Posted on November 5, 2015 under Thursday Tidbits with one comment

Casey and Maggie. Co- conspirators in “The Smell of Success”

 

 

I just had to show you the other part of the dynamic duo who starred in yesterday’s story “The Smell of Success.” I wasn’t sure how this story would be received but I knew the picture of Casey would at least get your attention! I’m a sly old dog myself. From the response I received, most dog lovers not only liked it but many of you could relate to it and had your own story. Like the lady attending a wedding shower when the hostess’s dog let one rip a few feet away from her. Everyone looked at her when the smell permeated the room and at least one person accused her of being the author. “The dog farted , not me,” she said embarrassingly. The hostess replied “ Yeah, that’s what everyone says. Always blaming it on the dog.” Ya just can’t win.

I mentioned on Monday that I had two stories just about ready for printing. The first one is about people who work shift work. It’s called “A Seismic Shift” and it is a tribute for people who work very hard and are continuously dealing with the vagaries of shift work.

The other story is about a recent crossing of the border at St. Stephen, N.B. We got very unlucky as we got pulled over by a slightly overzealous Customs official suffering from terminal boredom. We were the only car in the lineup. When I mentioned this on MMM the other day, one of you got back to me to tell me about the time that your family got stopped at the border for 24 hours! I had a hard time keeping my patience ( and from wetting myself until the border agent relented and let me use the washroom ) for one hour. “Borderdom” will be posted in the next few days.

Rarely ( never )do I stray from the path of righteousness but there’s always a first time. I heard a story at the resort the other day and it was so funny that I just had to write it even though it might attract attention from the censors ( my editor! ). My duty is to entertain and not provoke so I’ll have to grapple with this before I (we!) decide to publish it. It’s really quite harmless… I think. The subject is pedicures and it is the hilarious story of a middle aged guy who is cajoled into getting one. The story is called “Ressurection” and I’ll let you know how this goes once I send it along for editing. BTW. I tried it out at the book launch yesterday and people LOVED it!

And finally…. my Florida book launch. Despite sweltering heat and high humidity, 20 brave souls came to the Gypsy Souls coffee shop for an hour of music and story telling. We had a blast and just winged it. Peter was in great voice. I read the dedication for the book ( dedicated to my 4 children ) and then Peter got things going with Johnny Cash’s “Ring of Fire.” Had some fun and sold some books… helping keep the economy of Nova Scotia strong!

We had a surprise anniversary party at our resort last evening for two of the sweetest people you could meet. They have been married for 60 years and they still have a zest for life. They bicycle just about every day they’re in Florida and aren’t hesitant to go to trivia night at one of the local bars. In other words, they’re good sports. After a pot luck supper, I sang “Rennaisance” ( a Valdy tune ) as their anniversary song. They danced. It was quite touching. And then Pete and I let it rip non stop for an hour and a half. We have made so many wonderful friends here over the years. Joyce, one half of the duo, gave a beautiful talk when all was said and done. She says that coming to Florida and seeing old friends is life giving. I feel blessed to be part of this group.

Ok, folks. One more day before Pete and I hit the road for Victoria. More road stories and Peter’s pics comin’ at you.

Have a great weekend.

Posted on November 4, 2015 under Storytelling with no comments yet

Man’s best friend…. most of the time

 

 

Micky was young, bright and personable and ready to make her mark in the world. She had a day job which she loved but she also yearned to try something on her own; to be her own boss.  Why give up a certain and steady paycheque to chase a dream?  It’s called entrepreneurship and Micky was ready to go for it.  She was intrigued with nutrition and fitness and discovered a company that afforded an opportunity for her to test her mettle.

The business world is in constant flux and more and more people are choosing to work from home. Technology has enabled people to conduct business anywhere in the world, any time of the day.  It also allows people the chance to work in a more casual setting.  No need to spend time in front of the mirror in the morning or waste precious time picking out a wardrobe.   Unless you are in front of a web cam.

It didn’t take long for Micky to hit her stride and, before she knew it, she was becoming a bona fide success story. She took on the role of recruiting new people and became a coach for others with similar goals.  It was all pretty heady stuff and to top it off, she and her partner discovered that they were about to have a child.

On the day of a very important video conference, with people in different parts of the country who were interested in coaching, Micky was both excited and nauseous. The nausea was NOT a case of nerves but rather morning sickness.  She would just have to shrug it off.  She had been prepping her presentation for the better part of a week and was ready to deliver 40 minutes of optimism.

She settled in at her computer and within minutes was connected to seven other people. She started to feel better physically as she got into the meat of her presentation.

Micky had two dogs and having them around was like wearing a comfy pair of slippers.  Casey was a 2 year old black lab and her best friend was Maggie, a 12 pound miniature dachshund.  As dogs are wont to do, they started playing with each other … at Micky’s feet, which wasn’t a great distraction at first.  Some of the other conference call participants had babies on their laps.  This was one of the bonuses of working from home.

Just as Micky was about to deliver her key message, she smelled something awful. It was worse than awful.  It was so bad that she went into a serious coughing fit and her stomach did cartwheels.  Casey had decided to deliver his own commentary with a series of massive farts.  The first one was of the SBD variety (silent but deadly) but the second ricocheted around the living room at a decibel level heard across the country.

Micky lost her concentration. She almost lost her breakfast as well.  She was quite rattled and mustered up all of her coaching skills to deal with the stress of the moment.  Only when the call came to an end, did she confess to the others what had happened.  There was much good natured ribbing.  The other participants were effusive in their praise of her presentation and she signed off.  Casey, the culprit, and her sidekick Maggie were nowhere to be found.

Flattery will get you anywhere. Flatulence is a whole other matter.  It’s not the usual smell of success!

Posted on November 2, 2015 under Monday Morning Musings with 2 comments

A mini vacation in Florida before our next transcontinental trip

 

 

“On the road again, just can’t wait to get on the road again.”

On The Road Again – Willie Nelson

Peter and I are “on the road again.” He is moving out to Victoria for the next while and I am helping him with the move. All of his worldly possessions are now in his car as we traverse the countries to reach our ultimate destination. Yes, I said countries. You see, we are always seeking adventure. The shortest distance between two points may indeed be a straight line but why do that when you can zig and zag. In our case, the road to Victoria takes us through Florida for a week of sunshine. After some R @ R, we`ll cross the United States diagonally. Like our last two trips, we`ll keep you posted with some of Pete`s amazing photography and a few words from yours truly.

The journey began Friday when we left Halifax mid day. We arrived at the border in Calais early evening. We were the only vehicle in the lineup. This is a Friday night and I figured that there would be a little bit of traffic . The border officials ( bored…er ! ) were anxious to show us their awesome power and detained us for over an hour. As mentioned, Peter was carrying everything with him…. all of his music gear, personal possessions, golf clubs etc. We also had a clam shell on the roof. It did look a little bit like Jed Clampett and the family rolling in to Beverly Hills. You couldn`t find room for an anemic flea.

Obviously Peter and I were running away to Nashville to make it big. ( Thanks KM ). At least this is what appeared to be the big concern. I figured that having an old bald guy to vouch would be worth something but when Customs officials have nothing better to do, you just keep your mouth shut and pray that they don`t bar you entry to the country. I had this vision of a drive through Northern Ontario rather than St. Pete`s Beach.

I`ll spare you the rest of the sordid details but safe to say, I couldn`t let this pass without me taking a good natured stab at Customs officials. So keep your eye out for a story called “Borederdome.”

Those of you who ever went to church are probably aware of the story of Lazurus. Some say that I am pretty good with words but I bet you didn’t know my amazing powers of raising a person from the dead. Last week, I published a story in the Cape Breton Star ( republished here on Week45 on the weekend ) called “Hidden Gems.” I mentioned that Dr. Ken Murray was convinced by “the late Dr. Ron Stewart” to take a two year position in Neil’s Harbor. As it turns out, Ron is very much alive and well! I scrambled to get an e-mail address to apologize and thankfully I was able to connect with him later in the day. He had a great chuckle over the whole thing and was receiving good natured calls, ribbing and condolences from friends and colleagues. When I did the republish on my website, I brought him back to life. I have further insulted him with a promise of copies of my three books!

Shift work. A lot of my friends work shift work , whether it’s at the hospital or the mill in Point Tupper. In my youth, I worked in a sawmill and also a commercial bakery so I’ve had a taste of shift work. But that was over 40 years ago. Recently, I started a new part time job at the hospital that requires shift work. Whoa! What an eye opener. It is not that I didn’t respect shift workers before but now I have a new appreciation for them… especially nurses, who are ( in my humble opinion! ) the people who provide the mortar for the health care system. I decided to write a tribute piece to them so keep your eye out for the story “A Seismic Shift.”

And finally ( wow , this is a long MMM today ). I have a story that most dog owners will be able to relate to. ( Yeah, a preposition at the end of a sentence sucks but the watered down coffee I’m drinking in the hotel lobby at 6:00 in the morning, as I write this, sucks too! ). Has your dog ever farted at exactly the worst possible time? Maybe you were having a dinner party with special guests. No matter. I know a young woman who was doing a very important video conference with people across the country when her dog, Casey, let one rip. No, the other conference call participants couldn’t smell it but they could hear it. And, the young woman was suffering from morning sickness at the time.  This is pretty light fare ( Len Light? ) but I think you’ll get a kick out of it.

Ok. Done.

Have a great week and look out for more “stories from the road.”