Category Archives: humor

MAY IS MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS AWARENESS MONTH

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Multiple Sclerosis Awareness month occurs in May in Canada but in the US in March and Internationally on May 30. It’s sort of like how our Thanksgiving is different from the American Thanksgiving.

I’d love to hear from bloggers outside of Canada and the US if you have a Multiple Sclerosis Month.

Multiple Sclerosis, or MS, is a disease of the central nervous system that can cause symptoms throughout the body ranging from difficulty walking to bladder dysfunction to changes in memory and thinking abilities.

MS attacks parts of a person’s brain and spinal cord. Typical symptoms are extreme fatigue, visual and sensory problems, disequilibrium. Eventually, loss of muscle control leads to paralysis. Besides providing a bullet point explanation of the disease the site gives loads of information on research currently being on the disease. It’s fascinating on what is being done from drugs to prevent relapse, to repairing nerve cells damaged by MS.  

For more on MS visit mscanada.ca (make sure you scroll down and head to their new homepage.)

In my novel, Not by Design, Felicity Starr is dumped by the man she is about to marry when he learns of her Multiple Sclerosis diagnosis.  Felicity finds her life thrust into unexpected turns. As she confronts the on-going challenges presented by her disease, she gains the strength to let go of old beliefs and face her inner truths. Love, friendship and rewarding work come in different forms and Felicity finds it all in ways she never imagined – in a life that’s not by design.

I realize that my knowledge of the disease is scant and that I’ve portrayed just a very small part of what it is like to be diagnosed with MS. If my perception of MS leans towards optimism it is only because the young men and women I met inflicted with MS showed courage, strength and optimism themselves in living with MS.

For more read here.

I hope that my novel raises awareness of multiple sclerosis and would love to hear from people who suffer from MS.

Visit my author central page

LISTENING TO JEAN-MICHEL BLAIS AT THE MONTREAL JAZZ FESTIVAL

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AUBADES

LISTENING TO JEAN – MICHEL BLAIS AT THE MONTREAL JAZZ FESTIVAL

There are words that I want to write about.

Kindness and joy and other words that fill a dictionary like sunrise and sunset. Words that wobble like a wild wobbling turkey and words that fill souls and warm hearts: Thank you. You are dazzling.

Words like imagination, inspiration and passion although passion can sometimes be a dangerous word that can lead to jealousy and murder and other words that I do not even want to think about.

I want to write about the beauty of an ocean and the rays of a sun shining on a seaway that will lead to that endless ocean.

I want to write words that smell like the apple pie which my father used to make.

Memories of wadding in a plastic pool with my sister and her white rubber bathing cap are also good words that make me feel that she is still with me.

Perfect is also a good word although I have found it hard to end my day without messing up one way or another like having a series of perfect golf shots only to end up on the green with three putts, if you know what I mean.

I want to write about naiveté and vulnerability and being humble.

Words that are unselfish. Everyday words that are too often unused like love and happiness and smiles.

Unpretentious, funny and confident. These are also good words to incorporate into one’s life.

Words that make you dream and hope and believe in faith and the goodness of mankind.

Youthfulness, appreciation and acceptance are also good to have swirling in one’s head.

Persistence, dedication and effort. Difficult words at times but necessary.

Rustling sounding words and murmurs of birds flying by.

Lightness and strength and desire. Good to carry around.

Words that say Hello, Good Morning, How Are You?

Words that are delicate, gentle and relaxing.

You think to yourself that this masquerade of happiness, joy, and spring is all very well, but occasionally you get tears in your eyes, and you realize that there’s maybe a small wound beneath the surface, an underlying sadness to it all, one that you nonetheless contemplate with optimism, with a willingness to turn it into something positive.” Jean-Michel Blais

THE LOGLINE

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A few weeks ago I completed a twelve hour course on Creating A TV Series Proposal given by Jennifer McAuley sponsored by The Quebec Writers’ Federation.

One of the features of writing a proposal for TV is to have a GREAT logline. It’s one to three sentences that grabs the agent, producer, director, audience attention to your story. It is precise and gets to the point of your story.

Here’s my logline for my TV script (which might change as I go along writing the script) but for now here it is:

According to Keri Novak’s PhD study group, women who have had absent fathers grow up assuming that they are doomed to unsuccessful relationships with men. That is, until Keri meets her own Prince Charming putting her research and the award she is about to receive in jeopardy.

Does this grab your attention?

Based on my Getting to Mr. Right Series

Please visit my author page on Amazon.

Toni Pike: Linda’s Midlife Crisis

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I am used to associating Toni Pike’s writing with crime and thrillers, not this delightful modern feel-good women’s fiction and so it was a surprise for me to see it on her post.  

The first part of the novel is about Linda’s marriage to Ron, a horrible man.

He was the sort of person who brought joy whenever he departed, a feeling of peace and freedom that lasted until the moment of his return.

Ron is constantly criticizing Linda, especially her weight, treats her like his servant and is often going out at night coming home smelling of alcohol. Linda stays in the marriage because she doesn’t know what else to do and likes her home when her husband is at work or playing golf. As much as Linda is the glass half full type of person Ron is eternally pessimistic.

Aside from her marriage, Linda also hates teaching although there was a time when it was her passion but things have changed.

She had once been a great teacher, popular with students and respected by other staff members. Every year, a little gloss had been wiped away and now only a dull, rusted undercoat was left. It was so hard to look forward to a day at school when a riot could break out at any moment and every lesson was like trying to tame a herd of wild beasts.

Linda has a breakdown (or perhaps a breakthrough). She spends a great deal of her time in bed eating chocolates and gaining weight something which Ron doesn’t let her forget.  

If you’re not better tomorrow, then I’m leaving. I’m not taking care of an invalid for the rest of my life. There’s nothing wrong with you, apart from being too fat and too lazy to go to work.

When Linda doesn’t change Ron asks for a divorce and off Linda goes gaining enthusiasm, energy and the will to take care of herself.

The remainder of the novel is sweet and reminiscent of the Television show I used to watch as a kid: Leave it to Beaver. It has that kind, family feel to it. Beneath her submission towards Ron, Linda is a very astute woman who isn’t afraid to speak her mind. Her character adds a fun, easy relaxing and pleasant read.

We see Linda thrive through the obligations of life: getting a house ready to sell. Finding an apartment. Moving to a different city, closer to her sister. Quitting her job. Finding work in fashion. Taking care of herself. Embarking on a new and loving relationship and writing.

Linda was an English teacher who once loved to write, but life with Ron had dulled her inspiration and melted the muse.

The book also contains some heartwarming sentences:

… your heart matches your lovely face. Said by new boyfriend, Dennis.

Linda uses her struggles with weight to write inspiring articles for The Canberra News Magazine which motivates her in setting goals for her own weight loss program.

She loved trying to write with clarity, transposing the thoughts in her brain to paper and then polishing them carefully.

As the stain of verbal and psychological abuse fades, Linda becomes more confident and someone you’d love to hang out with.

It’s an upbeat novel and Pike shows that there are happy endings even for those in mid-life.

An enjoyable read that is bound to take you out of any morose mood you might be in.

Bau: About My Food

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Kibble. UGH! She says it so sweetly. Come, Bau, and  eat your kibble. Her voice has the tone that says I have something really special. I know it’s supposed to be good for me. Full of protein that helps me grow healthy and have strong bones and a shiny coat. But really I prefer a nice piece of cheese or real liver although I don’t mind the dried liver especially when she sprinkles some on my kibble.

I get a piece of the dried liver whenever I poop outside. If I poop inside on my potty mat then I get another treat – roast turkey delights.  I don’t know why I get different treats depending on where I poop. Humans are sometimes hard to figure out. I thought hard about this. One of the advantages of being a dog is that you’ve got lots of time to think. I might look like I’m snoozing but really I’m thinking. And so, this is what I came up with. I prefer the liver bits to the turkey bits so maybe mistress is training me to go outside more.  I’m a regular Sherlock Holmes, don’t you think?

Another thing about kibble while we’re on the subject is that mistress has been  putting less and less sprinkles on my kibble. It didn’t take me long to figure that one out, although I must say that I try to hold out as much as I can and give her my best sad starving look in hopes that she’ll cave in.

Actually the kibble doesn’t taste that bad. It’s the effort of having to crack it, like having to crack shelled walnuts with your bare teeth. Apparently, it’s suppose to be good for my teeth. I don’t know who came up with that one! Certainly not a dog.

Golf Traps

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Sand trap

On Wednesday, it was Canada Day and I went golfing with my brother. Some Canadian Geese decided to show up to mark the occasion and add to the sand and water traps. Dreadful obstacles.

The geese seemed to have more confidence that I did about airing my shot over them. They were perfectly oblivious to my presence.

I, on the otherhand, had little confidence. I picked up my ball and called it a good Canada Day.

Happy 4th of July to all my American blogger friends