The Teaching Life

Goodbye and Hello

2011-08-16T06:52:00.003-06:00

We left Miami on Sunday morning, August 14 around noon. Saying goodbye to Stacey wasn't easy but she is in a good apartment, she has good work to do, she has some family around and she is a strong determined young woman. So we said our goodbyes and postponed thinking about our empty nest in Regina by focusing on our trip to Tallahassee.

We took I-95 to around Orlando and then crossed over to I-75. Its about a 7 and a half hour trip on wide, open fast highways. There are lots of trees lining the Interstates so it was difficult seeing the countryside. For most of the trip we were lost in our own thoughts which is unusual as we normally talk a lot while we drive.

Tallahassee is a very pleasant, spread out city. I get the feeling that there is lots of room here - unlike Miami where everything seemed pushed together despite the long distances between where ever we were and where ever we wanted to go.

Jay, Dori and Riley live in a beautiful house in the north end of the city. Their neighbourhood is very treed and seems like they live in the middle of a forest. The trees, bushes and flowers make the surroundings very lush and beautiful.

Jay welcomed us with a traditional Kesten Sunday night dinner - hot dogs and french fries - it was a welcome relief from the restaurant meals we have been eating for the last few weeks.

A young woman comes in to take care of Riley so we are free to play with Riley all we'd like but then Bree can take care of her while we do our own things. After playing with Riley Monday morning we found our way to Costco and bought a few things including a new GPS. We then used the GPS to explore a few parts of Tallahassee.

We're going to explore the city and find a few things to have fun with here over the time we are here.

Phase 2 complete, family and phase 3

2011-08-13T22:05:00.002-06:00

In some ways this has been a long trip - the five day road trip to Miami (Phase 1), helping Stacey find and settle into a new apartment (Phase 2) and now we're off to Tallahassee to spend time with Jay, Dori and Rile (phase 3).

The problems with the first apartment Stacey found and watching and helping while Stacey found and moved into her new apartment caused a lot of stress and anxiety. This was offset by Stacey's smile when she realized that she was just about there in creating a new home for herself - the irritation, stress and anxiety disappeared.

But tonight was totally different. We spent the evening with my cousin Harvey, his wife Marcia at their daughter Jodi's home in Pinecrest. Harvey's two son's were there too with their children - which brought the children total to 5 - 4 boys and a girl!

I haven't seen Harvey for a number of years so there was lots to catch up on. Marcia comes from Regina so there was lots to talk about.

The Kesten family is complicated so we spent some time trying to remember who fit where.

It was a great evening - Paul and Jodi were great hosts - the kids were full of energy and the food was good.

Its so rare that we spend time with family that we need to capture the moments and cherish them.

So tomorrow begins Phase 3. We've rented a car and will be on the highway on the way to Tallahassee by midday.

It will be tough to leave Stacey but she is going to be doing good work and is in Miami for a good reason - I'll miss her.

Phase 2

2011-08-10T20:19:00.002-06:00

Well it is at least a week late but tomorrow morning we'll be starting on phase 2 - helping Stacey turn a rented, furnished apartment into her home. At 11 tomorrow money and keys are exchanged and Stacey is in!

Finally a place to park that doesn't cost $26 a day.

Today was returning the rented car, doing laundry, finding the Festival Mall to buy me bifocal sunglasses (we were successful)

And having a great dinner with Stacey at a place called Inka's - just down the street from the Conrad. Stacey is staying in the hotel tonight so there won't be driving to and from Boca anymore on this trip at least.

Tomorrow we'll get all of the packages, parcels, bags and cases into her apartment and then the process is turned over to Stacey

getting used to this place

2011-08-09T19:13:00.003-06:00

I'm actually beginning to feel at home here in Miami. I can maneuver a bit by foot and by car. I even know some things by direction - not bad for a directionally changed man!

And I'm getting to understand the weather patterns too - clear, hot, humid, clouds, rains, more humidity, go to sleep and hope for a repeat.

we spent some time wandering around the U of Miami - it is a beautiful campus with a lot of construction going on.

The feel on this campus is typical campus - serene places - especially around the lake - and bustling places - especially around the food court and book store.

I hope to spend a bit more time in the bookstore - I'll try to fit it in around the things that Stacey wants me to do.

Adventures, catastrophes and life

2011-08-08T20:51:00.003-06:00

Life is an adventure - sometimes it is a series of catastrophes - sometimes its both. But it is always hard to figure out if personal perception creates the adventure or the catastrophe.

Life is frightening - adventure is frightening - and catastrophes are frightening.

Which sometimes means that adventures can be seen as catastrophes because of the fear they create.

We have been experiencing life in its full manifestation this trip - the adventure of the long road trip with a loaded car. I often thought about the incredible job it would have entailed if we'd have gotten a flat tire and I would have had to unload the trunk to get at the spare.

Other adventures/catastrophes awaited us as we arrived in Miami - the need to get rid of Stacey's first apartment, finding a new apartment that would be suitable and available almost immediately, finding out that real estate people (and evidently owners) don't like to work on the weekend.

It has been stressful (when we look at the catastrophes), exciting (when we look at the adventures) and frightening (when we look at everything)

But it is all for a good reason. Stacey has the opportunity to thrive in an exciting, dynamic city - she will be engrossed in what appears to me to be a fantastic, fascinating graduate program. There is a bright future.

Stacey found an apartment today and made an offer to rent - we're hoping she gets this apartment and can move in and get settled as fast as possible - she has a great deal of work to do, lots of running around to do and an intensive course that starts soon.

With a bit of strength, focus, determination and exertion everything will get done and I know it will get done well.

Life is made up of adventures and catastrophes - all we need to deal with life is a sense of humour, confidence in a good future and a bit of self-confidence

Weekends and Superficiality

2011-08-07T20:05:00.004-06:00

I've discovered some very interesting things.

We've spent the last two days scratching our heads about the way real estate agents work in Miami. It seems they prefer not to work on the weekends!!! One fellow told us that his listings don't allow showings on the weekends but only during weekdays and during office hours. I asked if people were expected to take time off work to find a place to live and his answer was "yep, if they want to find something."

Wow.

So as a result we have been sitting here - Saturday and Sunday - without seeing anything at all in terms of an apartment for Stacey.

The other interesting thing I've learned is the depth to which insincerity can go.

When we checked into the Conrad (described as a luxury Hilton) we were given vouchers for two free drinks in their bar. The desk clerk gave me the vouchers and pointed out that the vouchers would get my two drinks but I'd have to sign for the gratuity - I thought "fair enough."

The bar is on the 25th floor, as part of the lobby, with a nice little, narrow, long deck with tables and chairs. Unfortunately they allow smoking on the balcony.

So that night Helene and I went to the bar and used our vouchers to have a drink each. What made an impression was the lackadaisical attitude of the folks that worked in the bar. It took forever for them to recognize us, a longer time for them to serve us and they never did offer us bar nuts, food or anything else. but the bill came with an automatic 18% gratuity.

Breakfast is included here too. Same business - forever to seat us, forever to get coffee, flip almost rude (well not almost - rude) behaviour - very little attention paid - but an 18% gratuity included.

A built in tip leaves no incentive for the server to try to be helpful or nice. They provide the semblance of excellent service but the reality is far from excellent

On the surface this place looks luxurious and the rhetoric is right up there with the luxurious facade. The letter slipped under our door on the first night said "Exceeding your expectations is our goal." And on the surface it seems that they do exceed expectations.

For instance take the towels in the room. The are huge, fluffy, folded beautifully to show the embroidered "Conrad" and look soft and cuddly! But using them is like trying to dry off with aluminum foil or waxed paper. Looks beautiful but isn't functional.

By the end of the second night here I had it with the rudeness and the inefficiencies (we asked to have the electrical outlets checked as our cel phones didn't charge on the first night. They promised us it would be taken care of right away. We left for the day and when we got back in the evening the outlets still didn't work. they sent an engineer up immediately who discovered that the outlets weren't plugged in - a 30 second service call - the rhetoric of excellence - shoddy experience).

I spoke to someone at the front desk and let them know what I thought of their service including the 'upgrade' to the room (they upgraded us to a bayview room - we see water from our window - right beside the elevator so we get to hear everyone's conversations as they wait for the elevator - all night!! To their credit they offered to move us but we are staying here for 9 nights and were all unpacked already and we refused to move)

And here is the hypocrisy - this morning we were greeted by name as we walked into the breakfast area - the waitress served us within seconds, the hostess came to chat as did the Canadian supervisor. Tonight when we got back to the room there was a cheese and fruit tray sitting on the desk in our room with a note apologizing for any problems we may have had during our stay.

So it seemed that the default mode here is rude, careless service within an atmosphere that tries to convince you that you are in the lap of luxury. Good service is provided it seems once they are called on it which leads me to believe that the good service isn't really sincere.

I don't believe this is the Hilton chain mentality. We have used Hiltons almost exclusively since we came back from Africa. Our experiences at the Sandton Hilton and at other Hiltons including a Hampton Inn in Troy, Alabama were spectacular - its why we come back to Hilton's. At these places we have been dealt with in courteous, respectful, agreeable ways from the second we walked into the lobby.

I have never had to complain before to get 'adequate' service.

Phase 2 Day 1

2011-08-05T21:32:00.002-06:00

Well phase 2 was supposed to be unloading the car and getting Stacey settled into her new apartment. It didn't work out that way.

A bit of background first.

Stacey flew to Florida on Sunday, July 31 in order to get her keys and inspect her new apartment. when she and her broker met with the landlord's broker at the apartment they found a filthy, messy apartment - a frying pan with the vestiges of a fried egg was still on the stove.

Stacey pointed out that this was not acceptable and that many other things were either to be fixed or removed - the drawers in the chest of drawers were broken and wouldn't pull out.

evidently her broker had advised her that some of the things she saw when she first visited the apartment could easily be taken care of before she moved in - she was wrong.

The landlord's broker expressed his dismay and brought in his own cleaners - that took a few days - then he and stacey looked at the apartment again.

There were many personal items left by the owner or whoever of their relatives that had previously lived in the place - a broken tv, filled shelves and worst of all family pictures and other pieces of art filled the walls.

The broker said he'd call his client. Meantime Stacey's broker seemed to have disappeared.

So today - 5 days after Stacey was supposed to move in - the owner told the broker that she would not remove the art from the walls.

Stacey had been told that the art was extremely expensive - which lead us to point out to the broker that it was unreasonable to have a tenant responsible for 'extremely valuable art' in a furnished apartment and that in our opinion the art was not properly hung. We told him if the art was not removed then we felt that the landlord had not lived up to their side of the bargain and that Stacey would not be renting the apartment. The broker told us that the lease would be nullified and that our deposits would be returned - we'll see about that!Q

So as of tonight Stacey is working with a new broker looking for a furnished apartment!!

Best laid plans..............

Last day of Phase 1

2011-08-04T22:17:00.002-06:00

We made it!! Close to 5000 kilometers, 9 different states, 2 provinces and some beautiful scenery. We didn't rush to get here but we also felt the need to get in the car and go. There are some wonderful things in places I'd never thought about so the next time we'll take even more time to explore.

Troy, Alabama is an even more interesting place in daylight. The accents are spectacular making checking out of the hotel, buying coffee and buying gas a delightful adventure.

Then back to the open road.

A friend pointed out that the terrain would change and we got closer to Florida and she was right. The scenery through Alabama and Georgia to get to Tallahassee was filled awesome forests, tall pines and oaks with a lot of what we'd call bush. But Florida opened up to short scrubby fields, some trees and a lot of swamp land.

The GPS (Dolly - short for Dolores) sent us off the interstate system to get to Jay's house in Tallahassee. So for an few hours we travelled the back roads of Georgia and Florida. Awesome

And then a few hours with Jay, Dori, and Riley - even more awesome. They are settling into their new home and I'm looking forward to spending time with them in a few weeks. Riley is beautiful, brilliant and an amazing child - but then again I'm biased.

One of the most exciting things today )at least for me) was to cross the Suwannee River - think of the songs Swannee(Al Jolson) and the Old Folks at Home (Stephen Foster). Despite the misspelling it is this river that these songs are about. I sang for a while after that crossing = it wasn't pleasant in the car, I am sure!

What I don't like about the southern interstates is that they are isolated. We could have been going by beautiful countryside, interesting towns, etc. but we'd never know because the highways are protected by rows of high trees and other kinds of shrubbery.

Tomorrow, onto Phase 2!

I've been everywhere, man. I've been everywhere

2011-08-03T22:26:00.002-06:00

Well not exactly everywhere but it was a big day today. We woke up in Chesterfield, Missouri and are about to fall asleep in Troy, Alabama. In between we've been in Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee and Alabama. Quite the day of travel.

The gps is working beautifully - taking us around cities and generally avoiding any serious traffic. Unfortunately we occasionally slow down for some construction.

And without jinxing anything (I hope) I am tickled pink with the car. Today for a time the outdoor temperature registered at 42 degrees Centigrade (well over 100 F) and yet the air condition works well and the car is happy to travel at high speeds for hours at a time without getting unhappy.

We are enjoying the scenery - lots of trees, hills, small mountains (I am used to the Rockies so many of the 'mountains' here seem small). And lots of water - rivers are high, lots of washed out areas - although the highways seem fine - and enough wet, unplanted fields. On the other hand we have seen more corn growing - miles and miles of corn.

Tomorrow Tallahassee for a few hours and then onto Highland Beach!

Phase 1 Day 3

2011-08-02T22:11:00.002-06:00

I may be getting old!!! despite someone calling Helene on her cel by mistake this morning at 6 a.m. I slept until close to 9 a.m. - I haven't slept this long since I was 20!! Maybe I'm tired from driving? or could it be the free poured Jack Daniel's I had at the restaurant last night?
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Regardless we were out of Sioux Falls by 10 a.m. and on our way to Kansas City - except we didn't realize that I-29 was basically closed between Council Bluffs and Kansas City. So we took the detours - a few hours worth of detours - but it was worth it. The "back country" of Iowa and Missouri are beautiful areas - corn growing as far as the eye can see. What was interested to us was that there were no farm yards or farm houses - just acres of corn - likely corporate farms - we were reminded that this is the Valley of the Jolly Green Giant and he is owned by big agriculture.

We finally got back to the big four lane highways and realized that Nashville was out of reach.

So here we are in Chesterfield, Missouri - just outside of St. Louis - a nice little community - with a Maserati dealership and a great restaurant called Annie Gunns.

We tucked away in the Hilton Garden Inn - as usual I am grateful to Conrad for having his hotels everywhere and looking forward to a big driving day tomorrow - unless of course the construction and detours get in the way

Phase 1,Day 2 - Winnipeg to Omaha (we thought!)

2011-08-01T22:23:00.003-06:00

We didn't make it to Omaha! We're in Sioux Falls, South Dakota - a surprisingly clean and interesting city.

We got up a bit late today - the packing and late day drive to Winnipeg took its toll. By the time we showered and got coffee, etc. we didn't get to the highway until after 10. And then we sat in a line at the U.S. border.

When we finally got to the agent he sent us into the building as soon as he heard that we were bringing Stacey's stuff into the States.

So we sat and waited for our names to be called. Its a small world though for as we sat there our friend (sheldon's cousin) Stuart walked in with his wife and daughter. his daughter is going to UND for Law this year and they were going over to buy furniture.

When our name was finally called we told our story and the fellow went away to find Stacey's processing record. After 30 minutes or so he said he couldn't find it but he saw that she had paid her SEVIS fee so he sent us on our way.

We hit the highway again around 2 p.m.

Then the construction areas - we never did stop but there was enough construction to drop our average speed way down.

It became clear that we weren't going to make Omaha before sunset so we stopped in Sioux Falls for dinner. Checked into the Hilton and had a steak at the Texas Roadhouse - very South Dakota.

The scenery is wonderful here - rolling hills, ranches, corn and sky and more sky. Similar enough to the prairies but different enough to make it even more interesting.

My thoughts always to to thinking what this area must have been like before the farms, cows, and highways.

Tomorrow - perhaps Nashville

Phase 1, Day 1 - Regina to Winnipeg

2011-07-31T22:11:00.003-06:00

Ok this session didn't start out that well. In my last blog I promised to try to keep up with the blog and of course the next day I don't make an entry - but I will try to stay up to date here. I find that just sitting here and writing about the day helps me wind down. The small (well really relatively large) glass of Jack Daniel's helps too.

Yesterday was spent helping Stacey figure out what to pack in her suitcases, what to pack in the car and what will get sent afterwards.

In many ways it was a bittersweet day. I have never been sad when my children have left home because they have always left for the best reasons - university or just getting on with their lives. Stacey is going to a program that I know will benefit her, where I know she will excel and to a place where she will be happy. But she and I have shared some wonderful moments together over the last few years. She is really my only adult child that has shared this kind of significant time with me.

We have shared my office for over three years. We've worked together, done projects together and even written an article together. But most importantly I've watched her grow into an aspiring academic through her work on her master's thesis and her various jobs. She has always made me proud.

I know yesterday must have been hard for her - it was for me.

But today we were challenged with packing the rest of the car. Yesterday we packed the trunk - and I mean packed it - there isn't a square centimeter available.

Today we attacked the back seat. We needed to make sure that our own luggage would fit but we were motivated to get as much of Stacey's stuff in as possible.

It can't be easy going to a strange place. Having your own familiar things - even if it is something small like a picture frame or a knickknack is very important.

So the back seat was packed by 3:00 p.m. and then the decision - do we hit the road today or leave tomorrow. One of the considerations was that we had woken up at 4 a.m. to get Stacey to the airport in time for her 6 a.m. flight.

So was I awake enough to start the drive? We decided yes and we headed off. We decided to go to Winnipeg rather than try for the border south of Regina. We had heard that the border crossing south of Estevan was closed due to flooding so we headed east to Winnipeg.

The trip was spectacular. I enjoy driving through the prairies with the horizon clearly visible so far away. There was a log of fresh hay on the fields and although there was still a lot of water there were many beautiful colourful fields - yellow, purple, and golden.

We came to Winnipeg late and will leave early - south towards Omaha

Back Again

2011-07-29T23:22:00.003-06:00

I haven't written an entry since we left Malawi in January and I have been feeling guilty. Its interesting how this blog sometimes nags my conscience. I'm sure I don't have much important to say and by now anyone that was following me has long given up on new entries. But I still feel the compulsion to write here.

So I will begin again.

It has been a full few months since we arrived back in Regina from Malawi. In another post I may catch up on the things that have happened - in particular the Winter semester spent at Balfour Collegiate.

But for the time being I am restarting this blog to document the trip we are about to take - driving to Miami, time in Talahassee and home again.

Check tomorrow's blog for specifics.

January 11, 2011

2011-01-12T09:21:00.000-06:00

Today was a decompression day – our last day in Blantyre. We slept in had a leisurely breakfast buffet and wandered around the property for most of the morning. As with most hotels there are shops and kiosks on the grounds. There was one shop here with a variety of local and international goods. The young woman running the store was articulate, knowledgeable and very helpful. With her help we bought a number of local items.

Late in the morning we decided to go out to the market and see what there was to see. The market we went to was only a few blocks from the hotel. Our friend Happiness (we had encountered him the first day we were in Blantyre) recognized the Canada cap I was wearing and was our guide through the market – he just insisted we visit his stall before we left. There were no other tourists there so we had the attention of ALL of the merchants – all at the same time – putting items in our face and in our hands – pulling us towards their merchandise – telling us they were broke – and eventually arguing with each other about how they should speak “one at a time” to us.

We did see a number of things we liked and then the bargaining started. Merchandise that started at $100 US frequently ended up being bought for 1000 Kwatchas. Helene had never experienced this before so she stood there in a little bit of awe as I bargained. The toughest part was to keep her from saying “don’t forget I really, really want this item.” It didn’t make for good bargaining when they knew I was a soft touch for my wife.

However we did get a few things that we like and although we probably overpaid we were happy and Happiness and his friends were happy.

Dinner at the hotel restaurant and an early bedtime and we ready to start our way home

January 10, 2011

2011-01-10T16:02:00.002-06:00

I survived the Sun ‘N’ Sand Resort, Cape Maclear, Monkey Bay and the Mvuu Lodge all in mosquito infested areas without one bite. But one night in the best hotel in Malawi and I am scratching like crazy.

And the cushions wouldn’t organize themselves last night so I fought with them the whole night – not a really good sleep.

But we got up in time for the breakfast in the hotel dining room – a buffet – what else did I expect.

We had invited Hastings and his wife to join us for dinner tonight but I wasn’t able to let Margaret know last night so we walked over to the Mt. Soche and left her a note. Then on we walked to the Jambo Africa office just a block or two down Glyn Jones Road. We met Max our friendly travel agent who had made arrangements for us to have a driver take us to see the Tea plantations and Mt Mulange.

Into the car with Vincent and we started to drive south and east towards the Mozambique border. The main highways in Malawi are two lanes, quite well paved and packed with cars, trucks, bikes and people walking, playing, talking, and just sitting.

Blantyre is right next to Limbe – probably one municipality. Our driver pointed out that Limbe used to be the commercial centre created by the Indians (who don’t like to work in offices) but that now commerce was everywhere.

The scenery in Malawi is always beautiful – flat areas, bush, wooded areas – always with the mountains somewhere in the distance or sometimes right up close.

I learned something today – all those bikes with a man peddling and either an older man , child or woman sitting on the back are really bike taxis – I thought it was just one person giving someone else a lift.

We passed through a number of towns with markets on the road – dark, cement or brick buildings that look like they are abandoned with people milling around in front hawking their wares – usually maize, fruits and other vegetables – confusion and a little intimidating.

We stopped at one of these to run into a People’s to get some water. Helene chose to sit in the car and by the time we got back she was being visited by a man begging – he had stumps at the end of his wrists and you could tell that the rest of his body was much better. A harsh part of Africa and Malawi and is always disturbing when you are encountered by it.

We saw tea plantations, macadamia groves and more tea plantations – acres and acres and acres. Most of the tea fields were being harvested by people with cutters in their hands and bags on their backs. Harvesting tea is backbreaking work and we were told that the harvesters take home 125 Kwachas a day – about 80 cents for 8 and a half hours of work.

We stopped in Chitakare for lunch and went to the pizzeria suggested by Max. Our driver disappeared and Helene and I sat and ate our cheese and olive pizza – not bad considering where we were.

Pictures of Mount Mulange – well not actually pictures – we took videos – my digital camera has failed me – it may be time for a new one – will have to see if I can get it fixed at home.

We stopped at a tea plantation and spent an hour with a young fellow that told us all about how tea was harvested and processed – an intricate and scientific procedure.

We got back to Blantyre in time for the rush hour around 5 p.m. but made it back to Max’s office and walked to the Ryalls. We had a drink in their bar, a quick lie down and then dinner with Hastings, his wife and Margaret at the 21 Grill. It was very pleasant, good conversation and some real insight into the difficulties and opportunities provided in Malawi. Besides being a lecturer (professor) at the Polytech Hastings owns a ranch and a private school which has 1000 students. We talked for a bit about how to provide scholarships to deserving poorer students who demonstrate potential.

January 8 and 9, 2011

2011-01-09T14:55:00.004-06:00

The rain did let up after quite a significant downpour and we boarded the Range Rover again with Patrick and Henry. We headed north and east this time at first drivbing alongside an open field between two wooded areas. When I asked if the open area was natural they laughed and told me that this was the airstrip. I shudder to think was the landing must feel like on that rutted, wet and irregular field.

Patrick and Henry are quite incredible. They are both locals who began working at Mvuu years ago working their way up from servers, porters, kitchen staff, etc. to the rather envied position of guide. They have had to take exams, study manuals and apprentice for quite a while to achieve this. They are both incredibly knowledgeable. They seemed to know every type of tree, insect, animal, bird and flower. Henry was able to drive along the extremely wet and rutted roads and still see a mongoose hiding in the tall grass 50 meters away to the left! He was also an expert at spotting and identifying animals tracks.

Evidently we have been very lucky. It is the rainy season and the big animals can wander wherever they want as there is plenty of water. This means that they are difficult to spot as they don’t hang around close to the river or to the standing water. They will stop the motorized safaris next week as the roads (they are what are called dust road – we’d call them a series of significant potholes) will be too wet to navigate. They’ll also stop these safaris because it will be very difficult to spot the big mammals. Both Patrick and Henry have mentioned this – apologizing in advance for not having much to show us.

They needed have worried. It has been days since they have spotted elephants and we saw them yesterday. Today, although we were looking for the single rhino in the park, we spotted the only four Zebras in the park. They are quite unbelievable in the flesh. Patrick assured us that they were white with black stripes as the inside of their thighs were solid white.

We saw many of the same animals but this never gets old – watching impalas stand stock still waiting to see what the truck will do and then either going back to feeding or bounding off with acceleration that is not to be believed.

The evening safari is broken up with refreshments (we chose water – others chose gin and tonic – as medication of course given the quinine in the tonic) and then as it gets dark Patrick goes into the ‘offering’ seat. That is the seat over the left front headlight. As Henry said he is the offering to the large animals if we happen to come upon them in the dark. In reality Patrick has a strong lamp with a red filter – a white light will temporarily blind the animals but the red filter doesn’t. He shines the lamp into the bush and up and down trees looking for animal eyes. We saw a number of mongoose and feeding hippos. The hippos only come out to feed (expect for the guard hippos – another story) when the sun is down so that their skin doesn’t dry out. Most of the time we saw the hippo’s face – ears, eyes, nose and mouth – sticking out of the water – or we saw them jumping through the water. A hippo on land is an imposing sight – they are massive.

We were told that god made the hippo’s head too heavy for its body so the hippo alternates sides of the river for feeding. They keep the grass short and drop their saliva which is a great fertilizer. They eat the short shoots on one side one night and then go to the other side to eat the short shoots there – never having to pick their heads up to reach tall grass.

The other really interesting group of animals we saw was the baboons. We rarely saw any alone – although the occasional one would be sitting in the middle of a field chewing the succulent roots of the grass. Mostly they were in ‘troops’ youngsters, oldsters – clearly in a social structure. They were very interesting to watch – playing and testing and grooming each other.

We were coming close to rutting season for the impalas and we saw quite a number of the young males practicing their fighting skills – they would head butt each other and then race around and do it again. Sometime it almost seemed like it was scripted just for us.

It was a little easier to sleep last night. We knew what the sounds were, we expected the heat and humidity and we were both exhausted. The electricity at the camp is provided by generator from 7:00 a.m. until 10:00 a.m. and then by solar energy from 7:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m. The first night we sat around after dinner in the breeze on the terrace where we were served dinner and stayed until after 9. At 9 our server brought a candle and a torch because at 9:00 p.m. the electricity disappeared and it was pitch black. We actually needed a guide to get back to our cabin.

Last night we went back before 9. We had discovered the night before that insects were attracted even by my iphone’s light so we operated in the dark – in bed by 9:15 and dead asleep within 10 minutes. Only to wide awake by 5:30 a.m.!!

After breakfast we were supposed to go on another water safari but henry said there had been reports of rhino tracks and he suggested we take the Rnge Rover and see if we could find the rhino. We did find tracks but never did see the rhino – we’ll have to come back for that. We saw many other animals and my head is still shaking – not believing that I was actually doing all of this. But the most interesting thing was watching Henry handle the vehicle. The trails were terrible, rutted, holey and often water covered or being overrun by water running toward the river. He seemed to know the ‘shape’ of the road even when it was covered in water. He would slowly allow the front wheels to enter the water or bump up against the obstruction. Then he’d give it a bit of power letting the other tires push the vehicle over or through. Many times I thought I’d be out in the mud pushing – but he made it through every time.

Back at the camp we finished packing, checked out and loaded onto the boat that would take us back to Liwonde. An hour later, after seeing many hippos in the water, we arrived behind the Hippo View Lodge to find our driver Fredson waiting to take us back to Blantyre,

We were passing through Zomba on our way back so we asked Fredson if we could go up to the Zomba Plateau to the Ku Chawe Hotel to see the view and have lunch. It was a 20 Km climb up the mountain but by the end we had looked over a large part of the valley. It was quite beautiful. Lunch at the hotel was a buffet (if you ever feel the need for a buffet come to Malawi – there are a lot of buffets here!!!) serving (no surprise here either) fish (Chambo) chicken and beef with rice and nsema (a maize chunk of stuff).

We finally finished all of our sightseeing and we made it to Blantyre in the middle of a hard rain. Fortunately by the time we got to the hotels the rain had stopped. We dropped Margaret off at the Mt Soche (poor girl) and Fredson dropped us off around the corner at the Protea Ryalls – a few dollars more per night but light years ahead of the Mt Soche in terms of cleanliness and service.

Tomorrow Max from Jambo Africa is taking care of our tourist needs for the next two days.

January 7 & 8, 2011

2011-01-09T13:31:00.000-06:00

I am sitting in our camp/cabin at Mvuu Camp writing this while the wind and the rain storm around me. The cabin has a brick foundation, a porch and a roof – between the foundation and the roof are vertical beams between which are strung screens – the screens have curtains hanging in front of them. During the day the camp/tent/cabin has electricity provided by generators for a few hours and in the evening the solar energy is used to provide electricity from 7 until 9 p.m. So lets hope the light lasts long enough for me to write this post.

It has been the most incredible two days.

Yesterday started as normal at the Sun ‘N’ Sand with an early breakfast - same food as every other day with even less concern for service. Margaret and I met with the 14 participants that were still on site and worked through a debriefing exercise that Margaret had devised. Then I asked the participants to answer a few workshop evaluation questions for us to take back with us for the project administrators. Then the fun began – a few speeches closing the workshop and handing out participant certificates. The VP pointed out that certificates were important because they can be used during job interviews – just like the one he had this past Wednesday!!!

We checked out trying to pay with a Visa but the brand new Visa machine didn’t work and no one knew how to get it to work. So I am supposed to pay someone in Blantyre – I’m not really sure who I am supposed to pay but I am sure someone will ask eventually.

Fredson was waiting for us and we packed the car and headed for Liwande and the Hippo View Lodge to catch the boat to Mvuu Lodge.

Two men greeted us there – the first was the admissions officer to the Park (750 Kwachas per person per night please) and the other man was the man with the receipt book. Getting the receipt and signing all the different copies took quite a bit of time but we were eventually on the boat.

The boat was sent by the Mvuu lodge (Mvuu means hippo) and is the first step to our luxury weekend ($225 per person per night – food and safaris included). This was a motor boat with a shade cover covering 8 metal and plastic bridge chairs. It was actually quite a comfortable ride.

After a safety speech and putting on our life jackets the boat fellow told us that the trip would take 45 minutes but we should ask him to stop if we saw something we wanted to see – this is Africa – time is never a problem.

No sooner did we get out into the river that we encountered a raft of hippos. Nothing can prepare you for seeing these things live and up close. The boat fellow knew his stuff and gave us tons of information. It took us over an hour and a half to get to the Camp because we insisted he stop and let us look at and take pictures of the hippos, crocodiles, fish eagles and other birds.

The hippos have skin that dries out very quickly in the direct sunlight so they spend their days immersed in the water. They have family groups called rafts – one dominant male, young males, females and babies. They can hold their breath for up to 8 minutes and come out of the water exhaling through their noses causing a spout. They also make moaning types of noises. They submerge, move around, emerge, sit there with only their eyes, nose and ears visible and sometimes they jump out of the water sort of frolicking.

We reached Mvuu camp where out luggage was taken out of the boat and we were greeted by the manager. This is a very well taken care of resort, well managed, well manicured and concerned with customer service. We were given a late lunch in the dining area. There are virtually no enclosed spaces (other than bathrooms) in this place. This is an open camp (no fences so the animals wander in and out) in the Liwonde National Park. It is owned and run by a South African company and they cater to their clients very well. Rustic but well maintained, simple but just enough – clean large soft towels in the stone and marble bathroom for instance.

After lunch we were shown to out chalet - #6 and were told to be at the staging area at 4 for our motorized safari. Henry and Patrick were both there to greet us in their immense 4 wheel drive Land Rover. We headed out into the park.

Impalas, Water Bucks, Wart Hogs, Baboons, a million types of birds, the wildlife was constant and Henry and Patrick knew everything about the big game, the small animals, the birds and the vegetation.

We would spot a group and Henry would turn off the motor and then let the Rover drift over towards the animals.

There is one Rhino in this park as it was expelled from the protected area by its Daddy – too much competition. We found its tracks but couldn’t spot him.

We did, however, see Elephants which evidently is unusual for the rainy season. There was lots of evidence of elephants as they knock down Acacia trees in their efforts to eat its branches and we found dung and tracks. But we didn’t see them for quite a while.

Just before dusk we spotted a young male feeding off a tree just on the right. He seemed to disappear but in a few minutes 2 large females with two very young elephants emerged and slowly, very slowly passed by us, crossed the road and wandered into the distance with the teenage male following them. It was an unbelievable sight. Something that its not likely we’ll forget soon.

We stayed out until well past dark – close to 7 p.m. – looking for night creatures – not very successful there. Dinner was at 7:30 – pork chops, mashed potatoes, etc.

And then lights out and I do mean lights out – the power goes and we had a candle and a ‘torch.’ So we got into bed. Bed is two camp beds side by side with mosquito netting on a frame around each – fortunately there was a crawl hole between the beds.

The mosquito netting is important as …..

My writing was just interrupted by a family of baboons that came to play and feed around our place. I hope I got some good video through the screen.

The mosquito netting is important as there are gaps between the screens and the wood frame. I also discovered that any kind of light attracts a variety of night life. So I couldn’t even read my Sherlock Holmes on the iphone. And it was dark – pitch black. No light whatsoever. (The baboons are still climbing and jumping around on our roof as I write – one just ran down the tree on other side of the screen behind me)

One of the things we notice here is that it is so still – hardly ever any wind – except right before it rains. Last night the air was filled with everything from Monkey calls to warthog snuffles to hippos splashing into the water just below our porch. All of that on top of the various insects, birds and other assorted night creature sounds.

Given that our walls are screens it goes without saying that we don’t have air conditioning. No wind, no air conditioning and it was likely around 30 degrees when we went to bed. It was also preparing to rain so the humidity was off the charts. Helene’s skin is reacting to the heat (making her prickly) and I was reminded of the attic I used to sleep in on Rupertsland when I was young. Needless to say we only slept a bit.

It is becoming a habit to text the kids each night to let them know we are ok – there is no internet here (well actually there is but they didn’t get the cards to sell this week – or last week – maybe next week) and as it turned out I couldn’t text for some reason. We eventually used the iphone to call Stacey to let her know we’re ok and to write the boys. Stacey has a cold and heard some bad news a few days ago about a friend of hers. I felt bad that we couldn’t have talked longer. This is a wonderful adventure but I miss my kids.

We finally fell asleep to wake up to all hell breaking loose. This morning they said it was only a shower but during the night it sounded and felt like a hurricane. Back to sleep again to the background noise of thunder, animals and any other kind of sound you could imagine.

Margaret went on the 5:30 a.m. walking safari. Helene and I gave it a pass. Breakfast at 7 and then off for a two hour water safari. This was a different boat – sun shade over benches on the side of a relatively small motor boat – couldn’t have fit 4 more people besides the three of us and the driver Henry (same guy as the motorized safari.)

We drifted up the river stopping to look at Impalas on the shore, hippos and crocodiles on the shore and in the water and innumerable birds and trees. Helene’s favourite is the sausage tree with its long thick hanging fruit.

We got back mid morning and then were taken on a tour of the ‘lodge.’ This is an area of Mvuu for those who want luxury (basically one step up from our camp) and seclusion – nowhere close to anything else.

We have just finished lunch. If the rain stops we’ll go for the 4 p.m. motorized safari again.

January 6, 2011 Our Trip to Monkey Bay

2011-01-06T09:22:00.002-06:00

It is hard to believe that for the last few nights our sleep has been disturbed because the room was too cold. The reality is that the air conditioner is very difficult to control. It blows directly on me and I have been sleeping in that clammy, sticky, cold state that for me at least is very uncomfortable. So last night I turned the a/c way down and wore a long sleeved t-shirt.

We had made arrangements to leave with Fredson for Monkey Bay and Cape Maclear right after breakfast this morning. Incredibly I made the room too comfortable. Despite being in bed at 9 p.m. we didn’t wake up until almost 9:00 a.m. and the phone rang – Fredson was looking for us!!!

Monkey Bay is the major port on Lake Malawi. It took about 45 minutes to drive the 42 Kilometers. To say the least they are not set up for tourists – other than the admission charge of first 500 kwachas but ultimately 1000 kwachas a piece. But the scenery is beautiful. We had a guide and he walked us around the port and took us for a tour of the ferry. Three classes of travelers – take my word for it you don’t want to travel 3rd class on this ferry – first class didn’t seem so luxurious either. It is a six day journey fro Monkey Bay to Mulanga with many stops in between.

They told us that the monkeys come out in the cool of the morning but retreat to the trees and bush for the heat of the day – smart monkeys. It was very very hot and humid – clouds moving in and out threatening rain – it rained intermittently all around us.

Cape Maclear is one of the places where Livingston stayed. It actually isn’t that far from Monkey Bay – by water – it is on the other side of one of the mountains surrounding Lake Malawi so the trip by car is some distance. Fredson was a bit concerned about the road but he asked some folks and they assured him that it was ok. The main road is asphalt, is fairly narrow but reasonably smooth. The road to Cape Maclear is dirt – think a dirt grid road but in serious need for upgrade.

Cape Maclear is a land protectorate – sort of a national park – and it cost 300 for Fredson and the car and 750 each for me and Helene. There is a museum there and an aquarium. Some boys wanted to take us by boat to one of the islands to see eagles and fish but we regretfully declined. We spent a few minutes in the museum reading the posters and listened to our guide tell us about the fish in the lake – many varieties of Mbuna fish – none of course were in the aquarium – this is Africa.

The scenery was spectacular overlooking the beach and the lake. We were told that this part of the Lake has the cleanest water and the largest variety of fish. The history of the area is interesting culminating in an attempt to have a luxury hotel between 1948 and 1951 – access was by water planes – but it didn’t last long. Evidently the flies and malaria had an effect on the clientele.

The drive back to the Sun ‘N’ sand was uneventful and lunch was predictable – fish, beef (which may or may not be beef) chicken (I’m starting to recognize the pieces), Nsema, rice and something green that had been boiled (I hope)

I spent a good part of the afternoon sitting in the back of Margaret’s simulation and then had a short nap. Helene is determined to ride a camel. They have 6 camels and a herd of donkeys right next to the reception centre. It all contributes to the atmosphere –odour and all!! We have been trying to get a ride for the last three days – 1000 Kwachas – but they need three people and there has only been one young fellow – so we watch them, take their pictures and leave. She won’t be riding camels this trip – we’ll just have to come back!!!

We had hoped to go back to Club Mac for dinner but it looks like our participants want to have a cocktail party at 7 so its likely we’ll stay here tonight. Tomorrow – off to Liwonge Barradge to catch the boat to Mvuu – let us all pray for clean sheets.

Jan 5, 2011 First Day after Workshop

2011-01-06T09:19:00.001-06:00

Last night was an early night. We were in the room around 9 and lying on the bed watching TV. It would be nice to sit outside but the bugs swarm even in the dark. This is to be expected as we are at the lakeshore and the rains have been fairly regular – hard and heavy for an hour or two every day.

We lay on the bed as we prefer not to sit on the chairs despite the fact that the bedclothes may be dirtier than the chairs. But I’ll write about that later.

Thank you Steve Jobs. I listen to music and podcasts and read e-books (I’m just about through the complete Sherlock Holmes) when I wake up – I am usually awake between 4 and 5 – at first I thought it was thinking about the workshops I am doing but this morning I realized that I’ve already had 7 or 8 hours sleep by then which is more than I usually sleep at home.

Breakfast as usual this morning and then I sat in on the first hour or so of Margaret’s workshop. She is doing Program Validation and her approach seems to fit nicely with the work I did on Monday and Tuesday.

Then Helene and I spent an hour in the Business Office getting a solid 20 minutes of connection time in – electrical failures and internet drop offs are frequent and the wired connection is slower than my wifi at home. But I did get to send a few emails, post some blog entries and upload some pictures to facebook.

We want to go over to Cape Maclear and to Monkey Bay and we asked if we could use the driver from the Poly (we offered to pay for the petrol) We didn’t get a clear answer at first so we approached the desk manager who called into Mangochi to find out how much it would cost – 16,000 kwacha – around $110. Fortunately we got permission to use the Poly driver if we provided 5000 Kwacha for petrol which we gladly did. Fredson is a nice man and knows the area very well. We are going tomorrow morning right after breakfast.

Helene wants to ride a camel so we went over there but there weren’t enough minders to let her ride – perhaps tomorrow.

I decided I’d have a nap in the middle of the afternoon and slept from 3 or so until after 6 – I will never fall asleep tonight.

When we met Margaret for a drink before dinner she told me that many of the participants were sick and hadn’t attended the afternoon session. They will normally go in and out of the room as their cels ring or as they feel they need to make a call but this afternoon was unusual for the number of people not attending for the whole time.

I have some serious concerns about the arrangements made for this week. I asked why we were not ding the workshops in Blantyre and was told that because these folks are busy they would be in and out checking in with their offices, etc.

Well we are out in Mangochi and they are in and out of the sessions with their cels anyway. And now many are sick and it is pretty clear what is making them sick. The food is deadly – I don’t mean just yucky or tasteless I mean it is sickening. It is pretty clear that the food on the buffets (and that is what is available to us) is being recycled – we are offered fish, chicken and meat. The only time we can be sure of the meat is when they barbecue (only twice so far) and then I ask for a burned piece. As I am paying for Helene’s food it is a little disappointing that for 3000 Kwacha ($20) a meal there is very little that is edible.

The rooms are spacious but filthy. Surprisingly the bathrooms are lit well and almost clean but showering is a challenge and no one – not even the Malawians walk barefoot inside their accommodations.

The resort is physically beautiful but looks like it hasn’t been maintained for months. There is a new general manager and a new food services manager – very new – we’re talking weeks – it is clear that they haven’t yet had a chance to get themselves organized.

Which brings me back to my question of why are we at this resort at all? The Mt Soche had meeting rooms and I am sure they could have found a classroom we could have used in Blantyre. The attendance would have been as regular as it is here.

Perhaps I’ll lose a pound or two

Workshop Day 2

2011-01-05T04:20:00.001-06:00

Today was the tough day. I had done a lot of the bells and whistles stuff regarding Program Evaluation yesterday. Today I basically turned the work over to the participants. They were asked to focus on their own work environment and work through a series of activities that asked them to apply much of what we had done the day before. This is always a risk as sometimes the participants have little energy or interest in this type of work. And if they don’t then my job gets pretty hard – motivating, providing more information or allowing them to just waste their time. Fortunately this was a group that bought into this process. I was happy with the day’s activities and they certainly did enjoy the Win as Much as You Can activity.

The day, though, was very hot and I could feel the heat and humidity getting to me. I actually don’t mind either the heat or humidity by themselves I just feel that I’d like to be clean and dry for a few minutes. The resort is not clean and I am slathering on DEET and sunscreen something I hate to do under the best of circumstances.

After the session Helene and Margaret and I were invited by Hastings and Doris to come to the Club Makopolo for a drink. Club Mak is another resort close to the Sun “N” Sand. This may have been a mistake for our psyches. Club Mak was elegant, well maintained, clean and lovely, The same view of the Lake and the mountains but from a much more pleasant context. It seems that Hastings, who is a lecturer at the Polytechnic, also owns a number of other successful businesses. Two of his children are attending university in Australia and he hopes his younger child will follow in their footsteps. He was out host. He drove us out to Club Mak and insisted on buying us a drink and ground nuts.

We came back in dee0p humidity waiting for what felt like an enormous storm – the actual storm passed us by but the humidity has stayed. And of course the electricity has been coming and going all day meaning that the Air Condition is coming and going too.

It is still an amazing adventure. Life will so much more appreciated when we get home.

Workshop Day 1

2011-01-04T08:40:00.001-06:00

Our day began with breakfast outside under the gazebo - Omelets, MZuzu coffee, beans and fruit. I slept well last night and fortunately I had heard the problems with Iphones and their alarms in the new year on tv just before I went to bed. So I used the fix recommended and set the alarm for multiple days. Needless to say I was up checking the time often during the night. Which was an interesting project as we have mosquito netting over our bed – and I am paranoid about malaria – so everything had to be inside the netting when I went to sleep. It is a queen sized bed so there was enough room. There I was with the Malawi cel phone, my own cel phone, my glasses, and my ipod and earbuds all lined up beside me.

The workshop was being held in the new conference room – past the pool – way far on the other side of the resort – not really a problem but given this issue I am having with my heel and the sun beating down on me while I was wearing a sports jacket – lets just say I was a bit worse for wear by the time I got to the proper room.

The room is new, round official looking place. It was organized with heavy wooden chairs and table with white draping over the shoulder of the chair. Brand new and so quite pleasant but the a/c didn’t work. But we stayed the morning anyway.

We were supposed to start at 8:30 but first we needed the opening speeches, etc. A number of speakers spoke including Harry the V.Principal of the College. There were about 24 people there – most of whom were deans or department heads and some instructors – about 10 women and the rest men.

I got started at 11 and went through until 12:30 when we had an hour’s lunch and a change of venue. This time in a similar room but closer to the pool. The nice thing abkout the room was that there was an air condition on the wall behind me so when the heat was too much I’d walk over there and let some cool air hit me.

I’m not sure how the participants sat in that heat without falling asleep but they were a great bunch – good questions – some really good insight into the evaluation process and they seemed quite engaged with what I was doing. Let’s hope the good will carries over tomorrow.

We ended at 4 sharp – I made sure of that! I haven’t checked my email for two days and I am starting to feel separation anxiety. So I went over to the business centre – the wifi wasn’t working but I bought 30 minutes on his local machines – Helene sent an email to the kids through her hotmail account and I posted a note on Facebook but I wasn’t able to get into the Uregina email system. I will need to use my own machine – hopefully tomorrow.

A drink in the bar – a place as exotic as this country – an immense, intense rain shower for almost an hour and then the buffet dinner – chicken beef and chambo but this time the chambo was filets rather than the whole fish – rice, nsema and some kind of green steamed (boiled?) vegetable - this diet is starting to get boring. Between the heat and the diet I should be able to lose some weight here.

And now – bedtime – at 8:51 – perhaps I’ll be rested at the end of this week too

Blantyre to Mangochi

2011-01-04T08:36:00.000-06:00

The room, at the Mt. Soche was well air conditioned – a high compliment as opposed to other criteria such as comfort and cleanliness. Helene and I had dinner at a restaurant next to the Protea Ryall Hotel – the number one choice of Trip Advisor and we made reservations there for Monday and Tuesday of next week when we return to Blantyre. The rooms are much nicer but let’s hope the air conditioning works.

Because of the good A/C and a queen sized bed we slept fairly well. Breakfast is provided in virtually all hotels in Malawi so we headed to the dining room. We had a fairly typical breakfast – omelets, toast, etc. Noel, the department head showed up around 10 and we met for a few hours discussing the sections of the workshop. He had a need to identify each section for every day and to indicate when the tea breaks would happen.

Lunch, packing and our driver picked us up around 2. First a stop at the People’s Grocery store for water and peanut and then a brief stop at the Polytech Management development centre and then on our way to Mangochi.

The terrain was quite surprising to me. I’m not sure what I was expecting but the rolling areas as well as climbing and descending mountains was a surprise. The vegetation went from basic scrub to forests and with every inch in between filled with maize/corn plants or tobacco. Housing/shelter was either red brick covered with thatch or completely made out of thatch.

The highway was a two lane highway with many, many, many people walking on either side and filled with cars, bikes and the occasional motorcycle. This didn’t cause our driver (Fredson) to slow down it only encouraged him to use his horn more.

Needless to say the air conditioning didn’t work so we drove with the windows down – the breeze was nice but the humidity and heat built throughout the day.

Out of Blantyre, past Zomba, past the Liwonde Barradge and finally through Mangochi and out to the lakeshore resort called Sun and Sand – another one of the Sunbird chain.

We have a bungalow right on the water – 506. A front room with a tv, sofa and chair and a bunk bed. Down a hallway, bathroom on the right – fairly large and a nice sized bedroom with a queen sized bed, a tv and mosquito netting.

No internet tonight – perhaps tomorrow – I’m told

Dinner was complimentary and was a barbecue with tables set up on the grass – made me a bit nervous to be on the grass in the middle of Malaria country but no one else seemed to mind. The BBQ was steak (without steak knives) chicken and Chambo – a local fish.

We met many of the people that will be at the workshop tomorrow and sat for quite a while enjoying the steaming heat.

Johannesburg to Blantyre

2011-01-01T13:54:00.000-06:00

It was an early morning today. The wake up call (which never came) was for 5:45 a.m. We’d also set the alarm in the room and the cel phone alarms. We didn’t need them. Both of us were awake well before 5:45.

Our bill had been slipped under the door and it included breakfasts, minibar, internet and more. Fortunately my other new best friend Sanjay Patel was on the desk as he promised and everything was taken off. How I got Gold VIP status with Hilton is beyond me but I’ll take it.

My new best taxi driver friend Eddie had sent a driver for us and we got to the airport by around 8:15. He dropped us off at Terminal B which was what the electronic ticket said. Which was correct but it didn’t say that we checked in at Terminal A where 83 million other people were trying to check in too.

We stood in line to weigh our luggage and to collect the weight ticket. We stood in line to get our seats and to hand over our bags. If only one of the South Africa Air personnel looked like they cared it would make life a bit more pleasant for the traveler. That process too over an hour and we were worried about the lines at security.

But first we needed to walk back to Terminal B because that was where the gate was located. We didn’t need to worry about security for any reason. There was no one in line in front of us and the glance we received as we walked through the metal detectors was very thorough I am sure.

But then we entered shopper’s paradise. If you only came to South Africa to shop you didn’t need to leave the airport. If you could imagine it they sold it.

Decaf coffee is an issue here. They will serve it to you begrudgingly but it is really sanka in hot water. Starbucks could make a fortune just on decaf in that airport.

We found the gate and Margaret appeared. Margaret is the woman from SIAST who is sharing this workshop with me. She had flown from Regina to London, stayed in a hotel that she described as an RV and then flown London to Johannesburg. I think we made a good decision going through Atlanta – one flight – a long day – and then we were there.

The flight to Blantyre was uneventful. The plane was mostly empty so we had room to spread out. The cloud cover was sporadic so we could easily see most of the terrain. It was very green and looked beautiful.

We disembarked the plane via ladder – haven’t done that in a long time – and the heat hit us as soon as we were outside. It was close to 30 degrees and the humidity was immense. Through the afternoon the humidity built and built until there was a torrent of rain that lasted around an hour. The sun came out, the earth steamed and all was back to normal.

I can’t keep enough fluids in me here. I drink and drink and I sweat and sweat.

Noel from the project met us and his driver brought us to the Mt Soche Hotel – the project hotel. I’ve seen better!

We agreed that the drive from the airport reminded us of the tour we took in the Turks and Cacaos.

We checked in and headed downtown to find a store that would sell us water. The supermarket had closed already so we found a smaller store and bought water.

Margaret had told us about a good restaurant near the hotel in another hotel (Ryall Protea). We explored that hotel and restaurant and decided that we would stay there for the last two nights in Blantyre on our way out. Marble is much preferred to old, neglected carpets.

We sat outside and had a drink, came to the room for a sleep and the went to the 21 Grill for dinner. Helene had calamari and I had fish and chips all for 64500 Kwacha whatever that is.

Tomorrow we are on our way to Mangochi

Imelda and Me

2010-12-31T15:01:00.004-06:00

Sleep came quickly last night and lasted a long time. we were in bed at 10 and my eyes didn't open until 6:30 a.m. Jet lag will do that to you I guess.

When we checked in yesterday they told me that I had been upgraded to the executive Floor but seeing that the executive floor was closed they had put us into a little suite - think Embassy suites - a front room and a bedroom. We sat in the front room once and packed and unpacked there - a little less mess.

Breakfast comes with the room package and it was served in a very nice dining room/restaurant. This is a typical Hilton - a large conference/ball room and some very nice restaurant/bar/lobby areas. The breakfast was complete with hot and cold items with only one or two unrecognizable items.

Then we walked over to the Sandton City Mall - the largest in all Africa. We discovered that it is a few malls connected to each other so it is even bigger than advertised. Mandella Square is part of this complex and there is a giant sized statue of him where everyone was taking pictures.

We wandered the mall - one book store - quite a few restaurants/bakeries/coffee shops and many, many shoe stores. The shops were generally recognizable with some European names scattered throughout. The mall was anchored bu a supermarket and Woolworth's. We didn't go into either - there were shoe shops, you know.

Lunch was at this great bakery/deli - we had a Tab (haven't seen Tab in years) and salads. Not likely we'll have salad in Malawi - water there scares me.

Going back to the hotel was an adventure. I am direction challenged so I follow Helene where ever she goes and today she went out a different door and we walked for almost an hour. Given that it took 10 minutes to walk to the mall the long walk home was a bit of a surprise. This is a hotel area in the financial centre so we saw all the fancy hotels as well as the SA stock exchange.

we had run into one of the stewardesses from our flight and she told us about a great restaurant around the corner from the hotel called the Bull Run. We had a quick nap and then met our reservation time at 7:30. Early on New Year's eve but they close the restaurant at 9:30 so that the staff can catch public transit to go home - interesting.

Dinner was steak and pap (a hard polenta) and then a drink (or two) at the hotel and bedtime.

Helene and I hope that 2011 is one of the best years of your lives - happiness, health, joy and love.

The days are confusing so far

2010-12-30T14:11:00.002-06:00

On Wednesday morning we were up and at the airport by 5:30 a.m. - a most uncivilized hour - to catch the Delta plane to Minneapolis. a few hours later we were on the ground and having breakfast in Minneapolis and waiting for the plane to Atlanta. another few hours and we were in the E concourse in Atlanta sitting at a bar having a glass of wine and some nachos.

but then the confusion started. It was Wednesday afternoon when we boarded the 777 to Johannesburg. Good seats just behind first class - we got to watch them stretch out in their pods while we sat shoulder to shoulder - and the food and movies began. A little bit of sleeping and three movies later we landed Johannesburg -[ but it was Thursday evening already - where does the time go????

We met Eddie at the airport - our new cab driver friend - and he brought us to the Sandton Hilton. The expressway was backed up so he took us through the city and we got to see a township called Alexandre. Shacks and tents in terrible condition - the houses on the street close by had high walls and razor wire on the top of the walls.

Needless to say the Hilton was a Hilton - opulence for a price. We checked into our room and had a dozy dinner - wine and big, big hamburgers.

Internet, email and skype all work - and the first night of malarone - lets see what it does.

I am sure tomorrow is Friday.

The Wedding At Last

2010-12-29T13:03:00.003-06:00

I am on my way to Malawi to do a workshop on Program Evaluation and I wanted to blog about the trip. I realized that I hadn't posted the entry about Mark and Reesa's wedding day. So here it is.

The wedding took place on Sunday, August 29, 2010.

There are days that stand out in my mind – days where I remember just about everything that happened. It usually starts with emotion but it’s the emotion that etches the events of the day in my mind.

Each of the days my children were born were days like that – although they were, for Jay and Mark, nights. Stacey had the sense to be born during the day.

Wedding days also seem to be those kinds of days too. I have very clear recollections of Jay and Dori’s wedding.

Today was Mark and Reesa’s wedding. We woke up and climbed into our suits and dresses. This was a morning wedding and we needed to make sure we were at the venue on time. We had found Brock House the day before to make sure we knew the route and the timing. Mark had asked for my wedding band and my tallis – that had all been taken care of beforehand.

Brock House is an older mansion backing onto Kitsilano Beach. The Chupa was set up in the back yard with two sets of white chairs set up in front with an aisle between. The decorations were white and beautiful. The patio/covered deck area was set up with round tables for lunch.

Helene and I walked mark down the aisle behind the Rabbi. We walked down the aisle to the strains of an acoustic version of Iron Maiden songs. The aisle had been covered with white feathers and it looked like we were walking on clouds. We talked to each other just about the whole way down the aisle – mostly laughing.

We both hugged Mark and then took our place under the chupa while the groomsmen and bridesmaids made their way down the aisle. Of course Jay and Stacey were who I looked for and enjoyed watching. As we stood there we could hear the water lapping up against the beach – between the clouds (feathers) on the ground and the water sounds in the air we were transported.

Finally Reesa came down the aisle with her Dad and the ceremony started. The Rabbi did the usual things, sang, prayed and eventually declared them husband and wife. They each read ‘vows’ to each other – crying was rampant. I had bought a very large new tallis and the rabbi wrapped both Mark and Reesa in it to give them his blessing. It was a beautiful moment.

The retreat was sounded and we all adjourned to the patio for drinks and hors d’oeuvres before lunch. There was lots of socializing and finding seats. We sat with Pat and Mark Mulatz, Jay, Dori and Riley. The photographer seems to have a thing for Riley as she seemed to be taking a lot of pictures of her. I understand that because I think she is the most beautiful little girl around!

There were speeches – I spoke on behalf of Helene and myself – and music and conversation and food. It was a lovely lunch.

None of us wanted it to end but we eventually found ourselves back at the hotel and finally out of the suit and tie.

So what do you do on the evening of an afternoon wedding? You go to the Red Onion for hamburgers of course!!. Helene and I, Mark and Reesa, Sonia, Michael and Sofia, Pat and Mark, Jackie and Tammy, Reesa’s Mom and Dad and an assortment of other friends took over the Red Onion. The hamburgers and fries were a treat.

Mark and Reesa's Wedding Part 3

2010-09-04T07:45:00.002-06:00

On Saturday morning I drove Jay out to New Westminster. The groomsmen wore dark summer weight suits that had been rented. Jay tried the suit on, had a small adjustment made to the pants and we left with the suit, a pair of shoes, socks and a white shirt.

It was about a 30 minute drive each way and so Jay and I had time to be together just the two of us. I always treasure time alone with any of my kids. Sometimes the time is filled with chatter and other times we are just quiet with each other. Whatever happens it is always a special time.

Stacey lives in Regina and we regularly have special times together - lunch and other times together but the times I have with Jay and Mark are few and far between. So the drive with Jay today was special.

When we got back to the hotel we gathered the troops and walked over to a Dim Sum place on Alberni just across the street from the condo building Helene and I rent in when we are in Vancouver for any period of time.

The food was good - we ordered enough to satisfy all tastes - including tripe and tendon. And I got to hang out with Riley!!

We spent the rest of the afternoon visiting with friends and relatives as they arrived and sat around the coffee shop, the restaurant and the lobby.

Helene organized a wine reception for the wedding guests on Saturday night. It was held in a room with floor to ceiling windows looking out onto a garden, a sitting area and the pool. The weather was clear and cool as the sun went down but many people sat at the tables outside.

Reesa's family and friends mingled with our family and friends. It always amazes me how easy it is to find connections between people. Reesa's father's cousins were from Winnipeg and knew Helene!!

Red and white wine, water and sparkling water were offered by circulating servers. Some Hors D'oeuvres were circulated and there was a long table of food against one of the walls. On the table were baskets of fruit, artisan breads, lavosh, 'exotic' cheeses, hot crepes and bowls of nuts.

I asked my friend Sofia to use my flip camera and she took some terrific video of all the people there.

It was a wonderful night where we got to spend some time with friends and relatives and meet more of Reesa and Mark's friends as well as more of Reesa's family and her family's friends.

We ended the evening, as usual, at the bar reviewing the day and just relaxing. Tomorrow was going to be an important day.

Mark and Reesa's Wedding Part 2

2010-09-02T10:09:00.002-06:00

Friday was spent welcoming friends and relatives. Reesa, her Mom, Mark, Stacey. Jay, Dori and Riley had breakfast with me and Helene in the hotel restaurant. And then we hung out in the lobby and welcomed people as they showed up.

Roberta, Carman, Jonathon and Marla, Sonia, Shelley and Zev, Bernie and Adon, Jack, Tammy, Laura, Zach, Alana and Jordan all arrived and were greeted by me and Helene. Our job was to say hi and then to show everyone Riley. Of course it was her Zaida that she wanted!!!

Lunch was Thai on Denman with Jay, Dori and Riley with Stacey joining us after a bit.

More sitting and visiting and then I took Jay, Dori and Riley back to the their hotel, waited for Jay to change and then back to the Bayshore.

A quick shower and then we all went to the first real event of the wedding weekend. Mark and Reesa had chartered a cruise (The Magic Moments) for their friends and a few family members. A dj played, hors d’ouevre and dessert were served. And it goes without saying that drinks were served.

The cruise took us to an area called Indian Arm. The scenery was beautiful passing through a sort of inner passage - mountains, homes, scenery - were all spectacular.

It was fun meeting Mark and Reesa's friend and spending time with our families. I've met many of their friends before so we did a lot of catching up. Mark and Reesa have an interesting cast of friends. They are all interesting and each has their own interesting stories. We also finally met members of Mark's latest band - Bison BC. It turns out that James (a Bison member) is originally from Winnipeg so there was lots to talk about.

Mark and Reesa's Wedding Part 1

2010-09-02T09:50:00.001-06:00

The trip began with a civilized time for departing – our flight left at 8:45 a.m. so we were able to get up at around our normal morning time. Shower, finished packing (although I left my glasses at home – blind when I take out my contacts!), jumped into the cab, picked Stacey up and got checked in and through security – and waited for the plane to depart.

The direct flight to Vancouver is just over two hours. Stacey sat with me and Helene was in the row in front. It was so cold in the plane that Helene was comfortable and Stacey and I froze. But by 10:00 a.m. Vancouver time we were on the ground and collecting our luggage.

The car rented (a mazda 6), luggage loaded and we were on our way to the Bayshore – the wedding hotel. The conversation through the whole trip was filled with anticipation of this weekend where we will be with our friends and family, our new family and will all celebrate another family wedding.

We arrived at the Bayshore and were given rooms next to each other on the second floor. We have a terrific view of the seawall, Cardero’s restaurant and the marina beside it. The clerk offered us rooms with a ‘better’ view but we chose to stay in rooms with a king sized bed and found our view to be just fine. We can see water, the seawall, people and boats – being higher would bring us the mountains but given our normal prairie views this one is more than satisfactory.

It’s been a few months since we have seen Mark so when he appeared in our room we headed over to Cardero’s for lunch and a long talk about Mark’s last semester, preparations for the wedding, how happy he is and how much he is anticipating this weekend.

After lunch Helene and Stacey went off to do some errands and Mark and I had coffee and talked for a long time. It was a very pleasant time – we talked about the past and the future and we talked about how happy we all were.

Then it was time for the rehearsal. The Brock House is an old mansion located in Kitsilano Beach and the wedding will take place on their lawn looking out at the water. We all gathered at Brock House. Reesa’s parents, the bridesmaids, groomsmen (we used to call them ushers), the maid of honour and the best man. Everyone was there but Jay, Dori and Riley. Jay will be a groomsman and Riley (held by her mother) will be the flower girl.

The wedding planner took us through the routine but we will have to be careful to hear any changes the Rabbi might make when he is conducting the wedding.

Just about all of us repaired to HON’s a favourite Chinese food place on Robson for dinner.

Around 11:00 p.m. Helene and I went to the airport to pick up Jay and Dori and Riley. They had taken a red eye from Greensboro to Vancouver through Houston. By the time they made it to Vancouver it was 3:00 a.m. for them and both Dori and Jay were exhausted. Riley on the other had was all smiles and eyes.

We got them installed in their suite in the Sutton Place and finally crawled into bed around 2:00 a.m. It was an eventful day and a great beginning.

Tomorrow we start welcoming out family and friends who will be arriving throughout the day.

Wedding Weekend

2010-08-25T23:28:00.002-06:00

I've just finished packing for our trip to Vancouver tomorrow. This coming Sunday my son Mark will be married to Reesa. I am filled with anticipation and great excitement.

Although I see a wedding as the beginning of the future I am taken back a few years ago to my older son's wedding.

Having a child find the person who makes them happy is always something wonderful to watch. Both my sons, in their own time and their own ways, have found that person.

Experiencing a child's wedding never gets old. I am as excited today for Mark as I was for Jay and I expect I will be for Stacey. Although I must admit daughters are a bit different than sons.

I'm packed, happy, looking forward to the excitement and wonder of this coming weekend. The world disappears and my thoughts and focus are on bringing the family together, having good friends around and watching another one of my children take another step in their own unique and wonderful lives.

And did I mention that Riley will be there too????

A Program or a Collection of Courses?

2010-08-24T22:28:00.003-06:00

I was reminded today about something that one of my colleagues - someone I consider a mentor in my early years as a professor - used to say repeatedly as we worked on creating and fine tuning the teacher education program at the University of Regina.

He would regularly remind us that the program we were developing was a 'program' not a collection of classes.

What he meant by that is reflected in the teacher education literature today as programs that are cohesive, developmental and integrated. In other words there should be a logic, a progression, scaffolding, and dependencies between each of the bits and pieces of the teacher education program. Advanced courses should depend on what was learned in junior courses. Junior courses should be focused on preparing students for the more advanced courses. And the whole program should be aimed at preparing the best, most thoughtful, most skillful and most motivated beginning teachers.

The implications of this is that professors need to know what is happening in other professors courses. Students should be able to relatively easily see the connections between the content of one course and all the other courses they are taking. The field experiences should be integrated with coursework and together coursework and field experiences should advance the student in their quest to finding their own personal teaching identity.

This is very labour intensive in terms of understanding the way the curriculum of a teacher education program is integrated. Which takes away from some of the other duties professors see as vital to maintaining their positions.

So many issues if we consider the preparation of teachers as the central, overriding mission of a faculty of education.

The Governor General and Voices

2010-08-23T22:52:00.003-06:00

I am the man that accompanies Helene Kesten and today I accompanied her to a lunch with the Governor General. Helene has been involved with a number of projects for the Lieutenant Governor of Saskatchewan and as a result gets invited to a number of official functions. I accompany her to some of these functions.

This is a great pleasure for me - for someone who gave up a career and chose to stay home to be the primary 'child raiser' she has certainly accomplished a lot. And she is remembered and appreciated by the people she has met through these projects.

I am proud of her and her ability to function in these circles. And perhaps I am even envious.

Today we had lunch with the Governor General and 80 or so other folks from Saskatchewan. We were asked to gather in clusters and the Lieutenant Governor and his wife escorted "Her Excellency" from one group to another. It always amazes me at the ability of some people to remember names and personal stories. Gordon Barnhart our present Lieutenant Governor is an expert at this. he always calls people by name and seems to easily remember personal facts about every one he meets. His ability to introduce the members of each cluster to the GG was impressive.

Although Michaelle Jean was careful to point out that she was not on a farewell tour the emotion in her voice as she spoke about her five years in office betrayed her feelings.

Which lead me to think about what a person's voice and ways of speaking says about their frame of mind.

I have a friend who always answers the phone speaking like his best friend had just died. At first my first question was "Is everything all right?" But I quickly realized that this way of speaking was just something that was part of his character and that things were just fine despite his 'hangdog' tone of voice.

On the other hand many other people in my life do betray their emotional state with their voices. For some it is natural to ask if everything is ok and for others it is clear that this is an inappropriate question.

Some voices I have heard recently have been charged with discontent or unhappiness or other less than positive emotions. Other voices have been filled with happiness, pride, enthusiasm and for some even glee.

In some cases I have shared the discontent, unhappiness, happiness, pride, enthusiasm and glee. In other cases although it has been noticed it has not been commented upon.

Michaelle Jean portrayed many of these emotions in her presence today - it was not my place to ask her "is everything ok?'

Catching up in Victoria

2010-08-02T08:47:00.008-06:00

This entry will be a catch up for the last week - lots has happened.

We got on an early plane on Wednesday morning and arrived in Victoria at 8:30 a.m. Bernie Moss our good friend broke his rule (sleep in, don't do anything early in the morning) and was at the airport to pick us up. We went directly for breakfast.

Helene is determined that we 'be tourists' this trip so she has a series of events and sites to see. We started with the Abkhazi Gardens. We found these Gardens and wandered the grounds and the gift shop for a while. Not much is in bloom and we got bored fairly quickly. Bernie then suggested that we head to Ogdens Point.

Ogden Point is a long breakwater. It is a relatively narrow cement structure where you can walk a fair distance out onto the water. Near the breakwater is a scuba diving school and a cafe. We made our way through the security gate - a gate which ensure bicycles, etc. don't get onto the breakwater and then walked to the end - probably close to a kilometer. The problem I had was that there were no railings and although the breakwater was wide enough for three or four people to walk abreast it was still a bit disconcerting to see the drop to rocks and cement blocks on either side. For me, who can't swim and hates pain, a misstep and a drop off the side out be painful and likely fatal - needless to say I walked carefully and was the recipient of considerable teasing.

After that interesting adventure we went over to Fisherman's Wharf. Here we saw the little village of houseboats. Fisherman's wharf is not far from the inner harbour and downtown Victoria so it is conveniently located for people that live in the houseboats to bike or walk downtown.

Bernie was making dinner for us on Wednesday evening so we headed out to the supermarket, bought steaks, etc, and headed back to his house. A nap, a barbecue and dinner ensued. The evening was spent watching Bounty Hunters with Jennifer Aniston - don't bother!!

As usual, Thursday morning I was up early (I'm not so sure how bright I was) and had a few hours alone to read, surf and think - always good things.

We walked from Bernie's house down to the water and around to the little village below his place - the medium walk! Starbucks beckoned and we sat there enjoying the cool morning. Victoria has not been hot this time around but it has been sunny - good sweater weather. We discussed the activities for the day and decided on Craigdarroch Castle. But first lunch!

We tried for lunch at the Fish and Chips place downtown but the line was too long so we ended up at the Flying Otter which is in the float plane terminal - I had fish and chips anyway!

We wandered downtown for a while to let Helene see what the Bay had to offer and then I spent a while on the phone with one of the kids. By then the afternoon was gone and we had dinner arrangements with Bernie's sister and husband and another couple - Jeff and Edie. So back home for a quick nap (I love holiday naps) and then off to dinner. The night ended up with popcorn and taped Law and Order shows.

Babies, Travel and Appeals

2010-07-30T08:04:00.005-06:00

The last few days have been very hectic. The DPE meetings finished on Saturday evening so I had a bit more time to spend with Jay, Dori and Riley until I left on Monday morning. It is fascinating to me when I watch Riley change from one day to the next.

In the time I was there I could see her get more proficient at crawling and controlling herself in focusing and playing. She still is motivated by getting things in her mouth but I could see her brain working to solve problems - how do I get this binky in my mouth properly? How do I get hold of that toy I can see over there? How does it feel to pull myself up on something? It goes on - watching her is a delight.

On Sunday evening we all went for dinner to the 4th Street Filling Station. Riley was pleasant, comfortable and seemed to enjoy being in the room with the people, the sounds, and the smells of a different environment. She ate her faux Cheerios and was busy looking and exploring - she seems to be happy and content and is clearly secure in knowing that everyone that comes into contact with her loves her. I can't wait to see her again - each time I see her the connection deepens. The next few years will be exciting for both of us.

I left Winston-Salem on Monday morning. The flights were to take me to Chicago, then Denver and then to Regina by 11:00 p.m. But I was able to get on the direct Chicago-Regina flight and arrived in Regina at 7:00 p.m. Which was a good thing as Stacey picked me up and rushed me home in time to join the UIA canvassers meeting.

UIA is the United Israel Appeal. This is a fund raising campaign where the Saskatchewan Jewish Council and every other Jewish Community in the world raises money for Israel, Israel advocacy and the support of Jews throughout the world.

In Regina the Saskatchewan Jewish Council - South organizes this campaign. With the help of a number of excellent, devoted canvassers our campaign reaches out to the Jewish Community and beyond to raise money for Israel. Given the very small size of our community we have a very successful campaign. Our contribution rate - that is, the number of individuals that respond positively when approached, is very high. We probably have the highest participation rate in Canada.

The meeting on Monday night was to have the canvassers receive and organize their contributors lists. For the first time we are completely electronic. We have done away with sheets and cards and replaced that with Excel spreadsheets that are personalized to each canvasser. This will make life an awful lot easier in terms of keeping track of donations and ensuring correct information regarding addresses, etc. is collected and kept.

Monday night ended with a fire in our backyard fire pit and relaxing with our friends the Mulatz's trying to catch up on each other's activities - it has been a busy summer for all of us.

I am writing this on Friday morning - there is a lot to catch up with from Tuesday to now - it will wait for my next entry.

Meetings, meetings, meetings

2010-07-25T07:35:00.004-06:00

Friday and Saturday of this week were the 'official' reasons for me to come to North Carolina - despite the fact that everyone knows I really came here to see Jay, Dori and Riley.

On Friday and Saturday the DPE National Executive Board met at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University (NCAT). Two of our Board members, Lisa Gueldenzoph Snyder and Beryl McEwen are faculty members at NCAT. The other members of the Board are Glenn Bailey from Illinois State University and our executive Director Robert Mitchell from The University of Arkansas at Little Rock.

I belong to a number of professional organizations but I enjoy DPE the most. It seems to be small, accessible and focused on the ideas and issues I am concerned with in the Business Education arena. There isn't quite enough attention paid to Business Teacher Education but overall DPE is a good organization. The National Association for Business Teacher Education (NABTE) should be where I look for Business Teacher Education ideas but despite the best efforts of a number of good people, Wayne Moore for one, NABTE just hasn't gotten good traction over the years.

Our meetings over the last two days dealt with the basic business of the organization but throughout the meetings three issues kept surfacing. First as we transition into our relationship with NBEA we need to clearly and firmly identify what our organizational purpose, focus and mission. Research needs to be at the heart of our organization but it can't there as an intimidating or excluding notion.

Second we need to attract more members - no organization can survive without a critical mass of members. Our membership is fine now but we need to be careful that we don't lose members while we transition. We are taking steps to ensure that we stay in contact with all of our members.

The last but probably the most important issue that we face is attracting active members. In my opinion we need to encourage newer, younger members to take active leadership roles - first on committees and then on the national level. We need new energy, fresh ideas and stimulating and provocative ideas, programs and conferences.

Overall the people at the meetings are pleasant, we accomplished a lot and I feel like we have advanced the organization in positive ways.

Heaven, I'm in Heaven

2010-07-23T05:58:00.008-06:00

Yesterday was a full day of Riley. Jay and I played with her in the morning, settled her for her morning nap and then went out to do errands. Jay did the errands and I wandered around showing her off to anyone that would glance our way. And because she is the cutest baby that ever was everyone glanced our way!!!

Living far away from Riley and Jay and Dori means that our celebrations of her milestones are vicarious. We hear about them, see pictures and videos and dream about them - everything from her first roll over to her first cheerio.

But yesterday was special for me - Riley began to crawl. She has been doing a crawl version - more like scooting - first on her back and then by sort of flipping and sitting. But yesterday for the first time I saw her put one hand forward and then one knee and actually get somewhere.

She can't really control it yet and she's not doing much of it but it was there - and if it wasn't the first time she did it then I am still witness to very early attempts.

In the afternoon she spent a lot of time on her alphabet tiles (you can see them in the picture below). The tiles are like jigsaw puzzle pieces and she delights in pulling the edging pieces off and then of course putting them in her mouth. She methodically goes after each edging piece ultimately getting 4 or 5 of them off in one sitting. Its fascinating to watch her practice and gain control of her small muscles movements. Progress in a baby this young is so apparent - it seems slow but in reality a few repetitions and she has the muscle patterns figured out.

I couldn't get enough of her finding her "binky" - her soother - in front of her - ;picking it up, studying it and then finally figuring out how to get it into her mouth properly. I can almost see the wheels turning

Today is a work day but there will be some time with Riley - who knows what miracles I'll witness today.

Iphones, Planes and Pleasure

2010-07-22T06:59:00.003-06:00

I woke up early yesterday morning with great anticipation. I was catching a plane to Greensboro, North Carolina. The official reason for the trip was to attend the DPE Summer Board meetings. It just so happens that I will be staying at my son's and daughter in law's place and sharing a room with my granddaughter.

I had finally gotten a decent flight to North Carolina. I usually arrive in Raleigh late in the evening and don't reach Winston-Salem until after Riley my has gone to bed. But this flight was to get me into Greensboro (only 20 minutes away from Winston) by 4:00 p.m.

Except my iphone failed me!!!!!!! I landed in Chicago, easily moved through customs and was at the gate in enough time (or so my iphone told me) to have lunch and hang out for a while. My flight left at 1:08 p.m. When I got to the gate after I had eaten and read for a while it was 12:10 - almost an hour until the flight took off.

Except in Chicago it was 1:10 - my iphone hadn't changed time zones - and I hadn't checked the local time anywhere.

I went on standby at 4 and landed in Greensboro by 7:00 p.m. Too late to spend any time with Riley - a disappointment - but in plenty of time to visit with Jay and Dori.

It is earning season so Dori was focused on that work which allowed Jay and me to go out for dinner. We walked over to the 4th Street Filling Station and sat on their deck/patio. It was hot (still over 85 degrees) and humid but the conversation was delightful. We ate and talked and talked some more.

When we were done we walked down to the Tate - a new restaurant/bar on 4th just past Cherry - the 'action' street in Winston-Salem. There we had some drinks and a cheese plate and talked even more.

The talking continued until we eventually made it home around 10 p.m.

I always look forward to spending time with my children. Riley is a very special little girl in my life but she isn't the only child in my life. Despite the fact that my children are all adults now the time spent with them - especially time spent where we actually engage in each other's lives - is precious and is savoured.

The next few days will be filled with pleasure - I am enjoying being on the DPE Board - and spending time playing with my granddaughter and being with my children can't be beat

Dinosaurs and deafness

2010-07-19T23:07:00.003-06:00

Months ago I was asked to buy tickets to Peter Frampton who was coming to play at the Casino Regina Show Lounge. By the time I got around to getting the tickets they were all sold out. No big deal I thought - I'm in You and Baby I Love Your Way are alright songs but not in my pantheon of greats. Although I had heard that he was a terrific guitar player.

By chance a pair of tickets were provided by a good friend and tonight I found myself sitting 50 feet away from Peter Frampton.

What a show!!!! I am a bit deaf as I write this - he is one loud sucker. But can he ever play guitar. And the band was fabulous.

I didn't see many of the great rock and rollers when I grew up but the Show Lounge at the Casino Regina has helped in my 'old age.'

For reasonable prices (I know they are just trying to get me into the casino) we have seen The Neville Brothers, John Mayall, The Blind Boys of Alabama, Gospel Choirs, Petula Clark (probably the best night club show I've seen), The Zombies, Bo Diddley, The Commodores, The Temptations, Kenny Loggins, Roberta Flack and more.

The dinosaurs do roam the prairies!

Community Development and Change

2010-07-17T17:15:00.004-06:00

This weekend the Beth Jacob Synagogue has invited its members and other Jewish community members to a weekend of contemplation and discussion concerning the future of the both the synagogue and the Jewish community at large.

This is the first year in the 32 years of living in Regina that we have not been members of the Beth Jacob Synagogue. The reasons for that could be the topic of another post if I ever decided that the reasons needed a public airing but I will leave the following comment as a hint. When we informed the office person that we wouldn't be renewing our membership for the 2009/2010 year no one ever called or asked why we had made that decision.

But we were invited to this weekend's activities which were being facilitated by Rabbi Shawn Zevit. Although we were not interested in participating in the discussions we did decide to attend the Friday evening services.

The service was interesting to say the least - a combination of camp songs, neat tricks to bring people to focus (shhhhhhh, mmmmmmm, aaaahhhh), insightful stories and explanations and traditional prayers. I am always interested, professionally, in how to get audiences involved in the processes of learning in a group setting. Rabbi Zevit certainly seemed to have control of the techniques as he encouraged, stimulated and cajoled participation.

It's a small world. It turns out that Rabbi Zevit, who now works for the Jewish Reconstruction Federation, spent the first ten years of his life in Winnipeg. He lived in Garden City, very close to my childhood home, and attended the Talmud Torah, as I did. Although he is considerably younger than me we did share the same Rabbi in Winnipeg and I think if we would have had more time to talk would have found a number of other overlapping relationships.

Since I have been living in Regina I have been active in the local, national and international Jewish Community - I have served in many positions ranging from being the co-chair of the national BBYO Board, to being the Chair of Small Communities for the Canadian Jewish Congress to being involved with Saskatchewan Jewish Council South. So as someone who has participated in Jewish communal life for many years and as a professional who has worked to rejuvenate school communities and the larger community associated with the school I am interested in where these activities will lead. I certainly hope they will lead to positive, nurturing places.

But looking around the sanctuary last night gave me cause for concern. Not so much in terms of who was there and what they were saying but in terms of who wasn't there.

The audience was basically composed of the people who have brought the community to where it is now.

I am aware of a significant (everything is relative the Regina Jewish Community is not large) number of 20 and 30 somethings who, in my mind, are the future of the community. This group was basically absent.

I am aware of a group of 50 somethings that should be/could be the backbone of the community now but have not been active or involved to any great extent in the last few years. This group was basically absent.

It seems to me that a lot of groundwork could have been done before this weekend of discussion and planning took place. Groundwork which identified individuals within the groups I've just mentioned and found ways to have them become involved with this planning process.

Further involvement of these demographic groups and others, some kind of succession planning for leadership positions which includes mentoring and a commitment to step aside after a reasonable time and a deep consideration of the potential futures of the community should have been part of the preparations for this weekend.

I wish the Beth Jacob Synagogue well. It is important for the Jewish Community in a city as small as Regina to have a strong organization as part of its public face.

Long Ago and Far away

2010-07-15T15:53:00.006-06:00

A lifetime ago I was a geeky, fearful, awkward, introverted young man. Although I have many happy memories from my childhood and teenage years I also remember those years as being unhappy, disappointing and frustrating.

No need to go into the specifics but any reader that was there between 1961 and 1970 may have some idea - failure, sickness, insecurity, loneliness.

When I got to University one of the interesting things I did was to join a fraternity. My cousin Harvey and his brother-in-law Doug were both member of ZBT - Zebes - and I was rushed and pledged to them - The frat house was quite the place. It was a big old house on Wolseley backing onto the Assiniboine River.

As part of the pledging process we were hazed - for the most part the hazing was gentle but embarrassing. Some of it was downright frightening - being blindfolded and required to grab what we prayed were peeled bananas out of a toilet bowl was just one of the more interesting activities.

I have stayed in touch with a few of my fraternity brothers but have lost touch with most of them over the years. Facebook has helped fix that problem. In the last little while I have connected with some of the guys from the fraternity on facebook.

One fellow - I think he was the president during one of the years when I was active - Phil Rosen - has recently sent me a picture. You can see I was dressed in appropriate pledge gear.

The Lost Symbol

2010-07-13T21:55:00.003-06:00

I am about a third of the way through Dan Brown's book The Lost Symbol. I usually enjoy Brown's books - the DaVinci Code, Deception Point, etc. and this one is no exception.

But I can't fully enjoy it. I started to read it the day after I finished reading Stieg Larsson's The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and The Girl Who Played with Fire. They are unbelievably compelling books. I usually take a little break between books - savouring the completion of one project before I begin another project - but in this case I picked up the second book as soon as I completed the first.

These two books are the first two books in what is called the Millenium Trilogy. Evidently Larsson submitted all three manuscripts and then died! What a shame - the books are brilliant.

But the third in the series "The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest" is only in hard cover in Canada. I will be going to the States in a week or so and will buy the paperback when I get there.

So until then I am reading the Lost Symbol - a good book - but my mind is on Lisbeth Salander and the last book of the Millenium Trilogy.

Which is a shame because the Lost Symbol is about Masons and their symbology and influence - or at least the myths about their influence.

I have always had an interest in the Masons. I clearly remember how excited my father was when he became a Mason and how proud he was when I became one too. It has been a long time since I was at all active but I did enjoy the ritual and the challenge.

There is always something entrancing about keeping secrets.

Unveilings and Haiti

2010-07-12T13:26:00.003-06:00

Yesterday morning I was at the Jewish cemetery in Regina for the unveiling of the tombstone of a friend. She was an elderly lady that died a year ago. In the Jewish tradition we bury our dead very quickly and very simply. The body is rarely embalmed and the burial is usually within 24 hours if possible. The burial is simple in that the coffin is an all wood, unadorned casket and the body is dressed in simple white garments. Following the funeral the family sits 'shiva' - a week of intense mourning which is then followed by 'shloshim' - 30 days of mourning. Mourning is officially over at that point however the family says kaddish every day for the next 11 months.

The unveiling is a tradition where the headstone marker is unveiled at the grave site. This usually happens around a year after the funeral.

The unveiling yesterday was well attended and the prayers are readings were appropriate. It was a sunny warm day - although I always find a chill in the air when I am in a cemetery.

I also visited my relatives who are buried in this cemetery - my uncle and his first wife. His wife is usually hard for me to find as she is buried at the back on the far north side. But yesterday I walked directly to her grave - pair my respects - and then spent a half an hour looking for my uncle.

Spending time in a cemetery always makes me a bit introspective. Questions come up - what is life about? who will remember me? what will I leave? does anything beyond death matter as long as I have been a good person before death?

In this mood I was driving home and was listening to reports about the continuing devastation in Haiti. Evidently, despite billions of dollars of promised aid, there has been very little progress in helping the Haitian people crawl out from under the wreckage.

Many people and many governments donated to the Haitian cause. Taking this action is worthy of praise and appropriate but like all things one needs to make sure that 'giving' isn't the end of the story. Action is needed to directly and overtly change the conditions that victims of disasters find themselves in. The effects of Katrina in New Orleans and the lackadaisical relief efforts are a good model of what not to do.

My questions raised at the cemetery were answered by the Haitian reports. Do something, change something, make something better....... Who cares who knows or who remembers - an important part of being able to live with myself is to make sure that part of my living is aimed at helping all of us be better off in one way or another.

Creatine

2010-07-10T00:15:00.003-06:00

I am a guinea pig - actually for the second time. Last year I volunteered for a research study that Dr. Darren Candow was conducting and for that study I was given something that may or may not have been creatine and was expected to do some resistance training - weight lifting for the uninitiated - three times a week for 12 weeks.

This year I am also volunteering for one of Darren's studies. He is studying the effect of resistance training and creatine on strength, muscle mass and bone mass amongst the "ELDERLY." I guess I am elderly now!

Darren received a grant that got him a whole bunch of equipment and a private gym just for us. For the last few weeks I have been practicing - learning how to do use each of the machines - and getting tested for baseline information. I have been measured, probed and scanned.

Yesterday I was given the 'stuff' - white powder in a bag. Every day I have to take 6 teaspoons of the white powder. On the days that I work out - Monday, Wednesday and Friday -= I actually have to take half of the stuff just before I work out and the other half as soon as I am done. The powder dissolves fairly well in water but it has a gritty taste - not bad - but you know you're not drinking pure water.

Three days a week for a year I will be doing this workout under supervision in this private gym. Its kind of cool but then again it isn't easy. We're expected to use proper technique - and we are being watched - and we are expected to be very fatigued by the end of the third set on each machine. This translates into being extremely fatigued at the end of the workout.

Today I came home and slept for two hours!

By the end of the year I am going to be the strongest, healthiest 'elderly' person around!!!

Random Thoughts

2010-07-08T21:51:00.002-06:00

I am trying to once again get in the habit of writing an entry here at least once a day - but for some reason tonight I am not able to focus on just one idea to develop here. So I will write some random thoughts.

1. Why don't I get Soccer? Am I so used to focusing on the scoring that I am blind to the process?
2. Its great having a Queen but what's the real point? And what on earth will we do with Charles as king?
3. Intelligent company, good conversations and good food and drink are one of the true pleasures in life - tonight was one of those nights.
4. Why do so many people agree with my statements that the primary purpose of our Faculty of Education is to work towards ensuring that the children of southern Saskatchewan are taught by the best prepared teachers in the world but behave in their professional lives in ways that totally ignore that purpose?

Not a collection of courses

2010-07-07T21:39:00.003-06:00

I have worked as a Business Teacher Educator for quite some time now. I began working at the University of Regina in 1978. There were quite a number of us hired that year and most of my colleagues of that year are retired or dead. In my first year I heard a phrase that has stuck with me ever since. A Teacher Education program is not a collection of courses it is a well thought out developmental progression of learning and experiences encountered by prospective teachers which helps them become thoughtful, skillful beginning teachers.

Not a collection of course - intuitively this just seemed correct to me. Becoming a teacher could not possibly be a haphazard collection of experiences - it should not be a random set of classes nor should it be an unguided process for the student.

Not a collection of courses fits into my understanding of curriculum and of curriculum development.

Not a collection of courses fits into my understanding of how students became knowledgeable and skillful teachers - small steps, reinforced over a period of time, reflection, discussion with an expert, risk, growth and mastery - whether it be classroom skills or a deeper understanding of the context of education in schools and beyond.

For some reason the notion of 'not a collection of courses' has been somewhat lost. Critical approaches to education and teacher education have lessened the emphasis on development and students experience compartmentalized information - in spite of our attempts to integrate disciplines as evidenced in our new ECS (Core Studies) stream of courses.

I'm thinking about this because I am in the midst of reconceptualizing our Business Teacher Education program (or perhaps more correctly organizing the paperwork to be more in line with where we have evolved over the years). I read the outlines of courses outside of Business Education required of my students and I wonder what I can rely on in terms of their learning and understanding. What ideas can I/should I reinforce in my Business Ed courses that were introduced in these other courses. The questions go on and on.

One of my colleagues told me today about her upcoming retirement - I said that I didn't want to retire while I still enjoyed the work I did - facing a challenge like the one I described above is joyful for me - it causes me to think, to plan, to try ideas and it forces me to look at old things in new ways

DPE Young Scholars

2010-07-06T23:13:00.003-06:00

I am on the Delta Pi Epsilon National Board as National Treasurer. As part of my duties I am responsible for the Research Projects Committeee and the Membership Committee.

I am very fortunate to have to great chairpersons to work with. Wanda Stitt-Gohdes is the chair of the Research Projects Committee and Julie Chadd is the Chair of the Membership Committee.

As part of the upcoming November DPE Research Conference we have established the DPE Young Scholars Program.

Although we have called it the "Young" Scholars Program we really mean new scholars in the area of Business Education.

Any faculty member that has a Ph.D. student that is interested in a Business Education topic can nominate their student for this Program.

Accepted Young Scholars will be a part of a special program at the DPE Research Conference. This program will enhance their skills as scholars and assist them in finding and constructing meaningful Business Education research projects.,

I am proud to be part of this initiative

Summer time

2010-07-05T16:16:00.005-06:00

It is early in July and I always count July and August as summer even though I usually stop teaching somewhere around early to middle April.

The last little while has been spent de-cluttering my life - at the office and at home. I'm not quite there yet but I have made good progress. I have thrown books and papers out that were old in the early 1970's.

I am sitting here in the middle of preparing for my Business Ed curriculum course. For a terrific two days earlier in the Spring I sat with my colleagues Alec, Tracy, Helen and Rhonda and reworked the whole Business Teacher Education Program. My last task in this project is to re-write the course outlines for all of our courses to reflect the ideas we discussed and worked through during those two days.

So I am trying to re-work the curriculum course to be as current as possible and to reflect the thinking of the subject area. It is a challenge I enjoy. If any reader has any ideas please comment - although I can't believe that anyone is still checking this site after such a long time between entries.

I'm going to the DPE National Board meetings in Greensboro at the end of this month and so I will see Riley. Here are some reasonably current pictures of my beautiful baby.

A Week in Heaven

2010-02-21T16:03:00.005-06:00

Well, it wasn't exactly a week - it was from Sunday night to Friday afternoon - but it was heaven. Jay and Dori make us feel comfortable in their home and Riley made us feel the way grandparents should feel - proud,. in love, astonished, amazed, shaking our heads and thankful.

Are we really old enough to be grandparents? Are my own kids really 32, 30 and 27? It feels like only yesterday when they were as small as Riley and astonishing me as they grew and changed. That feeling is a bit cliche and I always thought my Mom was being silly when she would say things like that - but it is real. I can only imagine what my Mom would think about having children that are over 60!

Riley is gorgeous - I'll post a few pictures to prove it!

It is earning season and Dori had work to do, which was perfect for me and Helene. The last thing we wanted was to be observers - we wanted to feel part of the process - to help and to get to know this incredible baby.

Although I shirked my duties occasionally - I actually slept in until 8:30 a.m. on one day - I tried to get up early and to have my quiet time with Riley in the early morning. It was exciting to see Dori coming around the corner with this bundle in her arms and to hand her over to me for feeding and a bit of reading and playing.

She loves to sit in her little rocking slinglike chair with the moving parts and music. I'm amazed at how much of Frere Jacque I remember.

It was so pleasing to have all the 'baby' moves come back to me so easily - I felt comfortable holding her, feeding her, burping her amongst all the other things - rocking, etc. The only thing I didn't do was change her - I always seemed to be busy doing other things when that need was apparent.

After our lunch we bundled Riley up and got her into her carriage contraption - nothing is simple but for the sake of safety we didn't think too much back to the old days when we dropped the kids into the umbrolla and just walked - when I think about it now I shudder - those things were not safe!

We walked for hours exploring the Winston-Salem downtown/artist district - we stopped into art gallery after art gallery - just as much for them to ooh and ahh over the baby as we wanted to see the art. Riley slept on....

We would wind up at the Starbucks in the Embassy Suites Hotel and have a late coffee and sit and watch her and talk for a while. And Riley slept on....

Then we'd walk back up Fourth passing by the now familiar stores and restaurants. Winston is a nice, friendly place. I'm sure that after a few more days of our predictable route we would have been friends with all of the denizens of the area.

As good as we were, as much as we remembered about handling babies, no one was better with Riley than Dori and Jay. It just seemed so natural for them to have this beautiful child. They so clearly loved her and were so comfortable in holding, feeding, dressing, rocking her among all of the other things parents do.

This week's heaven was created by all of our children - Jay and Dori and Riley were our immediate focus. But while we were traveling Mark was back in Vancouver for the President's day weekend. His happy reports of being with Reesa (and the dogs) and then his not so happy but determined reports of going back to San Diego and getting back to the hard work of Law School contributed to our heavenly week.

And Stacey who is in the beginning of her new job, who let me read a beautifully executed position paper that was her first assignment (and seemed to value my opinion about it) and who seems so happy and solid now with her work, her school, her personal life, created another element of heaven for me.

In some ways having our family scattered the way it is around North America is difficult. But from the day that Jay went off to Vancouver for school I have always felt calm, accepting and optimistic. When everyone is doing what is right and good for themselves, when I can see the value in the direction they are taking in their lives, I can only see the positives.

But the brightest star of this week of Heaven was clearly Riley.

We were with her for 5 days. She is just over 3 months old - we were with her for 5 per cent of her life just this week.

And she grew and changed.

I could see and feel the change in her ability to recognize what she sees - she saves her biggest smiles for her Mom. By the end of the week she could grasp my finger with some strength and dexterity.

She will grow and change and become even more Riley. I will watch and continue to be amazed and continue to play the Zaida role - thinking of her, loving her and trying to figure out how to spoil her rotten without pissing off her parents!

March of the Living, Warren Buffett and the Meaning of Life

2010-02-12T07:38:00.003-06:00

My daughter went on the March of the Living a number of years ago when she was in High School (grade 10 or 11)

The March takes kids from all over the world to Poland and on Yom Hashoah (Holocaust Remembrance Day) thousands march from Auschwitz to Berkinau to commemorate the six million Jews and millions of others killed by the Nazis. They then travel to Israel to see what arose from the ashes of the Holocaust and to celebrate Yom Ha'atzmaut (Israel's Independence Day).

Stacey, my daughter, reports, like many others that have been on this trip, that the Poland portion seems surreal, a fantasy, unreal and unbelievable in many ways. Poland is seen in Black and White.

Israel, on the other hand, is filled with colour. The fantasy sense remains in some ways but the fantasy is of life and promise, optimism and vigour.

I am on my own March of the Living this week. Sadly, I am in the Poland part of the trip. Winnipeg truly is black and white. There is a lot of snow here and to me the snow always seems black and dirty in the Winnipeg winters - in some ways a reflection of my overall experiences of Winnipeg.

And the the fantasy part............

From the self created fantasy that my mother in law lives to the fantasy that sustains my own mother's life this is a surreal, unreal and unbelievable scene.

My mother is on a trip with her friend and will be going home soon.

She is, in reality, in the Simkin Centre of the Sharon Home, an excellent facility for seniors like my mother who has dementia. The care is wonderful, the security is sufficient and our (my sister and my own) need to be ensured that our mother is safe and well taken care of is more than satisfied.

But my mother is on a trip and will be going home soon.

When I walked into the room last night she immediately recognized me, called my wife by name and asked about the children. It was after her medication and at the beginning of the conversation there was no sign of the agitation that frequently grips her. We talked about the kids, showed her pictures of our new granddaughter and had a pleasant, relaxed time.

She then started to tell us that she would be going home in a few days. We've had these conversations regularly so our response was to assure her that when the right time came she would go home but for the time being she should enjoy where she is - she agreed.

We figure that except for a few things (like knowing she has children and grandchildren) she is back to the time when she was 24 or 25 years old. She speaks of her parents as if they were alive and have just stepped out of the room for a few moments. She talks of her brother as a young child and she rarely if ever mentions my father.

Surreal, fantastical, unreal and totally unbelievable.

I am reading The Snowball, Alice Schroeder's book about Warren Buffett. This is one weird man but I am finding the book fascinating. There are many lessons to be learned (the magic of compound interest is the topic of a future entry to this blog - I wish I understood the magic when I was young!)

I am reading the section of the book, close to the end, where his wife has undergone a very drastic operation for cancer of the mouth. Buffett, who does not handle these things very well, is clearly deeply affected by the situation.

During this time he makes a speech to a group of students at Georgia Tech. He is quoted in the book as saying:

"Basically when you get to my age, you'll really measure your success in life by how many of the people you want to have love you actually do love you."

He goes on to say:

"If you get to my age in life and nobody thinks well of you, I don't care how big your bank account is, your life is a disaster."

"That's the ultimate test of how you have lived your life. The trouble with love is that you can't buy it. You can buy sex. You can buy testimonial dinners. You can buy pamphlets that say how wonderful you are. But the only way to get love is to be lovable.(emphasis is mine) Its very irritating if you have a lot of money. You'd like to think you could write a check: I'll buy a million dollars' worth of love. But it doesn't work that way. The more you give love away, the more you get.(emphasis is mine again)"

Buffett is good but I prefer the Beatles: "And, in the end, the love you take/ Is equal to the love you make."

I look at these two older women in my life - my mother in law and my mother and I wonder how much better their lives would have been, then and now, if they would have understood and live by either Buffett's or the Beatles' words.

Our experiences with these women are a lesson - a life lesson - that needs to be learned for our own happiness and for the happiness of anyone that we love and who we care about whether they love us.

But the March of the Living has two parts - the black and white, painful part and the vibrant, colourful living part.

If you've read the previous entry you will guess that after the Winnipeg part of this trip we'll be moving on to Winston Salem where there is optimism, colour, celebration, happiness, delight, miracles and baby smells.

Other than the baby smells the list above could apply to all of my children - biological and "in-law". I am filled with optimism for them. They are all on life paths that are meaningful and productive. And more importantly they are all, each and every one of them, decent people - its hard to ask for more.

But no matter how much I love all my children the trip to Winston is special. Riley lives there. Jay and Dori are on the brink of defining their lives - careers, home, family, relationships, and all that goes with being young and on your way - it is exciting and a pleasure to watch.

But Riley is this bit of human joy - babies have unlimited potential - they are the receptacles for unending love - they create love where a person might have thought their love generating machine had been pensioned off.

We will go to Winston - like the kids on the March of the Living - to immerse ourselves in the surreal surroundings of hope and love - much different from the surreal surroundings of Winnipeg and the Sharon Home.

And we will start Riley off with where Buffett wants to end - with the unconditional, unlimited love that we have always offered to our children and family.

She has earned that love.

Granddaughter

2010-01-31T13:42:00.004-06:00

I am preoccupied by my granddaughter. Its not interfering with anything but she seems to be a constant presence in my mind. She has brought me back to that time in my life when we had our children and I was so fascinated by how they grew and changed.

When my oldest son arrived it was overwhelming - work, helping Helene (my wife), taking care of him, studying, being sleep-deprived. But one of my professors, who was a wise and perceptive woman, told me that I wasn't paying enough attention. She wasn't blaming me but she said that almost anyone that was in my situation behaved the same way. Except, she said, that you only get to experience this once with each child and who knows if there will be more children.

She told me that I needed to focus, pay attention, watch and think. The best advice she gave me was to try to look at my child with 'new eyes' every time I saw him.

She never used the word but what she was really trying to tell me was to be 'mindful' (Continuous, clear awareness of the present moment) of what was happening to me and to my son.

It was the best advice I ever received concerning my kids.

I paid attention and what I saw boggled my mind. Each time he went for a nap he woke up different/changed. Each time I saw him again for the first time after being at school, or studying, or just being away was like I was seeing him for the first time.

I saw him change. I saw him develop. I saw him move through the tiny, little and sometimes huge changes that happen to babies.

I was able to do this with all my children.

I fell more deeply in love with them because of how I saw them. I recognized, appreciated and tried to understand change, growth, development. And each of them did all of these things in their own unique ways. I saw their individuality in the way they developed and how their personality took shape.

They just weren't the 'baby' they were living, dynamic, pleasure machines.

And so I think about my granddaughter and wonder about my parents and in-laws.

My mother used to remind us that when her parents left the 'old country' around 1921 her father never saw his parents again. He never heard their voices again. And they never saw his children - their grandchildren. My mother's mother was more fortunate - her mother was with them in Canada.

Well when I moved away from Winnipeg I did see my parents again and I did hear their voices. An aside: My mother now almost instantly recognizes my voice on the phone but has a hard time recognizing me in person!

My parents and in-laws saw and spoke to their grandchildren regularly but we lived far away and they didn't get that day-by-day experience.

Did they appreciate the changes when they saw the kids? Could they relate to their grandchildren directly, personally? It was a different generation - a generation that felt that kids were kids and weren't that interested in developing personal relationships - they loved their grandchildren but it was a more abstract thing than a day to day personal relationship.

And so I think about my granddaughter.

I imagine the way she moves, cries, eats, sleeps and I imagine the changes she must be going through everyday.

My imagination is fed by regular updates - we have inexpensive long distance phone lines, we have Skype and webcams, we have the time and the money to go and see her regularly.

Its not likely that very many of my grandchildren will live just down the street. But this is a small world and we are fortunate in having wonderful relationships with all of our children.

The changes will happen - we won't be there to see every single one - but that's what parents are for - we're there to enjoy and support and see the big chunks.

What a wonderful time

Boarding, Baby and Boards

2010-01-20T21:07:00.005-06:00

I went to North Carolina last week for the weekend. I'm on the board of Delta Pi Epsilon, the Business Education research organization and we had our meetings in Greensboro, North Carolina.

That was the official reason for the trip.

But everyone knows that there was another reason for that trip and her name is Riley. I stayed with my kids in Winston Salem (only a 30 minute drive to Greensboro) and had a few hours each day with Riley.

I was fascinated with my children when they were born. I loved holding them and interacting with them. Eye contact, silly peekaboo games and stupid noises were my stock in trade. Riley is a bit young for that yet but I'm practising. She was a joy to be with and I think that joy will only increase as she gets older.

The Board meetings were very interesting. We are in the midst of great change in our profession and for this organization and I feel privileged to be able to be a part of all of this change.

I had to fly through Toronto on this trip and the weirdest thing happened on the way to the meetings.

I made it through U.S. customs and was on my way to the gate when I encountered a roadblock. Yes, a roadblock in the middle of the concourse. Men were asked to line up on one side and women were to line up on the other. We were then called out, one by one, to be investigated, patted down, interrogated and generally looked over by Mounties! I hope the fellow who patted me down enjoyed it as much as I did - my goodness he was thorough.

Men to the left and women to the right was disturbing in and of itself but when they separated two elderly people it was more than disturbing. The man was clearly dependent on the woman and became distraught and confused when the men's line started moving faster than the women's line and he lost sight of her. A little reverse profiling here - or maybe just some common sense - would have been appropriate here. They did need to be 'investigated' but in this case they didn't need to be separated. Blind bureaucracy!

The weather

2010-01-12T22:17:00.004-06:00

I was born and raised in Winnipeg the home of the snow drift, the home of the stuck car, the home of winter. I hate being cold!!!

But then again I hate being hot too.

In fact I dislike being outside.

This is coming from someone that grew up in Winnipeg, lives in Regina and just bought a place in Belize.

I hate sun, sand and water too!!!!!

Some of my clearest memories of Winnipeg have to do with the moonscape of windswept streets after dark.

I took piano lessons and had to take two buses to Mr. Melnyk's house on St. Cross Street. I remember my Dad dropping me off on Sundays but I also remember going during the week by bus. On those trips I was chaperoned by my sister who I know was not interested in hanging out with her 7 or 8 year old brother.

To say the least we didn't socialize much on those trips.

But the lasting impression I have is how cold and uncomfortable I was - and I am sure she was too.

On the way home it was always dark and there was always a wind. It was cold and desolate and dark and dreary.

By the time we got on the first bus we were chilled to the bone.

By the time we got off the first bus to wait for the McGregor bus the snow on our clothes had melted and we were wet.

Which within minutes froze again making us colder and more uncomfortable.

Winnipeg is something like a film noir in my memory.

But then I moved to Regina and if I thought Winnipeg was cold I was about to learn a lesson in extremes.

Regina is bone-chilling - it is beyond cold - the damn wind never stops and if I never hear the words wind chill it will be too soon.

There isn't as much snow here (and so its a dry cold) but the bald prairie is no place for someone that doesn't like to be cold.

For the past week or so it has been arctic here - ridiculous wind chills and horrendous temperatures.

Until today.

Perhaps today is like the pleasant sensation that you feel when a headache goes from excruciating to just plain painful.

The temperature came up to just under freezing, the wind became a breeze and actually felt pleasant.

The sun shone from a clear, brilliant, blue sky.

You can have Florida or California - on a day like today Western Canada is paradise

Imacs, email and stuff

2010-01-10T07:59:00.003-06:00

I recently bought an Imac. I started my personal computer life as an Apple person. In the late 80's I bought an Apple 2C. When that died I took up with PCs for work and at home. So this step back into Apple is a big one.

Getting used to this Imac isn't that hard. There are some things that seem to elude me but I have my trusty Imacs for Dummies guidebook and I'm getting along.

I discovered that big isn't necessarily better with this computer. I bought a 27 inch monitor. Wow it sure is impressive but if I try to use the whole screen I feel like I;'m at a tennis match swiveling my head from side to side just to read. I'm learning to use the screen for a number of windows - email on the left, firefox in the middle, twitter on the right, skype in a corner - the ultimate multitasker!

But this Imac is sometimes obstinate. I have had trouble installing and using Thunderbird which is my mailer of choice. It installs, finds all of my email files and then frequently seems to disengage.

I wonder if it is the sheer volume of emails I have sitting on the University's server - at this moment it is 9317.

I also have 107 folders (many with subfolders) of older emails that I think I need to keep. The oldest email that I can find is from 1999

My office is full to overflowing with books, papers, files, binders and more stuff.

I have a t-shirt in my closet at home that I bought when I was in grad school in 1976.

Why on earth do I have all of this stuff?

I'm not a collector - I don't go out and try to complete sets of whatever or buy more and more of something because I want to 'collect' whatever it is.

It seems that I am incapable of throwing anything out!

I am convinced that I will need something within days of throwing it out, or that I will lose enough weight to be able to wear that t-shirt again, or that I need the email trail for my memoirs.

I have a feeling the t-shirt from 1976 will never fit again, that if I haven't used something since 1999 I may never use or need it again and that my memoirs will never be written by me or anyone else.

A belated new year's resolution - get rid of stuff - get rid of a lot of stuff

Feeling Guilty

2010-01-08T21:07:00.003-06:00

How can something that is voluntary, supposed to be fun and is put out to the world so that strangers can see into my life cause so much guilt? As you can see by looking at my blog I have not been very faithful at writing entries over the last few months.

But I did write one just after new year's and I have been amazed at what has happened since. Perhaps it was because of the picture of me and my new granddaughter or perhaps it was something else but I have received many (more than 30) emails from people. They have congratulated me on my new granddaughter and each one also mentioned that they were happy to see me back on the blog.

I haven't written anything serious in the blog for months and yet it seems that these folks come back regularly (or have their google reader alert them) to see if I have written anything more. That amazes me.

It also amazes me that since I began this blog it has been on my mind. I go through my day looking for things that I can write about. And if I don't make an entry on a particular day I feel disappointed.

It isn't that I don't have things to say - probably too many things are on my mind.

I marvel at other people's blogs. I read a few regularly. One person's blog has hundreds of entries each year and has something important to say in every blog. That's intimidating.

But I'll continue feeling like I've missed something if I don't write in the blog every day and I'll continue to remind myself that some people are interested.

Perhaps there will be more entries

The New Year

2010-01-02T16:35:00.005-06:00

Its not a resolution but I do have things to say so I'll try to remember to say them here.

This will be a catch up entry

Riley Hale Kesten entered this world 5 weeks early, lost a bit of weight, but within a few days was home with her Mom (Dori) and her Dad (Jay). Women have always been an important part of my life but this woman has taken over. She is beautiful, she is wonderful to hold and I'm her Zaida.

A few days after coming home from Winston-Salem Helene and I flew out to Vancouver, stayed a few days and then drove with Mark down to San Diego. The scenery going down the Pacific coast is incredible - when you can see it - we encountered a lot of fog in Washington and Oregon.

Arriving in San Diego we shopped and helped Mark settle into his new San Diego apartment. As of today he has attended some orientation session, has his apartment mostly in shape and is ready to accept this next challenge in his life.

Helene and I are finally home. Its been a tiring few months but there is still work to be done.

I am teaching ECS 100, EPS 200 and EBUS 350 this semester. I'm also on the DPE Executive Board, the editor of the Business Education Digest (with a soon to be new website) and committed to completing a few old projects and beginning a few new ones.

Helene and I went to Winston-Salem to spend a few days with Jay, Dori and Riley right after classes ended. Grandchildren are a delight.

Family Catch Up

2009-10-14T11:05:00.003-06:00

The last post was about Stacey and it dawned on me that many more things have happened in my family over the last while. So here is a quick catch up.

Jay and Dori are expecting and have moved to Winston-Salem, North Carolina where Jay is a Visiting Assistant Professor in the Law School at Wake Forest University.

Mark and Reesa are engaged and will be married this coming summer. They are also moving to San Diego where Mark will start Law School in January at the California Western School of Law.

My Mom has moved to the Simkin Centre/Sharon Home in Winnipeg and Emma (or one of her surrogates) continue to take good care of her.

Homelessness in Regina

2009-10-14T10:54:00.003-06:00

Yesterday morning I attended the Community Partnership Against Violence (CPAV) Awareness Breakfast. It was sold out and the ballroom at the Ramada was packed. Dignitaries and speeches were the order of the day raising awareness of the violence some people (women in particular) are forced to experience.

The speaker was Dr. Marc Spooner an advocate for the homeless and a colleague of mine in the Faculty of Education at the University of Regina. The statistics are remarkable - many more poor and homeless in Regina than I would have imagined.

Pat Fiacco the mayor announced the designation of Angel Square in Regina as a symbol of support for those experiencing domestic and other kinds of violence.

The highlight for me though was that my daughter, Stacey, is the chairperson of CPAV and was deeply involved in the organization of this breakfast. She made me very proud - as she always does in everything she does.

She was interviewed by the Leader Post and the story was the featured story on today's edition. You can see the story here.

What a world

2009-10-11T13:19:00.004-06:00

I am sitting in a Starbucks about 3 blocks from the White House. Yes the White House that Barack Obama lives in. I walked with the Alternative Lifestyles parade a few hours ago, had fantastic Clam Chowder at Old Ebbitts grill and now I'm enjoying an Americano decaf and catching up. I still have 3 hours before I need to be at the airport.

I've been in Washington, D.C. since Thursday attending the National Council on Economic Education conference. It has been a terrific conference - good people, good presentations and an interesting city. And the weather has been hot and hotter. A nice end to summer as I understand that I am heading back into a winter storm in Regina.

Although I saw many good presentations the highlight of the event was the last presentation I attended. A young fellow named Jason Welker did a presentation on how he integrates web 2.0 tools into his Economics courses. He talked about his wiki, his blog and how his students use these tools to create study guides for the AP and I.B. Economics courses he teaches.

Like many of us he has his favourite tools and uses them extensively. For instance, although he knows about twitter he doesn't use it in his teaching. He uses blogs, wikis and social bookmarking in some very compelling ways. Even if you aren't into Economics I'd encourage you to visit his work - there is lots to learn there about how to use and organize these tools.

Yet there is the interesting part of his presentation. He uses a smart board in his classroom and he does try to integrate the social bookmarking aspects of web 2.0 into his class. But he does allow that the bulk of the social networking tools are a very minor part of the students' grade and that the activities are generally homework. His classes are generally fairly traditional lectures with the use of computer technology to make the graphs and calculations.

So this raises the question - can we really integrate instructional technology into the delivery aspects of our teaching? Or does Alec Couros's courses work so well because they are teaching the medium. If the medium is the message then the delivery and the content can easily be instructional technology.

But what if the message consists of economic concepts? And the medium is merely that - the medium?

Maybe Welker is doing the best that can be done. Or is he? How can we integrate this technology into the intimate fabric of our classes. Not just as easily accessible information nor as something that is whiz bang but really peripheral but as something that fundamentally affects the teaching and learning within one particular classroom.

Program Evaluation

2009-10-06T22:12:00.003-06:00

Last Thursday and Friday I conducted the first two session of the Essential Skill Series, a series of workshops conducted under the auspices of the Canadian Evaluation Society, Saskatchewan Branch. there are 4 sessions in this series and I do the first two - the introductory sessions.

This is always a challenge as some of the people that come to these sessions have had relatively extensive experience with program evaluation. The other challenge is that some of the people that attend have very specific needs as a result of their employment. Over the years the demands have changed. For a time the vast majority of people attending came out of Health regions with their own unique needs and challenges.

This last set of sessions had quite a number of provincial civil servants attending. A new government has new priorities and the Saskatchewan Party seems to have a focus on accountability and efficiency. There were many questions regarding these issues during these sessions.

I always get a kick out of doing sessions like these. If someone would have asked me 30 years ago whether I could ever see myself as something of an expert of any kind of evaluation I would have laughed.

Evaluation implies authority, accountability, 'caring,' efficiency, etc. Given my personality and view of hierarchies and accountability (then and to a certain extent now) I would never have seen myself in this position.

But circumstances, opportunity and serendipity all played a part.

One of my mentors was Dr. J. Orrison Burgess and he had an interest in Program Evaluation. And therefore, in his opinion, so did I!

At first I went along with him because he asked me to pay attention. Then I went along with him because he had a few consulting contracts and wanted to pay me. But ultimately I went along with him because I actually did become interested in the subject.

Interested, though, in quite a unique way. I saw the area as a challenge to teach. It is technical, could be considered dry and it is sometimes difficult to understand and even more difficult to turn into authentic behaviour.

And so I teach these Essential Skills workshops most years and occasionally teach the graduate course in Program Evaluation (EC&I 809).

I have even written an article for the Business Education Forum regarding the use of school based Program Evaluation and Business Education

Yom Kippur

2009-09-28T22:25:00.002-06:00

Last night we went to the synagogue to be part of the Kol Nidre services. And today I was at the synagogue for a good chunk of the day participating in the Yom Kippur services. This prayer, Kol Nidre, has gotten Jews into trouble in the past. The words of the prayer ask God to forgive us and absolve us of all of the vows and promises we have made.

Non-Jews would say that Jews weren't to be trusted because they would break their word and be forgiven through this prayer.

The Jewish response was that the only promises that were intended by the prayer were promises made to God - if You help me get out of this mess I will say my prayers more regularly.

My sense is that neither of these are the complete truth. But then again I am not a Talmudic scholar.

So then why do I regularly go to the High Holiday services? Why do I fast on Yom Kippur? Tradition? not really. Because I have regularly done it over the years? I haven't done it over the years. Because my parents did it? My parents were less religious than I am.

I'm not sure why.

I do want to be in the synagogue whenever I can to say Kaddish and for the Yizkor services. But that is related to my need to stay connected with my Dad.

I think I go because it is the one time during the year that I need to make a statement that I am a Jew. I rarely go to any other service. And although I can perform the services and understand the prayers (thanks to all those miserable years at the Talmud Torah) I don't 'believe' and I certainly don't put much stock into the ritual. Although I must admit that I find the familiarity of the ritual comforting or at least familiar.

I go because I go. I go because I want my children to go - not to find the 'way' but to have something to hold onto as Jews - being Jewish isn't something you can get rid of so in some way, I think, a person needs to fgure out how to 'be' Jewish.

Connections and connecting

2009-09-25T15:39:00.001-06:00

I attended a session this morning on the use of social media in classrooms. we ultimately decides to form a group called URSMUG - the University of Regina Social Media Users Group. A pretty good name if I do say so myself given that I contributed the SMUG part!

This group, we hope, will develop into a community that will support and facilitate the use of Social media in our teaching. The group was made up of those who 'hate' social media, those who are using and well informed and the rest of us - those in the middle - some knowledge, lots of fear and in need of direction, hand holding and support.

So I'm involved in this. What does it say about my comments in the previous post concerning the Business in Business Education. Actually, nothing.

I didn't intend that previous post to imply that Business Educators not get involved in using technology. In fact I hope I encouraged the opposite. I think as Business Educators we are well positioned to be leaders in the integration of Instructional Technology. Let's just not forget about the Business!

Keeping Business in Business Education

2009-09-24T17:09:00.000-06:00

I have long believed that the introduction of 'technology' (read that as the desktop computer) has interrupted Business Education. The lure of technology for its own sake has been too strong for many Business Educators. In some ways they have forgotten the Business end of Business Education.

Yes, businesses use all sorts of technology - virtual meetings, company blogs and websites, etc. When Business Educators delve into any one of those technologies for the sake of the technology and forgets to situate the technology in a business setting I feel they have lost sight of the Business in Business Education.

We do need to explore Second Life, and we do need to set up courses in Second Life. But a Business Educator explores Second Life to study and understand the business opportunities there. A Business Educator should set up courses on Second Life that teach Business content or prepares prospective Business Teachers. Setting up a course, anywhere, that teaches students how to use Second Life isn't Business Education.

I could make the same argument for a number of technology issues - online instruction, televised courses, computer based testing, etc., etc.

I know I am an old-timer and one might say that I haven't moved along with the times but I feel that our students have lost something when we teach them how to make videos instead of teaching them how to manage their money.

Having said that the subject area that I work in has recently changed its name from Business Education (EBUS) to Business, Media and Technology Studies (EBMT). This happened because I have been joined by a former Ph.D. student of mine and current colleague Alec Couros. Alec is brilliantly leading the way in the integration of technology into teaching - something which I feel needs to be done. It seemed a natural fit for Alec to join me in the subject area. Check out the course Alec is teaching this semester.

My students will now get what I hope will be the best of both worlds - actually three worlds - I hope they will become exceptional teachers, I hope they will become committed Business Educators and I hope they will become innovative users of the newest and best technology for the benefit of their own students.

Shared Values

2009-09-22T20:25:00.000-06:00

In 1995 I was invited to be part of a committee struck by the Regina Public School system. This committee charged with the task of finding a set of values that could be the foundation for the Board's education program and their school culture. the committee was made up of board members, central office officials, principals, teachers and members of the public who represented different faiths and cultures. I was asked to sit on the committee as a professor who was interested in this area but it was also acknowledged that I was a member of the Regina Jewish Community.

As anyone that has been in a situation like this would know the conversations, discussions and arguments were interesting to say the least.

One of the early things we needed to deal with was the 'fact' that Canada was a christian country and therefore the schools needed to be based on christian values and ideals. That notion sort of left the Jews, Moslems, Bahai, Hindu, atheist, agnostic, etc. folks out of it.

Another issue was the idea that commonly held values would be realtively easy to establish...... didn't everyone value human life????? Oops, what does that say about pro-choice advocates.

It was actually a long hard process but fortunately we were lead by some pretty intelligent, insightful people. They were able to take the wide-ranging discussion and very diverse belief systems and shape them into something that was understood by all, accepted by all and that still had some deep value.

It all boiled down to four value statements: I respect, I belong, I want to know and I am responsible.

After all these years these statements still guide the operations of the Regina Public School Board. Yes, there are many examples of these statements being contradicted by the actions of people within the Board. But there is a far greater number of actions that reinforce and live out these statements.

I just returned from the First (annual they hope) Shared Values Recognition Program. I was invited to attend because I was on that original committee.

The Program honours 6 people who exemplify the Shared Values and who make significant contributions through their work. The winners must be nominated and a selection committee makes the final decision.

It was an honour to be there tonight to hear some of the wonderful work done by caretakers, teaching assistants, principals and teachers.

Busines Education and Research

2009-09-21T22:14:00.001-06:00

Recently my research partners and I put the finishing touches on our papers for the 2009 DPE (Delta Pi Epsilon) Research conference to be held in San Francisco.

One of the papers has to do with the use of Grounded Theory approaches in Business Education research.

There has been little qualitative work done in the Business Education area. In fact there has been little quality work done in the Business Education area. But that is really a 'trick' sentence. The problem is that there really hasn't been a good definition of Business Education since "Office Education" went out of style.

My statement is about the field in general. This doesn't mean to say that there hasn't been good quality research work in the individual areas such as entrepreneurship, accounting, economics, marketing, etc. There have been good studiess in these areas.

But there haven't been good studies of the field as a whole.

When I look at the official research needs in the area I always feel as if I am looking at a list that master's students with very limited experience have devised as a starter for initiating their master's research.

It seems hard to find depth. It seems hard to find a logical, comprehensive stream of research leading to good theory and explanation of the field. It seems hard to find anything more than description.

I'm not the most 'qualitative' of researchers but qualitative research allows us to ask questions that are crucial at this moment in our professions history.

What is Business Education? What do Business Educators really do? think? experience? strive for?

What do our students experience? think? strive for? What do our students want/need from us?

Its my opinion that the field of Business Education is in danger of disappearing into technology (not business technology just plain technology) and fragmenting into its component parts - see what has happened to consumer education, economic education and marketing education.

In depth, good quality explorations of the area and deep, thoughtful discussion about our future and how we will attain that future are our only hope.

L'Shana Tovah Tikatevu

2009-09-20T14:39:00.004-06:00

Yesterday and today were the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah, literally the 'head of the year.' I certainly don't seem to keep my secular new year's resolutions so lets see what I can do about my Jewish new year's resolutions.

Yet again I'm not really making a resolution here - as I said in a previous post - no promises - but lets see what I can do.

The time around Rosh Hashanah is called the Days of Awe. This is our yearly judgement day. Someone asked me if we celebrate and get drunk on our new year's eve. That is the exact opposite of what the intention is for this time.

This is a time of contemplation, a time to look back and judge ourselves. As the rabbis say an important idea during this time is "Zikkaron" or remembering.

I look back on this year and I remember many things. In some ways it has been a very good year and in some ways a pretty stressful year.

But what has been constant during this year is my feeling of not recording, of not thinking deeply enough about what is happening around me, to me and because of me.

Blogging it seems has gotten under my skin.

I also appreciate the comments and emails I've received from people who evidently were following my blog. More than I ever imagined.

I have probably lost those readers given how long it has been since I last wrote in this blog but perhaps over time I will gain more. Although as I write I realize that I'm not writing this blog to advertise my life to the world but to give me incentive to think, write and perhaps find some discipline.

I'll also be challenged to figure out how to improve the looks and functioning of this blog as well as connect it to my other social media presences - facebook, twitter (twitter.com/kesten - feel free to follow me there)

I actually learned something at synagogue this year - an anecdote on a handout.

The supplicant climbed the mountain to ask the Wise One how to achieve enlightenment.

The Wise One said: Good decision

How do I make good decisions? asked the supplicant

The Wise One said: Experience

How do I get experience? asked the supplicant

The Wise One said: Bad decisions

Friday, February 20, 2009

2009-02-21T07:27:00.000-06:00

Friday was Cozumel. We changhed time zones during the night. For some reason Cozumel is in the same time zone as Regina - it actually wasn'/t a bad thing as we got an extra hour's sleep.

Cozumel is an island that belongs to Mexico and is a favourite cruise stop. Every bit of caribbean tourist junk is offered within steps of the dock!!

w\The ship docked around 8 in the morning and we were slated to go on the Tulum tour which met on dockside at 8:20 - which these days seems awfully early.

Of course I set my cel alarm to ring at 7:00 a.m. and it did Eastern Standard Time - so we were up in plenty of time.

We were herded onto a ferry that would take us on the 30 minute ride to Playa del Carman where we would catch a bus to Tulum. The ferry was similar to the one in Italy - two decks and enclosed sweat box which rocked ansd rolled for the full 30 minutes - seasickness or heat prostration was close for many onboard.

Fortunately the buses were regular highway buses and reasonably air conditioned. It took us 90 minutes to get to Tulum. I slept trying to overcome the ferry ride and to avoid thinking of the ride back and listened to Mario our tour guide. He exsplained a bit of the history of the Yucutan peninsular while we drove.

Tulum is an archaeological site of ancient Mayan ruins. Evidently it was a ceremonial site but no huiman sacrifices were performed there. It is on a point that separated the caribbean from the Gulf of Mexico - a very beautiful site.

Mario explained a little - a very little - and then left us on our own. The ruins were roped off so we could not get too close. The buildings and carvings werew interesting but I'm not much more informed abo0ut Mayan history or the history of Tulum.

To say it was hot and dusty would be a drastic understatement.

As is usual on these trips we had oplenty of opportunity to peruse tourist shops that offered the best price anywhere in mexico!

We wandered a bit andn tghen had a beer and some nachos and then back on nthe bus, the ferry and finally and thanklfully t6he ship.

Tonight waas barbecue night - the ribs were delicious - and my coughing came back with a vengence. Sleep came early.

Thursday February 19, 2009

2009-02-21T07:26:00.000-06:00

Thursday was Grand Cayman. Grand Czayman is famlous for diamonds, banks, rich people hiding and a few other things - Helene was determined to get the kids presents here and we did - but I c an't descr5ibe that process because then it would give away the presents - but rest assured childre4n there are presents - and probably a new suitcase just to haul the loot!

We took a tender to the island and wandered the shops and the streets. It truly does boggle my mind that on a small island like this people are willing to spend thousands of dollars on trinkets - but to eaxch his/her own I guess.

We had our choice o0f familiar lunch spots - Margaritaville or the Hard Rock Cafe - what a scam these guys have - brand recognition for those who want to be away from home but not lonesome.

Back to the ship for what is becoming my traditional nap and our traditional drinki with mark and pat. Then the formal dinner whcih inclouded the Baked Alaskia Parade.

The burning question is whether I will bring my tuxedo to the mext cruise - of course that could be broken down to - will there ever be a next cruise? I think yes for the cruise - and no for the tux.

The entertainment has been spotty so far - a bad elton impersonator, a worse comedian. Altho0ugh we did find a phillipino foursome that could actually play and had a n interesting play list.

But tonight the entrtaqinment was terrific - the singers and dancers put on Stage and Screen - songs from stage and screen - some of the voices were really gooid and all the dancers were at least good to look at. The costumes were by Bob mackie aqnd were beaut6iful and plentifgul - lots of costume changes - no two songs with the same costumes - quite enjoyable.

Early to bed - tomorrow is Cozumel and tulum

Wednesday, Feb 18, 2009

2009-02-19T07:46:00.000-06:00

A day at sea. Today was art6 lecture/auction day. This is my third cruise (the two others were with our respective mothers and in my case my mom and sister and brother in law) and I still don't understand the reason for art auctions on board. I've rarely, if ever, seen anythoing that I like yet people crowd the auction room and buy the most 'interesting' pieces.

There was a half hour 'review' of the history of art (he really meant western art) which wasn't that bad - good slides and some interesting information.

I spent the day reading, wandering and generally feeling a bit stir crazy. I started out ok but quickly realizede how eak and tired I was feeling - even wi9th the cough suppressangts that I am taking then cough is incessangt and driving me a bit nuts.

I did have a bit of a laugh about it though. The ship is very conce4rned with personal hygiene and there are hand waash stations everywhere. I was in an elevator znd it stopped on another floor. I weas coughing and the woman who was about to gegt on hesitated - I was able to say through the coughing "they don't think it is TB" The look on her face was hysterical.

The tenth floor deck has shade and nice lounges - and no kids or pool - other than 20 year old boys smoking cigars it was a good place to read and rest.

Dinner was 'smart casual' which is getting tough - I didn't packi that well for this trip. I really only have one ;pair of 'decent pants so they have been nsmart casual as well as formal. Even I am getting tired of the clothing I'm wearing.

The engtertainment last night was a comedian - he had been the donut eater on the T^om AQllen series Home Improvement and was not bad - not good but not bad. Old jokes, yelling at the audience, some Don Rickles stuff and some ship humour (the toilets are vacuum flushes and he did make it seem funny).

I was getting whiplashed pretty badly as my head snapped back and forth each time I fell asleep So it was off to bed as soon as it was done.

Mark and Pat are terrific to travel with - things are very relaxed and no0 matter what we do separately during the day we keep an eye o0ut for each other and we always have a drink just before dinner together. It is very pleasant being with them

Tuesday, feb 17, 2009

2009-02-19T07:45:00.000-06:00

I am still alive, although still suffering from this stupid cough and fatigue. I get too many colds!

Today was the Turks and Caicos. We landed at Grand Turk one of the 30 islands that make up the two chains of islands.

Carnival, the parent company of Holland America, has built a large dock area for their cruise ships here complete with a Margarittaville and assorted tourist shops - clothing, jewellery, art and food.

I actually felt a bit human today so after breakfast we left the ship and wandered around this little area. But then we ventured further afield walking down the beach for 30 or 40 minutes. For those of yo0u that know my dislike of sand, sun and water you will be amazed to know that I actually walked in the surf!!! Threre is a picture to prove it.

Back to the ship for lunch and then onto a bus/van for a to0ur aro0und the island. Not much to see - Hurricane Ike blew by here on Sept 6, 2008 and rtore the place up. They still don't have electricity on the whole island. Manyof the buildings survived b8ut few of the roofs.

There was an active salt industry here a few hundred years ago but that has disappeared. Then the ame4ricans established naval bases there during the wars and then used them for sattelite tracking stations. Evidently John Glenn's capsule landed about 10 miles offshore here.

So now the industry is tourism and government. Grand Turk is the capital and 90 per cent of the jobs are government.

The young fellow that was our driver and to0ur guide went to sxchool in Canada and c]hurried back to the warmth (and the hurricanes) He kis a trained computer programmer but cqn make more money in the tourist induistry.

As a friend says this island is entrprenurial heaven. We were taken to the old light house - no admission charge, nothing to buy - not even water. There is a lot of opportunity here.

We were back in time to have a glass of wine on our verandah and then get ready fror dinner.

I not only managed to stay all through dinner (key lime pie for dessert) I also made it through the entertainment.

They had an elton john tribute guy - he wasn't bad - his back up band sucked big time - except for the female keyboard player. In particular the drummer was really bad.

It was quite windy i9n the loate afternoon and as we pushed off from Grand Turk - Gravol seems to be the ordwer of the night

Sunday Feb 15, 2009

2009-02-19T07:41:00.002-06:00

The day began with another one of Tammy's great brunches and packing. We said our goodbyes to Tammy and Jack took us to Port Lauderdale.

Our cruise ship is the westerdam, a Holland America ship. It is huge. After security checks and ticket checks we got onboard. The cabins aren't ready right away so we went to the Lido deck for a bite to eat.

The Lido has an inside restaurant and an outside taco bar around a pool and hottubs. This pool has a retractable roof over it.

We got into our rooms around 3:00 ansd I finally got a chance to lie down - this cold is getting the better of me.

The room is comfortable - a kingsize bed, flatscreen television, a little sitting area with a love seat and a deck - the deck has a regular door.

On our last cruise the deck door was a sliding door - which allowed us to easily leave it open during the night. We have to prop our door open with the deck table.

Before dinner we sat on the Mulatz' deck and enjoyed a bottle of champagne to celebrate our new adventure together.

Dinner was in the dining room at 8:00 = we were at table 22. I had steak but had to leave to go back to the room to lie down - its starting off well but I am worrying about how this cold will affect my time onboard

Monday, February 16, 2009

2009-02-17T06:53:00.004-06:00

There actually is a blog for Sunday but it is sitting on my little computer waiting to get uploaded and I am on the ship's computers writing this entry.

We boarded the Westerdam on Sunday and Monday is our second day at sea. They landed at their private island early in the morning and Helene and Pat and Mark went over.

I have this cold that is keeping me sleeping, weak, coughing, achy and just plain miserable. I asked the others to write this blog entry because they really enjoyed the trip to the island but theu pointed out that it was my blog and I needed to report my adventures not theirs so here I am telling you how miserable I was yesterday.

I slept with the television on tuned to CNN and I have a complaint - in the morning cnn reports the same news over and over and over again - it was so irritating - but I didn't have the strength to change the channel or turn the tv off - that's how bad I was.

Around mid afternoon I felt I needed to try a shower to see if it would loosen up my head and my chest - the coughing was becoming insane - so I stood in a very hot shower for probably a half an hour. I am a shower fanatic and am very picky about my shwer experiences - fortunately the shower in our washroom is terrific - it has a large head with adjustments for rain shower and/or focused streams. It is on a telephone cord so the head can be taken off the hook and the pressure is very strong. If there is any other reason to recommend Holland America it is the quality of the showers.

After the shower I was actually a bit hungry. I made my way up to the Lido restaurant and had some ice cream, lots of ice water and an orange. And immediately went back to the room to pass out again. Its amazing how weak I am because of this cold.

Helene and the others were back and I said a brief hello. They went off for a while and I slept more.

We eventually rweconvened on Pat and Mark's verandah and I had a few medicinal sips of Jameson. It works wonders - warming the cockles of my heart.

The dinner was formal. I got as formally dressed as I ever get. nice pants, a shirt (no tie) and a sports jacket. I sat surrounded by old men in tuxedos. Halfway through dinner I headed back to the room - the fatigue seems to hit hard and fast. I was asleep in no time and when Helene called to see if I wanted to come to the entertainment I said no knowing I needed to have the sleep.

Tomorrow will be better

Saturday, February 14, 2009 - Valentine's Day

2009-02-15T06:49:00.003-06:00

I have a cold - lucky me - my ears hurt, my head is full and I can't stop coughing. My whine for the day.

It was a very slow morning. We each got up and made our way to the pool deck. It was a glorious day - warm, clear and just enough wind to keep the sun from feeling too hot.

After a Valentine's Day breakfast Mark and Pat (or Ann and John depending on who is calling them) and Helene and I walked over to the Highlands Beach Club (just across A1A) and made our way down to the beach. Pat/Ann (or is it Jane?) finally had a first hand taste of 'her' ocean south. Pat and Helene went into the water while Mark and I walked along the shore. The water looked beautiful - calm and blue - it was a perfect day.

Well perfect for those that like sand and sun and sweat. So after a bit I headed home while the other three kept on going.

When we finally regrouped we packed the Mini and headed to Palm Beach with a short stop at Walgreens to get some antibiotics for me.

Driving through the various communities along Ocean Drive was eye popping. First it was fun to be in the Mini convertible on such a beautiful day. The homes, the manicured grounds and the ocean peeking out from the east and the Intercoastal waterway from the west made the drive interesting and special.

Dolores (our GPS) kept trying to take us to I-95 - she likes to get us there quickly - but we made her recalculate numerous times as we insisted on sticking to SR (Stage Route) A1A.

After about an hour of poking along the highway we made it to Palm Beach and Worth Avenue. This section of Worth is filled with designer stores - Gucci, Choo, Tiffany. You name it and there was a sign for it. There are many street front stores but every once in a while there would be an opening to a square 'behind' the street where there would be more stores and restaurants - very Spanish. At one of these stores Pat found little dresses that would be perfect for her granddaughters but decided that $400 per dress was a just a bit too much.

We found a n ice little Italian restaurant with a patio and had a glass of wine and a pizza. Just a snack to hold us over.

When that was done we headed back out to the street to window shop. For some reason I ended up walking (strolling - I never walk fast to begin with and I was trying to 'put in some time') alone down Worth.

As I walked by a store I noticed, up ahead, a man in a straw hat and baggy khakis animatedly talking to two young boys - probably 10 or 11 years old. As I got closer I heard him say we like larger stages because we like to spread out over the whole stage. I still didn't recognize him but because I am an addicted people watcher I slowed down even more. Then a young girl walked up to him and asked him if he would take a picture with her. He gently said sure - is there someone that can take the picture - her father or grandfather (this is Florida you can never tell!) stepped up and took the picture. By this time I was gawking trying to figure out who this was.

But when he smiled for the picture I figured it out - bottom teeth and jaw protruding - I was breathing the same air as The Boss - Bruce Springsteen.

As he finished taking the picture Patty came out of a store and they wandered down the street. By this time Helene and Pat and Mark had shown up and they stood gawking right along with me.

I've never really cared for Springsteen's music but my estimation of him as a human being went way up. He was engaging and decent with these kids. He seemed relaxed and when some people came up to him to shake his hand or as we stood and just looked at him he didn't seem to mind - he just went along with it - shaking hands and smiling back at us.

It was a nice encounter.

Dinner was at Gary and Vinnie's home. They are Jack and Tammy's friends who are renting the house that Jack and Tammy built a year or two ago. They are waiting to move into their new home which is just a few houses down the street from where Jack and Tammy live now.

The house is spectacular, backing onto the Intercoastal and with enough rooms to house a small army division

The Everglades

2009-02-13T15:06:00.003-06:00

It was up early this morning and into the car with a stop at starbucks and we were off to the Everglades.

We had arranged to have a private airboat tour of the Everglades with Captain Parker Priest. He has a small airboat that nicely fit the seven of us.

Captain Parker certainly knew his portion of the Everglades. He took us through wide and narrow channels, stopped to let use see alligators (for those of you that don't remember the difference between alligators and crocodiles he told us that crocs prefer salt or brackish water and alligators prefer fresh water), snakes, turtles and birds.

Although the alligators were quite amazing - we saw them at rest, swimming, and moving through the underbrush - it was the birds that were most interesting to me.

There were all kinds of birds and every colour. I especially liked to see the large birds taking off and soaring right in front of us.

We encountered a few teenaged birds and alligators. They were hold their spot right in front of the airboat and only move at the last minute - nature's natural game of chicken.

Captain Parker took us by a number of 'camps.' These houses, built on stilts, were built by squatters in the middle of the everglades. Evidently according to some negotiations 77 of them were allowed to stay on a 20 year lease beginning in 2000. Although they weren't much more than elevated wooden shacks the ones we saw had barbecues and satellite dishes.

Two hours of this was enough and we headed for the Festival Fleamarket Mall. Typical Florida - old people looking for shlocky bargains. Although we did find something we needed - decent sunglasses that were also 'readers' - magnifying glasses. NOw I will be able to read outside on the cruise.

Our friends Danny and Darlene are coming for dinner tonight

2009-02-12T20:51:00.003-06:00

It was warm this morning at 7 a.m. when I crawled out of bed so I sat outside near the pool listening to the water. We all slowly came out to the pool area and talked with coffee cups filled. Breakfast came and went and we decided that it would be a good day to take the boat out.

My brother and sister in laws house backs onto the Intercoastal Waterway and their boat is docked just behind the house. The boat is 34 feet And sleep six (albeit uncomfortably).

Sun block smeared, hats in place and bottled water in supply we headed out. For a fellow that was brought up in the middle of the prairies Jack my brother in law isn't a bad sailor.

We slowly made our way south out of his inlet and eventually got to Lake Boca (really a widening of the Intercoastal). We peaked at the entrance to the Atlantic Ocean and circled around and made our way north.

The houses that line the intercoastal are quite incredible - large, tropical with beautifully landscaped surroundings. You can see many of them if you go to the NLS listing for Boca Raton - many of them are for sale. It seems the recession has hit this community hard.

We pulled up at an old time Florida restaurant called the Calypso. Old time in that it has been around for a long time and is occupied by many, many old people with white pants and prunish skins.

Lunch proceeded and then we walked around the Del Ray Beach area particularly Atlantic street. I forgot my hat at home so I found a place and bought one. The last thing I want is a burned nose.

On the way back we stopped for gas. There are two gas tanks on the boat and each holds 100 gallons. We were there for a while. But it was worth it for as we sat there we watched a group of Manatees making their way through the channel.

It was very interesting to watch as the water becomes very still and flat just over their backs and that was one way we watched their progress. They are mammals and so need to breathe in the air so every once in a while we'd see one of their backs break the surface. But of most interest to me was watching their tails flip out of the water.

A day in the sun on the water and I was more than ready for a nap. Which happened shortly after we got home.

There was some shopping to do before dinner so I ventured out to the supermarket - Publix - in Jack's Mini. It has been a long time since I drove a standard but within seconds I was comfortable and enjoyed the drive.

Dinner was at home and we are all ready for bed. It will be an early morning tomorrow - we are heading to the Everglades.

No Apologies and no promises

2009-02-11T21:41:00.004-06:00

I haven't blogged since the middle of August. Lots has happened since. We finished our extended vacation in Nova Scotia, England and Sicily. I actually have some entries written and my journal is filled with notes. I may bring that part of the fall up to date.

The rest of the fall and the winter so far have been focused on getting my mother into a proper situation and doing the work for my sabbatical.

I began my sabbatical on January 1, 2009. My university is very, very generous when it comes to sabbaticals. After 6 years a faculty member 'shall not be unreasonably denied' a sabbatical and subsequent to a first year long sabbatical we are allowed to take 6 months sabbaticals after every three years. I took my first sabbatical many years ago and my most recent year long sabbatical was in 2004/2005. This sabbatical is for 6 months from Jan. 1 to June 30, 2009.

An unusual part of this sabbatical is that I am going to teach a class. I received a grant to develop an online course. The course I am developing is EC&I 809 Program Evaluation. I have been working on this project since last spring.

I spent the month of January and a few days in February working on this course development, consulting with program evaluators at UBC and working on a project with Dr. Adriana Zylmans. Editing the Business Education Digest also took its fare share of my time. I think I have found someone that will do a great job at being the webmaster for BED. The website is in dire need of updating

But now I am in Florida taking a winter holiday. We are at my brother in law's home in Boca Raton and will spend a few days here before we head off for a cruise. Our good friends Mark and Pat Mulatz are with us and I am looking forward to spending this time with them.

More tomorrow - perhaps

More Pictures - Just Pictures

2008-08-28T05:33:00.003-06:00

Sunday, August 24, 2008

2008-08-28T05:32:00.000-06:00

We woke up to the closing ceremonies of the 2008 Summer Olympic Games. I can’t say that I am sorry to see the games finish. I am interested in watching effort and excellence but the extravagance and excess sometimes turns me off. I always wonder if the best of the best are really the best at the sport or the best at hiding their unethical approaches to winning.

After lunch we fired up Dolores and she guided us towards Wolfville. In 1981 I left the University of Regina to take a job with CN headquarters in Montreal. The story of that job is a long one but suffice it to say that when I received a call from the Dean at the U of R to come back I gladly accepted it.

My daughter Stacey was born in June of 1982 and we didn’t’ want to move before or just after she was born so I taught a summer course at McGill. While I was teaching that course I met Nancy Hicks. She was a professor in Business Education at McGill.

When I returned to Regina I discovered that one of my former colleagues Eleanor Bujea had retired and that there was a position available in Business Education. Nancy applied and was appointed to begin in July of 1983. She and worked happily together until her retirement in 1998. A few years after she retired she returned to her home in Nova Scotia.

And we have been intending to visit her ever since!

Dolores (have I explained that we call our GPS unit Dolores or Dolly for short?) took us up towards Windsor past some wonderful scenery - I am enjoying the trees and the occasional glimpse of water.

We arrived at Nancy’s home in Wolfville - as predicted it is a beautiful home, tastefully decorated and very comfortable.

Nancy and Dave (her friend) welcomed us with drinks and cheeses which we had sitting around the table in her backyard. Nancy’s home is surrounded by woods and after a bit she took us on a short hike through the woods to see a small beach on one side and a spectacular view of the valley on the other.

The Annapolis valley has many vineyards but probably the most well known is Grand Pre. They have set up an excellent restaurant and gift shop there and that is where Nancy and Dave took us for dinner. The wine was terrific, the food excellent and the company entertaining.

Saturday, August 23, 2008

2008-08-28T05:29:00.001-06:00

Designated as another day to just lie around we did just that for most of the morning. But today was also the day that Mark was leaving to go back to Regina.

Helene and Mark went off for one of their long walks, Jane and Pat went to the Hubbard Farmer’s market and I read - I was compelled to finish my book!!

We said our goodbye and Jane took Mark to the airport. It has been a comfortable fun time for us. Together the four of us have the right mix of adventure, laziness, energy and conversation. Pat will be finishing her summer and going home in the middle of September.

The Swiss Air memorial is made up of two parts forming a triangle with the crash site. We had seen the memorial on the Peggy’s Cove side of St. Margaret’s Bay (at Whale Back) and we wanted to see the other site, The site on this side of the Bay is the actual burial site.

It wasn’t a long drive to Bayswater. A small sign pointed the way to a rough little parking lot just below the memorial. We parked and walked up the path to a wall with the names of all of the victims of the crash and a small enclosed grass area. As the sign indicated the area was in keeping with the typical shoreline topography.

We explored further along the coast and marveled at the beauty of the coastline and the ocean. It has been a very wet summer here (although it has hardly rained since we have been here) and the trees, bushes and grass are still green.

We made our way home, had dinner - left over steak and scallops - and finished the evening with a game of scrabble (which Pat won!)

Friday, August 22, 2008

2008-08-28T05:28:00.000-06:00

Friday was our designated vegging out day. Our morning routine - coffee, sitting on the deck, reading, eventually showering, watching the Olympics dragged out until around 2 in the afternoon.

I began to read a John Grisham book called The Chamber and had my nose stuck in that book basically the whole day.

Towards the end of the afternoon Helene and I ventured out to exit 6 to pick up some alcohol and do a little shopping. We also discovered that the visitor centre had internet access - all we needed to do was get there when no one else was on the machine. They also have a very short time limit.

Pat’s friends Cathy and Harry came for dinner and my job was to barbecue the steaks. Now I am not the world’s greatest steak barbecuer but this time I was dead on - medium and medium rare - dumb luck.

Cathy and Harry lived for 30 years in Saskatoon but a few years ago came home to Nova Scotia. They have a home in Halifax and a nice little cottage close to the cottage Pat has rented for the summer. We talked typical things - the Roughriders, the Prairies and the Maritimes.

Pat and Mark’s daughter Jane also joined us for dinner and she stayed out with us overnight.

Tuesday, August 19, 2008

2008-08-26T21:26:00.001-06:00

Tuesday was designated as Halifax day. Pat took us on a tour of her childhood haunts, the house she grew up in, her schools, clubs, hangouts, etc.

Halifax is very different from Regina - the houses are mainly wood and have a unique east coast architecture - lots of gables, porches and bright colours.

We walked down Spring Garden road, window shopping, stopped in at the library to see the statue of Winston Churchill (no one could tell us why his statue was outside the Halifax library), admired our way through the public gardens and eventually made our way to Pier 21.

Pier 21 was the entry point for many immigrants to Canada. Helene’s mother and father arrived here from Europe after the war. We knew the name of their ship (The General Sturgis) and we wanted to gather more information. Although we found information about the ship we couldn’t get access to the ship’s papers - the Privacy Act has limited the public’s access to this kind of information for 75 years. We’ll have to wait for another 15 years or get Helene’s mother to request the information.

Dinner was at Pat’s sister’s home. Mary and Ron have a beautiful home in Dartmouth. Ron is an oceanographer and has spent a great deal of time onboard ships. It showed in the design of their home. It had the most efficient closet organization I had ever seen - in particular in the kitchen. We are always struggling with our pots and pans and other assorted paraphernalia. Their cupboards were beautifully organized and easily accessed.

They prepared a salmon dinner for us which I unfortunately missed - or at least ate later than the others.

I was involved in an internet based conference call. A number of us in Business Education have gotten together to work on some of the issues facing business education. We have been using Elluminate to meet - a cool program that allows for us to speak to one another through our computers. We are hoping that we can shed some light on some of the problems facing business education and perhaps even make some suggestions that will clear the congestion. More on this later.

Thursday, August 21, 2008

2008-08-26T21:17:00.002-06:00

Our mornings are becoming predictable - I have been waking up around 7 and make my way out to the deck. Dew has coated the table and chairs so my first duty is to wipe them down. I have been most successful in the mornings in catching the very faint wireless signals that are coming from somewhere. I have been trying to find their source and getting closer to it but the signal; only seems to exist at the table on the deck. The signal is very weak and comes and goes at will. On lucky days I am able to see my email but even on those days I am rarely able to read anything more than one or two messages. Responding has been just about impossible.

Slowly the others emerge, coffee is made and books are picked up. Depending on the day we sit quietly reading for a few minutes or for quite a few minutes.

One by one we eventually drift off to grab a little breakfast and a shower. No rush and no deadlines - it actually feels like a holiday.

On Thursday we decided that the first part of the day would be spent at Peggy’s Cove. It is a short ride towards Halifax and then up the other side of St. Margaret’s Bay. The maritime architecture is so different from what I am used to in the prairies. Wood is the predominant house siding with the occasional brick house. Many of the houses out here are large - three floors with what seem like large ‘back sides.’

On the way to Peggy’s Cove we stopped at the Swiss Air memorial. It was a moving site. It is located at a spot called Whale’s Back - the rock protrude from the ground in the same way that a whale’s back would protrude from the water as it is diving. Swiss Air 111 crashed into the ocean in 1998 killing all aboard. The crash, they think, was a result of a fire in the electrical system on the plane. This time is an important and traumatic time in the history of the people in the area.

We moved onto Peggy’s Cove and it was all it was advertised to be - rustic, historical, magnificent views and the most photographed lighthouse in Canada. It was also crawling with tourists. Bus after bus with tourists from all around the world pulled up and disgorged people with cameras. Although there were a few souvenir shops that part of a tourist destination wasn’t too intrusive.

We had lunch in the restaurant that is just below the lighthouse. We had heard that the lighthouse is now a post office so Helene brought a letter to mail so that it would have a Peggy’s Cove postmark.

The other day we toured Pier 21 but we didn’t have time to walk the waterfront so we left Peggy’s Cove and headed to Halifax.

First stop was a bank to get some British pounds. That done we were off to the waterfront. Once again we were impressed by Pat’s enthusiasm and knowledge of the city and its past.

We gawked at the tall ships, walked the pathway’s along the water and enjoyed the very different buskers - in ;particular a little woman with a sunbonnet playing the fiddle.

We stopped for a drink at Mark’s favourite spot on the wharf - we sat on the deck watching the ships, tugs, pilot boats and people pass by.

Pat and Mark’s daughter Jane and her partner Duncan just bought a house in Halifax - in fact it is only a few blocks away from where Pat herself grew up. We dropped by for a drink and a visit. We were very impressed with the house and Jane’s hospitality. They have literally just moved in, yet everything seemed organized and in its place. They have a comfortable feel in the house and we were made very welcome.

Dinner came late and was a bit of this and that and we drifted off to the Olympics on the television

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

2008-08-25T22:14:00.002-06:00

This was the first day of two that we are devoting to exploring the St. Margaret’s bay area. We headed off late in the morning - we can’t miss our leisurely wake up and coffee on the deck - and headed to Chester.

Chester is a beautiful little town about 45 minutes by car from Mill Cove. We wandered the shops, looked at the boats in the harbour and finally settled on a restaurant for lunch. We have heard here that frequently you have to make a choice - good food or a good view. Today at lunch we had a great view - although I thought my meal was quite good - clams and chips - not on my diet but then I am on a holiday!

After lunch we made our way to Mahone Bay. As we turned the corner on the highway this beautiful sight came into view - the Bay laid out before us with gingerbread houses and five church steeples on the far side.

We spent time wandering around the shops there with a bit of time in the Glass Lass shop. Pat has brought us a number of the beautiful glass pieces made by Sharon McNamara. Today Helene ordered a large serving platter. They will make it and ship it direct to Regina. I had visions of carrying a delicate glass piece around England and Italy for the next month.

The last stop was Lunenburg - a world heritage site - home of the Bluenose. Pat was pleased and surprised to see that the Bluenose was in port. Helene and I spent quite a bit of time onboard and talking to the kids that work the Bluenose for the summer.

It was interesting that all three spots are so similar and yet so different. All three have harbours and are clearly sea oriented. Yet Chester and Mahone Bay are clearly tourist destinations while Lunenburg is oriented to history and seems to be a working seaside town.

No dates, no descriptions, just pictures

2008-08-25T21:55:00.004-06:00

Monday, August 18, 2008

2008-08-25T11:08:00.004-06:00

This was our first full day at the cabin - the first day to see the sunrise, to relax on the deck and watch the water and the first day to explore and see the sights.

Shopping life here is defined by exits - Hubbards which has a few stores is on exit 6 but exit 5 is where the real shopping can happen - it even has a Tim Horton's!

So we went out to Exit 5 - stocked up on provisions and found Fred's Fish and Chip place for lunch. We took the sign seriously and we all ordered fish and chips - it was delicious - a very light breading on the fish and great french fries. We are determined to experience all the fresh fish and seafood that we can - meat and potatoes are easily available in Regina - we'll see how long that lasts before I start craving steak.

Our morning stretched out so long that by the time we got home from shopping it was time to start preparing dinner.

Dinner, the Olympics (more Michael Phelps), reading, a splash or two of Jameson's and I was ready for bed.

Much better Internet Access

2008-08-24T18:36:00.001-06:00

We have been in Nova Scotia for a week now but we have been at our friend's cabin on St. Margaret's bay - with virtually no internet access except at the occasional visitor centre or friend's house. But I have been keeping up with my blog using Word.

We are now in Wolfville with Nancy Hicks and her friend Dave. Nancy was a colleague at the University of Regina in Business Education. She retired 10 years ago and eventjually moved back home to the Annapolis Valley. She has internet at her home.

I will post last week's blog entries over the next day or two and hopefully get caught up.

Sunday, August 17, 2008

Finally we were on our way to Nova Scotia. We had time with Jay and Dori in the morning and then it was time to pack the car. They both took us to the airport and we boarded our plane to Halifax via Montreal.

We learned that the Air Canada section of the Boston Airport is very tiny with virtually no services - just a little kiosk selling bad coffee and packaged stuff. So after we went through security we left security and found a typical airport bar and had some lunch.

Montreal was a quick turnaround - customs, packing the two bottles of duty free Jameson and finding the correct gate.

We picked up our Budget rent-a-car and programmed Dolores (our GPS device) to take us to cabin on Mill Cove Shore Road.

I’m not sure what I was expecting of the scenery in Nova Scotia but I was impressed with the heavily treed terrain. The highways rolled and twisted their way around Halifax until we got close to the St. Margaret’s Bay area - water, summer cottages, year round homes - all beautiful with spectacular views looking over bodies of water.

This is fantastically beautiful part of the world.

Pat and Mark have rented this house for two months. Until now Pat has hosted her family and some other guests. We made our arrangements to be here for the last week of Mark’s stay. We have traveled with them before and our time together is always relaxed and fun.

This is not really a cottage. It is a 4 bedroom house complete with dining room, large kitchen, den and two full bathrooms along with a laundry room - we are hardly roughing it.

Cancelled Flights and the Black Rose

2008-08-19T16:40:00.003-06:00

Saturday was our last day in Boston with Jay and Dori so we wanted to spend a relaxing day with them. We started as usual at the Panera Bakery with coffee. Jay, Dori and Helene got their first while I finished packing. I even walked my suitcase over to Jay’s car and stowed it in the trunk.

After coffee we went up to the hotel room to collect the rest of the luggage. Dori and I took it back to the car while Jay and Helene finished checking the room and Helene did the checking out work.

While we were waiting Dori and I decided to check the status of our flight. I rarely check or confirm flights so this was unusual. It was a good thing that we checked as the flight had been cancelled. I’m still wondering when Air Canada intended to inform us about the cancellation - likely when we showed up at the check in counter. The rest of the day’s flights were either ridiculous (arriving in Halifax at 2:00 a.m.) or sold out. We eventually got seats on a flight leaving on Sunday through Montreal that left at a civilized time (as my friend Judy would say) and got us into Halifax around 6:00 p.m. So that gave us another day to spend with Jay and Dori - not a bad thing at all!

So the big decisions had to do with where to eat lunch, how to spend the afternoon and what to do about dinner. Lunch and dinner were easy - we wanted Shewarma at the place just down the street on Beacon and we wanted a leisurely dinner at The Black Rose.

The afternoon was a bit more problematic - we had seen a number of interesting Judaica stores down Harvard Street but had never had a chance to visit them. So we spent the afternoon walking down Harvard window shopping - it was Saturday and in Brookline that means Judaica stores are closed for the Sabbath!

Old Sturbridge Village

2008-08-17T18:33:00.002-06:00

On Friday we were invited by Dori’s parents to meet them halfway between Boston and Simsbury, Connecticut where they live. We meet at a place called Old Sturbridge Village. This place has been reconstructed to resemble an original New England town complete with homes, blacksmith shop, school, barns, animals, etc.

Thanks to our gps we made our way through the twists and turns of Boston out to the Mass Turnpike and found our way to Sturbridge.

It was good to see Ann and Pete. They guided us through the many interesting sights of the OSV. Pete has unbounded curiosity and had questions at every spot. I enjoyed this as I will usually just take in everything but won’t delve more deeply into what I see through asking questions. I file things away and come to the internet to explore.

The people that worked there were in character most of the time. They answered as if they were the people who lived and worked in the village. It was very interesting.

We came across a group of kids and a woman that were dressed in period costumes but that weren’t workers at the village. It turns out that they were part of a summer camp that studied this history and tried to have the kids experience everything for themselves. They looked like brightly dressed Hutterite/Mennonite kids.

We headed back to Boston around 2 and made it through rush hour without too much trouble. We were going to dinner with Jay and Dori (as our final night together) but Helene and I wanted to sneak in a drink at our favourite Boston pub - the Black Rose. So we quickly changed and grabbed the T changing at Government Centre to the Blue line ending up at the Aquarium stop - a short walk down State street to the Black Rose.

Jay joined us and then walked with us through the rain to Radius - a beautiful little restaurant in downtown Boston. The service was excellent and the food even better. Helene had scallops and I had a steak - yes I know I am supposed to have seafood when I am on the coast but I was craving meat. There will be time enough for more seafood in Nova Scotia.

A quick taxi ride home and more Olympics - that is, more Michael Phelps - am I the only one that is getting tired of that story?

The Shopping Freedom Trail

2008-08-16T06:44:00.003-06:00

Helene has been trying to get me to walk the Freedom Trail with her ever since we started coming to Boston. The Freedom Trail is a walk through Boston which goes past numerous historical sites. It generally runs from the Boston Common to Faneuil Market - about 2.5 miles.

Needless to say I have resisted.

Thursday started as most of the days this week. We assembled at Panero's Bakery for coffee with Jay and then went back to his place for lunch.

The afternoon was going to be devoted to shopping and walking the Freedom Trail - or so we thought.

We took the T to the Prudential Centre. When we exhausted the shops there we decided to walk towards downtown. Filene's Basement and DSW - we both need shoes for the rest of this trip - seem to be places we regularly frequent when we are in Boston. We knew that Filene's had been taken over by Macy's and had heard that the store across the street from DSW had been closed.

But within a few blocks of thew Prudential Centre we discovered a Filene's Basement outlet. Helene couldn't find anything but I was able to find a few things.

When we got back to Newbury Street it had started to rain but we decided to forge ahead anyway. Within minutes we were in a deluge. We found shelter under an awning and stood for 45 minutes watching low, thick, grey clouds dump gallons of water on the streets. The rain wasn't in sheets but it was hard and constant. An atmosphere like that in Saskatchewan would cause rains that would last days. Fortunately in Boston after 45 minutes of hard rain the sun broke through the clouds and within minutes we were back in a bright, sunny clear day - incredibly hot and humid.

As we passed the Common we realized we were walking towards Faneuil Market. We decided we were walking our own freedom trail- if not for historical purposes at least for shopping purposes.

We made it to DSW shopped and bought (again it was me buying as Helene couldn't find anything) - and then made our way home on the T.

We met Dori's brother, Jeff, her sister-in-law, Leslie and her niece, Madison (a beautiful three year old little girl) for dinner at a local Japanese restaurant called Fugakyu. Besides the excellent food this restaurant has historical significance - it was the site of Jay and Dori's first date.

Thursday Dori's brother and family - Friday Dori's parents!

The British Agressors

2008-08-15T05:53:00.003-06:00

It has been a busy few days - I will try to catch up today.

Last year we attended the wedding of the daughter of our good friends the Scholars. The wedding was in 29 Palms, California at a resort right next to the Joshua Tree National Park. We discovered a few things there. First I realized that I love the desert - the landscape and the sense of the desert were intriguing to me. I am determined to get back there sometime soon. The second discovery was that Bed and Breakfasts can be very good experiences. I'll have to check back to see if I wrote about that weekend in this blog.

At the wedding we sat with the groom's aunt and uncle who happened to live in the Boston area - Waltham to be specific. They were a very interesting couple and we have been in touch occasionally since. When they heard we were coming to Boston on this trip they invited us out for a day of exploring in Waltham and Concord.

We drove out to Waltham (thank god for the woman that lives inside my Garmin GPS - she knows how to get anywhere - and never gets annoyed when I make a mistake!). Nancy and Jim then drove us out to Concord where they took us for lunch at the Colonial Inn. The website begins with:

"Concord's Colonial Inn is an enduring landmark of gracious hospitality in historic Concord, Massachusetts. The Inn was originally built in 1716 and has operated as a hotel since 1889. Nestled in a quaint New England village famed for its revolutionary and literary history, Concord's Colonial Inn is the picture perfect destination for your next vacation and business travel. "

We had our lunch outside and enjoyed crab cakes, lobster sandwiches, decadent dessert and great conversation. Nancy and Jim are very knowledgeable and proud of their country's history - especially the history that took place in this area.

After lunch we drove out to the Old North Bridge - the scene of the "Shot Heard 'Round the World' - a phrase that comes from a Ralph Waldo Emerson poem.

"By the rude bridge that arched the flood,
Their flag to April's breeze unfurled,
Here once the embattled farmers stood
And fired the shot heard round the world."

The battles fought here marked the beginning of the American Revolution - a revolution that had been brewing (pardon the pun) for some time.

As I understand the situation the British, who had established the colonies, heard that munitions and supplies were being stockpiled in preparation of an armed insurgency. To head this off they sent troops in to seize these stockpiles. The battles at Concord and Lexington took place to resist the British Aggression. Quite an interesting view of history.

We ended the day with a wonderful dinner of salmon, latkes and vegetables at Jay and Dori's place.

Jay and I had been invited by Jeff, his brother in law, to the Wellesely Newcomers Poker club and we left Helene and Dori right after dinner. I have watched Texas Hold'Em on television but had never played. I was the beneficiary of beginner's luck as I left the game with more money than I brought. I can see how the game can become addictive. Part of the attraction was the tournament style of play. We each bought in for $20 and then played until only one person was left with all the chips. The fourth last person to be eliminated got their $20 and the last three got increasing amounts of the pot as they survived. It felt like we were playing with lots of money but in reality only $20 was on the line.

It was a late night!

Harvard

2008-08-13T06:42:00.004-06:00

It has been a tradition in our family to try to participate with our kids in the various aspects of their lives. When they were in elementary school we volunteered at the school - especially to help the teachers, administration and the other children understand our Jewish culture and heritage. When they were teenagers we acted as chaperones and advisors to the kids' music, athletic and social groups.

But one of the nicest traditions has involved our kids' university experience. The first day of school has always been special and we have always been excited to share the kids' experiences. All of our kids went away to University at one point or another and going with them to explore the university and helping them settle into their new lives has always been fun and exciting.

I have been able to experience Stacey's recent university experience first hand. For the last year and a half she has shared my office while studying for her Master's degree. The fatherly pleasure of watching her grow and become more and more confident and competent will be the topic of another entry.

Yesterday, though, was our turn with Jay. Jay will be studying for his master's degree in law (LL.M.) at Harvard this coming school year. We spent the day with Jay visiting the many buildings that comprise the Harvard Law School. I am going to have to dredge up that old movie called the Paper Chase to see if I recognize any of the streets or buildings.

Jay discovered that as a law student he had free access to the law gym - we checked it out and saw that it had considerable equipment and other facilities like a pool. It is located right behind the library - very convenient for a student who will likely spend long hours in the library.

Without question the most impressive building was the library. They were kind enough to let us into the stacks and study areas. I was blown away.

At the U of R we provide carrels to the students that are basically arborite square tables with a shelf for books attached. At Harvard they provide large oak desks (they look like large rolltop desks without the rolltops)

They have art everywhere - in particular they have portraits of law professors, deans, and other people that have some connection to Harvard Law.

I found it interesting that Barack Obama was the first black person to be elected to be president of the Law Review. It takes a long time for some barriers to be broken.

We finished the afternoon by wandering through the Coop - this large bookstore is called the coop (koop) rather than the Co-op - as a contraction of Cooperative - however it is a cooperative run by the Harvard Student Society. Jay buys many books and will likely join the coop.

My daydreams of Jay being part of the Harvard community now have realistic images as background. He has a wonderful opportunity - one I am definitely envious of - to be part of an academic and student community that will be engaging, challenging, and fascinating. It is a community that has deep history and tradition. He will now be part of that history and tradition. His challenge is to become actively involved in all the opportunities available. I know he will be impressive to his professors and his fellow students. I am very proud of him.

Dinner was at Jay and Dori's watching the Olympics. Will the Beijing Olympics require all competitive swimming pools to be rebuilt???

Morristown

2008-08-12T18:00:00.003-06:00

Jay is working for a law professor at Harvard this summer. He is helping by doing background research for an article the professor is about to write. As part of this work jay has decided that he needs to find a read some documents pertaining to wills and civil law suits related to the case. In order to do that he needed to go to Morristown, New Jersey. Helene and I volunteered to go with him.

The four hour drive to Morristown was very interesting. We travelled on highways in Massachusetts, New York, Connecticut and New Jersey. The scenery was beautiful - we saw many, many trees with full green crowns. The landscape primarily was rolling and changed regularly. This kind of scenery is exactly what is missing as we drive through the prairies.

The weather was interesting too. We drove through bright sunshine, heavy clouds, light rain and heavy rain - on a regular basis.

Although the scenery all the way along was beautiful, nothing compared to what we saw on the Merritt Parkway. This is a 4 lane road lined with very heavy growth of trees forming a canopy over the highway. The centre median also has trees and which contribute to the sense of driving through an arbour.

As I sang the praises of the Merritt Parkway to Dori after we returned home she pointed out that it is not only one of the most beautiful strips of highway in the U.S. but also one of the most dangerous.

Morristown turned out to be a nice little place. The history there centres around the two instances that Washington and the Continental Army overwintered there. There is a very pleasant green in the centre of town with statues and other items commemorating the role Morristown and its people placed in the revolutionary and civil wars.

Jay drove to Morristown but I drove home. The whole drive was on large highways - interstates or significant state roads - something I look forward to when we drive in the midwest or mountain areas in the States. Here in the east these highways are crowded and seem to be bumper to bumper all day long. The drive home for me was interesting but I was 'driving' the whole time - as compared to the ease of driving (basically alone on the highway)on an isolated interstate going through Montana or North Dakota.

Provincetown

2008-08-11T21:11:00.003-06:00

I normally write these entries in the morning about the day before. But this morning there wasn't time to write about yesterday. We were up at 5:30 and on the road at 6:30. I'll write about today's adventures tomorrow morning.

Yesterday we decided we wanted to see Cape Cod. We have been to a few places on the Cape but really hadn't spent a full day exploring. Jay and Dori pointed out that one of the most interesting places on Cape Cod was Provincetown. So we headed for Provincetown.

Provincetown is at the far tip of Cape Cod. It is truly an interesting place. Read about it here.

It took over two hours to get there but it was a lovely drive. It is always nice to just be in our children's company so that was the first pleasure. The scenery is typical New England. Lots of trees, very green and I expected to see Ichabod Crane around every corner.

Provincetown itself is very interesting. It reminds me a lot of Key West - in fact we heard an artist who was selling his paintings on the street say that he spent his summers in Provincetown and his winters in Key West.

The main street is narrow and filled with restaurants, art galleries, t-shirt shops and other assorted touristy stores - mouthwatering fudge the signed said!

We had lunch sitting on the deck right on the main street - fish and chips for me and a lobster roll for Helene. I think she is practicing for Halifax.

Last night was chinese take out and women's gymnastics at the Olympics.

Walking, a wedding remembered and telling no one

2008-08-10T06:09:00.004-06:00

Jay lived in Vancouver for 7 years while he was going to school. There is no question that Vancouver is a "walking" city. When we have gone there to stay for a few weeks we stay just off of Robson near the West End and rarely take the car out.

I'm not sure if it is his Vancouver training or just the fact that he lives in Boston but Jay is a walker. And we have been walking right along with him for the past few days.

As you can imagine my job keeps me pretty sedentary and I make little effort (although I do try to get to the gym) to change that. So the walking has been both challenging and energizing. It feels good to get out onto the street and move. It also feels good to stop and sit and watch the world go by for a while. And it is great to sleep as soundly as I have for the past few nights. Given what is going on with my back and neck walking seems to be a good cure. I am spending a bit of time on the computer - a few minutes making sure I am responding to the few emails sent by my graduate students - and a few minutes to write this blog. But for the most part I am on my feet and walking.

This part of Boston, Coolidge Corner, which is really Brookline (a trolley suburb) is old, full of 'character' and interesting. The mix of cultures is everywhere - Jewish, Catholic, Russian, African and more. The melting pot seems to have allowed pockets of ethnicity and Brookline is one of those pockets.

The other day we learned that the Kennedys moved out here to be near a Catholic Church yet this neighbourhood has at least 4 synagogues within a 10 block radius.

The area seems to have more medical facilities than all of Saskatchewan! But then again this is Boston.

So yesterday we walked. We started the day with coffee at Panero's and sat and watched the birds on their patio. Panero's is a bakery/restaurant that has a deck/patio in front. This area is really part of the building, not intruding on the sidewalk, and so is covered providing shade. Orders are taken inside and delivered to your table. The patio is also populated by birds - sparrows mostly. Unattended food, dropped food and even food sitting on a plate are all fair game for the birds - and there are a fair number that hang around waiting for their chance.

I have a picture of three or four birds sitting on the back of a chair opposite a man that was eating his breakfast. He was reading as he ate and the birds were anticipating their own breakfast.

More walking and a short T ride brought us to Chinatown. The crowded streets, the noise and the big city smells (at one point garbage, at another restaurant smells, at another flowers and fresh fruit) made this an exciting and interesting walk.

Dim Sum for lunch and then a walk down Charles Street dropping into the antique shops and then over to the Boston Common and the Public Gardens.

It was Saturday and the parks were filled with people. The Common has war memorials, a bandshell and typical park things. But then we went across to the Public Gardens.

When my kids were young one of their favourite books was Make Way for Ducklings. This is the story of mother duck and her ducklings getting a little lost. With the help of a kind policeman they make their way across the busy street from the Commons to the Public Gardens and ultimately to the pond where the Swan boats float.

In a tribute to this beautiful book statues of mother duck and all of her ducklings stand near the entrance to the Public Gardens. If you have little children or grandchildren make sure they know about Mack, Nack and all the other ducklings walking in a row behind their Mom.

With the afternoon gone we met Dori at the Kimpton Hotel. This was where Jay and Dori were married last year. We had drinks and dinner in the restaurant and talked a lot about the time around the wedding. It was an exciting and happy time - then and now.

We walked over to the Museum of Science (just across the street) and investigated their offerings. They have a planetarium that sets their shows to Rock and Roll. The three of interest are the Queen show, the Led Zeppelin show and the Pink Floyd show. One night this week we'll attend one of these.

It was end of a long day so a taxi was hailed and we rode home - we had done enough walking for the day.

Just across from the hotel on Harvard street is an old style movie theatre. We went there to see a movie called Tell No One. It is a French language movie based on an English novel. Despite the subtitles it was an intriguing suspenseful movie. I recommend it.

The theatre itself was beautiful with ornate, gold decorations, a heavy velvet curtain and a large stadium type room with a balcony. It took me back to my young days in Winnipeg going to the Capital or Metropolitan or Gaiety theatres

Kennedy, holidays and life

2008-08-09T09:44:00.010-06:00

This holiday, so far, is shaping up to be a great mixture of adventure, connection and relaxation.

We spent the whole day yesterday with Jay. We had a leisurely breakfast at his 'normal' coffee place, Panero's Bakery and then wandered the Coolidge Corner area.

On the corner of Beacon and Beals we noticed a sign that pointed us to JFK's birthplace and we decided to explore. We came upon a stately old house on this beautiful street filled with stately old houses - most of which seem to be converted to apartment houses.

The Park Service has created an interesting museum/showplace out of this old home. The Kennedys only lived there until John was 3 and before Joe became fabulously wealthy.

We took the guided tour ($3 a person) and had a very knowledgeable tour guide - Jon. He told us the background of the house and how it was used by the Kennedys and eventually how it came into the hands of the Park Service. Rose was very involved in the development of the museum and recorded a considerable oral history of the house and their experiences in it.

When I heard the story and thought about what I know about the family I really have to wonder if this was a family that was blessed or cursed. Four children dead before their mother's death and it goes on. Yet they were able to use their great wealth to contribute - think about the Special Olympics - a direct result (according to our guide and the video we saw about Rose's life) of the problems faced by Rosemary Kennedy. But then, of course, her story is an interesting one too!

We then went back to Jay's place to meet his wife Dori as she came home from work. We are very lucky, I think, in the partners all three of our children have picked. They are all bright, educated, intelligent, hard workers and good people.

We visited with Dori and Jay for a while and then went back to the hotel for a little snooze (notice how the adventure and the laziness mix during this holiday!!)

Dinner was at a great little Indian restaurant names Rani right on Beacon Street. Thankfully it was just a few doors down from the hotel as it was pouring cats and dogs. The food was excellent and the company very pleasant.

Sometimes holidays can feel like fantasies - you forget to read the paper, listen to the news or pay attention to your normal interests.

I was reminded of reality today when I read an entry to a blog that one of my former student maintains. She wrote about her mother's diagnosis with breast cancer and the worries for the family over the summer.

Life goes on even though some of us are on holiday. The CIBC Run for the Cure is in October - I encourage you to support this important cause

A Return and a Trip

2008-08-08T08:11:00.004-06:00

My last post was in late April. A number of things have kept me from posting here since then not the least of which is a pretty severe neck and back problem. This is keeping me from sitting at a computer for any lengthy period of time. I guess I am paying for those long, long hours of slouching at the computer for all those years.

Yet I have still been busy in the intervening months. I taught two intersession courses - ED 800 (Introduction to Research) and EC&I 809 (Program Evaluation.) It was an interesting 6 weeks - teaching four nights a week! I am now also working on making EC&I 809 an online course. I'll be teaching it online during the Winter 2009 semester (even though I will be starting a six month sabbatical in January.) Any suggestions are appreciated.

But because I taught those two intersession courses I will not be teaching courses during the Fall 2008 semester.

Which allows for the Trip.

Yesterday, early in the morning, Helene and I got on a plane to Boston to begin the first leg of a journey that will take us to Boston, Nova Scotia, London, England, Sicily and the Amalfi coast. We will return to Regina in late September.

I will do my best to chronicle this journey.

There are also a number of professional issues that I have been thinking about that I will also address here over the next while.

For this trip I purchased an Asus EEE computer - two pounds and fully functional - all I need to do is get used to the smaller keyboard

Economics, Research and Passover

2008-04-24T22:45:00.003-06:00

I had lunch today with a friend/colleague. We've known each other for a long time - I was her M.Ed advisor. Early in her career she was a Business Education teacher but more recently she has had a deep interest in Program Evaluation.

Then this evening I was visiting a friend who has been an entrepreneur in Saskatchewan for over 40 years.

In both of these situations we discussed the need to understand economics in terms of participating in the economy as consumers and employees and in terms of being an entrepreneur and creating wealth within the economy.

Basically both said that it was a no-brainer that a good understanding of economics is fundamental to operating well within any economy.

So if it is so clear to so many people why doesn't the Ministry of Education understand this????

On a research note my friend/colleague/student Rhonda Haus has finally received permission to begin her study on the Practical and Applied Arts in Regina. We are still waiting for a response from one of the school boards in Regina but the other Board has approved the study so we are beginning to collect data.

I think this study will be very revealing in terms of what is being taught and by whom. But more importantly Rhonda has the opportunity to capture teacher's attitudes towards these classes.

And on a final note - I am sick of Matzah!!

Finished marking

2008-04-23T21:14:00.002-06:00

I love teaching - I love the preparation, I love the classes and I love seeing how my students have grown. Except that means I have to mark.

An aside: Do we mark papers? or Do we grade papers? My natural speech pattern pulls the word 'mark' out whenever I talk about this activity. But a number of my friends talk about being busy grading papers. Perhaps it is like the Canadian way of saying "my child is in Grade 5" while the Americans say "My child is in the fifth grade"

Back to the point.

I actually enjoy marking/grading. I like seeing what my students have created and how they have progressed through the semester. And in some ways it is an ego trip - do I see myself and my teachings in their materials?

But...... there is always a but......... it takes soooooooooo long - of course if I didn't save a lot of it to the end of the course that may make the load a little lighter!

This morning I completed marking the papers from all of my winter semester`s courses. And I submitted my grades.

Now to clean up the office, get ready for the next set of courses that start on May 5 - and the cycle continues

Passover

2008-04-20T17:10:00.002-06:00

Last night was the first night of Passover and we hosted the first seder. This holiday is the normal spring celebration - rebirth, redemption and thankfulness.

Twenty one people sat down to our seder table and heard the story of how Moses (and God - or was it the other way around) lead the children of Israel out of slavery in Egypt.

Along the way we stopped to think about Charlton Heston - although none of us agreed with his politics his role as Moses provided the archetype for many people's conception of the Passover story.

Passover frequently comes close to end of the semester and for me that is always a special time. One thing ending and another thing starting - always an exciting time.

Prayer, praying and diversity

2008-04-16T22:33:00.004-06:00

My day today was bookmarked by suits! I rarely wear a suit and even more rarely do I wear a tie. But today was different.

Very early this morning I attended the Prayer Breakfast hosted by the Lieutenant Governor and the Chief Justice of Saskatchewan. There were many suits there and lots of ties.

This was an interesting event - bible readings, a few prayers (my wife presented a prayer for the province) and a few speeches.

This Breakfast has been an institution in Regina for, I'm told, almost 40 years. With my wife on the committee and two other women including an aboriginal elder this Breakfast seems to be expanding its reach and opening itself to diversity.

Yet despite the fact that the speaker was Richie Hall, one of the Roughrider coaches and an African American, the event was still pretty white and christian. The blessing on the meal was invoked through Jesus and the main message brought by the speaker was the effect on his life by accepting Jesus into his heart.

I am a supporter of these kinds of activities and I have a real appreciation for those individuals who are striving, in very real ways, to embrace diversity.

But I do recognize that it is hard to change and slow to change - however I accept progress in these arenas as measured in inches.

On the other hand my second suit experience of the day was the EMCY Awards. Check out their website at: http://www.emcy.ca/

EMCY - Enriching My Canada and Yours - "The purposes of the Foundation are to advance research in diversity, celebrate diversity, celebrate multiculturalism, celebrate Canada, foster cooperation and harmony among the diverse communities that make up Canada; to recognize leaders in diversity; to recognize outstanding achievements in diversity; provide a common forum and meeting ground for the community; represent the viewpoint of creators and innovators in diversity management; and foster educational activities related to the understanding of diversity and economic benefits."

This brand new organization had their first annual awards dinner tonight. It was well attended and the award winners were impressive. The crowd was made up of the amazing diversity in Canada. Sitting around me at our table and the neighboring tables were people of various skin colour, accent, religions and beliefs.

Both types of activities have their place - both are appreciated - and both provided thought provoking experiences for me.

They are different from each other. One is attempting to break out of its past and embrace the diversity of Canada and the other is trying to build a future where diversity is seen as normal course. They are both making Canada a better place

And next the Regina MultiFaith Forum Dinner!

Economics and Economic Development

2008-04-15T21:32:00.002-06:00

I was channel surfing earlier today when I came across what appeared to be a telecast of the Junior Achievement Awards dinner on our local public access channel.

I listened to a few of the announcements and honors but was most interested when the Premier Brad Wall spoke. He praised JA for assisting young people in looking at entrepreneurship and for becoming entrepreneurs.

He talked about his father and his uncle starting out in business and about his own attempts at creating businesses.

His government is focused on economic development. His rhetoric and actions are aimed at creating a sustainable and economically viable province. My guess is that his beliefs are based on the values of hard work, economic contribution, innovation and competition.

So why is there this blind spot concerning the study of economics in high schools? What entrepreneur could possibly be successful without an understanding of basic economic concepts? What consumer can use and protect their resources in ways that are of benefit to the individual and to society?

How can you have economic development without an understanding of economics?

Whenever a Business Educator speaks up about the high school economics curriculum they are told that Economics is a Social Science (implying that we should butt out). The latest example of this is a portion of a letter one of my students received from the current Minister of Education.

The economics curriculum in Saskatchewan is so outdated that it doesn't even appear on the Ministry of education's website.

In an environment where we regularly hear that as educators we need to encourage innovation, creativity and energy because of the changing economic environment, where globalisation is a fact and that we compete in a global economy why is it that it seems difficult to discuss the curriculum that directly addresses these basic concepts.

How can you have economic development - sustained or otherwise - with out economics.

For those about to reply that Economics is a Social Science (even according to economists) please notice that I, along with most business educators, couldn't care less what the designation is, rather we care that students learn this important material.