The plight of Haiti’s quake victims has plucked at the heartstrings of both young and old on the Blood Reserve, and the community’s lone physician is organizing a medical relief trip to depart in March.

Dr. Esther Tailfeathers has amassed people from the Blood Tribe Dept. of Health that includes Registered Nurses, paramedics, support staff and others.

They’ll be setting off in about 8 days. Good luck, Jon!

Blood Reserve plans support team for Haiti

High Rollers Haiti Benefit Video. Featuring the Boarderline (Lethbridge AB) Team and friends. 100% of the proceeds go to Red Cross Haiti Earthquake Relief. DVD’s are available at Boarderline and if you are interested in donating through Paypal send a payment to the account Katie_Kerluk@hotmail.com. Thanks for your support.

High Rollers

Lethbridge Skateboard Association

Boarderline

Also, Lethbian Love is not becoming a fashion blog. It’s just a time to celebrate old man winter releasing his stranglehold grip upon Southern Alberta! It’s kinda ironic though, since the Legion smells like old spice and scotch, not spring blossoms and pheromones.

Lethbridge Fashion Weekend

It’s almost like I was there, staring at her crotch.

It’s kinda cool when I stumble across blogs from fellow Lethbians here and there, like Daily Photo Dose and Lethbian Antics (long retired). Today, I found that my friend Martin’s cousin has followed my lead and started her own blog called “A Lethbridgian View.” Although she spelled Lethbian completely wrong, this blog is another unique take on Lethbridge.

Maybe this whole “turning your back to the wind” thing is starting to take off?

A Lethbridgian View

Occupation:
Fashion Design Student, Creative Thinker.

Where’d your outfit come from?
Nearly each layer came from a different place. The shoes were a gem found at Value Village, legwear from Ardenes, shorts from somewhere in California, cardigan and scarf from Wal-Mart, jacket was from Ricki’s and I got my t-shirt when I saw the Vancouver-based band The Jolts play…and then I cut it up.

Style Influences:
Everything: my mood that day, the season, friends, strangers, what music I’ve been listening to, magazines, vintage, comfort, self-expression…I was asked today how I picked my outfits in the morning and I didn’t really know how to answer. I just try stuff on until I’m happy, which is also why I can’t keep my room clean.

Something about me:
I cut my own hair. I like vinyls. And tattoos. I’m good with animals and children. I’m a BC girl, born and raised. I’m pretty weird, but people seem to like it. I like individuals and quirks.

More photos after the jump!

• Dance workshops with Jo-Jo
  (previously mentioned here)
• An Explosion of World Dance 2010
  (also previously mentioned here)

Thanks Maxine & Stacy!

Introduce Yourself.
Hi, I’m Jaime and I like to take photos.
I am primarily a commercial photographer. I shoot music, portraits, weddings, commercial, fashion and advertising for a living. I’ve worked in Toronto, Vancouver, Kelowna, Hawaii, Vegas… but Lethbridge has always been home.

Tell us about Daily Photo Dose.
Daily Photo Dose was influenced by a daily blog I followed when I was living in Toronto called “Top Left Pixel.” The blog is a simple view of my day to day visual experience; I post one photo a day. Inspired by this blog, I wanted to get back to my roots, photographing landscapes and streetscapes in my home town, and share my personal perspective of Lethbridge.

What inspires you?
Inspiration? I’ve done a fair bit of traveling, and out of all the places I’ve been, Lethbridge has the most beautiful sunsets! That in itself is enough inspiration to get someone to take their camera out and go shoot. I’m also born and raised here, so most days/nights I visualize part of the city, and how I could frame it in a unique way. Out of the images I’ve produced so far, the best photos seem to come when I head out to shoot in bad weather, or during the really early hours of the day.

Where can we see more of your work?
More of my commercial work can be seen on JaimeVedres.Com/Blog and prints are available on request. Thanks!

Occupation:
Student, coat check/beer tub girl.

Where’d your outfit come from?
My cardigan and dress both came from Sapporo, Japan.

Style Influences:
Style influences are Harajuku street fashion mixed with gothic/punk/sweet lolita.

Something about me:
Something about me is that I am obsessed with cats, and zombies. I collect zombie movies, and my favourite zombie director is George A. Romero.

Hit the jump for a couple of other shots!

As part of the Plan Your City Municipal Development Plan / Integrated Community Sustainability Plan (MDP/ICSP),  an estimated five hundred Lethbridge residents participated in City Circles, providing their insight into what it will take to make Lethbridge an even better place to live into the year 2050.  In all, there were 48 City Circles who made a total of 55 submissions. This Ideas Book is a collection of those submissions.

But nothing I haven’t thought of already.

Ideas Book 2009 (PDF link)

This little capsule was put on the streets by the Travel and Convention Association of Southern Alberta, showing that people weren’t always so tight-assed (but I guess it was the 70s, after all). Hit the jump to see its contents!

DO YOU WANT A GOOD “TRIP”?

…Here’s some “capsule comments” in the form of a ditty,
On why you should visit our beautiful city-

A “conventional” spot for meeting fun,
Come and Whoop it up in ’seventy-one!

We have 40,000 population,
A million acres of irrigation.

Our skies are bluer and our grass is greener,
Chinook winds blow so our air is cleaner.

In the wilder days of yesteryear,
The Whoop-Up trail had its terminus here.

Now we have Canada’s newest University,
And for our crops you can’t match our diversity.

We have corn and peas and the sugar beet,
So we don’t have to rely on wheat.

One the scene of the last Indian battle,
Now the centre of a land of cattle.

Steamboats used to ply our river,
So the coal mined here could be delivered.

At the edge of the foothills of the Rocky Mountains,
A city of gardens, parks and fountains.

Gateway to Waterton and all points west,
Fort Macleod, Lundbreck Falls and the Crowsnest.

We have Canada’s largest Research Station,
And the most sunshine in the nation.

Rainbow trout in the middle of town,
And a Japanese Garden the world renown.

* * *

Lethbridge hospitality awaits everyone-

Thanks, Layne!

In what promises to be a major downtown makeover, city council has enthusiastically endorsed a plan to build two major new arts facilities along a one-block plaza just east of Galt Gardens.

The two-phase plan is to begin with a new $12.6-million community arts centre on the eastern portion of the former IGA site by 2012, followed in subsequent years by a neighbouring performing arts centre. The latter would extend westward into the park, resulting in the closure of what is now a section of 7 Street South and creating a downtown arts district.

Local arts community leaders are lauding council’s decision, which was unanimous.

Downtown “revitalization” has always seemed like talk to me, but this is the positive sign that Lethbridge is actually becoming less hick moving forward. Hopefully, it also means there’s a place to display the large collection of art that both the university and college have locked away in their vaults.

Now if we could only get that third bridge…

Dramatic plans in store downtown

With that said, I watch a lot of anime (and not just the tentacle stuff). However, my friends don’t share the same interest so I am relegated to watch my shows in lonely isolation.

I’ve known for quite awhile that the University of Lethbridge has a club called the “Japanese Anime & Manga Society (JAMS),” so for about the last week or so I have been trying to muster some courage and information, with plans to attend one of their meetings.

Tonight was the night, and here’s where I begin my rant…

Their website is horribly out of date. Although it gives the general day, time and location that meetings occur (Mondays, 5:30 in TH204 – subject to change, of course), I emailed them last week to verify if a meeting was indeed scheduled for tonight. Their generic contact never replied. Thanks.

I looked on Facebook and found the JAMS group, which was in even worse disregard. Okay fine, at least it had a real person as a contact that I could message. Except she was their webmaster two years ago and is no longer a member. She was able to tell me that meetings in the past were held at 6PM.

So I took the chance and showed up at TH204 right at 5:30PM. It was empty, so I waited for a bit. I figured that I was early and that the meeting would hopefully start at 6. No one entered that room. There were no signs on the door. Even the ULSU clubs web page proved useless.

After realizing I was wasting my time, I decided to leave the University. I had almost exited Turcotte Hall when something caught my eye through a door window – the end credits to some anime series! Go figure, another room. I stepped inside.

But the reason why I wanted to go to this club was to meet and socialize with people who shared the same interest as me, but instead found a dark room of mostly dudes, all staring at a projection screen. Not one person turned their head to see who walked in. If I wanted to sit in a dark room watching anime, I’d just stay at home and download shows from various bittorrent trackers!

To end my rant, I left pissed off. I found the club, but didn’t care to stay after that.

If you can’t be bothered to keep your website updated and lines of communication open for people who’d be willing to attend, then screw you!

“What brought you to Lethbridge? What makes you stay? Good or bad – I’m curious to know!”

Here are a few of the more interesting responses:

	Sarah: My Dad was transferred here in 1998, and I fell in love with Lethbridge and its Arts community! It is a great size city to raise my children in, has great schools, wonderful people, and lots of wind to blow any worries away!
	Kelly: Schooling brought me here, career opportunities and my fiance (and our newly purchased house) keep us here.
	Kevin: Moved here for college and fell in love with the city. Such a great sense of community, and the people are fantastic! Graduated in April of 2009 and refused to leave.
	Michael: My job; I brought the Wife; the mortgage is currently keeping us there after my job was swallowed by the “economy” last summer.

More responses after the jump!

	Melanie: I like the community atmosphere despite it being a city. There’s a lot of diversity and you can get involved in so many different activities if you so wish. I just wish the people were better drivers!!
	Carleen: University, and University is making me stay haha
	Bob: The mountains nearby and proximity to family in Calgary brought me here. Great people and easy going living keep me here!
	Jessica: School brought me here, and is the ONLY thing keeping me here. I can’t wait to get away from the smell.
	Lori: I came here for university in 89 and still here because i have a decent job. I’m STILL homesick for BC though
	Stacy: I moved here to get away from Calgary. Even though I was raised in the military and have itchy feet, I like Lethbridge enough to come back and practice after Law School.

Wanna jump in? Do so in the comments!

Previously:

• What do you love about Lethbridge?

A recent tweet by Chris Morris led me to the U.S. Geological Survey, which recorded a 2.6 magnitude earthquake only 49km south of Lethbridge!

Now is the time to repent!

Earthquake Details (via USGS)

Kevin Kane w/ The Necessities (Facebook event page)

It was some guy named Stendhal who said, “Very small degree of hope is sufficient to cause the birth of love.” And for those of you who haven’t completely given up yet, I have compiled a list of ways to find yourself a date, or at least a one-night stand.

The only singles-related event I could come across for tonight is “speed dating” at Henotic. Via the Lethbridge Sun Times:

…Henotic Restaurant and Lounge has a great idea for you that, at the very least, will provide an entertaining evening. From 7-9 p.m. on Valentine’s Day, speed dating will take over and you will have the opportunity to date 25 people for four minutes each. This way, if the two of you seem interested, you’ll be left wanting more, and if it isn’t going to work, you’ll be moving on in no time.

Otherwise, you could just go out and enjoy some live entertainment instead of staying at home. Here’s a good listing of happenings:

• Alberta Events
• L.A. Beat

If you’re feeling a bit apprehensive going out because all your friends are busy with their partners, you can try looking for a lover online with these free dating websites:

• OkCupid
• PlentyOfFish
• Kijiji Personals
• Craigslist Personals

I recall reading in Bridge magazine a couple of weeks ago about another dating website, although not free, which was launched by a fellow Lethbian whose name escapes me:

• Let’s Be Friends First

Then we have a matchmaking service, which might not be cheap but potentially offer a better chance of meeting someone who is right for you:

• Lethbridge Connecting Clubs
  Connections Dating Service is for single adults age 25 and up who reside in Lethbridge & Southern Alberta.

Finally, there are a few local singles groups/clubs, many that are geared towards more “mature” individuals:

• Lethbridge Singles Club
  Provide an opportunity for single people to meet others within a social framework.
• Singles’ Friendship Circle
  The Singles Friendship Circle is a group of singles who enjoy getting together for various activities throughout the month and who like to attend events as friends.
• Lethbridge Friendship Circle
  Singles Friendship Circle provides activities and social opportunities for Lethbridge and area singles ages 40 and up.

So just remember, in the words of Jack Handy, “Love can sweep you off your feet and carry you along in a way you’ve never known before. But the ride always ends, and you end up feeling lonely and bitter. Wait, it’s not love I’m describing. I’m thinking of a monorail.”

Good luck!

EDIT: Tell someone you care by sending them an e-card!

Since that dance class was offered as part of Lethbridge College’s Mind-Body-Home catalogue, I decided to explore some of the other evening classes they offer. In particular, the non-credit culinary courses really appealed to me, so I signed up for the next available class, which was Vietnamese cooking. I ♥ Vietnamese food!

Taught by Chef Heng Ng, the class was a demo for creating 4 dishes and an accompanying sauce:

• Green Papaya & Mango Salad
• Sizzling “Sound” Crêpes
• Glass Noodles with Vegetables
• Stir-Fried Chicken with Lemongrass
• Fish Dipping Sauce (refer to the crêpe recipe)

Although I tried linking to similar recipes as we received, you can find the actual ones in the Authentic Vietnamese Cooking book. They’re all very easy to cook!

Overall, I was very pleased with the class and loved being able to talk to a professional chef about food, one of great loves (besides Natalie Portman). I’ll definitely be going again.

Culinary Careers

Anyway, dance instructor Maxine Strain, who tried getting me to swing a couple of years ago, emailed to tell me about a workshop that is being held next Saturday. Professional dance instructor “Jo Jo” is coming down to Lethbridge to teach couples Country, West Coast Swing and Latin/Ballroom dancing.

If you’re unlike me and actually have a human dance partner, I suggest you go! Classes start at 7PM on Feb. 13 at the Bill Kergan Centre.

UPDATE: No partner required!

Dance Workshops With Jo Jo

(click the cover image for the full article)

In particular, I am proud to feature an amazing artist, and one of my best friends, Martin Warszawski. Since back in the day, he and I were creative influences upon one another, drawing comics, recording puppet shows and a Shakespeare video assignment featuring a dead gopher (we found it like that).

Introduce yourself
Hi, my name is Martin Warszawski. I was born and raised in Lethbridge. I now live in Calgary and I am attending the Alberta College of Art and Design.

What are your influences?
Comic books and cartoons when i was younger. Things haven’t changed much, but now I look at a lot of fine artists and illustrators. James Jean, Gustav Klimt and Tomer Hanuka come to mind. John K, Jim Smith and Joe Madureira still have a firm hold on me from my youth. Working beside so many talented artists at school also influences me greatly. It is nice to have so many people around you to help you and feed off of. Having an awesome girlfriend that is also an artist helps. She isn’t afraid to be ruthlessly honest with me.

What are your favourite materials to work with?
Right now I would have to say oil paints and ink. If you asked me last week I would have said watercolor. Media seems to change a lot with me. It is good to explore despite how hard it is leaving a comfortable, safe medium. I am starting to get excited about my rich media class so maybe next week it will change to Photoshop and After Effects.

How long have you been drawing, and how has your art evolved?
I have been drawing all my life but I haven’t really taken it seriously until I was in sixth grade. I think that was around the time I met you Jonathan, haha. I have had many different styles and stages that I have gone through. Super heroes and cartoon characters to fine art paintings and drawings to graffiti to now. I stopped drawing and painting for the most part of a year awhile back, I think that was the worst thing I could have done. It is nice to be back into it. I think evolution is necessary if you want to stay fresh and have fun. I can’t wait to see where I go next.

Where are you headed?
I am currently in the illustration stream at school. I am still picking and choosing what I like and what I’m good at. I don’t want to say it but the dollar signs are are always there in the back of my mind so that plays a factor with what I want to get into. Motion graphics seems to be the way to go and I enjoy making animations so right now that is where I see myself going. I seem to be getting more excited about motion graphics than anything else at school right now.

Lastly, how many lights are there?
There…Are…Four…Lights!!

If you’d like to get in touch with Martin, his email address is martin.warszawski@gmail.com. He’s happy to answer any questions and is available for commission! To see more of his work, head over to http://martinwarszawski.blogspot.com.

Thanks, Martin!

I was unaware of the Dr. Sketchy’s Anti-Art School until I saw this random tweet by Kelaine Divine, followed by a visit to her blog. Held in over 80 cities, Dr. Sketchy is what happens when cabaret meets art school; a burlesque show and life drawing event.

How is Dr. Sketchy’s different from a normal life drawing class?
In normal life classes, silent students sit in a silent room and draw a bored, oft-uninteresting model. In Dr. Sketchy’s we’ve got scandalous performers as models.

At Dr. Sketchy’s, we don’t care if you picked up a pad yesterday or 50 years ago. Come to drink or to draw. We’re happy to have you.

Kelaine Divine and Loralee Edwards will be putting on the event January 29th @ 7PM in the GCBC Lounge at Henotic. Bring a pad and some pencils – I know I will!

Dr. Sketchy: Lethbridge (Facebook group here)

The Town of Vulcan is gearing up for a visit from Mr. Spock himself.  Leonard Nimoy will drop by April 23rd as part of the Calgary Comic and Entertainment Expo.  Vulcan Tourism Coordinator, Dayna Dickens, says the actor will make a special appearance before the expo gets started.  She says because Nimoy has been a great ambassador for Vulcan, the Expo will bring him to the town the day before for a visit.  Even though it’s not a Vulcan Tourism event, Dickens says the town is still planning a few surprises for when Nimoy visits and has commissioned a bronzed bust of Mr.Spock.

I’ve been a huge fan of Star Trek for most of my nerdy life, with “The Next Generation” being my favourite. So for me, I think it’s even cooler that Brent Spiner, aka Data,  will be a special guest for the expo! And though I am a little disappointed that Beverly Crusher and Dianna Troi aren’t making an appearance as well, this expo sounds about as hot as a Betazoid wedding. Which is embarrassingly hot!

Mr. Spock to Visit Vulcan (via @Lethliving)

[Audio clip: view full post to listen]

To listen to more of their music, head over to CBC Radio 3.

MONOPOLY is launching a new Canadian Edition and is inviting Canadians to vote for their favourite cities. The vote will determine the top 20 cities and the top 2 wildcard cities that will be the property spaces on the MONOPOLY Canada game board. Please vote for your friend’s cities or choose your own cities!

On a side thought, this reminds me of the “Lethbridge On Board” game from about six years back. Has anyone even played that?

Has our city got game? (via @LethbridgeNews)

Luckily, Lethbridge College’s Massage Therapy students need some hands-on experience, so they are running massage clinics three days a week this semester, from 5:30-8PM Tuesdays and Thursdays and 9:30AM-noon and 1-3:30PM on Saturdays. Twenty dollars gets you an hour, while $10 for 30-min.

What they lack in experience they make up for in fervour, so treat yourself and go for a massage! Call Joanna at 403-320-3211 to set up an appointment.

The day features many indoor/outdoor events, and fireworks will cap off the evening celebrations.

For a full listing of events and relay map, visit Lethbridge Torch Relay.