the first thing i see

when i come into work, is the front page of The Globe and Mail. This week's papers made me very happy. the senate will be sitting [through their vacation] to vote on bill C38, and it is likely to pass within the next week. this was the most government action i've ever taken in my life. lots of calls and emails.
the funniest part is that now ralph klein wants alberta to stop legally recognizing marriages altogether. i call this the "if i can't have my way, no one will" tactic.
what a clown. luckily i never plan on living in alberta [aka- the bible belt of canada]. i could never live anywhere under shady politics like his.

canada day

i want friday to be awesome. i want it to be sunny and hot. i want to eat great food. i want to get drunk and wander around halifax.
does anyone have a couch or bed [or yard i can pitch a tent in] for lenny and i, so that i don't have to play DD again? we'll be good, i swear. i'll buy you beer.

we've been invited to go camping saturday night in elmsdale, but if anyone has a better idea, let me know.

Evolve

The 3-day Evolve Music Festival takes place every August in Antogonish [this year it's Aug 26 - 28]. I've been planing to make it out to this every summer for about 4 years, and this summer i hope to actually do it. Anyone interested in tagging along? it's a great excuse to go camping, and gent drunk/high/etc for an extended period in the middle of summer. and of course, listen to some great beats.

here are a few of the names i'll be looking forward to seeing. Most of them are people i know personally, or have seen live, but you can view the whole [preliminary] line-up here ...most of the headliner names havn't been released yet.

-MATT ANAKA: Sackville, NB Evolve Tribe /movethemasses evolvefestival.com movethemasses.com
-DJ BOLIVIA: Sackville, NB movethemasses.com [this is scooter]
-DJ TOMMYKNUCKLES: Halifax NS KNUCKLES Productions / Evolve Tribe knucklesproductions.com
-SLOW COASTER: Cape Breton, NS houseofrock.ca
-JIMMY SWIFT
-GRAND THEFT BUS
-SOUNDSYSTER
-SEAN KEATING
-DJ RAIN FORCE
-DJ ISIS

No one can break a blog like Kel can

i am yet to find anyone who can make their blog repeatedly implode quite like kelly. even carolyn has managed to keep hers running [albeit by never using it in the first place]. and to think you had just started fresh..
oh well- i enjoyed the sweden pics while you had them up.

speaking of being half-way across the world.. i signed up with SWAP on friday- so things are beginning to take shape, and my bank account is significantly lighter. i'll be gone from mid-october until the end of july. havn't booked the exact flight dates yet, but i'm told the prices for this area don't change much unless there's a big sale. i've also logged onto their web-site and already spoken to several people from the maritimes and even halifax who are also leaving for Sydney at the same time. i have to learn how to be a light packer. i'm only good at that for short trips when i know what i'll need. when i'm going for close to a year- what the hell am i gonna need??

Step Up

There are rumours that because of the amount of overwhelming support coming in now in favour of same sex marriage they may actually vote on it within the next week. The "against" or the "NO's" on the same-sex marriage issue have flooded all sites with their "no's" so the referendum option is out. Your help is urgenlty needed. Please take two quick minutes and take one or all of these quick steps:

1. Email the Prime Minister at pm@pm.gc.ca or martin.p@parl.gc.ca. Even if you emailed the Prime Minister earlier in the week, please do so again.

2. Phone the Prime Minister's office at 613-992-4211 - it is open 24/7. Call at any time of the day or night and leave a message at the switchboard.

3. Go to equal-marriage.ca to obtain your local MP's name and contact information.

Here's what to say:

"Prime Minister Martin, I am counting on you to take leadership. Jack Layton and Gilles Duceppe are willing to ensure the bill gets passed in the next few days and weeks. All that's needed now to pass the equal marriage bill before summer is your commitment. Please show leadership. Stand up for human rights. I am counting on you."

Opponents of the bill are actually claiming that the legislation is being fast-tracked. Two years after the first legal same-sex marriages and Parliament still hasn't dealt with the issue. And it's been a busy two years -- cross-Canada hearings of the Justice Committee, eight court decisions, one Supreme Court reference, one election campaign, three House of Commons votes, six months of debate on the Hill. It may be a lot of things, but fast isn't one of them! Check out our Turtle Timeline for a full-colour graphic overview.

Even the National Post says "the marriage debate has had its day."

Equality opponents have been clear on their strategy. They want to run out the clock on this Parliament. They know a solid majority of current MPs support the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. They want to bring down the government before it has an opportunity to pass equal marriage legislation.

The government has clearly stated it could pass the equal marriage bill before summer, by extending Parliament past its scheduled June 23 end date. To do so, the government must make that motion by Tuesday, June 21. But anti-equality Liberals are putting huge pressure on Paul Martin, and many MPs simply don't want to give up a few days of their summer vacation. It's time for Paul Martin to show some leadership!

Thank you.

we interrupt this blog for what is clearly the cutest picture ever:


introducing baby chipmonk.

"Enchanted by own innocence, Michael Jackson molests self."

hehe, found that headline whilst blog-surfing. loves it.
this post is for fleshie, and his never-ending popular culture obsessions.

miss stefani, stepping away from the band that brought her to the top, says that if i were a wealthy girl, 'All the riches baby, won't mean anything'... but i think what she really means is- if i was a rich girl, i'd stop my career of making decent music and start putting out cheap dance-pop, while prancing around yelling 'banannas' like it's a spelling bee, and pretending to be in high school instead of a woman in my thirties.
yep. that's what i'd do if i was a rich girl.. *eye roll*

so long, and thanks for all the fish.

I can't believe you're really leaving. i'm so proud, and happy, and sad. i know you'll find home where ever you land, because that's what you do. i'm sure you'll have made a new friend before you even land, because that's what you do. "through the air, across the ocean, for the first time- ever." ah geez, now you've got me quoting heritage minute commercials.
remember- the internet is your friend.
Henrik, you take good care of her, ok? [yes i know you can take care of yourself- that has been more than adequately proven, but is beside the point].
bascially, as long as you take ridiculous pictures and enjoy yourself absolutely thoroughly- i'll be happy.

muchly looking forward to cheap drinks and good music tonight at GeekBeer.
i guess that's all i had to say.
my-Oh-my this blog is getting boring these days.

Always sad to see a good business close its doors...

http://www.pulseproductions.ca/index.php

A job well done though andrew- i'm sure your next company will be just as successful. are you keeping your equipment from pulse, or selling it off?

wow i am an idiot.
fuck.

that couldn't have turned out better

many thanks to my brother for loosing our tent sometime last summer. now, for 35$ [go yardsales!] i have a bigger, better, and newer tent :)
i've really missed camping. it's been 2 or 3 years since i've been. i say we go back to grave's. try our luck :P ...or just go to doug's more often. the weather rained on us just long enough to bring the BBQ inside and bring out the guitars, and then it was clear sailing [er- tenting] for the night. i thoroughly enjoyed the camp fire marshmallows, and kel/clem's burning of the accounting notes. lenny and i had a really great time, and i loved having him get a chance to really hang out with everyone.

three cheers for creeping out the cowboy-hat-guy! ...and what was up with the stray wandering guy? walks onto the property from the side talking about someone hitting him on the head and his car either being stolen or not working... i was glad we were all drunk so no one could offer him a ride- i wouldn't get into a car with that guy. he was sketchy at best, and sweating bullets.

next time i'll have to remember to bring enough blankets so i don't freeze my arse off.
and hey- even getting lost was kinda fun. ;)

i need a tent.

now.

new pics from the weekend that i found on the pub website.
lenny and i - and then with dinao & jen.
gotta love the new bartenders' uniforms... :P
[didn't realize how un-tan i was until i saw myself next to miss malibu barbie over there, lol]

we passed the test

that's all i can figure out- mother nature was testing us, and after 21 straight days of rain and fog, we emerged on the other side into the sun.
now everything is coming up roses.
the weekend was wonderful- even though it was a rough time for a close friend.. [just glad i could be there.] had dinner with friends [did a lot of driving], got to spend a lot of time with a wonderful guy- and it seems that i just might be seeing a lot more of him this summer afterall :)