Author: andyveilleux

A discussion under angels

/ andyveilleux / Leave a comment

A meeting of angels

turns quickly to sinful pleasures

when angels are sinful.

And they are.

We are all of the image of an angel,

with the minds and ambition of sinners.

Remarkable potential for beauty and morals,

all shot through with revolvers forged of our hatred,

and spat on with acid that burns the soul and leave skin untouched.

The concept of good

is one of potential,

and never one of reality.

Intentions can not stand up

and be counted as actions are

and must bide them time in the cellars

of every lost thought and forgotten word,

the place of misfits, drowning sorrow and death,

Nowhere.

An ideal is not lost,

hope always exists,

even in the sewers

and backwaters

of a broken

moral

landscape.

The sin-ridden angels fly the highest

operating above the hypocrites and pathetic moralizers

who beg for somebody to admit what they feel

but could never say.

Their courage died,

or is being tapped out by their sense of moral righteousness,

reminiscent of a church build of gold asking for a donation from beggars.

Bizarre that a group of people with chairs so high,

see so little.

A discussion happens below,

among those labelled

murderers

beggars

thieves

cheats

liars.

The meaning of life is discovered,

the pursuit of enjoyment,

and Millian liberty for all.

Progression

/ andyveilleux / 2 Comments

Sunrise and sunset have lost their meaning.

There is no metaphysical, quasi-poetic, deep explanation.

The sun rising or setting no longer dictates when I sleep or rise,

when I begin my day or end it,

or anything else of significance for me.

I have become unbound,

and there’s no reason for it.

Surely, it has just happened,

as a blocked sink overflows,

a burning log smolders,

as an old man dies,

a baby is born;

progression.

Rising sun batters through St. John’s fog,

and dense cloud cover,

as seagulls hover,

unconcerned.

A harbour city rocks awake,

machinery bangs and clunks,

predestined purpose drives,

the ideas became discussion became policy,

and a once-broken city for poor labourers,

is suddenly erecting condos from hillsides.

Progression.

#nash74 sick numbers

/ andyveilleux / 4 Comments

Update: 156 sick from 54 papers+ CUP. Just waiting on NAIT Nugget. (1:12am NST).

Update: 153 sick from 53 papers and CUP. Waiting on NAIT Nugget and The Other Press (12:01pm NST).

Update: 152 sick from 52 papers and CUP, waiting on stats from The Campus, NAIT Nugget and The Other Press. (5:51pm NST)

Update: 151 sick from 51 papers + CUP. Still waiting on four different papers’ sick numbers (NAIT Nugget, Argosy, The Campus, The Other Press). (3:56pm NST)

Update: 150 sick from 50 papers + CUP. Only five more papers to account for. (1:48pm NST)

Update: 147 sick from 46 papers + CUP. (4:00pm NST)

Update: 140 sick from 46 papers + CUP. Just waiting on a few papers still… (1:24pm NST)

Update: 139 sick from 46 papers + CUP staff. Waiting on eight papers only! (4:18am NST)

Update: 138 sick from 43 papers, plus CUP staff. Number is getting massive, and still waiting on eleven papers for numbers. (10:05pm NST)

Update: 114 sick from 38 papers. (1:23pm NST)

Update: 109 sick from 36 papers and CUP staff. I have now contacted every paper and am awaiting responses, the papers that don’t respond in a few days I will call again. If any of you know the papers mentioned, please contact them also and get them to contact me please. Thanks everyone for the help! (8:08am NST)

Update: 101 sick, from 35 papers, including the CUP staff. Still waiting on many papers, the ones with “…” are still not accounted for, and the “x” beside it means i’ve contacted them and am waiting. The rest I am contacting this morning still. Cheers for all the support and patience. Keep it going! (4:47 am NST)

Update: I got rid of some duplicates in my numbers, and have now added every paper that attended the conference, thanks to @godmere (Emma Godmere) for the official paper list. The papers followed by “….” are the ones I don’t yet have any stats for. (2:54 am NST) 84 sick, 33 papers

Here are my current numbers, I will provide updates as consistenly as I can. I’m still trying to track down about 20 papers. That being said, the original estimate I had of 100 students, which seemed incredible at the time, seems like it was underestimated! Stay tuned.
aquinian 7 sick 3 healthy
argosy 1 sick 2 healthy
argus 1 sick 2 health
athenaeum 1 healthy
baron 1 sick
BCIT Link 1 sick
brock press 1 sick 1 healthy
brunswickian 1 sick, 8 healthy
campus 1 sick, 2 healthy
caper times 1 sick, 1 healthy
capilano courier 9 sick, 6 healthy
Carillon 2 sick, 5 healthy
cascade 3 sick 12 healthy
concordian all healthy
cord 13 sick, 10 healthy
crown 1 sick
excalibur 1 sick
eye opener 1 sick
fulcrum 12 sick, 12 healthy
gateway 4 sick, 10 healthy
gauntlet 5 sick, others healthy
gradzette 1 healthy
griff 4 healthy
imprint 3 sick, 7 healthy
interrobang 2 sick 0 healthy
lambda 2 healthy
lance 2 sick 1 healthy
le collectif 4 sick, 1 healthy
le delit 2 sick
link 4 sick, 4 healthy
macmedia 1 sick
manitoban 2 sick, 5 healthy
martlet 6 sick
mcgill daily 2 sick, 2 healthy
meliorist 6 healthy
mike 1 sick
muse 5 sick, 1 healthy
nait nugget ….. x
navigator 2 sick, 1 healthy
nexus 2 sick, 6 healthy
omega 2 sick, 6 healthy
other press 3 sick
overtheedge 2 sick 3 healthy
peak 6 sick, 10 healthy
phoenix news 4 sick, 6 healthy
quill 1 healthy
runner 7 sick 2 healthy
ryerson free press 1 sick 1 healthy
sheaf 7 sick, 5 healthy
silhouette 4 sick 3 healthy
sputnik 1 sick 1 healthy
strand 2 sick 1 healthy
ubyssey 7 sick
weal one sick
xaverian 2 healthy

54 papers accounted for 149 sick
cup 7 sick out of 14

The complacency of now

/ andyveilleux / 1 Comment

It’s more in wanting to feel it,

than in the everyday loving,

A diasporic feeling in ways,

looking for what was felt then,

as opposed to the complacency of now.

Now strives to be the fullest,

stumbles,

crawls into ditches.

Then has become something to write epics about,

a moment of over-glorification turned legendary,

hype with a foundation of sand and occasionally,

bones.

The euphoria of a lost moment is just

a shallow utopia of my own creation.

Stories in sports reporting

/ andyveilleux / Leave a comment

It’s easy to go to a game, mark down the score-lines, the significant moments, and how every big play breaks down. It’s time consuming, but easy nonetheless.
It’s also basic to talk to the coach, a few players, and get some quotes to go along with your story.
Granted, there are long days with sports reporting. Some weekends you pound out a few articles a day, attend a handful of games each day, and run around like a chicken with its head cut off.
The difficult part is picking up on the stories behind the action. These are often referred to as human interest.
Now, sports reporting is not the same as it was. I am not beckoning for some past era of sports reporting, when Hunter S. Thomson drove Cadillacs while hopped up on handfuls of drugs, or anything of the sort.
It’s rare to get the true human interest pieces now. Sure, you get the stories about an athlete like Tim Thomas, and his hard road to the NHL, and the Stanley Cup> You stillg et some of it. My issue is that we aren’t getting enough of it. Stories make sports interesting to everybody, not just sports fans.
I believe anyone can read about someone like Thomas, and be interested. Someone can read about the age-defying Teemu Selanne and be inspired, not just because they like hockey.
However, the feature side of reporting seems to be drying up. It is the joy of sports reporting, and it is shrinking. I read a tonne of game summaries, and the hard news of sports; it’s my job, but it’s also my passion. I long for more sports features. Occasionally, one comes across an article, and video, like the BBC produced interview with Joe Cole. This is a short interview, but it reveals a lot about the athlete and the culture around soccer in England and France.

These are the sort of stories we need more of in journalism, and not jut with sports. Last night I had a great conversation with a man who had 17 years of journalism experience before stepping away from the field. He now works as an independent film-maker and makes corporate communication pieces. He enjoys making documentaries, because he gets to dive into a story and swim around awhile. He can wade around the water, dive to the bottom of the pool, or try and climb out wherever he would like.

Story-tellers need the space to tell the story fully and in their own way. Modern-day journalism focuses on quick hits, and hour-by-hour updates, as opposed to the whopping features and deep-digging stories of old. Some people say the audience has changed, and they no longer read the lengthy features. Some say the industry no longer funds journalists to write long stories. I believe complacency plays a role as well. I’ve seen a lot of journalists who are willing to call it in from the office, or get their quick story and get out. I’ve even heard ghastly rumours of template-using sports reporter.

In truth, there is a combination of things. Morale among journalists is low, funding is brutal, and maybe the audience has become less interested. There is no easy solution, but this is a plea for more consistent effort from all my colleagues in sport writing. Keep writing, and I’ll keep reading ladies and gentlemen.

Finding my way as a Newfoundlander

/ andyveilleux / 3 Comments

Many Canadians will read the headline for this post, and instantly think of that six-letter word – newfie – which I have intentionally left out in favour of the politically-correct term.

While the word has always been something I have used in an endearing, affectionate manner, it is not often regarded as such by people hailing from Newfoundland. It isn’t akin to violently-offensive racist descriptions, but it also isn’t welcome. A solid post about the term can be found by Candice, a native Newfoundlander, over at Candice Does the World, so I won’t rant too much about the topic.

Now that we have taken care of that thought-progression, let’s get to the meat of this post – my experiences living in Newfoundland.

To begin, I will establish a timeline.

I moved here to attend MUN’s Humanities program – which drew me in from Sudbury, Ontario – on August 30. 2011. I viewed and selected a condo on September 1, 2001 with my love, Melanie Langlais. Notice the word ‘condo,’ which begs the question of how I am living in a condo as a student.

In terms of work, I accepted the job of Sports Editor with The Muse in the latter stages of the summer. I picked up a second job as a Graduate Assistant for my program shortly after arriving. I kept freelancing for my old paper, The Lambda. I took on a new job as a freelance writer for the Canadian Press covering the St. John’s IceCaps (see an example of that here), which is an entire-season contract, similar to my work for them last year as the Sudbury Wolves’ reporter. Today, I accepted another position that I can not announce yet, but it involves sports writing as well.

So I’m working something like five jobs, although an exact number gets a bit hazy when it comes to freelancing. I manage this along with being a full-time grad student. In a simple statement; I’ve been busy. I have also been saner and more-organized in the past, but some things must be sacrificed in the name of productivity.

I have found the amount of help given to me by certain individuals has been helpful for me, professionally and socially. On a professional level, I would like to thank Neil Davidson of CP, Dr. Jennifer Dyer from MUN’s Humanities program, and Shayne Menecola of MUN’s varsity athletics. Socially, I would like to thank the staff at The Muse, particularly Jessie Small, Marie King, Tim O’Brien and Paul Hussey, who I have become fast friends with. I would like to thank MUN soccer coach Scott Betts, who was the first person I met with upon arrival, and who has provided great conversation about the beautiful game and life. I would like to send a special thanks to my fellow IceCaps reporters, who have made the  job more enjoyable, and especially humorous. I would also like to thank Mike Rossiter of CBC who has been great to talk shop, and life, with.

A careful combination of professional and social life has led to a happy and productive life so far on the Eastern shores of Canada. I have now been here for close to three months, and although I am excited to return home to visit with my family and friends, St. John’s does feel like home  for me.

Luke I am your

/ andyveilleux / 3 Comments

Father,
I’ve become so much like you.
Up at 4:20 AM
making bologna sandwiches.
Where did all the time go?
Sitting around in my joggers and wool socks,
wondering where all my sleep goes,
when I am not partaking in it.
Just a few months ago we were together,
and now all I get is your voice
but I can still see your smile
on the other end,
when I hear
pride in your voice.
At the end of the day,
that’s one of the only things that matters to me.
I remember being young and saying
I would never be like you,
the thought of it was appalling.
Now It’s a badge of honour.
I love you dad,
and you always did right by me,
even when you were wrong.

East Coast Insomnia

/ andyveilleux / 2 Comments

Since moving out to St. John’s, my sleep patterns have become more erratic. I sometimes fall asleep by 5AM, often wake up after 2PM, and alternate sleeping 10 hours then 6 hours on a night-to-night basis.
I have no answers.
Since moving East, I have begun to focus my attention on improving myself in a few different areas. I came here to learn how to do high-grade social research, improve my journalism – primarily my sports writing – and learn more about the beautiful game (soccer/football/futbol/etc.).
I have been accomplishing all three goals at an alarming rate, which brings me back to one fundamental value we should never lose sight of. We are so ignorant, and have much to learn.
Never stop learning.

Make me proud, son

/ andyveilleux / 5 Comments

Many people were sad. I was leaving them. I hoped it was not permanent.

Start with the truest sentence you know, and then continue.

I was at a wedding in Hearst, Ontario. I had my arm around my father, and my mother was smiling across the table, sober.

“Make me proud, son,” my father said.

“Go out there, make a man of yourself, and make your old man proud.”

The next morning I said goodbye to my parents, and drove home to Sudbury. I left Sudbury the next day, in a car with my sister, my two nephews and the love of my life.

I could not grasp what it would feel like leaving my hometown. I could not begin to think about what a move to the East Coast would bring.

It was new, and I was happy. We were both happy.

I knew I would make him proud. I will make everyone proud.

We will all meet again, and be together again. Remember me, friends I have temporarily left behind. Love each other, and don’t wait too long between your visits.

You have each other, and you need to remember the important things.

Smile today, laugh today, and especially, love today.

Love now. There is not enough love, and hate is such an awful waste of energy.

 

the return of the mistress

/ andyveilleux / Leave a comment

A familiar love claws to the surface

long thought buried

but missed.

 

My true mistress of old

maybe will become

new again.

 

I've never loved

as I loved

sadness.

 

There is something pure

in the blue flame

of sorrow.

 

My first instinct was to run,

remember the happy,

the smiling cheer,

but it is false.

 

A big storm approaches,

held off and forgotten

for many years,

but not lost

at sea.

 

One can not run from who they are,

as hideous as the reality is.

 

Putting on sheep's clothing

never hides a wolf for long.