How will socialism work?

How will socialism work as an effective political engine in modern society? I believe that it is important to isolate oneself from the other nations and systems on the global scale. Companies that "tried out" socialism during the Industrial Revolution did so as an isolated economy. Sweden, the famed model of modern socialism, has strict immigration laws.
Immigration would have to be limited to a trickle, and then only the "hand-picked few" would be allowed access. This is not the common view amongst left-wingers in Canada and is why socialism on a grand scale will never work in this country.
One must remember the feeling of self-importance that human nature luxuriously bathes itself in. If a socialist society works towards the common good, forfeiting a majority of those wages earned in order to receive the benefit social programs, everything will be cheery until a body from the outside enters. Human nature will be in unrest. Why is someone else benefiting from my labour? In Canada we already complain and moan about immigration. However, I believe Canada could not effectively survive if it were not for the high number of immigrants being welcomed into our country each year.
I'm not going to take my rant any further, it is just a seed thought as of now.

Northern Lights! Hooray!

This was taken a month or so ago just east of Edmonton.

Local sausage-makers= good

As of late, I have discovered that there are some really good local
sausages to be found here in Edmonton. I really enjoyed the Mennonite
"farmer's" sausage I purchased at the Old Strathcona farmers market on
a week and a half ago. I served that with local free-range eggs (also
from the farmers market) and a batch of Marlon's pancakes.
The second sausage I got was at Good Earth grocery on 99 street. It
was called Ukrainian sausage we threw that, along with some
chicken, fresh tomatoes, peppers and mushrooms into a big ol' pot of
jumbalaya. Just enough warmth and spice to chase away the winter chill.

Hooray for Alberta

I'm going to sit here quietly and let the photo do the talking.

Canada factually.

Today I went on the CIA "World Factbook" website and looked up Canada.
First stop was the photos. Of the twenty-five photos on the site there
was one picture of Vancouver and one picture of Moraine Lake in Banff
and the rest were of eastern Canada. There were no photos of the
prairies or the arctic. No photos of the parliament (or Ottawa). Lots
of Toronto and Peggy's Cove. All the photos were obtained from Facebook.
I found out that we have the seventh highest life expectancy. 26% of
us are from mixed ethnic background whereas in the States 1.61% are
from two or more races. (This may be skewed because the USA categories
are "white", "black" and Asian. Come on, really?)
We have the second highest proved oil reserve in the world. The
strongest banks are here too.
1.1% GDP is spent on military. The USA is 4.04% GDP.
This has been a social studies lesson brought to you by moi.
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/
ca.html

Fresh kick

I just drank a double grande half sweet soy java chip frappichino. My
eyes went wide. Pupils dialated. I whistled like a train.

A poem

This is my response to a discussion with my roommate on poetry. Yes,
we nerded it out one afternoon reading poetry, sonnets and
soliloquies. He read me some of his works and I fell violently ill, so
moving were they! He challenged me to do better and here I will
attempt. Gag all you want, and scoff too.

Untitled.

I'm invisible she said
As leaves blew through her head
The earth starts six inch's higher
My feet sunk in soil
My crown less than royal
Cold ashes am I, not fire.

Cheer up said he
From the branch of a tree
And smiling he slid to the ground
He touched her hip
And he kissed her lip
And with that, her body found.

She shined her crown
And stooped right down
To brush off her soiled soul
With a flick of her hair
She stabbed him right there
Let him drop, in his chest, a hole.

Why treat me this way
He managed to say
As he bled there next to the tree
You quickened my heart
But I bid you depart
For you fail to entertain me.

Marlon Scrawndo's wheat-free dairy-free pancakes

I tried this recipe this afternoon when I rolled out of bed.

1 cup Gluten free flour (I used Red Mill but I'm sure others would work)
A sprinkle of xanthum gum powder
2 1/4 tsp. Baking powder
1 tsp. Salt
1 tbsp. Sweetener (honey, maple syrup, molasses, whatever)
1 cup Soy milk (or similar substance)
1 tsp. Vanilla extract

Heat the griddle medium heat on the stove. You may have to adjust
depending on your stove and the pan or griddle you use. Mix all the
dry ingredients together. Make a volcano to pour the milk in. Add the
vanilla and sweetener (if liquid) and stir that sucka up! It should be
runny but not soup. Pour some 3 inch flap-jacks on a freshly oiled pan.
Serves about four steamin' hot cakes.

Meow

Vote!

Tonight Kyle and I went to the mayoral forum at Harry Ainlay school.
It was very informative and helped me solidify my vote. There were
hecklers of the current mayor Mr. Stephen Mandell and they tried their
best to make him look bad however Mr. Mandell is the only one of the
candidates with a vision for Edmonton's future. Mr. Dowling ran on the
platform of enviromentalism and advised us all to check out David
Susuki's website to see for ourselves blah blah. Three of the other
candidates platform was based on snow removal and free public transit
for seniors. Another blamed public transit for crime in Edmonton. One
wanted to shut down the LRT. Many were for leaving that cossosal waste
of space city centre airport open. What is with these backwards
Luddites who resist progress? And meanwhile most candidates kiss up
to the seniors (the highest voting block) to win.
Then there is the hecklers that call it antidemocratic to not have a
plebiscite. If they had got off there lazy behinds and done something
before this year they would certainly had a chance. But they didn't
and laws are in place so that progress can be made so the council went
through with it in July 2009 and recieved less than ten phone calls.
Now a lobby group gets all the lemmings upset. What a mess.
Anyway I encourage the three people who read this blog to become
informed and to participate in the democratic process and remember:
you have no right to complain if you didn't vote!
October 18, 2010 is voting day in Edmonton. Don't take my word for it,
check out each platform online. Vote!

Ronan

Redneck anyone?

Another dynamic sunset

I know lately that I've posted a bunch of sky pics but that's the best
part about this time of year.

Lighthouse

I decided to try my hand at pastels. The lighthouse off the coast of
Victoria.

Sunset

This is an example of a typical sunset in Alberta. A positive of etown
living.

Thunderstorm 2

Thunderstorm

Pictures don't do Alberta skies justice.

Another Shovel Pic

Huge Shovel

August long expedition

August long expedition

An magnificent hike/scramble was had this weekend. K and I (the yaks)
drove out to the Rockies Friday afternoon. We camped on a little ridge
that night and motored on down to Golden for some white water
adventure. I sat in the front of the raft for the first half and got
drenched with H2O. Sunday afternoon we were back to do the 2500m
saddle we spotted on Friday. Five and a half grueling hours later we
made it to the col. The photo is of that moment looking south toward
the saskatchewan river. We set up camp in a glacial valley and marched
out in the morn.

Rocky Mountain Gourmet

I finally got to test out my cookware and new white gas stove! It made
delicious spaghetti in minutes. The view was amazing as we sat and
munched our pasta. The location is secret of course.

New Chair has arrived!

Bicycle wedding?

Tower and overcast skies

I just took this up near Fort MacKay.

Orca spyhop February morning.

Unfinished Abstract v2.0

Acrylic heavy gel and modelling paste on canvas 36x48. It's hard to
see the texture in the dim light.

Plaid fjords

Opaque marker and acrylic. Canvas 24x48.

Smiling sun

This was largely painted using acrylic gel and a credit card. The
canvas is 24x30.

Magnetic sculpture

The Heart Yearns

Lately I have been itching for a hike and a climb. This yearning becomes intensified by the books and essays I have chosen to read. The one I finished today was "On the Enjoyment of Unpleasant Places" by Robert Louis Stevenson. In his short essay he describes wonderfully his time spent in a dreary Northern English coastal town, barren of all trees and constantly windy. "..this was the nakedness of the North; the earth seemed to know it was naked, and was ashamed and cold." He reminisces of blustery walks and taking shelter behind a wall only to realize the beauty of the surrounding area.

The other book that is making me long for a hike is the classic "The Ascent of Rum Doodle" by W.E. Bowman. This is hands down the funniest book I have read and I could relate to almost every aspect of the story. My favorite part is of course the fight in the tent, not only because of literary humor but because it was almost a word by word description of a tenting incident that I myself have had. I only need to think of either Binder's account or my own and a smile creeps across my face.

Now what are the joys of trudging across the mountainous landscape? To the prairie folk, just the thought of entering the towering mountains makes their feet hurt and their hands get clammy from claustrophobia. To me the mountains are the ultimate in relaxation. Soon after leaving the parked car, the scent of pine needles meets the nostrils. Mountain birds sing sweetly from the trees. Ascending up the mountain, the air becomes fresher, the sound of your own labored breath sets the tempo for the symphony around you. The percussion of a stone, kicked loose and bouncing down the slope to the forest below, the woodwinds (literally), the brass section heard occasionally as an eagle cries. The music fades as the grand finale approaches: the summit! At this point you look back and then the orchestra erupts in jubilation. Although silent to the ear, the finale booms through your chest and ends with a triumphant "WOOOO!"

Applause. Bow. Applause.

Destroy! Decimate! Demolish!

Photos from my work...

I have been working a lot lately. This is a glimpse into my peepers this last week.

Vancouver

Ahh, May Long Weekend was awesome. Friday at lunch time Josh, Koke and I headed out to the coast. We made alright time and only got one speeding ticket. On Saturday after morning yoga we walked around Granville and feasted on some smoked salmon. The afternoon was spent kayaking in Deep Cove. There was a light breeze but no rain so we stayed relatively dry. Afterwards we all went to Sushi Town and had some great inexpensive sushi. Sunday was spent lying about and eating until we left at midnight. 48 hours in the big coastal city. Luckily the majority of the highway from Vancouver to Kamloops is lit by streetlights so it isn't tiresome on the eyes. All in all it was a satisfying weekend.

Annapurna Trek Part 2

The Summit of Thorung La! This was defiantly one of the highlights of the entire trek. The rarified air making it hard to breathe, the crystal clear blue sky, it wasn't even overly windy or cold.

Annapurna Trek Part 1

Here is a poorly edited video of the first few days approaching Thorung La. Notice the heavy breathing in Thorung Phedi. I had been resting for an hour after hiking already!

Nepal Slideshow

Ucluelet

At the moment it is early Saturday morning. I am sitting in my sisters
car listening to Eric Clapton and looking at the forest and the ships.
Thankfully I was able to make it on a flight from Hong Kong Thursday.
I arrived before I left so to speak. The flight from Hong Kong was at
4:30pm and I got to Vancouver at around 2:00pm. We spent time at
Coombs yesterday then headed west along the winding road to the mighty
Pacific. We are in the town of Ukee and although I hardly slept a wink
last night due to the cold and jet lag, I'm enjoying the beautiful
coast. I filled my water bottle with hot water so that helped. I ended
up going to the shower house which was heated, and stayed a while to
warm up. Then I felt so hungry because I burned a pile of calories
just trying to keep warm last night. Luckily we had bought some cereal
and soy milk the night before so I chewed through two and a half bowls
of oatmeal crisp with almonds and now I am warm, full, and getting
sleepy.

More Kathmandu

I have a day and half left in Nepal. Hopefully. I have my ticket in
hand now so that's the major difference since last time. Yesterday I
made a lot of friends. I drank Nepali tea with a fellow and chatted
for a good twenty minutes. Today was interesting too. I gave a boy who
was begging on the street half a loaf of bread and some honey and even
though it cost less than a dollar, he looked at me with such
thankfulness that it was like I bought him a new bike. In Edmonton,
you give a beggar five bucks and he hardly acknowledges you. What is
wrong?
I drew this picture. It is a typical Nepali man. The hats they wear
are given to them as a sign of respect. The older ones all seem to
wear vests too.

Still Lost

I managed to find the Dragon Air office after about an hour of walking up and down side streets and back alleys. The jury is still out on whether I am going to be able to get to Hong Kong this week as the flight I had changed from Delhi to Hong Kong is "married" to the Hong Kong to Vancouver flight, meaning cancelling one cancels the other. Hmm.... I'm awaiting confirmation that I am able to do that and wandering around the streets of Thamel listening to monks chanting and street vendors hawking.

Woah dude, I'm back in the 60s

So, I was an idiot and I thought they had internet everywhere. Most importantly in an international airport. Nope! Kathmandu doesn't have internet in the Tribhuavan Airport so the changes I made this week were not noted and I was denied my flight. So instead of waking up in Hong Kong, I'm in a unfamiliar neighbourhood of Kathmandu called Naxal looking for the Dragon Air office. Huhhnn.....

Bahundanda

These events happened on March 24. We left the town of Ngadi, which
although shown on the trekking map because of the three teahouses
located there, is no more than a couple of huts on the side of the
Masange river. Crossing the river by suspension bridge the path became
quite steep and we all reached for our untouched trekking poles. You
know the fancy telescoping carbon ones we bought in Kathmandu a few
days prior. It was slightly less hazy than the days before as we were
starting to emerge from the pollution as we gained altitude. The
valley looked beautiful but as of yet we still had no breathtaking
views of the mountains. We climbed in the upwardly direction until we
clambered into the hilltop town of Bahundanda at lunchtime. After some
less than colossal dal bhat, I had a cold shower and did my laundry.
Laundry on the trail means filling a five gallon pail with cold
water from the one inch PVC pipe sticking from the side of the hill,
grabbing a red bar of the foul-smelling laundry soap and scrubbing all
surfaces of the clothing until they appear clean. You slosh them
around in the pail a bit more then rinse. The clothing is hung usually
without clothes pegs because they are scarce and hard to find.
After a little nap, I played a round of golf and then we all played
PS3 in this village kids basement. Wow... Wait a sec. After a little
nap, I walked around the village and checked to see if my laundry was
dry. Supper rolled around and I brought in my clean clothes. They were
scattered across the hillside because the evening wind blew them there
and clothespins were indeed scarce and hard to find. It got dark as if
someone had switched out the light and I climbed up to bed. It was
then I heard drums. The sound of little voices joined in. I was
intrigued. Grabbing my camera, I stole down to get a closer look. From
the hotel on the hill I could make out shapes moving in the dark
village square below me. I sat on the steps and was absorbing the
music when I was approached by a young boy of ten and a little girl of
maybe three. They grabbed me by the hands and pulled me running to the
village square below. There I discovered about forty village children
aged two to thirteen dancing and singing and drumming (one even had a
guitar). When I went back to bed I could not believe what had
happened. It was just so spontaneous it was great!

Sniff, Sniff

Partly due to the book I am reading, and drawing upon past literature
and experiences, I was called to notice a certain of my six senses;
smell. The book is "Perfume: the story of a murderer" and is set in
France in the 1700s. The main character Grenouille although gifted
with super human smelling abilities, possesses no natural human scent
himself, therefore other people, not realizing that they can't smell
him, can't put a finger on what's different and are afraid. He is a
strange little man and so obsessed with smell that he commits murder.
It is a strange strange book. I believe that it was translated from
the orignal French.
So as I'm reading this book, my nostrils are flairing, the sense of
smell is tingling! I smell the stronger smells of cut grass and the
subtle smell of cooking rice. In the book Grenouille can walk around
in pitch darkness just using his sense of smell. This got me thinking
of smell-chitecture. Architecture of the olefactor. Common
architecture uses visual as the primary means of impressing the
audience. There is architecture designed for sound, even touch. The
sense of smell is all but neglected.
I was in a store in Edmonton that was selling a line of perfumes with
scents like garden tomato, freshly turned sod, or the smell of the
forest. I was instantly transported back in time to my young years,
helping mom cut tomatoes for salsa, my grandmas garden shed, and lying
under an old tree listening to the sound of birds and breathing in the
musky smell of decaying leaves. Is it possible to create a subtle
smell-scape in an area to set a mood, or to even guide the blind
through a space? Or maybe an art gallery of scents. Not typical
alcohol based perfumes, but natural smells, both pleasant and
revolting to stir an emotion, to create an atmosphere. The art would
appeal to smell itself, like a room that smells like a pumpkin field
in October or the seaside near the pier.

Kathmandu

So the last couple of weeks have been interesting for sure. The summit
of "the worlds largest pass". It's not the highest, most trecherous,
or any of that, just the largest. Whatever that means. I saw three of
the over 8000m mountains. I ate too much apple pie. I lost my shampoo
and didn't wash my hair for weeks. I fought a yeti, battled food
poisoning twice and saw enough prayer wheels to make my head spin.
We climbed this hill called Poon in the early morning to watch the sun
rise over the Annapurna range. The locals were up partying with drums
and chanting the night before until midnight. Shortly after 2:00am the
rooster crowed and awoke some eager tourists ( I was convinced they
were elephants and could have sworn I heard trumpetting as they
crashed along the corridor to the squat toilet). Just as the noise
quieted down, our faithful Sherpa Tak knocked on our doors and
informed us that it was time to go. And this point I noticed a dull
pain in my stomach but thought it was most likely intense rage bottled
up inside rather than a bacterial invasion. We marched on Poon by the
light of our head lamps. Myself, still irked by the unexpected lack of
sleep invented a song to commemorate the pilgrammage to the top. It
was difficult to sing whist running past hundreds of elderly tourists
of all nationalities but I sang with vigor. The vigor was cut near the
top when I experienced a pain in my side. By the time I reached the
bald top of Poon (now covered in a toupee of tourists) I was in need
of a toilet, and quick. Luckily the outhouse faced east and the door
had a crack in it wide enough to offer the full benefit of the
sunrise. I managed to finish up before the blood red sun showed her
face over the Annapurna mastif and celebrated by yelling "Hey look
everyone! It's the sun! It's the sun! Yeeeeaaahooo!" I then threw the
water from my water bottle around like freshly uncorked champangne. By
the time we reached the bottom of Poon, I was quite ill. I cancelled
my breakfast order and settled for a vomit session instead. I felt
much better, brushed the bile from my teeth and started my hike down
the mountain. We saw a mongoose dash from the tree by the trail and it
was about then I fell sick again. We stopped at the next tea house and
I collapsed on the bed and slept for five hours. Feeling a little
better with the assistance of Tak I moved to a lower camp that
evening. I felt better the next morning.
We are now in the big city of Kathmandu. Fun fun.

Ronando

Tatopani

I'm still alive. Crossed the Thorong-La Pass two days ago. I'm now in Tatopani, home of some famous hotsprings. It looks like a couple dugouts with a fence around it. We finish our tour on Saturday back at Kathmandu. I saw only one Stupa with eyes on it but I've seen nearly a hundred without eyes. Today was really hot. I thought I was going to get sun stroke.

Chame

We have now trekked to the town of Chame. The internet here is exceedingly slow and quite expensive. So far the trek has been great. The legs are a wee bit sore but it is nothing too serious. We got our first glimpse of the mountains today. Manasolu I think was the main one we saw. It is eighth highest in the world. I had some fab apple pancakes the last couple mornings and plenty of Dal Bhat, the local curry dish. I'm missing everyone at home but I think I can cope. Digby is providing good company as well as the English bloke Stewart and the London lawyer Yvonna.

Bandipur

The trip so far has been amazing. The thirteen hour plane ride to Hong Kong was trying. I don't know how I managed to sit still so long. Once in Hong Kong we took a train to down town and then walked to the tram that took us to the Peak overlooking the city. The great thing about Hong Kong is that the price on the price tag is the price you pay. Also, it is quite inexpensive for a big city. There is tons of shopping and you could spend all week there visiting Prada, Gucci, and all the other designer outlet stores.
Once we got back on the plane, Digby and I were both quite exhausted (having only slept an hour since we left) so we caught forty winks. There was a stop-over in Bangladesh and then on to Kathmandu. At the airport we got our visas and luggage and went out to find a taxi. After some sketchy business (an unauthorized taxi driver wanted to take our business, but we chose to use the authorized one) we managed to bargain down from 1200NPR to 400 and we were off. We told the driver to take us to the Kathmandu Guesthouse but he took us to a completely different place. Since Graeme and I were both so exhausted, we accepted the accommodations regardless. I was pretty sketched out at this time and was kinda worried that the other taxi driver we bargained with would come and cause us trouble. Just as I was drifting off to sleep, I heard a rattle at the door! I was instantly awake. My hands formed fists as I stood in a fighting stance near the door. It was then I realized that it was just Digby trying to exit the bathroom. My heart was racing so hard I had to calm myself down before I could get back to sleep again.
When we woke in the morning, we found that we were only a two minute walk from the Kathmandu Guesthouse. We spent the day wandering the markets and getting acquainted with our new friends Stuart and Ivonna and our guide Krisna.
We caught the five hour bus this morning to the mountains from Kathmandu. It left the busy streets of Kathmandu and followed a twisty road through the valley. Many farms with goats and chickens lined the road. There was only one sketchy moment where the bus slammed on the brakes to avoid hitting a motorcycle and almost sent our guide who was standing at the time, through the front window. We also saw a goat riding on top of a van. Stopping at a town we then took a twenty minute jeep right up switchbacks and through terraced farmland to the village of Bandipur where we will spend the night. The hotel is an ancient building with incredibly low ceilings and doors. Tomorrow we take a three hour bus ride and then begin hiking!
So much more has happened but I don't want to tell all my stories!

Exploded View Backpack

The packing is all done and I hope I didn't forget anything.

Mozza Time

I suppose I never posted the pictures of me brother and I making mozzarella cheese. It was quite simple actually. Four litres of milk made those six tiny cheese balls. Perhaps it isn't too efficient. I couldn't even tell you how good it tasted because if I eat milk I will spew.

Countdown

Wow, what a hectic last couple of days. Due to one part my boneheadedness, one part another's, I am going to Nepal without my Indian visa. Hopefully I can get one there and if not, I am just going to chill in the Himalayas for a bit before heading home. I went for a massage tonight and did that ever remove the tension.

Soon I will be basking in the warmth of the snow-capped peaks and smelling the scent of rhododendrons as I track the elusive yeti through the back-country of the Annapurnas. Packing is going wonderfully, I had a clip break on one of my new stuff-sacks, and I have made numerous trips to M.E.C. to collect things that I had forgotten and probably don't need anyway. I am loading up on many varieties of drugs: acetaminophin, acetazolamide, ciprofloxacin, etc, to stave off the inevitable high altitude head ache, and the intrusive travelers diarrhea. I am only going to take them if I really need them since I find the white ones to be too crunchy, and the yellow ones make my mouth foam up when I suck on them. I am still trying to decide on how many pairs of socks I'll need. 22 days in the wilderness could wear through a lot of wool. So far I figure four pairs, but I may have to up it. Hopefully there is enough areas that we can do laundry or else it might get treacherous even to enter the same room as one of us.

I am curious on what kind of activities I should do whilst in the mountain country (aside from hiking that is). My dear sister suggested that I ride a yak. Do they have yak rodeos over there? Maybe I should bring a Stetson just in case. Speaking of hats, my brother recommends that I acquire a pith helmet and riding crop and... well you know the rest. ( If not, go to wikipedia and type in British colonialism.)

This is all incredibly exciting and I can hardly wait to get on the plane and fly over there, but I have to wait just three more days.

The plot thickens...

So I received a letter in the mail today, curiously sealed with a kiss. No return address, and inside: pictures! Oh the felons! As suspected, there were two perpetrators, female. This appears to be the first time that they have committed such a crime as shown by the haphazard application of the lipstick. One is pale, perhaps albino, and the other has no distinguishing features other than lips that fill a good portion of a 4X6 glossy. Both are considered armed (meaning they have arms) and dangeresque. Whodunnit?

New Alberta Gallery of Art

I took a walk downtown to look at the new art gallery. It is interesting enough. Hopefully the rest of Edmonton takes a hint and we start to have more fashionable buildings. I noticed that the rest of the downtown core could use a revitalization. It's not just the scattered garbage and the overabundance of homeless people. The design of the buildings themselves are not engaging the street. Whyte Avenue feels cozy and friendly on most days, yet downtown seems to lack a heartbeat.

Call me, text me, kiss me?

So I woke up this morning and low and behold, my car is covered in post-it note kisses! She (they) left a phone number too.

The last coupla weeks...

This is a bit of a visual of the last few weeks in the life of me. Kyle, I wanted to call to the attention the placid expression on my face on the one of me flying through the air. No distorted face scrunched into what many call weeping*. I think I am getting better at not showing my fear outwardly. You may wonder the outcome of the ski-jump? Full on face plant. (See other photo) The hiking photo was taken whist Digby and I were exploring the Kootenay Plains. It was such a beautiful day. Only 18 more days until we test out our skills in the Himalayas! NNNYess!

P.S. Thanks to Digby for the great photos.

* See Kyle's blog post titled "Stunting in the new year." (#3 is my personal favorite. I have gut-splitting laughter every time!)

Hiking the Siffiler Trail

Yesterday Digby and I went to the mountains to go snowshoe-skiing. Alas, when we arrived, there was no snow to be had. So instead we went a-hiking.

Abstinence makes the stomach grow fonder

I have been thinking about food as of late. I think it's kind of rubbed off on my room mates as well because I see we now have "free run Omega-3" eggs in the fridge. Supposedly this is better than normal caged chickens but "free run" doesn't sound a whole lot better. "Free run" means that the chickens are in a barn, in a controlled environment, being fed a controlled diet. In the case of the Omega-3 birds, this diet is usually in the form of flax (I have tasted "fishy" eggs before though). There is no regulatory body over the use of the phrase "free run" unless the farm is also certified organic. Free range chickens are free to roam in the outdoors, and they are the pricey ones because they use up the most real estate. (citing: http://www.humanefood.ca/pdf%20links/cage-free-eggs-new-logo-v4.pdf)

Enough about eggs. The other food I was thinking about was fruits and vegetables. I will agree with Barbara Kingsolver in her book "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle" when she states "The main barrier between ourselves and a local-food culture is not price, but attitude." She describes the North American consumer as impatient. We want strawberries in January, etc. "Waiting for the quality experience seems to be the constitutional article that has slipped from American food custom" Waiting for each vegetable to come to season is analogous to Christmas morn. When attitudes can be changed from a consumerist "want" to a manageable "wait", only then can a local-food movement become sustainable.

Another challenge to the local-food movement is that the sheer volume of food required to feed large populations is just too great for the local supply. I envision many small backyard plots used for vegetable growing. The backyard farms could either be farmed by the owner of the property or rented out to "urban farmers" who would harvest the vegetables and sell them at local farmers markets. May I suggest a tax-free incentive both to the farmers and the land-owners?

There are many more challenges to essentially undo the mistakes we have made in food production, but hopefully attitudes can change.

Skiing Marmot Basin

Graeme and I had a killer day on the slopes dude! It was blue sky and -10C. Couldn't have asked for a better day. We climbed to the top of the mountain to get this view, and shredded it in the park. Plus Jasper in January means that it was cheaper too!

Smoke patterns

Who Knew?

Today I walked home from NAIT. It was just under two hours (I stopped and bought a lens from McBains as well). Then after supper I went for a little climb time with Russ. Yesterday I was doing stairs in the river valley and the day before that: squats. Tomorrow... running.

So what's my newfound joy with exercising? It's the fact that in a little over two months I'll be taking the first steps up the Annapurna Range in Nepal, that's what!

Edmonton is quite a bit more enjoyable when viewed from outside of the Robot Transportation Devices (cars). I thoroughly enjoyed my walk through downtown today. It was a balmy 0C and little or no wind.

Another thing that has improved my mood is that the days are getting longer now! Soon all this sloppy mess will be gone from the city streets and we will bask in the sun-warmed brown-ness of the capital!

Life in a Fairy Tale

Ever notice how a fiction book can be 99% fluff? Basically a 945 page fantasy novel could be summed up like this:

woke up-smells stale-iron bars-in jail-bar maid-brought key-poisoned guard-for me-left castle-rode horse-met gremlin-of course-fight ensued-and ended-gremlin's head-never mended-saw witch-ran away-don't need-death today-found sword-bear cave-magical power-it gave-druid appeared-very stoned-flapping robes-left alone-evil witch-appeared again-standing with-bearded friend-sword flashed-turned pale-world saved-fairy tale!

As you can see, I haven't read quality fiction in a while. So if anyone knows of a good book to read while I'm at school, let me know... back to slaying orcs and riding gryphons.