Prayers for the Living

Last November I requested good vibes for a former colleague struck with an aggressive form of brain cancer. Yesterday he passed away. He will be missed.

I send my prayers to his family and no doubt many friends.

Confessions of a Technophobe

I still do my banking over the phone. I work in an IT shop – have been for 14 years – and I’ve yet to embrace Web banking.

There. I said it.

When it comes to adopting new technology I’m usually at the tail end of the pack; I’m never the first one to try out the latest & greatest. I like waiting until anything new has been tried, tested, and had the crap kicked out of it before I hop on the bandwagon and by that time the bandwagon’s long gone busying itself with something much more exciting.

I don’t feel at a disadvantage, but I am starting to feel uneasy at the prospect of being left behind. I feel an unexplained urge to take a plunge – or at least a dip – into the world of Web and technology. So, using baby steps, during the next few months I will look at the tools I use and the technology-related habits I've adopted to see if they’re optimal for what I want to do. Are they limiting me? Are there missed opportunities for connection and creativity because of my reluctance to explore new software, hardware or online tools?

“Web 2.0 isn’t about age, it’s about attitude”, I heard at a seminar last week. Hm. Maybe it’s time for this technophobe to work on an attitude shift.

I'll let you know how that goes.

Running Update

Running status for this week: Two runs down, one to go.

Being accountable to the blogosphere helps me be accountable to myself. :)

Book Find: The Omnivore's Dilemma

The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan is one of the most thought-provoking books I've read in the past year. Considering my bookshelf is stocked with non-fiction tomes designed to make me think, that says a lot.

What impressed me was the author’s handling of a seemingly simple subject: food and where it comes from. Combine that with a no-nonsense, witty, yet sensitive delivery and I was hooked.

Divided into three parts, the book explores three different food chains:

Industrial – Focused on the production of corn and its place in the industrial food chain, topics covered in Part I range from the origin and reproduction of corn (the latter in a section brilliantly called “Corn Sex”), to its role in industrial feedlots, to its eventual transformation into the processed food we find at supermarkets and fast food outlets. Be forewarned: Pollan's description of industrial feedlots is not for the faint at heart.

Pastoral – Focused on grass, Part II is for the most part set at Joel Salatin’s Polyface Farm where the author spends a week discovering a complex but serene symbiosis between Grass, Cow, Chicken and Pig. He explores the ecological, ethical and economical aspects of industrial vs. small-scale farming, referring back to the idealistic origins of organic gardening and its transformation to the industrial-scale organic operations of today. Be forewarned: any illusions you have about industrial-scale organic milk and free-range eggs may be shattered.

Personal – Part III refers to the hunter-gatherer food chain. Here Pollan's goal is to prepare a meal consisting almost exclusively of food he hunted, gathered, or grew himself. This is where he delves into the omnivore’s dilemma and its potential side effects, the ethics of eating meat, and the challenges that come with hunting it. He ends his personal quest for food with a fascinating foray into the world of mushrooms. Be forewarned: you might feel a sudden urge to gather chanterelles.

The author engaged me with this book. I thought, I questioned, I cringed. If you want to know more about the food that you eat, I recommend you read it. Get it from the library, but be forewarned: you might end up wanting to buy it.

Happy Earth Day

Hear a bird, notice a flower, hug a tree. It's Earth Day.

For a list of local happenings check out Green Living Ottawa or Ecology Ottawa's April calendar.

Weekly Running Goal

I only ran twice last week, missing my goal by one run. That's ok.

Running goal this week: 3 x 1-3s (1 minute walking / 3minutes running for 20 minutes).

Running status: one down, two to go.

Saturday Morning Sweetness

Sitting on my deck with my laptop, breeze brushing against my bare feet.

Leisurely waking up with D. and Cassie at my side.

Savouring scrambled eggs, homemade hash browns and toasted fresh bread.

Listening to the shrill chirp of the House Sparrow, the throaty clickety-clack of the Starling, and the soft mating call of the Chickadee.

Sinking into an Adirondack chair with my coffee and a good book.

Walking in silence across the Experimental Farm, noticing the contrast in noise as we take the pedestrian bridge back across and over the busy 417.

Watching a woodpecker make its way up a nearby tree.

Discovering the new 'hood.

Knowing that the day's only half over.

Hockey is Bad for Bloggers

At least for this one.

I've been crafting posts for a few days now, but the NHL playoffs are putting my blogging schedule way out of whack. Now that Ottawa's out I might get an evening here & there to put something together. Pardon my absence, I should be back soon.

Random Thoughts & Observations

• Sometimes a messy linen closet and eating cereal for dinner mean a happy relationship. Sometimes they just mean a messy linen closet and a cold meal.

• This afternoon a friend convinced me to open a blind outside my corner cubicle to let in more natural light. Shortly after doing so I overheard this in the hallway: "Ya know, that's the first time I see that blind open", to which a second person replied "There is an outside!" I don't know why I never thought of doing that before.

• Jogging goal for this week: 3 x 1-2's (1 minute walking / 2 minutes jogging for a total of 20 minutes).

• Jogging status for this week: one jog down, two to go.

• I'm working on an assignment for which I need to extract essential information from a very detailed process and summarize it on a two-page pamphlet. Today it dawned on me that simplifying is like doing that with my life.

No Spiral

I received my divorce papers in the mail this week and I am intrigued by my reaction. Instead of spiralling into my usual pit of grief and despair, I feel ok. Yes I feel sad, and yes I’m still grieving. But there’s no spiral.

It feels foreign and quite frankly, I’m not sure how to deal with it. The all-encompassing descent into darkness I know; grief mixed with happiness I don’t.

So what’s different? Well, I cried when I got the papers then I moved on. I ate a healthy meal. I wrote in my journal. I cried again. I went for a jog. I lived, I laughed, I loved. I am not letting my divorce define me, but am letting it be a part of me along with everything else. The unexpected side benefit of doing so seems to be balance and harmony.

It’s a novel and intriguing concept to me. I think I like it.

Rabbit Ears and Ron MacLean - Part Deux

April 17th, 2006, I declared success in my attempts to capture a clear picture of a playoff hockey game on my cable-less TV. Who knew almost two years later to the day I'd be doing the same?

NHL playoff season is one of the few times I miss cable, but yesterday D. set up the ol' rabbit ears and success! The picture's a little snowy, but we've got game! I don't need no stinkin' plasma, I don't need no stinkin' high def, I don't need no stinkin' PVR. Tonight I'm quite content with a pair of 3-foot antennas, CBC and my 27-inch Panasonic TV.

Three cheers for rabbit ears and Ron MacLean!


Jogging update: I went out for my third jog today. Aside from wanting to beat the weekend's crappy weather, my greatest motivation was having posted my intention here for the world (ok, for D., a few friends and some family) to see. Thank you. :)

Running, Running

I got another jog in today. Hurray! My goal is to get one more in this week for a total of three. I'll keep you posted (pun intended).

Input vs. Output

This past week I've been enjoying a flurry of stimulating, sometimes overly so, input. I've been gobbling up information - reading it, entertaining it, integrating it into my psyche. Today I craved output. I wanted to cook, I wanted to write, I wanted to do. I wanted to get out of my head and into the moment.

So what did I do?

I spent quality time with D, his parents and three dogs. I took in the sights and sounds of a warm, sunny day. I savoured a fresh-out-of-the-oven sesame seed bagel dripping with melted butter. I dusted off my runners and went for a jog. I chilled at Bridgehead with D. I, with D's help, made a big pot of vegetarian chilli, did the dishes and cleaned the kitchen.

The stimulation of learning and integrating new information leaves me on a high, but sometimes it's good to balance it out by letting my thoughts percolate for a while and getting out of my head. By doing so, I get to enjoy the best of both worlds and today was all about that.

Input vs. output: it's all about balance.