Chec'dinuovo?

Music motivates us

2012-02-05T09:57:00.002-05:00

The other day, there was an article in the Globe and Mail by Mark Fenske about how to "Power up with music: How it motivates us". Music can be a powerful force. In fact, it is sometimes banned (along with steroids and stimulant drugs) to prevent athletes from gaining an unfair advantage during competitions. Why? Because of its capacity to energize and increase endurance.
The driving beats and locomotive thunder of bass-heavy dance music have undoubtedly fuelled many of running sessions.
One of music's energizing effects comes from its ability to engage the body's sympathetic nervous system. The activation of this system readies the body for action whenever we face a challenge in our environment.
Music is comprised of patterns of sounds that have been shown to affect levels of physical excitability. A simple increase in the pace of the music we listen can quicken our pulse and accelerate our breathing And this can be great for physical exercise or a boring task that might lull you to sleep.
The article suggests further ways that music motivates us. Wonderful.

My Pop Choir

2012-02-03T09:57:00.003-05:00

I have been involved in music most of my life and it is with great pleasure that I see that others are finding an outlet in music. Recently, My Pop choir which seems to have modeled itself after Glee (however I do realize that the Glee choir is a course and probably auditioned- it is the repertoire that attracts singers)or choirs of that ilk is expanding. The choir costs $20 per session or $200 per ten week term. This means that the directors have found a means of making money. Interesting. It seems that the original session was a great success and all but two people signed up again. The two that did not sign up have headed south for the winter.
Hope that it continues because this is a wonderful outlet for people. The next step will be to put on some concerts. Wonder if that will happen?

Access codes

2012-01-29T08:43:00.002-05:00

Do you have this problem? How to keep track of the many access codes and passwords that you have? I believe that I will have to do what Martha Stewart does and keep a log of all the codes. I have e-mails out to two different groups about account access. Thank goodness, it is not an emergency. Wish that I could just use the same code or password but that does not seem acceptable. Even if you had a wonderful memory, it would be very difficult to keep the many accounts all lined up.
Decided that I need to be more proactive about keeping track of all these accounts and that seems more difficult than I thought.
Hopefully, I will find a way to do this without too much difficulty. Will let you know once I get a handle on all the accounts.

Other leaders

2012-01-28T21:19:00.002-05:00

Now that I have checked some innovators, two to be exact, it will be interesting to see how many others have issues. Does the ability to be a leader require attributes that are outside the norm? Wonder. If it is true, then what do we do to foster the talents of those outside the usual paths?
Some food for thought.

Aspergers

2012-01-27T17:25:00.002-05:00

Right now, I am listening to a recording of the book about Steven Jobs. From what I can tell, he had a degree of Aspergers. At least that would help explain his unusual behaviours and difficult interpersonal relationships. Interestingly, today there is an article in the business section of the Toronto Star about Mark Zuckerberg, founder of facebook and he seems to exhibit some of the same kind of behaviours toward employees as Steve Job. Sadly, each of them abused their employees to a certain extent. Steve Wozniak was a different kind of boss but did not want to get involved in the kind of interplay that Steve Jobs did. In the article about Mark Zuckerberg, a former employee Yishan Wong found that after awhile he could not continue to work in the pressure cooker. He was a good employee but left. The article does not get into what caused him to leave. Probably in a number of years, there will be someone who writes about Zuckerberg. Wonder if anyone will see the similarities in behaviours.

Happy Anniversary!

2012-01-26T08:10:00.001-05:00

Happy Anniversary to us. It is amazing. I can not believe that it has been 38 years. Who would have believed it. We have been married for 38 years. We will celebrate on Saturday when we have time to enjoy our visit to a restaurant. No gifts because we have everything or most of everything. What we want most is to travel and that has to be scheduled and will be don't worry.
Hope that everyone else has a wonderful day.

Glen Gardiner

2012-01-25T07:50:00.002-05:00

In my capacity as the person who books groups for the McMichael Gallery, I have had the pleasure of booking many performers over the years. When I first started, I booked Glen and Edith Gardiner and their proteges. Little did I know the history behind this pair of musicians. Today, the Globe and Mail had an obituary for Glen Gardiner who passed away shortly before Christmas. I did not know that he was in a prisoner of war camp, the one that built the tunnels for the Great Escape. Also did not know Glen Gardiner's history as an opera singer and teacher at the Royal Conservatory of Music. Amazing how much we do not know about others and how modest some people are.
Judging from the way that Edith spoke about Glen, theirs was a loving match that lasted 65 years. What a love story!

Steve Jobs

2012-01-24T08:40:00.002-05:00

It was tragic that Steve Jobs died too young. Because of some of his beliefs he looked places that were not too helpful in his medical condition.
It is interesting and also lucky that his biography was written at this time in his life. There was the chance for input from a number of sources who might not talk now. What I also find fascinating is that he has so many quirks that he did not seem to mind having exposed. Or is it that he was not in a position to object. His illness was the guiding force in his life at the end.
He was a man that had many quirks and some of them very unpleasant. I am certain that I would have found him extremely difficult to work for. People like him achieve results but at what cost? What I find interesting is that Steve Wozniak was the real creative force behind the computers but his style was so different that Jobs became the public face behind Apple. Wozniak also had medical issues which prevented him doing more.
A good read, Steve Jobs. It exposes a man that some of us did not know.

Newt Gingrich's win

2012-01-22T10:32:00.002-05:00

I am puzzled by the lengthy process that Americans go through to pick a president. It will not end until the parties meet in August. Then the actual presidential race begins. You need to have deep pockets and many friends. There must be an industry based on American elections. I do not know of any other country to that goes through this kind of process. It certainly makes for good television. Who would believe that someone like Newt Gingrich could be in the running? Married three times? That must be a record for presidential candidates. Issues when he was in congress. What has happened to the United States? Another candidate who has incredible wealth and pays minimal taxes. Can Americans not see the hypocrisy in all of this?
Will be watching and puzzled.

Percy Faith's sister

2012-01-20T20:33:00.002-05:00

If you read my other blog the Taffanel Wind Ensemble, you would know that today the group played for Percy Faith's sister. You never know where and when you are going to meet someone who is connected. She admits to not having the musical talent that her brother who was the first born in the family had. Hope to see her at the seniors' home again.
Must make sure that I practise for future performances. Another one on Thursday.

No Cruises for us

2012-01-18T14:58:00.002-05:00

After the news on the weekend, cruises are done for us. What a horror. The captain of a cruise ship sailed to close to an island so that a signal could be sent to someone on shore. If as he done in the past, the cruise past went well, there would be no problem but this was not the case this time. The ship struck rocks and suddenly without warning the ship capsized. Sadly, it seems that the crew was not well trained and the crew abandoned ship with the captain one of the first off. The crew did not give passengers clear messages as to what they needed to do.
Even after the coast guard pleaded with the captain to return and help with the rescue he refused. It was every person on their own and it seems that there are still at least 25 people are still unaccounted for.
This has certainly tainted my vision as to how well crews are trained. The crew member who was found with the broken leg needs to be congratulated. He had gone back to help passengers and crew. Not leave everyone on their own.

The Practical Gardener

2012-01-15T19:36:00.003-05:00

Yesterday, I attended a gardening session at the Toronto Botanical Centre. It was mainly for the Master Gardeners. If this is what they are learning, I really do not want to become a master gardener. I am glad that some people are interested and ready to man the phone lines when people have questions and also answer e-mail questions. I am sure that there are many questions to answer. However, was not impressed with one of the presentations which was simply a presentation of Perennials-The good, the bad and the ugly. This was one persons opinion and partly determined by where she lives and what kind of gardening she wishes to do determined by her interests and many gardening pursuits.
Will be more selective about future presentations.

Winter is here

2012-01-13T11:03:00.002-05:00

At long last, winter has arrived. It is nearly the middle of January. I am so glad that I was able to stay home and not worry about driving on the slippery roads. Later, I will do some shovelling. So far, I have managed to get mail done from yesterday; plenty of bills to pay. Amazing how they all seem to arrive at once. Will do some reading, practising and other indoor activities.
I am hoping that the snow does stop tomorrow and we can drive around safely.
If you have to go out in this weather and it is snowing be safe.

Executive Pay

2012-01-05T09:33:00.002-05:00

Recently, many of us watched the protest in major cities asking why the 1% receive so much pay. In fact they are receiving what the 99% receives. A serious discrepancy. Today, the Globe and Mail ran an editorial by Margaret Wente with the title "Bringing executive pay back down to earth." Now, that is a surprise since she writes for the Globe and Mail a business paper. She mentions a bank executive who used to run the bank before stock options and before executives made 250 times more than the average employee. Her point is that CEO's pay is related to performance but points out that CEO pay has increased by a factor of 8 in 20 years. In the beginning,pay was tied to performance much like sports and the arts. The incentive that corporations picked for CEOs was stock options. The way to do well was increase the price of the stock which was not related to selling more stuff or making more money. Today's hero is Steve Jobs who lived in a relatively ordinary house but what Margaret Wente forgets is that he managed to earn a incredible amount of money so there are still things to exam.
The questions that is being asked once again: "How is it that executives get to make lots of money even if the company doesn't do well?"
Hopefully, the protesters will look at this and start targeting the CEO's buy a stock or two and be in the position to ask questions.

Bank fees

2012-01-05T07:41:00.002-05:00

Yesterday, I checked one of my bank accounts. This particular account does not have a pass book and is only on-line. It is a virtual account. When I checked it, I found that there was a $5 fee for transferring money out. Interesting that there is no fee for putting money in since the work is the same. $5 for a transfer of little over $100! Oh my. Now, apparently since the account was opened, the rules changed and the account must now have $25,000 in order to avoid fees. I do not remember receiving notification about this but it could have happened. I would never have believed that a high interest account (interest is 1.2%-that is now considered high interest) could pay so little and charge so much.
Who could believe that banking institutions that earn so much money already want more?

Computer is back on Line

2012-01-04T07:45:00.002-05:00

After a lovely New Years Day with friends, our computer failed. We did not know what caused the problem but when I called for assistance I was told that it was the power cord. I found it hard to believe that the power cord was the problem but when the part arrived, the computer was up and running in a few minutes. I would not have believed that this part could cause the connectivity problem.
Now that we are back on-line, I have checked my e-mails which numbered nearly 100 after a 24 hour period. Some of the e-mails are from conferences some of which I should unsubscribe. It is very rare that I actually do something that Martha Stewart suggests. Some of the suggestions are interesting but I will never try them.
Strange how unconnected I felt despite the fact that I do have a Blackberry and could see messages on there.
Hope that none of you are disconnected for any length of time.

Happy New Year 2012

2011-12-31T09:44:00.001-05:00

This will be a quiet day getting organized for the coming year. Slowly, I am getting better at planning.
Our celebration this evening will be quiet as you can tell from my previous posting.
Have a wonderful evening.

New Years!

2011-12-30T09:36:00.002-05:00

I have something in common with Michele Pheiffer and Hilary Swank. Just heard a radio interview with both and neither one of them is able to stay up until midnight even on New Year's Eve. Michael and I have only managed it once and that was the Millennium. Other than that we often head off to bed well before midnight. We are just such live wires.
Will have friends over on New Years Day which will be nice. Yesterday we had friends over and went to Allan Gardens. The green houses were lovely. What a treat to see the plants and flowers. A gem that we hope that the city is able to keep.
Happy New Year to all of you. A little early, I know but wanted to make sure that I got in since I seem to be missing posts every second day.

Girl with the Dragon Tatoo

2011-12-28T09:14:00.002-05:00

This is the movie week. We do not often have time for two movies let alone three. We will be going to see a third movie on Saturday, early to avoid the New Year's crowd.
Yesterday, we went to see the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. It was an interesting movie with plot twists. However, it also had accent twists. The cast is supposed to be playing Swedish characters but must admit that some of the accents slipped from time to time. If you have not seen the original which a friend suggested is best then this is a good alternative. Better than the movies aimed at teenage boys and there are plenty of those.
Have to decide what movie to see on Saturday. Will keep you posted.

Moneyball, the movie

2011-12-26T19:35:00.002-05:00

Today is our first relaxing day. We went to the movies and saw a movie that will soon be off the silver screen, Moneyball. It is a movie about the Oakland Athletics and their baseball season in 2002. The movie tells the story of the coach, Billy Beane who hires an economics major who is able to work with statistics and help make choices for baseball players. The team has a remarkable season and nearly wins the America league pennant. Well done. Beane stayed with team instead of heading off to Boston at the end of the season and is still trying to win. He had a wonderful season and also put family ahead of money and team by not moving to Boston.
Worth going to see if you can find it. I prefer the real silver screen but some of you will find other ways to watch the movie.

Get together!

2011-12-23T08:28:00.002-05:00

Yesterday was a lovely day. I taught my regular bassoon lessons and then after visiting the high school where I supply I dropped off a gift at the senior's home where I visit. She was asleep and I did not have the heart to wake her up. Never know how long she has been asleep.
Then, I picked up a shirt for Michael. He wanted a new shirt for a lunch he is going to today. Work is taking his department out for lunch which should be nice.
What I enjoyed yesterday was meeting with a group of former students for dinner. They were all from the school that I retired from. It has been a number of years since we all saw each other. It was fascinating to hear what they are doing. All of them seem to be finding there way even if it is not a straight line which is not a bad thing at their age. We are now planning to meet up again next year. Hope that happens. Will be interesting to hear what they have all been doing.
That is what makes the holiday time special. Getting together with people.

Sliding on Sidewalk

2011-12-21T09:18:00.002-05:00

I was just watching a jokeroo video. What have we come to? The videors were filming people falling on ice. They knew the ice was there and just had a jolly good time watching people slide and fall. It was obvious that some of the people were very shook up. At no time did the people filming stop to help people, put sand down or anything that would actually help the victims.
What have we become? (Sorry to repeat but I am overcome with concern as to what we are becoming in our rush to film and get things on-line.) Voyeurs who love to watch and film victims? How incredibly sad.

Shopping for Christmas

2011-12-21T07:41:00.002-05:00

Yes, you read correctly. I am off to do some Christmas shopping today. This is the first time that I have a whole day to do it. I have done the cards and believe me, I did plenty. Lost count how many but it was not just one or two.
Michael and I discussed the possible gifts and gift certificates came up as one of the alternatives. I think that I will cave in and buy some. It is hard buying things for people our age.
Wish me luck.

MacMillan Reunion!

2011-12-20T21:36:00.002-05:00

On Thursday, I will be having dinner with a group of 12 former students from my grade 7/8 school who have all graduated from high school at this point. Will be looking forward to seeing who comes. The student organizing the event, Mary has let me know who some of the attendees are. I am surprised that so many want to get together especially since it has been over 5 years since some have seen each other. Wonder if I will recognize some of them. They will have grown up. I should insist on name tags. They will all know me but the others I wonder.
This is exciting, a first. Will let you know how it goes.

Final push

2011-12-18T08:41:00.002-05:00

This is it. The final push to Christmas. Will be delivering a number of cards and presents tomorrow to two schools I have been associated with then. In the evening, I have a present for the flute player who I will play with. I am not worried, he does not check this blog so he will know that I have a present for him. Have you seen Lucy from Peanuts playing the flute? Yes, that is the gift.
Tuesday, I am having lunch with a group that I worked with. There will be 6 of us. I have scarves for the group. Might do what I did yesterday. Had the scarves in bags and each person picked their own. Worked out yesterday.
Wednesday will be a quiet day. I will have time to do some more reading and organizing and also important practising.
Thursday, I am going to see Olive, my 92 year old friend. Will bring a Christmas gift and also a birthday card. Have to think what I should get.
In between all these activities, need to do some more shopping. What a challenge!

The Wednesday Letters

2011-12-16T18:10:00.002-05:00

Looking for something to read? May I recommend the Wednesday Letters by Jason F. Wright. It is a wonderful quick read. I read it in a couple evenings. Inspiring, not War and Peace but definitely worth a read. I have just requested another of his books and will report on it once I have finished. Trying to find authors who I am not familiar with. Have read most of the Russian authors, Brontes and authors of that ilk.
Mysteries are fun but I am not sure that is all that I want.
Suggestions?

Getting there

2011-12-16T16:33:00.002-05:00

Well, the table cloth did not get done today. That will be put off until Monday. In the meantime, I had a lovely lunch and dessert with a friend. We explored a new part of the city. We are planning to visit other parts in the future. Should be fun. When you get out and start exploring, you start to see what a fascinating city this is. So many groups have found a home here.
Cards are done and you know that already, getting decorations up and now the table cloth and cookies.
How is your planning coming?

Christmas decorations

2011-12-14T07:46:00.002-05:00

It is now that time. Christmas decorations are being put up. Got the wreath on the door,it is very old- a teacher who I worked with at my first school gave it to me, ( I only worked at two, things changed around me instead of me changing schools). I also put up garlands, time to replace those. They are falling apart.
Next it will be time for the tree, I love seeing the ornaments. Have to start making more ornament next year. Also need to make a new table cloth. That is Friday's job. Plenty to keep me occupied.
Hope that you are doing well with your decorating.

Food for the holidays

2011-12-10T09:43:00.002-05:00

Cards are except for the neighbours and people who I will see during the holidays are done. Now it is time to think about menus. Turkey has been ordered for Christmas Day. Will also get back bacon. It is a treat that we have only a couple times a year. We love cooking and eating the turkey, have to modify the menu a little so that we do not have the fridge crowded with left overs. However, love to have turkey sandwiches, it is one of my favourite. Thinking of them already.
Desserts are a question: found a recipe yesterday for Vanilla Pound Cake with Peppermint Sauce. Now that sounds good. Will have to try it. Will let you know how it works. That might be for New Years Day when we are having friends over.
Will put my thinking cap on and come up with recipes.
If you have a suggestion, I am open to ideas.

Christmas Cards

2011-12-07T08:14:00.002-05:00

Judging from topics posted in the past, I get excited when I finish my Christmas cards. Well, I am excited again. Finished in one day, all my cards except those for people I will be seeing before Christmas. People like my tennis buddies, my old school associates and friends. I am so happy, it took most of the day but it feels like I accomplished something serious. I certainly wrote more than the 20 cards on average which Canadians send. This is one of the times of year that it is important to reach out to people. As one of the ads said, you can not put up e-mails.
I am now looking forward to receiving cards. Have received some already.

Saving high school music programs

2011-12-06T07:46:00.002-05:00

While travelling, I read many newspapers and one of them had an article about high school music programs and how they are in danger: "How to enliven-and save-high school music programs". In the United States the number of children receiving any arts education decreased by 21% from 1992 to 2008. Part of this would be because of the change in focus based on testing because of the No Child Left Behind program which has increased focus on testing. Another important point is that instruments are expensive. Interestingly, one of the points that seems to connect with people is that music only reaches a small portion of the students. However, this ignores the fact that other subjects that are optional do not reach everyone for example: visual art, family studies, languages.
The main disconnect is the focus on training students to become professional musicians. Why is this a problem? No one suggests that the art teacher should not be training students to go on and study further? Their supplies are not cheap either. I have been to the visual arts department, it is pricey. Family studies has expensive equipment.
There must be other reasons. Will have to investigate further.

Tea for the Queen in Moose Jaw

2011-12-05T10:27:00.003-05:00

Yes, I still have news about Moose Jaw. Finally, I am getting caught up on all my computing. It seems that playing tennis early in the day makes it a challenge to get things done. Today, I am not playing until noon. Good.
One of the pieces of news that I picked up in Moose Jaw was a visit by the Queen to a farm in Moose Jaw. Can you imagine having the Queen to tea. My goodness, the preparations would be endless. The family of the 320 acre farm started 4 months in advance and continued preparing until the last minute. The family was excited and insisted on feeding all including the many reporters that accompanied the royal visit. The Queen and Prince Philip were knowledgeable and polite guests. What a honour to serve the Queen and her party.
What a lovely memory for the family. Tea for the Queen in 1959.

Car Hit!

2011-12-04T10:26:00.001-05:00

We went out for breakfast this morning and had a lovely breakfast. Our usuals, an omelette and French toast for me. Good start to the day. Then it happened, we were at an intersection heading straight and a car on the drivers side swiped us and hit our side view mirror. Thank goodness, the driver, a young girl did very little damage. Just a scrape. However, she just drove away without checking.
Always check and be careful when you drive. She could have done more damage.

Spammed!

2011-12-03T15:18:00.002-05:00

I don't know if I should be flattered that someone thought that my account is important enough to spam or annoyed. It was interesting that one of the people who was spammed actually traced the spam account to Argentina. I suspect that the spam did not originate there but it was just a point that could be traced. Interesting that this spam did not do anything to any one's account. Could be a try to see what could be done. My server has already had me change some account information. I have a feeling that all the virus protection in the world will not help if someone really wants to access your account.
Hope that does not happen to any one else.

Posting?

2011-11-27T10:07:00.002-05:00

Wonder how many of the rest of you find it hard to keep up with e-mails? I have not been away travelling to exotic places like Moose Jaw which we visited a month ago or Massachusetts. Have been home but keeping up with e-mails keeps me busy. I also send snail mail, have a great deal to send tomorrow. I think that I will be able to post this week but don't count on it. If I miss the morning, do not seem to be able to get back to my blog the rest of day.
I am not extremely popular but have a number of e-mails that I receive.
Hope that the rest of you are keeping up and enjoying yourselves at the same time.

Glass Buildings

2011-11-16T07:08:00.003-05:00

Finally, an architect is willing to speak out and admit that glass buildings are not appropriate for Toronto at least. I have long wondered about the glass buildings that are popping up everywhere in the city. Yesterday, I heard an interview on the radio and the architect admitted that it is cheaper to build glass buildings, not necessarily safer, smarter heating wise. I often wondered what is motivating these builders. Also wondered that the purchasers of these units could not see the flaws. Units that face the sun would be overheated even in the winter as the sun shines into the units over half the day. The summer must be unbelievabley hot. Glass panes have fallen down and I am sure that will continue.
When will builders and others stop this madness and admit that this is not the best way to build?

Last Casualty of World War 1

2011-11-15T08:59:00.003-05:00

Things that I learned while in Moose Jaw. One of these is about Private George Lawrence Price.
It is interesting that two places claim rights to the last casualty of World War 1. Private Price born on December 15,1892 in Kings County, Nova Scotia which is why that claim is made and he enlisted in the army in October 1917 from Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan.
Private Price completed basic training in Regina and was enrolled in the December 1917. He was transferred to the 15th Canadian Reserve Battalion on February 6, 1918 and then transferred to the 28th Canadian Infantry Battalion on May 1, 1918. He arrived in Etaples, France on May 2, 1918 and finally on the front on June 1, 1918.
A few minutes before the end of the war, Private Price's luck ran out. On November 11, 1918, at 10:50 a.m. Private Price of A Company was shot by a German sniper while carrying out a reconnaissance on the far side of the Canal du Centre. He was the last Allied battle fatality of WWI.
Private Price is buried within a half a mile of where the first casualty of the First World War was killed. Private John Parr, of the 4 Battalion Middlesex Regiment, died on August 21, 1914, about the time that Private Price arrived in Moose Jaw.
Sad that war continues and people are still killed until that magic moment. The end has been decided and still fighting continues.

Seared Tilapia with Chili-Lime Butter

2011-11-14T09:07:00.003-05:00

Getting back to trying new recipes. This is the latest.

Seared Tilapia with Chili-Lime Butter. (My better half really enjoyed this.)

Chili-Lime Butter
Ingredients
1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 teaspoon finely chopped shallot
1 teaspoon finely grated lime zest
2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon minced fresh Thai or red serrano chili pepper, including seeds
1/2 teaspoon salt

Pan-seared Tilapia
Ingredients
6 5-6 oz. pieces skinless tilapia filets
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoon vegetable oil

Preparation
1. In a bowl, stir together chili-lime butter ingredients.
2. Pat fish dry and sprinkle with salt. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a 12-inch non-stick skillet over moderately high heat until just smoking. Saute 3 pieces of fish, tunring over once with a spatula, until golden and just cooked through, 4 to 5 mintes. Transfer to a plate.
3. Repeat with remaining fish and oil.
4. Serve each piece of fish with a dollop of chili-lime butter.

Excellent way to add fish to your diet.

Search for a restaurant

2011-11-13T20:57:00.002-05:00

What happened to the Watt's and Diana Sweets of this world? I enjoy trying the cuisine of different cultures but sometimes it would be nice to have a simple salad or a simple meal. A group of us are trying to find a location that will work for us. We do not want something so noisy that you can not talk to each other. One location that we tried was so noisy that we could barely talk across the table. Group conversation was not possible. Our favourite restaurant, the Sierra Grill is bankrupt. Not sure what happened there after 33 years in business. It was wonderful.
Wish us luck finding a restaurant that is not themed and noisy.

V is for Vengeance

2011-11-12T16:28:00.002-05:00

Love those mysteries. The newest is V is for Vengeance. Will tell you more after I have finished. Read 6 mysteries the past couple weeks. Sitting in airports makes for a great deal of reading. This coming week, I will have to wait while some students practise which means again more time spent waiting. Not complaining. Good to get a chance to read. As soon as I finish these books time to read some books about the Middle East that a friend loaned to me.
What books do the rest of you read? Always interested since I find so many books in the library. The only problem is that there does not seem to be enough time to read the books.
I have recently found time to bake again. Problem is that I have the urge to eat the cookies. Must fight that urge or get to more exercising. That is another item on my agenda.
Still not enough hours in the day.

Rita Mae Brown and books

2011-11-05T09:51:00.001-04:00

I think that some of you already know that I love mystery books. The latest that I am reading is Hiss of Death by Rita Mae Brown. The focus is always a mystery and death but on the side, Rita Mae Brown does discuss the environment-in this case the urbanization of rural areas, health issues in this case-breast cancer and cancer in general, politics. It is interesting how she manages to integrate these issues into her work.
I love her books and look forward to future ones.

New Posts

2011-10-26T08:31:00.002-04:00

What to post? I have a friend who stopped posting in January. In the post, she promised that she would be back on but that was not to be. It is hard to keep posting. Sometimes life is not that exciting.
Do you want to read about the e-mails that I sent, not very exciting I am sure. The tennis that I will play. I am okay but nothing great. Will not win any championships. I do have fun and as long as I am able to play a good game will continue. Need to exercise which is my main motivation.
I can tell you about the cleaning that I am doing. I am actually getting somewhere with it. Hard to believe that I promised myself that I would do a real serious cleaning when I retired. Well that did not happen. Have been too busy just enjoying myself and getting other things done. However, I have started doing some serious cleaning and will get to really getting things done over the next while especially when it gets cold and I do not want to go outside unless it is to shovel snow. Oh don't start too soon.
Getting the tires switched starting next week. Don't want to be caught in a line-up when the snow comes.
Will try to find more interesting things to write about.
Hope that all of you have exciting lives.

Bank fees

2011-10-23T10:29:00.002-04:00

Finally, someone is on the same page as I am. This morning, as I was watching the Sunday Morning show, one of my guilty pleasures one of the commentators complained about bank fees. In particular, she was commenting on debit cards and the fees that Bank of America is going to charge. Apparently, the bank is going to charge $5 per month to use debit cards. Now, that is not fair since the charge is to access your own money. How is that fair. I have always felt that it does not make sense for banks to be charging you to access your own money. I was first introduced to this concept over 35 years ago before it was even introduced and when VISA was actually chargex. At the time, I commented that it did not seem right to have the charges.
Wonder if customers are going to react or blindly just use the card and pay the fees.

Moosejaw

2011-10-22T07:46:00.003-04:00

We are back from our travels. The last little while we have been travelling: went to Massachusetts for a conference and then once we had returned and had a little break, it was off to Stratford to see the Grapes of Wrath. That was an excellent production. We actually decided that we would go to Stratford in the future instead of Kingston since we found an excellent Indian food restaurant.
Home and then off to Moosejaw. We can now say that we have only one province left to visit. Can you believe that we have visited 9 of the 10 provinces. We might just have to visit Manitoba without a reason such as a conference.
Moosejaw was interesting. Population is 36,000 and the residents consider it a city. Hardly in my opinion. Places with a population base so small in Ontario are classified as towns.
Enjoyed visiting the Museum of Transportation- interesting that they had an Indian Motorcycle which was manufactured in Springfield, Massachusetts which we had visited a couple weeks before. At the museum in Springfield, there were many Indian Motorcycles. Also visited the Art gallery which was very small. And then did a walking tour of the historic buildings which were not even 100 years old. Nice buildings.
Looking forward to more adventures.

Abuse

2011-09-30T07:34:00.002-04:00

What I learn as time passes! Received a call from a 92 year old friend this week. Her daughter has hit her. I had warned her that if she is going to tell her daughter something that might annoy her that she should have an advocate with her. After talking to an abuse hot line found out that this does not work once the friend is gone. Daughter can then start the abuse. How very sad to find out what I anticipated is happening.
What causes people to do things like this? Why do people cause harm to people who are in no position to help themselves?
Will see what happens when I visit today.

Payment for job

2011-09-21T12:07:00.002-04:00

I play in a number of music groups. It is interesting how they evolve and then things change. One of the groups that I am involved in is a large ensemble. The past two years we have had a conductor. Last year, the group had one performance after a summer of practise. This year, we had a number of performances at seniors homes and also a performance at a shopping mall and a gallery. During the summer, I contacted the conductor to firm up payment. He danced around the discussion and avoided saying anything about payment. Now that the season is over, it seems that we have two camps. I think that the conductor would be surprised the group does not want to simply give him all the money. The expectation is that group members get paid as well.
This is a lesson to the group. Need to get expectations set before starting. My how this group has changed over the years from a group that practised in a basement as one of the members said.
Might have more about this in the next few days.

Inheritance

2011-09-16T22:19:00.002-04:00

It is interesting. When my parents passed away, I did not expect to get anything and certainly did not tell either one of them what I would have hoped to receive. I can not imagine telling a parent what portion of the estate I wanted. I visit a friend who is 92 and certainly her estate is a concern. Unfortunately, she does not have a vast estate and despite that one of her daughters has asked for 2/3 of the estate not just half. She does not want to share equally with her sister. For some reason, she feels that despite all that her mother has done for her in the past and has done recently, she is entitled to more. She is asking her mother's care givers to give more and also is very abusive of the case worker that her mother has. She feels it is her right to tell these people off.
Families can be interesting and sometimes sad to observe them in action.

Supply teaching

2011-09-14T08:37:00.002-04:00

Now that the fall has arrived, (I know that I am a little early), routines are changing. Yesterday, I did my first of the supply teaching days. I can do 20 days this year and next year, it is up to 50 days which will be quite the change.
The school where I work and I only work at one school and usually one department, the music department is very good. The students do not have discipline issues. They are very nice. I am sure that there are a few that are challenging. (There were three police cars outside the school when we left yesterday which means that something was up.) I know the routine so things work out well.
Today, I am going to check about my bassoon students. Have two and that is at an arts school. Nice place to work as well. Have to work on keeping track of payments for lessons. Was not very good at that last year.

Painters

2011-09-12T16:51:00.002-04:00

Well, the painting is not done. There were things that we contracted for that did not get done and some of the work was sloppy. I had arranged for the painters to come again today and finish the work. Glad that I did not count on them coming.
I have learned my lesson, will make sure that I ask for references which I will use. In the past, work was always well done. This is not the case this time. Interesting that they came, booked a return visit. Today, no call, no e-mail nothing. No show!
Oh well, I paid a deposit but not the full amount. I think that tomorrow, I will clean up the paint material that was left behind.
Will check the hardware stores for new screen doors. Wanted our painted but think that it will be cheaper to have new doors. After this many years, I think that it might be the better alternative.

Letters

2011-09-05T08:19:00.002-04:00

Now that Labour Day is here, time to get into a new routine. Summer seemed so relaxed that I had trouble many days getting into a serious routine. Now that will change after today. Why isn't this day New Years? We are going to celebrate it as New Years because of the many changes. Even at work settings people get into different routines. No more summer shifts, early off Fridays.
My main goal now that the time is changing is to get out more letters. I have been good but time to up the anti. People are home and ready to receive the mail.
Want to send the first letter to Olive who is 92 and really not doing well. She has called and said that when I visit that I should come to her bedroom. However, there is a gatekeeper who is stopping that. Don't want to try to get past her at this point. Might change my mind if it keeps up.
Will let you know what happens.

Labour Day weekend

2011-09-03T15:10:00.002-04:00

After a couple quiet weeks, it is time to gear up. That is why I did not write. Nothing of note.
The Labour Day weekend is here, time of great change as I may have mentioned in the past. New Years in many ways. Seasons start, summer vacation is over for students. Since I volunteer at one school, do some teaching at another and supply teach, I do notice the change in schedule. Also the change in daylight. Now when I get up and it is 6 a.m., it is still dark and I know that it will be darker each passing day.
Will enjoy this weekend and work towards the change of schedule.
Hope that everyone else is enjoying their long weekend.

Goderich

2011-08-22T07:40:00.002-04:00

This morning, I was shocked to see the pictures of the devastation in Goderich. A tornado ripped through there yesterday. One of the pictures in the paper this morning was of the hotel that we had stayed at when we were there last year. Who knew that it could get that bad. The daughter-in-law of a friend lives there part of the time. She works at a historic site. Luckily, she just had a baby and is living in Waterloo with her husband.
You never know when something is going to strike.

Storm

2011-08-21T15:38:00.002-04:00

Wow, I can understand why some of these musical stages have collapsed recently. A storm just moved through this afternoon. Thank goodness, no damage to our property but a branch did come off our tree and hit the neighbours driveway. It might have hit the power line but it is not down. No cars parked in the driveway so no damage. Yeah!
Across the street a major branch came down and landed on the front of the car. They won't find out about it until they come home. They are away and do not know anything about how long they will be away. Not a nice thing to come home to.
The storm was fierce but thank goodness nothing happened here.
Hopefully no more storms for a bit.

Choices

2011-08-20T09:00:00.002-04:00

Just received an e-mail from a high-school student who is now in grade 11. Hard to believe that they keep getting older. I taught him in grade nine when I was covering the maternity leave at the high school where I work as a supply teacher. It was a good year. Now, I am working on other things like more playing. Amazing how many gigs I have.
Well back to the student, he wanted my advice about a job that he got at a Boys and Girls Club. He is going to work 2-3 days a week. It seems that the work will be flexible on the clubs part which means that the student will not know each week when he is working. That will cause problems with his band and stage band practises. I think that he wanted me to say that it was okay if he missed practises but unfortunately for him, that is not what I am prepared to say. As we get older we need to commit to practises and times and sometimes eliminate things from our schedules because they no longer fit. I hope that he does not give up band. He is a good player.
Hope that he makes a good decision but I can not make it for him.

Painting not Done!

2011-08-19T09:39:00.002-04:00

Yes, you read the title correctly. The painting is not done. I am learning more about painting than I wanted to know. I now know that water based paint should not go on oil based paint unless proper sanding and priming is done. If it is not done, then there will be bubbling. Painters should know this but I had to point this out. We had bubbling and since then more bubbling. Learned this from a friend who is a painter and lives in Nova Scotia. Thank goodness, she was able to advise as to what the problem is. The painters are to do the screen doors and now I am scared that they will do a sloppy job. Also paint elsewhere has not been done properly. What a problem. Need to investigate the workmanship carefully in the future. I thought that seeing their sign out was good enough but no, not good enough. Need to call for references. Had not done that except for a vacation excursion which was wonderful.
Will let you know how the job works out next week.

I did it!

2011-08-18T15:26:00.002-04:00

Those of you who read this blog yesterday know that I was going to drive on the highway going west yesterday. The good news is that I did it. Wow, for me it was a challenge getting on. Once I was on, no problem. I can speed with the best of them, in fact managed to hit 120 a couple times but never let my passenger know. I think that might cause her concern.
I drove around Niagara Falls and to Niagara on the Lake. All good.
Need to keep confronting fears like that. One day, I might even be able to drive the 401 across the city. That might take a little time.

Gardiner and QEW

2011-08-17T07:22:00.003-04:00

Today, I will be doing something that many people think normal. I am going to drive on the Gardiner Expressway and the QEW. I have my route planned, I will enter from the Lakeshore where the Don Valley enters the Gardiner and then get in the centre lane and stay there all the way to St. Catharines. I am going to visit my husband's aunt and uncle with someone who is also a friend of theirs. She has known them from choir and then socially. She was going to drive but I decided that I should since Eileen and Joe are getting to the stage where they are going to need help legally and Michael and I will be responsible. I will need to be able to drive out and help.
Wish me luck.

Honesty

2011-08-14T10:49:00.003-04:00

It is interesting dealing with people. Everyone once in a while you find that you are dealing with someone who is not completely honest. Even when they try to finally be honest you are not sure about their motives and if they are being honest. You check about the information that you have been given. Is it the truth or could the person have told you a story to keep you in the dark? It is much easier and better to be up front with people.
I do not want to discuss the situation too much just in case the person involved actually sees the blog and realizes that it is them that I am discussing. It seems that a contract was negotiated and the information about payment was never made clear. It is interesting how a person can hide the actual amounts paid. The group has been up front but the person working with the group has not. Sad because trust is then lost.
Remember that it is best to be honest. If you have nothing to hide, it is easier to deal with others.

House Painted

2011-08-12T13:50:00.002-04:00

I could tell you about my adventures working with my student chamber players.They are doing really well but I will tell you about my house painting instead.
The house is being painted with red for the front door. This project was put off after last year when we ended with getting the roofing redone. The painting will be the last project of the year. All the trime is while and the front door will be red.
It seems that there is always something to do. Hopefully, once this is done the remaining projects will not be as serious: roofing, a new furnace after 25 years and the furnace is always more expensive for us since we have radiators, work done on the crawl space since we had a leak and the neighbours put in a new fence and we are sharing the cost. Want the invoice redone since it does not explain what was done at all. Interesting.
All the others were very clear. Wonder who the neighbour is getting to do the work.
Oh well, the new door will be nice.

Cold Sassy

2011-08-08T13:51:00.002-04:00

Just finished a lovely book, Cold Sassy Tree by Olive Ann Burns. Just read the cover when I finished and discovered that the author born in 1924 was diagnosed with an illness in 1976 and decided to write a novel. Her first was Cold Sassy Tree and the sequel, Leaving Cold Sassy, I have ordered from the library. Fascinating that she would decided at her age that it was time to write novels instead of articles. Based on the this book, it is a shame that she did not write more. However, it appears that she wrote but articles not books for the Atlanta Journal Sunday Magazine.
Found out about this book from a magazine that I subscribe to the Victorian. Interesting where you will find out about books.

Red Door

2011-08-07T19:11:00.003-04:00

Time to get painting done on the house. We are prepped. Had wood work done last week and also got siding put up on the back of the house. Now, we are ready. Decided to try a new painter since this was the only painter that mentioned that wood work needed to be done. Wondering what the others planned to do? Just paint and leave wood that way it was? Scary since some of it really needed to be replaced. We are being wild about the front door. Going to paint it red! Yes, you read correctly. Red! Will take a picture once the work is done.
Hope that you have happy renovations. This will be it for this year.

Plan for the future

2011-08-03T15:55:00.002-04:00

If you read about my friend who is 92, you know that I am concerned about her well being.
This makes me think about what I must do to plan. Day to day is not bad but the future. We have our wills done which is a good thing but interesting how over time your idea of who should look after things changes. People move and their circumstances change.
This reminds me that we must get things better organized. I have started which is good but much remains to be done. Amazing how much needs to be done.
My friend who is 92 worries about this but her affairs and things are minor compared to mine. I wish that I was joking but it is amazing how many things that I have physically and financially. More must get cleaned up.
Must get back to the goal of at least one thing out each day. That will start tomorrow.
As I reread this, I can see that seeing Olive has gotten me thinking about many issues.
Time to practise. Have a performance tonight and then another tomorrow.

Life without regrets!

2011-07-31T21:31:00.003-04:00

How to live life without regrets.
That is hard but something that is worth trying to achieve. Again, I refer to my friend who is 92 and obviously on my mind. She has regrets for things that she has done and not done. I know that there are things that we wish we had done but we must try always to do what is best at the time. Time will tell us that maybe it was not the best decision but it was the best we could do at the time.
Time to reflect on the future but looking back. We can do nothing about the past.
I know that there will be regrets but hopefully not serious enough to cause major heartbreak.
Live life to the best of your ability. Enjoy and do for others.

Help for the aged

2011-07-29T18:50:00.003-04:00

Went to visit a friend who is 92 today. It is so sad. She is very depressed and her daughter is not helping. She is letting her mother do the laundry. Now, if her mother was able I would say that it is okay but the mother is falling. How hard is that?
The daughter got a parking ticket for $250 for parking in a fire zone. How hard would it have been to park a few feet away. The daughter is not handicapped so she did not have to do something like this. The worst part is that she will use her mother's money to pay the fine. She does the banking for her mother. Mother has very little money. This is not a wealthy woman, I know because I did her taxes and her deceased husbands because I was his executor. The woman made a person who took her to the lawyer her power of attorney and executor. What a mistake. I will avoid her. Called her about the situation of the woman and she said that she is just a little sad. Oh, it is much worse than that. Mother did not eat all day when I saw her at 1:30. She was going back to sleep.
What to do? This is going to be very hard to watch. Sad and if something happens, I might even take them to court since both the daughter and Power of Attorney seem very negligent.

Health

2011-07-28T09:09:00.002-04:00

Today, I seem more aware of good health than ever.
For lunch, a group of us are going out with a colleague who has lung cancer. I know that people survive this type of cancer but it is one of the more difficult ones to deal with. She is very optimistic. I am not one of those people who believes that if you are optimistic and positive you will beat the cancer. Some of the most optimistic people have been beaten by this disease.
My aunt wrote to me this morning and told me about visiting a neighbour in the hospital. This neighbour is a double amputee. I can not imagine but then again, I am one of those people who is active and being confined is not something that I can picture.
We must enjoy our good health while we have it.

Not everyone who says hi is talking to you

2011-07-26T08:37:00.002-04:00

Just went to do some errands and as I exited the dry cleaners someone said hi. Since I do not like to be rude, I answered. Well, to my surprise the street sweeper was talking on his blue-tooth. Who would be believe that street sweepers would have blue-tooth to talk while they work and unfortunately, he was not really very busy working.
This will cause me to rethink my attitude of saying hello to others. There might just be more times when the person is talking to their cell phone.
My attitude is that when you are working that is what you should be doing. Guess, this just shows my age.

It is hot!

2011-07-22T20:08:00.002-04:00

Oh my, it is hot. I do not use air conditioning during the day and boy am I noticing. Took a shower yesterday before going out. Thought that I had not dried myself properly, tried again. That did not work, I was simply sweating. Wow, was I glad to go to an air conditioned place for our performance. I will be glad when this heat wave moves on. I am someone who does not mind the heat but this is enough.
Also, we need some rain. I need to go outside and water the plants. They are begging for water.
It is not too much to ask for is it. A little cooler weather and rain.
I am off. Time to water.

Racoons preying on Family Pets

2011-07-21T12:55:00.002-04:00

While we are in the middle of a heat wave, it is hard for me to think about posting on my blog. My apologies.
Today, I read about raccoons that are attacking family pets in Richmond, B.C. Wow, we have raccoons but I can not imagine that they would actually attack pets and these were not kittens. The raccoons are actually swarming and eating pets. My goodness, this is something that I would picture happening in a horror movie but not in real life.
Will watch the raccoons with new respect.

Power of Good Posture

2011-07-15T10:15:00.004-04:00

As long as I have worked with students, I have insisted that they sit up straight. Aside from the fact that it is good for their breathing, it is also positive in interviews and similar situations. Good posture creates the appearance of being in command. Standing tall makes you feel strong, confident and less likely to feel pain according to new research from Toronto's Rotman School of Management. "It's the same idea as if you smile, you'll feel happier," says researcher Vanessa Bohns, now a professor of management at the University of Waterloo.
The study by Bohns and Scott Wiltermuth from the University of Southern California will appear peer-reviewed Journal of Experimental Social Psychology.
Dominant postures like standing up straight or with feet wide apart increase testosterone in both women and men and decrease cortisol, a stress-related hormone. Assuming a dominant stance signals you own the space around you, says Bohns.
"Posture affects nerve stimulation, the circulation of blood, the lymphatic system. Once you're in awkward postures, you compromise those three things and it leads to discomfort-pain, aching, throbbing.
Posture has a hug impact on every-day life."
Will clip the article and show it to the students who I am working with.

Canadians Rescue ailing porter

2011-07-14T14:19:00.002-04:00

On Monday, a group of Canadian climbers received an urgent call for help. A Pakistani porter suffering from severe altitude sickness had been left on the mountain base above them. He was abandoned by a team of Japanese climbers who were unable to organize a rescue but could organize to continue their climb. The Canadians found the porter, had brought emergency supplies and climbed back down to an emergency medical tent with the porter.
The climbers realized when they were done and celebrated that the other team had ignored their humanity and instead listened to their egos.
Mr. Rousseau and his fellow climbers are being lauded as heroes and rightly so.
Hopefully, we can all remember our humanity and not let our egos get in the way.

Names in Toronto

2011-07-12T07:23:00.002-04:00

Do you ever wonder how places got their name? Well, I read about one that I had never thought about carefully yesterday. Christie Pits. This iconic spot is named for the Canadian baker and entrepreneur William Mellis Christie a.k.a. Mr. Christie. This is according to city archives. His massive biscuit making operation took up much of the area where George Brown College now sits.
Bloor Street is named after a Joseph Bloore who was one of the city's earliest brewers. He built his brewery in 1830 and when he sold it in 1843 bought land in what would become Yorkville. City officials are not sure whey the 'e' was dropped when Tollgate Rd. was renamed Bloor St. in 1855.
That is your history lesson for the day. Many place names to explore.

Chickpea Couscous

2011-07-11T07:47:00.002-04:00

The cooking is going well, the gardening is another story. Just looked out at the garden and saw that the plants that I transplanted yesterday have all been pulled up. What is going on?

Oh well, I made Chickpea Couscous yesterday, courtesy of Martha Stewart and it was popular. Have another recipe which I found in the mystery book that I am reading.

Chickpea Couscous

Sweet raisins and nutty chickpeas add taste and texture to this 10 minute summer side.

Ingredients:
1 can (15.5 ounces) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/3/ cup raisins
1 teaspoon olive oil
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1/2 cup couscous

Directions:
1. In a small saucepan, combine chickpeas, raisins, oil, 1 cup water, 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt and 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper; bring to a boil. Stir in couscous, and cover pot; remove from heat. Set aside (5 minutes). Fluff couscous gently with a fork before serving.

Nice side for a meal.

El Sistema again

2011-07-08T07:55:00.002-04:00

After a couple days, I am writing about El Sistema again. I wonder what the goal of El Sistema is in Toronto where supposedly the school system is teaching students about music and how to play instruments and sing. Is this a comment about what is being done? Will the school system wake up and acknowledge that there are issues that need to be addressed or will it just let this programme which is good take over its responsibility?
I am truly puzzled that there does not seem to be a response from educators. Why is this?
Will keep watching what happens.

Transformational Power of Music

2011-07-05T08:12:00.003-04:00

Interesting that El Sistema which I have been following for some time is now becoming firmly entrenched in Toronto and the surrounding area. What is interesting is that El Sistema is being developed in an area that supposedly has music in the schools. Obviously there is a failure on the part of the system or a disconnect with El Sistema and the schools. Wonder what is going on? Are the school failing to provide music? Questions to be asked. I think that the idea is wonderful.
If you can find the Globe and Mail today, there is an article "The Transformation Power of Music" which explains that researchers are applying for funds to track the El Sistema programme. Wonder what the school system's reaction is?

Summerhill Nursery and Floral

2011-07-04T14:44:00.002-04:00

One of the things that I love and am finding time for this summer is gardening. Will go out later when it is a little cooler. It is warm today and I am going to relax this afternoon. Went to a new nursery today, the Summerhill Nursery and Floral. Interesting place. It had plants that I have not been able to find else where. I am on the search for exotic plants. Found some oxalis which we saw on the Magical Gardens of Leaside tour. Will search for Oxalis. Not sure if if it is a perennial or annual. That I will check next.
Will let you know about other garden centres and plants as I hunt them down.
Happy gardening.

Wonderful weekend

2011-07-03T17:32:00.002-04:00

What a wonderful Canada Day weekend. It rained last night but that was by the time we were home and relaxing. Yesterday, we did some quick errands and then after a visit to the bookstore went to see the movie "The Trip". Would not suggest that you see it unless you are eager to see some wonderful English scenery and great food vignettes. The rest of the film falls flat. Not as good as the film that took place in the Napa Valley and was about a week before a wedding. Sandra Oh was one of the actress in that film.
Time to shop, visit a deli and then practise. What a lovely day. Today was relaxed, played tennis and had strawberries at the tennis club. After, groceries and some errands. This afternoon read a book-"Unraveled" by Maggie Sefton. I enjoy her books about a yarn shop in Colorado.
Must get to some other books. Trying finally to catch up on my reading.

Canada Day is Here!

2011-07-01T12:19:00.002-04:00

Canada Day is here and what a lovely day. We went out for breakfast which was a lovely treat. After I finish checking e-mails on the computer, I will do some gardening. Perfect day for it. I can not see any clouds. Supposed to rain tomorrow but I am hoping that forecast changes. We would like to be outdoors a little more. Rain at night when we sleep would be best. However, I think that I am asking for too much when I ask for rain during the quiet hours.
Hope that you are enjoying Canada and if you are working, sorry but you will get your holidays.

Happy Canada Day

2011-06-30T07:50:00.002-04:00

I know that it is a day early but I want to wish everyone a Happy Canada Day. Some of you will have finished long slow drives to cottages. Hope that you have a wonderful time at the cottage. Others will be enjoying the city which has its delights as well. We will be having breakfast in the Beach area. Nice way to start the long weekend. I will have gone to the Music Banquet. Nice to have been invited.
Enjoy.

Mail strike is over!

2011-06-27T09:14:00.002-04:00

Yeah! There is good news and bad news. The mail strike is over which means that bills will come. However, it also means that some cheques will start arriving. I am owed a couple cheques for performances. I can also start sending letters to friends. Missed sending off notes and cards. Just realized that I need to send a birthday card to a friend. Must get that off.
Wish that the strike could have been resolved without government intervention and suspect that it could have but we will never know. Enjoy the mail. Most of you will not care about the bills since you have prepaid them.
Bring on the mail.

Jeffry Leung and Fuzzy Bird

2011-06-24T20:41:00.002-04:00

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of hearing one of my former students perform. He is now finished second year of the performance programme at U. of T. He is calling his performances the Fuzzy Bird project and I must say that I am impressed. The Fuzzy Bird comes from a Japanese composer who wrote the piece which is very modern.
I just googled him but at the moment, nothing. I do not think that will continue. Jeffrey Leung will be a name to note and you will hear more.
Must go and practise. However, I can only think about the standard he is reaching. Not enough hours in the day.

No Happy Feet!

2011-06-23T07:30:00.002-04:00

A young Antarctic Emperor penguin has caught the attention of the media. This poor penguin took a wrong turn and ended up stranded on a beach in New Zealand. Conservation experts say the penguin, discovered Monday, is about 10 months old and stand about 80 centimetres high. Colin Miskelly of Te Papa, the Museum of New Zealand, said the bird was likely born during the last Antarctic winter. It may have been searching for squid and krill when it took a wrong turn and landed about 3,200 kilometres from the Antarctic coast. Now that is a wrong turn. I would have noticed after the first kilometre or so. This poor bird's homing instincts were not very strong.
Recent reports say that the conservationist will not get involved with the bird. They can not head to the Antarctic at this time of year and they are worried about bacteria that the bird might have picked up.
Sad to think that this poor bird might perish on the beach alone and lost.

Cost of bags

2011-06-21T22:57:00.002-04:00

Today, I bought blueberries. They are 2 for $5 which is about as good as it gets. When I asked for a bag, what a surprise. Bags are supposed to be 5 cents. Well, they are 5 cents plus tax which makes them 6 cents at this particular store. The money is not collected by the government so the store in question collects the money and then what? I was not going to argue with the cashier because she is just doing a job but I will send a note to the parent company. Wonderful if I get an answer that makes sense? Will keep you informed.
Unfortunately, I will not be able to send the letter until the mail strike is over.
Oh yes, I was told by an American company that I contacted today about purchasing some bassoon reeds that the strike is supposed to be over by Wednesday. Will see what happens. Another company that I contacted for something else did not think that the Wednesday is realistic. Politicians will not go on vacation until this is resolved. Will be interesting.

The Shops at Don Mills

2011-06-20T07:10:00.002-04:00

A year later and the mall is not filled and I think a disappointment. Sadly, the builders forgot that we live in Canada and this is not a discount shopping centre with Big Box stores. The restaurants might be busy but I am not sensing that this mall is a major success. Sadly, because the stores are so far apart, it will be impossible to cover them. Maybe this is just my opinion but I have not gone to this centre for over a year.
Perhaps, others have found it much more to their liking.

Giving from the Head

2011-06-18T09:55:00.002-04:00

2006, Charity Intelligence was launched and it started to apply its investment strategy to giving. It researches and analyzes Canadian charities in order to provide givers with the information they need to give to charities with proven results. It provides its findings free of charge on its website: www.charityintelligence.ca.
"We come from an investment background and modelled how we would invest money to...giving." Ms. Bahen of Charity Intelligence says. "If you look at the traditional methods of giving, compared with the analysis methods of giving, it's like investing your money with a Bernie Madoff, someone who has approached you at your golf club, versus going out and doing the nuts and bolts fundamental analysis and investing in a Warren Buffett, who a proven track record."
This sounds wonderful but I have a couple questions: who pays the staff of Charity Intelligence? Why is their information better than others? The last crash suggests that even the best companies had trouble figuring out where to invest. Only large proven charities would receive money from this group.
Hope that this works. Will check into it.

Blueberry Muffins

2011-06-17T10:29:00.002-04:00

It is now nearly blueberry season. They are appearing in the grocery store in great numbers. I tried a simple blueberry recipe yesterday and it was a success.

Versatile Muffins

Two charming English words, muffin and gem, refer to the same little cake. Serve these puffly little morsels piping hot form the oven with butter-and don't over look the quick change ideas.

Preheat oven to 400o F.

Grease thoroughly 12 medium-sized muffin cups.

Sift or blend together
1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup granulated sugar

Beat together with a fork
1 egg
1 1/4 cups milk
1/4 cup shortening, melted

Add liquids to dry ingredients and stir only until combined (batter will be lumpy).

Fill prepared muffins sups 2/3 full.

Bake in 400o over for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden brown.
Remove from pans and serve warm.

Makes 12 muffins.

Blueberry Muffin:
Fold 3/4 cup fresh blueberries into batter.

Enjoy.

More Garbanzos

2011-06-17T07:23:00.002-04:00

This will be a garbanzo and blueberry stretch of recipes. Going to enjoy these fruits and vegetables. The garbanzos are not a problem seasonally since they are canned. Tried the latest recipe last night and it was excellent.

Chickpeas with Spinach

"This vegetarian dish is easy and requires very little oil. Add ground red pepper if you'd like it spicier. I like to serve this dish with Indian flatbread and yogurt. "
Rajita Eihence, Middleburg Heights, Ohio.

1 teaspoon olive oil
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
1 teaspoon bottled ground fresh ginger
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 cups chopped spinach
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 (15 1/2 ounce) can chick peas, rinsed and drained
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 cup hot cooked basmati rice
Lemon wedges (optional)
Grated Lemon rind (optional)

1. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add onion, ginger and garlic, saute 4 minutes or until mixture begins to brown. Add water and tomato paste, cook 2 minutes or until liquid evaporates, stirring constantly. Stir in spinach, chili powder, slat and chickpeas, cover. Reduce heat, cook 5 minutes or until spinach wilts and mixture is heated. Stir in juice. Serve over rice. Garnish with lemon wedges and rind, if desired. Yield: 2 servings (serving size: about 1 cup chickpea mixture and 1/2 cup rice).

Calories 403

Cooking light 2004.

Italian Garbanzo Salad

2011-06-16T14:35:00.002-04:00

Yes, I am back to cooking. Have blueberry muffins in the oven, made blueberry cornmeal bread yesterday and for dinner Chickpeas with spinach.

The recipe for today is:

Italian Garbanzo Salad
"This can be served as a first course or antipasti with Italian food or as a side to grilled chicken. It's even better the next day over salad greens.

3 cups finely chopped fennel bulb
2 cups chopped tomato
1 3/4 cups finely chopped red onion
1 cup chopped fresh basil
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 (15 1/2 ounce) cans chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained
1/2 cup (2 ounces) crumbled feta cheese

1. Combine all ingredients except the cheese in a bowl, toss well. Let stand 30 minutes, sprinkle with cheese. Yield: 8 servings (serving size: about 1 cup)

Calories 159
From Cooking Light May 2004 (Oh yes, I am also catching up on magazines. You can tell that I am really behind.)
June 10, 2011

Mail Strike

2011-06-15T08:27:00.002-04:00

The mail strike is now fully engaged. The only means of communication are e-mail and I use that a great deal and the phone. In some cases, face to face works but only if the person is in easy travelling distance. Just spent an hour sending out contracts, checking dates for my trio and dectet as well as sending out friendly contact messages. The only thing that is crucial is contracts that I need to send for the McMichael Gallery and if the strike does not end this week, I will start to e-mail the contracts. Negotiations were done by e-mail.
I love mail and hopefully this strike will end soon. I also like to use mail to keep in touch with people who are ill, I have two friends who have cancer. What are the odds? And also some seniors who do not have e-mail, the cost is too much for them. They could avoid the cost by using the library but it would be a difficult trip for one of them.
Hope this strike will end soon. The solutions are not simple.

Gardening

2011-06-11T17:51:00.002-04:00

Getting back into gardening. Worked on the front lawn today. Spent three hours weeding-clearing up all the maple keys that have sprouted and well as other real weeds. Amazing how things that you don't want have the unique ability to grow while those plants that you desperately want to grow sometimes seem very reluctant.
An example of that is clivia that I bought. I bought one for our aunt and they have not done anything for the past few weeks. The problem is that they are very slow growing and she wants to see something happen. It is harder when you are hoping that these will grow. Indoor plants need to be contained at least in my opinion. I have a few that need to be transplanted. Time to deal with them as well as the out door plants.
Will start taking pictures and letting you see how everything has come up and the plants that are starting to bloom. The peonies are starting to look lovely. I love them. Wish that they would last longer.
Happy gardening.

Back

2011-06-10T09:45:00.002-04:00

I can not believe that so much time has passed since I last posted. It is a new month. I have been busy with supply teaching, booking performances at the McMichael Gallery. This is something that I have been doing for 13 years. Who would have believed that I would be at it so long. Not me, but it is nice to plan for performances that the audience enjoys.
I have finally done some serious cleaning and will keep that up.
Gardening is also grabbing my attention. This year, I am going to have a lovely garden. It will take some work but will be worth it. I love a beautiful garden. Have to think about some of bushes that have gotten out of hand.
Music is also part of what I do. Today, I have a performance with Zach at a Seniors' home in Mississauga. I am pleased that things are going so well in terms of performances.
Now that I am back, I promise to be more faithful about posting.
Time to get to some cleaning.

Billy Elliot

2011-05-30T07:58:00.002-04:00

Recently, I had a chance to see Billy Elliot. What a wonderful production. It was interesting to see how a movie could be translated to the stage. Obviously, some of the staging had to be changed since it would not be possible to travel as from place to place like Billy Elliot does in the movie. The production was excellent and I also enjoyed the fact that it was free. Now, when I say free that means that some of my money paid since we were invited to attend by our financial advisor.
Will try to get to more events. If Michael is unable to attend, I have found that there are others ready to stand in his place.
We had a lovely meal and appetizers before the show. Cathy from tennis, my guest and I decided to walk over to the theatre since it was not too far. Good idea since we were not wearing shoes that were impossibly high heeled. Cathy is ready to be a stand-in.

Concert

2011-05-27T08:06:00.002-04:00

Last night, I conducted my band again. Hard to believe that 5 years after I retired, I am still conducting. What luck! The band members were wonderful and I am pleased to have been part of this experience. Each of the pieces had a number of soloist which was a nice touch. I am glad that students had a chance to be featured.
It was also nice to see students who I taught in the past. This seems like another phase of my teaching career which it is.
After I finish the thank yous and follow ups with students and others, it is time to move on to other projects.
Hope that all of you find things that keep you interested and active.

Furnace

2011-05-19T12:33:00.002-04:00

Time to have the furnace replaced. This is a big job especially when you have hot water rads. Spoke to one of the neighbours and she mentioned that they are going to move sometime in the next year. Reason to not change their heating system. They still get oil to heat the house. Within the next year, they are going to sell to a developer not even bothering with retail sales. Sad since the house is good. They expanded. I think that will definitely help Michael decide that we should move. Guess we will be happy that we got a new furnace but not sure how long it will last. The neighbours have one daughter settled as a doctor, another is in finance. The son is the problem, he has a job at Home Depot but that is not full-time work. The challenge is for him to get more work. He has to decide on what he would like to do but that is hard. He did not manage to finish university. The courses that he enrolled in did not suit his needs and interests.
They are working on the furnace as I type. Do not want to interfere so I am watching TV, and computing. Hoping that they will be done this afternoon. Feels strange not to be able to go downstairs when I have the rest of the house. Problem is that there is no water. Wish that I had been warned. Guess that I should have guessed when they said that they would drain the rads. Problem is that I did not associate that with turning off water.
Here is hoping that they finish early this afternoon.

The Promise of Music

2011-05-17T09:10:00.003-04:00

On Friday, I had the pleasure of attending a one-day symposium on Music Education. It was interesting and had many good parts to it but there did not seem to be anything uniting the symposium. First of all, there did not seem to be a point at which attendees got together. At lunch, Natalie and I had the opportunity to sit with a music educator who chose to sit with us and we discussed this conference and last year's. Last years had break out sessions and information posted for attendees. This year, there were presentations both musical and discussions. However, there was no over riding theme and no chance to talk to others.
The theme is apparently "Discover what can be done to make the Promise of Music a part of very child's life in Canada." A worthy theme but I think that the symposium failed at this goal. Some ideas were tossed out but at no time did the presenters get to the point of explaining how music could become part of every child's life.
Maybe next year?

Cleaning!

2011-05-16T17:52:00.002-04:00

Cleaning is obviously not my favourite activity but I have started this week. It seems that I no excuses. My meeting at Toronto General Hospital was cancelled. It will not happen until the end of the month. That excuse is gone. Tomorrow, I will see my brother and take him for coffee. I will also get the dry cleaning done. Not enough to keep me from doing some vacuuming, dusting and scrubing. It will be nice to have the house clean before we enjoy the long weekend.
I am going to try to keep things tidier. There are rooms that are very tidy but other spaces that have become very scary. Time for a change.
Wish me luck.
Tomorrow, I will write about a conference at the Royal Conservatory of Music. Was there on Friday.

Toronto's future culture shock!

2011-05-09T08:43:00.002-04:00

Creative Capital Gains is a report that was tabled last week at City Hall. I hope that the mayor and council were willing to pay attention.
One of the conclusions of the report which is co-chaired by Karen Kain is that private sector support definitely can not replace public investment. Private support follows public investment. This runs contrary to Rob Ford's suggestion that funding the arts should be entirely left to private benefactors. The report asks that the city stand by its goal to increase its spending on culture to $25 per capita from the current $18 per capita by 2013.
The report's main theme is "Don't think of the arts as a fringe benefit that makes life in Toronto nice. Instead, think of culture as a magic business engine that represents out best shot at being one of the world's most successful cities in the 21st. century."
There is overwhelming evidence that the arts are a catalyst for economic gains in Toronto. Toronto's cultural economy contributes more than $9 billion a year to the city's GDP and employs 130,00 people-almost as many as Ontario's auto industry. Wonder how much many of the people in the arts earn?
Toronto has 66 per cent more artists than any other city in Canada and 25 per cent of the creative industry jobs in Canada are here.
These reasons should be enough to convince Rob Ford to support the arts. Time will tell.

Violins help Kids Change their tune

2011-05-09T08:34:00.002-04:00

I was fascinated to read an article about a string programme in the Jane Finch area, "Violins help kids change their tune". Why I read with interest is that the schools are supposed to have music programmes but this is a programme started by Moshe Hammer, a wonderful violinist who is not a certified teacher. The programme is wonderful and giving students an outlet. What is disappointing is that the programme has come from the outside. Part of the problem is that many schools do not have music teachers who can present these programmes or because teachers at the elementary level are supposed to be able to teach anything, they do not have the talent needed to offer these programmes.
This programme is much like ones that are offered in the United States which has a different system. Is this telling us that we are going the same direction? We will have people who are not teachers offering programmes.
I hope that there will be more programmes like this one but I also hope that the teachers are not ones who are not part of the system but outsiders who run the programme independently.

Spring has arrived

2011-05-09T07:52:00.002-04:00

Yesterday, we finally spent time in the garden. It was not raining, and the temperatures were lovely. I nearly cleared up the front flower bed. Transplanted some of the plants to the back. It is fascinating how some plants are very invasive and others just have there spot and do not invade other areas.
I am amazed at how many of the hostas survived the winter. They are popping up and inspiring me to get more. We are going to a nursery next Saturday with Michael's aunt and uncle who live in St. Catharines. It should be a nice day of nursery shopping and lunch. Time to clean out the car's trunk so that there will be room for the walker and plants.
Today, I am going to do more gardening. Still need to clean up the flower beds and transplant as well plant plants that I grew indoors.
I am so glad that the weather is finally pleasant.
Here's hoping that the heat wave that the weather man is predicting does not happen.

Back to normal

2011-05-01T08:52:00.002-04:00

Now that the wedding is over and the happy couple is off on their honeymoon, I can get back to getting things done and write on my blog. Last week, in addition to the wedding, I had an AGM, practises for today's concert at the McMichael as well as practising for orchestra- had a concert last night-Beethoven's 6th symphony, Mozart overture and piano concerto. The concert was very successful. The garden club has a board meeting, I got all my mail caught up and got taxes done for my brother. He has only one source of income and one additional source of funds, interest from some GIC's and the taxes were a pain to do. I thought that they would be very simple but no. I think that the government has created a plot to make it almost impossible to do taxes painlessly. Oh well, everything is done.
I am sure that your week was equally busy.
Enjoy the thought of the couple relaxing before you get back to your busy day.

Accountant

2011-04-25T07:29:00.003-04:00

We finally gave in and have an accountant doing our taxes. What a wonderful idea. After years of trying to do my taxes and always failing due to errors that were not ones that someone who is not an accountant would find. Michael's taxes are much more difficult due to the fact that he has a number of income sources. Mine taxes are not as difficult but they are not easy.
Will let you know tomorrow what the results are. We are going with our cheque books since we know that we will have to pay taxes, unavoidable. The question is the amount and the accountant will need to be paid as well.
Happy taxes.