My Tolkien

The Lord of the Rings is part of me, its text so familiar, flashes of it constantly rise in my everyday life.

Here are foreign words which to me, describe something that belongs in LoR.

Padkos: food taken with you while traveling/going on a trip. Literally means “road-food” (Afrikaans).

Lembas is padkos.

Tingo: the act of taking objects one desires from the house of a friend by gradually borrowing all of them (Pascuense).

A typical Hobbit habit.

Hiraeth: homesickness tinged with grief or sadness over the lost or departed. It is a mix of longing, yearning, nostalgia, wistfulness - a homesickness for somewhere you cannot return to, the nostalgia and the grief for the lost places of your past.To feel hiraeth is to experience a deep sense of incompleteness tinged with longing (Welsh).

This is how Frodo felt in the years before he left for the Grey Havens.

Words, but also pictures belong in my Lord of the Rings.

This is a real place, Mount Thor on Baffin Island.

I will add to this post as I come across other inspirations.

From the BBC

(...)The ban on women drivers, while informal, is enforced by Saudi police through fines and arrests. Only men are permitted to acquire driving licences. 

"If a woman drives a car, not out of pure necessity, that could have negative physiological impacts as functional and physiological medical studies show that it automatically affects the ovaries and pushes the pelvis upwards," Sheikh Lohaidan told the news website Sabq.org.

"That is why we find those who regularly drive have children with clinical problems of varying degrees."

Source

I am all for religious freedom. Obscurantism is another matter altogether.

A New Word

I've opened a forum on Facebook, but I don't expect much from Facebook.
Here is the thing. I am discovering and playing with foreign words that have no equivalent in English but designate a familiar concept.
Carried away by my enthusiasm, I actually want to create a new word. It will mean:
"Lifting a cat by the tail, briefly lifting its 2 back paws, given and received as a friendly gesture."

And to demonstrate my word, I made a bad, short video on an unsuspecting victim.

Blogger will not let me post it so I'll draw an illustration when I have a minute.

Any suggestion is welcome, until it feels right!

And from the BBC

(...) The brain is malleable and can be moulded by experience. (...) - repeated use sculpts the brain.


Source

From the BBC

I am a regular on the BBC news website. I find news and articles there that I would never come across anywhere else. To share the joy and wonder, I'm going to create a new column on my blog that will be called, you guessed it, "From the BBC". But I'll put just the bit that is really thought provoking. No context.

Today, on "From the BBC":

Psychologist Dr Arthur Cassidy agrees (...)

"(...) We live in a world where we are expected to conform - not doing so can be an exciting phenomenon.

"Of course, it really depends on which part of the world you are in - culturally speaking. Here in the West, social solitude is still stigmatised. Instead, the cultural norm is to be connected on a day-to-day basis, especially on Christmas Day."

Source

The Weight of Christmas

But you've got to lose

The weight of the wind

Hard on your shoulders

Getting you down

-A-HA-

Thoughts are swirling in my head like snow on a windy road. Words come up. Loneliness. Social stigma. Expectations. Christmas. Pressure.

I've been reflecting on loneliness. How it's become something to be ashamed of, because if you are popular and busy and worthy, you have an endless social life and you're never lonely.

Being single, being old, not having many friends, not having a close family circle, all of those are symptoms of a failure. Your failure. Popular culture glamourizes sociability. Admitting to loneliness has become difficult. It's like revealing how truly flawed you are.

At Christmas time, the pressure doubles. It's a time to spend with family anf friends AND to be merry and joyful. Or else.

What if you don't feel joyful? What if you are mourning, you are sad, you are alone and/or lonely?

"What are you doing for Christmas?"

Try saying: "Actually I'm all alone, I won't get a single present and I expect I'll have a good cry".

See the shock on people's face, not sympathy but actual shock. Like you've broken a taboo.

This year, I'm not playing along. This year, I'm going to pick and choose which society's standards I'll adhere to, or at least I'm going to review them instead of accepting them all blindly.
-This is what society expects: do I agree/ want it/ follow it/ endorse it/ play along? Or do I step aside and decide: "I shall pass on this one."
The price to pay will be to be considered odd, to be judged by the uncomprehending said society.
The reward will be to know that I think for myself.

Yeah, nothing like setting up goals, right?
Merry Christmas Everybody!!!!!!

Cat-ering on Facebook

Self-heating blanket. Cordless, no batteries required. Works with pellets only. Comes with purring and shedding options.

 

 

 

Sometimes, you can't beat the spontaneity of Facebook. Blogs are craftingly designed and written and thought over. When things just burst out, there's Facebook.

 

We Have Evolved

The Chinese used to bind girls feet to keep them from growing. The feet grew deformed, and women suffered a lifetime of excruciating pain, all in the name of some bizarre aesthetics. It seems hard to believe.

Thank god our civilisation has quite evolved. Today's society wouldn't dream of inflicting pain or discomfort to women in the name of strange beauty standards. Boy, am I glad!

Then again, primitive cultures have always had strange fashion fetishes, where gross deformity is considered appealing..

I'm just glad I live in 2014!

On Advertising

I used to work for a company that was fun and exciting. Advertising was our bread and butter. Have you noticed how you don't question your bread and butter?
Things change and years later, I find myself living a lifestyle that is almost completely advertising-free.
I never watch television.
I can't stand the radio.
I don't read newspapers and magazines.
I don't use public transportation.
I don't live in a big city anymore.
Circulars go straight to recycling.
The only advertisment exposure I get is via the Web, and it's not overwhelming yet, or the occasional email.
And... I LOVE it.
It's a bit like a life without Kim Kardashian in it. You don't really notice your bliss until she barges in.

The other day, I tried to watch a little TV. It had been so long since I had turned my TV on that I had to go over the instructions again. I'm not kidding. After a little while, my jaw dropped. It seems to me that TV has become full time advertising with short, sporadic bursts of programs to keep you hooked in between. I wondered how people can STAND to watch TV the way it is now. The assault on my senses was relentless. This store had a big sale. This cream does wonder for your skin. This pizza sure looks delicious. Isn't it time for a good beer? How can I live without all this information brought to my attention?
Actually, EXTREMELY well, thank you. I neither need it nor miss it.
The avowed goal of advertisement is to create a need where there was none in the first place. Why do we agree to play along????

Advertising is playful and creative when it's your job and I'm all for it.
For the audience, I think advertising remains acceptable only as long as you retain a measure of choice or agreement to the exposure. Whereas in everyday life, people tolerate publicity the way they deal with taxes: they shrugg in acceptance because they don't have a choice. It's EVERYWHERE.

I am not willing to pay the advertising-assault price for the privilege of watching TV or listening to the radio. So I don't. The latest jingle or slogan of the latest big corporation is not familiar to me. And my life is that much more serene.

Because... Estorbo

Every time I light a candle I do it for you kitty. I miss you, cad.

Epiphany

On Sunday, I visited with extended family and was struck by a visceral discovery : you can’t turn back the clock.

Life moves on, people change and it’s the natural Order of Things.

 

Then last night, on the birthday of my childhood neighbor, I had a sort of epiphany: I finally realized, understood, FELT that the past can never come back. I think a part of me had always been longing to go back to the Antibes days. I vaguely thought: “If I go back to Antibes, my family with me, we could pick up where we left off…”

For the first time, I realized it cannot happen. It’s where we were, at that time, at that age, with those people. Some of the people live on but they are no longer the same. Antibes itself has moved on. My childhood can never be recreated or revisited.

But what I can do is love it, love the people in it, and be intensely grateful for the privilege of having lived it: Antibes in the 70’s, family life, my beloved school, playing with my brother, the beauty all around us. Creating memories to be cherished for a lifetime.

 

I thought Time didn’t really exist. But Something flows, and it flows in one direction only.

I feel like I’ve grown up. I have finally accepted that there is no going back. But once, it was real. I lived IT, I shared IT and it’s in my heart forever.

 

Antibes. As I knew it.             (Photo Credit: Lesley Stern)

 

 

The Circle of Life

I have two entries in my obituary this week.
I would like to say thank you to and for Wynonna, the faithful pig who was with Linda for 18 years.

                                         Photo credit: Linda Carson

I would like to say thank you to and for Betsy, my boss's beloved dog who was her best friend for 12 years.
Thank you so much, guys, see you around.

And because life goes on, I would like to celebrate the new love in my friend Caroline's life, and what a love it is. I give you Olive...

Photo credit: Caroline Lamothe

Our friends keep coming and going. Blessed be our friends.

SumOfUs.org

I've just signed about 20 petitions on SumOfUs.org. Against Mosanto, against environmental threats, against Harper's schemes. Individuals against wealthy corporations: can we make a difference?

Misty Day

My pictures don't render justice to that bright bush. I wish it were in my garden!

The mountain in the mist.

Very Dian Fossey.

My brother remarked that I had a gorgeous "mountain" and a gorgeous river to photograph. I took that as a challenge. It might become repetitive but to an extent I will try to convey the 1001 moods of My mountain and My river, in different lights, hours, weather, seasons... For lack of the spectacular, I will turn to the chronicle and thus document: this is where I live. These are the sights, the light, the trees, the streets of my town. I won't have the photo opportunities of my Bahamian life. Once I accept that, I can still have fun with my camera.

The Weariness

Getting closer to my perfect hockey shot. I'm particularly fond of this one.

Lise Thibault

The evidence is overwhelming. Well, Ms. Thibault, time to pay the piper.  Your sense of entitlement is mind boggling. I hope the jury is severe on you.
From a tax payer.

Developments

Nothing comes easy in life. Being born doesn't come easy. The rest just follows suit. Fine. I'm NOT dropping the towel.

Blooms

The four daffodils... cue in the aaahhhhs.

The timid bush... witch never stays timid long, I must add.

To paraphrase: "Are you not entertained?!?!!!"

Morning Visitor

I own a super camera. But of course, the Visitor would show up when all I have is my Iphone. Figures.
Notice anything about this awesome picture? That's right, it's upside down! Why? Because after trying every d*** trick,  it was "publish it like that or throw the computer out the window". Which I'm awfully close to doing.
Maybe I can start a new trend in blogs.

Because I Can't Forget

Photo credit: The Krim Family


www.lululeofund.org

Sunny Day

Sunny but Bleak

Woke up to a life in dark greys. It cleared up a bit but we are losing to New York. And Carey is being replaced. Not a great Saturday overall.

The Canadians

Before the series, I didn't even know we had a player called Dale Weise... Goes to show... I'm firing my intel guy.

2006

2006. That's when I started this blog. Mademoiselle Caroline was a regular. I believed in it. I've just been on a trip down memory lane. I cannot believe it's been 8 years. So much has happened in 8 years, so much. Yet some things are still the same. I still have Loukhi, sole survivor of that era. The house still stands around me, scarred, altered, but still warm and beautiful.
I still have this outlet to voice my thoughts, an outlet neglected for several years. Overall I think creativity is very important. So even though i've lost all my following, no wonder, in the hiatus, this blog is still alive. I'll try and keep it that way.

Received a back-pack to hold my camera and lenses today. I'm now ready to go!!! Next shoot, tomorrow at the arena.
Daffodils ready to bloom any day now. All three of them. I'm so excited.

Thrilled

An awesome match, regardless of how number seven turns out, big win, Habs!

A House in Bloom

Happy Mother's Day

Hair

Timid Spring

What's Wrong with this Picture?

Err.. Wait! I see it! There's a long-haired cat lying among my Clean Laundry piles! 

Yup. Sigh again. 

How Not to Get Tongue Tied When Speaking to an Astronaut

I've no idea. If you find out, let me know. Though I fake I'm not, my brain goes dead every time. Sigh.

Meanwhile at Home

The Princess is alive and doing well, playing Princess at every turn.

The other cats are by no means unwell but I'm testing my lenses.

My "garden" is not exactly "flower prone" which makes this all the more delightful.

The Beauty Around You

"But yes, there is a quality of life in SA - an environmentally beautiful one i mean, that is very special."
Marie Viljoen

With these words, my sister-in-law gave me a sudden flash of " déjà vu" and i thought : "that 's exactly it!".

I was thinking of my own childhood on the French Riviera. May be you cannot heal from a beautiful place. I think it haunts you forever more.
It can leave you starved, even in the most friendly places.

In Search of the Perfect Hockey Shot

Will it be an action shot? A close-up? I'm not sure yet. I have many obstacles against me: low light, shooting through thick, damaged protective glass, the speed of the action, the limitations of lenses... Still, it's a Quest. I love a challenge.

Eating Ham... Or Trying Too

Tuna you said? Forget it. HAM is the new " it " thing in the cat world. Bring home a nice smelling roasted ham. Try, just try, to cut yourself a piece. Then try, just Try to eat it.
You've never been this harassed! Relentless purring cats just all over you, several at a time so all the angles are covered. Pushy, demanding, sneaky, ferocious, anything it will take.
You fend them off with one hand, dodge, keep eating with the other, until that wonderful, delicious piece of ham has just been wolfed down in the most un-ceremonial way and you haven't enjoyed a bite of it. You're just happy YOU ate it, and not them.
That's no way to savour a delightful ham.
Some things have got to change.
This is no way to live or eat.
I'm writing a complaint and having it notarized as we speak, for all cats to share.
If you want to join me, Free Ham Eating.com
Because we have to make a stand.*



*please note this is complete jest. Terrible issues are worth making a stand for. This is not one of them.

Creative Toys

I got me a new toy!!!!!

Except when i got it, it made a little jiggling sound of a lose or broken little part in the case.

Not Good.

Brother said: "Send it back!"

I sighed and said: "Yes, Brother".

I did.

I ordered again this time straight from Canon.

I should be getting my new Rebel camera within a week.

And i'm excited!!! (Add sparks here)

I've missed having a real camera badly. The pockets versions simply never did it for me.

Can't wait to shoot some more bad pictures ;)

Life, according to Chris Hadfield. Life, according to Sasha.
Chris Hadfield says: "Be prepared!"
Sasha says: "What?"
I like to vary my philosophies.

Pistorius

It has been intriguing me. I haven't lost any sleep over it, but i have been wondering: which opposite side of the tale is the truth? Accident or intentional?
After analyzing every information in my possesion, and i might be missing crucial pieces for I'm so far remote, my conclusion is drawn: i believe Pistorius murdered his girlfriend. I feel like the truth is out there, if only the right questions were asked.
Why would she lock the bathroom door if they didn't argue?
Why, while you girlfriend is sleeping over, do you first think of an intruder when you hear noises in the bathroom?
WHY WOULD SHE TAKE HER PHONE TO THE BATHROOM IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHGT?
Why doesn't he insist on a lie detector test?
Who would blindly shoot through a closed bathroom door, even in a dangerous country?
A friend of mine said: well if he killed her on purpose, he's a very good actor since he's been breaking down so bad.
That argument is empty. I believe he killed her. And i believe the decent human being took over and he is crushed by remorse and fear of consequences. I believe that's what making him cry and throw up. I don't believe he is a cold-blooded killer. But I do believe he murdered her. Crime of passion. Male egos get so big.
I could be wrong. Good luck to the judge. I've been on the fence for a while, but currently, my opinion is formed.
Not that it makes a single difference anywhere.

Sans titre

"Using pain to relieve pain. It doesn't make much sense."
Veronica Roth. Insurgent p.154

Status Quo

It's 9h45 pm and all four cats are curled up and asleep on my bed. In other words, all is well. Until I move my legs.

Respect

He is a doctor so I don't know how many lives he saved, how many he lost.
But on March 13, 2014  in the Canadian Space Agency's cafeteria, Astronaut David St-Jacques jumped in and performed the Heimlich maneuver on a choking man at the table next to him and saved his life.
The next day, he twitted as if nothing special had happened.
I salute you Astro_DavidS. I believe astronaut training really does prepare you for any emergency.
Respect.

Thank You

A furious arctic wind is howling outside.
I am so safe in my warm bed, not fearing any explosion or gunshots, either now nor tomorrow.
I don't know why i was destined to be one of the privileged ones, but i am so thankfull.
Now just imagine Taylor Swift. Young, gorgeous, talented and wealthy. How thankfull should she be?
Now just imagine a young Syrian fighting for survival...
Thank you for my safe, warm house. Never wondering where my next meal will come from. Never fearing for the health and welfare of my loved ones.
I am hugely privileged, but i recognize every moment of it.
Hang in there, World.

Supremacy of a Regime

I've whined about it before. One queen-size bed: 4 cats/1 human. Who do you think is the losing party? Do you know how much space cats, curled up or spread out, actually occupy?

If I dare try to move a leg, I should say to navigate a leg between the lumps:
Miss Sasha immediately jumps off, offended (to comeback in the exact same place 3 minutes later).
Loukhi follows suit (coming back 5 minutes later).
Sweet Lulu... Bites the hell out of me!!!! She who NEVER bites, would bite me to draw blood at night if I didn't quickly remove the offending body part. May be she suffers from nightmares. AND she snores!!!
Chinook... Doesn't budge. It would take ( and has taken) an earthquake to move Chinook.

I am humble. I know my place: Ideally on the couch in the other room. Failing that, take as little room as possible... Then don't you dare move.

I'm owned by 4 cats. Not always a picnic.

Carey Price

"How happy are you right now?"
"I'm very happy!" Big grin.

This is about as excited as I've ever seen Carey Price.
He has his detractors, here in Canada, who claim he's overated. But give him the chance to prove himself with the best of the best, and he simply did it. He was a quiet wall. His last two games were shut outs.
Quietly, without fanfare, he blocked everything that needed to be blocked. He was a rock.
I'm more proud of him that i can say.

Happiness is...

...A gold medal in hockey for Canada in Sotchi. Happiness is in essence ephemeral. Seize the moment. Congrats, boys. I'm thrilled.

Aaaaaand... Here we go

Just what I didn't want. Price, my favorite goalie against Karlsson my favorite player.
Whoever wins, I'll be thrilled, but in the end, I'll have to go with Team Canada. They played so well against the US!
And the truth is, i'm jazzed in a way. No matter what, my two favourites have earned themselves a beautiful gold or silver olympic medal, and fantastic memories.

Just when you thought...

Just when you thought the suspense couldn't  get any higher... There's the women final between Canada and USA. What. A. Match. What a vicarious thrill. I was on an adrenaline high for hours. If you watched, you know why.

I did feel sorry for the sobbing Americans though. That was rather heartbreaking.

I don't have a good feeling for the Canada- US men semi- final tomorrow. In fact, i expect to lose. I'll be watching! Go team!

If you think this blog has turned into a hockey blog, don't worry. It's the Olympics. You must enjoy while it lasts!

Canada vs Latvia or the End of my Nails

Of course, the truth is, my nails are very short. But if i had had any to bite, they would be gone, baby, gone.
It was an impossible match. Canada tried and tried and tried and tried. Canada sent 57 shots (against 16 from Latvia). Nothing went in.
Ok, there's one time where the goalie clearly pushed the puck in, but it was denied to Canada through the powers that be.
The Canadians were literally camping in the attack zone. Still nothing went in. Latvia was a wall. It was unbelievable.
Weber saved the day. I was spent.
We may lose to the US Friday. It will never be as nerve racking as today, against obscure Latvia. The Olympics are exhausting! (And i love it)
In the meantime, Crosby oh Crosby, WHERE are you?

Hooked on Hockey: it's All His Fault!

3 years ago, i knew nothing about hockey. I mean nothing. Nothing. Did not give a s****.
Then a friend of mine put it in his head to teach me about hockey. I'll never know why.

He's a Great Teacher.

I Listened Carefully.

I started learning a few interesting things.
My friend actually plays as goalie.
I went to watch.
I was hooked.
In 3 years, i must have missed only 20-30% of all the matches he played. I simply don't get tired of watching his performances, wonderful or terrible as they might be.
I also watch his practises, as the learning curve is fascinating.
We went to see 2 Canadian matches together. Was great to have his knowledge.
Of course, I will always be biased towards goalies. I watch them more than anybody in the game. Heh. Learned behaviour.

So here comes favourite number one:
Carey Price.

Then, among the "mere" players, comes favourite number two:
Erik Karlsson.

I'm watching Sochi with my heart being in it for Canada, but hoping Sweden will still medal.
In the meantime, i'm watching garage league games, and i still enjoy the heck out of them. As long as my friend plays goalie.

I'm just hoping it won't end in a Canada-Sweden match. Imagine how thorn i'd be!
Thank you friend for introducing me to hockey. The skills involved fascinate me to this day.