time for change...and lots of it!

Mark and I are enjoying a nice quiet morning together after Granma Penny took the kids to her place last night...we got to go to the CUPE Solidarity pub night (fun and informing...) dance to the musical stylin' of our friend DJ Randy Handfulls...and sleep in too! bliss :)

thought I would also take some time to update everyone on the status of home, work and family: family first. both of the kids are in a time of change...Sasha becoming more and more a toddler - her play has become more creative and exploratory and her new favorite thing is colouring (something she wants to do all the time she's not asking for stories or running around...and unlike in this pic...she is most often colouring on carpets, walls, tables, drums...) She continues to amaze us with her evolving personality, skill and cognitive development!

she is still a girl of few intelligible words...but she is ALWAYS understood.Penny just shared a good story on how Sasha expresses her desire to go out...she puts her hat on her head, walks to the door and hollers...simple and to the point...who needs words? lol ;)

with Sasha learning something new every day - she can identify many colours, letters and shapes, knows many objects in any of the books on her shelf, understands so many clear requests and can express her needs well with signs, gestures etc. - such great fun to be a part of! even if she does keep us really on our toes now - teehee

a time of change for Che who is becoming more and more a teenager...and now into the high school experience! so far so good and he seems to enjoy it. probably helps for him to have a few more options, and we'll learn more about the program he is in and what his days are like on Monday when we get to meet his teacher.

Che is also fundraising (here he is busking at the Trout Lake farmers market for donations) to participate in the Lance Armstrong Tour of Courage bike race for cancer research. He and his mom have created a team "the Howlin Cats" to race together but they need more money to join. If you would like to help Che out please visit this link
http://www.tourofcourage.ca/site/TR/?pg=personal&fr_id=1030&px=1060321
to download pledge forms or make contributions directly to his profile. I love his Jedi write up! :)

these days I'm trying to stay focused on the positives in our life - first of course is Sasha and Che...and gratitude continues for the friends and family who provide stable support for our emotional and mental health. This is now all that is stable in our lives. We are not alone and we are loved. Do not underestimate the power of positive thinking...especially when it is boosted by positive feedback from loved ones ...this is the only reason i'm not really stressed right now and why I know in a couple of months we'll be back on our feet again and everything is gonna be just fine...

that said, there are 2 significant changes we are facing now...first is the new homeowners have asked we be out by December 1st at latest so the home search is now a priority. the timing sucks so bad as we are not in a good position to deal with a rent increase (which is a reality as wherever we end up we know we'll be paying at least a couple hundred more a month) and moving costs at this point.

perhaps if we had skipped our family vacations to spend all of our time on the picket line, and at least one of us got another job we'd be more financially prepared for this...but we are in agreement that the extra quality time we've had as a family has been far more important and have no regrets about any potential debt load incurred as we stand up with our unions for negotiations in good faith...ahem

which leads us to the second big change...the talks are off again...so the strike continues...

what we were informed yesterday by our bargaining committees is that the City has decided they won't make any commitments on job security and they have now turned to the Minister of Labour to deal with it...not looking promising though some are hopeful a mediator may still be used before the tactic of forced arbitration that would send us back to work with none of our issues addressed.

(sunday update: the province told the city they had to bargain in good faith and therefore would not be stepping in...very good thing!)

even without my concussion my head would still be spinning from the sheer overwhelming force we seem to be up against. most folks on the line are now ready to ramp it up and start participating in some direct actions that would finally give attention to what it is we're standing up for...

there is a very legitimate fear for job security and a threat to public services in general. this power struggle to protect all things public seems to have become the new thread connecting all my life together at the moment. with CPEN it is about defending public education and the rights of learners. with my union it is about protecting public services at the community level. both struggles are to protect what was fought for so that I could have access to higher learning and good jobs. those rights are no longer guaranteed for our kids...but I'm not letting go of them without a fight!

more strike updates & home search news to come. Mark and I are both feeling committed to doing more action oriented stuff so things will continue to stay interesting...

something fun and interesting for me was on friday (before the fun of the pub...lucky me to have such a great day!) i had a super time traveling the town and participating with a little concertina (a very old school format of political protest using street theatre to get your message out) performance called "The Foot"
after performing at the art gallery and at central library, we heard the city had lifted the media blackout...so we decided to take our show to the CBC - here we are!

we had plenty of people come out and say "what have you got for us?" but they probably knew more than we did at that point...so we just said 'we're here to share our show!'

and CBC actually came and filmed it for your viewing pleasure :)
http://www.cbc.ca/mrl3/8752/bc/ondemand/video/STRIKErally.wmv
("the Foot" was written by Diana who is leading our group)

i'll end for now with my new favorite quote:
"A dream that I dream alone is only but a dream.
But a dream that we dream together is reality."
Raul Seixas

fall a frenzy

I realized the other day that it has been a long time since Sasha has had a real play date. aside from family vacations the poor thing has had a lot of fun on the picket line...but at least she's not alone! Many of her buddies have been hanging out on the picket line too...like her best buddy Merlin :)

Gilly and I are determined to rectify that as soon as we get some stability to our schedules again...

this is a huge limbo period right now which has been a roller coaster for us...we know we'll be just fine with a little help from family & friends (gratitude for all the positive energy we've received!!) but have to admit I had a few days where the weight of so much to do and all the limbo time really hit hard...

then Sasha hit me hard with a headbutt in the nose and cracked it (still hurts 2 weeks later!) which I thought was the icing on the cake.

at this low point I then received through my email network a great little gift...a link to a preview of the movie "the Shift" www.theshiftmovie.com

goosebumps and hope abounded after watching the 6 minute gem...so the video clip and an absolutely fabulous weekend on Saturna Island for Elaine & Gord's wedding (really really really amazing weekend!!!!!!!) ...a great time with new friends, time in a beautiful environment...think I gained a few pounds from all the amazing food...but I also conquered my fears sleeping alone outside in my tent...joy! gave me just the boost I needed to get our family through this crazy time :)

while I was off indulging on the island Mark and Sasha spent time with Penny (here with Sasha doing what she has come to love best - storytime!)- escaping from the landlord doing small renovations to the kitchen and back hallway before the first open house.

Granma also came through for us to have an evening off together on Saturday to enjoy a benefit concert for the CUPE 391 hardship funds (have to give more props to 391 who are doing a fantastic job on keeping spirits up and being creative during this strike!! they rock! check out the website and watch the cool videos being done by James and Darcy! www.cupe391.org) - and an opportunity to see Circus in Flames again! this is significant to my 10 years in vancouver as the first time I saw them was shortly after moving here! great local band, lots of fun...too bad my head hurt too badly to dance...

because that was the same day I smashed my head on a concrete planter at Brit and am now suffering from another concussion...number 12 for those of you have lost track over the years ;)

so I still have positive energy (gonna take a while for the glow from our road trips, Saturna & great music we've seen recently to wear off of me) but now I can't think straight at all...brain is kinda spongy still!

potential light at the end of the tunnel...our unions are both at the table with the employer (city of vancouver) this week - will they actually 'talk'? will the cynics be right that we'll be out for a long time? or the hopeful ranks that think we might be back next week?...and a 'sold' sticker has been put on the sign on our lawn -who is the new owner? and what do they have in store for us?...so by the weekend I'll have another update on the work and home front.

one of these days we'll be settled in our home, be back on the job and I'll eventually start my job share (yay!), and our child care will be organized...and maybe then i'll have time to write about all the fun stuff again ;)

below are a few pics from my wonder-full getaway!

and if you have a moment I recommend you check out "the shift" and give yourself a positive boost too...doesn't everyone need it at this time of year? teehee


I met so many great people and had so many great moments...here are just a few highlights:

my road trip buddies: Megan, Judy and Bonnie...women weekend warriors! that is the Saturna Island ferry dock behind us :)


when you arrive on the island you see a sign "Deer - any road at any time"...very true. during the reception we even had a family of deer pass in the field behind the B&B - ridiculously romantic moment that reception...actually all of it!


first of all, this is ravenswood, the house where I stayed with 7 other fabu folks from all over the place. (this shot is from my tent...which I chose to sleep in having brought all the gear)

the wedding took place on the eastern most tip of the island...here are 3 of my housemates heading to the point: Teresa, Jackie and Judy (myself, Jackie and Judy were moms on the loose and had some good bonding and relaxation time together). they were visiting from New York, Nelson and Japan!

here comes the bride...cue the cello...and Elaine and Gord on top of the world together at the tip of the island :)




Gord with 3 more of my housemates: Karin & Ernst - married 50 years next fall and always the last to leave a party, and Patricia (their daughter and Elaine's close friend) who comes by being a wild child naturally...a family that was soooooooo much fun to hang out with! ;)


Javier, visiting from LA was a great character and just about one of the most thoughtful guys I've ever met!...and he got some pretty bad pics of me that I wish I could destroy - lol



some of my favorite ladies from Brit were there too! Here's me and Pat, my guitar mentor for songs of solidarity :)





me with Leslie and Tara...and can't forget Mary! are you relaxed yet? ;)




I know it's blurry...but don't these stars look familiar to some of you?! I taught Elaine how to make them (on the picket line) for her visionary ballroom design...can't believe I didn't think of using them for my own wedding!



Kathy...deep breath and moment of reflection before going home...and ready to take on the world again ;)

final days of summer...

a quick update to end the summer:

we're still on strike. making the most of it by meeting new friends and gettin' creative with our fellow CUPE members.

Here's Sasha at a rally last Wednesday...she was a media darling...cameras all over her. this pic is also seen on the CUPE National web site
cupe.ca

Below is a pic of me with Tara, Randi, Susy and Electra (I'm on the right in the hard hat - lol!) as we sang Randi's song "Workers of Vancouver" (to the tune of YMCA by the Village People) what a super fun time that was!

the limbo period of this strike...and not knowing when it will end...had not yet taken it's emotional toll...

then our landlord tells us he's selling the house. open houses starting soon...yuck! the fishbowl lifestyle begins again.

so we've added finding a new home to list of things to do...perhaps the stars will align and we will get into a co-op housing place before time runs out...

i'm on my way to Saturna Island for my friends wedding. a few days of quality time with friends and out of town are a welcome distraction right now...even if my ride is picking me at dawn ;)

here's a real cute pic of Sasha in the tub just for a good giggle...have i told you about her giggle yet? it's priceless...and sometimes downright demonic sounding...teehee

Mark and her get some qulaity time now...and we'll have more to update soon

the c's complete

we hit the road with both kids for another journey...and turns out all of our stops this summer have been in communities that start with C. july was Cache creek, clinton, chase and castlegar. last week was campbell river and cortes island. now everyone i know needs to move to a place that starts with D - teehee ;)

as we were distracted by the strike upon our return last month, this trip was not as well planned so there was so much we wanted to do that didn't happen - the biggest being that we didn't get to visit with Judy & Gord who I really wanted to see and introduce Sasha to.

we did get to spend a night with Heath and Melissa in their digs they moved to last fall. short but very sweet visit!

here's Mark and the kids enjoying their hot tub...oooooh...verra nice...

it was a full house at Heath & Mel's too. not just the 4 of us as guests...there were also 2 dogs, 2 cats and 2 kittens running about! great fun - and Che was in heaven...bit of a cat lover he is.

then we camped a couple of nights at Elk falls just the 4 of us. the first night wasn't the greatest for two reasons: it had been a bit rainy so it was cool and damp (this pic is the next morning when it was sunny)...and the ranger didn't come by with wood for us 'til about 10pm...long after the chill had set in on our dark camp site. silver lining to this though was that we borrowed wood from the family across the way and got to know some nice folks...too bad I thought of it so late...just as we got the fire started the ranger finally came...
but that 1st 10 minutes on borrowed wood was super sweet! gratitude aplenty in that moment :)


the 2nd downside to the first night of camping was only a downside for me...involves lotsa bugs. while sittin' around the fire I found a spider crawling on me...jumped up to swipe it off and Mark pointed out a second spider (you all know how much I love spiders right? aaaaaaagh!) So then it's bed time and after pulling back the blanket I feel something I think is a rock...start brushing it out of the bed...only that doesn't feel like a rock. flashlight shows what looks like a glosette raisin...what the heck? then it moves...and unravels...a worm? no...it's got lotsa legs...a centipede!!! aaaagh!
so to calm down after all bugs were removed...I pick up my book...and the chapter begins with some descriptive cockroach info...then I just lay there for a very long time trying to get the bug images to leave my brain...nice.

we also saw many many slugs...like this one...but they also come in black and other patterns. slimy but not bothersome.

the next day was beautiful so we played at the park
and we went for a hike at Elk Falls...beautiful. that's the water falling behind us in the pic up top. there is a hydro dam that releases water now and then and the spot we were sittin' then is flooded by a great rush of extra water. kinda feels weird when you imagine facing a wall of water comin' your way...so you hope that siren actually will go off when they are about to open the floodgates...

after packin' up camp the next day, we went to the Discovery Pier for frozen yogurt...and some cute photo ops...check out our new reality with Sasha. turn your head for a moment and she says 'see ya!'






we met up with Johnny, Kristen and Jacob at the ferry terminal to end our journey with 3 nights at their place on cortes island. while we wiled away the time on the waterfront...

and Che climbed about and Kristen played with the kids...I just happened to bump into the other friend I wanted to reconnect with in campbell river! I haven't seen my buddy Wayne in years and had wanted to touch base before we left...but I couldn't find his info in our office (every time i take a step forward in organizing this room, we get busy and then things pile and I end up taking another step back...hohum) only moments before we headed back to the ferry terminal...I see a familiar face along the waterfront...it's Wayne!! yeepa! got to hug my friend after all...funny thing that synergy that keeps people in our worlds :)

our stay on cortes wasn't long enough of course...so many great people to meet...so much beauty to take in! but it was quality time we will never forget! On Lisa Joe's farm (where we got fresh eggs and figs...and super company...gotta love a woman with the moxy to stand in front of a speeding truck to make them slow down for the safety of her kids and animals!) Sasha got to meet some sheep and chickens. turns out Che is a natural chicken catcher...that will come in handy one day ;)










we spent a fair bit of time just hangin' out enjoying our families being together again...fabu!



if any of you are fans of that show 'Weird Homes' you'll appreciate one of our day trips...a visit to Wolf Bluff Castle! built by King Carl...over many years...a castle yes...but you really wouldn't want to live there! nice to meet his majesty though...really nice man who still gets a real kick out wearing his crown...and he has plenty for everyone. speaks to the true nature of all the folks we met on cortes :)







did I mention our time there was not nearly long enough! what a great place...full of great people! made a few new friends and have not eaten such great food in a while...Johnny is a superb cook and Kristen is the best baker I know...mmmmmmmmmmm...we even had fresh venison...so fresh I actually saw the deer in the final stage of slaughter...watched it being parceled...a genuinely honest food moment for me...and the small gathering we enjoyed the roast with provided an excellent finish to the experience!

with many thanks to Dad & Liz for hangin' with Sasha, last night Mark and I finished our vacation time at Malkin Bowl in Stanley Park...for a rain soaked good time at the Michael Franti concert! (I also got to hug Michael Franti before the show started...he gives a great bear hug!) and at the show we got to reconnect with our buddy Nathan who we have only seen in passing the past couple of years...i miss his insights! he commented that the only thing Sasha could do wrong in our eyes when she grows up is to become a right-wing conservative! LOL :)

once again I am immersed in a deep sense of gratitude for soulfull music and the privilege of good friends and family to share my life with, and that help fill our life with rich memories and experiences...never a dull moment ;)

tomorrow we're back to the picket lines...for now I will relish the lazy day and this blissful afterglow of a wonder-full week that marked my 10th anniversary in BC!

walkin' the line...and on the road again!

as promised I finally have a pic of Sasha walkin' along on her own 2 feet...isn't this just the cutest?!

she now spends about 2% of her time on her knees and the rest of the time she's walkin' or doin' the uber cute drunken stagger ;)

she's also starting to make more sounds that are coming close to words...still a lot of babbling...but lots of clear intentions behind the gestures. and oh my gosh is she ever developing a huge array of new expressions...some very mischievous and all are adorable!

the moment that Mark was dreading has finally arrived...Sasha spit out food and wouldn't eat for him the other night...his first dealing with her as a picky eater. not bad 15 1/2 months in - lol. so far, she hasn't given me a hard time...

since my last update Sasha has spent a lot of time on the picket line with us. Mark went on strike the day after my last post, so we have both been out for over a couple of weeks now. below are pics of Sasha with us (the family that pickets together stays together...hehe) and hangin' out with friends Teresa and Stephanie.

the other two pics are with friends of the family, Alan and Kevin, who came to visit with us on their way back to Scotland...can't wait for the day we can make it to stay with them at Findhorn!! Sasha was quite taken with them both...as are we :)

Tomorrow we finish our picket time for a week...after we rally at city hall! we were hopeful earlier today that talks were going well. bargaining was under way again with vancouver sitting down with all 3 locals that are out on strike. (fyi - the library workers have NEVER gone on strike before! brave their first time out!)

there has been a media blackout on negotiations here in vancouver since they apparently went back to the table on sunday. all the other municipalities that were negotiating under the GVRD ended up offering their union locals deals that the workers were in favour of...and it looked like vancouver was finally ready to negotiate as well...

However, in 4 days they only actually sat in bargaining for just over 3 hours...and the talks are off again...so the strike will not be done before we leave on saturday...maybe before we return?

the site to follow if you want to keep up is www.fairnessforcivicworkers.ca

I may add a note to this post before we leave if we learn anything important tomorrow...otherwise my next post will after the 20th. puttin' everything out of mind again...and packing up the family for another journey! We're goin' to Campbell River and Cortes island and I'm sure there will be plenty of stories to tell after visits with friends and family, ferry rides, camping with the kids and more. lookin' forward to it!

saturday is the 10th anniversary of my arrival in vancouver...and the day Mark and I met for the first time. Hittin' the road with our family (that made the move worthwhile to say the least...teehee) to enjoy some more of bc's splendour is a wonderful way to celebrate the life I have come to love out here.

broke and gettin' broker...but never happier :)