Nature and the City

One of the best things about Edmonton is that is has still managed to maintain some of the possibilities of a natural world in the face of constantly expanding infrastructure. We have conserved the river valley, the mill creek ravine, and many more places that appear as they have for hundreds of years. Unlike other major cities where places like these are auctioned off to building companies and for the purpose of "expanding", Edmonton has managed to sidetrack. With that said, Edmonton has been expanding westward, eastward, north and south at an alarming rate, replacing the outlying farmers fields with new communities like Ellerslie. In this way Edmonton is destroying another kind of natural world.

To me nature in Edmonton consists mostly of whatever you can come upon on the bike trails and along the river and trees and bushes that line the neighbourhood streets. It is especially the continuity of trees along sidewalks all throughout the city that shows how this city pays homage to its natural beginning. This is what nature in the city means to me. Nature in the city is an attempt to pay homage to the past. So whenever I walk past a tree I try and remind myself, or at least imagine that the city looked a little more like this before its began its relentless expansion.

Catch Up #2

So far I feel sort of the same as I did the last time I blogged on how this course has confirmed suspicions or surprised or shocked me. Recently, the only moment that has affected me beyond how this course has been overall able to affect me would be the films of Trevor Anderson. I have to admit that my expectations towards an Edmontonian short film maker were not as high as the should have probably been. However, now I realize that even if I had set them high they still would have been exceeded. What wonderful films!

As well my concept of place and space was really stretched by the map project. To try and conceptualize some idea at first seemed to be an impossible or in the least difficult feat. However, after a discussion with a classmate I came up with the idea and the project was born. The idea of a concept really forced me to look beyond the simple landscape and try and interpret the land as a text. In this way my understanding has grown.

I think I've grown. I don't believe you can listen and experience something new without growing.

Goodwill (For Those of Us who Read Books on Paper)

If there was one business I would recommend anyone, it would be the lovely, always rewarding Goodwill. As a long time book lover and compulsive buyer of literature, I found a solace in the shadows of the Goodwill bookshelves that keep me from spending ludicrous amounts of money on books that I don't have and would stop at nothing to have. I've collected everything from Toni Morrison to Cormac McCarthy to Margaret Atwood all at rock bottom prices. One of my most memorable purchases was the Trainspotting screenplay in mint condition that I purchased for two dollars. As well, I found the Almost Famous and Traffic screenplays for the same price. How wonderful it was to find these things! I make regular trips to each one month after month, searching obsessively for my next addition.

Now why would I choose this place to write about? Well, for one, Goodwill does not have stores in a lot of the provinces (excluding...of course...Ontario) which makes the four locations that it has in this city very special :) . Also, as this is an English course, I am going to go so far as to assume that there are many people in this class which enjoy reading and purchasing books (this excludes those Kobo reading torrent downloading anti-literature crazy people who don't realize that they are supporting the death of books as we all supported the death of the music industry less than ten years ago, considering as well that buying used books does not take away to the supposed declaration that electronic readers will save trees....sorry if I sound a little crazy) and they would all, I'm sure, enjoy the smell and fantastic selection Goodwill offers.

Please go and support it :)