Patriotic? Yes. Jingoist? Never.

Over the last 17 days, Canada has been overrun with patriotism.  For those who know, this is odd for us, as we are generally pretty reserved until the 1st of July.  With the 21st Winter Olympics being held in Vancouver and Whistler this year, we had a great opportunity to showcase our awesomeness to the rest of the world.

And what a showcase.

Not only did Canada finish the Olympics with 26 medals (more than in any other Winter Games), we won 14 gold medals.  That's more Winter Olympic Gold medals than any other country. Ever. We even beat out the central planning machine of the former USSR.  THAT'S something to be proud of. 

We all know by now about the double hockey gold, and the men's curling gold, and how Alexandre Bilodeau's brother Frederic is both his inspiration and his best friend.  We know how Joannie Rochette overcame an unimaginable tragedy in the death of her mother to win an Olympic bronze medal AND set a personal best in the short program.  We know that Clara Hughes is the only multiple medallist from both Summer and Winter Games.  We know that Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir are not only Olympic champions in ice dancing, but are cute as buttons and kind of won all of our hearts.  We know that Jon Montgomery is a true Canadian (who else chugs beer from a pitcher in the middle of the street on national TV?) and that Oprah (!) was such a fan of him that she had one of her correspndents in Whistler interview him for her show.  And he's an auctioneer from Winnipeg.  All of those stories are pretty incredible.

But those stories aren't the legacy that the Games will leave for me.

What really struck me was the patriotic displays across the country, usually reserved for Canada Day.  For the first time in a long time, I felt that my (usually) overt patriotism wasn't out of place.  That doesn't mean that I go around chanting “CA-NA-DA!” at every opportunity, but I do definitely feel that my country is pretty important. 

The Vancouver Olympics gave us a legitimate forum to be proud of our country, and to show the world that we are as we say we are.  The Games enabled us to create for ourselves the idea that with a dream, we actually can achieve greatness, and that even though we didn't win the most medals overall, having the most gold ever is pretty incredible.

For me, this was especially evident in the hockey.  I was watching Team Canada take the ice in their first game, and I said to my dad that the worst goal for an Oilers fan would be if Heatley and Pronger were involved.  It happened, but it didn't bother me as much as I thought it would.  This got me thinking that in terms of international hockey, the maple leaf on the front trumps the name on the back any day.

I suppose this has always been true for me, but it wasn't until this Olympics that I realized what this could cause a problem with anyone else.  This discussion started on Twitter, with a woman who lives in Michigan (and with whom I share a love of the Red Wings), and it ended with her blocking me from following her.  I really don't care about that part, but here's the context: I made a comment that nation trumps friendship, especially in hockey to which she took exception.  She was adamant that Americans would cheer for Canada if Canada was playing another team (which I don't think I believe, but I don't know for sure); I told her that the Canadians at Canada Hockey Place weren't necessarily cheering against the US, but were cheering FOR Switzerland (and to me that is a HUGE difference). There was more, but none of it is really relevant.

Here's what is: I've never really been a USA hater. I don't necessarily agree with foreign policy decisions, or the general (and often widespread) ignorace of our country by Americans, but I would conclude that for most of our shared history, we've been pretty good neighbours for each other.  I don't think that I've ever actively cheered against the Americans in a hockey game, even when we play them.  I don't say bad things about the opponents (unless it's Toronto, Vancouver or Calgary...) that my team faces.  Instead, I cheer FOR my team, and I generally say nothing about the team they are playing.  Was I happy that the US beat Finland? Not really, but not because it was the US.  It was simply because I actually kind of like the Finnish team.  I liked the Swedes for the most part, too.  On the flipside, I don't like the Russians (for a lot of reasons, the least of which is Alex Ovechkin).

And I don't like the US team.  But it's not because of the name on the front.  This time it's because of the names on the back.  I can honestly say that there are four guys from the US Olympic team that I don't mind: Ryan Miller, Tim Thomas and Dustin Brown and Brian Rafalski.  The rest of them? I could take them or leave them. 

My dislike of the US team has NOTHING to do with what I feel towards the US, and everything to do with who was on that team.  I also have pretty strong feelings against the US coaching staff and management team (Brian Burke and Ron Wilson especially), and I'm sure that played a part.  I don't think that means I'm a bad person.  It means that to me, I don't like the US enough to let the name on the front be more important than the name on the back. 

When the NHL starts up again, I'll go back to a muted dislike of Crosby, a general hatred of Pronger, and a loathing of Luongo.  But for these last two weeks, I could put those aside because the name on the front mattered more than the name on the back.  And as far as Team Canada is concerned, it always will.   

posted @ 2/28/2010 11:35 PM by mig14

I Am v4

posted @ 2/24/2010 11:41 AM by mig14

Notes for 02/24/2010

Haven't done a Notes update in a long time.  This might help with the whole “posting often” thing.

• Olympics! Even though Team Canada (in general) is not as successful as in 2006, I'm feeling good about these last few days of the Games.  And really, how can we not be proud of Joannie Rochette after her skate last night.  To be third going into the free skate, less than 3 days after losing her mother is really something. 
• Getting geared up for one LOOONG month of teaching, then Spring Break.  I'm going to Newfoundland, so that should be a ridiculous good time. I'm most looking forward to standing at Cape Spear as the sun comes up, knowing that I will be one of the first people in the country to see the sun rise, and I will also be contented to know that I will be standing at the Eastern edge of my country, with nothng between me and Ireland but water.
• My grade 12s have been looking at World War II as a moral and ideological conflict.  And they've been so respectful of everything.  I'm impressed.
• Been busy and tired, but it's getting better.
• Starting to swim again.  Need to do that on a regular basis.  4x per week would be good, but for now twice is ok.  It's better than not at all.
• Thinking about a road trip into the US for August.  Mt Rushmore perhaps.  That would be neat to see. 
• Been reading stuff by Richard Russo.  I saw “Empire Falls“ on HBO one night, watched it, loved it, and bought the book.  I just finished it, so now I'm going to be buying more of his stuff.  I'm enjoying it. 
• I'm happy it's the Olympic break.  I've almost forgotten how bad the Oilers are.  But not quite.

And that's that. Go Canada Go!

 

posted @ 2/24/2010 11:36 AM by mig14

101 in 1001...

Failing hard.  Again.

But I am more conscious of what I do and how it fits into my plan.

Ok...I guess my first month wasn't too bad.  All things considered, I tried to blog twice a week, I reviewed movies that I had recently seen, and I managed to make some travel plans for spring break.  I'm doing alright.  I need to do better. 

I'm counting the blogging one as a fail, unless by the end of the 1001 days I have at least 300 posts tagged with the 101in1001 tag.  And those won't include the monthly updates. 

I will not fail.  I will be successful and I will ultimately be a better person because of it. 

Begin again.

 

posted @ 2/17/2010 10:19 AM by mig14

RIP JD Salinger

I just read online that JD Salinger died.  I'm a little shocked, mostly because I didn't know he was still alive. 

Despite his idiosyncracies, Salinger was one of my favourite authors, if not for his body of work, then for Holden Caulfield, who is my favourite fictional character ever.  And this is why:

 . . . I’m standing on the edge of some crazy cliff. What I have to do, I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff—I mean if they’re running and they don’t look where they’re going I have to come out from somewhere and catch them. That’s all I’d do all day. I’d just be the catcher in the rye and all.

RIP, Mr Salinger.

posted @ 1/28/2010 4:30 PM by mig14

Struggling...

One of the things that I find problematic is finding time to sit down and write. This week has been absolutely insane. It's the first week of exams, and it makes me want to jump in front of a bus. I keep reading that Africa (as a whole) is a country, and that the "colonism" of European countries was "bad" (with no explanations why. I understand that exams are stressful, and time pressure is a factor, but holy stink, use your brains children. I know it's not me, as a teacher, but man oh man, I feel like most of what I say isn't getting through. I must do better. I will try harder. And I will complete my 101.

posted @ 1/23/2010 3:10 PM by mig14

Martin Luther King Jr. - An American Icon

Today is Martin Luther King Jr's birthday.  (The official US holiday is on Monday.) 

I've long been enthralled with Martin Luther King (I even did a huge project on his life and death in grade 5).  I firmly believe in the power of words, and King was (in my mind) one of the best wordsmiths of all time. 

In a time where it would have been so easy to let things stay the same, and to let the Jim Crow laws in the southern US dictate a way of life, Martin Luther King stood up for something that he truly believed in.

He did not back down in the face of violence, though he would not respond with violence himself.

He chose to use his education and his intellect to win his battles, rather than taking up the sword.

He chose to use his gifts to further the cause of Civil Rights in the United States.

Most of all, he chose to live his life in public, knowing that his speaking engagements and public appearances posed a threat to his safety.

He influenced countless people to live a little bit better, and to be a little bit better, and to think of others before themselves. 

He spoke some of the most powerful words I have ever heard, and I think that my life is just a little bit richer for having heard them. I think, though, that people who got to be in the same space as Martin Luther King, and hear him speak live are among the luckiest on the planet.  I hope they know that.

Let us not wallow in the valley of despair, I say to you today, my friends.
And so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.
I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal."
I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.
I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.
I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.
I have a dream today!

 

posted @ 1/15/2010 12:19 PM by mig14

Movie Recap: Avatar

I went to see Avatar for the 2nd time on the weekend, and I was again blown away by the visual impact. 

• It is not an original story.  In fact, it's a lot like Pocahontas.  Or Dances With Wolves.  But any more complexity in the story would take away from the visual impact. 
• The technology is incredible.  Seeing it in IMAX was worth it, just to better catch the miniscule details (and watching the lady in front of me swat at bugs as the flew towards us was HILARIOUS).
• Sam Worthington is kind of awesome.  Not that he's a Robert Redford or Al Pacino calibre actor, but I can imagine that it'd be difficult to carry a film where you don't really play yourself and where you're mostly costumed as a big blue thing.  Zoe Saldana was pretty incredible too. And Sigourney Weaver pretty much rules. 
• The message in the film is pretty blatant, but I think that if the movie had been set on Earth, in the current decade, it would be seen as environmentalist propaganda.  Instead we're all “Oh my goodness how could they destroy such a beautiful planet like that?“. Hello Irony.

That's #2!

posted @ 1/13/2010 2:56 PM by mig14

Movie Recap: Sherlock Holmes

Kate and I went to see Sherlock Holmes on the weekend.  It was pretty good.  While it doesn't have the visual appeal of a film like Avatar, it definitely has its moments. 

• Robert Downey Jr.'s Holmes is rather brilliant.  He's such a good actor that I forgot that he isn't actually British. 
• Jude Law plays an excellent straight-man to Downey's neurotic Holmes.  I read somewhere that the movie is really a love story between the male leads, and I would not disagree.
• Rachel MacAdams was quite good as a criminal; it was nice to see her break out of the niche she had created for herself.
• I'm kind of looking forward to a sequel; I think they've opened up an interesting storyline, and I hope it gets fleshed out.

There.  The first post for my 101 in 1001.  Ha.

 

 

posted @ 1/6/2010 3:31 PM by mig14

101 in 1001: Round 2

Task: to complete 101 things in 1001 days

Start Date: January 2, 2010

End Date: September 28, 2012 (right before the world ends....)

Green is In Progress
Black is haven't started
Red is failed
Blue is completed

Because I’m almost a grownup

1.      Buy a place to live with at least 2 bedrooms

2.      Furnish said living space with NEW furniture (not Value Village used variety)

3.      Buy adequate storage for my CDs/DVDs/books

4.      Put at least 20% of each month’s paycheque into the bank (0/33)

5.      Contribute the maximum allowable to RSP each year

6.      Spend less than $100/month on entertainment (books, movies, music, concerts, etc) for 3 months

7.      Contribute at least $150 per month to charities (Right to Play, Amnesty, Invisible Children)

8.      Volunteer to serve a holiday dinner at a homeless shelter

9.      Find an organizational system that actually works, and stick to it. (Especially in the classroom)

10.  Write a will

11.  Open up a trading account and invest in something

12.  Contribute the maximum ($5000) to a TFSA every year (0/3)

13.  Buy and actually use a planner for a year (not every day, but at least weekly)

14.  Get rid of all the clothes and shoes I no longer wear; donate to charity (1x per year) (1/3)

15.  Clean out closet over Spring Break every year (0/3)

16.  Pay off car by April 2010

Because I like to travel

17.  Take a road trip across North America (from coast to coast)

18.  Visit the following states: North/South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Virginia, District of Columbia, Maryland, New York, New Jersey, North/South Carolina, Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana, Texas, Arizona, Utah, Colorado, California, Oregon, Hawaii, Wyoming, New Mexico (0/30)

19.  See NWT, NV, Yukon, PEI, NB, NFLD (maybe not all at once) (0/6)

20.  Travel to Europe

21.  See the Statue of St. Kevin at Glendalough; meditate for a while

22.  Travel somewhere over Spring Break each year (0/3)

23.  Go to NYC; see a Broadway show

24.  Vegas, baby!

25.  Go to another city for a concert

26.  Go to Australia again

27.  Drive to the farm for a few days; take lots of pictures

28.   Send mom and dad on a trip to the East Coast

Because I need to reconnect

29.  Limit online “browsing” time to 1 hr per day, every day (5/1001)

30.  Turn the TV off one day per week for all 143 weeks (1/143)

31.  Keep the computer off one day per week at home for all 143 weeks (1/143)

32.  Eat dinner with Mom and Dad one day per week, every week I’m in town (2/143)

33.  Learn to play chess with Dad; play at least every 2 weeks

34.  Find an activity to share with Mom; do it at least every two weeks

35.  Have coffee with a friend twice per month for 8 months (1/8)

36.  Read the (real) newspaper every day for 3 months (not just the sports)

37.  Write 4 letters (by hand) per year to different people

38.   Spend less than 2 hours per day marking; plan assignments better so that my job does not take over my life.

39.  Go to Vancouver to see Kelsey (not attached to a conference)

40.  Travel to Toronto for a visit with Kara (with no other reason to go)

41.  Post photos of events to both Flickr and Facebook within 1 week of event

42.  When living on my own, buy all produce at a Farmer’s Market for 3 months

43.  See the sun rise one day per month, each month (2/33)

44.  Take at least one picture of a sunrise or sunset each week (weather permitting) (1/143)

45.  Camp in the mountains for a week; take no technology

Because I need to stay entertained

46.  Create a list of every single book I own, and maintain as new books come in

47.  Read every book I own at least once before buying new books

48.  Re-read the Lord of the Rings trilogy

49.  Read the WHOLE Harry Potter Series (0/7) - I'm feeling that this will be the LAST thing completed....

50.  Read all of Bernard Cornwell’s books (18/49)

51.  Read all of Philip Roth’s novels (4/26)

52.  Read every Booker Prize Winner (10/46)

53.  Read the Twilight series.  Try not to laugh.

54.  Keep a log of every movie I see, plus post a brief review on the blog for one year

55.  Watch the top 25 films on the AFI 100 Years…100 Films list from 2007 (10/25)

56.  Watch all of the Oscar “Best Picture” nominees for 2010, 2011, 2012 (6/30)

57.  Watch every episode of The X-Files in order, including the movies (0/204)

58.  Keep a record of every DVD I own

59.  Keep a record of every CD I own

60.  Watch all DVDs I currently own before buying anything new

61.  See at least 5 films per year at the Princess or the Garneau

62.  Buy an XBOX 360 and play the heck out of it

63.  See at least 9 live theatre productions each year

64.  ALWAYS see the movie first (where applicable)

Because I need to do things for my health

65.  Fit into “those jeans” again

66.  Swim at least 4x per week for 6 months (0/6)

67.  Do a triathlon-length swim (1.5k) in less than 20 minutes

68.  When living on my own, eat organic for 1 month

69.  Do not eat after 8pm on weekdays for 3 months (0/3)

70.  Do not eat after 8pm on any day of the week for 3 months (0/3)

71.  Sleep at least 7 hours a night during the week for 6 months (0/6)

72.  Be in bed with the lights out by 11 pm on weeknights for 3 months (0/3)

73.  Drink nothing but milk, water, green tea and white tea for 1 month

74.  Consume no more than 3 alcoholic beverages per week for 6 months

75.  Floss my teeth every day for 3 months (0/3)

76.  Spend no more than 9 hours at work on any weekday

77.  Take a “mental health day” from work when I’m stressed to the max

78.  Spend 5 minutes every day in my own quiet time (54/1001)

Because I like sports

79.  Go to the Super Bowl

80.  See the Packers at Lambeau; try to get in on a Lambeau Leap

81.  Go to see the Montreal Canadiens in Montreal with Dad

82.  See a baseball game in Fenway Park

83.  See a baseball game at Wrigley Field

84.  See a high school football game in West Texas

85.  Go to the World Junior Hockey Championships

86.  See a college football game (Div 1)

87.  See a college basketball game (Div 1)

88.  Watch at least one game for every team at my school in one school year

Because I like to use my brain

89.  Get into graduate school (part-time)

90.  Complete half of a Master of War Studies degree at the Royal Military College

91.  Get published (somewhere other than my blog or in a letter to the editor)

92.  Blog at least 2x per week, every week (2/143)

93.  Start writing the book

94.  Learn how to play the guitar (and sing at the same time)

95.  Buy a telescope

96. Read each future issue of Foreign Affairs magazine from cover to cover

Miscellaneous

97.  Try one new restaurant a month or a brand new dish at a favourite restaurant (1/33)

98. Say the words that have been rolling around in my head for the last 10 (!) years to JW.

99.  Tweet about each of these as I complete, with the hashtag #101in1001

100.   Sum up each month with a blog post (does not count towards the 2/week)

101.   For every incomplete task after 1001 days, donate $10 to Right to Play

 Well, I tried this last year.  Then life got a little crazy.

 

This year I'm trying to declutter my mind, my spirit and my life.  I think that if I can complete all of these, I'll feel like I've actually changed my life (and myself) for the better.

 

I've challenged a friend of mine to try it out too, because I think it'll be easier for me to finish if there's someone to “compete“ with.  But I'm going to do this.  I WILL NOT FAIL.

posted @ 1/2/2010 2:26 PM by mig14

2009 In Retrospect

posted @ 1/2/2010 1:30 PM by mig14

Back Into The Swing?

I'm finding it very difficult to muster the strength to write.  Not that there's anything wrong with me, but I am finding it really tough to sit down for long enough to put something together.

Some things have changed; other's haven't:

• I'm still a huge football fan, and my Packers are not disappointing so far.  Except for that loss to Tampa Bay.  But other than that, it's been a good year, so far.
• The Oilers are not as promising, but they're still my team and I still enjoy watching.  Except when they're really bad.
• School has mostly been kicking my ass this year.  I'm really busy, and there was a time when I thought I'd quit.  I've never wanted to before, but some friends (and former students) helped me to see that quitting was a bad idea.
• I joined a choir this year, with Riva, Aimee and Lindsey.  It's fun to sing again, and it's really fun to sing with my friends again.  We even got told that we weren't allowed to drink before our last concert.  The conductor knows us well. 
• I've been spending some time recently reconnecting with old friends. And it's been great.  It reminds me of how lucky I really am to have some of these people in my life.

I could write more, but I'm going to stop, and formulate something meaningful to put up here.  How about that?

 

 

posted @ 12/14/2009 10:08 AM by mig14

Remembrance

I've written about Remembrance Day before, and I don't think that my opinion about the day has changed all that much. 

As a teacher, I have the opportunity to attend a ceremony in my school, and it gets better each year.  We have two very dedicated and passionate teachers who put the ceremony together, and a wonderful group of students who participate in it as well.  Each time I attend one of these as a staff member, I'm always struck by how much respect if afforded to these ceremonies by all the students in the school.  because of the population of my current school, not everyone can attend, but there is also a 10 minute ceremony done over the intercom so that all students can participate.  It's rather touching to see students who have truly known no war to stop what they are doing and ultimately stand at attention for the duration of such an event.  We don't have to ask, it is just a given that quiet and respectful are the tones of the day. 

What stands out to me more now than ever before is that our children are starting to learn firsthand why Remembrance Day is important. We. Are. At. War.  I don't think that politics needs to get in the way of this fact.  It doesn't matter if a person supports the war effort or thinks that Canada needs to be out of Afghanistan as soon as possible.  What matters is that there are men and women overseas, donning the uniform of our military, and doing jobs that most of us are not willing to do. 

Leave your politics out of this and remember that your right to protest is a result of others suiting up and defending our freedoms (speech, religion, protest, expression). 

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old;
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.

courtesy of Laurence Binyon

posted @ 11/12/2009 11:36 AM by mig14

Theoren Fleury

It's no secret that I'm not a Calgary Flames fan, but a little piece of me was pretty excited that Theoren Fleury was trying to break back in to the NHL.  Despite Fleury breaking my heart time and time again while a member of the Calgary Flames (and later the Colorado Avalanche), I always admired his tenacity and his drive to succeed.  I think it speaks about the power of the game when a guy who has been away from it for 6 years has the drive to compete at such a high level again.  When Fleury was cut from the Flames, I thought it was fitting that he retired right away, rather than embarrass himself by trying to find a spot on every other team in the league. 

When news broke today about the book Fleury has written, I wasn't really surprised that he alleges abuse at the hand of Graham James (and I mean that in the most genuine way).  In the culture that we've created around hockey, it's not unusual for “questionable” conduct between players and coaches, or between players to go on without so much as a second look. 

I think that we should all take a moment and acknowledge how difficult it must be for someone in Fleury's position to come right out and tell everyone what happened to him, and who was responsible.  I think that we spend far too much time promoting the masculine ideal that boys and young men have nowhere to turn when they need an adult who will actually care for them rather than exploit them.

Both Fleury and Sheldon Kennedy deserve nothing but respect for coming forward about these tragic events.  Hopefully more people will come clean and the healing process can begin on a large scale. 

posted @ 10/9/2009 3:24 PM by mig14

Notes for 07/23/2009

I've been remiss in recaps as well as other forms of blogging.  I mostly just dont' care, but I do have things to say.  That said...

• I'm working on the first of my “Part of Tens“ posts as wek speak.  Sort of.  That really means I have a sticky note with the names of some books on it.  But a sticky note is better than no sticky note.
• The summer is almost half over.  As of Sunday night, I have 5 full weeks off of work.  Next summer maybe I'll only teach CALM for the first 2 weeks.  The money is still good, and it's less work. 
• The Oilers are still the worst team in the lague.  Not worst as in “winning the draft lottery“ worst, but worst as in “no one ever wants to play for the Oilers because Edmonton is actually a dirt hole“  (Dany Heatley, I hate you.)

I have some other things I want to write about, but instead I will leave you with this:

posted @ 7/23/2009 12:06 PM by mig14