Nostalgia

Well it happened! The switch has come to pass, the new boss is ensconced in his office and all seems ok until...the 'old' boss comes for a visit. Suddenly all your efforts at acclimatising to the changes the 'new guy' brought with him seem inadequate as you realize how much you have missed the old guy! He re-enters your work space bringing with him that aura of calm and joy that you realize you have been missing all the while you had been thinking that the transition was going fairly smoothly. So much for that ridiculous theory. New guy is nice and does his job well but old guy.....that's a completely different story. Old guy brings his heart everywhere he goes and that is impossible not to notice. You may not remember all that he did each and everday during his time at the helm, but it is clearly impossible to forget the man himself when you are confronted by sheer wonder as the essence of his being once again fills the building. His visit is thankfully brief as if he too feels the incredible power of nostalgia and knows as do you, that there is only so much of that one can take in the professional arena.

Film Festival

An unexpected gift of two tickets to a foreign film causes only the briefest of hestitations; You have the option of taking the two tickets but as you do not have anyone to share them with, you opt to take only one and the ticket donor assures you that she has someone in mind for the other. You arrive at the theatre and not five minutes after you take your seat, the other person who shares your 'pair' takes his. He recognizes that you too are there by virtue of a mutual friend and a conversation begins. The small talk fades away as the evening begins and you thoroughly enjoy your first festival experience from a movie perspective. There is however the added dimension of a more personal slant when the screening is over and another conversation begins. Small talk gives way to bigger talk and the scene shifts to a local restaurant. What a great idea it was to take only one ticket!

Labour Day Weekend

It came as a great surprise to me that the one weekend in the year that I have always dreaded could turn out to be totally fine and without any of its usual back to school/end of summer angst. A slight mind shift will reveal the possibility that both the return to school and the end of summer, need not be fraught with regret but can in fact be a simple transition; we do actually go from this time on to the next and the "going" is truly something we should be grateful for. It is suddenly clear that this is simply the close of a certain season and all that comes with it, so if we can make the decision to greet the fall with open arms we are more than likely to reap the many rewards that this colourful season has to offer which will definitely make our adieu to summer easier to bear. We can look forward to the cacophony of colours that our trees have in store for us and all the apples we can possibly hope to pick will soon be available as well. The usual variety of outdoor sports and activities will certailnly be enjoyed with much less sweat as we head away from the extreme heat and humidity. So as long as we remember to make time for what is really important, we should be just fine. It is true that the long hazy days of summer are perfect times to spend with family, and if we try to maintain that focus, we should be more than good to go when we bid farwell to summer.

Piano Tuner Or Stalker

Where do you draw the line when you notice that your piano tuner appears to be paying way too much attention to your "piano"? You have had your piano tuned and that should have been that for at least six months yet your tune meister continues to telephone you with suspicious regularity, (like a run on metronome!!) strongly suggesting that he return to your home in order to determine if your "piano" is as it should be. He actually tries to sell you on the need for further tuning; his persitent calls and persuasive telephone messages have left you feeling rather annoyed and defensive to the point that you are on the verge of issuing a terse "tune off" even though you are not usually aggressive or rude when responding to those who are. This piano tuner seems to have overstepped a professional divide that should never be crossed and now it is up to you to make sure that harmony is restored. At least there is no monetary cost involved!!

Suit Of Armour

Now that you have arrived at your new posting, it would seem that you have come unsuitably attired. In all your careful preparation you have neglected to dress for the job you have and you find yourself in dire need of a stylist to make the transition go a bit smoother and to keep you safe at the same time. No easy feat unless of course you can find the perfect clothing advisor who well understands the demands of the job and can see the whole picture, not to mention someone who has your best interest at heart. It seems to me that the suggestion of protective gear made in jest is in fact probably the way to go. Your 'special needs' dictate a full outfit that will include a head device sporting hearing filters that will allow you to let in only those sound bites that you feel comfortable with so in this way although you will see line-ups of the disgruntled you will not have to deal with the words (complaints!!). The jettison levers guarantee you a more peaceful entry in this the New Year, because when used properly their jet powers afford you the luxury of dispensing with no fewer than 300 complainers at a time which you must admit is new techmology at its best. With your custom-made"suit of armour" you can march into 'battle' with increased confidence and no fears!

All Day Breakfast in The Sun

What are the odds that you will find perfection on a small patch of pavement in front of a bakery situated in a remote corner of a mostly full suburban parking lot? If you are a skeptic, let me assure you that you will indeed succeed if you seek. The perfect all day breakfast is readily available at this unlikely site and while you may assume that many parked and moving cars will cancel out the possibility of any ambience, you would be wrong in your assumption. Seating at small outdoor tables affords you the opportunity to feast in the sunshine and feast you do, on a breakfast that is not only yummy, but healthy to boot. If you are lucky enough to be breaking bread with a sparkling conversationalist, you will easily block out the sometimes raucous conversations of the nearby diners and you might even think you are at a cozy outdoor cafe in a way cooler geographic location far away from where you actually are . You will linger over your coffee and have no inclination to clockwatch so it will come as a great surprise to realize that you have spent more than two hours en plein air over breakfast!

Picnic At The Beach

I have always loved picnics. When we were little Mom used to take care of loading up the basket with our favourite sandwiches, fruit, cookies, and homemade lemonade. We'd stake out the perfect picnic table and race off to the huge park with many many swings and a super long slide, and when we were finally too hot to race around it was off to the lake to cool off. We were not great eaters but picnic food is special isn't it? I remember that we were so happy when called to lunch and none of rushed back to play until we were totally finished eating. There was something magical about a day at the beach with Mom and Dad. As a mom I wanted to recreate those picnics for my children and I found that I was the one trying to include everyones favourite foods, omit their dislikes and basically think of everything, which is exactly what moms do but I had not seen my mom planning and/or preparing so it was a revelation to find out just how much effort goes into the simple picnic. Now that the kids are grown I assumed that my picnic days were behind me. I never expected to have anyone prepare a picnic for me, and that is why I was so surprised when upon our arrival at the lake, my friend removed a rather large cooler from the back of his car. We found the perfect picnic table and when the cooler was opened I found picnic fare unlike any I'd ever had before. No homemade drinks but a perfectly chilled bottle of wine, no sandwiches but crusty baquettes with any number of possible bread toppers, an amazing dessert, etc. etc. Not surprisingly, I still love picnics and not even a bit of rain can change that.