On the road again - heading on up to the east side (of Ontario that is)

I mentioned we're moving
The house is sold
We're off tomorrow to househunt
I will be staying in Ottawa
To teach summer school
Ari will come back to pack
Closing is Aug 20
New house by then I hope
Though I'll feel better
Once we've found one

I will do my best to blog
Between now and then
As often as I can, but please
If I don't, don't give up on me -
I'm guessing I'll be back up and running
Within a few days of the 20th
So be sure and check back around then
Peace and love to you all
In the meantime
No turning back now!

Chaos

OMG - swore we'd never move again. Should have known better lol. It's worth it - great job for Ari and now I have a teaching opportunity in Ottawa so exciting times all around. All at once. Oh well - at least the baby's well-behaved, we have a fairly sell-able house, Ottawa is a lovely city to move to ... oh, however, to have had the opportunity to take our time ...

But if our lives stopped in one place, we'd never recognize them I suppose. So it goes so it goes. To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven. XOXOXOXO

Sad -

Not even going to comment on this, I think the video is enough.



Disgusting and unfortunate.

Thank you Jack ...

OK full disclosure - I am a Liberal voter, not a New Democrat here in Canada. However I want to give Jack Layton, the leader of the Federal New Democratic Party (NDP) props for going on MSNBC down in the states yesterday to stand up for something that most TRUE Canadians believe in (and no, that evil witch masquerading as a Canadian who does anti-public option ads in the states does NOT count) - universal, single-payer (ie public) healthcare.

One of the things the Republicans throw out when attacking Barack Obama and the Democrats' attempts at healthcare reform, is that they want to bring a Canadian-style public healthcare system to the States. Of course, rather than say "Why the heck not?", the response is "Nononono, we would never do that". Leaving us Canadians, who are very, very proud of our public healthcare system, wondering what's so wrong with us, and why our 'healthcare for all!' policy is so very unattractive.

That is why I am posting the video below - when my son was born, he was very high-risk and high-needs. Through any testing, assessment, care, that he has needed as a result of his premature birth etc., our healthcare system was there; we did not need to pay for his hospital stay, medications, followup visits, developmental screenings, or anything. Nor did we have to wait more than a week for anything, nor did a dime come out of our pockets save as taxpayers. No matter what Brits or Canadians sell their souls to appear in anti-healthcare ads in the states, I want it known, and am glad Jack Layton does too, that we Canucks as a whole are very, very proud of a system that, while it has its flaws, is far from completely broken.

(and might I add that to the extent it is, it's that it doesn't cover ENOUGH, not that it covers too much - next up? dental care, vision care, mental health coverage ...)

Thoughtlessness ...

I have friends,
Naming no names,
To protect the innocent
(and the stupid people who hurt them),
A couple of them in fact,
Who in recent days and weeks
Have been hurt.

Not by mean people
Or bad people or not nice people,
But thoughtlessness.
I have hurt others with this weapon myself,
And been hurt by it;
It's not a trait to be proud of,
And can apparently do as much damage
As any intentional spite
(although I've witnessed some
pretty epic spite too).

My friends are kind, smart, pretty,
Flawed, but wonderful people.
They do not deserve
How they have been treated of late
And I feel for them.
I wish they could
Remove themselves from the pain,
Or I could remove them,
But I also know this is easier said than done.

Especially when those doing the damage
Are basically decent human beings
Flawed like the rest of us,
Sensitivity chip missing,
Not thinking of the collateral damage
Their confusion wroughts in others.
So all I can ask of my friends,
Of those hurting them,
Of myself and anyone
Who happens to be reading this,
Is for thought.

We will still make mistakes.
We will still hurt each other.
Our confusion will hurt others,
And our willingness to be selfish
Will bring that trait out
In the otherwise selfless.
We are human -
Forgiveness is divine -
Forgiving ourselves our own foolishness,
And forgiving, then forgetting
Those who repeatedly hurt us,
Is the first step toward
Healing.

Reader's Digest Version

A VERY busy weekend for us - the Reader's Digest version is as follows:

• Friday we found out Ari got a job he's been waiting on a long time - this means a move to Ottawa. I will miss the life we had here, and I'm excited about the new start in a new city. It's the first time in almost a decade that I will be moving to a brand-new city I've never lived in for the first time. Scary? Yes. The unknown? For sure. Exciting? Hecks yes! :)
• Meanwhile in the here&now, we took the Little Tyke to his first Highland Games on Saturday to see his world championship tenor drummer Uncle Kyle play; unfortunately we had other commitments in the evening and the band comps ran late enough that we had to leave before my bro was up; but his band won, their first win this season, and Kyle got to play in the tent for the first time this year which was exciting for him. Lots of neat pictures. Our other commitment was a friend's engagement party - lots of faces I recognized from high school, and I got to introduce my best friend to my son finally - she was so happy to meet him, which was gratifying, as I've been telling him all about his Auntie Shari, and her all about Little Tyke. And for myself, as corny as it sounds, I just get silly giddy whenever she's in town - she's just one of those awesome people I have yet to meet anyone who's ever had a problem with her, we have 13 years of friendship behind us and not one argument, and she has the patience of a saint with me and many others within our circle (we're artsy drama people after all). So - Hurray for Shari being in town! :D
  
• Today was the 1st birthday party of another friend's son - we got to play with them, as well as Alex from I'm-The-Mom and her family. A lovely weekend and a nice time to enjoy family and friends before the heckacious event that is moving gets underway. I will continue to try to blog regularly but in case I don't, now you know why. So keep up with me if you can, have a great week, I'll be in and out as much as possible, and see you in the funnies. Pax.
  

Paint it Pink - support for my girl Alex

Avon (the cosmetics people, you know 'Avon Calling'), not only sell beauty products, but have a beautiful heart too, and we're in the midst of their Paint it Pink campaign for breast cancer awareness. My friend Alex as an Avon participant made a contribution that I'd like you all to go check out and support by clicking here and voting. No contribution necessary, each vote results in Avon donating $2 to the cause of breast cancer awareness and research. Her friend she calls Karebear has a post up, and Alex has also written a touching explanation of why she's working to this particular cause at her blog - you can read it and find the link to Karebear's picture here.

Thanks!

Best wishes

To Judge Sonia Sotomayor who is beginning her confirmation hearings today as Barack Obama's nominee to the vacant Supreme Court of the U.S. seat left by Judge Souter. She is an intelligent, fair-minded and rational woman who can judge cases on their individual facts, and has often done so, as witnessed in rulings for and against such hot-button issues as affirmative action, where and when appropriate. I respect greatly anyone who can come from poor background - be they male or female, black, white, Hispanicm or anything else - to get a great education and achieve what Ms. Sotomayor has achieved. A great choice by President Obama and I hope (am sure) the Senate will agree and confirm her nomination in due time.

Michael Jackson accuser admits lying?

Jordan Chandler, the then-13 year old who accused Michael Jackson of molesting him in 1993 and settled for $22 million, has, according to several small-change blogs, admitted to lying at the behest of his father at the time in order to extort money from Jackson.

Now I have not seen this yet reported on any reputable source such as CNN, the AP, the New York Times or even TMZ or Perez Hilton; so I don't quite believe it yet as I've got to assume at least the latter two would be all over the mere whiff of such a story. However - should it prove true, then I think we might need to start considering that we all (myself included) owe Michael Jackson, and/or those living on in his name, a big apology.

Now to clarify - I never, ever felt MJ victimized children IN A PREDATORY, GROWN UP, PEDOPHILE-esque way. He was the very definition, to me, of 'not a monster, but very, very sick'. And I still stand by it was not particularly bright of him, in the face of allegations which may or may not becoming to light as false, to continue with such close friendships with young boys. I believe his way of relating to them, when he is in fact if not in theory a grown man, was inappropriate. However I have always believed - whether it stopped at 'slumber party-esque' sharing of room and bed, or went further - that in his mind, as we see what he was accused of as evil, and as a 30-40-50 year old man preying on young boys, he saw it as playing with his friends, as he would have liked to have done at their age. But that is not to say it should have continued, and that's not to say the parents of children associated with MJ should have been so naive as to leave him alone with them.

And obviously in hindsight, they weren't; they were in fact quite calculating and unscrupulous, seeking to take advantage of a naive, childish boy-man who just happened to be ridiculously talented and ludicrously rich. Shame ... shame for using your children, and their friend Michael, in such a way. While I am not impressed whatsoever with Jordan Chandler's actions as a young man, if this story is true, I am impressed at his courage to come forward now, particularly at such a difficult time, and I simply hope that the other main victim - the accuser in Jackson's 2003-04 criminal trial, might now come forward to say the same, if true, and we can truly let this man rest, and find the peace in death that we so viciously denied him in life.

Shame on us all.

Sad and Disgusting

The following depresses me as a Christian greatly -



It sickens me that the name of my Saviour is being used to promote hate.
Even if you DO believe in the message espoused by this church
(which I do NOT, for the record,
lest they be perceived to speak for all Christians),
it is for God to sort out -
Jesus' charge to us mortals here on earth is to 'love thy neighbour'.
If this is somehow an expression of love
to show 'misguided' (in quotes) non believers
'the path to salvation',
there is a less incendiary way of doing so;
Is not
"I am the Way, the Truth and the Light. No one comes to the Father except through Me." (John 14:6)
the same message in a much less offensive
(and more canonical) language?

Sad. Not Christian. Not Christ-like. Nothing I would want to be a part of, and it depresses me because I see this and understand the skepticism that keeps people from believing; understand how church, when seen in this way, turns people off, when really (when done correctly) it is such a powerful medium for good in our lives and in the world ... and obviously, too, for ill. For hate is of the devil, and misunderstanding comes about from evil acts (see the Tower of Babel - Genesis).

As a Christian who believes one's faith is a very personal relationship with God, let me speak for me - This is not God's word. This is not my church. And may we all in time come to understand the message of love and healing God tried to communicate to us through Jesus Christ, and remember the true meaning of Peter Scholtes' hymn:

"And they'll know we are Christians by our love, by our love
Yes they'll know we are Christians by our love."

Warm greetings

Hi guys,
Not the best day today -
Nothing specifically terribly wrong,
Just those grown-up 'life' frustrations that pop up.
Mainly waiting for some work stuff
To fall into place for me for the summer,
For Ari beyond,
We had some plans for a date
That kinda fell through
Due to laziness
And waiting on a phonecall.
Little Tyke
Does not seem to be
A fan of his crib today either.

But I didn't come on here just to whine -
Things have been too good to just be down.
So I came to share I've made some progress with writing
And with the job hunt,
I'm reading a good book,
Enjoying a nice snack,
And trying now to focus on those things,
And to ask if anyone else out there
Has had an awesome day they want to share?
Multiply joys, divide sorrows, right?

Been awhile

Sorry guys - I know I haven't updated since Canada Day but I've been out seeking summer work, had a couple interviews for teaching in the fall, and was away for the weekend - but now I want to wish my Amercan friends, family, readers a belated 4th of July - I spent mine with my Jewish-American husband in Toronto, at a British pub, with him eating Curry. Such a great world we live in! :) Hope Canada and Independence days were good for everyone, and everyone's geared up for a great week ahead. Cheers! :D

Happy Canada Day

Wishing my Canadian blogland friends a Happy Canada Day.
Enjoy the fireworks if that's your thing
(and the weather is holding out where you are),
Good family, good friends, and the birthday of our country.

Be well!
XO - Sarah