Who Would You Wait For?

I'm friends with bunch of nerds, and I mean that in the absolute kindest way.  Heck, I'll admit to being a bit of a nerd myself. Okay, a lot of a nerd. But that's okay, because we all know who rules the world.

Even if you don't accept that nerds rule the world, you would at least have to admit that this past weekend the nerds ruled Calgary. It was the seventh edition of the Calgary Comic and Entertainment Expo and over the course of three days, nearly 60,000 people and superheroes and Storm Troopers and Trekkies invaded our local convention centre. I, however, was not among them. I'm a nerd, but not really a sci-fi nerd. Or a comic book nerd. (Really, I just watch a lot of Jeopardy and know too much random trivia. Does that make me a nerd?)

So the big draw at the Calgary Expo was the first-ever reunion of the entire cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation. Jonathan Frakes. Brent Spiner. LeVar Burton. Sir Patrick Stewart. Even WIL WHEATON was there guys (and just posted this awesome video, for those of us who missed it). For the past week, my Twitter feed and Facebook stream have been chock full of my friends being all excited about something called "TNG: Exposed". I had no idea what that meant. Sounded kinda kinky, but whatever.

This reunion, along with other big comic book people and old-Batmen (aka Adam West), attracted so many people to the convention centre that at one point on Saturday they had to lock the doors and not let anyone else in for a really long time. Some people ended up waiting more than 5 hours.  That in itself signals dedication to the comic book experience. When I learned that these people waited in line for 5 hours for the opportunity to stand in another really long line to get their picture taken with their fan fave - a photo op that they paid up to $495 for! - well, I simply could not imagine liking any celebrity that much.

This, of course, led to a conversation this morning at work about whether or not there was any celebrity that we would in line for 5 hours to see. This was the list I came up with:

Colin Firth
Tina Fey, with or without Amy Poehler 
George Clooney
Original 90210 cast

My friend's list was:

Angelina Jolie
Someone to whom Angelina used to be married but who shall remain nameless
Original Grey's Anatomy cast

We both agreed on Johnny Depp, and we both said that we would wait in line with each other (Awww....) I think we also agreed that while tickets for entrance to an event was acceptable, an additional charge for a photo op was not. We have limits you know.

I think it's because as I get older, the more conscious I am about what I do with my time. I generally can't be bothered to wait that long for anything that doesn't have serious consequences. The last time I had an exceptionally long wait was to get the H1N1 vaccine. I was 7.5 months pregnant and had to stand for over 6 hours - with my 18 month old son - just to get a needle.  And when I say "stand", that's no exaggeration. There were no chairs or benches to be found. Fun times. But it was my only opportunity to get the vaccine and I thought that if I didn't get it I could die, so there was that. (Related: my tendency to overreact)
   
Waiting for a celebrity? I'm still not sure.

So what about you? Who are your "5-hour-wait" celebrities?

(I need to add that I think nerds are awesome, especially the ones I'm fortunate enough to know in real life. Next year I'm going to ask them to show me around the Expo. As long as there's no waiting.)
 

Superwoman

This past Sunday, I was doing the dishes in my mother's kitchen when my son comes up to me and says:

"Mom, you're the best."

I smiled, and was just about to say Thank You when he added:

"You can handle anything."

And there it was. I think that every Mom wants her kids to believe that she's superwoman. It's just that most days I feel like I'm just barely holding things together. The house isn't clean, I'm running out of clothes because I haven't had time to iron in at least a month, and I never get enough sleep. 

This isn't unique. I know that working moms everywhere probably feel much the same way, most of the time.  The thing is, we tell ourselves that it's okay to put all of these household chores off in order to spend time with our kids. That they're what matters.  Still, there's always that guilt that it's never enough. 

I don't know what I did - or have done - to make Gavin think that I can "handle anything". Maybe it's because I can rescue cars from their hiding place underneath the stove, or fix his Leapster, and cook him "the best meal ever" (Lipton noodle soup. High standards, that boy.).  

It's just so reassuring to know that no matter how tenuous the balancing act, at least one person believes that I'm doing a good job. It just so happens that he's one of two people whose opinion means more to be than anything.  And for that, I'll happily wear a wrinkled shirt.  

Election Platform Round-up Part 2

It's been about three weeks since I posted about the Wildrose platform with respect to child care policies. Since then, an election has been called and all of the parties have been promising everything short of a cure for cancer and a chicken in every pot. It has gotten nasty at times, the tone well below what it should be among thoughtful citizens and media outlets.  Tomorrow night's Leaders Debate is going to be the first time that Albertans will have the opportunity to see Alison Redford and Danielle Smith go head-to-head.  It's that rarest of event in Alberta politics; a debate that actually means something.

But as I said earlier, these posts are going to focus solely on what the parties are saying about an issue that matters a lot to me, and to thousands of other Alberta parents: child care and early childhood education. We've gone over the Wildrose platform. This edition deals with the platforms/promises of three parties: the PCs, the Alberta Party and the NDP.

We'll start with the PC Party because it is - sadly - the shortest.  In the "Policy" section on their website, there is nothing that I could find that relates to child care or early childhood education. If there is a section or policy plank that I've missed, I would love it if someone would point it out to me.  There are definitely some aspects that relate to families, like promises to build new schools and a fitness tax credit, but nothing that deals specifically with child care or early childhood education.

Update: I just got a flyer in the mail from the PCAA. It includes policy on Child Care, which more or less amounts to increasing the number of families that qualify for subsidized care. This would be great, if it also included a plan to increase the number of spaces available in licensed facilities. But no.  

The Alberta Party addresses this issue by promising to pass Bill 210, the Early Childhood Learning
and Childcare Act, which will establish a comprehensive framework for coordinating government services and programs that have an impact on early childhood development.  This could include any number of initiatives, but what I like about it is that it acknowledges that the needs of young children in our communities cannot be addressed solely by any one department or agency. However, without specifics it's difficult to discuss exactly what this means.

The Alberta Party also states that it will make all-day kindergarten available in all school districts. There are few things that cause as much consternation to parents with children in daycare - at least the ones that I know - than trying to figure out how you're going to get your child to and/or from kindergarten in the middle of the day.  It's ridiculous, and I'm glad that several parties have brought this up as part of their platforms.

The New Democrats/NDP also say they would like to have a voluntary all-day kindergarten program.  They also say that they would mandate a maximum $25/day cap for child care and a $9 cap for after-school care and work to increase the number of spaces available.

This promise is obviously based on the Quebec, $7/day model, which is often held up as the "gold standard" of public daycare programs even though it has several failings. The most prominent misconception about this type of program is that it is available to everyone. The reality is that it may not be available in all daycare centres. It also comes with a significant bureaucracy attached. This type of care would have to be government-subsidized and monitoring the thousands of daycare facilities and the number of children at each could prove to be difficult.

I recently read an article from Canadian Family magazine that argued for a national child care strategy, saying that our economic prosperity depends upon having stable, affordable child care.  I agree with that proposition.  The article claims that a patchwork of programs across the country is not ideal, even though it's the provinces that have the ultimate authority for the provision of child care. As far as I'm concerned, it doesn't matter which level of government decides to address the lack of supports and spaces for young children and their parents. I just want it to be more than an afterthought, if it's discussed at all.

Ashley Judd Sticks It to All of Us...Kind of

Yesterday, Ashley Judd wrote an impassioned, intelligent piece for The Daily Beast, condemning comments that had recently been made about her appearance. She'd been looking a little puffy in the face, and some people got all nasty about it. They should have been focusing their nastiness on her horrible new TV show, "Missing", and I guess that was kind of the point of her essay.

The essay is written in a way so that it's obvious that Ms. Judd is well-educated. She throws around words like "otheration" and "heteronormative" and capitalizes "Conversation".  In a way, this is too bad (and not because Ms. Judd should apologize for being smart, not by any means) because the people who are driving the criticism she's attacking will not have a clue what she is talking about.  It is much easier for them to say, "She's had work done." than to try to understand how doing so emphasizes their role in the patriarchy. They are too busy lunching and getting pedicures and shopping and auditioning for roles on the next installment of the Real Housewives to read an entire column. 

Still, while I am behind her 100% when she says we need to stop obsessing about how other women look, there is part of me that wishes we were having the Conversation outside of her own personal experience because right now there is a definite air of defensiveness.  For someone who claims to not read any media stories about herself, it seems almost too convenient that she chose to respond to this one, and right at the time her new TV show could use some publicity. I might have been just as impressed if her response was, "So my face is puffy. It's my medication. Big freaking deal." 

Because the Conversation she wants us to have isn't new. There has been commentary on how we women are just too hard on each other since forever. Men don't care about Lily Collins' eyebrows today anymore than they paid any attention to Brooke Shields' eyebrows thirty years ago.  We - women - create that space for each other. And for all of the women who are rallying behind Ashley Judd today, saying, "Wow, she is so right." and thanking her for being so open and honest, I don't know that it's really going to make much of a difference. This is unfortunate, because there are a lot of incredible women who will not reach their full potential because they fear that their appearance will be a hindrance. 

As a corollary, it shouldn't matter either if someone chooses to have "work done". If we're being truly feminist, we don't have to simply accept the physical things about us that we wish we could change. I say this with caution - because motivation is a huge factor in ensuring that this is a healthy decision - but part of me feels that Ashley's message would have been just as powerful if she would have owned any plastic surgery that she's had; "Yes, I had work done. Big freaking deal." 

I think that Ashley Judd is beautiful.  I have ever since she was lucky enough to play Matthew McConaughey's wife in A Time to Kill and I was jealous of her the same way I imagine millions of young girls today are jealous of Selena Gomez and the Biebs. I don't care why her face is puffy. I think that the best way to have the Conversation she wants us to have is to stop talking about it at all.  

Lost Together

It was 1993. I don't know exactly when, or why, or how it all started, but 1993 was the beginning of my love affair with Blue Rodeo.  Greg Keelor and Jim Cuddy provided the soundtrack to those years when I was just getting to know myself and I can't hear any of their music without remembering when life was simultaneously simple and complex, or so it seemed at the time.

There was a group of us, most related by blood, but others - like me - graciously accepted as part of the family.  We had so much fun.  I remember more laughter than I thought was possible. Night after night spent out at "The Farm", playing cards, watching the boys invent One Bounce, bunnock competitions, swimming at Rudy and Gwen's pool, soccer games, hockey games, taking turns riding in the old Dodge Dart, the Donnelly farm... I could go on and on. But most of all, I remember relishing the comfort of being with people who know you.  And through it all, 5 Days in July was in the background.

At some point, one of us (Greg), created the Blue Rodeo Fan Club. When one joined the club, you received an "official" welcome letter, a mix tape and a pair of white tube socks that had a guitar drawn on the foot with a Sharpie.

It wasn't all fun and games, of course. There was helplessness as we watched cancer take our friends' mother. And as with any group, there were always different personalities and relationship dynamics at play. But overall I remember it being just so good. It was a time in my life that I look back on with incredible fondness.  

Much has changed over the past 18 years.  The laughter has left its lines on our faces. There "may" be grey in our hair. But as much as things have changed, so have they stayed the same. We may only get to see each other once a year, but we can pick up where we've left off without much trouble.  


I hope they all know how much their friendship has meant to me over the years. Oh, and look at me with Jim Cuddy at the Junos in 2004! (I'm pretty sure he's stoned)

No matter what sea I've been sailing on, I'll always come back home again