Spring In Victoria

daffodil in Beacon Hill Park

baby goat squishing brother while cuddling with mom

Monstahlicious, the Real World, and what it means to be all in

Being all in means putting yourself out there. This week, Monstahlicious is my all-in inspiration. Check out the rest of his videos on his youtube channel!

Monstahlicious in The Real World:

All In for Pescetarianism

One month and one PETA video ago (if you want me to sympathize for a cause, show me a video--I'm a total sucker for the visual) I decided to go pescetarian. (It really should be vegetarian, but I'm not ready to make the leap away from sushi quite yet). I've been toying with the idea for years, but lacked the gumption to actually make the change. As it turns out, this veggie/fish thing isn't as hard (so far) as I thought it would be. Granted meat has plagued a few of my dreams, but on a day to day basis choosing the veggie option yielded little resistance.

What helps?

Full Buy-In

This is a lifestyle change I want to make for several reasons. First, I am bothered by the unethical treatment of animals and am uncertain about how I feel about raising a living being for the purpose of food. Second, for me it seems like a healthy option. I know it's not for everyone-- some people feel better after eating meat and getting that protein and iron in their system. But for me, I'm discovering that I can live just fine without meat based protein and iron.

Support

I'm lucky to have family, friends, and a partner who support me in all areas of life including my relationship to food. A good portion of my friends are vegetarian, so veggie options in social situations are usually abound. It also means they know great recipes for the veggie crowd which I will be trying and posting as time goes on.

Challenge:

A couple night's ago, a meat loving friend came over for dinner, so we cooked up some burgers. It's tough when your partner is great in the kitchen, and adds delicious looking ingredients (onions, homemade bbq sauce, garlic) to the halal beef burgers he was baking (yes baking, not frying) , while I flipped my veggie burger on the skillet. From the drooling and multiple helpings of the meat eaters it was plain to see that on the deliciousness scale, the meat version won. That said, I woke up the next day knowing that I stuck to my guns.

It's been a month now and I feel pretty darned good, not just about removing land-based meat from my diet, but ultimately about sticking to a conviction. I went all in, I'm still all in, and man, is it ever worth it.

"This must be where pies go when they die."

If you're planning a trip to Pender Island, may I suggest you begin by having breakfast at the Pender Island Bakery Cafe.

Recommended: splitting their huge cinnamon bun. It is sticky, soft, sweet, and delicious. It doesn't even need frosting to complete it.

Then, after you travel about, checking out the short hikes and beaches the island has to offer, hop on back to the bakery for a four berry rhubarb pie to take home. I'm considering going back to Pender just for the pie.

The pie goes great with good company and homemade whipped cream.

*Note: This may be your route by default since most dinning places on Pender Island are closed on Mondays and/or Tuesdays during the off season.

All In- Taking Advantage of Sunny Days in the Midst of Winter

This week my partner and I took a day trip to Pender Island on the one sunny day during the week. Pre-trip weather check + car co-op car + reading break + good company = (sunny expedition)(four berry rhubarb pie)(beaches)(mossy hike)(hilltop view)

Totally worth it.

(at some Pender Island beach)

Supportive Learning

I've been thinking a lot about what Old Diver said about the need to switch out both the "entertainer" version of teaching and the "banker" model of teaching for a model of teaching that inspires students to actively engage in the material. What can instructors do to make this happen? Many of my teachers practiced two of the key techniques that can engage students in the learning process: validating the student's contributions to class and providing a supportive classroom environment.

Validation

Students need to be reminded that they can and do positively contribute to the class. Some of the best discussions I've had have come out of student driven responses and questions. Why? Because people engage with things they are interested in. By positively acknowledging a student's good question and allowing that to lead a class discussion the instructor lets the student know that their line of critical questioning is valid. By acknowledging a student's response in a discussion also validates a student's critical thinking process. The teacher is not the be all and end all in the classroom. The students have something to say and (many times) it is valuable).

Supportive Class Environment

As an undergrad, I lived in perpetual fear of being called upon in class. What if I didn't have the right answer? Actually, I think the phrase was "what if I'm WRONG in front of everyone?" Yes, wrong would be in all-caps. It took a couple years of entering "real world"-like jobs, going on random adventures, and journeying through a semester of graduate school to figure out that being wrong isn't so bad. In fact, the best place to hear you're wrong is not after you receive the grade for your paper but while you're in a non-assessment environment.

The key here, is that the classroom environment, at least for me, needed to be pressure-free (or at least pressure reduced). I had to feel like I could say something, be wrong, and that it would be okay to be wrong as long as I learned how to be right. In fact, being wrong should be an acknowledged part of the learning process.

To students reading this, I hope you have a teacher that tells you something along the lines of this:

Dear students,

Your opinion in the classroom is valuable. In fact, you have a lot of interesting things to say. You know how you have experienced the texts, the subject matter, the lecture material. What you think can inspire the instructor to think differently about the material as well. What you have to say is important. You can make discussions happen, open the eyes of other students, open your own eyes, and turn a passive learning experience into an engaged learning environment. The classroom is a space for you to learn and develop without fear of judgement or assessment (outside of the graded assignment, and even then the formative comments should provide a sense of support and guidance).

Texting Our Way Through Higher Education

I am enthralled by sitting in on first year lecture courses, and not always because of the material. What I find truly fascinating is the number of students who try to hide their phones beneath their fold-down desks and text while the professor speaks.

Before I go any further, for you students out there who do this: just stop.

Now we can continue.

My first reaction to this observation was frustration. Okay, I'm still a little appalled by what appears to be a blatant sign of disrespect. But I think it's too easy to chalk this behavior up to an increasing disconnect to live interaction and our simultaneous need to be constantly connected, the slow erosion of respect in contemporary culture, or whatever other cultural malady my generation and younger generations are afflicted with.

I think this texting problem may, in part, be symptomatic of the evolving, or devolving, way education is viewed as passive entertainment.

Education as Entertainment

I'm guilty of this. I really enjoy the classes where the teacher does the academic equivalent of a song and dance to keep the students interested in the topic. Let the jokes fly, bring in the props. But is this now the standard expectation? If the material is dry and students aren't entertained, is it okay, like passive TV viewers, to try to change the channel by facebooking, texting, tweeting? Is it solely the responsibility of the professor to engage students in the material, or does some of the onus also rest on the students?

Isn't it our job as students to be thinking about the material as it is presented to us? Shouldn't we be furiously scribbling down both what the professor says and what we think about what they are saying?

Engaged Learning vs. Fast Food Learning

Pedagogical theorists talk about the "McDonaldization" of education. Increasingly, universities are focused on creating more capital (by enrolling more students) and promising that they will provide everything they need for satisfaction in future careers. Unfortunately, when you're mass producing education, the quality of education often turns out like the quality of a frozen fast food patty. Everything is shaped a certain way, tastes a certain way, and loads on the calories without real nutrients or satisfaction of a good meal. Students can leave large university lectures with loads of knowledge (if we're following the simile, knowledge = calories) without the ability to critique this knowledge (the essential nutrients and deeper satisfaction). Large lectures can leave little space for students to critically engage with the material, isolate students from the real application of the knowledge, and erode the possibility of a student/teacher relationship that involves students actively challenging the ideas the teacher sets forth. Of course people will start to wander if they are not actively engaged, and it certainly does not look easy to engage 150-300 students all at once. You can try to give people formative reasons to pay attention, make connections between the material and real life, ask students questions and expect them to answer, but the real connect occurs in those small group settings. The real connect occurs when students can talk to students about the material, when they can talk to the teacher about the material, when interaction, debate, and development are not only modeled by the teachers but engaged in by the students. When education is active, hopefully it engages. When students are engaged, hopefully they disengage with their cellphone.

Changes need to be made on all fronts of academics, from student engagement, teaching methods, to systemic policies that allow for overcrowded lectures. Remember the video of Ken Robinson on TEDtalks? His model of alternative education that promotes creativity is just one way we might reconstruct education. What are other ways of improving classroom dynamics and the quality of education? Any thoughts?

How Spending 20 Minutes Can Earn You Hours

I am one of those annual wishful thinkers, a staunch believer in New Year's resolutions and good intentions that start on January 1st and end somewhere around January 10th (okay, sometimes January 2nd). And every year some permutation of "exercise" languishes on the abandoned resolution list. What tends to happen is a dissolution in resolution usually stemming from this skewed notion that I don't have enough time.

No Time to Not Exercise

Okay, let's demystify this. A Master's student has enough time. In fact, in Gregory Semenza's book Graduate Study for the 21st Century, the one extra-curricular activity he recommends is exercise. (He only suggests one since everything else you do should revolve around research, reading, studying, publishing, presenting, and maybe sleeping). Other than keeping you healthy (a bout of the flu may keep you away from the library for more than 8 hours), exercise gives you a chance to clear your mind and decompress. While the work sixty hours a week mantra may not work for everyone (I actually find his rally cry for grad students to give it their all kind of inspiring and fitting for the "all-in" sentiment of this blog), the importance he places on maintaining one's health seems applicable to everyone.

Build Stamina

But perhaps most importantly, spending those minutes on the treadmill or running trails or playing dodgeball actually buys you time in the long run. How? It builds stamina and increases concentration. In Act Now BC's list of 25 ways to improve your stamina, the BC government initiative basically lists 25 incarnations of exercise.

In the last week, I feel like I can attest to the time-creating power of exercise. Granted, I only go for 20 minutes, but right now that's my speed. If I go to the gym at 6:30 a.m. and leave by 7:00 a.m., I not only start my day earlier, I also have more energy for the rest of the day. When I start to lose focus around 8:00 p.m., a quick jaunt to the gym perks me right up. After a brief, but productive break from the books, I feel ready to tackle the Modernists again (unless it's Joyce-- I need a much longer break to tackle Joyce).

Hone Your Focus

Focus is a skill that requires practice-- and yes, I need a lot of practice. That is why running is perfect. Running is a practice in focus. When running cross-country in high school, our coach told us a secret: running is 10% physical and 90% mental. Focus on your goal, focus on your breathing, focus on the next step, and 90% of the hard work of running is complete. When I stop running it's not usually my physical limitations that stop me, it's my mental track that stops me. I get bored and start focusing on discomforts the same way I do when I'm studying. By cultivating focus through running, you can cultivate focus in other areas. A brief stint at the gym centers my mind, warms-up my ability to focus, and gives me the energy to maintain that focus for a longer period of time.

Quantitative Results

Math is not my thing, but between waking up an hour earlier and being able to stay up 2 hours later (without straining to keep my eyelids open), minus 30 minutes for the gym, has already increased my waking and non-gym hours by 2 and a half hours. I'll have to get back to you on the time saved through sustained focus, but let me tell you, it has made a huge difference (huge being the technical, statistical term for such difference).

As the year stretches on, we'll see how this "exercise" thing goes. One day at a time, one practice in focus at a time.

What motivates you to run/swim/play? What benefits do you reap from this practice?

Thanks for reading.

Canadians, Start Counting Your Bytes

So the Canadian Radio-television Telecommunications Commission approved a measure that allows internet providers to instate usage based billing (UBB). This means Canadians could be charged for their internet usage per byte.

On one hand this might decrease my dependency on facebook-- significantly. On the other hand, I spend a fair amount of time researching academic journals online. While the libraries at my disposal again and again prove their immense value, some of the stuff is just online (and of course only accessible because of the fantastic library systems here).

A Question or Two

What does this mean for the burgeoning field of digital humanities in Canada? Will digital innovation become more expensive, more difficult to engage in because more funding is required?

What does this mean for activist organizations that use the internet to engage a larger community, to advertise events, to hold forums across the nation and the globe?

What does this mean for libraries, institutions already stretched thin for funding, that provide free internet access?

What does this mean for people who need to use free internet resources in order to apply for jobs, apply for income assistance, search for housing?

Safe guards?

Luckily, in Canada, the government seems keen on safe guards. What this means for independent internet providers in Canada is that they only get a 15% discount on the rates from the major internet providers, inhibiting the abilities of smaller internet providers to sell competitive rate packages. Okay, even the safe guards aren't that great.

What can I do? Let Your "Voice" Be Heard:

So check out this site and sign the petition with openmedia. The CRTC has also received videos and letters from concerned Canadians. Productive and constructive creativity is encouraged!

Moving In and Catching Up

This past weekend, I chucked my life into a truck and hauled what seems like a disproportionate amount of "stuff" to our new home. Now this "stuff" all seemed too important to let go of at the time, and while our ample storage space accommodates such mysterious accumulation, I can't help but ask myself why I have this much "stuff." The excuses piled on. Do any of these sound familiar to you?

Excuses:

1) I'm emotionally attached to this "stuff";

2) I might need it someday;

3) I've used it before... (okay, years ago, but still...); and

4) I don't have time to sift through it all right now.

Calling myself out:

So a couple days later, sitting in a thing-filled (though large and happy) apartment, I find myself reflecting on these excuses.

1) "Emotionally Attached"

If I don't remember I have something until I open the rust (and dust) lined box, how emotionally attached am I really? If, instead of opening the box I had simply hucked the container and its contents I would have had one less thing to pack, one less thing to unpack, and would have been none the wiser of what I was "missing."

2) "Future Need"

When will I need this box full of sidewalk chalk? And if I ever do need it, why can't I just pick up another box from the dollar store?

3) "Past Use"

This excuse helps to justify excuse number two when it comes to once well-used items. For example, I can probably throw out those two year old pair of running shoes. They were useful two years ago, but the ones I have now are useful... now.

4) "No time"

If I had time to pack the misc. and unknown items that are languishing in two boxes in the apartment, then I probably had time to donate them as well.

* Please note that this article does not pertain to the pathological hording of books which 1) are endowed with significant emotional attachment (especially when laden with notes, a special edition, or just... you know, you read it) 2) will always come in handy at some point in the future, 3) were obviously helpful in the past (hence will be helpful in the future), and 4) seem to overflow to the point where it would be more time consuming to sift through them and determine which ones I could pry from the new bookshelf we had to get because of my book hoarding.

Accessible Education

I can't help but be passionate about accessible education. In the last two years I've embarked on a journey of un-learning traditional learning methods and re-learning the importance of a multitude of learning styles, needs, and places of learning. Learning has changed my life and I am privileged to witness the way learning changes lives outside of my own, the way it can empower people in the moment of learning and in the rest of their lives. So if learning is so powerful, why not make it accessible to everyone who wants to learn? Why not reduce barriers to education, open 'alternative' spaces of learning, and adapt education models to suit a variety of needs? Why not foster a learning environment that encourages individual talents and interests to grow?

Why do these demands sound so unreasonable?

Okay, so I'm asking a North American education model to revamp the way it functions and to reconsider the economic principles it is based on. But I'm not the only one asking. Check out:

Ken Robinson's entertaining (really, he's very funny) 2006 TED Talk.

In this video, he expounds upon the need to re-imagine education and foster creativity instead of punishing creativity, and how these steps ultimately remove similar, significant barriers to education. To me, this is such an inspiring video and I can barely wait to chat about it with you via the next post and comment section.

Accessible Education? You bet I'm all in for this idea.

Burgers-- tasty, tasty burgers

An American Creation Perfected In Canada

Yes, you can thank America for the marvelous invention of the hand-held, ground beef patty. Apparently rapid industrialization of the U.S. in the late 19th and early 20th centuries signaled the horizon of more than just literary Modernism (though I'm not sure what more you'd need). Industrialization and urbanization stimulated the demand for quick and portable food. According to Pam Fessler of NPR, the origin of the hamburger is hotly contested by hamburger-ites across America. Some say it originated in a diner in Connecticut, others link it to a vendor in Wisconsin, and still others tie the innovation of buns-as-meat-holder to two vendors at the the World's Fair in St. Louis, MO.

Wherever its origins lie, the burger is now a staple in North American cuisine often gussied up in teriyaki sauce, bacon, mushrooms, cheese, pineapple, pickles, and even doughnuts. The burger's versatility is part of its brilliance. And though America may claim the roots of the burger, I believe Victoria has perfected it.

Where to Sample Victoria's Burgers

Looking for a burger joint? You will not be disappointed here. Victoria is home to some of the tastiest burgers starting with Pink Bicycle, a gourmet burger restaurant with a catchy name, hip atmosphere, and prime location in the heart of downtown. Try their truffle fries (seriously, they're delicious) with their Blue Flame Beef burger, topped with blue cheese and chili mayonnaise. Go early to snag a seat. Pink Bicycle has been open for more than a year, but still draws a crowd.

Spinnakers Brewpub makes some of the best french fries in Victoria. They are thin, flavorful, not too greasy, with a little bit of crunch. The pub is a little out of the way for bike bound folk on the other side of the Johnson Street Bridge, but it's worth the trip if you're hankering of a solid burger (nothing fancy), excellent fries, and even better beer.

My good friend and burger connoisseur claims Smith's Pub flips the best patty. Smith's, a traditional British pub, is located right across from the Victoria Public Library, and while patrons crowd the bar on the weekends, you're bound to find a table during the day and most weekday nights.

But if you want the ultimate, delicious burger...

While Pink Bicycle may offer the fancy burger, Spinnakers the fries, and Smith's a solid, standard, homemade patty, the place I go to satisfy my burger lust is Fifth Street Bar and Grill. When I'm looking for a juicy, flavorful, rich burger that melts in my mouth I know enough to order the fire-grilled barbecue buffalo burger at this bustling restaurant/bar in the Quadra Village area.

My partner and I wandered down last night for the burger and Canucks game and lucky found a seat in the bar on a busy Friday night. I forgot my camera, and we tried to take a picture of the glory that is the buffalo, but couldn't quite capture the lighting needed on a smart phone and couldn't quite avoid the strange looks from other patrons. But the buffalo burger, a patty, homemade with meat marinated in barbecue sauce nearly melts in your mouth. The chipotle-mayonnaise sauce adds just the right zing, and the classic lettuce, tomato, red onion, and pickle toppings lend that fleeting sense that you are meeting your veggie needs as well. Be prepared to get a little messy, though I think that's part of the delicious gestalt of this burger experience.

What's your favorite burger? What are you looking for in a burger? And have you ever been to Fifth Street Bar and Grill? What did you think?

I hope you enjoyed this post and get a chance to try a couple of these burger joints along your own all in journey!

All In

A New Inspiration for a New Year

(Who or what inspired you this year?)

This year, inspiration for my new year's resolution sprung from a kitten named Tucker. Tucker refuses to do things half-way. If a toy mouse catches his eye, he focuses all his energy on playing. When you pet him, he likes to touch your nose with his and gets so into the petting that he will forget himself entirely and bite your nose (lovingly of course). And when he sleeps, he sleeps; you just can't wake him up. Whatever Tucker does, he does it with all his little heart. He is all in, and this year, I want to be "all in" too.

Maintaining Momentum by Sustaining Passion

One of my biggest challenges is maintaining momentum. Maybe you find this a struggle too. As the days go by, my enthusiasm for exercising, waking up early, or writing daily wanes, and as my enthusiasm wanes so does my drive to develop new habits. After reading a few productivity blogs (excellent ones include Zen Habits by Leo Babauta and Sid Savara's Personal Development Training blog), it seemed that maybe one of my problems had to do with my hesitation to jump in with all my heart. Yes, exercising will be good for me, but if I have better things to do or if I have a "heavy" workload then I can skip the gym. Sure it's nice to wake up early, but what if I'm really tired? Writing daily sounds nice, but what if I'm not inspired. I built in excuses that predicted and precipitated failure. This mentality refuses to be "all in," refuses to wager and risk and to allow passion to unfold. Rather, it kept me one foot in and one foot out, only half committing to the goals I set before me.

Instead of predicting failure, "all in" means predicting adventure, happiness, and personal success through hard work and maintaining momentum. It means finding the toy mouse and playing with it till I'm exhausted and then doing it again the next day and the day after that and so on. It means putting myself out there, risking failure but predicting success.

All In-- So What?

What "all in" means to me is committing to be present, committing to be engaged, and committing to live a full and joyful life. What "all in" means for this blog is a commitment to regular posts about living a passionate and present life and looking forward to sharing these adventures with you and hearing about yours as well.

As a current Master's student treading in the world of English literature and TA-ing, posts might include a bit about fantastic books, teaching practices, productivity, delicious foods, events in and around Victoria, and maybe a little bit about politics when I just can't help myself. Hopefully this will be a space for all of us to explore different topics, different passions, and be inspired to be a little more like Tucker.

This is a new path for me (and for Tucker too since he's only 8 months old), and one I hope you'll join us on.

Thanks for stopping in! Tune in for Saturday's fun and fluffy blurb about diving "all in" for the best burger in Victoria. Warning: this may be contentious.