Raymond Terletsky would be proud!

"A peopled place is not always a community, but regardless of the bonds formed with it, a common history is being lived out" (Lucy Lippard's Sweet Home p. 24).

As I reflect not only upon my journey but also my connection with English 380, I realize that as a class we were able to create a microcosmic community of sorts in which we too lived a common history. Unlike what the aforementioned quote suggests, we in fact were able to form bonds within our class. Whether they be bonds with one another, our teacher or with the works we read, they are bonds nonetheless.
Over the course of several weeks we studied a wide array of literature, all of which was woven with the common thread of place and belonging. As a class we learned how a person's sense of place, community and belonging can be influenced by their relationship to a particular location. We discussed not only more historical, collective and fact-oriented approaches to understanding place, but also more personal, individual perspectives. Through our readings as a class, I believe we each began to question, create as well as enhance our own unique history and relationships with Edmonton. As our class discussions evolved over the duration of the semester, it became more and more evident that each and every one of us was beginning to express greater senses of pride, appreciation and respect for Edmonton as a city. I truly believe that our own specific and personal interests in Edmonton have come to fruition as a result of the term papers we have each chosen to write.
I can only imagine what it will be like for Dr. Zwicker to pour over our pages, our words, our history and the histories of places around us in the next few days. These words represent our Edmonton and what it means to us-- the mythic power of English 380's class of winter 2009.

Tuesday's Writing Workshop

I found Tuesday's writing workshop to be immensely helpful because it presented the opportunity to collaborate with peers. I had not intended in using this class period in this way but am glad that I did because I was able to smooth over some writing frustrations that I had been experiencing.

I really appreciate our class because I see it as one of those few classes that you can show up to and feel completely comfortable. It also seems to be that there is just the right amount of us in the class; it is never too full yet never awkwardly small. I noticed as everyone was busily working away that the room was filled with chatter about all sorts of aspects of Edmonton. I couldn't help but sort of smile to myself because I realized that each and every one of us had a special piece of the city that we were interested in.

Holden said it best...

I have been re-reading The Catcher in the Rye and the other day while I was reading, I came to a point in the novel that made me think of Neil McDonald:

"What I was really hanging around for, I was trying to feel some kind of good-by. I mean I've left schools and places I didn't even know I was leaving them. I hate that. I don't care if it's a sad good-by or a bad good-by, but when I leave a place I like to know I'm leaving it. If you don't, you feel even worse" (Salinger 4).

This passage had me wondering if maybe that's exactly what Neil was looking for during his last evening in Glengarry.

Blog Help...

I am trying to post comments on people's blogs but for some reason when I go to comment I keep getting a message which says that "user is not authorized to comment"

I am a little confused because in previous weeks I have never had this problem.

Could anybody help??

The more I know, the more I don't know

This week also has me stumped about what I should blog about.
In retaliation to the blogger's block that I am experiencing, I have decided
to express my thoughts on the topic of space, place and where I fit in within Edmonton.

What I have come to realize is that the more I read about Edmonton as well as other peoples personal anecdotes about the city, I am becoming more and more perplexed as to where exactly I fit in within the mix.

I have an address and a temporary living arrangement with three other roomates in a house which I have grown quite comfortable in over the last eight months. But now that the end of the school year as well as the end of my lease is approaching, I am wondering where I will live next.

Moving is always stressful, especially as a student who is on a tight budget. House hunting is even worse when trying to agree upon common aspects of price range, location and who gets what bedroom with two other similarly strapped-for-cash students.

What I have come to understand is that at least for now, I will find a place to call home for the summer and for the coming school year, but I am forever looking forward to the day when I am finally in a position to find a place to truly call home. I believe only then will house hunting no longer be as stressful or as daunting a task because I will presumably have the financial stability to expand my house hunting horizons.

I just am growing tired of only living life in a house for eight month stints. A place with some permanence would be nice...

"Uncle Mike, Uncle Mike!"

As I read Harley Reid's personal anecdote entitled "The King and Queen and Uncle Mike," I realized that the reason why I enjoyed this story so much was because of the childhood innocence and excitement that was evoked withinthe text. I was able to picture the bustle of "a small army of excited children,"as they waited in anticipation to witness such a spectacle (297).

Despite the fact that Mike Kelly is not my uncle, nor is he any relative of mine, both Harley Reid and I share a knowledge and sense of familiarity regarding Mike Kelly. Since it was Tony Cashman who first introduced me to Mike Kelly, I was not only surprised but excited to read about him again. I was also simultaneously relieved to find that Mike Kelly's presentation as a proud policeman was cohesive between Cashman's text and Goyette's text.

It truly brought a smile to my face when I read the last line of Reid's story which says, "[t]he Royal motorcade came by later" (298). This is the childhood innocence that I have been speaking of; a young boy too consumed by the thought of being able to show off infront of his classmates because he got to see his Uncle Mike to even really bat an eyelid at the sight of the King and Queen.

Building over our past

"He glides over ancient fire pits, skillfully chipped stone tools and weapons, fragments of ancient pottery and the leftovers of thousands of fossilized dinners...[t]he boy finds no signpost, no plaque, to describe the significance of the buried treasure beneath his feet" (Goyette 3).

After reading this all I could think to myself was how wasteful it is that all too often natural and historical gems go not only untouched but sometimes even unnoticed even once they have been uncovered. The more I think about it the more I realize how truly shameful it is to allow such historic beauty go amiss.

As I continued my reading I found myself drawn to the following passage:
"Woolly mammoths, mastodons, lions, sabre-toothed cats, musk ox, camels, bison, ground sloths and wolves wandered through the new river valley and its ravines" (7).

It honestly surprises me, perhaps I am just highlighting my naivete, that these ancient animals once walked and ruled the plains of what we now know as Edmonton mainly because I cannot say I ever really think about Edmonton from an archaeological or anthropological point of view.