The things they say ... Instalment #2

This evening, as I was working on dinner preparations, Boo came into the kitchen, excited to tell me something about his day.

"Hey, Mum, guess what?" (he didn't even wait for my reply) "Next weekend, I get to be in a movie!"

"Really? Wow!"

"Yeah, but a different kind, not like the ones you see in the stores."

"Oh? Still, sounds pretty cool ..."

"Uh huh! and Me and my friends are going to be in it! It's going to be about an alien invasion."

"Wow, that sounds like a fun topic!"

"Yeah, but I'm going to need ... Can I borrow the video camera?"

"You'd need to ask Dad about that, but I'm sure it could be arranged ..."

He then proceeded to tell me all about how he and his best friend are going to be the main characters, and how they'll be best friends in the movie, too.  His character is the youngest of five children, but *his* parents are divorced, and have both moved to another country, so he lives with his 18 year old sister ...

Yeah, totally not a "Drama guy" there, bud.

"All because two people fell in love"

The title of today's post is a line from a country song. Yes, it's a little cornball (such is country music's 'charm'), but bears its own truth.

You see, in 1963, on the 17th of September, in a small church in Limmerick, Ireland, two young people pledged their lifelong commitment to one another in front of family and friends.

The following day, the bride, garbed in her "going away" dress, which she had sewn herself, took her wedding dress (which she not only sewed, but designed herself) and donated it to the priests to use to line their vestments.

Then this young couple, we'll call them John and Mary, boarded a boat which 'set sail' across the Atlantic. The boat docked in Montréal, Québec (yes, in Canada) a week later, and from there, the couple travelled on to Winnipeg, Manitoba, where they would make their home.

The couple raised three children, moving a few times in the early years.  A year in Vancouver, BC, a year in Ireland, as well as several different apartments and townhouses in Winnipeg. They eventually bought a home in River Heights the year of their tenth wedding anniversary.

I am speaking, of course, of my parents. My brothers and I owe everything to them, in particular, that precious gift called "life".

We absolutely inherited our mutual love of books and reading, as well as our appreciation for music (not to mention a certain amount of musical talent) from them. In addition to that, we each have a penchant for films ... Not necessarily the style of music, or the genre of films, although we do appreciate similar things to one another (and, I suspect, our Dad).

This was made most evident to me during my time in Montréal this summer, when I was visiting my brother, my lovely sister in law, and my two perfectly adorable nephews. My other brother travelled with me, and we spent many hours watching films and TV series that one could just as easily have found in my own collection here.

Most poignant was looking at my brother's bookshelves, and realising we had eleventy-billion books between us, and at least a third of them were books I had on my shelves at home.

I am also, for the record, pleased to report that my nephews are receiving a proper education on the eradication of the Undead;

"What is it I always tell you about killing zombies, A? If you're going to shoot them, you need to shoot them in the head!"

It's  very important that children learn these important details, after all ;-)

I am reminded of a meme I have seen floating around the Internet: "Each of us is weird in our own way. Love is when you find someone else whose weirdness compliments your own, and you choose to share your life with them."

So true.

All because two people fell in love ...

Happy 49th Wedding Anniversary, Mum and Dad, wherever you may find yourselves now. I love you.

Connecting to our Community- another form of self-care

I love living in our neighbourhood. The streets are tree-lined, the neighbours friendly, and the river paths provide lots of exploration (and burr!) options for the "Hound of the Baskervilles".

One of the other things I love about our neighbourhood are all the interesting little shops which abound- it is possible to find all manner of interesting and useful items (and services) without needing to go more than a few blocks. Groceries, banking, rent a film, antiques, nails ... you name it.

For things such as the nails, one needn't look further than Pollock's Hardware. The display window alone is something to take in (especially if you are simply out for a walk)- it looks like a shop window from another era. This sense of time-travel only gets stronger as you cross the threshold- old wooden shelving sits on the rough hewn wood floors, and you can find all manner of odds and ends you wouldn't have thought were still available for purchase.

Odds are good you'll be greeted by a shopkeep of the four-footed variety, as Digger et al are often hanging out there. Visitors are permitted to bring their dogs, too (we tend not to, as The Hound is rather large, and tends to bump into things. She's also extremely protective of her "pack").

Need just a few nails? Don't bother with Rona or Home Depot, where you have to buy them by the kilo, but you can still get them by the handful at Pollock's ... The staff are extremely friendly and helpful, and if they don't happen to carry what you need, they will be able to suggest a place where you might find it. Not only have I found I can usually get what I'm looking for there, the price is often just as good as, or even cheaper than the "big stores".

We have been renting films from Video Cellar for over 20 years- they recently raised their prices, but are still relatively inexpensive. For our family, renting a film on DVD works out far cheaper than taking everyone to the cinema (although I have been known to do that, as well), and it gives the Littlest man the opportunity to ask questions or leave the room if something proves to be overwhelming for him. (Video Cellar also sells assorted junk food at cheap prices, but we won't go there ;-) )

I have previously mentioned Vintage Veruca- I can't stress enough how lovely it is, and if you haven't checked out her shop, you really are missing out on something special.

Another of my favourite places to visit is the Modern Sewing Machine Company. The gentleman whose shop it is is quite knowledgeable about the products he services, and his is the shop to go to if you are looking for parts for a Singer treadle machine. The prices are very reasonable.

As well, we have Sonya's Flowers. She not only sells flowers (as one would expect, from the business name), she also has a small tea & coffee bar at the back of the shop. Most of the teas are on display in glass jars so that you might give them a sniff before ordering a cup. It's a real exercise in being present in the moment- you don't come here to grab a cup as you dash off to work; no, it's best experienced by having a seat, and taking in the scenery while you wait the 3-5 minutes for your tea to steep (2 minutes for white tea). Sonya herself is very helpful and friendly, as is Marilyn, who also works in the shop. The shop also boasts many very lovely little things to display or give as gifts- from colourful sock monkeys to candles to "Lug" bags ...

A few weeks ago, when Himself had the day off, we went for lunch at Santa Lucia. The dining room is very small, but not cramped; rather intimate. They also have a bar/lounge with a patio. Our lunch was excellent; it was nice to just spend time together, too.

Next door to Santa Lucia is Tenderloin Meats, a shop which is frequently called "The Bacon Store" in our home. Tenderloin is home to what is probably the best bacon in town.

By patronising local businesses, not only are you helping your local economy, it gives you a chance to meet and get to know some of your neighbours, too. The more people in your neighbourhood you know, the more connected you'll feel to the community. A connected community is a healthy community, one that looks after its members. Our neighbours seem to know one another fairly well; so well, in fact, that a stray cat is enough to cause a stir ...

So, that's my neighbourhood in a hurry, why not take a walk around yours and tell me what you've found there?

Not just cool, Steve Buscemi Cool

The title of this post is a saying you are probably going to run across (more than once or twice) if you decide to follow along here for any length of time. Because it will likely be an oft-used expression, it bears explaining.

To some of you, the meaning of the expression is probably self-evident, in which case, “Yay!”

But for those of you unfamiliar with the coolness that is Steve Buscemi ...

Steve Buscemi is an American actor who is perhaps best known for his roles in films such as “Reservoir Dogs”, “Fargo”, “The Big Lebowski” and “Armageddon”. He was also the voice of “Randall” in “Monsters, Inc.”, had a small but creepy character role in “Con Air”, and many other roles, both large and small, in countless other films. I have long enjoyed watching him in films, and while I am not certain, I think I first took note of him in “Pulp Fiction”.

He is very distinctive-looking, making him easily recognizable in almost any role, but this never detracts from his performance; one would never say “Oh look, Steve Buscemi is being Steve Buscemi again” (as some people say about Jack Black or Bruce Willis, e.g.).

This alone is cool.

But not Steve Buscemi Cool.

No, Steve Buscemi defines cool because of something else, something he once did that was so amazing I have checked multiple sources in an attempt to avoid the pitfall of believing an urban legend...

The thing that makes Steve Buscemi the metre stick for cool against which all other things are measured is as follows: In 2001, on the 11^th of September, two airplanes were flown into the World Trade Centre Buildings in New York City, NY. This is, of course, a well-known, catastrophic event. It is also well known that fire fighter crews worked around the clock for at least a week, sifting through the rubble of these buildings in the hopes of finding survivors and/or answers. What is less well known is the fact that Steve Buscemi, a former New York City firefighter himself, reported to his old fire station on the 12^th of September, 2001, and worked 12 hour shifts alongside other firefighters doing this job.

Yeah, that’s pretty f*cking cool.

But not Steve Buscemi Cool.

No, Steve Buscemi Cool is the fact that he did this, for a week, ANONYMOUSLY. No fanfare, no photo ops, no “I’m a big Hollywood star, and I’m here to HELP, notice me!”.

Nope, not Steve ... in fact, he refused to even let his photo be taken.

Now, *that’s* Steve Buscemi Cool.

Yeah, I figured you’d agree.

Don’t just take *my* word for it, check out these sources for yourself. Check here for starters. Another source.

Guilty Pleasures

If you'll pardon my improper use of the word, I love films. My tastes tend toword the quirky or ecclectic, but either way, I enjoy going to, renting & owning films.

Yep, in our house, we love watching films almost as much as we love books ... it appears to be a genetic flaw ;-).

Of course, this doesn't *just* fly in the face of my consume-less mentality, it flies right up and smacks it, HARD. I guess we all have our flaws ...

But even so, watching something on DVD is definitely a frequent pass-time for our family. It can be challenging to find a film the whole family can watch, given the diversity of ages in our household- our eldest will be 20 this year, and our youngest will be 10.

Perennial family favourites include Fantasy films such as "The Princess Bride", "Stardust" and any of the Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter films. I guess that pretty much classifies us as dorks, but hey.

The hidden perk to this seemingly dis-connected way of spending time together is that the kids will cuddle up on the couch with us while we watch the "film du soir"- a rare treat with the teenagers in our home, who are typically reluctant to be too affectionate anywhere remotely public. I'll take it ;-)

What are some of your favourite films?