unpaidactor

[unpaidactor]

An Ode to Momma

Post #1 March the 11th Everyone has their own vision of the perfect hero, some may think of Batman or Superman. However when i think of the perfect hero, my mother comes to mind. As seen in the photo she is standing happily in front of a “Sold” sign for the house she just bought. All on her own she managed to get up her credit score to get a mortgage. She worked her ass off to provide for her boys, words can’t describe how much pride i have for my Momma. It all started when our apartment started to get too small for us, mom didn't know if we could stay another year or two. So she started house searching, for months and was keeping her eye out for good deals. Finally, as well already know she found the perfect house for her small happy family. I will forever be grateful for this woman for she always puts us before herself. I love you mom and I hope one day I can repay you for all the sacrifices you made for us ❤️

[unpaidactor]

Times are changing too quickly

Post #10 February 17th, 2020

This picture is a piece of my past. My childhood friend, Lyosa, and I playing in the sand and having a blast. My dad showed me this photo recently and it brought back so many memories and good times. It is absurd how fast time seems to go by, life comes and it goes. Back in the olden days so many things were tolerated which now a days would have been considered inappropriate. 

Humans change and grow with time, certain people handle change better then others. There will always be the rotten apples of society who think that old tradition is superior. Unfortunately, they either get with the new way of life or get left behind. 

This entire concept was kind of inspired from my dad. Him and I were peeling potatoes one night and he started talking about his past. I was able to conclude that people kept conflicts to themselves and often didn’t defend themselves. We’re now a days it is encouraged to speak your mind and express opinions.

The more I think about it, the more I can’t believe how far humanity has come. Who knows what the future brings for us. 

[unpaidactor]

Tragedy in The Iverson Household

Post #9 January 20th 2020

It was time to start the day, my family rose with the sun and began our morning routine. Nothing was out of the ordinary, my brothers put large quantities of cereal into very small bowls. I stood in front of the heater trying to warm up. Meanwhile my stepmom hogged the bathroom while she showered. If you were to compare this to any other morning it would look almost identical. Yet somehow today seemed to stand out from the others. 

Somewhere in the digital world, a command was issued. This command flew through midair, at speeds humans couldn’t even perceive. It reached our internet router within seconds. The impact was tremendous.

Out of nowhere the internet came to a halt. My very tech heavy family looked up from phone sceeens and asked: “why isn’t the internet working?”. My father was speechless, he had no answers for us. However, a man with several degrees in Microsoft computer engineering doesn’t take that for an answer. He found the cause of the problem within seconds, if we had paid any attention to what he said everything would have been just fine. But dad was one second too late.

The tech reliant family went berserk, it was pure havoc. There was yelling and swearing. Journalists from The Gleaner quickly heard of the commotion and hurried over to report it. Phones were thrown and tables were flipped. It was a terrible time and frankly I’m grateful we made it out alive. 

tl;dr we lost internet in the morning 

[unpaidactor]

Post #8 January 7th, 2019

Alone for New Years

Your eyes aren’t mistaking you, those are in fact deers eating outside of my family’s chalet. In the cold and dark forest, deers come every night to snack on nuts and grain. We have the oppurtunity to see them right outside of our window. These gentle beasts were keeping me company while the New Year’s Eve TV program played. I was alone on my lazy boy couch, for everyone else was asleep upstairs. I rocked my chair as the clock slowly ticked closer to midnight. Even though others were partying with company. I was fine being alone with the deers.

I had a long day with family, I was tired. Can you really blame me? Being in a small place with too many people can wear a guy out. When it became midnight I called the ones I loved who were back home. Wishing them a happy new year as I normally do. This was the first New Year’s Eve where I wasn’t in Montreal with my grandma and uncle. It was a tradition I have been doing since I was 11 years old. It was weird, I was so used to being somewhere else. My family always made me feel bad for not being with them, but the one time when I am there, they ditch me. I guess that’s how the cookie crumbles.

At the end of the day you cant really worry about these things. You just have to try and make things better for the next time. I wish everyone a lovely 2020. Hopefully the ending of this year will be more eventful then 2019’s.

[unpaidactor]

Post #7 November 9th,2019 Diary of an Underpaid Worker

Last week i worked at a canteen at the winter farmers market in ormstown, i had a feeling it was going to be a gruesome shift so i decided to write a diary entry for every hour that slowly passed by. The rest goes as follows:

9:00am

Breakfast is ruined, it was left in the despicable stove: burned to a crisp. We are currently at the winter market in Ormstown, serving food to the masses. It should be a lovely day for all who attend, except of course the ones working. Now I must wait for the lunch rush to arrive.

10:00am

Boredom takes over in the kitchen, I am sitting here with my step sister doing homework. People come in every now and then, in slow waves. We started serving creton and Baguettes for breakfast. But its not really the ideal food for breakfast.

11:00am

I have decided to spend my time standing at the cash and smile at random shoppers. I get smiles back which gives me warmth on this bitter cold day. I cant help it, but i always make sure to smile at the pretty ladies who happen to  pass by. Things are getting better for the most part.

1:00pm

12:00pm wasn't recorded because i was super busy taking food orders from the vendors. I just sat down to enjoy some lunch. My “young” aching bones cant take it anymore. But i wont complain... a lot. Sometimes we take for granted the luxury of peace and quiet.

2:00pm

Minute by minute the clock slowly ticks. We are cleaning up a bit of the kitchen. Even though i’m working with them, i miss my family a lot. Being in Ormstown for this long can really mess a person up.

3:00pm

Chenoa and Annie left early to go buy a coat, my dad and i have to hold the fort. In an attempt to keep myself entertained, i have been talking to my dad. For the most part it is working, but we will see how long it lasts.

4:00pm

When the clock turned to 4pm, angels sang songs above and there was a tear in my eye. Doves of liberty flew across the sky as my father and i packed up the car and headed home. After such a long and boring shift, we were in due for a break. The drive home was a good one.

[unpaidactor]

Post #6 November 26th, 2019

A Very Matured Christmas

It’s that time of year again, full of fun and Christmas cheer. Kids are playing in the snow and the corporate machine is working hard to ensure they get each and every one of your hard-earned dollars. Let’s face it folks, ol’ Saint Nick isn’t as jolly as he seems. Santa Claus is a fat man with a funky taste in fashion. Who is used by corporations to make people spend a lot of money on gifts. However to the rest of society he is seen as a person who brings joy to the world.

It’s an unspoken rule that parents should share the tale of Santa to their kids. It seems magical, but also highly impossible. If you think of the annual tasks Mr. Claus has to do during Christmas Eve, it seems rather far-fetched. Delivering millions of gifts to kids around the world, entering houses through chimneys. Traveling by flying reindeer. I can’t believe how many children are fooled by this myth. But if I’m honest, I was once like that.

I was once a kid, I used to wake up extra early Christmas morning to find the tree full of gifts. I used to take my stocking with my brothers and jump on my parents bed at 6am. I used to have to wait until 8am for my grandpa to arrive before we opened any gifts. I used to write letters to Santa asking for his signed autobiography, only to be let down when he said he didn’t have any. I used to thank Santa for the “big presents”, when I should have thanked my parents who worked their asses off to afford it. I used to not be able to fall asleep on Christmas Eve out of sheer excitement. Now a days, I sleep like a rock, I sleep in when the morning comes, I thank my parents even if Santa got me the gift. Old traditions died the more I grow up.

I find that scary, it seems the more we grow the more fun is sucked out of us. It is still there of course, but just not as strong as before. Don’t get me wrong, I am no Scrooge. I love Christmas, but there are sides of it which aren’t as jolly as they seem. For example people putting Christmas lights up so early... but that’s a rant for another day! I hope when I have kids they believe in the magic of Christmas. I want to preserve that belief as long as possible. Just because I lost the magic long ago, doesn’t mean they shouldn’t have it.

[unpaidactor]

Post #5 November 9th,2019 What The Funk

I wake up in the morning eyes wide open,

look out the window to see the nice blue sky.

But something is missing right now...

Man, what the funk.

I walk down the stairs to get ready for school,

put on my Beats i’m down to listen to something cool.

I’m not sure what though...

Man, what the funk.

Going through Spotify looking for some tunes,

I found a new genre that seemed like something new

Duke Ellington Jazz Classics All time Hits

Man, what the funk.

Listening to his music on the bus made me learn,

that Jazz is the genre that makes me yearn,

tranquility and peace for all.

Man, what the funk.

Harmonious tunes were playing through my ears,

Piano, Saxophone, Trumpet and cheers.

I was grooving in my seat following the beat...

Man, what the funk.

The history of Jazz is something not to forget,

New Orleans USA gave birth to this groovy baby.

The evolution of it only made it more profound.

Man, what the funk.

Shout out to the party people

who danced cakewalk all night long.

Their love for Jazz was strong.

Man, what the funk

To all the Jazz creators,

please ignore the haters as they emit darkness,

on the bright light made by your creativity...

Man, what the funk.

This music brings me joy in my life,

so i made a poem saying what i liked.

My goal is to expose more people to the beauty of jazz.

Man, this is funk.

[unpaidactor]

Post #4 October 27th, 2019

Dads Work Sweater

For as long as I can remember my dad has always had this sweater. It may not seem like much to the ordinary person. If anything they would just comment on the various paint and silicon stains on it. But this sweater means something more then that. Whenever there was something that needed fixing around the house he would dress for battle. With his sweater he faced many tasks, all being completed without issue. You see my dad is like a jack of all trades, when there is something that needs fixing: you can count on my dad to handle it. In the picture above, we are shown him in his full glory. That photo was taken right after he filled in a hole that was causing a leak in our house. If you think about it, it’s super cost efficient doing things by yourself instead of hiring someone to do it for you. When I grow up I want to be as handy as my dad.

As previously mentioned this sweater has many stains. These are dads “battlescars”, earned by being a part-time handyman. Point at anyone and without a doubt he will be able to tell you where it came from and the job he was doing. It’s his bragging rights, I mean he earned it... didn’t he? You know in the movies where the badass characters always have the big scars. Well that’s my dad with his sweater; when he goes to work he embraces this total badass persona. Doesn’t matter what the job or the task is, I know I can always count on my dad to save the day!

[unpaidactor]

Post #3 October 15, 2019

The Fight for our Future

Recently I have gotten the oppurtunity to write an article for my local newspaper. So I wanted to do a subject which is very important for people my age. I thought it would be cool to share!

“Nature is full of beauty, it is one of life’s greatest treasures. The best part is, anyone can enjoy it. As long as we take care of it we will always be able to appreciate it. Which is kind of the problem. We as humans aren’t taking the best of care of Mother Earth. For a while climate change has been a leading issue in our world. The future of our world depends on us changing our bad habits immediately. It is up to us, to make a stand and say no to pollution to the environment. Global media for the most part have been silent on the subject of climate change. For the longest time they barely paid heed to it. Until one day a particular person set fire to the now hot and trending topic: Greta Thunberg. I think we can all agree that Thunberg has earned the respect of many people in the world. She is doing things that most people her age don’t normally accomplish.

The climate march in Montreal was one of her many rallies done around the world. An estimated 500,000 people attended this event. Myself and other students/staff from CVR being apart of that sum. The experience was unbelievable. Everywhere you looked were people marching against the looming threat of climate change. Signs with jokes, quotes and statistics were held high with pride. My favourite signs were the ones with witty jokes. If you are going to make a point, why not do it with a good sense of humour. It was those signs that stuck with me the most. People were clapping, people were cheering, but most of all; people were united. In humanity’s greatest crises you can always count on society to come together and lend a helping hand.

The New Frontiers School board made Friday a ped day for all of their schools. Brigette Barette, principle of CVR took it upon herself to arrange a bus to take some grade 10s and 11s to the march. She wanted to allow people who wanted to attend the march the opportunity to do so. Some thought it was a bad call, but personally I have to commend her for it. It shows she cares about her students and their future. I have to admit, I wasn’t planning to go to the march. But when the opportunity came up I was sure to take it, I haven’t regretted it since. Attending the march gave me a sign of hope for the future of the world. It made me want to take charge and do something bigger then myself. Even if I am just one high school student, I can still accomplish great things. As shown by Greta Thunberg, that’s the beauty of the power of one.”

[unpaidactor]

Post #2 September 30th, 2019

Peculiar Propaganda

Imagine this, you are taking a causal stroll through town. Everything is fine, you’re feeling good. Nothing could possibly bring you down. But then out of the corner of your eye you see them. Big, harrowing, lingering political posters. You start to run in fear, you turn the corner but there are more. They. Are. Everywhere. You can’t escape them, the government wouldn’t want that of course. At many others expense, they want to advertise their candidates as much as possible. Posters with unflattering photos of their candidates hang like gargoyles around each town. They are always watching you, like government spies. During election month, privacy is abolished. There is nothing we can do to oppose it.

Now I for one don’t have anything wrong with the candidates in particular. I do have a problem however, with the matter of which they are portrayed. Political parties hire professional photographers to portray their candidates in an appealing way. Some of which have brutally failed. It’s like I can’t leave my house without seeing the intimidating eyes of Marc Faubert, or the overly happy face of Joan Gottman. One could possibly argue that this is a publicity strategy. It would make total sense, I’ll admit it. But wouldn’t that just be cruel to the candidates.

Driving through other regions I have seen many different faces representing the parties. This has made me aware of two things. 1) The photos get better the further you are from the Salaberry-Suroit area. 2) How distracting these political signs can be for drivers passing by. As a passenger I spend so much time looking at these signs. I can only assume it’s the same for the drivers. Out of all the things they have to concentrate on while driving,the signs have become one. It’s overwhelming and frankly redundant.

Politics is such an interesting subject, people seem to talk about it a lot. However, I feel that the political posters always get the short end of the stick, when it comes to the political discussion. Whether it’s good or bad criticism we should be talking about it more. They are an important asset to the parties after all. They help give a face to the names we see on the ballot.

People will look at this post and will probably think that I’m crazy. I don’t blame them, I probably am. But I also know one thing for sure. I am simply thwarted by political signs. End of discussion.

[unpaidactor]

Post #1 September 8th, 2019

The concept of being a part of something bigger then yourself is truly amazing. Many people crave this feeling, they want to be a part of a whole. The simplest things like being part of a soccer team or a high school drama club. But I mean, can you blame them? There is something reassuring about having something that you can always count on. I for one, am lucky to be a part of a few groups who I can count on. For example, Tech Crew and Scouts. Whenever I was going through stuff I knew I could always rely on my scout troop and fellow techies for support. But for some reason out of all these groups, one has always impacted me differently than the others.

Football has been one of my most boldest commitments I ever made. It was out of character for me, I was no where near the athletic type. But I have to admit I don’t regret joining at all. It got me in shape and I became part of a team. In the photo you can see our entire senior team huddled together kneeling on the ground. We were saying our pre-game prayer. Belting it out with pride and confidence. We are like family, I barely know some of the older guys but that doesn’t matter. When I do something good at practice or in game I get acknowledged for it. We motivate each other to do better, we give tips and advice when needed. On the side lines of our first game I was cheering on my team so hard that the next day I could barely speak. My throat hurt so much, but for the life of me I couldn’t care because we won that game. It was worth all the straining. The fact that I’m only connected by football with some of these guys; but would willingly mess up my vocal cords to cheer them on says a lot. It says a lot of the standards we set on the field. It says a lot of why I can count on my team. It says a lot of why I love football. I can’t help but say that’s a truly remarkable thing.