Diverse City

Review from onrpei.ca

Hey everybody, it’s been awhile but I’m still writing! I’m just on another site mostly, I write about local events on PEI, but there are probably some things on there that you might like and I miss your great comments. Please subscribe if you like my writing, there are also some other writers from my corner of the world on there too. On to the review…

Diverse City 2011, what an event! I read about this on The Guild’s website the other day and I knew that this would be something I wouldn’t want to miss. Charlottetown’s Victoria Row showcased the cultures of recent newcomers to PEI—with great music, dancing, new displays and activities, Global Jam with drum circle and new intercultural combinations, visual arts display, martial art demos, kids’ crafts, and delicious international food. The finale featured dancing from 8:30–10:00pm to the Count and the Cuban Cocktail and their great Caribbean sound!

When I first arrived at 7:45pm the Mi’kmaq/jazz fusion was on the stage with a unique blend of native drumming and chanting with some cool jazzy sounds. I was also able to witness some fire dancing for the first time of my life, it was amazing!

Next up it was my turn to shine on the bongos (yes, this is an autobiographical review) with the Drum Circle in which everyone was invited to participate. There were about 10 of us from all sorts of cultures upfront before some great dancers & the biggest crowd I’ve ever played in front of, I’m guessing there were at least a hundred or two at that point. I was told earlier by one of the event co-ordinators (Yvette Doucette) that during the high point of mid afternoon, the Victoria Row and Confederation Centre outdoor area was completely packed.

And the main event of the night was the Count and the Cuban Cocktail featuring Jonathon Holmes who played the drums for Fugato and his little drummer-in-training. I totally enjoyed the festive jazz, latin, and samba grooves by this awesome group of artists. All and all it was a multi-cultural event beyond compare. I felt so lucky to be a part of it & wish we could dosomethinglike this on a weekly basis. 

 

The Fundamentals of Planking

As promised I took part in Planking Day, if you don’t know what it’s all about I gave a pretty good description in “For the Love Of Planking“. Anyways, after a rough shoot, I dusted myself off and spent about four hours editing, then another 5 hours trying to figure out how to upload it. Finally my video debut is here!

I’ve been thinking about doing something to help raise awareness and this seemed like the ultimate opportunity, so check out the links for Asthma and Allergy Awareness & Mental Health, since May is the month for both. They’re great causes and just by understanding them better we can show our support!

Here’s the video for “The Fundamentals of Planking” I hope you enjoy it, it’s only my first crack at video so it ain’t perfect.

(And I even did my own stunts!)

The Decisions

It doesn’t matter which side of the fence you get off on sometimes. What matters most is getting off. You cannot make progress without making decisions.
Jim Rohn

What to write about…

The last little while I’ve been awol from Wishiwerethere7, if you wonder what  I have been up to I’ve been working on my other site while the rain continues to fall on my lovely wet Island.

It has been tough to decide what to write about, I watched some CNN, some Jon Stewart, Conan, local news, Stephen Colbert, Piers Morgan, etc. I try not to get to into TV because I’ve been told that ignorance is bliss, but I really want to try to identify with a broader audience. I think my older posts are pretty cool, but if I could just incorporate a little more humor in there, it would be so much more enjoyable I’m betting.

So what did I Learn?

Cher has a daughter approaching 40 that decided to be her son, Stephen Hawking decided Heaven is a fairy tale, Jesse James decided to get married to America’s sweetheart once to stroke his ego, Larry King decided to put an office in Conan O’Brien’s ceiling, Bin Laden decided to read dirty magazines before he got shot, Trump and Huckabee decided not to run for Republican leadership, The President of the USA thought that Trumps decision to fire Nick Nolte instead of Lil Jon or Meatloaf would have kept him up all night, and Huckabee decision to jam a song about a little known epidemic called “Cat Scratch Fever” with “Timid” Ted Nugent turned out to be a rockin funny video. After hearing all of that stuff I came to the conclusion that although I try not to be I am in fact very much superficial.

Oh yeah and according to CNN commercials oil sands and coal powered electricity are good for the environment.

To Be or Not To Be (funny, that is)

I have always enjoyed hearing laughter whether it’s a laugh track on a favorite sitcom, the people I’m talking to, or even the thought of someone in another city having a chuckle thanks to my words. But over the years I’ve gotten a little more discriminating about what to tell jokes about. I don’t like to put down people whether they are part of a minority or not because it started feeling wrong, I don’t like talking about gross or obscene stuff because I don’t want to set a bad example (I’m working on some kids books), & I don’t like to get too wacky because I don’t want people to think I’m taking (or not taking) medication.

So what’s left for me? I can exchange links, drop names and just let the readers think funny for themselves, or write words in such a way that gets to be kinda wonky or montagey, sort of like out of context outtakes that cross the line from poetry to prosey. It doesn’t add up to quality writing, though.

I’m A Little Different Than I Used To Be

Once upon a time I liked to think of myself as a comedian without a stage, after getting a little cleaner (meaning I don’t get wasted any more, but I occasionally have a drink or two) and deciding to be more self respecting I lost my interest in saying whatever it takes to try to leave people in stitches. I guess I’m more open in most aspects of life, but when it comes to bringing the laughs I’m not willing to compromise the agreement I made to myself to be impeccable with my word. I still do some impressions (especially cartoons) but that doesn’t translate well to typed words, perhaps I’ll record some funny cover tunes some time and post them on here.

This video is not an attempt to poke fun at anyone, it just seems relevant to this post. If you find it funny I’m sorry if you feel guilty about me feeling guilty. If you didn’t find it funny I’m sorry if I bored you. Or maybe I’m a little thankful.

WIWT Radio: Cats in the Cradle & The East Coast

Here’s another WIWT Radio show for ya. I’ll be playing a few favorites from my ECMA experience and reading a few comments.

This weeks line up includes Harry Chapin, Rose Cousins, Clinton Charlton, Kim Wempe, Carmen Townsend and The Trews. I hope you enjoy it!

What do you think of the radio show? Is there anything I could improve on? Any requests for next week?
Here it is… http://soundcloud.com/plholden/wiwt-proj-apr-21-wave