ouch

I didn't mention this before, but I broke my tooth on Mother's Day. I was eating porridge (recipe to follow) and suddenly something was dreadfully wrong. After that everything I ate got jammed into a new rabbit hole that had somehow appeared between my two molars farthest back on the bottom right. ouch.

Wonderful, wonderful Dr. Bruce got me in Tuesday morning at 7:30am. Even after staying up late at the Poetry Slam Monday night, I sprang out of bed, ready to see an end to the discomfort. Well, actually I had this weird hypnogogic experience between the alarm clock and the feet on the floor which involved "Waking Up" (as an embodied state of consciousness - I think she was wearing pajamas and blue slippers) walking up a flight of stairs and seeing a hand-drawn poster that said "NO WAY!" in purple sparkly bubble letters, but I dismissed it and woke.

Turns out, I had a fearsome ragged chunk of broken-off tooth jammed deep into my gum between the two teeth since Sunday morning. Dr. Bruce showed it to me because he knows I like stuff like that. cool. No wonder it hurt when I chewed. ew.

Now I have a new filling and a new appreciation for salad, which I really wanted to eat on Monday, but I settled for squishy pasta because it didn't hurt so much. Also an appreciation for my fully functioning face after walking around for three hours with blubber cheek and manitou tongue - blubba goo goo (drool).

I guess if something about me is going to disintegrate, it's okay that it's my teeth, in minor ways like this.

question: what would you most want to chew if you had to stop chewing for a bit?

mompoet - I have a lovely bunch of broccoli and some nice chicken

the yellow brick road

It was a warm Sunday evening, so most of Port Moody was at Rocky Point Park after supper. We were there too, while some of the cast of The Wizard of Oz (May 26-June 4 at the Inlet Theatre) had publicity photos taken. Here's a sneak peek of the lion during makeup tests...trying not to scare herself...and how many people it takes to photograph a Tin Man, Scarecrow, Lion, Toto and Dorothy strolling down the pathway to Oz.

question: what did you do for Mother's Day?

mompoet - 83k mother's day

we got 'em

Myrna and I are going to see the Red Hot Chili Peppers in September. I'm so excited! I haven't been to a rock concert since I was about 25, and never in a big stadium. This is going to be so much fun!

question: do you attend cultural events with the blue rinse or the blue mohawk crowd?

mompoet - somewhere in between, I guess

move for health

Wednesday was International "Move for Health Day." It took on extreme importance in the province of British Columbia where we are being challenged to improve our communities' physical fitness by 20% in time for the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics. Well, I guess our province could start by feeding the ones who don't have enough food and providing treatment for the ones who are ill and houses for the ones who can't afford accommodation and compassionate care for the elders who built this beautiful province, but don't get me started... In the meantime, we will exercise (and also learn to read - but that's another challenge) so that we do not present the world (and network TV) with a province of illiterate fatsos in 2010. That gives me an idea. I'm going to pork up, black out a tooth, hang around Olympic venues in a sack dress and drool. Now won't that be a pretty pitcher? huh?

But anyway, in the meantime, we are exercising!!! Which is good for us for sure, regardless of what happens with the really big issues.

At the gym where I work out, our cycle class joined the seniors and elementary school students in a health walk Wednesday. About 300 people turned out. It was sunshiney, friendly and fun. We were cheered on by volunteers from the high school, and served treats upon our return. It really was very nice. Later we found out that of all the "Move for Health Day" events on Wednesday, ours was the biggest of those sponsored by the city. Hurray for the Cameron exercise people!

These pictures give you an idea of what it looked like.

question: is it okay to enjoy little triumphs before the big problems are tackled?

mompoet - vowing to be 20% more something by 2010

don't you love when tulips

do this?

question: well, don't you?

mompoet - Is it just me, or does the world look like a Dr. Seuss illustration right now?

Alice in Wonderland Yesterday

On Thursday I drove to Richmond with a friend (90 minutes to get there in rush hour, and 2 of us navigating to find Richmond City Hall), jumped and shouted and played all day in a "train the trainer" course (it was fun), got shushed along with 29 other playful adults by some Richmond City Hall people who informed us they were meeting with a delegation from Denmark in the next room (shhhh!!! play silently!!!), walked in a formal garden, lost my shoe, found my shoe, drove home (90 minutes again - this time I unravelled the route in reverse order and direction, no problem) cooked spaghetti, ate spaghetti, sewed a munchkin dress, did algebra, studied for a learner's license, fell down a dark rabbit hole of sleep.

question: what about your day?

mompoet - coming back out through the looking glass to Friday morning

wordless wednesday

also very tasty

I got my Mother's Day present a few days early. Andy and the kids went out and got me Stadium Arcadium, the Red Hot Chili Peppers' new cd. I couldn't listen to it last night because of too many people doing homework in too many rooms, too late into the evening. Now it's early morning and I'm having music for breakfast. How tasty to wake up this morning and think, "I have something new to enjoy."

The band is coming to Vancouver in September. I think I'll go see them.

Black bandana sweet Louisiana
Robbin' a bank in the state of Indiana

question: what did you think about when you woke up this morning?

mompoet - yum yum yum

tasty tuesday

a trio of non-nutrional tasties:

clean socks
you have no new messages
nordic poles (and not just because of the pun)

yum yum yum

question: what's tasty for you today?

mompoet - heading for the beeg marshmallow of slumber (also tasty)

what the heck is "snakes on a plane?"

• a suspense movie starring Samuel Jackson?
  
• a make-your-own cult film, spawning parodies even prior to its release?
  
• a slang expression - metaphor based on the movie premise?
• one more topic on which to build a blog?

In case you're doubting this all, check the trailer (but please note the date on which it was posted).

question: haven't we got anything better to do?

mompoet - marvelling at the weirdness of fads, reptiles and marketing

ps - My son told this joke at his birthday supper on Saturday:

Have you seen the new movie, "Constipation?"
No
That's okay, it hasn't come out yet.

words

Words

When I was 18 years old in university, I was smart, ambitious and hard-working, I got permission to take fourth year history courses in the beginning of my second year. I felt tremendously excited about this. I’d also got a promise of directed studies work from one of my favourite profs. I was going to get my degree in social history, find out the true stories of real people and how they understand each other, and take care of each other. I was going to max out my credits and fill up my curious brain with lifelong learning. I was on top of the world.

Right away, first week, the prof (who would become another of my favourites) told us we would each have to do a one-hour presentation within the next 6 weeks, effectively researching and teaching each other the curriculum. I can’t tell you how nervous this made me. Me, a silly little fresh-out-of-highschool girl, teach those big blustery history-heads and mature students too? I resolved to do my best, and signed up for one of the later slots, hoping to get a handle by watching and listening to my peers. The next week I walked into seminar early. Only one other student in the room, a big, smart guy I’ll call Stewart, who called the prof by his first name and seemed to have an educated opinion about everything. Older too. Musta been 25 or 26. My superior in every way. I asked him, “howzit goin’?” When he did the same I told him I was nervous about the presentation, and already working on the reading to be sure to do a good job.

“Don’t worry,” he said. “You’re a good-looking young girl. You’ll get a good mark, doesn’t matter what you say.”

The 98% I got on my presentation 3 weeks later, and my A in the course are thanks in no small part to Stewart, who made me so damn angry I forgot about being scared and got down to presenting his arrogant ass right out the 5^th floor window just so I could watch it splat on the quadrangle below.

Words have a way of doing that, spurring us on to action or stopping us dead in your tracks – depends I guess on how we’re feeling at the time. I can tell you I will never forget those words, or their implication. Or the effect they will have on me, forever.

Fast forward a year to the night my highschool girlfriends got together to plan a wedding shower for a friend. We’d been thick as thieves from grade 8 to grade 12, then went our separate ways after graduation, for the most part. Joining up again was fun. So much had happened since we’d last sat down. Then my friend arrived. I’ll call her Thelma. Dressed to the nines. I blurted out, “Thelma, I can’t believe it! You look GREAT!” Damn words…truth is, Thelma dressed pretty trashy through highschool, so much so that some of the kids made fun of her behind her back, and I was glad to see her looking like she liked her self a bit better than before, but there was nothing I could say to undo the damage. The rest of the evening was painfully awkward. I left early with teeth-clenched hugs and hollow “See you soons,” echoing in my ears.

Words slip out so easily, betraying our secrets, twisting our intentions. They’re permanent, indelible and in-correctible. I listen to conversations looping, edit my contribution after the fact, but done is done, even when I wish I could retract them like backwards music, swallow them back and just stay mum. But it’s too late.

Now one good friend is angry with another good friend. Mad enough not to speak to her for weeks. All over some words not properly heard and responded to in what might have been comic but turned out to be a tragically inappropriate manner. One small hurt sparks a reaction of volcanic proportions and the words splash out like burning magma, scarring as they fall on limbs already battered by the hardness of life. It’s next to impossible to forgive the one who deals the crushing blow, even if it was just a stupid comment delivered to exactly the wrong person at exactly the wrong time.

I believe it is in our nature to talk first and think later. Were we to stifle this impulse we would probably never know each other, hatch earth-changing ideas, love authentically or make art. We have to talk and talking is an inexact science.

All that remains is forgiveness and the charitable assumption of benefit of the doubt. Curiosity too.

Recently, I heard a friend say something to another friend that made my heart quicken. An insensitive remark at a bad time. Something so truly out of character I could not believe it. So I used my words. Unable to muster the courage in the moment, I phoned the next day. I chose my words carefully…”You are my friend, so I must ask…Last night I heard you say….” I mustered curiosity and trust to ask a friend about his words, and learned that he too was wishing for a rewind button, and also that he had spoken after to the one he must have hurt. Clarified intention, recognized transgression, made amends.

Words are like that. We all screw up and toss them carelessly like daggers or mud clots. When they hit their mark it doesn’t matter how we chase them, own them, take them back. They are their own echoes, with limited edit-ability. Their harm is permanent regardless of what we meant to say (or not say). All that matters how they were heard.

question - what's that you said?

mompoet - listening with an open heart

Stadium Arcadium

Red Hot Chili Peppers new double cd will be out on Tuesday. You can see the video of their new single, "Dani California" here.

question: how many of those concerts did you see?

mompoet - that's what I want for mother's day, by the way

2 good shews

Van Slam Finals was wonderful wonderful wonderful last night. That was good show #1. The performances were all stellar with 8 great semi-finalists. Alas, only 4 can be chosen to form our Vancouver team, going to Nationals in August. The winners are Patrick Swan, Magpie Ulysses, RC Weslowski and Nora (not sure about Nora's last name but we'll all know it soon). Sonya Renee, the feature was awesome on stage and warm and gracious in person during the show. Graham's roast was so good I think we might have convinced him to stay. The volunteers were so good I pretty much could have left after the first half hour and things would have gone along just fine. I love volunteers.

Saturday afternoon my parents gave me their tickets to No Great Mischief because they have the flu, so I took Alex, who celebrates his 16th birthday today, to see the show. It was a beautiful production, rich in emotion, language like poetry, full of music, mystery, family lore and powerful drama and only 6 chairs for props/scenery. I roared with laughter and cried 3 or 4 times. Alex thinks it's fascinating when I cry. He stops watching the play and watches me. Oh well. He liked the show pretty much, then we came home and had a big supper, with his uncle and the grandma who isn't sick.

I am full up with words and sounds and images and thoughts (and birthday cake).

Happy happy days!

question: have you been up to any great mischief?

mompoet - saturated

van slam finals tonight

Tonight, Vancouver's top-ranked slam poets will compete. The winners will make us this year's Vancouver team, representing our slam community at the Nationals in Austin Texas in August. They'll also go to Toronto in October for the Canadian Festival of Spoken Word.

If you're in the area and you'd like to attend, here's the info:

Friday May 5
Doors at 8, show at 9
$10-$15 sliding scale admission
Feature: Sonya Renee
WISE Hall - Victoria and Adanac in Vancouver
Next door to the Vancouver East Cultural Centre
Arrive early, we will sell every seat

It's also a tribute night for our host, Graham Olds, who will move to Vancouver Island soon. In between the competition and the feature we'll be saying nice things about Graham and giving him presents and stuff. (note to self - pack tissues)

question: is a slam host roast technically vegan?

mompoet - it's all gentler than it sounds

reflection upon making 8 dozen chocolate chip cookies before leaving for work this morning

Is chocolate really poisonous for dogs?
Or is this really an urban myth, made up by a vindictive cat?

question: if I put the cookies in a box with a lid inside the cupboard, will the dog be able to get them?

mompoet - putting the cookies on top of the fridge (luckily the cat is not interested)

for carol

question: can you guess which one?

mompoet - don't get me started about exfoliation...

ps - wanna see the "before?"

wordless wednesday

My perfect job

My perfect job is Surrogate mum.
Take The Perfect Job Generator today!
Created with Rum and Monkey's Name Generator Generator.

question: what's your perfect job?

mompoet - closed due to renovations

after visiting the aesthetician - a haiku

twelve dollars later
i've got an eyebrow cowlick
pass the hair gel please

question: did you ever grow a unibrow?

mompoet - uni-que and cow-licky

this is my city