For Geraldine

Greetings Friends,

This past week has been a tough one for me; I lost someone to whom I was very close. Her name was Geraldine, and she was first cousin to my mother. She died last Tuesday, having lost a bravely fought battle with a rare form of bladder cancer.

I sat down a bunch of times to try to pen something that would do her justice, but I failed miserably, so I've decided to stop trying. You can add obituaries to the list of things I don't write particularly well.

Instead, I've decided to share a memory with all of you.

It was the summer of 1978. I was 11 years-old and decided I wanted to go to summer camp with all my cousins. They made it sound like so much fun and I couldn't wait to get there. When I got there, I was so thoroughly homesick that I called home collect about a dozen times begging my mom to come get me. She was steadfastly stubborn in her insistence that I complete the 6 weeks she paid for, and said not only would she not bring me home, she would not come to see me on visiting day. Instead, it was Geraldine who showed up on visiting day, ignoring her own children in order to comfort me while I sobbed in her arms. I've had to put up with incessant teasing over the years about my homesickness that summer, and it was the only summer I ever went to camp.

Geraldine was the kind of person who never had a bad thing to say about anyone. Her reaction to my hysterical bout of homesickness was to say that summer camp was not for everyone. In the ensuing years, she was privy to many a mishap and slip-up. Whether it was her own kids or another member of the family, she never judged us; she rode out the storms and was always looking forward to calmer days ahead.

Her home was always open to everyone. It didn't matter if it was for a holiday, or just a quick visit; she was always ready to receive whoever wanted to visit her. Her door was literally always open, and now that she's gone, it's sad to realize that I'll never be able to just walk in and see her again.

When Geraldine found out there were no treatment options left for her, she decided that she wanted to remain at home with her husband and family by her side. It was tough to see her bedridden and getting progressively weaker as the days and weeks passed. There was a period over the winter when I went six weeks without seeing her. The changes she underwent during that time, both physically and emotionally, were nothing short of astounding. I immediately felt great sadness for letting so much time pass between visits, but I knew in my heart that this was not the Geraldine I wanted to remember. The Geraldine I knew made the most amazing chicken soup, could talk for hours on end about anything and everything, and was always there to encourage us no matter how insurmountable we thought our problems were. She was truly one of the most kindhearted, genuinely good people I have ever known. There were never any ulterior motives or hidden agendas in Geraldine's closet; she personified the saying, "what you see is what you get".

I've often lamented that there are many things I hope to live to see in my life. Add to the list a cure for cancer. Not just some cancers; all cancer. To bear witness to what it does to people and to see them have to suffer in ways you never thought possible is one of the most unbearable things in life. I hope with all my heart that Geraldine is in a better place now. With a little luck she's having a kaffee klatsch with my mom, her mom, my grandmother, and assorted other relatives who are no longer with us. Sadly, my family is dwindling, but I think we're all going to pull together and be there for each other, despite the shrinking number.

My family and I are very grateful to the Temmy Latner Centre for Palliative Care for taking such incredible care of Geraldine during her illness. I encourage everyone to follow the link to find out more about this program, which is affiliated with Mount Sinai Hospital here in Toronto.

Nava

Celebrity vs. Privacy

 

Greetings Friends,

I'm sure everyone has some degree of "Royal Wedding Fever" now that the blessed event is only 2 weeks away. I'm certainly planning on watching it. Hell, I haven't been going to bed until 2 or 3 in the morning for weeks now, so what's the point if the "wedding of the century" coverage will begin at 5 am in my part of the world?

I watched the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer way back in 1981. I was 14 years old and absolutely enthralled with Diana's story. I wasn't a particularly avid royal watcher, but who wouldn't want to be the shy young girl who gets swept off her feet by a real-life Prince Charming? Too bad she didn't have the storybook ending we all hope for; Charles turned out to be anything but a prince, and we all know what happened to Diana.

I've started and abandoned a few essays about the topic of the paparazzi and the right to privacy. There have been many American celebrities who have challenged some of these relentless photographers, but under the auspices of the First Amendment, there's not a lot you can do to stop them. In Diana's case, she played a sort of cat-and-mouse game with them, giving them what they wanted when she wanted, and running from them when she didn't. I can't imagine what it must have been like for her, or is like for anyone for that matter, to constantly have to deal with someone pointing a camera in your face wherever you go. Some celebs say they eventually get used to it. The high price of fame means you sacrifice your privacy in the bargain, but is it really worth it? In 1997, when Diana was killed, I thought the paparazzi would ease up a bit, but if anything, their aggressiveness has gotten exponentially worse. Now, with a camera on board every mobile phone, everyone has the potential to be a paparazzo. As I often wonder about concussed hockey players, when will the day come when one of these intrusive shutterbugs pays the ultimate price for trying to snap a picture? I'm convinced this is also an inevitability.

In the meantime, You've got the Kardashian family and countless other reality "stars" living their lives in front of cameras, not to mention reveling in their overexposure. When I see someone like Kate Gosselin getting snapped at the local Target in Assbackwards, PA, I think to myself, why would an anonymous person gladly put up with that? The fact that she's now raking in millions notwithstanding, I can't get past the act of prostituting your children for the cameras as a viable living. Millions of people live anonymous lives and manage to get through their days without worrying about a random photographer jumping out of the bushes as they grab their mail in their bathrobes. We've witnessed countless celebrity meltdowns at the hands of these photographers, who have been known to cause car accidents, nervous breakdowns and the occasional fisticuffs. If the encounter does happen to get physical, it's always the celeb that gets the shit end of the stick, because these photographers are technically just doing their "jobs". Yes, we know that a public figure gives up a great degree of privacy, but the line in the sand has become non-existent.

As Kate Middleton prepares to say "I do" to Prince William, 30 years after Charles and Diana did the deed, I can't help but wonder what her life will be like once she's officially "Princess Catherine". Will the life of her deceased mother-in-law provide some sort of guide for handling the paparazzi, or will Princess Catherine eventually be driven to distraction by their presence? I certainly hope her story has a happier ending than Diana's. Happily ever after is unrealistic, but happy enough despite living your life in front of the cameras is probably the most she'll be able to expect.

Nava

Ink & Paint Celebrates a Year!

Greetings Friends,

It's been one year since I started this blog and I'm happy to say it's still going strong.

I'd like to take this opportunity to thank my loyal readers and all the people who have been supportive throughout this journey. The road has had some bumps and potholes, but fortunately, it has been a pretty terrific ride most of the way. The journey is far from over. Here's to a bigger, better and brighter future!

Enjoy your weekend.

Nava

Why So Serious?

 

Greetings Friends,

Tiger Woods might not find the above image to be funny, but I think it's hilarious. Last week, a local magazine PhotoShopped Toronto Mayor Rob Ford's head onto a similarly porcine body. He's only been in office 5 months and already, you'd think he was New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg after the big blizzard. Mayor Ford supposedly took the lampooning in stride. Good for him.

There are times that call for seriousness, and other times, we could do with a bit more irreverence. I used to never miss an episode of "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" and "The Colbert Report". My day wasn't complete until I got an earful of what those two men had to say. They always managed to take the edge off, no matter how much stress I felt, and after a few good belly laughs, sleep always came easy. It didn't matter that the underlying messages were serious; the ability to satirize them is an art form - not something everyone can accomplish. That brand of humour is also not for everyone. It happens to be for me.

There comes a point in time when you are in danger of taking yourself too seriously. It doesn't matter what your occupation, but if you begin to feel that civilization will crumble without your contribution, it might be time for a holiday. I like to refer to this as the "Star Trek Convention" effect. If you happen to find yourself at one once or twice over the course of your life, there's nothing wrong with that. When you attend several over the course of a year and feel the need to dress as a "Ferengi" while simultaneously speaking fluent "Klingon", there might be a problem. It may be time to get a life. William Shatner had the right idea. 

Some people have a habit of rendering themselves indispensable.Whether it's performing a certain task or offering up opinions or advice, certain folks feel the need to do or see things only one way: theirs. Everyone else can go play in traffic for all they care. I used to think office know-it-alls were the only ones capable of this sort of behaviour, but life and experience taught me that these people are everywhere. No matter where you are or what you do, there's always going to be someone or some group that has the market cornered on serious. And it's no surprise that the more serious they are, the less you want to have anything to do with them.

I revel in irreverence. I adore it. I aspire to be more irreverent every day I am alive. There are times when seriousness is required, but I find those times to be fewer and fewer the older I get. Let the "Trekkies" have their fun. Let the know-it-alls think they know everything. I will never take them as seriously as they take themselves.

By the way, the reason I don't really watch Stewart and Colbert anymore is because they are not on basic cable here in Canada. Sacrilege. 

Nava

Had Enough Yet?

 

Greetings Friends,

Never let it be said that the United States is a wallflower. It can also never be said that any Canadian election will ever be viewed as a world-changing event. Another cold, hard fact about life in the information age is that the American election cycle never ends. Are we tired yet? Have we had enough?

This morning, President Barack Obama announced his intention to seek re-election in 2012. He's filing his papers with the Federal Election Commission and is gearing up to raise what will probably be record amounts of money to run his re-election campaign. It's hard to believe that time has passed so quickly, and that it's time to do this all over again.

As excited as I am about the upcoming Canadian election, I have to admit to feeling somewhat ambivalent about the 2012 presidential campaign. As I previously stated, it's a hell of a lot easier to wreck a parliament than it is to bring about change in federal constitutional republic. Here in Canada, I find myself rooting for Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper to gain his elusive majority. When you have to contend with minority government rule for too long, it starts to resemble, um, how can I say this delicately: having a squeeze without a squirt. That's sure to land me a spot on CBC's "At Issue" panel, don't you think?

While Canada will probably know who its leader will be in the wee hours of May 3, 2011, Americans will have to sweat it out until November, 2012. In the meantime, there isn't a moment's peace, a chance to take a breath, or even a chance to put through meaningful legislation without the public and the punditry going to war over it. I'm starting to believe that politics is going to replace professional sports in terms of capturing the interest of Americans. After all, there really is no off-season. It's not like having to pine away for baseball during the bleak winter months. Politics never goes away. It's always in season, and it never retires. 

How about that Obama 2012 yard sign pictured above? You too can own one if you visit Obama's Web site, watch his video and make a donation.

Is it me, or was 2007 only yesterday?

Nava

Pointed in the Correct Direction

 

Greetings Friends,

Ever wonder where your loyalties really lie? Here in Canada, we have a compass - a Vote Compass to tell us. Maybe you want to give it a try; if so, here's the link. I gave it a whirl the other day and found out I'm a Liberal. As if there was any doubt.

For my friends in the United States, a Canadian Liberal is way, way to the left. A Canadian Conservative is more in tune with a middle of the road, fiscally conservative Democrat. If you're looking for something akin to a Republican, check in Alberta. Other than there, they don't exist here. 

As for the other parties, the New Democrats (NDP) would be considered outright Communists, and the Bloc Quebecois would be compared to Civil War-era Confederates with their isolationist attitude. The one party that's really getting the shit end of the stick is the Green Party. I'm not sure what they represent; I understand the "green" connotation, but they're not getting much attention. Canada's environmental platform is even more shameful than the one in the U.S. and  it seems people are doing their best to ignore the "Greenies". They're sort of like Ralph Nader: they re-appear every four years and start squawking about how no one pays any attention to them. What they stand for is something of a mystery. 

So things are really heating up here. The buses are in motion and the baby-kissing has commenced. 7 million Canadians have used the Vote Compass so far, and I hope that number will keep rising. Regardless of how you feel about the necessity of this election, it never hurts to educate yourself on the issues and exercise your right to vote in a democratic society. I shudder to think what life would be like without this ability. 

Nava

Ditching the Paper

 

Greetings Friends,

It's official; Election Day here in Canada will be on May 2. Typically, I will want to absorb as much political news as I possibly can; this has been my M.O. ever since I turned 18 and attained the right to vote. All the pundits in this country are grousing about the lack of necessity for this particular election, but I happen to be excited about it. So why did I cancel my newspaper subscription on Saturday?

About a week after I moved into my new place, a nice kid knocked on my door one afternoon, offering me a free 16 week trial subscription to the National Post. I accepted, and a few days later, the paper began landing on my doorstep. The problem is, I never even read it. I flipped through the sections, but never opened one up to read an actual article. I was still getting the majority of my news online and on television. I used to be an avid newspaper reader, but it became obvious that my need for an actual print edition of a newspaper is superfluous. Then why did I agree to the subscription? I believe my guilt over not reading newspapers anymore got the better of me. 

I've been living during a time where technology has changed so much of our daily lives. I've gone from envying people's ability to fold the New York Times like origami, to envying people with iPads. It used to be that you were not considered a well-informed individual unless you read a newspaper daily. Now, you're not well informed if you don't have any media apps on your smart phone. I happen to have 8. And the inherent guilt I felt over this made me agree to a newspaper subscription which I wound up cancelling after only 4 weeks.

The sad fact is, newspapers have indeed become superfluous, extraneous - dare I say it - unnecessary. Hang me for treason, but you and I both know it's true. 30 years ago, the popular lament was, "Video killed the radio star" when MTV signed on the air. Now, the Internet has put a bullet through the heart of journalism. This is old news, I know, but my last ditch effort to be loyal to print has essentially gone down in flames. There was no newspaper outside my front door this morning. To tell the truth, I'm not all that upset about it. If I lost my Internet connection, I'd be freaking; not only is it my source of income, it is my source of information as well. And print is the collateral damage in my quest to make an honest living.

When I was in graduate school, some of my professors used to scoff at us because of the access we had to online research databases through my alma mater's Web site. It was convenient when writing papers to just search scholarly journals online, whenever, as opposed to schlepping over to the library. But for those who came before me who had no choice but to rummage through the stacks, there was palpable annoyance. Not that finding a book in a library is difficult; but you can't exactly do it at 3:00 in the morning in your jammies; unless it's finals week and the library is open 24/7. Same with reading a newspaper. You don't have to partake in a Tony Soprano-style perp walk down the driveway in your bathrobe to retrieve your paper - you just punch it up online.

Last week the New York Times announced its plan to start charging users if they view more than 20 online articles per month. Print subscribers will get to enjoy access to their Web site for free. Which begs the question: why do you need both? Now that everyone and their brother has a smart phone and/or a tablet, what's the point of having an actual newspaper? I hate to say this, but I think the death of the newspaper is going to happen much quicker than we think. And yes, this is partly my guilt talking for cancelling my subscription.

I'm still not sure I want to live in a world without newspapers, but there will soon be an entire generation of humans that will likely go through life not knowing what one is. That's sad, but technology will keep advancing regardless of what I think. At this point, I feel that as long as I have an Internet connection, I'll be able to deal with it. When the time comes, I will honestly mourn the death of the newspaper, but I don't think I'll have a particularly large crowd of mourners to keep me company.

Nava