Laughing out loud...

I like to watch TV, but I don't like to watch commercials. Quite frankly, they annoy me. They're loud and often just plain stupid. Like the current commercial for Rogers Bundles: I want this... I want that... I want more... I want it now... I want it faster.. and I want it all cheaper. Sheesh. I want what I want and I want it now. To me, this speaks loudly of the sorry state of the consumer society that we live in, a society of entitlement and greed. Sad.

But every once in a while, I don't quite get to the mute button in time and the unexpected catches me off guard. Tonite, I found myself laughing out loud at this silly Arby's commercial. Three cheers for the dancing chimps! (Who cares about the sandwich?!)

Here's wishing you a great long weekend, wherever you may be. Sis & I are heading to the Maritimes for the weekend... I'm looking forward to the roadtrip as well as to the sweet promise of family, music and salty sea air.

Pace e bene,

Healthy Choices...

Three cheers for my Mad Chatter friend Judi, who launched her company's presence on the web today. And what a presence it is! I'm so inspired by her energy and her values-based way of living. Being a mom to five kids just isn't enough, I guess. She also wants to make my life easier by offering me healthy food choices. Check out Credible Edibles (...slow food for fast lives). You'll never want to make your own lunch again... :-) Way to go, Judi - I'm so proud of you!!

Healthy lunches will become all-the-more important once again, as I start with the running after being away from it for over six weeks. I ran 3 times this week. Oy. The thing is, I didn't miss it. Running. I don't need it or crave it like some people (ie. Hubby & Co.). I could just as easily do without it. And I did. For over six weeks. Yet I know that I benefit from it. I like feeling fit and strong - it's a first for me! So I know that exercise will be key to that. And diet... oh boy, the diet. I've been diverging from my diet and converging towards those foods that I know are toxic for me. I can feel it too: the low energy... the poor digestion... Why is it so hard to do what we know to be healthy?! Oh well, at least my teeth got rave reviews from my dentist this morning! He praised me on how well I care for them. (Cheeeeeese!) So I guess there is hope...

Exercise? Check!
Diet? Contact Judi at Credible Edibles and continue receiving deliveries from Life Organic!
Sleep? Better!
Teeth? Check!

OK. I think this is officially what they call a "rambling post". :-)

Allow me to end on a strong note: an across-the-miles SHOUT OUT to my cousin Sharon who is competing as a finalist in Star Acadie, a singing competition in my native New Brunswick. She has been wow'ing us since she was just a youngin'. See her for yourself here. The finale is this Thursday. Bonne chance, Sharon!!

Pace e bene,

Good reading...

Every once in a while, I like to pop into one of Ottawa's great magazine shops and pick up something I've never read before. My latest acquisition was geez, a quarterly magazine coming out of Winnipeg, Manitoba. I had heard snippets of an interview with the editor on CBC Radio a while back and was intrigued.

The full title of the magazine is "geez: holy mischief in an age of fast faith" and the web site describes it as follows:

Geez Magazine has set up camp in the outback of the spiritual commons. A bustling spot for the over-churched, out-churched, un-churched and maybe even the un-churchable. For wannabe contemplatives, front-line world-changers and restless cranks.

How could I possibly resist?!

This ad-free magazine was a real treat, filled with stories, poetry, photography, quotes... I really enjoyed it and will certainly buy it again. In the spirit of reducing consumerism - an issue that geez magazine holds dear to its heart - I'm ready to pass my copy on to someone else. Let me know if you're interested!

In the meantime, check out some of geez magazine's social campaigns: De-MOTORize your soul (all about breaking our addiction to oil) as well as the perfectly-timed Buy Nothing Christmas.

Pace e bene,

Where the Heart is...

Ahhh, there's no place like home... there's no place like home... I thought I would mark my return to jag e*space by celebrating the success of two people who are special to me.

Hats off to Hubby for completing the Edmonton Marathon earlier this month! Finishing in 3:33:46, he feels he had a strong finish to this, his 10th marathon since 2003. The Boston qualifying time remains elusive but is well within his reach. Perhaps Philadelphia will be the place? I'll let you know in November when we get back! Way to go, Babe...

Kudos also go out to my friend and modern-day mystic, Sean Zio. He was featured in this article in Ottawa (X)Press and I am so thrilled to watch him thrive in his vocation. My heart rejoices for him... Sean has been a companion on my spiritual journey for some time and never fails to bring a smile to my face and a song to my heart. Unfortunately, I haven't had the pleasure of seeing him perform live. Yet. I trust that it'll happen. I have fond memories, however, of him rehearsing some of his earlier works at my home... and of trying to help him find that perfect word to describe the texture of a woman's breast. I've heard Sean described as "muse", "joy", "radiant Love"... He is one of the most honest and creative people I know.

I'd like to leave you with one of his poems:

HOME ON TURTLE ISLAND (Sean Zio)

I want my life
To be slow.
I want to sit here
At this desk
With a mug of tea
And the certainty
That my days are ordered,
Principled upon the
Quiet sewing of my
Grandmother
Who patches the quilt of my life.

When my mind starts reeling,
Starts demanding problems
To be solved right this minute,
I turn to her and I see her patiently
Pulling out her needle from a block of fabric
And she says,
“Sean, I am working as quickly as I can.
You need to trust me,
You need to trust that my skill takes time,
That I am working out of the fullness of time.”
And I relax, knowing she is telling her whole truth,
Knowing that she needs to rest,
To eat well, and to
create slowly
In order to manifest this beautiful
Covering of warmth and love.
She has my whole life for this work.

I want my life to be slow,
To sit hereWith my cat in my lap,
My beloved pursuing his dreams,
And the afternoon sun plotting out
Another day.
I want to practice this
Patience
So my afterlife will be
the sum pleasure
of these,
My heart's blessings.

Pace e bene,