Not a real post...

Hi,

I'm just letting you know why I'm not posting today!

This bug won't leave me alone. I'm tired, achy, and feeling generally like half the person I really am. Would that this were true in terms of the scale. Oops! Bad girl, bad girl.

I promised, "No More Fat Talk."

Also I want to follow up on the Vancouver homelessness story I did earlier this week, but my contact is not back yet. She's in the ether somewhere in between Toronto and Vancouver. So it's going to have to wait.

So, I'll see you next week. This weekend, I'm marking, marking, marking. Or, for those of your south of the border, grading, grading, grading!

Either way, no fun.

Hugs and stay well.

Now, I'm going to put the kettle on for a nice cup of tea!

Speak soon.

xox

sln

Comments

[JR Jake]

Oh shoot I was looking forward to reading your article. That is truly one love about your paper, you have such light reading it actually makes me think of Canada as a Disneyland of sorts. Everywhere I turn around here in the US and look at our headlines you would think 'Armageddon was knocking at our door' (Sugarland).

"Blessed are the cracked, for they shall let in the light." Groucho Marx. That is a great quote.

The older I get the more normal I feel and the less normal you all appear. Or at least that is the way I view many people today after viewing and listening to them on a daily basis. What is normal? I do know one thing, if I sat down in among 100 psychoanalysts and they asked me a barrage of questions, I would guess 50% would probably question their own normalcy or belief system after exiting the room.

But that is what Groucho meant, isn't it? We all get jaded by our experience and beliefs to such an extent we are unable to accept the opinions, responses or beliefs of others with any credibility. When we fail to do that, we hold ourselves above others in our minds eye, and we should be careful because it makes us candidates for biases and prejudices we don't need.

Sandy I hope you feel better and I look forward to reading some of your articles to come.

[Sandy Naiman]

Hi Jake,

Thanks for writing and sharing your thoughts on normalcy, Groucho Marx and Canada.

In no particular order:

1. As far as I'm concerned, and I've stated this many times before (since seeing the Tony Award-winning Broadway rock musical/opera of the same name) I don't think "normal" exists, anywhere, except in a town in Illinois. I think we're all "Next to Normal."

2. In Shakespeare's plays, all or many of the "Fools" are mad and yet it is they who speak the "truths".

3. Canada, like any country, has its strengths and weaknesses, attributes and problems. As for "light reading," I'm not exactly sure what you mean or what you're reading.

4. Finally, my interpretation of the Groucho Marx line seems more whimsical that yours. I've been insane, cracked, loony, nuts, truly mad. In that psychic or psychotic state, you can often have a clarity of vision that's quite exhilarating, as I've experienced it.

Or perhaps I'm a little more optimistic about life than you are. I don't know. It's late and I'm exhausted.

The point is, Groucho's meaning, as far as I'm concerned embodies my interpretation of Recovery. I'm working on mine. Constantly. Always. You might say it's my life's work, or part of it, anyway.

Take care and thank you for writing. I hope you keep reading. And come back soon.

Cheers,
sln

[Josh]

Take it easy, put up your feet and try to relax a bit. Myself i've been feeling really tired of late not sure if it's the gloomy cloudy weather of winter or the lack of sleep at night from bizarre dreams of late and the usual stress and anxiety of christmas.

Hopefully all the marking is over before you know it. I know last week our schools were in that midst of report card week. Cousins just showed me there report cards. There quite brainy kids that's for sure.

Take it easy.

[Sandy Naiman]

Thanks Josh,

You're right. So right. Today, I had about 58 papers handed in and tomorrow another 58 or so will be coming in.

All have to be marked and final marks computed by December 18 along with my Addendum for January 2010. Everything is due the same day!

Then, after my promotion meetings on December 21, I'm free until Monday, January 11 in the New Year ~ when I begin teaching and learning from a whole new batch of students.

Right now, I'm just taking one day at a time.

Thank you for your thoughtful comment. You are very kind, like a little angel on my shoulder. We all need angels on our shoulders, don't you think? And isn't it nice to have two shoulders. There's room for two angels, at least. Maybe more, if you have broad shoulders.

I am very grateful for your kindness and your support. You seem to sense how I feel. You're very empathic. Nice. Very nice.

Speak soon!