Me and my Sibs, just chillin'

So… so so so…. Things here are going great! I don’t feel much like a tourist anymore. I find that I am learning my way around the city very well! Vonster Monster (my little bro) got here on Thursday night, so it is me and my sibs hanging in Montreal. Me and the bros… it’s a nice feeling to be hanging with both of them again. It’ll be a time to remember.

I am almost done my TESL course! That means by tomorrow I will be certified to teach English as a second language overseas! My final presentation was today. I did good in spite of my red rashy neck. I get red… real red when I stand up in front of the class and have to teach anything that lasts longer than about 3 minutes… I hate it. In any case, I got through the 20 minute lesson and managed to have some fun while I was at it. YAY!

I have been out and about a lot since I have written last. I have been to a few house parties (one last weekend for St. Pattie’s day) and last night (just for fun). Both parties were large in number and cool in setting. Both in shared apartments (many room mates comfortably sharing one large apartment), hosted at different places by different hosts. Hardwood floors, high ceilings, old and beautiful light fixtures and door frames… everything here is old. Ambient lighting and good indie music. Smart and fun people… all around a great time was had, for many reasons.

I also went to the St Patrick’s day parade with Jay and his people. It was a party in the streets. I met them outside my school on my lunch break, caught the parade, had a few beer and went back to school. After school I met up with them all at a pub (which is where the pics are from). I met some Swiss guys, whose pictures these are, and I drank beer and danced all night. Casey (the curly haired, thoughtful looking one in the pic with 3 people) and I danced into the night… everyone else left, but she and I partied on! It was so much fun. I will write more soon, but for now I must go! Cheers! I hope this finds you readers well.

I riot now... I'm a rioter! Rah Rah Rah!!!

Hey guys! So, yesterday was an exciting day for me. Just one block from Mulli's place was the 10th Demo Against Police Brutality. It was a meeting of the rebels and anarchists. On the back of the flyer that I received the first day I arrived in Montreal there are 10 reasons a person should attend the rally: It said “The police harass, brutalize, rape, kill, do racial profiling, social cleansing, political repression, is corrupted, hide us the truth, benefit from impurity”

This flyer of course fails to mention the good work that the police officers do daily and it fails to appreciate the risks they take in their jobs. In any case, I had to take this opportunity to march with the rebels and see what this rally was all about. There was a meeting at the square at 5 pm. The ages of the protesters mostly ranged from late teens to those in their twenties. Many were either wearing masks, handkerchiefs over their faces or pink pig snouts made of cardboard egg cartons. The majority of the crowd falls under the punk genre. Most wore leather studded jackets, army type boots, lots of black wear, Mohawks (dyed or not), tight jeans that have patches on them or rips in them… you get the idea. There were signs and flags being waved in the air, and a megaphone with someone constantly shouting into it.

The cops were on stand by… waiting. The crowd of about 300 protesters then took to the streets of the city and marched among the traffic, stopping cars and kicking over road construction materials. They were ripping down the election signs and shouting throughout the streets. Some of them were banging on buckets that they brought. The megaphone was also going the whole time at the front of the march.

The only advice I received was from my brothers friend Tim, he said to keep a safe distance and that generally there are a lot of arrests at these things, so leave yourself an out so you can run away if you have to. As the march was leaving the square Jay (my brother) was in the midst of the crowd waving me over to come and walk with him… I reluctantly came to him from the sidelines and began walking. I said, “I’m scared… some of these people look really angry… but I guess I’m marching with them… so its ok.”
Jay laughed and said, “Yeah, it’s the cops you should be scared of right now.”

So, there were a few pit stops, one of which there were fire dancers/spinners at. Music was pumping, people climbing traffic light posts and yelling out into the crowd… others were sitting on the parked cars (which the roof of one got badly dented… that wasn’t cool at all.) The traffic was among us, the drivers looking a little bit frightened. March on…

Jay left me at this point… now I was alone with these people that I did not know more than 3 of, who I didn’t even walk with anyways. By the time Jay and I parted I looked around and realized that I was now among the entourage of police officers that were following the crowd. (I ripped my pig nose off so fast… what a poser… whatever! You guys would have put on the pig nose too when that anarchist told you too!!! Ok! And if you were left alone with a bunch of cops you also would have ripped it off really fast!! Ok?!)

So I caught up to the tail end of the rally now I was in between the rioters and the police… great! Just what Tim told me not to do. I had no out. I all of a sudden felt really claustrophobic. Sure enough the march halts again but now they start hurling large objects at the police who are lined up against the windows of a restaurant. Objects like sticks, recycle bins, buckets… whatever they had on hand. Windows shatter there is a huge commotion, people start running, all of a sudden way more cops come out on foot from I don’t know where. They have shields and masks and helmets… and they looked scary. They started getting behind the protesters and pushing them along back down the road… I snuck into the stoop of a restaurant hoping that everyone would just run on past me. Yeah… not so lucky. All of a sudden the cops are in my face yelling “MOVE MOVE MOVE!!!!” They were coming at me with their shields first. All I could think was “Run and please don’t fall because you will get trampled”. So I ran. I wandered around for another 45 minutes, driven by adrenaline. I wanted to see more. Shit was about to go down. For the next while every street I looked down either had a small army of cops, or there were little clusters of protesters, some single stragglers like myself (which I liked and thought was the safest), cops on peddle bikes, riot police in vans, cop cars driving around, road blocks… it was crazy!

I eventually made my way back to the square where it all began and in the centre the main intersection was a large group of protesters. They dumped the garbage out of the cans and were hitting the cans with their sticks. There was the sound of glass breaking. And a few random shouts and a distant murmur of people talking. In the distance you can see police lights flashing down every road, they had to close down those roads leading to this intersection. You could also hear the distant sirens going off. Other than that the streets were very quiet… no traffic… just the clicking sound of the lights changing from green to yellow to red… it was strangely beautiful. I eventually left because I was so cold. I knew it wasn’t over, but my legs were numb… so the link I’m sending out now you can copy and paste into the address bar of your Internet site and you can see how it all ended.

http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/news/story.html?id=4574454d-e2b5-4688-81b1-464563be9190&k=94408

or this one too - http://www.mytelus.com/news/article.do?pageID=cbc/montreal_home&articleID=2200337

Mulli's Rant- Montreal Squared = M2

Mulli and I were making our way home the other night from a bar called Blizzarts. We were in the metro station and the train just pulled up and this guy, who was about 20 yrs old was being pulled up from the ground by his 2 friends and they walked him onto the train and laid him back down on the floor.

Off train. Up the stairs. Drunk 20 yr old is being held up by his friend. His arm slung over buddy’s neck, barley standing up. See blood on drunk dudes head. In comes Mulli’s rant on living in Montreal:

“I saw a documentary on Montreal and the lifestyle here. It’s a live fast die young mentality. There’s just too much! Too much!!! It is party, party, party. Look at her, that lady is 40 years old (lady walking by us in the station, decked out in 80’s gear with feathered, big blonde hair, maybe on drugs). The party don’t stop! It don’t stop...

...Montreal mentality. You have to be a disciplined person to not be the alcoholic bum on the street begging for money. That bum (pointing out a homeless person in the distance) was probably me three years ago and I’ll be that bum in three years. Montreal madness!...

...Do you think I’m an alcoholic? Do I drink too much? I only drink on weekends and Thursdays... that was funny, especially the guy with the bleeding head. That was my favourite part of the night!”

Pik that shit!

“The grass pushing out of the cement and out of the bricks in the walls.”
“The remarkable thing about souls is they’ll grow if you let them.”
“We’re culturally drunk on instantaneous gratification.”
“I’m sick of fighting for it, when it is so evident to me.”
“Think good thoughts and translate those thoughts into actions”

These are some of the thoughts that Cam was sharing with us at his fundraiser on Saturday night. I was writing them down as he was speaking freely about what he believes. I believe in what he had to say. He is a great leader and I know that great things will come from his inspiration and influence. He wants to take a pik to the concrete and free up the roots that are fighting for their lives. I want to help.

Let it rain, let it rain, let it rain!!!

I walk in the rain,
newspaper over head.
The print spotting my fingers,
but I don't care,
cause there's nowhere,
I'd rather be than here.

Here on this bridge I walk,
past the factory,
the cars splash water on me,
as they pass on by.

I forget about my burning legs,
I'm getting used to it now.
Too busy concentrating on all those puddles I have to cross.
It's like dancing.

I danced with puddles today.
My glasses spotted with rain drops,
rosy cheeks, smiling lips, wet feet, dry hips.
Music playing. Feet going - step step hop- step jump- step.
I've never been more sure of anything more than I
am of everything right now.

As sure as my hair is to curl after a walk in the rain.
Now that is a sure thing.

Curly haired, I sit here,
the space heater humming,
Tina Turner's band strumming.

"I'm not missing you at all" she says of a love gone by.

I hear that Tina! I'm not missing them at all either!
I'm not sorry that I loved,
as I am not sorry that it's over.

Cheers to love and happy endings!
Or in my case happy beginings.

I'm going off to paint a picture soon,
curly haired and green eyeshadowed,
a smile on my face and a hop in my step.

I'm going to dance in the rain again,
then I'll be catching the train again.

Let each drop represent my happiness.
Let it rain.
No, let it pour!

Art Matters

Hello,
I’m at Kristy’s right now and it’s almost 2 am and I am going to play some cards soon with my bro and Kristy. Earlier tonight I was in an art presentation/show at Concordia University in celebration of a student based art festival called “Art Matters”. Jay’s friend Casey put our show together and I will give a brief description of what it was.

2 guys on a small 2 foot high stage sitting facing each other at an angle embroidering discussing different stitches quietly. In front of them was 2 girls silently embroidering. Off to one side was me painting the two girls with the boys in the background. I had an easel and canvas and I used acrylic paints. There was a camera on a tri pod behind me, followed by another one showing all of us and it was projecting onto a big wall. Kristy was going around with another camera filming everything from different angles. Another girl taking pictures (which she is sending me some day soon so I can post them on here). And someone else with a handheld tape recorder taping the guys talking and some random people in the audience. That’s what it was, it was half an hour long. I had fun painting and that’s all I’m going to say about that.

Jay's showing us magic card tricks, he's so magical... and we're really enjoying the show. (He is now doing the same trick for the third time in a row...)

Goodnight, Hammy

Crepes, pubs and poets in the nude!

Since I wrote last I have had a few more experiences to speak of. I went to a film screening at Concordia University a few evenings ago. There were about 4 short films and one that ran 50 minutes (all independent films). They were pretty funny very well done. After the screening a bunch of us (people my age who were at the screening because they were either in the films being shown or they were supporting the arts) went to a place called Bishop Street Pub.

It’s the same pub I went to for Ezra’s Uberculture 3 year anniversary and fundraiser a few nights ago. The pub is a chill place with hardwood floors, tall tables, and short tables and chairs along the bar. It also has a dimly lit place with couches and a coffee table set up, which is where I sat. There is art- work all over the place in this pub. Most of it is for an art auction that was set up on the uberculture night.

There was an open mic this night, and the mic was open to poets. A few of the people who read at the Zine launch were there and there were new faces too. Great stuff! This one guy, Simon, who was in the 50 minute film from earlier was reading some poetry and then he put his papers aside and went solo, he just started spouting off thoughts. This really caught everyone’s attention (or maybe just mine, because everyone was already paying attention, while I was busy writing a poem about the guy next to me, who I had made aqaintences with at the Uberculture night and now again on this night).

Anyways by the time I looked up from my journal Simon was sitting down on the stage cross- legged and I heard him say the word meditation. To this I looked up and others in the bar hopped out of their chairs and sat on the floor too (one woman pressed her back up against the wall and raised her arms up and down along side of her body while humming). Everyone broke into meditation for about 2 minutes, all humming and chanting in a monk like style. Talk about a feeling of community and peace within a room.

Next Simon stood up (everyone resumed to their seats) and he started talking and pacing around the stage. He was getting louder and louder and I heard him say, “I just want to feel! I want to know that I’m alive! I just want to feel alive!!! I want to take off my clothes, right here, right now! I’ve done it before! And I’ll do it again!!!!”

To that he set down the mic and continued yelling, everyone was laughing (not at him, but out of the excitement that we are in company with someone so sporadic and alive!) he stripped down so that his pants were around his ankles. His back faced us and he was in front of a large window that faced out onto the street. He turned around to face us with only his feet still dressed and his shirt held up in front of his genitals, then he threw his shirt down! We cheered! LOL, it was so spontaneous, he was living in the moment, that’s for sure.

Next up was another Simon. He has blond dreads and he dresses very colourfully and has the best smile and very kind eyes, he’s really sweet. Until yesterday I had unexpectedly ran into him 4 days out of 4. It was the 3rd day that I introduced myself. I said, “ok, I have now seen you 3 days in a row, all coincidentally. I think I should introduce myself. I’m Amie!” and so we made friends. If you’re reading it now Simon, hello! I hope to see you soon, I missed seeing you yesterday.

Anyways, yesterday I went to Concordia and had a free veegan lunch at the cafeteria. I offered to help clean up after, but it was all pretty much done. Jay and some people were filming a short in the bar ‘Reggie’s’ downstairs. They had lights, camera and action! It was the film that I made the masks for last week with some people in this guy Charlie’s apartment. Charlie is also blond with dreads, he’s a really cool guy, very chilled out and down to earth.

Anyways, we went to this place in the city after 2 hours of filming in the bar and did some shots there. It was an elevated area, above the city. It had stone -walls with windows carved into them. There was a large field type area with contemporary metal sculptures scattered throughout. That is where we shot the scene.

I was in this shot as an extra with my mask on. There were probably 6 of us extras with the masks on or so. We had to walk following Vera (she was the masked leader) very slowly. This one girl Sylvie was wearing a mask that she made last week and it had no eye holes. It was all grey (thick paper) with stuff hanging off the chin part of it and the only hole in it was for her nose, which fit into a plastic gum square from a gum pack. Anyways, because she couldn’t see, when the director called “Action” we’d all follow Vera and Sylvie would end up walking the other direction and just slowly wandering around… it was hilarious. She didn’t even know she was doing it for the longest time because we’d get told to go back to our starting positions, which is where she was practically was. Anyways, it was a good time.

I have also been to a crepe place with Mulli. The chocolate, peanut butter and banana is the ultimate crepe! Soooo good. Mulli and I went out on the weekend to an 80’s bar with her friends from school. There were little and big circle mirrors all over the walls, red lights everywhere, a disco ball spinning, red hand chairs all over the place and circular rolo looking chairs too. It was a neat little bar, but it was super packed, I wanted to push the people out of my way… but I didn’t. The music was great, we danced until 3 am and then walked home.

So, I have been having a great time, keeping very busy. I am loving the people that I am meeting here as well as all the constant functions and activities. Yay Montreal!

Change starts with you!

I went to a zine launch last night at a bar named Toc Toc. It's zine as in magazine. Jay's friends put together a magazine every few months and it is full of political poetry and writings. Kristy, Jays girlfriend, had written a piece called Why Your Cleavage Hurts God’s feelings (or: Stop Telling Us What To Wear). The article is about clothing and women, it’s about consumerism and religion, about the mixed messages society sends us by telling us that we need to look a certain way to be considered sexy or acceptable and then in the same breath we are told not to dress certain ways because it is degrading or unattractive. We have companies advertising asking us to purchase their goods and then we have religious and other groups in society telling us not to buy those same things. I’m going to quote the conclusion of her piece because I really believe in what she says here. “Your body is not a secret, and immodesty is not a sin. Likewise, your body is not a disposable commodity for consumption and gratification. If you want to dress sexy, or you want to dress frumpy, just think about who you’re dressing for. Wear what you fucking please, and demand that you’re valued in light of it.”

I'm going to see about getting that reading of hers posted on this site.

So, last night was an exploration of the artistic and political realms. It was a meeting of the minds. It was enlightening. I am enlightened. Poets and writers got up on stage and shared their work and ideas with eachother all night. There were some short films and a live band too. It really got me to thinking actually. It first got me thinking and then it got me writing. The speaker who pushed me over the edge and actually was the reason I picked up my pen and journal last night was a guy who went to jail in 2001 because he was protesting in Quebec. He recently was in jail for a week because of the same reason. His name is Cam and he is passionate and wonderful! He is standing up for things like peace, environmental issues, putting an end to senseless waste and usage of our natural resources and lack of community. Anyways, next Saturday he is having a fundraiser for himself to help pay his legal fees. Cam says there is one small thing that is stopping this revolution that so badly needs to happen from happening and that is that we aren’t meeting together and talking.

I’m now going to quote my journal. This is what I was writing as the poets took their stand and read their work.

“He says, I don’t know how revolutions get started, but a revolution needs to happen and it needs to happen now.
Sat- Fundraiser to raise $ for him to pay his legal fees.
Rob from audience calls out- “If not us, then who? If not now, then when?”

Mother nature has breast cancer, what are you going to do about it?! – The two on stage yell out at the end of their lyrical, instrumental song.

I’m so glad I didn’t stay home, watch a movie and go to bed tonight. Very happy.

Amazing- Chains and random people film. Classical music. Clockwork Orangy kind of feel to it. Really fucked up in a very unique and cool way.

Corporate downsizing in every department.

Should I be worried? Suddenly I am very scared for the future and what it holds for myself, never mind my grandchildren.

Film ends.

Lights on (dim). Music gets turned on. I sit on a couch with my feet resting on the stage.

Amazing poets here tonight. The world that I know thinks that those in my current surroundings are outcasts, but it is those who cast us aside that need to open their eyes!

Our cause, our ideas, are a truth. More precisely it is the truth.

Truth- what is truth?

Truth is that war kills people, war wrecks souls and it ruins and is ruining mankind.

The truth is that not so many Sundays ago I went walking outside for 3 hours under the starry sky. The temp was plus 11 degrees celcius in the middle of February. The truth is our ice caps are melting and our lungs are filling with poison.

Our forests are disappearing, so we can build roads leading to oil drilling rigs that have a football field sized clearing around these rigs.

The oil from the rig that just took my trees away is used to fuel the heavy duty equipment used to clear those trees and drill that oil.

I’m starting to see how complex this problem is going to be to solve. It is so much easier to turn a blind eye then go up against the world.

Buy a car, for cheap. How cheap? Real cheap. It burns oil though, but other than that she runs great!

Fuel my tank, and yours and yours…

Sell my car? But I like my car. I depend on my car.

Bus? Trains? Maybe in Montreal, but you can’t live that way in Edmonton, the closest Walmart is so far.
Forget about Walmart!
Go to TomBoy for groceries and Hank’s Hardware store for tools and supplies, go to Dollar Drugs for your medication,

Ah ha! Remember Johnny when I told you about having an “ah ha” moment? Well I just had one of those moments, however the context is different.

This time my moment of clarity is, “ah ha! The poets were and are right! Mother nature does have breast cancer. What am I going to do about it?”

Well I will start here- I’ll start with my diary, my blog site, my circle of friends. Raise awareness!

I’ve been aware for a long time. I recycle. I compost (when I’m at the lake and here in Montreal). Mom, you go to start a compost, it’s really easy.

I quit smoking.

Isn’t that enough?
Answer- no, I don’t think that is enough.

Consumer? Consume me.
Save a tree.

I see a guy wearing a t-shirt with a picture of an ocean liner that has had an oil spill and all around it is oil and dead sea life floating belly up in this mess.

Who could have done such a thing? Who spilt the oil? Don’t cry over spilt oil? Cry? We should be wailing!!

Who is responsible? If not you then who? An accident you say?

Rob Virgil once told his daughter Stacy (my dear and wonderful friend), that all accidents are preventable.

Now you think about that. All accidents are preventable.

I’ll buy that for a dollar… oh… it’s two dollars now? Ah ha, inflation! Of course! How silly of me.

For the record, Jay is a larger part of this whole scene than I ever understood or imagined. Seeing how involved and instrumental Jay is with these causes and these people makes me very proud to be introduced into this circle as his sister. I get immediate respect from these people through association, which essentially is through a blood line. They hear I am Jason’s relative and their eyes literally light up! They’re always pleased to meet me when I introduce myself but as soon as Jay enters the picture their demeanor changes. Personally I find it very amusing to watch the expressions on their faces change.

Who is Jay to them? They need him. Jay is producer, director, workshop teacher, primary helper and go to guy, actor, writer, editor, DJ, creator, camera-man, sound guy, photographer, protester, friend, informer, inspirer, brilliant!!”

End of entry.

Hammy's Corner

Hammy's Corner
This is my official first entry onto my blog site. I will use this place as a diary to document what I have been doing and how I feel about all of it. I may at times go off on a rant or two, actually I know I will. Read it at your leisure and comment and write what you want as you wish. Enjoy!

I sit in an apartment in Montreal listening to Jack Johnson sing about life and I begin to reflect on my own life and how I have been living these past few days out in particular.

I was walking along a street downtown Montreal yesterday afternoon and as I was looking at the people passing on by, I observed something. These people had something in their stride, something that I felt I didn't have this day and that thing is direction and certainty. I don't know that I feel as though I lacked direction or certainty, its just that I didn't neccessarily have it. I wandered about, without a timeline or schedule to keep. As I walked by buildings along my path I thought, "I wonder what's in there?" The neat thing about this day is that I could and did go and look at what was in this building or that shop.

Freedom! Freedom from the clock and from the restraints of time. It's difficult to adjust to. I keep looking at the time and thinking to myself that I should be doing something other than what it is I am already doing. Then the counteracting thought enters and says, "But why? What else should you be doing? Why shouldn't you explore the nooks and crannies of this fair city?" And so I did.

As I was walking along I came toward a guy, about my age, and we came to pass eachother while making eye contact. As we were about to pass, I smiled and he nodded, locking eyes the whole time. In all the hustle of everyone walking by, he caught my eye, perhaps because for whatever reason, I caught his. I spent the afternoon watching people and he was the someone, even if it was only for a moment, that I felt connected to. I know this sounds crazy, and I don't even really know why I am exploring this idea... but it was a feeling in which I'd like to tune into more often.

Connecting with strangers, without saying a single word. It was a quick and peaceful interaction. It was a noticing of eachother that doesn't happen all that often in the midst a large crowd of strangers. It was recognition, a person to person, human to human moment. Anyways, I think this may be coming out in a way that doesn't really convey my thoughts properly, it's a difficult thing to describe. Next time you're walking among strangers, look into as many eyes as you can and see if you can figure out what I'm talking about. It is a neat thing, it gives personality to these random bodies that are in your presence.