Remembering Jack

I decided to post this after all the tributes and articles writing about the late great leader for the New Democratic Party Jack Layton, who passed away last week, were posted. As a moderate, who drifted between conservative and liberal agendas, I had difficulty supporting most, if not all, of the NDP platform in the numerous federal elections I participated in as a young Canadian voter. They were too extreme, or complex to work on the federal level, I thought. Provincially, maybe, but too broad and extreme to implement or sustain on the national front.



What I did find impressive was their leader, Jack Layton, was more than willing to put forth that agenda going door to door, getting involved in community happenings, and organizing the movement. Baby steps at first, but what struck out was the honest approach, and the ability to connect English and French under the same banner, and galvanize the support of, formerly disinterested, young voters. Jack understood the future of Canada was without a voice, and they would need to run the country sooner than anticipated, so he brought them onboard with a platform that appealled to those voters: Education initiatives, environmental issues, and a stronger presence in international affairs so Canadians would be relevant among the world leaders at the negotiating table. I wasn't a big fan of Jack Layton, but everything he did was for a cause he believed to be right, and for the country he loved.



Last week, a local newspaper printed a cartoon depicting the New Democratic Party as a falling aircraft without a pilot. The cartoon, without a doubt, was of poor taste and many in my hometown wrote letters denouncing it and demanding an apology. The reaction was so great the managing editor wrote in the following paper apologizing for the lack of judgment, and the newspaper printed (only) a couple of the angry letters from the townspeople. A new cartoon appeared alongside of a respectful portrait of the late Jack Layton, but I felt it was ill-timed as it belonged in the controversial paper that previous Wednesday.

I never saw anyone from outside Quebec galvanize so much support from the whole of the country as Jack Layton did. Yes, he was born in Montreal, but his political roots took him from the shady and questionable corridors of power in Toronto to the leadership of the official opposition in Ottawa. What is more remarkable is he did all this beating the Canadian duopoly of the Conservative and Liberal parties at their game: The FPP or First Past the Post electoral system. He did it with the character, determination, honesty, and pushed for the basic Canadian issues that Canadians could believe in and support.

No matter what party the next Jack Layton is from, but if I do see that next Jack Layton I hope I can live as long to see him do some wonderful things for Canada.

RIP Jack Layton 1950 - 2011

On the Road of Life, Don't Bet!

On a more serious note, I recently competed with my baseball team in a local tournament, and we won after playing a day's worth of the grand ole game. Earlier in the year, I made a bet that if we won, then I would return to Facebook after almost a year away from the social network.

I didn't tell them exactly when this would happen, but with a successful baseball campaign behind me and settling in at work the idea of returning doesn't seem so scary. During my time away, I had ample opportunities to travel about, meet new people, and start shopping for a new place to live. Come to think about it, those are good reasons I may use when asked why I returned to Facebook.

1. When I move out, and into a new place/area code/province/country: Return to Facebook
2. When I buy a cat/dog/parrot/rhinoceros: Return to Facebook.
3. When I become the employee of a new bosslady, who refuses to be the only one of us on Facebook left to explain why she hired me as her boyfriend to begin with: Return to Facebook.
4. Zombie Apocalypse: Return to Facebook (Hi Charles Trippy).

During the time off, I started playing the piano again. The last time I played the piano was more than twenty years ago, when I discovered at a Saturday morning recital that the church bully also had the same piano teacher, and we would be in the same room together o_O Years of music in high school helped, so the ideas of chords and music making are not foreign concepts. I'm also practicing the guitar, but I'm moving along farther in my piano playing than I am at guitar. I wouldn't mind returning to the drums, though...baby steps, Phil. Once I get marginally good as an amateur, my dream would be to play covers and songs I wrote for YouTube, and see where that goes. Everyone already on YouTube is so good and professional; why not feature a true amateur studying an instrument, and feature that person in videos while steadily increasing in talent? Oh yeah, and throw in some comedy so not to lose the audience to boredom. To that length, a Facebook page would be good to reach out to fans, friends, and trolls ^_^ Well, maybe not trolls o_O We'll see how far I can go with this, but no immediate return to Facebook.

What Makes Me Laugh, Part 7

Hooray, this is the seventy-fifth post in "Just Phil". To celebrate, why not embed a video of something I found on the internet that I consider entertaining? However, that would be so dull to just embed one video. I know: I can upload three things I like! That's a great idea!







If you pause the last video at 0:52...I don't know what happens. I blacked out o_O

Awkward Moment #1

Hi...

The girl sitting next to me on the bus looked like she was asleep. Normally, I would mind my business, but the bus driver is making sudden stops all over the place, and the girl's head is perilously close to the railing in front of her seat. So, when the bus driver hard stops the bus for the umpteenth time, I put my arm out to keep her from falling forward and hitting her head! She looks at me with a look of someone wide awake, and I tell her she almost banged her head on the rail. She didn't say anything, instead she whipped out her mp3 player, bowed her head, and played some tunes. AWKWARD!

As it turns out, she wasn't asleep: She was looking at her music player the whole time! I went from saving her from a possible concussion, to jumpy guy on the bus o_O I slide over to the next available seat, and stare at the front of the bus without making a sound -_-

There are plenty of awkward moments I can recall, but instead of retelling "Big Fish" stories, I will post new ones on this blog under the heading of "Awkward Moments". So far this is the first awkward moment, and knowing my track record there will be many more soon. I just hope no one them land me in jail, or get me on CityTV News for all the wrong reasons...!

Another Apology

I admit the previous blog post was a bit melancholy, so to help cheer you up here is a nice embedded Youtube video of Audrey Hepburn's screen test for the film Roman Holiday...!

Why I Am Single

No one likes rejection, so when rejection occurs one may associate that with the world crashing down around them. When it happens, those being rejected internalize it: He/she is the only person on earth with their heart ripped out of them, and no one else knows what it is like. It is possible some readers know that feeling too well, and there are a precious few who can recall each and every rejection. Now, the "end of the world" did not occur as of yet, praise God, and the sun still rises in the east. A rejection just occurred and the five stages of loss are about to set in: Defiance, Anger, Fear, Bargainy, and Acceptance. Whether an encounter with these stages is imminent or already underway, please consider the following examples of what rejection looks like in the life of the author. It is helpful to get burdens and sorrows out of the system; this will show every person suffered similar setbacks, and that things could be worse.

1. I met a girl at a sports store about a year ago. Along with being kind and considerate, she was really attractive. About a month into our friendship, I asked her out, but she refused. She was "kind of" in a relationship, but she didn't want to mess with things; I didn't want to be the 'home wrecking ball'  type, so I left it at that. Nevertheless, I held out a fragment of hope that while she was unsure, there was still a chance for us. Months passed by, and it was the beginning of spring. I did not see her for some time, and I wanted her to know I was still thought about her. so being the idiot I am I bought her flowers. I knew PINK was her favourite colour, so I had a boxed arrangement of pink flowers sent to her workplace. I left my phone number and tweet name on the card in case she wanted to reach me. Days turned to weeks, and weeks became months before I entered the store one afternoon. Five minutes in, one of her bosses, who I never met before, walked up to me and said "Hey, you are the guy who sent <GIRL'S NAME HERE> those flowers! Hey, EVERYBODY, this is the guy who sent those flowers to  <GIRL'S NAME HERE>!" Needless to say it was embarrassing, but I did feel good that she got the flowers and she liked them a lot. As time passed, I realized something about the situation was amiss: Technically, her boss told me she liked the gift: She didn't call the number, tweet my name, or tell me to my face. Instead, someone else broke the news to me several weeks later. Up until that point, I almost forgot I sent them. So, we didn't really see each other much after that, if at all. I try to stay away from meeting up with staffpeople while they work.
2. Many years ago, I did make the cardinal mistake of professing love for someone in an email! I did not want to corner and embarrass the girl I was attracted to, so I wrote a letter and emailed it to her. She was quite surprised, but I messed up in the delivery. If she felt the same way, the relationship would not be sustainable because I already said I loved her, and then asked her out on a date. Usually, dating comes before the infamous "L" word, so I was taking a giant leap and an even greater risk, on top of making the greatest mistake ever. The email did take her off guard, as it came out of the blue, and she had no idea I felt that way about her. She responded she didn't feel the same way, and I couldn't blame her: We weren't really close, and I am socially awkward. To this day we are friends, and while I do care about her as any friend would, we are not BFFs; we may see each other from time to time, but that's about it.

There are dozens of similar stories from the past fifteen years of searching about risktaking, epic failures in delivery, and blinding stupidity. If what these stories teach is that someone out there is worse off, and never reached the level of most readers, if not all. There is still overall health to consider, along with family, friends, and if you are a Christian, then the relationship with Jesus Christ whose love flows unceasingly and transmits into all actions and relationships with others.

There are many reasons to quit, but infinitely many more reasons to keep moving forward, for you are not alone.

Writing to an iPod Shuffle

I am writing alongside listening to Paramore, and their song "Conspiracy". I don't write too well to loud music, although it does keep me awake so it is possible for me to write more while spending more time to reach the same word limit.

Exercising to Bill Cosby's standup comedy works wonders for me, as I run farther and don't feel as tired after a workout. If I follow someone having a conversation or public speaking, I don't notice things around me or anything that I'm doing. So, if I run 800 meters to Bill Cosby talking about cowboy movies, I will laugh a lot, but I will also finish the 800 meters in record time (not world record time, otherwise Olympics athletes will be ROFL while listening to Cosby on their iPods). However, that is not what I'm listening to now, though; right now, Neil Young is singing "What Did You Do To My Life?" Anything catchy and easy listening I sing along with, and I all but stop writing.

I pressed (PAUSE) on my iPod, so now I can type the rest of this blog in peace and quiet. I can write to some music like soundtracks or symphonic tunes, for example. I have a playlist in iTunes full of thematic symphony music, and I play it whenever I am writing something that goes along with the theme. Speaking of writing, I announced I would write something a few months back, but since I started playing baseball in the spring I never had time to finish up what I started. I think my story is somewhere hidden in the bowels of the "My Documents" folder in my computer. Maybe in the fall, when things aren't so busy, I will start up again?

At least I will know which music to play by then ^_^ I love Paramore to death, but there isn't a track on my iPod I can write to. I hope my future wife, I mean, the group's lead singer Hayley Williams will understand o_O

Volleyball Intimidation

What is your gimmick? What unique thing gets you psyched up to play a mean game of volleyball with your friends?

Otherwise known as intimidation tactics, gimmicks are the product of learning the rules of the game, and then bending those rules. I have only one gimmick in volleyball, and it served me well for the past twenty years: The "Foot Over Half Court" Gimmick.

When it comes time to stand in the front row of any volleyball game, whether winning or losing, or with serve or returning, I stand right at the net, bend my knees, and stand with one foot over the line before every serve. Then, as the server tosses the ball into the air, I quickly scoot back into position. Over the years, most didn't notice, and those who did only said a couple words but no one took any action. So, the gimmick was less about intimidation, and more about annoying the other team with my brazen disregard for the lines of the volleyball court.

All that changed last year when someone from a church in Oakville I sometimes visit became really vocal about my infraction. I didn't think people at a church pickup game would become enraged at my overstep gimmick! I did not play volleyball since then, yet some friends in Brampton invited me to play volleyball with them. Will the natural competitor make an appearance, and cross the boundary of good sportsmanship? If so, will anyone notice? If they notice, will they run up my chest, dance on my head for a half hour, and then run straight down my back? Do I have life insurance?

Perhaps, to be on the safe side, I will stand and watch from the safety of the sidelines. I can step on any line I wish there ^_^ Just don't step on any toes o_O I don't know where that came from -_-

Something Worth Returning For?

Just a heads up,

While details are up in the air amidst cloudy skies, there could be changes afoot. What kind of changes? Changes worth returning to FACEBOOK over; those kind of changes!

Stay tuned!

Responsible Writing ^_^ ...and Doing o_O

What did I just do? o_O

I write a lot about baseball; if you like the sport, and want to check out what I wrote the blog is "Hits & Errors" and the URL is pwhitsanderrors.blogspot.com. Speaking of baseball, I played my first game on Sunday afternoon since, what turned out to be, my double knee tweaking incident the previous week. There was no real damage from the fall, thank God, but now I must wear knee pads for the rest of the year. I never gave real thought about my mortality, until I was writhing in pain on the pavement past the outfield of the baseball diamond. I am twenty-nine now, and while I want to play the game like a nineteen-year old, I know I can't play at that level unless I want to injure another part of my body, or even re-injure my knees. That doesn't mean I'm going to shy away from contact; no, what I must do is think of more intelligent ways to play the game while staying in one piece ^_^ Perhaps I should think this way about how I write?

The time of day, in which writing takes place, can determine what is written. Night time writing can be the most difficult because the author must separate all the events of the day before focusing on the subject. One or two unrelated events can lighten or temper the mood of the author to create an undesired effect like a misplaced word or sentence that throws an entire blog post or essay off balance. The same can also be true for greeting cards, postcards, or even messages sent with lovely bouquets of flowers (?). After a good rest and with the drama of the previous night left aside, the job of writing is easier and there are less distractions to pull the author away from the task at hand. There is such a thing as writing too early, such as writing the moment you wake up: Eat some breakfast, take a shower, walk the dog, bring in the cat, or whatever! Get into a routine to get the brain functioning before you start writing.

Recently, I acted with more passion than I am accustomed to, and I took another giant RISK. I do not regret taking that risk, because I wanted to show how much I care about the subject. The problem is that without waiting a day to address that situation with a clear mind and a clean slate the meaning may be lost in awkward word choices and phrasing =_= I like thinking of best-case and worst-case scenarios, and in the latter I envision police stopping by the house, and my face on the front page of every newspaper in the country o_O I don't regret how I feel, but now the stress haunts me! All I can do now is pray, and hope the well-meaning spirit will shine past the error of sentence structure. Nevertheless, when I think about it, the situation should never come to that point where I am in constant worry!

If possible, always try to write during the day with a fresh start, clear mind, and a clean slate ^_^