The Coffeehouse

"St. Joseph next! And for those of you who speak French, St. Joseph..."

Did you hear about the man who went into the Louvre Museum in Paris to steal a Van Gogh painting? He managed to get the painting, but the security guards wouldn't let him leave the museum, he didn't have the Monet..."

Wellesley! Well-es-ley next...

Speaking of thieves, a guy tried to steal a calendar once, but got caught. He got twelve-months...

Then another guy tried to steal a lamp, but got caught. He got a light sentence."

I started my summer job on Monday, it's been quite interesting so far. Much different than last year's summer gig at the Ministry of Environment, not better, but different. Oh wait, no it is better: downtown (out exploring during my lunches), all-you-can-drink-coffee (the guys in my office are BIG COFFEE DRINKERS, yup, in all-caps, lovely people), and no robotic data-entry stuff. But, I'm the youngest person here, and there are no other students/interns on my floor as of yet, so it gets lonely. My past few days can be summed up by this oft-repeated phrase.

"Here, take these reports, look at these websites, and..y'know, read, get a feel for things."

So that's all I've been doing...reading. Which really, is no different than what I did in university, except now I'm getting paid to read (thank you responsible tax-paying Canadian citizens, special thanks to WLFG, Mona, and Omar2Cents). But it's oh-so-much harder reading government documents. Especially if you're reading simply for the sake of reading. I haven't been instructed to focus on specific issues, or look up a policy or anything you'd think a Research Analyst would do. I just read. And it's really difficult to stay focused (and dare I say, awake?) when there is no specific purpose to your reading except "getting a feel for things". To me, that's like reading the introduction/executive summary, and skimming through the remaining hundred or so pages. But I'm given two hundred-page reports to keep me occupied for the day.

Okay, I feel bad for complaining, and I think I'll stop now before I jinx myself and end up swamped with stuff to do and deadlines to meet and stuff....

An article about headphones and iPods was in yesterday's Toronto Star.

For those who don't want to go through the whole article (and I don't blame you), it basically talks about how there's this new phenomena where everybody is tuned into something via headphones and tuning out of their surrounding environment. The writer tries to argue for the this new trend, but I feel like she didn't know how to word her support. I don't have an iPod or any type of mp3 player. My new phone I got back in August has an FM radio, but I rarely carry my headset for it, I have yet to tune into it outside my house. I hate this new headphone trend. I think that it isolates people even further from society. I understand listening to music, recordings, or the radio for entertainment purposes or to pass the time, but to wear them EVERYWHERE, to get from any Point A to Point B, is a pushing it a little, and I would say extremely selfish, for a lack of better word. I think our social fabrics are constantly being ripped and torn by trends that focus on communication via technology and are removing the need for physical "real" person-to-person contact and communication. If you read through the article, the writer notes how people use their headphones as excuses for not talking to people or to pretend that others don't exist (ie, homeless people, panhandlers, even salespeople), and wearing headphones somehow makes it alright not to return that random smile someone may have given you, or walk through town as if there aren't other people walking around you.

Heaphones isolate you from the rest of society for that period which you wear them in. People have a right to wear them and live in their little music bubbles, fine, but individuals living within a society also have a responsibility towards others (call me an idealist). Humans are naturally social beings and it's normal for people to make small talk on the subway, or smile at a person as you walk past them. I'll be the first to admit that I've had conversations with perfect strangers on the bus just because I've felt the need to socialize, it's refreshing. I remember reading elsewhere about how there are lots of people who live in huge metropolises with millions of people around them, and still feel extremely lonely. It's because of this increasing lack of socialization that people feel so lonely, and the headphone trend is only contributing to this problem. Lack of socialization causes much distress and psychological problems for people. Loneliness is one of the many reasons people may feel the need to commit suicide or commit violent acts because of anger or for attention. We should all have something to contribute to the general mental and social health and well-being of our society. At the same time, I don't expect everybody to suddenly take off their headphones and start up random conversations, many of us are introverts, but the simple fact that a person is not wearing headphones while sitting next to another person is recognition of other individuals sharing the same space, and that in itself is a form of socialization.

If you normally wear headphones and listen to music throughout most of your day, try reading a book on your commute instead, or go a day without them, for the sake of others.

Saturday, October 28th is the national Troops Out of Afghanistan protest day.

If you're in Toronto:

March and Rally
Troops out of Afghanistan
Saturday October 28th
1 pm
US Consulate (360 University ave)

For other cities in Canada: http://www.acp-cpa.ca/en/Oct28Events.htm

My parents are going away for the weekend, and my brother is going on a business trip.

Parents: You're staying at home all weekend, and you're especially not going to the rally because we fear for your safety.

Me: I went to Palestine and faced IDF soldiers with rifles the size of my leg every single day....safety?