Category Archives: General

It’s that time of year…

Posted on October 10, 2014 | 2 comments

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I love the fact that World Mental Health Day is in the Autumn (at least, here in the Northern Hemisphere) because there is no better time for people to be encouraged to talk about mental health.

As I wrote about here, I live with dysthymia and I am also susceptible to major depressive episodes that are triggered by low serotonin levels.

In other words… I can get really, really sad when the days start getting shorter.

In our busy lives, it is all too easy to explain away the change of mood that sometimes accompanies the change of seasons. The carefree days of summer are over, of course I’m no longer feeling so happy… right?

Well, maybe… but unless I remember that I need to get outside and see the sun during the day and that I need to exercise to work up some endorphins, then that “normal” post-summer low can quickly spiral down and become a different beast entirely.

Marking every October 10th as World Mental Health Day is meant to reduce stigma, build compassion and educate on a global scale. For me, it acts as a warning alarm, reminding me that it’s time to do a personal inventory to ensure that my coping mechanisms are in good working order.

Thanks, World Federation for Mental Health… It’s good to know you’ve got my back!

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In mourning…

Posted on August 13, 2014 | 12 comments

I vividly remember learning of Jim Henson’s death. I was listening to the radio as I drove to attend a coaching clinic. I pulled into the parking lot of the athletic centre and burst into tears. I was a week away from turning seventeen.

I didn’t know Jim Henson… I knew Kermit, Ernie, Sam the Eagle, the Swedish Chef, Dr.Teeth, Rowlf, Waldorf, Guy Smiley and Cantus Fraggle.

This week I’m grieving for Mork, Popeye, Adrian Cronauer, John Keating, Peter Pan, Mrs. Doubtfire, Genie, Alan Parrish, Armand Goldman, Sean Maguire and Teddy Roosevelt.

But something has been bothering me since I learned of this death. I just wasn’t able to put my finger on it until now.

Yes, I’m sad about Robin Williams because, like everyone else, I loved his work. However, unlike Jim Henson’s death, the news didn’t shock me.

He was sick and suffering from a disease. This disease killed him.

As PopChassid wrote, Robin Williams didn’t kill himself.

It is time we acknowledged that a disease in the brain is just as physical as a disease in the heart, lungs, or liver. The fact that it is more complicated, less understood, and only beginning to be studied, does not mean we can ignore this fact. In truth, it means the exact opposite: that mental health needs to be treated with urgency. That our society has to start treating its illnesses as every bit as deadly and malicious as other ailments… Until our society aggressively, strongly addresses mental illness, until we move it from a side issue to a real issue, until we give it the same priority as other illnesses… I will still shake my head at the death-by-disease that is called suicide.

Nanu nanu.

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More cake… Om Nom Nom!

Posted on July 20, 2014 | 4 comments

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Is everyone familiar with this guy? His name is Om Nom and he is the star of Cut The Rope. It’s a great physics based game for tablets and smart phones that involves various puzzles where the goal is to get a piece of candy into Om Nom’s mouth. As you progress through the levels it gets increasingly difficult and becomes extremely challenging.

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Om Nom is my youngest nephew’s favourite video game character and Cut The Rope was his request when I offered to make the cake for his 6th birthday party.

I started modelling the fondant pieces last weekend and worked on it a bit each night. Of course, I started with Om Nom himself. (Those other dudes are the spiders who try to get to the candy first.)

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I worked on all of the other elements a little bit each night so that everything was ready in time for the party. The cake was baked last night and frosted with buttercream this morning.

Here it is all assembled.

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Like the R2D2, making this cake was so much fun!

What would your cake request be?

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Posted in Cakes, General

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Beep boop bleep…

Posted on June 29, 2014 | 9 comments

No, I’m not swearing, I’m introducing my latest cake creation – R2D2.

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As I’ve written about here and here, I am personally invested in ALS research. Every year I solicit friends, family and colleagues to raise money for the Walk for ALS. For the past three years, I’ve also offered up a custom cake as an incentive.

This year, my commission came from a soon to be 7-year-old boy. His original order was an R2D2 in chocolate and a C3PO in gingerbread. (You’ve got to like a guy who knows exactly what he wants.) I managed to negotiate his order down to just the one droid. Whew!

I’m really pleased with how he turned out and I hope tomorrow’s birthday boy will be just as thrilled. The body and head are chocolate pound cake and his legs are moulded Rice Krispie treats. Everything is edible and very yummy.

I can’t take creative credit for R2 as there are several great “how to” posts out there that I referenced when I was originally searching for ideas. In case you are here looking for info, I used four 6″ rounds for the body and half a ball pan for the head. It was a relatively easy design and was really fun to do.

Most importantly, however, is that once again I impressed the shit out of my own kids!

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Did you do anything fun this weekend?

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Important life question

Posted on May 31, 2014 | 4 comments
Six weeks of lounging.

Six weeks of lounging.

Is a woman still a woman if she no longer has a uterus?

Wait! Please don’t leave, I’m totally shitting you.

Here’s the real question I’ve been asking myself… Was Einstein recovering from major surgery when he came up with his theory of relativity?

I mean, how did my 6 weeks off work go by so quickly but this first week back at work moved like cold molasses?

Seriously people, Monday was interminable. At one point I checked my watch, sure that it was at least 2pm, and it was only 10:15. You can extrapolate to figure out how long the rest of the week was.

Do you remember the summers of your childhood? Just like Bryan Adams’ “Summer of ’69”, they seemed to last forever. I even remember becoming a little bored at the end and wishing for school to start. Can you even fathom that now?

I had 6 weeks off work to recover from a couple of surgeries, one of which removed the aforementioned uterus. Granted, I did sleep the entire first month away and was practically housebound due to physical infirmity, but I can honestly say that time whizzed by and I ACCOMPLISHED NOTHING!

Sorry to yell at you, but I’m sure you can understand my frustration.

I didn’t blog. I didn’t write. I didn’t paint. I didn’t even do laundry…

I see now that I was incredibly naive when I boldly declared to my writing group, “I’m going to use the time to finish my book!”

Even though friends and doctors tried to prepare me, I just didn’t anticipate the sheer magnitude of full body fatigue I would experience as I recovered. Or, as I neared the end of the recovery, how strong the inertia would be when I finally attempted to get my sorry ass into a vertical position.

So, here I am… semi-upright and back to work. Do I miss my uterus? Hell, no!

I do, however, miss those 6 weeks of leisure now that they are gone.

What would you do if you had 6 weeks off from the responsibilities of life?

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Boston

Posted on April 15, 2014 | Leave a comment

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I’m recovering from some surgery and unable to write anything new, but I would like to repost my piece from a year ago as a way to remember.

April 16, 2013

By now you’ve seen the pictures and clips. You have read the posts, tweets and texts. You have seen how Bostonians immediately dropped everything to look after their city. Thousands of shocked and displaced runners were clothed, fed and housed as an incredible reply to the horrific bombings. I love Boston and her people, so this didn’t surprise me. In fact, there was only one thing about yesterday that did surprise me. Continue reading →

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Ahhh… spring has sprung!

Posted on March 28, 2014 | 14 comments

For those of you who may not have understood my whinging about winter on the East Coast of Canada, here are some pictures from the last few days…

A few from downtown Halifax on Wednesday.

winter storm

Image: The Canadian Press/Andrew Vaughan

Image: The Globe and Mail/Paul Darrow

Image: The Globe and Mail/Paul Darrow

Image: The Globe and Mail/Paul Darrow

Image: The Globe and Mail/Paul Darrow

Mid-storm in Charlottetown, PEI.

Image: Sally Pitt

Image: Sally Pitt

The aftermath on Thursday morning in Summerside, PEI.

Image: David Parker

Image: David Parker

You don’t believe that it was a serious storm? How about this shot from Ellerslie, PEI.

Image: @CBCPEI

Image: @CBCPEI

It’s driving us all a little looney. Just this evening, ET began digging a tunnel to nowhere.

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Now the temperature is rising and we’ll have a high of 10° C and rain for the next four days. Let the basement flooding begin!

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Posted in General

Everything is Awesome!

Posted on March 13, 2014 | 10 comments

Is there anyone out there who hasn’t seen The Lego Movie? If so, here is the quick summary (no spoilers):

There once was an ordinary LEGO minifigure named Emmet.
Emmet

One day, Emmet was recruited to join a quest to stop an evil LEGO tyrant, Lord Business.
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That’s basically it.

There are some plot twists along the way but it is simple story that has a nice moralistic ending. I’ve heard a few people voicing negative opinions but I thought it was a great family movie.

It’s all about Lego, so the kids love it, but there is also lots of subtle and smart humour in there for the adults. Here’s one of my favourite lines…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EyOb1KyZdbY

But one of the things I like most about this movie is the title!

The Lego Movie

It is a brilliant marketing move in terms of brand consciousness. More importantly, I think it is hilarious because that’s what we all would be calling it anyway. Regardless of the title, the movie hype would still be…

“Have you seen the Lego movie yet?”

“I just saw the Lego movie. It’s great!”

“Man, I just can’t get that song from the Lego movie out of my head!”

Speaking of that song, that’s another thing I loved about the movie. Yes it is an incredibly tenacious ear-worm, but Tegan and Sara’s “Everything is Awesome” is just that… awesome. It’s upbeat and positive and my kids love to sing it. I honestly have yet to get sick of it.

So, from my head to yours…

Have you seen the movie? Did you like it?

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Life out of the closet

Posted on March 5, 2014 | 34 comments

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Since going public with my dysthymia and depression, a few different people have asked me a variation of the same question,

“But _____ reads your blog, are you sure you want them to know?”

Sure, I could have just come out of my mental health closet to anonymous readers who I’ll never meet face to face. Perhaps my story might help a young reader who feels like they are currently going through something similar – that would be fantastic – but it wouldn’t serve to break down the barriers which I’ve spent so many years building.

Yes, people at work read my blog. (Hi peeps!)

Yes, parents of my children’s friends read my blog. (See ya tomorrow on the playground!)

Yes, my neighbours read my blog. (Can I borrow a cup of sugar?)

The honest admissions that I’ve made are about changing the perceptions that society holds about depressed people. I have an illness but that doesn’t define who I am.

I’m an involved and active mother.

I’m a wife in a loving and happy marriage.

I volunteer on committees and host playdates.

I’m a member of a book club and a writing group.

I’m a productive and sociable co-worker.

I’ve acted in plays and sung in musicals.

I’m a healthcare worker who loves to help others.

Sure, there may be times when I mope around in stained sweat clothes and eat chocolate… but who doesn’t? My depression doesn’t usually manifest itself outwardly because I have spent years and years building a life in spite of my illness.

Sometimes, when things get to be a little too much, I may falter. Perhaps I won’t return your phone call right away, or I’ll beg out of a social gathering that I promised to attend. Maybe I’ll look a little extra tired and run down because I’m having trouble sleeping. There are times when my depression gets the better of me, but that doesn’t change who I am.

So, to answer the question… Yes, I want the people who I know in real life to read about my depression.

That was the whole point.

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After Freshly Pressed…

Posted on March 2, 2014 | 18 comments
Image: Tim Krochak

Image: Tim Krochak

Hurricanes are usually downgraded to tropical storms by the time they reach Nova Scotia, but in 2003 a category 2 hurricane hit us square on. Hurricane Juan at was peak intensity for 24 hours and Halifax was heavily damaged. (Not Hurricane Katrina kind of damaged, more like Hurricane Sandy damage.)

The morning after, Haligonians crept out of their homes to find trees down, cars smashed, and silence…

An eerie quiet had settled over the city. There was no power, roads were closed and only the Tim Hortons at the hospital was open. People wandered the streets pointing out damage, whispering sympathy and discretely taking pictures.

It was the literal embodiment of the proverb, “There is always calm after a storm.”

I have received more hits in the last two days than I ever have in an entire month. My “likes” and “follows” have skyrocketed and my comments are spilling onto multiple pages.

I’m now a little worried about the calm that will settle on this blog after the Freshly Pressed storm has dissipated.

I’m not being negative.

I’m ecstatic to have been selected and honestly never dreamed it would happen. I’m especially thrilled that it was this post that made the grade. I have received a tidal wave of support and I hope that one or two people may even have read something that has helped them.

I’m just a little confused where things go from here.

I’d really like for some of you stick around. I know it was my depression that got you here but I really am so much more than that. I’m also weird lists of 11 things, sappy nostalgia, and snippets of my family’s lunacy.

I’ve heard of the phenomenon where good blogs have shrivelled and died after the Freshly Pressed dust has settled. That the pressure of follow-up was just too much and bloggers have fled in panic.

While I admit I have no idea what to post next, this is really no different from my usual process. Hopefully one of the boys will crap his pants in a funny way and I’ll write about that.

See you then!

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