Red Cedar
More apocalypse, less angst
A reminder about Canadian diamonds
I don’t normally post news articles here – but I wanted to spread this one around cause really – we need to stop pretending that Canadian diamonds are conflict free. They are not, and mining for vanity is a horrendous waste of resources besides that. This issue rarely gets any play in the Canadian media which is a real shame….
First Nations leader slams Canadian diamonds
CBC Website: Friday, December 8, 2006 | 12:18 PM ET
A First Nations group in Ontario is trying to dissuade Americans from buying Canadian diamonds this holiday season, saying the jewels are mined at the expense of its people.
Alvin Fiddler, deputy grand chief of the Nishnawbe Aski Nation, said De Beers Canada in particular is causing environmental devastation and disrupting his community of 45,000 Cree and Ojibwa in northern Ontario.
“They’re not clean diamonds; they’re not conflict-free diamonds,” Fiddler told CBC News. “People are paying a price for these diamonds and it’s our people in the Nishnawbe Aski Nation. Our people, our children, are languishing in poverty while these resources are being extracted from their territory.” Read More
I'm in love.
It’s taken me a long time to get around to downloading some Sufjan Stevens which keeps getting recommended to me… Since I was home again today sick (I’m almost better – tomorrow I’ll be back to work), I took the opportunity. (Yeah, yeah, where’ve I been – I know… it’s what happens when you don’t listen to the radio).
So I’ll just say upon listening through three albums this afternoon that I am in love… this music strokes me in all the right places…. and I’m kicking myself for dragging my feet in paying any attention to him until now. Although I probably won’t be downloading the christmas album… I pretty much want everything else out there.
A textbook case
I realized sometime late last night that in fact, I probably wasn’t suffering from the flu at all – but something more like strep throat… So first thing this morning I went down to the clinic to be told by the doctor, that indeed I am suffering from a text-book case of strep. Fortunately, that is easily remedied with antibiotics, that usually act pretty quickly. Unfortunately, I am one of those people susceptible to strep, as I suffered from it often as a child. It’s one of those things that you either suffer from recurrently, or not at all.
I am feeling a bit better this morning anyways, enough that I could leave the apartment to go down the street, and am even planning on venturing out later to rent some dvds. I’m on a bit of an intermittent sleep pattern at the moment – pass out for an hour, wake up in pain, take some more advil… wait until it kicks in, sleep for an hour etc. As such I’m a bit dazed…
Had a lover end the sexual aspect of our relationship last night, over the phone, with the promise of remaining friends… even though I’m not sure either of us know what the friendship would consist of without the sex. As I was saying to a friend online this morning – I have lots of lovely, wonderful friends who treat me with respect and who I enjoy being around… I’m not sure that I need to keep ex-lovers who have broken my heart in the circle. Ex-partners, I think, are somewhat different because of the depth of the relationship – but ex-lovers usually fray off once the sex is over. At least that’s been my experience. I guess I’m not opposed to it, but I can hardly see how I would want to put the effort in when I barely have time for the people in my life who make me feel good. Perhaps that makes me heartless, or just a pragmatist – but I am feeling the need to protect myself from any further hurt, and I can’t see any way around it other than to sever ties at least temporarily.
The best thing about Darren in my life as an ex-partner is that he is always suitably defensive of me whenever a lover or boyfriend doesn’t appreciate me the way he thinks they should. Even before jail, he has always been like that… I think, in a way, he realizes how much he under-appreciated me and *hates* to see anyone else do it now. It’s nice sometimes to have someone get annoyed on your behalf…
In any event, I know it’s for the best even though I’m sad about its end. I’m glad it happened when I was sick and already feeling crappy too – I feel like by the end of the weekend I will have both the sick and the relationship somewhat out of my system, and can focus on holiday parties and other fun stuff. Huzzah, to get all the toxic out of my body at once.
Looking for some sympathy…
A short post to let you all know that I am sick again. Started out with a sore throat/swollen glands yesterday morning and as of today I am fully entrenched in some sort of flu/cold state that is making me a very sad girlie. Especially since I had to cancel on a party last night and a function tonight! No fair! I just moved back to the hood and I want some social interaction time 😦
I will likely be laying low around the house this weekend trying to drink lots of fluids and get better – feel free to ping me for tea if you’re out and about. Or at least comment in my blog and tell me how it’s not the end of the world that I’m sick (again!)
Union morning.
Don’t know what’s got into me, but I’ve turned into a snarly union rep this morning. Normally I am all acquiesence and playing nice – a facilitator rather than a fighter – but lately, I’ve seen people I represent pushed one too many times and I’m starting to get a bit worn out by it. I’m also a bit thin-edged over management’s expectations of us as union reps after being requested to come in over my holidays for a grievance presentation that could just as easily been heard next week. Nix that, I’ve got another steward to fill in for me since I haven’t had a full week of holidays off in over a year.
And what are the issues? Of course all the big ones – accomodating workers with disabilities, staffing procedures, unpaid overtime, and the right to paid leave in the event of inclement weather.
In the main, my difficulty is with the fact that the employer “consults” with the union all the time, but they *never* listen to us. Consultation is just a formality required by law, and as a result, we never make any real headway. It’s insincere on the part of the employer, and it’s a time-drain for those of us who are already trying to balance job/union requirements.
I don’t want to fight with management over every little issue, but right now I’m feeling that they have come to expect our full “co-operation” and are now taking advantage in the pettiest of ways. I don’t feel much like fighting back, but since I really am at the end of my patience, it’s coming pretty natural today. We’ll see what happens in my hearing this afternoon.
Red Cedar 