Sunday, September 23, 2007

Pink Update

I am sooo impressed by these students, but they're grassroots student anti-bullying movement has totally sparked off and now hundred of schools across the Maritimes have started wearing pink to school, some are offering pink face painting, there was even a picture of a football team member sporting a pink (very tight) hello kitty tee. All in support of one student who was bullied by classmates for wearing a pink polo shirt on the first day of school.

The story is totally moving, I love how it has taken off, and now schools are considering having 'Pink Day' once a month.

It just is nice to have a story that shatters our normal perceptions of high-school age kids with their self-obsessive, sometimes spoilt, clique-y, and highly hierarchal social structure... and we see that they are turning into mature adults with a sensible solution and a will and want to change things to make the social atmosphere of their world a more accepting one.

Yay, this totally makes me smile.

Check out the short video on CBC's website about it, its under 'news' and then on the right hand side, under 'Pink Power' ... CBC

Wednesday, September 19, 2007

Commercial Songs

Just watch this, enough said. This guy is wicked.

Tuesday, September 18, 2007

Way to Go !

WAY TO GO. I am soo awestruck and proud of this occurrence. A great article from CBC today:


"Two Nova Scotia students are being praised across North America for the unique way they turned the tide against a fellow student bullied for wearing pink.

The victim — a Grade 9 boy at Central Kings Rural High School in the small community of Cambridge — wore a pink polo shirt on his first day of school.

Bullies harassed the boy, called him a homosexual for wearing pink and threatened to beat him up, students said.

Two Grade 12 students — David Shepherd and Travis Price — heard the news and decided to take action.

"I just figured enough was enough," said Shepherd.

They went to a nearby discount store and bought 50 pink shirts, including tank tops, to wear to school the next day.

'Sea of pink' support

Then the two went online to e-mail classmates to get them on board with their anti-bullying cause that they dubbed a "sea of pink."

But a tsunami of support poured in the next day.

Not only were dozens of students outfitted with the discount tees, but hundreds of students showed up wearing their own pink clothes, some head-to-toe.

When the bullied student, who has never been identified, walked into school to see his fellow students decked out in pink, some of his classmates said it was a powerful moment. He may have even blushed a little.

"Definitely looked like there was a big weight lifted off his shoulder. He went from looking right depressed to being as happy as can be," said Shepherd.

And there's been nary a peep from the bullies since, which Shepherd says just goes to show what a little activism will do.

"If you can get more people against them … to show that we're not going to put up with it and support each other, then they're not as big as a group as they think are," he says.

The students' "sea of pink" campaign did not go unnoticed outside the province. U.S. talk show host Ellen DeGeneres expressed interest in their story, and other schools are talking about holding their own "pink day."

"It's been totally overwhelming for us. I mean [we're] just two local boys and I mean we're getting calls from Alaska and e-mails. It's just phenomenal the support we've gotten from across the globe," said Shepherd.

The school principal, understandably, was flush with pride.

"You're always hearing about the youth of the world and how bad things are. Well, they're not that bad," said Stephen Pearl. "


Check out the original HERE.

Saturday, September 15, 2007

Friday, September 07, 2007

My Morning Coffee Lesson

It all started when I planned on getting up at about 6am this morning (which may have been a little unreasonable since I worked until midnight last night), and then proceeded to sleep in until 8am... when I had class at 9:30am... I panicked a bit, but quickly realised that if I forwent my morning shower, made coffee in the bodum, and had a very small breakfast, I could easily make it to the bus stop on time for my first class.

So, I do all the above... except, I normally have a cup of coffee at home (to warm me up to the idea of me leaving the bed/house), and then a second cup for en-route to school. I had to skip the cup at home, this would later prove to be a fatal mistake.

I then proceeded to give a goodbye hug to the dog (whom I think I smother, probably not a good sign for the mental health of any future children of mine), and rush out the door to the bus stop.

I cross the cross walk, just in time for the light to change and to see my bus coming... I am already at the stop, so things are good. There are two busses, one is mine (the 14), the other I have no idea, and still do not know what number it was.

Now, this is where the fateful twist occurs.

For reasoning that is beyond me, I step onto the first bus that arrives... which is not my bus. This I think is partially due to the fact that at this point, while I am holding my coffee, I haven't had any of it yet.

Not only did I get onto the wrong bus, but I did not realise this mistake until after some sips, and numerous stops, and suddenly finding myself entering Uplands. Uplands is near UVic, but most definately NOT along my bus's route, nor is it anywhere near the most direct ways to UVic from downtown.

The bus then proceeds to WIND through Uplands... down Cadboro Bay road, along the water... PAST the road that goes to UVic (there was a lot of praying happening at this point) and around god-knows-where-land. I saw lots of pretty houses, I have no idea where I was. The trees were fairly dense, houses/lots were larger, and there was an increasingly suburban feeling to the area.

Eventually, after about 45 minutes of this, the bus arrives at UVic (this I think is a direct result from the frantic praying), just in time for me to arrive to my over-filled class 35 minutes late (which is bad when your class is only 50 minutes long....), where I have to sit on the floor with a bunch of first-years because the class is overbooked.

Oh, did I mention that I tripped and spilled my coffee on someone's bag upon my very-late arrival at class ? Yea, cause it certainly wasn't ALREADY an embarassing enough of a situation.

I talked to my prof (I am also on the waiting list for this class), whom seemed sympathetic, and he agreed to take me off the waiting list and put me in the class. I think he just felt bad for my pathetic-ness... also it helped that its a first-year class and I am the only student with 4th year standing on the waiting list.

Which also brings me to a WHOLE new level of embarassment considering I am probably one of the OLDEST students in the class... sigh.

So yea, that was my morning...

The moral of this story:

NEVER leave the house without at least consuming one cup of coffee.

Tuesday, September 04, 2007

Meatloaf Moments

Cody is making Meatloaf for dinner and sowing our Halloween costumes on the dining room table right now.

Lol, he is just so cute.

Meanwhile I am laying with the dog on the couch studying.