A Short History of Me

I'm a big believer in context. To set the context for this blog, here's the what behind the name.

I was born in 1971 in Toronto to idealistic hippie parents who decided a year later that they didn't want to bring their infant daughter up in the concrete jungle; so in 1972 they got together with about 18 like-minded friends, bought a big plot of land in Central Ontario, and founded a communal society (ie a commune) based on principles of socialism and sustainability. In other words: they renounced technology and all its evils and went back to the land.

Thus my formative years were spent in a winterized shack with no plumbing (no toilet), no running water (no showers), no electricity (no TV), and one party phone line to be used only for emergencies. We grew our own food, slaughtered our own livestock, and bartered or traded goods and services (like carpentry) for the things we couldn't grow or raise ourselves.

It was a very innocent and free way to grow up, all things considered. Although I might have appreciated the major benefits of commune living (nudity, free love, mucho ganja) if I'd been older. Oh well.

In 1977 my parents' fractured marriage finally cracked in two and at the tender age of 6 my mom moved me back to Toronto. Electric lights! Hot and cold running water! A box with talking, moving pictures!! Imagine the culture shock. It freaked my shit right out.

Next time: TV and me