It’s been a trying week but I have enjoyed the following:
“Adversity is just change that we haven’t adapted ourselves to yet.” —Aimee Mullins
I’m reading Nicolas Carr’s The Shallows about how the internet is changing our brains.
“The secret of life…is to fall seven times and to get up eight times.” —Paulo Coelho, from The Alchemist
I’m cheering for James’ grandpa who is recovering from a stroke.
“Each moment of our life, we either invoke or destroy our dreams.” —Stuart Wilde
Always good to remind yourself of this one.
“If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up people to collect wood and don’t assign them tasks and work, but rather teach them to long for the endless immensity of the sea.” —Antoine De Saint Exupery
Important thought as I consider how and what to teach in my new SFU course this fall: Online Marketing for Publishers.
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world.” —Margaret Mead
Hope is light.
“I thought how unpleasant it is to be locked out; and I thought how it is worse, perhaps, to be locked in.” —Virginia Woolf
I will not compare myself to others. The grass on this side is lovely, thank you.
“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” —Maya Angelou
Be a good buddy.
“Don’t hire a dog, then bark yourself” —David Ogilvy
Man, was he right.
“Nobody cares if you can’t dance well. Just get up and dance. Great dancers are not great because of their technique, they are great because of their passion.” —Martha Graham
Yes, this is my own interpretive dance.
“Never allow a person to tell you no who doesn’t have the power to say yes.” —Eleanor Roosevelt
Amen.
“I don’t want to get to the end of my life and find that I lived just the length of it. I want to have lived the width of it as well.” –Diane Ackerman
Going out on a school night!
“It takes a great deal of courage to stand up to your enemies, but even more to stand up to your friends.” —J. K. Rowling
Courage is a valuable asset. (And all my friends are lovely, thank you for being so.)
One of the great things about having creative friends is pimping their stuff.
Rachael Ashe is a photographer, mixed-media collage, and altered book artist. She does amazing things to old books and this summer her work is displayed at the Pacific National Exhibition (the PNE) in Vancouver in the Container Art show.
Container Art is an ambling exhibition. The containers travel the world and are then filled with beauty at every stop.
So don’t just ride the rollercoaster, check out cutting edge contemporary art from Vancouverites.
Rachael Ashe’s container includes amazing book art that floats along the side and back walls. I particularly love the accompanying paper flowers that hang from the ceiling.
Her series is called Forgotten Knowledge and uses a set of twenty-five Funk & Wagnall’s encyclopedias combined with found objects from nature.
Visit Rachael Ashe’s Container Art from August 21st to September 6th at the PNE
Can’t get to the PNE, that’s ok. Just purchase her stuff on Etsy. Ya! Do it, Rachael’s art is cool. I own two altered books already.
Add 1 cup granola, 1.5 cups of rolled oats, 1/4 cup wheat germ and a bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips.
Yumminess. They might look too moist, but they’re not.
Roll into 1-inch balls. Do not press down.
Bake at 300 degrees for 15 minutes.
They might not looked cooked when they’re done, but don’t overbake. You want yummy, gooey cookies because they harden nicely after you take them out of the oven.
Hello blog. I missed you while I was away in Belize. I’m coming back to way too much email and an invitation to see Chris Velan at the Railway Club on Thursday, April 1. This email alone is worth trolling the inbox for other gems.
What do I know about this event?
1) MEC is a member of 1% For the Planet
(http://onepercentfortheplanet.org/en/), an organization that encourages businesses of all sizes to donate 1% of sales to environmental causes.
2) MEC’s 1% goes to funding The Big Wild.
3) Canadian musician and lover of the outdoors Chris Velan (http://chrisvelan.com) recently joined 1% For the Planet.
4) Chris is touring the country in support of 1% and The Big Wild, playing evening concerts and gigs at MEC stores.
5) I like MEC and I know the right people there in order to get an invite. And maybe I should encourage my clients to join this 1% For the Planet. Maybe MEC even wants some Boxcar pennies?
Since releasing her self-titled debut album in September 2008, the Montreal-based chanteuse has become one of Quebec’s hottest acts. Her songs are consistently on the francophone Top 10 list…and she’s earned a Juno nomination…and a spot on the longlist of nominees for the Polaris Prize. Coeur De Pirate was Q’s live performer for a special show recorded in CBC’s Glenn Gould Studio. This is the first song she performed ‘Comme Des Enfants’.
It is beautiful and I love it every time I hear it.
I’ll make the draw on December 16 and promptly mail you the calendar. I have 2 calendars to give away, 1 for the Twitter followers and 1 for the Facebook fans. So yes, you could get more than one chance to win.
The 2010 Reading Is Sexy Calendar promotes literacy and raises funds to help kids and adults with dyslexia. Proceeds go to the Canadian Branch of The International Dyslexia Association.
Our goal is to promote literacy and raise funds to support those with dyslexia.
What was the impetus behind the idea?
Back in the spring, Ian Martin (http://www.twitter.com/IanAMartin) was starting up his publishing house, Atomic Fez Publishing, and was trying to goad me into saying “Reading Is Sexy” as often as possible on twitter. This sparked the idea for doing a “Reading Is Sexy” calendar promoting literacy.
Initially the calendar was supposed to be shot “calendar girl” style, like the one Bryne Pen did on Salt Spring to raise funds and awareness for The Land Conservancy. Alas not all our models understood what I meant by that, so it will likely be our theme for next year.
We chose the International Association of Dyslexia as our charity because they interact with Emme online (@onbida) and Emme is dyslexic. That said, she is one of the lucky kids who had access to help, so she has never treated her dyslexia as a crutch, but rather as her secret superpower. It is why she looks at the world in a different way, is not limited to typical rules dictating how things work, and has approached life with perseverance, hard work and problem solving.
Who is Emme?
Emme is the girl next door. You know the one. She was the Tomboy who always out climbed the boys to reach the most precarious limits of the tree in the yard. The one who you just gave the ball or the puck to on the soccer field or hockey rink for fear of her side tackle or crosscheck. The one who loved making mud pies, but wouldn’t be caught dead at a tea party. You know the one. The one whose Mom couldn’t watch what she was up to for fear that she’d have a heart attack. That girl. The one whose friends you didn’t mess with, not because she was manipulative, but because she hated injustices and wasn’t afraid to say so. Just ask the boy next door. Maybe he’ll pull out the photo of the black eye he was sporting the day he was a ring bearer.
We’ll Emme’s all grown up now and she’s no longer “Leo the Late Bloomer.” A homosexual drama teacher has taught her how to put on makeup. Somewhere along the lines she lost her fear that her bum is too big and she wears fitted clothes now. And, if wonders will ever cease, she actually likes to put on a party dress, minus the runners and hockey jacket.
So in essence, Emme represents that secret hidden voice in many of us women—the things that go through the heads of our mothers, girlfriends and ourselves—the only difference is that she says these things aloud, and rather then be embarrassed about these thoughts or insecurities she screams them aloud for all the world to hear.
And yes, she’s a total character and given her tomboy past finds it totally hilarious that she is now seen as Vancouver’s / Canada’s gal-about-town and go to girl on all that is hot and sexy in this lovely world of ours.
And if you’d like your calendar signed by the men and women of “Reading Is Sexy”, please come out to the Launch Party and Literary Celebration on Thursday.
Local: Gudrun Wine & Cheese Bistro (150-3500 Moncton Street, Steveston, BC) Date: Thursday December 3, 2009 Time: 7 pm until late
Stop by for author readings, calendar signings by the models, and the auctioning of some of Robert Shaer’s photos from the shoot. Plus Gudrun goodies, wine and beer will be on sale.
My friend Rachael Ashe brings photo canvases from imagination to life. She is currently working on a portrait series and recently I was in the camera light. But what really caught my eye was the altered books that she’s been working on.
If you like my photo, check out other work by Rachael.
My friend Anita has reduced the price of her super cute Alert Bay house. This week July 1st to 4th will be open house viewing by appointment. Please call 250-650-1204.
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