My name is Benjamin and I would consider myself to be a pretty charmed person. I’m from pretty humble beginnings, I grew up in London, Ontario. I spent the first 23 years of my existence in that city. London is a city with duplicity to it. And, really shows the divide between classes depending on where you might be. London is also one of those cities that had a thriving middle class. It’s one of the cities most affected by changes in the federal and provincial governments handling of money and policy. As I’ve attempted to describe it before there is an aesthetic polarization in London, a healthier part of the city has declarations of all things new, with a clean and functional environment surrounding the communities of middle class folk making ends meet. London also has it’s wealthy streak in it. Old money retiring, or just old money period. I am from Southeast London, Pond Mills Road area is where I spent most of my early years. In a town house complex at Banbury and Pond Mills Road. From there, my Mom, sister and I bounced from other townhouses to other low income apartment buildings. Three floor walk ups mostly. Southeast London has a very odd aesthetic marriage about it. In particular in the Glen Carin area. There’s a subdivision of pretty normal housing with some apartment buildings peppered in, until you hit Thompson Road and King Edward Ave, then it’s all apartment complexes. That’s where I spent my teen years, years I wouldn’t now trade for anything. However, that area, just like Glen Carin have an integration of failed contemporary buildings, either residential or commercial mixed with an abandoned landscape of fields, combed over a sparse pasture of grass. King Edward ave has those failed apartments mixed with unkempt weeds surrounding the properties and a field of awkwardly dispersed grass leading to a patch of the Thames river that runs into Vauxhall Park. This is one of the major areas I grew up in… I played baseball and hockey in these areas. I also hid, from almost everyone I knew, that I loved making and consuming art. There was a kind of closed narrative about artists, that all male artists were homosexuals (in that common suburban derogatory application of the label). So, considering a reputation and my standing within the social systems of those areas, I hid a lot of my nature from others. From the outside I tried to maintain being perceived as a foul mouthed music and sports loving connoisseur of all things lady. Outwardly, you wouldn’t know that I loved art, I loved making art, writing and more. You would see an aptitude for it with some disdain or indifference.

After leaving London, my horizons were broadened. Moving to Toronto and seeing how sustainable a life choice being creative was when you see it applied was something completely foreign before and was door opening that I couldn’t ignore. So, after spending my first year in Toronto at an agency, I decided top go backup to school. And, this is after a five year hiatus from dropping out of High School. I applied as a mature student, and after a portfolio review was accepted as a late admission to OCAD (the Ontario College of Art & Design, now OCAD University). It was in OCAD that I let everything I had and wanted to be out, I didn’t just walk it around, I flaunted it. I flaunted it whether you were moderately, fully or even not tolerant of it at all. I strutted an ambiguous sexuality and gender skewing self that was completely new to anyone and everyone that knew me. I pushed boundaries of my own that I didn’t even know existed, which was ultimately the goal. And, throughout my time at OCAD I maintained a personal goal of challenging myself to exceed my own standards… To over deliver to me. So, each piece of work I dove into would become an investment into committing the best I could do at that time and beating it. Thus, learning and growing as someone should. Being a bit older than most of the student body was also a kind of challenge on it’s own. Because, I felt my age was a kind of measuring stick. I need to be competitive with those younger, because I had more to prove in less time to do it. So to speak. I loved OCAD, it was a place that I thrived, personally and creatively. I made friends and developed relationships I know I will have for the rest of my life. The network I built is one that will always be there. It was perhaps the best decision have ever made. I met Kasey Bum, my partner and neatest buddy on the planet. We’re like Crockett and Tubbs, Cookies and Milk, Nine Inch and Nails… Let me tell you!

And, after 10 years in Toronto, building myself and then my career there. Working at Carbon for Two years after Freelancing, then Freelancing again. And, after flirting with moving to Hamilton… I met with a fella from the NDP and he offered me a job. He met me because I was referred by a friend of mine… From OCAD. That network; most valuable thing a professional has.

So, I started 2010 with 6 months of not smoking behind me. I had quit in June of 2009. I had done this because I was diagnosed with Sleep Apnea and my health had come into focus for Me. I clearly needed to make some changes, so I had bought a CPAP and the second step was quitting smoking. The third step was to lose weight, get myself to a healthier and more manageable weight. At the end of January I starred a diet, reducing my calorie intake to 1500 per day. I did this for a month, eliminating a lot of different foods from my diet. No fried, greasy, fatty or fast foods. Rye and limited whole wheat bread only. No dairy either, aside from Goat Cheese. In that 30 day period I lost 30 pounds. I would lose another 10 in the months following by limiting my calorie intake to 3000 per day. With all of these physical changes I had become restless in my work too. I started feeling like there was more opportunity out there for me. I was working at Carbon at the time and I was feeling kind of limited, I had a coworker more senior to me that would have been up for a raise sooner than me, whop also had more larger opportunities to achieve more consistent sales. And, after 2 years of slugging it out, I had a moderately ok client list. But I wasn’t feeling like I was going to grow in the ways I wanted to there… I felt as though there were some pretty limited options should I stick it out. So at the end of April I announced myself a Freelance Editor, leaving the safety of a 2 year tenure at Carbon. And, after a few months of the same issues and anxieties I had left 2 years prior to go to Carbon, there I was, intensely frustrated again. Toronto’s creative industry, if you don’t have the stomach for it, can be a giant ball of complete crap. And, you have to do a lot of things to establish parameters for the engagement. Each job needs stringent rules, and you have to be fearless in employing them. But, still be the kind of good self selling person that can flash a quick smile while rationalizing with sometimes a bad client. My problem is, in that environment my patience for the classic “hurry up and wait” and the always frustrating late payment due to either a lost, misplaced or unprocessed invoice. I some cases complete incompetence, inconsideration or indifference to your terms and standards. This made me an angry freelance professional. I seem to always thrive in teams which means in most cases freelance is something that I had a hard time transitioning through, because I didn’t know how to make it more collaborative.

History repeats itself sometimes. I grew frustrated in freelance and starred seeking more permanent team based employment. And that call got answered in the form of MJM, where my Brother in Law is the Post Supervisor… Which I know what you’re thinking, nepotism. Well, actually no. I was interviewed for the same job in April just after Carbon Sound & Picture. I didn’t get it then because it meant working with a relative, the Producer thought my Brother in Law and I wouldn’t be able to work together… So they hired two other editors instead of me. Fast forward to August, one of the other editors isn’t working out as well as they would have hoped and is about to go on vacation, after which he was to be dismissed. I do the two weeks of freelance and then start full time as the other editors replacement. In total I worked there just under three months. MJM was good, because I got to go from one extreme, Carbon, where all the latest and greatest tools were coming through the door faster then you could stop and learn them. Then going to MJM where Bill (my Brother in Law) has set up a really modest but functional editing contingency. Not that they’re working on old gear, it’s just he built a practical solution l without needing the latest and greatest crap. Which at Carbon, my job was to sell the old reliable with the latest and greatest and fastest thing out there… To upsell. And, then I got an email that changed a bunch of things. An email from my now current employer… Canada’s New Democrats.

Erin, a friend from university had referred me to her boss. And, he in turned got a hold of me. We met and chatted… A couple weeks later I was offered the Job and was making plans to move to Ottawa. The day before I got the good news, Kasey Bum’s store was robbed and the management there was trying to get her to pay for the damages… There’s a whole long story that tracks this thing, but the short end of it. Kasey fought and won her day back. Ended up with a new job at Carbon with the retail department and was transferred to the Ottawa location, starting a few days ago.

Me; I’m working with a group of like minded people that share many of the same values… So my 33rd year has been a pretty amazing one. The downside of course is that we’re 450km away from our family and friends. Which adds the bitter to the sweet.

And, that brings us to now… A few weeks after 34. Feeling good about my choices and my year of change, how the risks I took manifested opportunities to grow. Feeling far from everyone, but completely blessed, loving what’s ahead even though I don’t know a thing about it.

#StoptheMeter, #CRTC, #Partisan Appointments

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First, the House of Commons! I live in Ottawa now… Here’s where I get to hang out sometimes!

Stuff!

So new apartment and the House of Commons!

This Poll is debating whether or not the Tories should support the NDP’s call to amend the Charter of Rights to be inclusive of Lesbian, Gay, Bi-Sexual and Transgendered people.

The fact that any MP’s regardless of political affiliation are posing this question is disgraceful. Human rights are not a debate, and our countries Chart of Rights HAS to be amended.

I’m doing Movember, please sponsor my face. Facial Fur Update!

Do that here!

Movember

Do it Like Doug Would… Who’s Doug? I ain’t know.

This is the one you can write home to Mom about… I am participating in Movember! Growing a pretty damn fancy Mustache!

Sponsor my Endeavor to Help something by growing and maintaining a beautiful Mustache!

Movember

The Lady; Kasey Bum, Hibou the Polydactal Existential Feline Thought Bubble and myself are moving to Ottawa… I know right! I was offered a new work opportunity that I couldn’t pass up. And, so we’re packing up shop and moving to downtown Ottawa.

I’m leaving in two weeks time, but overall, we’ll be full moved there within the next two months.

There are a lot of things I am going to miss about Toronto, mostly of course my friends & family there. I’ve been in Toronto for over a decade now, and it was the smartest decision I have ever made. Now, I go to Parlaiment, in hopefully another smart move that will direct my career and life in a positive and constructive direction.
Leave some comments below, if you like.

Thanks Yo!

There’s more though…

Today; is Municipal Election day… I know I’m a broken record, but…

GET OUT & VOTE!

And, check out this guy Toronto! He’s best in show!!

mayorjoe.ca

Check this out too

Lurvs is ERvrywhur!