MASS SHOOTINGS & MENTAL HEALTH

Once again a mass shooting happened and we are left scratching our heads trying to figure out how someone can be so sinister. What gets me is that since the Columbine shooting, the call for proper gun laws are still a debate. It seems now every year we are hearing about another person with mental health problems having access to guns plans out a horrific event. Why should it be the result of twenty kids dying before people realize what needs to be done. I know many people who have mental disabilities, and not ONE would ever consider opening fire on people let alone a school full of kids. I feel that once we accepted the mental disability story, the murderer becomes a pitied soul and everyone forgets the horrific event that had unfolded. Another reason for mass shooting I refuse to accept as an excuse, bullying and being abused. I am a product of both, severe bullying in school made me not want to go outside for recess, and the abuse I was getting at home made me never want to go home. I spent my whole childhood scared out of my mind of who to trust, I felt alone, and very vulnerable. Murder was far from my mind, I was too busy trying to survive the day. If I was a child that died in care, would there be a trial for the family that mistreated me? Or would the blame be put on my own mother who wasn't mentally fit to take care of her three daughters? Canada has had their fair share of mass shootings from 1902-2012, most recently was a gang related mass shooting at a party in Toronto. Earlier this year the Eaton Center mall also in Toronto was under attack, of which one survivor later had died in the Aurora Theater shooting. To me it doesn't matter where the shooting or mass murder happens, its still too close to home and we have to start looking for ways to prevent it. If people are going to purchase guns or weapons to protect themselves, then maybe have the police do an inspection once a month to make sure that those guns are in cases that are properly fitted with a tamper proof lock. If safes can be installed that are uncrackable, then whats to stop someone from installing a proper case for their guns and other weapons. When it comes to mental health, there are several places people can go for help. If family aren't being supportive then its up to you to make sure you get the help you need. Google is a great tool for finding places, even Facebook can help bring you to someone who is willing to take a few moments to chat. I won't let anyone of my friends down if they need to chat about how they feel. I'll also talk to complete strangers because all it takes is one person's compassion to change the mind of those who want to do harm to themselves or others. I just feel that the media, and even the judicial system have made the murders of such horrific events into a victim themselves. They will still be monsters to those who survived, the families of those who died, and to many of us as we see these stories unfold. I cant show remorse for those who feel the need to get attention by the media by shooting innocent people and children. And I'd also like to state that if I ever catch any member of the Westboro Baptist Church in my city, I will not hesitate giving them a good kick in the nuts or a punch in the face. Their statements about several of these tragedies are just as sick as the monsters who act out these violent crimes. I hope you all will stand up against them and make sure that the families have their time to mourn. Don't go down to their level by messaging them and starting a flame war on their sites, but if you happen to be in the same place where they try picketing, make sure you are louder and have better signs then them. Also protect those families by making a human wall around the funeral. Hope your Christmas is a great one, stay safe and you know who to talk with when you need a friend.

Anti-Bullying for Cosplayers.

Way to often I see and hear about people making rude comments to fellow cosplayers, I've even been attacked myself. This really needs to stop. I don't go around attacking those who chose to drink themselves silly at bars or at socials, and are overly obnoxious and can't stand on their own. Trust me the thought had crossed my mind to do so, but why bother if they won't remember it the next day. I enjoy costuming, even when its not Halloween. I love the creativeness of the many people who I have met over the last few years. But sadly, many of the people who are outside of our groups don't understand us. They have berated us, posted crude and disgusting things on our pages, and even sent us messages that we are too ashamed to even repeat. Back in October there was an article that was being passed around about a Fitness journalist from Men's Fitness that went to a convention only to make fun of those who he deemed "UNFIT TO WEAR COSTUMES" He took pictures and made many rude comments about the weight of many of those in costume. This is the type of behavior that is destroying many talented peoples confidence. When it comes to DiviantART, I still haven't made an account due to the amount of attacks that I've witnessed myself on peoples pages. Why do we do this people? have we not had enough of this crap in school? Do you not remember how scarring it was back when we were kids, do we need to continue this behavior into adulthood? And please don't tell me to grow up and stop dressing up as a superhero because really that is NON OF YOUR BUSINESS. If you don't like it, we aren't forcing you to look at it. A fellow BlogTV.com blogger had set up a facebook page and event for those who are against bullying to come together and make an Anti-Bullying video. I had jumped at this opportunity to try to get together fellow cosplayers and other costuming groups to do an Anti-Bullying video and photo shoot to raise awareness. Even tho some of these comments are said over the net, it still hurts us. If you are interested in joining us we encourage you to do so.

RAPID TRANSIT MY ASS!!!!

"Politics is the art of looking for trouble, finding it everywhere, diagnosing it incorrectly, and applying the wrong remedies." —Groucho Marx

I could not have said it better. The way that our transit system is going, I don't see it getting any better. And what a surprise that when you Google Rapid Transit, it talks about subway systems. Winnipeg doesn't have Subways (except the sandwich shops)And I am all for making our bus service better for those who chose not to drive in our over populated city, but why make it look like we have an above ground subway system? Metal and glass doesn't fair well in -40 degree weather, and the amount of vandalism is just about to go up.

I have my license, but its only a learners. I have no problems taking the bus to work and everywhere I go. However, when you have to leave an hour to two hours before your scheduled appointment and the bus is still late, that is a piss off. Who do you hold accountable? 311; The number to call to complain about the bus service, is the same number people use to call for booking their golf games. How did that even become an important option for an automated service?

Its not easy being a bus driver, and the fact that the attacks on them have increase in the last year is unfortunate. However, the driving abilities still suck. Way to often they slam on the breaks for no reason, they have a tenancy to surge on the gas and the break making it rather difficult to hold steady while standing during busy times. The Buses are extremely packed in the after noons to the point where I have been tempted to sit on peoples laps just so I can avoid being pancaked by people.

Do we need more buses? Maybe, I say we could benefit by bringing back double dickers when it is rush hour. Hiring more bus drivers who can actually drive is a must. I'm tired of drivers not paying attention to the rules of the road, just because you are the biggest thing on the road doesn't make you entitled to run stop signs and not stop at cross walks. That can go for many drivers in the city too.

Adhering to schedules is something that is drilled in to our skulls from elementary school, why is it so difficult to have a bus show up on time? If a bathroom break must be made, fine but if your going to a donut shop for your double double and a crawler, at least have the decency to get one for the rest of us on the bus who you are inconveniently holding up for your fat ass.

I am not amused with what a complete waste of time it was for me to get from point A to point B this afternoon. Taking the 66 rout used to be so easy, walk to Polo Park and take it down Kenaston Blvd. to Grant Ave. Or if your Downtown; Walk to Donald Ave. and take it to Confusion Corner then to Grant Ave. There was nothing wrong with that, there was hardly any traffic unlike the 16 route where it takes you two hours to get home, if you don't give up half way during your trip through Osbourne Village and walk the rest of the way.

Transit had discontinued many stops to build corridors (mini bus station) around the city to free up traffic where it gets congested. That is great, but now people who have a difficult time getting around now have to go further to reach their bus. And not to mention confusing the hell out of those who now have to relearn the system because of the change of said discontinued stops. What they didn't take in to account is, people living and working around those discontinued stops. I guess you better get used to walking every where Winnipeg.

Once again i ask; Who is held responsible when this system is costing us taxpayers more money than we can afford? Mayor Sam Katz, we voted for him because he was the least likely candidate who will screw us over. Granted he has done a lot of good over the years. Managed to help us get back our Jets with the help of the great people from True North. Katz has given us a revitalization of our down town, which I still would like to see improve but it is a slow process. And the Forks, the introduction to the other eyesore of the city. Canadian Museum for Human Rights, which can't even keep the people who are building it employed. Once its done it will be a great addition to the giant metal penis that is the L'espinad Reil Bridge.

The long lost Update

Wow its been some time since I posted on my blog. A lot has happened in the last few months. I helped out at our comic convention; met William Shatner, Nana Visitor, and Johnathan Frakes. That was really cool. Ok it was freaken awesome, it was the best convention so far. Take that Wizard World :P

Hanging out with the Winnipeg Costume Syndicate just gets better and better. The amount of talent these people have with their costumes is like seeing a monster film come to life. I am in aww of what a little piece of wire, some fabric, and a lot of imagination can do in the hands of someone who can find the time in their busy schedule to make something look so awesome. Ever since we made our debut appearance on Shaw the WCS has been invited to many more events around the city.

I would like to thank the Zubaidah Tallab Foundation for inviting the WCS to entertain the kids every month. I am glad that my Cat in the Hat costume can bring so much happiness to the faces of 200 kids. And a special thanks to Hussain Guisti for taking great care of while we are there, your patience will definitely be rewarded. With out you I would not know how much fun chasing kids through three bouncy castles can be.

To the coordinators of Rockin'Richard's Record & CD Show n' Sale Alex & Richard, being able to dress up as rock stars and show the public that we are just as good at entertaining people as the entertainers that we impersonate was a blast. I can't wait to do it again in October if you will have The WCS back.

I have so many ideas for costumes that I hope my friends don't mind me constantly poking them and asking them where to get stuff. I also love how I am meeting more and more people at every event I go to, now their coming to me with ideas for shows.

I have to get my ass out to a few concerts this year, I don't want the local music scene to think that I'm ignoring you. I am actively searching for a laptop now, hopefully I will have one before summer. I want to do interviews so bad, I've been practicing in front of a mirror and asking my cats questions.

I do want to thank many of the bands for sending me your music to listen to and play on my show. I have been trying to revamp some things to find out what works. My blog show doesn't seem to be bringing in the viewers I would like. So I am gearing more towards a podcast that people can download, and putting more vids up on Youtube.

I need to also get a new editing program that works with iTunes, it looks like Apple and Microsoft are not compatible and Windows Movie maker won't allow me to use my footage from my video camera anymore. I have a back log of videos and I do want to put them, and I promise they will be up Eventually!

Winnipeg Has a Heart

I couldn't be prouder to live in this city. We have rallied for years to bring back the Jets, and finally after fifteen years we got our team back.

And just recently without a reason Wizard World cancelled The Central Canada Comic Convention, taking all the guests and hope and dreams of people meeting such talented people as Adam West, Burt Ward, Ray Park, and any other celebrity that Wizard World has promised.

Many people were and are still mad and outright disgusted that this has happened without so much as a warning. Feelings of anger and betrayal fill my heart as I stare at the blank page of the Wizard World C4 page that once listed the many guests that were supposed to show. All that it says now is: We are sorry, the requested page is no longer available. Like we are just supposed to forget that we spend months on making our costumes, preparing what we want to say to our idols, and making sure our skin isn't covered in zits, for it all to not happen at all. I'm sorry that just isn't acceptable.

As we plotted to go out in costume and take the streets with signs and anger and rally in front of the CTV building in order to get our voices heard, one man heard our cries and saved Comic Con.

Michael Paille of Raven Toys, Comics & Games flew in and saved the day, ensuring all of us panicking nerds that C4 will still happen. In less than 24 hours the Convention Center was booked, plans for a garage sale for fundraising was planned, and a new venue to rally has been put into place. With dozens of volunteers offering their support and tying up Mikes phone lines, its almost overwhelming to see the amount of support that our community is giving to ensure that there is a convention to go to in October. Mike even worked hard on creating a new website for The Central Canada Comic Con.

There is one celebrity I do have to thank as well, Jack O'Halloran, who is a retired boxer and has appeared in Superman 1 and 2 and several other movies since 1975. He has shown his support for our comic con and deserves to have a permanent spot on our celebrity panel.

No word as of yet from Wizard World about the reason why they have cancelled the convention. Several tweets, e-mails, and facebook posts have been made to find answers but none are to be had. There is supposed to be a press release in a few days, but I feel that they should have released one when they made the decision to cancel rather than leave us scrambling and confused. I feel that Wizard World might suffer the same fate as their once great magazine.

Wow its been a while since I've posted something here. I've been busy with life and work and friends....Ok I've been lazy and facebooking too much.

Alot has happened since Christmas. I've been helping out with an internet radio station called The Hot 100 Radio We play top 40 music, and it has been a blast. I've met some real interesting people, and got back into listening to pop music because of it. Before I mostly listened to Classic Rock and Country.

I'm still slaving away at Starbucks, trying hard to get full time but alas I am still part time. I am going to be sending out mass amounts of resumes out in the next while to get myself a broadcasting job(Even if its cleaning toilets at CBC)

I also have plans to see if i can get a part time job at MTS as a cellphone and accessory sales clerk, that should be fun and fill up the time that is needed for a full work week.

I finally signed up for twitter, so far its interesting. David Hasslehoff is my follower.... I found out he's a fellow nerd, he's awesome.

That's about it right now. I will be posting a blog later that is more serious, its about my life. Its taking a bit longer than I hoped it would, but part 1 should be up in the next few days.

have a good one peeps!!

FOSTER CARE AND COMICS

I once posted on my Facebook page "How does one know she's a sociopath? Is there a quiz or is that something a therapist is supposed to give you drugs for?"

I was not expecting to have such an amazing conversation with my fellow Facbookers. Through this conversation I learned a lot about one person in particular who inspired me to write this blog. Its only fair to give you all a look inside my own life and struggles.

I grew up in foster care, from the age of 5 till I was 19. My mom was an alcoholic who chose a path in life which meant her kids came second. I am the youngest, I have two sisters who seem more like acquaintances then siblings. We are nothing alike and have very little in common. I do blame how we were raised but at the same time I chose to go a different path then them. I had my sister (who I will call Echo Girl to protect her identity) who protected me all through elementary and a bit through junior high whenever she'd come visit me, and even at home from our Grandma and uncle, after our Grandfather died, who abused me because I was the weaker one and couldn't fight back.

Growing up was never easy, I've been the target of bullies all through school and even in my foster homes, I was pushed to the breaking point of my anger many times. I became a chronic liar because I was made to become one, no one would take my word as truth because for some reason they deemed me as a liar. So in order to survive I lied about everything. Guilt eventually got the best of me as i grew up and now I can't even be dishonest or I can get ill. (Enter Frasier reference here)




I remember reading alot as a kid, anything i could get my hands on. Archie Comics and Sonic were my favorites because it gave me characters I wish i could escape with. Even cartoons I watched were a way of escaping any turmoil in my life. I had a very wild imagination, I was able to become my favorite characters and communicate with other characters to make myself feel better. Even Video games were an escape from my reality. Mario, Zelda, Resident Evil became my ultimate favorite to portray and recreate stories for.


I am a very social person, but because of the way I grew up I was a forced "loner" I hated every moment of it. But I used my imagination to make myself feel like I wasn't alone. Some therapists might accuse me of being Schizophrenic because I'll admit, I did have conversations with myself, but I assure you I am perfectly normal. I had to over come a lot of my own fears by myself, and I have to hand it to the comics and cartoons I watched and read for saving my life.



The X-Men became part of my daily survival plan when 1995 hit. The cartoon let me to the comics, comics let me to learning as much as I could about each character, and even developing my own characters. I even used my Barbies as the X-men, acting out epic battles and amazing storylines with my foster sister.

I met my husband in high school and as we got to know each other I began to admire his skills and knowledge for old cars. Before my Grandfather died we would always wash his Cadillac and I learned how to baby a vehicle. I guess the old saying is true, a woman will marry a guy like her father, since I didn't know my father, my Grandpa became that father figure.

I warned my husband at the time that we started to date that I have quite a few comics, and I will always enjoy them, if you ask me to get rid of them I will show you the door. He told me he was a collector too plus he had a lot of his old toys from his childhood. We have been happy collecting toys and comics since.

I do not wish for people to feel sorry for me, nor do I want you to view me as a person who thinks that Child and Family Services owes me for the hell they put me through. I found my therapy, I'm not perfect and I may have a few issues that I have yet to work on. But I survived for 28 years with nothing more than a love for cartoons, few comics, and a vivid imagination to keep me company.