You’re dead.
My head
a kharmic muddle
I mull upon
morality,
your despair,
a pall
wrapped ’round
mortality.
You’re dead.
(Still trying to wrap my head around the murder/suicide last week of a kid I knew and worried about).
Poem: You’re dead May 4, 2013
You’re dead.
You’ve bled
a carmine puddle
that pooled and
dripped down
the road,
drained
under my door
and into
my head.
Trust time May 3, 2013
It gets better.
Whatever pressure
is crushing you,
whatever frustrations
are tearing you apart,
will end.
Permanent solutions
to temporary problems
are a waste
of who you could be.
Don’t take drastic actions
when patience could prevail
and provide purpose
for the brilliant future
you deserve.
Whatever burdens you,
buries you,
bullies you,
will end.
Call for help
It’s here.
Hold hope in your hands.
Give your future a chance.
Trust time to release you
from pain,
not death.
.
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In an exercise of hope, I wrote this in present tense, though it is a letter to a brilliant young man who once sat in my class room, and sadly did not trust time: so much potential, crushed by despair, frustration and anger. I am mourning the loss of his shadowed light in our world. It only needed time for it to shine brilliantly, but he did not wait to see.
Fluevog addict? May 2, 2013
Apparently,
someone arrived at my blog
yesterday, having used
the search term
“Fluevog addict.”
Ouch.
That seems a little harsh.
Addict?
Really?
Couldn’t we just say
“aficionato?”
or “connoisseur?”
Addict?
Come on now.
That’s definitely over-stating.
Seriously.
.
Um.
Did I tell you?
To celebrate my Master’s placement
I have Prepared Hi Steadies coming ?
Aren’t they gorgeous?
Way cheaper than a party to celebrate,
and I get to enjoy them for ages!
years!
Rather than a single evening.
That’s not addiction.
That’s just…
happiness.
😉
Oh, and
John Fluevog thinks I’m awesome!
So there.
.
(Well fine, he probably thinks you’re awesome, too)
.
.
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PS>
Fluevog liked this poem so much, that they sent me a mug! Yay! 🙂 They know how to feed their addic… >>cough<< …fans. Many thanks to Preet at the Vancouver Granville Fluevog store, who takes good care of me, AND sends me presents! (If you look closely, you can see that the mug says “Juan Fluevog” I think that’s hilarious. Vog humour. HA!)
Incorrigible canine May 1, 2013
Hot water tap turned with a toe,
A fairy tale is unfolding
In my brain, page by page.
Dusty Dog is curled into a ball
Hubby snoring through the wall
A suspicious rustling
heard down the hall.
“OJ? Are you getting into trouble?” I call
to my incorrigible canine,
plainly awoken from his nap on the couch.
He clicks nearer, ’til he’s
outside the bathroom door.
“Were you getting into something?” I ask softly.
Slow feet start to move away.
“You need to stay out of trouble. Go to your bed, OJ.”
I say in a firm whisper.
Click click
Two steps toward the living room.
“OJ.”
Pause.
“OJ. That’s the wrong way.
Go to bed.” Spoken so silently that
sleeping husband will not hear.
Oh, so, slowly OJ turns
And strolls, almost like it was his idea,
Into his room.
I hear him jump onto his bedroom futon.
Good bad dog.
I turn the page in my book,
and add more hot water with my toes.
Dusty sleeps the blessed sleep of the innocent
on his own bed towel, dreaming dog dreams.
Later, warmly water logged,
I investigate the disaster,
Dusty at my feet.
My purse on a chair, formerly zippered closed
Has been opened and disembowelled.
I pull out the camera to photograph
The scene of the crime.
OJ wanders down the hall,
hopeful.
He meets my eyes.
“OJ. This is bad.” I tell him, shaking my head.
“Very bad.”
He looks at the floor.
“You need to be back in your room before I get angry with you.”
He soulfully studies me, sighs
then takes the circle route,
through the kitchen,
Back to his room.
Such a bad, good dog.
.
.
That black/gold cloth bag is an organizer. Each compartment is usually full of something- pens, makeup, business cards, shopping bags, keys, flashlight, notebook, etc. so things can be transferred easily between purses. The bag was a mess, the organizer as you see.
If you click on the Category POODLES >>> on the right>>> you can read more of OJ’s adventures. He is an incorrigible counter surfer, and food scrounger. He opens packages (he loves ziplock bags, even if there is nothing edible in them). He likes to investigate my purse, whenever I am foolish enough to leave it within his reach. After I yelled at him for eating through linings (on my brand new, expensive bag!) he has not once eaten through another lining, but carefully manipulates the zippers, sometimes a series of zippers, and occasionally buckles in order to explore. I have no idea how. Poodles are considered the second most intelligent dogs (second only to Border collies), and it’s because of their phenomenal problem solving abilities. OJ plays dumb and lazy much of the time, but he has some amazing skills. (I call these “bad talents” and there is a blog series about them.)
Do you have an incorrigible canine character at your house?
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Dusty Dog and the oh so innocent looking incorrigible OJ:
Dusty and OJ
Mastering the art… April 30, 2013
Today I accepted placement in a Masters of Education program in Curriculum. I am hoping to study the innovations in the Finnish system, and hope to take advantage of university exchanges in order to travel to Finland to observe their system in high school class rooms. As I speak passable Finnish, have lived in Finland, and understand the Finnish culture, I imagine this will be easier for me than many North American educators curious about this system that is one of the few that ranks above Canada’s. (Four points above Canada, 22 points above the UK, and 25 points above the US in the 2009 PISA rankings).
I was offered placements at two institutions, so it was a bit of decision, but I am looking forward to studying in the intimate and flexible environment of Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops.
Studies won’t begin until September, which hopefully will provide opportunity to finish the editing of Grace Awakening Myth (book 3 in the series) and finish writing Grace Awakening Destiny (book 4) before I start. I will be teaching (probably full-time) while I am studying, so I will definitely not have any time to be marketing either book with all my Saturdays in classes in Kamloops for the next couple of years!
Do you have a Masters? Did you do it full time or part time? How did you find the process? Do you have any tips?
death to the follicles April 29, 2013
The glistening of sunlight upon the pate,
is not so much a follicular challenge
as it serves to demonstrate
a follicular abdication
as the hormones re-arrange
to prove the superior state
of follicular proration,
that razors duplicate.
.
.
I casually mentioned a ‘follicular challenge’ to a man who responded that it wasn’t so much a challenge as an abdication, and thus, a poem was born… 😉 For what it’s worth, I highly endorse the natural state over wigs and surgeries. Shine that pate with confidence, and damn the ads that prey on insecurities!
Liebster award April 27, 2013
I have never actually accepted a blog award nomination, but I’ve decided to give it a whirl. Thanks to http://thisandthat93.wordpress.com/ for nominating me for the Liebster Blog Award. Thanks Beckarooney!
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As with all blog awards there are several rules – they are:
1. Accept the award, post the picture of the Liebster Award on the top of your post and say who nominated you for the award and list their blog site.
2. List 11 random facts about yourself.
3. Nominate 11 other bloggers for the Liebster Award and list their blog sites.
4. Notify the bloggers of their award.
5.Ask the award winners 11 questions to answer when they accept their Liebster Award.
6. Answer the questions left for you by the blogger who gave you the award.
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So here are 11 random facts about me. . .
- I have owned poodles exclusively since I was six years old.
- Presently I live with OJ the standard poodle and Dusty the miniature poodle.
- my first writing award was for a poem I wrote about my mother in grade four.
- my first rejection letter came from a kids magazine called Jabberwocky when I was in grade five.
- I bought my husband’s wedding ring with the prize money from a college short story contest
- I have a very tender spot for musicians, particularly pianists and classical guitarists
- I speak 3 languages quite well, and a few others very badly
- I have lived in 15 places since I met my husband, but we have been 12 years in our current house.
- I have never had a job contract that was for longer than a year.
- I originally wanted twelve children. My husband persuaded me that two was a better choice. (He was probably right).
- Left to my own devices, I go to bed at 4 a.m. and get up at noon. I write, play music, and clean house in the peace of moonlight.
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Here are the questions I was asked:
1. Why did you start your blog?
When Grace Awakening was in the process of being signed with Vancouver’s Gumboot Books, Crystal the publisher said I should have a blog as a way to begin my author platform. I’d been pondering having one for a few years, but that was the impetus to buy my domain and get started.
2. What’s your favourite time of year and why?
I live in a 4 season playground, and I really love all 4 seasons. I love spring for the new beginnings and the excitement as the grads move on. I love summer for the time that I have to play with my assorted projects. I love autumn for the excitement of a new school year and the potential for awesome connections with students. I love winter for the beauty of fresh fallen snow and the crisp air. I can more easily answer my favourite time of DAY, which is night. 🙂 (see above)
3. Do you have any unusual ways of curing writer’s block and if so what are they?
My only cure is to sit down and WRITE. There is procrastination, but whenever I start, there are plenty of words. I don’t ever have writing block.
4. If you follow my blog why did you start following it?
I’ve only been following Beckarooney’s blog http://thisandthat93.wordpress.com/ for a week or so, but I was drawn by the insightful and lovely poetry I found there, and the interesting information about The Eden Project, which I’d never heard of.
5. Who is the most important person in your life?
My husband, who holds me together. Since I was twenty he’s been the stolid stability that allows my flight. He is quite generally awesome (and handsome, too!).
6. Where do you live and what do you live in?
I live in a house above Shuswap Lake in central British Columbia, Canada. (See photos below) I have beautiful mountain views, and I’m trying to figure out how to rig up a writing suite on my roof so I can see the lake all year round not just in the winter when the neighbour’s lilacs are leaf-less. (I need to sell a lot of books to make this a viable option, feel free to contribute by clicking the book cover at right! lol).
7. Are you a Facebook fanatic?
Sadly, yes. I have 3 accounts ((cough))
8. Can you dance?
Yes. I have studied ballet, jazz, tap, folk, and belly dance. Sadly, at the moment I’m on a dancing hiatus due to knee injuries. My husband hates dancing though, so if we’re at an event, as soon as the dancing starts, we leave. :-S
9. What are 3 things you couldn’t live without?
Air, water, shelter. 🙂
Beyond those basics: the computer (or at least pen & paper), good dark chocolate, and a good book to read in the bathtub.
10. Who is the one person you would love to meet, from the past, present or even the future, and why?
Since I’ve already met Diana Gabaldon, I’ll go with Francesco Petrarca, the poet, diplomat, and cleric from the 14th century. I am writing a book about him, and I have developed a rather profound crush on him. (blush) I’d also really like to meet my grandmother whom I apparently resemble physically and temperamentally. She died when I was a baby.
11. What do you do on a typical Friday night?
Snuggle poodles, read a book, write a book, play the harp, enjoy a great meal with hubby, often in the basement in front of a movie.
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My eleven nominees are blogs I’ve enjoyed this week:
http://karinwiberg.wordpress.com
http://amidereve.wordpress.com/
http://mypenandme.wordpress.com/
http://finnishnessinmycanadiana.wordpress.com/
http://angelogalindo.wordpress.com/
http://greendaughter.wordpress.com
http://notanyonething.wordpress.com/
http://barsetshirediaries.wordpress.com
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The eleven questions for my nominees to answer:
1. What teacher from your youth or childhood had a profound impact on you? How?
2. Who is your greatest literary inspiration?
3. What is a favourite quote from another person, and what do you like about it?
4. What is a favourite quote from your own work, and what is the story behind it?
5. Tell us about one of your pets.
6. What is the greatest barrier in your life?
7. Where is your favourite travel destination? Why?
8. What is the most interesting place near where you live? What makes it interesting?
9. What is your writing space like?
10. When you were eight, what did you want to be when you grew up?
11. What is your goal for your writing?
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Views from my living room window on this grey day:
(just to the left of that yellow sign you can just see Shuswap Lake through those budding lilacs) Plainly our next door neighbour needs to borrow our dandelion puller tool. This is northwest.
and this is southwest. That’s Mount Ida (which is mentioned in Grace Awakening) in the middle left with the snow still on it. There was a fire on the mountain in the 90s, you can still see the charred remains. Across the valley are the Fly Hills which burnt at the same time. Love all the new green of spring!
next part: stars
A prompt from http://julieisrael.wordpress.com/2013/04/27/write-the-next-line-using-the-word-part/ The first line is provided and the next line must include ‘part’ in some form.
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The hours erased the stars and day peeled apart from night
I sang the moon, and partial to your heart
You danced us dawn, partners tripping through the light.
like you April 26, 2013
I wrote letters to poets
Sandburg, Dickinson, Twain,
Shelley, Petrarca, Yeats or Keats,
it was always the same.
“Thank you for your words.
“I like what you say.
“Your message was heard.”
Each time someone’d said
“You can’t send a note
for those poets are dead;
it’s been years since they wrote!”
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On the blog roll are poets
who live and who breathe
and I can write them notes
and some encouragement leave.
“I like that you’re writing
“I like that you’re here
“I like that you’re sighting
on truths without fear.
“Thank you for your words.
“I like what you say.
“Your message was heard;
I’ll be back here one day!”
Shawn L. Bird 