I can't believe how hard it was for me to decide on a candidate in my ward for this municipal election that's happening tomorrow.
I won't tell you who I'm voting for - but I will tell you how exciting it will be to see the outcome.
I'll be honest - I didn't vote in the last election. It was really hard because at the time I was living out of the region of Waterloo and really had no idea what the issues were. I didn't really pay attention to what was going on around me in that I had an apartment and we never got the newspaper. I also didn't get out and enjoy the town I was living in so it really didn't matter to me who got voted in.
So the last time I voted was 8 years ago. I was living in Ward 4 - voted at St. Peters elementary school and voted for Ben Tucci. I felt he was really standing up for us and I liked the idea of someone with experience on council. I had met him on a professional level and he seemed to really care about the people in his ward and he knew what he was doing.
Fast forward to this year - I'm back in Waterloo region, living in my own house in the brand new Ward 1. The ward is huge - covers parts of Hespeler, Preston and Blair. There are so many different issues and so many different types of people living and working in this ward. I guess it shouldn't have been a shock to have the most number of candidates running - Ten. Yes 10 candidates. All thought long and hard before running in this election.
Some even got out pounding the pavement a month in advance to get the word out. All have walked through the neighbourhoods knocking on doors and trying to win votes. There is no clear leader and no clear loser in this race.
For me, there are a few things that really stand out to me in a regional election and more specifically my ward.
#1 - I want someone who knows what's going on in my ward. If they lived there, grew up there or their kids go to school there - it means a lot that they understand the needs in our area.
#2 - That they don't focus on one area more than the other. As our ward covers Hespeler, Preston and Blair - the candidate that is going to win my vote should not focus so much on one area that they seem to forget the other.
#3 - I want someone that understands local politics and has experience in some sort of council. I know all the people running in my ward are fairly new, but some have run for different councils or headed committees in the past. I want someone who can speak up when needed, and sit back and listen when necessary.
#4 - I want someone who is a good speaker in public. I don't want someone who is going to be nervous and have a shaky voice. That's not going to instill confidence in their performance.
#5 - I want someone who WANTS to be there. If they can't come out to debates, or they say that they don't want to be a career politician - that means they aren't really wanting to win. It makes me question their motives.
#6 - I don't want someone who is slinging mud at other candidates. I want a clean fight. I want to hear what you can do - and not what you don't like about the other guy. I guess that's more geared towards the mayoral race and the regional race.
One of the things that really worries me about a candidate is if they aren't informed. They need to understand the limitations within their role on council and what the history of the council has been. If someone comes in that hasn't lived in Cambridge long, they better really know their stuff. If they've never shown an interest in politics before, they won't get my vote.
I asked on twitter the other day who people thought I should vote for. the majority of responses said "Election? What election?" I had two people offer up suggestions, but only one of them backed it up in facts. I take all input into consideration when it comes to something like this. Some really important things are coming up for our area. I want to know what people think so I can make an informed decision.
This was why it was really good for me to find the Cambridge Citizen. It's a local website that has some political commentary. They've opened it up for all candidates to write in and participate on discussion boards. I've loved seeing politicians becoming real people. Actually commenting on things that I have to say.
I've never felt like my opinion mattered until this year.
A friend of mine is running for School Board Trustee - and I'm going to vote for him. We met online, and really that means nothing to some people, but through online conversations we met fact to face. He's one of those people that surprised me. He looked me in the eye, he asked my opinions and really listened. I want people like that involved in politics in my area. I think Colin Carmichael is a wonderful candidate and I really hope he gets in. See his website here.
The first candidate running in this election that I talked to actually came out to an event this summer. She was running for regional council and I was really impressed that she came to a local event and actually talked to EVERYONE there. She handed out her business card and got people engaged. As a teacher, Atinuke Bankole is used to talking to large groups of people. I was a little surprised to see her out so early, it was August after all, but she got me thinking. I've never really given elections much thought on the regional level, but she really made me want to. I watched her video from the Cambridge Chamber of Commerce and I was really impressed. She knows a lot about politics and I think she would be a really fresh voice for Cambridge at the Regional level. To see her website go here.
I'm not trying to endorse one way or another. How you vote really needs to come from your heart. I just know that it's been really exciting this year to actually get involved. To feel that I have a voice and that my voice is going to be heard on October 25th.
I am from Cambridge.
And I AM voting on election day.
Sunday 24 October 2010
Saturday 16 October 2010
My night at the Chainsaw
There is something so comforting about being the sober person in a bar.
Went out last night for a friends birthday. She's a fairly new friend, but I've felt like I've known her for ages. I know in my heart that she would do anything for me if I needed her to - and that includes picking my drunk ass up off the floor.
For her birthday she had one request - she wanted to go to karaoke. Knowing some of her history - I know that this girl used to be a karaoke host - or Karaoke Jockey in the past. She was a regular at some fantastic karaoke nights. She understands how important the levels are and how sometimes the crowd can make the night. As she moved back to this area of the province recently, she put it out there to the Twitterverse that she wanted to go to karaoke and where should she go. Nearly every person that responded told her to go to the Chainsaw. Which sadly - does not have a website for me to direct you to. Or if they did, I couldn't find in my half-hearted attempt to find it in the top 3 pages of google results.
Anyhow - my hubby has gone to karaoke there on a couple of occasions and really enjoyed that sometimes people were willing to dance for you if the song was right. Even he agreed that this was a great place to go.
As I knew the hubby would be one of the few boys in a sea of girls, I knew it was safer if he could relax a little over some wobbly pops. It didn't seem fair that the birthday girl had to drive either since she should be able to kick back and relax and so I decided to be the DD. Younger me would've fought tooth and nail to avoid this fate, but older me knows how much fun it can be.
As the sober person in a bar you can watch everything and everyone. More than half have no idea that you are watching their drunken behaviour and those that do could care less. I was able to sit back and laugh at all the craziness going on around us, and even at our table while everyone seemed to be having a great time. The mood of the place really helped me to enjoy myself and I was very glad I wasn't drunk or I might have been one of the girls on stage singing the B52's love shack and screwing up the words.
We arrived at the end of some "love bingo" being run by the Love Shop and the University so we saw some really interesting things. From blow up man dolls to battery operated boyfriends. As they streamed out you could find condoms on the floor, which of course needed to be passed onto the birthday girl. Safe sex is important after all.
Slowly the sex toys were replaced by all sorts of people with all different tastes and styles. From the girl "Candy" with the frizziest white and pink hair ever, to the man in the cowboy hat and NASCAR jacket, to the older lady with a Travis Tritt t-shirt to the cast of the Jersey Shore at the table beside us. There was a girl wearing all back but with hot pink shoes, hot pink belt and hot pink earrings. There were many girls wearing skirts so short you could almost see their underwear and metalheads with incredibly long locks, bullet belts and screaming voices.
there was such a mish mash of people and everyone seemed to be getting along. (In the case of the jersey shore couple beside us - possibly getting along too well for a public setting until she poked him in the eye with her fingernail.) I was struck by how strange it was to see such an interesting group of people together. From the barely of age, to the senior citizen - everyone was there to have a few drinks, sing a song or two and generally have a good time.
I think the Chainsaw is trying to meet all of their clientele's needs and it was nice being in a positive atmosphere. From the worst singers to the best, everyone was just happy that you tried.
Of course no trip to a karaoke bar is perfect. The music levels were off, the speakers were regulated to one defeaning speaker rather than several spread around so that it doesn't blow out the eardrums of your patrons. The KJ didn't really do a great job of keeping things in order as he tried to add new singers to the rotation. As no one used the microphone stand, more and more people would trip on all the cords.
But the negative aspects of the night don't overshadow the smile that was on my friends face as she came off the stage from singing a hot little number. Her voice was amazing and everyone there couldn't help but cheer and catcall when she was up there. It was like she turned into this amazing diva that I knew was inside her but couldn't fully see the depths of until she was belting out a tune. It was electric.
Oh yes, being the DD when you have people who are genuinely having a good time, means that you can't help but have a good time. I'll have to remember that the next time I have to drive for girls night :)
Went out last night for a friends birthday. She's a fairly new friend, but I've felt like I've known her for ages. I know in my heart that she would do anything for me if I needed her to - and that includes picking my drunk ass up off the floor.
For her birthday she had one request - she wanted to go to karaoke. Knowing some of her history - I know that this girl used to be a karaoke host - or Karaoke Jockey in the past. She was a regular at some fantastic karaoke nights. She understands how important the levels are and how sometimes the crowd can make the night. As she moved back to this area of the province recently, she put it out there to the Twitterverse that she wanted to go to karaoke and where should she go. Nearly every person that responded told her to go to the Chainsaw. Which sadly - does not have a website for me to direct you to. Or if they did, I couldn't find in my half-hearted attempt to find it in the top 3 pages of google results.
Anyhow - my hubby has gone to karaoke there on a couple of occasions and really enjoyed that sometimes people were willing to dance for you if the song was right. Even he agreed that this was a great place to go.
As I knew the hubby would be one of the few boys in a sea of girls, I knew it was safer if he could relax a little over some wobbly pops. It didn't seem fair that the birthday girl had to drive either since she should be able to kick back and relax and so I decided to be the DD. Younger me would've fought tooth and nail to avoid this fate, but older me knows how much fun it can be.
As the sober person in a bar you can watch everything and everyone. More than half have no idea that you are watching their drunken behaviour and those that do could care less. I was able to sit back and laugh at all the craziness going on around us, and even at our table while everyone seemed to be having a great time. The mood of the place really helped me to enjoy myself and I was very glad I wasn't drunk or I might have been one of the girls on stage singing the B52's love shack and screwing up the words.
We arrived at the end of some "love bingo" being run by the Love Shop and the University so we saw some really interesting things. From blow up man dolls to battery operated boyfriends. As they streamed out you could find condoms on the floor, which of course needed to be passed onto the birthday girl. Safe sex is important after all.
Slowly the sex toys were replaced by all sorts of people with all different tastes and styles. From the girl "Candy" with the frizziest white and pink hair ever, to the man in the cowboy hat and NASCAR jacket, to the older lady with a Travis Tritt t-shirt to the cast of the Jersey Shore at the table beside us. There was a girl wearing all back but with hot pink shoes, hot pink belt and hot pink earrings. There were many girls wearing skirts so short you could almost see their underwear and metalheads with incredibly long locks, bullet belts and screaming voices.
there was such a mish mash of people and everyone seemed to be getting along. (In the case of the jersey shore couple beside us - possibly getting along too well for a public setting until she poked him in the eye with her fingernail.) I was struck by how strange it was to see such an interesting group of people together. From the barely of age, to the senior citizen - everyone was there to have a few drinks, sing a song or two and generally have a good time.
I think the Chainsaw is trying to meet all of their clientele's needs and it was nice being in a positive atmosphere. From the worst singers to the best, everyone was just happy that you tried.
Of course no trip to a karaoke bar is perfect. The music levels were off, the speakers were regulated to one defeaning speaker rather than several spread around so that it doesn't blow out the eardrums of your patrons. The KJ didn't really do a great job of keeping things in order as he tried to add new singers to the rotation. As no one used the microphone stand, more and more people would trip on all the cords.
But the negative aspects of the night don't overshadow the smile that was on my friends face as she came off the stage from singing a hot little number. Her voice was amazing and everyone there couldn't help but cheer and catcall when she was up there. It was like she turned into this amazing diva that I knew was inside her but couldn't fully see the depths of until she was belting out a tune. It was electric.
Oh yes, being the DD when you have people who are genuinely having a good time, means that you can't help but have a good time. I'll have to remember that the next time I have to drive for girls night :)
Thursday 14 October 2010
The financing wait game
My heart is racing.
Mind is spinning.
We are buying a new car.
Why does the financing have to be the scariest part? We come off the elation of making a big decision only to be in a room with the money guy. He hmms and haws over your personal finances. You feel so naked, exposed as everything is scrutinized. He says he needs to send it all in and then the waiting game begins.
Feeling a little violated you head home and wonder, am I good enough? Do I pass muster? Am I a risk they want to take?
I've bought two other new cars, both times were good. Both times I didn't need a cosigner. What if this time I do?
It's true, I have barely used my freeing card since buying the house but I sure used it before that. It was my best friend when buying stuff for my job. And stupid me never put the reimbursement cheques onto the card. The debt just built up and up. I never missed aayment, and always paid more than minimum but what if that isn't good enough?
So here I sit and wait. Naked and exposed.
But man, she's a pretty car. Hyundai Elantra Touring. Atlantic blue. Check her out.
Mind is spinning.
We are buying a new car.
Why does the financing have to be the scariest part? We come off the elation of making a big decision only to be in a room with the money guy. He hmms and haws over your personal finances. You feel so naked, exposed as everything is scrutinized. He says he needs to send it all in and then the waiting game begins.
Feeling a little violated you head home and wonder, am I good enough? Do I pass muster? Am I a risk they want to take?
I've bought two other new cars, both times were good. Both times I didn't need a cosigner. What if this time I do?
It's true, I have barely used my freeing card since buying the house but I sure used it before that. It was my best friend when buying stuff for my job. And stupid me never put the reimbursement cheques onto the card. The debt just built up and up. I never missed aayment, and always paid more than minimum but what if that isn't good enough?
So here I sit and wait. Naked and exposed.
But man, she's a pretty car. Hyundai Elantra Touring. Atlantic blue. Check her out.
Thursday 7 October 2010
It's Oktoberfest Time! Or is it???
In the spirit of Gemutlichkeit my husband and I decided to try and wrassle up some friends for some good old Oktoberfest fun. Problem is - we were dealing with a few roadblocks.
We live in Cambridge. This year is the first year where Cambridge would be hosting our very own Oktoberfest. The more we talked about it, the more excited we became. We started talking to others through one of our favourite forms of dialogue, twitter. And all we heard was a handful of people interested in going. They didn't know anything about it however - and were looking to my hubby and myself to organize everything.
As anyone living in the Kitchener-Waterloo area is aware - tickets are a very hot commodity - especially when the event has already started. People really love their Polka around this time of year, and really enjoy getting out and getting as drunk as humanly possible without hopefully vomiting on someones shoes. Any of the Kitchener-Waterloo festhalls will sell out well before Oktoberfest starts so our plan to go at this late in the game was a little behind.
We started searching online and although we did find that the www.oktoberfest.ca website was selling tickets, we were disappointed to find out that the tickets involved not only taxes - but service charges as well. This brought the price much higher than the $12 they would be charging at the door. In the day in age where you want to sell tickets in advance, wouldn't you think the tickets should be cheaper?
We kept searching around and other than find a phone number for a person with the Rotary, we couldn't find any other way that we could buy tickets. And heaven knows - if there are phones involved, me and my husband are just not interested. We are tech savvy, you would think a world class event like Oktoberfest would be tech savvy too. We were even willing to drive somewhere in town if we could, but there was no where to be found unless it was during the day. We work and telling the boss that we were leaving for an hour to go get tickets to Oktoberfest just wouldn't fly.
I sent a tweet to @kw_oktoberfest - the official twitter name for Oktoberfest and nearly a week later had not had a reply. My simple little question about how the tickets were selling in Cambridge and if any were left were ignored. It seems that Cambridge is small potatoes when compared to their big Kitchener-Waterloo cousins. But I wasn't completely put off. I wanted some good smooth beer and was really hoping I could get some.
It was with excitement that we found an article about the new Cambridge Festhall in the Cambridge Times this week. We were hoping for more information about where and when we can get tickets. Unfortunately it really didn't reveal much other than getting them at the door or potentially buying them from City Hall. We know from experience that you can drive into the Oktoberfest headquarters and pick them up - but that means heading into Kitchener. A lot of driving for us considering we really are within walking distance of the mall where the Cambridge Oktoberfest is being held.
Now folks - wouldn't it be nice to buy them from City Hall in advance of the event? Oh yeah - that's right - City Hall didn't get their tickets until Wednesday - the very first day that they were opening the Festhall. I have an inside source - don't ask me how - but they told me that the tickets just weren't available yet and they had no idea how we could get some in advance.
So here we are - wanting to support our community getting Oktoberfest but with no idea if it was worth trying to get in. We start talking to our peeps about the situation and when all of them found out the tickets weren't just $10.62 as advertised on the Oktoberfest website and were instead over $12 - they all started bowing out. It seems they had heard the rumors of high beer prices. When you couple that with a high door price per person and so much red tape that you didn't even know if you could get in - they just decided they weren't going to go.
The hubby and myself would love to be able to go out and support our community. So we've decided instead of taking our chances you will now find us on a patio, possibly in Preston, drinking some beers at a regular rate - not paying a huge door price - and enjoying what Cambridge has to offer.
For those of you in the Cambridge Rotary, I hope you enjoy your event. I also hope that you learn a few lessons for next year on how to better a) promote and b) sell tickets to the working stiffs like me.
We live in Cambridge. This year is the first year where Cambridge would be hosting our very own Oktoberfest. The more we talked about it, the more excited we became. We started talking to others through one of our favourite forms of dialogue, twitter. And all we heard was a handful of people interested in going. They didn't know anything about it however - and were looking to my hubby and myself to organize everything.
As anyone living in the Kitchener-Waterloo area is aware - tickets are a very hot commodity - especially when the event has already started. People really love their Polka around this time of year, and really enjoy getting out and getting as drunk as humanly possible without hopefully vomiting on someones shoes. Any of the Kitchener-Waterloo festhalls will sell out well before Oktoberfest starts so our plan to go at this late in the game was a little behind.
We started searching online and although we did find that the www.oktoberfest.ca website was selling tickets, we were disappointed to find out that the tickets involved not only taxes - but service charges as well. This brought the price much higher than the $12 they would be charging at the door. In the day in age where you want to sell tickets in advance, wouldn't you think the tickets should be cheaper?
We kept searching around and other than find a phone number for a person with the Rotary, we couldn't find any other way that we could buy tickets. And heaven knows - if there are phones involved, me and my husband are just not interested. We are tech savvy, you would think a world class event like Oktoberfest would be tech savvy too. We were even willing to drive somewhere in town if we could, but there was no where to be found unless it was during the day. We work and telling the boss that we were leaving for an hour to go get tickets to Oktoberfest just wouldn't fly.
I sent a tweet to @kw_oktoberfest - the official twitter name for Oktoberfest and nearly a week later had not had a reply. My simple little question about how the tickets were selling in Cambridge and if any were left were ignored. It seems that Cambridge is small potatoes when compared to their big Kitchener-Waterloo cousins. But I wasn't completely put off. I wanted some good smooth beer and was really hoping I could get some.
It was with excitement that we found an article about the new Cambridge Festhall in the Cambridge Times this week. We were hoping for more information about where and when we can get tickets. Unfortunately it really didn't reveal much other than getting them at the door or potentially buying them from City Hall. We know from experience that you can drive into the Oktoberfest headquarters and pick them up - but that means heading into Kitchener. A lot of driving for us considering we really are within walking distance of the mall where the Cambridge Oktoberfest is being held.
Now folks - wouldn't it be nice to buy them from City Hall in advance of the event? Oh yeah - that's right - City Hall didn't get their tickets until Wednesday - the very first day that they were opening the Festhall. I have an inside source - don't ask me how - but they told me that the tickets just weren't available yet and they had no idea how we could get some in advance.
So here we are - wanting to support our community getting Oktoberfest but with no idea if it was worth trying to get in. We start talking to our peeps about the situation and when all of them found out the tickets weren't just $10.62 as advertised on the Oktoberfest website and were instead over $12 - they all started bowing out. It seems they had heard the rumors of high beer prices. When you couple that with a high door price per person and so much red tape that you didn't even know if you could get in - they just decided they weren't going to go.
The hubby and myself would love to be able to go out and support our community. So we've decided instead of taking our chances you will now find us on a patio, possibly in Preston, drinking some beers at a regular rate - not paying a huge door price - and enjoying what Cambridge has to offer.
For those of you in the Cambridge Rotary, I hope you enjoy your event. I also hope that you learn a few lessons for next year on how to better a) promote and b) sell tickets to the working stiffs like me.
Saturday 2 October 2010
Ah the theatre!
Last night the hubby and I were able to partake in local theatre. Not everyone knows that Cambridge is home to Ontarios longest running community theatre. Otherwise they might be all clammouring to go see shows at the Galt Little Theatre.
When I called the box office two weeks ago she asked where I wanted to sit. Every seat in the house has a good view she said. Having never been there I asked her to pick a good spot for us. She selected Row H. Appropriate as our last name starts with that letter and this was an anniversary gift. How could I have expected that Row H, the 8th row from the stage was only a few rows from the back. When they say little theatre-they are right.
The funny thing about a small theatre, is that you feel more a part of the show. You are connected to the other audience members and as a collective the mood of the audience can be felt on stage. The seats are a little small for plus sized girls like me (or guys for that matter) but it was completely worth it. The price was very reasonable at $17 a ticket. This is a fraction of the cost for shows in the larger cities and venues. Also, each play only runs for two weeks which makes it even more valuable. The glimpse you have of the show is only for a limited time and for a limited audience. Small town theatre is completely worth it.
The hubs and I went to see a comedy-Moon Over Buffalo. It had a great cast of 7 characters acting out the roles of a group of people involved in the theatre around the golden age of television. The play had a fun concept to play with. Aging actors trying to keep their theatre troupe alive with dwindling ticket sales while striving to break into the silver screen. Suddenly they are faced with one last chance to break into movies and all sorts of outside factors break in to bumble things. The actors were comfortable in their roles and played them well. The many closings and openings of doors had the audience in stitches.
The character of George Hay, played by Gord Cameron was by far my favourite. He fell into character as the patriarch and 2nd biggest star of the company. He gets into mischief and brings a lovable feel to his role. Everyone else was strong as well. If there were slip ups, they hid them well. The actors projected well, stayed in character and were believable. It was quite enjoyable.
I do recommend that you check out this gem of a theatre if you don't have time for the play.
For more about the play, visit the Galt Little Theatre Website at the link.
When I called the box office two weeks ago she asked where I wanted to sit. Every seat in the house has a good view she said. Having never been there I asked her to pick a good spot for us. She selected Row H. Appropriate as our last name starts with that letter and this was an anniversary gift. How could I have expected that Row H, the 8th row from the stage was only a few rows from the back. When they say little theatre-they are right.
The funny thing about a small theatre, is that you feel more a part of the show. You are connected to the other audience members and as a collective the mood of the audience can be felt on stage. The seats are a little small for plus sized girls like me (or guys for that matter) but it was completely worth it. The price was very reasonable at $17 a ticket. This is a fraction of the cost for shows in the larger cities and venues. Also, each play only runs for two weeks which makes it even more valuable. The glimpse you have of the show is only for a limited time and for a limited audience. Small town theatre is completely worth it.
The hubs and I went to see a comedy-Moon Over Buffalo. It had a great cast of 7 characters acting out the roles of a group of people involved in the theatre around the golden age of television. The play had a fun concept to play with. Aging actors trying to keep their theatre troupe alive with dwindling ticket sales while striving to break into the silver screen. Suddenly they are faced with one last chance to break into movies and all sorts of outside factors break in to bumble things. The actors were comfortable in their roles and played them well. The many closings and openings of doors had the audience in stitches.
The character of George Hay, played by Gord Cameron was by far my favourite. He fell into character as the patriarch and 2nd biggest star of the company. He gets into mischief and brings a lovable feel to his role. Everyone else was strong as well. If there were slip ups, they hid them well. The actors projected well, stayed in character and were believable. It was quite enjoyable.
I do recommend that you check out this gem of a theatre if you don't have time for the play.
For more about the play, visit the Galt Little Theatre Website at the link.
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