Going to New York

Tomorrow is the day I'm heading to the Big Apple, not for just one day like our fellows below, but for an entire week!

As I have a one day medical conference to attend we decided that it would be a family affair--me, my daughter, my son & his wife and my best friend. We've found a lovely four bedroom apartment that is four blocks from Central Park at a cost cheaper than any Manhatten hotel! If you've never heard of VRBO (Vacations Rentals by Owner) be sure to check it out--you can even find a place within your own home town for a weekend getaway!

Some of the highlights that I'm really looking forward to will be visiting the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA), as well as skating under the stars at Rockefeller Center. I've been pouring over the Met's website and planning the absolute "must sees" like some of VanGogh's paintings and the Cloistures which is a compilation of several monestaries. The medieval architecture itself is fascinating but I have more interest in the herbarium and medicines of the time. It's my love of Brother Cadfael mysteries and my own interest in the natural healing properties of plants that is to blame for my interest. I think pretty much everything in the Met will be fascinating including their famous gift shop!

A trip up to the top of the Empire State building should prove a test of my resolve since I'm not a fan of heights but I refuse to let anything get the better of me. I've been to the Eiffel tower and even ventured out to the edge railing for a few moments so like King Kong himself, I will let nothing stop me from reaching the top!

Shopping is not a big thing on my list; I'm a "go to the store only when I need to and get in and get out quickly" kind of gal. There are however, a few retail establishments that once you get me into you'll never get me out of. We're planning breakfast at Tiffany's and since this will be my second trip to the famous blue box store I have no doubt we'll be there for several hours or more. When we were there a year and a half ago the staff treated us like we were their most important clients and that is something I will never forget. My dear hubby asked one of the sales women if she could show him a huge aquamarine tiffany's box brooch with a 90 diamond ribbon around it. The security guards came to stand on either side of her as she put on her white gloves and then she spent at least 20 minutes with DH, explaining the quality of the brooch, and treating him as if he was a customer who could afford the $100,000 price tag. I was mortified but the saleswoman made us comfortable. As my hubby said, "with treatment like that the next time I have $100,000 to spend on jewelry I'll be heading to Tiffany's." Saturday morning we'll be up early to go to a local farmers market to pick up the freshest of produce and since baby turnips, carrots and broccoli are in season I'm sure I'll be able to find something interesting to cook. It is a tradition that when I'm on holidays I choose one day to indulge in my love of gourmet cooking, sampling the local produce and the best the seasons harvest has to offer. I cannot wait!

Last but not least will be the time we get to spend in Central Park. The weather is supposed to be gorgous and the trees have all turned colour. I'm looking forward to just wandering....slow and contemplative......listening to nature and stopping for a time to listen to the musicians who will set up on the side of the mall or at one of the fountains. I'll be sure to take photos and will definitely write about whatever inspires me.

Salynne©209

More Character Names

A week or so ago I was flipping channels and noted that mystery author Phillip Margolin was being interviewed on the book channel show called Mystery Ink. Host John Moore asked Phillip how he chooses character names and he indicated that he is well known for opening the phone book and blindly putting his finger on a name; he uses it either as a first or second name and continues the process until he has the character named.

Phillip has also become known for auctioning character names wherein he will use one of the winners names for a person in his latest novel. He makes no promises as to the type of character and he said that it can be disappointing for the auction winner. He gave an example of how he felt he did not make a winner happy after he used one of the person's name for a rather unsavoury balding, overweight, lawyer, which was nothing like the person who won the auction. Friends too have requested to be written into his books and on occasion he says he bows to the pressure.

I've continued collecting names; one in particular came after driving through New Westminster and seeing ads for the upcoming election. Fin Donnelly is a real person running for office but I've put his name into my character list along with a note that he is a real person and that I should use his names seperately. Either way both Fin and Donnelly are interesting names.

Here are some of my latest acquisitions:

Ashland
Winspear
Norquay
Lavinia
Violet
Jane James
Zepharia
Milton Frederick Thomas Gonzola
Vernon Lester
Maxine
Della
Opal
Inez
Verna Ramon
Melba
Elnora
Delmar Sherman
Alyce Loretta
Florine Alva
Casimir (this is a boy's name not a last name)
Junius
Harrell Dorman
Duhamel
Salois
Inigo Montoya (one of my favorite characters from The Princess Bride!)

Salynne ©2009

Virtual Books-The Rare and Unusual

I have written about this topic before briefly but I want to encourage you to check out one of the most amazing opportunities you will have when it comes to rare and unusual books. Several times in museums I have experienced the frustration of looking at an exquisite book through glass and wishing that I could turn the pages-now it is possible.

The British Library has created a program called "Turning the Pages" which is a software that allows you to leaf through incredibly rare and fragile documents and even magnify details. It may be difficult to understand until you try it but it is exactly like opening a book and turning the pages.

http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/virtualbooks/viewall/index.html#

Their list of current books is not large but growing every day so there should have something you'll enjoy:
A Landmark in Medical History-16th century treatise
Alice's Adventures Underground-written and illustrated by Lewis Carroll

Baybar's Magnificent Qua'ran-Arabic calligraphy
Bible from Ethiopia-commissioned around 1700
Blakes Notebook-sketches and poems
Classic of Botanical Illustration-remarkable herbal
Codex Sinaiticus-selections from a 1,600 year old bible
Dutch Baroque Gardens
First Atlas of Europe-1570's
Flemish Masters in Miniature
Glimpses of Medieval Life-Luttrel Psalter
Glorious Hebrew Prayer Book
Henry the VIII's Psalter-1540 with Henry's own notes
James Gilray Satirical Prints
Jane Austen's early work-The history of England in her own hand
Leonardo's Codex Arundel
Leonardo da Vinci Selection-a selection of his sketches
Lisbon Hebrew Bible-survivor of 15th century Jewish culture
Masterpiece of the Renaissance-Sforza Hours
Mozart's Musical Diary-the composers own notes
Outstanding 15th Century Church Book
Pinnacle of Anglo-Saxon Art
Ramayana-India's great epic in 17th century paintings

I don't know which I could say is my all-time favorite but I have been returning every day for at least the past week to take glimpses into these treasures. Seeing Lewis Carroll's handwritten and detailed illustrated book highlights the great love & care he put it into it and it inspires me to write my own stories; the brilliant colours in Dutch Baroque Gardens make me want to start planning my garden for next spring; when I see Jane Austen's work in her own hand I can vividly imagine her sitting at her little writing table; and for me as a Christian, seeing one of the oldest bibles in the world is positively faith-strengthening.

For centuries access to these publications has been imited and now we have the opportunity to enjoy them to full so I wonder what amazing stories or inspiration are possible.

When you have a few moments please be sure to check them out!

Salynne ©2009

A Survivor and Talented Too

We were coming out of our favorite Waffle house on Sunday when the newspaper laying on the counter caught our attention. Chelsey Bigland, subject of my previous blog on September 7, was front page and center. The article was great but nothing could have been better than reading that she is cancer free!

http://www2.canada.com/theprovince/news/story.html?id=370bb219-c0f3-47d4-afd5-b10b98b9c845

Congratulations on your first art show!

Congratulations on winning your fight and being a Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma Survivor!

Hugs!
Salynne 2009

It's Just Plane Inspiration

Marc's Daily Writing Practice-October 16

Completely inspirational, especially since I'm in the middle of planning a trip to New York in November.

http://daily-writing.blogspot.com/2009/10/friday-october-16th-2009.html

The exercise:
This week's Four Line Friday Prose starter is rather random... but that's never stopped me before.
So here you go: overheard on a plane

Marc's Prose

Hey Babe?"
"What is it now, darling?"
"Have you seen the kids recently?"
"They kept interrupting my beauty sleep so I told them to go play outside."


My Offerings
Interesting conversations overheard while sitting on the tarmac:

"So do you think the airline has people listening to everything we say?"
"You mean like if I was to whisper the B word, the plane would end up grounded?"
"What do a mean, the B word?"
"BOMB, you idiot!"

"So you definitely turned off the iron."
"Yes, I think so."
"You think so, but you're not sure?"
"Well, if the house burns down it will mean new clothes, new furniture, new everything and I'm good with that."

"Hi, I'm Jim, what's your name?"
"I'm Sarah."
"Single, married, divorced, on business, or looking to have a little fun?"
"Married, going to visit family, four months pregnant and throwing up all the time."

Only 18 days and I'll be on a plane myself!

Salynne

If Cancer were a Person

If cancer were a person I think I'd be a murderer and I would gladly go to jail for my crime. I'm not a violent person and I believe it is wrong to take a life but for the sake of my friends and for anyone who has suffered at Cancer's hands I would gladly take action.

A year and a half ago cancer entered into my life because it entered into my "bestest friend in the whole world's" life and I know things will never, ever be the same. I was in New York's JFK airport coming back from a European trip when I got the email that said her biopsy was positive. We were waiting for our flight home and there was nowhere to go and no where to sit. I sat on the cold cement floor with a numb butt and a numb heart. I've since watched my friend go through medication regimes, took notes while her doctor explained options and watched the huge radiation machine with its red laser lines mark the spot to burn the foreign cancer out of her breast. This year she walked in the CIBC Run for the Cure and got wear a pink shirt that marked her as a survivor! I am so proud of her but I hate Cancer and I hate it for what it did do and what it could have done to her.

Earlier this year an acquaintance was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer. Several times I took her to an alternative clinic for IV treatment and to the Cancer Clinic for Chemo. Her radiation treatments finished in early September and then a week later she found a lump in her neck. Apparently, the cancer never stopped growing and now it is stage 4 galloping breast cancer. The doctor has said that she will have cancer for the rest of her life and they have put her on long-term low dose chemo. She has improved and she says she is feeling better. Life goes on and she is living with cancer every day. Last month I got word that another friend was succumbing to Cancer. She was one of BC's longest living survivors with active breast cancer. Her fight had been going on for over 20 years which gives me hope for my friend with the galloping cancer. She passed away three weeks ago surrounded by her family and loved ones. There were over 400 people at her memorial.

Two weeks ago we received an email message from another good friend. Her eighty-six year old deaf mother had been diagnosed with leukemia and had been given between 2 weeks to a month to live. A**** was a grandmother type figure to me and certainly to many of us who knew her. We had gotten to know them when we travelled & shared a car while going to the same conferences (assemblies) in California. Some of our best times were the extended vacations we took after the conferences were over. She passed away on October 7 just a week and a half after diagnosis and the memorial will be held this weekend. We will miss her deeply.

This past Sunday we went out to our local waffle house for lunch and as we passed the counter we couldn't help but notice The Province newspaper which contained a front page article about 17 year old Chelsey Bigland-the lovely young woman who I blogged about previously. The paper said that she had found out the day before that her cancer was gone! She has won her battle!

Today I got a call from my "adopted" mom. Her eighty something year old mother fell yesterday and was rushed to the hospital via ambulance. The doctors did a CT scan, found a "spot" on her brain that was not caused by the fall and wanted to operate immediately. Because B**** was so dazed and confused she could not give consent for the surgery so the doctors revisited the results of the scan and determined that due to her age it would not be in her best interests to perform surgery. They have sent her home. Now it is up to my mom to try and interpret what all of that means and no doubt she will soon be on a plane to Edmonton to talk to the doctors. I am not really close to B**** and I've only met her a few times but I am very close to my mom and anything that will cause her anguish causes me pain too. Neither of us used the "C" word but I know the possibility is weighing heavily on our hearts and minds.

In addition to the six people I've mentioned, if I count the people I know in my congregation who have had cancer within the last five years (5) along with the people I work with (5) and other friends & family (3), that is 19 people in my life who have been seriously affected by some form of cancer. When I think of all of their friends & family members who have have also been touched and all of the people on this planet who are affected by this disease in some way I think we all have reason to hate the epidemic that cancer has become.

Like I said...if cancer were a person I'd put it out of its and our misery once and for all. I'm ready to bury the loser that has made my friends cry. Anyone got a shovel?

Salynne ©2009

Tongue in Cheek Thursday-Who said Computers make Life Easier?

I'm sorry for not blogging for so long-my 10 year old home computer finally bit the dust but it was a slow and agonizing death as we worked over a week to try and save what we had forgotten to back up. A lot of it was more precious than we realized, especially some of my latest writing and a number of photos.
So stop right now and ask yourself: when did I last back up my computer? Do it now, Go right now and do it now!!! You can finish my blog any old time.

So almost a week and a half was spent with our aged computer and our computer nerd--I say that with only the greatest affection, T****! It took more time than I thought to get what we needed and then it was decision making time. Buying a computer is worse than buying a car. First it was scanning the weekly flyer's for sales, then it was going on line to some of the bigger stores to see what they offered. We consulted with our local friends and workmates and it was amazing how many individuals came out of the woodwork to give us "advice", all of which was conflicting. Finally, dear hubby called our Computer Jedi Master friend and he had very simple, clear advice--of course we should have called him first, but why do something the easy way when you can cause yourself grief, suffering and anguish?

We finally opted for BestBuy--hubby's favorite store because as each sales person reminds you they don't get commission so there is no pressure to Buy, Buy, BUY! It took us about 5 minutes to make our selection and then another 30 minutes to get the thing out of the store. Our ever ready and helpful salesclerk asked:
"Do you want the extended warranty"?
"Do you want the extended, extended warranty"?
"What about setting up a regular Computer Nerd schedule--someone will come to your home every 3 months to make sure everything is running well"?
"Or how about a regularly scheduled diagnostic plan"?
And, finally after we had said no to everything he said with an incredulous look on his face, "Are you absolutely sure you don't want our monthly back-up package?"

That's when I had the "ah ha" moment and realized this process was like dealing with an life insurance agent. A warranty or insurance in case our computer gets sick, scheduled diagnostic plans sounded dreadfully like regular check-ups with the doctor and monthly back up sessions rang surprisingly similar to will & estate planning. Those store clerks may not get commission on the sale of an item but something tells me there's a reason why they work so hard to make you think you need the "extras".

Now it's true, I could have used my work computer to blog, on my own time of course, but I'm always terrified that our hospital has "computer usage" police. I can see it now; I'll be immersed in Blogger, pouring my heart out as I type and a siren will shriek; white disposable masked security swat team members in blue scrubs will swarm into my office. "Hands off the computer, Ms. Wilde. Hands off the computer. In accordance, with section 555 of the hospital computer policy, Blogging is not allowed!" Hopefully, they would let me off with a warning and wouldn't post my face on a Computer Usage Offenders site wide alert.

Some of my friends have wondered why I didn't use our laptop to blog. Then again, let me qualify that. The "our" laptop is the one that my daughter uses ALL of the time. May I provide some hard learned advice to other parents. Never, ever, buy a laptop, an ipod or any other kind of electronic device and agree to pay half because you are going to SHARE it. Don't believe a word of the wide-eyed, sweet and innocent looking, pouting progeny standing before you! The word "share" in teenage slang really means, "you can use it IF I don't have to do homework, chat with my friends on MSN, update my Facebook page, finish writing my blog, feel like watching zany YouTube videos, check my email for the 30th time today or browse the Internet for cool, funky, and trendy clothes or jewelry.

In desperation last week I had to pull the parent card & demand computer time to re-set up our family email account. Although I thought I did it quite quickly, I kept getting this chill up my spine because there seemed to be a vulture creature circling behind my back, just waiting to swoop down & start pecking at the keyboard. (Ok, Ok...so it wasn't quite that bad dahling daughter, but remember I've decided this is Mommy's Tongue in Cheek, Get it off your Chest Thursday blog and as I always say..."it's every parent's job to embarrass their child at least once a day" :)

So in conclusion I ask the question, who was the person who said that Computers would make our life easier? When I think of all of the time and energy we've expended to keep ourselves connected to the world electronically and our life organized through email, word documents, and other programs I'd really like to throttle that visionary. It is true, my old computer lasted ten years so there is hope it will be another ten before I have to go through this again. Unfortunately, I keep getting this nagging feeling that I probably should have purchased that extended, extended warranty after all!

Salynne 2009