Blurred Edges

I think the biggest thing we can all learn from the past year is that nothing should be taken for granted. I know things look like business as usual right now, with the economy seemingly back on track. But beneath the surface of things huge shifts have taken place that will not be felt for months, if not a year or two, to come.

When and how these shifts came about is beyond the scope of this blog, but I would like to address a few things that you can do to mitigate the potential off-balancing of a world in transition in 2010.

Choose local quality over cheap imports. Do not support slave labor anywhere in the world, and the best way to do this is to buy home grown goods, the closer to home the better. Not only does this insure that you are not financing sweat shops in China, it also ensures that the money you spend stays in your own local economy.

Stay, or get, in the best possible physical shape that you can. If you don’t like regimented exercise like going for a run or lifting weights, do something different like gardening, chopping firewood, or playing soccer with a child. The rewards will be manifold, from a general feeling of well being to increased stamina and self-esteem. When we look good and feel great, we exude more of that energy commonly referred to as ‘charisma’. We also tackle stress better.

Reinvent yourself. There’s nothing like a period of uncertainty to blur the edges of who we think we are. What are your hidden talents, and what could you do with these if you decided to become an entrepreneur instead of a wage earner (not that there is anything wrong with earning a wage, just that one day your employer may not be able to keep paying you that wage and it will be a lot less stressful if you have already laid some groundwork).

We saw many changes in 2009, and I would argue that the biggest changes went largely unnoticed by the mainstream media and hence the population at large. Big Media have not earned our trust; in fact they have failed miserably at this. So why finance them with your money and energy when there are some great websites out there that are committed to ferreting out the truth.

Below are three of my favorites.

www.zerohedge.com
www.globalresearch.ca
www.solari.com

Happy Transition!

Margo

Dirtbag Mystique

I finally consulted with Freddie regarding the aforementioned scenario, and he told me that we are now venturing into the realm of “dirtbag mystique”.

The Banff Book and Film Festivals went by in a blur. I didn’t manage to see any films, but I did manage to make it from one cocktail party to the next without a glitch. The highlight was busting in on the OR sales meeting and watching Christian model the Banff Bodysuit on the makeshift runway. I think you had to be there, and you definitely had to be a woman.

Throughout all of this my editors aren’t letting me stray from the facts of my story. I am finding it quite interesting that my biggest core weakness in my writing is the same one I struggle with in my life, namely that I tend to generalize and philosophize and be judgmental about things rather than just tell the story. This tendency gets me into trouble with people because I am trying to interpret my stories for them instead of letting them come up with their own interpretations.

What all of this means is that I am not only going to exit this program a better writer, but hopefully a better person as well.

Banff Landing

I arrived two nights ago after my seven-hour drive from my home in the West Kootenays. I was worried about feeling distracted being in Banff; after all I spent two decades living and climbing here in the Canadian Rockies. But luckily my friends are busy and the ice is slow in coming in. I have been running up Tunnel Mountain and going to the rock gym at the Sally Borden Centre to get my daily training fix. Sarah Hueniken told me about the new “Playground” for mixed climbing that is just outside of Canmore, and we’ll get out there as soon as we can both clear our schedules.

The writing is going well. I came here with a lot of existing material, in need of a lot of editing. Tony Whittome is my main editor, and he has given me quite a lot of feedback on how to structure my story. As you can imagine, it is a chaotic affair sorting though the contents of one’s psyche, so there’s nothing better than an objective mind throwing in their professional perspective.

The Banff Centre is taking on a whole new slant for me. I have been coming to the mountain film festival here every year without fail since 1992, and I can say that being here on campus as an 'artist' has a completely different feel. I have a wonderful room; complete with king-sized bed and balcony, and a little writing studio in the basement of a different building. There is no view in this room, and it is dead quiet. The only distraction is the piano against the wall, where I can practice my scales and arpeggios whenever I need a break from putting thoughts down in writing.

I started having trouble sleeping about one week prior to coming here, and my insomnia is still in full swing. This gives me lots of extra time to write, especially late at night. I feel like I am running on some sort of adrenaline high, but I hope it wears off soon so I can go back to my normal sleep patterns.

Dirtbag Chic

I learned a new phrase today from Freddie Wilkinson, another course participant, and it’s called “dirtbag chic”. We were sitting around the writers’ lounge when he downloaded the idea to me.

“It’s the Yuppie who wears ratty outdoor clothing and drinks Pabst Blue Ribbon at the bar to fit in with the other lifestylers.”

I meant to ask him if being a money-flush drug dealer while living and climbing out of your truck fell under this category, but Franki chimed in and the conversation quickly turned to politics. Luckily Tony walked in and broke up the meeting, which will convene again this afternoon at the climbing gym.

It’s pretty easy staying up at the Banff Centre around the clock and delving into our projects, but Freddie and I are running low on stores and will be making our first trip into town tonight. Christian Folk from Outdoor Research arrives in a few hours and I want to have some good beer on hand to celebrate his first Banff Mountain Film Festival.

As for my writing, it’s going really well. My strength is volume; I have absolutely no trouble coming up with content. I am working on structure and flow, focusing on telling the story in concrete detail instead of theory, rhetoric, and abstraction. I am so ready for feedback, both from the program editors and the other participants.

Glitter Girls - On Ice (Update)

Here is an update for all of you Ice Maidens. After your feedback on airport transfers and outdoor hot tubs (mandatory apparently) we've dropped the former and acquired the latter, which means a price drop from $1250 down to $1050 (all CAD of course).

There is more information at: www.glitter-girls.ca

Or you can sign up HERE

Glitter Girls - On Ice

The Glitter Girls is proud to present their first event in the Canadian Rockies. We are hosting an ice climbing extravaganza the week of February 5th to 12th, 2010. We have found luxury accommodations, in our former hometown of Canmore, Alberta, just 20 minutes from the entrance to Banff National Park and the gateway to some of the best ice climbing in the world. The weekend kicks off with the Canmore Ice Climbing Festival, where you can sign up for clinics by day and choose from a host of festivities each evening. For more details click here. If you plan on signing up for any of the climbing clinics I recommend you do so as soon as possible because they will fill quickly.

Monday to Thursday are your own personal climbing days, where you can go out as a group, in pairs, and have the option of going with a guide. As your logistics coordinator I will make sure that you know where you are going and how you will be getting there. I will also help you find the best guides if that is what you choose to do. There will be organized dinners out on the town, as well as nights where we stay in and cook for ourselves. Each person has the option of creating their tailor-made dream ice climbing vacation, using the Solara condos as our Base Camp.

Cost is $1250 CDN (including tax) and includes one week accomodation, airport transportation (of course you might prefer to rent a car), breakfasts and lunches, and logistical support.

To book your place or for further information email me at margo@glitter-girls.ca

Training for Life

Autumn is upon us and so are thoughts of dangling from ice tools on the frozen sculptures of nature. Those of us who were lucky enough to rock climb all summer might feel well prepared, but those of us who had commitments of work and family might well be wondering how best to train for the upcoming season.

When I was working on a cruise ship in the Antarctic a few years back a passenger asked me how I stayed in shape given the fact that most passengers would be leaving the boat weighing an average of twelve pounds more than when they boarded.

“It’s simple”, I told her, “I don’t allow myself to gain weight. Then when I do get back on shore and into a regular exercise routine, all I need to work on is strength and cardio, not weight loss.”

It’s easier to stay in shape than it is to get in shape. Lucky for me I love doing physical things. I have a weight training bench not ten feet from my computer desk, and beautiful running trails within a kilometer of my home. I recently started doing yoga and after making fun of the activity for decades find that it increases my flexibility and balance as well as has many internal benefits like cleansing the lymphatic system.
Physical exercise is one part of a two part system, the other being food. We literally are what we eat, and as such I eat fresh organic food whenever possible, eat a whole foods diet, and cut out all chemicals and refined sugar. I also drink well water that contains no fluoride or chlorine. I originally went on this diet at the behest of my naturopathic doctor to clear up a liver/ skin problem, and I saw so many benefits that I never went off of it.
Someone once described duty as’ love under will’. I encourage you to learn to love giving your body the exercise it needs and to keep it in shape for everything that you encounter in life, whether that is an ice climbing clinic or carrying food home from the grocery store. The benefits are many, especially the underlying feeling of well-being that you will have from moment to moment in your everyday world.