2011 January » nothing in winnipeg

R.I.P. Chuck Green

Jan 292011

A moment now to say goodbye to a guy I haven’t seen in a long time, but nonetheless left a big impression: Chuck Green, owner of the Osborne Village Inn, died today. Lots of nice condolence messages on the Osborne Village Inn Facebook page, if you’re interested. And Dave Sanderson wrote a nice story about Chuck and the Zoo back in 2007 that we can fondly enjoy. Chuck was one of those unforgettable figures that pepper the better novels of urban disarray: all sort of gruff and blustery on the surface, but actually all big-hearted and full of stories. The first time I ever met [...click for more...]

Hidden gems

Building a Better Media - Initial Thoughts

Musings

Jan 282011

Snowed in, Spicy Noodle House in hand, I am watching the hours tick slowly by. I’m waiting for a bright-white morning where I walk into a hospital and promptly get knocked out. On Thursday, they told me they’ll be keeping me overnight at Victoria Hospital, for what was supposed to be a day surgery. I appreciate their caution, but I’ll be blunt that I am dreading the experience. I’ve been told everyone in my room will snore, and to bring earplugs. Lovely. At the very least, the recovery should give me a chance to think, plan, and blog. (Provided I’m not [...click for more...]

Blog Love Wednesday - Reserved At All Times

Spreading The Love

Jan 262011

Well, the promised Blog Love Sunday, which morphed into a Blog Love Monday, then was delayed to a BLT (my favourite), will now have to be a Blog Love Wednesday. First, a game: in my drafts folder, I have an 800-word Blog Love post drafted since Monday. But I am still unsatisfied with it and thus, not posting. The game? Guess which blog it was about! While that one awaits further review, I have my own little stumbleupon: Reserved At All Times. I hope he will forgive me yanking his header to illustrate my blog-love: Recently launched by Brandon photographer Colin Corneau, Reserved [...click for more...]

The Man Who Brought The Kennedys

Musings

Jan 232011

In eight days I am having surgery. I am terrified about this, but first, something to look forward to: on Sunday, Jan. 30, TLC is premiering its two-hour “television event,” the Kennedy Home Movies. It is a story about these people, in this video, a teaser so beautiful it made me cry: It is also a story about Winnipeg, which is why I’m blogging about it. Because in my story, the Kennedys and Winnipeg are woven together, warp and weft and impossible to pick apart. I grew up loving the Kennedys, because my father loved the Kennedys. In Grade 5, for an essay project, I [...click for more...]

Blogkeeping Notes

Caretakery

Jan 212011

It’s Friday night in Winnipeg and fantastically, I have Friday night social plans! How delightful. Before I go, I want to thank everyone who has linked to Nothing in Winnipeg from their own, more useful blogs. Through this quiet action (and some not-so-quiet actions, thank you Mr. Committee), I feel a lovely warm welcome from the blogosphere. And I’m looking forward to playing some small part. Years ago, when I first got the blog-bug, I spent some time browsing for Winnipeg blogs. But back then, the local blogosphere was hard to breathe in: too thin, content molecules too scattered. So [...click for more...]

Rollin’ On The River

Odes to Winnipeg

Jan 172011

News today that the Paddlewheel Queen may have made its last voyage down the Red. The news tugs memories, the memories tug a heartache, and the heartache nudges a synapse that can only be appeased by writing the memories down. I loved that boat. I haven’t been on it for years. When you’re a child and everything is fresh and you haven’t yet learned that there’s nothing in Winnipeg, the muddy waters are as magic as azure coast and the places they go are fit for pirates and princesses. I was a little girl. We set ourselves up on the bow, [...click for more...]

A Dire (Straits) Debate

Around The World, Musings

Jan 152011

I could subtitle this post “this ain’t bloggin’,” because a penny for my thoughts, in this case, would drastically overvalue them. My thoughts on this issue are cautious and knotted and not at all leading to a clear bottom line, but whatever, I’m motivated to put fingers to keyboard on it, and this is my space to do that, goshdarnit. As we’ve all heard, the CBSC has ruled that Dire Straits’ song Money For Nothing’s use of the word “faggot” contravenes Canadian broadcast standards. This isn’t really breaking news: the word “fag” or “faggot” has been cut from songs for radio use for ages — [...click for more...]

Target Practice

Musings, This Is My Job

Jan 132011

On Twitter today, I noted that Target is the Wal-mart for people who don’t want to be seen at Wal-mart. This isn’t a knock against Target, or the folks that shop there. I have nothing against Target; I usually visit whenever I’m in Americaland. In fact, the last time I was down south, I went to a Target and bought not one but two Snuggies. So clearly I’m in no position to cast any disparaging eyes. (Nor can I point fingers. My blanket has very long sleeves.) No, it’s more a comment on their branding. I wouldn’t even be surprised if there was some sentence like [...click for more...]

Raining Cats and Dogs, But Sadly Not Money

Musings

Jan 132011

When times get tough, animals are often the first to feel the belt tighten. In Winnipeg, shelters have taken a big hit in the last two years, forcing some to cut back services, Lindsey Wiebe reported today. For the record: as someone who has absolutely no shame referring to my two cats as my daughters, this story yanks my heartstrings, hard. But the story is also useful in illustrating why antipathy to animal shelters that perform euthanasia is not a practical, nor a useful, or even a particularly pro-animal perspective. As a wacky cat lady in training, I’m not unsympathetic towards this position. When I [...click for more...]

A Win In Record Time On The Blame Game

This Is Why The World Sucks

Jan 132011

Part of the ethical problem I referred to in the last post is that I cannot columnize here on anything I might be called upon to report in the future. Being assigned as a GA — the garburator of the daily news world, or perhaps the meatloaf - that eliminates quite a lot of things. (Next blog motto: meatloaf of the news world.) It may not matter anyway, since there’s more than enough people saying smart things about The Isshoos in Winnipeg; I’m not sure I can bring anything to that table, other than sarcastic quips. And now that I think about it, there’s more than enough [...click for more...]

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