susan Walsh, who presented on Terminator technology and Farmers from the Global South:
- 1.4 billion people are dependent on seeds farmers save (seed banks - both formal and informal)
- Biodiversity is even more important with climate change already showing its head
- To buy new seeds every year the Canadian Wheat industry (85%) would cost US$85 million according to the ETC Group.
- The companies behind Terminator technology say that this is too expensive for farmers in developing countries and therefore wouldn't affect them -- this is not so. Farmers around the world receive seeds via farm aid, food programs, and cross-pollination.
- Not all technologies are good
- We embrace it -- doesn't mean it will embrace us!
- Canola, cotton, corn, and soybeans are often genetically modified
- 85% of farmers have off-however -- this isn't profitable for the farmer, and isn't healthy either
- We're losing 2% of our diversity every year
So -- what can you do to stop this?
- You can take action to Ban Terminator here
- Educate yourself - tell your friends and family. Get a great discussion started with this Seed Map
- Article on Doomsday Seed Vault
2.18.2008
Article: GM Crop Trial Locations May be Hidden from Public
I will not go into a full entry here on my opinions on Genetically Modified (GM) Foods because I fear I will never stop writing.
The Guardian in the UK reports that there are plans for GM crop trials out of the public eye. The companies behind GM organisms and food are well aware of the public backlash against this attack on their foods, their privacy and their freedom of choice.
Another story, perhaps more shocking/disturbing, on the consequences of GM crop contamination, something we're all too familiar with here in Canada.
I strongly suggest you learn more about the terminator seeds, the campaigns to ban them around the world, and what you can do to help stop this. The future of our food is at stake.
The Guardian in the UK reports that there are plans for GM crop trials out of the public eye. The companies behind GM organisms and food are well aware of the public backlash against this attack on their foods, their privacy and their freedom of choice.
Another story, perhaps more shocking/disturbing, on the consequences of GM crop contamination, something we're all too familiar with here in Canada.
I strongly suggest you learn more about the terminator seeds, the campaigns to ban them around the world, and what you can do to help stop this. The future of our food is at stake.
2.12.2008
Brain Purge
(inspired by pamused who was inspired by audra)
thankful for:my family and friends
proud of: finally getting my ass to the gym consecutively
missing: what can never be again
looking forward to: a warm bed to crawl into
preoccupied by: politics, capitalism, the state of the world. What style will i get my hair cut next?thrilled by:everything
disappointed by: politicians, fellow humans, that my Christmas tree won't grow
thinking of:being more creative
wondering:if anyone can ever know for sure
hoping:that i'm over exaggerating everything negative
wanting: une maison to call home
reading: The Story of French
recommending: lying on the floor at 3 am in the dark and listening to konstantine by something corporate
making:cupcakes
listening to: patrice
would kill for: 311 day concert in New Orleans
forgetting to:breathe
most recently snuggled by:toby cat
most recently slept on: not so comfy bed
thankful for:my family and friends
proud of: finally getting my ass to the gym consecutively
missing: what can never be again
looking forward to: a warm bed to crawl into
preoccupied by: politics, capitalism, the state of the world. What style will i get my hair cut next?thrilled by:everything
disappointed by: politicians, fellow humans, that my Christmas tree won't grow
thinking of:being more creative
wondering:if anyone can ever know for sure
hoping:that i'm over exaggerating everything negative
wanting: une maison to call home
reading: The Story of French
recommending: lying on the floor at 3 am in the dark and listening to konstantine by something corporate
making:cupcakes
listening to: patrice
would kill for: 311 day concert in New Orleans
forgetting to:breathe
most recently snuggled by:toby cat
most recently slept on: not so comfy bed
2.08.2008
Recommendation: Empire Builders - Third Wall/GCTC
We have season tickets to the Great Canadian Theatre Company, here in Ottawa. They put on fabulous and energetic plays and performances by Canadian and local playwrights, with Canadian and local actors. The new Irving Greenberg Theatre Centre, newly opened this season, provides a lovely space and location for bigger productions.
Interestingly, the new theatre also has a smaller studio theatre so two productions can be rehearsing and performing at the same time. Enter Third Wall Theatre Company. At the last GCTC production we saw an advertisment for the upcoming Third Wall production to be held there.
Third Wall has made the studio theatre it's new home, and we were delighted to catch their adaptation of Boris Vian's 1958 play Empire Builders. It's funny, because neither of us fully understood everything about the play, but we both loved it. It's one of those plays that encourages discussion afterwards. This family who is continually fleeing an unknown enemy/fear and who refuse to talk of it raises questions that are eerily relevant today. How do we deal with fear? The Enemy? The Unknown? What/how much are we willing to risk for freedom/safety? Do we collectively repress the past so as to pretend it's not how we arrived to the present?
The actors were all phenomenal. Katie Bunting, Julian Doucet, Matt Miwa, Alix Sidaris, Maureen Smith and Riley Stewart all played their parts (some of them non-speaking!) extremely well and it really added to the performance. We've been lucky enough to see some of these same actors in other productions at the GCTC and love when we get to see them return!
One of the things I love about theatre is the use of the stage and props. The studio theatre is quite small, but the whole team did a lovely job with the space. The actors were in between the audience and the story moved from side to side. Voice projection wasn't a problem in the small area, even if the actor had their back to you. The costumes were eerie and great - though I haven't figured out if the all-white clothing and pale faces/white hair was supposed to sybolize something? Death? Limbo...? Regarless...it was striking.
I don't want to give away too much, except to say it's a stellar performance and a great play to follow up with a coffee or drinks or a nice drive home to discuss the issues raised.
The show runs until February 16 at the GCTC and I strongly recommend you check it out.
Up next: For the GCTC it's The Optimists, by Morwyn Brebner, running until February 17. For Third Wall, it's Moliere's Tartuffe, running May 27th to June 7th.
Interestingly, the new theatre also has a smaller studio theatre so two productions can be rehearsing and performing at the same time. Enter Third Wall Theatre Company. At the last GCTC production we saw an advertisment for the upcoming Third Wall production to be held there.
Third Wall has made the studio theatre it's new home, and we were delighted to catch their adaptation of Boris Vian's 1958 play Empire Builders. It's funny, because neither of us fully understood everything about the play, but we both loved it. It's one of those plays that encourages discussion afterwards. This family who is continually fleeing an unknown enemy/fear and who refuse to talk of it raises questions that are eerily relevant today. How do we deal with fear? The Enemy? The Unknown? What/how much are we willing to risk for freedom/safety? Do we collectively repress the past so as to pretend it's not how we arrived to the present?
The actors were all phenomenal. Katie Bunting, Julian Doucet, Matt Miwa, Alix Sidaris, Maureen Smith and Riley Stewart all played their parts (some of them non-speaking!) extremely well and it really added to the performance. We've been lucky enough to see some of these same actors in other productions at the GCTC and love when we get to see them return!
One of the things I love about theatre is the use of the stage and props. The studio theatre is quite small, but the whole team did a lovely job with the space. The actors were in between the audience and the story moved from side to side. Voice projection wasn't a problem in the small area, even if the actor had their back to you. The costumes were eerie and great - though I haven't figured out if the all-white clothing and pale faces/white hair was supposed to sybolize something? Death? Limbo...? Regarless...it was striking.
I don't want to give away too much, except to say it's a stellar performance and a great play to follow up with a coffee or drinks or a nice drive home to discuss the issues raised.
The show runs until February 16 at the GCTC and I strongly recommend you check it out.
Up next: For the GCTC it's The Optimists, by Morwyn Brebner, running until February 17. For Third Wall, it's Moliere's Tartuffe, running May 27th to June 7th.
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