the fall comes

Fall is about the wind more then the leaves...

it is easy to visually sense that fall is coming by the turning or the leaves, seeing them scattered in street gutters as you flow seamlessly down any downtown side street in our city.  But before the colours of fall, the winds come, they blow in that cool air, they bring that wind that says put a jacket on or dust off all those cardigans!

I like the wind, it plays with all your senses, you feel the chill of the cool northern wind, or the garbage from the street hitting your legs.  It takes your nose by storm, new smells old smells, poo smells, all quickly swaying by your nose.  You can hear the wind gusts, all the leaves being rustled with each gust who needs wind chimes on a great fall day.

so you can keep your visual or leaves on the ground, I am opting for the full fall sensory experience, it may be the greatest part of Winnipeg weather, a time calling the fridged winter, while still holding the warm summer memories close.

Fall I am ready and waiting...

who wants to live in monotony?

I have been meaning to for some time write about how ridiculous our city planning is and gentrification.  How we can't seem to understand what makes the communities we love so much special.  But I procrastinated as I was intending on going back through and re-reading "the death and life of great American cities" by Jane Jacobs.  Then today I was reading a blog on some local issues around the Corydon redevelopment and the blogger shared this passage from Jane Jacobs so I figured I would share it too

the self-destruction of diversity… is a force that creates has-been districts, and is responsible for much inner-city stagnation and decay… it can happen in streets, at small nodes of vitality, in groupings of streets, or in whole districts. The last case is the most serious.

Whichever form the self-destruction of diversity takes, this, in broad strokes, is what happens: A diversified mixture of [land] uses at some place in the city becomes outstandingly popular and successful as a whole. Because of the location’s success, which is invariably based on flourishing and magnetic diversity, ardent competition for space in this location develops. It is taken up in what amounts to the economic equivalent of a fad.

The winners in the competition for space will represent only a narrow segment of the many uses that together created success. Whichever one or few uses have emerged as the most profitable in the locality will be repeated and repeated, crowding out and overwhelming less profitable forms of use.

If tremendous numbers of people, attracted by convenience and interest, or charmed by vigour and excitement, choose to live or work in the area, again the winners of the competition will form a narrow segment of the population of users. Since so many want to get in, those who get in or stay in will be self-sorted by the expense…

Thus, from this process, one or a few dominating uses emerge triumphant. But the triumph is hollow. A most intricate and successful organism of mutual economic support and social mutual support has been destroyed by the process. From this point on the locality will be deserted by people using it for purposes other than those that emerged triumphant from the competition — because the other purposes are no longer there. Both visually and functionally the place becomes more monotonous.

And if you have ever wondered why Winnipeg is not the city it should be?  There is a cool meeting happening on Monday July 16th where we can talk about things just like this.  check it out
click here for facebook event page

and in that town of sighing...

well, we have been slugging away at this blog for sometime, and I am happy with what we have achieved, having gone back and read some of my favourite writings from two of my best friends it makes me feel proud, that i am a part of this slight bit of creativity.  We are going to make a little change, in order to keep our blog more active and to share more of what we are seeing, feeling, thinking, I will be taking on more regular blog posts, perhaps less in depth or detail, but good posts nonetheless.  Chad and Greg will continue to fill out the blog with their great passion, amazing insights, challenges and more in the hopes to allow us to share more and have this project grow!

"but i've grown to see the diamond thrown in just for me"

It's hard to think about, its hard to do.  I don't spend a lot of time thinking about the man I have become.  I spend most of my time thinking about the man I want to be.  This may be a mistake, but as we all know there is no manual for life so we are all just making it up with some type of bullshit confidence so that we can at least convince ourselves, if no one else.  It is hard to always see the things the way they deserve to be seen, its hard to think, I guess what I am getting at is I am more and more seeing the value of thoughtful living.  Its one thing to want for things to have gone differently or ride out those highs or good rolls, but it is another to live up to the person you know you are and it not just be fueled by passionate decisions.  We are only so capable, the rest we have to build and grow and fail and start back up again, to then expand that capability.  Potential is probably the most wasted thing, yet it will always be there, and it always should.