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While in Hamilton, I took a course in scriptwriting at The Factory (best birthday gift ever) and ever since, ideas for a movie have been bouncing around in my head.

Today I’ve discovered this. The timing could not be more perfect!

What is Script Frenzy?
Script Frenzy is an international writing event in which participants take on the challenge of writing 100 pages of scripted material in the month of April. As part of a donation-funded nonprofit, Script Frenzy charges no fee to participate; there are also no valuable prizes awarded or “best” scripts singled out. Every writer who completes the goal of 100 pages is victorious and awe-inspiring and will receive a handsome Script Frenzy Winner’s Certificate and web icon proclaiming this fact.

Even those who fall short of the word goal will be applauded for making a heroic attempt. Really, you have nothing to lose—except that nagging feeling that there’s a script inside you that may never get out.

In May I’ll let you know how it went…

Two views of Toronto’s CN Tower, one from downtown looking past the Ontario College of Art and Design’s odd stilt building and one from High Park. You may have to click through to the “all sizes” link to see it in the latter.

While I am enjoying city life, I do confess to missing the forest. A little tree time today was marvelous :)

found a 6 month stint doing some librarian work for an international standards agency

am unsure where that will take me, but it’s nice to know I can keep myself in kibble for awhile :)

I love this image.

Here are a few shots of my new home, still mostly empty but with lots of possibility!

pancakes are now available in a can

and they’re organic

Toronto is so full of life and colour, if you know where to look….

my flow shifted the day
I changed my focus from being all about my local “tribe” to wanting to serve the world in general
new angles
new angels
so
here I am Now
back in the big city
feeling energized by it all
each moment a mission
yet
I know I’ll see
the crystal mountain
again

I found a place to rent in Toronto and will be moving in at the end of the month. There is a possibility that someday I’ll go back West (or perhaps elsewhere) but for now it feels great to be here again. Unlike many cities around the world, a woman can walk almost everywhere in Toronto 24/7 and still feel safe. There’s extensive multiculturalism and comparitively very little racism.

I’m reconnecting with old friends and loving the potentiality of meeting so many new ones.

I’m especially looking forward to the return of bicycle season…

I have been very lucky to have nice places to stay while in transition! Here’s the view from my current abode, taken early in the morning from the 23rd floor, and sped up:

The main points from a document I like very very much:

Principles of Spiritual Activism
www.agnt.org/snvSpiritActive.htm

1. Love those with whom we are in conflict. This is a real challenge for most of us.

2. We are all spiritual beings. See the image of God in everyone.

3. We are all connected and part of the web of life.

4. We can pray. Prayer is powerful and effective and should precede all actions.

5. We are conscious beings and are part of a collective universal consciousness. As such, our positive thoughts and intentions can have a beneficial impact on all life forms.

6. Shift our motivation for action from anger to love.

7. Be aware of any negative thinking on our part. Be alert for fearful or angry images which arise in our consciousness. We have a choice. We can let negative thoughts rule us and our behavior or we can replace these thoughts with more positive images.

9. To promote peace, we need to become peaceful ourselves. Meditating can help us develop peace and learn to live more in a state of love.

10. Develop a non-attachment to outcome. Buddhists believe this is the path out of suffering.

11. Let go of the need to be right and in control. Be open to all possibilities.

12. When involved in a dispute, focus on the issues rather than attacking the opposition.

13. We should not isolate ourselves from the pain and suffering of the world. As we let the pain in, we become transformed, compassionate and motivated to action.

14. God created life and we are intelligent beings capable of creative genius. We can co-create, with God, a better future.

15. Peaceful, non-violent direct action is an appropriate way to demonstrate our protest to harmful, unjust laws or practices.

16. We are all One with God, each other and all life. In this oneness, may we love one another and be of service.

Today I’m thinking of two quotes. One is from my mother, and one is from a friend….

In life, err on the side of joy and adventure. - Priscilla Neale

It’s a miracle we’ve made it this far. - Gabriel Lightheart

My life is full of unknowns, however I have decided one thing: I’m currently planning to stick around in Ontario for awhile, especially because I want to be near the band.

We practice in Mississauga, so I’m looking for work within the zone where I can still get to rehearsals, likely in Toronto.

That said, I am open to alternative awesome occurences.

Is it possible for you to embrace uncertainty, and not demand that you should know what is going to happen to you in your life situation? –Eckhart Tolle

There’s a new Facebook group that encourages Canadians to “Spock” their 5 dollar bills. It is a phenomenon that has been around for awhile and it works with both the new & old bills.

This group is to celebrate the Canadian cultural phenomenon, known to some as the “Spock five”. The origins of this mysterious tradition are shrouded in secrecy, although it is widely believed to be totally awesome.

Many years ago, some clever individual whos name has no doubt been forgotten in the annals of time noticed that Sir Wilfrid Laurier’s portrait on the Canadian five-dollar bill looked remarkably like a certain famous Vulcan. And thus the Spock five was born. With the advent of the new Canadian five-dollar bill, Laurier looks even more like Leonard Nimoy, ensuring the Spock five has a long and prosperous future.

…

DISCLAIMER: This group, and its creator, in no way endorse the actual act of Spocking fives (even though it’s awesome), as defacing money is illegal, and somewhere, someone in Canada might actually care, or something. Despite this disclaimer, you should all Spock every five dollar bill you get, and encourage everyone else to do the same (not an endorsement).

I am so grateful that I still have a loving support network of friends in Toronto, even though I was gone for over five years.

Thanks to the individuals who have actively welcomed me back (you know who you are) and to the Internet for having made it so easy to stay in touch :)

I miss Elphinstone (a lot) how-ever I am enjoying being in Toronto right now.

This city seems new and improved from every angle compared to how I remember it was when I left for the West in 2004.

Perhaps it’s just my attitude that’s changed…

Two things I’ve learned in Canada are:

A perogy is a potato based food stuffed with cheese or other tasty fillings.

Proroguing Parliament is when a Prime Minister closes Parliamentary sessions for a period, often to avoid facing up to scandal or just to get a nice long vacation (which this time was met with giant waves of protest in rallies today all across the country!)

One estimate said over 7000 people attended in Toronto! I took photos, including these:

meditating on the bus
abiding within
while rolling along towards a new life
I briefly open my eyes
and see
the big city digital billboard say,
“best do-over ever!”

There is more to Hamilton, Ontario than smokestacks and steel. Here are 10 things I came to love about it during my time there:

10 - The Hamilton GO Centre

The Hamilton GO Centre is a beautiful art deco building, with an especially appealing interior (I love the font they chose for signs.) When my Internet was down, it was my favourite place to loiter with a laptop.

9 - Mex-i-Can

Mex-i-can is the best Mexican restaurant I’ve been to outside Mexico. Yum. Located at 107 James Street North.

8 - “The Factory”

The Factory: Hamilton Media Arts Centre is a collaborative group of filmmaking types who pool resources for space, equipment, and educational purposes. I took a screenwriting course there in the Fall that changed my life. Other creative communities could learn from this way of doing things.

7 - Locke Street

A funky street with interesting shops and an enjoyable vibe for walking down nestled at the bottom of the hill they call “The Mountain” in Hamilton. It’s also the place to get bagels.

6 - James Street North

The slightly seedy, slowly gentrifying street north of downtown that hosts monthly art crawls. I predict this neighbourhood will get much nicer in the near future.

5 - Sky Dragon Centre

The Skydragon Centre is an emerging cultural centre downtown for activists, environmentalists, artists, and intellectuals. There are good hearts and minds in attendance.

4 - Waterfalls

The city is spending money trying to improve Hamilton’s image by calling it “the city of waterfalls.” The waterfalls are a nice surprise, and yes, they are indeed awesome.

3 - Bayfront Park

Bayfront Park is a great place to see swans, sailboats, and to find a bit of peace amidst everything.

2 - The Music Scene

There’s great creativity here and many excellent bands all around. The Hamilton Music Awards were eye opening. It was here I found my rock muse.

1 - The unique flavour

It’s not a suburb, it’s not a big city, it’s not a small town. There’s an edge and evidence of decay, but it’s safe and there are signs of beauty everywhere. There’s history and ethnic diversity. There’s nowhere else like it.

I’m glad I’ve had the experience of living here for 5 months. It’s been character building and eye-opening. There will always be a soft spot for “the Hammer” in my heart.

A quote from A Course in Miracles (Chapter 13 #6) that was a good reminder today:

“When you have learned to look on everyone with no reference at all to the past, either his or yours as you perceived it, you will be able to learn from what you see now.”

I’m enjoying playing drums very very much…

seems it’s time to head back to “the big smoke” for a spell

something ventured
something lost
something else entirely gained

When we truly embrace and embody the concepts of both Nonduality and unconditional Love, we must practice them in each moment.

This means that we Love every aspect of ourselves, everyone else, and every situation as part of the grand Oneness of everything.

To do so reflects an all abiding Faith that everything is in divine order and a knowledge that everything is working out perfectly right Now!

With practice, you can live in Love with everything no matter how things appear to be.

very downtempo music

I put out a Craigslist ad hoping to get a chance to play some drums.

A few weeks later, I’m in a new band.

There are reasons the Universe dragged me here by the heartstrings…

From the wonderful book Lessons from the Source:

Nothing can happen to you that is not for your highest good. Make this into an affirmation that works well for you and use it repeatedly. This is a particularly difficult concept to embrace, especially when you are faced with loss or grief or disappointment. But remember that you have chosen this lifetime for its lessons, and you cannot be aware of all of those lessons while you are learning them. Remember also that loss and grief and disappointment are concepts generated by human consciousness out of its lack of understanding of the “big picture.”

I’m at the point Now where I’m confident that things are going as they should
so
though this phase may not be the most enjoyable in the grand scheme of things
this too I Love
and I know
it’s key

Last night I met up with a guitarist and bass player looking for a drummer. I jammed with them & it felt good to reactivate that part of my life. Energetically, I need it.