About '13':
When he's trying to do something naughty - he can be very crafty;
He knows how to play with abandon - he's very fun-loving;
He definitely understands the importance of REST!
He's very loyal;

To read more about "13" qualities and to read his very first campaign article, click on"13" . 

I have 3 questions for my friends and fellow Haligonians . . . but first: Isn't that photograph taken from the Dingle (left) spectacular? 

It  inspired me to reflect on potential in our communities & our cities.




And so, today:  A New Blog Direction...with a new title:

               Sleep. Create. Play.                                                                                                              (and imagine smiling with every breath)

Gauguin, Paul
Where Do We Come From? What Are We? Where Are We Going?
1897  Oil on canvas    Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

For more on these questions and MY TASK click here.

There's no more value in being American, French, Somalian or even Canadian...unless you happen to be a Canadian, which I am!

RIP Jack!  Maybe you're feeling more blue, green or red, but from his sky of orange, Jack Layton has left me and you with questions that only we can answer for ourselves and TOGETHER.
He also left us a challenge to look towards the future with hope, optimism and love.
Thirdly, he shared his belief, one that I happen to share, that: 
WE CAN CHANGE THE WORLD!
I also believe that:
YOU CAN CHANGE YOUR WORLD!

When was the last time you felt truly happy? When was the last time you felt grateful that you were part of a community?  Part of Canada?

Are you as proud of being a Canadian as my father was?  Or Jack was?  If not, why not?  And what do you plan to DO about it?

Left to right: Cristina, Me, Shadie, Tanja, Niki, Stephanie, Jen, Jamie, and Heather.

My friends and I organized a celebration for my dear friend, Tanja and her brother Niki on the day of their Canadian citizenship ceremony  [They came to Canada as refugees in the aftermath of the war in Serbo-Croatia].


To see my answer to these questions click here.

Would YOU sign that petition?  I mean seriously!

IT'S MY WORD ON THE STREET FRIDAY BLOG and this week prepare for what may just become a rant.

I LOVE Halifax, but between cranky doctors & limited access to the gardens in the morning before work - I'm getting as cranky as the doctor who, yesterday, get this:

She asks me what I'd taken for the constant sneezing & runny nose I've had recently?

I reply that I've taken an occasional antihistamine, but that I don't like taking medication. 

Her reply:
"Well, what do you want ME to do about it?" (assume the sarcastic tone implied)

I reply: "DIAGNOSIS THE CAUSE!!!" (assume the word 'MORON' bitterly implied)

Yes, the appointment went downhill from there.

Now onto my 2nd point:  We have a place in Halifax called THE PUBLIC GARDENS!!!  [see photo left]

It's one of those places Mayor Peter Kelly bandies about when talking about the vibrant downtown where new and old coexist in harmony when he's trying to attract WORKING PEOPLE to move downtown --  But who is this downtown public he'd like to see move here anyway?
He claims that part of revitalizing downtown includes WORKING PEOPLE who chose to live closer to the center (the kind who pay taxes as I do).

Well, many of these WORKING PEOPLE (those fortunate enough to have jobs) - have to be at work around or BY 8 A. M. - which is precisely the hour the PUBLIC GARDENS open.  A great time for tourists and retirees, but NOT the WORKING PEOPLE.

These types can't go for an early morning jog or enjoy a luxurious cup of coffee near a gurgling fountain.  We must gaze through those iron bars at what could be.

I had to go for blood tests this morning so I tested my theory.  On my way back, I sat on a bench in the PUBLIC GARDENS and watched those people who could walk or jog through the gardens on their way to work.  Here's what I saw & heard:

Smiles.   Singing birds.  Fountains gurgling.  Pebbles crunching underfoot as workers walked by, a jaunt in their step.  Some even whistling a tune to themselves.
"Good morning," I said to passersby and we exchanged smiles.

SO JUST OPEN THE GARDENS EARLIER WILL YA??!! 
7 AM AT LEAST, 6 AM BETTER!!!

We have  a short season and limited amounts of sunshine & with the amount of municipal taxes we fork out we deserve access to our green spaces. 
Install a proper spot for bicycle commuters to park their bikes. 

If Ottawa can make skating to work in -50 appealing I think Halifax can compete!!

In an earlier blog I wrote about my second novel: "It's about an ordinary woman from Cape Breton, who, for a brief moment in time, believed she was meant for an extraordinary life". 

We need a mayor for this great city who believes with passion that Halifax may be an ordinary city to an outsider, but she believes (as do those of us who know her intimately) that she is meant for an extraordinary life.

Less Manicuring!! More Access!! 

Have a great weekend everyone & why not take a stroll in the Gardens.
It's a great spot for writing too!!

TartanFrog

Hmmmmm. . . What to write?

Imagine you're standing in the corner of the photograph on the left and have to place your toe on one of the hearts which will then take your life in a completely different direction - which heart would you pick?

Last night I watched a man at the corner of Morris and Brenton slide down a pole he'd been hanging onto and slump deeply within himself, succumbing to sadness and too much alcohol.  Since I'd already been in bed and wasn't dressed I watched from the window to see if he'd just stumbled momentarily or whether he really needed help.  As he tried unsuccessfully to get up and then eventually to lay there in the snow, I watched as people filed by without offering the man a glance never mind a hand.  From the upstairs landing, I called down to Pete to phone the police so that the man wouldn't freeze to death in a snowbank.  Of course, I could have gotten dressed and gone down myself to see how I could help and that would have changed our life course in other ways.

I was about to claim no judgment here, but that would be a lie.  I really hope that someone in that group of people who filed by seemingly completely unaffected by a man lying in a snowbank unable to get up did go around the corner, pull out their cell phone and call for help, but if not, WHAT WERE YOU THINKING????

Is it that you're so superior that you can't possibly imagine that ever happening to you or to anyone you love?  In this far-fetched reality, wouldn't you want someone to lend a hand?  Why is it that when we see an innocent child reaching for a doll, we instinctively reach out to help?  Remove the child from the picture and insert a grown-up (who once WAS A CHILD) and then we just stroll on by - get the frickin' doll yourself dude!

Last night, I felt transported onto a playground watching a bunch of children who remain silent and look the other way while others are bullied.  It all begins there.

In contrast, I grew up in a house where that man in the snowbank would probably have moved in for a few months till he got back on his feet because my parents believed that everyone got 'down on their luck' once in awhile and that giving them a hand wasn't something to be recognized, it was just the HUMAN thing to do!

In a world that's so vastly connected, it's easy to forget that every moment of every day we make choices that define us.   And every choice will completely alter the course of the universe - infinitely.  I know this metaphor isn't new, but I love the image of how each of us is fashioning a necklace of sorts with gems, beads, even rosary beads that represent our journey.  Some of us believe that those choices are more divine like rosary beads while others, on days such as today will reflect on the individuals they love as the gems that make up their own necklace - okay, so mine is very expensive - more like a chandelier - chock full of diamonds!  As I reflect upon those individuals so dear to me, the image and memory of the man from last night will likely recede, but it will still be part of my necklace - a diamond in the rough.

We all believe in something even if that something happens to be nothing.   If you're stuck on what to write today, write about whatever it is you believe.

Happy Valentine's Day All & especially to Pete, the 'red heart' on my chandelier. . .
Please spread some love around - the world needs it!
TartanFrog

P.S.  If someone believes in nothing, can they still write about something?

Anyone who's stepped foot into the pad I inhabit has likely left under the assumption that I'm an art lover - it's true, I love and live for art- my favourite paintings and photographs peer at  me no matter where I sit.  So I guess it makes sense that I would gab about them.  So here's my first stab at this thing called 'BLOG'...from a TartanFrog (refering to my Caper roots and Acadian frogness).  My aim here will be to try to post a new artistic inspiration twice a week that you might use to spur on some writing.  I wrote my first novel while staring at a charcoal drawing my friend Heather gave me.  Ah yes, I will include a brief 'about' the art also.

ABOUT 'Baile':

Btw, for anyone wondering, yes, the word 'baile' means 'dance' from the Spanish 'bailar' or 'to dance'.

This is one of my favourite paintings by Diego Rivera.  Though not as well known as many others, it has been close to my heart this week as I've been writing about the dance and the dancer.   I felt compelled to re-write the ending of my second novel to show the growth of the main protagonist, Sabine.  She reflects on the madness in the world of her contemporaries (she is 18 years old in the year 2019).  It seems to her that everyone is bustling about so much and that all this fidgeting, whether it be globe-trotting, changing jobs and lovers, is symptomatic of a lack of connectedness.  She compares it to a French dance move known as 'chasse-croise'...Over to you:

Happy Scribing,
TartanFrog