with love

For Roran

You made a difference in my friend Corinne's life, your light will continue to guide her and for that I thank you.

May you Rest in Peace

work zombie

Oh... please enjoy this piece. I give you Itzhak Perlman and Pinchas Zukerman playing Handel's Passacaglia, as arranged for violin and viola by Halvorsen. This always calms the savage beast, forces me to breathe... and leaves me with the feeling that my life has just been saved.

For my friend Coco...

Dancing, dancing, dancing!

I've been struggling with a very long week and looking forward to the weekend. My week is just a continuation of last week as I worked over the weekend. But the dancing I saw last night will allow me to finish my week without throttling anyone.

My challenge in presenting these clips of my favourite couples is the following.

I could expound profound and talk about the dances, but a) I don't have time and b) that's not how I experience dance. Basically, dance is, with all it's technique, all about the expression of emotion. It's about reaching a part within you and bringing it out to the surface. Sometimes it reaches deep within, in places you've buried and hadn't planned on ever letting out again. And other times it just makes you happy.

I've chosen one word for each of these dances. It was like a therapy exercise.

First up, I wanted to share with you the darling Allie and Gene Kelly-like Danny (for some reason, I associate her with pink) and their Quickstep, as engineered by Pierre Allaire (félicitations Pierre, quelle belle chorégraphie!):

The word is: CLASSIC

Second, this dance crafted by Sean Cheesman... an Afro-Jazz as interpreted by Lisa and Vincent-Olivier (my other favourite couple)

The word is: JOY

The cool thing is the dancers felt JOY and so did the judges... and my heart sings. Ok, and maybe a tear to my eye. The music was so very uplifting.

Now, on to Natalli and Francis (my other other favourite couple)and .... the RUMBA! mmmmmmmmm! The dance of Love. Gustavo Vargas gives us yet another beautiful story.

My word is: DESIRE (the other word is LEGS LEGS LEGS!)

Oh.. Congratulations to Francis Lafrenière and his real-life partner, Claudia Primeau... good luck representing Canada at the World Championships! (Did I mention he lives IN MY CITY????? THUD!!! Now I know why he looked familiar, I probably saw him at the supermarket while I was picking out my produce... THUD!)

And now.. a very powerful and beautiful dance as choreographed by Blake McGrath (you were right Blake, tears!) and danced by my absolute favourites, Arassay and Nico.

My word is: SOULFUL

This dance found my heart made it swell with emotion.

This dance was the expression of an emotion so many have experienced... the struggle with ending a relationship that just doesn't work. And the symbiosis between choreographer and dancers was powerful.

The smile on Chicklet's face when she watched this dance was too adorable, Lara and Miles have a wonderful connection and entertain in this Krump by Lil' C.

Chicklet's word: COOOOOOOOOL! (and BUCK! LOL)

Oh.. and I just have to say, I love Jean-Marc Généreux... Having Kenny Ortega and Pau Becker as guest judges this week was wonderful.

I'll catch up when the insanity of work allows.

Miss visiting you guys.

Smooches and hugs!

Oh... my...

I wish my buddy Trav could watch this show on TV.

But since he can't...

I found this HAWT Paso Doble from this week's SYTYCD Canada - dudes, we KNOW we can dance.

Get your THUMP mat ready... LEGS LEGS LEGS!

Oh... he's from my backyard too. :) And yes, I voted.

This was also a favourite dance of mine... I absolutely adore this pair.


Allie and Danny and their mambo...

And my favourite couple... Arassay and Nico doing a fabulous theatrical number.

Now that's my kind of angel! WOW!

SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!

Oh.. and since Travis is my Andy... Here's Lisa and Vincent-Olivier as Raggedy Ann and Andy *giggle*

Lyrical dancers hitting a hip-hop number! FIERCE!

a game show?

A conversation with my Chicklet on the way to the polls:

"Mommy, you'll vote for the one who wants to hire more doctors and improve education, right?"

"Where did you hear about this, sweetie?"

"On TV"

"And that's important?"

"Very important."

"What do you think I should do?"

"Don't vote for Harper, he's a snob."

Canada... you are NOT smarter than my fifth grader.

listen.. and speak up

40 years is a long time to wait for people to listen and truly hear.

Have we heard?

Will we hear?

Ever?

I hope so... hold on to hope...

Today, millions of Canadians are going to vote. God I hope they go and vote...

I just hope this election doesn't leave us with a big post-Thanksgiving turkey... nothing but a carcass and the bits no one wanted. They say timing is everything.

I'll be bringing Chicklet with me as I have for every election (including municipal) since she was a baby. I hold on to hope...

Neither of our two countries have a "Bobby" to look to this fall, but at least we HAVE a choice.

And for that... I am thankful.

"First is the danger of futility; the belief there is nothing one man or one woman can do against the enormous array of the world's ills -- against misery, against ignorance, or injustice and violence. Yet many of the world's great movements, of thought and action, have flowed from the work of a single man. A young monk began the Protestant reformation, a young general extended an empire from Macedonia to the borders of the earth, and a young woman reclaimed the territory of France. It was a young Italian explorer who discovered the New World, and 32-year-old Thomas Jefferson who proclaimed that all men are created equal. "Give me a place to stand," said Archimedes, "and I will move the world." These men moved the world, and so can we all."

- Bobby Kennedy

Are YOU registered to vote?

Do YOU have a Peace Globe?

“It is from numberless diverse acts of courage and belief that human history is shaped. Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope.”

- Bobby Kennedy

being thankful

For love...


The love of a child, a soul mate, a parent, a true friend...

For lessons learned along the way.

For everyone who has come into my life, even if their actions or words have been hurtful. From them I have grown.

That I can see my loved ones' faces... feel their hands in mine... hear their voices.

For the moments that bring giggles... even when its not "appropriate".

For my freedom. Freedom to stand up for myself and speak my mind... and the men and women that sacrificed so much so that my voice can be heard.

For songs that make my soul smile... and soar.

And for learning to love myself. Finally. I am beautiful.

Lightness of being...

Too much turmoil and not enough smiling isn't good for a girl...

This week, Chicklet and I sat down to watch SYTYCD Canada's first competition show. We'd been watching the auditions and a few dancers had already caught our attention. We picked the performances that made us go SQUEEEEEEEEE and WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

The judges are:

Luther Brown who has choreographed for the likes of Shawn Desmon and Keshia Shante;


Blake McGrath - a canadian dancer from season 1 of SYTYCD USA and a fierce choreographer;


Tré Armstrong who starred in "How She Move" and has worked with Missy Elliott and Sean Combs;


and last but not least, Jean-Marc Généreux (choreographer extraordinaire for SYTYCD USA) and a possible distant cousin of mine as he and my maternal grandmother share a last name!

So far, we've enjoyed watching just how talented the Canadian dancers are who are vying for the priviledge of becoming Canada's favourite dancer.

Now, I'll be frank. Nico Archambault... Oh My WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! and swoooooooon!
Montreal boys...mmmmmmmmmm! Yup... he comes from MY backyard! Nico is a lyrical dancer... but he HIT this first number!

Arassay Reyes is a hot thang... and Travis, she's got LEGS LEGS LEGS!!! and baby, HIPS HIPS HIPS!

HAWT!

And this dance started off the season.. a salsa by Gustavo Vargas! MUY Caliente!!!

So you know who I voted for...

The next couple I wanted to share with you is Lisa and Vincent-Olivier (another sweet thang from my backyard)...

They're both contemporary dancers and this routine was breathtaking... it was magic. Stacey Tookey did an outstanding job with this choreography... wow!

I voted for them too...

This couple... Allie and Danny (another Montreal boy *sigh*)!!

They are the CUTEST thang! Here they are doing a great rockabilly 50s jive choreographed by the UBER talented Melissa Williams.

And Jean-Marc is right: CHEMISTRY!!!

I voted and voted and voted!

There are some outstanding dancers in this competition. We're quite pleased... yup!

turn, turn, turn...

A long time ago, my mother sat me down and explained to me that my aunt was getting a divorce. This was mom's youngest sibling and mother of my closest cousin. This meant my cousin's life was being turned inside out in a society and a time where divorce wasn't common.

I remember the range of emotions I went through. I was angry at her husband for leaving her and what I saw as an abandonnement of my cousin. I was sad, because I knew some of the people I loved the most were sad...

I now have to tell my daughter the same thing, sort of.

I told you when I last posted that there was something looming for a family member. My cousin contacted me telling me she was getting a divorce. I never saw this one coming. I always liked him because I could tell by the way he looked at her how precious she was to him. He left me a very sad comment about a picture of Chicklet (who simply ADORES him) saying he'll miss being her "uncle" terribly.

I don't know all the details, and won't take a position in this one other than to stand by my cousin as she makes a transition in her life... looks for a new place to live, a new job... new beginnings.

It sucks.

I'm sad at the thought that my cousin, the closest thing I have to a sister, has to go through this yet... again.


I'm sad my aunt has to see this happen to her child... again.

Yes Buff... the empath - as you called me - is having a very difficult time with this.

I'm going to call her this weekend. We don't talk often but gravitate towards each other in really bad times. I think I may have to spend some time with her next weekend... just she and I. I have to go back to my roots. To the people who truly care about me.

I'll try and visit your blogs over the long weekend. I've only managed some flybys.

Hugs and smooches...

I'll be around

First, I want to thank you for the lovely birthday wishes. We had a wonderful time together as a family this weekend. Unfortunately the hotel pool was closed so we changed some of our plans. However, Chicklet had a blast Saturday night at Chuck E Cheese playing the firefighter game (she completed all levels) and skee-ball and we made it back safely after a 6 hour drive yesterday.

Unfortunately, I came home to some not so good news for a member of my family. Thankfully it isn't a health issue and since that's the most important, I'm hoping this situation is for the good.

Looks like I'm going to be a busy girl this month and I'm not sure just how often I'll be posting. I will however try and visit as much as I can.

I leave you a "huh?" moment I had last month when I drove by the home improvement store and saw this...

39 years ago...

... my mother nearly died.

She was always too sweet to tell me, but I bet you it was because of my big head.

Shortly after my birth, the doctor informed my parents that I would have to be transferred to the Childrens Hospital because of jaundice. Dad traveled back and forth from my mother's bedside after her C-section in one hospital to the nursery where I spent time being roasted like a little chicken in another. Mom always said he took so many pictures, it was probably the flash from the camera that gave me enough light to overcome the jaundice.



She also suspected that during my time there, I was inoculated with a gramophone needle. I think she meant I talk too much (can you believe that?)...


My parents made me who I am today, and for that, I'm thankful. And I will honour them by standing up for who I am and being true to myself.

Have a great weekend folks... I know I will. I'll be spending it with my Chicklet and my Honey.

Let's party!

Today is my dear blogging friend (and almost twin) Ron's birthday and I'm going to make a fuss. Because I simply adore him. And he's worth it.



I felt a kinship with him instantly and he's one of my MUST read blogs. He makes me laugh, puts a smile on my face when I'm down and has a great approach to life.
In many respects it really feels like he and I were separated at birth (by a few years and a day)!


And since he loves chocolate... and cake... (pssst... I asked for a "wedding cake")



A toast to you my darling friend!

Don't forget to CLICK HERE to go over and wish him a happy birthday... mayb he'll share the cake and champagne!

"We turn not older with years but newer every day."
- Emily Dickinson

"Believing hear, what you deserve to hear:

Your birthday as my own to me is dear...

But yours gives most; for mine did only lend

Me to the world; yours gave to me a friend."

-Martial

for my daughter...

I've been looking for a tattoo... hmmmmmmmm....

For life...