process of self-development

Well, Its been a while since I’ve scrawled on this note pad…

Ci-fi has been in a phase of readjustment after some problems with our former webhost. We were denied being allowed to distribute free blogs and galleries (kind of our raison d’etre), and so we limped along for past month. We had always planned on having our own servers, ones that we owned and could do what we wanted without restrictions; having the problem with our webhost just pushed this phase along.

Civic Fidelity Inc. now has its own webservers! Now that we have a direct connection to the Internet from our company HQ we have a far broader range of capabilities and potential to not only improve our services, but also begin to grow in so many other ways that we are just starting to think about. Its very exciting.

So, soon, everything will be as it was on the front end a month ago, with lots more to come.

However, for the next several months, we will be focusing mainly upon the artistic and cultural community, getting content from the minds and hands of Frederictonians to share and promote, and hopefully exhibit and sell. With our current capacities for sharing words, images, sounds, and videos, we are well primed to handle your work; with more services on the way.

Stay tuned.

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Thursday night I did my first figure drawing class, this time as an artist, not as a model. Its a new, different experience, and it was fun. I haven’t taken an art class since grade 8 (like 12 years ago!), so I was a little nervous going in and wasn’t sure how it’d turn out. But I was genuinely impress with myself (no, I’m not boasting). Check out pics for yourself (yes, I know its sideways). Since I have been modeling for some years now, I had picked up a few tips and the odd bit of terminology, so I think that that helped. But I’ve also got some artist in my blood, as my aunt Marilyn has been an artist for years, and my sister has some talent too…I have a good eye for it too.

I think I’ll continue this after the new year, time permitting. Its a good outlet, and I like art anyways. heck, I might even get into painting and other stuff too.

If you’re interested in taking part in the art class, contact Joss - here’s his blog. 

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I haven’t been writing much lately cause I’ve been unusually busy. It seems that there’s only so much time in the day. I’ve been working for the government (Democratic Renewal Unit) part-time, plugging away at Ci-Fi, the lady-friend is keeping me occupied, and I’m still wrestling with my masters thesis…its all a bit much.

My thesis has been the focus of my work lately. I’ve been working on it a varying paces since May, but it’s finally coming close to completion. The crunch is on because if I don’t finish it by Xmas, I’ll have to pay almost $1000 for another semester at UNB; so, work hard now and I can blow that cash on something else, like my debt. Finishing it before Xmas will allow me to defend by the end of January, meaning that by February, I could get my degree! Hopefully it all falls into place.

For those who don’t already know, the intent of my thesis is to find a better way to support community development. Using the academically hot concept of ‘Social Capital‘, whereby social networks that are built on trust and cooperation have economic and societal worth, I am showing the weaknesses of this theory and providing new guidelines for how to support and improve network relations for the common good. By focusing on inclusive, cooperative, power-sharing networks that encourage civic participation and values for the public good, government and organization investments in community development will be more effective and sustainable. - hopefully you got all that - I call this refined conception Civic Capital.

I’m currently reworking the last chapter, which discusses how to create policy to support and invest in civic capital. The first time I wrote this chapter it was a pie-in-the-sky runoff of recommendation after recommendation - not exactly the best way to go. I’ve honed the concept to focusing on a few key features of civic capital developers (education and cooperative orgs), which will make the whole thing shorter, more concise. Once this is all written, I just have to slap together a few pages for conclusion and pass it in. Hopefully the feedback will be fairly positive and I can proceed with the next phase - my defense.

I’m really looking forward to being done…

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I met an interesting guy last week. I happened to meet Steve through Cecile, because he was staying at the Rosary Hall Hostel. He’s from BC, but decided that he wanted to bicycle around the world. He’s fresh outta high school and wants to do it while he’s young. He’s already been all across Canada, from coast to coast, and is now in the US. Steve has already been biking for 7 months, and figures that it’ll take him 5 years in all. He seemed pretty happy, getting by on what’s given to him and meeting friends along the way; kind of a carefree existence. He even has a website to document his travels, appropriately called Steve’s World Bike Trip. Check it.

good luck, Steve.

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I read an interesting article today that a friend passed along. It’s called Language Conveys What People Want to Hear in Washington. It analyzes the Orwellian play of doublethink and newspeak used by the American media and government in the conception of “homeland security” and other catchphrases to lull the public into acquiescence. This article puts together the growing trend, and points to mechanisms and consequences.

In Orwell’s 1984, seemingly contradictory information and actions are carried out by citizens without their recognition. Such as when the government keeps changing the enemy or when dehumanizing acts such as torture are used, yet the public, which would normally not condone war and violence, thinks it appropriate. These same principles have been used by the US government (and lots others, I’m sure) to misconstrue the acts of government. A number of examples are provided in the article, but the prevalent tone used for doublespeak was one of fear, violence, and insecurity. It seems that these go well in combination, leading to a complacent public, largely accepting the acts of a government that is meant to act in their best interest.

So what is to be done about these brutal fact? Should the people accept this as merely another aspect of living in the modern world, or can there be a conscious debate about what this doublespeak is and how to counteract its affects? Though the latter is ideal, how can this be accomplished, given the immensity of the media and political machine of the US? These are big questions, and ones the public should be concerned with. Yet, too often, their awareness goes unfaultered, failing to see what is waved in front of them everyday. It would seem that perhaps the best step will be to take media messaging more seriously, being more conscious of its words, its motives, and its effects. Anything less would be foolish and shortsighted…aka, the path that is followed right now.

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Saturday night was a real treat. After sitting by the fire and eating a fine meal at Nash’s place, Joel, JP and I sauntered down to the Capital/Phoenix to see two of my good friends in their element, immersed in music and pleasing the crowd.

John Haynes, otherwise known as Noematus, has been DJing and EJing for some time at boom! nightclub, but he has never really been able to bust into other scenes. When his friend and fellow EJ Tabatha couldn’t make her Saturday night gig at the Phoenix, so she asked John to take over for her. I could tell that he was super psyched (he was all smiles) and he did an amazing job, as always. It was really good to see him out of boom! and playing for a different crowd, as I’m sure most of the people there had never heard him before, so I hope they were impressed, as they should have been. For those interested, you should check out some of John’s music here on Ci-Fi in the media commons.
Downstairs at the Capital, The Trick was opening up for Ermine. Patrick always puts on a good show. He has a lot of energy, shaking and waving as he thrashes at the keys of his keyboard or strumming his guitar. The Trick is in a league all his own, and has a unique sound in the Fredericton area. I’m always impressed by his talent, and so is the Capital, as they seem to host him a few times a year. Pat also has quite the devoted fan club, me included, and I think they all walked away satisfied.

After the Trick, Ermine took the stage. I’ve never seen them before, though they’ve been playing for years and have been in Fredericton many times before. I was impressed by their sound; it was melodic, yet rough; rhythmic, yet chaotic. It was a good mix, and my hips could easily groove to it. I think I’ll check them out next time they swing through town.

All in all, Saturday night was a blast. Good friends, good music, and fun all around.

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Last night I went across the street and checked out Renaissance College’s Coffee House. A lot of the students, a few profs, and some friends get together and eat cookies with coffee as people sing, read poetry, or whatever entertains. It started off with a string quartet doing covers of Beatles, and other music - I was impressed. There was a variety of acts to follow. Many people played guitar and sang. There was a rendition of a Hamlet scene with cross dressing actors (always good for a laugh), the RC Choir sang a few songs, mostly inspired from African music, and there was even a few girls that painted themselves up and danced together with a sheet to make some painting! All in all, good times.

It funny, I’ve hung out with a few of the RC folk over the years, as they just happen to be active on campus like me. Since I’ve had my grad classes there it feels a little more comfortable, but it wasn’t until my power cable broke for my computer and I had to start going over there for email and such. Its funny cause I ended up meeting some cool folk, and a sweet, caring and beautiful lady Cecile…more on her some other time though. The RC is a big family though, and beyond the fact that I live right across the street, I feel like I’m a small piece of its development, and it feels good.

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