ick Kermit to the curb

As I flipped through the pages of a
transcript of Frog or Prince?, written by
Vancouverite Kaycee Jane, I couldn’t help
but reminisce about the some of the frogs

I have encountered in my life; and not the
amphibian variety—I’m talking about guys.

Some encounters have been with frogs,
some with bullfrogs, even toads and others
were mere tadpoles. Some have been a small, insignificant hiccup, like when you
drink soda too fast, while others have been the kind of hiccups you just can’t get
rid of no matter how long you hold your breath for. Either way, like every girl out
there, I too have encountered a frog or two... or ten.

The more immersed I became in Kaycee Jane’s “smart girl’s guide to
boyfriends” entitled Frog or Prince?, the more I felt that this would have been
invaluable resource to a girl like myself around 16 years of age. Granted, I was
blessed with an exceptional mother who became my own personal “guide” so to
speak, but even then, sometimes I would long for an objective view (after all, what
could my mom possibly know about dating... right?).

Jane’s debut book maps out positive frameworks and helps to equip today’s
young women with adequate skills for tackling relationships while maintaining a
sense of self-worth and confidence. This is predominantly accomplished by “setting
your bar.” Specific cut-and-dry questions and checklists are laid out in the “prince/
frog list” for each reader to fill out, thereby helping to decipher if their current love
interest is indeed a frog or a prince.

My absolute favorite aspect of Jane’s book is a fictional dialogue following
a young woman named “Natalie” through the trials and tribulations of her
relationship. Natalie serves as an example of what being in a relationship with a
frog can be like. Natalie made the read personal for me. I couldn’t help but relate
to Natalie; she triggered memories of times I had been smack-dab in the middle of
almost identical frog-like situations. It is through these clear demonstrations Jane,
tactfully, allows the reader to formulate their own unavoidable conclusions.

The book was inspired shortly after Jane saw her teenage daughter “holding
the hand of a Frog, who she thought was the guy of her dreams.” So, on October 9"
2008, about five years after that moment, it was undoubtedly a surreal experience
for the first time author to be standing in front of a sizeable crowd at the Vancouver
Club celebrating the launch of her work.

Amongst the supportive crowd of family, friends and proofreaders were a
few special guests with more than a few words of praise for Jane’s new book. Dr.
Liz Zubeck spoke highly of the book emphasizing that it “empowers women” and
that she will undoubtedly recommend it to patients in her practice. The Honorable
Wally Oppal, British Columbia’s Attorney General, and a man who has taken a
special interest in social justice, went so far as to thank Kaycee Jane “on behalf of
the province.”

Chloé
Bach

arts & entertainment editor

   
 

Chloé Bach

arts@theotherpress.ca

Left to right: Kaycee Jane, author; Chloé Bach, arts editor; Wally Oppal, attorney general

Oppal also stressed the
importance and need for a book
like this; a book that equips young
women with functional tools in a
society where divorce is common
and relationship dysfunction even
more so. This was precisely her
intent. In fact, Jane has stated that |
her goal is to “help young women
add to their own toolbox of skills |
with new tools that will help them
in building a beautiful life for
themselves.”

It is evident that Kaycee Jane
poured her heart and soul into
this book for five long years. The
product of her labour has become
a knowledge-perpetuating tool that
will ultimately make a difference
in the lives of our youth. What
initially began as a personal letter,
written out of love to her daughter, has now evolved into a guide that in my mind,
expresses what any mother could hope to say to their daughter: “when you know
better, you do better.”

 

 

 

bezel eee FIVOULES O acl

 

Dias playing to a crowd that barely filled the lower half of GM Place, Weezer managed
to come off looking like the coolest nerds on the planet at their October 10" concert.
Wearing matching white outfits with the band’s name on the back, the band hit the stage with
a group sing along of “My Name is Jonas,” the first track from their debut album. Each of
the band members took a turn on lead vocals for the infectious song, starting with drummer

14

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MeByMariskishen

Pat Wilson, followed by guitarist Brian Bell and then bassist and newest addition to the band,
Scott Shriner, and finally Rivers Cuomo, the coolest nerd of them all (and no doubt the one
who came up with the matching outfits idea). From there, the band played such favourites

as “Pink Triangle” and “Keep Fishin’,” before taking off the matching white outfits to reveal
what they had on underneath— matching red outfits. Clearly, this was going to be a fun show
for those wise enough to not skip out on seeing it. When Weezer is firing on all cylinders,