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Friday, October 27, 2006

A couple of weeks ago I watched an Oprah episode that has forever changed my life...

And before you laugh, ask yourself this... have you ever had the overwhelming desire to help make the world a better place? Not just think about it and talk about it, but really do something? Have you ever felt so incredible angry and sad at all the poverty and war and unhappiness in this world of ours and desperatley wanted to do something about it?

Well here's your chance! All you have to do is make one small change the next time you go looking to buy a t-shirt, a new cell phone, an iPod.

All you have to do is go RED... as in (Product) RED. This incredible program was started by U2's Bono and an old friend of his. By buying (RED) items you can directly help women and children suffering from AIDS in Africa.

To hear about it directly from Bono, go to this link:

http://www2.oprah.com/tows/slide/200610/20061013/slide_20061013_350_102.jhtml
Click on the video link in the middle of the page. This will bring you to the video's section on Oprah's website. Click the second video down on the left hand side (With the picture of Bono).

"(RED)™ is a revolutionary program designed to eliminate AIDS in Africa. "Lots of people here in the United States have been trying to deal with the problems of Africa in a very serious way," Bono says. "But not everybody has the time to be an activist or put on their marching boots. So we said, 'How are we going to get the shopping malls involved? How are we going to get to where people live and shop…?'"

By buying a (RED) brand T-shirt, a pair of jeans or even a cell phone, you can help save lives. Part of your purchase will be donated to The Global Fund to help those who need it most. Just the T-shirts that the audience is wearing today will provide enough medication to prevent transmission of HIV from mother to child for over 14,000 pregnant women. (www.oprah.com)"


To learn more about this amazing idea and what items are "RED" go to this link:

http://www.joinred.com/home.asp

I can't express how deeply moved I was. I actually spent most of the show on the couch crying because I was so overwhelmed. Overwhelemed enough to email The Oprah Show. Overwhelemed enough that the next chance I have, there is a very special shirt at The GAP with my name on it... I personally want the one that says "inspi(RED)".

Do this and you too can be "empowe(red)"- there's a t-shirt with that one too!
On that same show Alicia Keys talked about the work she is doing in Africa...

"In 2004, Oprah's Angel Network surprised Alicia with a $250,000 check to help her continue her life-saving work in Africa, and her organization put the grant to good use!

Alicia traveled to South Africa to visit the Ithembalabantu Clinic, which means "people's hope." This clinic provides free, life-saving drugs to parents and children with HIV and AIDS. "So many more patients are getting the medications they need to survive because of Keep A Child Alive and Oprah's Angel Network," Alicia says. Donations from Oprah's viewers also made it possible for the clinic to hire its first pediatrician, Dr. Thompson.

Dr. Thompson says that after a year of treatment at the clinic, most people can't tell an HIV-infected child from a healthy child. "Seeing a child coming in being absolutely a waste, literally a walking skeleton, and then a few months later just seeing the improvement…it's a feeling you can't replace ever," she says.

Alicia thanks Oprah and her viewers for their generosity, and she urges people to continue caring about this global issue. "AIDS is 25 years old. I'm 25 years old. There are 25 million [people] already dead," she says. "There is no reason why we can't join together and realize that this is something we have to do. … On behalf of them, let me be their voice and say that there's so much more to do."

For the first time on the same stage, Alicia and Bono perform their duet, "Don't Give Up (Africa)."

Bono and Alicia Keys's duet can be downloaded at www.keepachildalive.org. The song costs $1.49, and all proceeds go to the Keep A Child Alive organization. (www.oprah.com)"
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"The difference between the impossible and the possible lies in a person's determination."
Tommy Lasorda

Saturday, October 21, 2006

TGIF!!!

I am so glad that this week is over! More temp receptionist problems at work which culminated in me working all day at Reception yesterday. Started at 8, didn't leave until 5. Let's just say that my body wasn't too happy with me.

But there are things to look forward to. Ryan joined a barbershop chorus a few weeks back and we're going to see them perform on Saturday night (he's not in this one). And my parents are coming over on Sunday. We're going to Ikea that afternoon to pick up vases and candle stuff for the wedding and then on Monday night we have tickets to see Andre Rieu perform at GM Place. I am so excited about that!

Anyway, Ryan's home now and I'm starving so we're going for all-you-can-eat sushi (Robson Sushi is awesome).

Thought I'd include some more photos for your perusal:










(Feeding Sammy the Seal at Fisherman's wharf in James Bay)

Friday, October 13, 2006

13 rolls of film later...

I shot 13 rolls of film between May and September this year. Over the next while I'm going to put up some of the best... here's a glimpse:










Thursday, October 12, 2006

Is it really mid-October already???

It just astounds me how time goes by with out me even noticing! I figured I'd better post now before too much more happens and I can't keep up.

Where to start? Somehow, I've made it this far and am actually doing well. Really well. Which is novel and strange and well, wonderful. My doctor and I have been working on trying to find the right dosage of my medication. It's tricky because it takes awhile to know if it's working and frankly I'm kinda tired of being patient. I want it to work now dammit! LOL! Such is life, eh? But we seem to have got it right this time and even I can tell the difference.

Fibromyalgia is a strange and confusing syndrome. Every time you think you understand what's going on in your body, it throws you for a loop. I'm still too early in the treatment phase to have anything really figured out. It's a process. A really long one that will likely last my whole life. And I'm starting to be okay with that... which is weird (an ultimately good for me). I think it's that freakishly optimistic part of me gone crazy, but hey, stranger things have been known to happen. But at least I do it with drama! (right Claire?)

But as I said before, things are going well. I'm now quite settled in school and am loving every minute of it. I honestly think that I am more prepared and mature this time around. It also helps that I am only doing 3 classes. This allows me to focus more as well as work part-time and not go entirely insane. Right now I am taking Design, Into Painting 1 and the first half of Intro Psychology. All of it is fascinating and all of it really makes me think. It also doesn't hurt that I get to spend Friday mornings immersed in my acrylic paints, which is incredibly therapeutic.

Work is good, and it's getting better.I reverted from full-time to part-time when I went back to school. I had essentially been doing two jobs and am now just focusing on one (which is way less crazy). That meant that they had to hire someone to replace me at Reception. Which they did, and then recently let go since she ended up being a disaster. Weeks of damage control (and reassuming most of the admin duties for Reception) later and I now have things mostly under control and taken care of. Oh, how I can't wait for them to hire someone. The sooner, the better! I only work 16 hours a week and haven't had any real time to devote to my own projects lately. But that is changing and I should hopefully get things back on track soon.