May the best one win!

I have been struck down by the flu: the hockey fever has taken hold of me. Evening after evening, I alternate between my favorites and watch the Senators and the Habs triumph or writhe in pain as they sail to victory or crash to defeat. Within my body, I follow them in their ups and downs, go to bed exhilarated or sad and wake up the same depending on the previous night's performance.

I don't watch hockey during the regular season so I am always surprised by the virulence of the attack. This year, I can indulge in my passion (and I do!) which is great. With the "new" regulations, the game is so much smoother, a throwback to the years that followed the games against the Russians when we changed our ways to embrace speed and sgility over brute force. Hockey as an art form.

If all goes well, the Senators and the Habs will meet soon. And then what do I do? Support my adopted home team or stay true to my roots? Either way I will cheer the winner and follow them through the Cup, with sadness in my heart for those who didn't quite make it. There is no excess too great for a goal so great as the Stanley Cup.

May the best one win!

Tidbits

I had an experience where I lived for a week in a monastery. I missed... reading and writing. Everything else, I could do without. Even not speaking was ok. You can communicate very effectively non-verbally. The monastery was located in the middle of some woods. After a week, I came back to the city. The colors assaulted my senses. The noise was ok - not traumatic. But I was amazed by the sensory overload our eyes deal with on a daily basis. No wonder we block out advertising (and the billboards become more conspicuous). It might not be speed but it's equally alienating.

I downloaded Yahoo widgets - so cool. One of them is called "Clockish". It displays the time it is approximately. For example, it says "Half past 7" not 7:29 pm or "7 fifteenish", or "a bit after 7". It fits welll with my present situation where clocks have become a nuisance and a stressor.

A friend told me about a site where you can write 100 words a day - just to keep your writing muscle going. I haven't taken the plunge yet though I am thinking of it. Go there if you are curious: http://www.100words.net/front.cfm

Infant signing

So your child doesn't talk yet but he/she has plenty to say: Hungry? Mommy, Help, Cat, Earache.
I love language in all its forms and sign language has always fascinated me. Infant sign language is easier because it is about simple words and not meant for older children with complex needs. Parents say it cuts down on the frustration on both sides as the child can now effectively communicate his or her needs before he/she can talk. There is less guesswork involved and the child actually teaches signs to the parent too.
I was reading testimonies and one parent was saying how her child signs with one hand when the other is full of fish crackers... Another was saying the child signs as he says the words but his words are unintelligeble and so the sign helps her understand what is going on.
There are studies proving higher IQs as a result... I think it is a given, when a parent goes to that trouble and is alert to a child's need, the child is more stimulated + the child has an influence on the environment so is more self-confident, etc. I also read it stimulates the same brain centers as language does - which makes sense because it's all about communicating.
Anyways, food for thought. Here is a site I liked.
http://www.mimicbaby.com/bsl.htm
and another:
http://www.signwithme.com/001_infant_signing.asp

Signing off...

What's in a Name (2)?

The question of identity has always fascinated me - probably because I always felt I wasn't quite Canadian being born to new immigrants. As a child, I did not have a Quebecois accent and was asked repeatedly where I was from (despite the fact my brothers spoke with no accent and played with the same kids - I guess everybody assumed I was adopted...). I was puzzled - I don't think I really understood that I was speaking "funny".
Fast forward to my life in Ontario - a disproportionate number of my friends go by a given name that is not theirs by birth. Most are... immigrants or children of, who have anglicised their names. Oblivious to the obvious discrepancy between their origins (a Polish friend called "Ron" not Roman, for example), it took me years to realize that most of the people I knew under one name just gave up being called by approximate names that were not their own and decided to take destiny in their hands. They named themselves with a simple name that people would be comfortable with. Similar to "Pi", the boy in Yann Martel's famous "Life of Pi". I had always assumed names were absolute - had I known they were just an easy way for people to address you, I would have changed mine in grade 2... Mine is rare enough in French, and downright exotic (as in weird) in English.
So it's another absolute that doesn't hold. I read that in some cultures, your name changes as you go through life, so that it reflects more closely who you are. Sort of trial and error?
Still looking for absolutes.

Trees

I just finished reading a book about trees and their energies. Since I have been working from home and going for walks in the woods behind the house, I have reacquainted myself with trees. And, after our adventures making maple syrup, I have been even more intrigued by them.
Since reading the book, I tend to look more at individual trees, instead of as part of the woods. I have been trying to write a children's book about trees and was looking for descriptions of how different species "behave" so as not to write impossible stuff...
This book deals with trees in relation to humans - how we can benefit from their presence and what they can teach us. The author uses tree essences in therapies to help people. He takes 9 types of trees and assigns them characteristics that can help heal us at different stages during the resolution of a problem. He also suggests exercises to feel their vibrations and so on. Pretty New Agey stuff. I haven't tried any of the exercises yet but I will - and will keep you posted on all the wonderful things I learn about myself ; )
Actually, walking in and around trees has proven to have mesurable health benefits. It's just that the writing in that book put me off... the pictures in the book are quite beautiful though so all in all, it was a pleasant read.