Tout va très bien. Madame la Marquise

My mom used to sing us a song that I enjoyed very much. "Tout va très bien, Madame la Marquise" is the story of a rich woman who comes home to be told by her valet that apart from the fact that her favorite horse is dead, everything is well. Madame la Marquise is shocked: "What? Dead? How could that be? My favorite horse!" Well, says the valet, it happened in the fire. "What? What fire?" And progressively, the poor woman learns that her stables burned down because her castle was in flame when her husband committed suicide after learning of their ruin. He fell and knocked over a chandelier. Of course, there is much hilarious back and forth, and my mom would act out both the valet and the high-born lady with equal passion. She was a sight to behold.
All that to say that we bought a new car. A new car? Yes, because of the crash. The crash? The one that sent us to the hospital. The hospital? Well, you see where this is going I guess... Last Saturday, we were waiting at a red light when a six-wheeler rear-ended the Volvo. The Volvo did what good Volvos do and absorbed most of the shock. The rear passenger is feeling some residual pain that will require physio, but both Yseult, who was at the wheel at the time, and myself, in the front passenger seat, feel no long-term effect and we both went back to work on Monday. The Volvo "died" while saving us and we mourn her loss. After much legwork from Paul, who was brilliant throughout the whole ordeal, we got a good settlement from the insurance company. He secured a used V70 (same model, later year) from the dealer and we drove it home yesterday. Within a week of the accident, we are back driving a new and improved Volvo. A much better ending than in the song.
To our great surprise and with some guilt, we are enjoying the new car even more than the old one. It is plainer for sure, but the driving is more pleasant and it has a few cool additional features (such as a display indicating to-the-minute fuel consumption). So all is well - no buts to it!

Blindness

I finished reading Blindness by Nobel-prize winner Portuguese author Jose Saramago. It is a haunting book. In a rather low-key way and without moralizing, it shows human weaknesses. None of the characters have names, only descriptive characteristics. What I found puzzling was that we see what happens through the eyes of somebody who has not lost her sight.
In any case, it is a tough read - ugly things happen - but the style is something I had never read before with run-on sentences that read like real conversations. Here is a sample:
"One of them declared, I'm not budging from here, what they want to do is to catch us and then kill us all, I'm not moving either, said another, Nor me, chipped in a third."
I was surprised I had never heard of the author. I think it says more about me than about the author, though: I am always surprised when I learn something new! (I probably shouldn't have shared that...)

No Water

Zeroscaping is the fancy word for sensible responsible landscaping. You use native plants that require very little watering. I have done a little research on Amazon and most books are written on the US West Coast for arid climates. The local books are all sold out but I am told some local landscapers can be used as consultants if you want to convert your garden to a greener shade... My friend M. met a couple who are zeroscapers by going to a green exhibition. She was hoping to have them over to redo her landscaping for easier maintenance. Maybe next year...

Stranded

We've been sans wireless for the past two days. We get windows of opportunitues: 10 minutes here, a few seconds there. I don't know if it's because it is unavailable but I find myself longing for a connection, any connection. I accessed my emails from work but haven`t browsed the web at all. I miss my daily fix.

This brings to mind my friend M. who raves about leading a simpler life.

I read about a woman who, in her bid to go green, changes one habit a day for a year. She found giving up little things the hardest: kleenexes, for example were sorely missed during a bad cold. But she felt a lot lighter when she sold her car and embraced her bike. With the larger, more expensive items gone, a heavy weight was lifted from her shoulders. Her goal is to keep up the good habits she picks up every day for the whole year she vowed to do this.

I realize I equate simpler life with living more ecologically. I am at a loss to think how I could possibly come up with a new idea every day to live more simply. I suppose when you put your mind to it, your whole attitude changes and you start seeing things you would normally overlook. And so I have to believe that if I set my mind to it, I could achieve this goal.

If anybody finds the blog of the "green" woman, please send me the link. Hopefully, I will resume surfing soon. Our provider has promised to send help tomorrow around noon. Help is on the way!

A New Way to Party

I was introduced to the issue of kids' birthday parties by a friend who enlightened me on the oneupmanship going on between parents to make their kids' parties memorable. I subsequently read horror stories where parents went overboard with very expensive entertainment for a bunch of kids (we're talking thousands of dollars). On the other side of the story are parents who are reacting to that state of affairs.
ECHOage is such an initiative. The child whose birthday it is goes to the site (presumably with a parent), chooses a charity (Canadian or American) and sends an e-invite to his/her friends. In turn, they send money that would have been spent on a card, wrapping paper and a present to ECHOage. ECHOage divides the money between the charity and the child. The child gets to buy ONE present. The idea is that the number of presents each child was getting was ridiculous and that they did not appreciate it. With ECHOage, the child gets to choose one symbolic gift that represents that year thus eliminating waste. It also shows the child a concrete way to share with others less fortunate.
I love the idea but I am also sad that it has come to that. There is a sense of loss because of the way in which we give. For kids, somebody else buys the gift and they perhaps don't participate much in that aspect. Perhaps people will bring handmade gifts to keep with the spirit of giving alive? In any case, it's nice to see alternatives cropping up.

The 100-mile Diet

Ha! I got this fabulous book from a friend.

The 100-mile diet is a book about a couple who decides to eat, for a year, food that was grown within a 100-mile radius of their home. It is a book about food but also about the economy, evolution, ecology. The authors, both journalists, alternate the writing of chapters. The divisions follow the months, which makes sense as food is seasonal. You can go back to a chapter, fairly confident of what you will find. Each chapter starts with a recipe and a quote.

I "ate" the book. From the start, I was hooked. My expectations were low. I thought the book was capitalizing on a fad. Actually, the reverse is true. The authors were discussing the ecological footprint and then decided they would try and reduce their own by eating food grown in a 100-mile radius from where they live. They set down ground rules and went about their business eventually posting an article on the Web. People started following their efforts and the idea snowballed with others following in their stead.

Required reading if you care about your planet.

Advances in Telecommunications

A woodpecker has decided to attack our steel Bell Mobility cell tower. His tap tap tap reverberates in the house. We can`t believe his beak will survive the attack. The noise is incredibly loud. We're thinking he will go away - there are no insects to find there. Is he brain dead? Is he the victim of an environmental disaster? What has gotten into him? We go out and chase him away.
He comes back, time after time. We are surrounded by trees, some old and full of insects. What is he thinking? And then we wonder: is he trying to attract a female? Look, I can make a lot of noise. I am a BIG provider.
Finally, he leaves. We never got a picture...

Joke

St Peter is at the Gates of Heaven waiting to decide on the fate of the dead. He bases his decision on people's answer to: What do you know about Easter?

St Peter: What do you know about Easter?
Man: Easter is a time of great celebration, when the family gathers and eats turkey. I especially enjoy seeing the leaves turning, and the pumpkins!
St Peter says Humrph! as he pulls a lever and sends the man to Hell.

St Peter: What do you know about Easter?
Second man: Ah! Easter! It is a time of great joy. The family gathers to celebrate and be together. Then they go in the woods, cut a fine tree and decorate it...
St Peter, upset, pulls a lever and sends the second man to Hell.

St Peter: What do you know about Easter?
Woman: Easter is a time of grief and joy at the same time. Grief because our Lord Saviour died for our sins on the Cross on the Friday...
St Peter is tearing up, mumbling Amens under his breath.
Woman: He was then put in a tomb, and a huge boulder was rolled to close it off. On the Sunday, he rose from the Dead.
At this point, St Peter is beaming. He has opened the gates wide and is motioning for the woman to step forward.
Woman: Jesus pushed the boulder aside. Now, if he sees his shadow...

Freebies

I love pop psychology even more than trivia. My brother sent me an article that mentions the following experiment:
Passing students are offered a choice between an expensive chocolate, a Lindt truffle, for the reduced price of 15¢, and a common chocolate, a Hershey's kiss, for 1¢. Since the Lindt truffle ordinarily costs much more than 15¢, a solid majority choose that option. But when the price of each option is reduced by the same amount, one cent—the Lindt truffle then going for 14¢ and the Hershey's kiss for free—suddenly the response changes dramatically, and most people choose the free Hershey's kiss. This is one of many experiments offered to prove that people find "something for nothing" to be irresistible, even when it might not be technically their best option.

Enlightening Experience

The candles are lit. Flashlight in hand, we make our way to the living room where we got a roaring fire going in the fireplace. We settle in to read quietly for the next hour or so, in voluntary observance of Earth hour.
It is a peculiar feeling to forego the luxury of light when no power outage forces you to do so. We went about an hour of our evening with no electricity. Because it is done voluntarily, there is no ill feeling. We know we can stop the experiment at any time. When we finally turned the lights back on, we found the electric light harsh and unpleasant and decided to wait a bit more.
Because it was only an hour and we had control over the outcome (we can switch the lights back on in case of emergency), the experience was overwhelmingly positive. It also builds awareness on the luxury of electricity. It was sobering.
We are ready to do it again in a flash. Let's hope those feelings last.

What is it You Want?

1- I want the hurt to go away. I keep forgetting my leg is mending. I am reminded as I put weight on it, or twist it, or bang it softly against furniture or lift it in a certain way.
2- Purple Rain, purple rain. I just spent part of the afternoon going through UTube videos because I didn't know who sang Do Wah Diddy (Manfred Mann, so you won't have to suffer) and went on listening to their other great songs and from there, well, the afternoon was pretty well a goner
3- a Wii? We just bought one, after I had been lusting after it since last summer. A little detective work, a lot of running around, a dash of luck, and we were all set. Of course I can only play stationary, staid, very subtle games. Anything physical where I actually need to stay on my feet is Verbotten.
4- To win the lottery? 5-17-25-33-41-42 (I hope there is no typo)
5- A new puppy? I totally understand. I can't wait to replace our two beautiful, loving, perfect German shepherds with their equivalents. I can't wait but I will.
6- One of Macs sleek and sexy flat laptops - the Macbook Air. Don't you just love their tv ad with the laptop in an envelope? They rock!
7- (trying to get to 10) Peace on Earth? Sorry the link to that one is broken.
8- A year in Paris? Working on that one. All help welcome.
9- A little less logic, a little more creativity
10- (fill in the blanks)

...the hipbone's connected to the thigh bone...

I finally went to the Emergency room because the pain in my ankle was migrating to other parts of my body as it was compensating for the fracture. Yes, fracture. I broke my fibula. I always thought a broken bone would bring excruciating pain so I am glad to have learned that I can bear the pain of a broken bone (and even function somewhat) . If you like trivia, the kind doctor who looked after me said that the part of my foot that is currently numb should heal within 2 years. It seems that dead nerve grows at the rate of 1 mm a month.

I was shocked to hear I had broken a bone. It is my first fracture ever and I guess I suddenly felt vulnerable. I can't quite put a name on my feeling. In a sense I was proud that I bore the pain but in another it felt like I had mismanaged my body, allowing it to break.

On the cool side, I now wear something akin to a spaceboot - those winter boots that were so popular in the 70s? 80s? Anyways, they look futuristic and very techie. I will make all my colleagues jealous.

Looking Down

The best part of blogging is finding inspiring titles.
I found $20 on the ground the other day and I realized that doesn't happen to me much anymore. As a kid, it seems I was always finding money. I have a few hypotheses why this doesn't happen anymore:
a- Credit cards
b- People are more concerned with money so they keep an eye out for it
c- My vision is not as keen as before ; )

What do you think?

Bragging

Vicki left a comment in my previous post about the animals they have in Barrhaven (rabbits and skunks) so I figured I would treat you with another beautiful picture, this one of a barred owl (we only saw it once but what a treat that was). Yeah, I love living in the countryside.

Free Lunch

Somebody dropped three bales of hay on the road in front of our house. They were scattered and we didn't want the deer to start eating it on the road (they cross the road in that area) so we brought them back behind the house, and to our surprise, we had quite a few guests coming to eat at our buffet. All the snow this winter must have made it difficult for them - hopefully the free lunch will have helped. We are used to seeing their tracks but we never had a glimpse of them - certainly never when we had our two German Shephards. We took a few movies (of them running away) and a few pictures too but they are camera-shy so most of them didn't turn out as nice as this one.

They stopped coming as soon as the hay was gone and I miss them...

Love your crutches

Years ago, while living in Montreal, I sprained my ankle on an uneven sidewalk, ending my "career" in karate. Ever since, if I lose my footing, the same ankle always volunteers to get sprained. And so, yet again, I am immobilized because of a fall (always a stupid, avoidable fall). Yesterday, I did not mind missing work, but today I am already dreading the long day ahead. I am trying to make light of it and enjoy the moment. Actually, the pain has noticeably receded and I am feeling much better today than yesterday.
I am well cared for and I am starting to learn to use crutches. I also have plenty to read. I just want to recover quickly and enjoy the freedom of walking around the house. I took that for granted before Monday. The stairs were not a challenge, the carpets did not feel like vast expanses to be conquered.
Yesterday, I was rolling around the house in my office chair, noticing the hindrances underfoot. It gave me a taste of life if you are wheelchair-bound. Evidently, our household is not designed for wheelchairs... Anything left lying on the floor can hinder access to your destination. You can't jump over things or navigate easily around them.
At least this forced rest will give me time to think of things...

Health Hazard

In the paper recently, there was a fascinating article on permanent smiles in Japan. Pushing the logic to extremes, this extremely competitive nation is forcing customer-facing staff to keep a permanent smile on their faces. The problem - apart from the physical pain - is that they can't wipe the smile off their faces when they go home.

It seems that forcing yourself to smile non-stop can lead to depression. I guess your body rebels against the fact that you are not listening to it. Other theories?

Sunday smile

I read two articles in The Citizen today. The top half of the page was an article remembering the Maharashi yogi that the Beatles hung out with in 1968. He died last week at the age of 91. Peace and love (and greed).

The bottom part of the page was an article on the latest Rambo and what it says about the American public. The juxtaposition made me smile.

Kodak Moment

From a chartered bus, I looked down on a square that has a number of sculptures. They are life-sized depictions of heroic Canadians (Laura Secord, for example). They are not on pedestals - the idea being to make them approachable. You can look at them eye-to-eye.

A homeless man was standing in front of one of the bronzes, staring at his face.

I stared at the man, wondering what he was thinking.

I keep thinking back on this moment.

We're going through an acquisition at work. I get to compare with the previous situation I was in. See how this company does. They have tons of experience and a staff a thousand strong dedicated to acquisitions, so my expectations are high. Up to now, they are doing swell:
- keeping new staff informed but not overwhelmed with irrelevant info
- sending emails with practical suggestions
- centralized Q&A (pretty standard) and short info sessions
- a goodbye session later in the day of the welcome session so we can close the loop
- iterative and well-published steps to replace signage in and around the buildings

I can't wait for the corporate gifts... Oh, did I mention we're all getting new hardware? No grumbling there - everybody loves a new laptop! Coming next week already - rumour had it there was a warehouse full of goodies just waiting for the official green light.

Mucho fun in perspective!