Angels at Sunday School

On Sunday morning I'm planning to take my Sunday Church School class outside to watch the annual motorcycle toy run. Every year about this time, hundreds of motorcycle riders collect money and toys and go for a ride from Coquitlam Centre, along the Barnet/Lougheed Highway, through downtown Port Moody and Burnaby, out to the PNE. For as long as I've attended St. Andrew's United Church it has been a tradition for the Sunday School teachers and kids to stand out in front of the church and wave at the bikers. We hold signs that spell out, "St. Andrew's Sunday Church School says Jesus loves bikers."

Reading this morning's article in the Sun about the local Hell's Angels chapters and their ongoing conflict with local police, I wonder about the implications of taking the kids outside to watch the parade. Are we buying in to a warm fuzzy PR effort to polish the image of organized criminals? Or are we saying, "Love everyone like Jesus does." Or does it work out to be some of each?

Not all of the bikers are Hell's Angels, although more than half appear to be. Most of my 9-11 year olds probably haven't heard of the Hell's Angels, or if they have, they don't know much about who they are or about the ongoing controversy: violent organized criminals vs. unjustly persecuted motorcycle enthusiasts.

I think the answer is to enjoy the parade, but also talk to the kids and find out what they know and how they feel about the issue. The Sunday School curriculum that we work with is based on questioning and discussion, and encouraging the children to think independently. There are no answers in my teacher resource book, only lots of questions and ideas for guiding the children to deepen their thinking and make personal connection to issues of morality, social responsibility and truth, in the light of a liberal Christian theology. As a new Christian (3 years in November) and rookie Sunday School teacher, I'm learning right along with them how to connect all of this together.

I'll check in with the minister and Sunday School coordinator too. Their experience and wisdom will help me with this one. In the meantime, I'll count myself lucky to be working with these kids, who remind me to stop and think about things more than if I was deciding only for myself.

Question: Any thoughts?

mompoet - believing in angels all over the place

Not an Urban Myth After All

I read what sounded like a very silly story in this morning's Vancouver Sun (There's Cocaine in your wallet, probably by Chad Skelton, Oct. 2 Vancouver Sun p. C4). I looked it up on the Urban Legends website and found out that it is true. Most $20 bills have traces of cocaine stuck to them. You have to read it to believe it. The Sun website is now locked up tight to all but daily subscribers, but there's more detail on the Urban Legends page anyway (although the latter's content is American). Read it and snort.

Life is more complicated than we could ever imagine.

Question: Could my habitual sobriety be directly proportional to my continued insolvency?

mompoet - straight from the suburbs after paying for karate, musical theatre, private voice and a couple of field trips already!

Boing Protest Lodged in Burnaby

Mompoet's parents (grand-poets?) have lodged a formal protest about my previous post. They have accused me of being purposefully obscure, which is something I frequently criticize in the work of other poets. In an effort to de-mystify "Boing" I will now provide notes for this post.

Boing = the sensation of being tightly sprung and bounding and rebounding, with little control and even less care for control
Boing is a happy feeling.
Boing as a verb indicates the motion made by Tigger.
Boing sounds funny.
Boing is an all-consuming, pervasive sensation experieced most commonly on Wednesdays at 3pm, but sometimes earlier in the week.
Boing is not spiritual or intellectual. It is the body laughing at nothing in particular.
Boing is contagious.

Try this at home. Walk up to someone and stand right in front of him/her. Step a little closer. Say, "Boing," then just stand there. You will both laugh really loud for a long time.

There it is.

Question: Boing enigmatic or Boing parsed?

mompoet - post-boing

Pushups

I did 15 pushups today. I know that might not sound like much, but I have never done pushups before this month, and never ever 15 before today. I mean the real kind of pushup with only hands and toes on the floor and the rest of me like a board, or a door off its hinges. I can do a million lady pushups, with knees on the floor. These were not lady pushups, they were army pushups.

I have been lifting weights since last November, getting to the point where I can do pushups. Before that I was doing yoga, but it was too difficult for me and I was having trouble fitting the classes into my schedule. Whenever I practised at home the dog would pant on me and the cat would sit on me.

Ectomorph - the praying mantis body-type (not me)
Endomorph - the over-stuffed chair body-type (sometimes me)
Mesomorph - taking-up-space-with-functional-mass body-type (me more and more these days)

I have some practical reasons for this (prevent bone loss in my middle-to-later years, develop core strength for ease of movement and less aging-related pain, regain strength lost to a couple of year's struggle with hyperthyroidism) but really I like having big muscles. So there it is. I'm not planning to turn into some muscle magazine woman's head on a man's body - I'm too curvy for that to ever happen. I just like being strong. I like saying to the guy who's just finishing on the leg press, "That's okay, leave it loaded. I'll use it like that." Upper body is still more of a challenge, but it's coming along. I don't need to ask for help lifting things nearly as often, and I can finally do pushups. The exercises don't take long, and the routine is almost like a meditation. I go to the gym when it's quiet, and just move through the progression almost like a yoga flow. I feel relaxed and energized when I'm done, and more aware and respectful of all of my major parts.

I also love that my daughter is doing sports even though she's not a super-jock type. Acting, singing, drawing and writing are her favourite things, and she's really talented. But she also plays volleyball and basketball, on actual teams at school. I never did that - always thought of myself as too awkward or slow, a liability to any team. I'm very happy she doesn't feel that way. By doing some activity myself I'm hoping to show her that I am inspired by her example, and also to set an example too, by not gradually giving up exercise just because middle age has arrived and life is very busy.

I'll be 43 in November. I will probably never be able to do 43 pushups. I will probably live at least another 43 years. Wouldn't it be cool to be 86 years old with good, big muscles? I can just hear the little ones say, "Grandma, show us some pushups."

Question: Why the heck not?

mompoet - pumped in a mom sort of way

boing

BOING!!!!

Question: boing?

m B o O m I p N o G e G t G !

On Top of the World

Oh my goodness, what a day. Word on the Street was tremendous fun and I loved being a feature poet. Lots of friends showed up from work, the neighbourhood and Shoreline. Mom and Dad came too, which is a bonus. They were supposed to be in Rupert but my brother's family has the flu, so they stayed home.

It was just incredibly, wonderfully, exciting and exhilarating to be on stage. I love it at the slam for sure, but even more when I get to do a whole set, without strict time rules. The Liars of Orpheus played gorgeous musical accompaniment that enhanced the poems very well. Those guys sure know how to do it! Performing with musicians was the part that made me most nervous. Here's what I did to get over it: On Saturday I picked out the most distracting music I could think of - a Michael Kaeshammer cd - and played it nice and loud while I practised my poems. At first I kept losing track of my words and looping phrases and missing sections, but then I got used to it, and tried working the rhythm of the poem around the music. After about half a dozen tries throughout the day it was working. So when the band played at Poet's Corner and they were playing along to what I was saying, it was easy and fun.

Afterward I got lots of recognition, hugs and congratulations. Lavish praise and appreciation. That feels spectacularly good - like flying, actually.

Lucky, lucky, lucky, lucky me. Ahhhhh

Question: What was good for you today?

mompoet - blessed magnificently and blissed maximally

Stories

Just finished Oracle Night. The end is brutal, but worth it. I fell asleep reading it sometime around 1:30am, and got up to finish it at 7. Good book. Paul Auster has 8 novels (I read the jacket notes after finishing the story). I will read some more.

Publication Committee meeting in Whonnock was excellent. We chose our cover art and design and had some fun writing our bios on the spot, in haiku and limerick form. Here's my haiku bio

oak leaf shout HEAVEN!
moving rock pairs and triads
sun-warmed gully splash

I tried to do a limerick bio but I couldn't get past the word Nantucket.

We have shortened the title to Road to Hell, and I got my first look at the story by that title. It's surreal and wonderful. This will be a very good book.

Today is Saturday. Fast-growing boy needs haircut. Winter clothes lurk in attic. Litter box is singing a loud nose-jazz from its room in the basement. Better deal with it before the cat breaks out to scat-sing in random corners.

Question: how would you tell yourself in 17 syllables?

mompoet - not enough sleep but energized by autumn air

Dynamite

I took the kids to see Napoleon Dynamite today. Wow! We loved it. My 11 year-old got bored for a few minutes in the middle, but was very happy with it by the end. Fourteen year old son and I loved it from start to finish, including the extra scene that runs after the credits. If you haven't seen it yet, I recommend it. The movie is about a boy named Napoleon Dynamite who is the ultra-misfit in his Idaho high school. It doesn't have a conventional plot arc, which is a plus in my books. It's less like the Mad Mouse and more like the Dumbo ride, with weird and wonderful characters riding in all of the elephants. There's some grim humour, including a scene with a farmer shooting a cow in front of a school bus full of children, but on the whole it's optimistic and sweet. My Shoreline friend thought it was funny that I called the movie "sweet," but I told him he is not somebody's mom, so I can understand why he wouldn't see it that way. I think there's a bit of dynamite in all of us, and you should never pass up a movie where the big romantic breakthrough is the boy saying to the girl, "I brought you a delicious bass." It'll be out on video pretty soon I bet, but go see it at Tinseltown while it's still there, if you have a chance.

I am up really late, so I'll go to bed now and read some more of Oracle Night before sleep.

Question: Did you ever try the Dumbo ride?

mompoet - loopy, but not yet droopy

Really 42 (I see)

For the very first time in my life I had to take my glasses off to read. Sure, it was dim light (we were waiting for the movie to begin) but yes, I took them off, and I could see clearly again. Old eyes. Lucky though, to have seen so many things along the way to this day, and looking forward to seeing many more. Lucky also to have extended medical coverage (bifocals are expensive).

Question - Are your arms still long enough?

mompoet - aging gratefully

Good good good

Many good things today...

Shoreline Publication Committee tonight. We'll drive out to Whonnock to have supper at Helmi's and work on our chapbook together. My poems are shaping up just fine, as well as the stories that I am involved in readying for the book. It's going to be our best yet. The whole evening is always very nourishing physically, intellectually and spiritually. It's a long drive out, so we laugh and relax together. The meal is always fabulous. Then the conversation, working together on the book and sharing impressions of life in general. ahhhhh

Eggplant last night. By the time I got home, my husband had cooked supper, so the kids ate at 6:15, but I spent some time with a certain eggplant that I bought the other day, and made my fall favourite. The recipe is in Moosewood Low Fat cookbook. It is simple and good, basically a pasta sauce made with onions, garlic, olive oil, tomatoes, mushrooms and roasted eggplant. mmmmmm

Two days until Word on the Street. I have my set prepared and poems memorized. Last night I worked on a surprise. hee hee hee

A new book. I am reading Paul Auster's Oracle Night. It's very good. There's a story inside a story, inside a story (!) and some kind of metaphysical mystery happening about a writer who seems to disappear when he writes in a particual notebook. I'm discovering it as I go. For the first time in a long time I have picked up a book about which I know nothing. Nobody I know has read this book. I have not read a review. I didn't even read the jacket notes. I began reading it the other night very late. My husband was sleeping so I tiptoed into bed and used my little book light to read. I went straight to page one, skipping any synopsis-peek, which was very cool. It was such a mysterious way to begin a new story - silently, in pitch darkness, with a small light revealing one page at a time. Now I'm determined to enjoy this read all on my own. So if you have read it, don't talk to me about it please, until I'm finished. shhhhhh

Day off work. Both kids are home on Pro-D, so I arranged the day off. I love my job for many reasons, but its flexibility is at the top of the list. I worked a couple of longs days earlier this week, so can take this day off for free. The kids and I plan to go to a movie, which will seem extra decadent because the sun is shining today. But first, I have to bake a plum cake for Helmi's place. Tra la la

Question: No question today - if you would like to write a question and answer it, please feel welcome to do so.

mompoet - unwinding

Urban Myth?

By now you have probably received the email that tells the story of Maya Angelou's 74th birthday and her comments on the Oprah Winfrey Show about aging gracefully. You may even have forwarded it to five amazing women, as instructed. After all, who would dare tempt fate and suffer the dire consequences promised in the email?

I am running a personal test. I have received this particular email at least a dozen times now and I never, ever forward such things (well, except maybe that one with the man in the over-the-shoulder yellow brazilian thong bathing suit - but that was funny). I have made a point of not forwarding the Maya Angelou email. Despite this refusal, the elastic on my underpants is still working just fine.

Question: Do you dare join me in this dangerous experiment?

mompoet - snug and safe from chilly breezes

Pear Honey Missed Instruction

Peel and core the pears. (ahem)

Question - How most post would a compost post, if a compost could post com?

mompoet - sometimes careless, never pear-less

Talking to myself?

Did you wonder why I'm posting all of the comments? It seems that you have to have your own blog on blogger to be allowed to post a comment. I'm toying with the idea of setting up a dummy blog and giving everyone I know the password so you don't have to go to the trouble.

Question: Can anyone think of a better way?

In the meantime, email me your comments and answers to question of the day. I'll post 'em as mompoet.

I bought 20 pounds of apples and 18 pounds of pears on Sunday. They have been sitting in boxes, getting eaten as we pass, but not all of them. Today the pears were at the beginning of their rype cycle so I canned some "pear honey" (recipe from Louise). It's pretty yummy and does indeed taste like honey. Gonna make me some applesauce too, and some pear sauce. Yum.

Pear Honey

9 cups finely chopped pears (Thanks for the Cuisinart you gave us when we got married, Mom and Dad. It still works great.)
1 cup finely chopped pineapple
juice and grated zest of one lime
5 cups sugar (hey, it's okay, it has pears in it too)

Stir and bring to a boil. Boil for 20 minutes. Can - process for 20.

Here is a poem:

Bartlett

Curving flare of supple yellow green
Skin yields
To biting edge without snap
Sweet middle slide
Forever wish inside
Catches
Grinding stop

To chew again
Find middle juice
Echoes
Of wiry tree

Flesh
Too fine to bear
Until only core is there

Jam is done. Good night. Remember to listen to the radio on Wednesday: 2pm 102.7fm Coop Radio - Wax Poetic. (but don't listen to the snap of lids - never!)

mompoet - earwax prophetic

New Season, New Look

Hey wait! It's me! mompoet! I just look different. There are a couple dozen templates from which to choose, so I'm changing my blog's look for fall. I like to change things frequently so that I continue to actually see them. If it's the same for too long my brain sort of glosses over and I miss interesting details. It's not like I move everything around in my kitchen cupboards, or put my pillow at the foot of the bed, but I do like to sit in a different seat at the table, switch my telephone and pencil jar around on my desk and take a different route when I go for a walk. There are so many ways to see the world, why would I always choose the same perspective?

So Tuesday is the first day of fall. In one way that's very exciting - new beginnings, new projects, groups re-forming, kids grown taller over the summer, and that tang in the air of authentic ripening, fermentation and glorious rot. Before everything freezes it gets very damp mushy and aromatic in such an intriguing way.

In some ways I dislike fall, but not for the usual reasons. My dislike has to do with the equinox versus the solstice, and a fundamental disdain for balance. I don't like delicate things, or fine things. German wine is boring. Subtle nuances are confounding. Enigmatic smiles are annoying. I like big, bold and intense, so I crave the solstice, high acidity, big personalities and black/white dichotomies. I can handle the in-between, but given my druthers, I'll go with the definite. I'd even rather listen to someone be adamantly wrong than tentatively correct. Yeah!

September 21 is just fine. Only 90 or so days to the real day - December 21 - long dark night, mystery, stark contrast between indoor and outdoor atmosphere. Yes. I can hardly wait.

Question: Fulcrum or precipice?

mompoet - not in the middle if I can help it

Lists

Woke up Saturday with so much to do. It had been three weeks since I have cleaned the house, and the dog is shedding again, so obviously, I had some mucking out to do. Husband and kids help of course, but I am the captain of the bucket brigade. 11 year old daughter needed clothing for beginning of dance auditions Monday so we had to go to the mall too. There were about a googolplex other things from sending in claim forms for this month's orthodontist bill to planning my Sunday Church School class program from now until the beginning of Advent. I resorted to my tried-and-true and made a list. It works every time. Helps me stay on track and gives me satisfaction as I cross off, cross off, cross off. Somehow it makes me feel like I'm on top of things more.

I did get lots done including the most satisfying: working on my three pieces for this year's Shoreline Writers' Society chapbbook. I will contribute three poems, and I had feedback from one of my editors. I also did some work on the short stories given to me by the two members for whom I am editor. The stories are so good and so funny that I was giggling and shouting while I sat at the table, and my kids kept saying, "WHAT!!???" until I stopped and read them the works in progress, then they understood. My friends have written two great stories. The book will be ready in December. I'll have gift and sale copies ready for Christmas, and we'll try to do some promotional readings in the new year.

The toaster just said "ding" and there is peanut butter, a banana and fresh coffee waiting. I know what I want to do.

Question: Do you list?

mompoet - turning away from bla bla and toward yum yum

One more stab at shameless self-promotion

I will perform at the Poets' Corner at Word on the Street on Sunday, September 26 at Library Square in downtown Vancouver. If you like books, magazines, reading and writing, the whole day will be so much fun for you. It's all free, and there's so much to do and see that you'll wish you were three people.

This will be my third year at Poet's corner. In 2002 I was chosen to read as an emerging poet. I was part of a group of 4 poets who where invited to read along with an established poet during one of the 5 sets that day. My friends Irene Livingston and Jim Thompson read too. I had so much fun that I asked if I could volunteer the following year. Steve Duncan, one of the venue's organizers, asked me to be venue coordinator. For Poets' Corner 2003, I spent pretty much the whole day at the tent, welcoming hosts and poets, taking photographs, handing back submission packages, making sure hosts had bios, and making sure the features got their cheques and everyone got thank-yous and any support or hospitality that they needed. It was great. The previous year I had felt a bit overwhelmed by the largeness of the event. I don't do well with sensory overload. I hate smorgasbords, detest shopping malls and do not like to listen to music while I read or write. One thing at a time, full blast, best-you-can-get and really do it. That's me. Not some of this, some of that, not enough to even get an idea then on to the next. Staying at the Poet's Corner I felt like the pivot of a glorious pinwheel of poets, writers, readers and friends. It was busy and exciting and filled me to the brim with one excellent variety of happy and good.

So this year I have volunteered again to be venue coordinator. Then Steve asked if I would also like to feature. I felt scared at first. The other features have books of poetry published. They are well-known names in the poetry/lit community. Who was I to be a feature? I even emailed Steve to tell him if he changed his mind that was okay. But he very quickly and kindly said that he was sure they wanted me to feature.

So I am volunteering all day, then on at 4pm to perform some of my poetry, along with 4 talented poets, host RC Weslowski and even a back-up band! Johnny Frem phoned me earlier this week to ask if I would like his band, The Liars of Orpheus, to play along while I do my poems. Again, I felt frightened. What if I look like an idiot? But then I remembered that I like to do new things that I haven't tried before. I don't bungie-jump or rock-climb or gamble. So this is my chance to take a step beyond my comfort zone. And Johnny is such a good guy and a talented musician. I know for sure it will be very cool.

So I hope you'll come to Word on the Street and for sure to Poets' Corner and maybe even to see me perform at 4pm. It will be fun.

Question: Do you like smorgasbords or small plates? Bungie jumps or leaps of faith?

mompoet - creating new self-perception

Radio Me Soon

Steve Duncan invited me to be a guest on Wax Poetic this coming Wednesday. The show is on Coop Radio 102.7fm at 2pm every Wednesday. It's always fun to listen to this show. Local poets, visiting poets, long poets, haiku gurus, anarchists, eyebrow worshippers...everything except bureaucrats and hallmark card writers. But maybe they have had those and I just missed those shows. But I try not to. Anyway, please tune in to hear me say:

I thought it was a ZIT!

and other totally scintillating and mostly anti-lectual poetry. I get to talk for about 25 minutes which can be dangerous. Steve and Diane are the hosts. RC works the sound and does the announcements. It's a friendly place for a poet to play. I'm glad they invited me.

Question: Do you watch the radio? Do you listen to television?

mompoet - going to watch 7 day videos from the coupon book before September is over

TV Me

I made it onto CityPulse news tonight. Their education reporter Mike Bothwell called me for a parent's perspective on Christy Clark's resignation. He remembered me from when our school was threatened with closure two years ago due to funding cuts. The story looked really good, and my comments were edited into the beginning, middle and end of the piece. I sure appreciate the opportunity to talk about how this government's actions have affected families.

Question: What would you say if you could say whatever you wanted to on television?

mompoet - media magnet, dust mop, enigma velcro

Surprised I'll Miss Her

Christy Clark announced her resignation from Provincial Cabinet and from her position as Deputy Premier last night and declared that she will not run for re-election as our local MLA in 2005. I should be jumping for joy, but surprisingly, I feel sad. I have thought of her as the embodiment of everything bad for our schools and social programs in BC. I have met with her, I have written letters to the editor directly criticizing her words and actions. I should be over the moon to see her go.

But I feel sad.

Minister Clark's explanation for stepping down is that she is choosing to spend more time with her husband and preschool age son. Maybe this is part of why I have this surprising sadness. I can understand the pressure to balance home and family with responsiblities in the outside world, and I know too, as a parent who has fought against cuts to education and social services, that getting out into the community and speaking up takes time and energy that have to come from somewhere. It's ironic that we must neglect our families in order to work for the changes that will benefit them.

Also, I have always had this sneaking suspicion that it must be hard for Christy Clark to preside over cuts and policy changes (both in the Education and Children and Family Development ministries) that have hurt so many people. I have heard her saying that it's all for the best, that we'll just have to work smarter and more efficiently, and that funding is actually increasing (hey, that's a whole other story). But my heart tells me that she knows better. Maybe she's just tired of having to be responsible for all of this hurt. Maybe, just maybe, even she doesn't believe everything she has been telling us all along.

So besides feeling sad I feel hopeful. And mostly I feel glad that I have chosen to get involved in these issues, get to know Christy Clark, become an activist parent. The one place where the duty to home and to the outside world has not conflicted is in the example I can show my kids. They watch me writing, phoning, attending meetings, conferences and rallies. Whoever's political view prevails doesn't matter so much as the fact that the kids see that we do have a voice and a responsility to use it. I know that Christy must feel that way about her son. I sure feel that way about my children. My son is excited about helping to support our NDP candidate in the coming election. My daughter talks about the issues with me at supper and in the car. So that's where the hope is. I know, long after we all forget who Christy Clark was and what I wrote in the local paper, those kids of mine, and hers too, will know that this world is theirs.

Question: Were you ever surprised like this?

mompoet - stopping short of sending a hallmark card

Hellzapoppin'

Some weeks are fast and swervy. This is one. I'm working all five days this week (managed to swing 2 on and 3 off without taking a holiday last week) with work, meetings and parents' night at the high school filling up most of my weeknight evenings. The kids are really back to school full force, and all of my volunteer commitments that slumbered over the summer have just awakened. I love roller coasters. I love ice cream. But too much racing and plunging and too many flavours to contemplate are not good. I know it's just the jolt that always comes at the end of summer, but yikes!

Some of the sights and sounds are exhilarating, though:

Dropped in to Burnaby Writers' Society's Poetry Contest Awards Night. My friend Irene Livingston won first prize for her spectacular poem, Satin Blue. I also got to hear her daughter, Lenore Angela, read her poem, Magnolia Hide, which won an Honourable Mention.

Before that I was at a meeting of the Vancouver Poetry House - a group that has been formed to promote and foster poetry in the Vancouver Area. We're planning the second Canadian Spoken Word Olympics for September 2005. To find out what that's all about, check out the website for the inaugural CSWO, that will take place in Ottawa this October.

I just realized I'm sticking in all of these links to point in any direction but at myself. So before I sign off, here goes...

Things that make me happy despite feeling overwhelmed by pace, volume and intensity of current days:

• Loving husband and children, awesome parents, sister and brother and their families (including my brother-in-law whose birthday I just missed but who I know still loves me and I'll phone him tomorrow because it's already one hour later in Cranbrook)
• Mush puppy and long brown cat
• 17 best friends (at last count)
  
• energy to stay on top of even the crazy days, even when I'm not crazy about them
• Everything is still funnier than it is annoying
• God

Things I will do in the next 24 hours to distract myself and catch some relief from way-too-much-plain-old-everyday:

• Wear pajamas until the last possible minute before I have to shower, dress and go to work, and wear pajamas as soon as I get home and can get away with it without husband and kids saying, "You're in your pajamas already?"
• Drink tea in the afternoon
• Hug everyone who will stand still to be hugged
• Read something funny and laugh laugh laugh without explaining to anyone who hears me why I am laughing (they're used to it already)
  
• Take some photographs
• Sing in the car

Wow. That feels better already.

Question: What do you do when the world is spinning like one of those gyrotron vomit rides?

mompoet - positively discombobulated but optimistic about the day after tomorrow