Shirin Delsooz

My Life Adventures and Thoughts

Environment issue is really a PR crisis

I was looking up the sort of materials I could compost, and I just couldn’t believe how long the list was. Napkins too!?

To be honest, I ‘forget’ to recycle from time to time, so I don’t know why I even bothered to look up composting in the first place. But deep down I yearn to lead a zero carbon footprint lifestyle, whereas the people around me could care less.

And the sentiment is understandable, to lead a virtuous green life means taking time out of your life to sort out paper, waste, compost and electronics… then call the designated city department to get you the bins! With all of life’s stresses, this is quite a vexing task to add to the list that no one is lawfully, financially or religiously obligated tied down to.

The whole environmental thing sounds either like a nagging chore or a fad.

You see, the term itself, ‘environmentally friendly,’ doesn’t conjure up an immediate sense of duty for us regular people. For such a grand concept so threatening to our entire existence, why is it labeled with such a fluffy term? Friendly? Who cares about being friendly?

And why should anyone care about being friendly to the environment anyway? Isn’t our lives built around being clean, sterile, and nature-free? By that logic, why should we care about anything green, let alone an endangered species?

What we can all agree on is ensuring the survival of the human race.

What some of us learned is that the environment has something to do with it.

So I implore everyone, including the members of the media, to immediately eliminate the term ‘environmentally friendly’ and switch it to ‘human friendly’. Or even ‘human safe’- a term that really sums up the threat!

Instead of carbon free footprint, let’s make it simple like, ‘clean footprint’.

Instead of saying, biodegradable, let’s call it ‘soil-degrade’, ‘vegetationous’, ‘farm nutritious’, or ‘planting-dependent’ or something that shows why it’s important for things to biodegrade quick.

And let’s put our papers and cans into a ‘life-cycle’ so they can turn into new fresh pieces of crispy paper and clean cans.

Instead of saying ‘garbage’, let’s call it ‘hazard’. Because what we put in the garbage isn’t quick enough to biodegrade! And therefore it becomes a hazard to our environment. Eliminate the hazard!

I know suggesting changes in our languages to change our action is blatant propaganda-ish, but who said propaganda cannot be used to influence good? Changing the language with euphemisms and breaking it down into simpler terms to change our behaviour isn’t just a fictional concept from Orwell’s ‘1984’, it’s a technique that creeps on us even today by marketing and government agencies. Changes in our culture is inevitable as is our evolving language, and it’s time for us to steer it in the right direction!

And remember- don’t put life-cyclables in the hazard!

The Good Side of TPL

I think I was a little bit too harsh in my open letter to the TPL. Now that I think about it, I feel like one of those do-nothing ungrateful citizens that always expects miracles from some tax dollars.

In all fairness, I think we could all use a bit of critiquing, but we should not oversee the good. So here it goes…

Thank you TPL, for still being my number one informational resource!

I make extensive use of your music library collection that’s always updated with the latest in pop, and Canadian independent music in both CD and music score format. I am always delighted to find what I was looking for in the large music score readily available as if no one knew about it before– like it was my own secret. I’ll never forget how shocked I was to see so much Jann Arden!

Also, the reels and reels of newspapers dating from hundreds of years ago are neatly organized and beats any trip to a historical museum. I could sit for hours reading and looking at the pictures of the city I lived in a hundred years ago today, and it’s made possible because of the donations and taxes that go into the library.

There are also a lot of neat features about the library that not a lot of people don’t know or take advantage of. Did you know they lend out pedometers for free? And museum passes too?

That’s not to mention the countless workshops and activities to engage the community.  There’s everything ranging from movie night to just learning Microsoft word.

They even renovated their Dufferin location to simulate the Starbuck’s experience. This library with its sleek modern interior allows its visitors to eat INSIDE while using their laptops with music played in the background. You don’t have to pay $6 for a grande, this joint is for free!

I probably didn’t even list a fraction of all that the Toronto Public Library has to offer but anyone in Toronto can tell you it’s great. And I get angry at those who ruin it for others with their book hoarding and accruing unpaid big fines! Not cool.

Anyway, the place is great, that I really hope I can get more involved with the library community… maybe as a workshop leader on blogging?

My open letter to the Toronto Public Library head honchos

Today I was disappointed to discover the music practice rooms in the Toronto Reference Library were complete duds.

What you call a practice room appears to me as a make shift room hastily put together by wooden boards and some glue. If this was an attempt to barricade sound, could the three walls at least meet the ceiling?

I suppose the ‘music’ in the TRL’s practice room denotes the two Casio keyboards awkwardly put together quite literally side by side. Surely no one will hear a peep with the headphones permanently attached. But could the TRL at least acknowledge how awkward it was for me to play away Fur Elise when a complete stranger was allowed to barge in and play the keyboard next to me? Surely anyone with any musical inclination can agree practice in its most blandest of forms requires privacy and space- the library’s traditional stacked study desk arrangement does not apply.

Being able to only play the provided keyboards in a room officially dubbed ‘piano/practice room’ completely disregards other musicians. Why can’t guitars, violins and other acoustic instruments be played inside without being in violation of having to be heard by the entire library? Why does the library give preference in accommodating keyboard players?

As it stands now there are no other public spaces for musicians to play in privacy other than the North York Central Library where a fee is charged by the hour. If the library is a resource for learning, I think it is imperative to dedicate at least a room as small as 7 square feet in at least one of the downtown branches to better provide for its music community.

I hope you will agree! And I think I should also let you know I will be posting this letter on my blog so my musician readers will also become aware of this issue.

Thank you,

Van Delsooz

I hate the word ‘charity’

With Christmas rolling around, I get a bit nauseated with the consumerism, and especially… and especially, the charity drives. These days, helping out one another does not come across as an obligation. No one wants to do anything unless Oprah is patting you on the back with endless thank you’s. With your donation you get your name written on some wall no one reads, you get a glossy booklet in the mail and an invitation to a party to remind you how great you are.

Why are people in need of reassurance? I personally do not believe in charity, I believe in smart consumer choices. Buy ethical, buy local and pay your taxes.

happy things.

It’s not all that bad!

1. I was totally in the dark not knowing what was wrong with the sentences in my short stories. The anguish was consuming me. I digest a good dose of short stories every week and have read many books on the art, but nothing helped. A random book off the shelf unlocked a world of profound literary insight! I am forever grateful to the genius author, Bobby Christmas for giving me a chance to write in style! I will tighten my sentences, avoid adverbs and eliminate useless pronouns wherever possible. Each chapter deserves a reread! I don’t want any invaluable detail to be over sighted. I am convinced that this book was the very thing I’ve been looking for in my quest to become published! Horrah!

2. scribendi.com has been another discovery that I’ve been extremely grateful for! This BBB accredited online editor provides speedy and top notch prose polish at the best rate yet!

3. The best days of my life have been at Gram Parson’s in Tampa Florida, but I’m going to get into details on that in its own blog, maybe even a book, maybe even a documentary. It’s that cool!

4. Good friends.

5. Cool musicians. Thanks.

6. A rare act of kindness that happened lately… a good man offered his hand while I was in some befuddling muck. He has withheld judgment when I thought he would be the one to have it the most. To my surprise he has only been encouraging and caring and this has restored faith in myself… and humanity. He is probably the only one reading this blog.

7. Oh, and thanks to all the people on the internet who put their free time in sharing their expertise! You made life easier.

8. I almost forgot to mention my Mom who still talks to me no matter how heated our arguments get. I made a site to showcase her paintings, http://shanapaints.ca in case you are interested…