the meaning of blimp

Sometimes synchronicity reveals itself right in your face. Today's example:

In our staff meeting at work, we discussed whether we want to continue renting a helium tank. We use the tank to fill festive helium balloons for promotions and events. The consensus is that the tank rental and refill are not worth what we are paying, so it will be returned to the supplier. A discussion ensued about what to do with our big supply of balloons and the contents of the nearly full tank, before we return it. How do we have a helium balloon "blowout" to use up the gas that is ours? Somebody suggested "Danny Deckchair" for the summer day camp kids (okay, it was me). Someone else suggested completely filling a squash court with helium balloons (okay, me too that time - I can't help it if I take imagination vacations during staff meetings). Someone else (not me this time, really, but I liked it) suggested we have a "helium voice" staff meeting next month.

Later in the same meeting, the programmer for the weight room announced that all of the old free weights (iron dumbells and barbells) will be replaced with new ones some time this year. The old weights are past their re-saleable life, but will probably be taken away by the supplier of the new weights, and likely recycled.

These two discussions were only vaguely connected in my mind, and I suppressed the image that they prompted. That was all there was to say about that, or so I thought.

On the way home from work, I heard about this in the news. The meaning became clear to me. We can use the helium balloons to float away our old weights. Small dumbells will need only a few balloons. Barbells will need a dozen or so at each end. The big weight plates from the leg press machine will need to be sent up singly, each with 50 or 60 balloons. What a sight it will be. I just hope nobody is standing underneath when they fall to earth. Scrap metal salvagers will find treasure bombs littering the landscape. An inflateable boat or two might be sunk, and a bird shall surely fall from a tree. On second thought, I guess maybe it's not such a good idea.

question: do you see the connection?

mompoet - BANG!

the wart chronicles - week three

The sun is shining and everything is growing, including my warts. Yes, that's plural. It seems that they are colonizing my feet. There are 3, or more precisely 4, because one has two roots, so it is technically 2 warts growing together. Oh yay, a conjoined wart. There's the big one that first got my attention, plus two smaller ones on the other foot, or should I say three on the other foot. Wart-ever.

I saw the doctor again today for more deep freeze treatment. This time it was lovely doctor Mitha with an office full of photos of babies that she has delivered. My doctor works in a group practice so if he's not in, or if he's all booked, I can always see another doctor, which is very convenient. This wart treatment regime is giving me the chance to meet all of the doctors in the office, and allowing them all to meet me and my warts. They are all kind and considerate and businesslike, and get the freezing done quickly. It stings pretty bad on the second foot because there's no callus protecting them. The first wart needs some pumice action before the next freeze, according to doctor Mitha. She says this will make the treatment more effective and reduce the number of visits that I have to make before the wart gives up and dies. Some more wart facts:

Freezing works, but the average is 6-8 visits before the wart is killed. (I have gone for 3, so I guess this is going to be a summer project.)

The most common place to catch the wart virus is the shower at the gym or the swimming pool. (I think I got mine at the library or the art gallery.)

Once you have warts a couple of times you are supposed to develop immunity. (Tell that to my warts.)

I have had a million warts over the years, including a horrible encounter with flat warts (about 25 or 30 of them) on my forehead when I was in university. That was really yukky. I think warts love me and my mutatable skin cells.

I am keeping these warts covered and wearing the flip flops in the shower for the protection of other people more than for me. This is something I do not want to share.

I feel like a rock on the beach, only with the barnacles on the underside, and those inside out. I'm sure I'll get over it. In the meantime, I think I will name them: Hortense, Oliver, Daniel and Henrik. Hortense is on the right foot, the others on my left.

Well now, I must go introduce Hortense to the pumice stone.

question: wart do you think of all this?

mompoet - sorry to impose my papilloma on my readers, but I thought you should know

technology is dangerous

I must learn to use the new phone system at work before I am fired.

We got voice over internet phones a couple of weeks ago. They mostly work okay, but not all the time, and their functions are all different and complicated. I hit a snag with voicemail that was funny only because nobody caught it (I hope).

Our old voicemail was such that if you made a mistake while recording your outgoing message, you could just stop and record a new message and it would automatically record over the previous blooper message. The new system does not work like that. I have caught on to this mostly, but not on Monday, when I recorded my message just before leaving work for a Canada Day holiday.

I was late coming in on Wednesday, so I called my own phone to see if I could figure out how to check messages from away. I did not get so far as to do this because of what I heard:

"Thank you for calling bla bla bla ....I will be back in the office on Wednesday July...uh...uh...second? OH (PART OF A BAD WORD)!!!! click. Thank you for calling bla bla bla...etc."

The new voicemail stops when you tell it to. Then when you record again it tags on your new recording at the end of the blooper one. The result was me, leaving an outgoing message which included a mean voice blurting a partial F-bomb before cutting out, then restarting a proper and professional polite message.

There I was, away from the office, sweating that the mayor or someone was going to call me and hear my uncharacteristically coarse greeting and think "Gadzooks! Is that who's looking after the seniors' programs over there?" I quickly phoned my friend and co-worker Linda and begged her to speed over to my office and delete and rerecord a new outgoing message, which she did. When I got in to work, she reassured me that the message light was not on when she went in to fix the outgoing, so I hope that means nobody heard my crude blooper. Either that or they heard it and hung up in horror.

I will be more careful in the future.

question: did you ever say what you shouldn't have?

mompoet - be careful, very careful, what you record

jam weekend

I bought 45 lbs of perfect strawberries on Saturday. Fiona helped me make a lot of jam.

question: have you tasted the berries?

mompoet - full of good berries

porch haiku

just the smell of a
tomato leaf in the sun
is enough for me

bus trail

The quickest way to the bus stop near my house is a 60 second walk straight up the hill on a dirt path through the trees. It's close to vertical.

question: do you have a local shortcut?

mompoet - hiking to transit

everyone succeed day

When I woke up on Thursday morning I felt excited about "everyone succeed day." I had committed (on a prompt from our personal coach, Christina) to try to live a whole day actively wanting everyone I meet to be successful.

I was not sure how I would do this, but took my cue from our conversation about coaching and listening. I know that I don't know what each person sees as "success," and I know that my job is not to find out exactly what this is for every person I meet:

me: Hi, my name is Sue, before I get on this bus, will you please tell me what your vision is for your own personal success in life? I plan to ensure that it is fulfilled, before my ride is through.

driver: Sorry, this bus is full. (doors close)

I decided that I would simply try to be present for the people I spend time with. I would give them my full attention, try to listen at a higher level, and avoid imposing my own agenda while listening. Maybe this would somehow lift them, even a little, and possibly clear any obstacles to success that I might unconsciously pose in my interactions with them.

My husband left for work at 4:30am, so I didn't have a lot of interaction with him first thing. I think I told him I love him, and I hoped he would have a good day at work. There would be time later to be there. 4:30 is time for sleep for me.

My son got up in the morning to go to his very last Grade 12 Provincial Exam. It was also his very last day to be at the school, pick up his report card, and maybe say good-bye to a teacher or two. When he first got up I missed the boat on being present. I felt a bit rushed, almost ready to leave for work, and trying to fix a quick breakfast for him while I packed up. He seemed pokey and distracted and I wondered if he'd make it to school on time for the exam. While I had the dog out for a short walk, I organized my thoughts. Pokey and distracted is not unusual for my son, but he doesn't always act that way. What was going on? I wondered. As for my time constraints, it would not be the end of the world if I arrived at work a few minutes late. This was more important.

So I came back in with the dog, and found my son sprawled on the couch eating cinnamon toast. I asked "How are you doing?" He told me he felt nervous, but he didn't know why. My agenda for him was bumping around inside my head, but I told it to sit down. I was not letting it out right now. I asked a few questions, "What do you think it will be like today?" "What's happening for you right now?" He didn't talk a lot, but I watched his body language, and he seemed to relax a bit. He ended up talking about what he was going to do after the exam (go see a movie with a friend) and we joked a bit about embarassing tearful farewells with teachers. I think he felt that his feelings were acknowledged. I left for work feeling better connected with him. I was five minutes late. Nobody at work seemed concerned.

At work all day, and at home in the evening, I tried to stop, drop and listen when people were talking to me. I realised how much I usually multi-task - holding conversations while shuffling papers or loading the dishwasher or cooking, for example. I think this is okay, but it was a good experience to try just not doing it for one day. On ordinary days, I think I can exercise better judgement about what conversations need me to totally stop and listen, and which interactions can withstand a bit of shuffling. There are even times when two people doing a task together can talk more freely than two people sitting still. I decided to be more conscious about this and more intentional with my choices.

When I stopped and listened, people's faces changed. I'm not sure how much of them was really changing in response to my attention, and how much was my perception changing because I was really focussed on them. I think it must have been a mixture of both. It will be an interesting exploration to pay attention to this and experiment with it a bit. I wonder what I will notice about people, and how much I will be able to tell from my observations. This aspect of listening piques my curious interest in people's experiences and ways of thinking and understanding things.

I did receive a couple of good insights by paying attention. For example, I paid attention to a group of ladies at the recreation centre where I work. Their fitness teacher had a minor accident on her way to work, and we had to cancel the class. I relayed the information that she was okay, and another staff member was on her way to help her, and give her a ride home. The ladies stayed at the centre, had a coffee, and talked in an unusually animated fashion for about half an hour. I stuck around and listened mostly, wondering what was happening. Then my co-worker returned. I listened to her describing how she had heard about the accident and driven to the location to assist. I tried my listening skills, and watched and listened as her tension seemed to unfurl itself, then subside - in her tone of voice, body language, and pace of conversation. Near the end of our conversation she said, "Those ladies really care for their instructor, you know."

The light went on for me. The ladies were staying because they felt so worried about their instructor. They needed to be together, and possibly distracted, while they were feeling this way. I went back to the coffee room to check in with them. I found the right time to share the story my co-worker had just told, and to reassure them that we knew for sure that their teacher was okay. Now the ladies uncurled a bit. Their faces brightened and their voices grew softer. I stayed and listened while they talked about their feelings of relief, and how they hoped their teacher would be back soon. Soon they finished their conversation and headed out of the centre. I thought about the things I had noticed. Attending gave me a clue to what was going on. Instead of just managing the situation, I tried to be more curious about how people were experiencing it. I think it resulted in a better experience for the ladies, my co-worker and me.

That made me think of what is meant by "wanting people to succeed." If success is measured by how far an interaction goes to fulfilling the intentions of the people involved, then this was a success. The coach-like behaviour we discussed on Wednesday opens the door for this to happen.

At home in the evening I tried to be more attentive to my husband and children. I think I was most successful with my husband. I noticed a lot of distractions around us: the hustle to get dinner cooked and served, the noise of computer and TV, demands of evening chores. I suggested that we run an errand together. He suggested we bring the dog and take her to the park. We ended up going on an impromptu date, dropping a salad at the church and taking the dog to the off-leash park, and we talked. I tried to engage my higher-level listening skills to really hear about his day as he was telling me (not my picture in my mind of what it was like). He seemed more attentive to me, in response. This made me think about how level of attention can be a "norming" function. If one person is being attentive, the other person or people tune in and get that way too. I've noticed this before, but never thought of it in the context of wanting people to be successful. This was another insight for me.

Perhaps the most fun was my stranger-beam that I invented. I walked to the bank and the grocery on my lunch break. Everyone I saw, I beamed my good wishes for success to them. It was like a secret charm that they didn't know about but I was thinking. Maybe I looked a little goofy. Probably they didn't notice, but maybe they picked up a warm or happy vibration as we passed.

I was tired at the end of the day, and wondered if I'd paid attention to my own self too, as I had resolved to do when I took on this assignment. Then I remembered when I stopped for a snack mid-afternoon because I noticed myself feeling a bit low. I also remember doing a self-check at the end of the day, adjusting my tense shoulder posture and listeninging to my breathing (slow down!) and thinking, "what am I thinking about?" just before I left the office. At 5:15 I opted to walk home instead of taking the bus. I phoned home to say I wouldn't be home for another hour because of this. Walking relaxes me and makes a gentle transition from work-me to home-me. My family was okay waiting a while for me to arrive. When I got home, I was greeted by the lovely smell of the barbeque, with supper on the go. Work seemed like a long time ago.

I am not sure if what I did made anybody more successful. But I realised that wasn't the assignment. The assignment was to go through my day wanting everyone I met to be successful. By using a strategy of acknowledging the people around me, I know I made a difference in my interactions with the people in my day. That was a success for me.

Thank you Christina, for this interesting assignment. I felt challenged and energized by it. I will think about the things I discovered and carry some of that into the days to come. I hope your "everybody successful" day was good too.

question: if you wanted everyone you met to be successful, what would you do?

mompoet - taking things in and thinking about them

an assignment

I attended a group coaching session today. It's part of the leadership program I am taking at work. This time there were four of us meeting together with our coach Christina. We reflected on our experiences with our course work so far, and our fear of the unknown and tasks that make us feel unsure of our capacities. I realised how close we have become as students working together in the course. This closeness, along with Christina's coaching skills, enabled us to have a pretty intense and open 2 hour talk session.

We talked about our individual responses to feeling fear, the experience of worrying and how we handle it, how to listen at empathic and intuitive levels and how to ask powerful questions. We discovered that we share common feelings in work and social situations where we are called upon to behave in a coaching manner. We're learning coaching skills ourselves, as well as benefiting from the coaching we are receiving.

Christina asked what it would be like if everyone in the world wanted everyone else to succeed, and behaved accordingly. If everyone was open, genuine and supportive with one another - wouldn't that be something? Then she asked if anyone would like to join her in spending one whole day of wanting everyone else to succeed. So I'm going to try tomorrow. I'm not sure what it will look like or feel like, but I'm going to try.

I know that I can't make everyone succeed, or even know what success means to the people I meet. I do know that this is not something that I can decide. With the people I am close to at work and at home, I can be curious, open and genuinely supportive of what they are saying, feeling and doing. I think I'm this way a lot of the time already, but it will be interesting to be intentionally so. For the people with whom I have short encounters, I will try to do something, even if it's just a feeling of awareness and respect that I have while I am interacting for the moment. Maybe they will feel it, or maybe not. I'll know it's going on.

Mostly I will try to tune in to my intuition about what people are feeling and saying. I will also try to listen to myself, and figure out what I am feeling in awkward or intense situations. It will be a day of exploration and experimentation.

If you see me or talk to me tomorrow and I seem weird, please go along with it. I will probably be feeling weird, and I'm going to try to embrace that weirdness. And if you talk to me about something that is important to you, I will likely listen like you have never felt me listen before.

Wish me luck!

question: have you tried any assignments lately?

mompoet - wondering and wondering

my new un-favourite word

It's warm outside, finally, and the weather reporters are now obsessed with just how warm it will be each day. So it's back:

tempeture

As in "Tempetures today will go as high as 22 degrees inland, then cool to about 15 overnight."

Temperature has 4 syllables. I guess they are cutting back (rrrrrrr). This annoying word trend is evident on most local TV news shows, but not currently on CBC radio. I have not listened to the other radio stations to check. This is annoying enough already.

I know that you probably don't notice it, and even if you do, it probably does not bother you, but it bothers me.

question: does it bother you?

mompoet - it's it's driving me insane

the wart chronicles - end of week 1

My foot has hurt less this week than last, even though I have been walking everywhere. I think it's psychological. Now that I know it's just a wart, it is minimized in my mind (exept when I obsess about it on my blog and refer to it in my facebook status line). The plantar wart is still there, and just as big. I got it frozen last Saturday with liquid nitrogen at the doctor's, then wore duct tape over it all week. This morning I took the duct tape off. The only difference that I have noted is that it is smelly under the duct tape. Really smelly.

Here's wikipedia's thoughts on plantar warts.

And here's ehow's advice.

I just might write a poem for my wart this week.

On the practical side of things, I will return to the doctor for another jolt of foot-freeze, and also reapply the duct tape. By the way, don't eat that partial potato in the fridge. It's not very nice.

question: do you know a cure?

mompoet - visitor in my shoe

wordless wednesday

dreambit

I am in my car. I sit in the backseat. Two preschool-age kids sit in the front seat. I realise that the car is moving backwards very fast. The kids are calm. I am mostly calm. I say, "See that pedal down there? (brake) Can you reach it?" Kids can't. I say, "I am coming to the front seat now." Car is speeding faster and faster. Kids are calm. I am not. I get in the front seat, take the wheel, apply the brake, shift to drive. Now driving forward on the wrong side of the road. Big truck coming. Truck transforms into gathering of women from Bountiful (a polygamist community in eastern BC). They are walking around the car. Women are calm. I drive slowly, respectfully. Child in car asks, "Who are those ladies in dresses?" Alarm rings. 6am. I wake up.

question: what dreams do you dream?

mompoet - REMembering

the wart chronicles - the beginning

On Saturday the doctor told me I have a plantar wart. It is on the ball of my foot below the base of my big toe. It hurts like a something-or-other with a very bad name and evil intentions. It hurts when I walk. It hurts when I rest. It hurts when I eat ice cream. It hurts when I sneeze. It hurts when I talk about it. It hurts when I ignore it. Ibuprofen helps a bit. A lot of ibuprofen, a little bit.

Doctor zapped it with liquid nitrogen on Saturday. I will go see the doctor every few days and get more liquid nitrogen. If it's like my university experience with the same problem, it will be lot of time and a lot of liquid nitrogen before this thing goes away.

In the meantime, I will try duct tape. Here is an article explaining one foot-person's experience with plantar warts and the duct tape saviour.

I will chronicle my wart war. There may be photos. There will be vivid descriptions. If you don't like it, just avoid the posts with "wart" in the title. That's your warting, or warning, as the case may be. Warting, this post is about the wart.

The wart will become my parasitic twin until it expires, then it will be dead mutant skin cells, transformed to host a virus, then expelled, perhaps by liquid nitrogen, perhaps by duct tape. And now for some photos of people who have probably never had warts.

one and two

three

four

and some who definitely have had warts

one

two

three

four

question: do you know of the duct tape remedy? do you recommend it?

mompoet - wart warrior (just now imagining Angelina Jolie putting duct tape on Brad Pitt's wart)

commencement ceremony

Alex's class of 360 students graduated from high school this weekend. The commencement ceremony was held at the Orpheum Theatre in Vancouver. It was a long evening (3 1/2 hours) but beautifully done. My Mom and Dad came with us to watch the first of their grandchildren cross the stage in cap and gown.

Alex won a bursary from the Parent Advisory Council at the school. This was a delightful surprise for him and for us. It feels great to be recognized, and the $500 will help toward first term tuition.

Here are some of the photos. I'll have a few more soon.

question: where did you have your commencement?

mompoet - proud mompoet

limpy the wart foot

I have a 6 ibuprofen a day foot pain. It has hurt for several weeks. I have been ignoring it (except for the taking ibuprofen part). I have continued to go for one-hour walks and pedal the bike and generally hop around like a busy person. My only concession has been to wear lower, cushier shoes lately, and to keep my slipper habit going at home because barefoot hurts.

Turns out, it was a good idea to keep the slippers on. I have a plantar wart, right on the big round part of the ball of my foot, at the base of my big toe. When I step down or push off, or just sit very still, it shoots arrows of pain through my foot and makes me cringe and squeak.

I have had a plantar wart before. In university I had one. The doctor at the campus medical clinic diagnosed it, and got me to attend the "wart clinic." Every Thursday morning, the nurse would go up to the chem lab and get a big container of liquid nitrogen. All the warty people would sit in the waiting room, waiting for their turn with the wart nurse, who would apply liquid nitrogen to their warts. This is called "cryosurgery" or surgery by freezing. The cold does not kill the wart, but it irritates the surrounding tissue sufficiently that a blister forms and the wart is displaced. I remember, a big limpet-shaped chunk just fell out of my foot one day, leaving a cone-shaped dent. It felt marvellous, and made me realise that having a wart in your foot (in, not one, because it points in, not out) is like having a rock in your shoe that won't move.

So I wonder why I waited so long. I should have recognized it.

I guess I was busy imagining that I had foot cancer, or that I had permanently damaged my foot by wearing high heels once to frequently (oh vanity), or that the doctor would say, "no exercise for a month" and I wouldn't want to hear that because I love to pound my feet, move and push. Also, I have been very busy, and whenever my foot reminded me that it needed help, I was away from a phone. Then when I had a quiet moment, it would rest and feel better.

So today the doctor put liquid nitrogen on the wart. It seems that they have it at my doctor's office all the time. No need to congregate at a certain time with other warty people (although it was fun to imagine striking up a conversation with, "So, you got warts too...how many and where are they?") I will soon be rid of the wart and the pain. And the doc has referred me to a place that makes orthotics because he says the prevalence of calluses on my feet indicates that my walking, running and pedaling are uneven, thus putting more pressure on these spots that I should.

If you see me limping, you'll know why. It's just the human papilloma virus making a limpet-shaped tumour upside down under the skin of my foot. Nice visual, huh?

question: do you have a wart?

mompoet - papilloma spell-checks to "pillow case"

the sun came out for about 5 minutes yesterday

and I'm still running, running, running. It has been a time of running, this school year-ending time. Alex finished classes yesterday, Fiona will finish next week. We have had 2 awards nights, a dance recital and general busy-ness all around. Tonight is Alex's commencement ceremony. Sunday afternoon we'll have a small lunch party for him with family and friends.

Everyone is fine and happy. I watch for the sun to come back. Mid-June and we still haven't eaten a meal on the deck.

running and running and running - will the sun make me stop?

question: when and why do you stop?

mompoet - wondering

two good ones at the video store

If you missed them, they're at the video store. Two extraordinary movies about real love:

The Savages

and

Lars and the Real Girl

I hope you like them.

question: are there any good movies out there now?

mompoet - I missed Son of Rambow - drat!

If you like youtube and/or weezer, you will enjoy this video

fret and fuss

I am famous for not worrying (much). I sleep well, and instantly. I work hard to make things go well, but when they don't, I find a way to deal with it. I do not crane my neck to watch for the bus. The bus will arrive when it arrives, whether I turkey-gawk for it, or relax and just be there.

So when do I fret, I notice it. And I'm fretting now, over some small but important things:

• when will I get over this low-grade cold? I don't like feeling 86%. I like 100% (prognosis - unknown)
  
• will Alex get his high school commencement ceremony night off work? He asked for the night off a long time ago, but was told that the schedule for that date wasn't ready, then he asked again earlier this week, and too many people in his department already have asked for that night off. He's working on a solution with his manager, but still has not been promised the night off. (prognosis - it looks pretty good he thinks. we'll know for sure on Wednesday)
• is my car okay? It's making a sound underneath like when the toaster oven vibrates and rattles. I talked to our mechanic today and he reassured me it's probably an exhaust rattle which can be fixed for $0 to $30. I'll take the car to him one day this week for an actual look and fix. (prognosis - Monday or Tuesday this will be taken care of)
• will the kids make the school year end transition okay? It's time for final exams, awards ceremonies, dance recital, then suddenly nothing, no school for two months. Intellectually and from experience, I know they'll be fine, but I always think that the transition is a difficult one for them - work work work, study study study - STOP! (prognosis - get over it mom. They have handled it before, and they will be fine again this time)
• why am I losing things? This week I lost (and found) my umbrella and two sets of work keys - the keys to the building and the barbeque keys. All are found, safe and sound, but I don't like it when I lose things. (prognosis - you are losing things because you are distracted. Find your focus and you will be more consistent with putting things away where they belong, and bringing them with you when you take them out of where they belong)

With so much going on in the world, you'd think I'd fret over something of consequence, but here I am fretting over things like snot and keys and exhaust rattles. I guess I don't really have anything to worry about. But still, I fret. Luckily not frequently.

The fret storm will pass.

question: do you fret?

mompoet - what a waste of energy

movie talk

I was chatting with my friend Lynn on Sunday, and I told her how Alex said that the movie theatre was much easier to clean up after Indiana Jones opening night than it was after the opening of the new movie Sex and the City.

WARNING - MOVIE SPOILER INCLUDED IN THIS DIALOGUE

Lynn: Oh! I saw that movie this weekend!

mompoet: I never watched the TV show, so I'll probably skip the movie. How did you like it? Is it worth seeing?

Lynn: Yes, we liked it. I don't know about that part with the aliens, though. And the fire ants were really scary. I had to close my eyes.

(mompoet is picturing one of the Sex and the City girls dating an alien, then being eaten by fire ants)

mompoet: Really!

Lynn: I can't stand parts like that. But it was exciting and full of action. I wonder if he does his own stunts.

(mompoet thinking that this is a bit easier to reconcile with her idea of the movie but still...)

mompoet: You're talking about Indiana Jones, right? I thought you meant Sex and the City.

(Lynn and mompoet laughing)

question: what do you talk about when the person you are talking to is talking about something else?

mompoet - partially disconnected, but still trying

gag 1 and gag 2

First, from the Legislature.

Then, from Prince Edward Island, to UBC Biodiversity Museum.

Here's the beginning of the whale story, to catch you up if you haven't heard.

Question: which kind of gagging is better for the Province of British Columbia?

mompoet - I'll take the stinky blubber any day

loose

The past week or so has been so packed full it was "do stuff then sleep" relentlessly. Everything was good, just a lot of it packed into an extended period of time, with little chance to catch breath.

Today is loose.

We have a couple of plans for the weekend, all of the non-demanding variety. Pretty much everything is flexible, optional and easy-going. This is a welcome change.

In case you're wondering about the concluding days of omnibus everything-ing. Here are the updates:

• I finished the term paper and wrote the exam for my BCIT course. I think I did just fine on both. Our teacher allowed us to write the closed-book exam in teams of 2 or 3, which took a lot of the stress away. We filled in each others' "blanks" and validated answers with each other. This makes sense for a workplace course. It's rare at work that you ever have to decide or do something totally solo, so a consultative test-taking approach is good.
• Fiona performed beautifully in Provincials. It was a thrill to see her participating at this level. The atmosphere was surprisingly uncompetitive. Performers came from local festivals all over the province. It was good to see what they were doing. Fi says she's glad she got to do it, and she had fun.
• Alex took Monday off school to rest up after grad weekend, then returned to school. Now he has some final exams to prepare for. His commencement ceremony will take place on June 14.
• I missed 2 days at the office with Provincials, so I ended up working a marathon 13 hours on Thursday to meet a hard deadline for an upcoming publication. I made it. I'm not rock solid on my accuracy, but the work is complete. I don't like to work that way, but sometimes, something's gotta give. Good husband rescued me from work at 9:30 pm or I might have slept at the office.
• Alex and I shared the car on Friday night. I dropped him at work, then went to Michele's place to celebrate Kathy's birthday. We had a lovely shared-cooking supper on Michele's deck beside the big honeysuckle bush. Michele showed us her new jewelery-making workshop and gave us both handmade earrings, and Kathy a beautiful bracelet for her birthday. Getting together with my friends was a good beginning to a wind-down weekend.
• I picked Alex up from work at 11, but he had to stay until 11:30 to help catch up with the cleanup of the theatre. It looked like a tornado hit the lobby. Alex told me it's not usually like that at the end of the evening, but a ton of people came to see the Sex and the City movie. It was fun watching him work. I took him by Tim Horton's for a doughnut and an ice cap on the way home. He was surprised that I did not want a doughnut and an ice cap at 11:45 at night.
  

question: do you remember being 18?

mompoet - grateful for a loose few days ahead

he needs me

Watch this video.

question: he does, doesn't he?

mompoet - da-da-da-da

rent a suit

You've seen the photos of Alex all dressed up for grad. If you remember back to March, you saw him the day that he chose the suit at the suit rental place. We were tremendously impressed with the ease, value and service of renting rather than buying. We reckon he will never again need a suit this formal in this size. He's still growing, and next time he needs something like it, he'll be in a wedding party and the bridge and groom will choose the suit. Instead of paying $400-500 for something he'll use just one time, we paid just over $150 for everything, including the shoes, socks and shirt.

All of this got me thinking about what else we really don't need to own, but can rent when we need it. I suppose at some point we will cease to need two cars and it will make sense to keep one or maybe even none, and rent when we need one. This Hyundai Accent would suit me fine. Just a note, any company that lists "armrests" as an extra amenity in a car is demonstrating acute attention to detail and a level of optimism and good cheer that just makes me smile (and tea squirt out my nose - yeah, that kind of smile). Of course, if my husband was renting a car, I think we'd have to look at this.

What about other rentables? I know you can rent tools, tents, trumpets, serving dishes (tip number 1 - know your chafing dishes!), horses, bikes and skis, boats, airplanes, furniture, caskets, and llamas.

Some things I cannot find for rent but would like to rent include:
-a waffle iron (I have one already, but for a really big breakfast I would rent another one - especially if it was a specialty waffle iron like a Mickey Mouse waffle iron)
-a built-in swimming pool
-a tattoo
-a contrary attitude and devil-may-care approach to life (what? that wasn't me, it was a rental)
-a sense of style
-punctuation
-a lilac bush
-a cake
-a renewed sense of wonder
-toenail polish
-a hamster
-Thumbelina
-an inside-out-grill cheese sandwich
-an antique to take to the antiques roadshow for appraisal then say "HAW HAW! I just rented it!"
-a googolplex piece jigsaw puzzle (just try to count the pieces to see if I get my deposit back)
-a new birthday
-elbow connectors (as opposed to protectors)
-a macaroni sorter
-a small country

Alas, these things are not for rent. But if they were, I would seriously consider renting them, especially because, like Alex's grad suit, they are things I would use only once, if that. It would be ever so much smarter than purchasing.

question: what do you rent?

mompoet - going to sort my macaroni by hand

grad

Here are some photos from last night's grad party. Alex had his formal dinner and dance at a downtown hotel. There are about 350 students in his graduating class. It was a big, fancy party. We drove him down to rendezvous with his friends, so we got to see the crowds of elegant looking 17 and 18 year olds going into the ballroom. After the dinner Alex got a limo ride back to the school. All of the students changed into casual clothing to party the rest of the night away at an "aftergrad" party organized by the parents. There was karaoke, velcro wall, video games, temporary tattoos, a fortune teller, a magician, an obstacle course, jousting, and tons of food and prizes. I served slushies until 2:30 am, then came home to sleep. The party went on until 5am, and almost all of the students stayed. Now we are awake again, all bleary-eyed and happy. It was a great grad. Exams are in 2 weeks. Commencement ceremony is in mid-June. What a year this has been for Alex!

group lodging

I'm on the ESS (Emergency Social Services) team at work. We're the city workers who are pledged to show up if there's an emergency that has people requiring support. It could be 2 people put out of their apartment by a fire (in which case 1 or 2 people get deployed to help them find a hotel room, clothing etc) or 500 people put out of their homes by a gas leak for an indefinite period or half the city if/when the big earthquake comes. We're supposed to ensure first that our own families are taken care of, then come and help.

There are a bunch of training courses that we take over the months and years so we have some idea of what to do when the need arises. Additionally, our public buildings are already designated and equipped to activate.

Yesterday I spent the day doing "Group Lodging." That's what we do if there's a disaster big enough that we can't find hotel rooms for all of the people who can't go back into their homes. Basically it's how to turn a rec centre into a dormitory and provide beds, sanitation, food and minimal comfort for lots and lots of people. It was an interesting course - very practical. I'm finally getting the feel for the "chain of command" thing and how it's organized. There's a huge list of acronyms (ESS is just one of them) for the different roles, organizational units and programs, which I dislike intensely because it makes things more mysterious. Luckily our teacher spoke in whole words and was very down to earth and friendly and funny. The day went by quickly. So now I know that we need 1 toilet for every 20 people, and a minimum 8 feet by 5 feet for a cot or mat. We focussed a lot on making a makeshift home as comfortable, dignified and homey as possible. The idea is to have people housed for a maximum of 72 hours this way. By that time they should be able to go home, or find someone to stay with. But we recognize that in a giant disaster this limit would be extended.

The last part of the course was questions for unusual situations. We discussed a bunch of "what would you do if..." scenarios. I got the one where 2 people are noticed to be having sex in a cot in the middle of the big room of cots. I got the right answer about how to approach and handle this situation, and someone said, "Yup, ask a woman to handle that one."

I hope I never have to work at group lodging, but if I do, now I'll know what to do. And if a couple of people decide to reassure themselves that life goes on in the most obvious and basic way, I suspect I'll be the one sent in to deal with it. That's what city workers do.

question: did you ever get nominated to a job that you wouldn't choose yourself?

mompoet - ready to help if needed

study break

I have been studying diligently for 2 hours. The edge of my hand is blue because I print upside down and drag through the ink. My eyes are all un-focusable past 2 feet. It's time for a commercial:



There. Laughing feels good. Now I can go back to studying.

question: did you think that was funny

mompoet - re-oxygenated

convergence of everything

The next few days are event-full for our family. Thursday afternoon, Fiona returns from 5 nights away in Kelowna where she has been performing in Peter Pan. Alex's Grad Dinner Dance and Aftergrad are Saturday into Sunday. I'll help decorate the school up for Aftergrad (a party at the school from 11pm to 5am after the formal dinner which is held at a downtown hotel) on Friday, then come back Saturday from 10:30pm-2am to help with food prep and service at Aftergrad. Alex will pick up his suit tomorrow (or maybe leave it, if it needs any last-minute alterations). On Saturday it's also the neighbourhood garage sale (250 houses full of stuff poured out onto the street for sale) and block party. We won't be selling this year but our friend Neana will come and I look forward to sitting a spell with her while she sells. She's a retired teacher who acts and does print ads and stuff for extra income. In between, she travels around so she always has interesting stories, and sometimes I update her resume, which lives in my computer. We won't see too much of the block party, what with Grad goings on, but we hope to make an appearance. On Sunday, Fi signs in to Performing Arts BC Provincials, then she's back on Monday and Tuesday to compete in the Musical Theatre and Vocal Variety junior categories. This is her first time to Provincials, which is a huge honour. She's representing the Coquitlam District Music Festival. I'll take Monday and Tuesday off work to attend. Tuesday afternoon is the final exam for my course, so if Fi's competition is over in time, I'll scoot over to City Hall and take the exam after lunch. If not, I'll take it Wednesday at the HR Dept. Our teacher is very good, and totally understands about family stuff. Then there's a term paper due Friday. So in between all of this stuff I have lots of studying to do, and term paper writing. That part is a bit of a shock, but I'm telling myself to just get over it and do the work.

So now I must stop blog-crastinating and plunge into homework. More tonight, less tomorrow when Fi's home.

question: Watcha got going on?

mompoet - hoping it all fits

The Dolphin Lives!

The Dolphin Theatre in North Burnaby has been closed for about a year. There was a fire in the theatre then it closed and it looked like that was it. No more Dolphin. Ex-theatre vacant across the street from ex-McDonald's restaurant. I thought, "Oh no, more condominiums for sure." But yesterday I drove past it. The boards were down off the lobby windows and there was a new sign on the marquee: GRAND RE-OPENING THIS WEEK - INDIANA JONES

This makes me incredible goofy with happiness. The Dolphin is the theatre of my Saturday matinees. My sister, brother and I, and assorted neighbourhood friends, would take the bus to the Dolphin on Saturday afternoons when we were 9, 10, 11 years old, to watch old movies for 50cents a show.

Saturday would start like this. Wake up. Phone the Dolphin Theatre. There was a recorded message. "This week at the Dolphin Theatre: The French Connection at 7 and 9pm nightly. Saturday Matinee at 1 o'clock is Girls and Coconuts, starring Lulu Lafou and Crock Huntson."
It didn't really matter what was showing. We were going to the movies.

Sometimes we'd eat cheap hamburgers and fries at the old McDonald's then go to the movie. Usually we just brought a dollar the theatre: 50 cents for the movie and 50 cents for a Mackintosh's creamy toffee and a small pop. We whacked the toffee on the seat in front of us (so much the better if some kid was sitting there and you made him jump). After the toffee was gone, we used the boxes for whistles. This was especially useful if there were kissing scenes in the movie. Smooch-smooch-smooch-Tweeeee-squeeee-hoooooT! If we got tired of that we could squirt coke out of our straws or throw ice cubes across the theatre at other kids. We had to be careful not to get kicked out when we did that. Whistling was safer.

Besides crappy old Doris Day movies and some Robin Hoods and King Arthur movies, we saw Chitty Chitty Bang Bang at the Dolphin Theatre. There was a lineup around the block for that one. Also there was an animated Flintstones movie, I think.

As an adult, I went to the Dolphin once or twice, but I didn't live in North Burnaby any more, so it was out of the way. It was my theatre of choice when the kids were little, though. It was inexpensive, and usually had a family friendly film showing any time. By that time, they had divided the auditorium into two smaller theatres. I still expected to see half a big screen running right up to the dividing wall whenever I went in there, but they did a better job than that.

Now my family is speculating. What will the Dolphin look like after the fire? Did they get digital sound? better seats? I'd settle for Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and a Mackintosh Toffee. Just don't anybody squirt coke at me with their straw.

question: do you think the Dolphin will go on?

mompoet - surely hoping so

just one question

How can one small cat, who eats 1/2 cup of dry food (carefully measured) per day and drinks only from her small dish (except for the odd sip from the dog's bowl) and does not eat any of the dog's food because the dog inhales it, and who never goes outdoors MAKE SO MUCH POO AND PEE IN ONE SHORT WEEK?

question: that's all for now

mompoet - cat box is clean until next week, going to change every garment I am wearing

I am not sure what this sign is telling me to do

If I am riding a bike, I may choose the path to the right or to the left. If I am walking, am I supposed to walk into the pole?

blank slate and a bucket full of chalk

It's the Victoria Day weekend. We have Saturday, Sunday and Monday off. There's lots to do, but no set schedule.

We began the weekend in our chairs out on the road with our neighbours, enjoying a drink and each others' company. All of our kids are older now. It wasn't long ago that we used to watch them play hockey and ride their bikes while we visited. Now they are all driving off in their cars to spend time with friends, while we sit at home.

Today, Andy went for a haircut then headed for the beach. I drove Fi to rehearsal then got my snow tires off, then ran some errands for her. I know that it has not snowed since February (well maybe March) but I wanted to be sure I would not be driving through the mountains. Now I am sure, so I can dispense with them. All 4 of them. I am cautious, yes. The errands went quickly. Nobody's hanging out at the mall or the dance shop because it's a perfect late spring day.

Fiona will go to Kelowna later today and stay for a few days with her theatre group. They will perform Peter Pan while they are there, and come home on Thursday. It's another chance for them to sing and dance and fly, and an exciting road trip. Neither Andy nor I will go this time, so she'll stay with a friend and her mom. I'll go down to her rehearsal soon, to bring her luggage and see her off. Then I'll have a nice long walk home, because Alex will have taken off in the car to go to work. It's a glorious summer day outside so I'll take my sunglasses and my camera.

Alex worked last night, and will work again tonight and tomorrow afternoon. Today I took him out for a sushi lunch to celebrate his college acceptance. He is feeling on top of the world - 18th birthday, new job, graduation, going to college. It's a very good time for him. Grad dinner dance is next Saturday, so he'll pick up his suit some time this week.

Mom and Dad got home from their Alberta/Cranbrook trip last night so I'll treat Mom to a belated Mother's Day lunch on Sunday after church. If the weather holds, we go to Rocky Point Park and enjoy Pajo's fish and chips outdoors. Mom's able to walk a ways out of doors now as she recovers from hip surgery in December, so this will be a treat for all of us. I know Mom will read this blog, so I'll tease her here and remind her of how I used to trick her into walking "one more block" which ended up being miles and miles and miles. I promise I will not do this tomorrow, Mom.

Depending on when Andy gets back from the beach tonight, we may go out, or just stay in and veg with a movie. I have a bunch of studying to do for my final exam for the course I'm taking, so I'll get to some of that this weekend some time too. I suppose at some point I must also clean the house. hmmm perhaps.

Monday night, I'll go to the Anarchy Slam at the Vancouver Poetry Slam. It's a "no rules" poetry slam that promises to be weird and wonderful.

Aside from that, the weekend is wide open. It will surely fill up with fun as well as time for relaxation. We have the luxury of making it up as we go along. I like that.

question: do you ever find lack of structure luxurious?

mompoet - relatively directionless and spinning happily

wordless

too close for comfort

My Mom and Dad are visiting my sister and her family in Cranbrook. Today a helicopter crashed on a residential street there, killing all three people on board and a pedestrian on the street. Here's the story.

The crash was just a few blocks from my sister's house. What a horrible thing. I phoned to make sure everyone was okay. Barb, Kim and the kids were at school when the crash occurred, but Dad goes out walking while he's there. Barb reassured me that helicopter did not fall on my father today. I was relieved, but also sad to know that four people died.

question: how did it happen, I wonder?

mompoet - a bit shaky

he's going to college

Alex just received an acceptance letter from Capilano College Film Production Program. He is over the moon. This was his first choice for post-secondary and he's in.

Coincidentally, in today's paper, this announcement about some of this year's grads getting internships with Brightlight Pictures.

We can't wait to see what happens for Alex. We're delighted that the path is opening up as he has envisioned it.

question: have you ever watched a rising star?

mompoet - catching a glimpse of a bright future.

mother's day haikus

all the days of the
year - the cat picks this one to
pee on my duvet

the e-card shouting
made me squeal with laughter and
shout and laugh again

mysterious cake
of the sinking blueberries
was plum delicious

son, you can take me
to the movies anytime
I'll buy the popcorn

the new bathroom tiles
make the walls look hideous
next weekend, we paint

my mom's on the road
she's somewhere near Drumheller
we email greetings

the dog thinks I'm Mom
she did not pee on the rug
nor on the duvet

question: how many syllables in your Mother's Day?

mompoet - many many, all good (except for the duvet)

good bag

My friend Myrna is really smart about things that work, and make life a bit sweeter. She gave each of us ladies one of these bags a few years ago. It's from the Ontario Liquor Board, and meant for carrying up to 4 bottles home from the store, or out with you. I find that the pockets are good for more than bottles. Here it is, loaded up for a visit to Myrna's place for Friday evening chips and dips and wine (and tulips).

It's mother's day

Tom and Andrew were going to retile the downstairs bathroom last weekend, but Tom was not feeling well, so they're doing it today. Best place for me is out of the house and away from it.

Fiona made me a bagel for breakfast (my request) and Alex will take me to the movies (his idea) for Mother's Day. They'll both be out by supper time - Fiona at the play she's helping with, and Alex at work.

My mom is out of town leading a fiber arts workshop somewhere in Alberta. We'll celebrate Mother's Day for her when she returns. I mailed her card to Cranbrook, where she'll visit my sister and her family this coming week, before returning home.

Happy Mother's Day to all of you who are moms.

question: if you could request any breakfast, what breakfast would you request?

mompoet - I like bagels

Alex is 18

Here's our son, now grown. He is happy to be 18. We are very proud of him. He will graduate from high school next month, and hopes to begin in a film production program at a university nearby. He'll live at home a while yet. Seems like yesterday he was born.

some spring

The cherry trees on our street are looking much better. Last year they were plagued by tiny caterpillars that swung from threads and got stuck in your hair when you walked past. Pesticides are illegal in our city, but the tree guys came by with something organic that would make them "do better next year," and it worked. I hope this means they will leaf up beautifully too. It will be nice to have our happy trees back. The fluffy cherry blossoms that come at the end of blossom season always remind me of the day Alex was born. I looked out of the hospital corridor windows at them for several hours while I paced, trying to accelerate labour. That worked too, come to think of it.

listen to your mom

Our son, who loves film and hopes to study it and pursue a career in film-making, still needs the occasional nudge to go see this movie or that movie. Of course he's up on the blockbusters, especially now that he's working at the movie-plex, but there are so many other good movies. There are some that we agree on and have seen together: Superbad, Juno, Fahrenheit 911, Sicko. I had to convince him to see Napoleon Dynamite and Little Miss Sunshine before they caught on with big audiences and were all the buzz with teen moviegoers. Today I got him to go see Young @ Heart with me. Of course he loved it.

Young @ Heart is a documentary about a chorus of elder citizens who sing rock and roll songs. The film follows the rehearsal period leading up to the start of a tour. The singers, with their band and musical director, work to learn new songs and develop arrangements and interpretations that fit just right. Interspersed through the film are hilarious music videos made by the chorus (imagine The Ramones "I Want to Be Sedated" dramatized by seniors in pajamas in a care home). There are emotional moments too, when members struggle with ill health, and when the group performs for a group of prisoners in a local jail. The story is told with real affection and respect for its subjects. There's frank talk of the same subjects that interest us at any age: life, death, sex, money, art, friendship, love. All in all, it's a beautiful movie. Alex shouted with laughter, and got concerned when I cried. After the movie, I told him that I hope he will make films like the one that we just watched - original, funny, revealing and full of heart. He said, "Okay Mom."

You may want to take your mom or dad to see it. I recommend that you also insist on taking a young person. They'll be able to watch Ironman or Forgetting Sara Marshall anytime. Movies like this one don't come around every day.

question: what do you do with the teens in your life?

mompoet - enjoying shared vision

things to do, while by the wayside (see last night's post)

• eat porridge and read the Saturday newspaper, then drink coffee and read some more
• clean the house
• go see a movie
• spend time with friends - just sit and listen and laugh
• snuggle with beloveds
• bake something
• pet the cat
• walk the dog
• crank the stereo
• blog
• phone someone for no reason
• wear a sweater
• walk in the rain with no umbrella
• wish someone happy birthday when it is not her birthday
• stare at tulips until they look like something else
• paint toenails
• make a list then don't do anything on the list
• put fresh sheets on the bed
• watch a dvd in bed
• cancel one commitment
• say yes to something random and unusual
• find a penny, give a penny
• leave yourself a voicemail at another number
• make an appointment for a haircut and colour
• ask little of self, expect a small pleasant surprise some time in the new future
• be still
  

maybe its just spring

I am well, life is delicious, I laugh loudly several times a day, love and am loved, and look forward with pleasurable anticipation to many things on an ongoing basis. My energy is ample for what I need to do, and I have many choices and not a lot of stress. I am busy and a bit tired, but from performing actions and pursuing things that have meaning for me.

At the same time, I feel inclined to dawdle, get muddle-headed and forget small details, and fantasize about just bundling up for a few days and doing nothing. It's not about resting up. It's more like backing out, and feeling like that would feel good for a while. Usually I charge up the hill, either that or roll down pell-mell, cackling with glee. Right now I'm sitting partway up the slope, grumbling a bit because the grass is making my butt itch.

I get this way in the springtime. Life goes on with merry goofy goodness, real sadness, sour injustice, extreme beauty and redemption that anchors my faith in the meaning of it all. I stand beside the flow of it for a while and say, "I am not part of this." I go through the motions like an actor, but inside I stop (or at least slow substantially) while it goes on.

I do this every springtime. I have since I was little. Today it found me again.

Here I stop.

There it goes.

question: did you ever?

mompoet - tuning my fork to a glossy green rhythm, still alien to my winter ears

where I would like to go

My friend Kristene has moved with her husband Fred to a place in the Cook Islands called Aitutaki. Together they are managing a small resort on the beach. Here is a link to Kristene's blog, the Coconut Chronicles, in which she tops herself each week in making all readers (and viewers) wish they could just be there NOW (or preferably yesterday, and now).

question: would you like to, too?

mompoet - me too

please take care of the fog

My friend Diane sent me this link. I'm bookmarking drain. It looks like good stuff. Interesting to see this on the same evening that we hosted a poetry slam for Burnaby Youth Week.

question: who will take care of the fog?

mompoet - I think I know, but it's not just them. It's us too.

spirited away

Fi and I finished watching Spirited Away on dvd last night. I usually dislike animated features, and I've never paid attention to anime. My only glimpses of it have been when the kids watched Pokemon when they were little. I guess I have been missing something, because this movie was wonderful.

We watched the English version of it that was released in theatres a year or so ago. It won lots of awards. I'm sure I missed it at the time because I ignore animated movies. I had better rethink that.

Spirited Away is the story of a little girl, Chihiro, who gets lost in a world of spirits. She loses her parents and her name, and is forced to work at a bath house to survive. The story has a dream-like quality with many mythical elements, and themes of coming of age and self-discovery. The characters and situations that Chihiro encounters are frightening, confusing and funny. Chihiro is a regular little girl in extraordinary circumstances, figuring out what to do with witches, dragons, stink spirits, soot balls, bouncing disembodied heads and a giant baby. Like in most good young fiction, the children are smarter and more brave than the adults, and there's danger, reckless risk-taking and lots of guk. I loved it.

question: is there a type of movie that you never watch? have you ever been surprised?

mompoet - delightedly surprised

also

The minister at our church offered us his resignation about a month and a half ago. He'll stay until June. In the meantime, we are looking for a new minister. Last time we sought a minister we went through a process a lot like workplace recruitment and selection. This time, the congregation voted to go with a process called Settlement. That means that the local church Conference (for our province) recommends candidates (mostly newly-ordained ministers) who have also requested settlement. All of this week I have been thoughtfully and prayerfully participating in the process of considering candidates, as a member of the settlement committee for our church. Simultaneously, the candidates are considering the information sent to them by BC Conference about the churches that are seeking ministers. The process is confidential. It feels like God has a bigger hand in putting us together with our new minister, although I know that's not the case. God's here, no matter what the process or activity.

We should have a resolution in the next few weeks, and soon meet our new minister.

question: who will come to us?

mompoet - waiting for our new leader and friend

gratitude dance

What-all

I have been spinning busy, alternating with flop-tired slumping. Working backwards, here's the catch-up.

Tuesday (today) was school at work. I got my first assignment back - 82% which is okay but I'm a pushy-for-perfect student. Average was high seventies. I want 85 or better on assignment 2. We're bonding as a student group (22 of us) and our teacher is very good. She helps us digest the information from our voluminous homework reading, and keep us awake and sharing for 7 hours, which is quite a feat. Our training department head says the Parks people are worst for wiggling and snoozing after lunch. I think it's because we need to move around. Leila, our teacher, lets us move around in our imaginations and socially, so it's not too bad. And I go for a brisk walk at lunch with my new friend Blanka from the Clerks Dept. That helps too. Tuesday evening: casserole construction, laundry folding, telephone conversations miscellaneous and many, debrief with Alex about his interview this afternoon (went well). Early bed soon.

Monday advertised itself as an unstructured day at work, but turned into a jumbo-juggle bumble when the planned HVAC work was scrambled by a broken crane. Rooms we had closed were open. "Safe" rooms were out of bounds or partially disassembled by the time we came in. As a team, we combined our efforts and Monday morning brainpower to move our various groups and courses to safe a suitable rooms (a tight squeeze under normal circumstances). Instead of catching up on the pile on my desk, I cruised the building, smoothing and explaining. The day flew by, and it felt good that we got through it but wheww! I walked home to unwind. It's one hour from work to home. It bucketed rain the last 15 minutes. When I got home I put on my pajamas just in time for a lightning storm. Late supper, early bed in anticipation of early morning Tuesday for longer bus trip to faraway course location.

Sunday - Fi had a workshop downtown at 10. I booked out of church, and Andy and I drove down together with Fi. After we dropped her off we went to Stanley Park. We parked at Prospect Point and walked to the middle of the Lion's Gate Bridge. English Bay was surreal in its mist shroud. We walked around the reconstructed portion of the seawall. Not many people out on a damp Sunday morning, but it was warmer than it has been for days, so very nice. Later, we rendezvoused with Alex for Szechuan lunch, then he and Andy did a practice drive out to Capilano College for Alex's entrance interview. I ran a few errands then picked up Fi from her workshop at 4. We had a rainy barbeque supper at home, then watched the first half of Spirited Away (English version). Good stuff.

Saturday - Drove Fi to rehearsal. Alex took off to his new job at the movie theatre in my car. Then Andy and I drove out to Surrey and found tiles for our downstairs bathroom floor re-do. Back on our side of the Fraser River, we took a sunny walk along the dike at the Pitt River, then went to the pub for lunch. Saturday night evening we went to the Metro Theatre in Vancouver for a production of Anything Goes. It was very funny and quaint.

Friday - Knocked off work at noon. Met friends for lunch - Happy Birthday Chris! - then picked up Fiona and her friend Natasha from school and drove them and Fi's friend Shannon out to the Chandos Pattison in Surrey for a benefit concert. I did some reading for my course at Tim Horton's while they did a run through, then I watched the show with the other moms and dads. It was all about artists and their art. It was cute and funny.

This takes me back to my last post of a lounging cat. I did my impersonation of her in between flurry bursts. All in all it was a good weekend and start of the new week.

There it all is. Or most of it, anyway.

Question: what-all you been doing?

mompoet - what what what

happy cat

Here's Amy in a relaxed mood.

happy days

We celebrated volunteer month at the seniors centre where I work with a luncheon to thank all of our members who volunteer at the centre. The theme was 1950s. Here's a photo of the staff team. From left to right: my boss Cindy aka Mrs. Cunningham, me aka Shirley, Stephen aka Squiggy and Linda aka Laverne. We had fun.

Just Jeans of my Life So Far (For Jeans Day)

My very first pair of jeans was delivered to my house in a blue Simpson Sears truck. I convinced my mom to order them from the Spring –Summer catalogue. They were “Western Style, Fly Front.” These were my first zip-up pants with a waistband and belt loops, and I was nine years old. Before this, I had worn mostly skirts, sewn at home by my mom, and stretch-pants, also from Simpson Sears (the kind that came in a set with a matching candy-coloured striped stretchy shirt).

I felt like a cowgirl when I squeezed on my new jeans. I was still a “goblin-shaped” girl, so I sucked in my tummy to help the zip reach the top, then threaded a hand-woven inkle belt through the loops. I finished the outfit with one of the tops from my stretch pants sets. It was the first of many mix-and-match fashion adventures.

I wore my jeans to school almost every day. One day, at recess, something made me laugh so hard that the zipper on my jeans split wide open – broken. The principal drove me home and waited outside while I changed back into my old stretch-pants.

Soon, I was in high school, where I joined the jeans explosion of the 70s. Star Jeans, with a rat-tail comb in the back pocket for grades 8 and 9; Seafarers, and Le Cullotier in grade 10. Jeans were the uniform that signaled every kid’s status. There were real and fake styles, depending on how much Mom and Dad were willing to spend. Regardless, we wore those jeans long, with platform shoes, and stepped on the hems, dragging them through the mud on the way to school until they trailed behind us in cool tatters and wicked the dampness halfway up to our knees.

Then there was graduation and university and the new wave Euro-chic 80s, with stone wash, acid wash, floral print, skinny legs, coloured high-top shoes and asymmetrical jackets to match our trendy haircuts. I listened to my boyfriend’s import EPs, studied the album covers to see what people were wearing and sewed my own jeans to beat the trends.

Then, out of nowhere, there were babies, whose jeans had snaps up the insides of the legs for easy diaper changes, then denim overalls from Please Mum. I focused on dressing the children, and slipped off the fashion bandwagon to the ease of Cotton Ginny – and that was on a good day. Sweat pants were the new jeans.

Now the babies are grown, and I negotiate: HOW MUCH?! When my children shop for new jeans, and stifle my boring stories about the days when $24 for a pair of French Jeans (with the red white on blue stripe label stitched into the seam) was thought by my parents to be excessive.

I wear Mom jeans, with just a tweak of spandex for comfort, and watch “What Not to Wear” on television, and hope I won’t embarrass the kids with my fashion ineptitude. On the weekends, yoga pants are the new jeans, and I never, ever suck in my tummy to help the zip reach the top.

question: what are your jeans memories?

mompoet - miles and miles of denim in one lifetime

basking outside on an april evening

We are tired of waiting for warm weather, so on Saturday night we gathered on the street outside of my house for a glass of wine after supper. Here are the photos. It is not warm yet, but we had a lovely time.

milestone weekend

Today was a pretty ordinary weekend for Andy and me, but for our kids, it was huge.

On Saturday, Alex began his new job at the movie theatre. He got a job at Silvercity, which is a gigantic complex with 20 screens that shows all of the mainstream features plus livecast sporting events and the opera. I think a church also holds its services in one of the theatres on Sunday mornings. Alex will be trained as an entry level "cast member," so he'll learn to work at the box office, the concession and on the floor (ticket-taking, cleanup, ushering). He's doing his training now and likes it very much.

On Sunday, Fiona sang at the honours concert for the Coquitlam Music Festival. She will represent the festival in her age category at the Performing Art BC Provincial competition in May. This is a wonderful honour and a big challenge.

We are totally and wonderfully proud of our kids all of the time. Weekends like this are reminders of their bright potential, and testament to their hard work and good character. Their success tells us that the paths they have chosen are good ones, and that they will be just fine in the future. That's what every parent wants to know.

question: what milestones do you see (or anticipate) in your life or the lives of the ones you love?

mompoet - standing by the side of the road, smiling