the stew magazine 01-11

January 2011 | THE STEW Magazine | PAGE 1

ISSUE 2.1 | JANUARY 2011

the the new year’s new year’s

issueissue

A Brief History of the ResolutionPage 4Page 4

Building ‘The Wall’in Vancouver6Page 16

Get Fit in the new yearPage 19Page 19

Inside:Inside:

| THE STEW Magazine | January 2011

On the Cover:

We spotted Jordan Holmes and his lovely lady Al-Lisa McKay at the Grand Cariboo New Year’s Ball, host-ed by Th e Gecko Tree and Mountain Mystics at the Elk’s Hall on New Year’s Eve.

We were in at-tendance, along the winners of the tickets we gave away last month, and we all had a pretty fantastic time thanks to the amazing food and the wonder-ful musical line-up they had. But while we were looking for that one image that seemed to signify the potential for joy that comes with the dawn of each new year, this was the one that spoke to us.

Happy new year, everyone!

So it’s January now, and all the wrap-ping paper has been torn and tossed. What remains under the tree (if your tree is still standing at all) are the glittering memories of Christmas morning.

But not all memories are created equal, and perhaps not everything that Santa brought for you this year was exactly what you were hoping for. Never fear, there are things that you can do with unwanted gift s that will give them new life. And January is the best time to start working on them.

Regift ing is a strange and awkward tradi-tion. Some frown upon it. I argue that it preserves the environment. We’re encouraged to recycle in so many other ways, why should we treat gift s any diff erently?

Th e key to regift ing is this: You want to be able to pass the gift on to someone who will hopefully appreciate a gift that you didn’t, without off ending the original gift -giver. In theory, they legitimately thought you would enjoy the gift they gave you. For whatever reason, they were wrong about this, but there’s no need to make them feel bad rub-bing their nose in that fact.

So you need to try to make sure that your regift ends up as far away from the original source as possible. For example, if the gift came from your girlfriend’s side of the family, send it off to someone on your own side, a distant uncle, maybe, who never comes to visit; someone you can be fairly comfortably sure won’t be rubbing elbows with the origi-nal source of the gift .

Of course, ideally, you should try to fi nd someone you think will enjoy the gift too. Re-member, this isn’t about just trying to move around a crappy gift that no one wants. Th e ultimate point of regift ing is to fi nd it a home where it will be loved and appreciated.

But while we’re on the topic, let’s talk a little bit about crappy gift s.

Th ere’s a phrase that I think has lost it’s meaning to some people. It’s a common phrase you hear in the context of gift -giving. Th at phrase is: “It’s the thought that counts.”

Th ere are lots of ways you “think” about giving a gift . You could, for example, “think”

about giving someone a loaf of bread for Christmas. And this would, of course, in no way be a terribly good or interesting gift . Es-pecially if the someone receiving it were try-ing to watch their carbs. And you might try to argue that it is “the thought that counts.” But you would be wrong.

What is meant by, “It’s the thought that counts,” is that you have put some thought into purchasing a creative gift , carefully selected for that person’s unique qualities. It doesn’t have to be expensive, as long as it is carefully selected.

Admittedly, even these sorts of “thought”ful gift s can turn out not quite right, and that is exactly the sort of situation when you might want to try regift ing.

Because you got something that isn’t quite right for you, but might be just perfect for Uncle Ned.

So plan your regift s now, while all the de-tails are fresh in your mind. Rewrap it, hide it, label it for it’s new, future recipient, and tuck it away in a closet until December.

Look at that. It’s only January and you’ve already started your Christmas shopping.

Reduce, reuse, and recycle your gifts

Regift ing isn’t just good for your pocketbook, it’s good for the environment too. Remember,

by regift ing you’re being eco-friendly.

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Resolutions for a new yearResolutions for a new yearPage 4Page 4

A poem for theA poem for theFlying Fur BuyerFlying Fur Buyer

Page 15Page 15

Roger Waters builds Roger Waters builds ‘The Wall’ one more time‘The Wall’ one more timePage 16Page 16

THE STEW tacklesTHE STEW tacklesthe Fit City Challenge!the Fit City Challenge!

Page 19Page 19

Wally shares hisWally shares hisChristmas adventureChristmas adventurePage 22Page 22

Ingredients (or things that helped us get through the last month): Having a really nice Christmas, thanks for asking, and being able to spend it with friends, family, and other miscellaneous loved ones, the Christmas spirit, and, of course, Christmas spirits (particularly rye whiskey), non-alcoholic punch, home-made cheese-balls, home-made ice cream, a massive feast that we didn’t have to put together ourselves, seeing the faces of those you managed to spoil as they unwrap their holiday goodies, being able to take a much needed break (even if it meant having to work extra hard to get this issue fi nished in time for the deadline), talking about some of the really awesome things we have planned for 2011, counting down to the new year at the Elk’s hall with a bunch of awesome people and amazing bands, home-made cheese-balls (did I mention that already?), fuzzy socks, inner baby belly kicks, sugar-free chocolate, home-made mo-chas, the warmth of our menagerie of animals on the sofa during chilly nights of TV, naps, Coke Zero, McDonalds’ french fries, shopping the Boxing Week sales, Christmas parental cheques, gift certifi cates to The Hobbit House (both giving and getting), www.allrecipes.com, holiday music, bacon-wrapped hot dogs, Steven King’s Under the Dome, Roger Waters performing ‘The Wall’ live in Vancouver.

Nutrition FactsServing Size: 24 pgsServings Per Container 1

Amount Per Serving

Calories 0% Daily Value*

Resolutions Just in time for the New YearRetrospectives We prefer to look ahead for the most part Fibre Please don’t eat the newsprintTravel A trip to Kamloops, a pass-through of 100 Mile, a trip to Quesnel, and a trip to Vancouver

The Problem ofThe Problem ofPeak OilPeak OilPage 10Page 10

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‘Maria in the Shower’ spent many summers as a Granville Island busking act before becoming a

favourite on the festival and touring circuits.

HAPPYNEW YEAR!

BY JULI HARLANDTHE STEW MAGAZINE

Here at Th e Stew, I was curious about what the people of the Cariboo were hoping to plan this year, so I spent some time chasing down whoever would share their resolutions with me, and you, the readers. I was both surprised and not ter-ribly shocked that many people either didn’t want to share their thoughts for fear of looking foolish if, or even when, their personal resolutions didn’t pan out, or they just plain didn’t plan on making any promises or plans in general.

Th ankfully, the tradition is not gone altogether. For every person who was less-than-for-ward about their resolutions (or lack of them) there were many who were very vocal about their own promises to them-selves, others and the universe.

As someone whose main resolution is to simply give birth this year, mostly be-cause I know I can’t back out of that goal, I can understand why there would be a certain amount of hesitation to share perceived shortcomings with others. Especially in these days of Facebook and blogs where resolution failures are public

property. As it turns out the tradition

of resolution making has always been full of controversy and de-bate over why, how, to whom, and even when the practise should be … well, practised.

According to the history books, the whole New Year holiday business started about 4000 years ago with the Ro-mans; though for a number of years there was confusion with when and why the celebra-tions should be held at all. Th e tradition of making resolutions didn’t come, however, until some 2000 years later.

Like most modern holi-

days the dates and traditions changed quite a bit before they settled into what we practise today. Originally the New Year’s parties were held in March to coincide with the beginning of Spring and the planting season. Th at held strong for a good long time until about 150 BC when it was decided by the Romans that January 1 would mark the start of the calendar year. With that came the start of the practise of resolutions.

Why? Well the Roman sen-ate, at the time, was all agog over this mythical King of an-cient Rome names Janus (who the month January was named

for) who, it was believed, had two faces, which he used to look to the future and the past at the same time. Nift y trick.

In order to appease the king-god Janus, citizens would off er up promises to the deity in hopes that in his ability to see the past and present he could put in a good word for their future to the cosmos to enable them to attain their goals.

Th e new changes didn’t stick so well and so for the next 100 years or so the celebration dates bounced back and forth between March and January, depending on who was in charge.

Celebrating the practice of promises

A FRANTIC 'SHOWER' Vancouver band ‘Maria In The Shower,’ a self described Folk Cabaret group, put on a frantic performance to the crowd at the Elk’s Hall for the Grand Cariboo New Year’s Ball. You should make a resolution to check them out. They were brilliant.


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Th e ever-popular Julius Caesar put an end to all the date-jumping by chang-ing the Roman calendar altogether and putting what seemed like and end to the chronic date-jumping.

Th e early Christian church, of course, caught wind of this little tradition and moved the New Year, once again, this time to December 25, to coincide with the, also Christian Church appointed, birth of Christ. Th at didn’t last either, and funny enough it was a Pope who changed the celebratory day back to January 1, though without the connota-tions of the God-King Janus. Th e tradi-tion of making New Year’s promises, or resolutions, was continued, though, as a promise to the generic self as a way of trying to make one’s self better.

Th at sure seems like a lot of confu-sion to get us to where we are now: par-ties, noise makers and solid, sometimes drunken, promises to lose weight and spend more time with family.

Th ough the point of resolutions may have changed over the years, from promises to an all-knowing entity to the more modern wishful-thinking-planning that happens each year, there is no lack of promises tossed out to the cosmos every January 1.

From the spiritual promises such as “to get closer to God,” from Maggie Ranger, to the more playful “I am going to just spend all my time playing with

my cats,” as promised by Scout Island’s Jenny Noble, it seems that there are still many people who practise the tradi-tion of making the annual pledges. And they are not all made up of promises to lose weight and be nicer. Resolutions, I found, can be as individual as the person making them.

“My number one resolution for 2011 is to not let other peoples ignorance and things that are outta my control bother me, and to do the best I can to live ev-eryday to its fullest,” says Trevor Todoro-wich of Twisted and Tortured Inkworkz in Williams Lake. Something, perhaps, many of us could relate to at least a little bit, though perhaps a little non-descript.

Th e trouble with most resolutions, according to McGill psychology profes-sor Richard Koestner, is that they are too vague, lack the proper motivation (based on what we think others want rather than something we truly want to change or achieve), and they lack planning.

“Nothing magical happens when you state a goal, particularly if it is an am-biguous unmeasurable one like, ‘I want to become a better person.’ And even with a specifi c measurable goal, one has to anticipate that it will be very diffi cult to change one’s behaviour.”

Instead, he suggests, question your motives, set specifi c goals based in the positive, and formulate a step-by-step plan.

FAMILY TIME Judy O’Neill and her nephew Brody Thomassen share some family time over Christmas. “That’s the kind of balance I want more of,” Judy says.


According to Yahoo News the top fi ve 2011 public resolutions are to: (5) Get a job; (4) Fall in love; (3) Save money;

(2) Be happy; (1) Lose Weight

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Leanne Kunka of Th e Hobbit House has been working for some time on her resolution. “I am going to spend more time at the SPCA, giving them animals as much love as I can till they fi nd forever homes! It’s hard on the heart,” she says, “but so needed.” Th e promise may seem like a general one, but Kunka and her family have been work-ing together to do what they can to help their local SPCA. In fact, over the holidays she and her family organized a sub-stantial Christmas drop-off for the animals housed in the local shelter. Something, says Kunka, that started from a pledge from her children to forgo shopping for Christmas presents that may not be appreciated and, instead, put their money toward ensur-ing good care for the SPCA ani-mals. She is one who is working her resolution plan.

Other resolutions are not en-tirely due to one’s own will. “I’m going on the DASH diet,” says Cariboo resident Rod Bearney, “because I have to.” According to Rod, his doctor is the one making his resolutions this year. It is up to Rod, however, to

follow the plan. One, he thinks, he will be able to live with...for now. “I’m going to have to if I want to keep kickin’!” he smiled.

Th ere are those whose reso-lutions involve plans to fl y the nest, expand their skills, and

see the world, as is the case with Cariboo Advisor writer Can-dace Wu. “My new years resolu-tion is to stop compromising my life and start travelling; go to San Francisco, take pictures.” A perfectly reasonable desire for one who is starting out and

beginning to make her mark on the world.

PS, Candace: We want to see those photos.

Sometimes it is about admit-ting where your faults lay and recognizing the hurdles they involve. Former City Councillor and current WLCBIA manager, Judy O’Neill, shared her resolu-tion: “Keep life in perspective. I am not going to be a worka-holic this year! I want to go to Curves three times a week because I like it, but I can’t do it if I’m in the offi ce all the time. I want balance.” Her partner, and many who know her, can attest that her desire to cut back on her workload is both a desirable and loft y goal. “Even when I’m relaxing I’m busy,” she laughs.

Th ere are those whose resolutions combine a little bit of the common with a touch of something concrete as in Brit-tany Betts-Edwards resolutions to “Lose weight. Finish a book in hopes of getting it published, and to enjoy the little things.”

And of course there are still an abundance of the popular feel-good resolutions that pop up every year. Th e ones de-

signed to bring a smile to your face and the face of the person committing to the promise. Resolutions such as the one made by Mountain Mystic Martin Comtois: “I plan on 2011 being my best year yet. I’m committed to one thing in particular — no compromises! Nothing but the best; perfect is good enough.”

Or Cariboo resident Lisa Plant’s desire to “turn my frown upside-down!”

Th e same promise can be made to refl ect more upon how one treats themselves, as local teacher Tanya Isnardy says: “I’m just going to take better case of myself in every sort of capac-ity. Be kind to myself physically and emotionally.”

Whatever the case may be, if your promise is concise, vague, silly, serious, or if you don’t have one at all, we here at Th e Stew wish you the best of luck, love and prosperity in 2011! And if all else fails, may you follow the footsteps of one of our own favourite people, Sage Birchwater, and simply resolve to “just keep on keeping on keeping on.”

NEW YEAR’S SMILES Carl Johnson and Katalin Szauer with Martin Comtois, orgainzer of the Grand Cariboo New Year’s Ball. Comtois resolves that 2011 will be his best year yet. “I’m committed to one thing in particular — no compromises!”


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Retail Operations Manager Marla Pritchard joined the Canadian Tire family in Williams Lake back in August of 2010. Originally from around these parts, Marla has spent the last 25 years working for the specialty retailer Nordstrom in the US before coming home to the lake city about a year ago.

“We’re just implementing programs and working on training and we’ve done some fun contests, and making the workplace fun and productive and profitable,” Marla says of her time at Canadian Tire. “It’s been wonderful so far.”

After many years keeping warm and cozy in California and Hawaii with her previous job, Marla is still getting used to the winters out here in Williams Lake “Have I plugged in my car? Sure! What do I plug it in to?” she laughs. Nonetheless, she is enjoying the family feel with the crew at Canadian Tire. “It is like I have managed to attract a whole bunch more brothers,” she says of the guys at the shop.

Marla likes to spend her time away from work riding horses, trying to learn to play the piano and hanging out with friends and family both indoors and out. “I’m not a big winter sports person, but I am sure I can learn to toboggan,” she laughs. “I do love the rivers and lakes and the fishing in the summer.”

And if that’s not enough Marla also finds the time and energy to volunteer with the American Himalayan Foundation as an events coordinator. “One of the things we’ve been working on is getting young girls in, and keeping them in, school,” she explains. “I think when I started we had 52 girls in school and now we have 8500.”

As for what is left of her ‘down time’? “I’d like to get involved in the arts out here too,” says Marla. Whatever the case is, this woman is sure to make her mark on the community, no matter what she chooses to get involved in.

Welcome to the family.

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Every New Year’s people make resolu-tions, and from my Internet searches, the top choices for resolutions all seem to be involving getting healthier in one way or another: quiting smok-ing, exercising more, eating healthy, having a healthier lifestyle, and losing weight.

Thankfully, none of these need to cost you anything but time, and in the long run, will save you loads of money and years.

If you are trying to lose weight there are a lot of ways to do this, even from the privacy of your own home, and without all of the bells and whistles. There is a large variety of books and videos on the subject at your local library that won’t cost you a penny.

There are also groups that you can join like TOPS, Jenny Craig, Weight Watch-ers, and the like. Un-fortunately all of these will cost you some money, though you gain the added support of the network.

There are also sites online that can com-bine the free informa-tion and a network of supporters (al-beit through forums, emails and blogs), such as Fitday, Fitclick, startyourdiet.com, Buddyslim.com, and Sparkpeople.com.

All of these options will offer many ways to eat healthier, and bet-ter living starts with a healthy relationship with food.

No one wants to be on a diet roller-coast-er. It’s not good for you, and it is not good for your self-esteem. Incorporating healthy eating habits, rather

than jumping on the diet band-wagon, is a sure way to avoid the roller coaster; and as you change your eating habits, you will slowly and healthfully loose weight.

Before you decide to follow any of my sug-gestions, see your doc-tor first. Your doctor knows you and your history well (or he/she should) and can help you determine the best plan for you and your body.

I do, personally, support the Eat Clean diet, and Clean Eat-ing Magazine. It makes sense to me, it’s logi-cal, and tells you that just changing your diet won’t help you lose weight. They tell you that you need to eat, and that you need to do some sort of exer-cise in order to lose weight. They also tell you that it’s not easy, and that you have to want the change in order for it to happen. At least it is one that I’ve worked with. The books are ones that should be available at your local library.

Now last, but defi-nitely not least, one of the best things you can do for your health and your wallet is to keep your resolution to quit smoking! Every-one knows it is very bad for you, and I am sure that you hear the warnings all the time.

What you don’t nor-mally hear from people (as far as I can tell), is that if you don’t men-tally want to quit, or have proper support, it will be harder to be successful.

I have never had to stop smoking, but I do have an unhealthy addiction to Pepsi. I can stop drinking it for months, and in one evening just smelling the wonderfully sweet aroma of it wafting from my neighbor’s glass....well, needless to say, it’s a work in progress for me!

Luckily for those who are brave enough to try their hand at quiting smoking, there is a lot of help out there!

There is even a contest being held at QuitNow.ca that you can check out online or by calling their toll-free number 1-877-455-2233. There is also a smokers helpline at 1-877-513-5333. There are many more sourc-es, these are only a couple of the many out there. I will be linking to some more of them at my blog at www.fine-frugality.blogspot.com.

Whatever your health goals, best of luck to you! And I hope everyone has a happy new year, and a great start on their resolutions!

[email protected]

Frugal tips to help those New Year’s resolutions

By Angela ShephardBy Angela Shephard

FineFrugalityFineFrugality


BY TODD SULLIVANTHE STEW MAGAZINE

Well, would you look at that, another year has passed us by.

2010 was sort of a weird year for me, for a number of reasons. First and foremost, it was a year that had been made famous 17 years before it would even arrive, as the title of Arthur C. Clarke’s sequel to 2001: A Space Odyssey; 2010: Odyssey 2 (the film adaptation, released the next year,

would bring this year into the collective conscious-nesses of many more people).

And while it took until the nearly the end of the year, the film’s tagline did prove prophetic, as 2010 was the year we made con-tact; not with intelligent life from outer space, but with arsenic-based life, here on our own planet, in a lake in California.

This also marks the last year that some of us will see, in our own lifetime, a date from Clarke’s series

of science fiction novels, as the third book takes place in 2063, 52 years from now. Should I be so lucky as to survive those 52 years, I’d be 89 years old. A ripe old age, for sure, but with ongo-ing advances in science and healthcare, far from entirely unlikely. Some are even predicting that within 20 years we might be able to avoid mortality completely.

I know some people dread the thought of im-mortality. They say they’d get bored. I say, get some new hobbies.

I would, of course, like to stick around as long as I could, and not entirely for selfish reasons either. 2010 also marked the year that Juli and I decided to bring

a brand new life form into the world. They tell us it’s going to be a girl, and she should be popping out to say hello sometime around May 6, 2011, if the doctors are to be believed.

And sticking around should (hopefully) be even easier, as 2010 also marked the year I finally quit the smoking habit. By the time you read this, I’ll be officially more than 365 days smoke-sober, something I never thought would actually happen. And because it finally has happened, I’m com-mitted to never taking another puff, no matter how tempting it might be. That’s a mistake I’ve made too many times in the past.

Of course, of all the

wonderful, crazy, things that have come out of 2010, we can not for-get the formation of the product you are currently holding in your hands -- The Stew Magazine. It was a risk that Juli and I were foolish enough to take (as we’ve said for the last three months, in regards to both the magazine and the baby, we decided to get all our mid-life crises out of the way at once), but one that has fortunate-ly turned into a success.

Happy new year. Thanks for reading us. Thanks for supporting us. We’ve got some pretty wild stuff lined up for 2011, and we’re looking forward to sharing it with you.

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A look back on the crazy that was 2010A look back on the year that was, and a look ahead to the one still to come

BY JULI HARLANDTHE STEW MAGAZINE

January — a new year, new beginnings, new goals, new seasons, and even a new financial quar-ter with The Stew. The promise of the New Year is a classic time to reflect on the year just passed and to make goals for the year ahead. Some of the goals may last a week, some a little longer, some a life-time and there are those that never see the light of day, but the act of look-ing ahead, I feel, shows acceptance and hope for change.

And change, I have found, can be very, very good.

We’ve certainly had our share over the last

year. We had a brief affair with restaurant owner-ship before we realized our dream of publishing our own Arts and Lifestyle monthly that you now have in your hands (or are reading online, whichever is tickling your fancy right now). Jobs were left, one child became an adult and we are about to welcome our new daughter into the world (a 19 year age difference between the youngest and the oldest child isn’t crazy, right?).

Though even with all the changes over the past year, it is the year ahead that I am excited about. I have always held to the belief that the road behind you helps to pave the way to the road ahead, and the years behind us have

brought us to a very excit-ing year to come indeed.

The Stew is gaining popularity everywhere. I see more and more people reading it wherever we go, and that is exciting. I am thrilled to think about future issues that we have planned and know that we are going to turn some heads as the months go by this year. We have plotted out some very interest-ing ideas for this year, publication-wise, and I am dying to see what the re-sponse is going to be. We have some pretty awesome and intelligent readers and we are working to make sure that we can pique interest, curiosity and conversation with you as we go along.

This year we will

also be, as I said earlier, welcoming our daughter into the world sometime in late April or early May. This will be Todd’s first experience as a father and I am thrilled to death to be sharing this experi-ence with him. The whole process has been, and will continue to be, a joyful and nerve-wracking expe-rience. I know it is going to be life changing, and I can hardly wait.

2011 also marks my last year in my 30s. in 2012 I will hit the big 4-0, and with that I am noticing my outlooks changing. Things that mattered, such as making sure my make-up is perfect and that I don’t (god-forbid) em-barrass myself in public, have less and less impact,

and things that I took for granted such as my health and friendships are becoming more and more dear. Perhaps this is what they mean when people talk about growing up -- even though I still feel like a 17 year-old trapped in a lumpy 38-year-old body.

I am sure there will be plenty more changes as the year goes by, just as each year brings new challenges and successes. My biggest hope is to re-member to learn from the fumbles and to celebrate the joys as they come along. And to embrace the changes, one by one, because they will help to build the roads that will lead me on through this crazy ride of life.

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Embracing the changes to come in 2011

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Hugh Jackman can ride anything!Originated at: Cityrag.com, via Oprah

When Hugh Jackman visited Oprah Winfrey’s show last month, he probably didn’t expect to be the star of his very own meme, but that’s exactly what happened aft er someone snagged a photo of a very, very excited Jackman zip-lining his way onto Oprah’s stage at the Sydney Opera House in Australia. Photoshopped images of Jackman atop everything from ostriches to rockets started show-ing up online almost immediately.

Adding injury to insult, Jack-man’s zip-line entrance met with a few technical diffi culties, leaving the actor with a black eye on top of the meme-based embarassment.

Way to go, Internet. Kick a guy when he’s down.

MEMEOF THEMONTHMEME [meem] nounAn element of a culture or

system of behaviour passed

from one individual to an-

other by imitation or other

non-genetic means

an image, video, etc. that is

passed electronically from one

Internet user to another

MAGAZINE

THE STEW Magazine is an independently owned and operated monthly arts and lifestyle

magazine published in the Cariboo Chilcotin. All information contained in this magazine is

correct, to our best knowledge, as of press time. Opinions expressed by correspondents and

contributors are not necessarily those of THE STEW or its employees. We reserve the right to

edit letters to the editor for grammar, punctuation, content, or length. All letters must be

signed by the author. THE STEW Magazine accepts no responsibility for correctness beyond

the amount paid for that portion of advertising space occupied by the incorrect item. We

reserve the right to refuse any advertising or editorials submission which we believe to be

inconsistent with the philosophy of this publication.

The contents of this publication are copyright The Stew Magazine 2011.

THE STEW Magazine wants to know: What’s your New Year’s Resolution?

Send your answers to [email protected]

Todd Sullivan [email protected]

publisher / editor-in-chief

“I need better organization in life, especially now that my

home has become my office. It was a lot easier to be

disorganized when I could split my home and work messes.”

Juli Harland

sales manager / executive editor

[email protected]

“My New Year’s resolution is to simply give birth. It is the one

thing that I am not able to screw up on.”

Angela Shephard

fine frugality (crafters beat)

[email protected]

“My new years resolution is that I will get my house organized

and KEEP it organized!”

Jamie Horsely

tone soup (music beat)

[email protected]

“My New Year's resolution is not to make any New

Year's resolutions.”

Will Meeks

where’s wally (travel beat)

[email protected]

“My new years resolution: I will stop drinking beer

(unless offered), and drink only whiskey. Beer is bad

for you.”

Carol Davidson

stir (health beat)

[email protected]

“I resolve that in 2011 I will try and not become a

total bore while eating, sleeping, breathing, and

being completely consumed by my Ironman Canada

training (but I won't make any promises)!”

Torrey Owen

vancouver seen (city beat)

[email protected]

My New Year’s resolution is to listen to at least three

songs every month so I'll have songs for upcoming

The Stew publications.”

Additional Contributors:

Sage Birchwater, Natasha Stukl

We really do like it when people send us letters.We really will print them, even if you hate something we did.

Especially if you hate something we did. Hate mail is great.

Editor:I just wanted to give a big

thank you to Todd and Juli and all of you that brought Th e Stew into being so that the Cariboo could once again have access to a free newspaper with good and varied articles!

Although most of the

ads are about Williams Lake businesses, the information is good for Quesnel residents who will be visiting that town in the near future, and hopefully, you will get more support from Quesnel as time goes on.

— Maureen MurrayQuesnel

Thanks to those behind ‘The Stew’

In our December issue, we gave away two tickets to the New Year`s Eve party hosted by Th e Gecko Tree and Mountain Mystics. One of those tickets went to someone who wrote us an email telling us why they deserved to get one. Th is is that winning letter.

Hi all, especially those making the decision:

When I was a little girl, I heard a rumour, no a legend, a story, a myth! It was so unbelievable that it could have no possible place in reality. Some-thing so extraordinary that I have held on to this story since I was 5 and

3/4’s years old. And that scintillating idea that has been residing in my mind for the last 39 years is that man can actually stand on a stand-up bass.

I had never thought this could be real! How could something that fragile support the weight of a full grown man? And stand-up bass certainly only refers to how one plays the instrument, not what one does on it!

Th en, I saw the ad for the New Year’s Eve gig with Mary In the Shower or Marianne in the Shower or whoever they are, and went to the band’s home page to

check them out and see what kind of music they play. I loved their sound enough to click through some of their videos, and then I saw it!

Right there, in one of their videos: A man standing on a stand up bass! How could this be so? How could this happen? I hit rewind and watched it again. And there it was, a guy up on the instrument, balanced and perched and wailing away on a trumpet!

And now, you’ve got to give me the tickets, so I can see this incredible, legendary phenomenon for myself, in person.

Because everybody knows you can photoshop any-thing these days.

Finally I might get to see that rumoured event, and you get to make a little girl’s dream come true.

With longing, and a sense of suspended disbelief,

— Sheryl-LynnWilliams Lake

[Editor’s Note: As prom-ised by their web videos, ‘Maria in the Shower’ did perform with one of their members standing upon a stand-up bass. We tried to take a picture, but it didn’t turn out very well.]

I want to see a stand up, stand-up bass

Editor:Re: Getting a piece of the Soupbone blues, THE STEW, Oct. 2010

We had rehearsal tonite and read the article as a group to roars of laughter!

Juli: You rocked on

that article. Hilariously written and professional enough to be in Rolling Stone.

We loved the fact that you went out there with the risky stuff .

Well done.— Garry Grosso

and the band

You send us letters. We print them. That’s how it [email protected]


299 Oliver St, Williams Lake • 250-398-8522

Now that theholidays are over,get yourself whatyou really wantedfor Christmas.

BY LISA BLANDGUEST EDITORIAL

One day in the future, looking back on the decade to come, you might be heard saying – I belonged to the Peak Generation. No…not the Beat Generation, but peak – as in, peak oil.

When I decided to take a peek into the hidden world of peak oil, it was like tumbling over an abyss into the unknown. Peak oil is an invisible elephant standing in our midst – no-one is really talking about it, especially mainstream media, yet it threatens to infl uence our present day reality in such an irrevocable fashion. It’s unfathomable how little we understand or are prepared for it. While the debate on climate change and companion issues such as energy effi ciency, carbon caps, and clean energy alternatives have gained mainstream and political attention around the globe, you’re likely to fi nd more articles on olive oil than peak oil. For the most-part, this issue stubbornly remains off the public radar.

Yet when I started to dig deeper, amidst the lively debates swinging between alarmist doom and gloom-ers and their naysayer debunkers, I began uncovering an astounding amount of information and research suggesting the imminent reality of peak oil by scientists, economists, and international agencies, includ-ing the US Department of Defense, the International Energy Agency, and oil company CEO’s. While predictions about peak oil rarely enter the public debate, there are countless books written on the topic and progressive media and business publications are giving it more atten-tion, especially within the last fi ve

years, and notably in past months with numerous studies and reports predicting an impending oil crunch as noted in an article in Peak Gen-eration, “A Watershed Month for the Truth About Peak Oil” (March 2010) by Mathew Wild.

But before jumping headlong into an explanation of peak of oil, one must fi rst consider the history of oil and how modern society became so entwined with it. Oil is an amazing substance when you think about it. Vast hydrocarbon deposits of decomposed prehistoric zooplankton and algae bloomed across the earth’s oceans during two periods of global warming over 100 million years ago and then died and settled to the bottom of oceans and lakes. Over millions of years, the large deposits mixed with mud and were buried under sediment, creating conditions of high heat and pressure thousands of meters below the earth’s crust, gradually converting into oil through a series of chemical reactions. Oil reservoirs formed when concentrations of the material became trapped and sealed in porous rock. With relative ease and low expense, the oil fi elds of liquid crude that fuel every aspect of our modern lives, are extracted via oil drilling and pumping.

Although oil has been around since ancient times, the steam engine, fuelled by coal, started the Industrial Revolution. In the 1860’s the fuel drinking Internal Combus-tion Engine came on the scene, and by the 20th century, high density, easily transported, cheap, abundant petroleum extracted from crude oil became the single most important substance behind the global explo-sion in industry, trade, agriculture, transport and world population.

Today, petroleum based products permeate all aspects of modern in-dustrial life and include pharmaceu-ticals, cosmetics, solvents, fertilizers, pesticides, and plastics. Life without oil is pretty much inconceivable – or is it?

Enter peak oil. Peak oil was a term coined in the 1950’s by Shell Oil geologist, M. King Hubbert, and although still widely desputed, refers to the predictive bell shaped curve at which the earth’s non-renewable, fi nite supply of easily accessed liquid crude oil, aft er discovery, reaches a halfway point, or peak of production, aft er which production begins to exponentially decline and demand exceeds supply.

Although still subject to debate, Hubbert accurately predicted the US domestic oil production peak of 1970 and further predicted a world-wide peak of oil production sometime at the turn of the 21st century.

At present the controversial debate over peak oil ranges from discrepancies as to whether peak oil exists, to speculation about the actual dates of peak produc-tion and subsequent decline, to whether preparation for peak oil will accelerate production of climate and environment un-friendly energy substitutes such as coal-fi red generation, natural gas, nuclear, and hydro-electric power or create a radical shift towards clean renew-able energy such as solar power, micro-hydro, wind power, biomass, and bio-fuels. Th ose who believe the Peak Generation is upon us are diving straight into the heart of re-visioning life without cheap oil and have their eyes wide open when it comes to the implications for our fast-paced fossil fuel guzzling

society. Regardless of the contro-versy surrounding this issue, experts suggest global oil production has already peaked or might peak this year, will likely peak by 2015 and almost certainly will peak by 2020.

According to Colin Campbell, oil geologist and founder of Th e Association for the Study of Peak Oil and Gas (ASPO), by 1981 the world was using more oil than was being discovered and the gap between production and discov-ery has only widened. Campbell believes that inaccurate reporting and overly optimistic estimates of existing and remaining reserves by the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) in the 1980’s due to competition and quota protection and the pressure to create optimistic scenarios for investors, compromised the validity of accu-rate statistical data and resulted in an overestimation of world oil reserves.

In the past year reports and arti-cles have begun surfacing indicating that mainstream views regarding peak oil are shift ing. In April 2010, a report issued by the US Joint Forces Command suggests that with the present global appetite of 86 million barrels of oil per day and increased demand by developing nations such as China and India, that by 2012 surplus oil production capacity could disappear, and as early as 2015 shortfalls in output could reach 10 million barrels per day, resulting in serious global economic and politi-cal impacts.

Energy optimists who dismiss peak oil theory as hype by apoca-lyptic conspiracy theorists live with the certainty that abundant reserves of oil still await discovery and in the unlikely event that world crude production is presently in decline,

the development of deep water oil, tar sands, shale oil, and Polar oil re-serves will keep business operating as usual until gradually alternative energy sources and new technolo-gies pick up the slack. In contrast, peak oil analysts point out that although large deposits exist, harder to extract and expensive produc-tion of heavier or deeper oils require costly infrastructure and in many cases are extremely damaging to the environment – they are clearly not the best option in a world con-cerned with climate change. Robert Bryce, author of “Power Hungry: Th e Myths of Green Energy, and Real Fuels of the Future,” warns that although renewable energy sources and new technology are part of the solution, they are incapable of operating at a large enough scale or being implemented in enough time to shoulder the colossal energy demands of the global population.

In his 2005 book, “Oil Crisis,” Colin Campbell states, “peak oil is by all means an important subject. We’re not facing a re-run of the (1970s) Oil Shocks. Th ey were like....tremors....we now face (an) earthquake....It is not a temporary interruption but the onset of a permanent new condition.”

Many peak oil analysts believe that the disappearance of an abun-dant supply of cheap fossil fuels will result in increased confl ict by major world players for access to remain-ing reserves, a rapid increase in oil prices and all other consumer prod-ucts relying on oil for their transport and production, an inability for industrial farms to supply food to the masses, and the demise of the suburban lifestyle due to higher transportation costs.

The problem of peak oil; are you prepared?

CONTINUED ON PAGE 20

Peak Oil is currently a fairly controversial topic, especially among oil experts. Do you have an opinion on the debate?

We’d love to hear it. Email us at [email protected]


Your guide towhere to go andwhat to do forthe month of

January

PlayPlay

BRINGING IN THE NEW YEAR Local band My Wife’s Quartet enter-tains the packed house at the Elk’s Hall in Williams Lake on New Year’s Eve, part of the entertainment lineup at the Grand Cariboo New Year’s Ball. The quartet is made up of Suzanne Butter-fi eld, Glenn Robson, Brian Sawyer, and Michael Butterfi eld.


January is traditionally a slow month for events, with everyone recovering from the holidays. But it is also the birthday of Th e Stew’s Executive Editor

and Sales Manager. Juli welcomes parties and cookies of all kinds.

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January 1 to March 4: At the 99 Mile Cross-Country Ski Trails, just south of 100 Mile House, Challenge 500! Th is cross-country skiing chal-lenge sponsored by the 100 Mile Nordic Ski So-ciety is open to everyone 19 years and over. Th ere is a $20 entry fee. Th e chal-lenge starts January 1 and runs for 11 weeks. Please register with Daylodge attendant then track skied kilometers and enter them before 10 am the next day to be eligible for the draw; great draw prizes and grand prize draw for all 500km fi nish-ers! Email mileage to [email protected]; once you have registered and paid, your name will be added to the mileage board. For more informa-tion please contact Neil at (250) 397-2525 email: [email protected] or check the website www.100milenordics.com

January 5, 12, 19 and 26: Th e Williams Lake Toastmasters meet week-ly on Wednesday eve-nings from 7pm to 8pm, September to June, in the back alley entrance to the Central Interior Services Cooperative Building at 51 South Fourth Avenue in Williams Lake. Guests are always welcome to see a meeting in action. For more information please contact 250-392-1008 or check out our web site at

www.williamslaketoast-masters.com or email [email protected]

January 6, 13, 20 and 27, 2011: Free Infant Massage Classes at the Women’s Contact Soci-ety 301-19 North Firstst Avenue in Williams Lake (Above Cariboo Ski) from 10am to 11 am. Please phone 250-392-4118 to register

January 7: At the Twin Arenas in Quesnel, the rinks will be hosting the

annual Quesnel Ringette Goldpan Tournament. For more information please contact 250-992-7125

January 7, 14, 21 and 28: At the Quesnel Legion Hall, Musician Jam Nightwith Drinks and Dancing! For more information please contact Sharon at 250-992-5315

January 7 at 10am to January 9 at 6pm: Cari-boo Challenge 2011 will be held at the 108 Mile

Heritage Site. Th e action will include: four, six and 10 Dog Teams, Weight Pull, Ski Jouring, as well as the Musher’s dinner and Auction. For more information call 250-791-5225

January 8 at 1pm: Free public skating at the Williams Lake Cariboo Memorial Recreation Complex. Sponsored by Rona.

January 9 at 10 am:Th e Cariboo Ski Touring Club will be hosting a Free Pancake Breakfast at the Hallis Lake Lodge! A free Ski Day will follow. Free waxing, lessons and tours. Bring a friend. All ages and skills welcome. Members are encouraged to wear their passes. For more information please contact Elaine at 250-992-2855

January 13 to 15 and 18 to 22: At the Martin Exeter Hall in 100 Mile House, M*A*S*H* by Tim Kelly. Th e play is presented by the Peter Skene Ogden Secondary School (PSO) Th eatre Troupe. Doors open at 6:20pm, show time 7pm; tickets available at Didi’s, Donex, Solstice Salon & Boutique & PSO School for $10 in advance or $12 at the door. For more in-formation, please contact Monique Corno at PSO 250-395-2461, Ext. 129

WE WANT YOUTO JOIN THE STEWAre you looking for a part time job where you

get to meet interesting people? Do you like

talking about things like books, movies, and the

lastest pop-culture trends? Do you have your

own car? Are you somewhat computer savvy?

Do you enjoy drinking with co-workers?

Then you might be just what we’re looking for!

The Stew Magazine is looking for a part time advertising

representative immediately. Interested? Forward your resume

and cover letter to Juli Harland at [email protected].

MAGAZINE

THE SAGE PAGE Looks like we ran into Sage Birchwater again, this time at the Grand Cariboo New Year’s Ball. Here he discusses the release of volume 10 of Lived Experiences with Carmen Mutschele, Master of Ceremonies for the ball.

MOST IMPROVED BUSINESS AWARD WINNER

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Williams Lake Business Exellence Award nomination forms should be out this month as well. It’s a good opportunity to put in a good word for your favouite new arts and lifestyle magazine.

WWilliams Lake

STUDIO THEATRESociety

Williams Lake Studio Theatre Societyinvites you to audition for

ON GOLDEN PONDBy Ernest ThompsonDirected by Tony SavileTo run March 30 to April 2, and April 6 to 9

Auditions will be held at the Studio Theatre in Glendale onSunday, Jan. 16th at 5.00 pmTuesday, Jan. 18th at 7.00 pmCall backs on Thursday, Jan. 20th at 7.00 pmRehearsals to start the following week.

One actor to play an 80 year-old manOne actress to play a 70-ish womanOne actress to play a 40-ish womanTwo actors to play 40-ish men, One actor to play a young teenagerAnyone interested in being part of the crew would be welcome too!

HOBBIT HOBBIT HOUSE HOUSE

392-759971 S 1st AvenueLeanne Kunka

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Williams Lake’s Wellness CentreUnique Things for Unique Souls

• Books • Crystals • Tinctures

• Aromatherapy • CDs • Giftware

• Jewellery • Singing Bowls • Local Made Products

• and so much more...

For the hands-on approach, come and visit both old

and new practitioners in the areas of

Reiki, Reflexology, Astrology, Healing Touch,

All Types of Massage, and More.

Saturday, January 15, at 2 pm: At the Gibraltar Room, Th e Williams Lake Film Club presents the Sundance Film Festi-val award winning “Waste Land”. Tickets are $5 and proceeds from the event go towards supporting the Williams Lake Chapter of the LDA, Association for Students with Learning Disabilities.

January 21: Starting in Quesnel and continuing to Barkerville and Wells, 16th Annual Gold Rush Trail Sled Dog Mail Run. Have your mail delivered by traditional sled during this popular historical run. For more informa-tion please contact 250-992-9142

January 22 from 8:30am to 5pm: At the North Cariboo Commu-nity Campus in Ques-nel, Ag & Hort Leap. A community event for youth and adults to gain information from profes-sionals, companies and institutions regarding business opportunities. Keynote speakers are Josh Volk from Slowhand farm Organic Growing, and Donna Dixson, from Flair Innovations. Registration is required, call 250-983-6900 for more informa-tion.

January 23 from 11am to 4:00pm: 2nd AnnualBridal Fair and Women’s

Expo at the Elks Hall. Please come on down and let the female pampering and wedding planning begin! If you are getting married or know of any one who is please come and see what amazing show specials you can get in on. Not gearing up to be a bride? Th at’s good too. Th is event caters not only to the bride but to all women in Williams Lake. Th ere will be great door prizes and wonderful specials off ered from all of the local exhibitors that will be participating! Th e hosting company, Event Essentials and Mobile

Shear Style, will be draw-ing a name to give a lucky bride the full pampering package for her wedding day.

January 26 at 1:30am: At the Quesnel Legion, 17th Annual Business Excellence Awards Nominee Luncheon; tickets are $12. Come out and help us recognize all the nominees for the 17th Annual Business Excellence awards. For more information please contact Patty at 250-992-8716

Th ursday, January

27, at 11:45am: On the last Th ursday of each month the Williams Lake Chamber of Commerce hosts luncheon meet-ings from 11:45am until 1:00pm at the Signal Point Gaming Centre. Monthly speakers cover a variety of topics relating to business and the community. For more information please contact the Chamber at 392-5025 or e-mail [email protected].

January 29 starting at 7am and going into the aft ernoon: Th e Williams Lake Wrestling Club will host the annual Elemen-

tary Wrestling Tourna-ment at Columneetza Senior Secondary. All spectators welcome. For information on the meet or the club, please call 250-267-7666 or email [email protected] or [email protected].

January 30 from 10am to 6pm: Horsefl y Winter Extravaganza. Events will include cross country ski-ing poker run, snowshoe race, a pot boiling contest, nail pounding, board sawing and lots more. Registration takes place at 10am at the Horsefl y

hockey rink. Call the arena for more details.

February 3 at 5:30pm: At Beeotcheese in Wil-liams Lak, Mideaval Madness! An evening of feasting and fun hosted by the Cariboo Grow-ers in partnership with Community Futures, BIA, WL Food Policy Council, WLST and more. Tickets are $50/couple or $30/single. Come fi nd out about local sustainability and party the night away while you’re at it! For more information contact the Food Growers at the corner of 3rd and Oliver.

February 5 at 9am to February 6 at 4pm: Horsefl y Valentine’s Scrapbooking Crop Fundraiser, put on by the Horsefl y Women’s As-sociation. Tickets are $45 for Saturday and Sunday and include: meals for both days, goodie bags, silent auction, door prize draws, lots of make-and-takes, free Copic intro with Tara and vendor raffl es. All proceeds to charity. Th e Horsefl y Mo-tel is off ering an awesome deal to all croppers! Bring a friend, share a room, and pay only $65.00 for the room. Call Angela at 250.620.3444 to book your room. Tickets can be purchased at Creative Accents, or contact Sigi at 250.398.6408 or email [email protected]

‘MAMA’ GROOVES Seth Macdonald and Shara Gustafson per-form at the Grand Cariboo New Year’s Ball as Mama and the Guru. The two are also the front-line of Mamaguroove.


MAGAZINE

Yeah. We blog.

www.thestew.cawww.thestew.ca


Random Trivia: Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of Th e Stew, Todd Sullivan, actually designed the CD covers

for a few of Frank Gleeson’s albums many years ago.

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BY SAGE BIRCHWATER

Darcy Christensen has had a lot of fun marketing his new book Double or Nothing: Th e Flying Fur Buyer of Anahim Lake since its release at the Museum of the Cariboo Chilcotin.

He has travelled near and far attending book signings, book launches and craft fairs as far north as Vanderhoof and as far west as Anahim Lake, his old stomping grounds where the bulk of the sto-ries in his memoir took place.

Anyone who reads the book will know that Darcy is never too far from games of chance. As the title of his book conveys, Darcy’s idea of having fun when he was a store owner and fur buyer in the West Chilcotin, was to fl ip double or nothing for items he was buying or selling.

He has carried that tradition on with the marketing of his book. He will fl ip double or nothing for it with any takers. And some folks like Williams Lake’s cowboy poet laure-ate, Frank Gleeson, don’t hesitate to step forward, coin in hand.

At the recent Medieval Market at Columneetza Secondary School, Frank didn’t blink when Darcy

off ered to fl ip double or nothing for the book. Luck was on Frank’s side, and he walked home with a free book.

But Darcy got some-thing out of it as well. A few days later Frank knocked on Darcy’s door with a brand new poem in hand about his lucky fl ip, and he presented Darcy with his own signed copy.

At book signings and craft fairs, Darcy now

pulls that crumpled piece of paper out of his shirt pocket and shares Frank’s poem with potential book customers.

Whether it has gar-nered Darcy extra sales is anybody’s guess, but it has surely increased the level of fun he is having marketing his memoir.

Frank Gleeson gave his permission to share his poem, Th e D’Arcy Story with Th e Stew readers:

THE D’ARCY STORYBY FRANK GLEESON

Now I’ll tell you about D’Arcy who was raised away out west.He ranched and had a trading post. Some said he was the best.He had a plane which brought him fame, that he fl ew all around.He’d trade boots and spurs for marten furs, then bring them into town.He never asked for handouts or forgiveness on a loan.He just buckled down and worked hard and did it on his own.He’d fl y out there and buy your furs; if storming he didn’t care.His plane would land, he’d shake your hand, and most folks thought him fair.He’d fl ip double or nothing and just say what the heck.But some say playing poker they swore he stacked the deck.He’d sell cigars and chocolate bars or a bear skin for your head,Or a nice fur-lined pisspot for underneath the bed.He’d bet you when a cow would calve, or when a moose went on a rut.Some thought he was a genius, others thought he was a nut.He’d sell nuts and bolts and bullets or anything you’d need.Shoes, booze and some rolled oats, if your old horse needed feed.From Bella Coola to Anahim, he knew it every mile.Asked if he would do it all again, well he’d just nod and smile.He went and wrote a real fi ne book that told about his life.‘Bout the ups and downs he faced out there, and the day he took a wife.He said he always tells the truth, and claims he never lied.He sells his book to honest crooks with Sage Birchwater by his side.I read the book from front to back, and I became a fan.From the day I fl ipped and won the book to the day I shook his hand.P.S.And I didn’t take your coin.

Th e “P.S.” Frank refers to at the end of the poem comes from Darcy’s explana-tion in his book about how the real game of fl ipping double or nothing was to try and get the other guy’s coin.

Darcy Christensen loses fl ip, but gains poem

THE POET AND THE TRADER Cowboy poet Frank Gleeson, left, with Darcy Christensen, author of ‘The Flying Fur Buyer of Anahim Lake’. Gleeson wrote a poem about Christensen and his book.


At the close of the opening number of the concert, a model airplane jetted across the top of the arena, crashed into the right side of the massive wall, which exploded in a burst of pyrotechnics,

followed by about 30 seconds of fi reworks blasting into the sky.And that is how you open a rock and roll show.

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How do you celebrate the 30th anniversary of one of the most iconic, ground-breaking, rock and roll albums of all time? If you’re Roger Waters, you take that show on the road.

Th e iconic album is Pink Floyd’s Th e Wall, which Waters (mostly) penned, an album that upon its release in 1979 would arguably perfect the genre of rock-opera concept-album.

And even though he’s currently 67 years old, Waters can rock with the best of them as proven by the recent North American leg of his world tour celebrating 30 years since songs like Another Brick in the Wall (Part 2) and Comfortably Numb slipped insidiously into our collective pop-culture uncon-scious.

Th is isn’t the fi rst time Th e Wall has been performed live, but it may as well be. When the band toured in support of the album in 1980, the stage spectacle was so massive they were only able to

perform 31 shows in four cities. Compare that to the 2010, North American leg of the tour, which saw 56 shows in 35 cities, and you can easily see that the current tour is ambitious to the say the least.

But then, Th e Wall was always an ambitious work, spawning not just the record-setting album and the 1980 tour, but also a feature fi lm, and a fundraising perfor-mance in Germany, at the location

where the Berlin Wall once stood.But it’s also been a work that’s

been embraced by fans from a wide variety of generations, a fact made even more evident by the atendees at the Vancouver leg of the world tour that was also at-tended by a good number of repre-sentatives from Th e Stew (Juli and I were tucked up way in the back, while Tone Soup’s Jamie Horsley had managed to score tickets a

little closer to the stage). Moving through Rogers Arena (formerly GM Place), you could see concert-goers ranging in age from 5 to 65. Not something you see at every rock and roll show.

And you could tell the crowd loved it, by the volume of the cheers and applause that, at some points, was loud enough to drown out the show that was taking place on stage, in front of the gigantic ‘Wall’ of the title -- a 12-meter tall projection screen that is gradually constructed during the fi rst half of the show, and dramatically demol-ished at the show’s conclusion.

It always seems a little strange to me to hear such a vocal celebra-tion of a work that is ultimately about fear, isolation, rage, and the horrors of war, even if it is, at the end of the day, just a rock and roll show.

But then, maybe it’s the under-lying message of it all that we’re cheering. Th at we all build walls. Th at we all try to hide from the cruelty around us. And that when those who love us eventually force their way through our walls, that

we appreciate the eff ort they put into that. We appreciate that they cared enough about us to set us free.

By cheering, we say, we hear you. With our applause we say, we get it.

Words projected large against ‘Th e Wall’ during the song ‘Bring the Boys Back Home’: “Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fi red, signi-fi es, in the fi nal sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and not clothed.”

It’s a quote from a speech that Dwight D. Eisenhower delviered to the American Society of News-paper Editors in 1953. And it’s just as relevent today as it was almost 60 years ago.

We hear you. We get it. We’re listening.

Waters has said that, at 67, he’s hoping that he has a decent encore left in him somewhere. Th is cur-rent world tour of ‘Th e Wall’ could very well be that. But then, 67 is young these days. Anything could happen from here.

Waters rocks Vancouver with ‘The Wall’


Is anyone else mortifi ed to see that N’ Sync topped the charts in 2000? Let’s all build a time machine so we can go back ten years and

punch ourselves in the head.

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It’s now 2011 and we’re offi cially a year into the current decade. So how was the fi rst year of the decade for the music world? Frankly, in my humble opinion, hugely disappointing. Most media offi cials agree that 2010 was ‘Th e Year of Pop.’

It really was. It really was sad. I, contrary to the impression I may give in this article, am not a very big fan of pop music. You will not fi nd a single Bieber song in my mas-sive music collection.

Despite the onslaught of plastic pop music and teen idol chart toppers, there were a few dia-monds in the rough this past year. Here are my top fi ve personal favourite albums of 2010:

#1: Coheed and Cam-bria - Year of the Black Rainbow

Coheed and Cambria is a prog rock concept band. All the songs are based on a comic book story called Th e Amory Wars, written by front-man Claudio Sanchez. Th is album is essentially a prequel to the existing story and was released in conjunction with a novel by the same name. Amazing sound, amazing vocals! Best song: Pearl of the Stars.

#2: Rob Zombie - Hell-billy Deluxe 2

When the Zombie went solo he released Hel-

billy Deluxe. It wasn’t as good as anything White Zombie ever did but it was still pretty wicked. Since then he’s gone steadily downhill with his music releases. Hellbilly Deluxe 2 is his redemp-tion. White Zombie purists will hate me for saying this but this tops anything they ever did as well. Best song: Werewolf Women of the S.S.

#3: Elton John and Leon Russel – Th e Union

I didn’t make this one number one simply be-cause I fi nd myself listen-ing to the other two more. Musically, this is probably the best. As I said when I fi rst reviewed this album, it really is truly master-ful. I don’t think either of these two guys could have done better on their own. Th ey are a perfect musical pairing. Elton gets back to his roots and Leon fi nally gets the spotlight he’s al-ways deserved. Best song: the whole damn album!

#4: Daft Punk – Tron: Legacy (soundtrack)

You can listen to it and really enjoy it, or you can put it on as background mu-sic anytime and it’s excellent, but where it really shines is dur-ing the movie. Even if you don’t normally pay attention to music in movies, you will when you see Tron. Some of the beats are in synch with the action in the scenes. As well as being fun and mostly upbeat, it noticeably drives the emotion of the film. Best song: The Game Has Changed.

#5: Gogol Bordello – Trans-Continental Hustle

Gypsy music never gets old. Apparently it gets younger. The gypsy punks hit the scene in ‘99 and have attracted a huge fol-lowing in the last decade. Ya know that Eastern-European folk sound that makes you want to drink lots of vodka and get up on the table, fold your arms, bend your knees and kick your legs? This is it! Modern party music that even your Russian Grandma will love. Best song: Pala Tute.

[email protected]

The best music of 2010And while we’re nostalgically looking back at the music charts of the last

year, let’s see what was sitting at the top of the charts for the five decades before that. These are best on total album sales, and not based on quality or critical reception. All data is courtesy of the wonderful world of Wikipedia.

By Jamie HorsleyBy Jamie Horsley

ToneSoupToneSoup

1960The Sound of Music

Original CastRecording

1970Bridge Over

Troubled WaterSimon & Garfunkel

1980The Wall

Pink Floyd1990

1990Janet Jackson’s

Rythmn Nation 1814Janet Jackson

2000No Strings Attached

‘N Sync

...and a look at decades past


Now that the Christ-mas season rituals of eating, socialising, eat-ing, drinking, eating and more eating has come to an end, so begins the annual tradition of making grand resolu-tions to work off all of that Christmas cheer that has stuck with us in the form of an extra few pounds.

Who among us hasn’t made a New Year’s reso-lution to make positive changes to our lifestyle or improve our wellness goals? And, who among us has abandoned our resolutions very shortly afterwards, giving in once again to busy schedules and a lack of motivation?

One year I had plans to “turn over a new leaf ” – whatever that meant.

Setting goals is never a bad thing. Everyone enjoys the feeling of accomplishment that

comes with seeing a goal through to its conclu-sion. I think as humans we have a never-ending desire to work towards some kind of goal – we need challenges in our lives to help us learn new things and to keep us fresh mentally.

The problem with New Years resolutions is that as a goal-setting technique they are often too vague or are so com-plex that it’s difficult to know where to start making them a reality. Just making a resolution

to lose 10lbs without a plan is pointless and a bit discouraging when, after several months you find that that extra 10lbs is still with you – and it’s gained a few friends.

I offer an alternative to the New Years resolu-tion – the slow resolve. Make those healthy life-style change goals, but don’t plan to make all of the changes at once, or in a short timeframe.

Years ago I found this saying in a fortune cookie: “You will do well when you expand your horizons.” I’ve kept it as a reminder that as long as I seek to improve myself by try-ing new things as often as I can I’ll reap the benefits in interesting and unexpected ways. Try something new, no matter how modest, and what you learn from the experience could set you off on a course of ac-tion you hadn’t initially anticipated. Just resolve to do something, and watch how those small changes add up over time. When you look back, you’ll be pleas-antly surprised at how far you’ve come, after making small changes to simply expand your

horizons.For example, I’d never

made a New Year’s reso-lution as lofty as to race at Ironman Canada in Penticton (Ironman tri-athlons consist of a mere 3800m swim, 180km bike and a 42.2km mara-thon...all in one day). In fact I’d never even resolved to run an entire marathon. Several years ago I knew I wanted to do more with my fitness than just compete in a few 10K runs and so I thought I would enrol in a “Learn to Tri” course at my local rec centre.

From taking that course I made friends in the triathlon commu-nity, joined a triathlon club and competed in some sprint-distance tri-athlons. I made plans to improve my swimming and road-riding skills. Over the next few years I watched my friends compete in longer races and eventually gained the confidence to make plans for longer races myself.

I had never, ever, thought I’d be capable of Ironman when I took the Learn to Tri course, but that experience set me on a path that will lead to Ironman Canada 2011. The best part is that I can’t wait, and I am looking forward to the intense training my coach will hand out to me in the next several months. I would never have guessed that taking a triathlon course at the rec centre would set the stage for such an excit-ing physical goal!

My running and

triathlon plans have not been without their setbacks over the years, and this is where the slow resolve comes in handy. No matter what happens, don’t lose sight of your horizon-expanding goals. They may take more time to achieve than you’d planned, but with per-sistence you will eventu-ally get there.

I have a dodgy lower back that likes to remind me of when my core muscles are not at their best, and it’s stopped me cold on more than one occasion. I’ve spent plenty of time with physiotherapists sorting out foot problems and back problems and, like everyone else I’ve had my own share of sched-uling problems. That’s just how it goes some-times. As soon as I’ve been able, I’ve resumed my training or I’ve adjusted my goals to ac-commodate how my life is going at that point.

Having the resolve to expand your hori-zons and make positive changes in your life will pay off over time, as long as you ensure you never lose sight of the goals you have set. It won’t happen overnight, but have patience with the process. Along the way be open to the new experiences and op-portunities that present themselves to you, and soon you will enjoy the satisfaction of reaching your goal, knowing you had the resolve to make it happen.

[email protected]

When making resolutions for the new year, it’s not fair to resolve to do something like eat more cheesecake.

INCEPTION: It wasn’t quite as mind-bending as everyone said, but it’s nice to see that Hollywood can put out an excit-ing, smart, summer blockbuster.

SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD: Probably the best fi lm ever about what it’s like to be a 20-something slacker in love for the fi rst time. And video games.

We’ll watch [just about] anything over at The Stew. Want us to TwitteReview some-thing? Send us the movies you think we should check out to [email protected]

tweetmoviesthe

We watched some

movies and this is

what we thought of

them, in 140

characters or less

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Challenge your New Year’s resolve

By Carol DavidsonBy Carol Davidson

StirStir


KICK-ASS: Imag-ine if Batman were real. And he shot people. And swore a lot. And mastur-bated. That’s kind of what Kick-Ass is about. Kind of.

RESIDENT EVIL: AFTERLIFE: Milla Jovovich kills some zombies, and then other things happen, and in the end none of it makes much sense, but there were explosions.

tweetmoviesthe

We watched some

movies and this is

what we thought of

them, in 140

characters or less

We’re hoping that if Todd has to write about participating in the challenge every month, then he’ll be less inclined to back out part way through

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Th is is that time of year when everyone starts to think, maybe it’s time to start eating a bit healthier and getting a little bit more exercise, thanks in no small part to the excesses of the holidays just passed combined with the tradition of ringing in the new year with resolutions.

But while most people know they want to do it, they’re not always sure where to start. Sure, there are fad diets. and you could always order a Bow-Flex or one of those Tai-Bo videos off of late-night television, but is that really the best route to a healthier body?

Fit City in Williams Lake wants to make that process easier, by giving you the training you need, access to the equip-ment, as part of the Fit City Challenge. Th ey’re even off ering you some incentive, in the form of a $2,000 travel voucher for the grand prize winner.

Th e challenge is an annual event, held every year in January since about 2000, an appropriate time because according to store owner Teena Olson, “People are gung-ho and determined to lose weight, get their body back to where they want it.”

Which is why here at Th e Stew, we’re not just sponsoring the event. I’ll be tackling the Fit City Challenge myself, and sharing my experiences here on these pages for the next several months.

At the moment, I can honestly say that it looks like a challenge, but then 20 years of working at

a desk has done some ugly work to my body, and I’m hoping I’ll be able to turn back the tides of time before the damage becomes too permanent. Even better, it would be nice if it evolved into a change of lifestyle, and wasn’t just a brief, torrid love aff air with an exercise routine.

“Once you get over that three month hurdle,” Olson explains, “that’s kind of your breaking point.

“It’s the fi rst three months that’s really hard to keep go-ing, and once that three months is up it just kind of becomes a lifestyle.”

“We have quite a few people that started with the challenge that are still members,” adds

manager Harmony Hall.And results can be quite

dramatic, even within just 12 weeks — according to Hall, the 2006 winner dropped over 100 pounds.

“Really, what do you have to lose?,” asks Olson. “It’s only go-ing to improve your lifestyle and improve yourself.”

“It’s worth it in the end,” adds Hall.

Other sponsors include All Max Nutrition, Fitness By Design, and About Face Pho-tography. Th e entry fee is $109, which gets you All Max Protein Powder, Rapidcuts fat burner, a T-shirt, a shaker cup, and a free session with personal trainer Rozanne Friessen. You can also

pick up a three-month gym pass with 24-hour access for just $90.

But it’s the new you that’ll be waiting for you at the end of the 12 weeks that makes it worth-while, and that part’s priceless.

“It can change your life,” says Olson, and you know she means it.

Th ere really couldn’t be a bet-ter time to do it, what with the holiday excess, the resolutions, and that $2,000 voucher up for grabs. And as an added incen-tive, there’s the chance you’ll run into me, in the midst of some horrifying workout, and be able to snap all sorts of unfl attering photos. If you’re into that sort of thing.

See you at the gym.

Magazine publisher takes fi tness challenge

FITNESS CHALLENGE Harmony Hall, left, Fit City Manager, and Teena Olson, owner, challenge you to get fi t. There could be a $2,000 travel voucher in it for you!


In “Life After Growth,” Richard Heinberg of the Post Carbon Institute suggests that if we don’t find new goals and plan our transition from a growth-based economy to smaller localized economies able to sustain themselves within their own land-bases, we will begin to see the decline of global conditions as we know them, including high unemployment, an increasing gap between the rich and poor and worsening financial and environmental crises.

Imagine for a moment, what life would be like with-out oil? Many peak oil analysts and converts have been doing just this for decades. Richard Heinburg suggests that most world economies existed for centuries with minimal growth and non-growth based economies and rather than being full of limitation and hardship actually present opportunities for a more ful-filling, interesting, and secure way of life.

In very local and real ways, people like Richard Case and Reiner Krumsiek in the Cariboo are approaching the issue of peak oil from the bot-tom up. Both are working to implement sustainability and self sufficiency into all aspects of their lives and are educating their local community from different but essential levels.

Richard Case, biologist and long-time resident of Williams Lake, believes we’ve

been in a declining civilization for the past 30 years. After watching the 2005 film, “The End of Suburbia,” he began researching the topic of peak oil and eventually came across the transition town move-ment originating in the UK. The Transition Town model for community transition after the era of cheap fossil fuels provides a sustainable vision and outlines ways for communities to become more resilient within their own localized economies. Case decided to offer a film series on peak oil in the community with the idea that people need to understand the underlying issues and its implications before they will be mobilized to change.

“Once you understand that we’re at the end of the age of oil, then you can start envisioning your future and the concept of a transition town starts to make sense,” says Case, who after devoting considerable time to build-ing a cabin in the woods and establishing a garden and self-sufficient lifestyle, decided to take his vision into the public arena. “Sustainability has everything to do with becoming self sufficient and self reliant,” says Richard. “And then whatever happens in the outside world doesn’t affect you because you can take care of yourself.”

Rainer Krumsiek, local organic farmer and owner of Big Bear Ranch also takes the idea of self-sufficiency very se-riously. He believes that a self sustainable farming operation is optimal on a piece of land no larger than 200 acres and is planning a diversity of crops

to feed his cows, horses, pigs, sheep and chickens using the principles of management intensive grazing without the use of expensive fossil fuel derived chemical fertil-izers or organo-phosphate parasite controls. Krumsiek is researching ways to run his farm equipment on alcohol distilled from crops, as well as building an energy efficient straw bale house run off wind and solar power. He also plans to purchase an energy efficient electric ATV for 95% of his farm operations and run his chain saw on alcohol, which burns much cleaner than gas. Since studying Elliot Cole-man’s book on cold climate gardening, Krumsiek is plan-ning a geo-thermally heated greenhouse which will yield fresh produce year round.

So as the debate on peak oil continues and we hurtle towards an uncertain future, what will we choose to believe and act upon? Will we continue living our lives of endless consumption, turning a blind eye to global warming and the worlds obsession with dirty fossil fuels as nations fight for the last drops of oil to carry out business as usual, or will we get back to the basics and start planning out our transition into a post fossil fuel world using the grassroots, Transition Town approach. If we each take the initiative and become more self-sufficient and community based, maybe we’ll re-create the sort of world we’ve been missing all along.

Aft er all, nature is diverse for a reason, and maybe you shouldn’t put all your eggs into one basket.

We’re sort of fond of any list of lifestyle improvement suggestions that off ers three to fi ve weekly sessions of vigorous sex as a viable workout.

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Well it’s time to decide on your New Year’s resolutions for 2011. Excited? No? Me neither. Every year I resolve to hit the gym, lay off the junk food, and keep myself more organized. I stick with it for about a week. Next thing I know I’m sitting at home, chowing down a chocolate bar, while trying to sort through an overflowing pile of clothes I’ve tried on and thrown on my floor, while my gym membership card collects dust in my purse.

But not this year. This year I’m finally getting smart. Instead of making New Year’s resolutions I know I’ll never stick with, I’ve compiled a small list of beauty com-mitments that I will follow, and you can as well, to help you find your own beauty regimen for 2011. With these simple steps, I hope you’ll be looking forward to more than just the free champagne for the New Year!

1. I shall moisturize at least once every day! Use a moisture cream that has plenty of natural ingredients, as well as essential fatty acids in it. They help to moisturize and prevent hormonal aging of the skin.

2. I shall not use a lip liner darker than my lipstick. Choose a lip liner that’s the same color.

3. I shall use pink ef-fectively. How about some

cotton candy pink or a bright fuchsia for the lips? This can be a fresh and attractive alter-native to red. Add a touch of glamour with a touch of the girlie hue.

4. I shall give my makeup brushes some TLC. Use a mild shampoo to wash them, as well as conditioner for soft-ening them after. Keep them in good shape by preventing buildup of product.

5. I shall use three coats of mascara ONLY. Put the mascara down after three coats, spider-leg lashes are not pretty.

6. I shall not tweeze. Go to a professional instead of ending up rather like an over plucked chicken.

7. I shall not color my hair myself. Leave the drugstore color in the drugstore aisle. If you really want to do it right in 2011, I highly suggest choosing an experienced colorist for the job, you’ll probably be much happier with the results.

8. I shall give my flatiron a

rest. Any heat tools damage hair. The less you use them, the better. Wear your hair naturally, a little bit of shine serum can do wonders.

9. I shall not over tan. The “Jersey Shore look” is totally out! Enough said

10. I shall get at least eight hours a night of sleep. I call it “beauty sleep”. The body needs a good rest every night to function properly.

11. I shall drink at least eight large glasses of water a day, and cut back on the caf-feine. When you feel thirsty, your body is actually already dehydrated. Drink up!

12. And last but not least, I shall exercise in some form, three to five times a week. Walking, yoga, kickboxing, dance classes, or just very vigorous sex should make your heart rate go up!

Well that’s it! My New Year’s commitments. I hope these will help you to bring out the hottie in you for 2011.Good luck!

[email protected]

Beauty resolutionsBeautydoozBeautydooz

By Natasha StuklBy Natasha Stukl

Peak oil debate rages onCONTINUED FROM PAGE 10


Somehow Torrey managed to go to the symphony without listening to any songs last month.How this was possible is the fi rst offi cial mystery of 2011.

Music a big part of all our lives over at THE STEW

Magazine, and these were some of the tracks that

helped us put the magazine out this month

Todd Sullivan:

‘Happy Christmas (War is Over)’ - John Lennon

‘The Game has Changed’ - Daft Punk

‘Another Brick in the Wall (Part 3)’ - Pink Floyd

Juli Harland:

‘The Little Drummer Boy’ - Bing Crosby

and David Bowie

‘Fairytale of New York’ - The Pogues

‘Bring The Boys Back Home’ - Pink Floyd

Jamie Horsely:

‘Pearl of the Stars’ - Coheed & Cambria

‘Forever Young’ - Alphaville

‘Coventry Carol’ - The Smashup

Will Meeks:

‘Country Boner’ - Puscifer

‘Ain’t That A Kick in the Head’ - Dean Martin

‘Dog Days are Over’ - Florence & the Machine

Carol Davidson:

‘Winter in July’ - Sarah Brightman

‘Baby it’s Cold Outside’ - sung by Dinah Shore

and Buddy Clark

‘Relax’ - Frankie Goes to Hollywood

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MAGAZINE

It’s food.For thought.

“Hey, do you and Laura have anything planned for December 6?” asked opportunist roommate Amanda.

“Well, nothing yet,” I say back matter-of-factly. “But that’s Laura’s birthday so we’ll proba-bly think of something.”

“Oh, the sixth is her actual birthday?”

“Yes,” I confirm, wondering Amanda’s agenda.

“Oh dear, well I didn’t realize it was her actual birthday, because Steph and I got her a ticket to go see ‘Play – The Video Game Symphony.’”

“That does sound like something she’d enjoy. How many tickets did you get?” I enquire.

“Errrrr…three.”“Three?” “One for Laura, one

for Steph, and one for me. Maybe we should try and get one more for you as well?”

“Maybe.”Well luckily there

were some tickets left and I managed to get my hands on one. So for Laura’s birthday we all went to enjoy the unique experience of ‘Play – A Video Game Symphony.’

The event took place at the Orpheum Theater. This was my first time at the Orpheum and I have

to say, it’s pretty nice and quite decadent.

Our seats were at the very back in the last row; our tickets were the modestly price tickets. Had we been on the Titanic we would have been third class passen-gers, is what I’m saying. And we would have most likely drowned when the boat hit that giant ice cube. But, despite our nose-bleed-seating, we were able to fully enjoy the entire event.

Maybe you’re scratch-ing your head wonder-ing, what exactly is a video game symphony? Well it’s pretty simple and pretty cool. Basi-cally a world-class orchestra and choir perform music from some of the worlds best known video games, while graphics on large screens suspended above the orchestra accompany

the scores, highlighting memorable moments from the video games. Pretty cool eh!

One of the first things that struck me even before the event began was the sheer number of attendees under the age of 20.

I’m certainly not a regular symphony goer, but I’m fairly sure pubescent males usu-ally don’t make up the majority of the audience at other symphonies. There were many par-ents with younger chil-dren as well, as it turns out this is a really great way to introduce kids to the symphony.

Conductor Andy Brick introduced himself, the orchestra, and the choir before instructing us as an audience how to inter-act with the entertain-ment. Turns out we were encouraged to cheer and

clap any time we wanted to show our support.

Well, then the night really got going, and to start it off the screen lit up with images from Nintendo’s Super Mario Brothers! The entire auditorium rumbled in applause.

The orchestra seam-lessly segued through multiple soundtracks accompanying graph-ics on the huge projec-tors. I became all giddy and was whisked back to playing Mario 1 on Christmas day in 1990.

I don’t exactly recall the order of games after the opening but there was music and graph-ics from Final Fantasy, Castlevania, World Of Warcraft, Silent Hill, The Legend of Zelda, Halo, and other block-buster hits.

Play was an amazing and memorable evening. I encourage any gaming enthusiast to go experi-ence it for themselves if the opportunity arises. There is a similar show called ‘Video Games Live Bonus Round’ com-ing in April, and I think I’ll give it a go.

Happy New Year to everyone in the Cariboo and thanks for reading.

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Gaming brings youth to symphony

By Torrey OwenBy Torrey Owen

VancouverSeenVancouverSeen


I wrote earlier that a road trip is defi ned by the journey more than the destination, but sometimes the best part of a trip is just getting back home. Holidays can be exhausting, especially the Christmas kind. Wives spend 18 hour work days in hot kitchens preparing too much food for drunk husbands, siblings, relatives, cousins and in-laws. Kids stay up late and eat junk food. Relatives from out of town spend days fi ghting for their lives on highways packed bumper to bumper with other like-minded holiday fanatics all with the same agenda: Get home.

JT and I were invited to Kamloops to have dinner with Janna’s relatives. Th ey are excellent cooks and good company so of course we agreed. I don’t usually go back home for Christmas but since we were going to Kamloops I fi gured why not head a couple more hours north to Williams Lake and get some more free meals.

Th e drive to Williams Lake was quite unevent-ful; the roads were clear, no blizzards or break-downs. Th is is new for me. I love my new truck. Unlike my previ-ous fi ve vehicles, this one is real slick. When I put air in the tires, they stay infl ated. When I put oil in, it stays in. Th e wipers are automatic and it blows what they call “warm air” through magic holes in the dash. It even starts when I turn the key.

Th e fi rst night in WL was spent at JT’s parents house. I

was a little nervous, because I had to face the “in-laws” and discuss my girlfriend’s pregnancy. I was glad to see there was no tent set up in the yard — I get to sleep inside. One of my fi rst signs of manhood: I sleep in a bed with my girlfriend, in her parents house.

First we unwrapped our Christmas present, a 40” LCD 1080p. Wow, yeah, thanks Mom and Dad. Th en we played a few exhaust-ing rounds of Kinect for the Xbox. I have to say, pretty cool parents. Th ey were quite accepting of my making them such young grandparents, I was only cuff ed upside the head once. Th e rest of the abuse was verbal.

Th e next two days were spent visiting my sister and her fi ance, two neph-ews, niece, brother in law and friends. Th e younger generations of my fam-ily are the only ones left in town this holiday season. My parents and grandpar-ents have moved south like migrating birds in search of fair weather and greener pastures commonly known

as golf courses. It is nice to see everyone

but since most of them were out of town it made for a relaxing time in the puddle. Other than one small exchange of Christmas fi sticuff s aft er walking home from a downtown bar, my WL Christmas was relaxed and quite favourable. Short and sweet.

Christmas Eve, we load up for Kamloops, the road once again pulling us closer to the unknown.

WL was the calm before the storm. A severe Christmas front had been pummelling JT’s Auntie’s house in Kamloops. Th ere was Christmas everywhere, people were covered in it. A tree in the living room was barely visible, literally hundreds of presents stacked like Tetris blocks.

Every fl at surface in the house had food on it: minced tarts, butter tarts, shortbreads, longbreads, white meats, dark meats, soft cheese, hard cheese, cheese balls, crackers, and cookies. Th ere was white rum, dark rum, spiced rum, whiskey, vodka, beer, white wine, red

wine, brandy and gummy worm punch. People came and went, dropping off more food, booze and presents. It was astronomical.

Christmas morning was the usual tornado of wrap-ping paper, photo shoots, and the occasional teary eye. Not unlike the typi-cal dramatic structure, this massive Christmas climax was followed by the falling action, a.k.a. the aft ernoon

nap before the revelation, a.k.a. the dinner.

Oh man, the dinner. Th e cooks drink wine all day and manage to feed 20 people from a small kitchen. Better than any gourmet meal prepared by professionally trained chefs, I’ll take a fam-ily dinner over restaurant slop any day. Aft er dessert, I fell into a deep coma.

A lot of people have a hard time around the holi-

day season, being away from family or just struggling to keep warm. I avoided that struggle this year, and am grateful for that. Next year may be a diff erent story, with one more mouth to feed. For those of you out there read-ing this, feel free to invite me to your next Christmas dinner.

Also, a thank-you to Santa for all the socks.

[email protected]

Next Month:Next Month:LOOKING FOR LOVE INLOOKING FOR LOVE IN

THE DIGITAL AGETHE DIGITAL AGEWe explore dating and romance in the 21st centuryWe explore dating and romance in the 21st century

Christmas brings food, drink, and socksWhere’sWally?Where’sWally?By Will MeeksBy Will Meeks

Apparently this spring will see the arrival of a few children of Th e Stew, as both Will and Janna, and Todd and Juli, will be bringing

new life into the world. Be afraid. Be very afraid.

WHAT, WHAT, ON MY BUTT Janna Tippe shows off her new Christmas pajama.


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(250) 398-8033 1114 Denny Road,Williams Lake, BC

COME PLAYWITH US ANDPlaying games can not only make you laugh, they can win your great prizes!

Come play our weekly party games for your chance to win ski packages, restaurant gift certificates, and more! Plus, enjoy our daily food and drink specials!

Playing games can not only make you laugh, they can win your great prizes!

Come play our weekly party games for your chance to win ski packages, restaurant gift certificates, and more! Plus, enjoy our daily food and drink specials!

SAVEWe want to help get rid of those winter cash blues, that's why we are offering

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We want to help get rid of those winter cash blues, that's why we are offering THE BEST lunch, dinner and drink specials you'll find anywhere.

Whether you’ve got a big appetite, or are in the mood for just a light snack, we’re sure to have something that’s just right. Why not stop in today and see what’s on the menu?

AT THE OV

Don’t forget to drop by your neighbourhood pub where you’ll find our own fantastic dinner specials.

Enjoy our fantastic food with an ice cold beverage in a friendly, relaxed environment.

Don’t forget to drop by your neighbourhood pub where you’ll find our own fantastic dinner specials.

Enjoy our fantastic food with an ice cold beverage in a friendly, relaxed environment.

(250) 392-33211118 Lakeview Crescent, Williams Lake, BC, Canada V2G 1A3Fax (250) 392-3983 • Toll Free 1-800-663-6898 • www.overlanderhotel.com

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