Welcome Back...!

I'm more than a little peeved with Blogger. I had 18 lovely comments on my post yesterday, and when Blogger restored my blog, 16 of them had been removed before I had a chance to read them. I have been toying with the idea of moving to Wordpress, and I set up an account there -- just in case this happens again. But at least the blogs are restored, so I suppose we must look at the bright side. If by any chance you link to my blog and get re-directed to Wordpress, well, I am still here on Blogger for the foreseeable future. But ...

In the meantime, have a wonderful Friday the 13th, folks. Don't walk under any ladders.

Cheers!

Jo

Overwhelmed...

Lately I have been feeling overwhelmed. Do you ever feel that way? It seems that all the news, both in private life and the outside world seems to be negative, it's raining all the time, and just generally one feels as if all the joy has taken a rather lengthy vacation.  Well, that's how I have been feeling lately.  I need some sunshine -- desperately.  My  friend Russell took this wonderful photo of a gorgeous little cardinal, so I have decided to do a painting of it.  We don't have cardinals here in Vancouver, and it is the most gorgeous bird I have ever seen.

For me, painting is like meditation; it nourishes my soul, and that's just what I need right now.  I went to De Serres Art Supplies and bought the perfect shade of red, called madder red deep -- isn't that a fabulous name for a paint colour?  I can hardly wait to use it.  I'll show you my painting when I'm finished.  Watch this space.

Have a great day, everyone!

I Wish Them Godspeed...

I was really saddened to hear about the separation of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver after 25 years of marriage. And not long ago Bruce Boxleitner and Melissa Gilbert separated at 16 years of marriage. I have never personally experienced a divorce, but I can imagine it must be just about the most painful thing anyone has to endure. A death has a certain closure to it after a period of time and a grieving process, but a divorce is a type of death too, that just never stops. It becomes prolonged and drawn out, with no closure in sight.

Someone once said that it takes a few minutes to get married, and 20 years to become divorced. There is a certain truth to that, especially where there are children involved. Most children love both their parents equally. They don't see their parents through the eyes of the marriage, but through the eyes of a child. So it upsets me when I see children being torn apart by the fracture of their parents' relationship. However, I think it is inevitable in almost every divorce; the children are the ones who lose the most, in ways the parents cannot even imagine.

There rarely is any such thing as an amicable divorce. That's the true definition of an oxymoron -- amicable divorce. People like the Schwarzeneggers and the Boxleitners put on a brave face for the public, but we are all aware of what is really going on behind the scenes. It's heartbreaking, to say the least. The pain must be unimaginable. I feel really sad for anyone who is going through that awful process, and I wish them Godspeed.

Happy Mother's Day...!

Happy Mother's Day to all the Moms out there, or to anyone who has, or has had, a Mom. I have dozens of photographs of my mother, but this is my favourite because she was caught off guard having her picture taken by Foncie, the famous street photographer in Vancouver. This picture is now in the Foncie's Photos exhibit at the Vancouver Museum. I think my mother would get a chuckle out of that.  She has that expression that my brothers and I came to recognize so well.  "What, may I ask, are you doing...?" in her South African accent.  Well, usually we were up to no good, but she seemed to like us anyway ... most of the time, that is.

Being a mother is not easy, and you definitely need a sense of humour.  I remember when I was about three or four years old, I happened upon some of the little neighbourhood boys having a -- shall we say -- contest, to see who could pee the farthest.  Being the good sport I was, I wanted to join in, but I didn't have the right apparatus, and I was really puzzled.  Why didn't I have one of those?  I felt I had been gypped, and I was very curious about them.  When my mother discovered us, she sent all the little boys home and took me into the house, sat me on the chesterfield and said, "Wait until your father gets home!"  I sat there for two hours, filled with fear and dread.  Finally I heard my father's footsteps on the back stairs, and some mumbled whispering in the kitchen, and then my father roared with laughter.  I had never heard my father laugh so hard.  My mother broke down and started laughing too, and for ten minutes the two of them roared hysterically while I sat trembling on the chesterfield.  Finally, I got up and went back outside to play and the whole incident was never mentioned again.  The only lesson I really learned is that if you're a parent you have to laugh because childhood is innocence and insanity, and you can't take it too seriously.

I think Mother's Day is for children, not for mothers.  It's the one day of the year when the kids can fumble around in an attempt to make breakfast, or buy a completely unusable gift, or make a funny little card, or do something sweet that they would not otherwise do the other 364 days of the year.  And it's the one day of the year when mothers should never say, "What, may I ask, are you doing...?"

Happy Mother's Day...!

The Happy Dance...

Sometimes it's the smallest things in life that can make us happy, isn't it? Well, this is me today, as of 12:01 p.m.  Without going into great detail, nothing major is happening, just a small little thing that will have me doing the dance of joy.  I hope you have something joyful happen to you today too.  If you do, be sure to do a little dance.  I'm going to...!

Of Shoes and Ships and Sealing Wax... Front Row Seats

"The time has come," the Walrus said,
"To talk of many things:
Of shoes—and ships—and sealing-wax—
And cabbages—and kings—
And why the sea is boiling hot—
And whether pigs have wings."

~~ Lewis Carroll, Through the Looking Glass

There have been so many interesting things going on in the world lately, I hardly know where to begin. Ever since I was a child, I have always been interested in current affairs -- political, social, cultural -- whatever. We are fortunate to have front row seats to the interesting events of the day.  I have learned that the things that interest me are not always necessarily the things that interest other people, but isn't it fun to be able to discuss them as they are unfolding?  A future king takes a bride, and we are witness to the best man, the groom's brother, as he quietly whispers something personal to the groom, and the groom's shoulders shake as he chuckles.  We are witnessing a charming, spontaneous moment, and two billion people are asking, "What did Harry just say to William?"

Just a few days ago we all had front row seats as the world's most odious terrorist died a coward's death in a filthy, squalid house, hiding behind his wife.  In life he terrorized the world, responsible for the deaths of tens, perhaps hundreds of thousands of Muslims and non-Muslims alike.  No sooner did the whole world breathe a sigh of relief, when a bogus quote, falsely attributed to Dr. Martin Luther King, went viral and everyone felt guilty for feeling relieved.  Well, folks, it's okay to feel relieved that a monstrous terrorist has been eliminated.  No one wants to dance on someone's grave, but to feel relief that he can no longer do anyone any harm, well, that's okay.  Even Dr. Drew said it's okay, and if Dr. Drew says it's okay, that's good enough for me.

In Canada we had front row seats to an historic federal election.  The polls closed at 7:00, and by 7:01 Stephen Harper, the man everyone loves to hate, had been re-elected with a majority government; two opposing parties, Liberals and Bloc Québécois  had been eviscerated, and the socialist NDP party had become Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition. You could hear a collective gasp across Canada as everyone said, "What just happened?" All of this was live and in living colour...

There are so many things we are fortunate enough to witness as they are happening.  It makes us all part of our global community, and we can discuss them and debate them with each other from across the world.  I think it's wonderful.  You may not always agree with my opinions, and vice versa, but we can enjoy the conversations, and sometimes we learn something from each other's point of view. 

Now, a note to the Vancouver Canucks:  I want front row seats when you bring the Stanley Cup back to Canada this year.  That would be witnessing history.

Congratulations to the Americans...

They caught the son-of-a-b*tch and he was respectfully buried at sea, according to Islamic law.  Do you think he is cavorting with 63 virgins now? No, he's fish food.  How appropriate, considering there's something fishy about the fact that the Pakistanis have been harbouring this man for so many years -- hiding him in plain sight.

There were eight children killed on the hijacked planes on 9/11, five children on American 77 ranging in age from 3 to 11, and three children on United 175 ages 2, 3, and 4. Babies...!  When I heard that, I was disgusted. Any man who would allow children to be killed in the name of terrorism is a coward, and in my opinion all bets are off as to what happens to him.  We can say a prayer for his soul, and then pray for healing.

Congratulations to the Americans for their tenacity.  Let's hope this is the beginning of the end, and not the end of the beginning...

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge

I think we have all reached the saturation point with the Royal Wedding. The Abbey is closed and locked, the wine glasses are washed and put away, and William's mischievous brother, Prince Harry, is at home nursing his hangover. But I have two favourite photos I wanted to post here on my little blog. This photograph above is one.

And this is the other one. Just as William and Catherine were leaving the balcony at Buckingham Palace, Catherine glanced back over her shoulder for one last look at the crowd, and for me, the look of delight on her face summed up the whole day.  Can you imagine what she must have been feeling just at that moment?  There is a whole story in her expression.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge seem to be a down-to-earth, genuine couple and I hope they will be very happy.

Mary, Elizabeth and Kate

In spite of all the naysayers, I am rather looking forward to watching the wedding of William and Kate. It's living history. The relevance of the royalty has changed over the past few decades. Now they are more of an industry for Great Britain, than anything else. Tourism is the 6th major revenue generator for England, generating about £76 billion a year for the Brits, (that is about $104 billion in U.S. dollars). London is the most visited city in the world, ahead of Bangkok, Thailand and Paris, France. The main attraction in England? The royalty.

One of the most interesting places in London is Westminster Abbey, the church where the wedding ceremony will take place. Westminster Abbey was built in 1050 and has been the coronation church since 1066.  It feels very much like a tomb in many places, because it is the final resting place of 17 monarchs.

I was amazed to see the two old enemies, Mary Queen of Scots and Queen Elizabeth the 1st buried together. When Queen Elizabeth died, Mary Queen of Scots’s son James 1st became the King of England. He built a double monument where his mother and Queen Elizabeth 1st share the same tomb. I spent a long time looking at their effigies, aware that I was in the presence of such rich history. It was ironic that Queen Elizabeth the 1st had Mary Queen of Scots beheaded, and now they are spending eternity together, just a few feet apart from each other. The Latin inscription on the tomb reads, "Partners both in throne and grave, here rest we two sisters, Elizabeth and Mary, in the hope of one resurrection."

Of particular interest to me was Saint Edward's Chair (the Coronation Chair, built in 1296) which is accessible to everyone. It is carved from oak and its appearance is of aged and bare wood. On it is carved the initials and other graffiti from tourists and choir boys in the Abbey. I had imagined the site of the coronation of monarchs throughout the centuries to look much different.  I was tempted to add my initials, but decided against it.  In the movie, "The King's Speech", Lionel Logue sat in Saint Edward's Chair, and King George VI was almost apoplectic.

King George VI: "T-that... that is Saint Edward's chair."
Lionel Logue: "People have carved their names on it."
King George VI: "L-listen to me... listen to me!"
Lionel Logue: "Why should I waste my time listening to you?"
King George VI: "Because I have a voice!"
Lionel Logue: "Yes, you do."

There is so much history in that old church, and now it will be the scene of history again. An ordinary young woman whose family worked in the coal mines of England will become a princess and a possibly one day a queen. She will become part of the history of Westminster Abbey. I wonder what the old Tudor Queen would think of a future king marrying a commoner.  If folks listen closely, perhaps they may hear a ghostly voice echoing throughout the Abbey, "Off with her head...!", as Queen Elizabeth the 1st spins in her grave. I think it's a wonderful story, one that Shakespeare would enjoy.

When William and Kate are married, the bells of Westminster Abbey will ring out for three hours. And in true 21st Century fashion, if you miss any of it, you can follow Westminster Abbey on Twitter.

For All The Starving Children...

All of us at one time or another when we were children, heard our parents say "Eat all your food; there are children around the world who are starving..." And of course, as children, it meant absolutely nothing to us. Starving children were inconceivable. We had three meals a day plus snacks. Food was plentiful. Today we are a nation of overfed people, with McDonald's, Burger King, KFC, Wendy's, and the ubiquitous Starbucks on every corner. On television, there are three main advertisers -- automobiles, food and medicine.

The other night I watched a program on "American Experience" about one of the several famines that happened in Russia during the 20th Century.  Millions of people starved to death, and as I watched the program, it was an eye-opener for me.  There really were starving children in other parts of the world.  In North America, eating has become a hobby.  We don't eat to live, we live to eat.  Food is no longer for nourishment, it is for fun.  At work, we are inundated with co-workers bringing in chocolates, doughnuts, cakes, pies, cookies...  Every day we have snack food and every day we work hard sit at our desks and nibble on snacks.  It occurred to me, when I watched "American Experience" that the plethora of food we have available to us in North America is almost obscene.  What would these people think if they could see it?  It would be beyond the realm of their imaginations.

It is no coincidence that the Nestlé Corporation, one of the largest manufacturers of junk food, is also the owner of the Jenny Craig weight management program. Or that Weight Watchers, another weight management program, was owned by the Heinz corporation, also a manufacturer of junk food. That's good business; fatten people up and then help them to lose the weight. It's a treadmill that millions of folks can't seem to escape, and I am as guilty as anyone.

The formula for losing weight is easy:  3,500 calories equals one pound.  Cut back on the calories, or expend them as energy, and the body will lose weight.  It is the simple principle behind any weight loss program, including Jenny Craig and Weight Watchers, with their packaged, artificial, processed food and complicated points formulas.

Yesterday at work one of our patients brought in a huge box of Tim Horton doughnuts for our staff.  As I looked through the doughnuts to see which one I wanted, I thought of how one of those doughnuts may have kept a Russian famine victim alive for just one more day.

My parents' advice about cleaning my plate because of "all the starving children" was well-meant, but ultimately bad advice which led to bad habits.  Because of those starving children, I am going to be very careful from now on about eating without thinking about it first ... well, starting right after Easter dinner.  ;-)