From spring cleaning to Christmas decorating in one fell swoop.

What can I say? We don't waste any time around here.

Out with the old. In with the ... snow.
BRRRR

Spring Clean UP Cleaning

Kind of speaks for itself, don't you think?

Spring Has Sprung

Spring has sprung ... a bit later than usual perhaps (admittedly both outside my window and on this blog).

It's a good thing the seasons change, I suppose, else you might never see me around these here parts. Hey, what can I say? Sometimes the truth really does hurt.

Okay, I need something witty now for the ending.

Anybody? Any ideas?

Anything at all?

Crickets. 

Damm, I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. It is, after all, that time of year.

'Tis The Season

'Tis the season.

To warm things up around here. Do some dusting. Pull out some cozy, colourful stuff. Maybe put the hot chocolate on, too.

Don't worry ... we'll have an adult version too, Kahlua, anyone?

So bear with me while I do some housekeeping around here. Have to dig out the decorations, put the tree up ... you know, the usual.

Bear with me - I'm still working on the colour scheme. Blog-decorating isn't as always as easy as it looks, you know.

In the meantime, sit back, put some tunes on and get yourself some Christmas spirit.

I know that's what I intend to do. Just as soon as I get some work done (of the paying variety).

NOT Giving Up the Ghost

Nope. Most definitely NOT Giving Up the Ghost.

But, maybe, just maybe, giving up all pretense that this is, in fact,an active blog. Because, really, it's not been looking much like one lately. And, were I to be completely honest with myself [and if not me, then who??], it hasn't for quite some time.

Don't get me wrong. It's not like the blog is actually going anywhere.

No, Free Falling is not going to disappear, fall off the face of the earth or anything like that. It will continue to ... well, Free Fall, I guess. And that is why I am making a point of most emphatically stating that I am NOT Giving Up the Ghost.

But, once upon a time, I use to write about politics and current events. A fair bit, in fact, if my Blog Archive does not deceive my eyes. Alas, not so much [cough, cough] now. But I have decided to make a conscious decision [Did that even make any sense??] to cut myself some slack about that. A lot of slack, in fact. It is what it is and I am (finally) prepared to accept that.

Although, as an aside, I must say that I do have to wonder if I am just shouting into the abyss right now with no one to hear my words but myself. Once upon a time, I use to have regular readers, you see. But now, perhaps not so much. Of course, once upon a time, I also had Lex's readership to draw upon. Again, sadly, now not so much.

Just for the record, I haven't given up blogging, though. A Primer on Special Needs and the Law is still going strong. Which reminds me, if anyone is out there interested, I can cross-post my second 5 Minutes of Fame television debut for you to take a peek at.

But back to the topic at hand.

Then again, I guess I have pretty much summed up the topic at hand. The blog will still be here. And I imagine I will post from time to (unspecified) time. Just because I can.

It's funny; I've never thought of myself as vain and yet I must admit I really do enjoy ~ looking ~ at my blog. I like to make it pretty (must be a gurl thing). So who knows ... I might just find myself changing the background around more than I do posting. And if so, so be it.

Oh yeah, there is one other thing I like to use Free Falling for besides actually, you know, blogging at. It's a great place to keep my own blog roll in one place. Although, were I to be honest, I haven't been using that much lately, either.

But we shall blame that on Facebook - giant time suck that it is; yes, we shall. And, of course, it doesn't help any that I now boast not one, but two Facebook business pages, both clamoring for content at all hours of the day and night.

But, hey, just to prove that Ye Olde Blogroll is still alive and well, I added a new blog to it the other day. [Quick game - can you guess which one it is?] Now, if I can just make sure I get here to actually read them.

And, of course, lest we forget (and I know I never shall), this little spot in cyberspace also boasts The Best of the Best of Neptunus Lex. 'Nuff said.

And so I bid you a fond adieu (at least for now).

And leave you with this naval aviation video.

                         

Just because I can.

Blog Roll Blues

It is with great sadness that we hereby announce the paring down of Ye Olde Blog Roll [It's Eclectic]. From it's former splendor of 25 blogs, it now boasts but 18.

Which might not sound too bad but for the fact that of that 18, roughly only half, at the most (being generous) can boast any new content on a semi-regular basis.

'Tis a sad, sad day.

Fortunately, we do still have "The Best of the Best" from Neptunus Lex and the Neptunus Lex Super FB page (first rule of the NeptunusLex Super Secret FB page - don't talk about the Neptunus Lex Super Secret FB page) to read.

* My apologies for the pic - but as noted, 'tis a sad, sad cheesy kind of day.

These Are A Few of My Favourite Things ...

UPDATE: I hadn't watched the Dreamers video for quite a while and when I watched it again last night, it really spoke to me:

Whatever happened to the dreamers?  

They always look beyond the sky 

Saw a world they could believe in  

But only when they close their eyes 

Where are they now? 

They've all left town  

Bring in the clouds 

Whoever posted the video dedicated it to their brother. I hereby re-dedicate it to Lex.

~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~

My computer having been without sound for close to nine months, it was mighty nice to get it back a few weeks ago. So nice, in fact, that one of the first things I did was start jiving with some of my favourite tunes.

Which got me thinking that, really, it was only fair to share some of those favourites (via video) with you.

So here you go, for your (and my) listening pleasure, I offer a few of my favourite things.

~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~

One of my absolute favourite songs to listen to. It always puts a grin on my face,
I offer you Teterboro.




A beautiful video posted by Lex in the way back.




Only makes sense that this should be one of my favourite things, seeing as how many
days of my life it seems to capture lately.




Okay, not musical but ... it's always good for a grin.
And, just for the record, it's TOPGUN, one word, no caps. Fools.




I post this video pretty much every Remembrance Day.  The fact that it's sung, not
just by a Canadian, but by a Nova Scotian (Terry Kelly) certainly doesn't hurt but
it really grabs me because it's a beautiful, moving video and song.




In the category of "Not Music But I Could Easily Listen To It Over And Over Again",
I offer you what I like to title "You Can Call Them An Inspiration or You Can Can
Call Them Your Friend".




In the same category as the above - I find this incredibly moving.




What can I say? I am Canadian, eh?




This? This. Is. Just. Funny.




RFLOL




And last, but not least, a song so nice I named my blog after it.




And there you have it. Just a few of my favourite things.

Disappointed

I must admit I am quite disappointed in myself.

This is the first time, since I started this blog in 2007, that I missed posting for an entire month. Not that my record over the last couple of years was anything to be particularly proud of but still ...

My. Bad.

However, the one bright spot (and in my favour) is the fact that I did significantly change the look of the blog last month. And I think it looks mighty purty at the moment, if I do say so myself.

~  ~  ~

By the by, you might notice a new pic at the top of the sidebar. It's been six months since that horrible day and Nov. 9th would have been Lex's 52nd birthday.

Please raise a glass in honour of His Honour.

And if you’re wondering whether you can buy me a beer, the answer is yes.
Yes, you can.

Still Missing

Time goes on. As does life, doesn't it?

And although time doesn't really heal all wounds, it does tend to provide a protective coating, a scab, if you will. Which, I suppose, is why it hurts so bad if and when that scab, for whatever reason, gets ripped off.

And, along the same vein, Facebook is, of course, Facebook.

And so it is that I receive a notification every time a friend posts on the Neptunus Lex Super Secret FB Page (first rule of the Neptunus Lex Super Secret FB Page - don't talk about the Neptunus Lex Super Secret FB page). Meaning I spend a fair bit of time on Lex's page, keeping up with what's going on.

But as the talk, in general, moves to being less and less about Lex and more and more about other items of "general interest" (defining the term "general interest" to mean of interest to those with a military and/or aviation backgrounds/fixations), it becames less and less satisfying.

It didn't happen immediately, of course. I followed what was being posted and found find a lot of it interesting. But after a while (defined as last Wednesday, I believe), I came to realize that the Neptunus Lex Super Secret FB page was no longer really doing it for me.  I was starting to miss Lex. Again.

I say "again" because, as I noted earlier, time does tend to dull wounds, eventually, in its own way. And life goes on. But this past Wednesday, I found myself "needing" more Lex. And so it was that I headed over The Lexicans blog.

I haven't involved myself a whole lot with that blog. Sure, I read there. Occasionally. But I haven't posted and really (at least for now) feel no need to. I guess what I am trying to say is that although I know it's there, although I "know" most (if not all) the bloggers and I visit occasionally, I don't feel any real connection with the blog. To which one might reply that we all grieve in our own ways. And, for whatever reason, the Neptunus Lex Super Secret FB page had been enough for me. Up until this past Wednesday.

So. Finding myself at the blog, I could have started reading backwards from the most current post, in what would be my usual manner. But I wasn't looking for that. I was looking for Lex. So, instead I only followed the links for "The Daily Lex" posts, moving backwards with the intent of finding my way back to the last one I had read on one of my previous visits.

"The Daily Lex" - some good soul (Todd) has taken it upon himself to find a post Lex has written for every date and post a link to it. With close to 10 years of writing (usually multiple posts on any given day), there are lots of choose from, of course. But that's the job role Todd has taken on for himself. Good man.

Back to Wednesday. I found myself reading these randomly chosen posts of Lex's. And while initially (momentarily) it quieted that need, that craving to hear Lex's voice again, it wasn't long before what looked like a hit on the good idea meter landed solidly on the bad idea meter. Because after that initial "Lex fix", it didn't take too long for the morose to return.

I went to the blog because something was missing but not long after finding what I sought, it started to hurt again. Strange, I wasn't hurting when I went to the blog. I was just searching for something ... missing ...even though I wasn't sure exactly what "it" was. But it wasn't long after finding what I was after that something changed. A dark cloud fell across the sun.

But sucker for punishment brave soul that I am, I kept on reading The Daily Lex. Going back pages and pages. Surprised at how long it had been since I had visited The Lexicans. I never did find my way back to where I had left off, not before life called me back to the present. Things to do, donchya know.

Like a good soldier, I returned to my life although I couldn't tell you for the life of me tell you now what it was that called me back to reality that day. Perhaps just the knowledge that I had been hiding out (and away from what was in front of me) for too long.

But when I returned to the daily grind it was with a definite sense ... the awareness at a very deep level that Lex is still missing. And that I continue to miss him, even when I'm not consciously aware of it.

Also came the realization that sometimes when we find what we're looking for, it hurts. That that old joke, "Be careful what you ask for. You might just get it." is often true. In other words, if I want to hear Lex's voice again, I must be prepared for that sadness to return. The ying and the yang. The give and the take. The good with the bad.

Something else that I realized the other day - I admire greatly those bloggers who, having allowed their blogs to go silent and dark in the days when Lex's voice was with us, have become reinvigorated and taken on the challenge to pick up where Lex left off and put their voices out there once again.

But, for whatever reason, that just doesn't seem to be me at the moment. I almost wish I could say that it's like this, that I can't bring myself to write of other things yet because I still miss Lex too much. But that wouldn't be true.

It's not that I don't still miss him (I just admitted how much I do) but I'm sad to say that whatever it is that had kept me from blogging the way I once did (for the past year or more) is still the culprit. And although my thoughts are developing on that subject (initially - and for quite a while now - I blamed it one thing but now I'm starting to think it's more a combination of things), I haven't yet made it to a place where I know exactly what I will or won't (or can or can't) do about it.

I guess in the meantime I will just have to sit with that. Be okay with it. Let it develop as it will. After all, it's not like I have much choice now, is it?

"As If We Were Each His Closest Confidant, Friend, or Some Guy Sitting Beside Him at The Bar ..."

I've spent a good chunk of the past 11 days reading. Reading, commenting and reminiscing. Crying, toasting and hurting. And, yes, occasionally (but all too rarely), laughing.

And now, here I sit.

And although I think, like so many others, that Lex might well be wondering what the hell is wrong with all of us, I continue to struggle with the same question that so many others have attempted to answer over the past week and a half. So much ink spilled. So many pixels wasted. Because so many of us continue to ask ourselves the same question.

Why/how did this man effect me so?

I've read many a thought on that question and must confess to having gained some insight from them.

And although it would seem reasonable to speculate that the answer might well vary from person to person (as just a paltry few examples: he was such an excellent writer, always the consummate gentleman, a brother aviator or a brother in arms, a mentor, a warrior poet, a true patriot [Ed. - completely without the negative connotation that sometimes attaches to those words of late], he led by example, he was the type of Officer I would follow anywhere, he could have me repeatedly alternating between laughing and crying in the same post, his blog was a place where everyone [with the exception of trolls, of course] truly felt welcomed), I'm not sure that any or even all of those things truly encapsulate the man.

Yes, undoubtedly, he was all those things. And yet, he was so much more.

Strangely enough, the words that rang the truest for me, that came the closest to summing up why the man effected me on such a personal level, I found buried in AW1Tim's memorial:

In Lex’s blog, his stories, his observations, you got the feeling, reading them, that he wasn’t so much reporting but having a conversation with you.

....

Whether it was personal demons, family or job issues, the loss of a friend, or any of the myriad things that accost us all, he would write of them, openly and honestly, as if we were each his closest confidant, friend, or some guy sitting beside him at the bar. He was like that, and he was wonderful with what he did.

That, right there, comes the closest in anything I have read or yet considered to mirroring my own personal reality.

Yes, the man was an amazing writer - as I pointed out to him as soon as I finished reading Rhythms (on the first go-around), he had somehow managed to completely hook someone like me, someone with no military background or experience. Hooked me with Rhythms. Hooked me on the blog. And thinking about it sadly now, it would, of course, have been his writing that drew all so many of us in. And, yes, on some level, it was his writing that drew us back time and time again.

But that doesn't explain the effect, the reaction, the outpouring of grief that his death has caused. Sadness that a good man, a good writer is no longer with us? Sure. Regret that Neptunus Lex will no longer be part of the daily read? Absolutely.

But not this, not this “... [feeling] like something essential had been suddenly hollowed out of me, something I had always counted on for strength without even knowing it was there.” As Lex well knew, that's a feeling saved for the loss of a parent, a child, a sibling, a spouse or a best friend. Not a blogger the majority of us have never met.

I have finally concluded that it was because of the way that Lex wrote, the manner in which he shared his personal demons, family and job issues, his sea stories, his best job evah, the worst day of his life and the myriad other things he wrote about that we were allowed to get a look behind the blogger and come to know the man behind the words. That was how we each discovered for ourselves that he was the consummate gentleman and a true patriot, how we came to realize just how much he loved his family, his country and his Navy, how we learned that he led by example and was the type of Officer people would follow anywhere and why we came to admire, respect and rely on him the way we have.

I have many friends. I admire many people. But of all the people that have entered and left my life, there have only been two that I can say I totally, completely and utterly respect. Lex was one of them. And I have yet to meet any other person (either virtually or real life) who had has the ability to connect so intimately with another through the written word alone. Something tells me, I likely never will.

And yet, to paraphrase George Patton (and with thanks to one of Lex's many fellow milbloggers, without whom I never would have thought of this quote), it's also the reason that we should must struggle not to mourn the fact that he is gone but, rather, celebrate the fact that such a man has lived.

Defining Crazy

Sitting here at work, late on a Wednesday afternoon ... and my mind turns to examine my day.

I left home this morning around 8:30 to make the 1.5 hour working day commute to Halifax. Spent the rest of the morning in a meeting with another a parent of like mind, the Minister of Education, her Executive Assistant and the Director of Student Services for the Province.

Meeting complete, Krista and I stopped for a coffee and a long quick chat.

Then, off to work.

But, alas, I can't stay at work because I have to make it up the our regional children's hospital before 4:30.

Up to the hospital, errand complete and realizing that I am now outside the 15-minute window that would have guaranteed me free parking, I decide I might as well check and see if a certain social worker is in her office.  For to move along my efforts to get some additional services for the Blue Jay. 

A very good decision as it turned out; the 10 minute wait to see her being more than the worth it; presumably anyway - let's just say it will be if things get moving along again now as they should.

Then, back to the Barristers' Library (through rush hour traffic, of course), park the car, grab a quick supper and, now, back to work. Where I will most likely be for another 2.5 to 3 hours. 

Then the 1.5 hr commute home.  Thank goodness for audio books to keep me awake!

My day ... productive, yes, but it would be nice to stay in one place (both physically and mentally) for more than a couple of hours.  I think I'm starting to discover the definition of mental whiplash.

*Oh yeah, lest we forget, we can now throw just a tablespoon of blogging in the mix too!

**And for anyone wondering if I might ever get back to something substantive in these here parts (and that most definitely includes me!), I can tell you that I do have a very substantive blog post rolling around in my head.  Actually, it's been trapped in there for close to a year now but recent events appear to have revitalized it somewhat.  The only real problem being that it is substantive.  Which is just another way of saying "time-consuming to compose".

And so, the plan is to get back to you on that, just as soon as the juggling show slows down a mite. And I manage to down a few Tylenol.

Miss Me?

I was just wondering becaue we were away on vactaion for this past week.

Anyone chance to notice?

Headwinds and Tailwinds *

I have become quite a fan of a new blog I discovered a few months back.  The name is Kilometres for Communication - you can find it on the sidebar.

What's it all about you ask?

This blog is about communication. It’s about a special kind of communication called AAC. (I personally struggle with this term; it stands for Augmentative and Alternative Communication, which is too much of a mouthful for me. AAC is simply an alternative way to communicate when someone has limited or no speech.) This blog is about disability, and navigation of disability in a society which orients itself towards people who are able-bodied. But this blog is also about ability, diversity, capability, possibility, hope. It is about our humanity, and about our connection–one person to another. It is about community and inclusion, and about how wrong it is for any of us to exclude and to make the decision that someone does not belong because he or she is different. So this blog is also about the importance of accessibility, because accessibility is a key to inclusion, belonging and community.

A family affair - the 17-year-old younger brother of "an artist, educator, social activist, writer, story teller, gardener, community facilitator [who] happens to travel in a wheelchair and communicate with AAC" proposes (family in tow) to cycle across Canada to ... well, how about if I let them tell you?

We would meet with people who speak in creative and diverse ways, and with the help of the media, introduce them to Canadians so that never again could they equate not being able to speak with not having anything to say. We would invite people to wheel, walk, run and cycle with us, and we would invite organizations, small groups of people and individuals to host events across Canada to raise public awareness and funds to empower voices and to make accessibility and inclusion a national priority for the more than 3 million Canadians with disabilities.

Although a lot of people have walked, ran, biked, etc. across Canada to raise money and awareness on issues like cancer and for other "good causes" and the man in motion is back at it (actually I'm not sure he ever really stopped), I've never heard of anybody doing quite this. I've never heard of anyone giving a voice to people who struggle to communicate in our world quite this way.

And, as if that weren't enough, Skye (the main writer of the blog) often amazes with such a beautiful voice for such a young man.

The blog sets out his cycling journey from West to East coast (he is currently in Manitoba) but he ends many of his posts by connecting the logistics of his travels to the point of his journey.  Such as he did on Day 4 - West Vancouver to Mission BC, traveling through the mountains in British Columbia.

We all need to be explored. It’s a tragedy that there are people on this planet whose speechlessly brilliant summit will never be discovered because the people around them don’t realize that the hike is worth it. Remember this: the hike is always worth it. Always assume ability, and listen with the patience, care, and effort that you would want anyone to listen to you. Often, the hike is the best part.

Even though I have friends whose young adult children are non-verbal, the world of AAC (augmentative and alternative communication) remains foreign to me.

And so it is that, as if through a lens, I follow Skye's blog and observe and learn and think more and more about what it must be like to have people assume you have nothing to say simply because you find it difficult to communicate or to have them walk away as you struggle to communicate because they don't realize that's what you're doing (or maybe they just don't care) - I mean, it's a busy, busy world we live in and I can only stand here and wait so long, you know.

Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.

But today's blog post was written by his mother, Gail, and titled "Headwinds, Tailwinds, Lessons Learned" (* hence the title of this post).  It was these two paragraphs that really caught my attention - and made me reflect on our own life with the Blue Jay.

It is now a number of days after I originally began writing this blog entry. I’m sitting in the RV by the side of the road in Moosomin, Saskatchewan, waiting for Skye to appear on this windy, rainy afternoon. By the time he arrives, he will have pedaled 48 kilometres since we last met. The promised tailwinds that are supposed to assist Skye on his journey have been elusive. Tomorrow, they are supposed to blow tomorrow, just as yesterday, they were supposed to blow today. It’s a mental challenge, waiting for these helpful tailwinds, yet getting back on the bike to pedal in the face of more headwinds.

In so many ways, this is the story and the feel of Kerr’s [Ed. Sky's brother] life—the hope and promise of helpful tailwinds; the disappointment when instead he is met with headwinds: the funding that doesn’t come through, the education that doesn’t happen, the waiting lists that never seem to get shorter, the well-trained assistants that need to move on in their lives. How does Kerr—and how do we with him—get back on the bike and keep pedaling?

Headwinds and tailwinds, indeed ... that would be a good way to describe our current experience with attempting to help our now 18-year-old daughter master that transition from childhood to adulthood, which can be hard enough for any adolescent but so much more challenging when you're ... well, challenged.

I must admit that I have felt somewhat like a bull in a china shop of late as I struggle mightily, furiously (and yet often it seems in vain) to help her access the services she currently so desperately needs.  Transition planning and more work on life skills at school.  And counselling or meds (but why would you choose medication when you have a pretty good hunch that counselling would do the trick, if only she could access it?) in managing her emotions, letting go of obsessive thoughts and learning better social skills.

But she's too high-functioning.  And yet not high-functioning enough.  She is too old.  Or she doesn't qualify because she's mentally challenged.  Or she doesn't meet some other criteria for service to this or that group because ... fill in the blank. I've pretty much heard it all as of late.

And yet, despite the headwinds I seem to battle, on a daily basis, at every turn, every once in a while I will find myself screaming talking to the right professional, a person who can and does seem willing to make that extra effort to find the Blue Jay the help she needs.

Talk, of course, is cheap.  And the proof is (and always will be) in the pudding.

But when I somehow stumble upon those rare individuals who actually seem to hold out hope (of doing baseline testing and setting appropriate work and life goals at school or the elusive referral to the psychiatrist that specializes in adolescents with various challenges or ... is it really too good to be true ...the possibility of a way to access funding for one-on-one counseling), it's like suddenly coming around a bend during a seeminly never-ending uphill climb and unexpectedly finding the headwind you've been battling might just be gone.  And perhaps, just perhaps, the wind might actually be at your back for a change.

I'm hoping Skye will soon find those elusive tailwinds.  And that people will pay attention to his cross-country journey and, more importantly, the reason he is doing what he is doing.

At the same time, I hope this isn't just some trick or sleight of hand and my own headwinds are finally diminishing.  Wish us all luck. We will need it.

"Twits" Expanding Definition of Online Hate Crime?

Once upon a time, in a land far, far away, I wrote about the Electronic Frontier Foundation's Legal Guide for Bloggers, which attempts to help bloggers figure out and stay clear of some of the legal liability issues potentially involved in, well, blogging.

Now, as if there weren't enough to think about, today I came across this. 

I can't say it's really surprising - I mean if you're brainless enough to post something stupid on Facebook, Twitter or wherever, you probably deserve what you get. 

Anyone who hasn't yet figured out that police, reporters and future (and even current) employers will check up on what they're on to line ... well, let's just say they're not the brightest crayon in the box.

So, let's just hope all the twits tweeters out there remember that, too.

Although I must say that getting fired for simply stating what many might consider the obvious does seem a bit much.

Goddard landed in hot water last week after retweeting a comment by Twitter user @Uptownhockey, an account for Burlington, Ont.-based Uptown Sports Management, which stated: "Very sad to read Sean Avery’s misguided support of same-gender ‘marriage.’ Legal or not, it will always be wrong."

In his own tweet, Goddard wrote: "I completely and whole-heartedly support (Uptown’s) Todd Reynolds and his support for the traditional and TRUE meaning of marriage."

Let's hope they have a lot more than that backing them up when they try to defend a wrongful dismissal suit. Free speech anybody?

But if you thought that was bad, you might just want to sit down for this one.

Are the federal Conservatives trying to kill use of the hyperlink in Canada?

As ludicrous as that sounds, pending legislation in Ottawa seeks to amend the Criminal Code in a way that would make people who hyperlink to other websites potentially guilty of a hate crime if those linked sites wilfully promoted hatred against an identifiable group.

The wording in question in Bill C-51 is as follows:

"Clause 5 of the bill provides that the offences of public incitement of hatred and wilful promotion of hatred may be committed by any means of communication and include making hate material available, by creating a hyperlink that directs web surfers to a website where hate material is posted, for example.

The changes are touted by government as necessary to "modernize the Criminal Code in light of new technologies as well as to arm police with stronger powers to investigate computer-based crimes.

Yup, as crazy as it sounds, it appears that our esteemed Conservative government is seriously considering amending the Criminal Code so as to potentially make a blogger guilty of a "hate crime" for linking to a website that contains "hate material".

Now, I'm all for updating all manner of laws to deal with this brave new world we find ourselves in (including the rules of parenting!) but does anyone think this might be going just a little too far?

As pointed out by Mr. Schneidereit, what if the blogger didn't know the website she linked to contained such material? What if the material was posted to the second site after the link was established? What if the site linked to wasn't "hateful" but it (either now or later) linked to a site that was?  What if we've all gone down the rabbit hole?

And just as an aside, not that I am any fan of our current government, but doesn't "conservative" generally mean "less" government, not "more"?

 I mean I could see the federal NDPers trying something like this and giving all us "left leaners" a bad name. 

But the Conservatives?  Really?

Perhaps it's time we all put the mouse down and stepped away from the computer.

No Comment

Let's just say we'll (hopefully) be moving on from here. 

And about that rather noticeable lack of blogging around these here parts ... yeah, like I said, no comment. Except it best not be happening again.

Nothing to look at here, folks.  Move along, now, move along.

And Anudder ... And Anudder ...

As in Anudder Year in a Blog, right?

You know the drill ... the first sentence (or paragraph, depending on my mood) of the first post for each month of 2010. Drum roll please ...

January: It's New Years Day, eh?

February:  Since I've posted.

I suppose it might be time to do something about that.

Ya think, DiNozzo?

March:  It being the 6th day of March.

And this song playing on the radio this morning.

It is now our theme song for the day.

**Now renamed 'Canadian Dream'.
What? You gotta problem with that?**

** April:

May:  I've watched with some degree of bemusement as racism seems to grow into a bigger and bigger issue on almost daily basis in the US. Or, perhaps I should not say so much a bigger and bigger issue as much as more and more the 'call of the day'. The only explanation for everything that happens.

June:  It's been a while, hasn't it?

Like over a week. Not good, I know.

Unfortunately, it don't be looking much better at the moment.

** July:

August:  Having just returned from a 10-day vacation to Cape Breton Island a few days hence (yes, it was a great trip, thanks for asking), I shake my befuddled head and wonder Why, oh why, does "re-entry" seem to get more and more difficult as the years pass?

September:  It's the first day back to school for the crew and, alas, I am feeling too sick to appreciate it at the moment.

October:  I see that Nova Scotia's automobile insurers are crying in their champagne beer again, this time over the Dexter's government minor changes to the "minor injury" cap. Oh dear, what can the matter be? Cue the world's smallest violins.

November:  That's about all I have to say for now.

The trip was wonderful. I must be a very visual person as I tend to take an immediate like or dislike to a city. Based on things like trees and parks. And water. Water is very important.

And so it was that I fell hard for Boston.

December:  I sure can. So. So. Jealous.



** Note that some months just left me speechless, eh?

Stress Reliever

My apologies for the light blogging since my return from Boston but things have been more than a little ... shall we say stressful ... here in Free Falling land.

Although I had a blast in Boston, my body, apparently, had a different take on the subject.  Meaning that I, not unexpectedly, felt myself starting to crash shortly after my return home.  Which was okay, I was expecting that and more than willing to live with it.

What I wasn't prepared to live with (although apparently I didn't have much say in the matter) was my husband's completely unexpected dismissal from his employment shortly after my return.  And not just any employment, but the job he's been at for the past 15 years.  Dismissed as in walk in to work one morning and hear the words "You might as well go home". Go home. With no notice.  No pay.  No nothing.

And, yes, before you go there, you're absolutely right - his (former) employer can't do that.  And he won't be allowed to do that although that is exactly what is happening at the moment.   And, just to put the icing on the cake, that job loss also resulted in the loss of our health insurance.

Can you say Fun, Fun, Fun?  Well, I can't. 

In addition to the fact that I've grown rather partial to paying our bills, we have very high drug costs.  Mostly because of me.  And those same drugs are what allow me to keep working.  So now what?

Yeah, I did mention it's been a bit stressful around here, haven't I?

And so now we reach the point of this post ... yes, believe it or not, there almost is one.

Moseying back through the blog the other day, I came upon this post.   This, which I hadn't played since my return from Boston.  Something made me click the Play button.  And I was so glad I did.

I have just discovered what I'm sure is destined to be my prime stress relievor at the moment - and, yes, I do realize that might make me a very pathetic individual.  But whatever works, I say. 

There's something about just singing along and belting out "I just wanna get you out of Teterboro.  We want to leave but they won't let us go.  Just heard on the radio, we're stuck in Teterboro" which is very, very good for the soul.  Go ahead.  Try it.  I will wait.

It might help, of course, that the Kit Kat was initially as taken with the video as I was and comes a'running the moment she hears the music.  For to sing along with her dear mother.  We do rather enjoy laughing at ourselves.

And so, for now dear friends, I can't but leave you with Mike and his feelings on Teterboro.

Which will have to take the place, at least for the moment, of my other blogging - that which I can't quite convince myself to do at the moment.  There's the whole issue of the white versus red poppy on Remembrance Day (there's no doubt a place for both but not in the same month and certainly not on the same day, says I),  Canada's sudden surprise unexpected (that's sarcasm by the way) decision to stay on in Afghanistan in a "non-combat" role until 2014 and the Supreme Court of Canada's latest decision setting out the fact that that we have no right to counsel during police interrogation.

Such is life. For the moment I appear to be the proud holder of an open-ended multiple return trip to Teterboro. Until we meet again, then ...

Water Water Everywhere?

Once upon a time.

Once upon a time, I use to be heavily involved in international development issues, particularly as they related to children.  Yup, that's my catch, children.  Always has been, likely always will be.

But in my pre-disability days, before I knew what an IPP was, long before I had ever heard of a Program Planning Team (let alone knew that I was to be a member of many) ... I was involved with a group called Results Canada.

Results (they are active in many countries around the world including Australia, Germany, Japan, Mexico, United Kingdom and the United States) is a volunteer political action group dedicated to "creating the political will to end global poverty and needless suffering, and to demonstrating that individuals make a difference when they exercise their political influence".  It was pure political advocacy work - coordinating a media strategy; letters, letters and more letters to newspapers and politicians; community outreach and fundraising to keep the mostly volunteer organization going.

It was good work, work where you felt you might just be making a difference in the world.  I once had a politician ask me why I, personally, was involved in this work.  I walked him to my office and silently pointed to the picture on my desk of my then 3-month-old child. Enough said.  He got it.

Can one person really make a difference? Yes, I believe they can.  And how many times is that difference magnified when that one person works in unison with others of a like mind?

But life took over - a challenged child with a significant health issue sucked up much of my time and emotional and mental energy.  And as she grew (particularly as she got closer to school age), I realized that a person can only do so much.  And it seemed that there was much I could and should be doing to help others right here in my own Province.  I still supported (and continue to support) what Results is trying to accomplish but my political activity shifted much closer to home as I focused on assisting challenged children and their families navigate our province's educational and community services, to ensure that they had access to the services they are entitled to.

But then I received an email last week - an email "reminding" me that this year's Blog Action theme is water - access to clean water in developing countries, the over-consumption of water in developed countries, water and the environment and "water solutions".  One item in particular in that list struck a chord in me - and you might just guess why based on my previous involvement with Results.

One of the many issues we dealt with at Results was access to clean water - can there be any more basic a need?  Monthly actions and ongoing campaigns were picked based on strategic opportunity, political climate, context, and impact and issues were usually ones where there was a proven, cost-effective solution and for which there are not many champions.  Issues like child and maternal health, sanitation and hygiene, primary education and microfinance - that last of which is an amazing subject, by the way, well deserving of its own post. Perhaps for another day.


Did You Know?
Did you know that unsafe drinking water and lack of sanitation kills more people every year than all forms of violence, including war?  Water, or rather lack thereof, causes 42,000 deaths each week.

That more people have access to a cell phone than to a toilet? Today, 2.5 billion people lack access to toilets. This means that sewage spills into rivers and streams, contaminating drinking water and causing disease.

That every day, women and children in Africa walk a combined total of 109 million hours to get water? They do this while carrying cisterns weighing around 40 pounds when filled in order to gather water that, in many cases, is still polluted.

That it takes 6.3 gallons of water to produce just one hamburger? That 6.3 gallons covers everything from watering the wheat for the bun and providing water for the cow to cooking the patty and baking the bun.

That the average North American uses 159 gallons of water every day – more than 15 times the average person in the developing world? From showering and washing our hands to watering our lawns and washing our cars, we use a lot of water. To put things into perspective, the average five-minute shower will use about 10 gallons of water. No wonder the Navy doesn't allow Hollywood showers!

While these facts may be grim, there is hope for real solutions as more and more people around the world are waking up to the clean water crisis. Earlier this year, the UN declared access to clean water a human right and groups like charity: water and Water.org continue to work tirelessly to bring water access to the developing world.

No, I am not advocating that we all dress in ashes and sackcloth and repent for our sin of living in an industrialized country.  I know I'm not going to anyway!

What I am suggesting is awareness - it's been a long time since I, myself, have turned my mind to these issues on anything approaching a regular basis and when I looked today at the statistics on how many children die every day from lack of primary health care and clean water or for the want of simple and cost-effective interventions such as breastfeeding, prevention of mother-to child transmission of HIV, immunization, micro-nutrients, and oral rehydration therapy to treat diarrhea .... it makes me very very sad.  It reminds me of just how lucky my family and I are.  And it turns my mind back to the obligation we, who have so much, have to those who have so little.

Margaret Mead is famous for the words, "Never doubt that a small group of committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”  

Whether we work in concert with those of like mind (be it paid or volunteer), teach and remind our children that there is a much, much bigger world than that they can see from their back yard or direct our attention on occasion to those charities with a proven track record of dealing successfully with some of the most basic of human needs around the world, I believe know we all have a part to play.

I Wish I Could ... I Wish I Could ...

Having just returned from a 10-day vacation to Cape Breton Island a few days hence (yes, it was a great trip, thanks for asking), I shake my befuddled head and wonder Why, oh why, does "re-entry" seem to get more and more difficult as the years pass?

Trying to put my brain, house, work and life (somewhat in that order) back in order is definitely going to result in me needing another vacation. On account of my vacation.

I tell you this only because I dearly do want to blog a new post here. Honest, I do. For once, I even know of what I want to blog.

While we were away, I came across an article in our provincial paper (which I can no longer access electronically, alas!) which asked the question "Racist parents, innocent children: What to do?". Which I might well have blogged about then but for severe difficulties with the keyboard of a brand new lap top (!!) which pretty much killed the thought of doing anything which would actually involve ... you know ... typing.

And now, home at last, reunited with my trusty computer, I would really like to start that post.

But I simply can't. For the moment.

See above.

Nifty

So? Whaddya think??

Do you like it? Huh, do you?

Yeah, Blogger has recently come out with some mega new designer templates but I never really had a chance to look at them until the other day. And then, cautious by nature, I had to consider it for a few days before I got brave to try a change. Because what would happen if I decided I didn't like it?

Well, apparently hopefully you can change back to your original template. Or so they say. Even though they don't appear to offer them any more.

Whatever. I took the plunge.

So what do you think? Do you like it?

I do. Although something tells me, with so many to choose from now, I might just be updating the look of my blogs to go along with all the holidays. Or at least the seasons.

Hmmm. Makes me wonder ... you don't suppose they any Canadian flag backgrounds, do you?