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All I Want To Do – Is Save the World

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I’ll never be the kind of person who can run a country or single-handedly create world peace.
I might not be able to ensure the survival of the rain-forests or preserve the polar icecaps.
No matter what I do, there will always be sadness, pain and regret. Somewhere there will always be a child who will go to bed hungry.
industrial landscape
photo by Yuliya Libkina

Accepting that which I cannot change is not admitting defeat. Rather, it makes me more aware of how important change really is.
Someone like me doesn’t have the power to solve the problems that humanity has created. But let me ask you something – If I can make your life even a little bit better, doesn’t that mean I changed your world?
Just as I can change yours, you can change mine.
You don’t have to go to university and learn quantum physics to make a difference.
By loving, caring, by being a shoulder to cry on – you change the way people see the world. You make it a better place for them, and for all of us.
Save the world today ~ I know you can.
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Dear Medicine Hat Radio,

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There are many things that you don’t want to hear when you turn the radio on. Some of these things include a song you despise, or a Dj with a particularly grating voice.

The one thing that absolutely takes the cake, is one simple little phrase. A phrase that when not heard in context can send shivers down your spine, create a knot in your throat and cause you to do the *jaw drop/double take* regardless of where you are. A phrase that makes a bad song seem like cotton candy or butterflies.
A phrase that should only be heard when watching a thriller.
Imagine for a moment that you are in a deep content sleep. Your alarm is set to your favorite local radio station. Normally you wake up to a upbeat song in your preferred genre of music, what could be better? But today it’s different. Today, when your alarm switches on for the first time there is no music, no happy thoughts.
Only the cold, menacing words – “Today… could be the day you die.”
Such an upbeat world we live in.
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On Trials and Tribulations

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It’s easy to get stuck in the mindset that the beginning of your day will set the tone for the next rotation of the earth. Whether you woke up on the wrong side of the bed or slammed your precious toe into your nightstand immediately upon crawling your way out of the covers, you don’t have to let these little things ruin a potentially wonderful day.

Perhaps I think this way because if I let such things destroy my days without allowing for improvement, I would live my entire life in a state of misery. You disagree?
Yesterday, I woke to sweet sunlight gently streaming through my curtains. A seemly innocent way to wake, especially on a week day. No blaring alarms, no one stealing the covers and causing me to freeze… However, at this time of year, I should only see sunlight in the morning if it is the weekend – or I’m on my way to work. The ensuing panic and mad rush to make sure I would make it to work on time was enough to put anyone in the ‘foul disposition’ category. I will admit, I even wasted an entire morning scowling at the world and bemoaning my rather harried state. IF, however, I had not been willing to let a little sunshine in, I would have missed out on an extremely pleasant afternoon and evening. The only one who would have lost, would have been me.
So this morning, when I stepped outside to discover it was pouring, my umbrella was nowhere to be found and I remembered I still hadn’t bought myself either Wellies or a rain coat – I forced out a somewhat grimace-like smile, and continued on my merry way. The leaves coating the sidewalks were beautiful, the fresh scent of the rain was invigorating, and if the trees blocked the streetlights so I couldn’t see the puddles – well you can’t get to the good stuff without going through a few trials.
I might be soaked to the knee, my hair gone frizzy and my nose running for the hills, but today is going to be a good day! That is my final decision on the matter.
Hot water tank failure? Blizzard? Swarms of ravenous blood-sucking bugs?
Bring it on.
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Wait. Hold the phone. What century am I in??

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While once again listening to My96 I heard about a debate going on due to a status on their facebook page. An announcement that Julie Friesen would be running for Mayor has deteriorated into slurs and insults as women argue what they are or aren’t capable of.

It shocked me that any woman would say that their own gender should never be given a certain opportunity. I admit, I had to throw my own two cents in as the absurdity of the comments just blew my mind. 

Perhaps I am simply over reacting but in a world that is supposed to be modern and progressive it blows my mind to hear comments like this.  That is not to say that all of the comments fell under the ‘horrifying’ category, simply a large majority.

If you have time, check out this thread and tell me what you think! http://bit.ly/aDSmVM

For what reason should gender even be considered relevant in a political race? 
 

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Path of Grapes

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While walking, and no doubt contemplating the mysteries of the universe, I came across a house that smelled of grapes. Not the organic, fruit of the earth, someday to become raisins, kind of grapes. This was the artificial, solely chemical smell of grape bubblegum.
There was nothing unusual about the bubblegum house, it was of an average size on an unassuming plot of land. The yard was of the ‘sometimes I take care of it – when I can be bothered’ variety, and the people who lived there were perfectly ordinary.
It was peculiar enough to make me pause, but not for any significant length of time. I continued on my journey and quickly forgot about the sweetly scented abode.
I’m quite certain I would have forgotten about it completely if it didn’t happen to be on the path of one of my most travelled routes. The next time I passed the house the memory of it came flooding back at the same moment that I was once again assailed by the smell of grapes. It wasn’t a peculiar one time occurrence, nearly every time I pass this house the grapes are there to greet me.
There are many great questions in life, some which we should know the answers to, but few of us actually do.
Such as:
Why is the sky blue?
What is the square root of pi?
And of course … If you could only have one superpower, what would it be?
And then there are the questions that have stumped the great thinkers of our time.
What is our purpose?
Do parallel universes actually exists?
What exactly is Pluto?
And now added to that illustrious list…
Why would a house smell of grape bubblegum?
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Do You Have Klout?

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In my travels across the World Wide Web and the Social Networking Sphere I came across a website called Klout.com. The idea behind Klout is that it measures the type of material you present in the social media world, the reactions you get and how well it is spread around by others. It takes all this information and compiles it into a Klout Score as well as breaking it down into stats that give you an idea of your strengths and weaknesses.

It also assigns you a label, depending on all these factors, that is meant to portray where you stand in your Social Network of choice.

It’s interesting to see where you appear in the scheme of things, and they do manage to pinpoint your activity relatively accurately.

However, I think they should consider putting themselves out there a little more. “Probably” makes it safe – but in some cases, there is little doubt.

What’s Your Klout Score?

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Whispers

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The world marches to the beat of an invisible drum. Raindrops carry the distant echoes of her cries – merging together into a story that whispers of dreams and longing, truth and lies. A song on the wind.
But mere mortals were never meant to understand. They must fulfill their destinies of their own accord. Unraveling the secrets of the rain would be their greatest triumph, and the end of their lives.
For who could truly live if they knew their story, the beginning and the end?
No. Such stories must remain untold, no matter the hardship not knowing can bring. We must walk the path of uncertainty, forging our unknown destiny.
Though always will we listen to the rain.
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Inevitability

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Lately I’ve been complaining about the fact that the days are getting shorter – It is one of the few details about winter that I dislike with a burning passion. Though of course in my books the good still outweighs the bad.
The thought of getting up in the dark and returning home from work only to have the darkness descend again before the light can be enjoyed will send a quiver of despair through even the most hardened individuals. Yet I believe I might have a solution – a bonus if you will. One little detail that, while it may not matter to anyone else, might just be the thing that helps me enjoy the darkness this year.
The darkness brings with it, with eternal inevitability, the starry sky that haunts our dreams and taunts the furthest reaches of our imagination. The sky that I see with very little regularity because of my inability to stay awake later than 11 on a week night. The sky that fills me with such inspiration and hope that I cannot help but smile when I see it.
I will perhaps accept this trade, the light for my inspiration. It is not a cruel trade and will not leave me at a disadvantage. It is inevitable. Perhaps acceptance is the only option.
So I will look upon the shortening days with gratitude and excitement, just as the lengthening did so thrill me in the past. Focusing on what is gained, rather than what is lost.
What better time is there to gaze upon the stars – than the crisp clear nights of winter?
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A Sunny Surprise

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The day has dawned bright and beautiful. It seems my fears of a smoky weekend are unfounded and though it is unexpected you will not find me complaining.

The sun is shining brightly into my garden, transforming the sunflowers into miniature glowing suns. Their name, it would seem, is well deserved. A few have grown to such incredible heights they are only a couple of feet from blocking out the view in my second story window. They are aquainted with the sun in such a way that I can only dream of.

Dear Sun, 
You and I shall renew our friendship today..
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Are You… Bugging Me??

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We don’t often think of quality wildlife when Medicine Hat comes to mind. However there are some rather interesting creatures that make their homes around here.

Such critters include porcupines, dragonflies of monstrous proportions and the occasional wandering moose. The one I’m going to talk about today is a creature I came across while walking down in the Flats. In fact – I almost stepped on it, which I’m rather glad I didn’t!

It’s not the most attractive creature I’ve ever seen….

This, is a bug. Though known by a variety of names it is commonly called a Watermelon Beetle – known around here as one of the many varieties of June Bug. June bugs are beetles that fit into the scarab family and make their way into our lives around June… Hence ‘June’ Bug. 

Does it look big to you? Cause it is.

If I had stepped on it I do believe I may have been traumatized – for the entirety of my life. At about 1.5” long and 3/4” in height and width, this is one big beetle. However, its size isn’t what makes it interesting enough for me to mention. Nor are the very watermelon-y stripes that it proudly wears.

What makes this bug interesting is the hissing noise that it makes. Yes. It hisses. When threatened (or poked repeatedly by a shoe), it will let out a hiss that seems far too loud to come from a creepy crawly.

The hissing sound is made when it presses its wings against its carapace, forcing the air out! It definitely made me want to quickly walk away and leave it well enough alone.

So there you have it folks – The Watermelon Beetle. Spotted right here in Medicine Hat.