Laura Stricker

1. I get tired at like 7:00.

2. Naps.

3. After being at standing room shows, my knees hurt.

4. I’ve started wearing earplugs at concerts.

5. I also started wearing an eyemask to bed.

6. I often say things like ‘(insert something here) was never like that when I was a kid!’

7. I have no patience for the stupid things kids/teens do, even though I probably did them myself at some point.

8. A night chilling at a friend’s house now sounds much more appealing than going out to a bar/restaurant.

9. I wasn’t remotely excited for my birthday this year. Two years ago I couldn’t decide on just one thing to do, so I had two birthday parties. This year I was so meh about it Eva planned something and I just showed up (late, too).

10. I no longer refer to myself as a ‘recent’ university graduate.

11. I’m already planning my future as the crazy dog/cat lady.

Now if you’ll excuse me I have to go soak my dentures and put in my hair curlers.

FYI, this is The Bachelor I’m referring to, not the (inexplicably) popular reality show. That too objectifies women, but that is another topic for another day.

The Bachelor is a 1999 movie starring Renee Zellweger and Chris O’Donnell. O’Donnell plays Jimmie Shannon, a committment phobe bachelor. Zellweger plays faithful girlfriend Anne Arden. That is until she dumps him after a horrible proposal attempt.

Jimmie’s grandfather dies shortly after the breakup, and Jimmie finds out if he hopes to come into the money his grandfather left for him, he has to get married by his birthday - which is a day away.

Towards the end of the movie, there is a scene where hundreds of women, all of whom magically managed to find perfectly fitting wedding dresses, show up at the church where Jimmie is, hoping to marry him.

This scene, being kind, I would describe as uncomfortable. Being honest, I’d call it downright offensive. The wannabe brides proceed to lambast Jimmie, asking him what his type is, then accusing him of only liking “skinny blondes,” which he did not at any point say. Another older woman tells Jimmie he is her “last chance.” The desperation and anger from all these (I’m assuming) jilted women, is, as I said before, totally offensive. Why the director felt he had to portray these women as a bunch of shrieking harpies who are desperate for love, even if it’s with a man they don’t know, is beyond me.

A lot of women I know are strong, independent and beautiful. However, movies like this do absolutely nothing to reinforce that. Instead they make it seem as though women are nothing without having a man to come home to. I wouldn’t call myself a feminist by any means, but I have been independent for a very long time and never needed a man to rely on. To know that women are still seen by many as incapable of surviving without having a boyfriend/fiancee/husband is insulting to all the amazing women I consider myself lucky to know - and the ones I don’t know, as well.

(In no particular order)

1. U2 September 17!

Going with Parvaneh. We have amazing seats. It’s my first time seeing them. That all adds up to one big YAY!

2. Metric October 25!

3. New Margaret Atwood book

I have been an Atwood fan since I read The Handmaid’s Tale when I was 16. A year after that I read Oryx and Crake. This new book, The Year of the Flood, I guess could be described as a sequel to Oryx and Crake. Except it takes place at the same time, looking at the events that unfold in Oryx and Crake through the eyes of others. It comes out September 8. I will definitely be hitting up the bookstore the second it opens.

4. Going back to school
This one is definitely hugely nerdy. But yes, I am actually excited to go back to school (and a bit nervous too). I’ll be taking marketing, and the course sounds very practical and hands-on - and includes a four month internship. So I think it’ll be really good, not only because I believe one can never know too much, but also because hopefully I will feel a sense of purpose again, one that I have been missing for a while now.

5. The Road

A movie that looks absolutely fantastic. It is getting premiered at TIFF next month and being released everywhere in October. I will probably wait until October to see it, but will definitely be keeping my eyes open (and camera ready) for a certain Viggo Mortensen, who never fails to impress (even in the cheesiness that was Hidalgo).

I was watching fireworks on Canada Day, and was inspired to write. I really like those moments where you get hit with this feeling of needing to create or do something, and when your hand cannot keep up with your thoughts and gets cramped attempting to do so.
Anyways, because it has been awhile since I felt inspired like that, I’m going to share what I wrote, totally unedited and grammatically incorrect and repetitive as it may be.

Seeing the sky light up with fireworks, like a million tiny stars piercing the dark takes me back to my childhood growing up in Thornhill. I remember sitting in our backyard, surrounded by family and friends, watching my dad set off fireworks then run back quickly so as not to be hit by one. I remember sitting beside my mom on one of those hard plastic lawn chairs we used to have, wearing a sweater and shivering ever so slightly. I remember the smell of grass, the delicious smell of fire and wood filling my nostrils.
I remember playing with sparklers, making random patterns that burned gold into the night, long after I had moved onto tracing another random pattern. I remember burning my fingers after accidentally touching the wrong end of the sparkler. I remember crying as I was led back into the house and had my fingers splashed with cool water. I remember the almost immediate feeling of relief.

P.S. since the topic is random inspiration, last night around 1 a.m. I had an urge to bake peanut butter cookies because I saw a recipe for them on the peanut butter jar. They turned out really well and were so easy to make! Only three ingredients. I added chocolate chips to the second batch.

Being Canadian rocks because:
- We have the right to vote for whomever we choose
- Free healthcare!
- We can say what we want without fear of being jailed/tortured/killed for it
- Whenever I visit the States I hear from everyone how much they love Canadians
- We have access to fresh, clean water
- There are some astoundingly beautiful places to visit. I will never forget the time I went horseback riding in the Rocky Mountains.
- (Vegetarian) poutine. Enough said.
- Our (sometimes inexplicable) sense of loyalty to a certain hockey team
- The cat shelter on Parliament Hill
- Many of my favourite authors are Canadian
- A lot of movies and TV shows get filmed here. One of my favourite things to do is watch a movie/TV show that was filmed here, and then squeal “I recognize that! I’ve been there!”
- Culture on every corner
- Public transportation (it may not be perfect, but it is there!) A recent visit to Texas made me appreciate the TTC tenfold.
- There are always tons of amazing concerts to go to.
Andddd, the number one reason being Canadian rocks (this ties in with some of the others)…..

DEMOCRACY

Happy Canada Day, everyone. What is it that makes you proud to be Canadian?

Today is my birthday. Usually birthdays are a time of great excitement for me, but not this year. I’ve been trying to figure out why and a few minutes ago it finally hit me.
About this time last year I was attending my university’s graduation ceremony. I had all sorts of amazing plans, including going overseas for a five month journalism internship. At the time I felt as though I was on top of the world, and nothing and no one would be able to stop me from achieving my goals.
To make a long story short, the internship I was supposed to take ended up falling through at the last minute. I was extremely depressed over that for a long time and found it really hard to search for another job. I knew without a doubt I still wanted to be a journalist, but it just didn’t seem as though it was in the cards for me. I really had to rethink my entire life plan. The thing I had wanted to do for so long - almost 10 years- was slipping further and further out of my grasp.
I still have not given up on my dream of becoming a journalist, but with the way things are in the newspaper industry right now, I really had to force myself to think with my head instead of my heart. My head told me to go back to school, and so that’s what I’m doing this September, unless I somehow find an amazing job between now and then.
I guess what I’ve learned from all of this is that things rarely turn out as we expect them to. This time last year I expected to have an amazing career in journalism at a fantastic newspaper and be doing what I loved and had studied. Although this has been a major setback in so many ways, I am really trying hard not to let it drag me down. It’s so easy to do that, but another thing I have learned is wallowing in self-pity is a gigantic waste of time. Sitting around feeling sorry for yourself about how things should be and could have been is pointless. Instead of waiting for that golden opportunity to magically appear in front of you, it’s time to be agressive and go after what you want, no excuses! Because let’s face it, if you really want something, you have to work hard to get it. Things don’t happen unless YOU are willing to make them happen.

Back when I was young(er), innocent (somewhat) and in my first year of university, my awesome English teacher showed us this crazy, trippy video, based on the Samuel Beckett play called…’Play.’ I liked it immediately. There are a lot of things in art and literature that seem pointless, self-indulgent or just plain stupid, but this was not one of those things. It struck me right away and has stayed with me all this time. I actually had sort of forgotten about it for awhile. I randomly remembered it tonight and thought I’d share, since I have this super cool space where I can do all that, whether anyone actually reads it or not.

For a quick summary, ‘Play’ is about a man, his wife and his lover. They are all dead and stuck in purgatory, stuck there repeating the whole tale of the affair from the perspective of the man, his wife and the woman he was having the affair with. It’s quite chilling. And depressing. But you should still watch!

If you live in Toronto and read the news, or even if you don’t, chances are you’ve heard by now about the recent drama at Toronto’s Humane Society - the allegations against president Tim Trow, the clashes with OSPCA, accusations of understaffing, animals being left to suffer, etc.

For those who have not read the articles, you may want to check out part one and part two.

I find the articles very one-sided. The Globe is clearly out to prove their point without using any space to get the other side of the story - and one thing we were taught in Journalism school is that there is always another side.

Obviously I don’t know Mr. Trow, but as an animal lover myself, I have to assume that someone who is the volunteer president of THS - who probably would not be there if he did not love animals - cannot be that bad of a guy. With stories coming out all the time of people who abuse and mistreat animals - like this one I discussed here awhile back, and this one I read most recently, about a dog who was left to die with a brick tied to his collar - I’d say animals need all the support they can get, regardless of whether the person offering the support is a ‘people person’ or not.

I was discussing this with someone I know the other day, who is involved with THS. Part one of the series makes mention of dogs and cats living in less than ideal conditions. My friend made a very good point, which is that a cage could get cleaned out and then five minutes later be dirty again. I have two cats, and that is certainly true for me. Even if I clean their litter box twice a day, it’s pretty much guaranteed to be gross again in half an hour (or less).

My friend also mentioned worrying about, now that this story has come out, the number of donations dropping off. THS is run entirely on donations. The article makes mention of severe understaffing, both by veterinarians and volunteers. How exactly is publishing an article ruining their reputation going to help get more donations and staff?

Don’t get me wrong, I believe all companies should be held accountable for their actions. I just don’t think we are getting the whole story here. I also think an organization that takes in animals that have been abandoned or injured - and does not immediately rush to euthanize them - should be commended, not condemned.

Some of the most beautiful sunsets I’ve ever seen have all been in the spring or summer.
Case in point, this is how the sky looked last night around 8:30.