As I had planned, I went to an early matinee of Marie Antoinette yesterday at Tinseltown.
They are supposed to be the only film crew ever allowed to film on the grounds of Versailles. And what a sumptuous feast for the eyes the movie is! I guess the movie put me in the mood for an afternoon adventure.
By the time I got home, the mid morning rain had stopped, the sun had reappeared and there was an amazing wind that had turned the rain soaked leaves into a glittering light show with accompanying sound track, and so I had to head out and down to the waterfront to view the full spectrum.
The ocean was a steely blue flecked with big whitecaps and crashing up over the rocks, and the wind was roaring through the tall Lombardy poplars at Sunset Beach. A slim, dark haired girl in a turquoise jumpsuit was climbing the rocks with her young son or brother, as he brandished a long stick and tested the force of the waves and the depths of the water.
They were the only two brave ones out on the beach, though there were a few hardy souls walking the seawall like myself. As they passed me, the boy looked at me and quickly sizing me up with one cute but penetrating look, turned his back on me and drove his wooden spear into the waves.
I felt I had tuned momentarily into their adventure story and as they walked away down the beach I felt washed in the wake of the mystery of it. And a longing that reminded me of my own childhood.
Wednesday, October 25, 2006
Friday, October 20, 2006
Water Wings
My daughter Chaya has always loved the water.
When we lived on Vancouver Island from about 1984 she was out all summer sun tanning on a big beach towel at the ages of 3 and 4, and before I knew what had happened was swimming. As far as I know she never needed water wings, she had invisible ones.
When we moved back to Vancouver in 1992, she was 11 years old. She came over with me on the ferry first to find a place to live and we found a basement suite in Kits and the family followed.
That summer, her mother took her daughters to the Aquatic Centre to swim, and I watched from the gallery in amazement as my daughter, who had never dived from a high board before, followed her mom off the 7.5 meter board without an ounce of hesitation or fear. They went up and off, just like that. I was reminded of a mother duck with her duckling following behind.
She, her sister Nika and brother Ky had all been home-schooled on the island, but when we came to Vancouver, she made the decision to go to school and the others followed suit. She started off in grade 5, always excelled and never looked back. She was the honor roll all the years at Kits High School. She crafted braided and beaded friendship bracelets, and made me a new one every few months.
In her last year of high school, our family friend and the kids’ godfather Herb loaned her money for enrollment in a lifeguard course, and in very short order, she was suited up in red and on the job at Kits Beach.
It seems that red was Chaya’s lucky color as I have an equally vivid memory of her walking down 4th Avenue in her new Safeway cashier’s uniform, and me the proud papa going to meet her.
It didn’t take long for the manager at Safeway to recognize her potential and he began counseling her and mentoring her for management training. At the age of 22, she was Safeway’s youngest assistant manager.
She soon found her own apartment, had a spiffy red sports car, and was on top of the world. Then early this year she developed a bad cough that would not go away. It went on for a month or more until one day it got so bad she left work to go to a walk-in clinic. They took an x-ray. She was diagnosed with cancer.
When she started her chemo, one of the first things she said to me was, “I was so looking forward to swimming this summer, and now I won’t be able to.” During the course of the chemo, I went through a period of depression and wondered if she would make it. Maybe she would never be able to swim again, and we would lose her?
Today, she went for her first swim this year since finishing chemo last week, and I went to the Aquatic Centre to watch, and sat in almost the same place where I first watched her jump off the high board. The memories flooded back.
She is a strong swimmer and when she took a break, she came over to talk to me and I said, “You look like a natural in there!” She replied, “I feel like I never missed a beat.”
As I walked home along the seawall, I was making the connection between her strength in swimming, her survival instincts and the constant presence in her life of those invisible water wings!
When we lived on Vancouver Island from about 1984 she was out all summer sun tanning on a big beach towel at the ages of 3 and 4, and before I knew what had happened was swimming. As far as I know she never needed water wings, she had invisible ones.
When we moved back to Vancouver in 1992, she was 11 years old. She came over with me on the ferry first to find a place to live and we found a basement suite in Kits and the family followed.
That summer, her mother took her daughters to the Aquatic Centre to swim, and I watched from the gallery in amazement as my daughter, who had never dived from a high board before, followed her mom off the 7.5 meter board without an ounce of hesitation or fear. They went up and off, just like that. I was reminded of a mother duck with her duckling following behind.
She, her sister Nika and brother Ky had all been home-schooled on the island, but when we came to Vancouver, she made the decision to go to school and the others followed suit. She started off in grade 5, always excelled and never looked back. She was the honor roll all the years at Kits High School. She crafted braided and beaded friendship bracelets, and made me a new one every few months.
In her last year of high school, our family friend and the kids’ godfather Herb loaned her money for enrollment in a lifeguard course, and in very short order, she was suited up in red and on the job at Kits Beach.
It seems that red was Chaya’s lucky color as I have an equally vivid memory of her walking down 4th Avenue in her new Safeway cashier’s uniform, and me the proud papa going to meet her.
It didn’t take long for the manager at Safeway to recognize her potential and he began counseling her and mentoring her for management training. At the age of 22, she was Safeway’s youngest assistant manager.
She soon found her own apartment, had a spiffy red sports car, and was on top of the world. Then early this year she developed a bad cough that would not go away. It went on for a month or more until one day it got so bad she left work to go to a walk-in clinic. They took an x-ray. She was diagnosed with cancer.
When she started her chemo, one of the first things she said to me was, “I was so looking forward to swimming this summer, and now I won’t be able to.” During the course of the chemo, I went through a period of depression and wondered if she would make it. Maybe she would never be able to swim again, and we would lose her?
Today, she went for her first swim this year since finishing chemo last week, and I went to the Aquatic Centre to watch, and sat in almost the same place where I first watched her jump off the high board. The memories flooded back.
She is a strong swimmer and when she took a break, she came over to talk to me and I said, “You look like a natural in there!” She replied, “I feel like I never missed a beat.”
As I walked home along the seawall, I was making the connection between her strength in swimming, her survival instincts and the constant presence in her life of those invisible water wings!
Thursday, October 19, 2006
A Boxer "Short"
Who wants to pay $18 for a pair of boxers, or $22 or more, just because the waistline reads Joe Boxer or something else? That’s over 2 hours pay for many people!
I wear boxers to bed instead of pajamas, which are too constricting for me. During the day, I wear men's briefs.They are easier to wash, cheaper to buy, and last as long or longer than boxers. I can usually get a package of 3 for around $6. Most of the time these are Fruit of the Looms, usually manufactured in Central America by workers making pennies an hour.
Fruit of the Loom made an excellent low price boxer which used to be easy to find but is now becoming more and more difficult to find, due to people who like me, refuse to pay $18 or more for a single pair of boxer shorts.
Would it be more politically correct to buy Joe Boxer boxers…wearing a proud Maple Leaf but assembled in Thailand for the same pennies per hour wage? It is the branding that sticks over the waistline of the jeans worn slung low by those who care “whas up?” and the advertising that makes them a hot item, a must-have.
Also, if you are taking off your pants in front of Penelope Cruz, you want to have something cool on down there, because you can be sure she will!
Today I headed down to Army & Navy but there were no bargains on boxers.
You never know where a bargain might be found. I found 2 Mantles 100% cotton boxers on my walk back from Chinatown at The Bay. They were made in China and on SALE…2 pair for $4.99! You have to look carefully for these things, as they were the only Medium size left in a huge rack of X-Larges!
The sales clerk, a young woman in her 30’s gave them a cursory glance and quipped, “Looks like you got a freebee here.”
If it was Penelope saying this, I might have felt deflated!
I wear boxers to bed instead of pajamas, which are too constricting for me. During the day, I wear men's briefs.They are easier to wash, cheaper to buy, and last as long or longer than boxers. I can usually get a package of 3 for around $6. Most of the time these are Fruit of the Looms, usually manufactured in Central America by workers making pennies an hour.
Fruit of the Loom made an excellent low price boxer which used to be easy to find but is now becoming more and more difficult to find, due to people who like me, refuse to pay $18 or more for a single pair of boxer shorts.
Would it be more politically correct to buy Joe Boxer boxers…wearing a proud Maple Leaf but assembled in Thailand for the same pennies per hour wage? It is the branding that sticks over the waistline of the jeans worn slung low by those who care “whas up?” and the advertising that makes them a hot item, a must-have.
Also, if you are taking off your pants in front of Penelope Cruz, you want to have something cool on down there, because you can be sure she will!
Today I headed down to Army & Navy but there were no bargains on boxers.
You never know where a bargain might be found. I found 2 Mantles 100% cotton boxers on my walk back from Chinatown at The Bay. They were made in China and on SALE…2 pair for $4.99! You have to look carefully for these things, as they were the only Medium size left in a huge rack of X-Larges!
The sales clerk, a young woman in her 30’s gave them a cursory glance and quipped, “Looks like you got a freebee here.”
If it was Penelope saying this, I might have felt deflated!
Tuesday, October 10, 2006
Great News on a Great Day
How could there be anything else than good news on a day like today?
It is another stunning autumn day, the air crisp and cool, and the sun bathing the colored leaves in rich light. There is something energizing too about wearing freshly laundered jeans and sweater, which puts a little more spring into each step.
I have been waiting for today for over 2 months. This is the day I met with the hematologist to receive the results of my blood tests and CT Scan.
It has been a long time coming, but I have been in no hurry. No hurry to receive more punishing tests, that's for sure. Yet today, I found myself strangely excited and optimistic.
My appointment was for 2 p.m. but I was early, as usual by about 15 minutes. But to my surprise at 2 p.m. sharp my doctor called me in.
First she asked me how I felt and I told her that I felt great! I have been working on my diet, as explained in previous blogs and so I seem to have a lot more energy than I did a month ago.
She explained that the type of cancer I have been diagnosed with, Mantle Cell Lymphoma, when discovered in men my age, is usually more advanced. It is a type of blood cancer and they did the bone marrow biopsy to see how far it has progressed. The result was that although some evidence of cancer has been found in the bone marrow, it is minimal, and that in her opinion treatment at this time is unnecessary.
The cancer appears to be indolent, sleeping in other words.
She advised that this cancer can become aggressive very quickly though, and that they must monitor me for the next few months.
She asked me what I had been doing and I explained about change of diet, meditation, prayer, visualization and she encouraged me to keep doing what I am doing as it appears to be working.
She said there is still a "blip" in her diagnosis in that she must take my results before a panel at the BC Cancer Society and get their opinion but said she wouldn't call me unless there was a change of approach needed, in their opinion.
Other than this, I go back to see her for blood tests and appointment in early January 2007.
A perfect conclusion to an otherwise perfect day, and as I write this I am preparing my supper of salad, brown rice and beans with a little chicken thrown into the mix!
What great news to share with my family and friends!
Over the past couple of months, your prayers, comments, suggestions and support have meant so much to me.
If I have learned anything from this, it is I am not alone!
It is another stunning autumn day, the air crisp and cool, and the sun bathing the colored leaves in rich light. There is something energizing too about wearing freshly laundered jeans and sweater, which puts a little more spring into each step.
I have been waiting for today for over 2 months. This is the day I met with the hematologist to receive the results of my blood tests and CT Scan.
It has been a long time coming, but I have been in no hurry. No hurry to receive more punishing tests, that's for sure. Yet today, I found myself strangely excited and optimistic.
My appointment was for 2 p.m. but I was early, as usual by about 15 minutes. But to my surprise at 2 p.m. sharp my doctor called me in.
First she asked me how I felt and I told her that I felt great! I have been working on my diet, as explained in previous blogs and so I seem to have a lot more energy than I did a month ago.
She explained that the type of cancer I have been diagnosed with, Mantle Cell Lymphoma, when discovered in men my age, is usually more advanced. It is a type of blood cancer and they did the bone marrow biopsy to see how far it has progressed. The result was that although some evidence of cancer has been found in the bone marrow, it is minimal, and that in her opinion treatment at this time is unnecessary.
The cancer appears to be indolent, sleeping in other words.
She advised that this cancer can become aggressive very quickly though, and that they must monitor me for the next few months.
She asked me what I had been doing and I explained about change of diet, meditation, prayer, visualization and she encouraged me to keep doing what I am doing as it appears to be working.
She said there is still a "blip" in her diagnosis in that she must take my results before a panel at the BC Cancer Society and get their opinion but said she wouldn't call me unless there was a change of approach needed, in their opinion.
Other than this, I go back to see her for blood tests and appointment in early January 2007.
A perfect conclusion to an otherwise perfect day, and as I write this I am preparing my supper of salad, brown rice and beans with a little chicken thrown into the mix!
What great news to share with my family and friends!
Over the past couple of months, your prayers, comments, suggestions and support have meant so much to me.
If I have learned anything from this, it is I am not alone!
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