Blog or white ... because it never is.

My first job was working at the Tourist Bureau in my beloved hometown of Dauphin, Manitoba.  The tourist bureau was a small poorly insulated shack next to the town statute/mascot, Amisk the Beaver. I used to joke that I got to spend an entire summer asking people if they wanted to see my giant beaver.  It's true.  People would come into the tourist bureau and say, "what is there to do in Dauphin?" and I would say, "have you seen my giant beaver?"  They would reply no and I would point to the statue of Amisk and say, "there, it is."  I thought it was hilarious.  No one else seemed to get it.  There were three of us working at the bureau that summer.  We were paid from a Canada Summer Jobs grant.  My friends were jealous thinking I had the perfect job.  The first day we started in May, all three of us worked that day, cleaning the shack from top to bottom and unpacking all the boxes and boxes of pamphlets sent to us from Tourism ...

When I was 5 years old, my mom wanted me to be a musician !!  To that end, she purchased an organ and enrolled me in the Yahama School of Music.   The organ, is case you don't know, is one of the most difficult instruments to play.  Your right hand operates the treble keys and essentially plays the melody.  Your left hand operates the bass keys and plays mostly chords.  Your left foot operates the pedals which is a whole keyboard all of itself operated by the foot.  Your right foot operates the volume pedal so you can increase and decrease at whatever speed you want to add drama and effect.  Four limbs moving simultaneously at once.  Very difficult.   But, any good organist knows that the secret to mastering the organ is your top secret, one of a kind, individualized registration.  It is your recipe or formula that you come up to set the stops.  Allowing the same song to sound different depending on the organist...

I love Monday mornings.  Every Monday, we are able to start anew.  Hope springs eternal !!!  Most people make a little resolution every Monday.   I am going to start my diet. I am going to save money by taking my lunch to work each day. I am going to get more steps in and not take any elevators. I am going to get into better shape. I am gong to the gym every day. I am going to menu plan. I am going to get up 15 minutes earlier. Monday is the day that we start the journey on our personal goals. This Monday, Barack Obama returns to USA and public life after a long vacation.  What are his goals today?  How is going to balance not criticizing a current sitting President when said President seems completely devoted to dismantling the legacy left behind? Bill O'Reilly starts his podcast today.  Please resolve not to listen.  He will be less inhibited by advertisers and station regulations, so it is going to be something.  Just what th...

People in Manitoba who live outside the Perimeter often feel disenfranchised from the people in Winnipeg.  We call this Perimeter Vision.  We think people in Winnipeg are only focused on what happens within the Perimeter.  We feel neglected.  People in Winnipeg don't understand what we are talking about. It is funny that I say "we" when I am referring to people living outside of Winnipeg, since I have been living in Winnipeg for over 10 years.  It just goes to show you, you can take the girl out of Dauphin, but you can't take Dauphin out of the girl.   I may live in Winnipeg, but when I cross the border and the Customs Officer ask me where I'm from, I always say Dauphin.   Winnipeg is expanding outside the official boundaries of the Perimeter, but Perimeter Vision still remains. It is hard to explain to Winnipegers who, of course, think they pay complete attention to all areas of the province.  After all, they list the temperatures of ...