Snow vs. Sun
It is currently snowing. I am not happy.
My sweaters are packed away my closet; I’ve pulled out my shorts and flip flops … and I’m not going back. I refuse to wear my winter coat again until at least November.
I know, I know – we’re only a few centimetres away from setting a record. If these flakes had fallen a month ago, I would be all for making it. But not after I have enjoyed 20-plus degree weather and got my first minor sunburn of the year. After that, snow is just not at all welcome. I want the sunshine back.
What is this world coming to?
I’m sure we’ve all been overwhelmed with the story of the crazy Austrian, Josef Fritzl, who held his daughter captive in his basement, abusing her and fathering seven children by her. Is that not the most disturbing thing you have ever heard?
I can’t even imagine how much physical and psychological trauma those kids have gone through. And now they have suddenly been thrust into the outside world, not to mention the hoards of media.
And the mother! This man’s wife has spent over two decades believing her daughter had run away and joined a cult, or so the story goes, completely unaware that her husband was holding her prisoner a few steps beneath her feet. I can’t imagine the shock she experienced when she realized not only was Elisabeth alive, but living in her own home and the mother to her “foster” children.
I have a couple of huge questions about this situation, beyond the obvious: what is this world coming to? This is one messed up dude. How the heck did he manage to keep this whole thing a secret from the rest of his family? He did have six other kids and I wonder why there has been no coverage on what they think of all this. How did he provide the food, water and other essentials that kept his captives alive without anyone noticing?
I have no answers, but the story was simply too disturbing not to comment on. I cannot believe how messed up this guy is to think that this was an okay thing to do … for 24 freakin’ years.
Public school
I didn’t attend a public educational institution until I went to Algonquin College three years ago. Before that, I was homeschooled, along with my siblings.
That’s right, from kindergarten until my last year of high school – it was all done from my living room couch, a desk in my bedroom or the kitchen table.
Sure, I probably missed out on some positive and negative social interactions, some sciences, politics and debates. But I learned what I needed to and finished college with no academic or social problems.
In fact, I wrote an article on how homeschoolers are awesome and fit in just fine with public schools. Check it out here.
However, despite my gratitude to my parents for my education, I soon realized that there are some phenomenal educators and facilities in the Ottawa school systems. I completely respect the reasons my parents wanted to keep us kids at home … and I still think I might do the same with my own children for the first few grades.
But I’ve had the chance to be in several area schools – both elementary and secondary, Catholic and public - to meet fantastic teachers and extraordinary students.
Of course, there will always be the troubled, disrespectful and mischievous. But I do not believe that those are in the majority. There are many students with huge dreams and an awareness of global citizenship that put me to shame.
School can be an extremely positive opportunity for youth to broaden their horizons and get involved in their community.
Homeschooling is a fantastic educational alternative – but it’s not for everyone. As for public school … it’s not all bad.
before I die, part one
I have this list. It’s a very long list. It has one hundred things on it. All of the items are things I want to accomplish before I die. A bucket list, I suppose.
Because 100 is a lot, I will be revealing my ambitions in a few posts … just to keep you checking back or on the edge of your seat, or something like that. They are not grouped in themes, but written here randomly.
Many of the ideas I wrote when I was younger, the majority are about travel destinations, some are outrageous, a few unrealistic. All are my own.
So, here we go with the first 20 …
1. Tour Europe, including England, France, Switzerland, Germany, Romania, Italy, Greece, the Netherlands and Spain
2. Visit Belen - the girl I sponsor - in Peru
3. Climb Mount Kilimanjaro
4. Go skydiving
5. Write a novel and have it published
6. Go to Antarctica
7. Get married barefoot, possibly in a field or on a beach
8. Work on a political campaign
9. Tour Africa, including Rwanda, Sudan, South Africa, Kenya, Egypt and Uganda
10. Attend a Stanley Cup hockey game
11. Visit Anne Frank’s house
12. Ride in a helicopter
13. Do humanitarian work in Darfur
14. Attend the Toronto International Film Festival, either as media or viewer
15. Read and watch everything by Ted Dekker
16. Go parasailing
17. Run a marathon, possibly for charity
18. Learn French
19. Participate in City Chase
20. Climb a palm tree
If you have your own top 10 (just because 100 would make my comments section insanely long) or suggestions on how to accomplish mine, I’d love to hear about it!
Stay tuned for more later this week …
42 kilometers
No, I haven’t completed a 10k race yet. In fact, I’m still sore from my five or six kilometre run on Tuesday.
But after interviewing a couple of local runners who finished the Boston Marathon on Monday, and talking to a friend who just starting running this year and is already aiming for the prestigious race for 2009, I’m jumping on the marathon bandwagon.
Maybe not the Boston Marathon, though. Not only do you have to qualify for it by getting a certain time at specified races, it’s also a pretty intense course with lots of hills right at the point where fatigue starts setting in … or so I’m told by people who do such crazy things.
I’ll start with a 10k run, probably the National Capital race on August 2, and go from there. With such nice weather, training is not a chore but a perfect excuse to be outside in the sun. If I can stay motivated and keep improving, maybe I can accomplish the Fall Colours marathon in October 2009. And if I don’t die on the track, I may consider Boston … because I am also a crazy person.
Hey, if Lance Armstrong can do it, why can’t I?
playoff predictions, round two
Eight teams are advancing to round two of the Stanley Cup playoffs … sadly, the Ottawa Senators are not among them. Neither are the Calgary Flames. Only one Canadian team is still alive, so … GO HABS!
I love the playoffs, because even though I don’t have satellite or cable, I can watch hockey on CBC nearly every night.
Despite only getting half of my round one predictions correct, I’m going to take a stab at the next series. Here goes …
Montreal vs. Philadalphia – Habs in six games
Pittsburg vs. New York – Penguins in seven games
Detroit vs. Colorado – Red Wings in six games
San Jose vs. Dallas – Sharks in seven games
Leave your own ideas so I can compare my prediction abilities …
Earth Day
I care about the earth. I grew up in the country and have always appreciated nature. I recycle and try to conserve energy and water when I can.
But this whole Earth Hour thing – which is what? once a month now? – seems a little silly. If all the cities that signed up for the first event in March will continue to commit to an hour each month, that might do something. But I just can’t see the informal campaign having any impact.
I like to think I’m green. But one hour a month?
Here’s what I do: every day I turn off all the lights at my house for about seven hours. I don’t use my computer or watch TV during those hours either, or drive my car. So what do I do? I sleep. It’s called nighttime.
I really do care about the environment; I’m not saying it’s not a concern. But the whole being green as a trend is getting old already. And then about Earth Day … I suppose it’s all about awareness, which I can’t really argue with, but again, it’s just one day and people forget things pretty fast. The same ideas and problems will probably be discussed next year at this time.
Here’s my alternative: instead of turning lights off for one hour once a month, how about taking $1 from each paycheque to help feed orphans in Africa? If we all did something like that, we could make a huge difference and the global quality of life would improve a lot more than if the ice cap stopped shrinking.
Belen
I like to think of her as another little sister. She is 10 years old, has five siblings of her own, and parents that can’t always find work to support the family. She lives and attends school in Anceita Alta, Peru.
Her name is Belen Alexandra Salvatierra Rodrigo, and I’m her sponsor.
I started the sponsorship through Compassion Canada with a friend over three years ago, and I’ve never regretted the decision, even when my bank account was severely lacking. I get photos of her once a year and I hang them on my wall to remind me to write to her. She sends letters every couple of months, and they always make my day. They are translated, of course, but I can still see her neat cursive writing. She talks about her friends, what she’s learning in school, and asks me about myself before signing off “… with a big hug and many kisses.” Her drawings are bright and cheerful; I know she’s smart and has so much potential for great things.
Someday I would love to go to Peru to visit her … my other little sister.
Swept
Deep breaths. There’s always next year.
The Senators were swept out of the first round of Stanley Cup playoffs last night, after losing 3-1 to the Pittsburg Penguins. I was hoping Ottawa could pull off at least one win in the series, but the way the team has been playing lately, I can’t say I’m completely surprised with the final results. I’m just glad they managed to score a few goals …
Captain Daniel Alfredsson is pro – playing with a major injury and being the leader his team desperately needed … too bad it wasn’t enough.
Well, I guess this means I can cheer for Calgary and Montreal without feeling like I am betraying my team.
I’ll never not be a Sens fan, but it’s been a tough season and I hope they can start a new winning streak next year that will continue until the Stanley Cup is home in the capital. They’ll need to swap some players and find a new coach, but I still have faith in what our boys in red can accomplish.
Fun with tin foil
While a colleague was on vacation a few weeks ago, a couple of coworkers and I decided to have some fun with his work station. So we bought about 300 feet of tin foil and covered his entire desk. Our office is known for our pranks, so it wasn’t like it was completely unexpected.
Here’s the video …
Oh, good times.
Cheryl