The RiVA machine is working overtime right now, planning for summer and trying to get ye olde Victorian beauty at 702 Main prepared for its Dooryard debut. In the meantime, we've applied for our charity status (meaning we will *fingers crossed* be able to issue tax receipts for donations), completed our first AGM and welcomed new board members.
It's unbelievable how different the preparations feel this year - this time last year we didn't even know where to rent a large outdoor tent, knew nothing about permits, codes, by-laws or zoning (and believe me, there's a LOT to know), and weren't even incorporated. So, with 70% of this year's festival confirmed, we're an excited bunch. I can feel the community support starting to appear; maybe some people are curious to see what they missed last summer.
A brief list of things I've learned:
1. Most people are nice and want to help.
2. You will have to do it yourself at first.
3. Be patient. Then wait longer and be more patient.
4. Look for the right helpers and find the right job for them to do. This makes life wonderful and you have company in addition to help.
5. Change is possible but it moves at such a slow rate as to be nearly inconceivable in the short-term.
6. All successes are worth celebrating.
7. Passion can move mountains, if you're patient (see #3).
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
This pretty much sums it up
But what about your pension? Your benefits?
When I left teaching, a lot of people asked me these questions. Here's a look at other people who have left the 9-5 life, because they realize that
your well-being is not tied to finances. It’s tied to relationships, it’s tied to skills it’s tied to creativity, resourcefulness and a sense of peace, intellectual challenge – these are the things that enable our well-being,” she says.
It doesn't seem that radical to me, but in an era where GDP rules it's an awkward thing to explain sometimes.
When I left teaching, a lot of people asked me these questions. Here's a look at other people who have left the 9-5 life, because they realize that
your well-being is not tied to finances. It’s tied to relationships, it’s tied to skills it’s tied to creativity, resourcefulness and a sense of peace, intellectual challenge – these are the things that enable our well-being,” she says.
It doesn't seem that radical to me, but in an era where GDP rules it's an awkward thing to explain sometimes.
Friday, March 12, 2010
Real change for the real world
Ken Robinson is right, education is one of those topics that "goes deep with people." Public education is such a complicated undertaking and we have industrialized our schools much in the same way we have factories and farming. The end result of this is that students who are not in the middle of the bell curve are often stigmatized - and this takes place for both "gifted" kids and kids who "struggle."
In reality, I believe that all kids are intelligent and talented; the problem comes from a system that won't/can't accomodate different kinds of learning. Temple Grandin takes on the subject of Autistic learners in this great talk. Mentors, unite!
I would love to see some down-home, hands-on experiential learning here in New Brunswick. I think the best thing we can do for our young people is share our knowledge, skills and passion for our work. I wish we were better at that.
In reality, I believe that all kids are intelligent and talented; the problem comes from a system that won't/can't accomodate different kinds of learning. Temple Grandin takes on the subject of Autistic learners in this great talk. Mentors, unite!
I would love to see some down-home, hands-on experiential learning here in New Brunswick. I think the best thing we can do for our young people is share our knowledge, skills and passion for our work. I wish we were better at that.
Thursday, March 04, 2010
The theatre is the best social secretary of the law
So says David Hare, the English playwright who writes plays based on current events such as the invasion of Iraq and the financial crisis of 2008. Great thoughts on politics, economics, Shakespeare, and how power inevitably has its own way. To hear the podcast, click on "Writers and Company" and scroll down to David Hare.
Tuesday, March 02, 2010
There goes another piece of the neighbourhood
Well. I left town for one day and came home only to discover that Joel Rose had the Broadway School demolished. First, the facts:
1. JR has owned the school for years.
2. All he had to do was request a demo permit and there's nothing anyone could do. That's how this private property thing works.
3. There are currently no heritage by-laws in Woodstock to prevent this from happening.
As for hearsay, I head that JR had attempted to reconfigure the building as apartments, but thought that the cost of bringing the building up to code (we're talking elevators, electrical overhaul, h-vac etc.) was too much. Apparently he has 'no future plans' for the site - I'm guessing it was torn down so he wouldn't have to continue to pay property taxes. All of which is his business, except....
When the Wesylan church was torn down, it was the Weslyan congregation's business, and the same for all those other historic buildings Woodstock continues to lose. And people inevitably get upset but there is no way to channel the loss people experience when a beautiful and still structurally sound old building gets replaced by a newer, uglier chunk of vinyl. Our collective heritage is going the way of the dodo.
If we planned a forum about preserving historic buildings, would anybody come? This is something I have been thinking about for a long time. If we're serious as a community about our built heritage, we need to get off the couch (or in my case, offline!) and do something about it. And I don't just mean complain. I mean come up with workable real-world solutions to alleviate the problem.
If you're game, let me know. If not, see you on facebook.
1. JR has owned the school for years.
2. All he had to do was request a demo permit and there's nothing anyone could do. That's how this private property thing works.
3. There are currently no heritage by-laws in Woodstock to prevent this from happening.
As for hearsay, I head that JR had attempted to reconfigure the building as apartments, but thought that the cost of bringing the building up to code (we're talking elevators, electrical overhaul, h-vac etc.) was too much. Apparently he has 'no future plans' for the site - I'm guessing it was torn down so he wouldn't have to continue to pay property taxes. All of which is his business, except....
When the Wesylan church was torn down, it was the Weslyan congregation's business, and the same for all those other historic buildings Woodstock continues to lose. And people inevitably get upset but there is no way to channel the loss people experience when a beautiful and still structurally sound old building gets replaced by a newer, uglier chunk of vinyl. Our collective heritage is going the way of the dodo.
If we planned a forum about preserving historic buildings, would anybody come? This is something I have been thinking about for a long time. If we're serious as a community about our built heritage, we need to get off the couch (or in my case, offline!) and do something about it. And I don't just mean complain. I mean come up with workable real-world solutions to alleviate the problem.
If you're game, let me know. If not, see you on facebook.
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