my problem with twitter

I enjoy twitter.  I really really do.  I enjoy the time I waste reading all the articles that are teased by snappy 140 character-long introductions.  I love that it gives me something to do while I wait in a restaurant for my friends who are always late.  In the evenings, it gives me yet another thing to do besides clean my house. I laugh at all the funny hashtags that bring people together (remember #tellviceverything? - awesome) and subsequently mock people who don't understand what a hashtag is.  But what I've come to realize is that twitter is also a way for all the cool kids to tell you what they are doing and make you feel left out for not doing it too.  It's worse than just not knowing what's going on - with twitter, if you follow a certain type of person and watch what they are doing, you can be part of the zeitgeist (i.e. cool because you know what's happening) but be left out of it at the same time (i.e. loser because you're not there).  If I'm sitting at home I can basically see what all the hip and connected people in Calgary are doing and then feel bad for missing out on it.  It's FOMO (fear of missing out) at it's worst because it's self-inflicted.  I guess I could just get off my ass and become more involved but sitting at home complaining about it is more my style.

PS - When I went to find a link to define FOMO, I found this NY Times article: How Social Media Can Induce Feelings of "Missing Out"  It does a much better job of articulating every thought I posted above, so I apologize for making you read my rant, when I could have posted the article and been done with it.

PPS - For a long time I thought that FOMO was something my friends and I coined, as we've been using it for many years.  Turns out, not so much.  I actually can't believe that I haven't posted about it before.  It's long been a symptom in my life and plays a big role in helping me decide to do the things I do, generally to very happy results.  For the most part I've always thought of it as a positive, but when it comes to twitter, I've decided it is causing me much angst.

it's the little things pt. 4

On Thursday I came home from work to a belated bday card from KM (for a full description of my actual birthday click here). This card was a welcome laugh on an otherwise boring day. And while the card might have made me smile, the little present inside made me positively giddy. It was a magnet with the words "shithead" on it. For those who know me well (i.e. KM), they know that shithead is my favourite insult. Mainly because I like the visual – someone with a normal body, but instead of a head on top, there is a big ball of shit. It’s juvenile, I know, but it makes me laugh. And so the fact that KM saw this fridge magnet and thought of me, well it just means so much. It really is the little things.

The magnet in question is pictured here. This is my actual fridge. To the right and slightly above said magnet is a Globe and Mail clipping - my one and only letter to the editor that made it into the actual paper. Unsurprisingly it was a letter commenting on the ridiculousness of a Harper policy. On top of that - two fortune cookies fortunes (you may recall this post). Then to the left is a picture of my old roomates from university (including KM, she of the awesome magnet) taken in an apple tree in the Annapolis Valley. It was taken at the beginning of May 1999 - so the blossoms were in full bloom, just in time for the world famous Apple Blossom Festival. Below the magnet is an autograph from Orland0 Bloom, written on the back of a coaster from the Four Seasons in the Bahamas. My parents were there for a conference and Orly was staying there whilst filming Pirates of the Caribbean (part II I think). My dad worked out with him for an hour having no idea who he was. My mom spotted him later and got the signature. I'm not a huge fan of his or anything, it's just kind of a nice memento and a good story.

And finally, below and to the left is my newly purchased membership in the Progressive Conservative Party of Alberta. Shocking I know, given my leftie leanings. I was actually a member once before, back in 2006, when I was part of the stop Ted Morton movement. People like me are known as "temporary tories." There's been some backlash, but this is the way the system works. And seeing as the PCs have been ruling this province for 40 years, if you want to have an actual say in who is running the government, taking part in the leadership election is the best way to do it. So I voted. And guess what? My vote made a difference and my choice won. It really was the best 5 bucks I spent this month! There have been a lot of surprising political victories this year - Nenshi, Layton, and now Redford. People talk about how uninteresting politics is and how apathetic the electorate has become. But then stuff like this happens and it gives us hope. Now I'm not about to get all "yes we can" on you - let's face it, the conservatives are still in power and I had no other plans on this particular saturday night - but the fact that I stayed up way past my bedtime last night to follow the #pclrd hashtag happenings on twitter and woke up actually interested in the results should mean something to someone. So now there will be a general election sometime in the next year and we'll see how Redford fares with those people unwilling to pay 5 dollars to have their say. And you can bet everyone of those 5 dollars that I will be calling more than one of the politicians running in that election a shithead. Good thing I have the magnet.

april 29th to may 3rd

Sorry for my absenteeism. I have absolutely no excuse, except that I don’t have much to say these days. I really don’t have anything exciting to report about what has been going on in my life. I continue to be obsessed with the royal wedding, even though it’s over. I think because they gave us a tiny little peak into what is usually an intimate event (i.e. a wedding) and so now I want to be given access to everything else. Plus I love hats. And Prince Harry. SS and I watched together – I stayed over at her house, we set the alarm for 3 am MST, watched the event whilst eating homemade (by SS) scones and clotted cream and drinking mimosas. We watched the ceremony and the carriage ride and then went back to bed around 5:30. Got up again at 9 am and then I re-watched to see what I had missed the previous time, including the double-kiss on the balcony. Here is the scene the couch at approximately 4:20 am.

The afternoon of the wedding, I headed off to Vancouver in search of some greenery and warmth. After the craptastic weather we’ve been having in lovely YYC, I decided a tropical vacation was in order. Unfortunately my wallet only allowed me to get as far as Vancouver. But it was definitely warmer there it I had a very relaxing weekend with KM that consisted of beer, sushi, a ferry ride, burgers, wine, hockey, trivial pursuit and brunch.

Then I came back to two equally dramatic, but very different deaths; those of Osama bin Laden and the Liberal Party of Canada. Both were felled by sneak attacks – the first was killed by a team of NavySeals, while the latter was dealt a death blow by a man with a moustache and a cane. The only positive thing I can say about the election is that at least the Bloc Quebecois now has fewer seats than my car. Beyond that, I should probably refrain from talking about the results as this post could easily devolve into a crazed rant that I don’t really have the time or the energy for. That said, I did enjoy the conversations I had both during and after the election with 2 of my BOFs. What’s a BOF you ask? It’s a Boyfriend-Of-Friend. Knowing that I am political junkie, the male companions of both CG and HC decided to get in touch. Sadly both of them were satisfied, and in HC’s young man’s case downright giddy, with the results. You know what they say - you can pick your friends and you can pick your boyfriends, but you can’t pick your friends’ boyfriends. Although with team dating, we do our darndest. More on that later.

no poetry, just politics

It's been a few weeks since my last politics post ... my apologies, I've been too busy following the election to actually write about the election. Plus I don't really have happy thoughts about the whole thing, so I have a hard time sitting down to write about unhappy things. Why I am unhappy you ask?

Well for one, Harper's dead eyes during the debate scared me. Secondly, I have a home phone number and so I get 3-5 nuisance polling calls a night. And finally, I am feeling unbelievably disenfranchised because despite the fact that I live in the 4th largest city in Canada, not one of the leaders has bothered to show up here yet. Not even Harper, and his riding is here.

I'm feeling particularly disheartened because despite the fact that I live in a riding that should be up for grabs, as it is an empty seat (former cabinet minister Jim Prentice has left politics - an exit that I'm pretty sure had something to do with the above-mentioned Harper dead eyes thing), but still, according to project democracy, some random woman named Michelle Rempel is going to win my riding with 54% of the vote. Not because she's fabulous mind you - according to a trusted source who was at a meet and greet with the candidates last night, she's actually quite the opposite. On her website she talks about lower taxes, fighting crime, and the coalition. There are three things wrong with those statements - Canada already has a low corporate tax regime, crime is on the decline, and there is no such thing as a coalition. And then today she was the only candidate not to show up at a debate at the U of C, even though she actually works at the U of C! According to her spokesperson, she declined because "her campaign team didn't like the moderator." Um, I don't like snow in April, but I still walked to work this morning! You can't always get what you want Michelle! I'm sure that attitude will serve you well in Parliament. All the best to you, but please know that while you might end up representing my riding, I will never call you my representative.

Okay enough with the sad ranting, on to better things that have come out of this election. Such as this awesome video and website. As someone who has multiple relatives from Cape Breton, I particularly enjoy the Rita McNeil reference. Embedding is has been disabled, so you'll just have to check it out on youtube or just go directly to shitharperdid.

poetry + politics

So the biggest news of late is that Harper’s second minority parliament has fallen and as a result, we are facing an election in a little over a month. They tell me it’s our 4th in 7 years. They also tell me that most people are fed up with these non-stop elections. Gotta say, I’m actually okay with it, and not only because we all know where my political leanings lie. It’s so easy to fall back on the democracy is a privilege argument, but I’m gonna do it. When you see what’s happening in other parts of the world, you have to be thankful that when a government falls in Canada it’s not because our leader has penchant for violence - instead it’s because his parliamentary colleagues have lost confidence in his government.

Because I am a complete dork, I have created this little diddy in honour of the upcoming campaign and our 41st federal election:

E is for election, our 4th in seven years,

L is for lazy, defined by Harper and his coalition fears.

E is for Elizabeth May, who has no hope in hell,

C is for contempt, which is how Harper fell.

T is for the truth, which is forever being bent.

I is for Iggy, whose support is less than 30 per cent.

O is for offensive, as I’m sure the ads will be, and

N is for the New Democrats who will end up number three.

I recognize it’s not a perfect poem. But as our parliamentary system is not perfect (proportional representation anyone?), I feel it’s apt. I'll try to be more eloquent (like this) as the campaign rolls on, but for now hopefully this attempt at rhyming will suffice.

Incidentally I wrote this while watching the Junos last night. Anyone else watch the opening scene and laugh out loud? Lloyd Robertson playing Call of Duty? Drake and the Biebs serenading each other with "I Will Remember You"? Come on ... Hilarious! Plus Arcade Fire swept the awards. Of course they did, because, as previously discussed, they are awesome!

cheap politics

So I've mentioned my disdain for Harper, (here and here) but thanks to his latest attack ads, it's crossing over into absolute hatred.

This ad is ridiculous and wrong on so many levels. Last time I checked, a coalition government is completely legal, not at all shady, and part of our parliamentary democracy. Harper is trying to scare the uneducated amongst us and I think it's completely wrong. Jeffrey Simpson's article in yesterday's Globe and Mail says it much more eloquently than I can, and Ignatieff may have his faults, but coming back to Canada to become an elected official is not one of them. Attacking his motives is cheap politics and I can't believe I live in a country where our prime minister thinks this type of mud slinging is completely acceptable.

I could go on but I won't. Mainly because watching this ad makes me want to throw my computer out the window and my new job doesn't pay me enough to buy a new one.

no more sweater vests for Harper

Last night at the Conservative Caucus Christmas party, this happened. So our fearless PM might have impressed his conservative colleagues and may even win over some of the electorate, but his wife is not amused. Laureen's reaction is priceless (at 1:54 minutes). As much as I echo her reaction, he does have Iggy beat on this one.

what purple means to me

I'm a bit late to following up on my previous election post, but now that I am in Toronto, which also just had it's own election (albeit with a somewhat different result), I'll just say a few things.

In the weeks leading up to election night, everytime I wore purple, people asked me if I was part of "the purple revolution." The truth is that I just like the colour purple and it is a staple of my wardrobe. I didn't ultimately make up my mind on who to vote for until a week or two before election day. I've met Naheed Nenshi a few times over the past few years as part of my day job, and have always found him to be bright, articulate and thought provoking. When he entered the race, I really thought he was just doing so to further the conversation. I even said to a few friends that I thought he should drop out and throw his support behind more legitimate contenders (i.e. Wayne Stewart or Kent Hehr). Ultimately of course, the reverse happened. And then as he gained momentum, I decided I would vote for him, but I figured he still wouldn't win. I knew all of my FB friends had planned to vote for him, but whether or not they would actually go out on the day and fill out a ballot was unknown. Turns out they did. Good for them. And good for him for capturing their imagination and inspiring them to care about municipal politics.

In my mind, the best candidate won. And I do think he will get shit done. Not just the things my young left-wing friends care about (i.e. the arts, poverty reduction, libraries, bike lanes, walkable cities, etc) but other things like budget reduction, the airport tunnel, snow removal, and investment attraction. The issue of course is that he is receiving so many accolades that he cannot possibly meet (and really, I don't think I'm being a huge pessimist here), I just hope that people are not too disappointed. He is human. He is mayor of a major city with a $60 million budget shortfall, civic employees with incredibly low morale, a growing population and the lowest property taxes in Canada. Good luck.

To me the real story is about participation. Today while visiting with my friend Victoria we ran into her neighbour who was coming home from cleaning out her office ... as of Tuesday she was out of a job because she was on Smitherman's campaign team. You would think she'd be super pissed about Ford and his big win. And while I wouldn't exactly call her happy, she wasn't ranting about how ridiculous it was that a "buffoon" had won. Nor was she cynical about the whole thing. She had great perspective. She had met some great people, worked on something that mattered and in the end, over 50% of the electorate turned up to make their choice and even though it wasn't hers, she was okay with it. Toronto may have picked a polarizing leader, but at least people made the effort to pick him (or not, as the case may be).

The same thing happened in Calgary. Calgary has led the nation in population growth over the past ten years, and as the city has grown it has been said that the people who move here aren’t really committed to sticking around. The common knock against Calgary is that they come to work and make their money, but build their life elsewhere, leaving us with a lifeless community. 54% of the electorate showing up to vote proves that this is not the case. Such a large turnout demonstrates that people voted because they are committed to this city. They are here for the long term and they want to be engaged in the community. And it wasn’t just on Election Day. Throughout the campaign, there was a strong indication that this election would be different. People were talking about the issues and the candidates everywhere you went. No aldermanic candidates ran unopposed. For the first time there was an aldermanic forum in every ward, and people actually showed up. In more than one case, organizers had to scramble for more chairs. There were over 35 mayoral forums, attended by the majority of the candidates, and a large number of citizens. The largest, organized by Civic Camp and the University of Calgary’s Student Union, had over 800 attendees. When was the last time 800 people showed up for anything related to municipal politics? In my mind, all the discussion about what it means that Canada's most conservative city elected a Muslim mayor is totally beyond the point (nor was it really discussed until after he won - seriously no one cared). The real highlight for me is the fact that wherever you went, people were talking about the city, what type of person is needed to make it a better place, and how excited they were to be able to make that choice. As geeky political type, I found this to be super cool. As a result, I'm hopeful that the conversations that were had leading up to the election will continue on into Nenshi's 3 years (and possible more) as mayor, and that people will commit to being engaged to the Calgary community for the long term.

Ok, will stand down from my soap box now. I promise my next post will be much more vacuous in nature.

thanks emily et al

Today is civic election day in my neck of the woods. I love voting. I've voted in every election and I change my vote a lot (Liberals for Joe!) One of my least favourite things is partisanship. You should be able to vote for who you want depending on the important issues of the day, not just because it's the way your parents voted or because of something that the governing party of the day did 20 years ago. This is why American politics drive me crazy and also why it's tough living in Alberta where the conservative have been in power since the dinosaurs were roaming through Drumheller. But civic politics are different - there are no party lines and the policies put in place my our mayor and aldermen (even if the are women, they are still called aldermen, but that's a different story), really matter. We spend so much time worrying about our federal politicians, but they are so removed from us - if my property taxes go up, if my streets are free of snow, if I have access to the library, if the bridge I walk across every day is patrolled by police, if there are enough seats in the arts venues, if the bike path is accessible to all, if construction delays my commute, etc - are all decided by the men and women who get voted in today. And I think that matters.

And just in case you needed another reminder about why voting is so important, in a great example of symmetry, it just so happens that 81 years ago today, 5 Canadian women won the right to be declared "persons" under the law in all Commonwealth countries. 81 years is not that long. It's not even a lifetime. My grandmother is 96. It's crazy to me that I know someone who at one point who would not have been allowed to have a say about the direction of the society in which she lives.

at least he's not wearing a bolo tie

So I am still unbelievably annoyed by Stephen Harper and his ridiculous decision to kybosh the mandatory long form version of the census. Harper and his cronies keep saying that they need "to protect Canadians from the coercive and intrusive methods that had been used" to collect census data and that the data can be collected either from other sources or in another manner. The fact of the matter is that no one has ever been jailed, the total number of complaints from the 2006 census numbers 168 (including the 2 made directly to the privacy commissioner - and remember that this form went to 12 million people), the new methodology is not statistically sound, and cannot be collected from any other sources. Every public policy organization, research group and think tank (save the Fraser Institute, insert eye roll here) has come out against the change, yet the conservatives refuse to relent. For no good reason except that Harper is too smug to admit when he was wrong. Were I pregnant (which I'm not ... trust me, not even close) and about to have boy, I would definitely name him Munir after Canada's Chief Statistician who stepped down rather than have uneducated political interference affect the quality of his work.

So this rant leads us to the reason for this post ... it would not be wrong to label me a liberal. In fact I might swing even further left. But just because I have liberal leaning tendencies, doesn't mean that I automatically vote Liberal. One time I even voted Conservative (although it was back when they had the Progressive as part of their name ... the dropping of that descriptor back in 2003 should have warned us all of their march to the right ...). I was not a huge Paul Martin fan, thought Dion was ahead of his time (I think that his Green Shift is a policy that will eventually be law ... too bad he was a horrible communicator and the dog named Kyoto was just too much), and I'm unsure how I feel about Ignatieff. They say he is too aloof, too intellectual, and doesn't drink enough Tim Horton's. I don't buy it. Harper has an MA ... sadly it hasn't hurt him. I guess Iggy's handlers thought he should come down from his ivory tower and mingle with the people. Sadly they decided this is how he should do it:




Could be worse ... he could have been dressed like this (sorry, it never gets old).

I'm a data geek and I'm enraged (and you should be too)

Allow me to interrupt these mindless musings to talk about something that is making me so unbelievably frustrated - the decision by the federal government to scrap the mandatory long form census. I cannot be nearly as articulate as some of my researching counterparts have been, see here and here and here but I really do have a bee in my bonnet if I can be so old fashioned about it.

The whole thing is about ideology trumping evidence. The government says they are doing away with the long form census because it is too invasive and they want to protect the privacy of Canadian citizens. They say that the government has no right to ask them how many bathrooms they have in their house. The thing is, the census doesn't ask them that. Also, in the past 2 census years (2001 and 2006) the privacy commissioner received exactly 3, yep 3, whole complaints from the general public. In fact after the last Census, when Stats Can did a public consultation about how to improve the census, not one person indicated that they should get rid of it. No one.

The census doesn't ask about bathrooms. It asks about ethnic origin. It asks about languages spoken. It asks about unpaid work in the home. It asks about transportation. These questions are vitally important for all levels of government when they provide services. The answers to the census questions allow government to decide where immigrant serving agencies, daycares, bus lines, roads, etc, should all be located. Now apparently Stephen Harper is just going to pull out his google map, put on his blindfold, spin around a few times, point his finger, and tell his trusty ministers where they should build things for whatever population lives there ... awesome.

what not to wear

Big news this week - Stephen Harper's stylist is no longer being paid for by taxpayers. I've often wondered why it looks like he is wearing lipstick and eyeliner, and now I know - his stylist is a former makeup artist. I don't much care who pays for Harper's fashion advice, as long as we can avoid a repeat of the vest incident.