APPLICANT: How about Berkeley Pickell? Is he the Y&F Alberta Spokester?
Y&F Alberta TeamBerkeley Pickell is applicant number 10. He is 22 years old and lives in Calgary, Alberta.
Here is Berkeley's video application:
Here is Berkeley's current situation:
"I am a student at the University of Calgary. I came to the U because it was within walking distance of my house and stayed for the creative writing, art, and drama programs. I've been writing comedy skits since high school drama class, I've been doing video a couple of years now, and I have just started getting into voice acting. I also have some training in things like photography, animation, and photoshop."
Here is Berkeley's blog post:
"There are certain things that all men are expected to be able to do. Change a tire. Cook a steak. Throw a punch. It can be embarrassing if you're incapable of doing one of the many things that the unwritten laws of our society seem to demand. But you can still get by. So what if you can't score a baseball game? How often are you called on the fill in for an umpire? If you're reminded of your inability to change a tire on a daily basis maybe you shouldn't be working on a pit crew.
Besides in a world of gender equality and fast changing roles the rules are beginning to bend more and more easily. But what if you really do lack a talent that is expected of you? What if it's something that is truly unavoidable on a daily basis? What if it's a problem that no one ever takes the time to try to understand? I lack an ability that most of the world takes for granted and doesn't spare a second thought to. And I would like to assure those like me that this is not a sign of weakness, or sloth. It should not be a source of shame, or ridicule. And I hope the rest of you can come away from this with a greater understanding for the challenges that a certain group of men face.
My name is Berkeley Pickell... and I can't pee standing up.
Now before you jump to conclusions, let me specify that I'm talking only in terms of toilets. I have no problem with urinals, or isolated trees in the forest, and so forth. And it's not a matter of aim. I can aim just fine, thanks. The problem is that there is no where to aim. I am very, very tall and when you're shooting from this high up into a shallow bowl full of water there is no spot in the bowl that you can aim for without getting what I like to call "unacceptable splash-back". It's exactly what it sounds like. It may seem strange, but I like to keep my pants as urine-free as possible on general principal. But some guys seem so eager to join the battle of the sexes that they just have to try. And then they leave the toilet seat up for emphasis. If they were more secure they wouldn't feel the need to participate in 'pissing contests.'
So next time you're out with an extremely tall friend and you have a great guys-can't-aim joke, or an anecdote about toilet seat position maybe you'll reconsider and tell a blonde joke instead.
All kidding aside I hope I’ve managed to defamiliarize something you thought you knew and helped you to see a bit of the world in a new way. I know I mocked it in my video but a unique point of view really is where creativity starts. What are some things that make your point of view unique?
P.S. My apologies to the blondes. You know I didn't mean it ;)
P.P.S. One of the most awkward questions ever is “what made you finally decide to stop standing?”
P.P.P.S. The support group meets every Friday night to cook steaks, change tires, and complain about people who don’t trim their low tree branches. All sympathetic parties welcome."
Nicely done Berkeley.
Jere
