Off to the Disney place

I'm leaving for Disney World in 2 days; a gift from the in-laws for the whole fam-damily.

Initially, I was horrified. An an environmentalist, activist, and general resister of all things commercial, I wondered why in g*d's name, with only one child (and a baby) in the family at the moment, would they bring seven adults to a children's theme park for a week of shiny, hyped, fancy neuroticism?

I was 95% sure that I was going to decide not to go on this trip. Everything in me was yelling not to go. I am at the finishing stages of my bachelor of science in environmental studies. I've listened to colleagues give presentations on environmental impact assessments of Disney's various "development" projects, which usually consists of introducing foreign plant species to a region, importing exotic animals from their native habitat (something that usually leads to the death of an entire groups of animals; that group being the one who is trying to defend their youngest family members from these strange white, two-legged creatures. This, and the fact that they are restricted in their new homes, eat when the captors decide it's time to eat, and are surrounded by noisy, smelly human-things all day long).

Other effects are the local degradation of ecosystems, the vast quantities of waste produced by tourists, the commercialization and commodification of "happiness", the questionable working conditions and code of ethics that employees endure, the toxic substances that leach into groundwater, the high cost of energy for running such a massive theme park, the fossil fuels used by consumers to get to the theme park, the delusional euphoria that it puts people in, the anthropomorphism of the animal kingdom and huge, blatant propaganda messaging and stereotyping... etcetera. Gee-rosssss.

After some discussion with some close friends, I decided, after all, to accept the lofty and generous gift form my in-laws and, *sigh*, go to Disney world.

My main reason for okaing this extravagance is mostly due to the fact that it's a great opportunity to spend time with my partner's family. They are, for the most part, really cool people whom I really like and enjoy spending time with. Another reason was prompted from my mom. She told me to remember my inner 4-year old, who would delight in the dawn of a new day, and walk around sighing and singing about how beautiful the day was.


I'll try to keep that in mind.

Whoa there life force!

There are SO many changes happening all around me right now. A good hearty handful of friends are getting married (Cat, Amanda, Christi, Lydia, that I can remember), friends are going to grad school, I am almost finished my last full semester of my undergrad, we might be moving to Boston, an old friend of mine is even changing genders as you read this.


At the time I am writing, these changes are wholesome, for the betterment of lives and I am very proud to be sharing the same life-space as these wonderful, inspiring people. I have to admit I feel a little overwhelmed, and I think it's weird that I feel so vulnerable to change right now. It's like I have a stack of cards that are turning out to be something else, as though I turn the card around to see if I have a face or number, and turns out not to be a card at all, but something like a broom, horse, or butterfly.

I accept and embrace these changes. I know they're good, but there are some changes that I DON'T like, which I'd like to tell more people about, so please read on.


I go to school on a beautiful campus, and some important regions of it are largely unexplored. Macdonald campus in Sainte Anne de Bellevue has a horticultural center, which is also the location of the seasonal Mac Market. You can buy all the apples, squash and vegetables that your heart and palette desire. Behind the "hort" center is an orchard if you're ever in the mood for a sweet-smelling stroll, and there are pumpkin patches abounding. As a side note, it is also important to mention, and you'll see why in a second, that Macdonald campus already has a freshly renovated gym facility that is free for McGill students to use. It's right on campus, and is refreshingly hardly ever full. The neighboring school, John Abbott College, also has a gym facility that Mac students can access for a reduced fee as well as a pool. So we're covered. Gym, 2 of them, free or cheap, plus pretty local orchards for another little walk.


What I'm getting at here is that the pretty orchards and pumpkin patches of Macdonald campus are in danger of being paved over to build a NEW gym facility, that Mac students will have to pay for to use, and will be open to the general public. The plans for these facilities are being mapped out by the Macdonald Athletics department, by two of the administrative employees there. Why does Mac need yet another gym complexe? What we need is more student space, and to practice the conservation that is taught to us in class on the very same campus. Rather than a new gym facility, which has no concrete sustainability considerations, or the surprising news that the centennial center's cafeteria will be closed to students within the next few years, a community center for students where ideas can be shared and possibilities explored is a much more feasible idea that would be supported by the student body. More importantly, it's time to take McGill administration to the task of making environmentally sound decisions, even if that means leaving things as they are, and promoting the responsible use of campus green spaces.


Maybe this was the straw that was making my load feel heavier. Change, I can accept. Personal development and progress, and support for the environment are wonderful and noble. Making a facility that will not be helpful to what students really need, and forging through a development project that will decrease green space on the "environmental campus" are changes I will not sit idly by and watch. I plan to meet with the two gentlemen who are involved with the blueprints for this project and ask them politely to please not go forward with this development. If they say no, or dance around with defensive and justifying words, then it's time to build with the support of the student body. If we show opposition, there's no way they can go through with it, and if need be, that's what I intend to develop as my exit strategy from this school.

Calculus and drama can go together

I am about to embark on my second semester of night school. Last semester, I was thankfully taking calculus 1 at a cegep just down the road from my house. I am not so fortunate this semester, and I have to use about 3 hours of my day in travel.

The good news is that the end is in sight. One more semester, then three more classes in the summer (fingers crossed) and voila, degree in hand.

Calculus has a special place in my books. I failed it the first time I enrolled. It was my first semester of University. I had just moved out, officially, for the first time, and I had a painful falling out with a dear friend, thus, I had other things on my plate. I forgot about math for the time being, and pursued my education without caring about the end of the road, where I would have to re-encounter the calculus demons once again, or drop out and dismiss all of the work I had put into obtaining a science degree from McGill university (snooty plug-in).

After my first or second class of calculus 1, the second time I took it, I called my co-star in a complete panic. I didn't think I could do it. I was convinced I was going to fail a second time around, and especially since I got a failing grade on my first assignment, I was sure I was destined for another semester of misery, and was contemplating dropping the class. My love gave me courage, however, and I succeeded in the course with a final grade of 82%. I've never been very good at math at first, and I usually have to fail something once to do well in it eventually, but I'm pretty happy with this grade, and proud of all the work I put into it.


During the course of taking calculus 1 the second time, at night school, I was crushing big-time on my teacher, who wasn't that much older than I was. I am in a committed relationship, and I know my partner was hurt by this, especially when I went out for diner with my teacher (strictly platonic dining), but it turns out I am dangerously attracted to guys who are good at math. Lucky for my boyfriend, he's also very good at math, so there was no question of me leaving him.

I pray that my new teacher is 1) an excellent teacher 2) non-intimidating 3) knows night school students don't want to become mathematicians per say 4) is someone I am not attracted to. I don't know if my heart can take much more ups and downs, so rest my soul, math is for science, not for lovin'!

Saint Andrew's by the sea

I am in New Brunswick right now for a marine mammals course. What better way to kill 3 credits!?! Whale watching, seal observing, sea-bird gazing... woo hoo!

I'll be in Saint Andrews for 2 weeks, then my boyfriend will be meeting up with me so we can venture on our first vacation together :-)



The Huntsman Marine science center seems good so far. I haven't explored much of the campus yet because we got in from our 10 hour drive from Montreal and ate supper. In half an hour, we have our official starting time. A meeting after a sleepy day-long drive and a tummy full of carbs? I detect a little dreary-eyed short attention spans in my near future.

We're all staying in an old summer home, which is right next to a golf course. I'm sitting next to a nice faux-fireplace in a sunny room with friendly people, most of us immersed in our individual worlds, either through laptop computers or a book.

I'm concerned about my food situation. They weren't too pleased with my gluten sensitivity and told me that us types are supposed to bring our own food, which made me a little mad. I'm paying for food to be included with my tuition, and have a food allergy that I didn't choose to have. Plus, I wasn't told that I had to bring my own food, in which case, I would have suggested strongly for a partial refund for what I have payed so far. Sometimes, this world isn't made for people who don't fit the cookie mold.

Publi Sacs

Transcontinental, the company the produces/distributes Quebec's most irritating commodity, the Publi Sac, had a little piece of news saying that they were going to begin using biodegradable plastic bags in early 2008. Check the article out right here:


http://www.transcontinental-gtc.com/en/5-news-centre/07-11-13.html


Although I encourage this shift in a greener direction, it still doesn't solve the following issues:

Carbon emissions
Deforestation
Pollution from printing mills
Household waste; Unwanted, unsolicited large-scale SPAM
Landfill space (for those who choose not to recycle)
Landfill space (for those who do decide to recycle... );Montreal only recycles 17% of what CAN be recycled


Biodegradable plastic bags are great, but it's a smokescreen and dare I say, a sort of green-washing for some bigger issues. It's a good step in the right direction, but not good enough.

Click this link for a good Montreal environmental forum


http://green514.com/


My boss wants me to draft a letter to give to different boroughs in Montreal asking them to ban the Publi Sac. I'll post it here when it's done.