The $400.00 Lunch

I was over-charged by the debit machine at Gaia Bistro…a small cafe in Kerrisdale….by 400.00. Granted, I should have looked at the numbers before I hit the OK button…but I didn’t. One hour later…after having to read through their manual on how to refund money by debit, failing that procedure, and having to call the owner/manager to come down…they still charged me for my total lunch cost of 21.53. Are the days of customer service gone? I was at least hoping for something yummy for dessert… offered on the house for my pain and agony. Nope. Dear Gaia….chances are…I won’t be back.

On the flip side of poor customer service, Caitlin and I ventured out for dinner. My original plan was go to the Quay and take out some Greek salad and Greek potatoes, which I have been craving lately…and go to sit somewhere on the grass. We forgot that it was Caribbean Days…and far too busy, with people everywhere. So we kept driving, ending up in West Vancouver at Carmelo’s, an Italian restaurant. This was Caitlin’s choice…even though it might seem like something I would pick with my obsession with all things Italian right now.

Service was excellent, table by the window was relaxing…Caitlin had Linguini Alle Cozze…great mussels…I grabbed one to taste. I had the evening special…free range chicken with a blueberry port-wine sauce…steamed veggies, garlic mashed potatoes. Yummy.

I like days like today…when Caitlin and I just get in the car and go, when she has time for mom, when there is no rush to be anywhere, do anything.

The What-iff Brainstorming

When I think of brainstorming I think of getting together with at least one other person and talking about ideas. After reading several articles on brainstorming I realize it’s something I can do on my own as well.

One method of brainstorming can be called “what-iffing”. What if I do this? What if I don’t do that? I think I could incorporate my wonderful talent of procrastination into this brainstorming exercise. Because I often think to myself “what will happen if I don’t send out that query to a publisher?” or “what will happen if I don’t make that writing deadline?” The consequences for me are never pretty, but obviously not harsh enough to make me behave better next time. What I’m thinking is …all those what-iffs I use to procrastinate my life…what-iff I use them instead to brainstorm and release my mind?

For creative people a big stumbling block is the way their mind tightly grabs hold of reality and refuses to let go long enough to get those creative thoughts out. Instead of being so serious about my what-iffs…I can turn them around and make them much more light-hearted and creative.

“What-iff I actually send that query out to the publisher much earlier than I had planned?” The possibilities are endless…I can daydream all those possibilities and let my mind creatively flow…apartment in Paris…new fast car…taking my family away on vacation….espresso maker…

What-iffs let my mind roam free…and if I let my mind roam free with positive and inspiring what-iffs, instead of negative ones…I should be able to let the creative side of me take over much more often than it does.

I think something that holds me back is that I believe my creative side is far too childish to compete in the real world.

So what-iff…I took those childish voices in my head and let them out more often? I did attempt something like this recently…but using Twitter to let the persona of my cat have a life of its own. The damn cat ended up having more friends and contacts than I do on Twitter…but I had fun doing it. Every now and then I still allow my mind to play like that, but I think part of me felt ridiculously juvenile…and so that seems to have stopped.

But what-iff i allow this childish side my personality to freely do what it wants…just for a month….what then? Will creativity flow more easily than it does now? Will I find my confidence in myself increasing? I have all these creative voices in my head…but most of the time I’m too reserved to let them talk.

What-iff….for just one month…I listened….

The End of Community

I live in an apartment…not a big one, there are only three floors…so you’re bound to run into the same people in the hallway and the elevator and the underground parking. I grew up in a house where you were friendly to everyone…the people you met every day. A smile and a simple “hello”. I lived in Kelowna for years, where people would say good morning when you bumped into them on your walk or “thank you” when you held the door open for them.

I relocated to Vancouver seven years ago and I’m still surprised by the loss of a sense of community we live in. I’ve been told it’s not so bad in other areas of the city, but in North Vancouver…you’re lucky not to get run over in the grocery store by somebody grumpily pushing a cart. I don’t know how many times I’ve held the door for someone and gotten nothing but a stony look in return, if they look at me at all…too often they prefer to think it never happened, I suppose.

I’m not exaggerating this sense of detachment that people have from one another. In my own building I’ve given up saying hello to most people…there are perhaps four people I greet. I don’t know how many times I’ve entered the elevator with the man who lives right next door to me and gotten nothing. I used to say hi, and ask him how he was…but after receiving back nothing but grunts…I’ve given up.

I know it’s not this way in other parts of the world, where people thrive on community. I read a blog that is written by a gal who recently moved to New York. One of her concerns about moving to the big city was becoming lost in the crowd. The day she moved into her apartment she stepped out, only to return to find a plant, a plate of cookies, and a welcome note from the other tenants. This type of behaviour initiates harmony among people who have to live in close proximity to one another.

Even the city of Paris understands community. How often have we been told the people are rude and standoffish. My take on Paris…the people are reserved….but when I spent two weeks in the same apartment, visiting the same café every morning, and going into the English bookstore three times…I got a smile and hello from the lady who lived on the bottom floor of the apartment building….the grumpy looking waiter had my coffee and a soft smile ready and waiting...and the man working in the bookstore was curious about my life in Canada.

I couldn’t tell you a thing about the people in my building. I know some of their schedules…some leave the same time as I do…return when I do…but I don’t know anything else about them…other than they must not understand the word “hello”.

I’m just ranting here, even though I didn’t want to rant in my blog…it happens.

I think my whole point here is that we all live here in this part of the city…surely a smile now and then isn’t going to hurt?

Principles of the 30km Speed Zone

I recently heard a tidbit on morals and ethics that intrigued me...that, as a society, as parents, we have the choice to raise our children so that different aspects are emphasized and focused on. Intelligence is highly important for many parents...they focus on giving their children every opportunity to learn, to excel, pushing them to become skilled at thinking.

But in the long run, high intelligence isn't going to take your child all that far when it relates to happiness. Happiness equates to moral values, principles, and honorable mention.

It's more important to raise children who can find their footing in principles and morals. Rather than raising a child to be a person who goes 30km in the school zone because they don't want to get a ticket for speeding, we should be raising children to become people who go 30km in the school zone because there might be children around.

Baby Einstein probably won't be as happy as Baby Morality when adulthood hits if he doesnt't strong morals to match. There is pure personal satisfaction that results when the decisions we make aren't self-serving...when our thoughts flow first to the care and consideration of others rather than into the realm of "what's in it for me" or "what is my punishment if i don't...".

I'm in no way saying that smart people aren't happy...only that it's time we learned the distinction between what's important and what's not.

Stories Are For Mystery

Quote by Robert Hellenga, from his book "The Italian Lover":

"At the corner of every good story there's a mystery that can't be explained. If you could explain it, you wouldn't need a story. Stories are for the things you can't explain. If you stick to that, everything else will take care of itself. Don't be afraid to break all the rules, and don't be afraid to follow them either."

Thinkx

Thinkx, also known as the "Productive Thinking" model, is a step by step process used to produce creative ideas or to solve problems. I've always been interested in "thinking models", used some of them for a while, but never been disciplined enough to find out how effective they might be.

There are six steps to Thinkx, which was developed by Tim Hurson, a Canadian speaker and author.

Step One: What's Going On? I think i find step one to be the most difficult. There are five mini-steps that you need to follow:

1. What's the itch? Come up with a list of opportunities or problems, then look for commonality and patterns to determine one main issue.
2. What's the impact? Take a closer look at the issue and determine how it affects me.
3. What's the information? Look at all angles of the opportunity or problem.
4. Who's involved? Me...and?
5. What's the vision? What would change if the problem were solved or the opportunity realized?

Step Two: What's the Success? This second step is all about seeing the future with everything resolved, much like the first step, only in more depth. Think of using a tool called D.R.I.V.E.

• Do - what do i want the solved problem or the realized opportunity, to do.
• Restrictions - what don't i want the solved problem or the realized opportunity, to do.
• Investment - what resources can be invested.
• Values - what values do i need to live by.
• Essential outcomes - what are they.

Step Three: What's the Question? Another challenging part of Thinkx...turn the challenge into a question. Come up with as many questions as possible about the opportunity or problem. Combine and group these questions and come up with one question, or a few, that are the most stimulating.

Step Four: Generate Answers by Brainstorming. Come up with a list of possible solutions to the problem or to make the opportunity a reality. Choose one of these solutions for further development, or a combine several.

Step Five: Forge the Solution. Once again a tool is used for this step...P.O.W.E.R.

• Positives - list what's good about the answer.
• Objections - what's bad about the answer.
• What else? - think of things the solution reminds me of.
• Enhancements - how can i make what's good about the answer, even better.
• Remedies - take the list of what's bad and find ways to make things better.

Step Six: Align Resources. Here i take the thoughtout solution to my problem or opportunity and put it into a plan of action. I need to make "to-do lists".

• Give myself timelines and milestones.
• Make lists of people i need to involve i this.
• Make lists of issues that will need more work.

Think it might work?

Golden Lucca

We're so excited about visiting Lucca...the history, the art, the beauty....and of course Giurlani Forno Alimentari, the oldest bakery in Lucca, to taste the aniseed-flavoured Buccellato...because i'm all about pastry and coffee anytime, anywhere.

Enjoy the link to the following webpage....Golden Lucca