Many people have advised me to accept and enjoy the recent creativity-induced insomnia that has encompassed both my mind and my sleeping habits. I tried to take everyone’s advice. Tried, and failed.
At least one night this month, I would really, really like to get a real night’s sleep.
I appreciate the advice given to me by friends and family, and trust me, I tried everything. The overzealous coffee drinking was the first thing I changed, and even though it was painful, it helped. I already exercise regularly, but I added an extra forty minutes to my regular regimen in an attempt to exhaust my body further. I also stayed up and wrote until the wee hours of morning on many occasions.
Despite all of these positive changes, I still can’t sleep. It’s truly exhausting trying to be exhausted.
As I lay in bed earlier this evening, my mind was literally racing. A new thought would form before the last one could finish, and this occurred for over an hour. My mind kept on going, going, going, and I had absolutely no idea when it would stop. Even now, as I’m writing this, I am thinking four or five other things simultaneously. It’s strange, and kind of frightening.
I think that my mind is changing. Taking a summer to be creative has been a blessing, and I wouldn’t change it for the world. I’m glad that things like this are happening to me now, during the summer, when I don’t have anywhere specific to be the next day. I couldn’t imagine waking up, getting dressed, and hopping on a bus to make it to class after a night like this.
Sleep deprivation and moonlight writing sessions do have a positive aspect, however, and I just finished watching one of the summer’s best thunderstorms. For a moment, I thought the sky was actually going to open up and consume everything. Maybe someone in another world can’t sleep either, and the storm is their way of telling me that I’m not the only one sitting, writing, and contemplating at my computer at 1:30 a.m.
Or, maybe, I’m over-analyzing something as trivial as a thunderstorm. It is late, after all, and I am very, very tired...
July 27, 2010
July 26, 2010
The Bodyguard's Story
I remember the day Princess Diana died. I was young – probably only 10 or 11 – but I watched the television reports about the car crash that killed her along with the rest of the world. As I was only a child at the time, I didn’t follow the story after the initial announcements. Therefore, I was reading about the events after the crash for the first time when I picked up a copy of The Bodyguard’s Story earlier this month.
The author – Trevor Rees-Jones – was the bodyguard of Dodi Fayed, the son of Mohamed Al Fayed, the owner of Harrods (until recently... he just retired). Rees-Jones’ life, and job description, changed dramatically the summer of 1997. He discovered that he would be protecting not only Dodi, but the Princess of Wales and the two Princes when they joined the Fayed family for a vacation in St-Tropez in July. It was the first of many occasions that Princess Diana boarded the Fayed yacht - the Jonikal - but it was this first vacation that solidified the future.
Rees-Jones had a front row seat to the relationship that formed between Diana and Dodi. He was present during their first meeting aboard the Jonikal, and was a passenger in the Mercedes on August 31, 1997, when everyone in the car except him was killed.
Along with quotes from other bodyguards assigned to the Fayed family, Rees-Jones used his book to explain what he saw, what he did, and what he believed actually happened between Diana and Dodi as their relationship progressed. He also used the book to dispel the myth that the couple went shopping for an engagement ring at Repossi Jewellers in St-Tropez.
Unfortunately, after recovering from his life-threatening injuries, Rees-Jones couldn’t remember anything about the final moments of the crash.
This is where the book gets really interesting...
To this day, his last memory is of leaving Hotel Ritz in Paris with Henri Paul driving and Diana and Dodi in the back of the Mercedes. He knows they were trying to get away from the mass of paparazzi that followed them everywhere, but what actually caused the crash is still unknown. A recent inquest determined Henri Paul was legally intoxicated, a point that Rees-Jones confirmed in his book. But, if any other factors contributed to the devastating accident, we will never know what they were.
The Pont de l’Alma tunnel was the scene of the crash. The Mercedes slammed into the 13th pillar, spun, and finally stopped facing oncoming traffic. I drove through this tunnel when I was in Paris last summer, and I can understand how a fatal accident could occur. The Liberty Flame statue on the bridge above the tunnel has become a makeshift memorial for Diana. It was initially erected to reflect the friendship between France and the United States. When you’re standing, looking at the flame, the Eiffel Tower is clearly visible in the background.
It's a beautiful area of the city, which makes the deaths all the more tragic. Diana and Dodi had only meant to spend one night in Paris. The following day, they were travelling elsewhere. They were also only three minutes away from their final destination - Dodi’s apartment on Champs Elysses.
I have only touched on a few aspects of the book, because so many things happened after the accident. Blame was passed between parties, conspiracy theories surfaced, and people wanted someone to be indicted and prosecuted for the crash. Rees-Jones found himself stuck in the middle of an ugly situation, and his problems were only compounded by the fact that he couldn’t remember anything about the final moments in the car.
I won’t give away everything, and I thoroughly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in the topic. The story of Diana, the “People’s Princess,” is both tragic and complex, and I believe it’s difficult to fully grasp the enormity of the situation without reading Rees-Jones account of events.
With that being said, keep in mind that this book is one account of what happened. If I have learned anything in journalism class, I’ve learned that the truth is usually somewhere in between everyone’s perspectives. I’m not saying that I don’t believe Rees-Jones, because I do, but I won’t ignore everyone else. I was on the Internet countless times as I read this book, checking information and verifying quotes. I believe you should too.
The author – Trevor Rees-Jones – was the bodyguard of Dodi Fayed, the son of Mohamed Al Fayed, the owner of Harrods (until recently... he just retired). Rees-Jones’ life, and job description, changed dramatically the summer of 1997. He discovered that he would be protecting not only Dodi, but the Princess of Wales and the two Princes when they joined the Fayed family for a vacation in St-Tropez in July. It was the first of many occasions that Princess Diana boarded the Fayed yacht - the Jonikal - but it was this first vacation that solidified the future.
Rees-Jones had a front row seat to the relationship that formed between Diana and Dodi. He was present during their first meeting aboard the Jonikal, and was a passenger in the Mercedes on August 31, 1997, when everyone in the car except him was killed.
Along with quotes from other bodyguards assigned to the Fayed family, Rees-Jones used his book to explain what he saw, what he did, and what he believed actually happened between Diana and Dodi as their relationship progressed. He also used the book to dispel the myth that the couple went shopping for an engagement ring at Repossi Jewellers in St-Tropez.
Unfortunately, after recovering from his life-threatening injuries, Rees-Jones couldn’t remember anything about the final moments of the crash.
This is where the book gets really interesting...
To this day, his last memory is of leaving Hotel Ritz in Paris with Henri Paul driving and Diana and Dodi in the back of the Mercedes. He knows they were trying to get away from the mass of paparazzi that followed them everywhere, but what actually caused the crash is still unknown. A recent inquest determined Henri Paul was legally intoxicated, a point that Rees-Jones confirmed in his book. But, if any other factors contributed to the devastating accident, we will never know what they were.
The Pont de l’Alma tunnel was the scene of the crash. The Mercedes slammed into the 13th pillar, spun, and finally stopped facing oncoming traffic. I drove through this tunnel when I was in Paris last summer, and I can understand how a fatal accident could occur. The Liberty Flame statue on the bridge above the tunnel has become a makeshift memorial for Diana. It was initially erected to reflect the friendship between France and the United States. When you’re standing, looking at the flame, the Eiffel Tower is clearly visible in the background.
It's a beautiful area of the city, which makes the deaths all the more tragic. Diana and Dodi had only meant to spend one night in Paris. The following day, they were travelling elsewhere. They were also only three minutes away from their final destination - Dodi’s apartment on Champs Elysses.
I have only touched on a few aspects of the book, because so many things happened after the accident. Blame was passed between parties, conspiracy theories surfaced, and people wanted someone to be indicted and prosecuted for the crash. Rees-Jones found himself stuck in the middle of an ugly situation, and his problems were only compounded by the fact that he couldn’t remember anything about the final moments in the car.
I won’t give away everything, and I thoroughly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in the topic. The story of Diana, the “People’s Princess,” is both tragic and complex, and I believe it’s difficult to fully grasp the enormity of the situation without reading Rees-Jones account of events.
With that being said, keep in mind that this book is one account of what happened. If I have learned anything in journalism class, I’ve learned that the truth is usually somewhere in between everyone’s perspectives. I’m not saying that I don’t believe Rees-Jones, because I do, but I won’t ignore everyone else. I was on the Internet countless times as I read this book, checking information and verifying quotes. I believe you should too.
July 23, 2010
Trying to understand Being John Malkovich
I watched Being John Malkovich a few nights ago, and I think I’ve finally figured out the overall meaning of the film. And, since I love to write everything down, I’m going to use my blog as a forum to analyze the complex story line.
A puppeteer named Craig Schwartz (John Cusack) gets a job working on the 7 ½ floor of an office building in Manhattan. While at work, he discovers a secret por
tal that literally leads inside John Malkovich’s (JM) mind. For 15 minutes, the person inside the portal sees, hears, and feels everything JM is doing. The adventure ends quite suddenly, and the inhabitant is unceremoniously dumped out of JM’s mind and onto the side of the New Jersey turnpike. Schwartz and his business partner, Maxine (Catherine Keener), decide to sell the “experience” for $200 a trip, and people are soon lining up to “Be John Malkovich.”
Cameron Diaz, on the other hand, has never been a favourite of mine. I have always lumped her in that “cute, blonde, but can’t act” category with a number of others that I won’t name. She has always flown under my radar, although I did think her performance was decent in My Best Friend’s Wedding. When I did a little more digging, I discovered that Diaz has been nominated for a number of Golden Globe awards for her performances in There’s Something About Mary, Being John Malkovich, Vanilla Sky, and Gangs of New York. I’ve also heard her performance in the newly-released Knight and Day was pretty good, but I haven’t seen it yet.
Basically, what I’m trying to say is that despite my reservations about Diaz as an actress, I thought she did a fantastic job in Being John Malkovich. She wasn’t made-up or perfectly dressed, and her appearance matched her strange character. Her acting was fantastic, especially when she began to deal with her sexuality.
Catherine Keener has been a favourite of mine for a long time. She has been nominated twice for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. The first nomina
tion was for her role of Maxine in Being John Malkovich, and the second was for portraying Harper Lee in the 2005 film Capote (the same film that won Philip Seymour Hoffman the Academy Award for Best Actor). Her performances are always well-executed, and she was great at playing the slightly evil, sexually forward love interest in this film.
Being John Malkovich has become a cult classic, and rightly so. Overall, I believe it is asking us two very important questions. Who would you be if you could be someone else? And, are we all really who we say we are?
A puppeteer named Craig Schwartz (John Cusack) gets a job working on the 7 ½ floor of an office building in Manhattan. While at work, he discovers a secret por
tal that literally leads inside John Malkovich’s (JM) mind. For 15 minutes, the person inside the portal sees, hears, and feels everything JM is doing. The adventure ends quite suddenly, and the inhabitant is unceremoniously dumped out of JM’s mind and onto the side of the New Jersey turnpike. Schwartz and his business partner, Maxine (Catherine Keener), decide to sell the “experience” for $200 a trip, and people are soon lining up to “Be John Malkovich.”After about the first 30 minutes of the film, things start to get interesting. Schwartz’s wife, Lotte (Cameron Diaz), becomes obsessed with going through the portal because it allows her to act out her transgender desires. Both Schwartz and Lotte fall in love with Maxine, and the result is one of the weirdest 3 ½ way (JM being the half) clusters of ridiculousness I’ve ever encountered.
The plot becomes even more complex when it is realized that JM is supposed to be a host body for a group of people that jump from one portal to the next in an attempt to live forever. Their plans of taking over JM are disrupted when Schwartz realizes he can use his skills as a puppeteer to control Malkovich continuously. He refuses to leave the portal, and ends up spending eight months inside JM’s mind, where he is literally “Being John Malkovich.” He marries Maxine, she gets pregnant, and life progresses.
Moving on...
I’m not going to give away the ending, but this film takes the viewer on a roller coaster ride of enormous proportions. Just when you think you know what’s going to happen next, you’re thrown a curve ball and the entire plot goes in a different direction. My friends warned me that I would either love this film or hate it, and I’m still trying to decide which way to go.
What about the acting?
I want to stop for a moment and talk about the three main cast members. I have always loved John Cusack – because he’s so damn cute – but this role was definitely a favourite for me. He played an unhinged, socially defective, eager-to-be-loved puppeteer masterfully, and I think he was perfect for the role.
Cameron Diaz, on the other hand, has never been a favourite of mine. I have always lumped her in that “cute, blonde, but can’t act” category with a number of others that I won’t name. She has always flown under my radar, although I did think her performance was decent in My Best Friend’s Wedding. When I did a little more digging, I discovered that Diaz has been nominated for a number of Golden Globe awards for her performances in There’s Something About Mary, Being John Malkovich, Vanilla Sky, and Gangs of New York. I’ve also heard her performance in the newly-released Knight and Day was pretty good, but I haven’t seen it yet.
Basically, what I’m trying to say is that despite my reservations about Diaz as an actress, I thought she did a fantastic job in Being John Malkovich. She wasn’t made-up or perfectly dressed, and her appearance matched her strange character. Her acting was fantastic, especially when she began to deal with her sexuality.
Catherine Keener has been a favourite of mine for a long time. She has been nominated twice for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. The first nomina
tion was for her role of Maxine in Being John Malkovich, and the second was for portraying Harper Lee in the 2005 film Capote (the same film that won Philip Seymour Hoffman the Academy Award for Best Actor). Her performances are always well-executed, and she was great at playing the slightly evil, sexually forward love interest in this film.Being John Malkovich has become a cult classic, and rightly so. Overall, I believe it is asking us two very important questions. Who would you be if you could be someone else? And, are we all really who we say we are?
July 22, 2010
Exploring the Interlake
It’s been awhile since I’ve written about something Manitoba-related, so I want to take a moment and rave about the Interlake area. More specifically, I want to talk about both Winnipeg Beach and Gimli.
Both of these areas are lovely, and are only about an hour away from Winnipeg. One could easily get up early, drive in, spend the day at the beach, wander the piers, check out the marinas, and be home for dinner. Who wouldn’t want to take a day trip away from the city?
The lake has a long history of public use in Manitoba, and it was a major tourist destination in the past. Development of Winnipeg Beach, situated on the west side of the lake, began in 1900. At its peak, it boasted a train station, dance pavilion, roller coaster and boardwalk. The Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) began transporting passengers to the town in 1903. Cottage communities expanded, and before long, Lake Winnipeg was one of the most popular places to spend time in Manitoba.
Does anyone remember the Moonlight Express?
Unfortunately, it’s virtually impossible to get to the Interlake without access to a car. The trains that were so popular back in the day no longer travel to Winnipeg Beach. As soon as people began to drive motor vehicles regularly, the need for a train was significantly diminished. Which is too bad, because I would love to hop on a train and come out to Winnipeg Beach for the weekend. Trains are romantic. Cars, not so much.
Last weekend, two of my friends – Tiffany and Jen – agreed to come to the Interlake with me. Our initial plan was to spend some much-needed time at the beach, but the weather had other ideas. A constant threat of a downpour meant that we needed to find something else to do, so I decided to take the ladies on a drive.
And, what a drive it was.
The
great thing about CreComm’s is that they’re always willing to jump out of a car to take pictures of things. I first stopped at Dunnottar Station, which used to be one of the many train stations where cabin-goers could disembark and head to their cottages. It’s not used anymore, and has been turned into a museum, but is still a pretty neat place to visit.
It was initially the large group of cows behind the station that attracted our attention, but we took a collection of photos of the entire area. There is a community centre adjacent to the station, and I’m pretty sure a few people were looking at us strangely as we excitedly ran around and composed shots.
Oh well. We’re tourists. Technically.
Next, we drove the short distance to Gimli. Our afternoon was spent both driving and wandering around the town, and we discovered a variety of interesting things.
First, Tiffany directed us to a chess board at Gimli Public School. It was a photographers dream, because there were full, blooming shrubs and gorgeous trees surrounding the area. We briefly stopped at the Gimli Movie Theatre, but it was closed. They only show one film at a time, and the business hours are very specific. We couldn’t leave without stopping at H.P Tergusen & Sons (which had been continuously operated by the same family since 1899) and the dollar store, where Tiffany scored the most inexpensive pool noodle/chair combination in the history of flotation devices. Naturally, we needed lunch, and Chicken Chef was on the menu.
We also di
d quite a bit of walking after the weather cleared up. The Gimli Marina is very popular, and the locally painted murals on one of the walls are always worth a look. The giant Viking statue is also well-known, and we had to wait for about 10 minutes for another group to finish taking photos before we could get close. We managed to effectively “photo bomb” a wedding photo shoot while we waited... but more on that later.
Our day didn’t end there, and we returned to Winnipeg Beach to participate in the Boardwalk Days celebration. A number of rides and games had been set up on Main Street, and a variety of local vendors had arranged booths. Tiffany and I both scored some old-school Winnipeg Beach magnets that featured the roller coaster and the dance pavilion before they were demolished. Before heading back to the cabin, we hopped onto the Ferris Wheel, which provided beautiful aerial views of the town.
If this area is so cool, why don’t more people check it out?
I hate to report it, but the condition of Lake Winnipeg has been deteriorating for years. There are major concerns that it will one day be deemed “un-swimmable.” Lake Winnipeg suffers from eutrophication,
a condition that occurs when nutrients accumulate and begin affecting a fresh water lake. In some advanced cases, blooms of algae begin to grow. Beyond being dangerous to marine life, algae blooms are unappealing and potentially hazardous to humans.
Simply put, many people think the water is “icky.” And, it can be. But scientists are working hard to ensure that a way to slow down the eutrophication process is discovered and implemented. I still swim in the lake, and so did Tiffany and Jen. It really isn’t that bad, and there are so many interesting things to explore in the area.
Below, I have attached an excerpt from a past interview with a woman named Veronica Kitt. I interviewed her when I was working on an article for Canada’s History magazine about Lake Winnipeg and eutrophication. Unfortunately, her part didn’t make it into the final draft. I had to go from 1500 words to 500 words, so if you’re reading this Veronica, I’m very sorry I had to cut you out.
I found her story fascinating, and the below excerpt illustrates that Winnipeg Beach was a magical place to spend the summers when the trains were running. It still is, and I suggest you check it out.
A lake in peril: the breakdown of Lake Winnipeg
Veronica Kitt spent the summers of her childhood at Winnipeg Beach. Initially, her parents rented a cottage. In 1946, the family purchased a vacant lot in the Sandy Hook area for $35, and built their own.
Kitt’s family would move out to the lake as soon as school finished for the summer in June, and would stay until August long weekend. Many families followed the same procedure, which meant there were many friends for Kitt and her siblings to play with.
“We had lots of friends we grew up with. Every family did the same thing,” Kitt explained. “You went for the summer, you had summer friends, and you never saw them in the winter even though they lived in Winnipeg.”
The only mode of practical transportation from the city to Winnipeg Beach was the train. There were numerous stops along the route, and Kitt remembers getting off at the 1st Avenue train station in Sandy Hook.
Families brought necessary items from home, but everything else could be purchased at the lake. An Eaton’s catalogue provided everything a family needed, including food, clothing, and household items.
A transfer company could be hired to move all a family’s belongings from Winnipeg to the lake, and another company would pick up, wash, and drop off laundry.
“Everything was at your fingertips,” Kitt said with a smile. “It was wonderful.”
Some of Kitt’s fondest memories include walking into downtown Winnipeg Beach, going on the roller coaster’s and other rides, walking along the boardwalk, and visiting the dance pavilion. She also remembers visiting the community centre every night, and it was always bustling with activity.
“We didn’t need caregivers or anything, you just went,” she said.
Kitt is disheartened by the fact that the trains no longer run to Winnipeg Beach.
“One day there’s a train, the next day there’s no train,” Kitt explained. “It used to come in about seven p.m., and would leave at about midnight. It’s too bad it isn’t there anymore.”
Both of these areas are lovely, and are only about an hour away from Winnipeg. One could easily get up early, drive in, spend the day at the beach, wander the piers, check out the marinas, and be home for dinner. Who wouldn’t want to take a day trip away from the city?
The lake has a long history of public use in Manitoba, and it was a major tourist destination in the past. Development of Winnipeg Beach, situated on the west side of the lake, began in 1900. At its peak, it boasted a train station, dance pavilion, roller coaster and boardwalk. The Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) began transporting passengers to the town in 1903. Cottage communities expanded, and before long, Lake Winnipeg was one of the most popular places to spend time in Manitoba.
Does anyone remember the Moonlight Express?
Unfortunately, it’s virtually impossible to get to the Interlake without access to a car. The trains that were so popular back in the day no longer travel to Winnipeg Beach. As soon as people began to drive motor vehicles regularly, the need for a train was significantly diminished. Which is too bad, because I would love to hop on a train and come out to Winnipeg Beach for the weekend. Trains are romantic. Cars, not so much.
Last weekend, two of my friends – Tiffany and Jen – agreed to come to the Interlake with me. Our initial plan was to spend some much-needed time at the beach, but the weather had other ideas. A constant threat of a downpour meant that we needed to find something else to do, so I decided to take the ladies on a drive.
And, what a drive it was.
The
great thing about CreComm’s is that they’re always willing to jump out of a car to take pictures of things. I first stopped at Dunnottar Station, which used to be one of the many train stations where cabin-goers could disembark and head to their cottages. It’s not used anymore, and has been turned into a museum, but is still a pretty neat place to visit.It was initially the large group of cows behind the station that attracted our attention, but we took a collection of photos of the entire area. There is a community centre adjacent to the station, and I’m pretty sure a few people were looking at us strangely as we excitedly ran around and composed shots.
Oh well. We’re tourists. Technically.
Next, we drove the short distance to Gimli. Our afternoon was spent both driving and wandering around the town, and we discovered a variety of interesting things.
First, Tiffany directed us to a chess board at Gimli Public School. It was a photographers dream, because there were full, blooming shrubs and gorgeous trees surrounding the area. We briefly stopped at the Gimli Movie Theatre, but it was closed. They only show one film at a time, and the business hours are very specific. We couldn’t leave without stopping at H.P Tergusen & Sons (which had been continuously operated by the same family since 1899) and the dollar store, where Tiffany scored the most inexpensive pool noodle/chair combination in the history of flotation devices. Naturally, we needed lunch, and Chicken Chef was on the menu.
We also di
d quite a bit of walking after the weather cleared up. The Gimli Marina is very popular, and the locally painted murals on one of the walls are always worth a look. The giant Viking statue is also well-known, and we had to wait for about 10 minutes for another group to finish taking photos before we could get close. We managed to effectively “photo bomb” a wedding photo shoot while we waited... but more on that later.Our day didn’t end there, and we returned to Winnipeg Beach to participate in the Boardwalk Days celebration. A number of rides and games had been set up on Main Street, and a variety of local vendors had arranged booths. Tiffany and I both scored some old-school Winnipeg Beach magnets that featured the roller coaster and the dance pavilion before they were demolished. Before heading back to the cabin, we hopped onto the Ferris Wheel, which provided beautiful aerial views of the town.
If this area is so cool, why don’t more people check it out?
I hate to report it, but the condition of Lake Winnipeg has been deteriorating for years. There are major concerns that it will one day be deemed “un-swimmable.” Lake Winnipeg suffers from eutrophication,
a condition that occurs when nutrients accumulate and begin affecting a fresh water lake. In some advanced cases, blooms of algae begin to grow. Beyond being dangerous to marine life, algae blooms are unappealing and potentially hazardous to humans.Simply put, many people think the water is “icky.” And, it can be. But scientists are working hard to ensure that a way to slow down the eutrophication process is discovered and implemented. I still swim in the lake, and so did Tiffany and Jen. It really isn’t that bad, and there are so many interesting things to explore in the area.
Below, I have attached an excerpt from a past interview with a woman named Veronica Kitt. I interviewed her when I was working on an article for Canada’s History magazine about Lake Winnipeg and eutrophication. Unfortunately, her part didn’t make it into the final draft. I had to go from 1500 words to 500 words, so if you’re reading this Veronica, I’m very sorry I had to cut you out.
I found her story fascinating, and the below excerpt illustrates that Winnipeg Beach was a magical place to spend the summers when the trains were running. It still is, and I suggest you check it out.
A lake in peril: the breakdown of Lake Winnipeg
Veronica Kitt spent the summers of her childhood at Winnipeg Beach. Initially, her parents rented a cottage. In 1946, the family purchased a vacant lot in the Sandy Hook area for $35, and built their own.
Kitt’s family would move out to the lake as soon as school finished for the summer in June, and would stay until August long weekend. Many families followed the same procedure, which meant there were many friends for Kitt and her siblings to play with.
“We had lots of friends we grew up with. Every family did the same thing,” Kitt explained. “You went for the summer, you had summer friends, and you never saw them in the winter even though they lived in Winnipeg.”
The only mode of practical transportation from the city to Winnipeg Beach was the train. There were numerous stops along the route, and Kitt remembers getting off at the 1st Avenue train station in Sandy Hook.
Families brought necessary items from home, but everything else could be purchased at the lake. An Eaton’s catalogue provided everything a family needed, including food, clothing, and household items.
A transfer company could be hired to move all a family’s belongings from Winnipeg to the lake, and another company would pick up, wash, and drop off laundry.
“Everything was at your fingertips,” Kitt said with a smile. “It was wonderful.”
Some of Kitt’s fondest memories include walking into downtown Winnipeg Beach, going on the roller coaster’s and other rides, walking along the boardwalk, and visiting the dance pavilion. She also remembers visiting the community centre every night, and it was always bustling with activity.
“We didn’t need caregivers or anything, you just went,” she said.
Kitt is disheartened by the fact that the trains no longer run to Winnipeg Beach.
“One day there’s a train, the next day there’s no train,” Kitt explained. “It used to come in about seven p.m., and would leave at about midnight. It’s too bad it isn’t there anymore.”
July 21, 2010
Boy + Tuba = Eurythmics?
My mom sent me this video, and it's fantastic! This guy - nicknamed "Wolff" - plays entire song covers using only the tuba. He puts each piece of the song on a double-loop system, and gradually adds it all together.
It takes awhile to get going, but check it out...
It's AWESOME! He has a number of videos out, but this one is my favourite by far. He's playing Sweet Dreams by the Eurythmics, which is a classic.
Watching this kind of makes me want to ditch the piano for awhile and try another, more interesting instrument...
It takes awhile to get going, but check it out...
It's AWESOME! He has a number of videos out, but this one is my favourite by far. He's playing Sweet Dreams by the Eurythmics, which is a classic.
Watching this kind of makes me want to ditch the piano for awhile and try another, more interesting instrument...
July 20, 2010
A puppy update
I forgot to post updated photos of my friend's puppy with my last photo blog, so here are a few...
I can't get over the fact that this cute little puppy will be a full-sized dog pretty soon. He's already grown considerably since I took the first photos of him the day Ty & Kristen brought him home.
Rocco is either 14 or 15 weeks old now, and he's growing like crazy. We took him to Winnipeg Beach last weekend, which provided him with a fantastic opportunity to socialize with new people and new animals.
He also got to hang out with Becker (who is pictured on the right in the above photograph). That's our friend Ryan's dog, and he's roughly 135 lbs.
I can't get over the fact that this cute little puppy will be a full-sized dog pretty soon. He's already grown considerably since I took the first photos of him the day Ty & Kristen brought him home.*Sigh* They grow up so fast...
July 19, 2010
I need closure
Usually, I lose interest in television shows after a few seasons. I rarely watch TV, and trying to be near one at a specific time every week has never worked for me.
With that being said, I always, always need to know how television shows that I used to watch end. Even though I have lost interest, it’s important to find out how the series concluded. Which characters end up together? Does anyone die? Are there surprise twists that take everyone by surprise? For me, it’s very important to have these questions answered. It’s like finishing a book. I need to know how the conflict is resolved, and I never leave a book partially read.
In my apartment, I don’t have cable. This was a conscious decision that Jeff and I made, for a few reasons. 1) We don’t watch enough television to justify spending money on cable, and 2) there’s always the possibility that if we have it, we will start using it too much.
I’m fine without television, for the most part.
This summer, however, I actually have time to catch up on the shows that I missed the series finales of. It started with Season Nine of Friends, and extended to the tenth and final season of Friends. Next, I bought the last two seasons of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I loved that show when I was younger, but like most shows, I lost interest.
I plan to rent and/or buy all three seasons of Roswell next, just because I feel like watching it all over again. Remember that show? It was on from 1999-2002, and the cast included Katherine Heigl and Emilie de Ravin (Claire from Lost).
I will admit that each of the shows were better the first time I watched them, when I was younger. I guess that’s just part of growing up. Things usually aren’t as good the second time around, but at least I’ll know how each series ends. Who knows if I’ll ever have another opportunity to sit around and watch episode after episode of Friends or Roswell. This might be my only chance!
With that being said, I always, always need to know how television shows that I used to watch end. Even though I have lost interest, it’s important to find out how the series concluded. Which characters end up together? Does anyone die? Are there surprise twists that take everyone by surprise? For me, it’s very important to have these questions answered. It’s like finishing a book. I need to know how the conflict is resolved, and I never leave a book partially read.
In my apartment, I don’t have cable. This was a conscious decision that Jeff and I made, for a few reasons. 1) We don’t watch enough television to justify spending money on cable, and 2) there’s always the possibility that if we have it, we will start using it too much.
I’m fine without television, for the most part.
This summer, however, I actually have time to catch up on the shows that I missed the series finales of. It started with Season Nine of Friends, and extended to the tenth and final season of Friends. Next, I bought the last two seasons of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I loved that show when I was younger, but like most shows, I lost interest.
I plan to rent and/or buy all three seasons of Roswell next, just because I feel like watching it all over again. Remember that show? It was on from 1999-2002, and the cast included Katherine Heigl and Emilie de Ravin (Claire from Lost).
I will admit that each of the shows were better the first time I watched them, when I was younger. I guess that’s just part of growing up. Things usually aren’t as good the second time around, but at least I’ll know how each series ends. Who knows if I’ll ever have another opportunity to sit around and watch episode after episode of Friends or Roswell. This might be my only chance!
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