Friday Vari-e-tay: The Sea

This is my extensive list of "Things I Know About the Sea."

1. It is large.
2. It is salty.
3. It is too cold to swim in, at least in Canada.
4. Fish live there.
5. Seaweed grows there.
6. Some places have coral. Sometimes coral gets diseases and people study them. I don't know why.
7. Some places it is so deep that we haven't seen the bottom yet.
8. Some places you can fish for crab and lobster. I have done this. I also jigged (jogged?) for cod.
   
9. There are dolphins and sharks in the sea.
10. Whales are mammals.
11. Sea cucumbers are animals! I have touched them.
12. There are both freshwater and saltwater otters.
    
13. Some birds live off fish. They are called seabirds.
14. Male seahorses carry the babies before they are born.
15. The highest tides in the world are in Canada - at the Bay of Fundy. They can be up to 16.3 metres high.
16. Canada has the longest coastline in the world.
17. Three times as much rubbish, by weight, is dumped in the ocean than fish are caught.
18. A group of jellyfish is called a "smack."
19. Herrings swim in "sieges."
20. Guillemots run in "bazaars." (for the record, Guillaumes and Guillemots are very different from one another - one is a good-looking French man, and the other is a seabird of the Charadriiformes order. Although they do come from the same root word.)*

I have only seen this movie once. But I'm pretty sure it's the most influential film on children's understanding of the ocean.



*for the record, I stole facts 15 through 20 from my friend Alasdair. I did, however, look up all by myself the extra facts about guillemots being of the order Charadriiformes and that they share a root with the name Guillaume.

Wednesday's Word: Courage

Back in August, work gave me a book called Courage: The Backbone of Leadership. It sat on my desk for a couple of months. I read the intro and thought, "meh."

Then I took it with me on a business trip and have been devouring it for the last week and a half. If you work with me, and were given a copy, please read it. I'd love to hear thoughts on the application within our context. If you don't work with me or weren't given a copy, you should also read it.

Some snippets:

He was teaching me to behave according to values and rules instead of in response to fear or need.

No matter who we are and what we do, we are seduced by avoidance.

Most [American HR experts] confirm that the vast majority of male executives don't cheat but are conflict-adverse...about 80 percent...most of them agree that American female executives are more courageous in approaching conflict but often lack the institutional authority to have the impact of their male counterparts.

Results are resources passed through relationships.

When we swallow reality and fake being nice, we don't make things better. We make people sick, starting with ourselves.

Everyone needs regular, routine positive feedback.

We use statements to give encouragement and recognition...we use questions to discuss challenges and problems.

Leadership is about people and inspiring people. Management is organizations and controlling institutional functions.

Leaders respect and appreciate all, reward many, and fire a few.

It's wrong to adopt fear and avoidance as life principles. It's like using our brains and experience to build marble shrines to cowardice...Here we're asked to do what appears to be good and assured that doing it is OK if we make a habit of it.

Admirable or not, a core value is a nonnegotiable practice that is most obvious in times of stress...Institutional core values reflect the personal core values of the organization's leadership.

Low core values are common habits. Middle core values are visible best business practices. There are but three high core values: Integrity. Courage. Character.

The opposite of courage isn't fear; fear is simply the internal condition that courage overcomes. The opposite of courage is indifference.

Formal ethical codes can be purely theoretical. This means that informal, internal ethical codes have far more impact on actual behaviour.

and my personal favourite:

Courage doesn't depend on practical outcomes, risk versus gains analysis, or collateral impact on others - that's pragmatism. Pragmatism is the application of practicality, utility and consequences to decision making. Courage is addressing wrongs in the face of fear, regardless of consequences, of risk to self, or of potential practical gains.

Two'sday: New Music

Newly added to my library:

Album #1 - Iron and Wine's Around the Well
Album #2 - Florence + the Machine's Lungs

So excited for them both. Favourites so far are "The Drumming Song" and "Such Great Heights."

Two'sday: Sara Groves

from Conversation, c. 2000.

Painting Pictures of Egypt



What I Thought I Wanted (fan vid - just listen)

Sundays are Fundays

Technically, my Sunday started last night while at a party that was going strong. I was glad of the changing clocks and the chance to recover at least one lost hour of sleep. And for the record, I really can rock the 80s formal wear.

November started with a beautifully sunny day:
I woke up earlier than planned with plenty of time to make it to church.
Sat next to a man with beautiful eyes.
Played with a baby in the nursery.
Ate Japanese food, and liked it.
Skipped the gym.
Hung out with my little (bigger) brother and a handful of other guys.
Was startled when an older gentleman fell at the grocery store (but was relieved when he was well taken care of.)
Enabled the purchase of far too much Halloween candy.
Played Wii.
Played my first ever game of disc golf.
Refused to take a handicap at the game.
Spent an hour singing the chorus from Biz Markie's hit song, which is still in my head. Get out of my head, Biz Markie!!!
Lost my first ever game of disc golf. But with my pride intact.
Scrounged leftovers from the fridge.
Babysat. Put a baby to bed and watched TV. Tried not to fall asleep.
Blogged.
Went to bed.

Saturday Sing Along:

TV shows meet music videos. All the rage right now, and even The Office pulls it off... I really like Erin. And if Lady Ga-Ga sang this song, it would be #1 on the charts.




These songs caught my ear on my iPod. I don't know where any of them came from, but I like them.

The Veils - "The Letter"


Plants and Animals - "New Kind of Love (live)"


Greg Laswell - "The One I Love" (Don't bother watching the video. Just listen.)




Finally. Today is my mom's birthday. When we went to see Mamma Mia! together, and this song came on, I got a glimpse of how hard it is to let your children go.

I was telling someone recently that I've always felt that my mom holds on to me with open hands, which I appreciate. And don't worry, Mom. I'm not going anywhere. We can still have adventures and go places and share great moments. Happy Birthday!

Friday Vari-e-tay: Biz Markie-Who?

Dribbling teapot? Problem solved.

A study on polygamy in Siberia may uncover some helpful tips on boosting the economy....?

Girls. We're worth it.

How to avoid bad Powerpoint presentations. From the people who brought us Made to Stick, which I haven't read but will endorse anyway.


This song has been in my head off and on for weeks. Please excuse the awful "yo momma" jokes. Otherwise, you can't really ask for a better video. Girls with normal body types. Mozart-esque piano scenes.

My attempts to sing it to others have failed miserably...or sounded exactly like the original?

Just in case you didn't know, that was Biz Markie. Famous for such songs as - oh wait, just famous for that hit from 1989. Although he also does a beatboxing segment on Yo Gabba Gabba!, which is a kids' TV show that takes its name from a Ramones' song.

Huh. Not gonna lie, reading the wiki page is making me want to check it out.

Thoughtful Thursday: Observation, Interpretation, Application

On Thursday nights, I have a "Small Group Community" with my church. About fifteen of us get together to discuss Sunday's sermon, laugh, and pray together. I am glad it's a part of my life.

Tonight, I asked a question about the text (1 Samuel 5), and challenged people to stick specifically to observing. Often we jump ahead to interpreting and applying before we've given a thorough look at the facts we're examining.


As I was brushing my teeth and getting ready for bed, I thought about the week I just spent visiting Toronto and Montreal, exploring some potential options for change in my life. I spent most of my time observing, taking it all in and processing the data in front of me.

I've been trying to apply my thoughts and make a decision for awhile now. I want to know the next steps for my life, what kind of changes are coming down the chute and how I can prepare myself for them. Every new observation I have leads to six possible interpretations of its significance. This is tiring.

A friend asked me at an art show after small group if I have made up my mind. I laughed, and said it's only been 24 hours since I got home, and he laughed and said, "Yeah, twenty-four whole hours. That's enough time to decide!"

But the reality is that observation takes time, and if you jump into interpretation prematurely, then you're likely to make a wrong application.


So I'm just going to keep observing until I've nothing left to notice.