Goodbye 2008! Thanks for the memories!

January 4, 2009

And so another year has already begun. As I have done for the last few years, I look forward to reflecting on the year's events as I send out my best wishes to all my good friends and loved ones. Whereas I have often written pages and pages of my adventures and trials, this year will undoubtedly be a much shorter exposé due to the very real fact that I have a rambunctious, delicious baby who is now literally just beginning to stand on her own two feet.

2008 was a dream of a year, rife with plenty of new experiences as a new mom, and now as a new employee - yes, I am officially back in the work force! I happily completed my maternity leave, enjoying every moment of Selina's first year of life, even if I was a bit of a worry-wart over whether she was eating enough or sleeping enough (goodness knows I didn't sleep enough).

Being so baby-fied, sadly I have had less time for get-togethers and one my most favourite past-times: e-mailing. Still, earlier in the year, I was able to reconnect with some old elementary school classmates who I haven't seen since 1983. I was even talked into giving a graduation ceremony speech for this year's Priory graduates 25 years after my own elementary school graduation. In May, I went to my 20th high school reunion where once again the turnout was so poor, I finally came to the realization that I really don't need to attend any more of these pointless reunions. I am already in touch with all the classmates and friends I care about.

Having been off work since June 2007, you'd think I'd have a harder time adjusting to my re-entry into the work force. Surprisingly, I was not only eager to take a bite out of my new job with Service Canada (good-bye lousy paying/no benefits job, hello sweet paying government job) but I think I may have finally found the perfect place for me; a job where most of my work-gained talents are seamlessly rolled into one. Fortunately, I was able to complete all the government interviews and exams during the year I was pregnant so thankfully there was a job waiting for me once my maternity leave was over.

To be sure, working for the government is definitely a more structured environment - no time for frivolous e-mailing, no sneaking out for executive lunch hours, no habitual traipsing in at 9:10 a.m.... But I do get regularly scheduled breaks and lunch times (much unlike my time working at the clinic), and I have a baby to go home to so I haven't gone out for a good ol' 5 à 7 in ages. Shockingly enough, I haven't missed them as much.

So far, the most notable difference between working in the public versus private sector was the Christmas party. Unlike the fancy dinners and open bar I so enjoyed while on the corporate scene, this year my partying consisted of a festive get-together in the office lunch room from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. with an array of cheese, bagels, yogurt and fruit to enjoy. Not to mention the joyous holiday gift of Tupperware (don't laugh - I love Tupperware!). It was perhaps not as lavish as the parties of yore forever burned in my "good times" file, but you can never beat a gathering of happy friendly co-workers, no matter where you are.

I was not the only one who was on the learning end of work experiences. Charles too had a few new adventures in the realm of psychology.
Continuing to build his private practice, this year Charles was engaged by the family courts to conduct several parental capacity assessments subsequently involving court appearances. (Yes, my baby had to give expert witness testimony just like you see on Law and Order!) Although the idea of appearing in court as an expert in his field was enticing, having to deal with criminally negligent parents and "white collar psychopaths" ultimately turned him off.

Beyond that, Charles' biggest, most gigantic task this year has been taking care of Selina while I am going to or coming from work. He is the ultimate champ, being the one to feed, change, dress, and prepare her for daycare in my absence. My first few days coming home after work, Selina would screech with excitement when I walked through the door. As the weeks went by, her desperate euphoria subsided. Spending all this added time with her daddy has brought them closer together and it fills me with such contentment knowing she is in the best of hands.

Selina continues to impress us with her developing personality. She only recently learned how to frown when showing her palpable displeasure
- it's just so cute! Equally cute are her four visible teeth, her giggle, and the way she says 'ha-whoa' into the phone, or tv remote. When she meets people, she looks them right in the eye. She has a penchant for dogs - the bigger the louder her squeals. And she is a Habs fan through and through. Charles and I took her to a pre-season training session at a local arena where we had the opportunity to see our favourite team show their stuff. Selina may have been the tiniest fan, but she clapped and cheered as fervently as any other.

This probably might sound like a boring, superfluous statement, but oh my god, has my life changed since I became a parent! How can it be possible that such a tiny being can take up so much of my time?? I think I must have read half a dozen books searching for some kind of assurance I was doing the right thing - especially when she came down with her first bout of gastro (Mom, if I never said it before, you truly are a saint for having raised 3 kids. There was no way I could have ever been prepared for so much vomit and liquid poop!)

Perhaps the biggest revelation of all was feeling a wave of sheer joy and love at seeing Selina dance. Without being taught or prompted, one day Selina just started to dance with a simple rocking of her shoulders, a tilt of her head, and a shake of her teeny booty. Knowing that this being we created is able to enjoy music is truly the most magical feeling I have ever experienced. I simply cannot wait to see what else she has in store for us.

Finally, I leave this last paragraph to share something that has grown especially dear to me this year: my blossoming relationship with my sister, Carolina. She has been absolutely amazing. I totally look forward to creating even more wonderful memories with her and her daughter, Sheyla.

Et voila, another year under my belt. Wishing you all health and happiness for the year to come and beyond!

Happy 2008!! Et voila: My Year-End Review

January 1, 2008

On April 18th 2002, I had dinner with my good friend Mitchell. I didn't know it then but it was to be the last time we'd see eachother... About two weeks later he died of a heart attack.
2002 was the year I wrote my first year-end review in part because of Mitchell. If there is one thing you could always count on, it was his dedication and affinity for cultivating and maintaining friendships. It is hard to believe it has been 5 years since I last saw my friend.
And so it is with him in mind that I write the year-end review. It's my way of saying that I truly value your friendship and all that we have experienced together. I just wanted you to know that.

Hold on the yer hats folks! Here is my year-end review:
Wow-wee, what a year! My year-end review typically tells of the year’s exotic highlights, however 2007 was totally a domestic affair. No vacation, no concerts… But big big things happened – most people I know either moved to a new home, changed “job description”, or had a baby. And I fit into all of the above.

Continuing with an old tradition handed down from my mum, at the stroke of midnight of the New Year I actively did something to help make a wish come true. Most years I jump outside with a suitcase because I hope to travel, or run around with my pockets stuffed with money (somehow that one doesn’t seem to work as well). This time I carried around a little baby outfit hoping to have someone to put it on in 2007. And sure enough, on January 26th we took the test that told us we were pregnant!

It was absolute torture to hold on to the secret for 3 months. Charles of course told our mechanic, our mortgage broker, the bank lady – basically everyone we weren’t related to. I myself couldn’t help but leak the news to certain individuals but successfully waited to drop the big bomb to my parents on my birthday, April 3rd, which also was Passover this year. My folks had been invited to Charles’ mom’s place for dinner and we planned to surprise them before the dinner with little thank-you cards cleverly equipped with the very first picture of our little baby inside. I watched keenly as my mother pondered over the ultrasound image -- it took a few seconds for it to sink in and when it did she gasped in joyful shock. She was so elated she had trouble getting up from the sofa to hug us. Everyone was surprised and happy and we were hugged all around, but my mother’s reaction was the single most wonderful moment in time that will grip my heart forever.

With the exception of one wild weekend of vomit while on a weekend stint to Plattsburgh (which Charles was oh-so happy about because it was definitive “proof” I was preggo), the pregnancy was quite manageable. No crazy weight gain, no nausea, no torturous back pain. Not even major cravings, although I did demand more Happy Meals than I have eaten in the last couple years. The hardest parts were the emotional rolla coaster, realizing I couldn’t run any more, and finding a comfortable position to sit or sleep in especially as the tummy got bigger. Oh, and not doing stuff or picking anything up. Which was kind of frustrating since we moved to our new house in May.

At the end of last year’s review I promised to fill you in on our adventures in house hunting last summer, which ended happily with us finding and purchasing our first home! After seeing a bunch of houses that were either too small, too old, or too expensive, we came across this little gem in Ile Bizard. “Ile Bizard?” you say. Well, I said that too. But our agent Vic was convinced we were to find what we wanted on this tiny island just across the water north of Pierrefonds and west of Laval.

At the top of our price range and a tad far from everything, this place had a few strikes against it from the start. But as with most things you initially poo-poo that are destined to be the best thing for you (like the party you didn’t want to go to but had the best time at, or the crabby co-worker who eventually became your best friend), I felt this house was “the one” the moment we saw it from the curb. Everything about it – the size, the layout, the pool – was perfect.

So we made a bid, plunked down some hard cash and >poof< we were homeowners! The journey then moved on to the more non-exciting parts of home owning like mortgage insurance, home insurance, life insurance, health insurance, drug insurance, welcome tax, school tax, property tax – oy vay! And finally: the villainous contractor.

Seeing as how contractors don’t have stellar reputations to begin with, this story isn’t actually worth telling from beginning to end. Suffice it to say, Charles and I chose to go with an old friend --at least I considered him a friend rather than an acquaintance since I’ve known him since 1999 and called him just about every New Year. I had an idea of his quality of work and thought we could trust him to be alone in our house during the day while we were at work.

In a nut, the job went over budget, and over schedule (which would be acceptable on some level if at least the job was done correctly) but the real stinger was when we noticed something very disturbing in one of the upstairs rooms: scotch tape. The man went and painted over scotch tape everywhere! No less than eighty-seven pieces of scotch tape. This room had belonged to the tween-age girl before we moved in and she had posters taped to every usable surface so no one can say it wasn’t noticeable. After 3 weeks and roughly 50% of the job yet to go, we were fuming. Not only were we paying top dollar, we suddenly discovered he was charging us for all of his lunch hours. The room was a total wash and we were dreading to find out what else wasn’t done properly.

When I confronted my contractor “friend” and pointed out all the scotch tape, all he could do was throw his arms in the air, take a step back and say “Hey, I’m here all by myself.” I couldn’t believe it. So I told him I was leaving to buy more paint for him to begin repairs on that room right away. By the time I came back, he was gone. No good bye, no sorry; just a ripped wall where he attempted to remove some of the scotch tape with a scrapper. And, of course, a house nowhere near finished as planned and promised.

A hard lesson learned: don’t hire friends. Our story of the scotch tape debacle could not be kept to ourselves and basically we told anyone who would listen. Thankfully it led us to find Sylvain “Le Finisseur”, the most interesting character I met this year. He turned out to be our knight in shining armor who was able to repair the room, and finish the rest of the house including the hardwood flooring, the new staircase, electrical work, plumbing, and painting. Truly, there isn’t anything this guy can’t do!

The only thing our resident French Canadian McGuyver needed to be kept happy was a cup of coffee and an enthusiastic ear to listen to his gallant stories of saving people who were unfortunate enough to have rotten and incompetent contractors before him. My favorite Sylvain-ism is when he’d find something amiss in the house, he’d cock his head to one side and say: “Pourquoi y’ont fait ça?” as if to say what kind of idiot would do that? Even though he was technically booked well until next fall, he always managed to find time to come to our home, which we really appreciated and were only too happy to supply him with all the coffee and ears we had.

Another hard lesson learned: don’t work for friends. I actually knew this one already, but what can I say? I am a glutton… Anyway, after 3 years of working for my friend podiatrist, I think I can safely say the friendship (if it ever really was one) is officially over.

Not a big shock, mind you. Things weren’t peachy for some time but it all started to go super sour shortly after I told her I was preggo which naturally meant I had to miss work to go to doctor appointments, ultrasound appointments, and tests. Also, my new house, or rather its location, made it impossible for me to stay late if I wanted to get home by public transport in less than 2 hours. Suddenly my time wasn’t her time any more. Never mind the fact that I was pregnant and couldn’t be on my feet for long periods of time, or that I had to actually eat dinner at a decent time. One would imagine a “friend” would be sensitive to my condition, much less my boss. She failed on both counts.

Thankfully Charles heard from one of his co-workers that I might actually have a case with the CSST (the provincial workman’s union) to be able to leave work on mat leave early. So in June they came, evaluated my workstation and determined aspects of my job were indeed hazardous to my pregnancy. This meant my boss had to either change my work duties or let me go on leave immediately. She had her own brilliant ideas of how to facilitate my work responsibilities (which included changing my hours from 9-to-5 to 12-to-6) to which I flat out refused. I guess she forgot the part about the duties being hazardous. Still, I knew how busy the office was. I wanted to be fair and offered to stay on to help out with office work until she found someone I could train to replace me. Instead she gave me 10 minutes to gather all my things and go. No thank you. No good-bye. “That’s it my friend” was all she said, and walked out of the room.

I am a little sad that I didn’t get a chance to properly say good-bye to my wonderful co-workers or some of my favorite patients. (I also miss my morning coffee from the dep downstairs.) I am at least proud that I gave it my all, learned a lot, and was damn good at my job. I got to meet some fascinating people. And fascinating feet.

Ah, I love funemployment! You know, the great thing about being off work was knowing that my CSST cheque was in the mail all while my most difficult daily task was deciding how many times to go swimming. As we got closer to my due-date, Charles started to spend more time with me and the tummy. Now that we have our own little abode, Charles is concentrating on his private practice which is run out of the house. With no shortage of excitement, the summer was dominated by renovations, unpacking, learning all about lawn and pool maintenance, waddling, exploring the West Island, having family over, and preparing for the baby.

In August I finally completed my conversion to Judaism. I had started the class back in September 2006 (with Charles by my side), passed the test in early 2007, did the mikvah in our very own pool, and finally made my affirmation in front of the congregation. It was actually quite an emotional moment for me. Having volunteered at the Temple several times, I already made some friends who were there when I was called to the arc to hold the Torah as I made my affirmation. It was a little funny when among the vows is the one where I promise to raise my children Jewish if we are so blessed. A warm chuckle rolled around the room as I stood there with my big tummy. But the truly moving part was as I walked around the sanctuary with the Rabbis, members of the congregation came forth to congratulate and welcome me. It really felt like the beginning of a new life and joining a new family.

By the end of the summer the tummy was massive. I have to admit, it’s quite amazing to have a living thing moving around inside you. I could lie there for hours waiting for her to make an appearance. When Charles would catch one of her summersaults he’d look at me in disbelief and ask if it freaked me out, which in some way it did. But honestly, it wasn’t so bad to have everyone want to touch the tummy. We found out early on that we were having a girl and so we had plenty of time to envision what our daughter would be like. Charles came to all the appointments and prenatal classes. He even played guitar for the tummy all the time. A more eager dad-to-be there never was. Of course, he was hoping for a lesbian…

Finally the big day, September 26th, was upon us and although I was slightly disappointed to not be able to deliver the baby the natural way, a scheduled c-section has a way of taking the bulk of worry out of the equation. With 10 minutes of slicing and 30-40 minutes of putting me back together, I basically knew how, where and when everything was going to happen in advance. You simply show up for your appointment, get pumped full of drugs, wait, and they hand you a baby. A beautiful baby we have been waiting for our whole lives.

The c-section procedure did have its discomforts. At one point I was so focused on the feeling of someone digging their elbow into my ribs that I was suddenly distracted by the tiny sound of crying. From where I was lying, I saw them whisk a tiny figure from behind the curtain and caught a glimpse of an elbow and a head full of dark hair. At 10:58 a.m. she finally arrived and I was dying to meet her. As soon as she was wrapped up, Charles brought her over and >poof< we were a family. Together at last.

It’s been almost 3 months since Selina Michelle Ugarte Dahan was born. In that time we’ve met the breast-feeding challenge, took about a thousand pictures, pretty much mastered changing poopy diapers except for the occasional attack à la Pearl Harbour, and have become addicted to her smile. Oh, and we also have come to loath hospitals. Unfortunately, Selina had a tiny skin infection we had to deal with and although it wasn’t too serious, because she was only 12 days old when we took her to the Children’s Hospital, she had to be admitted for a 5-day intravenous antibiotic treatment. Luckily, she recovered quickly from the unexpected bout. Unluckily, I caught it from her a week later and needed antibiotic treatment myself. Three hospitals in 3 weeks = ugh!

Recovery from the cesarean was a little difficult. I still can’t run but I am already back to my pre-preggo weight and I have my very own mummy-tummy with a most precious scar to boot. Home made food from Charles’ and my folks was a godsend and to be honest, I think Selina grew about 10 pounds overnight once the food started coming. She literally did not fit in her newborn sized diapers from one day to the next. That’ll teach us to buy diapers in bulk.

One thing I have to say is that I don’t know what I would do without Charles. How single mothers survive is truly a miracle. Aside from being great with the baby and taking care of me, he’s been so great with my family and keeps this ship afloat like a champ. He has been with me the whole time, except for the night he went to see one of our favorite bands from Finland: Nightwish. Normally we would have gone together but this time he went on his own and he bumped into the singer Marco! So what does he do? He calls me up and has Marco speak to me on the phone! (Sweet!!) Even when we are apart, he is with me.

Even though my Chinese horoscope year forecast warned me not to buy a house or start a family this year, I’d say things have turned out relatively well. 2007 was the year almost everything happened without trying too hard. In January, I managed to put together a mini-reunion of Villa girls (me, Beverly, Jae, Katia, Astrid and Diane) with no more than a thought and two e-mails. With the exception of Jae who I see regularly, I haven’t been with these girls all together in almost 20 years! In April, Charles scored front row center tickets to Lord of the Dance and we sent my parents on a much-deserved treat. On the list of similar accomplishments are the Mother’s Day dinner skillfully arranged on the fly, catching my mum totally off guard with a surprise birthday lunch with her friends, and throwing my dad a nice dinner in our new home to celebrate his 40th anniversary of coming to Canada.

I may not have gone to any concerts or exotic destinations, but truly this year was filled with unforgettable moments and people. I discovered that the most humbling thing that can happen to you is having your own child. Every day I came closer to becoming a parent, the more I appreciated what my parents did for me growing up. As I sit here writing this review – in this beautiful home with my little one asleep in her bed – I look around at the pictures covering the fridge and feel I finally know what love and commitment really is. I wake up everyday in awe of how my love continues to grow for this wonderful man. Every time I see Charles snuggle with his daughter, an incredible feeling comes over me... We made a little human! Who cares if she isn’t a lesbian!

Seems like everyone has had a momentous year - there has also been a baby boom of sorts; several high school friends also recently had or are having babies: Soo-Youn, Katia, Lilianna, Kristin, and Diane.

Looking back at 2007, one word comes to mind: Whew!! Who knows what 2008 will bring. I could do with less excitement for the next little while. But with the little one already making the moves to start crawling, you can bet there can only be more fun fun fun on the horizon.

In my heart of hearts, I wish you all the best in love and happiness, health and prosperity for the New Year and always.

Lots of love, Mama Cecilia

Happy New Year to one and all!

It’s time once again for my traditional year-end review. At first glance, I can’t say 2006 was particularly momentous for me. I hate for these end-of-year things to be so meh but what are you going to do? Chances are that’s how it’ll start out then suddenly it’s 3 pages later.

Well, work is the same, folks are the same, sibs are the same. The biggest development is that Charles is now working as the psychologist at an addiction treatment centre. He is doing very well and always thinking of additional ways to bring more clients to the centre for counseling, not just addictions. I always find it impressive when someone is so clearly meant to do what they do.

Charles and I like to spice up our every-day lives by going to concerts whenever we can. This year we saw Evanescence, Lacuna Coil, and The Gathering, but the doozie was going to see the Dixie Chicks – yee haw!! They really had the place jammin’. I never knew I could like country music so much. I’m not sure the Chicks had as good a time as I did though. Their latest tour was mostly a Canadian one since their popularity in the US dropped somewhat after Natalie’s little statement on being embarrassed about the President being a fellow Texan. We actually got a taste of Nat’s wild little tongue when she was commenting to the audience on how much they liked visiting Montreal but finished up with “Oh, y’all probably can’t understand what I’m sayin’ anyway.”

Our summer vacation is usually a major source of adventure. This year, Charles and I went to Staunton Virginia, smack in the middle of the Shenandoah Valley. You must be saying to yourself, hey isn’t that where The Waltons used to live? Well, it’s true. This factoid was a big selling point for us going down there. Actually, we were invited by one of Charles’ friends, William Paquet, who is a sculptor of comic characters, monsters and fiends. He’s in fact a pioneer of the industry and we were very excited to meet him. Staunton (pronounced Stanton) is not that big but it has a lot of historical buildings that luckily were not destroyed during the Civil War. They had just finished filming the sequel to Bruce Almighty the day before we got there. (You got away this time Morgan Freeman – damn you!!)

As you can imagine, the subject of the Civil War is very big down there. I was hoping we would get a chance to see a battle re-enactment but it rained half the time we were there. Instead we went to see some of the local sights like the Natural Bridge, which is further south of Staunton. As with most nature sites, there is a fair amount of walking involved but once it comes into view, it manages to take your breath away with its majestic simplicity. Aside from the Natural Bridge being what it is, the stories about it are kind of cool too.

Blue Ridge homeboy Thomas Jefferson considered the Natural Bridge "that most sublime of nature's works" and on July 5, 1774, he bought it and several surrounding acres from King George III for the “sum of 20 shillings of good and lawful money.” (about $2.40).
As we walked beneath the massive arch, I heard whispers of “there it is.” We figured out people were looking at what is considered to be the handy work of George Washington himself. According to legend, in 1750, a 19 year old GW was doing some land surveying in the area for a local Lord, and decided to scale 23 feet up the left wall to carve his initials. At first I felt kind of blasé about the carving. I mean big deal; it’s too far away to get a good look at anyway. But then, as the sound of the water quietly meandered past us and the gentle rustle of the leaves 215 feet overhead enveloped me, I imagined young George Washington innocently carving his initials – confident and brash, all proud of himself – not knowing the unimaginably immense role he would one day play. The words destiny and glory rushed into my thoughts. And then I remembered the current raging violence and war… What would he think of his country now?

Even though our vacation had several memorable highlights, there were other events that marked the year more strongly. As we head into what is supposed to be the coldest part of the year, all I think of these days is global warming. This past December, we didn’t have a real snowfall until after Christmas. Usually we see it by late November. You look outside now, January 2007, and the ground isn’t white anymore, it’s back to green. Some trees still haven’t shed all their leaves. Most people are happy at how nice the weather is, but not me. I’d hate to think that my kids might not experience snow pants, sledding, snow angels, skating outdoors, building forts, or a free day of no school because of a terrible snowstorm.

Perhaps the most powerful film I saw this year was An Inconvenient Truth. It seems kind of silly that a movie could be so influential in my very own life, but I suppose if I’ve known what global warming is but can still admit that I do little to change my habits then maybe a movie is really what the doctor ordered because it got me to go to the website and find out things, albeit simple things, but real things I can do to help.

Like: 1) Don’t just turn off electronic devices you’re not using – Unplug them! Even when turned off, things like hairdryers, cell phone chargers and televisions use energy. In fact, the energy it takes to keep display clocks lit and memory chips working spews about 18 million tons of carbon into the atmosphere every year!

And: 2) Use compact fluorescent light bulbs – They use about 75% less energy, last up to 10 times longer, and produce 90% less heat than standard incandescent bulbs. This simple switch will save about 300 pounds of carbon dioxide a year. If every family in the U.S. made the switch, they’d reduce carbon dioxide by more than 90 billion pounds!

The website (http://climatecrisis.org/) has a whole bunch of suggestions but I like these two because I never knew I was wasting so much energy needlessly. And because they are easy. Charles will tell you, I’m all about the easy stuff. As with most things, it’ll take some getting used to. Like switching from milk to soy I guess. Kind of yucky at first, but oh so yummy now.

Another eye opening movie for me was The Rocket, the Maurice Richard story. This is actually the second Quebecois movie we intentionally saw this year – and really liked! (Bon Cop Bad Cop was also very good and highly enjoyable.) The Rocket starts with radio coverage of the Richard Riot. I had never heard of it before (which is kind of embarrassing) and had I known about it when I was in high school, I would have had a completely different appreciation for the bitter Francophone attitude of towards Anglophones.

I was actually kind of upset I never heard of it before. In high school, I was taught more about apartheid in South Africa than the bigotry and racism depicted in the movie. Wikipedia describes The Richard Riot as a riot that broke out on March 17, 1955 in Montreal, Quebec where the Canadiens star player had been suspended (right before the play-offs) for a attacking a linesman. It sparked outrage and a riot at the Montreal Forum that spilled out into the streets. Some commentators have linked the Richard Riot in the 1950's with the birth of Quebec nationalism and the Quiet Revolution. It was truly an excellent film.http://info.detnews.com/history/story/index.cfm?id=56&category=sports

In essence, 2006 for me was a long year of wishing things would get better. Everyday there were new reports of suicide bombers, dead soldiers, conflicts and scandals, school shootings, people crushed to death by collapsing overpasses, … It doesn’t seem to end.
On September 13th, a lone gunman went into my old college and shot a whole bunch of students, killing an innocent young girl. I remember feeling horrified and stunned when a similar event happened in December of 1989. This time, part of the tragedy is that it’s not quite as shocking. It’s almost a matter of fact.

It was only hearing first hand accounts from friends of their experience on that day that made the incident more real for me. One was from a frantic father who works right across the street from Dawson. Watching from his office window as the police arrive and people start to race out of the building, he spends an eternal 13 minutes in hell until he gets a call from his wife telling him their 18 year old son was home safe and sound.

The other tale is from a former classmate who now teaches at Dawson. She recounted her seeing a bizarre stampede of people outside her office door, the endless hour hiding and waiting with hysterical students, and at last the police escort out of the school, past pools of blood and the draped body of the lifeless killer.

It’s hard to imagine how a world where the existence of this kind of hatred and violence came to be. It makes me constantly hope against hope that things will get better. The signs are sometimes small and come in surprising forms. During the holidays, I read about a group of people giving free hugs here in Montreal and it just felt like this was one such sign of hope and change so I looked it up on YouTube. I mean, it must be real if it’s been on Oprah already.

The Free Hugs Campaign started in Sydney, Australia, when Juan Mann was standing in the airport feeling alone and needing a hug. He decided to stand on the busiest corner in town with a huge sign that said "FREE HUGS". It started an international phenomenon. The success of Free Hugs reminds us that “at the basis of what makes us human is that moment in which we are one with another human being. Hugs are the physical expression of that oneness. And it is only by realizing that oneness can we truly start on the road to peace.”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vr3x_RRJdd4&mode=related&searchhttp://www.freehugscampaign.com/

2006 was also the year I found out my first close high school friend had a baby. Yep, I recently rekindled contact with dear ol’ Diane. She and her hubby Boyd are now the proud parents of 7 month old boy, Anwar. And just to make things even, my old college buddy Tim and his wife Lisa just had a baby girl, Madison, 4 days ago. Can you believe it?? These days, nothing beats the sound of little feet and baby voices.

Well, that’s it really. I do have some tales about adventures in house hunting and plans to move out of the apartamento in 2007 – but I will save that juicy tidbit for next year’s round-up.

Take care everyone. All the best in health and happiness for the new year and always.

Hugs,
Cecilia

Previously on Blogger Naut...

Since I don't have much time for blogging and I don't always have much to write about anyway, I've decided to cut 'n' paste the year end reviews I've written for the last few years for a condensed recap of what's happened in my life of late.
Keeping these reviews also helps me remember what happened in what year. It reminds me I should write names and dates on the back of pictures...

Happy New Year! - Cecilia Takes a Look back at 2005

Feliz Navidad! Happy Holidays! Joyeuses Fêtes! and Happy New Year!!

Greetings folks! Here we are at the cusp of a brand new year… In attempting to write this year's round-up of memorable happenings, I realized I'm starting to have difficulty trying to figure out how to start off these reviews in new and exciting ways… So how about we just get started, shall we?

In last year's update, I mentioned I had started working for a podiatrist (foot doctor). This year I got to see first-hand a lot of the stuff I learned about in school, like what happens to a diabetic foot when it has been neglected for too long, and what toenails look like when they haven't been cut in years. Sound a little grodey? Well, except for the sad human element that brings people to this point, the actual functionings or, in some cases, mis-functionings of the human body are absolutely fascinating. People say to me all the time that they are embarrassed by their feet and that theirs must be the ugliest feet I've ever seen, but I always tell them after what I've seen this year, most feet are close to godly.

On top of the day-to-day care of feet in the clinic, I also still do a little reflexology on the side. This year I was encouraged to join a group of reflexologists who together try to increase public awareness about this alternative therapy by participating in many shows and conferences all over the city. Aside from this being a great networking source and opportunity to learn from experienced reflexologists, I'm secretly hoping continued exposure to this bunch will result in some rubbing off of their incredible energy and ambition on little ol' moi.

This world of feet is still kind of new and a little tentative mostly because being part of the corporate world is still so fresh in my mind and quite honestly something I kind of miss from time to time. No more meetings, staff lunches, and internet access au but, not to mention the camaraderie and, well, of course, office gossip. It's hard to know whether the career gamble you've made will be a winner or a crash-and-burner.

But sometimes a sign of hope comes right when you need it most. A friend had suggested I read The Celestine Prophecy because she thought I might connect with its metaphysical theme. Although a lot of it was a little melo-dramy, I did find myself relating to the theory that there are no such things as coincidences, and that life is full of cosmic events leading us to our destiny. I wasn't sure how this was cosmic thingy was happening in my life, but I thought the premise downright titillating in the realm of What Ifs.

I suppose it was kismet that I read this book when I did. One day an old friend called out of the blue to tell me of an available position – an opportunity to re-join the corporate machine! The proposition was deeply enticing since at the time I was feeling a little frustrated and unappreciated at work, and I was tempted to give it a shot, after all it was a chance to go back to where I had once been so happy – hello big money, hello power suits, hello company Christmas parties … It took me a minute but eventually I remembered why I left that world in the first place and it helped me realize that while my new path may seem daunting now, it sure beats being at the beck and call of someone who could quite easily replace and forget you tomorrow. Knowing this, I passed on applying for the position and found renewed courage and faith in the road ahead.

Being newly-focused on continuing my quest, later in the year I took several classes which some might consider on the eccentric side yet were surprisingly stimulating nevertheless. One class was a hands-on course in chair massage (God, I love it when people touch me!), and another was called "Focusing" which is a kind of self-therapy developed at the University of Chicago. The idea for this process came from the fact that not everyone in psychotherapy gets better and some of those who respond best to counselling are those who are able to get in touch with the parts of their body that manifested what they were feeling emotionally. It's hard to describe, but in a nutshell that pain in your back/neck/stomach/etc is your body speaking to you. And when you listen, it can change your life.

For our summer vacation, Charles and I went back to New York City. Eager to try something new, upon first arriving we headed straight to Broadway and plunked down some big cash for tickets to see Glen Gary Glen Ross, starring Alan Alda and Liev Schreiber, and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, starring John Lithgow. I've heard it said many times but I finally see why people claim there is nothing like watching a bona fide Broadway show. It was unbelievably thrilling to be sitting in the 4th row, literally spitting distance from Alan Alda, and boy did he sprinkle up a storm. Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, a musical, was even more mesmerizing. I think I beamed in sheer delight the whole time. My face was hurting from all my dumbfounded smiling.

Our NYC adventure continued as we also went to see a taping of The Daily Show, saw a gazillion dinosaur bones at the Museum of Natural History just off Central Park, and walked across the Brooklyn Bridge. But perhaps the most moving sight was going to Ground Zero. We hadn't planned on making it part of the itinerary, but once we had crossed the bridge, it was just across the way so why not go see the place where our current global reality was birthed. New York City is a monstrous beast of a city, and walking through the streets you sometimes actually feel like a mouse in a maze of skyscrapers that tower endlessly overhead. Reaching the block where the Twin Towers once stood, we entered a space of stark silence and emptiness. It was unmistakably the "Empty Sky" Bruce Springsteen sang about in his song. To be surrounded by tall buildings right up until you turn the corner and then suddenly - - - nothing. The mere thought that those gigantic structures could have fallen in such a narrow space simply boggles my mind.

Other things I learned this time in New York: their public transit system is completely air-conditioned (yup, the buses and subways); the Kosher food in Brooklyn is to die for!; and on Broadway some theatres hold a lottery before each performance for leftover seats – if you win you can buy those tickets for roughly $20 bucks.

Over the summer we spent many a weekend in Plattsburgh where Charles' mom has a little place. There's nothing like a trailer trashin' it wheres alls we do is eat 'em fried chickens and swim in them there pool. Yee haw! In September we happened to witness some of the festivities surrounding The Battle of Plattsburgh, which by all accounts was a major turning point in the attempted re-appropriation of the U.S. by the British in the war of 1812. Where it not for the strong gust of wind that never came, leaving the British fleet to flounder in Lake Champlain, the American forces would not have been able to regroup in time to ward off further advancement by the Redcoats and so on September 11th, 1814, 14,000 British soldiers were defeated by 5,000 Yankees. As we were discussing the historical significance of this momentous victory with Elaine, the nice lady at the post office, she could not help but thank her lucky stars things turned out the way they did. Knowing they had come this close to becoming British subjects, and surely later on Canadians, was a fate she quite vocally was thrilled to have avoided. After the sting of the unintended and clearly oblivious affront wore off, I realized we both share a comparable gratitude and could only in turn thank my lucky stars that I am not an American.

For me, 2005 has been a year notably marked by a keen new interest in reading. A major reason for this has been The Daily Show which Charles and I record and watch regularly. I have to admit, I haven't been this interested in current events in many years and it's difficult to say if it's specifically Jon Stewart's show that has sparked my interest -- or the continuing abysmal reality of the George W. Bush administration. In any case, Jon Stewart has had many authors as guests on his show, and I have checked out a number of their books on more than one occasion.

The one I enjoyed the most was Assassination Vacation by Sarah Vowell. It is a wacky, weirdly enthralling exploration of the first three presidential assassinations. Vowell, a woman obsessed with death and U.S. history, goes on a pilgrimage of sorts to the sites and monuments that pay homage to Lincoln, Garfield and McKinley, including the Joseph N. Nathanson Collection of Lincolniana at McGill, the most unique and extensive collection of Abraham Lincoln memorabilia north of the U.S. border. The section on the Lincoln assassination was thoroughly fascinating, and I was also particularly impressed when Vowell pointed out the similarities between McKinley's preemptive war against Cuba and the Philippines and the current war in Iraq. Incidentally, Sarah is the voice of Violet from The Incredibles, so if you have the DVD, you can check out the little bit on her and her fascinating book. For an excerpt of Assassination Vacation, click here: http://www.simonsays.com/content/book.cfm?sid=33&pid=505481&agid=2

On the Hit, Miss and What's This? List…
Things that lived up to the hype: 1) Sidney Crosby – man, what a player! 2) Million Dollar Baby – no one knows how to get beat to a pulp in a movie like Hilary Swank; 3) Seeing the look in Brad Pitt's eyes in a scene with Angelina Jolie in Mr. & Mrs. Smith – that's not acting, folks. It's love. 4) The Amazing Race comes to Montreal for the season finale – God, I love that show!!

Things that made me go "Ugh": 1) Most of the new TV shows and Lost - will someone please tell these people to get on with the story already!! 2) Montreal's new computerized parking meters – a faster and easier way for the city to rip people off; 3) The Canadiens; 4) The sad and pathetic world of Canadian politics and their disgusting waste of tax payer money.

Things that came out of no where: 1) Alien vs Predator – I was quite impressed, but probably because I went in with pretty low expectations; 2) The Exorcism of Emily Rose – if you like court room dramas and spooky stuff, this is a pretty damn decent film; 3) the internet – although this remains quite frankly a keystone of my daily existence, it still manages to deliver unexpected gems of classic entertainment, at least for my sense of humour; 4) The wedding of Charles and Camilla – proof that love can survive and win against the odds.

On the concert scene: Duran Duran (finally!!), Bruce Springsteen in Ottawa, Him (a cool group from Finland), and the love of my life – Bryan Adams! Bryan Adams was quite possibly the ultimate score since I have been waiting to see him literally my whole life. Well, at least since I was 14. Of course, this dream come true would never have happened without Charles' impressive talent for wheeling and dealing on eBay. Our tickets were for the 5th row but we ended up running up to the stage where we were just a few feet away from the man himself. Bryan started the show with "Here I Am" and as he sang the words - here I am, this is me, there's no place in this world I'd rather be, here I am, just me and you, tonight we'll make our dreams come true - I started to bawl my eyes out. I must have cried for the entire first three songs, right up until a behemoth of a woman (who looked like that serial killer chick from the movie Monster) nearly ploughed me over to get closer to Bryan so she could give him a rose – she might have had more luck if she had at least washed her hair and put in her front teeth. But oh, what a night to remember. At the end of the show, Bryan said Montreal had a special place in his heart since this was where he first started to make it big and that we are all very lucky to be Canadians and to remember that right at that moment two Canadians were being held hostage by terrorists in Iraq, hoping to stay alive.

Other memorable events of 2005: several friends took a chance on love and won (hooray!); a couple friends and my brother individually did mucho mucho traveling (i.e. a charity mission to Panama, a road trip from Texas to the southern tip of Central America, Polar Bear watching in Churchill Falls, and a journey to Pakistan to help victims of the earthquake); the comic book convention in Toronto – thanks to Charles' instigation, it was the first time I introduced myself as a fellow illustrator and it seems cute chick artists are quite the rare and alluring birds who gets lots of attention :)

Closer to home, Charles completed his internship and obtained his Masters so he is now officially a card carrying Psychologist and I could not be more proud. He and I spent Christmas at the country house with the whole family where we treated everyone to Charles' absolutely amazing lasagna. During dinner, I saw my adorable little 19th month-old niece Sheyla doing the cutest thing with her 'talking' index finger while grunting "Redrum". Aww, isn't she sweetest?

Looking back, it doesn't feel like a lot has happened to me personally event wise so I don't know where all this blah blah came from... But I am so done with 2005 and raring to welcome in 2006.

Thanks to my friends who were there when I turned to you for support - you'll never know how your love and understanding saved me from those blue days.Thanks to my parents (who celebrated their 35th wedding anniversay this year) - you gave me so much while we were growing up and I really appreciate everything you've done for me.And thanks to Charles for bringing new treasures to our life, encouraging me to try new things, and for making me feel beautiful and loved.

So Happy New Year to you all! Wishing you all the best this life has to offer and more...,
Cecilia

2004 - A time to remember

Season's Greetings and Happy New Year!

Alas, 'tis that time once again to reach out and send many heartfelt wishes to my dearest friends and family. For me, the holiday season is always an opportunity to look back over the past year and see how life's challenges, successes and failures, have shaped my on-going existential adventures.

2004 started off with blissful funemployment. My most strenuous daily activities mainly consisted of driving Charles to and from school, and finding new locations to manage my favorite duty: sending e-mail jokes. Following last year’s epiphany to switch careers, I enrolled in 2 courses – Reflexology and an intensive in foot care. Reflexology is an alternative medicine in which pressure is applied to certain parts of the feet in order to promote relaxation and healing elsewhere in the body. The best thing about taking that course was studying with my Mom. It was wonderful to not only see her take the plunge in exploring new interests, but also finding productive things to do during her retirement. Learning a new vocation together was truly an unforgettable experience.

The weekend course was more of a challenge because it was given completely in French. We were a small group, just 8 of us in the class, and to my surprise none spoke any English except me. The teacher was well organized and very encouraging – probably one of the top five teachers I have ever had. Although, I managed to do very well it’s almost too bad I was not in a more conducive atmosphere. One time the girl sitting next to me asked what some of the terminology was in English, which I imagine was for my benefit. The teacher plainly replied she didn’t know and didn’t care; having worked in foot care for the better part of 19 years, she had the luxury of choosing her clientele, which means nothing but French feet for her. It’s hard to know how to joke with someone you really like, but is so openly anti-Anglo. The course was nonetheless extremely rewarding not only because I learned a new skill, but because it was secretly empowering to see this handful of women, each at a different phase in their lives, take a gamble on changing careers while having other responsibilities like children and day jobs. It makes you believe that sometimes it’s true – anything is possible.

For our summer vacation, Charles and I decided to go to Maine. After last year’s Cape Cod triumph, it’s easy to see how anything might pale by comparison but we were up for a new adventure. We were not, however, prepared for cold rainy weather. 2004, by all accounts, was wet worldwide and the weather in Maine was no exception. Our week of camping in Bass Harbor started off with a million hour drive on a 20 miles per hour speed limit road through Vermont and New Hampshire (interstate 2). We managed to set up our tent by the light of the car’s headlights and woke up in a puddle of torrential rain. Thius was the beginning of our vacation which was highlighted overall by a daylong trip to the local laundromat to dry everything we own (sleeping bags included), the picturesque seashore of Mount Desert Island, watching the fog literally roll in (unbelievable!!), gueetar playin’ n’ singin’ tunes by a toasty campfire, going to see Stephen King’s house in Bangor, and the best lobster dinner known to mankind. Nearby Bar Harbor is very nice but crawling with mostly pubescent gangs of giggly girls who call each other on their cell phones ever 2 minutes. Thanks, but I’ll pick rainbow-colored Provincetown over this scenario any day.

In a quest to discover more exciting venues, we drove around quite a bit. One particular day, our exploration of Maine led us to Augusta, the state capital. Well, things weren’t turning out very well since Sunday in those parts is *gasp* the sabbath, ergo nothing is open. Not even the public library. Following a kind stranger’s suggestion we took a half-minute drive east and discovered a little jewel on the Kennebec River named Hallowell. Hallowell is the smallest city in the United States, with just over 2000 people. Charles and I enjoyed an unforgettable day of antiquing and conversing with eccentric Americans, the most memorable of which is a man named Tim Plummer.

In his store of antique toy soldiers and train sets, Tim had a map of North America and promptly stuck a pin in Montreal after we answered his anti-Bush survey. We left the store with a copy of his book of anecdotes of Hallowell and its people. It’s full of stories that make you laugh out loud, like the time Tim put up a “Summer Madness Sale, Everything 50% More” sign… He tells: A lady came in and asked about a table marked $150 what would the sale be now? Without batting an eye I said $225. She looked a little taken aback. I told her to go read the sign again. On the back counter I had a sign that read, “Prizes Given for the Most Stupid Remark of the Month”. A lady looked at the sign, and then asked, What is the prize? I looked back at her in amazement and said, I don’t know yet, but you win. […] Directly across from my shop in the open space there was a federal HUD sign saying something like, working for you, JOBS FOR YOUR COMMUNITY… Over the word JOBS on the sign in the same color script and size I painted the word BLOW (and replaced it in its original position). It stayed there for the rest of the summer. Now that’s our kind of guy! Thanks Tim. You made our day.

Two big things happened in 2004. After I finished my studies, I started working for a podiatrist downtown. It’s been hugely rewarding thus far not only because of the work (you won’t believe some of the feet I have seen!!), but also because of the people I work with. It is a joy to come into work each day because of them. AND – my sister had a baby! Yes, I am an Aunt and I just love little Sheyla so much, I cannot even begin to tell you how beautiful and special she is. The whole family has embraced this little soul who captures our hearts effortlessly. We’re in for big trouble, that’s for sure.

In the world of Charles, production plans for his movie are constantly in stop-and-go mode, not unusual and pretty much expected after years of inching towards the big screen. In January, he was featured on the cover of the Arts & Life section of the Montreal Gazette and is now listed on the IMDB website. In the meantime, he is in the final stretch of his Masters degree and works as a guidance counselor at Lindsay Place High School in Pointe-Claire. Although this particular internship may not have been his first choice, he has truly embraced working with the kids and he has obviously made an impact in the kids’ lives and their attitudes towards counseling. In a field where 98% of counselors are female, seems like having a guy on the team is really what the doctor ordered. Young men need someone they can turn to and feel like they are understood. Charles is that guy for them. And the girls like him too. He’s really something.

Other 2004 highlights: Seeing Sting & Annie Lennox, Nightwish, and Sarah McLachlin in concert; watching American Idol winner Fantasia sing Summertime; the Daily Show with Jon Stewart. 2004 was also the year my first high school friend got married, I took my first yoga class, and my cat died. She was my best friend in the years when I felt no one understood me and I will treasure her memory always.

So here we are, 2005 at last! I have a feeling it is going to be a good one so please take care of yourselves – broken bodies and hearts are already on the mend. Jubilation and peace are just ahead.

2003's Round-up

Season's Greetings! – Last year I was inspired by a friend to write a little blurb on how my year had gone. It was surprisingly therapeutic for me, and it in turn inspired others to do the same. And so, here now is a not-so-little blurb on 2003 in the life of Cecilia.

I started 2003 with anticipation that my maternity-leave contract as an admin assistant would finally yield a permanent job at E&Y after almost 4 years of temping; but it was not to be. The last 9 months of the contract were so completely horrible (largely due to the unexpected discovery that my boss was a Class-A arsehole) that it became bluntly clear that a career as support staff was not for me.

Leaving E&Y in September was very sad because it meant leaving behind all the great friends I had come to know and enjoy working with. I was given a truly fantabulous send-off by my E&Y posse, which included a generous gift certificate to a Spa (sweet!!), and rockin' 5 à 7 that is now ranked #2 on my list of Greatest Drinking Nights of all time.

While in search of my calling, I took some courses in HR and Public Relations earlier on in the year that didn't do much to inspire me. Then in August, it finally happened - I had an epiphany. I spent a weekend with my good friend Shaz and her associate, Wendy, and through talking with them, I started to see a place for myself in their world… the realm of podiatry. From that weekend, I came up with my Master Plan (in a nutshell: a combo of qualified foot care and Reflexology) that will hopefully be the catalyst to leaving the corporate world behind and begin a career where I will eventually become my own boss, make my own schedule, and help people. And no, I don't have a foot fetish. For the first time in almost 10 years, I feel excited about the future.

2003 was also the year I realized a dream - at long last, I went to Cape Cod. Charles put me in charge of planning our trip to Cape Cod (accommodations and activities), telling me this was going to be the ultimate girlfriend vacation where I could do anything and everything I wanted. Plans were also to include my second comic book convention, this one at Madison Square Garden in late June, where I got to see Star Trek's Uhura and Dirk Benedict of A-Team fame!) Our first stop was an overnight stay at his mom's place in Plattsburgh where we indulged in a midnight skinny dip in the pool before setting off for the Big Apple. The highlight of New York City was a magical, long-awaited traipse through Central Park, where we even took a 2-hour nap next to The Pond.

Cape Cod was everything I had imagined and hoped it would be. Since my friend Adrian Piggot from summer camp told me about her vacation to the Cape back when I was 14, I longed to go there. With some travel books and very helpful hints from several co-workers in hand, I decided on a campsite in North Truro, and a schedule that included loads of swimming and tanning, and pinch of whale watching in nearby Provincetown.

Our first visit to Provincetown (which may be considered to be the East Coast's San Francisco - i.e. g a y) we came across a young man playing guitar on a curb who gave Charles some advice on how to obtain a free license to perform in the streets. So the next day we were off to the police station where we successfully acquired said license. Charles, with guitar in hand, searched for an ideal place for us to play/sing --err, you want me to sing?? I wasn't too keen on the singing in public angle so we ended up perched on a beached boat by the pier, performing for a toddler and his dad who knew all the words to Tiny Dancer!

This vacation was indeed spectacular in every sense.
True to Charles' word, I got to do everything I wanted. He even surprised me with a Claddagh ring, putting the "ultimate" in ultimate girlfriend vacation. Of course Charles' favorite story to tell is how on our last day we had planned to get up at the crack of dawn to pack up and zoom homeward bound. My plan included a mini-stop to a lighthouse on the Atlantic coast so we could watch the sunrise… but since getting up early isn't my forté, by the time we got up (which was pretty damn dawn-crackish) the sun was already up and so my mini detour was cancelled.
With a pout and a whine that, according to Charles expressed "we never get to do what I want to do", I protested, claiming I didn't get up this early to not go see the sun rise. I realized I was being a tad unreasonable when Charles pointed to the sky and said "Cecilia, the sun is up". Barring this minor cloud on our supreme adventure, we truly had an unforgettable time.

Other 2003 highlights included going to see Bruce Springsteen at the Bell Centre in April; learning that Charles' script was finally accepted and will be made into a film sometime next year; and being asked to return to E&Y in October to work for a big-cheese partner when his AA broke her leg (ohmigosh - he asked for me by name!). Working for him was a joy. It helped resolve my feelings of inadequacy as an admin, as well as disperse any doubts about my new path.

Friendships have once again been the shining light of the year. Those who have moved away or passed on are never forgotten; they are treasured in my heart always. They help me appreciate the ones who are still here, the ones who enrich my life ever so subtly every day.

All in all it was a year of many pivotal ups and downs. Here's hoping 2004 is just as rewarding.

My most sincere best wishes to you and yours. Happy Holidays!
Cecilia

The one that started it all

2002 – Cecilia’s year in review

OK, so I have never done this before. By “this” I mean a general e-mail/letter that goes out to all my friends at the end of the year so you know what I’ve been up to. I thought it might be nice to give it a try, maybe rekindle contact with those I haven’t heard from in a while (you know who you are)… not that I have that much to report but anyway, here goes... BTW, I am secretly hoping this will inspire you to give it a go yourself and let me know how you are doing, especially if we have lost touch. If I speak to or see you on a regular basis, especially you Stef, it’s definitely time we go for a beer.

2002 started off in a big way. My dad, who was working on contract in Africa until last week, invited me and my brother to fly down with him and my mom to visit some of the sights of South Africa. I was only there for 2 weeks, but OH-my-God, it was truly a trip of a life time. We mostly stayed at my dad’s place in Jo’burg (Johannesburg) and the many many lovely shopping malls of the surrounding area, but we also managed to magically whisk ourselves away to Pretoria, Pilanesburg, Sun City, and to Victoria Falls. Some of the highlights of the trip – I won some money at the Sun City Casino (4 or 6 hundred Rand which equals roughly 40 bucks, I think), seeing many animals in dah wild (even elephants and baboons walking on the side of the road), holding a lion cub (pee-u), white water rafting at Victoria Falls (the highlight of this highlight was not drowning when I fell out of the raft and actually making it out of the 300 foot gorge for our ride home), seeing African performers dance and sing in a traditional African style, and of course the many many lovely shopping malls and African arts and crafts. OK, so it was hard coming back to the winter and work, and I didn’t even have an amazing tan to show off (Africa is too hot for any kind of tanning, BELIEVE me).

The rest of the year was mild in comparison. I went to Philadelphia in May for a comic book convention ( yes, because of Charles) where I met, among many many comic book artists and writers I never heard of before in my life, Lou Ferrigno a.k.a. the Incredible Hulk, and Kevin Smith, famed writer and director of such flicks as Dogma, Clerks, and the classic Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back. Truth be told, I had a great time even though me feet were pulsating puddles of raw flesh by the end of the day. I hope we go again in 2003!

Wow, this e-mail is getting pretty long… ok, what else happened… my sister and Jorge got re-married when my dad was in town, this time with a lovely church ceremony with a small group of guests. And my brother got accepted into Photography at Dawson, I was so happy and proud! Some of the work he has done this year has really impressed me. Ah, to be young again…

In the “work” department a lot of things happened. I became really good friends with a couple of peeps at work, some of whom eventually warmed up to my daily onslaught of shenanigans… like getting the window washers to deliver a message to someone on the 24th floor, and sending/receiving edible treats in internal mail (doughnuts), or the now famous SuperJuice for Super Gals a.k.a. V8 --complete with personalized instructions. Sadly, many a friend has left the firm for greener pastures. One even took off for Boston to study his PhD at MIT in Philosophy. I didn’t even know MIT had a philosophy department. As for me, well, after a couple years of working as a temp at Ernst & Young and getting involved in as many committees as possible (can you say lunch meeting?), I scored a year contract replacing an admin assistant who is on maternity leave until September 2003 and so far I love this job. I don’t see how I will be able to do any replacing after this. It’s time to be an executive, I say.

I took a couple of classes throughout the year, but nothing to write home about. My new plan is to take yoga or at least concentrate on going to the gym regularly, which I know I have said a million times but now that I have Charles who goads me on every day, how can I possibly say no after all the complaining about having to buy a new wardrobe because nothing fits. *Sigh* Charles, as always, has been a rock and an inspiration throughout it all and I thank my lucky stars everyday that he is in my life. Plus he tortures me with tickle-a-thons and is constantly trying to stick his finger in my belly button, which I profess I can’t stand, but secretly relish… still, me think he knows.

Indeed the saddest day of the year was learning that my good friend Mitchell passed away suddenly and totally unexpectedly in May. Ironically, the loss itself has been the seed for new friendships (it’s how I met Maureen and became reacquainted with some old friends, Dee and Peter) as well as a reminder that any day things might suddenly change and I might not get to say the things I wanted say… Corny, I know, but if there is one thing you could always count on Mitchell for, it was his dedication and affinity for cultivating and maintaining friendships around the world and, in the end, there is nothing corny about that. And so it is with Mitchell in mind that I say to you here and now that if you have received this e-mail from me, it is because I truly value your friendship and all that we have experienced together… I just wanted you to know that.

Keep in touch.

Wishing you luck and love in 2003… in whatever form makes you the happiest.

C

I am Bloggernaut

To Blog or not to Blog.
That is the question.