Launch Photos

It was a good launch. About 20 people came to hear us read from our new book. Larry and Marianne read at the open mic, and Vicki Allesia, Exec Director of the Port Moody Arts Centre Society joined us. These celebrations help glue our group together and into the community. Check the audience photo. That's my mom and dad in the front row. It was fun to recite the colonoscopy poem with its subjects in attendance.

question: what's happening in your community?

mompoet - launched and laughing

wordless wednesday

Shoreline Launch Tonite!!

Tonight the Shoreline Writers' Society launches its sixth chapbook, My Mother and Other Lies. We'll read from our book, sell and sign books and serve some refreshments. It's our contribution to this year's Port Moody Festival of the Arts and also our celebration of the Shoreline Community and the happy little dent we are making in the world.

We will have an open mic, so bring something to read or an instrument to play or a story to tell...ahhh!

7pm
Port Moody Arts Centre
2425 St Johns Street
Port Moody

tra la la!

shameless self promotion

I sent a couple of media releases out to the local papers. The Tri-City News published it. It's pretty easy to get a story into the local paper. They usually copy and dump your exact words into the paper, which is pretty much what they did this time. Yayyy!

question: when was the last time you quoted yourself?

mompoet - glad they excised the cheeseball quote, happy the rest made the paper

one family's junk...

It's cleanup week in Port Moody. Check out the stuff that I saw down the street. To help with spring cleaning, the city allows residents to put out almost anything non-toxic and non-explosive for pickup. People put their stuff out a few days ahead of their scheduled garbage day. Then the scavengers come out. Neighbours take other neighbours' junk. Flea market dealers load up trucks. People who just need something go out and look and usually find it. It's a strange and beautiful phenomenon. A cross between environmental sustainability and feeding the sharks.

question: do you do this in your city?

mompoet - dibs on the red naugahyde bar!

keep it or chuck it? books and videos

If the exercise bike is the common denominator for big "keep or chuck" items, books and videos have to be the the same for small ones. My husband cannot not buy videos (now dvds of course). If he worked on the film, we have it. If he enjoyed it in the theatre, we have it. If it's on sale previously viewed and there's a remote chance we might enjoy it, we have it. If the kids like it, we have it. Every year at the garage sale I unload a lot of videos (haven't convinced him to let me get started on the dvds, but maybe this year). But I can't get all high and mighty about his video compulsion when I look at some of the stupid books I have bought and kept. I have a fascination with absurd/preposterous/unlikely titles. I am curious about how some books get published, and what they must say inside. If they're in the bargain bin or on a used bookstore shelf I cannot resist. Just for the record, I have not read far enough to determine my flavour personality, but I think it must have something to do with fibre. I have dipped into a few pages of Mr. Rogers. I loved Fred Rogers. Never watched his show as a kid, but I sneaked it in while my kids were watching (or not watching). During my years as a stay-at-home mom, Fred Rogers was one of my lifelines. I am not kidding. He was really good stuff. I even wrote a letter to him once. In a time of supercharged hype and flash in kids' programming, Mr. Rogers stayed slow, gentle and genuine. His predictability comforted me. His vulnerability helped me feel safe. I loved him. I really did. (ahem)

Descriptions: Assorted books and VHS tapes, some for kids, some for adults; Value: all purchased at bargain-basement prices, now probably zero resale; secret powers: played/read backwards they reveal some pretty good tuna casserole recipes.

so...

Keep them? or chuck them?

question: can you play VHS backwards?

mompoet - it's a beautiful day in the neighbourhood

Vote for the Canadian Poetry Face Off Champion April 3-11

Voting opens for the CBC Poetry Face Off on Monday April 3 and continues to midnight Tuesday April 11. Please check out the updated website. It's where you can vote, and also where you can listen to clips from all of the finalists' poems.

The poems will be re-broadcast April 3-7 on CBC AM690 11:30amPDT. My poem is scheduled to be aired on Tuesday, April 4. I hope you'll listen in! Here's the url for listening to CBC Radio online. Just click on site #23 - Vancouver.

Participating in the Poetry Face Off, winning the Vancouver contest and getting excited about the voting has been so much fun. Regardless of the outcome I feel like I have won already. Thanks to everyone for your encouragement and enthusiasm. I hope you'll enjoy the final days of the Face Off.

question: am I dreaming?

mompoet - excited

keep it or chuck it - turbo giraffe

Two items today for your consideration. The giraffe belongs to our daughter, who purchased it a few years ago at the neighbourhood garage sale. For various complicated reasons it cannot be re-sold at a garage sale. It lives in the basement with item #2, the exercise bike. This must be the quintessential unused household object and yes, we have one.

Descriptions:

Plush giraffe stuffed toy approximately 4 feet tall propped up. Takes up the same space as a large dog when flopped on the ground. Too big for a windowsill. Well-used but no rips, loose bits or unstuffed areas. Smells good. Value: purchased used for $10 five years ago. Secret powers: at night it comes to life and loads the dishwasher, but it also eats all of the After 8 Mints unless you hide them very well.

Sturdy exercise bike approximately 10 years old. Used 4 times. Digital display never worked. Tension adjustment and seat raise/lower work great. Weighs approximately 492kg. Useful as a rack for drying fine handwashables. Approximate value: purchased new for about $200 10 years ago. Today it would cost more to haul out of the house than we could ever ask for it. Secret powers: constructed of super-densified materials that are so heavy they must disprove all laws of physics. Worthy of scientific study. Failing that, if the aliens ever come, you could put this in front of the door, and the aliens would never be able to break down the door. Also good for hanging your bras up to dry.

Now you tell me, please...

Chuck it? or Keep it?

mompoet - co-existing with way too much stuff

Keep it or chuck it - salty swans

These are salt cellars. They were given to us as a wedding gift by Andy's old boss and his wife. See the little sticks coming out of the swans' butts? Those are tiny little salt scoopers. The wings open to reveal the salt kept inside the swan. You scoop a bit of salt and sprinkle it on your eggs or whatever. They are very fancy. I think we have only used them as ornaments. They have lived on our basement wall unit on the shelf above the puzzles and board games since we bought our house about 14 years ago. Description: glass and silver-plate salt cellars; barely used; must provide your own salt. Value: I have no idea whatsoever. Never bought these, never even saw them in a store. Secret powers: amazing catnip containers or possible props for a home-made godzilla movie.

so please help me decide, do I

keep them? or chuck them?

mompoet - I forgot to starch and iron my doilies, gotta go!

New Bathroom Passes the Winery Test

The new bathroom is great for baths and showers and other bathroom activities. It is also a good winery. I make wine at home. This weekend I bottled 10 gallons of wine in my bathroom. I reckon it's the cleanest room in the house right after I've sanitized eveything. I have been making wine this way for at least 10 years. It's very good. When we did the renos we built a special little notch under the counter exactly the right size for my carboys, so I can store 2 5-gallon jugs of wine in my bathroom until they are ready to bottle. Yum.

question: what do you do in a room in your house that people wouldn't expect?

mompoet - I got a floor corker, yup I shore do.

Keep it or Chuck It - Mom's Scary Jean Jacket

This is my jean jacket that I bought in 1986. I remember I wore it all the time to Expo '86 in Vancouver. We had season's tickets. We had a lot of fun. I think I got the Mickey Mouse pin later. Micky reminds me of Marty McFly in the movie Back to the Future (I hate that movie). I have not worn the jacket in many years.
Description: oversize big shouldered distressed denim bomber jacket (women's); size 9 with room for a puppy or two; lots of zippers (I mean LOTS!!) even pockets in the sleeves
Value: purchased for about $50 which was a lot at the time, now probably worth $5 at a garage sale; someone said I might get something for it on ebay (ebay? are you kidding?)
Secret Power: When I want my 12 year old daughter to comply with my wishes, I threaten to wear this jacket in public. She will do almost anything to make me put it back in the closet.

So now for the question:

Keep it? or Chuck it?

you decide...

mompoet - waiting for a verdict

yummy sweet recipe

I typed this recipe up this morning to take to church. I have promised it to a few people who enjoyed it at coffee time last Sunday. Maybe you'll like it too. It sounds complicated but it's not.

Cream Puff Almond Squares (makes 40 small squares)
Adapted from a recipe in Sunset Magazine (a long time ago)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees Farenheit

1. Make the pastry bottom layer:
1 ½ cup flour
¾ cup butter or margarine
3 Tbs sugar

Combine these ingredients and press them into the bottom of a 9X13” cake pan.

2. Make the cream puff middle layer:

In a saucepan bring to a boil:
1 ½ cup water
¾ cup butter or margarine

When the water is boiling, keep the stove heat on and dump in:
1 ½ cup flour

Stir over heat in the pan until the mixture forms a soft dough that pulls away from the sides of the pan and clumps onto the mixing spoon. Remove from the heat and immediately stir in, one at a time:
6 whole eggs

As you stir in each egg, whisk it into the batter. As soon as it’s mixed in, whisk in the next egg. Be quick.

Spread the batter over the pastry bottom layer in the pan. Bake for 35-40 minutes until golden and puffy.

3. Add the top layer:

Mix together:
1 ½ cup icing sugar
6 Tbs milk (adjust amount to make a thick glaze)
½ tsp vanilla or a couple of drops of almond extract

Drizzle the glaze over the pastry. Be generous. Top with:
2/3 cup slivered almonds

It will collapse a bit as it cools but that’s okay. It should be bumpy and sticky and crumbly and you will get almonds on your shirt and you will lick your fingers when you eat it. You can serve this warm as a brunch dish or serve cool. It has a best served fresh, and doesn’t freeze well so eat it up!

question: baked lately?

mompoet - thinking about an apple/plum/blueberry crisp for tonight

new series in the works

I'm working on something for my next few blogs (remember soundjournal? remember "boring?" remember "Nelson's adventures?") Well, I have another idea.

Keep it? or Chuck it?

In honour of spring I'm going to post some things that I have found around my house and ask for your thoughts about whether to keep them or chuck them. It should be fun and will help me waste time and avoid doing really important things. (Isn't this why we blog?)

So no more radio poetry posts for while. Time for something new and silly...be ready to help decide if I

Keep it? or Chuck it?

question: kiorchui?

mompoet - prone to chuck

Radio (for real I sure hope)

Tune in Saturday morning, March 25 7:15-9am PST to CBC 690AM in Vancouver or on the net (click on site #23 for Vancouver). All five Vancouver CBC Poetry Face Off poets will be featured intermittently throughout the show. My poem is supposed to be on some time between 8:30 and 9am.

question: do you believe it?

mompoet - keeping faith in cultural institutions

sister

Barb has posted a big juicy blog from Eritrea. I am uncharactaristically devoid of anything to say.

question: what's up?

mompoet - hussshhhed

face off still on

The CBC Poetry Face Off website has been updated. Finalists' poems will be broadcast the week of April 3-7. After that, voting will open at the website. The winner will be announced April 17.

question: do you have any special plans for poetry month?

mompoet - trying to find poetry in every day life

tasty tuesday leftovers

Being too tired last night to create a Tasty Tuesday post, I went to bed and slept like a yule log. It was tasty, I tell you.

That is my first tasty thought today (I think the suggested number is 3). No matter what has happened during the day, I can always sleep and start up again in the morning. I am blessed with the gift of almost instant oblivion. I can sleep anytime, anywhere, and get there very quickly. Sleep is a big, dark, warm, welcoming cave that is always available for me as I run through my days of go-go-go-go-go-go-stop. I know a lot of people can't do this. I know how good it feels to be able so do it, so I appreciate it very much.

My second tasty thought is about how much I appreciate home base. Work, family activities, volunteering, and all of the things I/we do for fun take me out of the house most days and many nights each week. At the office I am out more than in, travelling to meetings, events and programs. On Tuesday I made breakfast for the kids, walked the dog, tidied a bit, then went to work and stayed at my office all day. I got tons of work done, and I was there when my clients and contacts phoned or emailed (no tag-playing) and I got to talk with my co-workers in a relaxed and friendly way. It felt great. At closing time I drove to karate, picked up my son, talked with the karate teacher then came home and helped fix supper then I stayed home. We were all together for supper, then sometimes spread around the house, sometimes occupying the same space. Everyone was home. It was nice. There was no sense of urgency, minimal decision-making required. We were home. My base is one of the tastiest things in my life. I love to do things but more than anything I love to be home.

Which makes me think of an extra tasty morsel: that look in my son Alex's eyes when I pick him up somewhere and he sees me. It's like he's seeing me for the first time. There's a ker-thump of joy that I feel when I see that look, and the feeling that he feels the same way.

My final tasty is my reflection on Monday night's poetry slam. It was a smorgasbord of tasty. I was nervous about hosting. I've done it before in a small restaurant in my own neighbourhood, but never at the Vancouver Poetry Slam. It was such a good night...11 great poets in the competition and 2 more at the open mic, all women and a superb feature poet, Melissa Noelle Green from Seattle. There was a richness in the range of voices and experiences, the topics and styles that was so tasty. The judges were strong and consistent and quick and the audience was hungry for poetry and happy with what was offered. I felt like I did a good job, and the show was successful. I especially savour the help of my friends at the slam and the Sista'hood festival, who made sure I felt supported and appreciated, and who keep these good events going. Being welcomed to participate and help is a treat beyond compare.

So that's 4 tasty things I guess. And it was easy.

Thanks, Lazy Daisy, for the inspiration.

question: what's tasty for you today?

mompoet - hmmmm honey nut cheerios?

tasty

The most compellingly tasty thought to me right now is a soft pillow wrapped in a warm flannel pillowcase with a picture of snowmen on it. I am going to that tasty as soon as possible, and will reflect properly on the tastiness of my day on Wednesday morning.

question: did you have a tasty Tuesday?

mompoetzzzz

Tasty Tuesday

Carol, in her blog called A Revision, steers us to celebrate different days of the week with blog activities invented by fellow bloggers. I'm going to try Lazy Daisy's "Tasty Tuesday." In Lazy Daisy's own words, here's what you're supposed to do in your blog on Tasty Tuesdays:

On Tasty Tuesday I would like to focus on something non- food related to savor or relish. Something to mull over, treasure, sip, or linger longer.

This sounds like a lot of fun to me, and also easy. I always say that life should be delicious. Sometimes it's about food. More often it's about great experiences and the people with whom I share them.

This morning I am zombie-tired from staying out late at the Poetry Slam last night, but I'm going to take note of the the tastiness of my day (in terms that are not directly food-related). Tonight I'll post my relections on my blog.

Thank you Carol, for your prompt and for keeping the friendlies in touch with each other in an ever-expanding circle. Thanks Daisy, for the yummy idea.

question: what looks good on your menu today?

mompoet - always hungry, easily satisfied (brewing coffee)

One handsome guy

This our son Alex who recently got his braces off. I think he looked great even while he still had them on. Now he has retainers to wear, which is okay, and toothbrushing no longer takes 15 minutes each time (do you know how they have to floss when they have braces???). He's happy, we're happy. What a smile!




question: did you have braces?

mompoet - happy

we will miss her

One of the kindest women I have every met died a week ago. The memorial for Dorothy Fleming was held at our church today. When the kids and I joined St. Andrew's four and a half years ago, Dorothy introduced herself and welcomed us to the church. Every Sunday, she'd make a point of greeting us before or after the service, and checking in with us at coffee time. She made sure that we felt at home at St. Andrew's. Later I found out that Dorothy did the same for every newcomer and everyone who might be lonely or isolated. With her own tender care she brought us all into the fold. Dorothy, your church home is missing you today.

mompoet - sad

what they call things

I took Alex to Dairy Queen this afternoon for an end-of-spring-break treat. He had "Brownie Earthquake." I had a "Capuccino Skor Blizzard." I notice that a few of the foods at Dairy Queen are named after weapons or natural disasters:

"Cool Treats"
Blizzard (many varieties. Fi's favourite is "Brownie Bladder Blizzard," which I guess the teens who work at Dairy Queen are sick of hearing pre-teens order at the drive-thru)
Pecan Mudslide
(aforementioned) Brownie Earthquake

"Hot Eats"
Flamethrower Burger

Good thing they have emergency exits and give us plastic spoons.

question: do you ever think about what they call things?

mompoet - not eating any tsunamis tonight

You didn't miss anything (again)

The Poetry Face Off broadcast has been postponed for one more week. I'll keep you posted. Maybe next weekend (March 25 or 26). No, this is not a lead-up to a lame April Fool joke (unless the joke's on me).

question: what else will tickle your lobes this weekend?

mompoet - baking cookies and squares for church tomorrow

dvd night

I watched Water last night. Oh my. It's a hard movie to watch and digest but beautiful. I recommend it. If you haven't seen it already, watch it when you are feeling strong.

It's the story of Chuyia, an 8 year old girl who is widowed, and sent to live in an ashram with other Hindu widows, during Mahatma Gandhi's rise to power. It is heartbreaking.

mompoet - I didn't know

transitions

it's windy and it's rainy and it's dark and it's bright
the length of the day is the length of the night
and i don't like this season
i don't know why
we're stuck in the middle of something
there's no moving forward and no moving back
we're circling senseless just circling senseless
i don't like this season
i don't like
give me burning sun or a cold winter night
give me polar ice caps and four hours of daylight
let the heat of the earth creep up through my feet
and light me on fire
but take me away
i don't like this season i don't like this day

question: who said spring is the best?

mompoet - unnerved by equilibrium

just so you know I don't really eat paint

This is so good on a cold, damp, blustery day: Pesto risotto with green beans and cherry tomatoes. It's from the cookbook Moosewood Cooks at Home. Serve with parmesan cheese (or as we say at my house, paramecium cheese - mmmm).

question: who could imagine that 1 1/2 cups of arborio rice could take up 5 cups of broth?

mompoet - the cookbook falls open to this page, I love it so much

I am a politi-goof

I was out Monday evening, so I taped Part 2 of the Tommy Douglas story on CBC TV. Watched most of it last night with Alex.

Here's the politi-goof part. I cried during the scene when Diefenbaker visits Regina to tell Douglas he wants universal medical care Canada-wide. What a dork. Oh well.

question: what tugs your heart?

mompoet - touched by the idea that everyone could be okay one day

before

after

drive time haiku on the day they melted the ice at the arena and also there was a rainbow

tic tacs from heaven
staccato car roof hip hop
tires crunch kosher salt

question: did you see the storm?

mompoet - counting on all of my fingers and most of my toes

a true friend

comes over in response to a voicemail, on a Sunday afternoon, when he could be doing other things and tells you that you don't have to go to the dump. He'll go to the dump with Andy and unload the construction crud (all 472kg of it) so you can go back inside and finish the last coat of paint and bake a pie and make a nice Sunday supper and feel relieved that you did not have to go to the dump.

Thanks Tom.

Other good friends tell you about a great tile store, let you have a shower at their house, lend you their truck, cluck over tile samples, let you come over and steal ideas from their bathrooms, give you a gift of shower gel when it's almost over, traipse upstairs to view the work in progress and say, "niiiiice," even when it looks like a war zone, reassure you that 5 weeks isn't long for a bathroom reno, approve of your paint colour swatches even when they're just splotches of dried paint on your shirt, refrain from laughing when they see you in your "painting outfit," view your blogs about the bathroom reno and say "niiiice," reassure you that it will be worth the time and expense, loan you a pool key, listen to the war stories and help keep the faith.

The renos are now complete. Andy is putting up towel racks as I blog. He's going to buy new towels, and I'll put stuff into the cupboards tomorrow, and it's a done deal. Before and after photos to come, then this project is done and done.

And it was worth it.

And we have many very good friends.

question: who helped you and how?

mompoet - rich beyond imagination

Prairie Fire Tommy Douglas Biopic

Alex, my 15 year old, and I just watched part one of Prairie Fire on CBC TV. It was really good. We'll tune in for part 2 tomorrow night for sure. I was impressed as always with Alex's knowlege of federal politics (he pointed out to me in the House of Parliament scene where Stephen Harper sits today) and by his enthusiasm for the political ideals of Tommy Douglas and the CCF/NDP. He's a pretty funny kid too. During the scene where Tommy and Irma have a baby, Alex blurted out, "Hey that's Kiefer Sutherland's mom!" Seriously, the movie is good, balancing the political and personal details of the life of a man who changed Canada for the better. I'm a sucker for stuff like this, I know. But the campaign montage set against Tommy's famous Mouseland speech just got me good.

If you saw part 1, let me know what you thought. If not, be sure to catch part 2. For once, something good on tv. Thanks CBC.

question: what kind of cats have we got?

mompoet - mice are my heroes

good enough to eat

I know I relate everything to food and eating, but doesn't this paint look like butterscotch pudding? On the wall it looks like a graham cracker. It's official paint name is "applesauce cake."
question: what's in a name?

mompoet - don't eat the paint

jim's face off

My friend Louise emailed to suggest a petition to CBC by disgruntled soccer moms, insisting on reliable radio scheduling.

My friend Jim sent me a wonderful photo that he created.

My friend Bonnie said she is hording all of her dead fish ( in response to me giving permission for everyone who is sick of my update emails to mail me a dead fish).

I am going to work this morning. Then I will continue to paint the bathroom. The aquamarine is all gone and the first coat of primer is up (I'll use two to be safe). Thank goodness, the new ceiling looks good with just one coat of oil paint. The job should be complete by Sunday evening. The carpenter and plumber charged less than we thought.

question: to what will you listen this morning?

mompoet - face still attached for as long as I need it

ps - In case you missed Friday's post, the Poetry Face Off broadcast is rescheduled to March 18 or 19. I'm not sure which day or what time yet (see picture above).

I sure hope the ceiling does not need a second coat

in the midst of rain showers and forsythia we are taken by surprise

by winter's last hurrah!

poetry broadcast delayed again

After a couple of rounds of previous rescheduling, the CBC Vancouver Poetry Face Off was supposed to be broadcast this Saturday morning. Five Vancouver poets (including me), each performing a poem about the theme, "irresistible."

It's now scheduled for sometime on March 18 or 19. I'll keep you posted. In a way, it's better later. It will air closer to the time that voting begins. At the same time, it's hard to wait...

question: what's irrestistible for you?

mompoet - today irrestible is a gleaming white bathroom ceiling and walls a shade called "applesauce cake."

meeting with the mayor

This afternoon I went to City Hall with the president of our secondary school Parent Advisory Council, Sanda, and Mashael, a smart and articulate grade 11 student. We met with the mayor to talk about traffic around the school. Before and after school we have so many cars coming and going that traffic backs up onto the busy main routes nearby, causing a dangerous traffic snarl. Many of our students come from out of catchment for the International Baccalaureate program that's offered at our school, so we have even more cars than the average school. Lots of students take transit, but it adds to the problem when busloads are disgorged, and pedestrians add to the congestion at intersections and driveways.

None of this is the city's fault, but we want to ask the city to help, by cooperating with the school district and GVRD on some roadway and sidewalk improvements that will make the approaches to the school safer, and help take away a bit of the traffic pressure. The mayor and a traffic engineer listened to our concerns and suggestions and discussed them with us. The mayor is also chairperson for the Evergreen Line LRT project - slated to run past the school when it is built. He talked to us about the controversy surrounding plans for an LRT station near the school. He spoke in favour of allowing the station near the school as part of a long-term solution to increasing volume in the area. The school trustees are opposed to locating LRT stations near schools. He asked us to encourage the school community to be open-minded on the issue.

So now we have to find out more about the school district's position. We're thinking about an information evening for parents and students, but first we have to go back to the school to find out their point of view.

The good news is that the city is open to some of the other solutions that we have suggested in the meantime, and the school district, GVRD and city are all concerned about the situation and willing to talk. We're just trying to help things move along.

Our 15 minute meeting allocation turned into 40 minutes. When we left we were surprised to see the mayor of Port Coquitlam waiting outside. I think our mayor worked overtime today. I'm glad he listened, and optimistic that we can help get some attention to this situation.

Once again, I was reassured by a student that the world is going to be okay when I am a little old lady because there will be people like her taking care of it.

question: what's happening in your neighbourhood?

mompoet - too many cars, and lots of people tooting their horns at the problem

who should paint your portrait?

Who Should Paint You: Alfred Gockel

All American yet funky, you inspire an artist's imagination And while not everyone will understand your portrait, you will!

What Artist Should Paint Your Portrait?

nurse stump huckleberry bud

question: have you noticed it's light so much earlier?

mompoet - waiting for waking bears

slam night

Student film-makers Hilary and Lauren were at the Vancouver Poetry Slam last night, following up on some work they began at the CBC Face Off. They're making a film about slam poetry, and came back for some interviews and more performance footage. These young women are gracious and confident. They enjoy their work. It's been fun being part of what they're doing. I hope to take my 15 year old, Alex to see the finished work. He taking multi-media classes at secondary school, and planning to continue with this at BCIT after he graduates.

The slam was big and fun last night, with some of my favourite new poets performing. My friend Irene read at the open mic - a stunner of a poem called "Coffin on my Back." She was first up, usually a challenge to a performer, but everyone stopped their talking and dish-clanking and got caught up in her story. I'm glad she was there, sparkling with beauty and knocking us out with her work.

I competed. Tied for the last slot in the second round and lost in the haiku-off to Kyle, who deserved to win. Our haikus both stunk, but mine stunk worse. I have to get something ready for those situations. I'm often on the edge of in-or-out in the competition. If a haiku's going to make the difference I'll have to come with one in my pocket.

Patrick Swan, Vancouver's own representative at the recent individual World Championship Poetry Slame in Charlotte NC, featured. His heart, humour and mastery of sound and voice are astonishing. It was a good show, especially when he invited a friend to come on stage to read his second-to-last piece. You had to see it. It was one of the funniest moments I have ever seen at the poetry slam.

During the break, my friend and slam host Graham had to leave unexpectedly. So he asked me to host the second round. I did it. It was a bit nerve-wracking, at first, but I had help from my friend Sean who acted as time-keeper and double-checked the scores. Then we had two poets tied for second/third place so we had a slam-off with two additional poems. I felt so grateful for the audience (who stayed even when Monday turned into Tuesday before the show was over), the judges (who hung in there for the most part, and new ones volunteered when some had to leave) and to my friend, the Svelte Ms Spelt, who helped me be sure what to do about the tie, especially when we couldn't find one of the two poets at first.

Zaccheus Jackson won the slam. Emily and Sarah tied for second, with Sarah winning the tie-breaking slam-off.

The good thing is, no matter what happens, there's a big supportive community of people who will make sure that the slam happens. I counted four or five people in the room who would have readily jumped in to host if needed. That's why I love the slam - yes for the poems, but more for the people. I have hosted a small, occasional slam for the Port Moody Arts Festival a few times, and once for the Chocolate Festival, also in Port Moody. This was my first time on the stage as host at the Vancouver Slam. I had no hesitation. I knew I was in the midst of people who I love and upon whom I can rely.

I will consider Monday night a hosting warm-up. I've been asked to host the Sista'hood Slam later this month - part of Vancouver's Sista'hood Festival. This time I'll be ready. I might even have a haiku.

question: where do you find people who surprise and delight you?

mompoet - tired, happy, surprised

waiting for a slow arts day

The Poetry Face Off broadcast has been postponed again. Please tune in on Saturday, March 11, 6-9amPST to CBC Radio1 690am in Vancouver, or on the internet.

I'm beginning to feel like a silly goose, repeatedly emailing a long list of friends and posting updates then nothing happens so off we go again. Maybe I'm just imagining the whole thing? Nope, I couldn't imagine a night like that, with such great poetry performances. You'll have to believe me. It did happen and it is worth the wait.

Cross your fingers it sticks this time. I'll keep you posted if it changes again.

In the meantime, just file me under bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla...

question: do you think you can go back to sleep now (if you got up early?)

mompoet - if a poem falls off the radio, does anybody hear it?

decommissioned toilets are useful

We are in the home stretch with the bathroom reno. When you don't have a sawhorse, you improvise.

Should be done by the end of next week. As it is, the plumber hooked up the shower so we resumed bathing at home on Saturday morning. We are very very happy! Nobody as gone up to their neck in the tub yet, but that's what Sunday evenings are for, I think.

question: can you think of a time that you improvised?

mompoet - rub-a-dub

we'll have to get up extra early if we want to hear the face off sunday morning

I emailed Sheryl MacKay, host of North by Northwest. Just to give you an idea of how sweet she is, she was broadcasting from Sechelt today - a ferry ride away from Vancouver on the idyllic Sunshine Coast. Even so, she emailed me back by lunchtime. Here's what she said:

I'll have some of the poems on between 7 and 7:30 and the others

from about 7:50 to 8:00..at least that's the plan...live radio and all

congratulations by the way

Sheryl

So please, set your clock radio if you want to hear all 5 poets performing. Also scheduled for Sunday's show (from the website): The Shirleys will be in studio to sing and June Goldsmith will be back with her final installment on the life of Mozart. Sounds like a good show all around.

Thanks everyone for hanging in there, and for all of your good wishes.

question: what time do you usually get up on Sunday morning?

mompoet - happy as a kite that took a shower in its own bathroom this morning

face off invisible

I took my face off and now I can't see myself.

My Face Off poem was not broadcast Friday after all. It's worth a try to tune in on Sunday morning between 8 and 9am PST. Here's the link to web radio. Just click on #23 for Vancouver.

I'm sorry if you took the time out to listen on Friday and were disappointed. Let's cross our fingers for Sunday morning.

question: so what else did you do on Friday?

mompoet - forgot to set up the bread machine last night, so we have frozen toast this morning mmmmmmm...

My favourite winter tree

before it leafs up we don't see it anymore

question: do you see the end of winter's beauty?

mompoet - looking

Thinking about The Aristocrats

That movie I watched last night has been on my mind all day. I have been wondering why 100 different comedians telling and talking about one unspeakably obscene joke is so fascinating. I have also been imagining my own version of the joke, which is even worse and definitely more creative.

What I've been trying to reckon is, what's the appeal of this? Anyone can get gross. It's pretty much the easiest thing to do. Why does this joke have such enduring power? Why do comedians stretch their imaginations and performing powers to tell it? And why would anyone watch and enjoy a movie about it?

The best I can figure right now is that it's about trust. By actually telling this joke, the teller makes him/herself vulnerable. Think about it. How comfortable would you be telling a really filthy joke to anyone but those who you know will still love you after you tell it? To tell a joke like this you have to be ready to open yourself up to others thinking what they may of you. You also have to admit that you have thoughts like this. You have to be willing to take a big risk.

Also, there's showmanship involved. Every comedian has his/her version of the middle part of the story. I felt the urge to top the awful and creative details of some of the joke versions. There's also creativity in the delivery, at what point and how the surprise elements are dropped, what the tone and pacing are. To make this joke funny and impressive you have to work. This is very different from conversational profanity where an identical curseword is used over and over like punctuation, or breathing. This joke is horrible, beautiful, gross art.

So there it is. Did I just try to justify why I like this movie? Just in case. I will also admit. I love excessively gross humour. I know a few dirty jokes. And I do tell them. To people I trust, or want to impress and entertain with my creativity. Now I know one more.

question: do you tell rude jokes?

mompoet - sex poo and death - every story is about at least one

Too busy to cry, but laughing is working so far

After the gym yesterday (which made my thighs scream but did not impress my trapezius). I popped into the video store and grabbed a couple of dvds for after work and later. Last night, before attending another meeting at the church, I watched a fascinating documentary about some comedians talking about an old joke about vaudeville act. I laughed my guts out and felt the tight kite begin to unrumple. Tonight I will cry, because I also rented Billy Elliot. I've seen it before, but some clips that a trainer showed us in a workshop earlier this week reminded me of what a sweet and beautiful movie this is. I cried 3 times in the dark during 3 minute clips at work, so the full-length movie at home with my family ought to be the total ticket.

Now I have to go eat breakfast and walk the dog before a 7:30 dentist appointment.

question: which movie makes you laugh? which makes you cry?

mompoet - clickety clack

conversation

Son: Mom, When will we get rid of those toilets in the back yard? We look like hillbillies!

Mom: Pretty soon. We're waiting until all the work is done, then we'll make one trip to the dump with everything.

Son: But Mom, the grass is growing. It looks like hillbillies live here.

Mom: Well, actually I was thinking we could keep the toilets and move them to the front yard. One we can fill with water so when people are walking their dogs on hot days they can stop for a drink. The other, we'll plant flowers in it.

Son: Mommmmm...

Mom: Yup, and we'll get one of those garden gnomes. It will be a peeing gnome. And it will have to stand on a little stool in front of the toilet because it's a regular size toilet.

Son: Nooo Mommmmm!

Mom: Hey, it could be a toadstool. A gnome on a toadstool peeing into a toilet planter. Wouldn't that be nice?

Son: You're kidding, right?

Mom: What do you think?

question: why do kids ask their moms these questions?

mompoet - working on the laughing part

tight as a kite

There's this muscle of the upper back called "trapezius." It has a lot of functions around extension of the upper back and neck. It keeps the head up and moves the shoulders back and down. Without the trazpezius, we would slump forward. If we were built differently, we could use it for opening our wings to fly.

When I get tense this is where I feel it first. Today my trazpezius is talking to me. It's saying:

Hey, hey! Something's going on and you're ignoring it. I'm not going to let you.

Pain is creeping from the centre of my upper back to my shoulders. I can't find a comfortable position to stand or sit, no matter how many posture checks I do.

So I took some ubuprofen and adjusted my posture (good)
Then read the newspaper (bad)
Then I cuddled the cat and dog (good)
Now I'm sitting at the computer (bad)
But I'm blogging which makes be slow down and warm up (good)

Mostly I know I have to adjust whatever is on my mind, conscious or unconscious, and the trapezius will be a happy kite. If I don't, I'll have a stiff neck before lunchtime.

Some things that I know will help this trapezius clench:

laughing - I'm good at that!
crying - ditto
figuring out what the heck is bugging me - most important

Work is ultra-busy but that's business as usual. This bathroom thing is annoying, but not literally a pain in the neck I think. Andy is dandy and the kids are all right.

I think maybe it's the strata and the church, both going through changes due to age and finances. Both requiring strong leadership and good work by collective membership. That's never easy, especially when people have to do things like listening and consensus about problems that only they can address and only all together. As much of a people person as I am, large-group problem-solving gets me stressed. Today my mantra will be about trust and faith. After two big meetings (Sunday and Monday) I know my role, where I can act, and where I have to wait. I can pray for those so inclined and send cosmic good energy to those who are not. I can hug myself, go to the gym, gravitate to friends and family who nourish my soul, take stock of successes....

Trapezius, are you listening? I'm tuned-in. Okay?

Trapezius says: Okay, now go make sure the kids get up. I just heard an alarm clock upstairs.

question: an suggestions for a happy kite?

mompoet - trying to uncurl

It's starting to look like a bathroom

Kind of shiny and tiley and look, that's a cabinet - wrapped in plastic still but yup, it's starting to take shape. We are now in week four of no bath or shower in our house. We're getting along fine, but the bathroom, well it's beginning to look tantalizing. I know in a few weeks it will go back to being "just our bathroom," but right now we are very excited.

In other exciting news we have a new neighbour - little Nathan came home with Aaron and Christina last week - born 5 weeks early, robust and ready to rock the night away. Little baby ??? is due pretty much any day next door. On the other side next door, baby Tina is almost 14 months old. We are surrounded by babies, but we will have the youngest bathroom.

Also we have a new strata council for our townhouse complex, a new official board at the church (but not a new minister yet) and neighbour Shirley got a new puppy - a little whatzis named Sumi who barks and barks and runs 'round the mulberry bush day and night. But boy is she every cute.

I tried a new game at work this evening. We led a workshop for volunteer parents and students preparing to lead a lunch hour games program at a local school. The game is "Evolution." We all started out as eggs. I got up to the dinosaur level, but I kept getting knocked back down to egg. Maybe next time I'll be a ballerina, or a queen or even king. For now, being a dinosaur or an egg is okay, besides it's great exercise walking around like a chicken. Oh yeah, I was a chicken too.

question: what is this post supposed to be about?

mompoet - I forgot

the ultimate showdown

new from weebl and bob

question: ?

mompoet - I like Mr Rogers

Face Off Broadcasts

Here's the scoop on broadcast time for the Vancouver CBC Poetry Face Off

All on CBC AM690 in Vancouver or on the internet click on 23 Vancouver.

One poem per day will be broadcast on "On the Coast" sometime between 3pm and 6pmPST:
Feb 27 through March 3
Monday: Elizabeth
Tuesday: Roger
Wednesday: Kim
Thursday: Sean
Friday: me

Then on Sunday March 5, all 5 poets will be broadcast on "North by Northwest" between 8 and 9amPST.

Voting isn't until some time in April. I'll keep you posted. Thanks for all of your support. I hope you can tune in.

mompoet - neglecting supper and spending way too much time at the computer

consciousness clusters

Did you ever notice that when you're thinking about something you see/hear/feel it everywhere? There's some kind of synchronicity to the major themes of living, at least in human perception. Maybe it's simply the power of suggestion, like when there's a lice epidemic at the elementary school, so you check your child and he/she is okay, but you can't stop itching and twitching, just thinking about it. Or maybe I'm the only one who feels this way, but I don't think so...

For me, this week's theme is REDEMPTION.

I finished reading the deceptively simple and stunningly beautiful The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. It is a redemption story with a capital "R." I Recommend it to anyone who has not read it yet, although I think most people have and I'm very late enjoying it. It's the story of a boy growing up in Afghanistan who feels he can never earn his father's love and respect, and so he makes choices and follows a path that leads him eventually to damn his own existence, even when he moves to the US, away from his past. Then an old friend gets in touch with him and tells him, "There is a way to be good again." That's what the story is about.

Saturday evening I watched Elizabethtown - yeah, I know, finally. We rented the dvd. The surrealism wasn't Andy's cup of tea, so I ended up clutching a blanket on the couch mesmerized by a redemption tale of another kind. In this one, a young man who has just created what he thinks is an irredeemable fiasco postpones suicide to attend to his father's unexpected death. Along the way he finds the opportunity to wake up from his sleepwalking existence and experience real sadness, joy and love.

Then in church on Sunday the sermon was about "lifting the veil" and receiving and giving out God's true light. One of the stories Mary told was of John Newton, the 18th century slave trader to whom God spoke during a storm at sea. He became a changed man, stopped his evil ways and wrote the well-loved hymn, Amazing Grace.

That's pretty much my clump of redemption references - enough to get me thinking about the idea of redemption and what it means. It occurred to me right away that in the case of Amir in The Kite Runner and Drew in Elizabethtown, redemption equalled life-saving relief from an unbearable state of existence. I don't know enough about John Newton but I wonder if it was the same for him. Was he stuck in a way of living that made him feel terrible, and grateful for the opportunity to make a change? And what about "Life after redemption?" Without giving away too much (for the 3 or 4 people who haven't read the book and/or seen the movie), both have happy endings. Predictably the movie is Hollywood-happy (Tom Cruise was one of the producers, and it was written by Cameron Crowe). The book's ending is much more satisfyingly real. In both cases "after" is much better than "before," and the stories are explorations of what's stopping the guy from changing, what it takes to make change possible, and what he has to do to get there. I think it's something everyone thinks about to greater and lesser degrees.

I think about my own small redemptions and how sometimes they are easy to accomplish and sometimes unexplainably impossible, and wonder if it's the same with great big ones? I want so much to depend less on attention and approval from external sources. I want to listen better and judge less. I want to be able to set aside my own comfort in a more genuine way and be more generous. I want to stop faking proficiency at some or all of the above and be more real about my own failings and insecurity. Not being able to do these things well (or to my own definition of "well") feels bad. I compare myself harshly to other people who I think are better, and I'm tempted to stop trying and just wallow in "that's the best I can do." But I can't because it feels too crummy when I even think about not trying.

So maybe redemption isn't the "after" it's the road you take toward it. The ending of the book or the movie, the historical tale and beloved song aren't the seal of accomplishment. They're just evidence of movement in the right direction. Maybe that's all there is. Maybe that's what is.

So I'll keep thinking about redemption. Now that I've tuned in to a cluster I'm sure more bits and pieces will come and stick to me like cat hairs. Let me know what you think.

question: what's your take on redemption?

mompoet - just thinking

naked rumoli (names changed to protect the innocent)

We went over to Lucy and Ricky's place to play Rumoli with a few of the neighbours. One couple, Fred and Wilma, did not come because they were at Bam Bam's basketball game. Anyway. About 10pm, Fred calls to say they're home from the game. Wilma's staying home, but Fred will be over soon. By this time we have been playing (and shouting at each other) for about 2 hours. So we devise a plan to trick Fred.

We design a fetching tableau of "strip Rumoli." The men take off their shirts and tuck up to the table so they look naked. Lucy gets really bold and takes off her shirt, so she's playing Rumoli in her bra. I'm not so bold, but I decide to leave my shirt on and take off my bra. (All women know this skill by the way - how to keep our shirts on and take our bras off. My husband Rupert thinks it's the funniest thing he has ever seen - especially when I take off all my clothes and come to bed after doing the bra thing). Anyway, this time I just take off my bra, with the intention of hanging it outside on the front door knob. The plan is that Fred will show up, see a bra on the door knob, come inside and find us all playing "strip Rumoli," HA HA tricked you Fred!

So as I'm going up the stairs to the front door the door begins to open. Ooops! Fred just arrived before I could get the bra on the doorknob.

OOOOPPPPSSS!!! It's not Fred! It's Lucy and Ricky's two kids Little Ricky and Moon Unit, who are 8 and 12 years old, coming home earlier than we thought from a neighbour's where they were watching a video!!

I skedaddle back downstairs and run to the dining room to warn everyone to get their clothes on, but they are all laughing too hard at Lucy in her bra, and I am quasi-hysterical already at the thought of the boys walking in on our "strip Rumoli," so the best I can do is fall on the floor and scream and choke - no talking available.

The boys walk in to this charming scene and stand goggle-eyed for about 2 minutes before running out of the room to the safety of the basement. We all laugh for about 25 minutes. After that I couldn't talk because I think I ruptured a vocal cord. Oh yeah, after that, Ricky tried on my bra, but it doesn't suit him.

So now you know what we do for fun around here on a Friday night.

I am still laughing.

question: how would you explain this to the kids if it were your kids?

mompoet: I still haven't figured out how to put my bra back on without taking off my shirt

Dick Cheney's Got a Gun

If you haven't seen this cartoon already it's worth a look.

Not as technically pleasing as jib-jab but a perfect song pick for parody.

question: got shot?

mompoet - still finding a use for Aerosmith

what happened to just doing a good job?

BC Liberal Government fudge factory funding increased by more than 100% in the new provincial budget - The Tyee.

question: If we're so great why do we have to $hout?

mompoet - I'll pass on the fudge, thanks

thursday was plumbing day

The plumber was here all day Thursday. His name is Andrew. He and Mike worked together. Just to let you know how good they are, I didn't even notice when they maneuvered the tub into the house and fitted it into place. That's a big tub and a tight fit. It looks beautiful. I can hardly wait! They did set off multiple smoke alarms a couple times with welding (I think - I was staying out of the way). I had to protect Soleil, our dog, who is terrified of loud noises. I got her outside, of course, but that's not quite enough. We also had to do the peanut butter cure. We use this for firecrackers, smoke alarms and thunder. Poor dog trembles from head to toe, but if you hand-feed her a spoonful of peanut butter she gets all distracted enjoying it then licking her chops for about half an hour. So we made it through plumbing day.

question: what do you to to calm yourself down when you are scared?

mompoet - I hum. hmmmmm-mmmmm-hmmmmm

Face Off Poem

The CBC Poetry Face Off will be broadcast on On the Coast (Friday, March 3) and North by Northwest (Sunday, March 5) - so it's next weekend, not this coming.

In the meantime, I have checked and found out it's okay to post the poem on my blog as long as I give credit:

This poem was commissioned by CBC Radio for the Vancouver Poetry Face Off. The theme of this year's event is "irresistible." All of the Face Off poems will be broadcast on CBC1 on the dates mentioned above. When I find out which segments I'll let you know what time to tune in. The poem will be re-broadcast in April in time for voting for the Canadian Face Off Champion.

Here it is:

Mother's Day

“What would you like?
Parched beard stubble whisper in tired ear
What would you like?”
A line from an old story, a good story, just a different page
“What would you like?”

He wants to please her
Or at least to wake her up
He’s longing for the girl who drank wine with him under the stars
The girl who licked butter and lemon juice from his elbow
Lay with him on the beach at midnight
Lightweight and alien as dandelion fluff in the sand
Oblivious to the rising tide
She was…..

touched/grabbed/clutched past the brink of exhaustion
An endless expanse of sticky limpet baby love and toddler-chasing
Her body a giant pair of shoulder blades clenched and aching
Cacophony-steeped soul now closed for the day
She does not want to play
She is the antithesis of desire
And yet, he sees…

the woman who sneaked with him on a Saturday
To the office of the boss at whom he was right pissed
The woman who swept pens and papers to the floor in one bold stroke
Pushed him down on the desk
Made a bed of oak
Creating between them their own private joke
A quickening of the heart at just the thought of it

She is a run-over grocery sack lying empty at the side of the road
A wound-down windup toy that will bite you if you wind it one more time
A slack-bellied bad hair day in a nursing bra and one of his old t-shirts
Diametrically opposed to beauty
He sees her…..

golden and lithe
Tastes her like cinnamon and electricity
Wants to please her or at least to wake her up
Craves her joy

She is stuck in the current chapter
The opposite of joy
Numbed fingers trace lines of instinct and obligation
Crave nothing but rest
Still, he wants her….

“Talk to me,”
He wants to hear the girl who once told him everything inside herself
Revealed spiral staircases and triangle closets full of quaint disguises
Stories to provoke and enchant
With the richness of shared hope and imagination

She talks
Spills a tale of diapers and blender jars, mastitis, teething pain, botched baby pictures and 3 year old sibling envy, cries about an article warning of a 4-week window for the development of hand-eye coordination – miss it and the child’s doomed to have someone else tie his shoes for him for the rest of his life
Tears and milk leak into the sheets
He waits, stays close, until torrents subside

With infinite patience, gentle persistence
Harbouring, perhaps, the hope of some affection in the wake of this storm of sadness
He holds her

“It’s okay, it’s okay, it’s okay…
What would you like…to make you feel better I mean?”
Warm oatmeal muffin voice to weary heart
“Some time away?”

“Maybe,” she says
“Maybe if you take them, just part of a day…
I could read a book
Dig in the garden
Drink tea before it’s cold
Listen to the sound of my own thoughts
Feel my heart slowing
I will stand on the shelf like a jar of honey, refracting the afternoon light
Still and warm and quiet
Would you do that for me?”

“Anything,” he says
“Anything for you. Tomorrow -- your day.”

Now she holds him
“I would like that very much,” she says.
Words reassemble on the page
The old story, their story, new again
She finds him…
irresistible.

A new post from Keren

Guaza tree saga continued, dental adventures, middle school teachers and military service and Chez Lulu. Check out Barb's latest blog post..

question: do you like guaza?

mompoet - I like papaya

most interesting blog link (so far)

This must be the ingrown toenail of googling, but I was steered by Stephen's blog to Technorati where you can look up all of the blog links to your blog or any other site. Most of the people who have linked to mompoet I know, either in person or in the blog world. But here's the hidden treasure at the bottom of the list:

Ukulele Blue - The Ukulele Gossip Blog

Read to the bottom of the post and click on linked words: Ralph Shaw - The Ukulele King and you get to my blog about (among other things) Ralph Shaw the Ukulele King.

sweeet.

question: have you ever checked who is linked to you?

mompoet - feeling cosmic

Work in progress

I have not been boring you with bathroom reno details because the project has been on hold for a couple of weeks. Here are some photos (finally). We are now moving forward again.
Friends tell me that renos are always fraught with surprises, delays and setbacks. They also tell me that they tend to look like not much, not much, not much, then BOOM! they are complete. We are all keeping a sense of humour about it as we roll into week 3 of 4 people + 1 toilet and sink + no shower. We're hoping it will be mostly done by the middle of next week. It's going to be beautiful. It's going to be worth it. When we remember it, it will seem like a blink-worth of time.

question: what other things take longer than you think?

mompoet - waiting for BOOM!

I won

Last night I won the CBC Poetry Face Off. It was a very good contest. Cafe Deux Soleils was packed to the rafters. They turned people away at the door it was so full. My family and friends were there. The competition was friendly, with hugs and handshakes shared among the poets before and after.

I read first and I knew it went well, because nobody twitched/rustled/coughed. There's a special feeling when the audience is with you and you're almost breathing the poem together. I felt it last night. That's the best prize of all.

Five poets, all as different as you can imagine. Roger told about the irresistibility of Death, who visited him as a drag queen carrying an injection needle. Kim confessed an obsession for people who wear braces on their teeth. Sean told of a conversation with him mom, all around the topic "why?" Elizabeth proclaimed that her poem was free of graphicality and profanity then teased us with every sideways reference ever thought up, plus some new ones, including a very funny action song "fa la la la la." My poem was about overcoming resistance. I told about a pillow conversation between Andy and me when the kids were very little. I'll post it in a couple of days, and I'll find out when it will be on the radio next weekend and I'll let you know.

This CBC Poetry Face Off is a great deal. Seventy poets across Canada are showcased (and paid). In April the winners from each city will be posted on the CBC website so listeners may vote. The winner of that contest will be declared Canadian champion. I am so happy to see poetry getting this kind of attention. Poetry is fun and playful and dramatic and compelling. The Face Off celebrates this.

This morning I am tired, happy and still in a state of semi-disbelief.

question: did that really happen? or was it a dream?

mompoet - spinning (gratefully)

if you disapprove of swearing, genitals and blasphemy, don't look at this quiz

Weebl and Bob site has an amazing interactive quiz. Be careful.

question: what's your score

mompoet - laughing at icky stuff

likes puns too much

Q: What do you call couch potatoes who get up on a winter Sunday and slide down the hill at Cypress Bowl?

A: Snow tubers

Question: aw shucks, will you forgive me?

mompoet - keeping my day job

sunday

Today is Sunday. I'm going to church this morning. I don't have to teach Sunday School so it's an easy morning. Actually, my teaching mornings have been a hoot these days because my class consists of 4 boys, ages 11 & 12 years. Last time I taught, they did a puppet show with me, starring "pretzel mouth Jesus." (That's the character that one of the boys made ups) And co-starring "really annoying Zaccheus" (That's another character developed by the actor who is truly not annoying in real life). They goof if up but in between they are so open and willing to talk about life and connect it to some of what the allegory means, and I always cut up in class when I was a kid, so I think it's funny. I just hope nobody walks in on us as pretzel mouth Jesus is spewing crumbs as he makes holy pronouncements.

So today I get to stay upstairs with the grownups so all I have to worry about is arriving a bit early to photocopy some notes from a meeting I was at on Wednesday. We're still working on hiring a new minister. Interviews will begin in a couple of weeks. It's a good committee, we are 8 people, ranging in age from 15 years up to 70-something. We are assisted by a minister from another church. We're doing a good job and they're all good to work with.

After church we are finally going snow-tubing. We've been trying to get a day together since mid-December. Today, all the stars are lined up, so at noon we head for Cypress Bowl to get hurled down the hill for a few hours. It's like swimming. I'm not looking forward to it right now, but after I dive in, I know I'll enjoy it. Alex and Fi are excited, and we're bringing a couple of friends along. It will be noisy and fun.

We have bought all of the big stuff for the bathroom now, thanks to Michele and Brent who loaned us their truck for the day on Saturday. The bathtub is even here, lurking in a corner of the carport, waiting to go upstairs. We have been on hold with renos for 2 weeks but we resume work tomorrow and should have a working and beautiful bathroom a few days after that. In the meantime, we have discovered the meaning of a good friend: someone who you feel comfortable asking, "May I please take a shower at your house?"

Tomorrow is a big day - The CBC Poetry Face Off is Monday evening. My poem is ready now. I love it. I really do. It's going to be a good show and I'm ready to be part of it. I just have to refrain, today, from breaking my leg snow-tubing (not likely) and also from screaming myself hoarse when they hurl me down the hill (probable).

Have a happy Sunday, anyone who reads this. And think of me Monday, 8pm PST. Send me good energy while I take my face off.

question: do you like to slide head-first or feet-first?

mompoet - found my snow pants so everything is good

unhinged in burnaby

Last night, Mom, Robin and I saw Mom's the Word - Unhinged at the Shadbolt Centre in Burnaby. It was a celebration for us for a couple of reasons. First, we were celebrating Mom and Robin's birthdays. The evening at the show was my gift to them both. Second, we three saw the original Mom's the Word together when it first came out, about 14 years ago.

The play is hilarious and true and emotionally authentic. Four of the actors are from the original 6 who did the first show. It's a collaborative piece, with monologues, group scenes and hilarious musical numbers. And yes, the "naked mom" scene from Mom-1 is reprised, delightfully so.

Robin, Mom and I reflected about how we are in a very similar situation to where we were when we saw the first installment. At that time, Mom was a first time grandma who had "been there, done that." I was a dazed and crazed new mom. Robin was anticipating the day when she would be too. This time I'm the actual mom of teenagers, like the moms in the show. Robin has a 6 year old who will be a teenager (ready or not!). Mom has "been there, done that."

The play was better than most sequels. It was every bit as delightful and real as the first, but more polished and mature. Just like moms of teens, I guess. We are still dazed and crazed, but more at peace with being so, and able to articulate our experience better than when we were shell-shocked newcomers to motherhood. I guess we have a bit of perspective. That's how I felt about the evolution of the play from Part 1 to Part 2, anyhow.

The show is touring the 'burbs right now. If you get a chance to go, please do. Bring your mom, your sister, your "frister" (that's Robin). You will laugh your pants off and also cry a bit.

question: seen any good sequels lately?

mompoet - dazed and crazed but at peace with it

The Mohammed Cartoon and May-December Romance in Eritrea

A new post from the Eatburns in Eritrea, this time from my brother-in-law Kim.

question: why is it as soon as you think about someone, something comes to you from that person?

mompoet - maintaining confidence in the cosmic connection

Dear Cathy

Thank you for loaning me The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. I am loving it very much, as do apparently many other readers. I was reading it yesterday while I made a blood donation, and 3 different people came up to me and told me what a good book it is. It is so good that I have stopped reading the newspaper, which is a real indicator. I must apologize that I got pomegranate juice on pages 91 and 92. Just wanted to let you know that's all it is. Also I cried shortly after, but I managed to keep the pages dry. I can see that this will be story of redemption (I hope). My emotional response so far is to love Amir and hope hope hope that things will get better for him. And also to hope hope hope they won't get worse for Hassan and Ali. That's all I'll say for now. I also began worrying about my sister and her family in Africa, even thought The Kite Runner is set in Afghanistan. But just about everything makes me feel that way, only this story especially.

Thank you Cathy. I'm going to finish this book in the next 24 hours. It is spectacular.

question: what are you reading?

mompoet - novel-chomper

My Quiz

Welcome to the Kwizz Quiz. Answer these five easy questions and discover your KWIZZ personality!!!

1. You are wandering randomly around the internet, and you find a quiz. What do you do?

I read the introduction and scan the questions, then take the quiz if it interests me.
I skip the quiz. Quizzes are evil.
I call a friend and ask her if she's taken the quiz, then decide what to do.
No question, TAKE THE QUIZ! TAKE THE QUIZ!


2. When you were a kid, did you ever make up a quiz and ask your friends to take it?

I didn't have any friends when I was a kid.
Because of a rare learning disability, I communicated only by multiple choice.
b
all of the above


3. What is the most fun for you?

quizzes
television
sex
church


4. Choose the statement that applies most accurately to you:

I buy Cosmo magazine just to take the quiz then I throw the magazine away.
I love filling out the census form. They don't do that often enough.
My favourite part about donating blood is answering the donor questionnaire.
all of the above


5. If I had personal license plates on my car, they would most likely spell:

SCNTRN
KWZKID
QZDRK
BOOBS

Kwizz Quiz Results - Your KWIZZ personality
Here's what your score means:
0-10 You are immune to quizzes. Why you took this one, we'll never know.
11-15 You enjoy a quiz now and then but you are trying to cut down.
16-21 You are a quiz dork. You can find another fine quiz at the "Give Me More" link below.
Thank you for taking the Kwizz Quiz

things are growing all around

Even on a frosty morning...

question: have you spied a crocus?

mompoet - wearing mittens and looking for spring

Happy Day

question: x?

mompoet - amateur food stylist

another dog-walking haiku

black cat named hugo
ambushed my dog this morning
dance bat scamper gone

question: howz yer vanlentinze going?

mompoet - eating chocolate at 8:23am

2 second movie review from the "W" section of the video store

Wedding Crashers - don't fail to miss it
Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill - see it! see it! see it!

question: what does Owen Wilson's nose remind you of?

mompoet - drawn to people who demonstrate rare enthusiasm