~*...physical labour and the 5th element...*~

randnorm friday event in black rock city 2006

free range hippie roundup and bbq
2:40am-5:20am
meet in center camp. self explanatory. bring your own patchouli. bring your own bbq. actually, do you have one i could borrow too?...and could you bring it over for me? charcoal too? got any lighter fluid? hosted by: iron rose @ anxious and 4:30

photo by scott london

randnorm mind grenade
you can make more friends in two months by becoming interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get other people interested in you. - dale carnegie

randnorm pikcha

photo from artifice clothing

randnorm video

halcyon and grandpa caleb do hugoween

normdate 3.11.6

i'm sitting at my northwest calgary office sofa. my second favourite movie of all time is on the television.

fire burns. wind blows.


"i think mine is broken. why i got to get the broke one?"


there's something about this movie that never gets old. perhaps its the raw overpopulated view of the future, the deliberate uber cheeziness of the dialogue, the brilliant performance by chris tucker, or my undying adoration for mila jovovich...with bright orange hair.



god bless leloo dallas and this outfit *drool*


god bless cosplay.



this summer, my sister asked me how long i could last without touching my hair...i lasted ten minutes. i am seriously ocd about twisting and hooking my dreads. i do it without even thinking now. i've stopped typing this blog at least 6 times already to work on my dreads. my friend christina (i seem to know a lot of christinas, and they are also very good looking too) in toronto shared a dreadlock technique one day in kensington market. using a crochet hook, i can take the loose hairs and hook them through existing dreads. no more loose hairs. thing is, i'm always crochet hooking my dreads. i even carry a crochet hook around with me in my fanny pack (yes, i actually wear a fanny pack) just in case i feel a loose hair that needs to be hooked back into a dread. its reached a point where i don't feel right if i know there is a loose hair that i could hook back into a dread but i don't have a crochet hook on me. my locks do look clean and tidy thanks to my obsessive attention to them, which is way better than paying dreadmaster drew $120 every three months to have them tightened. i'm too much of a queen to have nappy stinky hippie dreads ;)





there are a lot of people in toronto that i miss...


its the fellowship that i miss the most: being able to leave my place at any time, and within a 20minute walk there would be something fun and awesome to do with incredible people. even though nelson was so small, i still had that sense of community within walking distance. living in burbia here in calgary is a feeling i haven't experienced since i lived in markham. you need a car to get anywhere here, and i just don't have the same community i had in nelson or toronto. i guess i'm a bit homesick.






perhaps i'll spend the rest of my evening catchin up on emails and reconnekting with the people i wish i could look in the eye. hooray internet! boo long distances :( i'm also pretty tired from work today. i packed up a cube van full of furniture and moved it to the shop. its such a different experience doing physical labour compared to sitting behind a desk: more body less brain ;) i dont mind it at all, and it works my body, something i've been slacking on lately. after my first day on wednesday at the boutique furniture store, i realized that the job was more labour intensive than i thought. so at the end of the day, i asked my boss for a raise and i got it....it was more like me stating the new wage i was willing to work for and he agreed to it. this economy really is booming if you're willing to work labour or retail. finding a career you want is a bit more difficult, so we'll see how long it takes me to land one. it only took me one day of searching to find a job in labour, so i'm pretty optimistic about the career path here. maybe kiya furniture needs someone to finish their website. hmmmm...

stoopid cosplay pix of that leloo dallas outfit got me missin the toronto fetish scene. being halloween, the bdsm parties in the big smoke were plentiful and naughty. northbound leather had their annual fetish ball called decadence on the 21st of october at the docks. the largest fetish event in the world, the nbl fetish ball brings together over 3000 kinky motherfuckers of all ages, orientations, sizes, and insert fetish here. master jedi photographer alex d of tribe.ca was there and took some fab shots.





is that a cock in your mouth? that's a good slave *lol*

contrary to popular belief, most fet parties are just people gettin together and dressing up. some people play, most people don't. its a dance club with people in fetish gear, and some play. more cosplay, less bdsm play.


most real bdsm play happens at the smaller private parties, and there definitely were many private feasts of flesh happening all over the world thanks to halloween.


tomorrow night's monthly nbl fetish night has moved venues and there will be no cover. its been a while since i've been in an environment like that. i wish i was there. okay, that's it, no more poor norm bullshit, both figuratively and literally ;)



i have the best friends in the universe, and that makes me the richest person in the world. i appreciate having you in my life.

~*...normaste...*~

~*...happy halloween...*~

randnorm tuesday event in black rock city 2006

Voodoo Baptismus
Tuesday – Monday
Voodoo Baptismus is a large voodoo doll of George W. Bush. Join others as we stick it to him. This art will undergo a visual transformation all dependent on participation. This art is not intended to burn. Hosted by: Bobby Pires @ 9:00 Plaza

photo by steven fritz

randnorm mind grenade
i'll bet living in a nudist colony takes all the fun out of halloween. ~ unknown

randnorm pikcha

go here and make your own graffiti

randnorm video

free hugs!

normdate 31.10.6

its halloween in calgary, and its been a very memorable one for me.



in need of some quick cash, i decided to take advantage of the booming calgary market. although a career in design and art direction is what i'm looking for, that's not going to give me cash right away. there are tonnes of jobs available here if you're willing to work in retail or labour. hell, if there are signs outside of 7-11 offering benefit plans, you know this city is boomin.

i reworked my resume for retail and went to the northland mall to drop em off at any place that was hiring. there are more people hiring than not hiring, especially with the christmas season upon us.



my friend adam said this about looking for a job in calgary. "go outside, grab a rock, throw it in any direction, take the first job it hits."

within 2.5 hours of dropping off resumes at the mall, i got an interview at a store that wants me to start on friday, and a job at a furniture store. i start tomorrow! they are literally givin jobs away. proof that you can go out in a day and get a job immediately if you want it. hell, it pays more than teaching snowboarding does. i'll find out tomorrow if i like it. even if i don't like, there was a voice mail wating for me at home for an interview with the source (circuit city).

there's also freelance design work, which pays me more, but i'm waiting for a project to come through. in the meantime, i've got something to keep me busy in the day time.

kristin and i went over to her dad's place tonight for dinner. then we got dressed up and went trick or treating with her younger brothers and sister. i brought my dredi robe and the lightning wire pirate eye patch as my costume. its funny how i just have to grab something out of my usual wardrobe and can use it as a halloween costume.



it reminded me of the guy at superstore in june who looked at my outfit and said "i didn't know it was halloween" to which i replied "its not a costume."

a dressed up family


a bunny and a bat


a one eye dredi and a devil...can you tell the devil outfit was made for a slutty girl?


i can't remember the last time i went out trick or treatin with kids. my last few halloweens have involved gettin dressed up with big kids and drinkin. tonight reminded me of my childhood...though i don't remember halloween ever being this fukkin cold with snow on the ground.



what a fukkin genius concept halloween is: decorate your place, get dressed up, go get free candy. simple brilliance!




beware of spookiness!



carved pumpkins seemed to hold up well against the -8 degree temperatures. holy fuck this town is cold!




i love it when parents get dressed up too.


scary decorations




i even got to trick or treat...yup, this 31yr old one eye dredi scored a bag full of loot this year *mwahahahaha* people didn't seem to mind giving me candy, and i had no problems takin it.



after about an hour outside in the freezing cold, we were halloween popsicles and decided to call it a night. we trekked home to count our booty!



ha! maryliyn manson is on jay leno signing "this is halloween" from the nightmare before christmas. very appropriate.



liam and mikhail really don't care about candy, they just liked gettin dressed up and going out. we organized our loot and i ate whatever i wanted. i felt like a kid again. hmmm...i always feel like a kid ;)



kristin's family were giving away full sized chocolate bars! i loved houses like theirs...none of this snack size one bite bullshit, but the real deal!



as we organized out loot, we had a pile of candy we didn't really like, including single sticks of gum. who the fuck gives out a single stick of wrigley's spearmint gum at halloween? what a rip! that wasn't even as bad as the four gummy lifesavers that were wrapped in saran wrap and held together with scotch tape. home wrapped bulk candy, who does that? we ate it anyways. who does that;)

the best part was that we gave out the reject candy that we didn't want to the few kids who ended up coming to the house trick or treating. the expression on their face was awesome when they saw the handfulls of candy we gave them. their smiles were almost as big as our smiles as we were stoked to get rid of the candy we didn't like (like lollipops and smarties). kids don't care if its reject candy, they're just stoked to be gettin free candy!

i've got a nice bag full of candy to keep me going for a while now. what an awesome halloween. i got to go trick or treating (in the fukkin freezing cold), and i got hired on the spot today and start a new job tomorrow at 10am. this city is full of surprises. i better get some rest. i'll fill in the blog blank this weekend...just wanted to capture today in keystrokes for ya. its been a while since i was on top of my blog, eh?

thanks for followin. go here and say hi.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JAQUI! happy halloween!

~*...normaste...*~

~*...catchin up on my bloggin pt.1...*~

randnorm sunday event in black rock city 2006

jeno and garth post burn gathering
2:00am-10:00am
earth tribe village and the flower of life will be hosting a post burn gathering. come dance till down +++ with our turbo sound rig. jeno at 2:30am and garth at 4:30am followed by mr.annand from moon tribe and tropical! love and blessings ;) hosted by: earth tribe village @ eplanadae and 9:30

photo by wendell deLano

randnorm mind grenade
good art should be humurous, make you think, and offend small minded assholes. - alkymist@yahoo.com

randnorm pikcha

the rider is erin valverde, the place is japan, the photographer is ryan hughes

randnorm video

hide & seek - imogen heap <-- this song is beautiful, enjoy normdate 29.10.6

i'm sitting in my office, the tan sectional sofa at kristin's calgarian suburb home...my home since i landed here in the cspot three months ago. imogen heap's hide and seek is competing with desperate housewives for the complete attention of my ears.

using your ears is not the only way for you to hear.

i'm about a month behind on my blog, so i'm going to do the quick catch up in one single blog entry, or at least as much as i can get done before i fall asleep. prepare yourself for a lot of pikchaz and if you've got the time a lot of reading.

normdate 24.9.6

i participated in the allies for autism walk in calgary.

kristin's younger brothers, liam and mikhail, are both autistic. mikhail joined kristin, crystal, and i for the walk.


mikhail and liam have been experienced successful results of lovaas therapy, an intense behavioural intervention technique for autistic children. immediate, intense therapy as soon as they are diagnosed is the only hope that children with autism have for any sort of life.

living with autism - a powerful movie from the autism speaks website

just say know

there was a jumping castle


mikhail loved the castle. come to think of it, who doesn't love jumping up and down and laughing?


i traded a jamaican man my number for his...sweet.


a little pre-walk stretching


don't mess!


freed the west...feed the rest.


big ups to dj soo


autism is on the rise. just say know.




its a good thing i'm a pikcha takin whore, or else i'd have a hard time remembering what i did in the past month.


normdate 29.9.6

i love the fall, so it isn't surprising that the autumn colours are vibrant here in calgary.


there are quite a few beautiful parks here to take kuma on super fantastic walks.


i love fall.


kristin's playa honey from burning man flew into town from denver to see her. he brought a couple cds of burned pikchaz with him of his burning man experience. like kristin (aka kale), this was jeremy's first burn.


brc 2k6


c-spot 2k6

so many relationships begin at burning man, and overflow into the world off playa. this was jeremy's first time in canada. we were about to show him a good ol canadian night out.




our destination was a bar called the den at the university of calgary. the band performing was called the shout out out out outs.



the band that opened for them was called holy fuck! they describe their music as nothing you've ever heard before. czech out their myspace page here.


their music really was nothing like i'd heard before. a live rock band, a dj, and some unusual instruments like a little piano keyboard that you blow through to make a sound. it was actually a really good show.

the shout out out outs were even better. i'd try to describe their sound, but it was also unique ass shakin goodness. there are beat on their myspace page, so you can listen to their sound here.

the crowd was fun, and it felt nostalgic to be back in a university bar environment again.




fyi: never agree to have your driver's license scanned by a bar before entering. you are not required by law to have your id scanned, so never give them permission to do it.


normdate 5.10.6

i had brunch with my friend tyson at a local greasy spoon.

tyson's cat had kittens. daam little pussy cats are cute.





after brunch we picked up tyson's brother arlen and spent the afternoon at big hill park just on the outskirts of calgary. its beautiful here in calgary, if you know where to go...not to mention the rockies in the distance screaming out to you.





tyson and arlen run an event planning company called events first. we spent some time talking about their goals, and the possibility of me bringing my skills to the table to help them meet their goals. i love meetings in the great outdoors.



pussy escape



i once bought a bottle of wine that came in a bottle shaped like a pussy cat, a red pussy cat. i brought it to a friend's place to drink. it tasted like someone had literally pissed in the bottle and corked it. naaaasty! so my friend john, blazing fag, said "well, you can really only expect so much from a pussy".;)


normdate 6.10.6

tyson and arlen brought in dj tipper to play the wharehouse.




kristin and i began our evening at francisco's (frankie_dubbs) place, not too far from the wharehouse.


thanks for openin up your place to me cisco. i look forward to the day you and i go surfing together.


the warehouse was packed and the beats were a fusion of breakbeatz and broken beat. kristin wasn't really enjoying herself that much, and decided to end her evening a bit early. i stayed and grooved to some funky beatz with funky peeps.

the batteries on my camera died at francisco's place, so no pikchaz from the tipper show :(

when the show was over, i was walking to catch the c-train home with a goddess named mattea when a mini van drove up. a dude named sunshine, that i had met at the wharehouse earlier in the evening, was driving. a little raver pixie named riley was sittin shotgun. sunshine invited us to an afterparty. still in the mood to party, mattea and i jumped in.

we stopped at the wharehouse to pick up some more people, and then drove to some dude's house in an area called ogden. his place was being redecorated, so the floor was pulled up and covered in plywood. excellent for an after party...can't really break anything if there isn't anything to break.

within an hour, the place was full of about 25 people. they had set up decks and were blaring some kind of electronic music. i don't know how to describe it...actually, yes i do. it sucked. i don't even know if it followed a constant rhythm. the dj obviously thought he was rockin it, cause he sure looked into it. there weren't that many people dancing, so i guess people weren't into it either.

perhaps i should be careful about what i say when it comes to djs that disappoint me. at shambhala, dj vinyl ritchie completely disappointed me with his unique brand of crapmo dj'ing.

turns out vinyl ritchie got word that i didn't like his set and that i posted it on my blog, a public space. so the dude decided to visit my messageboard and started a thread to attack me. guess he didn't like me sayin his set sucked monkey balls, and wanted to express his discontent.

don't flatter yerself.........we haven't met before.
that's why i called yer ass out!!! cause ya don know!!!
you peddle ''peace respect n' love'' and then call me out for suckin' in a public forum.
unless you diss people in yer bullshit blogs( bout yer conceited frontin ass) on the reg...........you should know who i am.
you preach love......but you breed hate.......

vinyl ritchie has never met me, got pissed that said i didn't like his set on my personal blog, and then sought me out to attack me. LAME! there was even a thread about him and his set on the shambhala messageboard. seems like a couple other people didn't like his set either. he even had himself introduced as paul oakenfold when he played at shambhala. i chose not to share my opinion about his set in that forum cause slaggin people on public forums ain't my steez...but i'll sure say whatever here in my blog, and on our community forum.

what vinyl ritchie did was fukkin high school antics, and it took a dialogue of a few private messages between us before he realized how silly all of this was. some people like his style, i don't. such is life. focus your attention on your fans vinyl ritchie, they deserve your time more than i do. you can't please everyone., so no need to get your panties in a knot because someone didn't like your set.

back to the shitty dj'ing at this afterparty. well, by the time morning came i had just about enough, so mattea and i left and took the bus to the ctrain. holy shit ogden is fukkin ghetto.

have fun in japan mattea.

alright, my ass hurts and i'm tired...and the movie ginger snaps just finished playing on city tv. it was actually not as bad as i thought.



and katherine isabelle looked fukkin hawt as a goth. maybe not as hawt as a werewolf though ;)



as much as the thought of staying up and watching spaceballs sounds appealling, i'm going to bed.

~*...normaste...*~