This summer I’ve been studying in the first French class I’ve ever personally chosen to take. While it happens to be the case that a second language is a graduation requirement, notwithstanding this, I’m pretty jazzed about learning French, and being classified as a novice at a new language.

I’ve been merely an Anglophone my entire life, so perhaps people reading this will relate to some extent with the weirdness of trying to speak another language, and the particular tropes of beginning to learn one, particularly, that language of French.

This book becomes a hybrid between a bible and holstered gun, you pull it out whenever in crisis of having to explain something. -  Photo by Chris Drumm

Like vowels. French is a giant ocean of vowels, with many words ending and beginning (in the spoken form) with vowels. In the written form these vowel sounds are actually good old fashioned, Anglo-Saxon consonants, like for example, absolument, which is “absolutely” in French. This word is pronounced as if instead of ending in “ment” it ends with “maw”, and I continue to, after saying words like this, internally think of the letters not being said. While this phenomenon occurs in English as well, like with the word “thorough”, which I invariably pretend ends with an ugly grunting “gh” internally, in French every other word begins or ends or contains various silent letters. This makes the internal dialogue of the spoken French language a rather amusingly complex affair.

Then of course there is the rolling of the R. There are no words in English I can think of which roll the R, except imported words, which are, what do you know, imported usually from France. I am at a loss as to the practical significance, or the aesthetic importance, of rolling the R, as it seems to me as a decoration and extravagance. Why not say refrigerator? Rather than re-frig-e-ra-tor, with all it’s laborious splendour.

This phenomenon reappears in words which both languages spell the same – like the number six, or table, or the fruit orange – where the instructor, with a certain sense of how silly the request is, asks you to say them “in a French way”. It makes me wonder if there are any words imported from English, which are pronounced the same in French, or if everything if Frenchified.

As I am still in the middle of my course, the formation of questions can still sometimes slip me up. In French, one way of forming a question is to put the phrase “est-ce que” or “qu’est-ce que”, which to the novice I am, appears a very mystical phrase. This phrase turns a statement into a question, perhaps by magic, I’m not sure. The whole phrase can be ignored in informal conversation though, if you simply put an inflection on the question, like you would in English.

When beside each other, sortie and exit almost seems like the sign is indicating “sort of an exit.” – Photo by Ashok Prabhakaran

And finally, I will briefly comment on the rampant sexism in the French language. Everything is assigned a gender, and this gender changes the way you refer to the object. I’ve only just begun to learn (memorize) the genders of words, and I should say, the sex assignments are pretty hilarious. Radios, beer, cars, universities, and motorbikes are feminine, but regular bikes, beds, re-frig-e-ra-tors, and professors are all masculine. Additionally, entire nations are wholesale made either male or female, because of course, New Zealand is self-evidently a feminine word, and Brazil a masculine one (and so forth).

I’m sure I’m not alone in finding these peculiarities amusing. I await the day I’m proficient enough to forget, if for brief moments, these oddities like I do for the giant circus of exceptions and craziness in English, and think thoughts in this foreign language.

And as is complicit with writing, is also a lot of reading – photo by Charles Clegg

Hello I’m Felix, and I’m a new writer to Being Emme. I’m a young political and fiction writer, born in Vancouver, with a love of jazz, romanticist and surrealist art, and the study of history. I’m excited to bring my interests and talents onto Being Emme.

I’m also a student, a title I desire to never be rid of. Not entirely because I wouldn’t want to graduate in the sense of become beyond a student in any subject, nor because of any cliché that one is always a student, but because I happen to like to believe a breakthrough in how I think could be behind any corner. As a student, you remain in a special place where your convictions are allowed to change radically; you’re never obliged to uphold things you’ve said years ago – this distinct freedom is why I like the description.

Most recently I’ve obtained a copy of the second volume of Capital, the second book of Karl Marx’s cornerstone analysis of economics. I’m beginning to read this just after finishing another Orwell book (I rather like Orwell), Homage to Catalonia. I’ve been intrigued by the historical political thought of the left lately, and I wanted to get a feel for early Marxist theory, particularly its use of language to portray events. My last term’s history essay was in fact on interpretations of the Paris Commune uprising of 1871.

Anyways, perhaps I’ll comment more on my readings another time, for now, I look forward to writing more here.

- Felix

Hi ladies and gents -

My name is Stefanie Bartlett and I cannot wait to contribute to Being Emme as a new writer! I’ve grown up in beautiful Vancouver, British Columbia, as well as travelled around the country and the world. I’m currently studying Film and Political Science at the University of British Columbia, but I am also interested in art, dance, fashion, photography, and writing.

I’m looking forward to discovering and discussing things throughout the summer and sharing my thoughts with you!  You can also learn more and connect with me on my twitter feed at @Stef_Bartlett.

Happy reading,

- Stefanie

Teddy poising with one of our blackened pork chops Saskatchewan-style!

Some of you that were following along on twitter, G+ or facebook last night might have been wondering, “What the FU#%$^@#$@#!???”  Well, you see I was and I am enjoying a long overdue Griswald Family Vacation with Teddy in Saskatchewan, and as is generally the case when Teddy and I travel together, after our blackened chicken (& pork chops) Saskatchewan-style, the conversation moved on to more worldly topics …

“So Sarah Silverman just came out with this rap on masterbation … so yeah, what was my point???”

 

“Ok, I don’t remember my point on the Sarah Silverman masterbation rap video, only that it was a touchy subject.”

Curious, this led to a search for ‘Sarah Silverman mastribation’ on youtube and the inevitable debate, which after a glass or two of wine, we had online as to whether mastribation was spelled ‘mastribate’ or ‘masterbate’. Luckily for us, the act of mastribating has never required a licensing test, as as we discover we were both wrong, it’s MASTURBATE.

So the video …

… seems we didn’t need to know how to spell masturbate to find that either, only ‘Sarah Silverman Perfect Nights’. Rather apropos for our perfect night!

Mark Leiren-Young holding up a copy of The Vancouver Sun, featuring his play Never Shoot a Stampede Queen on the front page! Way to go Mark!

I feel pretty fortunate to have met some gosh darn cool, interesting and talented people in my life, many of whom I am happy to call friends.  And you know I find nothing sexier than an interesting and creative mind, attached to a big heart. One such sexy beast in my life is Mark Leiren Young, whom if you have been following the arts media in Vancouver as of late, you’ll know has been up to some pretty cool things.  You see Mark has just released his latest memoir, Free Magic Secrets Revealed, on his late teens (more on that later, as I only just began titillating the synapses with it earlier on this flight – yes, I am writing this from several thousand feet above the Earth) and had the play based on his first memoir, Never Shoot a Stampede Queen hit the Granville Island Stage at the Arts Club this past week!

I have been fortunate to attend the play (about Mark’s experience writing for a small town paper in Williams Lake in his early 20s) on a couple of occasions, along with a couple of the post-Show Talk Backs, each of which have been a different experience, and have allowed me to take in different things.  Now I imagine this play is a very different experience for everyone that sees it, depending on their relationship with the content – whether seeing it:

• with fresh, green eyes,
• as a fan of the book,
• having lived in Williams Lake,
• having lived in another small town,
• having worked as a reporter,
• knowing Mark,
• being a fan of Zach’s (the one man show – and star of the Buddy Holly Story) … etc.

You get a little nibble of these different perspectives during the Talk Backs, which I find most interesting, as they are always so very different, depending on that night’s audience’s connection to the story … always bringing out new stories from Mark, TJ Dawe (the director & dramaturge) and Zach Stevenson.

A #StampedeQueen Talk Back with Mark and Zach.

For me, I watched with the perspective of a close friend and one time housemate of Mark’s, and as a fan of the novel, Never Shoot a Stampede Queen. I laughed as saw so many little Mark-ism that TJ and Zach had put into their portrayal of this much younger version of the Mark I know and love, from the black jeans, to his slightly awkward and adorable mannerism around women he finds attractive, to nerding to his comic book icons (something that I think only Mark would do in a red neck town, like Williams Lake) to his extreme coke obsession.  I still remember coming downstairs to the living room, after Mark had pulled one of his many late nighters on a deadline, to find the couch cushions stuffed with his coke empties and junk food bags.  I was fascinated to see how TJ had dramaturged the story to better suit it to the stage, and like any good Canadian that has wandered from the city to the wilder side of our country, I smiled knowingly at the array of characters, both in how Mark perceived them and in how they perceived Mark.  Fondly remember a few such small town British Columbia days in my past.

So needless to say I enjoyed the story each time. Zach’s performance, however, was much better on my second visit to the play.  You see I first saw it on Opening Night, when the technical crew botched the sound effects, throwing Zach’s performance off, and understandably so. Ironic, given the content of Mark’s latest memoir, although it might still be too early for that chuckle. When I finally saw Zach play the role, of not only Mark, but at least 10 other characters, and transition from each so effortlessly and believably, I saw why this man has such a fan following.  He was brilliant, and as a one man show made this production way more enjoyable then watching 10 other actors on stage with him, although there certainly were 10 other characters on stage with him.  Bravo Zach!

#StampedeQueen Zachary Stevenson

So do I recommend you catch Never Shoot a Stampede before it closes in Vancouver on May 25th, 2013?  Absolutely – it is a must see this week.  Witty, charming and cleverly done.  Am I saying this because Mark is a good friend of mine?  I don’t think so, as I honestly enjoyed the play and talk backs more and more with each subsequent time I attended, and started to appreciate all the brilliance that TJ and Zach had put into it, making it their own too, aside from simply relishing in the moments that a friend can’t help but laugh at.

Catch Never Shoot a Stampede Queen on the Granville Island Stage at the Arts Club now until May 25th, 2013.  You can get your tickets at this link and learn more about the play and novel at this link.

Enjoy!

Spring cleaning is a funny thing to me.  What is it about spring that makes us feel like we have to take everything out of every spot to wipe down every little crevice? Is it because we can open the windows and the fresh air inspires us to want a fresh clean house, or is it because we are just down right dirty all winter and finally have to do something about it? I think a part of it for me is feeling a renewed sense of energy after wanting to hang out on a cozy couch in the chilly darker months.  It still baffles me though that every year, this is the time that motivation comes to go through the closet to get rid of clothes, and sort through and donate toys the kids are done with.  Nonetheless, I have been hit with the bug and wanted to get an idea of where the pros get their spring cleaning design inspiration from.

What has proven to be a great benefit to my dog, and ultimately our living room design, was a post I came across on peach.ca about Lessons From a Cat for Creative Bathroom Design.  This prompted me to have our dog on the forefront of my mind as I was cleaning and organizing.  I managed to empty out a big box that was full of all those little irritating things you hate to unpack in a move. Yes, we moved two years ago … that’s what happens when you ignore the annoying box! Rather than stomping on the box to fit it in the recycle bin, my Peach Interior Design reading inspired me to turn it into a dog bed.

Looks like she chewed out her own door!

After a few days though, the whole family thought that it did make our dog look a little bit like a hobo dog sleeping in a cardboard box, and it didn’t look very attractive in our living space.  I am definitely not one to be successful at do-it-yourself design projects.  They always end up looking like a kindergarten art project, so I set my kids loose on it knowing they would far surpass me.  I was impressed as they took into account the current colours in our house, and even created an exciting feature out of the half-eaten part. They rocked it!

Voila! Extreme Dog Home Makeover.

Every time my mom finds out I’m spring cleaning she ALWAYS asks me, “Did you find any treasures?”, this time I’m going to tell her “We found a diamond in the rough and polished it up real nice!”

I don’t know how many of you remember this man from our #ReadingIsSexy Calendar …

Anyone know this sexy reader?

His name is Mark Leiren-Young, and the book he is reading is his second novel, Green Chain.  He has just released a new novel, Free Magic Secrets Revealed, but I am not here to discuss either of those books today, but rather his first novel, Never Shoot A Stampede Queen.  I don’t know if you’ve read it, but if not, do.  It’s terribly funny, and even won a Leacock Medal for humour.

I am all charged up about Never Shoot a Stampede Queen, because Mark is also a playwright, and has recently turned this book into a play … a play which is premiering in Vancouver this week!  Looking forward to seeing it, as I love the novel!

Zachary Stevenson in Never Shoot a Stampede Queen

Mark has kindly given me a pair of tickets to the Show to giveaway to one lucky reader here.  Before I give them away I will share the playbill on the Show first:

Zachary Stevenson (the Arts Club’s Buddy Holly) stars in the stage adaptation of Mark Leiren-Young’s Never Shoot A Stampede Queen — winner of the Leacock Medal for humour. This all-new solo show follows the adventures of a big city (Vancouver) boy who arrives in the crime capital of BC (Williams Lake) and discovers stranger news, quirkier characters, and better friends than he ever could have imagined. Directed and dramaturged by TJ Dawe (hot off his acclaimed solo show Medicine), and adapted for the stage by Leiren-Young (known to Arts Club audiences for Easy Money and The Year in Revue). For more info visit http://stampedequeen.ca/.

So … !!!  Here’s how to win the pair of tickets to the Preview Night in Vancouver, Thursday May 9th, 2013 at 8 pm on the Granville Island Stage:

To enter to win, simply comment below with a small town moment you’ve experienced, by Tuesday May 7th at 9:30 am. I will randomly pull the name of a winner from the entries Tuesday morning, May 7th.

For a second, third and fourth entry into the contest, share this contest on twitter, facebook, and google+ by sharing something like:

Win tickets to Thursday’s Preview of #StampedeQueen in #Vancouver from @EmmeRogers  ~ http://ht.ly/kKFLG

Main thing for the social media entries to be valid, you must hashtag #StampedeQueen, include the link to this post, and use my handle to link me into the conversation (so that I see your entry).

Looking forward to your responses!  This should be a fun Show!

Kisses,

Emme  xoxo

PS And if you don’t win our tickets, you can still catch the Show on the Granville Island Stage from May 9th – 25th.  I’ll be sure to tell you all about it, as soon as I see it.

After the past few weeks, I have to say, I am blessed with some pretty cool people and experiences in my life.  I was reminded of that this past weekend, when I attended the Realwheels #WheelVoices Rehearsal with Erica Hargreave.

Love watching the Realwheels #WheelVoices dancers rehearsing!

Realwheels is a theatre production company, focused on producing Shows that deepens the audience’s understanding of the disability experience.  Currently they are working on #WheelVoices, which is a multimedia theatrical performance, in which a number of artists with disabilities are sharing tales from their lives, through story, rap, song, poetry, and dance.  The two performances are on Saturday May 11th, 2013, and there are still a few tickets left, if anyone wishes to attend.  I have to say, being invited to observe the process has been pretty incredible.  We’ve loved getting to know the talented artists.

#WheelVoice’s Storyteller Luisa Bridgman

Realizing that through the #WheelVoices performance we were only capturing a small glimpse of these artists’ stories, we wanted more.  So with the release of our friends, Katrina German and Dale Zak‘s, new app, One Story, we went armed with our smartphones to this past weekends rehearsal to capture more of the story from the #WheelVoices participants.

One Story is a smartphone app designed to create mini-docs that allow people to share their personal stories.  When we asked Luisa Bridgman if she would like to do a #OneStory interview with us, we would have never guessed in our wildest dreams, the story she was about to tell us.

And here is the evidence of her tale …

So very inspiring!  Thanks Luisa!

So, what’s your story?

Kisses,

Emme   xoxo

For those of you that know me well, you’ll know that I am not really a staycation type – Brie is, as you can see from her latest adventure on Roamancing, but I’m not.  I am a get out and explore, preferably on foot type. Or at least I was until 2 weekends ago, when I enjoyed the most relaxing girl’s getaway with Jen Pollack Bianco and Erica Hargreave at the Four Seasons Seattle.

Approaching our luxurious home for the weekend, at the Four Seasons Seattle.

Now Seattle has a tonne of interesting things to do and see, but this getaway was a chance for us to catch up and thoroughly unwind, as we’d all had a couple of months high in stress and work, and poor Jen was sporting a walking cast.  So rather than spending the weekend racing all over Seattle, we decided to enjoy the hotel and our time together, aside from a Gourmet Seattle Tour with Savor Seattle, that I will tell you more about either here or on Roamancing, and you can read about on My Life’s a Trip.  The funny part of this was we were not alone, we met a number of other Four Seasons Seattle weekenders in the rooftop hot tub, staycationing for the weekend (most of them from Seattle).  Now I have to say that says a lot about a hotel, when it is where the locals go for a mini-break without even leaving town.

Mingling with locals over beverages, a warm fire, a swim and the hot tub on the Four Seasons Seattle Rooftop.

I am no slouch when it comes having experienced some high end hotels around the world, thanks to having often accompanied my Dad (in my early years) and Erica (more recently) on trips where they were speaking.  So while, I have slept in my share of motels, while doing quick jaunts across the country and simply needing a shower and a save place  to crash for the night after 12 + hours of driving, I also know what to expect from a high end hotel. The Four Seasons Seattle did not disappoint, and as I discovered in my trips to the hot tub, travelers become addicts of the Four Seasons, and I can certainly understand why.

At home, chatting in comfort, fireside in the Four Seasons Seattle lobby.

So what exactly did we enjoy about our staycation at the Four Seasons Seattle?  Oh let me count the ways …

The fact that we got to enjoy the local art and culture of Seattle without leaving the hotel!

Enjoying one of the many pictures by local Northwest artists, featured throughout the hotel.

Yes, I know we were just across the road from the Seattle Art Museum, but as I previously mentioned, we were luxuriating in just spending time together, and not rushing off to see things.

Jen taking a picture of SAM’s new digital arts display.

Erica could nerd out on nature’s art throughout the Four Season’s Seattle, as the natural stone from local mountains in the walls, include beautiful dendrites.

Notice the dendrites in the beautiful stonework, complimenting the artwork of local artists.

Art Restaurant (which we will be writing more about, and you can read a tease on from Jen) delightfully tantalized us with scrumptious and creative taste buds tempters from the Northwest and Seattle’s local foodie scene.

Loving the local flavours of ART.

We were pampered in the lap of tranquility at the Spa with their signature facials. (more to come on this from Erica on Roamancing and read up on Jen’s Spa Experience here)

*sigh* Just feel the tranquility.

Enjoyed the welcoming and knowledge staff, who seem to love their jobs, and all had a story to tell that added a personal and memorable touch to our experience and the knowledge they imparted to us.

The lovely hostess at ART!

All the extra personal touches, from knowing our names when they greeted us, the biscotti with our morning lattes, the bottle of water at our bedside each night, to delivering drinks to us in plastic tumblers right to the hot tub.

Kicking myself for not getting a better picture of the dreamy gentleman that delivered these bloody marys to us in the hot tub.

My bathroom (yes, mine – stay out Erica and Jen) of relaxing bliss!

Love bathrooms with a nice big soaker tub, comfy robes and a walk-in shower.

Our rooftop playground, with a heated pool, fire pit and hot tub.

Lucy Duck enjoying a splash in the rooftop pool at the Four Seasons Seattle.

And if we really wanted to stray out to explore Seattle, it was all right there on our doorstep – from Seattle Art Museum, to Pike Place Market (and Beecher’s Handmade Cheese), to the Gourmet Seattle Savor Seattle Tour we took.  Oh and we can’t forget Fran’s Chocolate (although I’m trying to tell my taste buds to, as it is such a wicked temptress).

Exploring the market at Pike Place.

Okay, I think now is the time to bid you adieu, so I can hit the sack, and blissfully dream my way back into my luxuriously comfortable Four Seasons Seattle bed!

Such a luxuriously comfortable sleep!

Kisses,

Emme xoxo

PS. In Full Disclosure: As always, the opinions and thoughts shared here are our own and honest ones. We are bought out by no one. In the spirit of disclosure, it should be noted that on this trip, we were guests of the Four Seasons Seattle and our hotel room and spa visit were complimentary.

With the regular news stressing me out too much, I’ve decide to focus my site this week on uplifting things that address healthy living, and specifically restore mental health, after a fair bit of stress personally and globally this past month.  As fortune would have it, after making that decision, I opened a message on my computer, introducing me to a new project of Andrea Menard and Robert Walsh’s, Lift.

After listening to the video above, I couldn’t help but smile, as it seemed that this project hit the heart of exactly where my soul was at, feeling the desire for that that uplifts the soul.  Who knows maybe this mirroring of desires and needs in our crafts comes down to the longer than usual Canadian winter, as we were both certainly at this space before the events of last week hit.

Also I couldn’t help but smile, as Andrea and Robert’s music is some of the music I turn to when I need a little bit of a pick me up.  Below is one of the many songs of theirs that I love.

What is your vice when you need a little lift? What uplifts you?