updates

Today I am

Viewing: videos of the Japanese tsunami

Thinking: about frustrations & balance

Creating: calm

Planning: new art journal & scrapbook pages

Reading: news about Japan (it’s all about Japan right)

Listening: to Morcheeba & thinking about England

Realizing: that I feel the need to do something for Japanese Tsunami victims

Feeling: drained and the need to curl up and hide for a few days

Trying: to be the change

it gets better?

Food for thought:

I have mixed feelings about this video. Overall I think the message is positive and the tune fairly catchy and current in terms of musical styles.

But…

What about the individuals who don’t embody the stereotypical roles she has portrayed as being representative? Ok, maybe I’m making something out nothing and I should just appreciate the larger message without nitpicking the details.

My other concern is that yes, while it does get better, for all of us out there after high school… is getting better enough now? Yes, it’s important to give hope and remind people that high school in general is just shitty but not if it means the we shrug our shoulders at what is happening now and let it go in hopes of a better tomorrow.

But… like I said, I like the video and think that the message in general is important & is one that’s close to my heart. And regardless of what your individual beliefs are, at the end of the day, everyone has the right to be treated with dignity & respect.

project 365 {6}

Ok, so I’m thinking that you’re all going to get sick of my kazillion photos, every day!  And on top of which, I don’t always have time to post every day. So I think that I might just do a weekly recap? What do you think?

I’m currently revamping my craft room at the moment (prompted by an Ikea trip with a friend on Sat). I’m excited, but a little overwhelmed by the mess I created to build my new desk space.

Oh, and I heard this recently on my iPhone during my daily commute and just had to share. Seriously. I. LOVE. THIS. SONG!

Currently on my iPhone, making my morning commute brighter!

the domestic transformer

This is amazing!

branding: what I hate about it

All over the internet you'll find guides telling you that in order to promote you blog/business, online identity you need to master the secret of modelling yourself into a brand. And it drives me nuts. I don't aspire to be a brand in real life, so why must I aspire to be a brand online in order to attract attention?

Honestly?

Maybe this seems like a naive questions but it actually strikes me as something of a paradox in advice. I should be me, but packaged in a shiny little box, all tied up with a pretty ribbon, in order to be a marketable project.

When did we start thinking in terms of selling ourselves. I grew up believing selling yourself = selling out. So it sort of frightens me to see how this seems to be the status quo now.

Companies sell brand/lifestyle identity. Now bloggers are selling it. Whatever happened to embracing our multilayered, complicated, fascinating selves? Because I don't know about you, but I am many things beyond creator of some origami ornaments.

For instance, sometimes (often) I am a ranter.
Sometimes I exude pure Pollyanna-esque joy
Other times I wallow in depression and won't leave the house except for work

But I do always try to undermine the myth that we must be miserable in order for our art to thrive (I hate that narrative/identity)

I use big words, but I swear like nobody's business. How do I brand that?

I like literature and think reading rocks. But I read on an iKindle because honestly, well even though I like the feel of a good book... my phone weighs less and carries more, which leaves more room in my purse for other things, like yoga pants and lunch, and a lot of journals that I write in throughout the day.

What brand is that?

I like paper. But I also like paint, and photography. And other things that don't start with a P. But mostly, I'm a little bit of Crafty A.D.D. I have a list 10 feet long of things that I want to do, and maybe only a foot of them will ever really get done!

Sometimes I wanna write sloppy and talk about how great the new season of Being Erica is going to be!

I know I should use bit.ly and track all my links... but honestly, I'm way too lazy for that shit!

I want to write about what inspires me, when it inspires me. Over the summer it was crafty stuff and canning. Before that, politics. Now it's work and spirituality. But I like art, so I'll probably link it all together.

I just can't guarantee that there will ever be a Marya/Lotus Tree Craft brand. Because I'm a complicated, evolving, dynamic being and I think that should be reflected on my blog. So when I'm interested in art, I'll write about it. When I'm jonesing to bake, I'm gonna bake people. And when the world seems wrong and I need to vent, well nothing's ever stopped me before, so I'm certainly not going to stop now.

I just wish people would stop talking about branding and start talking about authenticity and living a life that allows us the space to explore and create and develop into our bestest self.

the dangers of single narratives and cultural appropriation

A recent discussion with native students who had been asked to go into a classroom to talk about native knowledge/traditions left me thinking about cultural stories and authority. The students were reticent to go into the classroom because they felt like they'd be on display but all I could think about (but not figure a tactful way to ask it) was "who do you want to be in charge of telling your stories?"

I grew up with a mother who was very concerned with voice appropriation (cultural appropriation) in native communities and who would never dare to make a button blanket despite her love of them, because she felt she had no right to infringe upon the traditional craft of another cultural (particularly one who had been infringed upon so much).

As a student of literature, this idea of cultural appropriation (taking on the voice of another culture, or attempting to speak for another culture) was something that was a deep interest to me (in fact, I hummed and hawed for a long time before finally allowing myself to write about Indian (from India... because for some reaons that's never clear to people) literature. After all, who was I, the white girl who'd descended from Europeans who'd visited horrible atrocities on other nations (I'm part Dutch... and the Dutch and South Africa don't have the best track records). So how could I possibly dare to think I could become a literary (sort of) authority on sonnets from India... really?

In fact, this is still an issue that doesn't sit well with me because I think western culture is engaging in a whole new form of cultural imperialism through ESL and globalisation. But if the people of a culture won't step up to tell their stories, and if they are stories that need to be collected and told, is it wrong for an outsider to step in and tell them? To at least open the door so that another can enter it and finish the story? I'm not sure what the answer to that question is. And while I sat with these students, who understandbly don't want to be a token native spectacle for their peers, I couldn't help feeling like I wanted to be blunt and rude and say, "dammit, if you don't tell the stories, someone else will. Do you really want someone else to tell your stories? Do you want to let them take ownership and authority over your narrative?"

But how do you ask that in a polite conversation? I've been chewing on that question for the past few days now, and I still don't know how... but I'm starting to suspect that maybe, I should just ask it, bluntly, as is... and let them do with it what they will.  Because the risk of not telling your own stories, in your own voice, is that of letting a single narrative take over and tell an incomplete story of your identity, which only perpetuates the stereotypes out there. Which is why, when I listened to this TED talk on my ride to work this morning, I couldn't help but be struck by the synchronicity of it (and also inspired to want to create a literary course that starts with this argument):

the art of loneliness (or just being alone)

Such a lovely video... you should watch it, all the way to the end.... it made me feel so glad and slightly weepy when I did. Warm fuzzies and goodness... in reclaiming alone

lotus tree craft love

It's been a busy and lovely week here in lotus tree craft land for yours truly:

Featured on this amazing Asian inspired treasury. Truly a beatiful collection, thrilled to be included.

Blogged about here and facebook fanpage linked, thanks to Paper Demon

Another facebook fanpage linked, courtesy of MP Creations

And a complimentary ad feature here, thanks to Famara Designs

And another treasury feature (this time with my butterfly ornament AND my painting), by widgetsandwhatus

Thanks for all the crafty supportive love. I'm really thrilled to be featured in so many places.

haul videos

This is the strangest thing I've ever come across on the web. Seriously. It's not perverted, it's not gross... it's just strange: HAUL videos. What is a haul video you ask? It's a video where someone shows you what they bought. From groceries to cosmetics, apparently the world needs to know what you hauled home from the store:



For an interesting analysis of the social/gender implications of this phenomenon, check out this feministing article.

What intrigues me about this practice is why anyone would care. Seriously, why? I mean, why would a total stranger care about what I just purchased, much less what I purchased in terms of groceries. And why would I need to make a video of it instead of just showing some pics? I'm seriously stumped by this practice. I guess this just goes to show that I am getting older and I am no longer the target audience, nor am I au current with what the target audience wants and does (if I ever really was).

Don't people have better things to do with their time?

growing up in the age of facebook

Sometimes there are just some pictures you don’t want to share with the world. You know? [she writes after posting a rather graphic image that she doesn’t really want to share with the world!]

The other day I was spying on facebook (cause let’s face it, that’s totally what it is) and I came across a lovely picture of my baby brother smoking pot in my parents living room. Thinking that my parents will be less than thrilled with the proof of my brother’s errant ways, I had a moment of gratitude over the fact that none of those errant moments of mine are on public display on facebook.

Sometimes I can’t even begin to imagine what it must be like to grow up in this age of digital voyeurism and public life on display. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I have those pictures… but my friends (or me) would actually have to scan the damn things before posting them online and well… let’s face it, not only are we too lazy but we’re old enough now to not really want those images on display!

I mean, it’s bad enough I’m going to have to live down the photos of my friends well intentioned penis fest hen night party for me before the wedding (thank god we stayed in) or a husband who likes to colour coordinate our outfits when we go to other people’s weddings, driving me to drink and behave in the most outlandish ways (cause it’s all his fault… that’s my story and I’m sticking to it!)…


But then I think about what it must be like to grow up when your whole life is up for grabs in terms of public display. I mean, it’s bad enough being a teenager and never living down those awkward moments (there are WAY too many to get into here), but to have a photo documented history of it on the web… well yeah, I’m just glad that my adolescent was spent in the realm of 35mm film!

cancelling prom because of same sex dates

I can’t help but find it shocking that a high school went so far as to actually cancel prom because 2 girls decided to attend together. Whether they were openly a couple or not, the fact that 2 girls were such a threat to the hetero hegemony leaves me speechless.

In this day and age it never ceases to amaze me that this continues to exist. And as I was thinking about it, I realized, holy crap… I went to prom with another girl and it never even occurred to me at the time it would be an issue.

Me and my lovely prom date, who was one of my closest friends at the time.

Perhaps it was because we weren’t a lesbian couple (or at least not an openly lesbian couple… cause for all anyone knew, we could have been), but no one ever batted an eye over the fact that I was going to prom with another woman. In fact, I wasn’t alone in taking another girl to prom with me.

I guess the thing that continually gets me is this: I don’t expect everyone to share the same opinions and beliefs, and I don’t expect everyone to agree on what is right and wrong… but I do expect people to respect other’s rights to choose for themselves. Cause I mean really… we live in a global world full of different values and ideas, ways of living and standards of behaviour, and to insist that we all walk down the same narrow line is preposterous.

So if some girl wants to take her girlfriend to prom with her, let her. You don’t have to agree with it. Hell you don’t even have to like it. But you have to like the fact that you live in a country that allows her the choice to do so and respect that the same laws that give you the right to live your life the way you want, dictate her choices too. And living in North America, we are luckier than most because we have liberties that are unimaginable in other countries. So embrace them and let the damn girl take her girlfriend to prom already!

big love: the outing

For all that the show is controversial and however many ways that it pushes my buttons, I love Big Love, probably for those very reasons. The show simultaneously challenges and validates my preconceived conceptions of polygamy, forcing me to re-evaluate the pros and cons of the practice.

The feminist in me cringes over the patriarchal megalomania of the family power structure but that said, I find something oddly compelling (albeit frustrating) about the bond created between the wives. Spoiler Alert! At the end of this season’s finale, Barb announces that she doesn’t need Bill anymore and we see her walk away claiming that she wants a different life. But then she goes to see her wives and something changes. We expect a big reveal, but instead she watches Margene cut Nicky’s hair and remains silent. I was left feeling as if she’s ready to walk away from Bill, but not her wives. Barb’s struggle with polygamy is absolutely fascinating to me within this show. I both pity and rally for her. I hate her and love her for being so strong and so weak.

It’s rare that a show can tie me into so many intellectual and philosophical knots. I mean, this season has gone too far, really. But on the other hand… well I just can’t wait to see what open polygamy will mean for this family! Is it odd that part of me hates the idea of polygamy but that I am rooting for the Henricksons?

the host - stephanie meyer

Overall rating: 2.5 out of 5

General Plot Summary: Aliens have invaded earth and taken over human bodies. One alien soul struggles for dominance over her host body's soul, only to learn to love humans and end up fighting for their cause.

The beginning of this book is awkward and hard to get into because the mechanics of story telling are juvenile. That said, once you get past the beginning, the story is a light and engrossing read.

Although the female lead is stronger than Bella of Twilight, some of the gender politics continue to be a bit disturbing as does the moralism that permeates some of the tale. The book is sold as her 1st adult novel, however given the age of the protagonist (physically) and the weird sexual mores that go with this "adult" novel, it really feels like the story is meant for teens. Why she chose to rely yet again on a 17 year old female as a protagonist or why she finds it so important to render her character asexual is beyond me given that this is supposed to be a novel for adults. But whatever, that's her choice.

All in all, it was an ok read. Entertaining but a bit frustrating because the conversation between the 2 characters is trite and awkwardly developped through font styles. The novel still feels like a continuation of the adolescent wish fulfillment that was the Twilight series and relies on predictable plot development and conclusions.
 
And can we say sequel much?
 
image from : LibraryThing

proroguing parliament and armchair activism

 

If you’re like me and didn’t know what proroguing meant until recently:

prorogue: to discontinue the meetings of (a legislative body) without dissolving it

Lately I haven’t been writing about politics. I’ve been more focused on crafting and the holidays than reading the news and commenting on it. But recent events brought to us by the Harper government have this blogger up in arms, once again. (‘Cause nothing gets my blood raging like the Harper government!)

Ostensibly called in order to able to celebrate the Olympics, Harper has successfully called for the 2nd prorogation of parliament in the span of a year. I may not have been all that aware of politics in the past, but I would venture a guess that this is a rare, if unheard of, event in our political history. And that we’re calling them for the Olympics? Seriously? Every other country keeps parliament running, why should we be any different? Especially given that Harper has a track record of not even attending the major public events that he’s expected to be present for (or waits until the last minute to show up, not that that is anything new in Cdn politics!).

Here’s the thing, everyone knows that he’s proroguing parliament to avoid political accountability. See the Globe and Mail, x2, Elizabeth May, The National Post counterargument, and a more neutral, yet still sceptical CBC.

So for us Canadians that think that this is a BS political manoeuvre, what can we do? The web is awash with Armchair Activism, aka Cyberactivism but does it really work? From Facebook groups (see this article) to websites telling us to write letters to local media and post flyers around town, little real progress actually seems to be made.

Gone are the days when rallies and petitions seemed to make a difference. Our currently state of cyberactivism is belied by our political apathy. Clicking buttons and sending emails only works if we’re committed to fighting for the cause until the end. Sending off an email to parliament may or may not have effect:

[…] the effectiveness of email when it comes to influencing abusive governments is still open to question [18]. Firstly, the response of authorities to electronic messages is varied and the impact is not as predictable as in the case of conventional mail and faxes, although they cost less to send. Whereas letters must be sorted, documented and filed in most government offices, it is easy to simply read the subject line of an email and then delete it, or to shut down the accounts if there are floods of incoming appeals. […]

Indeed, the generation of identical notifications to the authorities for each person that “signed” the online petition was one of the key drawbacks of the Stoptorture.org website. Amnesty has always believed that the more diverse a letter-writing campaign is, the better its chances for getting the attention and respect of government officials. This applies to online as well as offline activism, so the organisation has now moved from the use of the auto-generated messages to one where activists are encouraged to send emails with distinct subject lines, by customising pre-existing text on their websites.

See here for further information.

The question that I’m trying to get at is whether or not it’s really worthwhile to join that Facebook group or sign that petition. I tend to sign up for online petitions via Avaaz.org, but is it effective? Certainly, as McLeans Magazine notes, those members are enough to garner media attention. But do they accomplish anything? Pardon me if I remain a bit cynical. For all that I want to be able to bring about change through the Internet, I have to admit that clicking and joining has little merit if it’s not done on a personal level, with a certain amount a commitment to a cause. Because although numbers count, this is a place where the individual voice matters more than the masses.

One person can make a difference. But only if they work conscientiously towards a cause. Armchair activism is unlikely to get you any where, even if your group is thousands strong.

As John Moore, from the National Post notes:

This emphatic anti-prorogation Facebook group shares intellectual and cyberspace with “Feed the Olsen Twins” and “Save Bandit the Pitbull!” (who in theory could be fed to the Olsens if efforts to save him fail). Almost all of the activist groups are put to shame by the membership of a dancing lobster fan club which boasts 141,000 enthusiasts. True, all of these pages jostle for attention amongst many earnest and worthy causes. But few things say “I care” with the empty ferocity of a Facebook page. 

vegetarian cuisine, Julie/Julia, and learning to master the art great vegetarian food

I would like to say to you all now that while I have always found vegetarians a bit silly, since I have been eating like one my contempt for them is boundless. Jesus, what a boring, sad life it is. Wouldn’t be so bad, if you’d just throw in some fucking bacon. Or a steak.

from the Julie/Julia blog.

Recently I watched the Julie/Julia movie. I enjoyed it overall for what it was. An entertaining, light movie. The fact that this woman decided to cook so much fancy schmancy food simply overwhelms me, truth be told. I mean, I can't imagine what eating all that butter, cream and rich food must have done to her waistline.

So anyways, it led to me checking out her blog. And what did I find? Yes, the quote above. As a vegetarian of 16 years, I am required to speak up in defense of vegetarian cuisine. But more importantly, I just want to say, for fuck's sake people, use your bloody imagination when you're cooking vegetarian food. If an entire nation (India) can base their cuising on a primarily vegetarian diet, then maybe it's not vegetarianism but your poor skill at cooking, imagining, or creating a gourmet vegetarian meal.

Stop expecting your meat free rendition of your staple fare to be a lesser substitute for meat based lifestyle. Stop making the same food, just omiting the meat, and expecting it to be the same as your steak and potatoes fare. So you like meat, I get it. But honestly, if you can't create a delicious, savory, mouth watering vegetarian meal it's because you haven't stepped out of the box enough to imagine a meal that is actually based on a vegetarian lifestyle, not a lesser, non-meat substitution.

Learn to use your spices. Try spices beyond thyme, basil and oregano. Use your fucking imagination! When Top Chef hosted an episode with vegetarian Natalie Portman, it was abysmal. The aspiring cooks were completely clueless when it came to making a meat-free meal. And this is the problem people have when they whine that vegetarian food is awful. It's not awful, your vegetarian cooking is. So enough already. Do me a favour and shut the hell up! Explore your options, try different things, actually go out and buy one of the hundreds of great vegetarian cookbooks out there (that teach you to cook from a vegetarian perspective, not a meat substition based perspective). If you're trying to turn tofu into steak, of course you're going to be disappointed. But marinate that tofu right, with some lentils, spices and yummy veggies, and now we're talking baby! (see veggie phylo rolls... they were seriously delish! check out a few of my veggie experiments, or borrow a good cookbook)

Or, if you're not interested in vegetarian cuisine, just bloody well admit it and stop your whining already. As a vegetarian I'm fricken sick and tired of this crap! Seriously, I'm not wasting away here for lack of food options. My meat loving husband, who lives a predominantly vegetarian lifestyle at home, isn't either.

sarah haskins

If you don't know Sarah Haskins or her show "Target Women" you should because she's amazing. She makes me laugh every time.

cylon toasters!

Ok, moment of pure and utter geekdom squee:

image from TV Blog

I was home sick today, watching The Big Bang Theory and saw this toaster. Seriously, as a Battlestar fan I can't help but find this totally fraking awesome. I totally want one. It apparently toasts a cylon face onto the bread and even lights up as it toasts! Yup, I'm a geek, but this is too cool to not geek out over.

google, cameras, and privacy invasion

When google maps has gone too far:

Photo captured from google maps. Did you know that you can now drag an icon on a location, zoom in, and see the house in question? When we do this to our condo (cause the image above is a random selection from a street I lived on 9 years ago) the picture was from spring but you could actually see into our house. Yes, from the plants in the windows to what was on our kitchen table. What made me all the more uncomfortable was that if it zoomed in more, you could probably tell that no one was home and what we have in our living room to steal. Seriously, what satellites are out there for them to get these images and how much of our private lives are being invaded by said cameras?

I'm not a big conspiracy theorist (I'm entertained by the ideas but not seriously that concerned by them) but this new awareness of how much google shows has given me pause. Why are cameras able to see so much into our homes? It's one thing to zoom into a highway for traffic info, but quite another to capture images, even if they are 6 months old, that show details of our private lives.

Birth control, abortion, and freedom of speech

Abortion: whether you’re for or against it is up to you. However, I strongly believe that regardless of your particular stance, legally individuals do not have the right to dictate to others they can or cannot do and this is what makes our society great. You may not agree with abortion but if you believe that you should have the right to renounce abortion as a viable choice then you should also believe that another has the right to promote abortion as a choice that every individual has the right to make.


I know there is an entire debate about the foetus’ right to life but for now, I’m going to save it for another day and another post. Whether you believe that abortion is right or wrong isn’t what concerns me most in the debate. What concerns me is whether or not you believe in freedom of speech and the rights of the individual because for me this is what the abortion debate boils down to at its core. I live in a society that is founded upon the idea of collectively agreeing to allow the person next to us, who we may not even like or agree with, to voice her/his opinion and to live according to their own moral conscience (within the confines of what we as a society agree to). Of course there are days when this collective agreement chaffs (hello, j-walking ticket for crossing on a green light with no traffic, yeah, I’m talking about you) but for the most part the rules are relatively benign and tolerable, and even for the greater good.

You may be a conservative supporter of the Harper government, which yes, makes me grind my teeth in frustration, but I respect your right to that choice. I may debate it with you or fail to ever fully understand it, hell I may even lose a bit of respect for you if we’re being honest, but I believe whole-heartedly that it is your right to hold that opinion and I would go to bat for you in order to support your right to express a view different than my own. (Yeah yeah, I’m a liberal leftie, big shocker there). You might love the Transformers movie, rap, not recycle, and think the arts are a waste of time: all of which I would argue with you about but ultimately accept. You might even believe in capital punishment and while I’m not entirely convinced of this path, I will respect your belief in the system and strive to understand the logic behind your belief. You might stand up on a podium and denounce everything I believe in and hold dear, and yet I would fight to defend your right to do so without fear of legal or personal consequences.

So why then is the same tolerance not given in regards to abortion? If you don’t believe in abortion then so be it. In fact, I’m not completely insensitive to some of the better arguments given in defence of the right to life movement. However, I become infuriated when someone actually believes they have the right, nay the moral superiority, to change the laws and impose their position on someone else, thereby forcing them to adhere to their belief system. If you believe in freedom of speech, religion, and lifestyle, then why is it ok to throw those things out the window when someone chooses a path that differs from your own?

News flash:

Freedom of speech doesn’t mean freedom to speak as long as you say what I want to hear.

So what has prompted this little tirade you ask?

This article from Pandagon which discusses a particular group’s efforts to ban birth control, morning after pills and abortions. Not only is having 12 children (which is a very likely consequence of not using birth control, given that most people have a hard enough time taking their pills and using condoms) ecological irresponsible, attempting to remove an individual’s right to select birth control in order to make an informed reproductive decision is morally reprehensive and a violation of the female’s and couple’s right to autonomy. As much as I want a child of my own one day, I do not believe that it is the only viable role out there for people.

People, I don’t get it! People from around the world struggle to come to Canada and the USA in order to have freedom of speech, religion, and lifestyle and yet some Canadians and Americans are actively attempting to destroy that freedom. So you don’t share my beliefs, they’re not harming you. You don’t have to teach them to your children. You don’t have to live your life according to my moral strictures. But what you do have to do, what you agree to every day as a Canadian or American, is that I have the right to speak my mind and live my life free of persecution. And that is what you should be teaching your children. A little tolerance goes really long way…

Ellen DeGeneres

OMG: I think I need to start watching Ellen DeGeneres. I've always admired her (hell, if I was into women I'd so be all Anne/Portia over that!)