A friend emailed this to me.

CHRISTIAN WAYS TO REDUCE STRESS . . .

An Angel says, "Never borrow from the future. If you worry about what may happen tomorrow and it doesn't happen, you have worried in vain. Even if it does happen, you have to worry twice. "

1. Pray

2. Go to bed on time.

3. Get up on time so you can start the day unrushed.

4. Say No to projects that won't fit into your time schedule, or that will compromise your mental health.

5. Delegate tasks to capable others.

6. Simplify and unclutter your life.

7. Less is more. (Although one is often not enough, two are often too many. )

8. Allow extra time to do things and to get to places.

9. Pace yourself. Spread out big changes and difficult projects over time; don't lump the hard things all together.

10. Take one day at a time.

(also remember -- you can only do one phone call at a time

it doesn"matter how busy the que is ---"PapaBear")

11. Separate worries from concerns . If a situation is a concern, find out what God would have you do and let go of the anxiety . If you can't do anything about a situation, forget it.

12. Live within your budget; don't use credit cards for ordinary purchases.

13. Have backups; an extra car key in your wallet, an extra house key buried in the garden, extra stamps, etc.

14. K. M. S. (Keep Mouth Shut). This single piece of advice can prevent an enormous amount of trouble.

15. Do something for the Kid in You everyday.

16. Carry a Bible with you to read while waiting in line.

17. Get enough rest.

18. Eat right.

19 Get organized so everything has its place.

20. Listen to a tape while driving that can help improve your quality of life.

21. Write down thoughts and inspirations.

22. Every day, find time to be alone.

23. Having problems? Talk to God on the spot. Try to nip small problems in the bud. Don't wait until it's time to go to bed to try and pray.

24. Make friends with Godly people.

25. Keep a folder of favorite scriptures on hand.

26. Remember that the shortest bridge between despair and hope is often a good "Thank you Jesus. "

27. Laugh.

28. Laugh some more!

29. Take your work seriously, but not yourself at all.

30. Develop a forgiving attitude (most people are doing the best they can).

31. Be kind to unkind people (they probably need it the most).

32. Sit on your ego.

33 Talk less; listen more.

34. Slow down.

35. Remind yourself that you are not the general manager of the universe.

36 . Every night before bed, think of one thing you're grateful for that you've never been grateful for before.
GOD HAS A WAY OF TURNING THINGS AROUND FOR YOU.

"If God is for us, who can be against us? "

(Romans 8: 31)

BE WELL. BE SAFE. BE LOVED.

Happy Birthday to the Stroumboulopouli!

Happy birthday Stroumboulopouli!

You are two now? My goodness, how you have changed!

The first two pictures are from the set of the season finale of The Hour {season two}, mid June 2006. The other one is of George and Janna when he was visiting Calgary a year later.

-------------------------------------------

I want to share my personal perspective about this blog with you.

Why did I help start a blog about The Hour in the first place?

Life is a short journey. You may not have time to examine all the entertainment highlights, news events or politics that happen in the world as you speed through your week. It goes by in a snap or an HOUR

In December 2005, I was thirsty for the Canadian perspective and switched from watching CNN for ‘world’ news to watching Newsworld, which was back better than ever from that strike that turned us to CNN in the first place… So it was then that I first noticed The Hour.

The Hour is described as a factual entertainment show. To me it’s much more than that. When a Canadian program explores issues, music, arts, politics, great ideas with so much humour and charm it wakes you up to what is out there and what you are missing by not paying attention.

In January 2006 I started a blog just to explore what blogging was and to work through my personal grief about loosing my boyfriend to lung cancer… It had been a year and a half since his death and I needed to try to move ahead with my life. I was looking for a focus.

In my personal blog I wrote about a lot of things, and I would occasionally touch upon some topics The Hour had featured and, through The Hour own website’s ‘blogtracker’, I found other bloggers that blogged about The Hour on occasion as well.

We became a small but growing community of fans that were linked by The Hour. With blessings from The Hour a group of us started the Stroumboulopouli on May 30 th 2006.

The name Stroumboulopouli is the plural of Georges last name, and should you wish to know it's created source, the credit goes to "Jeremy at The Hour and Deana at Sunday".

Incidentally, did you know about this spelling rule for George's name: "U after O, except after L." It's like "I before E, except after C," but better....

The Hour was in season two and was experimental in style and form. It appealed to the bloggers that like to discover the indi groups before anyone else had. It appealed to all ages. It appealed to women and men, but only women seemed to want to join the blog (so far).

When I first started watching, George used to start the show with “Hi, I am your buddy George and this is The Hour.” That invite made the show sweetly personal. Not sure why he changed it to “Your Boyfriend George”. Should I ask him? Maybe that's why women are more comfortable expressing their regard...

In seasons one and two, the show was live, and writing an email to The Hour at the beginning of the show could get your email read on air before the show ended. It was like watching an amazing performance in a small club where you can shout out a song request when you know the artist should be playing stadiums. He is singing to you now but you want him to have that success that will sadly reduce that interactive personal element so more people can be reached. Well, less live and interactive coast to coast, with the exception of the now live studio audience.

Going to a taping can be a more personal experience. If you are Toronto when the show is taping or can be there when it's on the road by all means book a seat or two. Or like many people do, have a conversation with George when he is talking to you from the other side of that glass. (I do not!)

Another show we feature on this blog is a Strombo production and worthy of frequent mention. The Strombo Show is a radio show George and Bob Mackowycz Jr. host. The radio show tries to bring back that live interactive element that can no longer be offered on The Hour. It's where you can still shout out those requests. I think George needs that as much as the audience does...

The original members of The Stroumboulopouli were Barbara B, Jas, Alana, Allison, Becky Evelyne and myself (Barbara W.) With schedules changing, school, work and life getting in the way plus disappointment from some that The Hour had become mainstream and was no longer available in that smaller venue where it was so much more personal… people moved on. New bloggers came along, Heather, Angie, Brooksie but for various reasons could not stay.

Many times I find friends and new blog contributors through commenter on the blog or on George’s MySpace page. Tracy, Mich, Steph A., Janna and Jen make up the Stroumboulopouli now and have been helping me celebrate a wonderful show and two years that have gone by in a snap, or an Hour. I have many people to thank for contributing to this blog, the readers, the bloggers, former bloggers, guest contributers, friends, and family for understanding and sometimes sharing this obsession.

I also want to thank George Stroumboulopoulos and the crew and former crew of The Hour and the Strombo Show for making it personal. They inspired the path that lead me from standing still in Montreal to getting back into life and moving (literally to Toronto) but metaphorically forward. I have discovered and rediscovered friendships, music, comedy, movies, creative writing, photography, geography, books, ideas… not conceived by The Hour but for me, the spark was reborn there.

I am being, not just trying anymore

I want to write a post about how my life is going now but I feel reluctant...

Is it because of work?

That's part of it.

Work is going well and I have applied for a longer term contract.

Wish me luck.

Is it because I have just started dating again and I am not sure how that will go?

That's part of it.

It's going well but it's early stages...

I don't want to jinx it.

Is it because I have less time online because of facebook, myspace and the stroumboulopouli?

That's part of it... but I enjoy those things.

Are there better things to do?

Yes live performances of comedy and music and whatnot..

maybe all that is part of why I don't blog here as much anymore.

Maybe the reason I started this blog is not as valid for me anymore...

that is part of it too.

Barbara W.

Still alive and I have recent pictures to prove it..

Visit to the Island on a Saturday in June

Who knew Toronto had such nice beaches so close by.

A happy discovery.

Since Ontario is mine to discovery I am going to spend some weekends exploring it a bit.

I know I know it's been a long time

Not sure there is a reader left...

It's been a long time since I posted on my 'own' blog.

I have been busy working.

I have also been busy playing.

It's a balance of social life, hobby and financial obligations.

I have a job I like, and a second job I like, and sometimes a third job... seems to be no shortage of jobs in Toronto if you look hard enough.

The is no shortage of things to do in Toronto either.

In the past two weeks I have been to two Art shows, a comedy night, a taping of The Hour where Gene Simmons was one of the Guests... That was interesting. all of that was free...

I may not need my own blog so much anymore.

I have worked out a few things that the blog has helped me work out.

I may be ready for what's next...

what ever that is.

I did an interview with George Stroumboulopoulos. That will be available soon on the other blog, the Stroumboulopouli.

It will be half an hour long. I know that sounds long.

We may do more interviews like that... maybe that is what's next

Just being Barbara

Sick of the old purse?

I never gave it a thought. Who'd a thunk?
Have you ever noticed gals who sit their purses on public restroom floors - that go directly to their dining tables? Happens a lot! It's not always the 'restaurant food' that causes stomach distress. Sometimes "what you don't know 'will' hurt you"!
Read on...
Mom got so upset when a guest came in the door and plopped their purses down on the counter where she was cooking or setting up the buffet. She always said that purses are really dirty, because of Where they have been. Smart Momma!!! It's something just about every woman carries with them. While we may know what's inside our purses, do you have any idea what's on the outside?
Shauna Lake put purses to the test - for bacteria - with surprising results. You may think twice about where you put your purse. Women carry purses everywhere; from the office to public restrooms to the floor of the car. Most women won't be caught without their purses, but did you ever stop to think about where your purse goes during the day?
"I drive a school bus, so my purse has been on the floor of the bus a lot," says one woman. "On the floor of my car, probably in restrooms." "I put my purse in grocery shopping carts, on the floor of bathroom stalls while changing a diaper," says another woman and of course in my home which should be clean."
We decided to find out if purses harbor a lot of bacteria. We learned how to test them at Nelson Laboratories in Salt Lake, then we set out to test the average woman's purse.
Most women told us they didn't stop to think about what was on the bottom of their purse. Most said they usually set their purses on top of kitchen tables and counters where food is prepared. Most of the ladies we talked to told us they wouldn't be surprised if their purses were at least a little bit dirty.
It turns out purses are so surprisingly dirty, even the microbiologist who tested them was shocked. Microbiologist Amy Karren of Nelson Labs says nearly all of the purses tested were not only high in bacteria, but high in harmful kinds of bacteria.
Pseudomonas can cause eye infections, staphylococcus aurous can cause serious skin infections, and salmonella and e-coli found on the purses could make people very sick. In one sampling, four of five purses tested positive for salmonella, and that's not the worst of it. "There is fecal contamination on the purses," says Amy.
Leather or vinyl purses tended to be cleaner than cloth purses, and lifestyle seemed to play a role. People with kids tended to have dirtier purses than those without, with one exception. The purse of one single woman who frequented nightclubs had one of the worst contaminations of all. "Some type of feces, or even possibly vomit or something like that," says Amy.
So the moral of this story - your purse won't kill you, but it does has the potential to make you very sick if you keep it on places where you eat. Use hooks to hang your purse at home and in restrooms, and don't put it on your desk, a restaurant table, or on your kitchen countertop. Experts say you should think of your purse the same way you would a pair of shoes. "If you think about putting a pair of shoes onto your countertops, that's the same thing you're doing when you put your purse on the countertops" - your purse has gone where every individual before you has spat, coughed, urinated, emptied bowels, etc! Do you really want to bring that home with you?
The microbiologists at Nelson also said cleaning a purse will help. Wash cloth purses and use leather cleaner to clean the bottom of leather purses.

Thanks to Susan for this email warning..

Barbara

I did it now I'm too frozen to watch

I mentioned on my other blog that I wanted to do my Best Story Ever for The Hour.

It was an exercise in exploring the medium, that aspect of participation, and it was an exercise in exploring my feelings in my grief. My story is about that grief and the hardest day of my life. When I decided to tell this story I was pretty calm about it. It's about Graham and I am very proud about who Graham is and what he means to me. For those who don't know me well. Graham was my boyfriend who passed away 3 years ago in June.

I taped the story 3 dozen times and took it over to The Hour twice, without feeling what I experiencing now. I just saw now that the story has been posted on The Hours website. I saw that, and I ran away... I am frozen. I can't watch.

Where the hell did that brave woman go?

I think I will just ... I don't know...
You can go see it and tell me what you think... go to www.cbc.ca/thehour/ click on Best Story Ever on the sidebar...

for Graham

All Moved

If you have ever moved You may recall the stress, the planning, the lists of things forgotten, the things that will break and the 100 things you need to buy for the new place.

I am in the new place now and I still have a lot of that to do.

Which reminds me I better write down the list of things I need to buy as soon as I find where I packed my pens...

A broom for one, then I need to find the part of my vacuum that has motor on it... then a dish drainer thingy... these are all great excuses to not clean up but if I'm going to have a house warming party I should take care of this.

Toilet paper... oh yeah.. I better go shopping again... I wonder where my pen is..

In other news I did a radio interview yesterday.
I will tell you more about it on my other blog in a few days.
It was all about The Hour and George and the blog called The Stroumboulopouli.

be organized?
Barbara

Unsettled ready to settle

I am on the verge of moving... most of it is packed. Plans are falling into place. Friends are getting their excuses ready... LOL

Don't worry It will only take a few good people.
I can't wait to blog from my new place.

I started a new Temp job last week and it is going well so far. I work for the govt. That's all I am gonna say about that. No I am not a spy. Is there such a thing as Temp spies? Nor do I want to be a spy. I am just a receptionist and not the Miss Moneypenny kind.

To change the subject;
The new name for Jian's new radio show is.... still undecided. Do you have any more suggestions? I think I ran out of suggestions ...

I should be posting more again soon

In the mean time....
I am in the mood for Green eggs and ham.

I have been neglecting this blog a bit in favour of projects I am

working on for the other blog.

Please see my latest post on the stroumboulopouli

Happy love day!

I found this quote in The Globe and Mail the other day.

"There is no love sincerer than the love of food"

George Bernard Shaw.

Sorry slow to post

I don't announce I won't be posting for awhile because I never know that in advance...


I am looking for a new job because I only have two weeks left at my current temp job...
I have some interviews this week coming up. I remain hopeful. I am settling down nicely in Toronto and I am ready for a permanent job. Being bilingual seems to help get my foot in the door around here.

What fun things have I done since my last post?
I went to see The Golden Dogs last Friday night at Lee's Palace. That have improved a lot as live performers since this clip was shot.


I watched the entire series of Twitch City this weekend ... all 13 episodes on DVD.

Twitch city was funded in part by CTF and is exactly why we need to remind our cable companies to support Canadian productions. We pay them our hard earned money and I want part of that to support Canadian writer, actors and production companies.
Jim Shaw Jr, of Shaw cable and Karl Péladeau of videotron are just trying to keep the money you all ready gave them, to support Canadian TV, for themselves. Jerks!

http://www.friends.ca/Cable-Commitments

Sunday one culture, Monday another

I finally changed my Quebec Plate for some Ontario plates...
Je me souviens all the good times in Quebec.
Now I am discovering Ontario has all kinds of culture!

I have had a significant week...
It started with Sunday. My friend Wendy had invited me to see her class perform their final exam. The class was an improve class and the final exam is held in front of an audience at Second City or in this case just down the street. It was a full house and I invited my friend E to come along. Wendy, E, and a group of friends had just gone to The Hour together in January. So this invite sort of came about from that. The performances were very brave, plucky sometimes funny, sometimes not... that's improv for you. I got invited out to dinner with the improv class... Of course I went. Some of these people are going to be famous one day... It was a blast just chatting with them over nachos.
Thank you Wendy for that unique look into the comedy culture of Toronto.

Monday. My friend Lorraine and I went to see Not Just Another Benefit. It's a show put on by the folk music scene
to support Marie-Lynn Hammond after she had a serious riding accident.
Musicians don't get good medical coverage if you know what I'm sayin', hence the need for this support effort from her friends in the music business.
We knew Jian Ghomeshi and and fellow Moxy Fruvous member Mike Ford were performing. Also performing were Stuart McLean, Don Ross (amazing what he can do with a guitar), Rick Salutin (teacher at Ryerson), Sylvia Tyson, and Marie-Lynn Hammond herself performed along with many others... It was a very cool Canadian wide and local folk music culture scene.... It was one amazing night. Thank you Jian for being so nice and spending your time hanging out with us.
Jian had to leave and go catch up on some sleep but Lorraine and I stayed and enjoyed a great finish. The entire cast of performers got back on stage and sang a song called Not Another benefit.
Cheers!

A song that I can't help liking.

Months back I found featured this song on Will and Ben's Record Room.
It appeals to me for cultural reasons that come from my mothers family. They have roots in the Liverpool area of the UK . This song comes from that area with a language about it that I just adore.
Cup Of Tea by Shack

A wonderful woman sent this to me. Thanks Sue!

A young wife sat on a sofa on a hot humid day, drinking iced tea and visiting with her Mother.
As they talked about life, about marriage, about the responsibilities of life and the obligations of adulthood, the mother clinked the ice cubes in her glass thoughtfully and turned a clear, sober glance upon her daughter."Don't forget your Sisters," she advised, swirling the tea leaves to the bottom of her glass. They'll be more important as you get older.No matter how much you love your husband, no matter how much you love the children you may have, you are still going to need Sisters.
Remember to go places with them now and then; do things with them. "Remember that 'Sisters' means ALL the women... your girlfriends, your daughters, and all your other women relatives too.
You'll need other women. Women always do.

"What a funny piece of advice!" The young woman thought.
Haven't I just gotten married? Haven't I just joined the couple-world?
I'm now a married woman, for goodness sake! A grownup! Surely my husband and the family we may start will be all I need to make my worthwhile!"

But she listened to her Mother.
She kept contact with her sisters and made more women friends each year.
As the years tumbled by, one after another, she gradually came to understand that her Mom really knew what she was talking about.
As time and nature work their changes and their mysteries upon a woman, Sisters are the mainstays of her life.
After almost 50 years of living in this world, here is what I've learned:THIS SAYS IT ALL:
Time passes.
Life happens.
Distance separates.
Children grow up.
Jobs come and go.
Love waxes and wanes.
Men don't do what they're supposed to do.
Hearts break.
Parents die.
Colleagues forget favors.
Careers end.
BUT.........Sisters are there, no matter how much time and how many miles are between you.
A girl friend is never farther away than needing her can reach.
When you have to walk that lonesome valley and you have to walk it by yourself, the women in your life will be on the valley's rim, cheering you on, praying for you, pulling for you, intervening on your behalf, and waiting with open arms at the valley's end. Sometimes, they will even break the rules and walk beside you...Or come in and carry you out.
Girlfriends, daughters, granddaughters, daughters-in-law, sisters, sisters-in-law, Mothers, Grandmothers, aunties, nieces, cousins, and extended family, all bless our life!
The world wouldn't be the same without women, and neither would I.
When we began this adventure called womanhood, we had no idea of the incredible joys or sorrows that lay ahead.
Nor did we know how much we would need each other. Every day,we need each other still.
Pass this on to all the women who help make your life meaningful.

Post # 300. Facing the future.

As far as I know it's not all about me.

But I am faced with the fact that
I have to take better care of me.

There are a few realities that I have to face
and a few challenges.
all links are random examples...
One: Find an apartment I can afford.
Apartment hunt ?
Two: Get a permanent job I enjoy.
Jobs I want?
Three: Oh I don't know, find a boyfriend...
Singles group?
Four: Take courses that will help me do what I want to do.
Classes?
Five: Take a vacation because all that sounds tiring...
Travel?
Six: Take care of all that paperwork I have been putting off.
OHIP ?
Seven: Save some money in case I live long enough to retire.

Books, Newspapers and Magazines

What do you like to read?
I find myself reading more newspapers as of late. For the most part it's for research. It's a great resource!
Some magazines catch my short attention span like Readers Digest and Macleans...
Reading blogs seems to take up more of my time and now I am scrambling to find time for books. I have 3 or 4 books just waiting for me to sit down and finish them.
I wanted to remind people of this event coming up.
I was always encouraged to read all I can. My family is a family of readers.
Just a little note from my boss.

As you may know, ABC CANADA Literacy Foundation is the national coordinator of ABC CANADA Family Literacy Day®, held annually on January 27. This special day promotes the importance of reading and learning as a family, and encourages the development of lifelong readers.

For more information on ABC CANADA Family Literacy Day®, please visit: www.abc-canada.org

Sincerely,


Bryan Cantley
VP Member Services
Canadian Newspaper Association


Le 2 janvier 2007

Madame,
Monsieur,

Comme vous le savez, la Fondation pour l’alphabétisation ABC CANADA est la coordonnatrice nationale de la Journée de l’alphabétisation familialeMD (JAF) qui se tient tous les 27 janvier. Cette journée spéciale vise à souligner l’importance de la lecture et de l’apprentissage en famille et à encourager la formation de lecteurs à vie.


Pour en savoir davantage sur la Journée de l’alphabétisation familialeMD, visitez www.abc-canada.org.

En vous remerciant encore une fois pour votre soutien continu à la cause de l’alphabétisation, nous vous prions d’agréer, Madame, Monsieur, nos salutations distinguées.


Bryan Cantley,
vice-président, Services aux membres

I posted this news on my other blog

All I will say here is....
I think I will be listening to CBC Radio One much more!