From a recent email to friends:
Additionally, for those I have not yet told, I finally have a career direction I am thrilled/eager/excited about, and that is something I have NEVER had. I am going to write fiction & non-fiction (stories, screenplays, essays, articles and books — and get involved in spearheading some documentaries) like I have long hoped, but I have enthusiastically chosen to devote my writing mainly to social and academic issues that I am passionate about, and will likely include some of the following:
- Literary and pop-culture references to depression & other mental illness
- Advocacy pieces to reduce the stigma of mental illness
- Calls to action for laypeople to become educated about mental illness, to not be afraid of it, all in an effort to reduce its stigma
- Manuals for employers regarding what they might be able to expect if one of their staff has depression or anxiety
- Studies on what motivates people altruistically or into civic involvement, ideally leading to strategies and models for use by NGOs, schools, churches and community or government groups
- Pieces encouraging people to commit to a life of altruistic action
- Encouraging the education of, advocacy and awareness of a variety of Africa-related human rights issues, including: conflict minerals, war, child abduction, widespread rape, IDP camps and their substandard quality of living, LRA-related violence, and Western ignorance to our fueling these problems due to our greed and lack of education or awareness
- Clean energy
I also intend to do research regrading some of the above.I realize that I am and want to be a voice, an advocate, and a creator of change. If any of you would like to see some of my inspiration, you may Google Invisible Children and The Enough! Project. I plan to finish my BA as soon as I can and seek an MA, probably in social psychology (sociology). I am also considering some education along the lines of religious or theological lines, and possibly a small amount of philosophy to round out my credentials. In addition, I might seek further academic study on writing itself.
… It took me thirty-four and a half years to discover what I desperately wanted to discover: my purpose. And now I have it.
Everything I ever wanted to be when I grew up:
computer programmer
fashion designer
gymnast
advertising executive
singer
make-up artist (all varieties - film/tv/theatre/parties/proms/weddings/complicated sci-fi, etc.)
perfumer
actor
film director
model
somehow become an ice skater
theatre jobs: costumes, props & set design
architect (housing)
interior designer
…. there’s more, hmmm ….
At random, some of the foods and flavours I enjoy:
Thai curries
Buffalo/bison steak*
Lamb
Roast beef (I prefer Roast beef to turkey, ham, duck, etc. at major holidays. I usually don’t get my way!)
Water buffalo momos
Large salads packed with lots of flavor and many ingredients*
Blueberries
Sockeye salmon
Wild salmon sushi
Ketchup
Yams & sweet potatoes (& yam fries!)
Fresh figs
Fresh, succulent, juicy peaches (but I have to take off the fur)
Spaghetti*
Shrimp/prawns
Sweet honey mustard
Scallops
Fresh sandwiches packed with nutrition*
Edible flowers like pansies and forget-me nots
Ice cream (esp. peanut butter and chocolate!)
Chocolate
Chocolate mousse
Lemon (or lime) curd*
Well-made lemon tarts
Desserts with Mascarpone cheese
Really well-made cake with buttercream frosting
Asparagus*
Brussels sprouts*
Honey
Agave nectar/syrup
Really good quality bacon (thick, applewood smoked?)
Sausages - mostly pork or turkey
Duck
Chévre (goat cheese)
Caramel sauce*
Roasted red peppers*
Roasted veggies: red peppers, zucchini, eggplant, mushrooms*
REALLY tender chicken
Marshmallows, and marshmallows coated in chocolate.
Oh, and sour gummy candy (pictured above!)
Bon appetite!
* I make really fantastic versions of these, plus I make the best chocolate chip cookies known to man.
Ken Lee:
Eddie Izzard on the word “Awesome”:
Eddie Izzard animated by Lego on the Death Star Canteen:
All of these visual images either light me up with a smile or I feel somehow describe my personality. It’s how I see my personality, visually.
Just a few things that are “me,” feel like “me.”
My faith is hard to describe. I was raised Protestant, and loved God deeply. Grew to dislike the more hyper or excited forms of the faith, the super evangelicals and charismatics and people who say “Praise the Lord!” ALL the time. I’ve had a lot of pain in my life, so it brings up questions, like “Where were you, God?” or “Why did that have to happen?” Still, I can’t shake my feeling that faith is real, that Christianity is real. So I attend church and I cry. And I say, “Lord I believe, help my unbelief.”
I do want a principled, virtuous, and more or less Christian guy. I want to attend church with him and talk about faith with him. I don’t want anyone “fired up” or “going full-bast for GOD!” because that kind of talk gives me the heebie-jeebies.
Faith isn’t easy. I’m trying to figure it out. It’s all a journey.
Head to a retro clothing shop and try on something ridiculous
Talking over coffee
Attending a minor league baseball game
Walking, with or without coffee
Browsing a bookstore
Attending a comedy night, but meeting beforehand to talk over coffee/wine/ice cream/dinner
Leisure hiking
Making a meal together
Staying in and watching a dvd, a comedy
Willow is 7 and was born on the streets, but her hard start did not keep her from becoming an affectionate housecat. She loves tiny, ityy-bitty toys like beads, and eats bananas, crackers, and turkey bacon. When guests come over, she always wants to cuddle with anyone allergic or with boys. Her favourite thing to do is watch birds (or anything) out the window.
I love that people can live fresh, exciting and happy lives, that we can heal and change, help and be helped, grow and mature, live vibrantly, fully, exultantly. I love that our lives can be purposeful and promising, that everyone is redeemable and that everyone has a chance at loving and being loved, changing lives and changing the world. I love that life is malleable, bendy, and full of possibility.
These are some fun websites I enjoy, in no particular order:
http://www.overheardinnewyork.com/
http://www.invisiblechildren.com/
http://www.garfunkelandoates.com/
http://icanhascheezburger.com/
I was asked today what I care about & what moves me. This was my answer:
“And to answer your questions, here are a few things that I care about, big and small(er):
“Issues like Africa/HIV/AIDS, poverty, clean water for all, the sad situation in Vancouver’s Downtown East Side (drugs, trafficking, homelessness and disease), the organizations Invisible Children, the David Suzuki Foundation and the Stephen Lewis Foundation, and our local Union Gospel Mission and a great legal non-profit called the Pivot Legal Society, which does fantastic work. I like 826 Valencia. I care about mental health awareness, education and advocacy, reducing the stigma of depression & anxiety, and I’m fascinated by the study of literary and pop-culture references to depression and suicide.
“I care about people who are suffering. I’ve considered devoting my life to Invisible Children, but the time isn’t right.
“I care about my friends and family, keeping close ties with those I love, I care for my two great cats, and try to stay close with friends who live far off (DC, Kansas City, where I lived 7 years, Dallas, Frankfurt, Kathmandu, Delhi, Minneapolis, North Carolina, Austin, Portland, Seattle, Pensacola and Middle of No Where, Nova Scotia).
“I’m moved by the thought of others who are suffering. Mental illness is a big deal to me because it has affected myself as well as many, many people I know — I’m thinking depression in particular. Invisible Children is the most inspiring NGO I have ever seen and if I could go to Uganda and work for free for them now I would, but again, timing. And I’m moved by great writing and great films. I love Miriam Toewes’ Conspiracy of Kindness and Chaim Potok’s In the Beginning; I love a book called There are No Children Here by Alex Kotlowitz. I love Born into Brothels, and I’m moved to giggles by my oldest cat’s silly-sounding snores.
“Lighter things I love? Death Cab, Over the Rhine, Ben Folds, Sarah Slean, Anchorman, 30 Rock, Modern Family, Arrested Development, Wes Anderson movies, Dave Eggers’ and David Sedaris’ books. Books by Anne Lamott and Annie Dilliard. And Frederick Buechner.
“And the things I’m moved to *do* are simple: write (and write and write and write and write and write and write) create, decorate my home, do some graphic design, and do things that make the world a better place. Show care for others. Show kindness to strangers. There is a beggar in Kathmandu I passed often (I spent a month there in Oct ‘08), and he had a beautiful spirit. I often wonder how he is, if he still sits on the same steps. On my last day I gave him almost all of my rupees. I wanted a picture with him or of him, but I felt like a conspicuous American so I didn’t ask, but I can still see his face and his eyes. I will have that mental picture all of my life. All I could say was “Namaste,” but I feel like in my heart I loved him; in my heart we were friends.
“I will probably spend more time in Kathmandu and Delhi; they have captured my heart. I may live over there a while, even in the 125F Junes of Delhi; I do not want to forget that I could just as easily have been born into poverty or war or human trafficking. I want to remember that we are all human, all the same, so why do I deserve air conditioning and a beautiful, brick, hertiage apartment one block from the beach at English Bay, with a toilet that flushes and tap water that is clean, in a city with working sewers and garbage service and a semblance of peace and order. I am no different from my friend in Kathmandu, except that I believe he is more beautiful than me. I have a feeling he is contented, while truthfully I rarely feel that way. I don’t want things, I’ve never wanted things, but contentment has escaped me; get to know me and you’ll find out why. And, you’ll see me find it.”
I forget to mention in that email that I care about my connection with God, and a sort of re-discovery of my passion for my faith, but that’s in there.
Just a favourite quote, from Arrested Development:
GOB: And guess what else? Dad kissed me!
Michael: How? He looked pretty unconscious in that picture.
GOB: (pause) I didn’t say he was totally into it
Fav TV:
30 Rock
Arrested Development
The Office
The Simpsons
Corner Gas
Grey’s Anatomy
Private Practice
Modern Family
Made in Canada
Desperate Housewives
The Daily Show
Strong Bad Emails
Weeds
Entourage
Family Guy
Parks and Recreation
Heroes
Samantha Who?
Chicago Hope
The Ellen DeGeneres Show
Scrubs
House
Frasier
Will & Grace
Huff
The Office UK
CSI
SNL
NYPD Blue
CSI: NY
Flight of the Conchords
The Colbert Report
Northern Exposure
Real Time with Bill Maher
Fav Films:
Date Night
Raising Arizona
Run Fatboy Run
Mean Girls
Little Miss Sunshine
Wonder Boys
Born into Brothels
City of God (2002)
Juno
Cradle Will Rock
Anchorman
Hot Fuzz
I Love You, Man
Burn After Reading
Gosford Park
Best in Show
The Royal Tenenbaums
The Life Aquatic
Running With Scissors
The Darjeeling Limited
Baby Mama
Fav Books:
When the Body Says No
In The Beginning
Conspiracy of Kindness
The Octopus: A California Story
A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius
You Shall Know Our Velocity
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
The Gospel According to Job
The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales
FU, Penguin
Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There
Madame Bovary
McSweeney’s Quarterly
I’m creative in mind, word and deed. I love great music and great design, and I’m always learning more Photoshop or other CS4. I’m always updating the decor in my home. I’m a creative writer, thinker, and a creative companion. Creating gives me joy and makes me feel good. I’d like to have a partner that gets that in me and has a creative spark of his own.
