il Était une fois

I’m going to rant for a minute. Because I have seen one too many status updates on Facebook, lambasting Abercrombie & Fitch CEO Mike Jeffries for his comments regarding why the company does not sell women’s sizes above Large.  (And ya, I recognize the irony of ranting about anything I see on Facebook…Why can’t I just ignore it, right? But it’s Friday and it’s raining and this is MY Tumblr and I want to rant, dammit!)

Anyways.

Read the story here. 

I think the outrage over this is bullshit.

Every company has a specific group of people that they market their product to. If you don’t think they do, if you think they spend millions on market research and advertising to appeal to just anyone, then you’re an idiot. I’m sorry, but really. Every single brand, company and product has a very specific demographic that they appeal to. Their reach might go further than that, but they are trying (and spending a lot of money in the process) to sell their product to certain people.

The only difference between Abercrombie and these other companies is that Abercrombie CEO Mike Jeffries has just come out saying it. He’s still an ass. Don’t get me wrong. At least most other companies try to keep up the charade of inclusiveness. But he’s honest about it.

Of course companies want beautiful, popular people to wear their product. They look better in them. Because they’re beautiful. Duh. They will help sell more product, because they’re popular. See what I’m getting at?

If this is a surprise to you then please take a step out from under the rock that you call home and join the 21^st century.

Do you think that Lululemon makes its product for the uh, fitness challenged? They might manufacture those sizes (and it’s stretchy to boot!), but the clothes are obviously meant for the slim, yoga-frequenting set.

Do you think that the high-waisted short shorts currently selling at Urban Outfitters are meant for plus sizes? I’m a size 10 and I don’t look good in them. Plain and simple. From my experience you have to be a bit on the spindly side to really rock that look, and that is something that I never will be.  

But because these companies don’t outright say that they’re non-inclusive, this somehow makes them better?

Don’t get me wrong. Mike Jeffries is still a douche nozzle of epic proportions. I’m not defending him.

BUT.

If you’re going to stop shopping at Abercrombie, then do so because IT’S A SHITTY COMPANY and not because you think they’re soooo mean for making chubby people feel bad. I have never and will never purchase their clothing or support the company in any way. Their questionable pay practices (according to Business Insider, Jeffries earned more than three times the median pay of other execs in the same category from 2008-2010, and these earnings did not reflect the share prices of the company) is just one of many reasons you could take issue with Abercrombie OR Mike Jeffries. And, you know, it’s WAY overpriced for shitty, boring clothing. But stop this bandwagoning bullshit. It never achieves anything (how’s that Kony thing going, by the way?).    

I tend to err on the side of self-deprecation when it comes to blogging/humor in general. However, I’m legitimately proud of what I’ve done since moving to Toronto. So here ya go…

In the space of a month and a half (it feels like way longer) I have:

-transplanted my entire life to a new city

-found not one but two jobs, one of which I have worked at AND quit

-volunteered with a very cool music fest (Indie Week), met a whole bunch ‘o people and made some valuable contacts

-started working with a local radio show (radionation.ca)

-started working with an online magazine (www.thescenemagazine.ca/) and;

-next week I’ll be doing some work with the Regent Park Film Fest

We’ll see how far this sense of pride goes once I’m completely broke. But for now it’s fun!

Good news on the job front. Nothing set in stone yet so I’m not gonna write it down, lest I jinx myself. But things are definitely looking up. Not ‘real jobs’ (as my mom put it) but jobs that will allow me to actually pursue the great creative stuff that I came here to do in the first place. 

And to be honest, I will be so happy to just serve coffee or work in retail for a while. I need to detox from the government before I really dive into my own writing and video projects. My brain has been so squished into the government box that it needs some time to un-squish before I do anything. 

Bigger updates coming soon!

I got my first rejection today!

“Thank you so much for your interest in the sales associate position.

Unfortunately we are looking for someone with more retail experience.

Best regards.”

I never really anticipated that my many years of experience in high-level corporate communication would be problematic, but there you have it; I have been deemed unfit to sell spices.

I think I’m OK with it.

Tomorrow: More job hunting. This whole ‘move to another city more or less on a whim’ thing is great, but it needs funding. They need to offer a bursary for this shit.

I’ve blogged about it before, but now it’s actually happened. I quit my well-paying-with-benefits job and moved from Ottawa to Toronto. At this point I don’t know if this begins or ends my quarter-life crisis.

I generally wish I had something mildly more intelligent to say about the whole thing. People keep asking me how it’s going in Toronto and I tend to reply with “Great!!”. While this isn’t a lie by any means it’s certainly not the most eloquent way to describe so many firsts- first time really moving away from home (yes, at 25 I have never lived more than 20 minutes from my parents), first time really being unemployed, and first time having zero direction in life.

It seems like it should be terrifying, but i’m just really really excited. 

I feel like i’m on the verge of getting very serious about all of this. Which never turns out in my favour since i’m just not a serious kind of writer. And is probably more due to the fact that it’s 8:30 am rather than anything else. So I will leave it here. 

Pictures and better blogging to come soon!

There are so many things that I would love to take a minute to write about right now. Like the fact that this summer has probably been one of the best. Ever. And that leaving my job has been significantly more awesome and significantly less terrifying than I expected.

But those reflections will have to wait a few days. The big move to Toronto is happening on Saturday. I’m nearly packed but there always seems to be more things hiding out amongst the boxes. I have to track down said things and get them into some semblance of order. 

There is an exhibit that opens today at the Canada Science and Technology Museum here in Ottawa. I have not yet been to see it, but from everything I’ve read, it is designed to teach young teenagers about sex.

Not just the basic egg + sperm = baby lesson that we’re fed in grade 8 sex ed. That’s part of it, but it also gets into concepts like arousal and that *gasp* sex is something enjoyable! Woah!

It’s presented at the science center and was developed with a lot of input from teachers, nurses, doctors, sexologists and is basically a well-informed alternative to ‘the talk’.

It already ran in Montreal and Regina and didn’t ruffle that many feathers. Then it hit Ottawa.

The exhibit only opens today and ALREADY there has been huge backlash against it. They had to raise the age for unaccompanied admission from 12 to 16, even though the 12 through 15 group is exactly who it’s aimed at.

And now our wonderful Minister for Heritage, James Moore is calling it “insulting to taxpayers” and asking the public to complain to museum management.

So once again our Conservative government has proven its close-mindedness. “No! How dare we teach children about sex! That kind of knowledge is dangerous and will create a generation of sinners!”

Does this remind anyone else of the hysteria that surrounded the release of the film Young People Fucking?

I wonder if the people complaining have even seen the exhibit. Seems unlikely.

/end rant

Read the full article from the Ottawa Citizen here

Ps. If anyone feels compelled to make a little complaint, here’s Mr. Moore’s email. It’s highly doubtful that he’ll read it, but can’t hurt to try. James.Moore@parl.gc.ca

The Ottawa Rock Lottery

I’m helping to plan a local event called the Ottawa Rock Lottery.

The gist:

• 25 musicians from all different genres and bands.
• 5 bands determined by randomly pulling names out of a very stylish hat.
• 24 hrs to create a 20 – 30 minute set of all original music.
• 1 night only.
• All proceeds go to The Ottawa Food Bank.

4 in 1

I’ve also just started shooting these. In case you are too lazy to click the link, they are live acoustic sessions that will be taking place every second Sunday for the whole summer (starting yesterday) in various Ottawa parks.

Here’s a pic from yesterday’s!

^ These guys are also participating in the Rock Lottery! Ooooh…crossover. And they’re called Aardwolf so that’s pretty awesome.

QB Kids

Aaaaaand I’m continuing my usual work with the QB Kids, most notably the ever-hilarious ‘The World Today’, a weekly comedy news show.

http://www.qbkidsproductions.com/2012.html

…And I work full time. But no one wants to hear about that.

Yes it is budget day here at DND and the public service is a twitter (no pun intended…really, because we aren’t allowed to use Twitter for work purposes) with speculation about what this year’s budget will mean for us as public servants.

There are major internal changes going on (which I’m not going to go into for obvious reasons) and the energy around the office is akin to what you would feel while waiting outside the gym before a really important exam; nervous, excited buzzing with people flitting from colleague to colleague trying to figure out who knows what and where they found that info (picture the Sh*t Bureaucrats Say video but MANIC).

A book entitled the Employee’s Survival Guide to Change has been circulated and the Deputy Minister himself, Robert Fonberg, has signed his name to an email message to all employees that, in as vague and befuddling language as possible indicates that yes, there will be cuts (?) but hey apparently there’s some sort of plan! It goes on to direct employees to what could be considered the most unhelpful site ever, called the “Focus on Change” website (please note the hazy but slightly comforting wording- one of the main pillars of government communications when it comes to talking about bad news).

Those in the federal public service really are terribly placed to cope with big changes, and who can blame them? People work for the government not because they love it and it gives them a sense of fulfilment in life, but because it’s SECURE.

And all of a sudden it’s not.

Whether or not you’re interested in politics, work for the public service or support the current government, the next little while should be interesting for everyone.

Things I fully recognize:

I will never have a job that pays as well as this one, with pension and benefits to boot.

I will never again be able to afford an apartment this nice.

I will not have any disposable income to speak of in the foreseeable future.

My quality of life has basically peaked at 24.

I. Don’t. Care.

(I was going to insert a ‘look at all the fucks I give’ gif but my internet browser at work is literally too old to manage that. So please just picture Julie Andrews illustrating my apathy.)

I’m a sucker for social media and as such I have more accounts, profiles and belong to more ‘communities’ than I can realistically keep track of.

Needless to say, most of these are ignored until such time as I get a spasm of inspiration pertaining to that particular medium and then go nuts for about three hours until it gets boring again.

Without thinking too much about it, i’m on:

• Facebook
• Twitter (x3)
• Blogspot
• Tumblr
• Wordpress
• Linkedin
• Pinterest
• Google +
• Kickstarter
• And I think I even have a sad, defunct myspace account kicking around somewhere.

And the weird part is, I legitimately use all these sites (except for myspace) for different things! They all actually have some sort of purpose. Or they’re supposed to, if I was doing it right.

There’s actually little point to this post. Or maybe there was but I’m in the middle of my work day, at the point where my brain has become about the consistency of half-melted gouda.

So if there was a point it’s gone now.

I quit my job!

Technically I’m here for another five months, but I officially gave my notice the other day.

I will be moving to Toronto in September to write and work on my career as a filmmaker (there’s more of a plan to it than just that, I promise).

I have never been unemployed.

I have never not lived in Ottawa.

I have never been unemployed.

I’m alternating between being so excited that I want to pack up and go now and wanting to vomit in terror.

Dear long-neglected Tumblr,

It’s not you, it’s me. Really. I’ve just been so busy with work that, let’s face it, I haven’t had the time to treat you like the blog you are. 

I’m sorry I’ve gone so long without so much as a reblog. There’s no excuse. Between my day job, making films on the side and actually trying to have a social life, i’m afraid you’ve just fallen to the wayside. 

I’m sorry I didn’t notice your lovely new icons until just now; they really do suit you. 

I know what you’re going to say- “But Jes, you’ve been giving Twitter so much attention lately!”

I can’t argue with that. 

But really Tumblr, a blog like you demands a certain amount of time and maybe a bit of thought. I’m ashamed to admit that Twitter is just too easy for a quickie. 140 characters and you’re done. I can’t help myself.

However, I’d like to think that this isn’t goodbye, Tumblr. I will try harder! I will give you all the attention and content that you deserve! Just give me time Tumblr…give me time.

Yours, in ever-bloggy love,

Jes

Going through my past few months of blog posts, i’ve realized that this blog has mostly consisted of the strangest collection of reblogs, rants and sentences punctuated with far too many periods (presumably for dramatic effect ex. Rage. Quit.).

Resolution: Step it up with the writing. And pictures. Given that that is what I do and what I want to do and what I love to do, I really should not succumb so easily to the reblog button.

So from now on, hopefully there will be more original content here!

(However I still find the interwebs a fascinating and hilarious place. We’ll see how long my steadfastness lasts.)

This has been around for a few years now (since 2009, which is basically aeons in internet time) but it is my new internet love:

http://www.kickstarter.com/

It’s a crowdfunding website called kickstarter. Some Canadian doc makers recently raised $100,000 in donations on the site that went a long way towards helping their doc make it to Sundance.

http://www.pbs.org/pov/blog/2011/12/indie-game-the-movie-sundance-2012-kickstarter.php

Stories like this actually give me some hope that no matter how much the government tries to take away funding for the arts, there will always be a way to make movies!

I’m having one of those days at work where I want to write the story that’s in my head, but instead I’m stuck writing the story that I know will get approval.

This morning I got a free cookie from Starbucks.

When I was relating this fact to my boss, my director pointed out that today was going to be a good day (because of the free cookie incident. Apparently free cookies=happy days, which is a theory I could totally get on board with.).

She was very wrong.

1) We had an event going on today, which in itself is a bit stressful and crazy.

2) I got sent home from said event due to being sick.

3) I went back to the office for a bit before going home, only to get a call from my mother letting me know that there has been yet another event in the saga that has been my family lately.

4) Once I finally got my butt out of the office and home, I find my apartment building surrounded by police cars. Still no explanation as to what happened there.

5) We have no running water.

Universe: 5 Free cookie: 0.

It’s barely 10 and i’m all

Ugh.

Finally getting the fonts I need for the 48 page document from hell that I`m working on:

Realizing that said fonts have added an extra space after EVERY SINGLE PERIOD:

Tumblr has been taken OVER by Harry Potter!! Dear god, there wasn’t this much insanity on the interwebs when the last BOOK came out! (granted, people were probably all too busy reading, but still…)

Don’t get me wrong. I LOVED those books. I devoured them when they came out and did everything I could to fill the space in between. I still love the story and I AM quite excited for the movie.

But this is getting riddikulus (heh).

I just don’t understand why this movie is generating so much fanaticism. Is it because it’s the very last piece of the franchise? I mean, we all know what happens already. Why is this such a big deal?

I’m not one of those “screw Harry those books are stupid” people. Not by a long shot. I just wish someone could actually explain to me why people are SO excited by this.