The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, April 3, 2002 - BI

TERRACE STANDARD.

INSIDE
COMMUNITY
EVENTS B2

SECTION B

JUST A THOUGHT’
EY BISHOP

Gasp! No, breathe...
slowly... good

RRRGGGHHHHHH. Have you ever

signed up for something and ended

up saying, “What the heck was I

thinking?” If yes, welcome to my
life.

I have often spouted off about the joys of
education for education’s sake and about how
it’s good to stretch your mind by making your-
self learn about things outside of your main
interests. I think I still believe that... but ] don’t
want to. I want to quit believing it and bel-
lyache for a while instead.

I recently (OK, OK, eight long months ago)
signed up for a course through Open Learning
University. Being as smart as a fence post, J
figured that I should get the course I least

wanted to do out of the way first. The dreaded
science credits. WHAT WAS I thinking?

I definitely should’ve started with some-_

_ thing I was more interested in so that I could
slowly wean myself back into the whole rig-
matole of school, After all, it's been 10 years
since | was last there, worrying about assign-
ments, exams and grades. And somehow, in
my time away, I forgot some vital, key, cru-
cial, very important aspects of my personality.

I am not motivated to do things 1 don’t
like.... [ don’t believe I’m unique in this but,
unfortunately, sharing the problem with fellow
humans doesn’t help me.

1 am a terrible procrastinator... ditto about
not being unique in this, blah, blah, blah.

I really have no mind for formulas of any
kind... whether it’s a sincere lack of ability or
just a huge mental block doesn’t really matter.

I’m terrified of exams... so much so in fact
that I feel the trots coming on when I think of
them. (Yes, thal was probably too much infor-
mation but I figure if I have to suffer, you
might as well too!)

Still, I'm stuck with the problem of really
needing this course and probably failing it be-
cause I’ve left it way too long. For someone
who freaks out with worry, obsessing about

doing well on schoolwork, leaving a whole
course till near the end of its time limit is a
VERY bad idea.

Yet, there have been some good paints to
all my stress. It’s made me remember to be
sympathetic to students. I'd forgotten about
pre-exam psychosis and the horrible heat
flashes through your stomach that come with
the conviction that you’re probably faiting your
assignments.

I'd forgotten what it was like to have the
very best of intentions to study but to have
your eyes and mind glaze over just reading the
title of the chapter that you’re supposed to be
covering.

; I’d forgotten that sometimes you really want

to get a lot accomplished but thal television
and exhaustion from a busy day usually win
the “what's gonna get time” battle.

I will be much more understanding when
people groan and shudder when certain sub-
jects come up.

But, all complaining aside, I’m faced with
the hard facts. Ultimately, this is my
choice. No one is going to force me to finish.
No one is going to be my cheerleader. And no
one, besides my husband, who will probably
faint in shock, will really be affected by my
finishing... Except for me, that is. 1 will be
affected. If I don’t finish, I will be further set
back in my goals and I’il be angry with myself
and discouraged,

Now I’m starting to panic again. Deep
breathe. Deep breathe. Ok... I’m a bit better.

One of the ways I'm attempting to brain-
wash myself into finishing the course is by
treading affirmations that I’ve written to myself
about why it would be good to complete the
course. 1 have them posted on my computer
tower to mock me, I mean, to encourage
me, My favourite one is, “Once I’m done, [’ll
never have to do it again!”

Of course, that’s only half true. While, yes,
T hope that I never have to do another course
like this again, I will definitely have to do
other things that I don’t like, What I’m hoping
is that eventually I will learn that things do nat
get better when you put them off, they only get
worse. Life is full of things that we have to do
(or choose to do, kicking and screaming) be-
cause we value something that we'll only ob-
tain by completing all the steps. Sigh. I just
won’t tell myself that this might not be the end
too loudly and Ill try to keep my eye on the
finish Hine for this one thing.

Is all the work worth it? Right at this
moment? No way. But after I get my transcript
saying that [ made it through? You bet.

COMMUNITY-=

Striving for excellence

Terrace gets ready for the 37th annual Pacific Northwest Music Festival

By JENNIFER LANG
DISCIPLINE AND confidence
aren't qualities you're born with.
They’re something you earn,

“though hard work and determina-

tion.

That's where the Pacific North-
west Music Festival comes in.
The annual event, now in its 37th
year, helps instil confidence and
discipline in the hundreds of stu-
dents who part each year, accord-
ing to Joanne Wakaruk.

“Getting up and performing in
front of people and playing, whe-
ther you win or not, it just takes
so much courage,” says Wakaruk,
who's festival president this year.

Like most members of the Pa-
cific Northwest Music Festival
Society, Wakaruk first got in-
volved as a parent.

Wakaruk joined the society as
a way to give something back to
the festival that had contributed
so much to her own family.

Not everyone who takes part in
the festival ends up performing for
a living. But the experience of
sttiving for excellence has lasting
benefits, just the same.

“If you only ever slay in your
living room, that’s fine too,” Wa-
karuk says.

Nearly 1,250 entrants from
Burns Lake to the Queen Char-
lotte Islands are registered for this
year’s festival, beginning April 8.

All competitions are open to
the public and take place at the
following venues: the R.E.M, Lee
Theatre, the Terrace Pentecostal
Assembly, the Terrace Evangeli-
cal Free Church and the Zion

PIANO PARTNERS Anna Geller and David Evenchick rehearse their duet, “Glove Puppets”. Both
7-year-olds are competing in the music festival for the first time.

JENNIFER LANG PHOTO

Baptist Church.

The festival is capped off with
two banner events ~ the Scholar-
ship Competition on Friday, April
19 and the Gala Performance and
Awards Night Saturday April 20.
Both take place at the R.E.M. Lee
Theatre.

Adjudicators recommend the
best competitors from each dis-
cipline for the scholarship compe-
tition. Cash prizes of $250, $500

and $1,000 are awarded to the top
junior, intermediate and senior
performers.

Gala night organizer Kelly
Lima has chosen the theme, Bou-
quet of Talent, for the April 20
performance that wraps up the
festival.

Again, performers are chosen
by adjudicators, but they aren't
necessarily the winners.

“Is just pure entertainment,”

Lima says, adding bands share the
stage with soloists. “Last year
there was an Elvis impersonator.
People were just rolling in their
seats.”

You're advised buy a ticket
early. The Gala has sold out for
the past three years.

A great way to support the fes-
lival is to purchase a souvenir. T-
shirts and music bags will be on
sale at the R,E.M. Lee.

mw Walkies

“Around Town

based TV show.

tic Circle.

Bulkley River.

PRINCE RUPERT resident Lucy Rutherford and her Scottish terrier, Mag-

Tongues,

Northwest provides
backdrop for TV show

THE SPECTACULAR Salmon Glacier in the
mountains above Stewart will be featured in to-
night’s inslalment of No Boundaries, a reality-

The show follows a group of contestants who
confront a series of ouldoor challenges as they
make their way from Vancouver Island to the Are-

. Last week’s instalment featured K’san Village in
the Hazelton area east of here, although viewers
weren’t offered much of an explanation about the
location of the stop over.

The contestants, weary after a gruelling moun-
tain bike expedition, got to spend the night inside
one of the replica buildings at K’san, snuggled up
inside sleeping bags around a toasty fire.

The next morning they explored the banks of the

Spring ahead
DON’T FORGET to set your clocks ahead one hour
Sunday morning. North America switches ta Day-
light Savings Time April 7 at 2 a.m.
Of course, youll lose an hour of sleep, but look
on the bright side — you'll get that hour back in
October, when Daylight Savings Time ends.

Play

TERRACE LITTLE THEATRE hosts an upcoming
play reading of Andrew Boveil's Speaking in

It takes place April 16 at the McColl Playhouse,

preview

gie, explored Terrace. The pair were spotted downtown March 28.

Craft fair celebrates creativity

Thousands expected at Kitimat Saturday

By JENNIFER LANG
HORDES descend upon
Kitimat Saturday, when
the Aluminum City hosts
its Spring Arts, Crafts and
Home Business Fair.

The annual event is ex-
pected to draw between
1,500 and 2,000 people.

Exhibitors from across
the region are taking part,
organizer Barbara Notheis
says, adding many of those
are from Terrace and Smi-
thers.

There's even an exhibi-
tor from Courtenay on
Vancouver Island this
year, Notheis says.-

A whole range of hand-
made crafts will be. on dis-

play, as more than 100 en-
trants set up exhibits.

Rick Goyette, a Terrace
carver who created those
face carvings in the trees
of Ferry Island; will be on
hand with a selection of
his wooden carvings,

Other arts and crafts on
display. include pottery,
quills, tole painting, je-
wellery and garden orna-
ments. -

As well, there will be a
number of home based bu-

_sinesses.,

Notheis says there will
be a range of activities for
children, including pony
tides, .baby animals, and

face- palnting,

“It's sort of a celebra-
tion of the creative and

enterprising spirit,” No-
theis says of the fair,
An internalional food

fair will serve up every-
thing from Greek, Chinese,
Portuguese and East Indian
to Hungarian and Filipino
foads - all prepared with
pride, she says.

The fair takes place at
the Riverlodge sports com-
plex from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
April 6.

To get there, turn ieft.a at
the third set of traffic

lights in Kitimat. Take the —

first right. Riverlodge is a

large, brown building on.

the. left. -

- Kalum housing complex on the Southside.

starting at 7:30 p.m.

The playhouse hosted a reading of Norm Foster’s
Affectations of May last night. Both titles are
under consideration for the TLT’s 2002-03 perfor-
mance season.

Gardens gearing up

TERRACE'S community gardens program, spon-
sored by Terrace Anti-Poverty Group Society, is
looking for gardeners of all ages and abilities as
preparations for the upcoming growing season get
underway.

The program is intended for people who would
like to garden, but don’t have the space at home -
or don’t know much about gardening but would like
to find out more.

Participants typically grow vegetables, but are
welcome to plant a few flowers, too.

Individuals and families, who are interested in
joining up should get in touch with the coordinator,
Jennifer, She can be reached at 635-4631.

There are two community gardens in Terrace.
The first is located at the corner of Apsley and
Grieg Ave., near the Royal Canadian Legion.

The second community garden is much larger.
It's located on Evergreen street near the Skeena