organizations
enough of you have asked me for a rundown of my "free-time" activities that i'll make a little review list of my regular loves:

OPIRG (ontario public interest research group): this is the super environmental and social justice org with whom i've spent copious hours volunteering since feb. we host a seemingly endless number of events throughout the year that cover a broad range of topics. a couple of constants are the free market and the food cupboard, and free wed night popcorn & documentaries. right now i'm doing a lot of work on my Do It Yourself pet project, which has received overwhelming support and will start on Oct 16th. i'm also regularly designing/writing/posting publicity, running movie nights, painting things, calling people, or monitoring events on a regular basis.
it's a phenomenal group.

Seeds for Justice: a working group through the Kawartha World Issues Center (KWIC), i've just started collaborating with them. they focus on educating and empowering youth on environmental and social justice issues, usually through art and workshops. i'm brainstorming on a political theatre project involving paper mache masks, along the vein of Bread and Puppet theatre.

Latin & Swing Dance: this website is on its way to being updated. i dance with this group mon & wed, and usually at least one other day of the week. i'll be dancing in an united way fundraiser competition later this month and i'll also be starting rehearsal this afternoon for an early november cabaret performance. and they just asked me to join their committee, so i went to my first meeting last night.

Scottish Country Dance (yes, i get to dance with those kilted studs every week): my beloved scottish country dance group, which occupies my tues evenings. they also host monthly social dances.

Food Not Bombs: this group cooks FREE vegan meals from food donated by local farmers. on mon nights i walk less than 1 block from my house and divulge in a feast (we're talking over a dozen dishes). people are also encouraged to bring take-home containers and fill them to overflowing. it's just too bad so many plates and plasticware get thrown out... oh wait, that's right- they provide plates and silverware, so there's no waste! volunteers cook all the food and wash all the dishes.
they also frequently provide free vegan food for OPIRG events.

i <3 peterborough.
i obviously recommed tracking down and getting involved in community groups. and if you can't find the group you want, you could follow julia's beacon and just start one (big shout out to inspirational julia who got a whole newspaper feature this week on her flourishing vegan group -in ireland, where they're still burning garbage in their fireplaces-!).


lost and found
i wrote this letter to the school newspaper and they printed it. the great thing is that i totally found it! now i just need to find the girl...

you know, the world doesn't have to be a mean, angry place.