Shawn L. Bird

Original poetry, commentary, and fiction. All copyrights reserved.

dear 16 year old me (and you) May 26, 2011

Filed under: Commentary — Shawn L. Bird @ 12:01 am
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My father has malignant melanomas.  If you have seen what skin cancer looks like, you will have no difficulty embracing this message. 

slip into the shade

slap on a hat

slop on the sunscreen.

 

I should’ve been… May 25, 2011

Filed under: Commentary — Shawn L. Bird @ 12:35 am
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When I consider all the jobs on the planet that I am suited for, I frequently must acknowledge: I should have been a princess.

I definitely wouldn’t want to be a queen, because that’s way too much responsibility, but I’d be a good princess.  I might even be a GREAT princess.   I would love to be taken on tours of factories, museums, stately houses, gardens and the like. I would enjoy listening to music from all sorts of ethnic groups. I would enjoy eating a wide variety of interesting meals, and if I was princess, I wouldn’t have the situation  I experiencedd at the last school lunch when I was holding a wonderful smelling bowl of soup, salivating in anticipation, only to be told, “Oh the soup has got nuts in it!” because if I was a princess, the caterers wouldn’t use foods I’m allergic to!

I love travelling and learning languages, so I would take advantage of my princess status to study abroad to learn to speak languages I’m missing like German, Japanese, and Chinese.  I’d like to improve my Spanish and Italian to fluency as well.  I would be able to take lessons on international history and political science which I always found quite intriguing.  I would happily support the arts in a wide variety of forms. I would also be happy to support designers and to model new clothes, shoes and hats for many occasions, and then to re-combine them in interesting ways so they didn’t look exactly the same at future events.  (That’s my frugal nature coming out).

Since I am a terrible housekeeper, I would be delighted to have a household staff to look after the mundane tasks, and it’d be fantastic to have a personal secretary to ensure I didn’t forget the day’s appointments. I would not resent them or try to do their jobs. I would be appreciative of their efforts.  I would be proud to support the local economy and I would be a great employer if I was a princess.

Of course, there’d be some challenges as well. The paparazzi would be a problem. I am not photogenic all the time, so there would be a lot of nasty photos to out-balance the absolutely adorable ones.  I also tend to be a trifle outspoken and suffer from ‘foot in mouth’ disease.  This is a problem when one moves in  diplomatic circles.  As well, I am not good at receiving ugly or stupid gifts.  My real opinion shows on my face.  This would also be a problem if I was a princess.  I suspect that I would be able to get training in all these areas were I to become a princess.  If I were a real princess, I would need to  ensure that I demonstrated poise at all times.

Since becoming a princess is usually a birth thing, and I didn’t have the plan worked out in time to be born to a royal household, I had to work out a second strategy.  Being well versed in my fairy tales, logically I planned  to marry a prince.  I had it all figured out.  I was going to move to England and attend the same college as Prince Edward.  I was going to need his help in the library (In later years, I decided our mutual love of theatre would be a natural bond as well).  However we met,  moments later my naturally adorable nature was going to completely entrance him.  The political benefits of marrying a colonial would be obvious to the Queen and “Voila.” One small 4th in line to the throne royal wedding later, I’d have  been  Princess Shawn. 

 Unfortunately, there were complications.  Instead studying in England, my exchange year abroad was spent in Finland.  While other Scandanian countries of  Sweden, Denmark and Norway have monarchies, which would have provided an opportunity for me to explore  my strategy (if I could have convinced the Scandanavian princes who were 14 , 3 and 11 at the time!).  Republican  Finland did not.  I spent a lot of time at Czar Alexander’s fishing cottage in Langinkoski, but it had been a long time since anyone royal had been there, so no one arrived from Russia to meet and fall in love with me and carry me back to become a Czarina.  Actually, considering what happened to Alexander’s family, that was probably for the best.

I would like to point out that Catherine Middleton used my Prince Finding Technique almost to the letter.  Since it worked so well for her, you can see that it was a sound plan. Even though it didn’t work out for me, I’m glad it worked out for her.

My husband would tell you that even though I don’t have any official status, I definitely still embody the attitude of a princess.  I will confess, he does a great job of letting me feel like a princess most of the time.  (I haven’t had to pick  up doggy do in ages!)  He may not have a title, either, but trust me, he is a prince himself, and he looks mighty fine in his Italian suit!   Despite the worth of my consort, it’s not looking good for me  to get an invitation to a tiara worthy state occasion any time soon, so I  just have to content myself with wearing  it around the house.  

I wonder if Queen Elizabeth ever answers her email in t-shirt, jeans and tiara?

———————-

FYI

The Scandanavian princes are Prince Frederik of Denmark, born in ’68, Prince Carl of Sweden, born in ’79 and Prince Haakon of Norway born in ’73.   Prince Edward was the best hope, as he is just a few months older than me.  The only other real candidate was Prince Albert of Monaco who was born in ’58.

 

we are the music May 24, 2011

Filed under: Commentary — Shawn L. Bird @ 12:24 am
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See, when you get down to the basics of it, everything’s just molecules vibrating. Which is what music is, what sound is, vibrations in the air. So we’re all part of that music and the worthier it is, the more voices we can add to it, the better we all are.”

~Charles de Lint in Moonlight and Vines. p. 33

(I told you I’d have something to say about this eventually, didn’t I?)

I am fascinated by music therapy.  You may be thinking of the research that shows how music connects for Altzheimer’s patients, but that’s not what I mean.  

In the harp community research has been done on how sound waves align cells, and can induce healing at the molecular level.  It’s rather profound and quite amazing.  Playing the harp is a rather meditative thing.  With your legs and arms wrapped around the sound box , the sound waves travel through your body.  You can feel it.  Certain notes can make your head tingle or your spine stretch.  You can feel the music reaching inside your arms and legs and relaxing or awakening your body.  This is why harp therapy exists.  With a harp tuned in a pentatonic scale (five notes, all complimentary) it is impossible to make any dissonance, and even bed-bound patients can hold a small harp against their chest, strumming or plucking and absorbing those sound waves.

Some innovative hospitals include such therapy in their medical teams.

Sonic therapy, The Harps of Lorien, and International Harp Therapy are just some of the projects that explore the magic and mystery of this form of healing and transition therapy.  I’m so glad that I have my harps and have the opportunity to sit and absorb the science of the universe whenever I want.

Music is a miracle and we are part of its resonance in the world.

 

dog ears May 23, 2011

Filed under: Commentary — Shawn L. Bird @ 12:42 am
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I love dog ears.   Scratch your dog’s ears and he leans into your hand  with an adoration bordering on orgasmic as he makes little noises of ecstacy.  I love perky little ears and I love long silky ears, particularly when they are not stained and caked with food.  Spending time with my dogs’ ears demonstrates my affection and commitment to them.  It makes us both happy.

It is the same way with my books.

I know I was told as a kid never to dog ear the pages.  As an English teacher and former school librarian, I know that book marks are there to hold your place until the next time.  But when I read, I often find quotations I love and want to find for another time (you’ll frequently find them here).  I don’t carry sticky notes around with me when I’m reading.  Book marks and sticky notes are inclined to dive into my bath tub, whereas the book itself rarely does.  So I dog ear corners.  You can tell how loved or how relevant a book is by the number of dog ears.  Eventually I go through the book and copy out all the quotes I want to keep for future pondering.    Dog ears tell me that this book is a friend that I am fond of  and that I am committed to re-visiting.  I like the idea of future people reading through my books and wondering, “What was the quote she loved on this page?”  It’s a little communication to the future.  I would write in the margins, except I don’t carry a pen with me into the bath either…  When I do this to my books, I’m well within my rights.  I own them, I can do whatever I want with impunity.  I figured as long as I remembered to transfer my quotes and straighten the corners of my library books, I’d be fine.

Enter the Library Nazis.

A couple months ago, after I had returned some books and was stopped outside the library visiting with someone who wanted to ask me about Grace Awakening, a librarian came to hover in the doorway.  When the fan left, I went to see what the librarian wanted.  Very tentatively she remarked, “We see that you tend to dog ear your books.  We wondered if you needed some bookmarks?”  I tried to explain that dog ears are not the sign of frequent stopping points (I generally read in one or two sittings, after all) but rather the sign of a need to record.  She suggested the sticky notes at that point.

Chastened by the Orwellian idea that the library actually keeps track of my reading habits I agreed to avoid turning page corners on library books in the future.  This means, I am not really taking out many library books at present, because how will I mark the important sections?

Enter the ebook.  I have a Sony e-Reader which I love.  One great feature of an ebook is the ability to download electronic books from the BC provincial library consortium: Libraries to Go.  I can read them, and electronically I can underline, write notes, or even dog ear the electronic pages!  So long as I transfer the data to my computer before the ebook is electronically returned, I’m good.  The digital copy may have kept my annotations somewhere, but since the copy on my reader just fades away, no librarian needs to harrass me for damaging books.  I can scratch those dog ears with impunity.

The future is friendly.

 

knit one purl two May 22, 2011

Filed under: Commentary — Shawn L. Bird @ 12:40 am
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This has been a prolific winter of knitting!

  • 5 sweaters
  • 2 scarves
  • 2 hats
  • 1 mitten pair
  • 1 wrist warmer pair

and one skirt in progress (and 3 sweaters in progress, and one half made sock and scarf from last year in progress).

Every year or two seems to involve focus on another hobby or craft.  Over the years I have played with a wide variety of crafts: sewing, cross-stitch, embroidery, calligraphy, silk ribbon embroidery, crewel, quilling, quilting, Brazilian embroidery, crocheting, folk art painting, scrapbooking, embossing, beading, portrait painting….  My craft room is overflowing with instruction books and supplies.  I can’t throw anything out because I cycle back to them all eventually, some more frequently than others. 

I am a  ‘jack of all trades, master of none’ kind of person.  I learn enough to produce some respectable projects, but then I get bored and move onto something new for awhile.

What about you?  Do you study a skill and stick with it until you are a real master?  Or do you have an attention span similar to mine?

 

the end? May 21, 2011

Filed under: Commentary — Shawn L. Bird @ 7:58 pm
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When Harold Camping decided to announce that this evening at 6 p.m that the rapture would take believing Christians to heaven and usher in Armaggedon, he automatically ensured that today would not be the day. Matt. 24:36 states “No man knows the day or the hour” and I’m not really sure how Camping’s followers were able to set aside that simple admonishment.

More important though is the next verse, which points out that people were living their lives right to the moment of the flood.

That’s how we have to be.

The Doomsday Clock is set minutes before midnight, disasters happen unexpectedly, wars rage, but should we just give up, roll over and cower in our beds?

No. We need to live every moment that we are alive by reaching out to help those whom we can and sharing light, love and blessings. There were undoubtedly many people on the planet whose lives ended at 6 pm, but the rest of us need to take a note:

The essential message of Camping and others of his ilk should be, you’re going to die someday, so make sure you’re following the most important precept in all aspects of your life, “Treat others as you would like them to treat you.”

In other words, Be kind to one another.

 

what’s in a name? May 20, 2011

Filed under: Commentary — Shawn L. Bird @ 3:58 pm
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I’m taking page out of the blog of my old pal Ralph Hass today with a sport’s commentary… (tongue in cheek though it may be!)

The big sports news in Canada today is that negotiations are in progress to bring the Atlantic Thrashers to Winnipeg.  Manitobans are dancing in the streets over the idea of a return to NHL hockey in their province. The next question is, “What will they be called?” Some are determined that the team should harken back nostalgically and be called the Winnipeg Jets; others think the team should keep its name and become the Winnipeg Thrashers.

I vote for “None of the Above” and submit that the name should both be new and something meaningful for the province. Something powerful.  A name that conveys a real force of nature.

I vote for The Red River Flood.

The Manitoba Sandbaggers?

The Winnipeg Dikebreakers?

If you don’t like those, how about The Prairie Blizzard?  That might be the ideal choice, actually, since it includes 3 provinces, and prairie blizzards can strike ferociously any time during the extremely long  hockey season…

I mean really, what do Jets and Thrashers have to do with anything?  At least lets have a name that tells you something about the people who support the team. Manitoba Threshers fits with the agriculture of the region.  Maybe that would work?

 Good luck Winnipeg.  May the flood water recede and the NHL return.

 

Bird haiku May 19, 2011

Filed under: Poetry — Shawn L. Bird @ 12:04 am
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A violet bird sits
in her nest in the arbor,
filling sky with song
.

.

Congratulations Philip and Violet

just 10 more weeks ’til hatching!

 

pink May 18, 2011

Filed under: Commentary — Shawn L. Bird @ 12:19 am
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I was just reading this lovely piece on the blog called, “Pink is for Boys” : http://pinkisforboys.wordpress.com/2011/04/22/i-would-just-like-to-say-that-it-is-my-conviction

It made me think.

I have been battling this for years one way or another. I knew a young boy who loved Barbies. We watched him playing with dolls and clothes and figured that was probably an indication of his sexual orientation, but since we didn’t care about his sexual orientation, that was no big deal.

It was interesting that when he finally ‘came out’ in high school, everyone just shrugged their shoulders and said, “Yeah. We knew.” He was bullied before he came out, but not after. When he could acknowledge the truth of himself, others were more willing to accept it as well.  Perhaps the bullies realised that before it was assault, but after it’d be a hate crime?

So it is with many things. If we accept other ways of thinking or being, we acknowledge the truth in ourselves as well as the truth in others. Acceptance lets pink into our palette and adds beauty to our sunrises.

My Middle School students get angry when they are challenged for saying “That’s so gay!”   One is forever saying, “It means happy!” She doesn’t like the response that then she should say, “This is so happy!”  Not accepting the consequences of their words is part of their age, and teaching them to show empathy can be challenging.  Their brains are only beginning to learn abstraction, and some of them are still so concrete it will likely be years before they’re able to grasp what they’re really saying. They’re ostracizing 10% of the population with that kind of remark, and they have trouble seeing why that’s a problem. I’ll keep working on it. Hopefully we’ll get more boys willing to wear pink for anti-bullying days, and more kids  of both sexes willing to discuss why they are so angry if other people are different from them.  Acceptance is a powerful thing, but for some, their own acceptance is so precarious that they aren’t willing to risk accepting others.

What do you think?

 

smokey asparagus May 16, 2011

Filed under: Recipes — Shawn L. Bird @ 12:05 am
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We live in an area that gets great asparagus this time of year, so we’re regularly dropping in to the local produce places and stocking up five pounds at a time.  As a result, we tend to look for inventive ways to serve up this tasty treat.  This evening I came up with a winner, so I’m sharing it with you!  To serve two.

2 smokies (smoked sausages about 3 cm in diameter and 15 cm long)  I microwaved mine 2 mins to thaw them.

500 grams/1 lb of asparagus.  (snapped and washed).

1 tbsp fancy European mustard- I used a coarse Dutch mustard.

1 tbsp of granulated sugar.

In a large pan with a lid, steam asparagus with the lid on for 4 mins, while you slice the smokie into long strips (In half lengthways, then slicing each half into thirds lengthways).   When the asparagus is bright green, toss in the sliced smokie pieces and remove the lid to let any remaining moisture escape.  Mix a tbsp of mustard and the sugar with a tbsp of water, sprinkle over the asparagus and smokies, toss gently to cover.  Turn off the heat and top with a lid while you make a salad, cook other veggies, or whatever.  (2 or 3 mins).  Serve!

The juices and fat from the smokie and the mustard provide a really nice counterpoint to the asparagus and the colour contrast is also quite attractive.  Very yummy!