Disney Messages

This was a friend's Facebook wall photo the other day, along with a caption, apparently by George Takei, that read: "This may be where it starts for little girls. Parents, think about the messages your children receive."  I agree that parents need to think about the messages their children receive, especially in movies and TV shows, but I wholeheartedly disagree that these are the messages girls receive by watching Disney movies.

First, I think Disney movies are like anything else in that they can be interpreted various ways depending on the eye of the beholder.  If you are specifically looking for messages of gender inequality (or racial profiling, or religious bias, or discriminatory language toward persons with disabilities), you are likely to find it.  In other words, you see what you want to see.  But that does not mean that other people, especially children, will necessarily take away the same message.

Second, I think that it is important to remember that these are old Disney movies based on ancient fairy tales and folklore.  Any messages of gender inequality that may come across in the story lines are a product of the times in which the stories were created. If a parent is overly concerned with the messages in these fairy tales, then perhaps this is a golden opportunity to teach children a mini-history lesson.

• Sleeping Beauty was originally a French fairy tale first published in 1697 by Charles Perrault in Contes de ma Mère l'Oye ("Tales of Mother Goose"), later published by the German Brothers Grimm, and then made into the Russian Tchaikovsky's ballet, which premiered at Saint Petersburg in 1890.  The Disney animated film was released in 1959. 
• Aladdin is a Middle Eastern folk tale in The Book of One Thousand and One Nights (Arabian Nights), although it was actually added to the collection by its French translator, Antoine Galland, who heard it from an Arab Syrian storyteller from Aleppo. His translation of "Aladdin" was made in the winter of 1709–10. The Disney animated film was released in 1992.
  
• Beauty and the Beast is a traditional French fairy tale, first published by Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve in La jeune américaine, et les contes marins in 1740. The Disney animated film was released in 1991.
• Cinderella is a folk tale embodying a myth-element of unjust oppression/triumphant reward. Thousands of variants are known throughout the world. The oldest known version of the story is often considered to have been recorded by the Ancient Greek historian Strabo in the 1st century BC.  The Disney version of the story was based on the French version of the tale by Charles Perrault, written in 1634 in Histoires ou Contes du Temps Passé. The Disney animated film was released in 1950.
• Snow White is a fairy tale known from many countries in Europe, the best known version being the German one collected by the Brothers Grimm and published in Kinder-und Hausmärchen (Children's and Household Tales) in 1812. The Disney animated film was released in 1937.
• The Little Mermaid is a popular fairy tale by the Danish poet and author Hans Christian Andersen.  It was originally written as a ballet and first published in 1837. The Disney animated film was released in 1989.

Third - and yes, I know I am repeating myself - these are old Disney movies that came out 20-74 years ago around the time that I was a kid (The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin), my mother was a kid (Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty), and even when my grandmother was a kid (Snow White).  In the past 20 years, Disney has released some exceptional animated movies, such as The Lion King, Hercules, Mulan, The Emperor's New Groove, Meet the Robinsons, Bolt and Tangled, not to mention all the fantastic animated movies released by DreamWorks (Shrek, Kung Fu Panda, Monsters vs. Aliens, How To Train Your Dragon, Megamind, etc.) and Pixar (Toy Story, Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, Cars, Up, etc.) during that same time frame.  These more recent animated films often feature strong female protagonists.  I think that it would be difficult to argue that Mulan or Rapunzel (Tangled) or Fiona (Shrek) or Mrs. Incredible is sending the message to little girls that all that matters in life is your beauty and your marriageability.

And finally, I think that it is important to remember that children receive message from many different mediums. Books, magazines, advertisements, TV shows, commercials, movies, plays, ballets, family members, friends, teachers ... they all play a part. Parents wishing to shield their children from any possible or perceived messages of gender inequality face an impossible uphill battle. In my view, it would be wiser to accept that no matter how vigilant you may be as a parent, your children are going to receive message that you do not agree with. Maybe instead of fixating on the perceived message of gender inequality in Beauty and the Beast, you should focus on the fact that Belle exerts her strong personality by refusing to be peer-pressured by the townspeople: she loves reading books and continues to do so even though it makes her unpopular, she loves her father and helps care for him even though the townspeople make fun of him for being a crazy old man, and she is willing to look beyond the Beast's external appearance (not to mention the external appearance of the Beast's entire household staff) to discover the person he is on the inside. Are these not appropriate messages for little girls to receive?

Long story short, I just think that there are far worse things than a little girl enjoying a Disney movie and imagining herself to be the heroine. I was that little girl. I remember watching Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin and The Little Mermaid countless times, and I am proud to report that I have no lasting psychological damage. In fact, I still love those movies and I think I may go watch one right now ...

The Power of Six

I just finished reading The Power of Six by Pittacus Lore (pseudonym, obviously).  I am bitterly disappointed with this second book in the  Lorien Legacies series.  In fact, I feel so cheated by the sloppy writing that I am furious with the author/editor/publisher for allowing the series to be ruined in such a spectacular fashion. 

Here's my problem.  I enjoyed reading I Am Number Four, the first book in the series.  It was fun, fast-paced eye candy.  Critically speaking, the book had some issues with quality of writing, overly juvenile content and gaping plot holes, but I was willing to overlook these flaws and just enjoy the ride.  I was intrigued because the author had created a semi-original storyline in the teen science fiction genre and the next books in the series were bursting with potential! I was so excited to read the next books and learn more about this new world and its cast of characters.

Let's just say that I am no longer excited to read the next books.  In my view, the author in The Power of Six committed the most unforgivable written act by repeatedly insulting the reader's intelligence.  I understand that the book is aimed at an audience of 15 year old misunderstood boys who just want to blow stuff up, save the world and get the prettiest girl in school.  I am not trying to hold the book to a higher standard.  But still, I have to think that even a hormonal 15 year old boy might notice that when Six (from America) finally meets Marina, Ella and Crayton (from Spain) in the Spanish countryside after taking out 20, or 30 or 100 Mogadorians (always in large numbers, always men who are presumably trained soldiers, always with superior weapons, always killed by a couple Lorien teenagers with little or no previous training - how exactly did the Mogadorians wipe out the entire Lorien planet??) ... anyway, when Six and Marina finally meet near the end of the book they have a nice little conversation.  Apparently, in English.  Even though there was no prior indication that Marina speaks any English (considering she's spent the last 10 or so years living in a secluded convent in rural Spain) or that Six speaks any Spanish.

If this were an isolated incident, I would be able to overlook it.  But unfortunately, this level of sloppy writing and half-ass plot development pervades the entire book.  I mean, give the reader a little bit of credit!  One more example.  If there are only 9 surviving children from the entire Loric race who are sent to Earth to hide out with their guardians for the sole purpose of coming into their powers, winning the war against the evil Mogadorians and saving the planets Loric and Earth, then wouldn't you expect these children to have spent the past 11 years on Earth training for this very purpose?  Or at the very least, that they would have been given a small history lesson to understand who they were and what they were fighting?  Instead, of the 6-7 remaining Loric children, we know that at least two of them (John and Marina) have already lost their guardians, have no formal training whatsoever and have an extremely limited knowledge of anything Loric.  Heck, John had to learn his parents' names from reading Henri's last letter?! 

Once again, I understand that this is teen fiction, not Governor General prize material.  But kids aren't stupid, and they deserve good books just as much as the rest of us.  I still remember when I was around 10 years old and I read a short fiction book from the library about this normal boy who by the end of the book discovered that he was adopted and his biological parents were British royalty.  But then, after all the signs pointed to the fact that he was a real life prince, the boy realized that his biological parents couldn't possibly be British royalty because he didn't have a British accent!!  I was only 10 years old, but I was furious with the author for writing such an incredibly stupid ending.  As you can tell, I'm still rather angry about the whole thing!  My point is, you can write age appropriate material without offending the sensibilities of the reader, it just takes slightly more thought and planning.

Which is really what is lacking in the Lorien Legacies series - thought and planning.  The author built a solid foundation for the series in the first book, but instead of carefully creating a detailed and internally consistent storyline, he got lazy and rushed into the next leg of the story without much consideration.  And who's to say that wasn't his intention all along?  Sure, I would love to have a great new teenage science fiction series to read over the next few years, but maybe all the author wanted was a lot of money very quickly.  In that case, well played.  Especially with the movie franchise already in full swing (although don't get me started on the movie, which is terrible for many different reasons and not worth discussing).

Okay, so I am done with my rant against Pittacus Lore.  If you are looking for a GREAT series to read in the teenage science fiction/fantasy genre (also aimed at an audience of 15 year old misunderstood boys who just want to blow stuff up, save the world and get the prettiest girl in school), I would highly recommend the Percy Jackson & the Olympians series by Rick Riordan.  Also fun, fast-paced eye candy, but much better written than the Lorien Legacies series.  The Lightening Thief  is the first book in the series and is definitely worth reading.

Elk Island National Park

Welcome to the lesser known and easily overlooked national park in Alberta!  I have lived in Edmonton for over 6 years now, and I only just discovered that Elk Island National Park is a mere 30 minute drive east of the city.  A couple weekends ago we decided to take a drive out to the park to enjoy the beautiful weather and gorgeous fall colours.  We took Odin for a walk around the Astotin Lake area.  There were a lot of families picnicking near Sandy Beach and canoeing or kayaking out on the lake.  Next summer we hope to buy (or rent) a canoe and go out on the water ourselves.

 

We walked the entire length of the Living Waters Boardwalk (all 150 metres of it!) which starts on Astotin Lake and makes its way onto a lakeside marsh.  Odin did not enjoy the boardwalk, but he only fell into the pond once!

 

We also hiked along the Lakeview Trial, which boasts a golden aspen forest and black spruce bog, complete with its own beaver lodge!

  

We did see a few elk on our drive up the Elk Island Parkway, but I wasn't able to get a picture.  And we saw lots and lots of bison on the Bison Loop Road.  This guy decided to pose for me.

 

Final verdict?  The park may not be as breathtaking as Banff or Jasper, but it is still worth a visit.  There are a number of lakes and hiking trails to explore, and we have heard that there are excellent cross-country ski trails in the winter.  And it definitely gets bonus points for its close proximity to Edmonton!  We'll be back soon, I'm sure of it.

HBO

The Home Box Office (HBO) has some of the best programming on TV today.  Many of its programs are fantastic, high quality (and often high budget) character driven shows.  They can compete with most movies being produced these days, and they are beginning to attract A-list movie star talent.  So long as you are prepared to watch an R-rated show with a fair amount of language, violence and sexual content, I would highly recommend watching any of the series listed below.

Rome - This may be my favourite TV show of all time, it is just that good.  2 seasons of somewhat accurate historical fiction based on the events leading up to and following the assassination of Julius Caesar.  Let's just say that every single person to whom we have lent this series has finished both seasons within one week (often the first season within 1-2 days).  My favourite characters are some of the less known, and likely more fictional, characters who add a very interesting dimension to a well-known story.  It is a close contest between the common soldier Titus Pullo and Octavia/Octavian's mother Attia as to who I enjoy most on the show.

Game of Thrones - We started reading this fantasy series written by George R. R. Martin many years ago and had been eagerly awaiting the most recent book (A Dance with Dragons) and the HBO series.  (Think British middle ages meets Tolkien's Middle Earth, but the characters are all human and there is (almost) no magic.) We were very impressed with the first season, which aired this past spring/summer.  Not only are the storyline and characters true to the books, which has helped to ensure a loyal following from fans of the book series, but the show has also managed to attract a large number of viewers who have not read the books.  We are looking forward to the second season, which should air next spring.

Deadwood - I have to admit I was initially resistant to watch this series.  But within an episode or two I was completely hooked, and I devoured all 3 seasons within a short amount of time.  The show is loosely based on the historical events immediately following the founding of the Wild West town of Deadwood, South Dakota.  The most disappointing part of the series is that it was suddenly canceled before the final 4th season was produced, so the ending feels unsatisfactory and unfinished.  Why oh why are excellent shows like Deadwood canceled while terrible, repetitive shows like Survivor and Two and a Half Men continue year after year?

Band of Brothers - 10-part mini-series telling the story of Easy Company and their mission in WWII Europe from Operation Overlord through V-J Day.  Hands down, the best WWII show of all time (even if it is based on the American experience in the war).  I know Saving Private Ryan is often cited as the most authentic war movie ever created, but I vastly prefer Band of Brothers.  I think this may have been the first HBO series I ever watched.  One of my good friends in undergrad lived in a house with a bunch of guys who were all big history buffs.  When this first aired on TV in the early 2000's, I used to go over to their house every week to watch the show and join in the debate over how much of each episode was historically accurate.  Although I can no longer remember all the precise historical facts, I do remember that this show largely met with the group's approval.  I especially like how many of the actual members of Easy Company are interviewed at the end of each episode to give their account of the events portrayed in that episode.

The Wire - Best and most realistic police show ever (also the most depressing HBO show I have ever seen).  Could compete with Deadwood for the worst language of any HBO show.  Definitely worth watching once all the way through, but I don't know if I could handle a second go around.  This is the story of every level of the drug trade in Baltimore, Maryland - from the politicians to the police to the high level distributors, to the street level traffickers to the users and everyone in between.  I love how every level has its heroes and its villains, and how nothing is ever as straightforward and black and white (excuse the pun) as it seems at first glance.  And although it was incredibly depressing, I appreciated the symmetry of the beginning of the first season and the end of the sixth season - everything changes, everything stays the same.

Sex & the City - 4 single, successful women in their 30's trying to navigate the dating world and find love in NYC.  This is fun show to watch when you feel like vicariously living in the (very expensive) shoes of Carrie Bradshaw.  I enjoyed watching the entire series, although it was often difficult to relate to the characters considering that I am: (a) not single; (b) not (yet) in my 30's; (c) not obsessed with shopping; and (d) not living in NYC.  The first movie wasn't great, but it was still fun to watch.  The second movie was terrible, absolutely atrocious.

Big Love - Just to be clear, this is not a show about the Mormon church.  This is a show about a closeted polygamist family living in Sandy, Utah and their relationship with each other and the members of their extended families, some of which are upstanding members of the Mormon church in Utah, some of which are quasi-criminal members of a fundamentalist polygamist compound in rural Utah and some of which have no religious leanings whatsoever.  Like most HBO shows, it offers a unique perspective on a lifestyle you may not be comfortable with or fully understand, and forces you to reconsider your deeply rooted prejudices and beliefs.

True Blood - The premise is that vampires came "out of the closet" 2 years ago when synthetic "True Blood" came on the market, allowing vampires to live in the open without feeding on humans.  The show follows the life of Sookie Stackhouse, a waitress in the fictional small town of Bon Temps, Louisiana, who can hear other people's thoughts and ends up falling in love with a vampire.  Just a warning, this show probably has the most graphic violence and sexual content of any HBO show.  I really enjoyed the first 3 seasons - every episode ended with a cliff- hanger and the storyline was incredibly seductive and intriguing.  (By the way, this is also one of the rare exceptions where the TV show is MUCH better than the book.)  However, I was very disappointed with season 4.  No cliff-hanger endings, no compelling storylines, no bad-ass characters, no steamy romance .... nothing that made me care.  That said, I enjoyed the previous seasons so much that I am willing to give the next season a chance, at least for a few episodes.  But I am not holding my breath.

Entourage - I recently finished watching the 8th and last season.  I found this show to be very similar to Sex & the City in that it revolves around 4 single, carefree men in their 30's trying to successfully navigate "the business" in Hollywood, California.  It is loosely based on the early years of Mark Wahlberg's rise to fame.  Like Sex & the City, this is a fun show to watch when you feel like vicariously living the over the top luxurious, ridiculously spontaneous and unbelievably dramatic life of Vincent Chase and his entourage of best friends (and agent!).

The Sopranos - Solid mafia show set in New Jersey, but not my favourite HBO show.  I enjoyed the novelty of the first few seasons, but I eventually found that it began to drag and by the sixth season I had stopped caring about Tony Soprano and his self-created problems.  Although it's not HBO, last year we discovered the show Sons of Anarchy, which follows the lives of various members of a motor cycle club in Charming, California, and which I consider to be a vastly superior gangster show when compared with the Sopranos.

Mildred Pierce - This 5-part mini-series portrays a divorced single mother struggling to raise her 2 daughters in Glendale, California in the 1930s.  Although not as fast-paced as many other HBO shows, it is an interesting story punctuated by outstanding performances by Kate Winslet and Evan Rachel Wood.

There are many other HBO shows out there, and I would be willing to give most of them a chance just by virtue of their HBO connection.  In my experience, HBO rarely goes wrong in choosing its line-up of shows.  Here is a list of some HBO shows that I have heard good things about and have been meaning to watch:

• Flight of the Conchords - New Zealand comedic duo trying to make it as a folk-rock band in NYC.  Chris loves this show and has been trying to get me to watch it for years.  I will get to it eventually ...
• Boardwalk Empire - I have heard very good things about this show.  According to IMDb, the show "chronicles the life and times of Nucky Thompson, the undisputed ruler of Atlantic City, who was equal parts politician and gangster." I enjoy Steve Buscemi, so I think I would be willing to give it a shot.
• The Pacific - Same idea as Band of Brothers, but telling the intertwined stories of three Marines during the US battle with the Japanese in the Pacific during WWII.  I am not nearly as interested in the Pacific events of WWII (probably because they are mostly American), which is why I have not yet watched this show.
• Six Feet Under - Story of a dysfunctional family that runs an independent funeral home in Los Angelos, California.  I watched the first season, but never really got hooked the way I did with other HBO shows.  However, I know a number of people who love the entire series.
• Curb Your Enthusiasm - Self-depreciating depiction of the life of Seinfeld co-creator Larry David (who stars as himself).  I was never a huge Seinfeld fan (I cannot get over my extreme dislike of Jason Alexander who plays George Castanza), but I watched a few of the more recent episodes of Curb Your Enthusiasm and could not stop laughing.  Probably a good sign!

Non-Fiction Reading List

So the fact is that I usually deplore non-fiction books.  No matter how interesting the subject matter, it usually cannot hold my attention for very long and the book ultimately ends up collecting dust on the bottom of the shelf.  That said, I recently discovered a few non-fiction books that I enjoyed reading cover to cover.

The Omnivore's Dilemma and In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan were both excellent introductions to the world of non-fiction literature.  Both books discuss different aspect of food.  The Omnivore's Dillema is an anthropological study of three food chains from source to final meal: industrial (from Iowa corn fields to McDonald's meals everywhere), organic (from local organic farm to local farmer's market or food cooperative), and hunter gatherer (from food he hunted, gathered or grew himself to his plate).  Although I must admit that I started to get bored and scan pages in the last section when the author began to wax poetic about the joys of searching for wild mushrooms and hunting for wild pigs, overall (and particularly in the first two sections) I found that this book offered a fascinating perspective on the environmental, agricultural and economical impact of how and what we eat.   In Defense of Food focuses on the more personal decisions of what and how to eat.  The book explores the relationship between nutritionism and the Western diet and suggests that the answer to healthy eating is simply to:  Eat Food (local organic food instead of processed imitation food).  Not too much (healthy portion sizes).  Mostly plants (don't skimp on the fruits and veges!)  Although both books are worth reading, if you are new to non-fiction, have limited time or only want to read one book, I would recommend reading In Defence of Food.  It is shorter, easier to read, and the subject matter is more captivating by virtue of the fact that it has more personal implications for your lifestyle.

Next up I read the entire tome What to Eat by Marion Nestle.  This is a brilliant book in which the nutritionist author explores a typical supermarket on a food-by-food basis, comparing for each category what nutritional benefits are claimed with what nutritional advantages and dangers are actually offered, thereby teaching you how to make informed choices about what to eat.  The book summarizes the basic principles of a good diet as: Eat less, move more, eat lots of fruits and vegetables and, for additional clarification, go easy on junk foods.  The writing is straightforward, nonjudgmental and relatively unbiased (certainly less biased than Michael Pollan's works).  Considering the massive size of this text (624 pages!), I was amazed when I found her writing so compelling that I could not put her book down!  More than anything else, this book changed what we eat in my home.  We now buy mostly whole foods from local markets.  We pay attention to nutrition labels on the few processed foods we continue to buy (yogurt, bread).  And we definitely stay away from farmed fish!

Most recently I finished reading The Original Beauty Bible by Paula Begoun.  Until I read this book, I did not realize how much of my (sadly misinformed) beauty routine came from magazines, advertisements and TV.  In this book, the self-proclaimed "cosmetics cop" Paula Begoun offers a wealth of information about the many, many products we put on our bodies every day, including cleansers, moisturizers, sunscreens, makeup, shaving cream and everything in between.  Aware that the author has her own line of beauty products (Paula's Choice), I was wary of any bias or subjective bent to her writing.  I was pleased to find her writing clear, concise and once again relatively unbiased.  She attempts to provide objective, scientifically based information to help you care for your skin.  She does not push expensive, high-end products, but instead encourages you to find quality products at a reasonable cost.  She explains how to identify and care for your skin type, and offers suggestions on how to combat many common skin care problems, such as acne and dryness.  For detailed product reviews, check out her website Beautypedia.

Joss Whedon

I love Joss Whedon, which is one of the many reasons I am looking forward to The Avengers movie slated to hit theatres sometime in 2012.  He is a fantastic writer/director who has a special talent for creating character driven movies and TV shows with upbeat witty dialogue.  One day, if I ever make it to Comic-Con, I will go in the hopes of meeting him.

Two of my favourite TV shows of all time?  Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Firefly.  I have watched both shows many times, and I will likely watch them many more, they are just that good.  (Of course watching all 7 seasons of Buffy is slightly more epic than watching the 1 season of Firefly and the concluding movie Serenity - why oh why did they have to cancel Firefly?!)

Here are some of my favourite quotes, although there are many, many more where these came from:

Xander: Then go! I'm not stopping you!
Cordelia: I bet you wouldn't. I bet you'd let a girl go off to her doom all by herself!
Xander: Not just any girl. You're special.

Snyder: "Some things I can just smell, it's like a sixth sense"
Giles: "Actually that would be one of the five"

Xander: Are we over-reacting? He's in a computer, what can he do?
Buffy: You mean besides convince a perfectly nice kid to try and kill me? I don't know. How about mess up all the medical equipment in the world?
Giles: Randomize traffic signals.
Buffy: Access launch codes for our nuclear missiles.
Giles: Destroy the world's economy.
Buffy: I think I pretty much capped it with that nuclear missile thing.
Giles: Right, yours was best.

Wash: "Psychic, though? That sounds like something out of science fiction."
Zoe: "We live in a spaceship, dear."

River: Jayne is a girl's name
Jayne: Well I ain't a girl! I'll show you for good and all I got MAN parts!
Simon: I'm trying to think how you could be more crass...no, nothing's coming to mind.

Mal: "Mercy is the mark of a great man." [stabs Atherton Wing]
Mal: "Guess I'm just a good man." [stabs Atherton Wing]
Mal: "Well, I'm all right."

Radium Hot Springs

(The Chalet Europe is the hotel on the far left!)

We took a mini-vacation at the end of July and spent 5 days in and around Radium Hot Springs.  What a beautiful area!  As always, I relied heavily on the reviews posted on TripAdvisor in booking our accommodations.  We were somewhat limited in our choices because we were traveling with Odin and it was the August long weekend.  We stayed at The Chalet Europe all 4 nights.  It was a mediocre stay, at best, and I doubt that I would stay there again.

Pros: spectacular views of the Columbia Valley, continental breakfast in the lobby each morning, clean rooms, all of which have a queen-size bed, kitchenette, sofa, TV and DVD player.


Cons:  very hard, uncomfortable mattress, at the top of a steep hill so not convenient to walk to the restaurants in town, owners are pleasant but extremely disorganized.  They lost our reservation (not surprising considering that their reservation system is all handwritten notes in a 3-ring binder?!), had to scramble to find us a room, and then we had to change rooms after the 2nd night.  They offered us free passes to the Hot Springs as compensation, although when I learned that admission to the Hot Springs  costs only $6/person it somewhat cheapened the gesture.  Also, on more than one occasion we returned to the hotel to find the owner perched on the side of the hill, shirtless, holding a rifle and teaching his 5-year-old daughter how to shoot vermin.  Maybe he should change occupations and move to Alberta?  Next time, I think I will try camping at Redstreak Campground.

Emerald Lake

Best eatery in Radium was definitely Back Country Jacks.  How do you choose between All You Can Eat Steak Fridays and All You Can Eat Ribs Saturdays? You choose both, of course!

Best coffee in Invermere was Kicking Horse Coffee.  (Of course I don't drink coffee, so I'm relying on Chris' raving reviews!)

Best mountain scenery was found in Yoho National Park.  We took a day to drive through Golden to Field and then back to Radium.  The hike to Wapta Falls was lovely, and Takakkaw Falls, Emerald Lake and the Kicking Horse Natural Bridge were all great spots to visit.  If we had more time, we would have liked to canoe around Emerald Lake.  So pristine (and green)!

Lussier Hot Springs

Best Columbia Valley location was Whiteswan Lake Provincial Park, especially the Lussier Hot Springs.  I had never been to an all-natural hot springs, and it was amazing!  I enjoyed Radium Hot Springs as well, but there's something extra special about watching the hot water trickle out of the rocks and relaxing in such a gorgeous, noncommercial setting.  We discovered the Lussier Hot Springs on our drive down the Columbia Valley in search of a beach that allowed dogs (as it turns out, such a thing does not exist).  We settled for the very isolated and virtually uninhabited beach at Home Basin Campground at the far end of Whiteswan Lake, where we were fairly confident there was no one around to enforce the no dogs sign.  Just a little word of warning - the 3 km canyon portion of Whiteswan Lake Road is one lane, with pullouts at regular intervals, a mountain on one side of the road, a 3,000 foot cliff on the other side and no guard rails whatsoever! Absolutely terrifying if you allow yourself to peer over the edge of the cliff, but definitely worth the adrenaline rush.

Frank Slide

Best road back home was Highway 93/95 south to Cranbrook, Highway 3 east through Fernie and Frank Slide, the Cowboy Trial (Highway 22) north to Black Diamond and then jump over to Highway 2 back to Edmonton.  The Cowboy Trail was a very picturesque landscape of rolling foothills and quiet country roads.  I wish I had a reason to drive through that area of Alberta more often.  Frank Slide is still impressive, although the Interpretative Centre may be a little over the top (yes, my Drumheller roots have made me a museum snob!)  My favourite display was an interactive audiovisual time line that compared Frank Slide (basically a natural disaster caused by the over-mining of Turtle Mountain that occurred over 100 years ago and killed approximately 70 people) with the Big Bang, the extinction of dinosaurs and the rise of mankind.  I know the display was intended to highlight the tragic circumstances of the slide, but I could not stop laughing at the blatant conceit of the comparison!  Nevertheless, I still think the Interpretative Centre is worth visiting, if only to pay homage to one of Alberta's few historic sites.

Folk Fest Favourites

I am continually amazed at how many events are held in Edmonton every summer.  After living here for almost 6 years, I finally attended my first Edmonton Folk Music Festival this past weekend.  I really enjoyed the whole experience!  Loved Gallagher Park (another first).  Loved all of the environmentally friendly policies, such as water stations to fill up your water bottles, reusable plates and biodegradable cutlery.  Loved the waving Folk Fest candles on the hill at night.  And definitely loved the music!
 
Here are some of my favourites:

1. Brandi Carlile (Washington State)
2. Matt Andersen (New Brunswick) 
3. K.T. Tunstall (Scotland)
4. Jeremy Fisher (Quebec)
5. The Once (Newfoundland)
6. Amelia Curran (Newfoundland)
7. Edward Sharp and the Magnetic Zeros (Los Angelos)
8. Serena Ryder (Ontario)
9. Pieta Brown (Iowa)
10. Sarah Jarosz (Texas)

Will definitely try to get tickets again, but next time I will be more prepared.  Festival chairs, full rain gear, and warm clothing are a must.  And a lighter for that Folk Fest candle!

(Funny story - Sunday evening my Folk Fest candle blew out just as I got back to our tarp.  When I tapped the shoulder of the middle-aged gentleman lounging in his festival chair and smoking weed two tarps ahead to ask to borrow his lighter, he nearly jumped out of his seat!  His expression of naked fear quickly turned to relief as he realized I was not a police officer about to catch him red handed with an illegal substance.)

We Need to Talk About Kevin

So the real reason I started this blog was to have a forum to discuss this masterpiece by Lionel Shriver.  This story dissects the events leading up to a fictional high school shooting as told from the perspective of the killer's mother.  As with the last Shriver novel I read, So Much For That, this novel is wonderfully written and incredibly provocative, chock-full of insightful comments about various aspects of modern society.  It is a powerful book that stays with you long after you have turned the last page.

The high school shooting at the crux of this book took place in the spring of 1999.  I was a high school student at that time, and I remember the pervasive fear following the Columbine massacre and - closer to home - the Taber shooting.  One day we arrived at school and someone had spray painted in large black letters: Trenchcoat Mafia 12:00.  The school was evacuated and classes were canceled for the day.  A couple years later at university, I recall that it was a common occurrence for someone to make a bomb threat during final exams, causing the building to be evacuated and the exams postponed.  I am no longer as familiar with student life, but I fervently hope that these occurrences are now a thing of the past. 

What I find so intriguing about this book is that I still cannot pin down exactly what I think about Kevin.  He is a remorseless serial killer, an unlovable monster.  But the novel asks the uncomfortable question: how did he get to be this way?  Should I blame Eva for being an admittedly terrible mother who, despite her best efforts to the contrary, resented her son from before he was born?  Blaming Eva is by far the most attractive option.  It allows me the conceit that if I am a good mother who wants and loves my child, that child will never turn into a monster like Kevin.  But Shriver doesn't let the reader off the hook so easily.  Eva's attempts at motherhood may evoke deserving criticism, but Franklin was a very involved father who showered his son with love from the day he was born.  So what if Kevin was simply born a monster and it was inevitable that he would eventually grow up to murder innocents, regardless of the nature of his upbringing?  This option is so terrifying I cannot help but shy away from it.  As someone who wants to be a mother someday, I have to believe - however naively - that I will never be a mother like Eva so therefore I will never end up with a child like Kevin.

The book has now been made into a movie, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival this spring.  Although I have not seen the movie (as it has not yet been released), the reviews so far are quite promising.  And I cannot imagine anyone better suited to portray Eva than Tilda Swinton.  Arguably the person who suffered most from Kevin's actions, it is nevertheless strangely difficult to sympathize with Eva as she struggles to understand the reason why.

 

Welcome

I have finally taken the plunge and started a blog.  Hopefully it will be entertaining for one and all (or at least for me).

I recently finished editing and organizing my pictures from the past 2+ years.  This may be one of my favourites:

This picture was taken many moons ago on my birthday with my brand spanking new Nikon 35mm f/1.8 lens.  I am no dog whisperer, but I think Odin's expression can be summed up as "Why are you STILL playing with that camera when you could be playing with ME?"  Lucky for me I am back in his good books and he is currently curled up in a sleepy ball of fur at my feet.