Top 5 Favourite Alcoholic Beverages

Ben’s List

5. Mojito
4. Really cold Beer (mostly Budweiser/Kokanee)
3. CC and G
2. Rum or whiskey and Coke with lime (the classic)
1. Jager-Bombs!!!

Dana’s List

5. Corona with a lime – beer should be very cold day should be very hot
4. Sangria – lots of oranges, pineapple, grapes and strawberries, fruit is fun!
3. Tequilla – shot of choice, mainly because it is followed by a lime
2. Red Wine – Copious amounts accompanied by the Office- especially good out of the Bordeaux glasses
1. Gin and Tonic extra lime

Tracey’s List

5) Sex on the beach - this is an honourable mention, really. In honour of all the wicked hangovers Dana had to endure first year due to our copious consumption of this drink.

4) Ellisa's rum hot chocolate - absolutely orgasmic.

3) Gin and tonic - the good old standby. Perfect for "after work" (leading to drinking all night) cocktails.

2) Jager bombs - always brings it up a notch. Always.

1) Red Wine - No question. My excessive love for red wine becomes obvious in my tendency to vomit after casually hanging out with friends and a "glass" of wine. Or perhaps that shows my lack of self control. who knows.

Tamara’s List

5. Keg party beer - so disgusting yet strangely homey. Perhaps due to all of the nights in 1st/2nd/3rd/4th year that I spent throwing this stuff up.

4. Homemade cosmopolitans - memories of my first trip to Vancouver - Ang begging to be let into the bar, Dana locking herself in the bathroom.

3. Corona - Despite the questionable pee/ beer ratio, this beer makes me feel like Tiajuana. Which is a good thing. I love Mexico.

2. Sangria - I love Mexico. And my birthday Sangria set. And everything to do with wine. "What's the best kind of drink?" "A PITCHER of drinks!"

1. Killer Kool-Aid. At the beach. In a tanker. With a glow straw. The entire summer after first year was spent with one of these in my hand. It was trashy, yet beautiful in it's own neon way.

Ange’s List

5. Vodka cran
4. Other blender drinks
3. Margaritas
2. Red Wine
1. Gin and soda
I'm not that peticular though, basically I just like to drink.

Gerry’s List

5) Lemoncello - normally a refreshing Italian liquor which is sipped on and served ice cold... however, in 1st year University I didn't understand the concept of sip and pounded back an entire 26er in one evening. Needless to say I woke up upside down hanging off the edge of my bed with no memory of the night before. I've yet to touch the stuff since then.

4) Vodka and water - after quitting my job at the Keg (which was way overdue) my buddies decided to take me out for drinks. I chose vodka and water. The problem started when the other bartenders I was working with made my drinks. These vodka and waters consisted of 3/4 vodka and 1/4 water. My night finished off with me making out with the bosses cousin, biking home through busy traffic, passing out in my bathroom and smashing my head on the floor and bleeding all over my bed.

3) Mojitos - had the ones at Havana’s and liked them a lot.

2) Red Wine - a classic

1) Beer - No matter where you are in the world its the best drink to have on a hot summers day!!!!

Jack White is cool personified.

What is Black and White and Red all over?

So is it possible to have an equal crush on both Jack and Meg White? Because I seriously do. I thought I was more into Jack but then Meg got up to the mic and belted out In the Cold Cold Night, a throaty ballad and I was enraptured. (If you look up enraptured on dictionary.com the sample sentence is: We were enraptured by her singing. No Joke) She has this Deep South beauty to her, she reminds me of a magnolia with her creamy skin and careless dark tresses. I think what really intrigues me is how she exudes this sensation of cool complacence, a calm that has almost a peaceful effect- which is a strange juxtaposition at a concert with such energy.

And Jack. Wow. I think what truly gets me is passion; it doesn’t matter what it is, if you love doing it and do it with everything you have it drives me crazy. To see him toss an errant smile out into the crowd and stop mid-lyric just to say “Hey” to someone- you can tell he is loving it. To feel the energy of a true performer, who wants to be there more than you do, and who has the power to stir a mass in such a positive way is a rare experience. Actually being present for the riff from Seven Nation Army was an inexplicably monumental sensation. He is on another level, a level of genius; which he allows you a glimpse of, fleetingly, through his artistic creativity and vision.

The events that lead up to this phenom unfolded in a somewhat cosmic way. It was if they were strategically manoeuvred around the White Stripes.

Sunday morning: I am awoken by pounding rain on my window. All day the weather flirts with the possibility of clearing up but remains cantankerous.

Sunday afternoon: We depart for the concert armed with garbage bags as extra rain protection. By the time we reach the skytrian my shoes and jeans are already soaked from the torrential downpour. We are all grouchy… and doubting the worth of the concert in regards to our water laden trek. We arrive at Deer Lake Park, the line to enter the concert is all the way down to the road … we wait and wait … it rains and rains.

We are told that umbrellas are not permitted in the venue and must be left outside. Someone has abandoned their umbrella in the crotch of a very moist and gnarled tree. Tracey and I decide to wedge her umbrella as well as another that we find into various cavities, creating a real life Umbrella Tree.

After an hour and a half we gain entry. The clouds crack open and roll away; the sun, held at a distance all day, makes a much appreciated appearance. There is an air of tension hanging over the concert grounds, it feels like the buzz of electricity - but sans electricity, the buzz is being created by fervent people.

Despite the rain people have come in White Stripes appropriate dress, including men’s red western wear complete with white tassel fringe and girls in big floppy red and white sun hats. I am disappointed that I dressed for rain instead of coolness…. I did roll with red and white papers however.

So Jack and Meg appear and the crowd immediately compresses into about half the size and cacophonous cheering erupts from everywhere. The intensity level is apparent right from the start and our soggy feet are a distant memory. Icky Thump comes up and the crowd goes crazy for it and Jack is loving the reaction. My friend leans over to me and says, “This is already worth it and it is only the third song!” The crowd is regaled by the line up both new and old. Jolene is sung with such tortured intensity, I am sure Dolly would be proud; and from the new album, I’m Slowly Turning into You demanded veneration. Hotel Yorba is fun and playful and on numerous occasions we take part in massive sing-a-longs.

As each songs ends we stand posed like children, waiting, eyes wide and attention focused on what’s coming next. It is not just about the music, it is also about the spectacle. Every detail contributes to the story; every element builds towards the White Stripes experience. The duo performed in front of an ardent red wall and as the night progresses their daunting black shadows were cast upon it. Their pseudo brother/sister relationship left spectators pondering, especially as Jack lovingly glances towards Meg and sings to her throughout the concert. We are allowed a glimpse of the rocker world when the lights directed over the crowd are switched on bathing us in a hot red glow. It is almost like we are in a time warp, but what era I can’t pin down.

They end and it feels like they have just started, I am not sure if this is some weird aspect of the show or if they are actually done. The masses holler and cheer for their return, and our wishes are granted. They launch into Seven Nation Army which brings new life to the already epic concert.

Jack White is cool personified.

The climax, for me, was when I was pleasantly blind sighted by We’re Going To Be Friends. I felt like I was about four years old and had been wrapped up in a blanket made of sunshine and love. Is that possible? How can you make another human being feel that way through music? It was the most pure and innocent … winsome even, musical moment of my life. So, for that especially I thank the White Stripes, what an incredible show. I feel so fortunate to have witnessed another’s genius and been moved accordingly. I am so happy that Vancouver was the first stop of the tour, having no knowledge of what was coming made it all the more intense.

Top 5 Names You Would Not Give to Your Children

Tamara’s List

5. Gertrude (shudder)
4. Jorge - pronounced the Spanish way
3. Billy
2. Anything starting in La (LaTisha, LaShonda, etc.)
1. Eunice

Ellisa’s List

5. Junior. There is a student in my tutorial with this name. How evil are his parents? Forever relegating him to a status of inferiority. I bet that this kid will forever fall into paternalistic relationships.

4. Amanda. Ugh, Amanda McDonald; this bitch from elementary school. She would cry in class, steal my hook (oh yea, you all know. Hook spots are coveted) and one time told the teacher I was cheating on a spelling test, when in fact, I had not. Here's what happened: I had been practicing the spelling of the words beforehand on my hand. But when it came time to write the test, I didn't look at my hand. Well, Amanda and her big fat mouth told Ms. Feth that I had cheated, who in turn called my mother to break the news. When my mom confronted me, I was so upset to have been accused of this atrocity that I balled, not cried, balled. So much so, I remember my brother and the pets crowding around me with looks of concern on their faces. Fuck I hated Amanda.

3. Justin. Really, who does not know a Justin that they just don't like? The name even gets caught in your mouth; abrasive and blunt. I went to school with a plethora of Justins. Man, the 80s, full of Justins, Jennifers, Jonathans, Jessicas and Jasons. Seriously.

2. Erma and Elma. My two grandmothers. These poor women, what ugly names! How do you overcome that? Upon hearing it you can't help but cringe a little. First impressions all out the window. Rough. All I can say is, THANK GOD my mother is not a traditionalist, because my life would have been shitty. Who goes out of their way for an Erma or Elma? For pity, yes, but nothing else.

1. Michael Bolton.

Samir: No one in this country can ever pronounce my name right. It's not that hard: Samir Na-gheen-an-a-jar. Nagheenanajar.
Michael Bolton: Yeah, well at least your name isn't Michael Bolton.
Samir: You know there's nothing wrong with that name.
Michael Bolton: There was nothing wrong with it... until I was about 12 years old and that no-talent ass clown became famous and started winning Grammys.
Samir: Hmm... well why don't you just go by Mike instead of Michael?
Michael Bolton: No way. Why should I change? He's the one who sucks.


Brad’s List


5. Muffy ***Dana's Note: My name for the first two years of my life was Muffy-short for Muffin, and when I am reintroduced to old friends of my parents they often exclaim "So this is Muffy all grown up!!"
4. Dick
3. Bambi
2. Oprah
1. Adolph Hitler

Dana’s List

5. Alfred- My fathers middle name and the creepy looking guy in the game Guess Who
4. Christ
3. Moses
2. Jehovah – possibly the ugliest on top of the cult affiliation
1. Jesus

Ben’s List

5. Harmony (or some stupid hippie name like that).
4. Moe
3. Edna (terrible)
2. Damien (not since the omen)
1. Jesus (pronounced Hey-zeus apparently)

Ange's List

5. Bermuta Treeagle
4. Sigfreed

3. Gagmond (or whatever that guy Brad knows is named, i'm thinking lord of the rings but its not coming to me)

2. Dontario (Dan claims that he has actually heard this)
1. Perogee Weber (this is a long running joke between us)

What Does Green Really Mean?

What does Green really mean? Our country cheered as the recently dubbed, "Green Giant" Arnold Schwarzenegger, took a trek across Canada last week. I was appalled that we, as Canadians, were ecstatic when faced with the opportunity to hobnob with a true celebrity. The Terminator comes to town and we are reduced to screaming teenage girls watching the Beatles on the Ed Sullivan show.

I expected more from Canada- why are we perpetuating this America's lapdog behaviour? Our relationship is reminiscent of a shotgun toting hick who returns from the town bar, highly inebriated who boots his dog as it greets him, tail-wagging at the door. My point is that Arnold's visit was the top news story each day last week as he worked his way across this country. This is a man who frequently uses, "I'll Be Back" in his political addresses I'm sorry but are we living in a futuristic movie where robots have taken over?... because I am starting to believe this is a reality that I can more easily accept. Movie cliché's have no place in politics; this is real life, we are real people and have real problems. It is not time for make-believe.

Or is it?

"Technology will save us." This statement became his visit's second contentious issue for me. Technology will save us - because in practice this solution has been working really well. Isn't the very problem he is fighting a result of technology? If technology were so all-powerful wouldn't there be solutions to global problems such as World Hunger and Cancer? We have been pumping money into them for an awfully long time. This attitude reads like a copout answer from someone who is wearing the green suit but not willing to live the green lifestyle. We should be demanding more from our representatives, and shaming Arnold for his poor behaviour - not championing the few things he gets right. California is a contender for the worst air quality in North America, meaning Arnold is doing precisely what he has been elected to do. We don't pat the mail man on the ass every morning when he gets the letter in the right slot.

The third thing that caught my interest was the questions posed to the "Green" California Governor about his collection of Hummers. Now, I know that California has a large amount of rugged terrain and enemy insurgence so a Hummer is a necessity, but five Hummers? Yes, I heard you when you said that one of them runs on biofuel and smells like French fries (are you allowed to call them "French" fries again?) and that two others are also energy efficient, but five Hummers!? You have been making valiant efforts to clean up the air but what about keeping garbage out if the landfills? I am no expert, but I am fairly certain that needless consumption is not environmentally friendly.

Arnold: What kind of message do you think this conspicuous consumption is sending to the people of California?

You have gained this highly influential position it is your responsibility to set a good example for the nation to follow. If the environmental problems we face were encapsulated in a box of Smarties, then only solving the problem of emissions is like tossing out all the green ones, which comprise only one eighth of the crisis. I am not saying that what he is doing is not a good thing, but rather that reducing emissions alone is not enough, and I am sure he has a team of advisors that have told him that.

His disregard for sustainable living causes me to wonder if he is actually interested in the environment or if this is just a sensational way to get his already famous name back in lights. If you are not willing to give up your vehicle, which serves no purpose other than to solidify your image, you are not dedicated to the cause and you do not deserve praise, nor a snappy nickname.

So, my fellow Canadians: Do not accept his half-assed measures. We are more than that and should be demanding more. Let the politicians schmooze and drool over him. That is their job.
Our job is to keep them in check- making him feel loved will certainly not bring about the necessary actions for a more sustainable planet. I urge you all to look deep inside yourselves, before it is too late, and ask, "What Would David Suzuki Do?"

So, I decided to look up some great Arnold clips and I managed to find this nice compilation of his accomplishments. Also, I came upon this collection of some dudes Favourite Movie Quotes. I am also including this comment from DoctorMeatDic who reviewed it: " These are the shittest movie quotes of all time. You haven't a clue, you fucking clown."

I thought that was a little harsh. But I love "clown" as a mock, it reminds me of Bretty.

Top 5 TV Theme Songs

Tamara's List

5. My Pet Monster
4. Mr. Rogers Neighbourhood
3. Fresh Prince
2. Party of Five
1. Life Goes On

Dana's List

5. The Wonder Years
4. Law and Order
3. The Jetsons
2. Saved By the Bell
1. Fresh Prince

Brad's List

5. Cheers
4. Law and Order
3. Power Rangers
2. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
1. Golden Girls

Ben's List

5. Hang time
4. Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
3. Alvin and the Chipmunks
2. TMNT (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles- for the less hard cores)
1. Inspector Gadget (classic)

Ellisa's List

5. Lamb-Chops Play-A-Long "The song that never ends..." ***Note from Dana: this is my most hated theme song other than Woody the Wood Pecker.
4. Family Matters
3. The Colbert Report
2. Batman
1. Law and Order

Ode to the Weekend of DANGE

http://



The 'Weekend of DANGE' was as epic as the 'Summer of Love'... well if you factor in time compression and number of people affected.


I must say this about Ange and Dan- these two are a 'no holds barred' kinda couple. Often times in a relationship, in various situations, partners will slide into roles...for example: taking turns partying. When you go out drinking or partying with a boyfriend or girlfriend there is an unwritten rule that one of you should stay lucid enough to ensure that you both get home. (When you are single this is not an issue as you don't worry about getting home -Sidebar: this is way more fun). So anyways, back to Ange and Dan... so if you have a couple that both really likes to party it can be a contentious issue as to who will board the train to total inebriation, loss of bodily functions and brain activity...and sometimes, it is simply a race to see who can get there first and the loser has to back down and buck up.
In the case of the ‘DANGE’ these rules do not apply. There is no backing down. That's what I love about them. They will both go out as hard as humanly possible, and if we are really lucky we may be party to a little team barfing...


Friday Night: Honey
Song of the evening: Wolf Like Me - TV on the Radio.

The only down point in the night was the early departure of the weekend's stars as Dan decided to pound drinks immediately upon arrival could no longer feel feelings nor remain standing. It is really incredible to watch a person's transition from good times to completely inebriated as if a switch has been thrown.
The weekend’s fun didn’t end with threatening comments such as, “We are not here to make friends Ange” –Daniel Webber; nor did it end with a dirty sock assault - Ange Feehan. These two rallied and the second night was as epic as the first.


The Royal Unicorn Cabaret –a setting out of a Quinton Tarrentino film and appropriately the new Saturday night scene of choice was less full than usual as most of the hipsters and scenesters were at the Girl Talk Show. The early closing time of the Unicorn -a definite negative factor, lead us to find a worthy after party. Tracey and I were both minus an earring from the raucous dance party but we were all game for an adventure. Our crew embarked on a somewhat sketchy trek down Hastings Street in search of a cab that would take all five of us. After a bit of a debacle at Hastings and Main, involving myself, Bradley and a lucky homeless person we found a taxi and were on our way.


The after party was pretty cool. Recipe for success: A big empty room, a rad DJ, and lots of fucked-up people. Fashion highlight of the evening was Tracey’s new friend Nick, who was sporting an ‘Unsolved Mysteries’ t-shirt.


The party was only starting to get going when Vancouver’s finest decided that the time for illegal night activities was over and flashlights in hand funnelled us to the exits. We milled about outside in a vain attempt to find another party but nothing seemed to materialize. We did bump into Alan Cumming, guy from Spiderman (I can see why he plays rather dark roles as he is just plain eerie). The Dange had had enough by this point and were wisked away by the number 20, whilst Brad, Trace and I decided to join some people we met on the street and go to an after after party in Yaletown. The after after party was another unique experience and by this time it must have been around 4 am. I must say that the best part of the after after party was when Bradley and I shared a dance to Spoon. Have I mentioned that I am in love with Brad and Spoon- because I totally am.


When we got back to our place at 530, knowing that we had to take the Dange to the airport at 630 we decided to stay up, have a hooka and create a cd of night inspired songs for the drive. We were pleasantly surprised to find Ben asleep on the couch when we returned to my place and he was game to have an early morning hang out with us.

So that pretty much sums up the weekend of the Dange.
What fun!

"I can be moving or I can be still, but still is still moving to me"

This morning I was confronted with the words of Jello Biafra, of the Dead Kennedys... which I am sure have a deeper origin; however, I am unconcerned with the origin, but rather it is the content of the phrase that struck me.

I have been struggling with the concept of Stillness lately. It seems that I am always rushing. Everywhere I go and everything I do seems to have a time and date stamp on it, and I am not one of those people who have to be constantly busy booking multiple appointments in a day and accepting every invitation. I take pleasure in sitting and reading a book, sipping a cup of coffee, or basking in the sunshine. I wonder when it was, that we as a society, stopped working to live and started living to work. Who likes their job, really? Doesn't everyone complain? Why is it that we rush, rush, rush each morning, allow ourselves to be held hostage for eight hours at a time and nobody sees the crime in this? How has this become the norm?

When I was in Spain last fall I was poking around a little shop looking for the perfect Spanish silver ring when this little old lady approached me and uttered in her broken English, "Closed, siesta" – here is a culture that has their priorities straight. She asked me, a potential paying customer, to leave her store as it was time for a nap. Can you imagine? This sort of mentality would never fly in the "No rest zone" of North America. Also, customer service was non-existent as everyone hated their job, they didn't paint on that shellacked plastic smile, or utilize the fake phone voice. I loved it; I revelled in the disdain for work, and praised them for their appreciation of leisure time.

I think that we have conditioned ourselves to be continually switched on. I come home from work where I exist all day as my alter ego: pleasant, polite, proper, and any other positive adjectives you can think of. I then ride home on a packed bus and am forced to listen to 9 different cell phone conversations and the same amount of different music blasting from peoples shoddy personal music devises, creating a cacophony of noise, which, in the best situation, is offensive to the ears. We have become programmed for continual distraction, so much so that we don’t know what to do with ourselves when not being berated by oral and visual assault. What happened to decompressing after a day at work, what happened to quiet reflection?

Noise is everywhere around us, it is so all encompassing that silence has almost become unnerving. And how about the art of conversation, where did it run off to? We have traded in small talk for oral abuse, I realise that chatting with a complete stranger is unappealing to some, but are we not taking it too far? This is reinforcing our individualistic and solitary society that depends on personal technological devises to keep each other at a distance- to avoid any form of communal atmosphere.

When I get home and am alone the very first thing I do is to put on some music. Is this because of a deep love for music- Yes- but perhaps it is also that I am unaccustomed to the buzz of electricity, and being alone with only my thoughts as companions is unsettling. Or, maybe it just sets the mood or tone of my atmosphere; do I have a desire to have a soundtrack set to my life, with various music to define my capricious whims? Perhaps it runs deeper than that, perhaps the passion and emotion contained within music is what we crave from each other and as we become more solitary we search for other means of attaining these sentiments. My roommate recounted a podcast that stated that people complain that life is rushing past us and that they cannot keep up, but is not life that is doing the rushing, rather it is us that cannot take the time to stop, reflect, listen and just plain exist. We all need to step away from the extraneous factors of this society, take some time, and search inwardly, do some personal reflection and ensure that our actions and aspirations are aligned.

So, in this sense, I do believe, that to attain something as precious and rare as Stillness would be undeniably moving.

Top 5 Things To Do Before You Marry

Tracey’s List
right. so. five things I want to do before I get married... the edited-for-content version

1) travel. the world is a book, and if you don't travel, you only get to read one page.
2) get a post-graduate degree in Europe.
3) own a Vespa!
4) seduce a guy named Bjorn.
5) make out in an old-fashioned elevator in gastown (check)

Dana’s List

1) Have a torrent love affair with a much older gentleman who is well read and dashingly handsome. Have him whisk me away somewhere romantic like, Florence or some remote city in Spain where we can escape from reality and indulge in everything.

2) Take a trip with my girlfriends to somewhere hot and exotic where we will break all of Western Societies rules and party as though time is standing still.... while there, likely have a lesbian encounter with Jennifer Love Hewitt.

3) Have an intense relationship with a tortured musician that results in him writing a soul bearing song about his unrequited love and my charms making the name “Dana” perpetually associated with vermillion euphoria and a crushingly unattainable mystery.

4) Figure out the things that are truly important to me, develop myself as an individual and find my niche and purpose in life. Meet a partner that will complement and challenge the person that I will strive to be day to day.

5) Do some of that shit off of How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days. How hilarious would that be?

Brad’s List
Top 5 "things" Brad wants to do before he gets married:

5. Tracey
4. Dana
3. Ellisa
2. Get something published
1. Ben

Ben’s List

1. Travel extensively lonesome, with a friend, or with the possible future wife
2. Buy a sickly nice sports car or crotch rocket before the wife makes me sell it!
3. THREESOME
4. Develop a good relationship with my parents and siblings
5. Secure a decent job that I am happy with

Ellisa’s List

1. Fly down to Hollywood, and proposition Heath Ledger. "Hey Heath, can I have a second? I have always had a thing for you, but I am about to get married. I know what you are thinking, YIKES! Marriage! And I can assure you that my thoughts are running along that same track. So I knew that if you and I were ever going to be, now was the time. That is why I am here, in Hollywood, Earth's equivalent to Nirvana. So what do you think, can we make it work?..."

2. Lose 20lbs, buy a plethora of pretty dresses and flirt shamelessly with every attractive man I see. No matter if it is at the grocery store, the bar, the drugstore condom aisle or even, yes, the curb on garbage pick-up day (Hey pretty hunny, give us a smile...) Dana`s Comment: Aaaaahhhhh minus the 20lbs, dont we do that anyways?

How Drinking Games are Philosophical

Friends are like no other; you can never replicate the dynamic of chillin' in a small group with people that you have developed a deep camaraderie with, and know a detailed history of.

I love hanging out with just the girls, especially the ones that I know, and know me, inside and out. So, last night we were playing Kings, because I am 24 years old and I still enjoy a good drinking game – by the way I am proud of this fact. Anyways, clearly after about 7 years of kings we are forced to become more inventive, including inserting such rules as: The Dictionary Card, where you must pick a word and read three definitions and the other participants must guess the correct meaning (Hanging out with me is a real barrel of monkeys let me tell you)....by the way it is considerably more difficult when you have been drinking excessively. I pulled a card that demanded that I share a fantasy-the stipulation on the card was that it could be any form of fantasy, not necessarily a sexy fantasy.

So, I told the girls about a book I read not long ago about a nomadic group of cave men called "The Clan of the Cave Bear”. In this book the society of “The Clan” was very complicated and developed; they had a hierarchy, defined gender roles, deities, and established traditions that doubled as their means of survival. The Clan was forced to leave their cave when an earthquake ripped open the land. In their search for a new cave they found a girl from another more evolved species, who was victim of the quake, helpless and alone. The Clan decided to rescue her and tried to assimilate her into their culture. Physically she looked different, but more significantly her brain was more advanced and was able to make more connections ...so mentally she was more evolved than them.

She struggled and struggled to fit into their way of life but could not because of an ability to understand concepts on a different level which left rifts between her and the others. Another result of the evolution was the urge for her to do things that were outside her gender role or even outside the confines of the species. These behaviours and thoughts shook the Clan to the core as they were beyond their ability to understand and conceive.

So, my friend Ange asked me what I was really talking about and I my response was that these people, cavemen, neanderthals whatever we want to call them, were so certain in their society. The things were the way they were and had been for as long as they knew. They didn't question the reasoning behind the values but just trusted them blindly. Taking the knowledge that science has bestowed upon our own society we can see where their conventions were false -and these are things that are foundational to them as a people - it would be like us finding out that gravity isn't gravity at all but can be explained by some completely different aspect that was previously outside our conceivability; knowledge that would rock any civilization.

This has caused me to wonder how much of the society we exist within is ideology and how much is actuality – if indeed anything exists in actuality. It wasn’t that many years ago that we believed in bleeding people to rid sickness or that diseases were caused by bad spirits. I am uncertain about what is true and what I perceive to be true because I have been conditioned to do so. I don’t mean to be a spoiler but in the end of the novel the medicine man of the Clan of the Cave Bear comes to understand that this girl is the future and that the ways of the Clan are obsolete and the end of their society is drawing to a close. I truly wonder if and when we will ever reach that tipping point within our own society, after all, compared to the age of the earth us humans do not even register as a blip. How can we live with such an arrogant outlook and reap such domination over the land- confident in the ideology that we are the masters?

Top 5 Letters in the Alphabet

Brad's List

1.Q: Every word with a “Q” in it is awesome. Enough said.
2. U: Q’s retarded stepsister, it gets no attention or credit.
3. G: By far the most fun letter to write. Uppercase or Lower.
4. M: Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
5. B: For boobs. My favorite thing in the entire world.

Dana’s List

5) A~ Definitely my vowel of choice, I don’t usually put that little hood on it when I hand write it out though-> a ...and yes I call it a hood, like the letter a is wearing a hoodie.
4) V ~ Probably the most intimidating letter. Vain, Vindictive, Victory, Vendetta, Voluptuous. V is all, “look, I am not fucking around this is how I roll” and everyone else is like “yeah that’s cool” (but secretly, “fuck, V is scary shit man”)
3) S ~ SEXY! -need I say more....well I will...It slithers like a snake, brings to mind the sensation of hands salaciously exploring my body. (side bar, why isn’t there a font called SEXY? I think I may have found my calling)
2) Y ~ A result of that family guy where all the other vowels hate Y”.
1) D ~ Probably the Letter that I consciously write most frequently (having two in my name). I always think of the letter D as flowing like water not stiff or rigid like some of the other letters.

Pia’s List

I going to, (surprise!) use family guy as my reference: So absolute favourite letters the vowels- A E I O U : And the reason for why they're my favourite letters: because they hate Y for the reason that he is a phony, plays both sides of the alphabet, and only sometimes commits to being a vowel. Delta house motto- "GO BIG or go home" we don't like doing things half ass- and Y is a half ass vowel. Which is why I have come to the conclusion that A E I O U are the best letters within the english alphabet :-)

Tamara’s List

1. K - I like the randomness
2. W - symmetry
3. Y - fun to say
4. X - is a bit naughty
5. T - I like my name

Kevin's List

5. q. small q. it’s just better than capital Q.
4. W. why u when there is a double-u!
3. X. such a simple letter, and yet so (Dana's comment: Kevin did not finish his thought here. Way to leave us hanging!)

My top 2 will be from the Greek alphabet, because it’s just wicked! And also because we never use it (obviously) so its, how to say, more "exotic" than the plain old English alphabet!! Some of you may wonder, "why the hell is this guy using the Greek alphabet...the challenge should only be the English alphabet.." well I say, that’s great. It’s still an alphabet, and the challenge email didn’t say anything about what alphabet we have to choose our favourite letters from!!

2. θ. Theta. Sounds sweet. Looks sweet. It gets used a lot in mathematics which is where I’ve been exposed to it the most.

1. ψ. Psi. This would have to be by far my favourite letter. It just so happens to be the symbol of the Greek god Poseidon!! I’m sure we all know what he is the god of...and if you don’t...go look it up....please.

Tracey's List

Ok, so - I can't make it 5. Crap. Tamara and I had this conversation about her friend Greg tonight, who apparently is a pseudo-genius but always hands in his stuff like two weeks late because he "doesn't think creativity works that way". Fully appreciating how wonderful and hilarious that is, I have decided my creativity doesn't really work in fives tonight. I can only come up with four.

1) d
2) g
3) h
4) j

I think these letters are long and luxurious to write.

Ange's List

1. A - my first initial, and I like the shape, it reminds me of a person standing proud with feet spread out and hands in hips
2. R - I like the way it sounds, also its generally the last sound that children master pronunciation of.
3. W - very prominent shape, it draws you eyes, (shouldn't it be called double V?)
4. E - It looks progressive, as if the three lines are indicating that it is moving forward.
5. I pretty much like all of them except L and K because I don’t like the way they look when i write them.

Ben’s List

5 best letters in the alphabet:

M-U-S-I-C

I thought of this today when I was walking to work stepping along to somesam roberts thinking to myself what would we do without music? I can’t begin to answer that question, and for that these five simple letters of complicated proportions get my props as the best five.

Ellisa’s List

1. E, of course. I always have had an affinity for things that start with the letter E. I always loved Eeyore best, wanted Erkel to get with Laura (Family Matters) and was willing to try strange foods as a child like escargo, eggplant and edible undies (kidding on that last one. I actually discovered the pair from our first ladies nightat Skybar under my bed when we were moving.)

2. Y. A, E, I, O, U and sometimes Y. That Family Guy bit is one of my most memorable for sure. I remember laughing so hard that it becamse uncomfortable (trying so hard to keep form peeing my pants andremembering to breath).

3. F. I love this letter because I have a thing for underdogs. I feel like F is underappreciated. It has become almost synonomous with Fuck (What the f? Who the f does he think he is? You gotta be fing kidding me!). Poor F. It has so much to offer, like food, feminism, fabulous, frolicking, flirting, facetious (and Laura's contribution:Farm Animal)

4. H. I love handwriting H's. i remember as a kid (when learning cursive), handwriting H's over and over again because I thought they were so pretty. And I will always love Heath. He was my first celebrity, girlhood crush. *Sigh*

5. C. C is a fav for a few reasons. Firstly, I am a proud Calder. Contributing to this affinity is the years of public education where having a last name that came at the beginning of the alphabet was a huge bonus. Secondly, C is the third letter of the alphabet and 3 sis my cosmic number. My life is filled with 3s and multiples of 3s (especially 9s), I swear. It's weird that I have this strong feeling for the number 3 because I am a content athiest. But the cosmic energy is there...weird and very true.