The first day of the year began in Southern Ontario with an abundant snowfall, followed by dropping temperatures promising a frigid first week of January.
This was a great day for reviewing plans and setting out goals for the next twelve months.
The New Year's Day church service focused on the idea of peace, and I noted the intersection point between all the major religions: peace is rooted in acceptance and living in the present; not re-living the problems of the past and not worrying about the future. If we focus on the present and fully absorb its essence, not allowing the mind to run wild, we might find peace.
Something to try this year.
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Hope and opportunity
As another year draws to a close, it's time to pull out a new calendar and start a new cycle. A clean slate! A fresh start! It's a good feeling.My fervent hope is that we all have a happy and rewarding year, full of positive things and good progress, however you may measure it. May your dreams come true and good fortune be with you.
If we all do just a little bit, we can make this world a better place.
Happy New Year !
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Photos courtesy of Kilian Zsuzsanna (bottle) and Yury Kristich (sunrise), who made their shots available on the stock.xchng
Icarus returns. But this time, instead of flying towards the sun, he aims to master the fall.
Some say we humans will one day find a way to fly on our own power.While that's still beyond our reach, right now a curious race is underway: it's to see who will be the first to fall to earth safely without a parachute.
If mythical Icarus could have glided to the ground after his wings had melted instead of falling to his death, then the cautionary tale of human audacity would have taken on a completely different dimension.
Well, around the world devoted parachutists and building-jumpers -- one could call them new Icaruses -- are testing "wing suits" that mimic the skin of flying squirrels in a bold attempt to become the first human being to purposely fall from a great height without the use of a parachute and still walk to tell the tale.
Perhaps the most courageous (or crazy) of these aspiring flyers/landers is Loïc Jean-Albert of France, who likes to conduct his experiments over jagged mountain peaks. American Jeb Corliss is another notable aspirant. Both have recorded their practice jumps on video.
Are we repeating Icarus's mistake or are we taking steps in a new frontier? Our history is filled with risky challenges like this one. Some have resulted in tremendous failure; others in quantum leaps of development. Barriers are broken, and it appears humankind is attracted to these challenges despite the cost, often paid by the loss of life.
The New York Times recently provided a good overview of these new attempts to make jumping history. You can read the article here: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/10/sports/othersports/10flying.html. It contains a spectacular video and an interview with Jeb Corliss.
To see a truly astounding piece of video, click on YouTube's "Flying Dude," about Loic Jean-Albert. One can appreciate the danger of this endeavour as he flies past a camera position high on the slopes of a mountain.
If anyone succeeds at this, I don't want to see it live on television. I will watch the video when it's posted afterwards.
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Photograph is courtesy of the stock.xchng
If you liked this post, you might find this one from September interesting: it's about another type of record.
As the song says, time keeps on slipping into the future
We had a wonderful green Christmas day in Florida. In the afternoon, we swam at Cocoa Beach, near Cape Canaveral, and then watched the sun set during dinner beyond Merritt Island. It was very unique for us Canadians. Another year approaches. Time slips by, yes. It's easy to look back and think about all that happened in 2007 and in previous years.
Now it's time to look forward. I'm reminding myself that life is not just a sequence of tasks and difficulties to overcome. Instead, I want to think about the opportunities that are all around us. We just have to find a way to see them. I don't know about you, but I tend to be blinded by problems and challenges instead of seeing the opportunities they represent. So I'm going to begin 2008 with a renewed effort to think positively. This will be resolution number one. I have others, but I think I'll start with this one.
May the New Year be a good one for all of us.
Family on the move
Did it again. Went from winter to summer in a few hours and yes, it feels good.
Yesterday, we drove to Montreal to see our daughter, who had just completed her last universtiy exam of the year. We navigated deep mounds of snow, as workers did their best to clear the snow from side streets. Montreal's narrow roads quickly become congested when so much snow is on the ground. Driving is challenging, as many cars seem abandoned on side streets, too snowed-in to be moved. Meanwhile, large snowplows work night and day to clear the roads before the next storm hits. The city is postcard beautiful. Walking is recommended at this time of the year, though.
This morning, we began a few days of rest and recreation. We were up at 4 am and out to the airport. We flew to Orlando. In the space of a few short hours, we found ourselves in the greenery of central Florida, with palm trees swaying under a summer-like breeze. This is an odd way of spending Christmas, but very welcome. This reminds me of several such holidays my brothers and I experienced growing up in Africa.
After fighting a cold for a few days, the warm weather feels like a gentle tonic to the system.
Yesterday, we drove to Montreal to see our daughter, who had just completed her last universtiy exam of the year. We navigated deep mounds of snow, as workers did their best to clear the snow from side streets. Montreal's narrow roads quickly become congested when so much snow is on the ground. Driving is challenging, as many cars seem abandoned on side streets, too snowed-in to be moved. Meanwhile, large snowplows work night and day to clear the roads before the next storm hits. The city is postcard beautiful. Walking is recommended at this time of the year, though.
This morning, we began a few days of rest and recreation. We were up at 4 am and out to the airport. We flew to Orlando. In the space of a few short hours, we found ourselves in the greenery of central Florida, with palm trees swaying under a summer-like breeze. This is an odd way of spending Christmas, but very welcome. This reminds me of several such holidays my brothers and I experienced growing up in Africa.
After fighting a cold for a few days, the warm weather feels like a gentle tonic to the system.
Christmas cards
How I envy those of you who have found the time to write and send hand-written Christmas cards.
I've received a number of them (thank you, all) and it's interesting how much more meaningful they are to me than e-mails or those web-based greetings.
I should have planned my time better so that I, too, would have sent cards out. But this year I've let other priorities rule and consequently am woefully negligent in the greeting card department this year.
I've received cards from close family members, from co-workers and especially from relatives in Italy with whom I haven't spoken in years.
I'm happy to receive the warm messages of goodwill from across the ocean. Even though my negligence likens me to Mr. Scrooge, I can atone for my sin by writing back. I can and I will.
If you think about it, you can see how the thought behind these cards is very much part of the real spirit of Christmas.
I've received a number of them (thank you, all) and it's interesting how much more meaningful they are to me than e-mails or those web-based greetings.
I should have planned my time better so that I, too, would have sent cards out. But this year I've let other priorities rule and consequently am woefully negligent in the greeting card department this year.
I've received cards from close family members, from co-workers and especially from relatives in Italy with whom I haven't spoken in years.
I'm happy to receive the warm messages of goodwill from across the ocean. Even though my negligence likens me to Mr. Scrooge, I can atone for my sin by writing back. I can and I will.
If you think about it, you can see how the thought behind these cards is very much part of the real spirit of Christmas.
It's the season to be jolly
Since pictures are usually better than words, I'm getting into the mood of the season by posting these photographs.
Hope you like them too.
They're from the stock.xchng.
Now curl up with a good book by the fireplace and enjoy a warm drink or two!
Digging out
We are still digging out from the snowstorm that hit the Great Lakes region yesterday, dropping more than 25 centimetres of snow and reducing visibility to near zero at times. The storm has now moved off into the Atlantic states and provinces, but in its wake it left a lot of people scrambling. The snow is beautiful when it lays such a thick blanket of white on everything. Unfortunately, it's horrible for drivers. Yesterday was a bad day to be on the roads without snow tires. We were among those who had to travel, and it was quite stressful. We saw many accidents and spin-outs. Overnight, I had ice build-up inside the wheel wells of the car and was surprised this morning when, in the acceleration lane of the highway, everything started vibrating as if I had four flat tires. I stopped and drove slowly to a repair shop. Fortunately, a mechanic was able to power-wash the ice away and it didn't cost me a penny.
The storm caused at least one death in the area. A woman was killed near London, Ontario, when her vehicle was clipped by a snowplow in an underpass. She had exited her vehicle to clear ice from her windshield wipers when the snowplow hit the corner of the car. She was thrown and pinned. Her two daughters were in the car and saw it happen. Unfortunately, there was nothing rescuers could do to save her. The snowplow driver had to be treated for shock.
Even though police reported many accidents, traffic was lighter than usual, as many people chose to stay home and wait out the bad weather.
Winter has arrived early this year. Looking on the bright side, children are happy and Christmas decorations look wonderful with the snow. For those who will are gathering with friends and family, the weather is perfect for traditional Christmas celebrations.
The storm caused at least one death in the area. A woman was killed near London, Ontario, when her vehicle was clipped by a snowplow in an underpass. She had exited her vehicle to clear ice from her windshield wipers when the snowplow hit the corner of the car. She was thrown and pinned. Her two daughters were in the car and saw it happen. Unfortunately, there was nothing rescuers could do to save her. The snowplow driver had to be treated for shock.
Even though police reported many accidents, traffic was lighter than usual, as many people chose to stay home and wait out the bad weather.
Winter has arrived early this year. Looking on the bright side, children are happy and Christmas decorations look wonderful with the snow. For those who will are gathering with friends and family, the weather is perfect for traditional Christmas celebrations.
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