alexis – Page 22 – Alexis Veenendaal

The Insensitive Hybrid

Posted on November 7, 2017April 19, 2022 by alexis

Complicated beings build a simplified Existence. Smothering kindness and forever holding our breath for the next knife in our backs. In all that brittle baring we bare our teeth and Burn our hair. Woman, man and the Other stand in pretend unity to preach their cause to empty listeners with texting hands. Inside we are creative, but outside: facades are all we paint, post and preen and Primal are our fears. Social is our angst and our anguish. We say nothing when we Know, and we speak when we kno

Corrupting Our Youth: A Guide to Being Overly Opinionated and Repressing the Youth of Tomorrow

Posted on October 1, 2017April 20, 2022 by alexis

Oh, hello there. I’m a Millennial. Didn’t you know? I watch Netflix and play violent video games and watch sexually explicit television series. I also drink alcohol, and, I once threw a remote at my sister’s head. I was five, but still. Haven’t you heard? Kids these day are psychopaths. All of us. We have been so corrupted by the world that we don’t even know the difference between right and wrong anymore. It’s all just… shades of gray. And, do you want to know what the leading cause of our horr

The Incredible, Undeniable Enigma of Poutine & Canada

Posted on August 12, 2017April 19, 2022 by alexis

There is much to be said for Canadian’s and their infamous ways. We are somewhat of an enigma to the rest of the world, and especially to our southern neighbours. We live in igloos, we play hockey, we ride polar bears to our day jobs at the maple syrup factory, and our diets subsist of bacon, and this mysterious meal rarely seen outside our own borders: Poutine. We are a majestic and bearded populace, and we have great taste when it comes to beer. Oh, and free healthcare. That’s a thing. The ‘Po

Surviving Customer Servitude

Posted on August 1, 2017April 19, 2022 by alexis

When starting their first job, most people are at the lowest rung. Me? I was there at least four times before I finally crawled my way through the glorious swamp they call ‘the workforce’. Customer service, especially for a person who struggles with social cues (AKA an introvert), is possibly the worst imaginable thing when picturing a first job. Or a second. Or even a third. Okay, so holding a stop sign for fourteen hours probably isn’t that exciting either. But, nothing is worse for a

Long Exposure Photography White Dome Building Interior

The Levels of Dying: Part Two

Posted on July 26, 2017April 19, 2022 by alexis

I waited patiently as men and women filed past me, shoulders bent and eyes downcast. The smell of urine and sweat, mixed with the damp mustiness of being underground was overwhelming, but my nose was forced to grow accustomed. I pressed myself to the rocky wall and closed my eyes for a moment. My unit passed nearly in silence before I felt a rough hand on my shoulder.

The Levels of Dying: Part One

Posted on July 19, 2017April 19, 2022 by alexis

I always thought that dying was a horrible thing until I realized what the alternative entailed.

Human beings imagine the end to be a peaceful resolve. They imagine their loved ones on the other side. Others (the cynics of the world) imagine there is only darkness when they die.

Me? I imagined a sunset, and perhaps a beach somewhere with an endless supply of margaritas.

To my ungrateful surprise, none of these endings were what waited for me. Despite all the reli

Millennials – The Generation of Disappointments and Dreamers

Posted on July 13, 2017April 19, 2022 by alexis

I often hear of the debate between the Baby Boomers and the Millennials, and it’s not actually much of a debate. It’s target practice. Baby Boomers are aiming their unregistered shotguns straight at the troubled, younger generations, and we’re armed with nothing but a smartphone and unlimited data. Half the time we don’t even realize the conflict is there. In this battle-of-the-ages, I have personally done little to raise my finger in defense of the other side. Why? Because I have minor social a

Trust Me, You’re a Feminist

Posted on June 17, 2017April 19, 2022 by alexis

So, let’s talk about feminism. Until about four years ago, I was that young woman sitting in the back of my university lecture hall talking to another female friend and stating “I am not a feminist. I don’t hate men”. I scoffed at the ‘Women’s Studies’ department. I’m not the only woman to have done this. Many of you still believe it to be nonsense. But how could I say I wasn’t a feminist? I could sit in a class, go to university, even speak in public. Wasn’t that the result of feminism

White and Multicolored Love Is Love Banner

LGBTQ + Pride in Southern Alberta

Posted on June 15, 2017April 19, 2022 by alexis

I live in Southern Alberta. If you’re not sure what that implies, let me save you the Google search: Southern Alberta can be a lot like the Southern U.S. (If we are going by stereotypes. I don’t say this to promote stereotypes, but simply to appeal to the general public’s understanding. Which may sound ironic, I admit). The city of Lethbridge is a university town with a lot of forward-minded young people. But it is also an extremely religious place. On just about every street corner there is eit

Photo of a Yellow Banana Hanging on a White Balloon

Let’s Talk About Feminism

Posted on June 12, 2017April 19, 2022 by alexis

Introduction I don’t remember the exact moment I became a feminist, but I imagine it began around the time I got my first job in retail. An elderly gentleman called me ‘pretty girl’. To some people that may seem like a compliment. What’s wrong with being called pretty? Maybe you’ve even said that to a young woman: “which of these pretty girls wants to help me today?” In that moment, though, and in the eyes of that man, I was an object. I wasn’t Alexis. I wasn’t even Cashier Number Three. My enti