Grilled cheese…
Yesterday I rode the Airport Express,
from Pearson International,
to the Westin Harbour Castle…
Along the way I knitted,
and listened to a woman,
at the back of the bus,
talking about the minute details of her life,
on a cell phone…
I was all ears,
because I didn’t have a choice…
It is astonishing what people are willing to say,
to each other,
in public…
And at the same time she was filling the bus with her life,
like a smoker standing beside a non-smoking section,
whether anyone around her was interested or not,
she criticized others,
I don’t know what is wrong with the world,
all people do these days is text and Twitter…
I believe it was Rumi who once said,
or wrote,
that We don’t see things the way THEY are…
We see them the way WE are…
One only needs to open a newspaper,
to see that critical thinking,
is not an area of expertise,
in this country…
We need to start with THE children,
in schools,
is a common refrain among politicians…
But really,
what we need,
to start with,
is ourselves…
Right NOW…
In today’s (October 22, 2009) Globe and Mail,
of the LIFE section,
a woman (I use this term loosely) writes in to Damage Control,
about a faux pas she made,
when she texted a girlfriend,
about the sexual performance,
or lack there of,
of a man she is dating…
And instead of sending it to her friend,
she accidently,
sent it to him…
OMG…
If the man was smart he would never see her again…
Or he would say,
Text me when you grow up…
People with any intelligence,
and maturity,
refuse to date,
because they don’t have to…
The universe works in very mysterious ways…
And if you’re in alignment with your higher aspects,
you really just have to stand still,
and the person of your dreams WILL show up,
fully,
and until then,
you just have to wait…
Damage Control offered a weak advice,
about men’s sexuality,
their performance pieces,
and how she can control the damage,
so that she can get him back,
and keep him,
through a game of cat,
and mouse…
As my daughter Starshine often says,
Good luck with that…
One day I was in my local neighbourhood deli,
getting some beer sausage,
for Starshine and Little Gem’s sandwiches…
The store is owned and operated,
by an Italian family,
who has lived in my neighbourhood,
for generations…
I’ve been buying my cold cuts there for seventeen years,
and I’ve known the grandchildren since they were babies…
They’re all teenagers now,
and that afternoon I talked with them,
about the distraction of texting…
I asked them why they don’t,
simply communicate,
with telepathy…
The seventeen year old girl said,
matter of fact,
Because not everyone,
is like US,
yet…
The wind in my lungs...
Advice column…
On a crisp Spring day in 2009,
after Mr. Green’s comprehensive exam at Harbour Centre,
in the board room with Colonel Mustard,
Dr. Avraham Cohen concluded with this deductive reasoning,
Philosophydoll, you have such a way of saying something by saying nothing…
Who would ever have thought YOU would be writing about hockey…
I once had a dream about a brand new pack of tarot cards,
and a paintbrush…
The cards were blank,
and the instructions were clear…
In listening to myself,
I always do what I’m told,
with increasing intensity…
Back in the days of suburban ditches,
when I was little,
there was no such thing as girls’ hockey…
So finding my legs,
in a cage,
on hockey skates,
is an adjustment,
and so is working up,
a quick shot,
with soft hands…
Unlike many of the boys in my classroom,
I never had to take a girl aside,
for a quiet conversation,
about playing pocket billiards,
during Calendar…
Different equipment,
typically,
but not always,
determines different perception,
and although this may seem,
like a verbal Suduko puzzle to some,
others will get it,
right off the bat…
After only three weeks at the local rink,
the shine is already wearing thin,
as self-appointed coaches,
irritate my sciatica,
with their uninvited hotstove…
Here is what I heard at Stick and Puck last Friday:
1) Get some new moves, you’re too predictable… (projection)
2) It’s a waste of time to skate with a stick and no puck… (from the old guys)
3) Ignore the old guys… (from the young guy)
4) You don’t need a cage… (from a healthy scratch)
Listen Mr. Hockeyhands,
I didn’t suffer through two years of braces,
with headgear,
in junior high,
to risk getting my teeth knocked out,
by a puck,
during a mid-ice crisis…
It’s funny to see THE Peanut Gallery choke on itself,
in response to the following epi-question,
Who’s department are YOU in right now???
It may be conspiracy theory,
but apparently NASA expended major energy this month,
by slamming a probe,
into the Moon’s south pole…
It shouldn’t have to take,
a team of rocket scientists,
to figure out,
that even with persistent strikes,
Luna would not offer up,
the expected response…
My doctor of TCM hit the nail on the head,
as I was impersonating a pin cushion,
on an amethyst mat,
when she said,
That is such a yang way to get some yin…
With so much ancient knowledge,
and genius,
available to Man-kind,
it is beyond comprehension,
that a more sophisticated way,
of coming together,
isn’t collective practice…
In commitment to a wu wei,
of evolving,
the origin of the species…
I haven't been shopping for any new shoes...
Kiss n’ cry…
I don’t have a television…
For the following reasons:
1) Most of what is on television is crap…
If you feel like you just ate a big bag of chips after a few hours of watching T.V. (some people won’t admit to this) your body is telling you something… You only have to be willing to listen…
2) When Starshine and Little Gem were younger I used the television as a babysitter so that I could take a shower, walk the dog, and meditate on a quick trip to Kauai before Iron Chef America was over… And when I wanted to turn the box off, so that we could eat, or talk, or play, they refused… I saw that the happy, vibrant children who sat down on the couch had vacated…
The de-programming it took to re-connect wasn’t worth the few hours of ‘freedom’…
3) Starshine and Little Gem quickly lost interest in Treehouse and almost exclusively watched the Food Network for quite a timet
Then used their knowledge to deconstruct what they saw me do in the kitchen…
Is there citrus in this dressing??? It is SO tangy.
Are you browning or sauteeing those onions?
You’re supposed to fold in egg whites… You are definitely not folding… That looks more like a whipping…
The scrutiny was too intense, and I worried about a visit from THE Ministry…
I cancelled cable and drove the TV and VCR up the street to My Sister’s Closet…
We have not looked back…
Starshine even said, I thought I would die when you got rid of the T.V. but after a few weeks I didn’t miss it anymore…
4) New neighbours moved in next door and they have the full home theatre system with HD… Plus they gave me the key to their house so we can watch the Canucks, and use the barbeque when necessary… Who needs that set up in your own house when you can enjoy it elsewhere…
Whenever the parents of my students complained about behaviour,
and sought advice,
the first thing I would ask about is television…
And I’d say that television needs to be eliminated,
before you can even start talking about moving behaviour,
in a more positive direction…
Some could commit to the program,
and quickly saw improvement,
in the overall quality,
of family life…
Others just couldn’t do it…
It is very hard to get off the pot,
but it is possible…
And one has to be aware of not substituting one addiction,
for another…
Now I watch how much laptop time is consumed,
not just by my children,
but also by myself…
At the moment we have a weakness for Battle of the Blades…
If you can cut through the cheese that obviously goes along,
with hockey players and ice dancers skating together,
there is something rather provocative,
about watching middle age men in satin,
and make-up,
challenge themselves by picking up women,
who aren’t easy…
I’m not sure what these guys are doing it for,
because it can’t just be for charity,
the publicity,
or for the money…
This is Canada and they’re on CBC…
Regardless,
I commend these retired hockey players,
a lot of whom have dirty reputations and NHL size egos,
for putting on figure skates,
and being willing to prance around Maple Leaf Garden,
playing air guitar,
in front of a live audience…
If Claude Lemieux can figure skate with the grace,
and dignity,
of a professional ice dancer,
in a few short weeks of training,
REALLY, anything is possible…
With my impeccable sense of timing,
and because I am willing to wait for just the right partner,
to complete his circling and land on my front porch,
I could become an Argentinian Tango street dancer by forty-five…
If I wanted to…
For the short time it appears on air,
Battle of the Blades is quintesessentially Canadian…
The judges are articulate and kind in their offering of criticism,
the participants are sweet and earnest,
the glitz and glamour are small town,
and sincerity of effort forms the bedrock of the production…
When Tie Domi grins like a Rottweiler puppy in the kiss and cry,
and Bob Probert chokes up for not making it to the next round,
you know they’ve finally found something that matters…
SOMETHING that can cure erectile dysfunction,
AND work wonders with the ladies,
without politics,
or a prescription…
Canuck'd 