Wednesday, February 08, 2006

the "real kaen", part 2

in addition to my birthday, i've also tried changing my last name. although not "officially" or "legally" (yet?), i have come up with a far superior last name.

"but kaen, we love you the way you are!!"

yeah yeah yeah. but is it really me? gather 'round kiddies, let me tell you a strange and interesting story.

when i was still a fairly young thing, the government of Canada changed a pretty significant law. previously, when a First Nations (or what the government still likes to call "Indian") woman married a non-"Indian" man, she lost her "Indian" status. became white, i guess? which whatever eh - you are who you are, no matter what the government calls you.. sure. except we're talking about losing out on the "freebies" (as the idiots call them) - the repayments our government offers First Nations people in exchange for having robbed so much of their land, lives, history, culture and dignity. so when the law changed and those women could "regain" their status, it was kind of a big deal.

well my gramma (from the Ojibwe nation) married a whitey. when my dad discovered she was now, again, First Nations, he decided to look into what that meant for him and his children. he had no idea what he was getting into...

some things were not a surprise: his real father had died before he was born. (or so the story goes. fact is, my gramma never talked about him which breaks my heart in many ways.) some things were a bit shocking: his step-father had never legally adopted him. so when he ordered his birth certificate, he discovered that the step-father's last name, which donned all his ID, was not his real last name. his legal last name was actually his mother's maiden name. my dad actually had to legally change his name so that it matched all his ID and information.

so technically, my last name shouldn't have even been what it is. for that reason alone, i feel no particular connection to it. but even more significantly, it belongs to an EVIL, terrible, horrific, awful, ugly-souled, horrible man (this would be the step-father, in case i've lost you), whose legacy i don't want to carry or honour, and with whom i don't want to be connected in any way, shape or form. AT ALL.

hold on - it gets strange.

as it happens, we eventually discovered that this name that i bear isn't even my evil step-grandfather's. the story is muddled and unclear. what we do know is that at some point in his scarred and sketchy youth, he turned his back on "Robertson" (his real last name) and "borrowed" (stole?) his aunt's boyfriend's ID and assumed it and its name for the remainder of his life. was it to pass as old enough to work the railroads? was it to run from the law? the mind reels. i know i have a flair for the dramatic, but believe me when i say without exaggeration, this man was capable of despicable, disgusting, horrible things.

so then, other than that it's a neat little fucked-up story, what does my legal last name mean to me? it carries an evil and abusive history, perpetuating the chosen identity of someone history should be lucky enough to forget.

what i chose instead to do is ask a bunch of my closest friends to try to describe me in 5 words (preferably adjectives). i then collected the responses, found recurring themes, and in keeping with my french heritage, translated the words into french, morphed them all together, and came up with Valoise.

unlike the "new" birthday, which i've already grudgingly conceded, this new last name is something i refuse to give up. some day, i hope to legally change my last name. it is, i firmly believe, a better representation of "the real kaen."

Monday, February 06, 2006

the "real" me

it's been quite the ride - this past year, these past few months. and i anticipate the next few weeks will be filled with some big questions and big decisions.

let's start this journey into "the real kaen" by talking about my birthday. about 3 years ago, when i first moved to the big smoke, i decided to change my birthday. ok ok, i can never change the day which saw me spurted from my ma's loins, i know i know. but i was changing the day i would celebrate my birthday. stop rolling your eyes, ok, i know. but look, my birthday is january 3. can you think of a worse day to have to celebrate? ok, maybe january 1 or 2 - those could be worse. but trust me, 3 is no picnic. people are burned out. they have thrust themselves headfirst into their resolutions - dieting, quitting smoking, you name it. they are broke. they want to curl up and watch tv - not go out and do more feasting and celebrating.

the second problem was the astrology. i'm not a huge astrology person (which you could ironically ascribe to my capricornican nature). but i've learned that the people who ask you "what's your sign", are. so i was always reticent to tell these people that i was a cap. i've read the horoscopes, i know what people think: capricorns are uptight, money-clinging, perfectionistic, workaholic, attachment-fearing recluses. this does not describe me, not even a little bit.

so i went on a quest with some close friends to find the sign that best described me, while also being in a more celebratory season. we settled on may 6 - taurus (which is also my rising sign) and as it worked out, the birth date of Orson Welles. (citizen Kaen - get it? get it?)

well that was great, really it was. i loved the few times i got to celebrate what i lovingly call "princess day" in may. what i didn't love were the raised eyebrows, rolled eyes and scoffing, humouring laughs whenever i explained the complexities of my dual birthday.

so i gave up.

when i told a close friend i was reverting back, she exclaimed her delight. "you keep trying to change yourself, but we love you for who you are!" it was a sweet gesture, touching really. but is january 3 really the "real me"??? this year, i went back to january 3, and it sucked. we had no money. we were on a post-holiday fast. and my boyfriend discovered a birthday greeting from my ex that drove him a little insane, and we fought. and nobody called. is this "the real me"?? does this sad, lonely, cold, broke, burned-out day truly represent "kaen" better than a warm, springy, light-vibed day in may?

i sure as shit hope not...

Tuesday, January 24, 2006

the beast awakens

hello hello and sorry sorry sorry. i know i've been painfully negligent, and it's not through lack of caring. really, you know i simply adore each and every one of you.

but i'm here now, stronger and smiley-er than ever!

or... i would be. if canadians weren't so fucking stupid.

i hang my head in shame over yesterday's election results. after shaking my head at our hapless neighbours to the south, i am shocked and awed that we have elected our very own monster. so much for being unique, canadian, socialist, open-minded and wonderful. so much for health care, pro choice and supremely sophisticated human rights. we now have our own dubya. this is what my fellow country people have said they want.

...or do they want it?

i was ABSOLUTELY HORROR-STRUCK last night when Rex (on CBC) read an email from some fucking moron. the person said they'd "voted Conservative to punish the Liberals". um... hey dumbass, you're not punishing the Liberals, you're punishing yourself. are people really this moutarded?? and if you wanted to punish your party, why hand the "reward" over to the very scary enemy? what about the NDP????

well you know what, i'm not gonna slit my wrists just yet. it's a minority government, with more than enough Liberal and NDP seats to ward off, i hope, any fascism. i guess we'll just have to wait and see what the Bloc do. wow, an alliance between Quebec and Alberta - who'd've ever thunk it?? craziness...

and you know, i am actually pretty thrilled with the leap the NDP has made, and am particularly tickled that my vote contributed to one of the NDP seats in the house. (and a big cheer to the Parkdale/High Park riding for not only voting in Peggy Nash of the NDP, but for showing up in such amazing numbers! over 70%!! yea!!!)

so hang in there kids. it'll pass. let's just hope mr. scary-evil-man doesn't get to do too much damage before the morons either stop "punishing" the Liberals, or realize there's another, better choice...

Thursday, December 01, 2005

neptunian now

i've always loved the ocean.

when i was little little girl, perhaps 3 or 4 years old, my family took a trip to the maritimes. i can't remember much (hell, i can barely remember last week!) but i do remember one thing. or.. do i remember, or is it lodged in my memories from having been told again and again around the holiday table?

either way, it's there, in my brain, in my soul:
a young wild precocious girl emerges from hours in the back of a hot, smoky, gas guzzling "pontitac" (as i cutely called it). she emerges from her travelling cage and is confronted with the ocean. and the young girl doesn't run amok or giggle or do any of the silly wild things you can so often see her doing. the young girl, instead, stands transfixed, mesmerized by the vast beautiful ocean.

now, not so young but certainly as wild, this girl (sometimes woman) has fallen in love with a man from the ocean, of the ocean, with eyes like the ocean. and i muse over my oceanic love for him. deep, mysterious, stormy and beautiful...

i met him 3 months ago
and i ran
and ran
and ran.
away
and back
away
and back
a fickle ocean
of tidal disquiet
until finally
waves tossed
whales beached
storms passed
finally
i collapsed in the
gentle
lulling
sigh of his love.

and so here we are
and i am hungry for it all:
the hurricanes
the swells
the depth
the mystery
the titanic
oceanic
thrust of us -
our now
our tomorrow
our yes.

Tuesday, November 22, 2005

ho

...ho ho

this sunday, toronto played host to the fat man's arrival and the official launch of the tackiest, shiniest, loveliest season of my year! i'm of course talking about the Santa Claus parade. before going further: yes, i know capitalists have done everything they can to co-opt the season. yes, i know i'm not christian. yes, i prefer to actually celebrate solstice than the 25th. yes, i could choose to grumble at every tinseled tree i see, and dismiss it all as a fascist ploy or gawd knows what.

or i can choose to embrace it. i can choose to savour the time friends and family dedicate to making merry with each other.

as a kid, the playing of Elvis' Christmas Album was always the official launching of this merry season. but since moving to toronto 3 years ago, the parade has become a delicious substitute. i LOVE parades. i love being huddled with my city's people, smiling at tired waving children, tapping my feet to marching band tunes, and feeling my heart swell at the familiar belting out of the ho ho hos. I. LOVE. IT.

and this year, i got to enjoy it with my fella, who had somehow never made it out to the parade, despite a lifetime of living in toronto... (ahh, what men will do for love, and god bless them for it!)

and let me tell you: it was a beautiful day. a beautiful mild day filled with beautiful smiles, candy apples and clowns. (although admittedly, some of the clowns looked a little too much like drag queens on new year's morning...) my favourite moment (other than seeing Santa, of course) was hearing the little girl beside us LOSE IT when she saw Clifford the Big Red Dog. too fucking precious.

i took a few pics with my handy dandy camera phone and just look at my face - how giddily happy am i?? it was a splendid day, topped off with a mountain of whipped cream atop a white hot chocolate and a peanut butter cookie. yum! (as a side note, isn't it strange how grammatically, it would make more sense to say "hot white chocolate", but how that somehow sounds dirty - like a porn star name or something? Keith was clever enough to point this out, to the counterperson's giggly delight. words are funny.)

all in all, a gorgeous day. yay!


















Thursday, November 17, 2005

SNOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

i may be the only happy adult in toronto right now, because when i emerged to gather some lunch, i noticed it was snowing. oh, not much- just a few floating flakes, but it was snow and I LOVE IT!!!

i LOVE snow!

i love mittens and scarves and hot chocolate and tinsel and twinkling lights and snow angels and skates and eggnog and sleds and frost and pale moons and crisp skies and wool and fireplaces and mulled wine and and and... i love snow.

it's already stopped, but i don't care. even a few flakes can carry me through the next few days.. : )

i hope it snows for real in time for the santa parade this weekend. yes - the santa parade. i may like de phazz and mammalian diving reflex and peter chin and robert priest, but i also like the santa parade.

dammit.
(grin)

Friday, November 11, 2005

Remembrance day

in canada, today is Remembrance day - a day when most of the country's 9-to-5ers get the day off to remember. (there are a few notable and disappointing exceptions to the observation of remembrance day. for some reason, new year's day merits a holiday, easter merits 2, but our nation's soldier's get barely a nod from 2 of the country's provinces - one of whom houses the nation's capital. it says something, doesn't it. but i digress.)

at 11 am, i dedicated a minute of my life to the memory of theirs. the classic rock station wrapped up its minute of silence with Dire Straits' Brothers in Arms. cbc 2 featured a very impressive organ and a very earnest choir. cbc 1: bagpipes. of course. (and why not; i love bagpipes.) i finally settled on the alt rock station's offering of the Pogues' Waltzing Matilda. and i stood there as i do every year, tears insistently silently streaming down my face as i contemplated the horrors humans relentlessly unleash on each other.

and as the planes flew over toronto, i remembered. or, well.. pondered memories. as best i know, nobody in either of my families has ever fought in a war. i have no grandfather stories, no sacrificed uncle after whom a brother was named. and yet, there are memories. maybe they are the memories of a universal consciousness, a glimpse at the blossom of our humanity. because my heart feels heavy with a hundred thousand memories. a hundred thousand tears. a hundred thousand souls lost in battle. and i mourn for each gasp, each drop of shed blood. and i mourn because we're still doing it.

and yet, world war 2... hitler... how to not fight such a war? are those deaths not well earned? unlike our new wars. when did wars go from being important and noble, to fucked up and begging for protest? did they change or did we? did the nature of the beast change, or did our perception of it evolve? devolve?

i don't know. i guess it's not supposed to be easy. i guess that's kinda the point.

Tuesday, November 08, 2005

top of the world!

i'm on top of the world! powerful! amazing! wonderful!

why? cuz i climbed the CN Tower, that's why! that's right - i managed to drag my wonderful ass up 1,776 stairs and raised what i think is a pretty amazing $360 for United Way - extraordinary, really, considering most of my friends are broke-ass artsy types just like me. so hooray! (as a side note, i'm the chair of our office's United Way campaign, and i'm thrilled to announce we had an amazingly stellar year, raising over 140% of our goal. yea!!!)

it's funny... i mean, the climb was challenging. definitely challenging. and yet, it was easier than i thought it would be...

i work on the 5th floor of a building, and tried to prepare myself for the climb by taking the stairs in the weeks leading up to the big day. well, i can tell you i was getting awfully worried when the day before the climb, i was still winded by the time i reached our floor. and a few times i climbed all the way up (12 floors) and it damn near killed me each time!! well, believe it or not, climbing up the CN tower was easier. seriously! i even took the work stairs after the climb, and still they kicked my ass! fellow climbers concurred.

there could be a few reasons for this, most notably the clever/not-too-steep/many landings design of the CN Tower stairs.

all i know is this: unless you have some serious physical ailment that absolutely prevents you from climbing stairs (and i don't mean "oh i don't think i can"), i *strongly* urge you to take on this challenge next year. i know it's silly compared to, like, winning the Pulitzer Prize, but holy man, the overwhelming sense of accomplishment that fills your every pore! for days and days, i'm sure i radiated pure joy every time i glimpsed the tower...

Monday, November 07, 2005

it's aliiiiiive!

yes: i'm still alive.
no: i have not forsaken you.
yes: i still love and adore every single one of you.

it's just been...
my plate's been...
i've been...

well, you know. the dog ate my homework and all that.

really though, i'm doing GREAT. after a gruelling few months of pathetic indecision (do i choose the funky soulmate, or the sexy kindred??) i finally decided: i choose ME! fuck this love business. every time i stumble into it, i obsess and i fuck up. so i've decided it's high time to chillax and spend a bit of that quality lovin on the one person i know i'm stuck with: moi. and so i'm back to writing, creating, doing...

in the next few days and weeks, i promise to regale you with my endless tales of wonder and deeply illuminating ponderings (ha!). for now, a bit of shameless self-promotion. and to show you how busy i am, i'm cutting and pasting the email i sent to the people i love best (or who happen to be on my mailing list) - so apologies if you were all excited to finally read something on my blog, only to discover you already got the email. heh heh.
___

stand back and gaze in wonder as ladykaen's theatrical career SPIRALS OFF INTO THE STAR-STUDDED WILDS OF OUTER SPACE!!!!! yea baby!!! or in other words, i got a coupla things coming up this week, should be fun, hope you can come...

wednesday nov 9: RED Festival
Lula Lounge, 8 pm
i'm doing a puppet show. (yes, you read that right.) as part of the fabulous RED Festival, I'll be joining a busload of other impromptu puppeteers and presenting a 3-minute glimpse of the extra-ordinary. i gotta tell ya, i'm pretty excited about my fabulous little puppets and deluxo little stage!

sunday nov 13: Lab Cab
Factory Studio Theatre, 8 pm
i'm presenting a 10-min excerpt from one of my plays (she spoke such words). i've had the great honour and pleasure of working with two incredible actors, Sheena Lessard and Elley Ray Hennessey, so i'm VERY excited about this. it has been too wonderful to watch these talented women help two ladies who've been living in my brain for the last year take their first breaths, stretch their limbs, and grip my heart with their tragic beauty. i really hope you can make it for this... details about the whole soirée are included below, for your reference.

and in case you don't know, i'm moving back to Vancouver in about a month, so this may be your last chance to sink your teeth into my art. ..until a tour brings me back this way, of course!