McMurray Musings

winterPLAY Social Media Auction From YMMPodcast & Events Wood Buffalo (Or "Yuuuuup")

2012-02-23T09:49:00.000-08:00

I think what I love most about my buddies Toddske and Tito from YMMPodcast is that they are always cooking up something new for the community, whether it's a film night or a social media fundraiser. They just launched their latest adventure, and I'm stealing Toddske's post from the YMMPodcast site to explain it. So, people, show the Boys and Girls Club some of that Fort Mac love, take home an amazing hockey jersey, and have some fun at the same time. Knowing this community as I do I think the sky is the limit on this one - so let the bidding begin!

From YMMPodcast

During our recent HOCKEY SHORTS & PUCK BUNNIES winterPLAY event, we announced that Events Wood Buffalo and the YMM Podcast will be holding a special Social Media Auction in support of the Fort McMurray Boys and Girls Club.

: Fort McMurray Boys and Girls Club website

The Boys and Club play a vital role in our community by providing a safe, supportive place where children and youth can experience new opportunities, overcome barriers, build positive relationships and develop confidence and skills for life! This non-profit organization provides After-School Child Development Programs as well as several different types of child care and drop-in programs for ages ranging from infants to toddlers to teens! Their facility, located on Riedel Street, is in need of a new roof; so we, quite literally, want to RAISE THE ROOF for this wonderful organization and give them as much support as possible.

To accomplish this, we’re going to auction off an Edmonton Oilers jersey SIGNED by Ryan Nugent-Hopkins; the 1st overall pick in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft!

To bid on this amazing collectable, it’s really quite simple; all you need is Twitter or Facebook and follow the YMM Podcast and Events Wood Buffalo!

TWITTER: (www.twitter.com/ymmpodcast)

Simply tweet your bid by mentioning @ymmpodcast and use the hash-tag #winterPLAY

FACEBOOK: (www.facebook.com/ymmpodcast)

LIKE the YMM Podcast page and place a bid on the wall

It’s just that easy!

Bidding will start THURSDAY, February 23 2012 at HIGH NOON and run until SUNDAY, February 26 2012 at 6pm. Since we really want to support this great great cause, we are going to open the bidding at $300! Every so often, we will update this blog, as well as our Facebook and Twitter pages, with the current bid so people are in the know.

I’ve always been proud to be a part of the “most giving community in Canada” and in my opinion, the entire world. Not only are you bidding on a chance to own a jersey that is autographed by a hockey player that is being compared to the likes of legends Mario Lemieux and Wayne Gretzky, you are also supporting a tremendous organization that does absolute wonders for the youth in our community.

Big Thanks to Molson Coors for providing Events Wood Buffalo and winterPLAY 2012 with this one-of-a-kind item!

I Get Blog With A Little Help From My Friends

2012-02-23T09:19:00.000-08:00

It all began a few weeks ago when I started giving some serious thought to this blog. You might think I always give it serious thought, and I do, but usually in terms of the content and the writing, not how it looks. One day, though, I signed on and looked at the page - and I didn't like what I saw. Drab colours. A photo of Fort Mac in our worst season, the one known as "brown", when everything seems a shade of that colour. It looked lifeless, colourless, without character - and all the things that this community is not. Fort Mac is so full of life and colour and character, and the old blog design didn't reflect that at all - and I wasn't happy.

You see, when I began this blog I figured about a dozen people would read it, and half of them would be my family. I never, not for a moment, expected I would gain any sort of local readership, let alone a national and international one. I never dreamed it would lead to new friendships, paid work writing, and new opportunities of the sort I could have never imagined. And yet this little blog did exactly that, and I decided it needed some TLC. It needed some love. And it needed a redesign.

So, I put out a plea on Twitter, asking if anyone could design a logo for McMurray Musings. I couldn't pay a lot - in fact, I was hoping for free, since this blog makes no money (I will not advertise on the blog or allow it to be sponsored - would you put ads on YOUR baby?). At times it has in fact cost me money to write, buying tickets to events or other things in order to write about them (although I am incredibly grateful that now I am routinely invited to events as media or as a guest, allowing me to keep the blog's financial books relatively balanced). And my plea on Twitter was answered.

There were a couple of comedic answers (you know who you are!) that responded with lovely but pretty unusable crayon drawings. And then Tara Abraham replied, and I knew I had found the person I was looking for. Tara grew up here, but is now attending college on the east coast. She offered to design a logo, free of charge, and her only request was that it could appear in her portfolio. She said she could use the experience, and I needed a new logo - so we quickly moved ahead. I sent her some of the ideas I liked, and she came up with this:

I loved it the second I saw it. Clean, streamlined, green, perfect. The circles, not really having any huge meaning but in my mind tied to the concept of community. The green, reflective of our forests and our northern lights. Simple. And stunning to me.

But then I needed a new photo, too. I like to take photographs, but I am not a photographer. I'm a writer. I was talking to a photographer the other day and she quipped that she is too busy taking photos to keep a blog - and I replied that I am too busy blogging to take photos. So, I put that out there, too, but on Facebook - I needed a photograph that reflected Fort McMurray. A photo that showed who we are, in all our quirkiness. And my friend Matt, someone I met through writing this blog, sent me this:

If you don't recognize it that is the Casselman-Lush Skateboard Park downtown at Borealis Park. Now, I've written about Borealis Park a few times in this blog, about the skate park, about the Justin Slade Youth Foundation that can be found at Borealis, and about an incident in the park almost a year ago that crystallized why I want this city to be a better place - the murder of two young men. Borealis Park has become a place where I often go when I need to sit and think about something I am writing about, or when I am struggling with my feelings on something. It has become a touchstone in my life in this city, and in this blog. The northern lights, of course, are quintessentially northern Canadian. They dance above us year round, and this past summer were perhaps brighter and more vibrant than I've ever seen them in my decade here. So, when Matt sent me this photo I was dumbstruck - because it drew it all together, tied up all those loose ends. The dichotomy between our urban environment and the world of nature. How we are both city and wilderness, how we are both light and dark, and how we are beautiful at both ends of the pendulum swing, our most urban and our most natural. I knew it was the photo for the blog, and Matt so kindly, so generously, allowed me to use it.

So, with my terribly inadequate skills I began the blog redesign, and quickly realized I was in far too deep for my pathetic abilities. It wasn't going right at all, and I was growing panicky. I posted on Facebook and I guess my desperation was obvious - because Matt was there, and offered his help. And when I not only said yes but asked if he would take over - just redesign it entirely because I was lost - he said yes, and then spent hours working on it. And he made it perfect. He made it completely what I envisioned. He took my little blog and made it beautiful (and incidentally this is like handing over your newborn baby or the keys to your new BMW, so you know I must trust Matt implicitly).

I think what I love most about this new look, though, is that it was a collaborative Fort McMurray effort. A young woman who grew up here designed the logo, and a man who also grew up here (and still lives here) provided the photo and the redesign. And then there is me, the one who thought this blog would never really amount to much but completely underestimated the potential and opportunity in this community. I needed help, I asked for it - and people from Fort Mac answered, just as I've come to know they always will. There is something very special about this community and the people you find in it, and that's really, in the end, why I write this blog at all.

So, people, welcome to the NEW McMurray Musings. Different logo, different design, same writer (sorry about that, but I'm not going anywhere). I'm thinking about exploring some new territory with the blog, too, so I'm hoping you'll stick around for some new adventures. Until then, though, I hope you just enjoy the new look - and I hope you love it as much as I do!

My sincere thanks to

Tara Abraham

for designing the beautiful new logo

and to

Matt

for both the photo

and rescuing a blogger in distress! :)

And Then I Got Down - With John Mann at winterPLAY

2012-02-22T10:36:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I wrote about the Intrepid Junior Bloggers, the band Down With Webster, and their encounter with them this past weekend. I'll admit I'm a DWW fan, but that whole thing - the concert, the meet and greet - was really for the Junior Bloggers. Last night, though, I did something for myself. I went to the Suncor Energy Centre for the Performing Arts for the latest event at winterPLAY and saw two other Canadian musicians, one relatively new and one a true icon (and someone who has intrigued me for many years). DWW was for the girls - but Steve Bowers and John Mann were just for me, people.

I've been a fan of John Mann for decades. It was literally decades ago when he first appeared as the front man for Spirit of the West. SOTW provided the soundtrack for much of my young adult life, and I have been a fan for all that time. And yes, for many years I did harbour a tiny crush on John, too, with his lovely soulful voice and manic dance moves. Two years ago when Spirit of the West played interPLAY I had the chance to see them live after many years (I had never seen them live before, always just missing their gigs), and meet John. When I heard he was coming back to Fort Mac as part of winterPLAY but as a solo performer I knew I had to go, as I had long suspected a few things about John and wanted to see if I was right.

When I arrived last night I was delighted to see the theatre had been set up as a "nightclub", round tables scattered around the room, a small bar off to the side, and a small stage. I love big concerts, don't get me wrong, but these small intimate performances are truly what make me happy. They are the way you actually get to know the soul of an artist, to see who they are and what makes them tick. I had high hopes for last night - and I was not disappointed.

Steven Bowers, photo credit to Events Wood Buffalo

Opening for John was Steven Bowers, a musician I had not heard of previously but that I think deserves much more notice. Steven is from Newfoundland, and is a singer/songwriter of the very best sort - the sort that follows his own path. He seems like a genuinely humble young man, quiet and reserved, and yet you get the sense that something is simmering under the surface. When he sings all that simmering comes to a slow boil, and you find songs that are soft and gentle and lovely and beautiful. The lyrics are charming, the music is stirring, and the combination is such that you feel you are in the presence of someone who brings authenticity and sincerity to his art. The music is folksy in nature, east coast inspired perhaps, but with a far wider range than simply being from one region. Steven Bowers sings not of the east coast experience but of the human experience, and every song resonated with me. At the end of the evening he kindly gave me one of his CDs, which I can guarantee will enter my playlist on heavy rotation as I mull over those lyrics (the music is wonderful too, of course, but as a writer it's the lyrics that pull me in, keep me coming back, and tattoo themselves onto my brain).

John Mann, photo credit to Events Wood Buffalo

When Steven finished it was time for John Mann to take the stage, and so he did, just him and his guitar. When I said I suspected a few things about John I meant it. I suspected he was deeply intelligent, with a wry sense of humour, a deft way with words, and a soul as big as the twilight sky when it dances with the northern lights. I do so love being proven right, and last night John proved me right and then some. He played several songs, including some of those Spirit of the West songs that have long been favourites of mine (like "Political", "And If Venice is Sinking", and "Save This House"). What was lovely about those songs was hearing the stories behind them - the doomed relationship that inspired "Political", the honeymoon photograph behind "And If Venice is Sinking", and the CBC live-songwriting challenge that led to "Save This House" (and John, about that last one - I'm not sure if you and Geoffrey were assholes or not, but if you were I'd add the word "clever" in front of assholes!). Hearing those classic SOTW songs was incredible, and to hear them sung by John while he played his guitar was magical for me, a fan for so many years. In the end, though, I think it was his other songs that really touched me. You see, John was diagnosed with cancer two years ago, and as creative people do when confronted with something troubling he worked it out through his art, writing songs as he went through the experience of a cancer diagnosis and treatment.

He calls these songs his "cancer anthems", and he wondered if the world is ready for them. I would answer that yes, the world is not only ready but in need of such songs, since this is such a common experience for so many. John told many stories about his cancer journey, and one comment in particular caught me. He spoke about how his favourite moments, his most remembered moments, were the ones where there was laughter. Now, you might not think hospital rooms and oncology wards are exactly the greatest spots for humour, and yet I think that is the place it is most needed, too. And now I will get personal for a moment again so you understand why John's words struck me.

The last few weeks of my dad's life were spent in palliative care in a hospital. I come from a large family, several sisters and their husbands and their children, and, honestly, when we get together we have a tendency to get loud. It tends to take on a party atmosphere wherever we happen to be, and I, being the youngest, often take on the role of family clown. In the final days of my dad's life we would often pack into his room - and we would tell stories, and we would laugh. Sometimes my dad would sleep through it all, and sometimes he would smile along, too weak for much laughter. After one of these sessions, when I realized our raucous laughter could be heard down the halls, I went to the nursing station and told the nurse I hoped we weren't disturbing anyone. I'll never forget her reply. She told me that palliative wards see a lot of things, like tears and regrets and sorrow and pain and suffering. She told me that the one thing they never saw enough of was laughter, and that the laughter of my family made more than just my family smile. She not only reassured me that it was okay, she encouraged me to keep laughing - and we did, almost right to the very end.

And that is what I saw in John Mann last night, too. He's a man who can see the humour in the bleakest situations. He can take a cancer diagnosis and turn it into a series of lovely songs, songs that brought me close to tears as I thought of my father's cancer journey. John sang, too, of his love for his wife and his daughter, and he told stories of their family life, providing a glimpse into the private life behind all those iconic songs he produced over the years (and I will tell you this - writers of any sort, be it songs or books or blogs, are deriving their inspiration somewhere, and often from those closest to them).

At the end of his set John helpfully explained what would happen next - he'd leave the stage, we'd go nuts, and he would come back and do a two-song encore. It's rather nice to just have a performer say "look, we all know the routine, so let's just do this, shall we?" instead of that coy "oh, I'm so reluctant to but if you REALLY want me to I'll do an encore". Again it was an example of that sly sense of humour John harbours, and it delighted the crowd.

John finished with a rousing acoustic version of "Home for a Rest", a song that was sort of my anthem during a trip to England and Ireland last year when my liver wondered why I'd suddenly taken up excessive alcohol consumption (look, when in Rome...), and then, sans guitar, he sang a Robbie Burns poem - and that was that.

Look, people, it was a small crowd last night, and I wish more had been there to experience what I did. It was like I saw both ends of the Canadian musical spectrum in a matter of days, from Down With Webster rock on Saturday to Steven Bowers' gentle songs and John Mann's heartfelt performance last night. Each experience moved me in a different way, too, with DWW making me dance, Steven Bowers making me reflect and think, and John Mann taking me on a journey that for me began years ago when I began listening to Spirit of the West. Decades ago when John first began with SOTW my dad was still alive, and John's life hadn't been touched by cancer. I spoke to John last night after the show, and found him still to be the handsome, charming man I'd always thought he was. We have both aged over the years, and our lives have changed. He pursued his life with his family and making music, and his music was the soundtrack for many of the things I've done, a touchstone in my life for many, many years. So, even though he and I are strangers our lives intertwined through his music, and last night was quite magical as the man and the music and I were in the same room, and I got to hear the stories behind the songs. It was another amazing experience for me, right here in Fort Mac, right here in the place that has become my home like no other place ever has. I was reminded once again of what an incredible place this world is - and of what an amazing place my community is, too.

I walked out of theatre into freshly fallen snow, got into my car, and hit play on my iPod - and on came Spirit of the West "Save This House". Perfection, people. Perfection.

My sincere thanks to the folks at

Events Wood Buffalo

for another great winterPLAY event,

to Steven Bowers for the music and the CD

and to John Mann -

for all the music over all these years.

The Intrepid Junior Bloggers Get Down With Webster

2012-02-21T10:57:00.000-08:00

It all began several weeks ago when I heard Down With Webster, that uber-hot Canadian band, was coming back to play another show at MacDonald Island Park. I'd taken the Intrepid Junior Bloggers to see them when they played here during the summer of 2011, and they had had a complete blast. It had, in fact, been the first "real" concert either had ever been to, so it was quite special in their minds. The oldest Junior Blogger had left the concert with a drumstick she caught when it was tossed from the stage, and the younger Junior Blogger left with an appreciation for DWW she hadn't had before. So, when I heard DWW was coming back I knew I would take them again - but this time I was hoping for a little treat for them, too.

You see, after I wrote about DWW last time I received a very nice email from their manager thanking me for the review I did on the concert. I was quite pleased by that email, as it's always nice to know that what you do has been noticed and appreciated. So when I heard DWW was coming back I set some wheels in motion, and did something I rarely do - I asked for a favour.

I'm one of those people who hates asking for anything. If it is offered I am always delighted, but I genuinely hate to ask. I'm also one of those people who will do absolutely anything for their kids, though, and this fell into that category. I summoned up my courage, and fired off two emails - one to the DWW manager, and one to MacDonald Island Park - and I asked if there was any chance that the Junior Bloggers could meet the band.

Mac Island immediately said they would do whatever they could to make it happen, and asked if I would like to attend the show as media (like I said, when asked I am usually delighted to accept, and I did!). They also said they would contact the band's management and ask about the possibility of a meet and greet, so I sat back and waited to see what would happen. I told the Junior Bloggers that it was a possibility, but just that, and not guaranteed. I spent much of my twenties hanging around bands and I knew how things go and the kinds of demands they have on their time, so I knew it might not happen.

Late last week, though, I got official work from Mac Island - the meet and greet was on. I told the Junior Bloggers and there was much squealing, some hugging, and pronouncements of me being the "best mom/aunt ever". And so, Saturday night, we headed down to the show - and to meet the band.

Thanks to Mix 103.7 for bringing Down With Webster back to Fort Mac!

The jam-packed line-up we got to avoid!

Backstage at Mac Island just before meeting DWW -

and with the drumstick from the last show!

Yeah, we just met the band - and they were totally awesome!

What an empty venue looks like before the crowd arrives...

Getting our DWW hand signals ready for the show!

Opening act USS Music - awesome band and a new discovery for us!

Right up at the front of the stage - taken by me from the "media pit"

I had commented to the Junior Bloggers that

Bucky looked pretty fine in that white t-shirt he wore

at the last concert - so all three of us were delighted

when he took the stage in a white t-shirt :)

The above amazing shots were possible due to
MacDonald Island Park kindly issuing me a media pass,
meaning I could take photos from the area right
in front of the stage. At several points band members
towered right above me on the stage,
making me realize if they lost their balance
I'd be crushed!

The above shots were taken from in the audience.

As you can see it was a lively crowd, dancing, waving,

and clapping along with every song.

At the finale, prior to the encore, DWW was joined

on stage by their opening acts OCD and USS,

which made for some amazing photos!

I'm going to be very honest here for a bit (I know, me being honest, shocking, eh?). The first opening act, OCD, didn't do a thing for me. I actually left for a bit during their performance as their pure rap style just isn't my thing, although the older Junior Blogger loved them, as did the crowd. Now, USS, on the other hand, deeply appealed to both me and the younger Junior Blogger (who has musical tastes that tend towards things like Sex Pistols and Marilyn Manson, much like her mother's eclectic tastes). The older Junior Blogger said some in the crowd were not impressed with USS, but I'm thinking the younger demographic just might not know how to appreciate a band that makes blender smoothies on stage (ever been to a Rush concert and seen the washing machines on stage? Oh, the ridiculous attempts I've heard to explain them - it's called "artistic license" people, not washing the roadies t-shirts during a performance!). And when USS played a snippet of "Wonderwall" by Oasis and pulled out their turntable guitar? Well, they've got me and the younger Junior Blogger for life now.

But after the opening acts it was time for the big show - DWW. I've been following these guys since they played here last summer, and I've been keeping an eye on them on Twitter. What I've discovered is that these young men are constantly touring, playing, recording, and going, going, going. They are the Energizer bunny of Canadian bands. They are hungry for success, they are having a great time, and they are trying to improve every day - and it shows. As I predicted this show was even better than the last time they played here, more tightly honed and refined in sound and stage presence. They played older material, and new material, and they played to an audience that was beyond thrilled and into the realm of ecstatic. These young Canadian men make me proud, people. I have seen bands from Blue Rodeo to Tragically Hip, Rush to Nickelback, climb to the top of the music ladder, and all have something in common - they work damn hard. And so it is with Down With Webster. They work themselves, they work their talents, they work their performances, and they work their audience to perfection. It was an amazing show from start to finish, and the finale when they brought both OCD and USS on stage with them was an absolute triumph. When they left the stage I was stunned to see some kids leaving, but then realized that many of them probably have no idea that when a band finishes their set it doesn't take much convincing to get an encore - and so I told the kids next to me to start making some noise and shouting "encore", which they did. They were rewarded when DWW took the stage again and played not one, not two, but three encore songs, finishing with the quickly-becoming iconic "Your Man".

Now, as for that meet and greet before the show. Well, what I learned is that not only are DWW a hard-working group of guys they are a genuinely sweet group, too. While we waited in line the older Junior Blogger noticed Marty pointing at her in line, and when it was their turn she was complimented on her rather colourful hair (originally bleached blonde she dyed it deep purple, but it is fading into a most intriguing blend of mauve and grey). This compliment pretty much had her speechless, and they kindly introduced themselves to both Junior Bloggers and took this photo with them:

When it was my turn I went up, shook their hands, introduced myself, and told them I write a blog in town - and was delighted when it appeared that they knew who I was (their manager had told me he planned to have them read the original blog post I wrote about them). We took this photo to memorialize the meeting:

During the concert Bucky from DWW had mentioned coming back to Fort Mac for a vacation. The Intrepid Junior Bloggers and I think this is a great idea, and we'd like to offer our house instead of a hotel. And he can even bring the rest of the guys too. Oh and Bucky? Bring the white t-shirt too, okay? :)

The Intrepid Junior Bloggers and I wish to thank:

- all the security guards, especially Aaron, who was

at the front of the stage and watched out for them

-the mom with a little girl who told my daughter to

just shove the bigger girls who were getting pushy

(thanks fellow mom for looking out for my kid too!)

-Mix 103.7 for bringing great music to Fort Mac

-MacDonald Island Park for helping to arrange

that meet and greet

AND

super fabulous band Down With Webster for a great show -

and just for being great guys,

making it a night we will never forget!

You boys ROCK! :)

Chicago is Smokin' Hot - And I Don't Mean The One In Illinois

2012-02-18T14:47:00.000-08:00

"Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you a story of murder,

greed, corruption, violence,

exploitation, adultery and treachery.

All those things we hold near and dear to our hearts..."

I've actually never been to Chicago. I mean Chicago, Illinois. Last night I went to "Chicago, The Musical", right here in Fort McMurray, and it was quite the little escape from winter. It might have been cold outside but the temperature inside Keyano Theatre was sizzling hot, and rose rapidly over the evening as the musical unfolded before a delighted audience. I was the grateful recipient of an opening night ticket thanks to the generousity of a dear friend, and so she and I found ourselves at the theatre last night.

I admit that just like the city I've never seen the full musical Chicago before, either, just snippets of it. I knew it would be funny. I knew it would be full of talent, as we have an abundance of that here in Fort Mac. I didn't know it would be a raucous, slightly raunchy, rollicking joy ride of murder, mayhem, betrayal, infamy, adultery and sheer laughter. But that is what Chicago, presented by the cast and crew of Keyano Theatre, was.

There will probably be a lot of mention made of the skimpy costumes worn, and they were quite dazzling. The young men sans shirts were indeed quite entertaining, and I'm betting the men in the crowd got a bit goggle-eyed over the lingerie-clad women in the cast. But for me the costumes were quite frankly the least interesting thing. What shone was the talent, just as it should, and the costumes were mere backdrops to all of that (charming and enticing backdrops, but backdrops all the same).

Photo credit to Keyano Theatre

From the moment the cast took the stage I was transfixed as the story unrolled before me. It touches on so many facets of human behaviour, from our propensity to cheat to our seemingly unquenchable thirst for fame (even if it is the sort of fame that can lead to a death by hanging). The show is a comedy, of course, but the satire certainly isn't lost in this age of "celebrity" trials where those accused of some horrific crime suddenly appear on the front page of every paper and on the screen of every TV.

Some of the performances were truly astounding, like that of Jenny Price as "Mama" Morton. I believed her character for every single second. As for Amanda Campbell as Velma Kelly and Alexandra Price as her rival for fame Roxie Hart? Once again totally believable in their roles as they duked it out to see who would be the winner in the "murderous celebrity" category, only to be overshadowed when others guilty of more heinous crimes push them out of the limelight. Adam Zacharias as Amos Hart/Mr. Cellophane was very much the woebegone forgotten and invisible man, and Jeff Hoffman as Billy Flynn made that roguish, money-hungry, dapper lawyer all too real. And Mary Sunshine the reporter? Well, I'm not sayin' anything about that character. Go see the show, and be ready to laugh your butt off (and if anyone ever refers to me as "Mary Sunshine" they and I will have words, guaranteed).

Photo credit to Keyano Theatre

Certain song and dance scenes were especially delightful, like "Razzle Dazzle", and the courtroom scene was a complete hoot, particularly the two cast members who were playing the jury and kept quietly changing hats and wigs (leading me to wonder at times what the hell they had on their heads now). The entire ensemble did a wonderful job of singing, acting and dancing, bringing the audience to applause and cheers time and time again. And, at the very end, the entire audience granted the cast and crew a well-deserved and resounding standing ovation.

What I can tell you about Chicago is this - it is sheer fun, pure entertainment, and a gleefully good time. If you look a bit deeper into it you see the satire and you can reflect on how it parallels so much of what we see happening with the concept of celebrity. The joy of it is this, though - you don't need to look deeper. You can enjoy this musical on whatever level you choose, from the fabulous sets to the great laughs to the alluring costumes to the satire. You can just sit there and be entertained as hell, which is what I was. And which I believe the entire audience was, too, judging from their expressions after the show and the comments they made while exiting into the lobby of Keyano Theatre.

It was opening night, so there was a champagne reception, but the sold-out crowd in the lobby was making me claustrophobic so I grabbed a pot of creme brulee´ (thanks Sawridge, it was awesome!), collected my coat, and hit the road still giggling at the show. I cannot think of a better way to spend a cold winter evening than in sizzling hot Chicago, and until February 25th you can save the plane fare. You can just head to the Keyano Theatre box office, buy some tickets, and settle in for the wildest ride of the 2011/2012 theatre season. Chicago came to Fort McMurray last night, people, and I think it just might be responsible for these unseasonably warm temperatures we are experiencing - because frankly the cast, crew, and entire production were on fire. No wonder all this snow is melting today. Chicago is burning the place down ;)

My sincere thanks AND congratulations

to the cast and crew of

"Chicago, The Musical".

You are ALL amazing!

Grand Opening of "The Post" - A New Art Gallery in Town!

2012-02-18T10:06:00.000-08:00

Last night as part of the winterPLAY schedule of events I was delighted to attend the grand opening of a new venture - a volunteer-run art gallery in the basement space by the Keyano Theatre lobby. The new gallery is called "The Post", and it is designed to bring art work to Fort McMurray that otherwise we may need to travel to see, as well as showcasing local artists.

Now, if you have lived in Fort Mac as long as I have you might remember that there used to be a gallery in that same space. It has been closed now for some time, and it was sad to see that empty, shuttered space whenever I attended the theatre at Keyano. Last night that quiet spot sprang to life again with an exhibit from two Alberta artists named David Janzen and Julian Forrest, and local residents toasted the new gallery with champagne.

Running an art gallery in this city is a tricky thing, especially when it is volunteer-driven and organized. Volunteer curator/director Connor Buchanon has taken this project on, and I suspect it will flourish in her capable hands, and in a renewed climate of interest in arts and culture in this community. Connor is also responsible for the Wood Buffalo Culture blog, a tremendous place for information regarding arts and culture events in the region (and a resource I refer to often).

The exhibit currently on display is fascinating, with David Janzen's work focusing on space shuttle launches depicted on various surface media, and Julian Forrest's intriguing depictions on the theme of "tension" (I found the coyote paintings most interesting).

The Post is an Events Wood Buffalo initiative, but it is intended to be volunteer-operated. There is a need for volunteers to be present at the gallery during opening times, and there will be opportunities for these volunteers to pursue professional development training in relation to the gallery (as well as receiving gallery training). If this is of interest to you I would encourage you to contact The Post, as it is a chance to get in early on what I suspect will be a grand success in the thriving arts scene in our community.

The Post will also be the spot for the upcoming launch of the latest edition of NorthWord, that regional literary publication near and dear to my heart. The official launch of issue number six, "Sinful", is on February 24th from 5:30-8:30, and is billed as "An Evening of the Arts", a chance to enjoy visual art, music, and literary works. There will be literary readings, wine and cheese, and a chance to meet the NorthWord editors and board. Added to the opportunity to see the new exhibit at The Post it sounds like a wonderful evening indeed.

So, people, we have a new art gallery in town, and it is already hosting things like launches of literary magazines. I've been saying for some time that we are on the cusp of something in this community, not just the leap from small town to urban centre, but I think a renaissance of our arts and culture scene. The grand opening of The Post is simply another bit of evidence I'm adding to the growing pile convincing me of this fact. I encourage you to go and check it out - and I think you'll be convinced, too.

The hours at "The Post"

are Tues-Fri 5-9 pm, and Sat 10-6.

It is located at Keyano College, in the space

downstairs from the Keyano Theatre lobby.

The launch of NorthWord Issue 6

"Sinful" is Friday, February 24th,

from 5:30 to 8:30 pm.

Seeing The Wood Buffalo Truth

2012-02-18T09:25:00.000-08:00

There are so many things happening recently in the city that I find myself desperately pressed for time most days, as so many of us do. I rush from appointment to appointment, activities related to the Intrepid Junior Bloggers, school council meetings, events...it all becomes a bit of a blur most days. And I often find me scolding myself for not making the time to do something I have promised myself that I will do - like just yesterday when I realized I still hadn't gone to the community art gallery at MacDonald Island Park to see their latest exhibit, entitled "Wood Buffalo Truth".

I felt particularly bad about this as I have written about one of the artists showcased in the exhibit, Megan Storrar, and I even own one of her beautiful pieces. So, yesterday, after I finished at the gym instead of heading straight to the locker room I headed to the hallway on the second floor of Mac Island (which houses the gallery). I was hot, sweaty, tired, and not sure I was really in the mood for art - but the instant I walked in my mood changed. And that's because the art in this exhibit is all about my community. It is my Fort McMurray. It is my home, and it is the truth as seen by artists Megan Storrar and Margaret Sonnenberg. It is my truth, too.

The only camera I had with me was my iPhone, and thus I apologize for the poor quality of these photos. They don't do the actual paintings justice at all - but perhaps this glimpse of them will convince you of the need to see them in person. There is something profound about these paintings, people. There is something very real, very touching, and very personal about them, because if you have lived here you have seen these things. In a city so often portrayed by outside media as consisting of nothing but tailings ponds, giant trucks, and wide, dirty, dusty streets lined with traffic and book-ended by bars, these paintings show another side. They show the beauty that is our region.

I love Margaret Sonnenberg's stained-glass effect paintings.

Stunning in their simplicity,

beautiful in their execution.

I love the way Megan Storrar paints trees -

they come alive in her mind's eye,

and they frame our gorgeous northern skies.

Megan exhorts us to simply "look up" -

and when we look up here

we can see so very much,

from northern lights to a beautiful blue sky.

The skate park at Borealis Park has become

a spot close to my heart for many reasons.

I think it says so much about this city,

a very urban feeling skate park

so close to the natural beauty of the river.

And this painting that captures the joy of a rider mid-jump?

Amazing.

The riverbank in winter.

Is there a sight more stunning in this place we call home?

The tranquility and beauty we find here -

and one so unexpected when you first arrive

and don't know what you will find.

The forest paths in winter -

perhaps my very favourite season of all

simply for the crisp colours and temperature.

The colours of fall, the autumn sky -

the natural beauty that surrounds us.

When you first arrive at the gallery this is the first painting to greet you. The infamous Highway 63 - the highway we talk about, worry about, complain about, wish were twinned already - and the highway that brings every person who travels by road into this community. There are a few famous highways in the world, like the iconic "Route 66" - I would argue that Highway 63 has become iconic in Canada for so many reasons, but mostly because it is the highway that leads to one of the most unusual, fascinating, and wondered about places in the world - Fort McMurray, Alberta.

By the time I left the art gallery I was still hot and sweaty but no longer tired. Instead I felt uplifted. I use this blog to write about my story of life in this community. I try to share my story of life here through my words, and Margaret and Megan do the same thing, but with their paintbrushes. I am delighted that we seem to have a similar vision, too, one that sees not just the city but our natural beauty and the beauty of our residents. Their truth is very similar to mine in many respects, and it is a truth known by all those who have lived here for any length of time. Wood Buffalo isn't just oil sands and pick up trucks, tailings ponds and dusty streets. The truth is that Wood Buffalo is a place of all those things, but it's also a place of forests and rivers and sun dogs and northern lights, and the kind of beauty that brings you joy. I found that sense of joy at the exhibit of "Wood Buffalo Truth" - and I encourage you to go and do the same, Fort Mac.

The exhibit "Wood Buffalo Truth"

is at the

MacDonald Island Community Art Gallery

until February 24th.

winterPLAY - Champloo, "White Caps", and A Journey

2012-02-17T10:52:00.000-08:00

Well, people, last night I took in the first official winterPLAY event - the presentation of "White Caps" by Champloo, a group from Bristol, England. I'd gotten a sneak preview of Champloo at the opening ceremonies on Tuesday evening, and I was dazzled by two young men who are incredible dancers. I'd tried to figure out what "White Caps" would be, as it was a billed as a multimedia presentation but with live dance, and I watched the YouTube videos. I have to admit - even then I wasn't sure what this was going to be, but having an open mind I arrived at the Suncor Energy Centre for the Performing Arts, found a seat, and settled in.

And people - it wasn't what I expected. It was, however, better than I expected. This was the first time this show has ever been performed ANYWHERE in North America, and it has been playing to sold-out audiences in Europe. After seeing it I understand why, too - because it is quite astonishing in every sense.

The show consists of filmed segments, with beautiful cinematography, soaring music, and gorgeous choreography. It is then blended with live dance segments, some incorporating those b-boy moves but also interpretive dance of a very high calibre. If you are one of those who enjoys "So You Think You Can Dance" then you've seen interpretive dance, and you've likely been mesmerized by it, too. And that is the word I would use for Joel Daniel and Wilkie Branson - mesmerizing, from start to finish.

It is very difficult to describe White Caps, and I think it's one of those things you have to see to understand. Even then I suspect some people might leave the theatre thinking "what the hell was all that about?" and that's okay, too (I'll explain why in a bit). For me, personally, White Caps was about a journey, and while I watched it it caused me to reflect on my own personal journey.

I'm going to get a wee bit personal here, so bear with me, because it's pertinent to this. We are rapidly approaching the third anniversary of my mother's unexpected death. I always get a bit introspective around this time because my mother's death was very unexpected, and without a lot of details it changed my life profoundly. I began a personal journey the day she died, and it saw me travel through a lot of territory. In the last year much of that travel involved this blog and all the joy it has brought me, but there were dark times in the last three years, too. As I watched White Caps I thought of the times when I felt it would simply be easier to lie down and give up. The times when I thought it would be easier to just drift on the stream of life, not controlling my own path but just going where it took me. The times when I was so overwhelmed with joy that I could feel myself soaring like a dancer taking flight in the forest. And the times when I faced an obstacle so seemingly insurmountable that I didn't think I could overcome it, when the water flowed down the steps of my life so swiftly that I feared I would be swept away. And, finally, the times when I reached a peak of some sort - personally, professionally, emotionally - and I could see that the journey had been worth every step of the way. And that, people, is what White Caps did for me. It traced the journey we all take in life, the good moments and the bad, and the points where we reach our destination and can reflect on the trip. Last night I reflected on the journey of the last three years, and what was a "multimedia presentation" became a meaningful personal experience for me.

Now, not everyone will relate to White Caps as I did. Some people will think it's "pretty", and some will just think they are talented dancers. Some will think the film is lovely, and some will love the music. And some will leave the theatre thinking "what the hell was all that about?", too. And here's why that is ok - because sometimes it's ok to find things you don't fully understand, that challenge you and make you think. Maybe you'll walk away thinking it isn't really for you and you'll never "get" interpretive dance. Or, just maybe, like me you may actually find yourself tearing up a bit at moments as it touches something in you. The point is that if you never try something new, never seek those new experiences, then you can never know if they will be meaningful to you. You can let life be the stream that controls you, or you can direct the stream and explore new thoughts, ideas, and experiences. We have a unique opportunity here, people. Champloo is in town with White Caps tonight and tomorrow and then they are gone - and if you miss it you will never know what it could have meant to you. That decision is yours - but I know that for me it was an experience that was another step on the journey begun three years ago, and it is a step I am so very, very glad I had the chance to take, thanks to Champloo, White Caps, and winterPLAY from Events Wood Buffalo.

An Educational Conversation Cafe

2012-02-16T14:02:00.000-08:00

When I was invited to the recent Alberta School Board Association Education Conversation Cafe I wasn't sure which of my various "hats" I would wear. Would I go as a blogger, a parent, a community resident, or the secretary of the Intrepid Junior Blogger's school council? You see I am all those things, and in the end when I attended the very successful, and very interesting, event yesterday I ended up wearing all those hats and speaking as someone from all those perspectives. The cafe was hosted by the Zone 2/3 ASBA, and we here in Fort McMurray are part of that zone, along with many of our neighbouring school boards (and some representatives of those boards joined us yesterday, too, which was great to see as I always love a chance to welcome those from other places to our community).

The Education Conversation Cafe was designed to bring together people from the community - educators, trustees from both the public and Catholic school boards, leaders of non-profit organizations, others who work with children, media, politicians, and interested average citizens - to discuss education, and specifically in this case the funding of it. It was a round table format, with several people at a table, a set of 6 discussion topics, and after each discussion an opportunity to share with the entire group the most pertinent conclusion your table had discovered on each topic (my table very helpfully "voluntold" me as our table presenter, despite my qualms about my public speaking ability and tendency to shake like a leaf when speaking in front of anything more than two people).

Discussing education funding might seem a bit dry and dull, especially if you don't have children in the system, but it's anything but boring. The questions posed are pretty fundamental ones, and they cut right to the core of what we value, what we believe in, and what we wish to see in our education system in Alberta. Education isn't a topic that should be of interest solely to parents - rather it's an issue that should concern us all because those students, whether they are our children or not, are the future of our province, our country, and our world. The education we provide them is the foundation for the rest of their lives, and if you don't think that's important then you and I don't have a great deal in common, really. Education, in my mind, is a fundamental pillar of life - and of community.

The group at the Suncor Energy Centre for the Performing Arts was a diverse one (and on a side note I continue to be amazed at how versatile the space occupied by the new performing arts theatre is - meeting room, live theatre, zumba, concert, dance? Yes, it can accommodate all of those, and more). We discussed questions like whether education funding is adequate and equitable (no to adequacy, and impossible to determine equitability according to my table's thoughts considering how different situations can be from school board to school board). We discussed capital funding, and we discussed how we would make funding adequate and equitable (and let the record show a good number seemed to think resource royalty rates should be looked at again given our strong resource-based economy in this province - but many also believe we should be evaluating our education system and making sure we spend our money in the most effective ways, too, not just throwing more money into it). We discussed some thorny issues, like classroom inclusion for special needs children (thorny in the sense that there are often additional costs associated with these students - the question becomes meeting those costs and making sure all students are adequately funded regardless of their needs). And we discussed early childhood education - junior kindergarten, half-day kindergarten, full-day kindergarten - and how to fund them if we supported earlier entry into the school system.

And while there was supposed to be six questions we ended up discussing only five - simply because we ran out of time. I can guarantee, too, that many of the questions could have been discussed for much longer simply because of their complexity and lack of easy answers. I suppose that's the only suggestion I would have - these education conversation cafes should probably be full day affairs, as on issues such as this I think more time is needed to explore them in depth. Just the surface skimming we did yesterday provided food for thought for many days for me, and I would love to attend a full day conversation cafe to see what ideas come out of it.

I would like to thank the ASBA Zone 2/3 folks for organizing the Education Conversation Cafe, and especially our very own Catholic school board trustee Tracy McKinnon, who took on the task of arranging our local event (they are holding these cafes in other places in Zone 2/3 as well). I think it was not only a brilliant idea but I also suspect every person who attended walked away thinking about the importance and value of education, as well as thinking about the issues regarding adequate, sustainable, and predictable funding for it. Some of the people in that room yesterday probably think about those things every day, but for people like me, not directly involved in education, it was a chance to explore those ideas. And that's why I wanted to share it with you, Fort Mac, because it's one of those things we should likely all be thinking about. Those little faces in the classroom, on the playground, in the Wal-Mart, in the grocery store, and, if you are like me, in your very own house, deserve the best future we can give to them - and it starts with their education. Education is the key to the future - and right now we, the adults of this community, are in charge of that key. Which future will we choose to unlock for them? It's up to all of us.

My genuine and sincere thanks

to Tracy McKinnon for the

invitation to attend the ASBA Zone 2/3

Education Conversation Cafe, and to my

table mates for the great discussions :)

It Might Be February But winterPLAY Is Gonna Be Hot, Hot Hot!

2012-02-15T13:36:00.000-08:00

Well, people last night I attended the opening ceremonies for winterPLAY 2012. As I wrote the other day I was pretty excited about the start of this event, but really I had no idea what to expect. And what I got? Well, it blew any of my expectations out of the water - because the gang at Events Wood Buffalo put on a stunner of an opening ceremony. If this is any indication of the next couple of weeks then we are in for one helluva winter party, Fort Mac. Last night was billed as an evening of "sparks" - and it wasn't just a spark, people. It was a full-on raging inferno.

I arrived at MacDonald Island Park right at 7 pm and found people trickling onto the golf course where the opening ceremonies were being held. There was a hot chocolate tent, sponsored by Decadent Pink (the recent event celebrating and honoring women), and they even had mini cupcakes (mmm, hot chocolate and cupcakes, supper for one blogger who shall remain nameless).

There was a huge skating rink, sparsely populated at first but those skating made up in enthusiasm what they lacked in numbers.

There was the "lover's bonfire", which was the perfect spot to drink hot chocolate, eat cupcakes, and cozy up to your loved ones, be they big or small.

The real focus was the stage, of course, and as soon as the official ceremonies began I maneuvered right in front for the best possible view - and I'm bloody glad I did, because what a show it was! The ceremonies began with the folks from Events Wood Buffalo, including Executive Director David Whitelock who delivered the address from our mayor as she was needed at a city council meeting and couldn't attend the opening. Hearing Melissa's speech delivered in David's raucous Scottish accent was almost entertainment enough, but it was really just the beginning of the show. Then we heard from a representative of Syncrude, title sponsor of the festival (yay Syncrude!).

Following the speeches we got a sneak preview of one of the very first acts at WinterPLAY this year - Champloo. Since I was right up at the front and a shameless veteran eavesdropper I heard them talking about when they would hit the stage - and hit the stage they did.

Champloo is a b-boy dance group from Bristol. See how blurry these photos are? That's because my poor camera couldn't keep up with the movements, and fast motions combined with a dark setting leads to very blurry pictures. I'll tell you this, though - those boys are jaw-dropping good. They can move in ways that quite likely isn't normal and will likely lead to arthritis when they are my age. After seeing this little preview I cannot wait for Thursday to see "White Caps", their multimedia presentation, at the Suncor Energy Centre for the Performing Arts. They have shows Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, and I think they are an absolute must-see.

Up after Champloo was a troupe from Calgary called "Firestorm". Ever wanted to dance with fire, hula hoop with fire, breathe fire like a dragon? Yeah, me too, but being rather terrified of time in the burn unit it's rather nice to watch some other brave souls do it instead - and "Firestorm" are those souls.

Phoenix does a lovely dance with fire, mesmerizing and haunting. And the young blonde man named Rootez who hula hoops a fire ring? Well, he gave a whole new meaning to "ring of fire" and frankly I thought he was adorable (tall, thin, blonde, moves like a maniac, and unafraid of fire - I keep telling you people I'm old, not dead, and certainly not blind to the charms of such a performer).

And things got a little warmer when he removed his T-shirt and started making little hearts with hands, too. Well, I felt warmer anyhow, no idea about the external temperature as I wasn't paying much attention to my frozen toes anymore.

The finale, the act that saw every "Firestorm" performer on stage, and so much fire that you could smell the gasoline, was astonishing. The troupe leader who "breathed" fire? Awesome, I genuinely wish I could do that in traffic some days to express my displeasure. And Phoenix, cracking that fire-covered whip? Wow!

I was close enough to the above two that I started to get slightly woozy from gasoline fumes and I think they got gasoline on my coat, too. It's okay, I don't plan to send my cleaning bill to Events Wood Buffalo, that's just what I get for wanting to be in the front row.

Yes, that is fire being blown right at me. And yes, I DID back up. And this is what it looks like when a fiery whip is cracked at you:

After "Firestorm" finished their performance the next treat was of an incendiary nature indeed - fireworks. But not just any fireworks, mind you. Fireworks beautifully choreographed to music. Fireworks that included red hearts bursting in the air, stunning the overwhelmed crowd. I was delighted by the comments I overheard from those watching - things like "amazing", "wow", and "best ever". I'm going with "best ever" (I would also accept "breathtaking" and "outstanding") because I think it's the most incredible fireworks display I've ever seen, definitely here and perhaps in my entire life. Beautiful, thematic, timed wonderfully to the music - a genuine joy to behold.

These two are fireworks exploding above the stage that moments before had been filled with fiery whips, hula hoops, and torches...

And these two - do you see the hearts? So sweet for Valentine's Day...

Look, people. I've been to a lot of events here over the last decade. All I can say is that if this is a sign of what the next couple of weeks are going to be like then I may just pass out from sheer excitement. When I arrived home I grabbed the older Intrepid Junior Blogger and told her about Champloo (two cute British guys who can dance their butts off? Yeah, she's coming with me to their show on Thursday). What had been me going out to some winterPLAY events is rapidly becoming our entire little gang going out to every single event we can hit (the dog isn't going to be very fond of us when this is all over as she likes us at home where she can keep those anxious little terrier eyes on us). And I will tell you this now - if you haven't been planning to attend any winterPLAY events start booking tickets NOW. Start with "White Caps" by Champloo, because you won't be disappointed. And then just keep booking tickets, people. I haven't checked the weather forecast for the next two weeks but regardless of what the temperature is expected to be I can guarantee this - winterPLAY is gonna be totally smokin' hot!

One Green Paperclip, A Pashmina, $100 Keg Gift Card - and a Custom Cake and Face Painting

2012-02-14T14:10:00.000-08:00

Well, people, it never rains but it pours. The One Green Paperclip in Fort McMurray experiment had stalled out a bit due to illness, busy-ness, and general "life-getting-in-the-way-ness". The Intrepid Junior Bloggers and I are back in action, though, and we are quite delighted to announce our newest trade - and what we now have up for offer!

As you recall we had in hand a lovely soft ivory pashmina from Nisa Collection, and a kindly (and anonymously) donated $100 Keg Gift Card. I received a message on Twitter from someone who I've become quite fond of, and they were interested in a trade. Their offer? Two hours of face painting for an upcoming party - and a custom cake, to either be used at the party and/or for another occasion.

Now I'm aware of how popular cake decorating has become. I'm quite aware of shows like Cake Boss, and I have my very own local cupcake artist who supplies the goods for most of the parties I host these days. What I didn't realize is that one local young woman is quite talented in the art of cake decorating - and I was blown away when she sent photos of her work:

April and I became friends on Twitter, and I've long been drooling over her photos and descriptions of meals she has made and items she has baked (and she includes photos, too, often making me consider dropping my laptop and rushing over to her house with my hands out like some starving orphan). I happen to be a big fan of food, just not a fan of making it, and so April has provided me with a great deal of joy with her food porn photos on Twitter (and I've invited myself to her house for dinner - one of these days I swear I am just going to show up!). April is also a mom to two little boys, active in our social media world, sweet and thoughtful, and frankly just one of my favourite people here. So, when she offered face painting and cake I was intrigued.

So, she makes cakes for kids, obviously, but that's not all. She also makes cakes for occasions like baby showers, such as these baby bump ones:

And some that are a bit more risque, like this one (and others, but I'm not sharing those pics - hey, my kids read this, people!)...

The point is that April doesn't "make cakes" - she makes cake art. I know at the parties I host how the custom cupcakes I order tend to draw a lot of attention - so I am quite certain someone out there is dying for a custom cake for a special occasion. April has offered not only a cake but also the face painting, which can be for the same event, a different event, or even given away (you know, if you're like me and just want to get your paws on some custom cake). This trade item has a value of $300 (and people, I know what I pay for custom cupcakes, and they are worth every damn penny, so you know custom cake - and face painting services! - are too).

So, this of course brings the Intrepid Junior Bloggers and I to our next question. Fort Mac, through the kindness and generosity of April we now have for offer a gift certificate for a custom cake and face painting services - wanna trade? You know you want cake - so help us to keep One Green Paperclip in Fort McMurray moving along! You can find me at McMurray Musings - let's trade and then you can invite me over for cake, okay? :)

One Green Paperclip In Fort McMurray Timeline

One green paperclip

Jerry Neville of Country 93.3

for

one radio interview

One radio interview shout-out

Ellen of Pamper Me Beauty

for

one mini-makeover gift certificate

One mini-makeover gift certificate

Lisa Boutilier

for

hockey memorabilia

Hockey memorabilia

KAOS 91.1

for

two banquet tickets

Two banquet tickets

Nisa Collection

for

one pashmina

(and

Keg gift card

from

Anonymous)

One pashmina and Keg gift certificate

April

for

custom cake

and

face painting gift certificate

One custom cake

and

face painting gift certificate

for

A Valentine's Day Turning Point

2012-02-14T10:39:00.000-08:00

Well, it's that day again. Valentine's Day. One of those days that can be looked at as just another day, or a cash grab by card and chocolate makers, or to celebrate love, or a day to avoid if you happen to be unhappily single. Today I thought it might be nice to celebrate the day with a post about some local love stories - but I didn't have to go out to find them. No, Wood Buffalo Big Spirit has done that already, and even put them on their website with videos to showcase them, too.

There are six lovely stories on the website, and the greatest part is that these couples found love right here in Fort McMurray. That shouldn't seem like a big deal, really, and perhaps it isn't, but I'm guessing it is to those six couples. Because you never forget the place you met, or how, and even if some day you leave it you will always recall it as a place special in your heart.

Fort McMurray is special to my heart for so many reasons, the biggest one being all the wonderful friends I have made here. I've found the best friend I've ever had here, and another friend who has become a brother to me (complete with annoying the hell out of me some days). I've found dozens of other friends, too, people that have enriched my life in so very many ways. I didn't meet my husband here - that happened in a Taco Time/Dairy Queen in Saskatoon (he was a musician, I was a university student, and he stole the beret I was wearing - see, you never forget!). And here we are so many years later, about to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary this year (yes, I was a child bride, barely out of infancy in fact, thanks for noticing!). I suppose what touched me the most about the videos is that every relationship has a story, a narrative of how and why and when and where - and every story, like all those other stories here, deserves to be told.

I'm delighted that Wood Buffalo Big Spirit decided to showcase these stories of love. I'm pleased to be able to share them with you today, Fort Mac, on a day truly just like any other day - and like any other day these stories of love deserve to be heard. I sincerely hope you'll take a moment to do so!

WinterPLAY Begins Tomorrow!

2012-02-13T13:46:00.000-08:00

Well, the brochure and website have been out for a bit now, but have you seen them? If not you need to take a look, because WinterPLAY starts tomorrow - and it's promising to be an incredible event in Fort McMurray. Running from February 14th - March 4th it's jam-packed with activities. Some are going to be quite unusual for this community, and definitely worth checking out. The good folks at Events Wood Buffalo have some real treats planned for our community, and I'm pretty excited about several of them.

The first thing on the agenda is the opening ceremony being held tomorrow night at MacDonald Island Park on the Miskanaw Golf Course. It's being billed as an evening of "sparks", with a lover's bonfire, fireworks, and an act called the Firestorm Troupe. Sounds like the perfect way to warm up a chilly winter evening, doesn't it? The festivities get under way at 7 pm, and while the official ceremonies conclude at 8 the bonfire and skating will continue until 10 pm.

Then is something I'm pretty stoked about, people. It's a multimedia experience from Bristol-based Champloo, a dance company. It's called "White Caps" and it looks to be pretty phenomenal:

"White Caps" is playing at the Suncor Energy Centre for the Performing Arts February 16-18 at 8 pm, and for only $35 I think it's a must-see.

Then on Saturday February 18th is the concert the Intrepid Junior Bloggers have been excited about for weeks - Down With Webster at the Nexen Field House at MacDonald Island Park. They've been talking about it for weeks, too, and I'm thinking the show will easily surpass the previous show they played here last summer.

So, that's just three events that I am pretty excited about - and there happens to be several more, too. If you haven't checked out what is happening then see this calendar to see what is happening, and be sure to visit the WinterPLAY website for comprehensive information and ticket sales. I don't know about you, people, but I'm really looking forward to the next three weeks in this community - and I hope to see you tomorrow night around the bonfire!

One Green Paperclip, KAOS 91.1 Banquet Tickets, A Pashmina, and The Keg

2012-02-13T11:06:00.000-08:00

Alright, people, I know you've been wondering if this little Green Paperclip in Fort McMurray project died a quick death - but it didn't. It was simply on hiatus for a bit while I attended to some other things (conferences, trivia, and the like) and the Intrepid Junior Bloggers got healthy again after being the victims of some nasty virus going around.

As we left it last time I had in hand banquet tickets for the upcoming fundraiser banquet for KAOS 91.1. I'd been delighted when they offered two tickets for the hockey memorabilia, and so the search for someone interested in the tickets began.

That's when I heard from Uzma from Nisa Collection, a home-based clothing business I have written about previously (and bought a beautiful outfit from, too). Nisa Collection was offering a gorgeous pashmina for trade, and I jumped at it - especially since someone who wanted to be involved but wished to remain anonymous wanted to donate a gift card to the project, too. They didn't want the banquet tickets, but just to be part of the experience, and so they offered a $100 Keg gift card. Coupled with the pashmina this made quite an enticing trade, I thought, as where better to wear the pashmina but to The Keg? I ran it by the Junior Bloggers, they quickly agreed, and we accepted the trade.

We now have in our possession one lovely ivory pashmina, soft as velvet, and one Keg gift card - but not for long! We have already agreed to our next trade, one we are VERY excited about and that we will share once we have a few pictures to share, too. I know this next trade is one everyone will find appealing, and I can't wait to share it with all of you. Keep tuned for more later this week, Fort Mac, because One Green Paperclip in Fort McMurray isn't done - we've only just begun :)

One Green Paperclip In Fort McMurray Timeline

One green paperclip
to
Jerry Neville of Country 93.3

for

one radio interview

One radio interview shout-out

Ellen of Pamper Me Beauty

for

one mini-makeover gift certificate

One mini-makeover gift certificate

Lisa Boutilier

for

hockey memorabilia

Hockey memorabilia

KAOS 91.1

for

two banquet tickets

Two banquet tickets

Nisa Collection

for

one pashmina

(and

Keg gift card

from

Anonymous)

One pashmina and Keg gift certificate

for

Team Trivia, The Fort McMurray Public Library, Team YMMPodcast, and a Cash Bar

2012-02-13T10:10:00.000-08:00

So, what do the four things in the title of this post mean when linked together? Well, they seem to mean trouble if my recent experience is any indication, because this past weekend I was part of Team YMMPodcast at the Team Trivia event hosted and organized by the Fort McMurray Public Library - and frankly our team started to slide sideways as soon as we spotted the cash bar.

A few weeks ago my buddy Toddske from YMMPodcast asked if I would be interested in being part of his team for this annual event. I said yes, of course, being one to rarely say no if there is a chance of entertainment and blogging potential. The original team line-up was Toddske, myself, a lovely young woman named Ashley, and Tito from the podcast - except it turned out Tito couldn't make it, so we needed a fourth. On a whim I suggested my husband, who accepted - and as it turned out our "fearsome foursome" not only did reasonably well we quite likely provided most of the entertainment, too.

Team YMMPodcast
(photo credit to FMPL)

For those who don't know Team Trivia is in it's 14th year. That's a pretty incredible accomplishment, keeping an event like this running that long, and I was curious to see what exactly it was all about. I learned it's about trivia, teams, having fun - and a cash bar, too.

My husband and I arrived at MacDonald Island at 6:30, the time I was pretty sure the doors opened. To my chagrin we were in fact 1/2 hour early, but they still let us in and even let my husband purchase a glass of wine (I decided to be the designated driver, although as the evening wore on I rather wished I was drinking). We picked a table right up at the front (quite honestly had I known then what I know now I would have selected one at the back, so we wouldn't have been quite so obvious in our merriment). While we waited for our team mates we checked out the layout - and the competition.

As other teams began to arrived I noted a few things. It was a diverse group in terms of age. It was a diverse group in terms of gender. It was a diverse group in which an amazing number were wearing team t-shirts. And when the superhero capes came out I started to get worried - because clearly this trivia thing is serious business to some folks.

The format is pretty simple - teams sit at tables around the room, with a maximum of four per team. Each team is given sheets to record their trivia answers, and there are 10 rounds with 10 questions each. The moderator reads each question twice, you record your answer, and then the answer sheets are collected and scored. Seems simple enough, and it is, of course. It's a lot simpler if you know the answers, which was sort of our stumbling point.

The evening began well enough, and our answers were reasonable. By about Round 3, though, I noticed that even though there were only 3 people at the table drinking there were 9 drinks on the table in various stages of consumption. And while we had been silly before things got even sillier, descending at moments until Team YMMPodcast was practically in tears from fits of giggles. When Toddske insisted that the character Lilly from Sesame Street had been introduced to address the topic of eating disorders and the correct answer was actually poverty he theorized that really poverty is a form of eating disorder (leading to those mad giggles as he was quite adamant about it, too). And when Ashley shared that the Queen had been a Girl Guide after a Girl Guide-related question we sort of went off track discussing who exactly in the palace would have been buying her cookies. The vision of a plaintive little future monarch trying to sell cookies to the maids and butlers pretty much did us in. And what province was the CP Railway built to entice into the country? Our first response was Washington - with the admonition that we hadn't said it was a successful ploy on the part of CP. My tendency to blurt the correct answers out loudly (meaning that other teams could hear them, as the moderator Rolando helpfully pointed out to my chagrin) led to more general amusement, as did the comment Ashley loudly made that caused Rolando to laugh so hard he spewed his drink out his mouth and all over his suit jacket. There was the time in Round Seven when I considered abandoning ship as I'd lost all semblance of control over my team (including my spouse) and feared that as the only sober person I'd be held responsible (I gave that up when it was clear no one else wanted me). And then there was the very end of the evening when my team began attacking the helium balloons at our table and inhaling the helium, but that's better not mentioned, really.

I admit it. We knew about half the answers, and we made up answers to the rest. Since the library employee in charge of official judging was named Nicole a lot of our answers consisted of things like "We love Nicole!" in hopes of swaying her towards granting us some points. And when things got desperate we answered "Steve Reeve" to several questions (Steve is a local DJ and friend, and since it was his birthday we figured it would be nice to include him - look, I didn't say what we did made any sense, did I?).

At the end of the evening we placed 13th out of 27 teams, not a horrible showing by any means. I'm pretty sure in terms of side-splitting laughter and making a spectacle of ourselves we were absolutely Number One, though. And the very best part is that we were heading from Team Trivia to Longshots, where our buddy Steve was celebrating his birthday - and those kind library folks let us take all the helium balloons we could stuff in my car (and actually more than we could, which is how I ended up driving down Franklin trailing about a dozen balloons sticking out of my trunk and looking like the town clown car). And that's how we ended up showing up for Steve's birthday as trivia losers but total birthday party guest winners when we presented him with about 70 helium balloons.

In the final analysis Team Trivia is a total blast, people. The great thing about events like this is they can appeal to everyone from those in their twenties to old people like me, and they involve some knowledge, friendship, team work, and a whole lot of laughs (I noticed as the evening wore on the tables around us started to get silly, too, although whether it was alcohol or infected by us I'm not certain). I would like to sincerely thank EVERYONE at the Fort McMurray Public Library for organizing and hosting the event, Syncrude for sponsoring it, all the volunteers who worked at it, the Mac Island staff for great food and drinks, and all the teams who attended for not demanding Team YMMPodcast be tossed out for rowdy behaviour. It was a pretty awesome evening, way better than I ever anticipated, and next year I'm coming back. But next year? I'm drinking, too :)

These are the team names from Team Trivia.

Totally hilarious names!

4 Non Wrongs

Action Tax Heroes

Bazylo's Brainiacs

BEAM

Bisque Broccoli of the Lower Vacuum…Jazzy!

Blacklee

Cheese Quiz

Dakin4

Department of Redundancy Department

Four Cocky Losers

FUBAR

Here 4 Beer

Imagine

Mac Island A. I

Medulla Oblong Knowledge

Newton's Advocates

Norfolk 'N Good

NTN Has Been

Share-a-bellum

Taking Care of Quizness

The 6851's

The Axis of Ignorance

The Honeybadgers

The Knowledge Nuts

The Naturals

Trivial Mistakes

YMM Podcast

And these are the final standings!

Community Image Summit 2.0 and Some Courageous Conversations

2012-02-10T08:55:00.000-08:00

As readers of this blog might know the recent visit of Ian Hill, keynote speaker at the Leading the North conference, had a pretty big impact on me. One of the concepts he discussed was "courageous conversations" - those discussions we may not want to have, but need to have (personally, professionally, and as a community). I was intrigued by this as I must admit I have a tendency to avoid those - I suspect most of us do, because they can be uncomfortable, awkward, and sometimes just painful. What was most intriguing, though, is just days after Leading the North there was an opportunity to engage in some of those conversations - at the Community Image Summit 2.0, hosted by Keyano College.

The Community Image Summit is billed as an "un-conference" - the attendees set the agenda and topics, and while there is some direction they pretty much drive the bus, too. There were several possible topics that could be addressed, and each attendee was given two votes towards the topics they wanted to see discussed. It was democratic, driven by the participants, and, in the end, utterly brilliant because what ended up being discussed was the topics most important to those attending (ever been to a conference where they discuss things that don't interest you at all? Yeah, me too - but this was the exact opposite of that experience).

The CIS 2.0 was held at Keyano College, the perfect venue for a "thought exercise" conference of this nature. There is just a natural synergy between a college and such conferences, I think, and it was the ideal setting to meet with about 80 people from this community. It was a diverse group, too, from all sectors of the city - industry, municipality, non-profit, and people like me, just stakeholders in what happens here.

Photo credit to CIS 2.0 Keyano College

The day started with a number of questions that had been submitted for consideration, and each participant was given two sticky dots to vote for the ones they would like to see discussed. Democratic indeed, participant driven, and fascinating to see which topics engendered the most interest, like what sort of iconic structure we could build here that could be associated with our community. The two I voted for? Well, one was "Show Don't Tell, Tell Don't Sell" - meaning spreading our message to the world in the most effective way but perhaps without the "hard sell" - and the other was one I had suggested, actually, but I wasn't alone in my suggestion, either. The topic? Changing the name of our region.

Now, before anyone gets all irate and defensive I don't have an issue with the name Fort McMurray. I think it's a lovely name, but I'm not sure it still reflects who we are, particularly the "Fort" part. I've had many people ask me if I've ever thought we should change our name, if it's an idea I had considered. And for some time we were simply known as "McMurray", too, so our name hasn't always been static. The true thing to remember, though, is that most ideas, even if we don't implement them, are worth exploring. As I've told the Intrepid Junior Bloggers if it's not illegal, immoral, or unsafe then it's worth thinking about at least. Even if you don't do it the way we achieve progress is to open ourselves to the ideas that surround us, to consider them, roll them around in our heads, and see where they go. It doesn't mean we will do them - it just means we drop our initial defences and tendency to say "hell no!" and give it some thought. And that is what we did at CIS 2.0.

Each participant was given the chance to discuss two topics, and I immediately secured a spot at the "What's In A Name" table. I found myself in excellent company, too, with people from many different sectors of our community, working in things like industry and communications. After some introductions we dove into the topic pretty quickly, and I learned a great deal, like the origins of our name, and some other things that stunned me.

Photo credit to CIS 2.0 Keyano College

I've always wondered about the name "Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo". Not only is it a mouthful I found it curious - what was the origin of this name? Why was it chosen? And that's when I learned it was an eleventh-hour choice at the time of amalgamation, a name that had never been really submitted to the public or even given a great deal of thought. It had just been the least offensive name, it worked, and they needed a name - now. And to be honest, I don't think that's good enough for us, people. When I named the Junior Blogger I didn't just grab whatever name popped up because they were going to kick us out of the hospital and she needed a name. No, it got a lot of thought and consideration. And yet we named our entire region under duress and because we had nothing better. So, our group came to the conclusion pretty quickly that few people seem to feel great attachment to the name RMWB, and that the name may not really reflect this region - and that thus it could be changed should the community desire it.

As for the name Fort McMurray - this is a bit trickier, of course. Changing the name may make it appear that we are trying to avoid our image, to distance ourselves from the negative attention we have had heaped on us. And, I suppose, it could be seen that way - but it could also be seen as us making significant changes here, both in terms of our community and in our innovation in every field. It could be us reclaiming our community, determining our own future by deciding our own name, and then proudly standing behind that name. The point is that we could keep the name and work to reclaim it, we could drop the "fort", or we could be quite cutting-edge and change it completely (as other cities have done, and successfully, too). The idea is that we, the citizens, have the power to do as we wish, to open the idea to public debate and suggestion and even a plebiscite should the idea really gain steam.

In the end our group came to some conclusions. For starters if we are going to change any names, this is the ideal time to do it, when our region and community are undergoing so many changes. I truly believe we are on the cusp of something huge happening here, of us becoming something amazing, and if we choose to change the name then this is the time. We came up with some ideas, from Aurora to Borealis to Leningrad or Constantinople (ok, that was a joke, but the idea was that those are perfectly good names that aren't currently being used so...). And again before anyone gets all hot n'bothered about all this (as happened recently when this topic came up on Twitter) just remember : this is a thought exercise, not a plan, a proposal, or a movement. This is just some people who are engaging in some outside the box thinking, not a group planning a radical overthrow of the status quo and x-ing out the current names on all the signs.

Some of our thoughts on paper

The second table I attended was the topic of "Show Don't Tell, Tell Don't Sell". This actually dovetails nicely into the name discussion in many ways, because it's about how we present our region to both those in it and outside it. The group was different this time, but again a diverse representation from our community, and an absolute pleasure to talk with. We talked a great deal about how we deal with negative outside media attention, and about the best way to get the truth about us out there. And that's when the brilliant suggestion of the "Fort Mac Five" was made.

The "Fort Mac Five" would be a set of five facts about our region - things that are surprising or interesting or intriguing or just astonishing - that we could teach to every resident of this city. Then, when they travel to other places or are talking to those not from here and hear some negative stereotype they can counter with "well, did you know...", and silence the critics (and educate them at the same time). It would take some time to come up with those five facts, of course, and it would need to be things that appeal to all of us in some sense - but I think if every person in this community was armed with an arsenal of five amazing facts about us they suddenly become very potent agents in spreading our story. They become ambassadors, and that is the true essence of showing, not telling, and telling, not selling. It's us telling our story of life here, with five amazing facts tossed in. When I began thinking about it I started coming up with dozens of facts, but I think finding five would be fairly easy (we could start with our status as most philanthropic community in Canada, for instance, something few outside the area would know but a fact of which I am deeply proud).

We ended our day with supper, and with more conversations that had been inspired by the discussions earlier in the day. I learned about the discussions other groups had engaged in (iconic structure? How about an amazing bridge across the Snye, a world showpiece?), and met many more new people. And I engaged in some of those courageous conversations Ian Hill talked about.

You see, the thing about courageous conversation is that you must be willing to step outside your comfort zone. You must be able to see beyond the "why would we" or "why should we" or "no, ain't gonna happen" and just be open to the ideas. Having those conversations doesn't mean we are going to make major changes, it doesn't mean we are going to tilt the world on it's axis - it just means we are going to explore some ideas and see where they go. We are going to open our minds (without letting our brains fall out) and see what happens when we allow some new thoughts in. Because truly that's the beauty of this community - the willingness to explore, to believe, to consider, to hope, and to think outside the box. We are not constrained by old ideologies and roped in by old ways of doing things. We are innovators, pioneers, and, most of all, courageous. And at the recent Community Image Summit 2.0 we engaged in some of that Fort McMurray(Aurora? Borealis? Leningrad?!?) bravery, people - and it was incredible to witness.

My sincere thanks to

Keyano College

for hosting the

Community Image Summit 2.0 -

I look forward to CIS 3.0! :)

Don Giovanni : The Met Live in HD in Fort McMurray

2012-02-08T09:35:00.000-08:00

When I attended the grand opening of the Suncor Energy Centre for the Performing Arts I was quite excited when they announced that one of the planned events was opera performances from The Metropolitan Opera via their Live in HD program. I know not everyone is an opera fan but I happen to genuinely enjoy opera. The soaring voices, the stunning music, the passion - what is there not to like about opera? Okay, I know some people are put off by it being in another language, but really if you read the synopsis it's pretty easy to follow along, and most of the stories are quite easy to comprehend simply by watching the action and expressions.

Well, this past Saturday was the first opera performance at the SCPA, and what a treat it was, people. The opera being performed was "Don Giovanni' - and if you aren't familiar with it this is the story of Don Juan, love 'em and leave 'em master extraordinaire.

Don Giovanni, charming - or just dangerous?

My friend and I arrived at Holy Trinity and I was a bit worried as the parking lot was quite empty. We were early, though, so I hoped that more opera fans would arrive - and arrive they did, despite several other events occurring on the same evening. In fact the crowd was quite a reasonable size, and it surprised me a bit - I'm thinking we might just see some sold out operas in this community, which is both exciting and mildly worrisome as I have a tendency to forget to buy tickets for things.

The SCPA is the perfect venue for opera - the theatre setting truly makes it feel like you are right there at The Met. I was delighted to see they had secured a liquor license and thus I could even enjoy the opera with a lovely glass of white wine. I was feeling very cosmopolitan, with my wine glass and ready to enjoy a classic tale of deceit and passion and pain and retribution.

Don Giovanni is a tale as old as time, really. Giovanni is the ultimate deceiver, a liar and cheat of epic proportions. He seduces women all over Europe, woos them with promises of love and faithfulness, and then betrays them as he moves on to his next conquest. There are those who think Giovanni charming, but not I. I think he's a prime example of a narcissistic sociopath, and I don't find those particularly charming.

Don Giovanni and his conquests

Ever met one of those people, a narcissistic sociopath? The usual advice if you meet one is to run, not walk, away - but it's not like they carry signs saying "hello, I'm a narcissistic sociopath who will destroy you". No, they are the charmers who come armed with lovely words and smiles and promises. Those words and promises can be of whatever it is you desire - love or profit. What you don't realize until it's too late - until they have stolen your heart or your bank account, or even worse, at the far end of the spectrum, your life - is that you are but a pawn in their little game. You are not a person to them, you are a means to an end. They blow into your life like a summer storm, razzle and dazzle you with a stunning show of lightning and thunder, and then blow out again, leaving you to clean up the wreckage. They are able to adapt to any situation, to adjust to any adversity, spinning on a dime, twisting and turning their way out of whatever their latest debacle happens to be. And that, in a nutshell, is Don Giovanni (and there are others out there like him, people - according to some reading I've done they may hold employment in positions of authority, like law enforcement or the military, as those jobs appeal to their nature). Giovanni is the ultimate narcissistic sociopath, and this opera is the tale of his escapades, those he has harmed (and how he has harmed them, with his words and his promises and his sword), and his eventual bitter end when hell opens up and swallows him whole. I wish more narcissistic sociopaths ended up that way but sadly that sort of thing is pretty rare (I like to believe they eventually pay in some form, though).

The betrayed Donna Elvira

Donna Anna

It's a bloody good tale, really, and the performance from The Met was stunning in everything from set to costumes to execution to song. It was a true joy to be there for this inaugural performance, and as I drove away I thought about many things, including our good fortune at having this new theatre in our community, and about the sociopaths I have been unfortunate enough to encounter (and indeed I have, as have many of us, really, whether we know it or not). I also thought about buying tickets for the next opera, which happens to occur on my birthday - "La Traviata".

I won't be thinking about it for long, though, because I have no intention of missing it. I am beyond delighted to be able to enjoy opera here in Fort Mac. I have long bemoaned that other cities got to see The Met productions on their big screens, and I am so very proud that we now have this to offer in our community, too. Bravo to the Suncor Energy Centre for the Performing Arts for being a bit brave and bringing opera to a place not usually associated with it - but that will, if the crowd from Saturday night is any indication, embrace it warmly. My advice if you've never seen opera is to just give it a try - you just might be surprised at how much you enjoy it! Hope to see you at "La Traviata", Fort Mac (and, yes, I will accept birthday drinks that evening, thank you!).

Okay, this video may seem a little odd,

but since not everyone enjoys opera I

thought I'd share some Adele. I'm pretty sure

she had a Don Giovanni touch her life -

and songs like this are the result.

And Now For Something Different - Getting Down With Webster (Again)

2012-02-07T10:16:00.000-08:00

I wrote a few months ago about a concert I took the Intrepid Junior Bloggers to. It was a band they were quite keen to see, and one I knew virtually nothing about. I started out wary, thinking I was too old for this music (by decades, really), and walked away with an iPod full of their tunes. It's amazing how a live show can change your mind about a performer - and that's what happened when I went to see Down With Webster in the summer of 2011.

Down With Webster is a Canadian act with a solid following and track record. They are also pretty bloody hard-working - I follow them on Twitter and they always seem to be on the road and playing gigs (I've spent enough time with musicians in my younger years to know this isn't always the case with bands). That means they are getting lots of experience, and experience makes you better - which is why I'm looking forward to seeing DWW on February 18th at MacDonald Island. I'm thinking with another few months of performing under them they will blow this show right out of the water.

Last time I went I got some pretty amused glances when I pulled out my iPad but I honestly wasn't expecting I'd enjoy the show. I thought I'd take the Junior Bloggers, get some work done while they got whatever DWW obsession out of their system for a bit, and hang out. I didn't know I'd be dumping the iPad about 10 minutes in and be on my feet dancing, but there you are. And there I was, likely making a fool out of myself (and not caring a bit, as usual).

I'm also pretty excited for the Junior Bloggers. The older one caught a drumstick last time and is hoping to get it signed this time around. The younger one is planning to use her petite size and charming smile to end up right in front of the stage again (last time some older girls were concerned she would be crushed so pushed her up in front of the stage, giving her the best view of the night - little do they know she would have weaseled her way up there regardless).

And I think they are both looking forward to seeing the DWW boys again, handsome young men indeed (and maybe Bucky could wear that tight white T-shirt again - I'm old, people, but not dead). More than anything I think they are just looking forward to another evening spent dancing and taking pictures and getting just a little bit Fort Mac crazy.

Word just came in that DWW has been nominated for the Juno Awards this year, too - for Group of the Year and Pop Album of the Year. So, we have some Juno nominees headed to the city - but even if they weren't nominated they are worth the ticket price to see them live, trust me. I wasn't sure last time - but this time as soon as the concert was announced I knew I would be there - with or without the Intrepid Junior Bloggers.

Yes, I'm a DWW fan, people. I can't help it. They are infectious and entertaining and hard working and talented and funny and just a good time. And this time my iPod is loaded with DWW songs so when we drive away from Mac Island we can listen to them again while we stop for some fast food, eat burgers in the car, and talk about the magic and the mayhem of a live concert. Because that's what it's all about, really - living in the moment and grabbing all the magic and mayhem and music you can. Hope to see you in the DWW crowd, Fort Mac!

Tickets for Down With Webster

on February 18th

are available here.

Check out more

Down With Webster

here!

And Then Ian Hill Totally Stole The Show.....

2012-02-05T12:50:00.000-08:00

I'm going to be very honest about the recent Leading the North conference in Fort McMurray. I had a terrific three days, and there were some phenomenal presentations and incredible moments - but the best part of the conference, the moments most unforgettable, had to be those spent in the company of Ian Hill, venture capitalist, philanthropist, and "business guy". I wrote already about Ian's opening keynote address, which brought me to tears. Today I will tell you about his presentation on the final day of the conference, and how he completely stole the show from anyone who came before or after.

The presentation was titled "Leadership and Community Development in Northern Alberta". Now, that's a pretty dry title, but after having seen Ian burn up the stage once already I knew that the title was deceiving and that Ian's talk would be anything but dry - and I was quite right.

Ian has a way of speaking that pretty much cuts right to the core, both of the subject matter and of you personally. He has a way that makes it feel like he is speaking directly to you, which is perhaps why he is such an incredibly successful speaker - because once you've seen Ian Hill speak you won't forget it, and I can pretty much guarantee that.

Ian covers a lot of territory when he speaks, but his topic this time was one that interests me deeply - community. And he had some very interesting things to say about community, about creating and growing a community - and about us, Fort Mac.

Ian spoke about how we have become a prosumer society - not just consumers but producers and consumers at the same time. He said this : "If you always do what you've always done you'll always get what you've always got". Think about that for a moment - if we never change anything, we will never see change. If we never try anything new, we will never see anything new. If we always stick to the status quo we will always have...the status quo. And people - that's not good enough for this community.

Ian talked about becoming an "agent of change" - about how we can all participate in making this community a "beacon of hope" for the rest of the world. He talked about how each of us - every single one of us, really - is looking for a leader, but that instead of searching perhaps we should be that leader.

We need to think about some things along the way, of course, like what our vision is and where we want to take this community. We need to assess where we are at today, and what attitudes we need to adopt to get to where we want to be. And we need to do one very important thing, a thing Ian mentioned that has stuck with me ever since he said it. We need to engage in some "courageous conversations".

Courageous conversations are those that we don't always want to have but that need to be explored. Ian was speaking on a community level but I think this is true also professionally and personally. These conversations are designed to get to the truth of what is going on, not what we want or wish to it to be. These require a high degree of maturity to engage in - and they may well expose our own flaws and foibles. Through courageous conversations, however, we can effect change. We can reveal the truth, and when the truth is revealed we can discover where it leads us.

Ian asked some questions, too, questions spinning in my head for over a week now, questions like:

Why am I here?
Are we leading the way we need today?
Do you have to be "sick" to get "better"?
Why are people apathetic?

The answer to that last question, about apathy, was answered by Ian and I happen to agree with his assessment. Apathy arises when people think that what they say and do will not make a difference. Apathy is reactionary to a belief that one person cannot effect change. And that's when Ian hit us with this stellar quote, from someone who knew adversity - Helen Keller:

And in the end that is what it all comes down to, people. You may be one - but you are still one. And you can effect change. One person can change their lives, change their community, and maybe even change the world. It is belief in the power of one that counters that insidious apathy in our world.

Towards the end of his presentation Ian asked each person in attendance at the conference to make a commitment to him, a commitment of something they could do for this community. Later that evening, after the conference ended, I had the chance to have supper with Ian, and I told him of my personal commitment - a commitment to look at using this blog to explore some of those desperately needed courageous conversations. For many months now I have been an observer, and I will continue to be - but I hope in the future to be the catalyst and convener of some of those conversations, and I hope you will join me in them, Fort Mac. That is the commitment I made to Ian - and myself.

At the end of Ian's presentation I realized I was close to tears again, simply because he had once again inspired, captivated, and amazed me. I happened to be seated very close to where he was speaking, not up on the stage but down on the floor in the audience (Ian tends to wander into the audience when he speaks, very effective in engaging you). When Ian came close to me I saw his face was damp, and I thought he had worked up quite a sweat while speaking - and then I realized there were tears rolling down his face, not sweat. Ian Hill, venture capitalist, philanthropist, "business guy", and, in my eyes, hero, was crying, too. And that is when I came to fully believe in his sincerity, his authenticity, and his genuine belief in all he says. Ian Hill is not "just" a motivational speaker - he's the kind of person who makes you believe you can do more, be more, accomplish more, and explore more than you ever believed you could. And in that way Ian Hill stole the show - and my heart.

I am including these tweets,

which I sent as Ian Hill was speaking.

I think they are worth sharing here, too.

I think they show the impact he had on me -

and I believe on everyone in that room that day.

And Then There Was Peter Silverstone and Patrick Moore Talking Oil Sands...

2012-02-04T07:27:00.000-08:00

One of the things I don't write about a great deal in this blog is the oil sands. That's not because I am blind to their existence or disinterested - it's because I feel I just don't know enough to write about them intelligently. I think there are far more educated and wise people out there writing about these topics, and so I generally leave it to them. This time, though, I had the privilege to hear two different presentations at the recent Leading the North conference, and both were about the oil sands. They were both intriguing, but for vastly different reasons, and despite my limited knowledge I'd like to share some of what I learned with you. What made it most interesting is that the presentations were made right after each other, leading to a sense of juxtaposition you rarely see in most conferences. I admit it - by the end of the two presentations I had some ideology whiplash, and I think you will soon see why.

Peter Silverstone

The first presentation came from Peter Silverstone, who seems like an odd person to be writing and speaking about oil sands. He is not an environmental scientist or engineer, and he's not in industry. He's a physician, and a very accomplished one, too, with a long string of academic and research credentials. The question becomes why he is interested in oil sands, and I suspect it's simply because he's an extremely bright man who is curious about many things, and this just happens to be the one his mind settled on at some point.

Peter has spent a good deal of his life doing research, and he brought that experience with him when he began looking at the oil sands and their development. Through this research he came to a conclusion - we have a real problem, and the problem is that no matter how we spin it the environmental cost of our industry could mean the end of it. Peter argues that climate change does exist, that the oil sands do contribute to greenhouse gas emissions, and that as a result our industry is in serious jeopardy from outside forces. He also contends that using a fact-based argument to counter an emotional plea will always fail (and I've been saying this for years, really - facts in the face of emotion always lose as we are fundamentally emotional creatures, and not always logical ones).

Peter's solution, as proposed in his book "World's Greenest Oil", is to tie royalty rates to greenhouse gas emissions - the more GHG produced by a company, the higher the royalty they pay. In this way not only do we encourage environmentally sound development we also improve our international image by showing that we intend to hold industry economically accountable for their practices. It was an intriguing suggestion, and I followed his logic carefully.

What I found most interesting, though, was the audience's reaction as Peter spoke. There was essentially absolute silence - because what he was saying was uncomfortable, troubling, and worrisome. He was coming to Fort McMurray and fundamentally saying that we could end up having the oil sands quite literally shut down due to outside forces determining that our oil is too "dirty" to continue to be used. This is not an easy sell in this community, and I was fascinated by the disquiet it seemed to engender in the gathered conference attendees. At moments you could hear a pin drop, and it was perhaps the quietest presentation I'd seen at the conference, no laughter or murmurs of agreement. But there wasn't a lot of murmurs of disagreement, either, because I think most people in the room recognized some grain of truth in what Peter was saying. I doubt all agreed with his conclusions or even his contention that the industry could be shut down - but I think most understood that we do have an image problem at the very least, and it was being laid out in front of us, stripped bare for all to see. Later that day Ian Hill spoke again (an address I will write more about, too) and one of the things he discussed was the concept of "courageous conversations" - and I think Peter Silverstone was holding one of those with us on that Friday afternoon.

After Peter finished there was a short break, and then it was on to the next presentation, and a speaker quite opposed to Peter in some ways and yet similar in some respects, too - Patrick Moore, one of the original Greenpeace founders, and self-proclaimed Greenpeace dropout.

Patrick Moore

I was very enthusiastic about hearing Patrick speak since we have one thing in common - I too am a Greenpeace dropout. I can't claim to be an original member or founder, but I was a member for many years in my high school and university days. I was young and idealistic and Greenpeace appealed to me for many reasons, mainly because it was all about effecting change, and I was all about change in those days (as attested by hair that never stayed the same colour for more than a few weeks at a time).

Patrick's presentation differed from Peter's right from the beginning - because Patrick doesn't think we should worry about a thing, really, and he is no oil sands apologist. He is instead an oil sands proponent, and he calls himself a "sensible environmentalist". He believes the oil sands are being developed in an environmentally responsible way, with reclamation technology being pursued at a rapid pace. His presentation was wide-ranging and spoke to the world's reliance on oil, and about how we can develop a resource and do so in an sustainable and both environmentally and economically sound way.

What intrigued me most about Patrick's presentation, though, was the response from the audience compared to Peter's. Where the audience had been quiet for Peter, either due to discomfort or disagreement, there was loud laughter for Patrick, and exclamations of agreement. Patrick was preaching to the choir, though, to an audience made up of people from the north, many of whom depend on oil sands development. What he said was what everyone wanted to hear, while Peter said things that made us pause and think for a bit about what the truth might be. And that, people, was the juxtaposition.

After both presentations I went and spoke to Peter and Patrick. I told Peter that I believe that fact-based arguments fail against emotion, and I told him that I think what he had just presented needed to be said, even if I didn't necessarily agree with all of it. I bought a copy of Patrick's book ("Confessions of a Greenpeace Dropout"), which he kindly signed for me, told him that I too was a Greenpeace dropout, and we chatted a bit about why we both left the movement (and in the end it was about idealism gone wrong, really, for both of us). And I walked away from both presentations being impressed once again at the calibre of those brought to this conference, and at the ideas they presented for us to explore.

You see in the end I don't fully agree with either Patrick or Peter. I listened to both presentations, and both of their books now sit on my desk waiting to be read and considered. I have tremendous respect for both individuals, intelligent, thoughtful men who have lived fascinating lives and done incredible things. Most of all, though, I have tremendous appreciation for those who organized the Leading the North conference for bringing people like this to Fort McMurray - the Northern Alberta Development Council, the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo, the Fort McMurray Chamber of Commerce, the Northeastern Alberta Aboriginal Business Association, Fort McMurray Tourism, and Community Futures Wood Buffalo. The opportunity to sit and listen to Patrick Moore and Peter Silverstone, despite a mild case of ideological whiplash, was a genuine pleasure, and one that left me, and I suspect many others, thinking for a long time about what they had to say. And that, in the end, is what every truly good conference should do.

You can find more on

Peter Silverstone at

World's Greenest Oil

and on

Patrick Moore at

GreenSpirit

And A Little Child Shall Lead Them - Nathaniel Crossley, African Well Fund, and Leadership

2012-02-03T11:09:00.000-08:00

Photo credit to Nathaniel Crossley

There are times when I meet people who blow me away. They are people of passion, and vision, and drive, and they have goals and dreams and aspirations that inspire me, too. Generally speaking these people have decades of life experience, and have done many things along the path to where they are today. This week, though, I sat down with a young man who amazed me - and what is perhaps most astonishing is that he is but ten years old, and has decades of life still ahead of him, not behind him. And yet I think this young man could teach many adults a number of things about responsibility, about vision, about passion, and about belief. His name is Nathaniel Crossley, and I think it's a name you should get to know, Fort Mac, because I think it's a name you are going to start to hear a lot.

Now, you might have heard of Blake Crossley, Nathaniel's dad, because Blake is an interesting guy who has done some very interesting things, most of them involving charitable causes. Blake is a pretty well known name around our community, but I'm not going to talk about Blake today. I'm going to talk about Nathaniel, a boy who at age ten has done more than many adults, and who has a new cause at the moment - raising money to build a well in Africa.

When you meet Nathaniel he seems like a pretty normal ten-year old kid - some shyness, a degree of frenetic energy that appears just barely contained, and a lovely little grin. When you begin to talk to him, though, to ask him questions, he opens up and shares some very interesting observations on the world. I asked him why he wanted to raise money for a well in Africa - why this mattered to him, a kid thousands of miles away from a country he has never seen - and he said "so that kids like me can have good drinking water too". He's a very young man who has figured out something that some people decades older never will - that we who have so much have a responsibility to those who have far less. And he has also figured out that one person - even one ten year old - has that responsibility, too.

Nathaniel has already done many other fascinating things, like meeting Bono after he started a Facebook Page called "Bono I Got Your Back" after Bono's injury some time ago. He is an "inspirational ambassador" for a group called "Impossible 2 Possible", founded by Ray Zahab (click on this link and scroll down to see Nathaniel - and then take note of the other people who are his peers as ambassadors - like I said, people, I am blown away by this young man). And now Nathaniel has embarked on this project to raise money to build a well in Tanzania-Malawi, a place he has never been (but he told me that he would like to visit when the well is completed, and I'm betting he will get there, too).

Nathaniel is a lot of other things, too. He is a huge U2 fan, and I think what truly gave me some credibility with him was sharing that I too love U2, and have even seen Bono's house in Dublin (well, not the house really, but I saw his fencing and shrubbery that surround it!). He is a Lego genius, apparently loving to build impressive projects from Lego pieces, like this:

Photo credit to Nathaniel Crossley

And he is interested in science, showing me his upcoming science fair project, and his award-winning project from last year. We discussed our mutual interest in TV shows like "Mythbusters" and "How It's Made", and after we chatted for a bit about his interest in building things I told him I think he's a creative genius - and his smile was absolutely infectious. He plans to build a model of the well in Africa to show people how it would work, and he launched into an explanation of how he would build it using a fish tank and PVC piping and various other bits and pieces, leaving me with my jaw on the table since I couldn't build a model well if someone gave me a kit, instructions, and a professional engineer to assist me. Nathaniel isn't just a creative genius I suspect he is an engineer of some sort in the making (although he professed interest in being an airplane pilot, which led to a discussion of building jets, or jet engines, or aircraft to travel into space - I'm telling you, this kid has plans, people).

I think one of the other things Nathaniel has is faith, and he has some wisdom. I asked him why he thinks more adults don't get involved in charitable causes, doing fundraising and taking on such projects, and he said he thinks it is because some adults just don't care. And, sadly, he's right. Some adults become so immersed in their own lives that they stop caring about those of others, and certainly about those who live entire continents away in places they will never see. But Nathaniel cares, and he has the faith and belief that there are others out there who care, too.

So, Nathaniel wants to raise money to build a well in Africa. How is he doing this? Well, through direct donations to Africare, for starters, but he is also selling T-shirts ($30, many colours and sizes available!). His goal is a very reasonable $2000-$5000, a goal that I think is not only attainable but also surpassable. I think Nathaniel could raise a good deal more - and people, we can help him to do it.

Photo credit to Nathaniel Crossley

Perhaps you are asking why you should donate, or buy a T-shirt. I can think of two very good reasons. One is that it is meeting our responsibility to those in the world who don't have the luxury of clean drinking water, to those who live in conditions we can't even imagine and who would be astonished by how we take for granted the clean, clear water that runs right into our homes. And the second is that there is a young man in our community who believes in us, and who believes in dreams and goals and passion and vision - and I'll be damned if we let him down. We can help Nathaniel reach his goal, and we can show him that this community supports not only him but the world beyond us, too. We can be inspired by him, and inspire him in return. We can let a ten year old boy lead us, and we can learn that leadership doesn't have to come from government or industry - it can come from a charming child who believes that one person can change the world.

And mark my words now, people. Nathaniel Crossley, Lego master, science enthusiast, creative genius, fundraiser, and ten year old boy, will change the world. I told his father Blake to prepare to be eclipsed by his son, because I think Nathaniel will accomplish and achieve far greater things than most of us ever do or will (and really, I think we all want our children to eclipse us, to be better and greater than we ever could be). I believe in Nathaniel, I believe in his cause, and I am now going to ask my readers to believe, too - and to act. I don't ask for much, people, but on this occasion I am going to suggest - no, I'm going to outright ask - that you head to the link below and donate to Africare. I don't care how much you donate. Just donate something, and then feel good about it, because you have not only contributed to that well in Africa - you have strengthened and enriched the faith, belief, vision, and passion of one child in our community. As the famous quote says "And a little child shall lead them" - and I would follow young Nathaniel Crossley anywhere, because at the age of ten he is already a leader worthy of following. I hope you will follow him too, Fort Mac.

Please click here to visit Africare

and in the comments section

of the donations form indicate

that it is for "Nathaniel's Well"

with the Tanzania-Malawi project.

And...

THANK YOU! :)

Seniors, Government Ministers, and Witnessing History

2012-02-02T10:44:00.000-08:00

As I indicated in my blog post yesterday I ducked out of the Leading the North conference for a bit on the first day of sessions. I needed to head home to check on the Intrepid Junior Bloggers, who both came down with some viral nastiness last week, and I had another meeting to attend. It was a meeting I was looking forward to, and that I think had been a long time coming. It was between our local senior citizens, and some of the Ministers from our provincial government who were in town for the Cabinet Tour - and it was about the long term care facility planned for Fort Mac. After a recent provincial announcement press conference went a bit sideways I suspected this would be the most interesting meeting in the city for some time - and I wasn't disappointed.

Those who have followed the story of the long term care facility know it's been a long-running, on-going saga. The facility has been funded, defunded, located, relocated, and relocated again. It has been talked about for years, and ground has yet to be broken. It has become a contentious issue not only with politicians but with locals, too. And when the provincial government announced in December that the facility was being relocated to Parsons Creek from the planned Willow Square property downtown all hell broke loose.

Personally I think the biggest issue all along hasn't been where to locate the facility or even the length of time it's taken to get it built. I think it's been the lack of engagement with the community it is fundamentally designed to serve - our local senior citizens. Both of my parents were 81 when they died, and I know a few things about seniors. One of the things I know is that they want to feel involved, and that their useful days in the community are not over. And I know they want to participate in decisions that affect them and their future. And that is exactly where I think this particular ball was dropped.

The meeting was held at the Golden Years Society, that unassuming little building downtown that is the hub for seniors in this city. And while we are a very young city by the average we also do indeed have senior citizens in our community. Many of them have been here longer than I have been alive (an astonishing number of years, indeed). They have seen changes in this region that I can only imagine, and contributed in ways that I can't even fathom.

Three government ministers attended the meeting, George VanderBurg, the Minister of Seniors, Fred Horner, Minister of Health, and Jeff Johnson, Minister of Infrastructure. The ministers opened the meeting by explaining why the decision to move the long term care facility had been made, and much of it centred around how quickly the facility could be completed. There were additional reasons, such as being able to build a single-level facility in Parsons Creek as opposed to the multi-level one Willow Square would require, and being able to provide the highest quality of care, achieve the highest quality of life, and serve the most needs.

Once the ministers had spoken, though, it was the turn of the senior citizens - and speak they did. Respectfully and with dignity they spoke of their concerns, and of their frustration with the process. The spoke of the lack of consultation, of feeling "left out", of feeling that the process lacked transparency, and of feeling disheartened. Many of them touched my heart, particularly the elderly man who said he had been dismissed as a "senile old man", and then proceeded to deliver the most intelligent, heart-felt, and compelling little speech I've ever heard.

People, I don't know that this meeting will change anything but I think it was catharsis, and I think it was one hundred percent necessary. I think it was what the local seniors needed - someone to just sit and listen to them as they spoke. Not someone to speak at them, to tell them what was being done, but to sit there and listen to them as they presented their case. And present it they did, and I was very proud of them, too. They represented themselves, and our community, beautifully. And I think they made their feelings on the issue very, very clear, which is truly all I think they ever wanted to do.

I applaud the provincial government ministers for agreeing to meet the seniors, and for sitting there and truly listening to them. I think, had this been done long ago, that this adversarial situation could have been avoided entirely. The meeting, while it had some heated moments, was really just a chance for us to see and exercise some democracy - citizens expressing themselves to their government representatives, who in the end are no different than you and I.

Finally I applaud our local seniors who spoke with passion and occasionally anger, but who also spoke with respect and dignity. They took my breath away, and I only hope that one day if I find myself in their same shoes I can behave in the same manner they did. They have my complete respect, and not just because of their age but because of their wisdom, their knowledge, and their dignity. After the meeting ended I sought out that "senile old man" and told him he is the least senile person I have ever had the pleasure to hear speak, and it's true. He spoke so simply and yet so profoundly that I suspect it touched everyone in the room, including those government ministers (remember - despite their roles they are people just like the rest of us, too).

I might have missed some of Leading the North to attend a meeting between seniors and government ministers - but in terms of leading the north I think I spent some time in the company of some true leaders of the north, those who have been in this community for decades and who saw this region through good times and bad. They are the true leaders of this part of the north, and I am so glad that they finally had an opportunity to say what they have been wanting to say, and to be heard. They may be seniors - and they may no longer hold jobs or positions of power in this community - but they are the true leaders in this region, and we would do well to remember it.

As Ian Hill said at Leading the North this community will be judged by history - and part of that judgement will be based on how we treat our most vulnerable citizens - our children, our less-advantaged, and our seniors. And that is why we need to listen to them, to hear them speak about what matters to them and what they want - because they are our leaders, and because history is being made right here, right now. And the funny thing is I think those senior leaders know that even if the rest of us aren't aware of it yet - because they have seen enough history happen to know. I was a witness to history at a meeting between some local seniors and some government ministers - and I wouldn't have missed it for the world, people.

And Finally There Was Peter Mansbridge - And Some Crazy Woman On Twitter

2012-02-01T19:10:00.001-08:00

You know, it really all began quite innocently when I wrote in this blog about my little non-crush on Peter Mansbridge. I had been thinking about attending the Leading the North conference, but what sealed the deal was discovering that Peter would be speaking - and, well, I admit it, I like Peter Mansbridge, and always have.

Peter was in fact the final keynote speaker, and I looked forward to his address for two days. I admit something else, though - I'm a pretty mischievous sort, and not the kind to shy away from some entertainment. And after my initial blog post about my wee crush on Peter got some amused attention I decided I would play to it a bit further, and this is when things got quite interesting.

I woke up bright and early on Friday and hit Twitter almost immediately to tweet this:

Yes, that's right, I officially declared it "Peter Mansbridge Day". And honestly things sort of went sideways from there a bit:

That was after someone commented on my excitement over Mansbridge and suggested additional security may be required. I wasn't done yet, though:

If you notice carefully there is that little "@" symbol in front of Peter's name. That means these tweets would be clearly visible to him should he actually read his Twitter. And that last tweet? It was after he'd tweeted a photo of his plane being de-iced, and I knew he was on his way. Was I done yet? Oh no!

Those two would be after his plane landed, and when I discovered he had arrived at the conference. And, just before he began his address, I tweeted this to my followers, who seemed terribly amused by the whole thing:

When Peter finally took the floor that iconic voice and image was almost overwhelming. He spoke of being Canadian, and of what that means. He spoke of Canadians as we travel around the world, and about how the world sees us. He told funny stories about being mistaken for the leader of Poland when he was in the Vatican for the funeral of Pope John Paul, and he spoke of other stories from his career, time spent in Asia after the tsunami and in Holland for WW II memorial ceremonies. And, as I knew he would, he tied it all together beautifully, with thoughts on who we are as Canadians, our identity, and our role in the world. And when he finished I gathered my courage, grabbed my camera, and stepped to the front where a crowd was waiting to meet him.

When my turn came I took a deep breath and said "Mr. Mansbridge, I don't know if you read your Twitter, but if you do - I'm the crazy one". He looked at me and with a grin said "Yes, there has been a crazy one in the last twelve hours, that was you?", and I nodded, and the camera flashed:

Peter Mansbridge and I

And then, finally, I tweeted this:

What I learned is that Peter Mansbridge is a lovely man who didn't call for extra security, and who seemed like a pretty bloody good sport considering he'd been reading my comments all day on Twitter. Even better is that evening after the conference I got a phone call from a dear friend asking if I would like to attend a dinner - a dinner with Peter (and Ian Hill, too!). And so I ended my evening by introducing my husband to Peter. I told Peter about the blog, and about how my little crush on him had taken on a life of it's own, and about how it had amused and engaged so many people who hadn't been able to attend the conference to see him. And you know what, people? He was polite and charming and as wonderful as I knew he would be, and it was indeed a pleasure to meet someone who has had an incredible career, experienced amazing things, and become a true Canadian icon. And my crush on Peter, which was really always quite tiny, transformed instead into deep respect and admiration - which is far better than a silly crush any day. It was truly the perfect end to an amazing three days of conference. In the end, you see, I had come for Peter Mansbridge, but I stayed to lead the north - and I am so very, very glad I did.

My sincere thanks to

Leading the North

organizers and sponsors

for three amazing days

right here in Fort McMurray - and for

the chance to meet Peter,

of course!

And Then There Was Economic Board Games and Some Government Types In Town...

2012-02-01T08:52:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I wrote about the Leading the North conference and the keynote speaker that kicked it all off, Ian Hill. Today I thought I'd write a bit about the next day at the conference, and share with you some of what I experienced.

When I arrived at the Quality Inn bright and early on Thursday morning I was a bit wary. You see, the first speakers up (after the welcoming addresses from the usual local suspects, er, I mean dignitaries!) were talking about the economy - and people, it's one of those things I know very little about. I have a financial advisor, you know. Nice people, too, those financial advisors, but when they start talking to me my mind tends to wander to things like a pair of shoes I saw online, or how badly my bathtub needs scrubbing, or how my dog is really amusing. I admit it - I tend to find economy talk a bit dull. If the only things on TV are economy related or kid's programming I'll watch kid's programming, because it makes my head hurt less (but just a little less).

The first speaker up was someone I follow on Twitter, and who seemed like an interesting guy even if he is an economist. Todd Hirsch is a senior economist with the Alberta Treasury Branch, and when he took the stage I settled in and figured I'd be drinking a whole lot of coffee. I was delighted, though, when Todd compared various world economies to board games. We had comparisons to Ker Plunk, and even Operation. It was quite clever, definitely engaging, and for a brief few moments there I even enjoyed economics. Perhaps it seemed "dumbing down" to some, but for someone like me, who would like to understand economics better but finds it a bit dry, it was ideal. It was even funny at moments, and generally speaking if they could make economics funny more often I bet a lot more people might try to understand it.

After Todd finished there was a very interesting session chaired by CBC Senior Business Correspondent Amanda Lang. The individuals on the panel were Gordon Houlden, director of the U of A China Institute, Dr. Michael Byers, Canada Research Chair in Politics UBC, and Todd Hirsch again. The topic? "Diversifying Canada's Energy Market" - and for a bunch of economy-types it was pretty darn entertaining, too. I like Amanda Lang - she's feisty, and I like feisty a lot (having been accused of similar behaviour I suppose I appreciate it in others, too). And there were some pretty divergent opinions on the panel, too, not exactly heated, but there were some moments when things got a little bit hissy. I may not totally get economics but I love a good floor show, and watching people get passionate is always entertaining. I learned a few things, too, and again couldn't help but think that between board games and occasional hissy-fights economic news could be made much, much more interesting to laypeople like me.

I admit that I missed most of the afternoon sessions, as I ducked out to catch the meeting between the government ministers and local seniors at the Golden Years Society (and that was quite the meeting, too, one I plan to write about tomorrow). Juggling the conference, other commitments, and two sick Intrepid Junior Bloggers meant I didn't make it back to the Quality Inn until the wine and cheese social.

What I love about socials like this is exactly that - they are "social". They are an opportunity to meet new people, to hear about them and their communities, and to share a bit about ours. I was deeply delighted to meet the mayor of Slave Lake, a lovely woman who impressed me for many reasons, not the least of which being that she too is a blogger. She is writing a blog about the Slave Lake recovery effort, and it's a very worthwhile read. I suggested to her that Slave Lake would be a wonderful place for a blogger like me as there are so many stories there just waiting to be told. I think I might have to take a jaunt to Slave Lake at some point just to hear some of those stories, and maybe tell a few in this blog, because I think stories of devastation and recovery, of loss and hope, are profound ones that can and should be shared with the world.

It was lovely to mingle with local people and meet new friends, too, but then it was time for supper - and there was a special guest in town. The guest? None other than our Premier, Alison Redford, and accompanying her were several Cabinet Ministers and MLAs. They were here as part of the recent Alberta "Cabinet Tour", and it was wonderful timing indeed.

This is the third time I have had the honour to hear Premier Redford speak in person. Every time she impresses me with her sharp intelligence, keen wisdom, and sense of sincerity. Many months ago when I saw her in the debate with other candidates for leadership of the PC party I commented that perhaps she was the kind of leader our province needs - and I continue to believe that. I also continue to be struck by the similarities between her and I - about the same age, mothers of only children, and both of us have lost a parent suddenly (a loss I sympathize with deeply, hers coming at such a difficult point in her life, when things must have seemed both so bright and so dark). I see Alison Redford not just as our premier but as a person that I would sit and have coffee with, a "real person". The opportunity to hear her speak again was delightful.

This brings me to my only complaint about the entire Leading the North conference, and it has nothing to do with conference organizers. It has to do with some conference attendees, and in particular the two at my table who decided during the Premier's address to hold a long, drawn-out, and not-quiet conversation. I was appalled at their rude behaviour, not only in relation to the person speaking but in regard to their table mates who were trying to listen to the premier (table mates who found themselves struggling to hear her while attempting to ignore them). I would like to mention that I took note of their employers as listed on their name tags, and while I will not identify them I will say that they reflected very poorly on the employers who sent them to this conference. I would also note that both of these individuals are not from Fort McMurray, coming instead from cities to the south, and thus I do not feel the need to apologize for their behaviour. I was appalled, I was embarrassed, and I was, I admit, rather angry (and people, that's a pretty rare state for me).

On the positive side, though, I had the most delightful table companion beside me, a man from Lac La Biche, and by the end of the evening he and I had forged quite the little friendship. I am always a bit nervous about these sorts of banquets as I often go alone and find myself seated at tables where I know no one - so to find a "kindred spirit" seated right beside me was truly wonderful. My companion and I had a fabulous evening, from the salad right to the dessert and coffee, and I think I just might take a jaunt to Lac La Biche to visit him at some point, too (Slave Lake and Lac La Biche - I might need to do a driving and blogging tour of the province at this rate, people).

By the end of the evening I was pretty worn out. The day had started with an economics marathon, and ended with some politics. I don't admit great knowledge of either of those aspects of our world, although I now have a bit of an interest in economics, and I dabble in the political world. What pleased me the most, though, was the opportunity to explore both of those in one day at a single conference. "Leading the North" brought a lot of very interesting people to Fort Mac, and I'm so pleased to have been able to meet some of them, hear their ideas, and maybe share some of my ideas with them, too. It was a day of economic board games and government types - and it was a pretty fabulous day, too. I ended my day with a quick drink at the bar in the Quality Inn with some locals who have become very dear friends, and then headed home early - because the next day, the last day of the conference, promised to be full and busy. It was, after all the day I deemed "Peter Mansbridge Day" - and that, people, is a story for another post! :)

And In The Beginning There Was Ian Hill...

2012-01-31T11:09:00.000-08:00

Well, people, last week was an incredible week in our community. I attended a social prosperity change lab and summit, and I attended a conference that was incredible for me, both personally and professionally. The conference? "Leading the North", hosted by the Northern Alberta Development Council. When I registered I wasn't sure what I would find for myself there - a blogger, an everyday resident, not someone in industry or government. What I found has quite likely changed me professionally - and personally, too. The conference was, in my opinion, a smash success, and I have enough stories for days - but I'll start at the beginning, which was the conference reception held at MacDonald Island Park.

I arrived at MacDonald Island and found it buzzing with delegates, both from our community and many, many other communities, which I found very exciting. There was beer and wine and food (including that deadly sticky toffee pudding that is both the joy and bane of my existence, impossible to deny but requiring me to spend more time at the gym upstairs at Mac Island, too). And there were old friends and new people, and there were speeches from local dignitaries, and from representatives of the RMWB (one of these in particular caught my attention with some astonishing statistics, ones I hope to share with you in a future post). And then, there was Ian Hill.

I admit it. I didn't really know who Ian Hill was when it all began. A venture capitalist, a philanthropist, a "business guy". Okay, I thought, let's see what he's got. I expected some sort of bland motivational speech that you find mildly interesting but hardly inspiring. What I discovered instead was someone who has a passion, vision, and drive that could change the world. And he believes that we can, too.

The premise of Ian's speech was that we in Fort McMurray could create the "Athens of the north". Yes, you read that right, people. His premise is that we have everything we need - prosperity, potential, opportunity - to create an incredible community that the rest of the world looks at with awe. And you know what? I think Ian Hill is right.

Ian talks a lot about how he isn't the sharpest knife in the drawer, not the brightest bulb in the chandelier, and about how he graduated at the bottom of his class. I very rarely swear in this blog but this occasion requires me to say a polite "bullshit". Ian Hill may have struggled academically but he is absolutely brilliant in the way he thinks and the way he expresses himself, and by the end of the evening he had me envisioning this city in the way he depicted - as a beacon of hope for the world.

One of the key things Ian said was that history will judge what happens here in Fort McMurray - and he is right. We are in the midst of a giant experiment in community and industry and environment, and the world is watching - and history WILL judge us. The question becomes how we want history to see us.

You see, money is great, and we all know there is a lot of it floating around this city. But history will not judge us for what kind of car we drove, or how expensive our house was. We won't be judged on how much money our economy generated, or how much money we spent to do it. No, history will judge us by how this community develops, by whether it becomes a crown jewel or a lump of coal. And the incredible thing is we each have a role to play in what happens here, people. We can be the ones who polish that jewel, or create that lump of coal.

Ian outlined the four things that can prevent us from creating Athens here, from creating a jewel of which we can all be proud. They are as follows:

1. The peril of futility - If we believe we cannot effect change then we are doomed. We must believe that tomorrow will be better than yesterday. And we must believe that one person - YOU! - can make a difference.

2. The peril of timidity - If we are too afraid to try the new we cannot succeed. We must be willing to make connections, and use our collective intelligence. This is no time for idealogues, for those who refuse to embrace the new because they are so tied to the old.

3. The peril of expediency - If we are all about "time" we will fail. We need to recognize that it takes time to build relationships and create alignment. We need to take the time it takes to do so.

4. The peril of comfort - If we refuse to leave our "comfort zone" then we will never change. Great civilizations fall because they are comfortable - because they fail to innovate and change and explore new ideas.

Ian also asked some questions, questions I have been asking myself since the night I met him. The questions are these (and I suggest you might want to think about them, too):

Why will the world be a better place because you have lived?
What have YOU contributed to your family, your organization, or your community?

And he provided some answers too, things like using every single day to try to make one meaningful connection with another human being. He talked about those four perils, and about how if we overcome them we can find innovative and creative ways to make Fort McMurray the Athens of the north. And then he provided a quote that resonated with me that night, and that continues to resonate with me every day, because I think it speaks to the very heart of this community:

"If Athens shall appear great to you, consider then that her glories were purchased by valiant men, who understood their responsibility and acted on their duty" - Pericles of Athens

And that is the heart of it all right there. With great prosperity comes great responsibility, and great duty. The glories that we can achieve in this community - a socially prosperous community, not just an economically prosperous one - are within our reach, but we are the valiant ones who need to understand our duties and responsibilities to achieve it. The future of our community - the way history will judge us - rests on each of us, you and I, and not on industry or government. We each have a responsibility and duty. And Ian Hill reminded me of that last week.

By the time Ian finished speaking I admit it - I was in tears. Not just because of his belief in what we can accomplish here, but because his "call to arms" spoke directly to me, and to every person in this community. He made me believe we can create Athens, too, and he made me see that this city - Fort McMurray! - can become a shining beacon of hope in this world, in a world that desperately needs hope. And that fate rests in our hands, people. So, what are you going to do about it, Fort Mac? How do YOU want history to judge us? It is up to you, and to me. This is the time to decide how we want history to see us. We have an incredible opportunity in this community - and this is the time to act.

Ian Hill and me, Leading the North

Click here to learn more about Ian Hill and his 30-day commitment to helping us "lead the north".

Your Vote Is Your Voice

2012-01-29T07:50:00.000-08:00

Well, last week was a crazy one in Fort McMurray. I attended a change lab, a summit, a meeting between local seniors and provincial cabinet ministers, and three days of a conference, all of which will be detailed in further posts this week. My week ended on a particularly high note, though, and one which I think bodes very well for the future of Fort McMurray - so I am going to start there.

Yesterday the PC party held their nomination vote for the riding of Fort McMurray-Wood Buffalo. As you may know the provincial government has divided our region into two ridings, and so we have the new opportunity to send two MLAs to Edmonton to represent us. The riding of Fort McMurray-Conklin did not require a nomination vote as city councillor, local lawyer, and my friend Don Scott was acclaimed the PC candidate on January 16th when he was unopposed in his decision to seek the nod in that riding. The other riding, though, became hotly contested when four individuals decided to seek the nomination, and so yesterday was voting day for PC party members.

The four candidates are all impressive individuals, and over the last few weeks I've had the opportunity to get to know all of them a bit better. Mike Allen, small business owner and city councillor, is someone I have admired for some time. Jeff Thompson, chair of the public school board of trustees, has this huge personality and great ideas. Nick Sanders, member of the MacDonald Island board and Chamber of Commerce board, is a fabulous example of someone who immigrated to Canada and embraced his new home country (and he's a terrific guy to boot, too). And Andrew Highfield works in perhaps the most challenging, rewarding, and important field - education (he's a teacher at Holy Trinity). Every single one of these individuals could represent our region well, I think, and I've come to respect every single one - but I admit that I was delighted when it was announced that my friend Mike Allen had won the nomination and will be the candidate in my home riding of Fort McMurray-Wood Buffalo.

Over the past few months I've had the chance to spend a lot of time with both Don Scott and Mike Allen. I've come to know them as people of integrity, character, and true commitment to our community. I've come to believe in them as individuals - and as leaders. And I've come to firmly believe that they represent the best chance for our region to be heard in the provincial legislature, and that they will represent us well given the opportunity.

I have faced some questions recently about my public display of support for specific individuals. I can only say that I have never claimed to be impartial, to write as a journalist, or to be a woman without opinions. When I write this blog I am as honest as I can be, and part of that honesty is telling you what I think is best for our community - and I think Don and Mike are it, people. You might disagree, and I respect that as I welcome discourse and I firmly believe in democracy, too. I suppose what matters most to me, though, is seeing members of our community being actively engaged in politics. I would love nothing more than to see the next provincial election see our highest voter turnout ever - regardless of the name those voters happen to put their "X" beside. I want to see our entire community get passionate about politics, discuss the issues, campaign for those they believe in, and head to the polls on election day.

I am looking forward to the next few weeks with great anticipation as I am proud to call both Don and Mike my friend, and because I am thrilled with the chance to send these two to Edmonton to represent us. I also want to congratulate Jeff, Nick, and Andrew for seeking the nomination - it takes a leap of faith to put yourself out there that way, and I am proud to have them in my community (and I know that each of them will continue to contribute to Fort Mac and make it a better place, too). I congratulate both Don and Mike as they embark on this new journey, and I am delighted to share a small part of this journey with them.

As for you, Fort Mac - this is your chance. Get involved. Get educated. Get passionate, and get political. We have an opportunity with this next provincial election to have our voices heard. Make sure your voice is one of them, people. The future rests on all of us, and we have a responsibility to it, and to our community. I'm pretty sure by now you all know where my vote will be. Now, how about yours?

In Your City, and In Your Life - Fort McMurray Professional Baseball

2012-01-25T05:26:00.000-08:00

A couple of weeks ago I received an invitation that both delighted and perplexed me. It was from the Fort McMurray Professional Baseball group, and they were inviting me to an introductory information session. I was delighted because I always love invitations, but a little perplexed because I've made it pretty clear that my understanding of sports is minimal - except in relation to what those sports mean to the community. It wasn't until I attended the session this past Thursday that I understood why they invited me - because the vision they have isn't all about pro baseball, people. It's about how pro baseball fits into community, too.

The information session was presented by "The Sport of Business", consultants that Fort McMurray Professional Baseball (FMPB) engaged to help them flesh out this idea of pro baseball in Fort Mac. The session wasn't so much about baseball but rather about what having a pro ball team can do for the community, and how the community can benefit from it. Of course, in exchange they hope the community will support pro baseball, too, by attending games and filling up the stands in the new stadium planned for MacDonald Island Park. And people - I like what I heard. I might not know baseball but I know a tiny bit about our community, and I think having a pro ball team here is going to be very, very good for all of us - whether we are sports fans or not.

At the introductory information session FMPB discussed their mission and vision for the team, and while the word "baseball" came up a lot so did words like "community", "engagement", and "sustainability". And those words are a lot closer to my heart than baseball is, but there is a clear connection, I think.

In order for the team to be sustainable it needs to engage the community. It needs to develop a connection with the residents of this city, both in terms of creating fans and showing that it wants to provide benefit to the community. The baseball team is not a charity - it's a for-profit organization - but I can see in their vision a determination to help our community, like helping those non-profits I consider so vital. The team doesn't want to exist simply as an entertainment option but rather as part of the fabric of the community.

The phrase that came up a lot during the session was "In your city and in your life", which is an intriguing statement. FMPB wants to be considered a "first-call" - eg, when a non-profit is looking for ways to do fundraising they'd like FMPB to be one of the first calls they make to see if they would like to be involved. They want to engage our local youth, and they want to show the community that they are committed to being here long-term.

The mission of FMPB is simple - "contributing to quality of life through professional sport". They want to establish a first-class organization that is customer-focused, has a meaningful connection to the community, and that has long-term sustainability. Their vision is equally clear - "quality family fun entertainment in a clean, safe, comfortable environment" - and I can think of no place better to achieve this than at MacDonald Island Park, which is on the cusp of a major expansion that takes my breath away with excitement.

There are a lot of details still to be ironed out - ticket prices, and opening date (this depends on the construction schedule of the stadium at Mac Island, of course). There are lots of ideas floating around still - theme days, how to set up sections for families and groups and for those who enjoy a cold beer on a hot summer afternoon (and ballpark hot dogs, I hope!). And there is one very important question that remains undecided, and one where community engagement is not only being hoped for but actively sought - team name, colours, and logo.

You see, FMPB knows this is a team for this community, and they don't want to just pick a name and colours and a logo and say "well, here it is, this is what you get". Nope, they want to hear YOUR ideas, people. What you like, and what you don't (I suggested keeping "oil" out of the name altogether, focusing instead on some of the other things that make this community so great). They want to hear what name you think best reflects our community - and remember, this team will play 48 home games, but an almost equal number of away games, and they will take with them that name and logo. They will be representing all of us on the road, so the question becomes : who do you want the world to see when they see OUR baseball team? What do you want their name and logo to say about us? What do you want everyone to think of when they see our team out there playing baseball?

I was delighted to attend the introductory session for Fort McMurray Professional Baseball, and in the end I was no longer perplexed as to why I had been invited. My connection to sport may be a bit fuzzy but my connection to community is clear, and if they want to improve the community, to contribute to it, then they've got my support - and enough of it that one day I suspect you will find me in the stands cheering on our team, even though someone might have to explain some of the rules of baseball to me on occasion.

I'm also looking forward to another thing - when the name "Fort McMurray Professional Baseball" ceases to exist and is replaced instead with a team name, a name that perhaps we have contributed to, chosen, or helped to develop. I hope it will be a name which we can proud to sport on T-shirts and ball caps as we make our way around the world, too, and a name of which we can say "yes, that's our baseball team!" when asked. I gotta admit - I'm personally pretty excited to be in on the very beginning of this new stage of life in our community, but I don't think I need to be alone in my excitement. You can all be involved, people. Start thinking about names, and colours, and logos. And then start sending those ideas to Fort McMurray Professional Baseball. I may not know much about baseball, but I do know one thing - the folks at FMPB are listening to the community. This is our time to tell them what we want, and what our mission and vision is. This is our time to engage them, and to start to develop the kind of relationship with them so that on opening day they are not only in our city, but in our lives, too.

My sincere thanks to

Fort McMurray Professional Baseball

and

The Sport of Business

for inviting me

to learn more about

sport and community!

Social Prosperity Change Lab - and What It Means to You

2012-01-24T09:14:00.000-08:00

Sometimes you encounter phrases that are tough to really comprehend, or that seem so specific or "academic" that it's tough to see how they apply to your life. "Social prosperity" is one of those phrases. When I told someone I was attending the "Social Prosperity Change Lab", hosted by Social Prosperity Wood Buffalo, they had one question : "What exactly IS social prosperity, and what does it mean to me?" And frankly, it's a damn good question. After a morning spent at the change lab I even have some answers about what it is, why it's important to me - and why it should matter to you, too.

I've run into people here who say "oh, I don't use those charity groups" and I stop them and say "ever take your kids to The Hub?". Ever taken your family to some of the free programming around the city or used the YMCA? Then you've used some of those non-profit and not-for-profit groups that exist in our community. They are deeply fundamental to our quality of life, and they are not only beneficial but, in my opinion, essential.

Social prosperity is all about improving the quality of life in our community - it's about ensuring that we don't just have the opportunity to achieve financial "prosperity" or wealth, but social wealth, too. It's about ensuring our community members feel they have strong connections, intrinsic value, and worth. It's about making our lives better every day - and that's where the Social Prosperity Wood Buffalo project comes in, because their goal is to help improve those non-profit organizations, and help them to serve our community better.

Fellow blogger Russell Thomas wrote a great summary of what SPWB does in his blog here, and I don't believe in reinventing the wheel, so I would suggest reading it for more detailed information about the nuts and bolts of the whole thing. I'm just going to tell you what we did yesterday, and why I think it's important.

Yesterday morning I found myself sitting at a table at the Sawridge with several other people. It was a diverse group, ranging in age and profession and experience, but all with one common interest - our community. We were asked to start by looking over the SPWB framework, expressing what we liked about it, and thinking about what questions it inspired. And then we were given Post-It notes and markers, and off we went, talking, writing, and thinking. At the end of each exercise we were asked to "group" our comments, and it was interesting to see how we shared many of the same questions and comments. It was also interesting because we each brought our own perspective, which added to the discussion and allowed new ideas to be explored. All the ideas were centred about how to help non-profit organizations deliver better services to the community - how to ensure they have sustainable funding, and the resources they need to provide the resources we need.

The discussion was wide-ranging and energetic, and while we didn't reach any grand conclusions the idea was to provide more ideas for SPWB - as well as inspiring us to keep thinking about those ideas, to keep looking at those goals. You see, SPWB is all about engaging local people to discover what works best in our community, to achieve the goals that we see as important. It's about making changes that will enable our local non-profit groups to thrive and grow, and serve all of us better.

And that is exactly the point of Social Prosperity Wood Buffalo, people. It might have the goal to help our local non-and-not-for-profit organizations but the actual goal is to help ALL of us when we use those services. The health of those services - their well-being, and their ability to do their jobs well - benefits every resident of this community. So in the end the concept of social prosperity, and the work being done by the SPWB, has a direct impact on all of us, people.

In the final analysis that is what social prosperity is, and that is why it matters to me - and to you, too. It is about improving our quality of life in this community, and trying to do so through the heart of it - our non-profit organizations that work so very hard to meet our needs. Social Prosperity Wood Buffalo is about helping those organizations meet their needs so they can meet ours - and in the end that's a pretty simple concept, just with a pretty fancy name.

My sincere thanks to

Social Prosperity Wood Buffalo

for the invitation to attend the

Social Prosperity Change Lab -

and for allowing me to

help in the process of

achieving social prosperity

in the RMWB :)

Achievement, Citizenship, and Potential - RMWB Civic Awards

2012-01-24T08:17:00.000-08:00

Thursday night was difficult for me, because I had received invitations to not one, not two, but three different events. This isn't all that unusual, actually, as there are often several things happening on the same evening, but it leads to some difficult choices. This one was a tough choice but in the end I went with the one closest to my heart - and I'm glad I did.

One of the three events was the Global Address at Keyano College by noted activist and media figure Ezra Levant. Levant always has some very interesting things to say about the oil sands, so I was tempted by the offer to attend this. The second event was the start-up of The McMurray Girl Success Network, another venture from the fabulous Kyla Getty, publisher of McMurray Girl magazine. I was sorely tempted by this one, too, being a woman and truly enjoying meeting other women in this community. The final one, though, the one that won in the end, was the Regional Municipality Civic Awards. As soon as the invitation hit my email inbox I knew it was the one I had to attend - because it's all about the community, and citizenship, and people.

So, Thursday night found me at the Sawridge (where I spend a lot of my time these days as it seems the destination of choice for many of these banquets, and I can't complain - the food is amazing and the bread pudding adds an extra 30 minutes to my gym time every time I eat it!) in the company of some amazing local people. Oh, there were the usual suspects, civic employees and city councillors - but it was the citizens who truly amaze me, people. These are residents no different than you and I, except that they have made a mark in the community with their commitment to athletics, culture, or volunteerism.

There were 8 awards handed out that night, and I am attaching the full list at the end of this post. I'd like to focus on just 3, however, because they are the ones closest to my heart - one because she is a personal friend, and two because they are our future.

The winner of the Fort McMurray award for Cultural Achievement is a woman who became a friend during the course of writing this blog. She sent me a message one day months ago, asking if I would like to meet for coffee - and Kiran Malik-Khan and I have been friends ever since. She is, like me, a writer, but she does it professionally as well as for pleasure. She is involved in publishing Northword magazine, and if you have read a paper in this city or picked up a copy of SNAP Wood Buffalo then you've likely seen some of her work. She also works at Keyano in communications, raises her young sons, and is incredibly involved in our community. Added to all that she is the most faithful and loyal friend you could ever want. If you're getting the impression that I adore Kiran you would be right - when we met she declared us "kindred spirits" and she is right - she values all the things I do, like family and community and the arts and culture and inclusion. I am not only proud that she is my friend I am incredibly proud of her achievements in this community, so to be on hand to see her receive her award was very gratifying.

And this brings me to two other people who received awards that evening, people who made me proud not only because of their achievements but because of their age. Young swimmer Joshua Dow won the Athletic Achievement award, and it is clearly well deserved. Joshua has an impressive pedigree as a swimmer, but even more important to me was in his thank you speech he made it clear that his success is not his alone but due to the support of others. That kind of humble nature makes me not only proud but hopeful for our future as a community, as when young men like Joshua recognize that their success is not only their own but all of ours it shows their commitment to the community and not just their sport. The second young person to take home an award that evening was Juliane Bell, who won an award for both Volunteer Achievement and Distinguished Youth Citizenship. Juliane is a Keyano student, but has been actively involved as a volunteer in this community from a very young age. Her list of volunteer activities is endless, and just hearing it made me wonder when she has time to sleep. She has been particularly committed to environmental causes as well as the local creatures at the SPCA, and those are both close to my heart as well.

After the awards were handed out (by councillors Russell Thomas, Mike Allen, Phil Meagher, and Don Scott, who all did a terrific job as stand-ins for Mayor Blake, who is on a hard-earned vacation) I stopped to hug my friend Kiran, and I went to speak to Juliane. I told Juliane of the Intrepid Junior Bloggers, and how she might not realize it but that young women like her are the kind of role models I want for my girls. In a world of celebrity brats who are in and out of courtrooms finding local role models like Juliane is a relief and gives me great optimism. Juliane is the future of our community, just as Joshua Dow is. With young people like them leading the charge I think we have a real chance to become even better than we currently are. And with role models for them already in place, like my friend Kiran (and all the other winners that night, from the Keyano College Huskies athletes to Bob Campbell to Saprae residents Solange Maher, Pam Garbin, and Michelle Archibald), the future is looking very bright indeed. It was an evening of current role models, young people on the path to becoming the next generation of role models, achievement, citizenship - and the potential of our community. You see, I don't see the potential in Fort Mac as the oil sands or industry - the potential I see is in all those faces from Thursday night - and the ones I see every day in this city. While the RMWB recognized a few of those faces on Thursday night we all have the potential to achieve great things, people, whether we are athletes or volunteers or simply citizens. We just need to seize the opportunity here and see what can happen - because it is nothing short of spectacular.

Civic Awards presented to outstanding citizens in the region

(Fort McMurray, AB – January 20, 2012) – Outstanding citizens and groups have been honoured through the 2011 Civic Awards, the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo

announced today.

The following awards were presented in various celebrations throughout the region:

Anzac – December 3, 2011

Athletic Achievement: Kenneth Whitford
Volunteer Achievement Award: Dawn McEvoy

· Distinguished Youth Citizenship: Emily Czibere

Conklin – December 20, 2011

· Distinguished Youth Citizenship Award: Tiarra Tremblay

Fort Chipewyan – December 15, 2011

Cultural Achievement: Northern Wolves Drum Group

· Distinguished Citizenship: Claris Voyageur

Fort McMurray – January 19, 2012

· Athletic Achievement: Joshua Dow

·      Cultural Achievement:                                    Kiran Malik-Khan
Volunteer Achievement:                                 Juliane Bell
Group Volunteer Achievement:                      Keyano Huskies Athletics

· Distinguished Citizenship: Bob Campbell

· Distinguished Youth Citizenship: Juliane Bell

Janvier – December 11, 2011

· Athletic Achievement: Dwayne Jean Jr.

Saprae Creek – January 19, 2012

· Cultural Achievement: Solange Maher

· Volunteer Achievement: Michelle Archibald & Pam Garbin

The Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo congratulates all the award recipients and thanks all residents for their outstanding contributions to increasing the quality of life in Wood Buffalo over the last year.

Summits and Change Labs and Conferences, Oh My...

2012-01-23T05:52:00.000-08:00

Yes, that title is a play on the phrase "lions and tigers and bears, oh my!" - but I don't deal with lions and tigers in Fort Mac (and bears only on occasion, really). This week my schedule is full instead with a different sort of beast - the kind that involves buffet meals and lectures and thoughts and ideas and new people and, quite likely, complete exhaustion at the end of it all - and I cannot wait, people.

Today I will attend the Social Prosperity Change Lab, which I had heard about through others and was subsequently delighted to receive an invitation to attend. The change lab is directed mostly at non-profit organizations, but it's about community building in Fort McMurray, and is a part of the Social Prosperity Wood Buffalo initiative. I find the whole concept of "social prosperity" intriguing, from the name right to the people involved to the ideas it generates. So, I'm pretty excited to see what will happen at the change lab (which I find another interesting name, as it implies an "experiment in change").

On Wednesday I will attend another event hosted by Social Prosperity Wood Buffalo, but this time the full-day Social Prosperity Summit. Now, this one should also be fascinating, as it's about sustainable funding in non-profit organizations. One may wonder what exactly this has to do with me, a blogger with no role in non-profits, but it is an area of great personal interest. I think non-profits are vital to the social health and well-being of a community, and as such I follow developments in them with great interest. And besides, I always manage to learn something, meet some new people, and find some new ideas along the way, which makes attending events like this very valuable, regardless of my role in the community.

And then, Wednesday night, the much-anticipated "Leading the North" conference begins! I've been looking forward to this one for weeks (hello, Peter Mansbridge?!?). There is a reception Wednesday evening to kick it off, a full day of sessions Thursday, a dinner with the premier Thursday night, and another full day of sessions on Friday. I'm actually quite excited about this conference as it will attract not only local folk but those from other places, giving me yet another opportunity to share my story of life in this community.

My week is shaping up to be a busy one, people. It's going to be a week of non-profits and funding models and community ideas and speeches and lectures and PowerPoint presentations and "bear pit sessions" and receptions and dinners and lots and lots of coffee. And frankly, I can't wait. Other people can have their lions and tigers and bears - I've got summits and change labs and conferences, oh my!

Loss, Hope, and Reaching Out - Justin Slade Youth Foundation

2012-01-21T07:56:00.001-08:00

As many of my readers know by now I have a strong interest in a few things - community, and people, and vision, and passion, and youth. I had heard of the Justin Slade Youth Foundation years ago, but it wasn't until last year that I learned a bit more about the foundation. It all began when I met Cassandra Slade, Justin's aunt, at a local event. Cassandra is not only beautiful but a true Fort McMurray powerhouse, and when she told me a bit about the history and mission of JSYF I knew I had to learn more about it and write about it, too - because it touches everything I think is important in this world.

Justin Slade was a young man who sounds, from all reports, like a wonderful person. Sadly no one will ever know what Justin could have been or done, as in 2004 a tragic car accident took his life - and he was only 21. As a parent I can only imagine the kind of pain and grief his parents, family, and friends endured. I imagine they felt some degree of hopelessness, too, which almost can't be avoided when experiencing such a terrible, unexpected, untimely loss. But, as so many find, out of loss can come hope. Out of loss can come change, and it can lead to reaching out. And, in the case of those who loved Justin it led to the formation of the Justin Slade Youth Foundation, a group that reaches out to our community's youth every single day.

JSYF has a clearly stated mission, and it is this : Our mission is to empower young people to make better life choices and to express themselves in positive ways through music, drama, art and sports. And that mission statement resonates with me on many levels, because it touches some of the key things I happen to believe, too.

Between my time spent with my own Intrepid Junior Bloggers, their friends, and students in local schools I see phenomenal potential in our youth. They have this way of seeing the world that is so different from most adults. They see open doors where we see locks, open avenues where we see roadblocks, and possibility where we see nothing. They come to this world with an enthusiasm that is as yet untouched by cynicism and skepticism, and they can be the most incredible joy to spend time with - if you take the time to truly listen. And even more they have such potential, the potential to change the world - but potential sometimes needs to be encouraged. It needs to be nurtured, and it needs to be valued.

JSYF is directed to young adults aged 12-18, probably considered one of the "toughest" age groups to work with - but also the most rewarding, I think. This is the age when anything is possible, when dreams can be formed and steps taken to achieve them. For some youth, though, these dreams can be tough to even visualize, and they need a place where they can start to explore them - and JSYF provides it.

JSYF is designed for all youth, but often finds the youth-at-risk demographic drawn to them. And this is the group for which I feel there is both the most worry and the most potential, people. I have met very young people who are living on our streets, and I look at them and think about the loss of their potential. They are often bright and funny and kind and warm, and it hurts me to see the harshness of their young lives. I wish someone had been there to reach out to them, to offer them the kind of hope and encouragement they needed, and maybe help them to find their true potential. And that is what JSYF does for all youth.

JSYF runs a lot of different programming, from their very successful Youth Empowerment Day to drop-in centre programming at the Haxton Centre (and in a very positive development it looks like that centre is on the verge of becoming the permanent home of JSYF, providing stability and consistency to the youth it serves). They do a lot of outreach programming, too, all free of charge and open to all youth. And they work very, very hard to remain relevant to the young people they serve, and to engage them in determining that programming.

Haxton Centre, Borealis Park

JSYF also gets involved in volunteerism, working on things like graffiti and community clean-ups. Lesley Pearcey, the Executive Director of JSYF, told me that those clean-ups often have the best attendance, and that the kids love them - and I love that. I think those sorts of things instil a sense of community ownership, and when you have spent hours cleaning graffiti or cleaning up a park you feel a much closer connection to it. You become protective of it - and, by extension, of your community and the people in it. And that's the true beauty in all of this.

When groups like JSYF reach out to local youth they show them that they are valued and that they have meaning in our community. They show our youth that there are people in this city who care, and who want them to feel a part of it. And in return the young adults begin to care, too, about the people who run the program, and about the place it is held, and, eventually, about the community, too.

The work of JSYF is far from done - it will never be done, in fact, as long as there are young people in this community. They have dreams and plans, too, things like neighbourhood based youth centres, and things like youth-friendly designations for local businesses. They are constantly coming up with new ideas to better engage our younger demographic (Extreme iPoding on YouTube, anyone?!?), and they are always working to improve their services. And there are challenges, too, like ensuring people understand that despite a tragic event last summer Borealis Park (where the Haxton Centre is located) is safe. There is the challenge of ensuring that they are making true change, serving the youth well, and adjusting programming as necessary by staying current with what is popular with youth (and as a parent of said youths that can change daily, trust me).

So, the Justin Slade Youth Foundation was founded because of a tragedy that stole the life of a vibrant young man. I know nothing will ever take that loss away, and nothing will ever replace him - but the work of the JSYF is changing the world of dozens of young people. From a terrible event has come reaching out - and hope. From one family's horrendous loss has come the gain of dozens of families, and of our community as young people can find a place to grow and dream and hope and achieve their potential. I wish I'd met Justin Slade, people. I wish he could know how his life inspired those around him, and how his name lives on in this foundation, and in the achievements of those who have had their lives changed by the JSYF. This young man, despite a very brief life, has had a tremendous impact not only on his family, but on many other young people who never met him, either, and on our entire community. So while we may never know what Justin could have been or done I know this - he has changed the world, with the help of those who loved him and started this foundation to honour him. And that, people, is something wonderful to witness. That is a profound legacy for anyone to leave behind.

My sincere thanks to

Cassandra Slade for

telling me about JSYF,

and to Lesley Pearcey,

JSYF Executive Director,

for meeting with me! :)

One Green Paperclip, Hockey Memorabilia, and KAOS 91.1

2012-01-19T10:54:00.000-08:00

The adventure of One Green Paperclip in Fort McMurray continues! Every day I open my email inbox and wonder what will be waiting for me - and a couple of days ago it was a new trade offer, and an intriguing one at that.

It was an email with an offer from a local radio station (and I'm very pleased the local stations seem to have embraced this adventure with the Intrepid Junior Bloggers and I). It was an offer with a great twist, too. It was two tickets to the upcoming KAOS 91.1 Banquet and Silent Auction, the fifth annual such dinner KAOS has hosted. KAOS is a local non-profit radio station that is very involved in the community, hosting many free community events. They also give local non-profit organizations radio time to discuss their services, which I think is pretty amazing considering most non-profits have small budgets for promotion and advertising, but often are the most in need of getting their message out into the world.

But KAOS wasn't just offering two tickets. Even better was their plan for the hockey memorabilia - the silent auction at the banquet (check out this video to see more about the banquet!). When I got the email I quickly rounded up the Intrepid Junior Bloggers before they could head out the door to school and asked for their opinion. They quickly approved the deal, and said they couldn't imagine a more win-win situation for everyone. We got tickets to trade, KAOS got a silent auction item, and someone was leaving that banquet with some terrific hockey history - and one green paperclip, which we will attach to the memorabilia so those who win it know how they came to own it.

The Junior Bloggers and I were beyond thrilled about a new trade - and not just because of what was offered but because of the excitement this experiment seems to be generating. I went out to an event one night this week and was asked about the project by several different people. I also sent an email to the youngest Intrepid Junior Blogger's teacher to tell her how she had inspired our adventure, and sent her links to this blog. Apparently those links went all over the school as both girls report having been approached by teachers to talk about the experiment - and they are delighted. You see, I wanted to share it with the teacher because I think teachers can change a student's life - and that student can go on to change the lives of others. I had one teacher in my life that was hugely influential - I would say she taught me how to write honestly. So it was important, I thought, to include the teacher who inspired this all by assigning the kind of homework that makes a student think. That was the start of this experiment - but it clearly was not the end.

So, people, I will soon have in my hand two tickets to the KAOS 91.1 banquet. These tickets are worth $75 each, but if you take a peek I think they are worth vastly more as you also get live entertainment from Juno-award winning Greg Sczebel, and get to hear a speech from Mayor Melissa Blake (who gets my vote as one of the best speakers in this entire community). You get to spend some time with some wonderful people from our community, support a great radio station, eat some fabulous MacDonald Island food - and continue the adventure of One Green Paperclip. So, the question becomes, of course, what have you got to trade, Fort Mac? The email inbox is empty, and it's waiting for your offer. You can be part of the adventure, because one of the things that seems to cause the most excitement is being a part of an experiment in community, media, social media, making connections - and seeing how far one little green paperclip can go in this little city of ours. Join the Intrepid Junior Bloggers and I on this journey, people - make us an offer and let's see where that little paperclip can go!

My thanks to

KAOS 91.1

for their trade AND

for embracing the

experiment!

New offers can be sent to us

McMurray Musings!

One Green Paperclip In Fort McMurray Timeline

One green paperclip

Jerry Neville of Country 93.3

for

one radio interview

One radio interview shout-out

Ellen of Pamper Me Beauty

for

one mini-makeover gift certificate

One mini-makeover gift certificate

Lisa Boutilier

for

hockey memorabilia

Hockey memorabilia

KAOS 91.1

for

two banquet tickets

Two banquet tickets

for

We Are Not Alone - Part Two

2012-01-17T17:28:00.000-08:00

Photo credit to Wise County, Virginia

Last week I wrote about a collaborative project I was embarking on with the guys at YMMPodcast - and a woman from Wise County, Virginia, who had reached out to them. I was incredibly excited about it, as it meant podcasting via Skype with Alyssa, our neighbour to the (far) south, and it meant sharing some of our challenges with someone who had experienced some of their own in relation to where they live. On Sunday Toddske, Tito, and I sat down at the YMMPodcast studios (otherwise known as "Toddske's house") and we talked with Alyssa - and it was enlightening.

Alyssa grew up in Wise County, Virginia, a place in the Appalachian mountains (and I learned we all pronounce the name of that mountain range wrong, who knew? It is pronounced Appal-atch-ah, not App-lay-shia). It is a place of coal mining and rural life, and a place that has seen the boom and bust of a resource based economy. It is the kind of place where they receive a lot of negative media attention because of their industry, but also because of some of their societal issues. Sound familiar? That's because it is, people. Wise County might be a nation and several thousand kilometres away but it is our neighbour in spirit, without a doubt.

The podcast we recorded was wide-ranging, and at points I was just so excited to speak to Alyssa, to hear her thoughts (in that gorgeous Southern accent - the way she says "y'all" is just delicious!), that I forgot we were recording at all. It was like speaking to someone with a shared experience, but with just enough difference to make it fascinating.

We spoke about coal mining, and about technology, and about reclamation. We spoke about problems, like drug use, and about activists who paint a bulls-eye on our communities. We discussed negative media attention, and we explored the concept of reclamation not of the industrial sort, but of the community sort - reclaiming the image and presentation of your community. And we talked about what happens to a community when a resource-based industry begins to die, as all resources eventually run out and leave behind communities in peril. This was perhaps, to me, the most significant part of our discussion - because Alyssa in Wise County is seeing what is happening as their coal industry diminishes, and what that loss leaves in it's wake. It's a topic we don't like to discuss in the oil sands, but the reality is that this resource cannot last forever - and while it may seem a long time down the road it's funny how quickly time passes. Alyssa had some very, very wise words to say about this aspect of a resource based community, and it's worth listening to the podcast to find out what they are (in fact I think the entire podcast is worth that alone).

I was not only excited to be part of this, but honoured, too. I was thrilled that Toddske and Tito wanted to include me, and I think the four of us on that podcast - three at a dining room table, and one on Skype from Virginia - forged a bond on Sunday. At the end of the podcast we discussed the concept of visiting each other - us heading down to Wise County, and Alyssa heading up here (I suggested we could go there in the winter, and she could come here in the summer - purely for weather reasons!). I have a strong feeling I could sit and talk with Alyssa for hours, and I'd welcome the chance to do so - and I'd love to go see Wise County, too. I'd love to share some of our story, and hear more of theirs. I'd love to show Wise County that they are not alone - that their neighbours to the far north understand and empathize. And frankly I'd love to see her come here and show her Fort McMurray, and maybe podcast live with her, too.

This is one of those adventures I never expected to come from this little blog, people. I never expected to ever record a podcast (and now have done 3!), let alone meet someone from Virginia and discuss a little cross-border travel related to our common experiences and goals. And perhaps that is the true joy of finding someone else who experiences these things like we do. You learn that you are not alone - and you make a new friend along the way, too.

"We Are Not Alone"

YMMPodcast

available on iTunes

and Stitcher or at

YMMPodcast

One Green Paperclip, One Gift Certificate, and Hockey Memorabilia

2012-01-15T13:48:00.000-08:00

Well, people, the One Green Paperclip in Fort McMurray adventure continues! Just as this is an ongoing project so the project itself changes and develops, and the Intrepid Junior Bloggers and I have been having some discussions.

As I've noted previously we have not put a time limit or goal on this experiment, but we have come to some other conclusions. We began to talk about what we would do should this end up with having something "big" in our hands - something of real financial value, and not just the value of the experience. Since we went into this with no expectations or desire for financial gain we have come to the decision that whatever we "end up with" - whenever we decide to end this experiment - we will donate whatever final trade item we have secured to a local charity. We have not decided which charity - it might well depend on what that final item is - but we determined that if we actually do manage to take one green paperclip and turn it into something "big" then we want to pass that along to someone else who can use it for fundraising or for their organization. Secondly, we decided that when this is all done we are going to throw a party - a party for everyone who was involved in the adventure, everyone who traded with us along the way. It will be our way of saying thank you to all those who participated, and our way of celebrating the end of the adventure. The planning for the "One Green Paperclip in Fort McMurray Party" is already underway, although we don't know the date yet - because this experiment has only just begun!

So, here's a quick recap and an update. On Friday morning I appeared on Country 93.3, and gave Jerry Neville that humble green paperclip in exchange for a radio interview. I gave my fabulous hair stylist Ellen (of Pamper Me Beauty in Abasand) a shout-out during that interview, and in exchange for that she provided me with a gift certificate for a cut, colour, style, and make-up application.

The beautiful, and feisty, Ellen - my hair stylist!

This meant that the Intrepid Junior Bloggers and I had in our hands this wonderful gift certificate, but no third trade lined up. I took to Twitter again, and tweeted what was up for trade - and it wasn't long before I had an offer, and this one from another absolutely beautiful Fort Mac woman.

The gorgeous, and feisty, Lisa Boutilier!

(what is it with all these feisty Fort Mac women, anyhow?)

I had met someone on Twitter a few months ago, and been immediately struck by her beauty - both inside and out. That stunning red hair, that lovely smile, and that inner glow - it could only belong to Lisa Boutilier, someone I might have met on Twitter but who has become a personal friend, too. Lisa tweeted to ask if the gift certificate was still up for trade, and I said it was indeed - and then she made her offer...hockey memorabilia.

I was pretty excited. I called the Intrepid Junior Bloggers and showed them the photos Lisa sent to me:

That, people, is a photo signed by Doug Gilmour of the Toronto Maple Leafs. It's from a game in 1993, and I might not know hockey but I know two things : having lived in Toronto for a few years I am a Leafs fan (and it was my dad's team, so I think it might be genetic), and two, it's pretty damn cool. But Lisa didn't stop there. Nope, she threw in something else:

That is a ticket from an Oilers game in 2008, and that is a puck used in that game. Lisa caught that puck when it landed in the player's bench (she was seated right behind the bench, her knees pressed right up against it, she told me), and she asked the team manager if she could have it. He tossed it over the glass, and she has had it ever since. And for one gift certificate she was going to trade it all to us.

The Junior Bloggers were past delighted and into ecstatic. Not only are the items cool, they are pretty popular, being hockey memorabilia, and they quickly agreed to the trade. So, last night at the local "tweetup", we made the trade:

Lisa arrived with the hockey memorabilia, and left with a gift certificate from my hair stylist Ellen (a certificate she says she intends to give to her daughter, and I know her daughter will love Ellen as much as I do). And I left with hockey memorabilia.

So, that brings the Intrepid Junior Bloggers and I to the next step, and the next question - what ya got, Fort Mac, for some fabulous hockey memorabilia? We are ready to trade up, and ready for the next step in the journey of One Green Paperclip. We are betting that someone out there has something cool to trade for some hockey history - and we are anxious to make it happen! Be a part of the adventure Fort Mac. Don't forget, at the end of all this we are going to give it all to charity - and have one helluva party!

You can contact me about

making a trade at

mcmurraymusings@shaw.ca,

or find me on Twitter

@mcmurraymusings!

One Green Paperclip Timeline

One green paperclip

Jerry Neville of Country 93.3

for

one radio interview

One radio interview shout-out

Ellen of Pamper Me Beauty

for

one gift certificate

One gift certificate

Lisa Boutilier

for

hockey memorabilia

Hockey memorabilia

for

On Tweetups and Getting TorQ'd

2012-01-15T09:16:00.000-08:00

One of the things that has happened to me in recent months while writing this blog has been finding myself getting involved in the online community in Fort McMurray. When I first joined Twitter, that 140-character way of reaching out to the world, I was hesitant about it. I saw it simply as a tool to spread the word about this blog, but not much more than that. What I never realized was that it had the potential to do so much more, including helping me to find new friends in the community.

Twitter is an interesting medium, you "tweet" your message and off it goes into the twitterverse. I began tweeting specifically about the blog but as time went on I found myself interacting in personal discussions with people on Twitter. And then I attended my first "tweetup", and learned that I had made some of those twitterverse friends into real-life friends, too. A "tweetup", for those curious, is nothing more than a gathering of people who met initially on Twitter. It's not a group of people who sit around a table and tweet to each other on their cell phones, and it's not weird. It's actually pretty awesome, and you never know who will show up. Someone (anyone, really) decides on a place, date, and time, starts to tweet that information, and then you just show up and see who else does, too. Last night we met at McRay's in Thickwood, and for some it was just one of many tweetups, while for others it was their very first (but I bet not their last, either).

I showed up right at the tweetup start time (this time tends to be flexible, especially if the tweetup is happening in a bar, which is where the tweetup moved after supper last night). I was in fact the first to arrive, but I only had an hour as after the tweetup I had to head to Keyano Theatre to see a percussion group from Toronto that is touring the prairie provinces. When asked about my plans post-tweetup I informed my fellow "tweeps" (a combination of tweets and peeps) that I was heading out to get "TorQ'd", which provoked a few laughs and entertaining comments. It was quite accurate, though, as the name of the percussion group is, in fact, "TorQ". When my hour was over I was sad to leave - many of my favourite Fort McMurray folks were at the tweetup, people I've become very fond of, and leaving was hard - but I was excited about TorQ, and I was not disappointed.

Photo credit to TorQ

I arrived at Keyano and met my friend, a wonderful woman who kindly invited me to attend the concert. She has been a most gracious host to me on several occasions, and this was yet another. I was quite grateful as I must admit I'm not always completely on the ball with getting tickets to things like this, so having someone in my life who says "I have two tickets, you coming?" is truly special. She and I headed into the theatre, took our seats, and awaited the show (while laughing, and discussing shoes and politics).

Photo credit to TorQ

TorQ is a bit tough to describe, as an all-percussion ensemble must be heard, I think, to be truly understood. One of the first things I noticed when they took the stage, four young men, is that they all wore something red. There were red shoes, and red ties, and red shoelaces, and red glasses, and a red shirt. The other colours they wore were fairly sombre, browns and greys, but each one had something red on them, and it matched the red lighting that lit up the curtains behind them. I found this immediately intriguing. Red is one of those colours you instantly associate with certain words and feelings - things like hot, and fiery, and spicy. I knew at that moment that this was going to be very, very interesting. I also knew that I in particular would find this experience meaningful, as I am not particularly good at rhythms. When an audience is clapping along I am the one who is slightly off, and sometimes off enough to make people stare. So, to see an ensemble based entirely on percussion was not only novel for me, but intriguing, too.

TorQ utilizes a variety of percussion instruments from the very large to the very small. They began the show with a number in which they each used a small instrument, and throughout the show it would build from small to large, and back to small again. I found several pieces that were my favourite, including "Sleep", a lovely, shimmery, ethereal piece that somehow reminded me of Enya, that Irish musician who records music that sort of flows over your soul. They played a few pieces they themselves had composed, explaining that it can be difficult to find pieces that have been written with percussion-only ensembles in mind, and how if they do not write them then they are forced to adapt other pieces or search out those rare pieces designed for them. The pieces all differ in intensity and I suppose all I can say is that they are mesmerizing - walls of sound that wash over you, and down into you as only a percussion instrument can.

One particularly fun piece involved two members of the audience, and is titled "Natural Resources (what to do until the power comes on)". It is about "found sounds", involving a table, two mallets, two musicians, and a variety of percussion instruments that are chosen at random, placed on the table, and an experiment in sound begins. It is, of course, fascinating as each time it would be different dependent on which instruments are placed on the table. It's percussion improv, and I was delighted with it.

The gentlemen from TorQ spoke a bit about how acoustic sounds slowly became electronic ones, and how now electronic music influences acoustic music. I found this fascinating, too, as I have long been a fan of electronica, and the way electronically-produced music can have layers and layers of sound, rather like a many-layered trifle, with each layer holding a new delight. And this is what I found with what TorQ does, too, the intricate layering of sound blending into a transfixing piece. I noticed the rest of the audience, a fairly decent sized crowd, also seemed mesmerized. It's hard not to be when you see four young men doing something amazing, appearing to love every second, and creating something spectacular along the way.

Another piece that amazed was one written by John Cage, the admittedly quirky musician and composer. Called "Third Construction", it was the sort of thing where you didn't know what to watch as all four musicians had their hands full with various instruments, and those were hands flying. While watching this piece I realized that you probably don't see a lot of overweight percussionists, as these men were constantly in motion, and at the end of the pieces looked like they'd had a rather good workout. I suspect percussion is not only good for the soul but perhaps for cardio workouts, too.

The show, which had begun with each musician and a simple handheld (or in one case, sat-on box) instrument, ended with garbage cans and mallets. With several garbage cans, some mallets, and a show of energy that defied any notion that they might be tired from the preceding numbers, TorQ finished strong. Their skill, synchronization, and sense of fun was astonishing to witness - and for someone like me, who would describe herself as "rhythm challenged", nothing short of miraculous.

After the show I reflected a bit on those red ties and shoelaces and glasses, and came to this conclusion - TorQ is hot. Those young men are hot in every sense of the word, from the intellectual looking one with the collared shirt and sweater to the one with the GQ-worthy vest to the one with the slightly nerdy red glasses to the one with the shaved head and slightly "bad boy" look. The little bit of red they each wore betrayed that they are fiery, and spicy, and hot, and incredibly musically talented. They are a complete joy to watch and to hear, and I intend to purchase some of their pieces on iTunes today.

After I said goodbye to my friend and left Keyano I actually headed back to the tweetup for a few minutes to check on my other friends, and found them comfortably ensconced at the Black Horse Pub, enjoying a few drinks and each other's company. I sat with them for a few minutes, and quickly found myself getting involved in a discussion on local politics, my opinions, and the desire to see what is best for the community. I looked around the tables of Fort Mac people, and while some of us might have met on Twitter I saw only friends.

So, in the end, it was a night of tweetups, round one and two, and of getting TorQ'd in the best possible way. And that, people, was my Saturday in Fort Mac. Friends and politics and music and drinks. It was, quite frankly, my favourite kind of night out in this community, blending together all the things I love - people, and events, and places, and ideas, and thoughts. It was just another Fort Mac Saturday night of tweetups and TorQ.

We Are Not Alone, Fort McMurray

2012-01-13T10:00:00.000-08:00

I guess sometimes what can be most frustrating about living in Fort McMurray is that you feel alone. Not lonely, as this is a busy community, but alone in the sense of being a target - of being the bullseye in somebody's dartboard. You hear and read the things said about you by media from outside the community - or from people who have never been here - and you think "we are so alone". Except that we aren't alone at all. We have company in other communities who also face stereotypes and negative media attention. And while finding you aren't alone doesn't make those things go away it does make it easier to take - because you realize others are encountering the same challenges you do, and suddenly a place far away begins to feel much, much closer.

I had this happen once when I met a journalist from Laramie, Wyoming, a place most often associated with the horrific torture and murder of a young gay man. And it happened again recently when Toddske of YMMPodcast contacted me, because someone had reached out to him and said "you are not alone".

It all happened after Toddske appeared on a popular podcast known as SmodCo. I guess he had talked about our community and our challenges, and someone heard him. That someone knew a bit about the frustration he was expressing, because they encountered it, too - but they are from a little further afield. Wise County, Virginia, in fact, a place far south in geography, and likely far different from Fort Mac in many ways - but similar, too.

Wise County has a long history of coal mining, an industry that has attracted much of the same negative media attention the oil sands has. It also happens to be in the Appalachians, and when you say that name certain images spring to mind - hillbillies, and moonshine, and banjos. Except of course that we in Fort Mac know all too well about stereotypes and those "images". We know them to be false, and to be stereotypes cast upon us by others from outside. We know that our communities hold so much more than what is portrayed or believed of us, and we have this burning desire to share that with the world.

And that is why Alyssa of Wise County reached out to Toddske. I suspect she saw a "kindred spirit" - someone who was fighting the same battle, facing many of the same issues, and yet was thousands of kilometres away - and in a different country. I suspect she too has experienced the frustration, and sadness, and just pure anger that we occasionally do here in Fort McMurray.

When Alyssa reached out to Toddske he reached out to me, knowing that I would be quite keen to be a part of this adventure in cross-border sharing and kinship. What started out as an email exchange between Wise County and Fort McMurray has now become a friendship - and a podcast. On Sunday Toddske, Tito, and I will Skype with Alyssa and talk about our mutual challenges, our differences - and what it's like to discover you are not alone. We will laugh a lot, probably, and swear a bit, and quite likely vent. What we will do is to continue to forge the kind of bond that a common experience gives you. We will show that we are not alone. And we are not alone, Fort McMurray. We may be different than Wise County, Virginia, and we might be far, far away in terms of physical distance - but in terms of who we are as human beings, and as people - well, we are no different at all. We are not only not alone, we are all on this planet together. And it's time, perhaps, for everyone to understand that.

"We Are Not Alone" podcast

will be on YMMPodcast

on Tuesday, January 17th.

One Green Paperclip, Country 93.3, and Jerry Neville

2012-01-13T08:59:00.000-08:00

Well, people, this morning the One Green Paperclip in Fort McMurray experiment officially launched. Despite my trepidation about microphones and public speaking I did a radio interview about the experiment with Jerry Neville of Country 93.3. In exchange for the radio time I gave Jerry that little green paperclip, and was able to give my awesome hairdresser Ellen (of Pamper Me Beauty in Abasand) a shout-out on local radio. In exchange for that little bit of publicity Ellen will provide me with a mini-makeover gift certificate, and I'm already looking for the next trade.

I admit it. I'm a bit surprised at the interest this little experiment has already generated. I have no idea where it will go, or what the adventure will hold. I know a few things, though. I know the Intrepid Junior Bloggers are very enthusiastic about the entire thing. I know that whatever happens it will be interesting. And I know that this experiment ties in with so many things I hold dear - community, and engagement, and excitement, and taking chances with ideas - and showing my kids what that is all about. It's all about taking an idea, throwing it out there, and seeing where it goes - and frankly there is no place in this world better to do this than right here in Fort Mac, the home of innovation, potential, belief, opportunity, and the power of community. This is the place for one green paperclip to become something much, much more. It's the place for a humble paperclip to become an adventure.

One Green Paperclip Timeline

One green paperclip

Jerry Neville of Country 93.3

for

a radio interview...

One radio interview shout-out

Ellen of Pamper Me Beauty

for

one mini-makeover gift certificate...

One mini-makeover gift certificate

for

Have an offer for a trade?

Contact me at

mcmurraymusings@shaw.ca

and let's talk!

Photo credit to Country 93.3