interactive or inert?

So now that I've given the mompoet url to about a million friends, well, 16 or 17 at last count, I'm wondering who's actually reading the darn thing. So please let me know by posting a comment. That's different from emailing the link as some friends have done. You have to register with blogger, but I have done so and I'm still getting the same number of spam ads as before for university degrees and penis enlargement. Now, if somebody would just combine those two offers, I think I might be interested.

So please consider posting a comment. Just go down to the bottom of my post where it says "0 comments," click on it and then click on "post a comment." It will lead you through registering. You can use an assumed name or a presumed name or a subsumed name. It will be fun. I'll know you are there.

Question: Why the heck not?

mompoet-oet-oet-oet-oet-oet (echoing in the void)

Dunk Dubya

Try this fun e-card:

Dunk George Bush

mompoet - annoyed and irritated, having just balanced the chequebook and paid the bills - where did it go? where did it go?

ps: dunking bush made it feel better

Overthrow the Government with Jam

Check this animated piece:

Weebl and Bob

Question: if now why, how?

mompoet - cryptic and running to teach first Sunday School class of the season

BC Liberal Government Speaks the Truth at Last

Seen on a highwayside sign, posted by the Provincial Government:

MOVING BRITISH COLUMBIA FORWARD
End of Project

mompoet - counting the days

Great Post on Defective Yeti

What would you do if you spotted Saddam Hussein on a Seattle City Bus? Check out Defective Yeti for a great story.

mompoet - catching up on internet before dressing for the wedding

Missed the Bride

Phew. I'm home from Whistler, but I missed the wedding. An accident on the highway stopped traffic for an hour or so. By the time I got back to Port Moody it was just past 1pm, and the ceremony was underway. Luckily I had a cell phone, so I could call my family and nobody worried about me. If I'd left Whistler 15 minutes earlier, I would have been home early. If I'd left 10 minutes earlier, maybe I would have been part of the accident. It was pouring rain and the wind was gusting, and that highway is tricky. When the traffic finally got moving I drove past the scene: a big truck down on its side and two cars, pretty well smashed. I hope everybody was okay, but it looked bad.

So I'll make it to the reception this evening, but I won't see the wedding itself. I've never met the bride and groom. The bride is my husband's boss's daughter. The boss has been really good to us. He's a super nice guy, and treats my husband like a member of the family, so I'm delighted to be part of the celebration.

Friday in Whistler was a hoot. I predicted right. I can barely talk today I laughed so much. I drove up in time for brunch at the condo. Then we played mini golf which became extra fun when it started to rain so we simultaneous speed-golfed the last 3 holes. Then we sat at the pub for a while, then came back to the condo for the hot tub, supper and some goofy games. We stayed up past midnight just talking and laughing our guts out. My neighbour, one of the ladeez, was so silly I could not stop laughing at her silliness. Worse, when we finally hauled ourselves to bed, I was sharing a bed with her and she wouldn't stop talking. We'd just get settled down then one of us would say something again and we'd start giggling. Finally I said, "Now I'm going to dive head first into sleep. Good night." She said, "Okay, me too." and we slept.

I am blessed to know these women whose company nourishes my soul. We're part of each other's lives every day. Our September weekend is a treasure. Together we speak a language of words and actions that belongs to us, bonds us and strengthens us as individuals and friends.

Question: who feeds your soul?

mompoet - tired, hoarse, happy, and ready to put on a party face

Whistlin'

I am driving to Whistler this morning to spend some time with the Ladeez in the 'Hood. We will laugh consecutively and simultaneously for our waking hours and giggle when we sleep. They're staying up until Sunday afternoon but I'll drive back down in the morning to get home in time for another friend's wedding Saturday afternoon. I'm looking forward to the solo drive. I practise memorizing and saying my poems in the car.

Ha ha ho ho hee hee

Question: What do you do all by yourself in the car?

mompoet - ready to launch

William Carlos Williams

The Three Graces

We have the picture of you in mind,
when you were young, posturing
(for a photographer) in scarves
(if you could have done it) but now,
for none of you is immortal, ninety-
three, the three, ninety and three,
Mary, Ellen and Emily, what
beauty is it clings still about you?
Undying? Magical? For there is still
no answer, why we live or why
you will not live longer than I
or that there should be an answer why
any should live and whatever other
should die. Yet you live. You live
and all that can be said is that
you live, time cannot alter it--
and as I write this Mary has died.

William Carlos Williams

Question: none today

mompoet - reflective and appreciative

The Soft Squishy Part Between

I got all excited today when my friend told me she's had a palm pilot since June, but hasn't used it yet. "Oh! Oh!" said I, "I can come over for coffee and show you how to use it!" Thing is, I really enjoy helping people get comfortable with technology. I don't understand how it works at the program-building level, and I can't fix it when it's broken, but I'm not afraid of it. I love to play with computer programs and find out different things I can do with them and how to make them work. So many women in my generation are intimidated by computers, so it's really fun to help them jump in and play around with whatever it is, a palm pilot or a software application or even a yahoo account. You can't break it - it's usually created broken, and anything you do is reversible or re-doable so go ahead and use the darn thing! If it doesn't do what you want it to do, well that's proof that we still need real people, and computers will never rule the world. At work, people ask me for help all the time, but they ask in quiet voices like "pssst...I don't know how to do this...can you show me?" Never fear! Pseudo-geek is here!

I sometimes think about what I would do for a living if I didn't do the jobs I do now (mom, recreation programmer, community volunteer). Well, I'll always be a mom, and probably also a volunteer, but if I ever leave recreation work, I'd like to be a computer trainer - but not a shiny corporate whiz-bang trainer. I would be a warm-fuzzy "yes you can!" trainer. Rich ladies would hire me to come over and teach them how to use Excel or do a halfway decent internet search. Timid Grandmas would get me to help them email their grandchildren and set up their own blogs. Men and women whose offices had automated around them and left them behind would call me to help them catch up and gain confidence so nobody would notice that they weren't born doing this. Weird, huh?

In a strange way, I think this is very creative, like making a sculpture out of two materials that nobody would ever put together. Making a soft, natural fit between a technophobe and the world of micromania is an art. I like to think about being the soft squishy stuff in between the two worlds.

Question: What would you be if you weren't what you are?

mompoet - merging left and right brain with a chisel and a bag of marshmallows

Falling into It

First day of school went smoothly. Our 11 year old spent an hour at middle school. Our 14 year old spent 2 1/2 at secondary. Both are at new schools this fall, with new routines to learn, a step up for each in terms of independence and academic challenge and opportunities for new activities, new friends, and new anxieties. Both children seemed pretty positive today. Tomorrow may be another story as classes will begin. We're hoping no homework until next week, but you never know.

I'm super-tired, and not too inspired to do my journal tonight because of all the fun I had last night at the poetry slam. there were some great new poets on stage and an enthusiastic crowd. Graham, the regular slam host, was back after spending some time away from the stage nesting with his wife and their new baby. Barbara Adler was the feature poet. She is so good! Check out one of her poems here. Her cd is out now and it's great. You can get a copy most nights at The Vancouver Poetry Slam. You'll notice from the listing, the slam begins at 9pm, which is early evening if you are 22 or something but makes for a late night for someone like me, almost twice that age. I got home around midnight, and fell into bed at 12:30, but it was worth it!

The tile floor looks great! The guys will put in the grout on Thursday, then the furniture can go back and the dining room is done (except for molding around the edges which will come later). My husband showed me a couple of mistakes in the tiling that I never would have noticed. I suggested that he just not show them to anyone, and accept the compliments he's sure to get. It's phenomenal what he and his friend did all on their own. They should enjoy people's appreciation and not worry about insignificant imperfections. But most of us are like that, aren't we? For example:

Mr. Admiring: Hey, long time no see! You're looking good!
She: Not really, I've gained a few pounds.
(Now what is poor Mr. Admiring supposed to say? "Hmm, I beg to differ. let's step over to the scale." or "Oh yeah, baby, that's what I meant. I love voluptuous women." or more likely "Errrp!" followed by a hasty retreat.)

Here's another one:

Nice Neighbour: Your kid is really playing that saxophone better and better. We hear him practising at night.
Mom: Oh, I'm sorry. Is the noise bothering you?

Here's another:

Gracious Gourmand: MMMMM! This is the best chili I've ever tasted. What's your secret?
Faux Chef: I bought it at Costco.

Get over it! A compliment is a gift! Practise this:

Mr. Admiring: Hey, long time no see. You're looking great!
She: Thank you very much. What a nice thing for you to say. You're looking pretty good too. How's your new job?

Nice Neighbour: I enjoyed listening to Bobby's saxophone last night. He's getting better on that horn.
Mom: Wow, he'll feel so good when I tell him you said that. Thanks for the encouragement!

Gracious Gourmand: Mmmmm..this is the best chili...
Faux Chef: I love it too. Thanks! You want some more?

Try it. Accepting a compliment is like giving a gift in return.

How did I get here from the first day of school? I don't know. I will compliment myself and say that whatever I start on, I get somewhere else, even if I'm not sure how, but that's good.

Hello pillow, goodby keyboard. Happy beginning everyone.

Question: are you better at dishing or catching compliments?

mompoet - scattered, tattered and back in the September groove.

Peace

My husband and his friend have been working on the dining room floor since 8:30 this morning. It's looking really good. When the job's done it will be spectacular! This day is more placid than I thought it would be for a few reasons:

• The kids overdosed on "out of the house" at the PNE yesterday, so they are content to stay home, read, play computer, watch tv, walk the dog, label school supplies etc. with a minimum of mom-tertainment.
• The men-folk decided to focus only on the dining room. They moved the bookcases and table and chairs to other parts of the house, but they left my kitchen exactly as it is. I can cook, send email, feed the animals etc. When they do the kitchen they'll have to move the fridge and stove and disconnect the computer. Then I'll be out of sorts. This won't happen until some time in October as our handy friend is going to Japan and China next weekend. Hmmm, maybe if we offer him turkey dinner at my Mom's house he'll spend Thanksgiving here, finishing the project.
• We must be ready for school because the kids are being friendly and helpful. This is a sign of feeling okay with the world.
• I'm happy because I'm going out to the Vancouver Poetry Slam tonight. I always feel good when I'm looking forward to something.

With no prospect of the mall (shhhh...don't say the word out loud) in sight I am puttering happily, listening to bad puns, cooking grill cheese sandwiches and enjoying my home and family.

Tra la la

Question: What does a peaceful day sound, look, feel like to you?

mompoet - blissful in a non-imposing sort of way

Today the PNE - Tomorrow the Mall

Today the corniest, most expensive mish-mash of everything under the sun. I love the PNE. We'll spend the day there, from opening to the end of Bring on the Night dance and firework extravaganza. (We'll skip the rides. We spent a day in August doing just rides for 8 hours.) The SuperDog Show, the demolition derby (or whatever they're calling it this year), community dancers, talent search, mop and knife miracle demonstrations, ultra-corny but wonderful Cirque Pop, Equestriana and the smiling, beautiful sturdy ladies on their dancing Clydesdales. I'll pack sandwiches for lunch to save money but we'll buy way overpriced nitrate and grease-loaded supper (well, I'll probably have dicey dangerous don't know who made it sushi) and ice cream for sure. My kids always talk me into letting them eat the giant cube of curly fries while we watch the horse show. The people-watching is the best: always people we know all over the place but also people who we would never see anywhere else. People come into town for the PNE. It's a big day for everyone. We'll all be shiny and excited and a tiny bit scared by the grubby grabbiness of the whole thing, but Hooray!

Tomorrow my husband and his friend will rip out our dining room carpet, tear up the kitchen linoleum and commence re-flooring that whole area with ceramic tiles. It's going to be beautiful when it's done, but I have to get the kids out of the house for the day. I fear we will end up where they want to go, the mall. It's not only that I hate spending money on over-priced stuff, but that's part of it. I really miss the days when Value Village had the same allure for my kids as Old Navy does today. I also feel sad to see people who are stuck working at the mall, and worst to see people who actually go there for enjoyment. They're easy to spot, zombie-walking slow to make it last because maybe it's the best thing available for them to do with their time. What a sad sight. I'll try to make a mall sandwich tomorrow. Something outdoors like taking the dog to Rocky Point to get her out of the way of the destructo-guys too. Then the mall. Then maybe a movie? Or maybe I'll just pick up pizza since my kitchen will be a disaster, and we'll picnic in the basement and label school supplies. I don't know. We'll make the last day sweet and only 50% mall-crawl if it works out the way I want it.

Question for today: What's the best thing you ever found at V.V. Boutique?

mompoet - packing a plastic tablecloth to sit on in case the ground is wet

What Next

I finished The Book of Illusions by Paul Auster last night. It was a totally satisfying novel. Pretty dark most of the way through, but believable, thought-provoking and hard to put down. I recommend it.

Question of the day: What should I read next?

mompoet - between books which is not as bad as adrift at sea, but something like it

Last Weekend of Summer

I don't know who is more anxious about school starting, me or the kids. We have enjoyed 2 months of no homework, no karate classes or rehearsals, no lunches to pack, and if it takes an hour to find the shoes, that's okay, nobody is waiting. Evenings have been, "Supper, yeah, maybe I'll think about what to make in an hour or so, right now I'm drinking a glass of wine with the neighbours and the kids are down at the pool anyway." This has been followed by, "Sure you can watch The Simpsons and King of the Hill and Family Guy until 11pm. I'm going to read a book until 11 and I'm going to read it some more at breakfast because you're sleeping in again, right?" Weekends have been tons of fun too, with camping, family get-togethers, Theatre Under the Stars, just basically a lack of structure, emphasis on spontanaeity and a gentle slide towards nocturnal living - at least on the kids' part. I've read that the teenage brain needs extra sleep, and it prefers to get this sleep between 1am and 11am. Some schools are even experimenting with "late start day" one day a week, so the kids can sleep in and start class at 10:30 or so. Except for the fact that most teachers don't like the later day, it's been successful. On Tuesday morning, both schools open at 10, but on Wednesday it's back to business with secondary school classes beginning at 8:30 and middle school at 8:50. At least both children will be transported to school by means other than parental propulsion. Our 14 year-old will walk about 2km to the big school, while our 11 year old begins middle school, a 4km bus ride provided (for this year at least) by the school district on a big yellow school bus. This makes my husband dance with joy. He'll still have to drive kids around in the evening, but no more having to make it to the elementary school by 3pm for pickup time. Hooray!

While my husband does most of the chauffeur work, I do the study helper/enforcer role in our family. This is the dreaded part for me. There is always homework, and sometimes it is fun and interesting and the kids can do it on their own with a bit of help, but sometimes it is horrible and perplexing and they come home without understanding what it is they are supposed to do, or they leave their book at school, or they just hate the assignment, then one or the other has a meltdown. My most dreaded moment happen when two tired, grouchy kids are sitting at the dining room table bickering over who needs my help most and hurling insults at one another. But fortunately that does not happen often. One benefit of being the homework coach is that I am re-learning all of the material that needs to be studied for tests. I will be qualified to receive a Dogwood Diploma all over again in 2008. That's good, because when these guys finish their days in the public school system and move on to university or college, I'm going back too. Then they can help me with my homework. I have a degree in history from SFU, and I'm a certified teacher, but I did all that before I was 23 years old. I'd like to go back and take some more courses with my new and improved middle-aged brain. I think I'll understand them better, or at least differently.

So for our last weekend of summer-ish living, we'll have some fun. It's my best friend's 40th birthday celebration tomorrow, families invited. We'll all go to her place for supper and presents and cake. On Sunday we have to go to the PNE or we'll miss it altogether. On Monday we will do whatever we want to do. It's not like our last day on earth, but it will be our last day of summer. Maybe we'll go hiking or watch a movie or bake cookies or go for one last swim at the outdoor pool, or maybe we'll sit around the house and practise bickering (but I hope not!). Oh yeah, the kids mentioned something about buying new clothes for school at the mall. I'd better go hide now. I hate the mall. But that's a story for another day.

Question: How will you spend your end of summer days?

mompoet - calm on the outside, freaking on the inside

More Funny

Read this article about "Tricks of the Trade," by Matthew Baldwin, whose amazing blog, Defective Yeti, got me interested in online journals in the first place.

mompoet - that's all for now, honest

Very Funny

Check this "dress up dubya and make him say stoopid things" site.

Click here for weapons of drass mis-truction.

mompoet - embarrassed to be an Ah-murrican

The Bear Came Back

Forgot to mention. The bear was roaming again last night. I didn't see it this time, but it left a gigantic heap of bear crap right outside of our back gate. I sure hope that bear stays out of trouble. Back to the woods Mr. Bear!!!

mompoet - fretting about vulnerable urban wildlife

How to Remember

My Mom had us all over for supper tonight to remember my grandma, who died a week and a half ago. There was no funeral. Grandma was buried with my grandpa in Ohio, and it just didn't make sense for us all to fly there and have a funeral. The supper at Mom and Dad's was just right. My sister flew in from out of town and my brother tried, but couldn't get anyone to cover his small town family medical practice so he couldn't come, but he's been in touch with Mom by phone, so that's okay. There were 7 of us: Mom, Dad, my sister, husband, 2 kids and me. After supper, Mom read some of the memoirs that Grandma wrote when she was about 83 years old, in a memoir-writing course in the seniors home where she lived. What a life she led, and so many changes. She was born on a farm in Ohio in 1903, where her father grew corn and wheat and hay. Anywhere they couldn't walk they took a horse and carriage. Grandma went to college and taught school for a while, then worked in a library. Then she married my grandpa and became a middle class wife. He was an insurance company executive. They lived in Michigan, Ohio and Massachusetts and raised my mom. In her lifetime my grandma saw so many changes in the way people lived and saw themselves and the world. The changes during our lifetimes seem so small in comparison. So we can remember when there were no VCRs of personal computers..so what? It's nothing compared to going from kerosene lamps, water pumps and "father knows best" to life in the 1930s, 40s, 50s, 60s and on to today. I see my grandma in a new light when I think of her that way. I'm glad our family celebrated her life this evening by drawing a collective memory picture of her, and I'm glad my children were part of it. Our lives are blessed, in no small part, because of the stories lived and created and shared by all of us together.

Question for today: Who is the oldest person whose stories you know? Do those stories affect your understanding of your place in the world?

mompoet - happy and connected

After I am Dead

Okay, with my grandma dying and now my friend's father dying and two days in a row of memorial/remembering events I have been thinking about what will happen in the days after I die. My grandma's remains have been flown to Ohio and buried beside my grandpa's grave as was her wish. My friend's father has been cremated, and his ashes will be buried in a cemetery, with room for his loved ones to join him at a later date.

I've talked to my husband, and neither of us feels a need to buy a plot. This little townhouse of ours is sufficient real estate for now and probably ever. Also, the idea of taking up space perpetually isn't that attractive, what with the living people using up the earth so much already. Then there's the cost. We are cheapskates who don't mind spending money, but we'd rather enjoy it now with our family. So that means cremation and dispersal (??) or whatever you call throwing what's left out into the wind. Okay, maybe it's a fancy and sentimental form of littering, but it can have meaning and it is efficient.

Everyone who loves me knows I am an organ donor and I mean than in the full extent of the word. I believe in heaven and I know the minute I'm dead my body will be a husk that might have some useful parts for other people, but none for me any longer. In fact, if somebody wants to use me as a medical cadaver I don't care. I'm still working on my husband about this one. He's not crazy about the idea, but I've promised not to die first so it won't matter. So whether my parts get doled out to lots of people who need ones that still work or if Drs. New, Learning and Bumbler want to take me apart before they work on living, breathing subjects, well that's good, at least I won't be going to waste. Whatever is left, burn it down to the minimum remainder and do one or more of the following:

1) Toss it off the top of the second hill on the coaster at the PNE (I still want one last ride on the first hill).
2) Pet 100 dogs and rub a little bit on every one of their heads.
3) Drop it off the bridge between Whidbey and Fidalgo islands at Deception Pass State Park.
4) Bury it in the gardens across the street from my office, where the neighbours grown zinnias and dahlias that are near to Paradise on Earth.
5) If I die at Christmas time, bury it in the snow in front of the absolutely gaudiest Christmas-lit house you can find, then stand outside for half and hour singing at the top of your lungs and laughing.
6) Sprinkle it in the meadows up above Lightning Lakes at Manning Park (within lurching distance of a larch tree, please)
7) Dump it from a kayak into the middle of Sasamat Lake

I hope if you read this and you have recently lost a loved one that you won't take this as insulting or inconsiderate. I'm seriously thinking about how I'd like to be remembered and where I would like my physical self to end up.

mompoet - not planning on dying anytime soon, but forming a plan, like always

ps Question du jour: What do you want done with you after?

Celebrate Words

Word on the Street Vancouver is less than a month away. It's the biggest and best celebration of reading and writing you could ever imaging. Sunday, September 26, 11am-6pm in downtown Vancouver at Library Square and the surrounding area. There are books and magazines, stuff for kids, readings, workshops, stuff to buy, free stuff, info about writing programs and contests, everything! Don't miss it.

You can look at the program using the link I've set up, or go pick up a program at your local library or community centre or at Starbucks. On second thought, skip Starbucks!!! Here are some community friendly alternatives:

Il Pappagallo Cafe - Hastings at Sperling in North Burnaby
This is a family run coffee shop. It was located at Kensington Square for 8 years until Starbucks moved in and the shopping centre management ended Papagallo's lease. Pat, the owner, and his family relocated one block to the east on Hastings Street. It warms my heart that everyone followed them to their new spot. This is no wonder, it's the kind of place where they know your name and how you like your coffee and what you were chatting about last time you came in. They have awesome sandwiches, gelato in the summer and fat cheesecakes and tiramisu. Coffee is mighty fine too.

Newport Cafe - Newport Village in Port Moody
It used to be a Bagel Street Cafe but now it's Newport Cafe. Still serves bagels with cream cheese, good sandwiches and pizza. Coffee and lattes. Also, it's licensed. Good outdoor seating (you can even sneak your dog around the perimeter if you walked down) and entertainment on weeknights.

Bagel Street Cafe - Kensington Square in North Burnaby
Survived even with Starbucks spitting distance away. Good bagels and creamcheese and great coffee. Healthy and hearty sandwiches. The owners remember your favourite sandwich if you come in more than a couple times. Downside: In the summer they open the front windows so if you "eat in" when the breeze is blowing, smoke from the tables outdoors drifts into the restaurant. The owners will close the windows if you ask them.

So maybe you should pop into Starbucks if you're not near a library or community centre, grab a Word on the Street program, then walk over to the nearest heroically independent coffee shop and enjoy a coffee or lunch while you plan your visit to Word on the Street.

Question for today: Where do you like to drink coffee? If you don't like coffee, where do you like to drink something else?

mompoet - righteous and coffee-loving