Hallo...what?

Last night my mom and I took my little cousin Trick-or-Treating. As a kid Halloween was one of the best days of the year. At school we would do our work in the morning as scheduled, but in the afternoon we always had a Halloween party! Everyone in the class would bring an array of snacks, we’d all get dressed up in our cute little costumes, and then we’d watch a Halloween movie. This happened until at least grade 6, if not later. After the school day was done, my friends and I would always hit up a few houses for candy on our way home to drop off our school bags, re-adjust our costumes, grab our heavy duty pillow cases, and head out the door. To be honest, I went trick-or-treating with my mom most of the time, even as I got older. She’s a fun lady that mother of mine. Sometimes my friends would join us too, but my mom always wanted to be part of the fun. She’d always be nice enough to make sure the people handing out candy knew that her son was at home and couldn’t come out because he had a cold, and people would always give us extra candy for him.

I’m an only child.

Nearly all the houses on every street had some sort of Halloween decorations, and there were always a handful of houses that went all out with flashy lights, sound effects, and scary monsters that pop out at you from behind the bushes. My mom would always try her best to get us to the really good parts of the city who hand out full sized chocolate bars, big bags of chips, and cans of pop. I remember going home 2 or 3 times in the middle of our journey, to empty my pillowcases so I can get more goods. I’d say having 5 sacks of candy makes for a successful Halloween night. I remember being able to trick-or-treat until about midnight, sometimes even 1 in the morning, which was perfectly fine because school was always cancelled the following day!

Fast forward to Halloween 2012.

Last night was nothing like I’ve just described. I barely saw any trick-or-treaters out and about, which may have had something to do with only 6 houses per block (if that) with their lights on. We started about 7:30pm and apparently that was a late start. Some of the houses we started off with gave us the last of their stash, as they were nearly out for the evening. Now I don’t think this was because they had a ton of little monsters at their door, but more because they likely bought one small bag of candy and figured that would do the trick. Some simply stopped handing out candy because there was only a trick-or-treater every half an hour or so, if not longer.

As we walked from one house with lights to the next, which was about 18 houses away, I asked my cousin what she did at school for Halloween. You know what they did at her school? Nothing! Absolutely nothing! No dress up. No party. No movies. No Halloween sing-alongs….nothing!

What’s going on? Is Halloween being phased out? Do people no longer believe in Halloween fun? What is it?

I loved Halloween as a kid, and I’m disappointed that this generation is not getting the chance to enjoy it the way I did. I feel like they’re getting ripped off BIG TIME! Some people have serious views about not participating in Halloween festivities, but what about everybody else?

So tell me folks, why do you think kids aren’t as excited about Halloween as they used to be? Why did people stop handing out candy? Why don’t parents take their kids out anymore? What happened to the school parties? Halloween dances? Costumes?

While you ponder, please enjoy this video of the sweetest halloween house, ever!
(Watch for at least 2 minutes to get the full effect)

Name Calling? Spreading Rumours? Humiliation?

It still amazes me that there are still people out there who don’t see bullying as a serious offence. Many kids, teens, and yes, even adults are getting bullied every day. Some of them are lucky enough to have someone standing by them to help get them through their tough time, but not everyone is so lucky. 

My question is, at what level of bullying does a situation have to reach in order for it to be taken seriously. Name calling? Spreading rumours? Humiliation? Threats? Physical abuse? Who decides which one is more important to pay attention to than the other? The fact of the matter is, someone who is constantly being called names, can be just as traumatized by it as someone who has experienced physical abuse. There is no telling how much torment a person can handle and it’s not something that should be tested. 

For the past few days my Facebook and Twitter feeds have been filled with comments surrounding Amanda Todd’s suicide, a B.C. teen who took her own life on October 10^th after being bullied at school and online. While there were thousands upon thousands of comments from people who feel sorry for Todd and who want to see bullying as a thing of the past, there were still many insensitive people who posted comments showing happiness and disrespect regarding Amanda’s suicide. 

Its unfortunate that cyber bullying is growing and that as of right now, it’s not seen as a criminal offence unless it’s directly linked to a particular incident. People feel safe behind their computers when it comes to bullying someone online; it gives them a sense of anonymity and makes them feel powerful. Well, they are powerful. Their comment(s) in a sea of other negativity can be enough to push someone to their breaking point; to send someone over the edge; to lead someone into a plan to take their own life. 

Who wants that kind of power? 

Weeks before Amanda’s suicide, she sent out a video that was a cry for help. Since this morning her video has received over 1,600,000 views!

Condom Advertisements

 *Sexual Content

 

It took me a few seconds to understand this ad, but it clicked once I saw the Durex logo in the top right corner. In my opinion, this ad is very creative and clearly a great time for it to be released. It would be funny, clever, and eye catching, even without the genius tagline. I’m not sure how the Olympics would feel about a condom company ad imitating their Olympic rings, but it doesn’t seem like it would be that big a deal. 

This ad from the same company however, is not my favourite. This ad was released mid-June in the UK, and although they have more leniency in the UK with what they can and cannot run, I’m still surprised that something like this made the cut. The ad was posted on their Facebook page and read “Poor woman...(or maybe lucky one)?” Durex was promoting their extra large sized condoms, and used an image that implied a woman was performing oral sex on a penis so big that it slit the edges of her mouth. I’m not going to go into great detail but as I’m sure many can guess, there a number of things that can be found extremely controversial about the image.

What do you think about the two contrasting ads? Funny? Offensive? Neither here nor there?

Fringe Fest is the Best Fest

Country Fest? No thanks. Folk Fest? I’ll pass. Fringe Fest? I’m there!

Last Sunday I saw my first fringe show of the year, and I wasn’t the least bit disappointed. Lady Skits is a MUFF-Stache Collective featuring four young women exploring the ways of feminism in a very modern and hilarious way. The collection of skits accurately depicts what young women go through in regards to sex, friendships, sex, relationships, sex, menstruation, oh...and more sex! 

During this 45 minute performance you’ll see everything from ancient Greeks texting and watching porn, to booty call rapping, to giant vaginas on stage. Don't tell me you're not the least bit intrigued!

The following is from the Fringe Festival Website:

Venue #15 -Studio 320 70 Albert St. - 3rd floor

Lady Skits

MUFF-Stache Collective
Winnipeg, MB



Director: The MUFF-Stache Collective

Cast: Kaitlynn Porath, Dana Smith, Anne Tuma, Jaclyn Kozak

It began one naked, drunken hot tub night.

After titful comparison, fretful debate on hair removal and voicing our vaginas, we aimed to change the world one ha-ha-ha at a time.

Our collective creation (and bad boyfriends, F papers and insidious one-night stands) led to the obscurity of this sketchy comedy Lady Skits.

In a dick joke-dominated world, let's get some vagina up in heeere!

Recommended For: Mature Audience
Length: 45 min
Tickets: $10
Discount Tickets: $8 for Students, Seniors
Warnings: Subject Matter, Language

See the show and tell me what you think!

My Deepest Apologies

To all of the sheltered young boys and girls of Winnipeg, I want to apologize on behalf of your parents for babying you and not allowing you to have any real life experiences; for making you think that living  in one area of the city, makes you a better or more deserving person than those living in all other areas; for making you believe that as long as you hide behind your white picket fence or the golden gates of your community, that no harm will come to you; for making it hard for you later down the road when life hits you in the face and you don’t know how to retaliate; for making it likely that you too will raise your kids to be a snob to any neighbourhood that isn’t theirs. 

I’d like to take the time to let you know that you don’t live in Beverley Hills, or Paris, or in Uptown Manhattan. You live in big small town WINNIPEG! Regardless of the area you claim, you still live in a city that many people outside of this country haven’t heard of, and have no interest in going to. You still live in a city often referred to as the murder capital of Canada, a city where people get mugged, a city where people are homeless, a city where bad things happen, regardless of the area.

 I’m not saying Winnipeg is a terrible place to live in, as a lot of great things happen here! All I’m saying is that regardless of who you are, where you live, and how much money you think you have, we ALL live in the same city. I’m sorry you were brought up to believe that your postal code makes you part of Winnipeg’s elite, as one day I’m sure you will be in for a rude awakening when you find out you’re not. I’m not suggesting you take a stroll through the streets of downtown  alone at 3 in the morning (mind you, I’ve done it many times and I live to talk about it), I’m merely suggesting that you step out of your comfort zone for a day or two, and see what your city has to offer. As I said, many great things happen here in ALL areas of the city, and me being the nice person I am, just wants to make sure you have the opportunity to enjoy being a true Winnipegger :)

Winnipeg, MB

Apparently tipping is the most controversial thing I could write about...who knew?

So for those of you who haven’t seen the debate (on Facebook) about my previous blog post about tipping, well....there was/is a debate. I like debates! But reading some of the comments by my peers has lead me to believe that I’m not as good as a writer as I once thought I was. 

I used to consider myself to be a clear and concise writer, but If my audience isn’t understanding the key points I’m making through my writing, then maybe my writing needs work. Here are some quotes from the post below ladies and gents; I’ll do my best to translate. 

“Now, I don’t “hate” tipping, just the idea of it.”

This means that the act of tipping is okay with me, but the circumstances around it don’t ALWAYS make the most sense. Sometimes. But not always.

“It seems that nowadays you HAVE to tip whether the service is great, good, or terrible.”

Tipping for terrible service is lost on me. Maybe you had a bad day, maybe you had a bad week, maybe you’re not good at your job. How am I supposed to know? I could ask, I suppose....but that seems rude.

“Your tip at the end of the night is a bonus; something you get in addition to your regular pay”

If someone leaves at the end of their meal and doesn’t leave you a tip, you can’t chase them down the street, or call the police on them for stealing your service. 

“The bigger question is, why is it that waiters, waitress, and bartenders are the only people we tip?”

Alright folks, the above quote is the FOCAL POINT of this post. Hence my decision to use the words “The bigger question is...”  I know it’s hard to interpret, but I don’t have the smarts to make this any simpler. I just....I can’t do it. You think a million years of University would have instilled to knowledge in me to be able to break this down so everyone understands it; perhaps I fell asleep during that lesson.

“They didn’t offer me a tip, nor did I expect one.”

I’m not complaining that I don’t get tips at my own place(s) of work. I knew when I took the job that tips weren’t a customary thing that I was to expect from everyone who passes through. But I’m questioning WHY isn’t a customary thing? Not just for where I work, but at most establishments where people work minimum wage. 

“I’m not saying I’m going to stop tipping (it’s “socially acceptable” dontcha know) and I’m not saying that you should stop tipping”

I tip. I’ve always tipped. I’m not going to stop tipping. I tip. I’ve always tipped. I’m not going to stop tipping. I just needed to repeat that so people don’t rudely and inaccurately call me out as a “stain on society.” This above quote is also saying that my point is that everyone shouldn’t stop tipping their servers. Keep tipping. Tip all you want. Want to tip 15%? Go for it. How about 25%? Sure. Interested in tipping 50%? Then by all means, feel free to open up your wallet and tip that 50%, my friend. Do what you want. It’s your money.

“If you’re going to tip one group of workers, why not tip ‘em all?”

 This quote has similar meaning to this one... “The bigger question is, why is it that waiters, waitress, and bartenders are the only people we tip?”

Do some cooks, servers, and bartenders work their asses off? Of course they do? Are they the only people in the minimum wage workforce who do so? Of course they aren’t. Do they have the hardest minimum wage job of all time? I don’t know, I haven’t worked for every minimum wage job out there to draw a 100% accurate conclusion to that question. But I doubt it.

There are tons of minimum wage jobs out there that are hard or stressful to do, and not all of them get a tip at the end of their shift. Tipping is a trend created and carried out by different people in society, and it’s not going to last forever. Will people still be tipping on 50 years? Probably. In 100 years? Maybe. In 150 years? Who knows. Trends change. Trends end. Some have more longevity than others, but things are always changing.

*There have also been comments that if people want to work in a place that has tips, then they’re more than welcome to work as a server. Hmm…if you think of the most common restaurants in Winnipeg, you will notice a certain age category (along with other qualifiers) among the servers who work there. But that’s a different topic.