It's my party and I'll cry if I want to

On Tuesday I had my first 2 Volunteer Information Sessions at work.

Nobody came.

After all the preparation - flyers in the mail, refreshments, carefully setting up the displays - I sat there in the silence and watched the clock. If felt like a 12 year old girl realizing that no one was coming to her birthday party.

It was disappointing, but I won't let it discourage me. I did get a few phone calls from people who were interested but couldn't attend. It's just the beginning of the process, really; a guage of how much work I'm going to have to do to put us in the front of peoples' consciousness. I just wish I could make the process go faster. I really need help now!

p.s. - check out the new link to 'Crass Casualty' on the right.

travel light

I was browsing through Utne Reader the other day, and came upon an article about ethical tourism. There were two websites listed, so I thought I'd check them out. I haven't read them in depth yet, but I think they're worth passing on. Tourism Concern is based in England and Ethical Traveler is a project of the Earth Island Institute in San Francisco.

sweet literacy

I'd really like to be able to read things like menus, road & shop signs and newspaper headlines when I go to Japan. I'm coming along well with my language lessons, but Japanese writing is so complex. Yesterday I found a resource at About.com called Kanji Land that has given me new hope. My goal it to be able to learn the Japanese grade 1 and 2 kanji by the time I leave.

Evening Rendezvous

Last night my friend Nicole and I went outside at about 8:30 to look at the big harvest moon, but we got a very different view instead. There was a man across the street, standing by his car, peeing on the road. I stood in silent horror for a moment, then Nicole shouted "Oh, that's nice. Don't they have bathrooms in Medicine Hat?" He zipped up, sniffed his hand and got in his car. Unfortunately I live a block from 2 bars and a liquor store.

just a shell of its former self

Some weird kind of little bug molted and left its husk perfectly preserved on my patio post. Translucent ivory, with every detail still there. Only the little leg husks holding it in its verticle position.

hip to be seihookei

Seihookei is the japanese word for square.

It sounds much more fun.

SpongeBob Seihookei Pants.

squeezing life from the desert

Last night I ate the very first watermelon from my garden. It was delicious. Normally I don't particularly care for watermelon unless it's bloody hot out. I'm not even sure why I planted it.

This is one more item I can add to my short list of things that Medicine Hat is good for.