sold

A nice couple with little kids bought the bunkbed. Yeahhh! The TV and monitor will go smasheroo into the dumpster unless someone steals them tonight. They are not even good enough to donate.

Fifteen year old sold 3 years worth of Yu-Gi-Oh (including a very special deck built with the help of expert friends) for $5.50. Somethere in Port Moody a nine year old boy is very, very happy. Daughter sold a bunch of Beanie Babies and paperback books. The boys up the street made $400 selling popcorn and pop for the Firefighters' Burn fund. The block party was a happy smash. Now we're planning a pajama pancake breakfast block party - perhaps a fundraiser for something (people who need pajamas? pancakes for pandas?)

Life is sweet and lazy and full of sweet lazy neighbours all done with garage saling. I sat under a fuschia this afternoon and drank beer and pretended it was a hat (the fuschia, not the beer) only the bees in my ear made is slightly less than perfect.

question: who says the suburbs is a wasteland?

mompoet - happy to be here

soooo not Martha

Lest my previous post convey an inaccurate impression I will share this brief confession:

Today I took apart the cedar wreath that I made for our front door in December. It has been sitting in the corner of the carport getting dry and brown until now. I know it's still better than buying a plastic wreath and leaving it up all year, but I did feel pretty much like the slovenly housewife of who-cares. Then I told my neighbour and she confided that the dried-out Christmas tree is still in her back yard.

The garage sale went well. We sold the dresser, but the $1 each computer monitor and colour TV are still waiting for new homes. Lots of people have expressed intense affection for the red metal bunkbed but so far nobody is willing to commit $30 and cart it away. Oh well, maybe I'll open a bed and breakfast in the carport. It smells lovely and cedar-y in there.

question: who cares?

mompoet - nope nope, definitely not

mompoet puts by

I saw dill cukes at the veggie store yesterday, and asparagus is down to 1.99/lb. On the radio they said that Friday was the first day for picking local strawberries. Here we go!

Last summer I mostly coasted on my pickling, canning and jamming from the previous summer, but the cupboard is looking a bit bare now so it's going to be a big bickle jammy yammy summer. I also have wine to bottle. The stuff I make is so delicous and healthy, and it's very satisfying to see rows of jars and bottles just sitting there, available when we need them.

If you're walking your dog late at night and get a waft of vinegar coming from my kitchen window you know it's pickle daze.

asparagus, dill cukes, garlic, beans, beets, bread and butter, salsa, bruschetta, jalapenos, strawberry, raspberry, peach, plum, applesauce, yum

question: I hope everyone's hungry?

mompoet - putting by

Africa

My sister Barbara will leave at the end of August with her husband and kids to go live in Rwanda for a year. They will be part of a development program called VSO. (I'll have to find out more about it.) They will work as teachers in a town about 15km outside of Kigali. This is something they have wanted to do for a long time. Now the kids are 14, 11 and 9, the timing is just right. They'll be home in time for their eldest to graduate secondary school in Canada. They will do some good, learn about another way of life and have an adventure.

We knew for about a month that they were going "somewhere in Africa." VSO had not yet confirmed their placement. When Barb emailed me and our parents last night to announce the destination, she knew we'd be concerned. I spent about 90 minutes being pretty freaked then I settled down. Barb has sent us this website to find out about life in Rwanda. If you google Rwanda you just get news service after news service (beginning with the CIA - gulp) about all of the violence that continues in parts of the country.

I admire my sister so much. She's the one who pedalled with her husband around South America for 2 years back in the 80s after working in Ecuador on a development project. She lives in Cranbrook where her family and several others have sponsored so many Burmese refugees that Cranbrook now has a small but thriving Burmese community. I miss seeing her a lot, because she lives a 12 hour drive away. Now she'll be on the other side of the world.

I emailed her back right away then talked to Mom and Dad. My feeling is that it's natural for us to worry about them and wish they'd stay home, but we'd feel that wherever they go. I trust their choice, and if they say it's okay. It's okay. They will have an experience that most people would not even dream of. This will change their lives for the better when it's already pretty remarkable.

The good thing about an August departure is that we'll get to spend some time together before they go. In the meantime. I must learn as much as I can about Rwanda.

We are already invited to visit them. Mom and Dad will almost certainly go. If I could find the time and money I would, although it would also take some convincing here. Son and I are in one camp about travel: If we're going to do it, let's be as unusual and adventurous as possible. Kigali is ideal! Husband and daughter say: It has to be safe, and preferably insect-free. We want to go to an all-inclusive in Mexico. So far we just go camping in BC so our difference has not yet been tested. This may be the year we find out.

question: where in the world do you find what you seek?

mompoet - peeking around the corner of the earth

rwanda oh my
the word takes my breath away
stay no go go stay

What Old Lovers Do

Old lovers do all the same things we do
Go for moonlit beach walks
Make love like tigers
Fast, purge and have cameras inserted in their rectums

I drove my Mom and Dad to the hospital today
Colonoscopy appointments for two
They would have taken a cab
But after two doses each of a laxative
Calibrated to empty and elephant in under an hour
They could not bear the risk of lingering explosion
I told them it was okay, really
But my dad put a plastic bag and a towel over the back seat
Before he got into the car

I drove carefully
Avoided jarring stops and swerves
As I pulled up to the big doors
Dad said, “Have you had your rear suspension checked?”
For a moment I thought…
Then I realized, he was actually talking about my car
“I think you have a problem with your struts,” he said
Then Mom and Dad scuttled under the awning
And disappeared
Into admissions

As I drove away
I thought, man, that’s really romantic
Dining on jello and juice together
Running to the bathroom together
Allowing the camera to go way, way up
Together
That’s what old lovers do

I drove to the gym
Hopped on a stationary bike
My lazy leaden legs did not want to move
But I thought
In the name of health
For the sake of living for each other, for me
My parents are opening their anuses
For some invasive intestinal spelunking
I can do my goddam workout
And somehow I found the WHUMP
To propel myself through the pushing and sweating
To stay alive
To stay alive

And there was music
I pictured David Cassidy, 18 years old
All hope and tender good intention
And I thought about my husband of 20 years
Is he still my David Cassidy?
Am I still his Marcia Brady?
I wasn’t sure
So I pedaled harder, faster
Until my thighs screamed
I think I love you
I think I love you
I think I love you!

And launched me through another day of workout, work, evening meeting
I made it home at nine
Hugged my kids
Asked my daughter if she’d drive her dad and me to our colonoscopy appointment
When we’re old lovers
She said that’s gross
I kissed my husband
Told him about my day
Told him my parents’ tests turned out A-OK
Together

He said, “I know,
That’s what old lovers do.”

question: David Cassidy?

mompoet - Marcia Brady

what old couples do

I drove my mom and dad to the hospital this morning for their colonoscopy appointments. They didn't want to risk exploding in the bus or a taxi on the way. I drove carefully and we made it er, cleanly to our destination.

Driving away, I thought it was kind of romantic that they did this together - the fasting and the industrial strength laxative purges, then that tense trip to the hospital and what must have been an uncomfortable wait for an even less comfortable procedure, together.

I wonder, when Andy and I are an old couple, will one of our adult kids drive us to the hospital for tandem butt camera examinations? I asked them this when I came home, and they just wanted to know if Grandma and Grandpa had a video of their insides. Sure, we can go over to their place, make some popcorn and play "Guess Whose Colon This Is????"

Makes you want to write a poem or something. Michele says it's a bad idea but she's always been too modest. I know Mom and Dad will love it.

question: do you think it's romantic?

mompoet - really glad I'm still too young for fiber optic colo-rectal spelunking

ps Results were good - no stalactites
pps I mean it about the poem

Slam Finals (it was good)

It was a good good night and a long good day. After an afternoon with the family at Playland (rides 26-31 on the coaster) I headed over to Heritage Hall to help set up for Finals.

Everything was good. We sold out but turned only a handful away. Every poet was great. The judges were good and steady. Host Graham Olds kept things popping along. TOFU was delicious. I'm so glad to finally see Mike McGee, Shane Koyczan and CR Avery together after everything I have heard about them. They are good and real and good. (Have you counted how many times I said "good?" Good.) I bought their CD. It's good too. Lots of people pitched in to help make things go well, and it worked. The audience was happy. The poets were happy - of course the happiest were the winners: Brendan McLeod, Chrystalene Buhler, Barbara Adler, Zaccheus and alternate Magpie Ulysses. I loved every poet and every poem. Fernando Raguero and Kim Shaughnessy did beautiful sacrifice poems. It was such a good good good night.

So I hope you'll pardon this un-poetic and barely literate description of the night's events. You see, I got just 4 and a half hours of sleep. Luckily I had an on-the-go day at work. A bla bla meeting in the afternoon would have done me in. There's not much worse at work than the excruciating experience of trying to prop the eyes open at 2 in the afternoon while somebody drones on and on about something you read already bla bla bla...It's embarrassing to fall asleep at a table full of co-workers and/or bosses. So I'm glad I didn't. Driving home I listened to the TOFU CD and that kept me awake laughing and crying and saying, "That's a mighty good CD, that is." Then tonight I had to help the girl study for her socials test about Peru and we got all giddy about llamas and potatoes and Lake Titicaca. So now I suppose it tis time to sleep.

I think it's very very GOOOD that I have so much fun that I miss out on sleep. I'd sooner be running on empty from time to time and being part of this GOOD GOOD fun and creative artistry than to miss it and get a solid 8 every night.

Good finals! Good community! Good friends! Good poetry! Gooood nigggghhhhht.

question - ever been so tired you could sleep on the roller coaster?

mompoet - good and tired, and good

TWO REELY BIG SHEWS

Best Slam Poetry in Vancouver
Vancouver Poetry Slam Semi-Finals
Monday, May 23
Heritage Hall in Vancouver
Doors at 8, Show at 9
$10 to get in
The best darned slam poets in Vancouver will compete to represent Vancouver at the US Nationals in August and at the Canadian Festival of Spoken Word in October.
Feature: T.O.F.U. Mike McGee, Shane Koyczan and CR Avery

Best Garage Sale in Port Moody
Easthill Garage Sale
Saturday May 28
Sunday May 29
Cornell, Cambridge, Cardiff Ways in Port Moody
Officially 9am-4pm but lots of people come early. If you stay late we will give you beer.
250 CARPORTS FULL OF STUFF YOUR NEIGHBOURS DON'T NEED ANY MORE
Best stuff on Saturday
Best deals on Sunday
Free stuff on Sunday night
Monster street party Saturday (drink beer, eat pizza and ask yourself, WHY DID I BUY LIME GREEN SIZE 14 IN-LINE SKATES?)

question: what do these two events have in common?

mompoet - procrastinating and listening to three grade 6 girls in the bathroom dressing up as aliens to make a science project movie. Do aliens wear lip gloss?

mompoet weekend forecast

We're staying home this weekend. Here's my prediction for our basically unscripted Victoria Day stretch:

Probability of taking Alex to see Revenge of the Sith 99.9%
Probability of Andy and me walking to the other side of the inlet with the dog 100%
Probability of doing that twice during the weekend 75%
Probability of rhubarb pecan muffins 98%
Probability of church 100%
Probability of children getting up to go to church 42%
Probability of pizza on Friday night 101%
Probability of watching The Corporation on DVD (finally) 97%
Probability of balancing chequebook, paying bills, cleaning out laundry room, putting winter clothes into attic, bottling wine, rearranging casserole/tupperware cupboard, figuring out who owns which toothbrush head, dusting 75% for all of the above 100% for 75% of the above
Probability of reading for more than one hour in a row 80%
Probability of dramatic patio light installation in front garden 100% (they're bumble bees)
Probability of me washing and vacuuming out my car HAHAHAHAHAHAHAH! Sorry that's too funny
Probabilty of wasting time 100%
Probability of going to the mall -5%
Probability of sitting out in a carport with the neighbours and a glass of wine 86%
Probability of organized sport on TV or real life 0%
Probability of getting pinned to the couch by a cat 63%
Probability of rain WHO CARES!

question: whatcha doing this weekend?

mompoet - breathing out

I shoulda got stitches

Sometimes I do really stupid things. Or maybe just careless. Usually I end up okay anyway. Okay, so far I always end up okay.

Last Friday I waited too long to start supper then I was rushing to cut up a chicken for the oven. I used the horrible knife - a long, very sharp, serrated thing. I sliced the top of my ring finger, just south of the fingernail and past the first joint. I couldn't see how bad it was but I put three bandaids on and it kept bleeding. I put a fourth on top and it stopped. I felt kind of sick for a few minutes. Then I finished the chicken and got supper in the oven.

I thought about going to the clinic or emerg, but I didn't want to spend Friday evening sitting in a waiting room feeling like a goof for mistaking my finger for a drumstick, so I left it. I cleaned it well and made sure to use polysporin, and at my daughter's suggestion I put on one of those advanced healing bandaids. Those are mighty fine bandaids. Last year I wore one to Disneyland after I burned my arm with the kettle. The wound stayed clean and healed beautifully and the bandaid disguised it so I didn't look like a leper in the swimming pool.

I took a peek at the finger last night. It still hurts like the dickens now and again, but the edges are sealed back shut. There's some kind of frankenstein finger scar though. Youch! Oh well, all's well that ends well.

It got me thinking about something I was thinking about when I wrote "Venus de Milo,"

maybe it is some kind of
Venus de Milo envy
I'm literally disarming myself
in mute testament to my own impending redundancy

Everytime I damage myself by accident I think about this. A friend told me that injuries to extremities are a sign that I am not giving myself enough space or honouring my own self in my environment. His suggestion was to go through my space and re-introduce the parts of my body to it: "Arm, this is the door. Door, this is my arm." Renewed consciousness of myself in space will help me reduce the bumps, bangs, burns and slices.

I'm more impulsive than analytical, so I resist such ideas. I will, however, give it some thought and perhaps prevent actually losing a toe or something next time.

question: how do you get through a busy day with all of your parts intact?

mompoet - taking up space (and avoiding that knife for the time being)

It is how it is

We have a lot more NDP in BC today which is great. Gordo won by a 1.5 kilovotes in his riding. It was Lorne Mayencourt who squeaked back in by just 550 (damn, I did phone canvassing for Vancouver Burrard too!) Our own Karen Rockwell lost by about 3 thousand, but Mike Farnworth (NDP) is back in PoCo and it looks like Diane Thorne (NDP) probably won in Coquitlam, although it's very close. Harry Bloy just barely beat Bart Healy, the NDP candidate who wins the prize for standing by the side of the road and waving the most in any campaign.

Now I know what inside and outside scrutineers do, and I've experienced the adrenalin of 8am-10pm running, running, running to get the vote out. At the beginning of the day my volunteer partner and I had 4 voting places for roving inside scrutineering. These were reduced to two by mid-afternoon as more volunteers arrived. Early in the day we drove to the doorsteps of committed supporters in Anmore and Northeast Coquitlam and dropped of "vote reminders." Later in the day we called in from the polling place to the campaign office with the sequence numbers of voters who had shown up at the poll. Volunteers at the office phoned voters who hadn't gone to the poll to remind them to vote, offer rides, etc. I had not idea how much work goes into making sure people vote on election day. After the polls closed I watched the vote counts and ballot-balancing. It was very interesting and somewhat surreal. In the course of the day I saw 11 ducklings in a trailer park, a bucket put out for clean-up day that was labelled CAT (food), a man who argued with me about whether dropping of the vote reminders on election day was legal, an 18-year old election poll worker all starry-eyed about voting, experienced campaign manager and volunteers working with laser intensity, my friend Cathy staying calm and mentoring me through an almost overwhelming day, elections officers sitting on pillows they brought from home to cushion folding chairs (was that part of the training?), piles of sandwiches, apples, donuts and coffee for volunteers to grab and run at lunch time, a florist shop waking up early at 9am to take an order for a bouquet for Karen and lots and lots of people voting. And I saw a dozen of Karen's friends and supporters standing around a tv in the office at 10pm when the results were sure. After hugs and reassurances they turned out the lights and headed over to the party. What a day, what a day.

Port Moody Westwood was predicted to be the safest riding for the Liberals in the Tri-Cities area. But I hoped. We all did. I guess that's the upside of this little part of the big election story. We all hoped. Hope is the spark that starts many good things. It's still there. Next time. Next time.

question: why the heck not?

mompoet - eternal optimist and constant learner

nothing sweet about defeat

I just can't put a positive spin on it. Karen lost in Port Moody Westwood tonight. I still think she deserved to win, and I'm proud of her for her wonderful campaign and grateful for the opportuntiy to have worked for her, even in a small way.

I learned a lot today. It was rockem' sockem for sure. And I can say with certainty that we did what we could and I'm proud of everyone who got involved. I'm proud of everyone who voted. Especially the young ones voting for the first time. There were a lot of them where I was working, a lot with their moms, which made me happy. One guy had me almost in tears he was so earnest and concerned about marking the ballot right.

No matter what, though, it's disappointing to lose. There were lots of cheers at the campaign office as the results came in from around the province. It looks much brighter for BC, even with Gordon Campbell still in control (did I hear he won by only 800 votes?? - yes!) Karen was brave and a good sport but we were sad. When everyone left for the Legion to celebrate with the 4 Tri-City NDP candidates I came home. It was late already and I just want to be here right now - not drinking beer in PoCo and probably crying.

Guess I'll just have to get to know Howdy-Doody-I'm-Alright-Jack-Black for the next 4 years. In the meantime, I'm sure Karen will do great things. But we're all allowed to be sad for a while, right?

question: what could we have done to make it turn out different?

mompoet - I know, I know, we did our best

tomorrow is it

I stopped in to Karen Rockwell's campaign office tonight on the way home from work to get my instructions for tomorrow. I've booked the day off work to volunteer as a scrutineer. (Why does that name remind me of Disney's "Imagineers"?) Karen greeted me with a big hug and warm thanks. She is fabulous. She's the Georgia Straight's choice for our riding. She sure deserves to win, with her solid experience, dedicated hard work and good, good heart.

I'll work all day tomorrow with Cathy, a co-worker of mine who also lives in Port Moody and who first introduced me to Karen when she was running for city council. That will make the day enjoyable. When the polls close we'll gather with the other Tri-City NDP candidates and their supporters to watch the results come in.

Try something new. That's my favourite. This is it.

Do something worthwhile. That's my habit. Here I go again.

Hope for the best....yup I sure will.

question: will it work? will it work?

mompoet - the night before Christmas feeling right now

Who says politics is boring?

Gordon Campbell gets pink-slipped

There's lots more fun on the Pink Slips website.

mompoet - tickled pink by real people

BC STV Vote

Almost everyone who I have talked to is confused about the STV referendum, despite the information that's floating around. Here's a sample of information, both for and against the STV. Whatever we do, we should know about it and vote...Otherwise somebody else will choose, or we will choose randomly without understanding the implications.

It's not that difficult...take a few minutes to find out if you have not done so already. I've picked these articles because they are pretty straightforward. One is even a cartoon!

FOR:

A cartoon put out by the Citizen's Assembly - STV is Fruity-Good stuff

Vote Yes for STV website

Rafe Mair Loves STV - Tyee Article

AGAINST:

This week's Georgia Straight Editorial - STV is bad for poor people

Know STV before you vote website (otherwise known as "NO STV")

David Shreck - Vote No if Uncertain

NEUTRAL:

The Tyee list's party positions on STV

CBC Explains STV and Illustrates with Ice Cream Poll

Read, talk, know, vote - it's a short commitment with long consequences or benefits...

question: penny for your thoughts?

mompoet - busy too, but not too busy to care

Beautiful Rain

What a comforting sound to hear rain on the roof in the night. It's been a long time since we have had a good long, thick rain. I am glad to see it. I have friends who are camping, and I wish they weren't out there in their tents, but aside from that, rain is good. Sitting in my warm kitchen, looking at the water dripping off of the rhododendrons is cozy and delicious.

When we were little and Mom and Dad took us camping at Douglas Fir or Silver Fir campground near Mount Baker, we would retreat to the picnic shelter on rainy days. I remember a big box of 64 crayolas and grill cheese sandwiches with homemade bread and cheddar cheese, and Campbell's soup made for our lunch on a Coleman stove. Walking through the forest in rubber boots, the ground stayed dry for a long time, protected by the high, dense canopy.

The dog likes the rain too. She has such thick fur she doesn't get soaked to the skin, and when we get inside I dry her with a towel. She loves that. Sometimes when I am folding laundry she comes and looks at me with longing, so I have to pretend that she is wet, and "dry" her all off with one of my towels that I have just folded, she loves it so much.

Rain rain stay today.

question: Will it rain enough today to soak down to the roots?

mompoet - wearing warm socks

This is good

Papaya Cashew Salsa
(Recipe from the Vancouver Sun - they called it chutney, but I think it's a salsa)

Serve this wherever you would any other salsa - with beef, chicken, eggs, vegetables, chips...I served leftover on wheat thins with cream cheese...

1 cup diced fresh papaya
2 Tbs finely chopped red onion
2 tsp grated fresh ginger
1/2 cup unsalted roasted cashews, roughly chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/8 tsp crushed chili flakes
1 Tbs brown sugar
Juice of one lime
1/8 tsp salt (or to taste)

Mix up all of the ingredients. Let sit for a while and stir again before serving. Leftover keeps for a couple of days in the fridge. Mango can be substituted if papya is unavailable. Luckily we live in Vancouver so papaya is always available. Mango would be good too though.

question: don't you love this time of year at the veggie store?

mompoet - luxuriating in spring's bounty

Didn't Know this Existed

I saw these guys doing their thing outside the gas station Wednesday morning:

http://www.pacificbarkblowers.com/

They had a big truck and a long hose that looked like a vaccum hose but worked in reverse. They were blowing bark onto the garden beds. The sign on the truck said:

"Bark, compost or soil blown ANYWHERE you want!"

On the steps of the Legislature??

I don't know, I guess it's a cost-effective way to pretty up garden beds, but it seems to me to be in the same category as the power washer for leaves or blossoms on the driveway. Why use gallons of high-pressure water when a broom will work too? Why blow mulch with a big noisy truck when you could dump, shovel and rake. I suspect it's a guy thing.

question: why blow?

mompoet - slow and simple most of the time

wild life

When I came home from canvassing last night around 8:15 a small bat flew right past my head just outside our front door. It was tiny and fast - woulda thought it was a bird if I hadn't seen one before.

This morning I was walking the dog down the street and I heard a metallic drumming sound. I knew right away it was a woodpecker but I had to get closer and look around to figure out where. The little guy was hammering away on a metal stop sign. He was a beauty - no more than a handspan from tip to tip, with a scarlet head and dappled black and white body. A car drove by and scared him off the sign into a cherry tree - probably better pickings there. But when I came out of the trees onto the upper road there he was again, banging on another sign - maybe he was signalling to a female woodpecker? Does that really impress them? I guess loud sustained hammering indicates the ability to find lots of bugs and grubs for the nest?

We also have crows, robins, chickadees and a predominance of starlings. Something is always flying (or banging) around here.

question: rat a tat?

mompoet - earthbound

Piaf I like

I have found my first favourite Edith Piaf song. It's called "Rien de Rien." I understand a few of the words, but that's not why I love it. It's the tone and spirit of the song. Piaf sounds like she is having an argument - with someone else or herself, I'm not sure. There's frustration, fury, sarcasm and irony, and a saucy, snappy sound. I play it 2 or 3 times and grin.

Andy and I will have supper tomorrow with Michele and her husband Brent. I'm going to ask her some questions about Edith Piaf. I want to do some internet reading too, but I will stick by my promise: no translations. Promise.

question: je me demande pourquoi pas???

mompoet - something for sure

The campaign

Now that the Beast show is over, I am trying to help out as much as I can on the campaign of our local candidate, Karen Rockwell. I've already been out canvassing with her. Now I have begun another door-to-door job, this time a poll. I have to go to the house, ask the person who comes to the door if he or she has decided about voting, and if so who...Then I record the response. There are also ideas for how to talk to undecideds about their choices. I have to take it all back to the campaign office on Saturday. Meantime there's a couple of hundred doors waiting for me. Politi-son is helping. It's good experience for him, and I love his company. He is funny and insightful.

The other night I went to the CUPE BC office and phoned CUPE members living in a couple of ridings and asked the same sort of questions. It's interesting talking to people about their vote. Some are very definite, others very secretive and many seem embarassed or confused. I guess it's a personal question, and maybe I'm intimidating or intrusive just grinning at their door and saying "Hey there neighbour, Who you gonna vote fer?" Oh well. It helps the campaign and now I know even more which dogs belong to which houses.

On election day I've booked off work so I can work all day at a poll. My friend warned me if I'm a "scrutineer" everyone will feel hostile toward me like I'm trying to catch them doing something wrong or impose my point of view. That will be interesting.

question: will this make a difference?

mompoet - maybe to the outcome, certainly to my outlook

One more suspicious thing about french

At the Slam Semi-Finals last week, feature poet Rives from the Hollywood slam did a great story of a love poem that he wrote, then translated into Italian and back into English using babblefish.com (an on-line automatic language translation program) It was hilarious.

Thinking about french, I went to babblefish and translated the first few lines of an old favourite into french, then back into english. Something fishy here - or maybe owly?

The hibou and the minou went to the sea in a beautiful green boat apple. They took some honey and enough of packed money increase in a five book the grade. The hibou looked for to the moon above and sang to his small guitar, « O the pussycat charming, the pussycat of O my love, this that a beautiful pussycat that you are, you are. What a beautiful pussycat that you are they! »

You should see what babblefish does to "O Canada" when you translate the song into German and back into English. It's fun, give it a try.

question: would you rather sail away in a pea, or in an apple?
question: what would babblefish do with "bong tree?"

mompoet - immature and trivia-obsessed

How to have fun when you study

even when the study cards get lost and you can't find them and you have to write them all over again and you feel tired:

Finish the real study cards then put some funny ones in that will make your daughter laugh. Here are a couple of samples:

Q: Why did Mrs. Aldrin name her boy Edwin?
A: She wanted to name him Walter but the dog was already named Walter.

Q: What is the name of Saturn's third moon?
A: Jellywog Paprika bunny

Q: What kind of pizzas do they eat on Mars?
A: They eat tortellini on Mars, not pizza!

Q: What two planets look like avocados?
A: Peter and Amanda
and the perennial

Q: What is Uranus made of?
A: Gas
(Which is actually true)

and the total and final silly

Q: What is Neil Armstrong's favourite potato song?
A: Hoppity-hop, I'm a Moon-Spud Wolly-Goggle Yadda Yadda Yadda Boom
(Neil Armstrong was not as musical as Louis Armstrong)

I sure hope the teacher asks the kids to hand in their cards for extra points. I love it when he does that and we have laced the deck with silly cards.

question: If it ain't fun then what good is it?
mompoet - Wolly-Gogglin' along

Dad says my french is no good and words aren't always important

This from my dad in response to my last post:

I'm sure my French is much poorer than yours, but "arachnide" didn't sound right. I have a program which accesses various translation engines and according to http://www.travlang.com neither "arachnide" nor

"arachnid" are French words. Translating from English to French, "spider" becomes "araignee" where the first "e" has an acute accent. (I didn't type the e with acute accent because Macs and Windows machines use different keys for such things; anything which uses the Option key on a Mac or the Alt key on a Windows machine is not to be trusted, and one is advised never to use such characters when cross-platform problems might arise.) "Arachide" does translate to "peanut", as anyone who has looked at a Canadian peanut butter jar knows.

There is more to music than the words. In fact I would argue that good vocal music has to be enjoyable whether you understand the words or not. Bach has a way of treating a vocal soloist as if he or she were another instrument, and there will be sections where he uses a singer and a violin much the same way that he might have used a flute and a violin. If you listen to things like his B minor mass, or the St. Matthew Passion, or the Christmas Oratorio, you can pretty well figure out what is going on whether you know any German or not. But there aren't very many Bachs.

Dad

I am going crazy in french

Ou est la parachute de mon arachide? Elle est une pamplemousse parachute ce n'est pas? Oui, je suis une arachnide pamplemouse parapluie!!!!

I am going crazy listening to songs in French. I hate it! I can't stop trying to understand what the words mean in English. There are just enough that I recognize so I want to know, but I can't! There is music like the Wizard of Oz when the wicked witch comes, and flamenco guitars and billowing harps and some accordions and a passionate voice with a torrent of words that I can't get.

Michele, I will get you back.

I still love you.

question: parapluie pas?

mompoet - la chat d'aujourd hui

Lotsa Coaster

I rode The Coaster 21 times today. So now I'm up to 25 (one quarter of the way to my goal of 100 this year). There won't be another day as easy as this one, I'm sure. It was Mother's Day, and it was raining lightly. Most of the time there were zero lineups. We just kept getting off the ride, running around to the loading zone and going again. We paused for lunch after about 15 rides then continued. It was lovely. On ride number 8 my cell phone popped out of my pants pocket and went flying into the grass beneath the ride. One of the maintenance guys retrieved it for me just a few minutes later, no damage done. I rode on the front and the back and in the middle, with Andrew and solo. Riding solo in the front is definitely the very best. Daughter and son each brought a friend, and Andrew decided to leave a bit early to spend some time with his mom. So I was all on my own for ride number 21, which was sweet - bright grey sky, everything damp and fresh, the slopes and curves as familiar as a favourite song. After it was over I found the kids and we headed for home. It was a good Mother's Day.

question: is this the definition of "time well wasted?"

mompoet - maximum elevation and acceleration

the real song in my head

Can't stop hearing these words...

Beautiful world
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
It’s a beautiful world we live in
A sweet romantic place
Beautiful people everywhere
The way they show they care
Makes me want to say
It’s a beautiful world
For you
It’s a wonderful time to be here
It’s nice to be alive
Wonderful people everywhere
The way they comb their hair
Makes me want to say
It’s a wonderful place
For you
Hey
Tell me what I say
Boy ’n’ girl with the new clothes on
You can shake it to me all night long
Hey hey
It’s not for me

I haven't listened to DEVO in years but there it is. Listen to one thing and it shakes loose something else I didn't even know I had stored.

question: what's in the back of your brain closet?

mompoet - for us all today, I hope

gotta get me a chic little dress

and tie my hair up in a silk scarf and wear expensive sunglasses and drive a 1950's convertible with some fins. Then listening to Edith Piaf while I drive the car would fit. I will practise throwing my head back and laughing with a french accent....

question: pourquoi pas?

mompoet - putting on jeans and going to Playland for Mother's Day

Big Fish Day

Today I helped out while about 1,000 neighbours came to the community school and put fingerling salmon into Stoney Creek. Ujjal Dosanjh was there. So was Bill Siksay, who used to be Svend Robinson's assistant but is now a North Burnaby MP. So were the local provincial candidates. And the media came out in waves...The creek was full of big fish, actually.

The little fish swam, oblivious to the hullaballoo. I saw a 20 year old volunteer get misty about letting 3 little critters into the creek. She'd never done that before. Holding a live fish in your hand and sending it out with hope that it will become an adult and make lots more fish one day is a moving experience.

I also saw a 230 pound dog, which stayed out of the creek like a good dog. Owner is a gillnet fisherman who honours the work of the streamkeepers. It really was a love and procreation festival, you know. The dog's name is Mr. Marshall and he let me pet him. His head was the size of a lawn chair.

As volunteer coordinator, I got to manage about 50 secondary students working at the event, hosting info booths, guarding the parking lot, welcoming guests and working the sound system on the entertainment stage. That's the best part for me. Most of these kids have been coming to the festival since they were in kindergarten or preschool. By the time they're 15, 16, 17 you'd think they would be too cool to play with fish, but they come and help, with remarkable talent and enthusiasm. Every time I do this my confidence in the future of the world is restored. These guys will be taking care of business when we are old. We will be okay!

By the way, they ate 5 dozen muffins, 50 cups of coffee, 15 litres of orange juice and some tea. We also fed them lunch.

I love my job, I love my community. Working Saturday is okay when it's something like this.

question: ever let a fish go? did you like it?

mompoet - just lucky I guess

One more thing about the birthday boy

He was due to be born 3 days after Mother's Day. I remember thinking, "I will have to wait a whole year to be a mom on Mother's Day." Then he was born 10 days early. I actually had to call in to work from the hospital ("ER...I can't come to work today, I'm having a baby instead). So he was born one week before Mother's Day and I didn't have to wait. What a nice kid, huh?

question: don't you love it when good things come early?

mompoet - HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY TO EVERY MOM!

Sound Journal Update - Number 9 is in the works

Michele loaned me Edith Piaf. She sang in French.

Michele says that I relate to the lyrics so strongly that it will be good for me to listen to the music without understanding the words. She says that the emotion and energy of the music will come through, no matter what the language.

Michele is wise. She also knows me well enough to nudge me away from my comfort zone. This is a polite way of saying she doesn't mind seeing me squirm once in a while.

I love you Michele. I will listen to Edith Piaf and I will enjoy and understand the music. I will not look up the translations until after my journal is posted. Promise.

question: Bonjour Guy, ca va?

mompoet - out the door to send salmon swimming to the sea all day

We have a Fifteen Year Old

Happy Birthday Alex! You are 15 today. You are bigger than I am, and more hairy (well, most days) and I can slip on your shoes without unlacing them when I need to take out the trash.

Fifteen years ago I had absolutely no idea what life would be like with you in it. Now that I know, I'm glad nobody could have told me. It's very exciting just figuring it out as we go along.

You are now allowed to drink coffee. You already ride the bus by yourself. Soon we'll stop telling you when to go to bed. Funny, we usually go to bed before you do, these days, but you know when we expect you to turn in, and you're very precise about honouring that.

Thanks Bud, for being such a remarkable person. You are a very important part of my growing up. I'm glad to be part of yours.

question: how did the time go by so fast?

mompoet - experienced

Boredom Part 4 - The end

I'm sorry this is posted late...shaw has been up and down today, so I hope you can still find a copy of Friday's Vancouver Sun if you are interested. You need a secret code and a million dollars to read their articles on the web, unfortunately.

I was going to write about why people are bored, but I won't because this morning's Vancouver Sun has a 2-page special report on boredom. There are historical, philosophical and psychological perspectives, suggestions for overcoming or re-framing boredom and thoughts about boredom as a product of anxiety and the pyschological link between boredom and death.

The articles in the report say more better than I could. I think they are right on.
All of this has got me thinking about my own relationship with boredom. I am almost always busy and enthusiastic, able to see the positive side of things. I generally think almost everything is funny in one way or another. But I have a sneaking suspicious that part of my busy-happy persona is fear. Of what, I do not know. I'm sure not going to stop enjoying life, but it's like I got a glimpse of that sad river again. What is it? It's natural to be afraid or angry sometimes, and I know I'm not good at acknowledging or accepting those emotions in myself or in other people.

It's interesting to me. I'll put this in the cooker (that autopilot part of my consciousness that solves problems while I am swimming) and see if I can figure it out. I don't want to be bored, or sad, or dead. I'm just curious.

question: is that enough about boring?

mompoet - enough for me, for now

Boring when I thought it would be fun

We had an Employee Safety Fair today. It was not boring. It was spectacular, and I'm not just saying that because Kathy organized it and she reads my blog. We got a free hot dog and chips and an extra half hour for our lunch break, and there was disaster relief, shoes for walking on ice, drunk goggles and a roulette wheel (I won a City of Burnaby pin!)

But the big draw was YOU GET TO SPRAY A FIRE EXTINGUISHER!!!! I was so excited about this. I was never one of those kids who ripped the fire extinguisher off the wall at school. I have never used my wee little extinguishers at home. AND THERE WAS GOING TO BE A REAL, FULL-SIZE FIRE EXTINGUISHER, AND A FIREMAN TO SHOW US HOW TO USE IT!!! So we got there and looked at the displays and ate our safety fair hot dogs, cooked safely and served safely. They even gave us sunscreen towelettes for sitting outside at lunchtime.

So I saved the fire extinguisher for after lunch - best for last you know. I envisioned a furious spray of high pressure flame retardant spewing from the writhing nozzle, and helpful firefighters bracing me so it did not propel me out of the parking lot. It was going to be so exciting!!!

Well, it wasn't like that. It was a big extinguisher, and a large firefighter, but discharging it was more like kicking a puffball than spraying the heck out of an inferno. The stuff that came out reminded me of the theatrical smoke that they use in plays, not a high-powered stream that could knock over a Volkswagen.

Oh well. Sometimes things aren't like you think they will be.

At least the Safety Fair was good. I'll take a miss on the hot dog next time.

question: I wonder if they'll let me try a real fire hose some time?

mompoet - exploring my masculine side

Mother's Day

My daughter knows what to say. I hinted that she could enter me in the CityTV Mothe's Day makeover contest. She said, "You wouldn't win. You are already pretty."

She's a sweetie, huh?

mompoet - work in progress

Boring Part 3 - Boring is Power and Control

My Dad emailed me the correct spelling of Vaughan Palmer's name so I told him I wrote Van on purpose. I was modeling ignorant and overbearing, both wonderful attributes to boring conversation. I hope somebody got that part....or maybe it really was so boring that you didn't notice? Good.

Today's boring example, more detail than one person can possibly bear:

I went to the gym on Wednesday for my cycle class. I always choose bike number 24, except if somebody else gets to it before me. Most of the time I get bike 24. It's my favourite. I set up the heart rate monitor and adjusted the seat and the handlebars. I like the handlebars high and the seat high and all the way forward. I prefer the seat adjuster lever on bike 24 because it's the new kind that is an actual lever. The older bikes have a lift and slide mechanism that is not as reliable. With the lever, you can tighten it (approximately 2.5 turns for bike 24) and you can be sure that it is very tight and the seat will not slide back. I brought my water bottle with a purple lid which is also my favourite water bottle. It holds one litre of water if you leave 2.3 cm headspace. If you fill it completely to the top, it holds just a fraction more than one litre of water. I put the water bottle into the water bottle holder on the bike. Some people put their water bottles on the handlebars. I like to use the water bottle holder. The water bottle holder on bike 24 is the perfect fit for my water bottle with the purple lid that holds just a little more than 1 litre when I completely fill it. I clipped the foot pedals on. I like the foot pedals on bike 24. They do not creak and the clip mechanism is very reliable. On some of the other bikes, the clips come undone, or need to be readjusted which is distracting. I just like to clip the pedals on and be done with it. It takes me approximately 20 seconds to get both clips done up tight. I position my foot on each pedal about 5cm back from the front of the cage, which is set up to accommodate large feet. When I began to pedal, I noticed that the bike mechanic must have adjusted the flywheel tension on bike 24. Flywheel tension is the most important thing about a bike. When you know your tension, you can regulate the resistance very reliably and quickly, and with ease of adjustment. Bike 24 usually adjusts to 20% max load at 2 clicks and 100% at 6 clicks, which is not a lot. Many of the bikes have a range of 8-10 clicks to get to maximum, so bike 24 is already relatively tight in its flywheel adjustment. Interestingly, at maximum tension, bike 24 is not immovable. I know this because we put on full tension to still the wheel for calf stretches at the end of the class, and bike 24's pedals budge even when the tension is torqued on pretty hard. But yesterday, when I sat down to pedal I noticed that 20% tension was on at 1 click, 50% at 2 clicks and 100% at about 4 clicks, which is much tighter than usual. The shorter range from minimum to maximum allowed for fewer fine adjustments and made gradual increases and decreases in tension very challenging. You can adjust between clicks, but it's very distracting. To make things worse, once the tension was clicked on, I found it very difficult to release. The lever is relatively small, probably so it will not get in the way during the exercise session, but that also provides less leverage. Normally on bike 24, releasing the tension is very easy. Yesterday I found it very difficult, which is unusual, like I said. I found that the only way I could release the tension lever was to brace my hand on the upright above the flywheel and squeeze the lever closed with my thumb. All other methods yielded no results and/or irritated my tendonitis in my elbow, and that is very distracting.

Okay, you get the idea. Who cares about bike 24???? But there it is. Too much information is also boring.

Too much information-type boring is sometimes the kind of boring that people use to control conversations. Think of it as a filibuster. Combined with a dull and unrelenting delivery, this approach is very effective at just shutting down what anybody else has to say. The poor listener can't get a word in, and the monotony of the monologue has a hypnotic effect. When I figured this out, I understood that there is a secret power to boring. Use it wisely, Grasshopper.

question: Can you stand another day of this? because I have a theory about why people are bored...

mompoet - as usual, tripping past enough to someplace in excess of enough

Boring Part 3 - Boring is Power and Control

My Dad emailed me the correct spelling of Vaughan Palmer's name so I told him I wrote Van on purpose. I was modeling ignorant and overbearing, both wonderful attributes to boring conversation. I hope somebody got that part....or maybe it really was so boring that you didn't notice? Good.

Today's boring example, more detail than one person can possibly bear:

I went to the gym on Wednesday for my cycle class. I always choose bike number 24, except if somebody else gets to it before me. Most of the time I get bike 24. It's my favourite. I set up the heart rate monitor and adjusted the seat and the handlebars. I like the handlebars high and the seat high and all the way forward. I prefer the seat adjuster lever on bike 24 because it's the new kind that is an actual lever. The older bikes have a lift and slide mechanism that is not as reliable. With the lever, you can tighten it (approximately 2.5 turns for bike 24) and you can be sure that it is very tight and the seat will not slide back. I brought my water bottle with a purple lid which is also my favourite water bottle. It holds one litre of water if you leave 2.3 cm headspace. If you fill it completely to the top, it holds just a fraction more than one litre of water. I put the water bottle into the water bottle holder on the bike. Some people put their water bottles on the handlebars. I like to use the water bottle holder. The water bottle holder on bike 24 is the perfect fit for my water bottle with the purple lid that holds just a little more than 1 litre when I completely fill it. I clipped the foot pedals on. I like the foot pedals on bike 24. They do not creak and the clip mechanism is very reliable. On some of the other bikes, the clips come undone, or need to be readjusted which is distracting. I just like to clip the pedals on and be done with it. It takes me approximately 20 seconds to get both clips done up tight. I position my foot on each pedal about 5cm back from the front of the cage, which is set up to accommodate large feet. When I began to pedal, I noticed that the bike mechanic must have adjusted the flywheel tension on bike 24. Flywheel tension is the most important thing about a bike. When you know your tension, you can regulate the resistance very reliably and quickly, and with ease of adjustment. Bike 24 usually adjusts to 20% max load at 2 clicks and 100% at 6 clicks, which is not a lot. Many of the bikes have a range of 8-10 clicks to get to maximum, so bike 24 is already relatively tight in its flywheel adjustment. Interestingly, at maximum tension, bike 24 is not immovable. I know this because we put on full tension to still the wheel for calf stretches at the end of the class, and bike 24's pedals budge even when the tension is torqued on pretty hard. But yesterday, when I sat down to pedal I noticed that 20% tension was on at 1 click, 50% at 2 clicks and 100% at about 4 clicks, which is much tighter than usual. The shorter range from minimum to maximum allowed for fewer fine adjustments and made gradual increases and decreases in tension very challenging. You can adjust between clicks, but it's very distracting. To make things worse, once the tension was clicked on, I found it very difficult to release. The lever is relatively small, probably so it will not get in the way during the exercise session, but that also provides less leverage. Normally on bike 24, releasing the tension is very easy. Yesterday I found it very difficult, which is unusual, like I said. I found that the only way I could release the tension lever was to brace my hand on the upright above the flywheel and squeeze the lever closed with my thumb. All other methods yielded no results and/or irritated my tendonitis in my elbow, and that is very distracting.

Okay, you get the idea. Who cares about bike 24???? But there it is. Too much information is also boring.

Too much information-type boring is sometimes the kind of boring that people use to control conversations. Think of it as a filibuster. Combined with a dull and unrelenting delivery, this approach is very effective at just shutting down what anybody else has to say. The poor listener can't get a word in, and the monotony of the monologue has a hypnotic effect. When I figured this out, I understood that there is a secret power to boring. Use it wisely, Grasshopper.

question: Can you stand another day of this? because I have a theory about why people are bored...

mompoet - as usual, tripping past enough to someplace in excess of enough

Boring Part 2 - Boring is Protection

First a note from my mom after she read Monday's post:

If I had to read a whole week's worth, it would be boring, but, still being a mom, I like reading the minutiae of one day in your life. You would never, never tell me all this in conversation (I hope!).

Doting Mom

Today's Boring Examples: A boring poem and over-boring

My car would not start
I felt in my heart
I would stay put forever
I would never move ever
I sat in the sun
Thinking this is no fun
I am not the still one
I prefer more to run
Drive to a good place
With a smile on my face
In my moving car life
Free from gridlock and strife

I just thought that up while I was watching the debate on television. I would have a big screen tv but those things are just for people who need to look at big screens. I have a pretty small tv which is fine with me because that's the kind my parents and my friends have. Did you see the tie that Gordon Campbell was wearing. Guys with pink ties are alway fiscally conservative. What do you think? I don't care. I think guys with pink ties like to talk about themselves. I think they think they know everything and they don't know when to stop talking about themselves or their ideas. I think they think they are better than guys with yellow ties with black dots like that Van Palmer guy. Yeah I said Van. Yeah, that Van guy he's a yellow tie wearing guy. I think guys with yellow ties are on power trips. Yeah, they're compensating big time. Y'know what I mean. Like they wear yellow ties with black dots all the time because they're lacking something. They lack something so they wear yellow ties. Whatdya think of that? I think they wear those yellow ties because they don't feel competent to wear pink ties like those fiscally conservative pink-tie wearing guys. Am I right? Am I right? Course I'm right! I bet those yellow tie wearing guys also have big screen tvs and they watch tv all night looking for other guys in yellow ties with black dots so they can validate their own choice. Yeah, that's what I think. Right?

If I heard someone say that poem or got blasted with tie talk I would feel sorry for the person who said it. Not just because they think what they're saying is interesting, when it's really boring. Althought that's always kind of sad.

Boring is protection. It's like getting fat or wearing frumpy clothing or being grumpy when you don't really need to. It's a way of closing up into safety. Protective armour.

I do it myself when I suddenly realise I'm opening up too much in conversation. This little self-monitoring part of my brain says, "Oops, connection imminent. Too risky." Then the boring mechanism kicks in and I switch to inane bla bla and the person I'm talking too goes from interested to glazed and finds an excuse to get out of the conversation pretty fast. It's taken me a long time to figure this out, and I wonder if anyone else does it, so now I'm watching for it in conversations.

That's all about boring for this morning. Tomorrow I will talk about too much information and detail.

This is really boring isn't it? GOOD!

question: open or closed?

mompoet - bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla Right?

Boring Part 1 - Boring is Intimate

In a description of everyday life, what makes the difference between compelling and boring? In my blog this week I will explore the concept of boring, including examples of boring and discussions of some of the aspects of boringness in writing and conversation.

Boring Sampler (featuring the basic three: what I ate, what I did at work, and exercise)

Yesterday I got up in the morning and I made breakfast. I ate toast with cottage cheese and jam. The bread was from Cobs bakery. The cottage cheese was from Safeway. The jam was home made jam. I used two spoons so I would not get jam in the cottage cheese. I also ate a mango. I used another spoon for the mango. I drank water and coffee. I did not drink milk because I ate cottage cheese. I did not have a snack. At lunch I had noodles with parmesan cheese. I drank milk, water and green tea. I did not have an afternoon snack. For supper I ate rice and stir fried pork and vegetables. The vegetables were carrots, green beans, broccoli, green pepper, onions and garlic. I drank milk and black tea. I had a snack in the evening. It was a cup of coffee and a muffin.

On Friday at work I checked my email. I had a meeting with Karla. We got some files out of storage and we also picked up the tub with stuff to make bath sizzlers for Marnie so she would not have to go to the storage shed. I proof-read a memo and sent my comments. I worked in CLASS and created 4 new activities. I also revised the default ages on 8 other activities. I reviewed the revised names document for preschool programs. I found one issue and wrote a follow-up memo to the members of the committee. I formatted minutes for the summer meeting and the Salmon Sendoff meeting and sent them to the members of the committees. I created a spreadsheet for the summer leader training school budget and sent an email to the committee asking members to enter their anticipated expenditures on the shared drive. I sent an email to Joan about volunteers from the high school. I answered approximately 15 phone calls, mostly about camp. I signed timesheets. I filled out my timecard. I authorized MasterCard bills and sent them to the Purchasing Department. I phoned my supervisor to ask her a question. It was so boring I forget what it was. Oh yeah, it was about playground development grants. I proofread school program surveys, asked for corrections and sent final copies to the printshop. On my break I went for a walk with Laurie.

Oh my goodness, I can't do any more. I feel like the kid in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night which opens another insight into boring that I hadn't thought about until just now...Is boring a product of an inability to interact or anticipate how others perceive your reality or your interpretation of it? I'll think about that.

What I meant to say about boring this morning is that boring is intimate. Not intimacy is boring, but boring is intimate. The only person I could think of inflicting this amount of boring on is my husband or maybe one of the kids. And that's not to torture them or because we don't have anything to discuss. It's just that when you are very close, sometimes boring actually comes back around to interesting. Maybe it's a demonstration of devotion: "Okay honey, give me your boringest. I'll stay with you despite it all." But more likely its part of the sewing together of our experience. At some point during the day we need to soak in each others' juices and put our experience together. If it was an un-interesting experience that does not matter. I do not find it fascinating that my husband had 3 printers down when he arrived at work yesterday morning. He doesn't really want to know that I moved the coffee table before I vacuumed yesterday. But by telling each other we laminate ourselves into something more in line. When my son tells me what kind of pizza he ordered at the high school cafeteria, or my daughter tells me that a kid in the show calls her "Daytona," we superimpose ourselves on each other. Sure we talk about a lot of interesting things too, but we need to share boring or it would seem as if we were trying to hard.

So I guess it boils down to: I love you. I want to be you. Let's transfuse each other with the minutiae of our daily life.

question: how the heck did you read this far???

mompoet - determined to be one with boring

Last exit before boring

So I went to the slam semifinals (round one) tonight. What a night of fine poetry! Nines plus for every poem, and well-deserved. Just narrowly eliminated were some poets of true originality and light. This has been such a year at the Vancouver Poetry Slam, with new people challenging, and audience/judge tastes shifting, I think.

Luckily it's not the only show in town, but sometimes it feels that way. So instead of wishing for my friends that they could have gone to the finals and made the team, I will wish that they will find or make opportunities for something even better and more fulfilling in the next few months.

It's some kind of problem when you are surrounded by so much good and not every single kind can be called best. Something good will come of it. Something good.

Feature poet Reeves was adorable and smart and funny. Jack McCarthy was there too - such a sweet surprise and a knock-down sacrifice poet. It's hard to believe we get to see these poets at work even when we stay home in Vancouver.

question: if you try some times could you possibly get what you need?

mompoet - ac-centuate the positive

Brain Waves

About Great Big Sea...I'm re-thinking what I thought about the balance between traditional and original songs and why it is the way it is. I forgot about the artists' points of view. I suppose (duhhh!) that the band members write their own songs as part of their own expression, and of course they will include them on the cd.

question: not too late to think again, I hope?

mompoet - the one who thinks fast and bright but only in one direction most of the time but luckily it usually bounces back and shines on something else and fortunately I am usually paying attention and notice another perspective and incorporate it into my thinking otherwise I would be terminally obtuse...pheewww.

STARTING TOMORROW: THE WEEK OF BORING

fonts and guns

I just posted my sound journal, and blogger is screwing up the fonts. I am going to leave it. Please, if you are bugged by font-o-mania like I am, forgive the mish-mash. I tried my best to keep it simple and clean, but copying and pasting seems to throw the program for a loop. This is good practice for me to know that things do not have to be perfect..errrrrrr ahem.

Also, my "about me" line is not an indication that I have joined the NRA. It's a line from a song in Annie Get your Gun. I heard a girl singing it at the festival last week and I liked it so much I think I'm going to keep it.

question: who cares?

mompoet - I know, I know

mompoet sound journal #8 - Great Big Sea

road rage
Great Big Sea
Warner, 2000
**** (out of 5)

After a bit of a break from sound journals (but not from listening!) I'm finally posting an entry about my friend Marnie's contribution, road rage by the Canadian folk/pop group Great Big Sea.

Marnie works with me. She is married, with three grown children. She and her husband are avid listeners. When Marnie heard about my project, she was enthusiastic about bringing me something. With a new twist on the "twenty CD offering," Marnie brought me her MP3 player loaded with "just about everything I have" and offered to loan it to me for a feast of listening. I'm still not an earphone person, so I deferred and chose instead the Great Big Sea CD that she also offered. I liked the idea of a Canadian group, and I'd heard their stuff on the radio.

I asked Marnie what kind of music she likes:

I tend to lean toward a “folk” style of music. I like music that is catchy, story songs or poetic expression. I like to be able to hear what the singer is singing so I don’t particularly like loud screaming clashing rock though some real good rock I enjoy. I enjoy someone who I think has talent and stage presence and I enjoy concerts more when I can recognize the songs and sing along or (heaven forbid) dance.

Marnie and I like to talk about our kids. Her girls have been dancers all of their lives, so we like to moan and groan about the cost of dance shoes. When I asked Marnie about how her children's musical tastes have influenced hers and vice versa, she told me:

My children have been exposed to music all their lives so their tastes are not that far from my own. Jeremy spends a lot of time going to clubs and listening to local groups, he plays guitar and has several friends who perform locally and for a time worked at the “Rock Space” where bands practice. Jennifer drives my car so I regularly listen to her CD’s while driving. Sometimes it's even middle eastern belly dancing music. Laura has my love of Broadway musicals and likes to compose her own music. When she was living at home I often heard her singing and playing guitar in her room. When she was young the only way I could calm her when she was really upset was to sing loud (usually Teddy Bear’s Picnic) and rock in the rocking chair. Definitely I/we have influenced them, they all have a love for music and cds, music DVDs and memorabilia are a common gift to them and from them. It is also evident in the fact that cds they have bought me seem to disappear.

The road rage cd is a collection of live recordings from the band's 1999 cross-Canada tour. Most of their big favourites are on the list, with lots of concert chat in between, and many demonstrations of fan enthusiasm with singing along, cheering and generally getting involved in the show. The band is from Newfoundland. At the time of the tour it was Sean McCann, Darrell Power, Alan Doyle and Bob Hallett. They play traditional Newfoundland music and original contemporary songs that they have written to complement the maritime folk sound. They play guitar, bass, fiddle, accordian, flute, whisles, bouzouki (a stringed instrument shaped like an avocado) and bodhran (a celtic drum). There are some great songs on the CD, and on two others I found in Andy's collection (up and Sea of No Cares). I like their traditional songs best. They're more zesty and compelling than the original pieces. There are some great lyrics in the traditional songs, and a lusty delivery that made me feel happy and excited when I listened:

Mari Mac's mother's making Mari Mac marry me
My mother's making me marry Mari Mac
Well I'm going to marry Mari for when Mari's taking care of me
We'll all be feeling merry when I marry Mari Mac
Hi you yiddle ah diddle lie diddle 'um

The contemporary songs are nice, but not so grabby. They're "driving in the car with the windows open and singing along" songs. I'm glad they're on the CD. They're fun and easy to listen to. I guess maybe they're the toast and the traditional ones are the jam. And I guess I wouldn't want to eat a bowl of jam, no matter how good.

One thing I noticed, when the guys in the band talk to the audience between songs, they have big old Newfoundland accents. Lead singer Alan Doyle, with his deep nasal voice, sounds like a Newfoundland version of the Vancouver Poetry Slam's host, Graham Olds. But when they sing, it's not so much that way - more on the traditional songs than the new ones. I wonder if they have decided where to position themselves on the spectrum between all-authentic-old and another middle-of-the-road bunch of Canadian guys. Their playing and singing is very good, and I know they are tremendously successful. So probably they got it just right. This idea about what's unique about someone vs. what's familiar and safe, and how other people perceive it, is interesting to me. If Great Big Sea sang just old songs from Newfoundland, they'd seem more like the Irish Rovers (remember them?) If they sang just their original stuff they'd seem proficient but undistinguished. I don't know anything about marketing music, but I think this makes sense.

Anyway, Marnie, thank you very much for introducing me to Great Big Sea. I will listen to their music some more for sure. Maybe we'll go to a concert together one day and dance dance dance!

question: what do you think about the personal spectrum of unique to typical?

mompoet - right foot in the middle, left foot inching toward the letter u

Show-done

Beauty and the Beast closed today with a matinee performance. Our daughter asked me to wait until the last performance to see her cast (because that will be the best performance, she said). It was very good. She was very good. Lots of people who loved her were in the audience. Thank you to everyone who came today and on the other days. I think she knew someone out there every single show.

My daughter can dress up as an old man in a fat suit and sing to theatre filled with 500 people and enjoy it, and be good at it. WOW. Okay, I cried for about 80% of the show today. Those kids are just great, and this experience was wonderful for them. And I'm a big ball of gooey mooosh. Andy came with me. He was polite and did not giggle at me. I appreciate that very much.

After the show the kids helped clean up the green room and dressing rooms. Our daughter was downstairs for a long time. When I asked her why she took so long, she said that she was crying and so were a bunch of the kids. There's such a buildup to the show, then they do a dozen performances, then it's over. She went off to a cast party after cleanup, and there will be classes until mid-June so she doesn't have to go cold turkey on Lindbjerg.

Andy and I stuck around to help put the show away. This involved disassembling set pieces, loading large and small items into rented trucks and unloading and putting away in a storage place where Lindbjerg keeps props, costumes and sets. We got done about 8:30pm. It was fun seeing bits and pieces from shows that our daughter has done in past years, all leaning against the walls and stuffed into tubs in the locker. I appreciate her teachers that much more for their resourcefulness and hard work.

Now it's bedtime. Andy has a sore shoulder from unloading something particularly heavy. Cast party is over and daughter is home. No more show tomorrow. What will we do with all of our spare time?

Oh yeah, the election and the poetry slam, and semester-end projects and exams, and mother's day, and my sister's going to Africa for a year at least so I need to get to Cranbrook before she leaves, and our son turns 15 on Friday so there's a party to plan. I guess we still have lots to do.

question: the show is never over, is it?

mompoet - bumpity bump bump....