Friday, June 29, 2007
Dear Blog Friends...
You may not know this about me (I willl come up with 7 more soon, Chloe, I mean it), but I am a fan of Formula 1 car racing. When I heard that Honda was promoting the environment and sustainability with this seasons' race car, I was thrilled. And then they gave the public the opportunity to make a pledge and have their name put on the car for one race. This weekend is my race. France. Watch your screens closely, as my name will be there in 4 pt font for all to see. That's right, folks, you heard it right: 4 pt!!
Here's the e-mail I received as proof...
(oh, and my new name is myearthdreamer. No spaces. Say it quickly.)
YOUR NAME IS ON THE CAR!
Dear myearthdreamer;
We have exciting news! Your name will be on the Earth Cars at this weekend’s Grand Prix in France. Your name will be in 4pt so it’s clearly visible with the naked eye close up, but our clever designers have applied them in such a way that our beautiful artwork still looks the same from a distance.We have put all the names in columns and like to call it our ‘Roll Call of Environmental Honour’.
All of your generous donations will be distributed at the end of the season and we will update you with news of the environmental projects and organisations that benefit as soon as details are available. We’ll also be launching a brand new website later in the season that will have many more exciting interactive features and regularly updated news about myearthdream.
We want to take this opportunity to thank you for your enthusiasm for the myearthdream project. We have been overwhelmed by the response and are grateful for all your letters and emails of support, but mostly we’re grateful for the collective difference we’re making to the planet.
That’s all for now. We hope that you’re as excited as we are to know that your names will be racing in the rest of the 2007 season Grands Prix with Jenson and Rubens
Written by Cathy
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Source: CNN, June 20, 2007
The wise historian, John Keegan, has written extensively about warfare and aggression. The opinions I hold on the same topic come from reading his work, among others. I remain fascinated about the way societies and human beings can justify our actions towards others. And Keegan explains how it is that we can and have, over the centuries, done just this. The fact is, that it is easier to kill other people, to allow them to suffer, to watch the images (with mock horror) on tv, when their skin is darker, their clothing different, their cultures so far removed from our own. THEM vs. US. So this image comes across CNN, with a story no more remarkable in its devastation and sorrow than so many others. But it is different somehow. Look at this child, this beautiful little girl who looks like she might live in the house next door. She's holding her doll, perhaps her one cherished possession. This beautiful child. Her exterior so perfect, but what lies within? And then imagine, that 60,000 people, like her, having been killed by your neighbours. Your sons and daughters. In the name of retribution, and extraction. Terrorists. Who are they? This child is not a terrorist. She deserves what we all have and hope for. She deserves that every one of us should do what we can, in our power, to make the situation that was brought upon her by one of the most powerful countries in the world, to come to an end. Please. Don't ignore the eyes of this child. There is so much you can do. Maybe you might start here or here....
Written by Cathy
Monday, June 18, 2007
I'm a day late in posting, but the weekend was a blur of activity. On Saturday, we took the babe to his first
movie, which he enjoyed because there were prolific amounts of popcorn to be had. The movie itself was irrelevant, but our older son and Mr. C really enjoyed it. After the movie, we went to the
worst restaurant in Halifax. We didn't know it was the worst, otherwise we wouldn't have gone there, but we both had good memories of this place from a few decades ago. Obviously the past few decades have not been kind to it. Mr. C and I both went to bed that night expecting to be awoken with food poisoning (which we didn't, thankfully). They have a "Feedback" form on their web site. Do you think I should fill it out? If so, my feedback would go something like this:
Dear Management, The entrance to your establishment smells of urine, my babe's highchair was covered in the filth from former babes, beetles fell from the ceiling above our table (seriously), the waitress could not differentiate between apple juice and milk (which was sour), our bill was incorrectly totalled (not once, but twice, resulting in a 10% discount, so thank you for that...)and my shoes stuck to the floors of the bathroom (which I was afraid to look too closely at). Needless to say, you have some work to do before we return again. Please do not send any coupons as a favour. We will return after you have undergone substantial renovations.On Father's Day, we took the
Great Canadian Railway through the countryside to
Truro. Travelling by train in Canada is a big deal; not like Europe, where it is a rather common thing to do. It was the Babe's first trip on a train, and I thought he would explode from the excitement. In the car, asleep on the drive back home again, he was muttering "train...train...TRAIN" in his dreams. Good things always have to come to an end. Why is that, anyway?
What good things did you do?
Written by Cathy
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
A day full of nice surprises, a babysitter,
a bookshop, and dinner here.
Thanks, Mr. C :)
Written by Cathy
Sunday, June 10, 2007
Well, I am thoroughly and completely exhausted. Having both grandparents over for the Babe's 2
nd Birthday party is a version of insanity. But we had fun. Even though my mother told me that my cake tasted like wallpaper paste (when was the last time she ate that, I wonder?) and then she
proceeded to let a giant fart that Mr.C's parents were aghast to hear. The woman is in another dimension. One that extends far beyond the twilight zone.
Anyway...the Babe had a very lovely day and it was a nice family weekend. Now, back to some form of reality.
So,...how was your Freakend?
Written by Cathy
Thursday, June 07, 2007
Patent Pending (Oldest Son's Design)
I can take no credit for this moment of ingenuity.
Let's hope our children will save the world, for I don't think we're going to.
I could write that I haven't been around much because I have been so busy working, but that wouldn't be the truth. I have been busy thinking about working, but not actually doing much of it. Every now and then (well, ok, often), I get into a creative mood and my mind rebels against mindless work. So this past week I have been spending a lot of time in book shops and organizing my photos and creating slide shows and going through crafty things and reading books. And drinking lots of coffee. And trying out new recipes. And the list goes on and on. I have also been working in between, but when I try to add up the sum of my accomplishments from the past week, there isn't much to show for it. I refuse to feel guilty, however. For why should there be guilt in pleasure. Right?
Written by Cathy
