Double d’lution…
He felt her presence,
but couldn’t see her…
He could hear her though,
as plainly as if she stood behind him…
‘Better look after that wound Torak,
she said in her wry,
gentle way,
‘Or it will go bad.’
“I put some willow leaves on it,’ he said…
‘It still hurts, doesn’t it???
Remember that healing spring on the north shore???
You go up there and bathe in it,
right now…’
— in Outcast by Michelle Paver
Yesterday,
I picked Starshine and Little Gem,
up from school,
for a shopping adventure,
at Metrotown Metropolis…
I had a tough time biting,
my tongue,
when young women,
emerged from behind,
closed doors,
asking each other,
What do you think???
Does this look good???
Little Gem,
kicked me in the shins,
each time,
I said,
To be honest,
it really doesn’t…
Suffering through,
80’s fashion,
once,
was bad enough,
the first time…
But to have to live it again,
through a daughter,
a second time around,
is like rubbing salt,
in an opened sore…
Out on the floor,
I saw a woman,
holding a purse,
asking her friend,
I can’t even tell anymore…
Is this ugly???
I didn’t waste a second,
with my sentence,
Yes, it is ugly…
Super ugly…
Don’t make that purchase…
Life is way too short,
for regret…
Little Gem grabbed my hand,
pulling me toward,
another rack,
of extra ugly,
lace,
floral,
and bat wings…
I nearly vomited,
in XXI Forever,
as she said,
Mama,
no one wants to know what you think,
about clothes…
I begged,
to differ,
Rompers were bad news in 1985,
and this time around,
the news is criminal activity…
We really should know better,
and I wasn’t raised,
to not say so…
Last week,
when Little Gem,
and I,
were doing some damage,
on Robson Street,
I asked a young man,
if my hair looked alright,
after my daughter said,
You CANNOT wear your hair like that…
If you don’t change it,
I’m going to walk away…
He said,
I can’t comment…
I was raised better than that…
Well,
in that XXI Forever change-room,
I saw someone with the exact same hair,
all twisted up,
on the very top of her head,
just like I used to do,
when I was thirteen,
and it was okay…
When we got home,
I heard the news,
about Aaron Rome’s suspension…
And because time isn’t linear,
and it’s definitely possible,
to be amazing,
at a lot of things,
I sent Aaron,
AND Nathan Horton,
a message,
of support,
Fed Ex,
simultaneously…
And I know,
they’ll be well,
received…
Because there will,
always be,
next year…
In my mind,
an 8-1 loss,
is far easier,
to stomach,
than going down,
4-0,
because from my own experiences,
after awhile,
in the extreme,
things do,
become comical…
And when you get,
to the point,
where you can,
make the,
then throw you head back,
and laugh,
you know,
you’ve gotten to that place,
when interviewed,
which Alain Vigneault calls,
Real good…
Last night,
Little Gem,
expressed complaint,
about the feeling,
of a big gray rock,
in her tummy…
So when we were,
laying down,
in her bed,
we called in,
one of the cats,
for some green light…
After a few minutes,
of a tortoiseshell,
purring right into,
the belly,
her breathing changed,
and it all went away…
I want to be with you everywhere...
Scented stock…
“I have a pretty good idea of how to play goalie,”
Thomas said,
as muffled chuckles erupted throughout the large interview room…
“I’m not going to be taking suggestions or advice at this time,
so I’m going to keep playing the way I have…”
— Tim Thomas, on kiss my hairy ass, in THE news…
When I’m wide awake,
tossing and turning,
I don’t expend energy,
thinking about,
Kurt Russell,
or 25 of the NHL’s,
hottest hockey players…
Instead,
I put my mind,
to imagining,
how I ultimately,
want to be,
in goal…
When I was in,
grade seven,
I played one season,
of cosom hockey,
and hated it,
because we had,
no protection,
and I was scared,
for my teeth…
As an adult,
in the annual,
noon-hour game,
between the grade sevens,
and the teachers,
I always played net,
with full gear…
And when it was,
all said,
and done,
I’d overhear,
my former students,
from grade one,
talking down the hall,
amongst themselves,
back to class,
wondering,
Who ever knew,
she had THAT in her???
The thing is,
we never do find out,
what we have in us,
until we try things…
So I’m big,
on trying…
I once sat,
in a circle,
with some fellow,
PhD students,
and heard a story,
from a man,
about how,
he made a decision,
to do some,
professional development,
because the option,
was the very thing,
he feared the most…
And in facing,
his biggest fear,
he found himself,
in a round pen,
with a horse…
He remarked,
about how,
after a few minutes,
the horse,
approached him,
with his open hand,
and he felt fire,
in his chest,
like never before…
If you’ve never felt a fire,
in your chest,
it’s a little like,
your wildest dreams,
with clothes on,
and all of your bodies,
filling up,
with light…
Most people,
don’t even have,
this concept,
on their list,
of things to do,
because they’ve never heard,
of such a thing…
But now you have,
so write it down,
and see,
if it happens…
A whiner-loser,
masked as,
a sports-reporter,
calling into question,
the style,
and play,
of the goalie,
with the highest save percentage,
in the NHL,
ever,
is fairly comparable,
to a family lawyer,
parading,
as a high-priced prostitute,
telling me,
in a court of law,
that I have poor judgment,
when it comes,
to the decisions I make,
for myself,
and my children, …
A lot of people,
support themselves,
by advising others,
on what,
they should,
and shouldn’t,
be doing,
based on,
precedent,
rather than,
what wants,
to happen,
right now…
And it’s got,
to stop…
As #17 says,
about 22+33=superNOVA,
They lead,
I have no doubt,
in Alain Vigneault’s team,
of Lippanzer stallions,
who are,
as we speak,
for a game three,
final round,
showcase,
of man-oeuvres…
But seeing as,
there’s so much,
to go around,
what’s the harm,
in sharing a bit,
of pink,
by cheering,
for Boston’s #30,
and his fantastic tapping,
of the pipes…
Because,
as we all know,
the very best things,
in life,
are certainly,
worthy,
of ritual,
and reverence…
And when it comes,
to contracting out,
a Stanley Cup victory,
I know,
for sure,
THE key players,
would much prefer,
forty years,
of history,
not with a C-section,
but with,
a flaming,
bright,
god send…
They wake at dawn, because all the birds are singing...
Circular saw…
I thought we didn’t have our work boots on,
and got out-muscled down low in our end,
and got out-muscled down low in their end,
and thought they really took it to us…
But we talked about adjusting different things,
especially our work ethic…
— Alain Vigneault, RAW
Yesterday,
we added,
a new addition,
to our family,
through an open,
adoption…
And the first night,
as is typical,
when a family reconfigures,
was a little unsettling,
for the cats,
mostly,
because they’d never,
before seen,
a rabbit,
so it was rather alien,
to them…
I have almost,
as many dreams,
about rabbits,
as I have dreams,
about horses,
and the Vancouver Canucks…
So instead,
of just leaving those visions,
hanging in the ether,
I pulled another one down,
into the physical,
straight off,
of Craigslist…
This rabbit,
has been through a lot…
His mom told me,
all about,
his bouncing,
from home to home,
and back again…
And when we went,
to pick him up,
she worried,
that he would think,
that she hated him,
because she was handing him over,
to a home,
she thought,
would give him
what she thinks,
he needs…
I told her,
the words,
I needed to hear,
when I helped my dog,
over the rainbow bridge,
and the vet said,
You need to know,
that a lot of other people,
would have given up,
on this dog…
But you never did,
and because of that,
he is very grateful…
I still feel,
waves of guilt,
for what I think,
I did,
and didn’t do,
for my dog…
Especially,
that I now,
know how,
to sit still,
and contemplate,
my navel,
when before,
I was so distracted,
by everything…
I had a dream,
a few years ago,
that I was carrying,
an eleven year old boy,
in my arms,
over streams,
and through the woods,
trying to find someone,
who would help me,
with him,
because I didn’t know,
what to do…
As I went,
from person,
to person,
not ever wanting,
to give up,
on him,
each one,
shook their head,
and said,
I’m sorry…
There’s nothing,
to be done…
And even though,
this boy,
appeared to me,
this time,
in a human body,
I knew,
deep down,
he was,
the same being,
as my dog…
A few nights,
after that dream,
Little Gem,
came into my bed,
in the middle,
of the night,
and said,
I had a nightmare,
that people wanted to kill,
Sammy Boy,
but there was nothing,
wrong with him…
I once heard a man,
tell a story,
about how after,
he brought,
his son home,
from scheduled vaccinations,
at eighteen months old,
his son had a seizure,
and the seizures never stopped…
And the amount of energy,
coursing through his body,
during the many seizures,
he has in a twenty-four hour period,
for the rest of his life,
is the equivalent energy,
it takes,
a man to run,
a marathon…
And the doctors,
told the father,
Every time,
you son has a seizure,
there’s a chance he could die from it…
Don’t bring him back,
to Children’s Hospital,
there’s nothing,
we can do…
And one year,
this boy,
who is now a man,
had a teacher,
who said,
I want him,
in my class,
because I see the effect,
he has,
on all of the other students…
His way,
of being,
calms,
everyone down…
We live in a world,
where the dominant discourse,
continues to impose,
judgement,
on who is of value,
or not,
based on,
expired views,
of mass production…
In Game 2,
of the final round,
Manny Malhotra’s
face-off stats,
were mind-boggling,
given the chances,
that were undoubtedly stated,
by doctors,
pre-surgery…
But what the doctors,
didn’t know,
during the time,
in the OR,
was that,
some other forces,
were at play…
And these forces,
never subtract,
from the need,
for medical miracles…
They only seek,
collaboration,
and openness,
to a bigger picture,
of differentiation,
which is not,
immediately,
obvious,
and defies,
conventional values…
And the colour,
of the force,
is pink…
This morning,
as the Canucks charter,
took off,
for bear country,
I made bacon and eggs,
while Little Gem,
focused on her constructions…
She came to me,
in the kitchen,
and said,
Mama,
I’ve been working really hard on this…
And it hasn’t been easy…
See,
the horses live underneath,
and up on top,
is where the guests can stay,
in the second story…
I got chills, they're mulitplying...
Canuck'd 