Easter Fun 2014

I haven't been home much. After a recent trip, I came back for about a week before I began my annual work session. Since I was once again living in a hotel, this time for two weeks, I had to find some way to entertain myself. I no longer felt the need to go into the city or to an event. Old age and exhaustion in the evening seem to have curtailed my gallivanting.

I recently dreamed up the idea to have an Easter egg hunt for my adult children. After all, who doesn't love to relive their childhood with a little fun? While strolling through and enjoying the dollar store, I had an idea. I would spend my Holiday Inn evenings making a papier-mâché  head of each of the "kids".

Styrofoam balls seemed like an easier choice than balloons for the base, although they didn't totally replicate the head shapes of everyone. On the other hand, if you want to make these using balloons, you could use these as Easter baskets and fill the heads with Easter goodies...slightly creepy. I didn't have enough time to put that many layers of papier-mâché on balloons. 

So I sat. Evenings were spent in the hotel room creating heads with papier-mâché while watching baseball. I wondered about the potential reaction of the housekeeping staff upon discovering these in the room, but figured at this point, they'd pretty much seen it all. 

 I inserted doweling in the bottom of each styro ball in order to make it easier to hold while working. I also used sponge and other smaller styrofoam bits and glued them for ears and noses. It was pretty easy. I had brought a flour salt mixture from home and only needed to add water. The hotel supplied a daily newspaper. I covered each ball with one layer of newspaper in very small strips and when dry, one layer of white paper (one sheet, liberated from the hotel printer)

Inserting the doweling into an empty wine bottle was a good way to get the heads dried evenly. It is essential to drink wine prior to, and during this activity in order to have an empty bottles.

For  hair and eyes I relied on my craft bin and costume collections. Most things however, are available from the dollar store including paint. I found the mouths to be challenging. I had no idea how to create these and my heads were mouthless until I was back home.

My son's head was most difficult since he has some unusual piercings and ear holes. An earring through the nose and magnets to represent his ear plugs looked ok. Since I haven't seen him without a cap in eons, I also created a hat for him. His girlfriend had purple and black hair last time I saw her. I was in luck on that one with an old purple wig. (Unfortunately, she sported green hair this weekend...too bad). I decided to print their mouths from a photo and glue them on. It worked.














So those were the finished heads. What did I do with them you ask?  I used them as the beginning of an Easter egg hunt.

At the dinner table, each person had a small treat box. After dessert, they opened the box. There were goodies and a slip of paper saying, "Find the head that represents you and there you'll see your very first clue."

Each subsequent rhyming clue lead them around the house where they located things like candy, eggs, toys and a gift card. In order to avoid disputes, they each had their own clues and colour of baskets with gifts. The last clue asked them to find a golden egg for an additional treat. The whole thing was quite a big hit, although the most fun of all was the laughter when they first laid eyes on the heads.

How To Drive on a Desert Island

Hopefully, my "how to" tips on self timed photography have been of some help to my friends. I don't profess to be an expert on everything; however, I have attained another skill during the past month. I have garnered many driving hints and tricks which will probably work on other Caribbean Islands...unless of course they drive on the left side of the road. That would add an additional dimension to one's stress level.

On my past trip to Curacao, I rented a car...twice. Each time was for one week. This brings me to my first suggestion. If you can do a bit of research, and deal with a local independent car rental establishment, you might not have to promise your first born in order to acquire a vehicle. The local places have autos which are a bit older, up to three years old, in good condition and considerably less expensive than the rental chains.

Driving Tip #1 The Need For Speed

Drive fast. Don't look in your rear view mirror. You don't have time to be distracted by the guy riding your bumper. Honk your horn frequently for no apparent reason. Don't worry about where you're going because you won't get lost for more than a day. It's an island. You'll always end up in the same place. You will be aware that you are driving too slowly by the constant sound of horns and whizzing of cars on either side of you whether there's a road or not. Do not attempt to pull over. There's usually no place to do this anyhow and shoulders are unheard of. I've become certain that the first skill taught at a Caribbean island driving school is without a doubt the all important horn honking.

Driving Tip #2  Wildlife

Again, not to worry. There will be roosters, goats, potcakes, iguanas and wild boar on the road. If you hit one, they are dispensable. The only problem is that they aren't dispensed with. You will view the same deceased wildlife for which you were responsible (in varying degrees of decomposition) every time you pass said location. On the bright side, the island will eventually gain another speed bump. Speaking of speed bumps, there are many. Someone who ran out of swampland to sell seems to have found an alternate entrepreneurial opportunity...selling speed bumps to desert islands.

Driving Tip #3  Traffic Lights

These are sparse...and by sparse I mean they exist, but you're lucky if you still see it once you get to the stop line. Traffic lights are not found on every corner as in north America. There isn't one on the other side of the intersection so make sure you stop when you see the one light on the median. If you drive up too far, you will be unable to locate any other traffic lights to help you decide when it's time to burn rubber. If you make the mistake I did, one time only, don't panic. Stay put. You can't back up because of reason in tip #1 (bumper riders). Wait patiently, wipe perspiration off your brow and accelerate rapidly when the traffic behind you leans on their horns.

Driving Tip #4  Street Signs

Ha,ha...forget it. You'll be lucky if you get any kind of indication of a road you're on. I found one...count 'em, one street sign and that's only because I was not driving, but I was a walker on that day....aka in Dutch laufer (get it? See photo). The good news is that there are area signs. For example, an area in the city of Toronto would be Scarborough, East York and so on. In Curacao, there are areas of Willemstad...Punda, Otrabanda, Scharloo etc. and the signs are listed as such. These will give you an approximate clue in which direction you're travelling. Should you venture very far from the city, you might even see a sign with its name. You will frequently see signs that say Bushalte. Do not confuse this with a street name. It's a bus stop.

Driving Tip #5  Escape from Circular Driving

If you are looking for a place, once you find it, it's hard to escape. In other words, you will keep finding it over and over again. This happened to me. I found Seaquarium after a day of searching. Curiously, I couldn't escape the area once I was there. All signage then pointed to the Seaquarium. Now I see the problem as I look at my photo. Here's what I finally did. I found a tour bus and followed it. Any bus might do for that matter. Buses, if you can keep up to them, can get you out of most areas.

Driving Tip #6   Traffic Circles/Roundabouts

These are tricky. You yield, kind of, then cut off anyone who may be coming around the roundabout too slowly or on more than two car wheels. Zoom into the mix quickly, honk your horn and pretend you're  a local. Traffic circles are of particular benefit when you miss your turn, as you often will at the speeds you are forced to drive. Some of the circles have an added feature of a yield sign in the middle of them. If you make the mistake of yielding when someone else actually has a mid roundabout yield, horns will honk.

Driving Tip #7   Parking

Anything goes. Nose to nose, left wheels against the curve, abandonment of vehicle. Be selective however. There are some obvious places where you might not want to park (see first photo). Once parked in some areas, it's almost impossible to move. Since I did not use one of the local car rental establishments, but rather had a brand new vehicle, I made the decision to park in the Renaissance Hotel parking garage when possible. It is multi level, free, central to Willemstad and a bit more secure. Many things were within walking distance and there is a security guard near the entrance for ornamental purposes. He automatically lifts the barrier for anyone who drives up with their window open ready to ask for admittance to the garage.

Driving Tip #8   Acquiring Gas

All gas stations have a prepayment requirement. Usually, there's either a little booth where you pay and they give you a pump number or you go up to a pump and go to the building to pay, telling them your pump number. There is no competitive pricing. While I was in Curacao, all gas was $1.25 a litre and I drove to my heart's content for a week on one tank. (Actually, I was mostly lost and driving in circles. They make their money from tourists I suppose). Sometimes, someone will pump your gas. I'm not too clear on where this person originates. It's quite random. They just seem to magically appear from behind a cactus or something after you've pulled up. Also, there are two types of gas...diesel and super. Use super lest you regret it and end up purchasing your rental car. Super has a yellow handle on the pump. Use the yellow handle if pumping yourself. Warning too - Should you neglect to put in sufficient gas in your rental car before dropping it off, you will be charged double their estimate of the amount missing.

Driving Tip #9    All Roads Lead To...

This is more of a specific tip for Curacao. Not to worry. You can't avoid this bridge no matter how hard you try. Any time you get lost, you will travel over this bridge...many times. It can be helpful in fact since it always takes you back to the same place. There are no lane marker lines. If someone honks, you've wandered over the imaginary lines. There might be three lanes on the bridge. That's as yet undetermined by me. It all depends on how much space the cars/buses/trucks that are travelling beside each other take. Also, if the bridge makes you nervous, don't be. It only collapsed once early on during its creation. The cruise ships fit, trust me. My only warning is, don't be distracted by the spectacular view, the submarines and the like. Keep to the left when going onto the bridge. Should you accidentally forget this and drive on the right, exit at the ramp. Don't try to get back on (as do highway drivers in Ontario). It's a steep drop between the ramp and the bridge lanes with only a few pebbles, a tree branch, and a goat or two to keep you from being suspended in mid...er....well, just keep left or exit if you make a mistake.

You Don't Know What You're Missing...or do you?

Why do people insist on using the expression, "you don't know what you're missing"? I do not like it. In fact, I tried researching the expression and even "Google" didn't have much to contribute. I found no origins and no real use for this saying. There were no jokes, no posters and only this one cartoon which I might add, I don't understand. There is a George Strait song announcing "You don't know what you're missing until it's gone". The song meaning to me is something different from the expression which is the source of my current ire.

Here's my complaint. Recently, when I went to the gym to use the equipment, I was told to join the tail end of an exercise class which I had been, for various good reasons, trying to avoid. After responding with "No thanks, I'll just wait," I received the "you don't know what you're missing" response. It annoyed me. How on earth did this instructor know this about me? First of all, I could see exactly what I was missing and, had I thought I was in fact missing anything, I would have joined in. Secondly, I have been to more exercise classes than she could possibly imagine including cardio, zumba, body pump, aqua fit and spinning. If you've done it before and opt not to participate on this particular occasion, don't you already know what you're missing?

To me, "you don't know what you're missing" sounds like something a parent would say to try to trick or entice a child into doing something they don't want  to do.

Mom :   "Amy, try some of this delicious ***squid ink pasta."
Amy:     "Yuck, yuck, pooey."
Mom:    (using a cheerful melodic tone) "You don't know what you're misssssinnnnggg."

Methinks that Amy might know exactly what she's missing.

Besides, had mom been more wise, she would have merely called it "One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish" spaghetti. Kids understand weird coloured items associated with Dr. Seuss.

I also can't help but think about Tom Sawyer. If he had asked his friend Ben to whitewash the fence by saying "you don't know what you're missing", would he have suffered the ridicule he feared? Instead, by making the chore seem fun and special, he was able to get help completing the task.

It's fine to have a desire to introduce something to someone who has doubts about trying  it. If that is the case, then there are certainly different ways of approaching the task. Saying "you don't know what you're missing" simply embarrasses and puts an individual on the defensive. It's insulting.

One could simply ask, "Have you tried it before?"

Or...they could empathize. "I didn't really think I'd like it at first".

Talking about benefits or advantages or enjoyment of a certain food, task, chore, or activity might give someone more information and a different perspective.

So I'm wondering how many people have this expression in their vocabulary. I haven't heard it often and I certainly hope it doesn't creep back into common usage.

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***I was trying to come up with something absurd and thought I invented this particular food item....wrong! Note that squid ink comes from the butt of a squid and that you can learn how to harvest this delicacy on youtube! You can learn anything on youtube.

I also found this at a local store recently.

Photo Self Timer Tips - Ready or Not

The 2013 word of the year was selfie. For the most part, this refers to photos taken of yourself while holding a cell phone or digital camera at arm's length. Easy. There are rules, hints and tips for taking good selfies. I could not find similar tips for using a camera timer so I decided to share my helpful advice and expertise for taking good timed photos. I recently traveled alone and my options were to trust random strangers to take pictures, or take my own photos in all types of weather, light, and landscape conditions. I am quite proud of my work. Here are my tips for taking perfect timer pictures just as I recently have.

Hint #1- Gulliver's Travels view

When you place your camera on a pier, you're never quite certain how far back you need to stand to be included in the landscape photo. Besides that, the camera sometimes vibrates, or succumbs to gusts of wind and those are big, hazardous, cracks in the dock. Place camera on one of the wider slats, set your timer for ten seconds, run a few feet away without vibrating aforementioned slats, turn around and bend over to get yourself into the optimal picture position.

Hint #2 - The Framed Shot

I've heard it said that you should frame a shot. If you are unclear as to what that means, a good way to perform this task easily is to point the camera, timer on, in the direction of your intended scene. Then, stand in front and use whichever body parts best emphasize your desired picture. What better way to save time, effort and expense later, than to perform this framing task in advance? If you are unsuccessful, after several attempts, you can always get a cheap frame from the dollar store once you're back home.

Hint #3 - The Sky's The Limit    

                                                                                                                  

The hood of a car is the perfect place to put your camera if you want a photo of yourself high in the clouds. This will not necessarily be your most flattering angle, particularly if the camera is leaning against the windshield. Also, should the camera shift in mid shot because of gale force wind or natural disasters, you might wind up with buildings protruding through some body parts. This of course will ruin your intended illusion.

Hint #4 -  It's All In Your Perspective                                                                                                           

                                                                                                      

                                                                                                      

If you want to include several landmarks, or beer bottles in your picture, it's important to find a stable place to put your camera. In this case, I located large tables in both instances. The one on the left held not only the camera, but my backpack. On the right, again, an assortment of things. I feel that adding this additional "stuff" (backpack straps, table top, bottle, umbrella pole) to the pictures gives them some added realism, contrast, and perspective thus making them look less like vacation bragging type photos.

Hint #5 - Bigfoot Was Here                                                                                                                         

                                                                                                                       

  

Know that your face doesn't have to be in every picture. Sometimes, if you want a shot of an interesting statue or landmark, just set your timer on two seconds, then take a step away from the camera. This will still provide proof that you were "there" while at the same time, guaranteeing the safety of your device should you be visiting a less desirable area of town.  The second photo is from the statue's perspective. Don't forget that this can add some depth to your portfolio...same legs this time seen from the point of view of the sculpture. 

Hint # 6 - Water Hazards                                                                                                                            

Be sure to check the landscape very carefully before attempting a timed photo near water. Look where you are going, do not back away from your camera in fear that the timer will go off before you're ready.  If it does, it will be a lovely shot of you looking off over the water rather than a shot of you potentially in the water. In photo two, the terrain was even more rugged with coral, lava, shells and beer bottles. In that case, I walked toward my intended spot and scoped out the distance first. When it came time for the picture, I went back to the same spot, whipped my body around against the trade winds, and after the giant wave receded, I heard the familiar click                                                                                                                        

  

Hint #7 - Stay Positive Through Failure                                                                                                         

Sometimes, our timed photos are unsuccessful and boring. What's worse than a picture of  greenery, a rock wall, a person and a few pillars? If this happens to you, stay positive, follow my previous hints and try, try again.

                                                                                     

The Rosie Project

Don't you just hate when you get part way through a book....picture the characters and their speech patterns, then find out the story takes place in Australia? That's what happened to me while reading "The Rosie Project".

Normally, I would have been aware of such a thing. Usually, I pore over the cover, check out the author's bio and whatever info might be available prior to reading a book. This time, I ordered it on my e-reader (see "New Year, New Toys" January 2 and January 9, 2014).

The book showed up. I started to read unaware of anything more than the description. Although Melbourne was mentioned near the onset, there was no indication that this city was in fact the setting. Nonetheless, it's a book that I enjoyed, can only be described as a romance, a bit different, and easy to read.

I'm sure we've all known someone like the main character Don Tillman. Perhaps he was the "different child" when we went to school. Maybe he was the son of a friend. Perhaps he was our sibling. Nonetheless, we immediately empathize with the character in this novel. He's a genetics professor, thirty nine years old, single, socially awkward, obsessed with detail, extremely literal in understanding, a quick study in some topics, and morally rigid. He sees the world one way. We soon realize that he has issues and for those of us who have had some experience, the term Asperger's comes to mind. Interestingly, he is forced to give a lecture on Asperger's at the beginning of the book. He relates to the children in the audience who have been diagnosed with this syndrome, but fails to recognize similar traits in himself.

Don has three friends each of whom is dysfunctional in his or her own way. One is an elderly lady who develops Alzheimer's and eventually dies. He relates to her on some level and shares a unique bond. When she dies, he admits to feeling loneliness, an odd sensation for him. The other two are a couple, Gene and Claudia. Gene is also a professor, originally responsible for hiring Don in his department. He is a serial philanderer who uses research as an excuse for his affairs. Gene sometimes helps Don solve social problems. His wife is a psychologist with a high tolerance level. Don counts on both of them for support with his eccentricities although he often consults Claudia for specific advice. When Don decides that he wants to be married and creates a questionnaire for potential candidates, he entitles his search "The Wife Project" and goes about finding his perfect match. In his mind, this should work. The questionnaire is specific and describes what he wants, a woman who is pretty much exactly like him.

I found that the pace of the book was good. There was humour and adventure especially toward the middle. When Don headed for Moree a distance in kilometers from Melbourne, I suddenly realized something. He opted to drive rather than swim, so the story had to take place in Australia. I found a few gaps where the information didn't flow as I would have liked. Sometimes, one paragraph would end and another began without any connections. Perhaps it should have been a new chapter. That's the author's style and I got used to it eventually.

As I write this I have discovered that there will be a movie. Of course there will. I wonder whether it will take place in Australia, complete with appropriate "shrimp on the barbie" voices and accents or whether this will be Americanized to appeal to the mass market. I can probably venture a pretty good guess. Looking forward to finding out in 2016.

Feeling the Love

For the Valentine's Day edition of the local newspaper I wrote this column entitled  For the love of Cobourg  at this link. You need to copy and paste because try as I might, I can't figure out how to steer you there directly.

http://www.northumberlandnews.com/opinion-story/4362621-for-the-love-of-cobourg/

Today, I ventured out to participate in some of the town's wonderful winter weekend festivities. Hubby dropped me at a local hobby shop called "Bear's Beads" where one of the special weekend activities was bracelet making.  I entered and immediately bumped into someone I knew. We pored over the trays of beads trying to make a decision on which five to select for our bracelets, then we went to work. I thought that the selection process was the hardest part until I attempted to co-ordinate two pairs of needle nosed pliers. After much trial and error, the heart shape clasp was attached, as were my five charms and my bracelet was done.

The proprietor gave us lovely organza bags containing chocolate hearts and we were able to secure our bracelets in the bags.

Next, I wandered down the street to a shop called, "A Matter of Taste" where I accidentally ate a free sample cupcake created by a local baker, "Cakes by Tammy". It was sooooo delicious. The store had a special day of discounts because of the downtown events. I visited the antique market in another futile search for chrome chairs. The cashier made me laugh by suggesting I go to cottage garage sales. She said that all good old furniture is in cottages. I dropped in to my favourite clothing store, "From the Bottoms Up" in search of lightweight summer wear. "Next week", I was told.

After meeting hubby again, we went to participate in more events near the ice rink. I had noted that there were bright pink sheets with the heading "Take Me" posted all around town. I didn't immediately realize why since I wasn't wearing my glasses. It was poetry, written by locals and offered as a way of not only showing off local talent and promoting April poetry month, but also to add to town spirit.

We enjoyed the ice sculptures and saw that one very intricate work was carved into a table. A young lady was pouring maple syrup onto snow atop the table and swirling it onto a stick. That certainly explained the growing lineup waiting for the sweet delicacy.

Of course, there were the usual ice skaters twirling to the music. Children climbed the massive snowbanks of heaped up snow laughing with glee as they rolled and slid down. Parents, grandparents and children waited for a turn to tour the town by horse and carriage, while others played with the ice sculpture tic tac toe board.

Then there was the throne. Ah yes, every child's dream...a royal throne carved from ice. Who could resist a quick, frosty sit on this wonderful huge chair? Why oh why did I forget to bring my crown?

To warm up after the adventures, there was hot chocolate and a cookie. In fact, the youngsters were allowed to decorate their cookies with icing and sprinkles as they warmed up and enjoyed their treats.

Cobourg truly is the "feel good town".

Chat Rooms, Computer Dating, and Early Escapades

I know that for every story, there is an exception. I was not one of the exceptions.

A few friends of mine have been recently complaining about their lack of success with dating sites, matching agencies, singles clubs and the like. It seems to become a particular issue around this time of year, Valentine's Day. One friend told me that she plans to venture into the realm of chat rooms. I was unable to offer any useful advice on that score. Since I've been there and done that, spending countless hours getting to know strangers and yet not knowing them at all, I did not want to discourage her efforts.

On this Valentine's Day, I've decided to fess up about some of my own single years dating adventures.

I won't use my formerly exhausting job or status as a single parent as an excuse, however, they did contribute to my experiences. I would come home at night, fatigued after a long day of work, deal with my then teen children and whatever chauffeuring, bills, housework, job preparation and so on needed my additional attention. After that, I'd flick on the computer and see what was new in chatroom 3. I made some acquaintances and even a few friends.

I actually "dated" five people that I met online and had a brief long distance relationship with a sixth individual before I was cured of this new age method of meeting people. I will try to describe some of my dating highlights as nicely as I can. Don't judge me until you've walked a mile in my shoes.

Date #1 - The first date was a man who was somewhat younger than I. He lived and worked in the city. It took him awhile to convince me to go out with him since I did not consider myself a cougar by any means. He enjoyed my sense of humour and offered to meet me in a public place to buy me a drink and chat. I went. We had a good time and met again a week later. We were more suited as friends or perhaps siblings. He brought me a gift. It was a bar martini menu.

Date #2 - This was a local person with whom I spoke on the telephone several times. He contacted me through christiancafe.com and sounded nice enough. When he offered to take me to a church presentation, I accepted. He showed up at my door at the prearranged time...a tall, bald man in his late 50's with ill fitting clothing, indistinct features and a British accent. He had been a pleasant conversationalist and I am not that superficial. Unfortunately, he was. We headed toward the church when he made this comment "You women always post pictures of yourselves that are at least ten years old". I suppose I should have asked whether he was suggesting that I was guilty of some kind of deception and offered to remove myself from his vehicle. Instead, I sat in stunned silence. The photo had been three months old. We arrived at the church, viewed the presentation which if I recall was some type of Christmas pageant. On the drive back, he prattled on and on about relationships and how there was no point to them. We got back to my house, I thanked him for the show, wished him luck in his search for a pointless relationship and said goodnight.

Date #3 - I agreed to meet this man at a donut shop. He was very nice and actually seemed quite enthralled with me. He offered to take me to dinner. Again, he was a local person. We had a pleasant conversation and a nice dinner. At the end of dinner, he told me that he had a present for me. He removed a jar of pickled onions from his pocket and proudly announced "I got them at the dollar store for only a dollar."  I kept in mind the old saying, "It's the thought that counts." Honestly, though, I'm wondering what he was thinking. We hung out a couple more times but didn't really have much in common.

Date #4 - Once again I agreed to meet at a bar. If I wanted to meet people at a bar, I suppose I could have gone to a bar in the first place. He was younger than me, had 3 kids (a slight deterrent), but when he started to smoke while sucking back beer as if it were water, I politely excused myself and headed out to get some rest for my "early day tomorrow".

Date #5 - This one came all the way from northern Saskatchewan. Imagine that. He brought me flowers and was in town for a number of days for work. We talked, walked, ate Chinese food, swam, bowled, went to the top of the CN tower and enjoyed a movie. It was fun. He offered to visit more often. Unfortunately, I saw no future because I had no interest in potentially living amongst the polar bears in a town of 100 people. Did I mention that he was missing three teeth? Maybe I am more superficial than I thought.

So I say, congratulations to people who actually met in chat rooms, on lavalife, plentyoffish, eharmony, christiancafe and the like. Perhaps I just didn't have enough patience. Perhaps my expectations were off the mark. Perhaps I was waiting for the absolute perfect person. How lucky am I to have found him...and I didn't even need a computer, a dating service, or a bar.

Happy Valentine's Day to  my dear husband Adam.

I'm Participating in Omphaloskepsis, What Are You Doing?

I have come to realize that my dad was full of interesting expressions, foreign words and turns of phrase. Some can be repeated, others, not so much. Here's one such example.

"What are you doing?" mom would often ask dad as he sat quietly, clearly doing nothing.

"I'm contemplating my navel," he would respond every time.

I didn't really give it much thought when I was younger. I'm retired now and yet, I get the sense that every minute of my day should be filled up with doing something...anything. Although I have no interest in wasting the years I have left, I also have no need to rush everywhere and stick to rigid schedules unless absolutely necessary. I think I'll make more of an effort to set aside some time to contemplate my navel.

I haven't often heard the expression, "I'm contemplating my navel." In fact, I've never heard it except from dad's mouth. He obviously picked it up someplace. I decided to do some research because, after all, it had to originate somewhere and if it didn't, perhaps I could attribute something else to dad's huge list of lifelong accomplishments.

Naturally, I went to the source of all information "Google" and typed in "contemplate my navel". My initial reaction  upon seeing what showed up on Wikipedia was to lol....that's laugh out loud for those who have been living in the jungle for the last ten years. I discovered this word "Omphaloskepsis" and a full description of contemplating one's navel as an aid to meditation. Seriously.

When I learned that the origin of the expression was the novel These Barren Leaves written in 1925 by Aldous Huxley, it all made sense. Dad was an avid reader and had advanced ideas and thoughts. He was a fan of such writers as Kurt Vonnegut, Ray Bradbury, George Orwell, H.G. Wells,*C.S. Lewis and of course, *Aldous Huxley.

Dad often told the story of his younger years when he was placed in a travel bed atop a china cabinet for his afternoon naps. Instead of sleeping, he said that he used the time for introspection, thinking, imagining...contemplating his navel as it were. It seemed like a strange story, but then, parenting habits were peculiar in previous generations. We asked no questions.

Contemplating one's navel, is not to be confused with naval-gazing, although in some cases they are interchangeable. The latter refers more often to an activity by people who are self absorbed or egocentric to the point of narcissism. If I recall correctly, many Shakespearean characters fall into this category.

Well, now that I've made connections with some new information, I think I'll find a quiet place to absorb it all. I hope my navel can handle an influx of contemplation.
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***I found out something else today as I researched this navel contemplating information...irrelevant and yet, interesting I find. Did you know that on November 22, 1963, the day John F. Kennedy was assassinated, both C.S. Lewis and Aldous Huxley died? Curious? Significant?

All Is Lost

***Warning: May Contain Spoilers

Yesterday, we went to see the film "All Is Lost", starring  Robert Redford as Our Man. Other stars included, well, nobody. He was the lone actor. All Robert Redford, all the time. There's nothing wrong with that.

Written by J.C. Chandor, "All Is Lost" was mentioned at several film festivals as one of 2013's best. I enjoyed the movie very much and came to think of Redford's boat trip as a metaphor for life's journey.    

The film begins with Robert Redford speaking these words. This is a message which he eventually writes, places in a jar and drops into the ocean.

13th of July, 4:50 pm. I'm sorry... I know that means little at this point, but I am. I tried, I think you would all agree that I tried. To be true, to be strong, to be kind, to love, to be right. But I wasn't. And I know you knew this. In each of your ways. And I am sorry. All is lost here... except for soul and body... that is, what's left of them... and a half-day's ration. It's inexcusable really, I know that now. How it could have taken this long to admit that I'm not sure... but it did. I fought 'til the end, I'm not sure what it's worth, but know that I did. I have always hoped for more for you all... I will miss you. I'm sorry.  (Quote taken from IMDB)

After that, there are only a few words throughout the whole movie.We then flash back to eight days prior. Redford is sailing in the Indian Ocean when a shipping container hits the side of his boat and floods part of the cabin. He treats this as a nuisance at first and before long, has the situation under control when he removes the container and patches his boat. Great acting here as it's easy to see by Redford's body language and facial expressions that he's unperturbed and has the situation under control. 

His troubles only begin. Redford continues to sail while struggling through storms, tumultuous seas, personal injury, loss and other challenges of the sea. It's intriguing to see how he, as an experienced sailor, overcomes every obstacle he faces while dealing with his predicament and the elements. 

There is not a dull moment in this movie. It would be hard to imagine for some, that despite the fact that there's no dialogue, no car chase, no sex, no police shootout, no explosion and no cursing, that this plot can be riveting. It is. 

The movie is well thought out and cleverly assembled and edited. After each action packed, stressful segment, the audience is given a break with some calmer, more hopeful scenes. There are successes and failures There's hope and lost hope.

The conclusion of the movie had some audience members laughing. I'm not certain whether it was because of a certain amount of relief that the ordeal was over or whether it was how the end was handled. We knew throughout the film that Redford's odds of survival were getting smaller. Yet, his ingenuity and skills kept him going. 

I appreciate that the audience was given some credit for having imagination and intelligence. We are not smacked in the face with a long back story or the need to have every detail that led up these eight days at sea explained to us. We don't know who the man is or why he's in the middle of the ocean. We learn about his character, skill, strength and tenacity through his actions in the face of adversity. At the end of the film, we are left with a lot to think about.

This movie is suspense at it's best...no gore, no vampires and no ax murderers...just excitement. The acting is brilliant. I highly recommend seeing "All Is Lost".

Groundhog Day 2014

This morning I spent many minutes putting on  my boots. It's another one of those daunting tasks that I don't perform anymore unless absolutely necessary. It was necessary. You see, today is Groundhog Day. That means, the North American world is alert to the fact that a rodent will be predicting the upcoming weather. I decided that I wouldn't count on Wiarton Willie, Punxsutawney Phil, Winnipeg Willow or Shubenacadie Sam to decide my fate. After all, what do they know about weather in this town? 

Instead, I checked with Cobourg Calhoon. Here's his story.

After digging his way out of the snow and today's new layer of ice, Calhoon suffered a slight whisker injury. Being a consummate professional, he soldiered on.

He moved rapidly from under the shelter of a tree to a location where he could more clearly determine whether or not there was a shadow.

 

He saw none. On the other hand, he thought, "How can any northern hemisphere groundhog see his shadow at 8 a.m.?" After looking at his surroundings and wondering how he would survive in this while living outside of his burrow, he decided, to turn tail, shadow or not. The prediction therefore is still, six more weeks of winter.

The lesson learned from this story? Given the choice of staying outside in the current conditions or inside, the groundhog finds six more weeks of this...life in a dark hole to be preferable.