First Mother's Day without Mom around this year and it's solemn. You scroll through all the pictures on the social media of friends with their Mothers who are still thriving and you can't be mad. Life is for the living. And some friends recognize that the people in their circles have Mothers who are no longer around, and that's alright too I guess.
I want to call her and say that her Grandson is going to have the same caretaker this summer as last, and they're going to have fun because they will not be going to the hospital every day like last summer.
I want to call her and say I had a great time at Kafe Kerouac's 10th anniversary bash and that Scott Woods hosted an excellent and compact 45 minutes of poetry and assembled some great poets.
I want to tell her that being involved in an increasingly bureaucratic organization is taking the fun out of it for me and I'm not doing the thing about the thing that I should be doing.
I want to tell her how wonderful my wife is at putting up with my nonsense but that we did not get into an argument at IKEA yesterday despite her not liking the coffee mug I wanted. Oh, we could afford to buy stuff at IKEA yesterday, thanks Mom.
I want to tell her we're going to have a heat pump installed later this month so we'll have central air in the house for the first time in 11 years. Thanks Mom.
I want to tell her that a lot of people miss her because she's not around. And that people will always love her.
Sunday, May 11, 2014
Sunday, May 4, 2014
The joy of gadgetry
A delicious, freshly cut mango is one of life's great pleasures. But, if you're like me and have the knife skills of an idiot, cutting a mango and getting enough fruit to justify the work is a very frustrating experience.
Worry no more. Just purchased a nifty mango slicer that works rather well.
There is your mango. There is your slicer.
Stand up mango stem side up.
Place slicer over mango.
Push down.
It's all separated. Do the tic tac toe slices on the fruit until just before the skin and slice off the bits. It greatly helps to have a fully ripe mango so the skin is much softer.
And there you have it. Not sure how long it will take for the blades to dull, but mangoes!
Worry no more. Just purchased a nifty mango slicer that works rather well.
There is your mango. There is your slicer.
Stand up mango stem side up.
Place slicer over mango.
Push down.
It's all separated. Do the tic tac toe slices on the fruit until just before the skin and slice off the bits. It greatly helps to have a fully ripe mango so the skin is much softer.
And there you have it. Not sure how long it will take for the blades to dull, but mangoes!
Friday, May 2, 2014
Thursday, May 1, 2014
With the 16th pick...
Sitting here watching the Canadiens/Bruins series and seeing some things going on in front of the crease of the Montreal net are downright felonious. Of course I'd want to see the Blue Jackets playing this weekend, but it was not meant to be as they lost their series, valiantly, to the Pittsburgh Penguins.
It was a six game series that saw The Blue Jackets win their first playoff game, ever, then their second. But the seventh game of the first round did not happen as they spotted the Penguins four goals before starting a furious rally that left them one goal short, and out of the playoffs with a four games to two defeat.
Of course they spotted the Penguins three goals in one of their wins, an overtime victory that may have been the greatest game in franchise history.
But you can't let a team get ahead of you by three/four goals and expect to win.
Still, this team did their best and left the ice with their pride intact and the franchise in the best place for the future it has ever been. A fan base is growing as they claim The Fifth Line as their motto.
There is finally more than hope, but genuine talent on this team. There is also depth in most positions and potential youth developing to replace players. Management has a plan. A plan that is working.
There is going to be some change in the off season. There are a few players who leave that will surprise. Players may be traded. Free agents will be brought in. Talent from the farm system will challenge to make the team. The defense needs tweaking. A player or two who has offensive skill that can penetrate and make plays against a stifling defense will be called in to help. These will not be major changes, but improvements to a team on the rise.
Finally, the Columbus Blue Jackets compete every night against any team and win more than they lose.
It was a six game series that saw The Blue Jackets win their first playoff game, ever, then their second. But the seventh game of the first round did not happen as they spotted the Penguins four goals before starting a furious rally that left them one goal short, and out of the playoffs with a four games to two defeat.
Of course they spotted the Penguins three goals in one of their wins, an overtime victory that may have been the greatest game in franchise history.
But you can't let a team get ahead of you by three/four goals and expect to win.
Still, this team did their best and left the ice with their pride intact and the franchise in the best place for the future it has ever been. A fan base is growing as they claim The Fifth Line as their motto.
There is finally more than hope, but genuine talent on this team. There is also depth in most positions and potential youth developing to replace players. Management has a plan. A plan that is working.
There is going to be some change in the off season. There are a few players who leave that will surprise. Players may be traded. Free agents will be brought in. Talent from the farm system will challenge to make the team. The defense needs tweaking. A player or two who has offensive skill that can penetrate and make plays against a stifling defense will be called in to help. These will not be major changes, but improvements to a team on the rise.
Finally, the Columbus Blue Jackets compete every night against any team and win more than they lose.
Monday, April 28, 2014
Expectations vs. capabilities
Today I attended my son's last Shakespeare and Autism class. It's a fascinating idea to get autistic kids communicating through the work and exaggerated facial expressions and gestures of Shakespearian plays. This is a video about it that was released last year, my son is in this video.
The play the facilitators chose was The Tempest and the kids and actors were jumping around, calling themselves Caliban and having a good time. I met the person who has been my son's acting partner for the past two years, a very sincere and devoted actor and teacher. This is them on the program's webpage.
Today my son came into the gym with his partner, saw all the people and chairs set up (there were about 15 people watching, which does not happen) and said, "Why did you do this?" He does not like crowds. That he would say something about it speaks volumes.
About five minutes into the session, my son got up and walked away. His partner followed him, kept him in the room and they sat away from the group for the rest of the session.
And they stayed there, I'm sure the crowd did not help, my presence was probably a distraction as well. It's one of those times you want your son to participate, or even watch from the close sidelines instead of stress and reluctance. It's hard to watch, and harder to balance your own expectations with what your child wants to do, and his capabilities.
The play the facilitators chose was The Tempest and the kids and actors were jumping around, calling themselves Caliban and having a good time. I met the person who has been my son's acting partner for the past two years, a very sincere and devoted actor and teacher. This is them on the program's webpage.
Today my son came into the gym with his partner, saw all the people and chairs set up (there were about 15 people watching, which does not happen) and said, "Why did you do this?" He does not like crowds. That he would say something about it speaks volumes.
About five minutes into the session, my son got up and walked away. His partner followed him, kept him in the room and they sat away from the group for the rest of the session.
And they stayed there, I'm sure the crowd did not help, my presence was probably a distraction as well. It's one of those times you want your son to participate, or even watch from the close sidelines instead of stress and reluctance. It's hard to watch, and harder to balance your own expectations with what your child wants to do, and his capabilities.
Catching up with the shows from abroad
Thanks to the sufficient processing power of the new MacBook Pro, I am now able to enjoy using Chromecast without the screen going into fits and starts.
Got caught up with A Trip to Italy on the BBC iPlayer. Once again, Rob Brydon and Steve Coogan are on the road under the guise of being food reviewers. We see the food, we get to guess the bill, but we never hear if they liked it. Instead, like the first series, we hear Michael Caine impressions and the pair singing along to Alanis Morrissette while driving in a rented Mini through the Italian countryside. It's a fine way to spend a half hour and chuckle throughout, although the premise is starting to wear thin. I understand that, thankfully, there will be no third series. That's what I like about British television, they know how and when to end a show.
Also invested time in the long running quiz show Mastermind. It make Jeopardy look like a kids show. Contestants are grilled for two minutes by the host in two rounds. The first round is a subject the contestant chooses, the second on general knowledge. The questions, be they about Scottish lighthouses or Italy's role in World War One are tough, and the contestants can be visibly terrified. The show is based on the creator's experience during World War Two, when he was interrogated, while sitting in a chair under a single spotlight, by the gestapo.
So there was a great tension in the air when Clive Dunning of Stockton chose the life and poetry of Philip Larkin and won the Mastermind title. Dunning looked like he was about to vomit at the end of the program.
And what does the winner get, nothing but a lovely glass bowl, bragging rights, and the people's ovation and fame forever. Well done!
Got caught up with A Trip to Italy on the BBC iPlayer. Once again, Rob Brydon and Steve Coogan are on the road under the guise of being food reviewers. We see the food, we get to guess the bill, but we never hear if they liked it. Instead, like the first series, we hear Michael Caine impressions and the pair singing along to Alanis Morrissette while driving in a rented Mini through the Italian countryside. It's a fine way to spend a half hour and chuckle throughout, although the premise is starting to wear thin. I understand that, thankfully, there will be no third series. That's what I like about British television, they know how and when to end a show.
Also invested time in the long running quiz show Mastermind. It make Jeopardy look like a kids show. Contestants are grilled for two minutes by the host in two rounds. The first round is a subject the contestant chooses, the second on general knowledge. The questions, be they about Scottish lighthouses or Italy's role in World War One are tough, and the contestants can be visibly terrified. The show is based on the creator's experience during World War Two, when he was interrogated, while sitting in a chair under a single spotlight, by the gestapo.
So there was a great tension in the air when Clive Dunning of Stockton chose the life and poetry of Philip Larkin and won the Mastermind title. Dunning looked like he was about to vomit at the end of the program.
And what does the winner get, nothing but a lovely glass bowl, bragging rights, and the people's ovation and fame forever. Well done!
Thursday, April 24, 2014
Circling the wagons
The NHL is now in playoff season and for the second time in franchise, the Blue Jackets are in the dance. They're playing the Pittsburgh Penguins, who are on paper a much better team. This is why the game is played though, after four games of a seven game series the teams are tied at two wins a apiece, which means the Blue Jackets have won their first two playoff games in franchise history.
Last night's game was quite dramatic, the Blue Jackets were down 3-0, on home ice, with about ten minutes gone in the game. I was a bit distracted setting my my new laptop to get bummed, although I did suggest the team replace their goaltender to, perhaps, shake the team up. That did not happen.
What did happen was a slow, grinding comeback the Blue Jackets have become successful at. They picked up a goal late in the first period, another late in the second and tied in on a brutal mistake by the Penguins goaltender with about 20 seconds left in the game.
It was quite the moment. A moment that, for me, removed the curse of so many horrible things in franchise history; the last second defeats, the routs, the use of Boomer the Cannon as a mascot, Doug MacLean, the time the team let a person in the opposing teams jersey ride around on the zamboni between periods, all of the failed first round picks, the time the team played the opposing teams goal song after they scored, all of the failed trades and on and on.
The game went to overtime and the Blue Jackets won it three minutes in. I have not seen a team so resilient since, well, the Buffalo Bills of over twenty years ago.
Anything can happen in a best of three now. Both sides are bruised, hurting and willing to battle more. Because it's the Cup.
After almost seven years, my trusty Macbook that I have taken so many places was finally slowing down. I'm not sure if the hard drive (the second one) or the logic board were beginning to fail, but I was not going to put any more into it. So I picked up a MacBook Pro last night (thanks Mom!)
It's quite the device, with a lot of processing power so we can really use Chromecast to watch A Trip to Italy and Mastermind with no buffering problems. It has Pages so maybe I can get off my ass and put desktop publishing to use.
Last night's game was quite dramatic, the Blue Jackets were down 3-0, on home ice, with about ten minutes gone in the game. I was a bit distracted setting my my new laptop to get bummed, although I did suggest the team replace their goaltender to, perhaps, shake the team up. That did not happen.
What did happen was a slow, grinding comeback the Blue Jackets have become successful at. They picked up a goal late in the first period, another late in the second and tied in on a brutal mistake by the Penguins goaltender with about 20 seconds left in the game.
It was quite the moment. A moment that, for me, removed the curse of so many horrible things in franchise history; the last second defeats, the routs, the use of Boomer the Cannon as a mascot, Doug MacLean, the time the team let a person in the opposing teams jersey ride around on the zamboni between periods, all of the failed first round picks, the time the team played the opposing teams goal song after they scored, all of the failed trades and on and on.
The game went to overtime and the Blue Jackets won it three minutes in. I have not seen a team so resilient since, well, the Buffalo Bills of over twenty years ago.
Anything can happen in a best of three now. Both sides are bruised, hurting and willing to battle more. Because it's the Cup.
After almost seven years, my trusty Macbook that I have taken so many places was finally slowing down. I'm not sure if the hard drive (the second one) or the logic board were beginning to fail, but I was not going to put any more into it. So I picked up a MacBook Pro last night (thanks Mom!)
It's quite the device, with a lot of processing power so we can really use Chromecast to watch A Trip to Italy and Mastermind with no buffering problems. It has Pages so maybe I can get off my ass and put desktop publishing to use.
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