Lise's Ramblings

Some artists tour, but shouldn't; they deliver pitchy songs and seem awkward on stage. Studio magic is required to polish their performances to our liking.  Other gifted musicians and singers shine during concerts. They improvise and even make you love modified renditions of their hits. Last night, I was lucky to see and hear Prince when he took to the stage at Halifax's Metro Centre. Even people who don't care for his mega hits would have enjoyed his show. He played songs he'd written for other artists (e.g., "Nothing Compares 2 U"), covers of other works (e.g., disco tunes and "Let's Go"), and mashups and funky renditions of his own material. His voice is as powerful as ever. He still hits those ridiculously high notes. He dances like someone who is in his twenties and has heaps of rhythm. His quirky mannerisms are flirtacious and his guitar mastery astounds concert goers.  When artists live performances rival their rec...

Aurora borealis sightings are rare in populous areas of Canada . But when those ethereal green and red hues do dance across the horizon, they mesmerize us. The colours are fleeting and ever-shifting, so snapping photos or recording video of the Northern Lights is tough. Yet, every now and then a talented photographer captures the magic.    In August, local photographer Stephen Desroches happened to spot the Northern Lights in the PEI National Park . Here are links to two of his photos, http://365.focusedonlight.com/index.php/Landscapes/2011-08-07/   http://365.focusedonlight.com/index.php/Landscapes/2011-08-06/ which are nothing short of          AWESOME! Less than a month after Stephen posted his photos, the crew of the International Space Station shot the following video of the Southern Lights ( aurora australis ―the Southern hemisphere’s equivalent to the Northern Lights). Enjoy the video in all its awesomeness....

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas... In most Canadian cities, children and adults alike consider the annual Santa Claus parade as a sign that the Christmas season is here. Everyone gets bundled up and huddles along the parade route with family and friends to: watch excited children catch candy canes listen to marching bands, bagpipers and carols blasting from floats sip hot drinks don a Santa hat, festive headbands and other Christmas accessories ooooh and ahhhhh at all the lights wave to mascots and people on passing floats donate canned goods to food banks hum along to Christmas songs  cheer on all the firefighters in their decked out trucks spot the bearded guy ho-ho-ho'ing at the end of the parade It's official, the season is upon us, so here's a tidbit of Christmas parade trivia for you: In 1913, thanks to the Eaton family and the citizens of Labrador, the14th annual Toronto Santa Claus Parade featured real reindeer pu...

Jerry Seinfeld made eating cereal an “in” thing to do back when his TV sitcom was at the height of its popularity. Even without celebrity endorsement, I think we are programmed to enjoy cereal. As babies, we chase those oat Os around with teensy fingers. After that, toys, sugar and animated ads entice children of all ages to consume cereal. I confess, cereal meals served me well throughout university and still come in handy whenever my hubby-chef isn’t home. Apparently, I’m not alone ; as of today, nearly 400,000 people have “liked” a Facebook group called Eating cereal even though it isn’t breakfast time . And really, what’s not to like…a cereal meal is simplicity at its best.  One dish. One utensil. (If you opt for a mini-box, then you can save on the bowl too. Tear along the dotted lines and use the wax paper/cardboard enclosure as a makeshift dish.) Minimal prep time and ready in a jiffy…just open flap and pour the cereal. No defrosting required. No s...

A grade-five student is wowed by solid CO 2 (dry ice) as it sublimates in a beaker of dry ice, water & food colouring. Jaws drop. Eyes bulge. Hearts pound.   “Oooohs” and “aaaaahs” slip from the mouths of babes. Think back to a time when you were amazed by a first experience. Maybe it was as you witnessed: a trapeze artist performing daring feats; your first fireworks display; a magician’s illusions; a ballerina dancing in pointe shoes; just about anything through a telescope; exotic animals at a zoo; or maybe it was simply an unexpected results from a science experiment. A childhood sense of wonder is well worth preserving, so retain and nurture yours. There's no doubt it's       AWESOME! For me, interacting with nature and reading novels set in other cultures or time periods tend to spur my sense of wonder. Anything in particular do it for you?

Mentoring ensures individuals acquire new skills by working alongside those who have more experience. For centuries, tradespeople have valued structured mentoring, in the form of apprenticeship. Up-and-coming athletes improve by training hard with mentors or coaches. In labs, researchers take less experienced, but curious individuals under their wing. Doctors work as interns under the watchful eyes of physicians and nurses with years under their collective belts. I can attest that identifying a mentor and fostering a relationship with that person will benefit you in all sorts of ways. How can you spot someone who has the making of a mentor? Seek out those who: ·           encourage growth and learning; ·           show leadership by example, even when they aren’t in formal management roles; ·           share their knowledge at any point...

True zingers are perfectly timed and witty remarks.   Not all zingers are mean-spirited, though I confess that I tend to revel in the zingers aimed squarely at someone who was due for a healthy dose of karma. One of my favourites cropped up in the early 1990s in a song written and performed by a Canadian band called The Northern Pikes. “She Ain’t Pretty” features the following line: “Her ego wrote cheques incredibly fast, but her personality didn’t have the cash.” Shakespeare had an incredible knack for composing zingers. But unlike for writers, when the rest of us are in want of a witty comeback, there isn’t the luxury of time to dream one up. Even if zingers aren’t on the tip of your tongue when you need them most, you can still value a zinger delivered by someone else. Clever, funny and a bit edgy…       AWESOME! Any zingers stand out for you?

Has the following situation ever happened to you? You’re filling in a lengthy Web form, but when you hit the submit button an error message indicates you forgot to complete all the required fields. You return to the Web form only to find that all of your information has vanished. POOF! After weighing whether it’s worth your while, you begin to fill in the form again. I can’t speak for you, but situations like that happen often enough to me that I let out a whoop of joy whenever my browser retains my info in the form. Not having to start over, because your browser behaves…       AWESOME!

Do you recall the first time you locked eyes on a painting by one of the masters (e.g., Rembrandt, Picasso, Monet, Van Gogh, Matisse, Munch, da Vinci, Group of Seven)?   Most of us do, but while you may admire famous works of art, those aren’t necessarily the pieces that truly speak to you. The ones you connect with do so for reasons beyond mere appreciation. Those particular works of art simultaneously communicate with you in many ways, including on sensory and emotional levels.   Just as artists are inspired in various ways and express themselves through different media, we respond to art in our own fashion. So you won’t find a picture to accompany this blog entry, because art that speaks to me may not resonate with you at all. In your case, the art may be a poem, a sketch, a musical score, a sculpture, a photo, a movie, a play, a piece of pottery, a novel or a painting. Keep all your senses alert and open both your mind and your heart to those connectio...

“Lest we forget” is a term connected with Remembrance Day, so we tend to think of people who gave the ultimate sacrifice: life itself. But beyond Red Fridays, November 11 th is also a time to honour all the men and women who serve their country in wartime, peacekeeping missions and emergency situations in Canada . For me, Remembrance Day always means thanking the heavens that my grandfather, Sgt. Harold C. Lampman (a.k.a. Dad Lampman), made it home to Canada from World War II. Dad and his war bride, Betty (Mom-Mom) Dad was a self-professed pacifist, family man and keen student, so going to war wasn’t something to which he aspired. When he was young, his love of music and interest in signaling were what he enjoyed in the cadet corps and the Oxford Rifles band. Atrocities overseas eventually drove Dad to sign up for the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF). As he put it, he and others were “forced by circumstances and people like Hitler and the Japanese Emperor to ...

Tailspins from global financial woes have countries struggling to regain stable economic footings. Full recovery is far off and requires varied steps, but early moves involve industries and governments alike searching for efficiencies, paring budgets, dropping services and product lines, and cutting jobs. At times like these, you’ll find employees react by evolving into one of the following four characters: the ostrich – those who adopt this head-in-the-sand response believe that as long as they ignore the situation it doesn’t really exist Chicken Little – apart from spreading rumours and cynicism in a sky-is-falling way, poultry tend to accomplish little more than dampen morale and play the martyr    the fairy-tale villain – colleagues who never pulled their weight before suddenly seem busy and engaged, but then their self-protectionism becomes obvious as they kiss butt, throw adversaries (anyone at all) under the proverbial bus, manipulate people and situati...

The Bay of Fundy region presents visitors with breathtaking vistas and memorable experiences. For those of you who are right-brain dominant, who can resist these wonders: fossil cliffs, reversing rapids, the world’s highest tides, incredible trails and lookouts, diverse wildlife, quaint lighthouses, Hopewell Rocks and other geological treasures, tidal bores, covered bridges, the world's oldest Red Spruce tree, waterfalls and much more. If you’re driven by the left side of your brain, then below you’ll find numbers pointing out how lucky we are to have the Bay of Fundy . 100 billion tons of water flow in and out of the Bay of Fundy twice every 24 hours 1 billion years of geological evidence making up the 300 million years ago the Joggins Fossil Cliffs formed 2,500 square kilometers – size of the Fundy Geopark (Stonehammer) – North America ’s only UNESCO recognized geopark   350 migrating bird species feed along the Bay of Fundy’s Nova Scotia shore...

 Here's photographic evidence that I forgot to park in my garage. Past experience means I still know how delicious it is to wake up with my car tucked away in a covered parking spot.  You wake to the sound of neighbours scraping frost from their windshields. Fortunately, you remembered to park in your garage. Covered parking presents you with a warm car and spares you from numbing your fingers as you scrape away that frost. Another bonus: the time you save by not scraping the car can be cashed in for a few extra minutes of sleep.       AWESOME!

Perhaps you've met one or two of these hospital volunteers and they've made a difference for you or someone you love. Beyond the traditional candy stripers, there are the generous souls who crochet hats and knit blankets or booties for newborns and preemies. Or, how about the women's auxilliary running the gift shop? What about those who visit and read to patients in palliative wards?  In Charlottetown, some talented volunteers used their sewing supplies, skills and time to make a visit to the breast health centre a little less clinical. Check out these handmade gowns...johnny shirts with floral flair.       AWESOME!