seeking x, y, and z

Currently in the glorious midst of a quintessential Sunday. I'm surrounded by the not-so-newsy bits of the weekend Globe and Mail, reading the inflated and exaggerated social commentary so desired of one of my class and intelligence. The remains of nutella sandwiches and glasses of overly pulpy orange juice are strewn about, and so are the articles clipped because they either embody my unvocalized thoughts on the Middle East crisis, or amuse me with their trivial yet disgustingly contemporary "news" ("Bang Bus runs over cyclist"). These guilty pleasures of newsprint and chocolate are tempered with three loads of laundry done, folded and organized according to tee shirts I like, tee shirts for work, and tee shirts for when all others are dirty. And the recently-used sleeping bag is outside airing for good anti-guilt measure. Beehtoven provides the musical accompaniment for this lovely lazy day. Alas, it shall soon be interrupted by the ever beckoning Cafe Crepe!

I am forever imagining what my life will be when I grow up. It's often framed in a spatial way: when I have an apartment/condo/house that is more permanent than an 8 month lease, and more satisfactory than 300 square feet or less, I will start doing x, y and z. In this case, x could be having an assortment of beverages on hand, for surprise visitors and random desires (instead of the current water, water and water I have to offer). Y could be subscribing to a magazine or newspaper, without worrying about change of address before recieving the first issue! And z could be doing laundry once a week, rather than waiting for EVERYTHING to be filthy before doing a marathon wash, during which I have to wear neon hotpants and a Victoria Commonwealth Games 1994 tee shirt, as they're the only things left. Or z's could be spending weekends as weekends, rather than days indistinguishable from the rest of the week.

This adds another element of satisfaction to my already appealing day: it signifies solidity, grown-upness, and "real life" in the face of transience, limbo, and constantly unstructured days/weeks/months that comprise being a STUDENT OF DEVELOPMENT...or maybe just what it is to be Kate?

Old Man Dance Party

A great Thursday night just past. My fabulous friends Aaron and Dev had their launch party for their socially active clothing line, aujCollections. The clothing line is based around the notion of perpetuating the "old boys club" for young men, and the theme of the party was aptly named the Old Man Dance Party. Located at Social on Queen West, the party consisted of many beautiful people, plenty of free alcohol, and oodles of press types and cameras. Auj had created a scene at the front of the bar to look like a club, complete with persian carpets, brandy, overstuffed leather chairs, a gunrack, etc etc. They'd hired some old men and some models who inhabited the space, smoking pipes, playing golf into a rocks glass, and using the old typewriter. It was all very civilized.

The goal of the event was to welcome the collection to Toronto, and to create the final scene in the reality show featuring Aaron and Dev that will air on Star TV in who knows how many months. For me, it's all very exciting because I get to watch these two very young guys (20 and 22) get increasingly successful, and occasionally drag me along with them! As well, the fact that each item of clothing that they sell comes with a code, which can be used to get mentorship for becoming active in the community, makes me interested in these guys even more! I urge you to check out their site.

Please pardon my changes! They're still in progress.

oops adventure

I'm into how Toronto makes you feel like a perpetual tourist. Just when you think that you know the City like the back of your hand, you find yourself on a bike on a large street you didn't even know existed. And then fast decline and an incline, you're in a bit of urban wilderness that seems so foreign. For a second you realize that you're on a derelict city bike, in quasi- mountain bike conditions. You worry about your breaks. After a brief frisbee stop, you're ready for civilization as you know it again. On the way back into your "comfort zone" you pass markers- a bridge that makes you feel like you're in the city again (your heart quickens), a one-of-a-kind department store that signals your 'hood, and finally, as the rain starts, you're riding comfortably the wrong way down a one way street and into your driveway.

blog introspective

Just read Meryl Evans' article on Five Quick Tips to Building a Better Blog. According to Meryl, there are certain ways to pass the "in the blink of an eye" test, which is usually how long people give to a blog before deciding whether to stay or move on. It's safe to say that I don't pass. But, it's exciting to read about this BLOG WORLD that I occasionally dabble in. And here is the big news: I think I will be increasing my dabble in the next few months. I am working with Canadian Physicians for Aid and Relief (CPAR) who I will work for in Ethiopia to create a blog hosted on their Canadian website to be used to increase the dialogue on development, and try out a new angle for gathering and maintaining donors. So, I am busy at the moment doing blogging research in order to maximize the reach and quality of the blog.

In addition, I intend to upgrade this blog. Thanks to some mentorship from Dev at DreamNow, I have been giving a lot of thought to active creation of my future. The result requires some self marketing. Since my career goals don't fit into a tried-and-true job box, I am working on a website that will act as a business card extension, helping people I meet to really understand my professional intentions. I plan to link this blog, with a new face, and implement Meryl's five tips...and a few others.

Stay tuned!

Messing with Texas

trash, admin and vacations

Oh Dear. I'm afraid I might have had a bit of a trashy week. I am going through a bit of an icecream phase, and I saw the Devil Wears Prada twice (but that counts as career research, given my PA to the developmentally fabulous aspirations), and might have accidentally bought OK mag instead of The Walrus or The Economist (well, I did buy the latter but passed it quickly on to the boyf). I must admit also that there is a recently finished Candice Bushnell novel on my shelf. And then to top it all off, I rented the first season of Desperate Housewives.

But, in the midst of this extremely Western propaganda, I have been making exciting progress on my impending Southern excursion. The task at hand is securing a work permit for Ethiopia (an inch closer- still a very elusive item). I have been pricked with sharp but useful medical objects both to protect and determine my general health (though they are less effective against "wellness"...or rather towards wellness). My Centre for Intercultural Learning course is confirmed ("your request is important to us"- yet still it takes two weeks for them to email me back!) and Ella is giving it a test run for me as we speak. And I have an appointment with the lawyer for Tuesday.

I am about to leave, however, on my so-called Summer Vacation. Destination: Texas. More on that?

There you have it.