I Smell Art

Posted on November 12, 2010 by clubfredbaja

Hello again from Home!

I’m not going to write about writing today. Ha! Didn’t see that coming, did you?

Today I am going to write about art.

What? Look, we don’t have a boat anymore, there aren’t roosters to kill, I don’t even get to ride a scooter. The most adventurous thing I do anymore is start a paragraph with a gerund, (which my editor hates, BTW).

So what is art? You think you know? Well think again! This past weekend we had the pleasure of playing Nelson tour guides to Willow (of Weddingfest fame) and Greg, her dad. Since Greg’s band was playing a gig in nearby Kaslo, the Beckster was kind enough to put him and Willow up in the chalet and we got to spend some quality time hanging with our Aitutaki/Vancouver Island buddies.

Even better, we were able to watch Greg and his band, The Eccelstons, perform in concert at the historical Langham Theater. The Langham, which is cute as the proverbial button, not only has a theater but also an art gallery and a museum. (Didn’t get to see the museum but we hear it’s cool). On this weekend, the art gallery was hosting an out of town artist and her exhibit (is that what you call it?) in which she explored light and colour. The nice lady at the front desk invited us to wander into the room put aside for the guest artist and warned us, “Don’t turn on the lights! Let your eyes adjust and see what she’s done with light and colour.”

Our collective curiosity’s piqued, we headed forth into the artistic unknown. What marvels of light and colour awaited us?

Hm.

The first few pieces were…underwhelming but we were a forgiving bunch (and a hungry bunch, too, the drive to Kaslo having taken much longer than Prez and his failing memory recalled, and having robbed us of dinner). However, by the time we reached the piece “Red”, all efforts at art appreciation vanished. Said piece was a red light that was pointed at a wall. Then there was the blue light shining on a log, and the white light shining on a jar with some crystals in it, (“The Smell of Purple” according to the descriptive tag). Now, I’m no Picasso but…come on. Shouldn’t ‘art’ entail some sort of effort or…um…skill?

Thankfully, the musical portion of our evening was infinitely more rewarding. With this “full contact folk” trio belting out tunes and strumming their instruments with fire and zeal and, (most importantly), skill, the crowd was clapping and stomping and occasionally singing along – even the woman in the front row who’d brought her knitting with her, (hey, it’s Kaslo).

I may not know art but I’m quite sure I know talent. And our friend Greg has loads of it.

I wish I had a video of their Celtic version of “Stayin’ Alive” but this song is every bit as toe tapping. Ladies and Gentlemen, The Ecclestons perform “Life Goes On”, (or as I like to call it “The Sound of Yellow”)…

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Award winning writer yells “CHICKEN!”

Posted on October 26, 2010 by clubfredbaja

Hello from Home,

Back from another weekend in the sac. The cul-de-sac, that is. Once again Prez and I bunked at Casa Roney in our old ‘hood. The occasion? My fourth go at the Surrey International Writer’s Conference aka the SIWC. Of course, this year was no ordinary conference because this year yours truly won the SIWC Storytellers Award.

Finally.

I say ‘finally’ not as in “It’s high time they recognized my genius” but as in “This is the fourth time I’ve entered this contest, the third time I’ve received an email to let me know that I had been short listed, and if I didn’t win soon I was going to eat too much chocolate and cry.”

The contest has several categories but the short fiction award is particularly coveted, (by me at least), because it is judged by Diana Gabaldon and Jack Whyte, who are bestselling authors…and infinitely more famous than me.

I didn’t get a photo of the event but you will see an artist’s representation of me receiving my award, below.

Along with my mini-rock star moment, collecting my prize, I also had the pleasure of meeting four crazy Yankee women. We would collectively become known as the Chicken Chicks. Blame our moniker on a poorly stocked buffet, empty stomachs and too much alcohol.

Amy, the Tennessee representative of the Chicken Chicks, had us all chortling at her tales of single life and her cross-country search (recorded for literary posterity) to discover if all the ‘good ones’ are indeed gone. She and her girlfriends spent one weekend each month visiting singles hotspots in different American cities. For single women out there who may be wondering, apparently Denver, also known as ‘Menver’, was Amy’s top pick for finding a ‘good one’. It’s only a matter of time before an agent snaps this gal up and gets her book published. Personally I look forward to the day when I can brag that I once got drunk and yelled “CHICKEN!” with Amy Everhart.

I’m back home now. My hangover is nearly gone. My cash prize is pretty much spent. My briefcase is back in the closet for another year. Yup, I’m just a regular old princess once more. Sigh.

Until next time, I hope this finds you healthy, happy & lovin’ life!
The Regular Old Princess

Kristene Perron wins SIWC award

Artist’s rendition of Kristene Perron accepting the SIWC Storyteller’s Award

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My Happy Ending

Posted on October 10, 2010 by clubfredbaja

Hello again from Home!

A year ago, we were freshly returned to civilization, enjoying such luxuries as water that comes from the tap on a reliable basis and morning tea that does not have to be checked for ants. I am inclined to say that this has been an odd year for us but then, in the dozen years we’ve been adventuring together, I don’t think Prez and I have ever known a ‘normal’ year. And thank goodness!

As some Nutters already are aware, the novel manuscript that has consumed my life since January is now complete – at least until my editor tells me there’s more to fix. What many of you don’t know is that this novel is not mine alone to claim and whatever becomes of it from this point on, the journey will be shared.

First to share in this endeavor, as is the case with all my projects and adventures, is the love of my life, the one and only Prez. For the better part of a year, he has jokingly referred to himself as the “life support system” for the novel. No description could be more apt. In a billion years I couldn’t have asked for a better friend/cheerleader/sounding board/cook/martini maker/promoter/lover and all around patron of the arts.

Prez has literally bent over backwards, (and assumed a plethora of other positions), to ensure that we made enough cash to stay afloat while still allowing me ample time to devote to my work. He’s reminded me to eat – something I often forget to do – and usually he’s the one who makes the food. He’s listened to me ramble on and on and on and on and…you get the picture…about the novel and has taken it well when his advice and suggestions were brushed aside by my annoying enthusiasm. He actually, much to my shock and joy, read the entire first draft of the manuscript and has since raved, to anyone who would listen, about its brilliance. He is, as always, my number one fan.

As a reward for his efforts, Prez has been ignored, almost every day, for most of the day, for most of the year. I can’t think of many husbands who would make that kind of sacrifice, especially not so willingly and with such good humour. If this novel finds a publisher and enjoys any level of success, much of the credit must go to my husband.

I couldn’t have done it without you, Prez. No amount of thank yous will ever be enough. I love you.

And credit is also long overdue to someone else, someone many of you have never heard of or even know exists…my writing partner, Josh.

Yep, that’s right, I did not write this book alone. If you’re wondering why this is the first you’ve heard of my imaginary friend, weellllllllll…it’s complicated. Josh is kind of a private type of guy, so I didn’t figure he would enjoy having his name splashed across a blog read by tens of people. He insisted, fairly early into this project, that I should be the poor sucker who did all, or most, of the ‘publicity’ type of stuff, if it came to that – though I think he’s up for Oprah, should she come knocking.

In reality, this novel was never really meant to be a novel. Josh and I met through a casual writing forum and shared a couple of stories/character pieces. Even though Josh had no burning ambition of becoming a ‘real’ writer, his natural talent was undeniable. I’ve met people who have been working studiously at the craft of writing for most of their lives, with the goal of become published novelists, who didn’t have half the skill Josh has. He brought up the idea of collaboration with me, which I immediately balked at because I was in the process of desperately trying to beat my mostly-dead manuscript back to life. After all, I did have a burning ambition to be a ‘real’ writer and I had to devote my time to ‘real’ writing. Thankfully, my e-friend was persistent and convinced me to hear out an idea for a story that he’d been storing away for some time.

I was impressed. Enough to agree to collaborate with him on this story…but only for fun…and only in my spare time.

Of course, fun soon became work and my spare time soon became every waking minute of my day, which may have been his nefarious plan all along. Impossible to say but I wouldn’t but it past him.

What Josh presented to me was a premise, a world, and a protagonist, all of which instantly intrigued me. After discussions back and forth, I created a protagonist and a world of my own. We swapped technical information, back-story about our characters, details of our worlds, and then we began to write, slowly merging our individual ideas until they were one.

I have never written with a partner and, frankly, I wasn’t sure if I would like it. I’m fairly possessive over my art. (Did I really just write that bit of pretentiousness?) To my great surprise, writing with Josh would turn out to be the most fun I’d ever had putting words on paper, (well, technically, on a screen). Scenes were only loosely discussed and planned but I would have very firm ideas in my mind about how they would unfold. Once we would start writing, however, Josh would throw out some curveball that would catch me completely off guard and force me to re-think everything I’d planned. It was frustrating, and invigorating, and it made me let go of all my ideas of what ‘real’ writing should be and just…be. It was strangely liberating.

Eventually the fun reached a tipping point, though. I was getting no other writing done, all I could think about was this story. We had both commented, at different times, that the story needed to be a novel but that was a level of commitment I wasn’t sure either of us were prepared for. Writing for fun is one matter, writing with the intent of creating a publishable novel (or, in this case, series of novels) is an entirely different matter. Going into business, and this would be a business venture, with a friend is not something to enter into lightly. I had no end of fears and nightmarish ‘what if’ scenarios but a decision had to be made. Either we were going to get serious or we were going to call it quits, so I could get back to my fledgling career.

In retrospect, I don’t think the decision was ever really ours to make. The novel demanded to be written and we were now just along for the ride.

As it turns out, Josh and I are as compatible at the business end as we are at the creative end, so my fears were put to rest. And now it looks like our efforts and our faith in each other may be rewarded as we have an agent who has given us a contract to sign and is interested in finding our novel a publisher.

And now that our bit of fun has become a piece of ‘real’ writing, I figured it was high time to force Josh out into the open and shower him with the praise and credit he so rightfully deserves, whether he likes it or not. Thanks my friend!

Last but by no means least, this novel also belongs to all of my friends and family who have been so unbelievably supportive of me over the years. Even the smallest word of encouragement can be enough to get me through those moments where I question my sanity for heading down such a difficult road, a road where so few people find success. I love you all, thank you for being there!

Where does it go from here? Who knows. But I have an amazing husband, a fantastic writing partner/friend and a whole bunch of inspiring friends to make the journey with me. What better happy ending could I ask for?

Until next time, I hope this finds you healthy, happy & lovin’ life!

The Princess

p.s. Happy Thanksgiving to Canucks everywhere!!

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The Nerve!

Posted on September 4, 2010 by clubfredbaja

Hello again from Home!

 

A good friend once told me, “The thing, the greatest thing, is not to lose your nerve.” Those words have been swirling around among the gumballs in my cranium lately. More about that later.

 

This has been a strange summer. We received a plethora of invitations to very cool social events but, due to budgetary and time constraints, were forced to limit ourselves to a mere handful. There were birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, parties and wilderness outings galore, it seemed everyone had some sort of landmark occasion to celebrate this year.

 

In future, we kindly request that our friends and family please space out these events more evenly. I mean, does it really matter if you hold your 25th wedding anniversary 11 months late? Technically, you’re still in the 25th year of marriage; try not to get hung up on details.

 

We missed all of Martha and Patty-Cake’s big events – 35th anniversary, daughter Meg’s wedding, Patty-Cakes’s 60th B-Day – so, to compensate, we let them have us stay in their house and feed us…and then we got very drunk with them. Win win.

 

Not missed was the big river float extravaganza with All-in Jim and Miss Sue. Even Sheba, Dancing Queen of the Dessert, made it to that one. CB’s 50th B-day was another party we made it to, (scene of the aforementioned “getting drunk”). We made the long and winding journey to our old home, Ukee, for some salmon fishing action with the Ripsters and Lutz’s. Tim Rippel, 46lb Chinook salmon, ‘nuff said? (Thanks Brenda & Murray!) And we were honoured to attend “Wedding Fest 2010” on Hornby Island, where our Aitutaki friends/guests, Willow and Joe, tied the knot between Canada and New Zealand, (and each other), in the forest. It definitely made our “Top Five Weddings of All Time” list (didn’t know we had one of those, did you?) and was fun as.

Floating the Kettle River with Miss Sue…

 

Me and Prez with Miss Sue & All-in Jim…

On the road to “getting drunk” at CB’s 50th…

Ripster, Prez and Wally…

The boys bonk some slabs…

Hanging out on Horny Island…

Willow and Joe aka the soon-to-be-marrieds…

Now, there are lots of stories I could share with you about all of these events and many smaller festivities, (and many stories…um…I just wouldn’t share because…um…well…Sheba…alcohol…etc) but I’m going to focus on the Kiwi/Canuck wedding for a moment.

 

The bride, Willow, has a very musical family. Every member of the Madill clan sings and/or plays an instrument of some sort. It was only fitting, therefore, that part of the three-day celebration (held on 10 acres of family land that is mostly untouched) included several musical performances.

 

The first night was an “open stage”, where anyone was welcome to come up and do, well anything. There was music, there were speeches, there was comedy, there was…um…a ‘dueling flashlights up the nose’ act that really has to be seen to be appreciated, and it was all fantastic. Some of the performers were experienced and comfortable on stage in front of a crowd, some were on stage for the first time, but everyone came in the spirit of love and the result was better than any polished, Broadway production going.

The Stage…

The crowd enjoys the big show…

 

What struck me about the open stage performance was how willing people were to swallow their fears, (and, in some cases, their pride and good taste – see: “dueling flashlights up the nose” act), to be part of the celebration.

 

Did you know that ‘public speaking’ is people’s #1 fear? I heard a comedian once joke that since people were more afraid of that than of death, it stood to reason that at a funeral we would rather be the guy in the coffin than the guy making a speech about the guy in the coffin.

 

And yet, I watched with glee as one person after another hopped up on stage to strut their stuff as a gift to Joe and Willow. Even Joe conquered his butterflies to sing a lovely song with his future father-in-law accompanying him on guitar. Joe, as it turned out, soon discovered the narcotic qualities of stage life and we were dragging him off by the hook at the end of the night. (OK, slight exaggeration there, but he did close out the show – rock on you crazy Beastie Boy!)

 

It is amazing how we can find the nerve to do the things that scare us, when we are properly motivated. There were some wickedly talented musicians on that stage – Willow’s dad, Greg, is an extraordinary songwriter, singer and musician and her brother, Jevan, appears destined to follow in his footsteps – and in a different time and place that might have been enough intimidation to keep away anyone who didn’t feel their talent was up to snuff. But there is a vibe to Joe and Willow, (in Hollywood they are known as Jillo), that lets you know, almost instantly, that it really is the thought, not the gift, that counts. And I have a feeling that those guests who worked up the nerve to share their talents with the crowd knew how much it meant to the bride and groom, and to all of us.

 

For our part, in case you’re wondering, our talent happened on the BBQ, in the form of several large and tasty salmon. I had planned on setting Prez on fire and having him fall from a tree but, alas, it was late summer and Hornby Island had a strict “no burning” policy in effect. Maybe next time.

Prez…he don’t know music but he do know fish!

 

However, if their guests found the nerve to sing and dance and stick flashlights up their noses, perhaps it was because Joe and Willow inspired them with some nerve of their own.

 

He’s a Kiwi, she’s a Canuck. The meeting story is long and funny and I can’t do it justice but suffice it to say that their coming together involved some giant leaps of both faith and distance. Their “Antipodean Love” (great song Lorena!) spanned across the equator and several thousand miles. Giving your heart to another is scary at the best of times but when it involves uprooting, leaving all your friends and family to start a new life, in a new country, and a new hemisphere, with someone you barely know, well, that’s a whole other level of nerve.

 

For several years now, Willow has been living on Joe’s turf, eating Tim Tams and learning not to finish her similes, and together they have been happy as. But six weeks prior to I Do Day, they packed up their windy Wellington life and headed back to the top half of the world to start their lives as Mr and Mrs anew, in the land of tall trees and waiters that expect tips.

 

I couldn’t help thinking, as I watched Joe and Willow spend time with their Kiwi friends and Joe’s family, especially his parents Jude and Hank, who would soon return to New Zealand, how this was indeed the Big Day, another leap of faith and distance.

 

Pretty much everything about this wedding was unconventional – the door leading to the hallway in the woods, family portraits and a chandelier hung from trees, the song sung by the guests to call the bride and groom to the ‘cathedral’ (a tranquil clearing in the forest), the giant paper flowers carried by the bridesmaids and the cathedral pews (stumps with fancy cushions on top) – and shouted loud the personality of the bride and groom. More than a ceremony, this was a work of art. The enormity of planning and realizing such a big event, in what were somewhat ‘primitive’ conditions (see: hand pumped well water), required a huge amount of nerve.

 

I was inspired.

 

So what does this all have to do with me?

Two days ago I emailed Book One of the novel to an editor. A very talented editor, I should add. She and her assistant are going to do a structural critique of the manuscript and then it will be up to me to fix what needs fixing before, fingers crossed, I send it out to find a home.

 

I am very nervous.

 

First, there is the usual nervousness. “What am I thinking?? I can’t write!! Who am I kidding??! However, like Russell Crowe’s character in “A Beautiful Mind”, those voices are just annoyances I’ve learned to ignore. The other nervousness, the more crippling nervousness, stems from the content of the story. Some of it is…unconventional. Specifically, the relationship between the two protagonists. There are elements that, well, might be shocking to a lot of folks. These elements are important to the story and I fought myself at every turn to keep from editing them out. But now that the story is off to be read by objective eyes, the second-guessing has begun in earnest. Sure, I know that stuff is important but will anyone else ‘get it’?

 

Oh Cod, what will my editor, who also happens to be a member of my writing group, think of me now?!

 

Then I think of all the wonderful and inspirational people in my life, people who take risks and step far outside of their comfort zones for what they love. Or who they love. I remember that there is a time to take that leap, to step up on stage and put it out there, no matter how much your knees knock together.

 

And I remember that the thing, the greatest thing, is not to lose your nerve.

 

Until next time, I hope this finds you healthy, happy & lovin’ life!

The Princess

 

 

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Coming Out of the Cave

Posted on July 3, 2010 by clubfredbaja

Hello again from home!

 

So as I was telling you last week…or…erm…six months ago…

 

Let me start over again.

 

Wow, where has the time gone? Today I crawled out of my writing cave, blinked my eyes against the glaring sun, (actually it is cloudy but I’m taking poetic license), and realized it has been an embarrassingly long time since my last Coconut Chronicle. Good news for me, as this means I have been hard at work pumping gumballs out of the cranium, bad news for those who wait breathlessly every week for my latest scribbles of brilliance.

 

Breathlessly, yeeeeees, that’s how I like to imagine everyone waiting. Though if that were the case I would be responsible for several deaths by now.

 

As good as writing cave life has been, however, the sheer volume of sunflower seed shells and chocolate wrappers has forced me out into the real world. Unfortunately it seems just as messy out here as it is in there. BP? WTF? OMG!

 

The novel I am working on has not-so-gradually transitioned from “work” to “obsession”. Poor Prez has become a writing widow and the few moments he gets to see me are usually spent discussing the novel. And “discussing” may be a misnomer, more like “me prattling on endlessly about the novel”. Fear not, loyal Nutters, (all three of you, including Mom), there is a light at the end of the proverbial tunnel! I will soon be finished the second draft, whereupon I shall pass off my baby for some professional editing and critiquing, and when it’s out of my hands I shall…start on Book Two in the series.

 

Did I mention it’s a series?

 

OK, OK, I have not been a complete and utter hermit. I have gotten out to do things not involving verbs and gerunds.

 

After 1673 planning emails, our as-of-yet-to-be-named group of Kootenay ladies ventured into the wilderness (or a posh, rented chalet) for a weekend of bonding and bike riding, (and booze and chocolate and hot tubbing and…). Highlights of the weekend are mostly R-rated and cannot be discussed without my lawyer present, however, for those of you familiar with my alter-ego, Sheba: Dancing Queen of the Desert, lets just say she made an appearance and was in fine, fine form…much to the chagrin of poor Christine who we now know can close living room blinds in 4.7 seconds when she has to.

Roughing it…

 

Our ride, planned by off-road afficiando Beckster, took us through the pristine wilderness of Rossland and then, inexplicably, onto the 7th hole of the Rossland Golf & Country Club. We were commenting on the lovely, groomed bike trail when a slightly distressed looking gentleman came running over to direct us to a bike trail that offered a smaller possibility of one of us getting hit in the head by a ball.

The nice man tells the crazy ladies where to go…

 

Pfft. Where’s the adventure in that?

 

Friend Carrie won the prize for most spectacular wipeout, while I’m pretty sure Helen took the honours for Best rendition of  Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive” – with help from Sheba, of course.

Broads with bikes…

 

Another good weekend was had at Lost Ledge, location of our first camping trip of the year. Prez, ever optimistic, predicted sun and fish-a-plenty. Well, technically he was correct because, after the massive downpour, the sun did in fact come out AND, after driving for two hours into the backcountry, we did get to see the infamous Gerard Rainbow Trout spawning by the hundreds.

First camp of the year…

Uh oh, Helen’s in the hooch again…

 

For those of you who don’t know, (which will be everyone who does not live here), the Kootenays boast the largest rainbow trout in all of North America. And these suckers are massive. Imagine the largest rainbow trout you have seen. Got it? Good. Now imagine sticking the air hose from your local gas station in the trout’s mouth and inflating it until it’s the size of a small tuna. That is how big these fish are.

 

Prez and me enjoyed a mini-vacation as we house/dog/rabbit sat for friends Amy & Derek, as they jetted off to Baja for a sailing excursion. Teeka, the aforementioned dog, was one of the strangest we have ever cared for. She is the sweetest, quietest, most low-maintenance canine we have ever had the pleasure to spend two weeks with; she is also a “runner”. The 30-year-olds in “Logan’s Run” have got nothing on this girl. It’s hard to blame her, with a forest full of small, scurrying critters in all directions but that doesn’t make it any easier when you are wandering up and down the hill for the fifth time screaming “TEEKA! COME TEEKA!” at the top of your lungs.

 

The rabbit, aside from its Shreddie addiction, was very well behaved.

On our most recent camping trip, to Wragg Beach, we were joined at the last minute by an extra set of Perron’s, specifically Kip and Sharon. It was wonderful to have them along, though after the Ripster’s energetic and impromptu accordian serenades, (don’t quit your day job, Tim), it is doubtful if they will ever return. We did manage to find some fish though and had a close encounter with a moose on the drive home.

Dinner!

Is that a moose in your stream or are you just glad to see me?

What do you mean you’re leaving? Kip? Sharon? Come on, we have jam twisters!

 

I was also privileged to attend my first ever book launch here, as one of the members of my new writer’s group presented her published novel to the world. Well, the world of Nelson, but we are a world unto ourselves. Never Going Back, by Antonia Banyard, is the story of high school friends who reunite, after ten years and a terrible secret (or two…or three) have kept them apart. It’s an excellent read but especially poignant, in my opinion, for anyone who’s ever experienced the odd and unsettling experience of breaking away from friends who were once as close as family.

 

What I enjoyed about the book was the way Antonia shows us Nelson, mostly the Nelson of her teenhood. This is a unique corner of the world and I love how well she captures the spirit of this place I now call home. Here’s one of my favourite passages…

 

“Since the late 1800’s, anyone who wanted to live in their own way ended up in this part of the country. So often when Siobhan meets people they exclaim, ‘Oh, I’ve always wanted to live in Nelson!’ Or they lived there once and remember the time fondly. But most people leave eventually. Laid off, no prospects, the commune collapsed. Nelson is the small town people move to for the lifestyle. It is to BC what BC is to Canada. It’s not a backwater town so much as an eddy in the stream, where a person can float in their own slow circle while the world rushes by. Most Nelsonites don’t care if they miss out on the goings-on in the big city. Such things mean nothing to them anyway.”

 

I should add, Nelson is also a really great place to get some writing done.

 

Speaking of which, the maid just informed me the shells and wrappers have been swept away and she’s given the writing cave a spritz of Inspiration, so I’d better get back to the obsession.

 

To those of you I have been ignoring for the past six or seven months, which is just about everyone, please accept my apologies and I promise that as soon as the ink is dry on Book Five, in about three or four years, I’ll be back in the real world!

 

Hopefully the oil spill will be cleaned up by that time. (But I won’t hold my breath.)

 

Until next time, I hope this finds you healthy, happy & lovin’ life!

The Princess

 

p.s. Congrats are in order for the following…

 

To Miss Eng and her stunning “Ride to Cure Cancer”. She collected over $10,000 in donations. Way to go!

 

To Martha and Patty-Cakes Roney who celebrated their 35th wedding anniversary. 35 YEARS??!! Unbelievable!

 

To niece Steph, who will be Mrs.Tony in about a year’s time. Enjoy the engagement lovebirds!

 

To the Ripsters for another successful season on Everest, including the first Finnish woman to summit and the first Omani to summit. YAY team Rippel!!!

And it just wouldn’t be the Kootenays if I didn’t leave you with a bear photo. We were lucky enough to find these bears hugging. Aren’t they cute?

 

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With my permission…

Posted on February 11, 2010 by clubfredbaja

Hello again from Home!

 

It has been brought to my attention, by a few Nutters, that I have been slacking in the Chronicle department. Yes, I am aware of this. (Picture me looking very ashamed here.)

 

I have, however, been ignoring my Coconut Chronicles for good reason. Prez and I, with some help from a friend, managed to land a big – I mean really big – web design job. We were working on a deadline and of course, for those of you who know Prez, that meant we had to work our arses off to beat the deadline.

 

The project was fun and we learned a lot. Mostly I learned that my husband can use the F word about 56 times per day…sometimes per hour. For those of you who want a peek, here’s the site www.sureslim.ca

 

At about the same time Prez and me launched into this project, I started on a project of my own.

 

But first, I sat down with the novel manuscript I’ve been half-heartedly working on for the past two years and we had a long talk.

 

Me: I’m sorry I’ve been ignoring you so much.

Manuscript: Is it my verbs? My pacing? My characters?

Me: No…really, it’s not you, it’s me.

Manuscript: You used to love me.

Me: And I still do, I just think we need some time apart.

Manuscript: You’ve found another story, haven’t you?

Me: Well…

Manuscript: (Sobbing) I knew it. How could I compete with my worn out plot lines.

Me: I’ll always think fondly of you.

Manuscript: Don’t touch me! Just go! Go!

 

So, for the moment, the old manuscript and I have gone our separate ways. Meanwhile, I have taken up with a new, exciting manuscript that has me head over heels in love. Shameless, I know but I’m so happy.

 

But before I could be happy, I had to give myself permission to be happy. Sounds strange, doesn’t it?

 

Think about this…

 

Have you ever finally gone ahead and done something in your life, something that you thought you shouldn’t do for whatever reason, and then wondered why you waited so long to do that thing? I think, sometimes, we fail to give ourselves permission to do what we need to do.

 

For example, I have long struggled with balancing my need to write with my need/want to spend free time with Prez. Even though we work together and see each other all the time, we often miss out on “play” time together, which makes it hard for me, when I find us both with free time, to go off into the Cave and write. No matter how much he assures me he’s cool with it, I still feel like I’m abandoning my husband.

 

But here’s the thing…

 

If I don’t go off into the Cave and write, I’ll never get any manuscript finished.

 

So, I’ve given myself permission to be a bad wife, to ignore my wonderful Prez in favour of my laptop and my crazy imagination. I’ve also given myself permission to put aside my anal sense of organization, (as is evident by the stacks of papers awaiting filing in my cupboard and my ever-full email inbox). I have missed meals and skipped days at the gym. I’ve woken up at 3am, head buzzing, and have allowed myself the decadence of getting up and writing for an hour or two instead of the saner option of making myself go back to sleep.

 

In short, I have given myself permission to make just about everything take second place behind my writing.

 

And it feels really, really good.

 

Mind you, I haven’t been a monk – we are back in the playground that is Nelson, after all. We had a wonderful Xmas with the Ripsters and the Fullpots, out at the chalet, complete with a traditional Nepalese dinner, courtesy of Beckster. The Ripsters have done their best to tempt us away from the office whenever possible, even inviting us along for a fun-packed couple of days at Big White ski resort. We had a blast and had the added bonus of catching up with Ironwoman Benson in the big city of Kelowna. It’s been far, far too long since I’ve seen my old triathlon training partner and friend and I’m pleased to report she is just as sexy and charming and funny as ever. The five of us went out to see Avatar in 3D.

 

WOW. Just…wow. (Go see it!)

 

Our big project has now ended, though we have a few more irons in the fire and I’m sure we’ll be back to long days in the office again soon.

 

And in the meantime, I’ll be in the Cave, if anyone needs me.

 

QUESTION: What have you given yourself permission to do?

 

Until next time, I hope this finds you healthy, happy & lovin’ life!

The Princess

 

The girls hanging at the chalet…

 

Dinner with the Fullpots and the Ripsters

Yum, yum!!

Big White lives up to its name…

Hockey night in Canada…

Is that the best you’ve got Gretsky??

No, really, we’re on “vacation”…

 

 

Posted in Nelson - British Columbia, On Scribbling | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Playing Catch…Up Part II

Posted on December 22, 2009 by clubfredbaja

Hello again from Home!

 

I guess I never did get around to Part II of my catch up. Life moves so quickly here in civilization.

 

Well, to summarize, we had short but very fun visits with family and friends, dividing our stays between Mom’s place on the island, and the Kozak Mansion and Casa Roney on the mainland. The family reunion I wrote of, way back when, happened at the Ford dealership because we were in the all-day-long process of buying a truck. (Thanks to my nephew, Sean, for hooking us up with that deal, by the way.)

 

If there’s a reoccurring theme for our visits to the coast it is that, no matter how well we plan, there’s never enough time. Kozy once said, “You guys are like a tornado blowing through and we all just try to grab a little piece as you go by”. We did manage to visit almost everyone we wanted to see but, yes, it did feel like little pieces, which always leaves me a bit sad.

 

Part of the problem is that the “city” has also become the place where we get all of the chores and shopping done that we can’t do in the small places we choose to live. Another part of the problem is that we’re trying to work around a plethora of schedules of working friends and family. And of course you have the issue of distance and transportation. On Aitutaki and even in Nelson, not many people are more than a ten-minute drive away. In the city, you not only have to factor in distance but timing as well, thanks to rush hour traffic. Add to that, the fact that Prez and I share one, very large, truck between us, (thanks Sean!), and it makes for some confusing time management.

 

I must say, I did ride the Skytrain a few times on this latest venture, something I haven’t done for over a decade, and I was fairly impressed. For a flat rate I could ride around all day and the trains were warm and clean. Safety was one of my concerns, and while I’m sure things might have felt different at 1am on a Saturday, I was happily surprised to find I felt completely at ease on all of my trips.

 

One of my Skytrain adventures was to Richmond, to visit my Sista Deb, which meant I had to transfer to the new train, the one that goes out to the airport. Wow, talk about fast! During this latest get-together with my much-missed friend, she was preparing for her daughter Maya’s Sweet 16 party, which, from the plans she shared with me, made my sweet 16 look like amateur hour.

 

Excuse me while I pout a minute.

 

Kidding, kidding. Seriously, Deb and Ron have raised an amazing, funny, talented and beautiful young woman who deserves a celebration. Mind you, the aforementioned parents also deserve some kind of reward for all the work they do shuttling the mini-superstar back and forth between school, basketball games, dance performances, film auditions, specialized study classes, etc, etc…etc. Whew, I’m tired just writing it all out!

 

Somewhere in the middle of our tornado visit, I managed to squeeze in a first meeting with my brother Glen. Most of you know I was adopted at birth. My biological mom and I made written contact almost 15 years ago and I have also exchanged letters and emails with my two half sisters and my half brother, Glen, on and off over the years. I never did meet my bio mom in person before she passed away, nor had I met any of my half siblings, (see: tornado blowing through town).

 

But this time around, the stars, (and schedules), aligned and I found myself in a Starbucks, near Robson Street, hugging my blonde, ridiculously muscular brother for the first time ever. It was a very cool moment and Glen is a wonderful guy. I’m so glad I finally made the time, however brief, for this meeting.

 

And there’s just so much more to tell. Too much, I’m afraid. Oh well, if my biggest problem is that there are too many good people in my life to spend all the time I want with, people I love and who love me, then I’d say I’m doing OK.

 

And where are we now?

 

Prez and I just returned from another tornado visit, this time to Red Deer, for brother Kip’s 50th birthday.

The Perron kids all grown up…yes, I joined this family by choice, lol.

The last few years have been all about fiftieths. All of our siblings have now crossed the five-oh line. Last night was the annual Solstice party at the Thurstons, and in a few days we will head to the chalet with the Ripsters, (now also known as “Timecky”) and the Fullpots for a very chilled, Nelson-style Xmas.

 

Sometime in the near future, we plan on actually working.

 

(Note to Prez: the above was a joke, yes I know you have been working your tail off. LOL)

Prez working, shoveling snow at the chalet, for Timecky

The Princess staying warm while Prez works…

 

I wanted to write a little something here about how good it is to be settled but it turns out we will be moving again soon. The owner of this apartment has sold it and so we will have to pack up, yet again, and relocate. (Address #248, for those who are counting). However, as long as we are in Nelson, I will always feel I am home.

 

QUESTION: Is there ever enough time?

 

Until next time, I hope this finds you healthy, happy, lovin’ life and enjoying the holidays!

The Princess

Happy Holidays everyone, from the Puffy Coated Princess!

Posted in Family & Children, Friends, Life | Tagged | Leave a comment

My Ocean, Myself

Posted on December 12, 2009 by clubfredbaja
Hello again from Home!This week’s Coconut Chronicle is short and…well, maybe not sweet but hopefully powerful. 

Get involved.

QUESTION: Can we change?

Until next week, I hope this finds you healthy, happy & lovin’ our planet!
The Princess

Posted in Animals, Nature & Environment, Ocean | Tagged , | Leave a comment

And Now a Word From Our Sponsors…

Posted on December 2, 2009 by clubfredbaja

Hello again from Home!

I know I left you all in
suspense with the “impromptu family reunion in the car dealership cliff-hanger”
Coconut Chronicle last week but I’m going to interrupt the story as this has
been a week of good news here at ClubFred Headquarters.

First I have to take you
back to the Cook Islands, (which would be nice considering the temperature
outside today…brrrrr).

You may remember our good
friend Moana, who worked so hard to get the Aitutaki Conservancy Trust up and
running? Well, it turns out that the Operations Manager, at the branch of
Westpac Bank that she works for, nominated her for an environmental award. When
last I heard from Ms Mo, she was jetting off to Sydney, Australia for the
awards ceremony. We don’t know if she won yet but if she does that will mean
$10,000 of much-needed money for the Trust. Yahoo!  Our fingers are crossed. Toes too.

But regardless of whether
she gets the prize or not, she is a winner in our books. Nice to see hard work,
passion and dedication recognized. Way to go Mo!!!

OK, enough sunshine and
warmth, Nutters, back to Nelson we go. (Hey, I saw that look!)

Not one to tiptoe into
anything, upon my return to the land of tree hugging, dirt worshippers, I spied
a literary competition advertised in the local paper. The deal was that you had
to sign up and then a theme would be emailed to you at 5pm on Friday. You then
had 48 hours to pen a story/poem(s) around that theme, the final work to be
submitted no later than 12 noon on Monday. We hadn’t yet unpacked and had a
busy schedule, so I figured this would be the time to squeeze in a
short-deadline writing project.

5pm Friday, theme arrives.
“If only…things would have been different!”

Oh yeah, I can work with
that.

11:30am Monday, I finish off
the final edits and submit my entry.

2pm Wednesday I get a phone
call from the Nelson and District Arts Council and…

I won Second place! (Feel
free to do the wave here). I also read my story aloud at the awards ceremony,
at Oxygen Arts Center, which was a heck of a lot of fun. Prez said my story was
the best…I knew I paid him for something.

And speaking of me and the
Prez and gainful employment, it is time to unveil the biggest good news of all.

We are officially open for
business! Silk Stream Web Designs is up and running and already hard at work.

Prez is the brainchild of
this business venture. While I was writing up a storm during our two years on
The Rock, he had time on his hands, time he filled by further educating himself
in web design, usability & functionality, and SEO (Search Engine
Optimization).  My hat is firmly off to
him for this, since our Internet there was just a smidge faster than sending
smoke signals and slightly slower than courier pigeons.

Good job Prez!

Anyway, he got a lot of
practice building websites and discovered that he was a natural at it. Sure,
he’ll never claim to be a graphic artist but Prez understands systems. He
understands how to make websites easy to use, he understands how to do all that
“behind the scenes” stuff that helps get them found by Google et al, and he
understands that not everyone who needs a good website has $5000 kicking around
to get one made.

So, during one of our
evening beach strolls he told me he’d come up with an idea. (Insert an image of
me rolling my eyes here and thinking ‘Oh great, another idea. What now?
We’ll raise sled dogs in the arctic?’). He said that too many web designers
built very beautiful websites with little or no, (or bad), usability and/or
SEO. These websites look great but don’t get seen. He said he also couldn’t
believe how much people, even the little Mom n’ Pop businesses on Aitutaki, had
to pay to have a small to medium sized website built. One fellow on Aitutaki
paid $7000 for a very basic site with no SEO.

“I think,” Prez said, “we
could start a web design business that focused on making sure that all the
important stuff – SEO, functionality, usability – was done right, at the
beginning, and also offer people an affordable price. “

I said, “Does this mean I
don’t have to build fences outside, in the winter, in the snow?”

Prez said, “Yes.”

I said, “It’s a brilliant
idea! I love it!!”

But seriously, I do love it.

We also decided that we
should also offer a consultation service for people who already had websites
but whose sites needed some “love”. We could do a deep dive on their websites,
find the problems, make recommendations and then the customer could decide if
they wanted us to make the changes or if they would get their web master to
make the changes. 

As usual, it was hard to get
Prez excited about this new project. (Yes, that was a joke, in case you’re
wondering). It was actually hard to keep him settled and I had to lay down some
ground rules for our vacation, including a limit on “business talk” during our
trip.

We have one project underway
and now that Prez has lightening fast Internet at his fingertips, he’s been
revisiting some of the old websites he built and is upgrading and tweaking
them. He still chuckles at how fast he can upload changes to these sites – minutes
compared to hours.

My job, so far, is to write
and edit content for the websites. I’m also the “art director”. I look over
Prez’s shoulder and say things like: “That’s too pink. Can you move that box
more to the left? I hate that photo, get rid of it. That page is too busy.”
Turns out I am a natural at criticizing…who knew?

So, since you’ve all been so
patient, listening to me blab on about my new job and since I have some pull
with the company, I’ve managed to score a little deal for all you Nutters. Our
regular rates for a basic website, on the monthly plan, are $499 + $79 per
month. (Yes, that’s Canuck bucks). But if you, or your friend, or your friend’s
friend, or your friend’s friend’s cousin contact us and mention the Coconut
Chronicles, there will be a special rate of $499 + $49 per month.

That’s a savings of, (hold
on while I go get the calculator), $240 per year!

Now, if you already have a
website, I’ve got you covered, too. If your site isn’t bringing in the business
you’d like, we offer an SEO consultation to let you know what needs to be
changed and how. The non-Nutter cost for this service is $350 but, once again,
mention the Coconut Chronicles when you contact us and the special rate will be
$199!

Recession, resmession! I
like giving discounts!!

But wait, there’s more. Link
to us on your website and get a year’s free subscription to the Coconut
Chronicles! Yes, you heard that correctly, free Chronicles delivered right to
your Internet, every week, (or thereabouts).

(OK, I know the Chronicles
are kind of free already but I was swept up in the moment.)

Oops, Prez is yelling at me
to quit writing and get back to work; I’d better wrap up. (Yeesh, doesn’t the
man know anything about marketing? Honestly.)

QUESTION: What are your website
pet peeves? (Me, I hate it when they put music on a website and I, unexpectedly
get blasted with “Achy Breaky Heart” or something equally annoying).

Until next time, I hope this
finds you healthy, happy & lovin’ life!

The Princess

Co-Owner, Writer, Art Director and
Head Criticizer

Silk Stream Web Designs

Posted in Computers and Internet | 1 Comment

Playing Catch…Up Part I

Posted on November 22, 2009 by clubfredbaja

Hello from Home!

No, you are not reading the wrong Coconut Chronicles, Prez and I have actually found a place we are proud to call home. Of course, that special location is the one-and-only Nelson, BC, formally known as “Mountain Mecca & Hippie Heaven”. We have only put down the shallowest of roots, thus far, but we have our radar on the lookout for more permanent digs.

This does not mean we will not be going walkabout ever again. No, no, no, no, noooooooo! No. What this does mean is that we will have an official home base to return to when our itchy feet take us away, as they always do.

So, I guess I should catch everyone up on our latest wanderings, as it has been weeks and weeks since my last Coconut Chronicle. (Please feel free to hit me with the Guilt Bat, I can take it).

When we last left Prez and Princess – well, you left us, we stayed with us the whole time – they were enjoying some down time at Casa Meyer in the wilds of Twenty-Nine Palms.

After over a week of chillaxing, hiking, Rummy-cubing and other healthy activities, we decided it was high time for a little hedonism and headed the wagon to Las Vegas. Yee ha! Once again, thanks to the sagging economy, I was able to score us a stellar deal on four nights at the Venetian or as I prefer to call it the Ve-weeeeeeeeee!-tian.

From humid, sweaty nights fending off mosquitoes and roosters, sleeping on a well-used bed and sharing a shower with geckos and spiders, (provided there was water, otherwise showering on the beach in front of the guests), we now found ourselves on the twenty-second floor of a room I can only describe as “palatial”. Amenities included, (but certainly were not limited to), a king sized bed with 14,000 thread count Egyptian cotton sheets (weeee!), remote controlled window blinds, a full sized sitting room, free hi-speed internet (weeee!), jumbo bathroom with two sinks, a separate vanity, gigantific tub and separate shower (weeee!), and three flat screen, plasma TV’s, one of which was in the bathroom so I could watch it while having a tub (weeee!). Now you see how the hotel earned its nickname?

The view from our room… 

We shopped, we ate, we gambled, we ate, we saw a show, we ate, we walked the strip, I went to the spa, we ate, we…ahem…spent “alone time” in the room (weeee!), we ate and just generally lived like royalty the whole time. Prez even took 8th place in a poker competition with well over 200 competitors. Oh, and did I mention that we ate?

Now, I need to mention that while in 29 Palms, Mom II and Miz Liz were kind enough to take me to a mall so I could shop for a Vegas dress. You see, having come from The Rock, where the dress code is two notches below casual, I didn’t have any suitable dress clothes for a night out on the town with my sweetie-pie and I really wanted something sexy and city-ish to surprise him with. After much searching, I found a tiny red number that was perfect and I modeled it for my co-shoppers who insisted that I send a photo once I was all gussied up. So without further ado, the Vegas Dress…

  

After four days of overindulging we were ready to head west again to the familiar, homey tranquility of Petaluma and the Benedetti family. As always, we were instantly welcomed into this beautiful and unique family group. Petaluma has sprouted since our last visit and we took advantage of the rejuvenated downtown area by catching our first big screen movie together in two years. Popcorn, fizzy drinks, candy, things exploding…ah, heaven.

I’m not sure if it’s luck or fate but our visits always seem to coincide with some fun, family gathering and activity. Last time around it was sausage making, this year it was wine pressing. If you haven’t guessed it already, the Benedetti’s are of Italian ancestry, they also live right next to the Napa valley soooooo…

Now, this was a wine “pressing” not a grape stomping. What that means is that the grapes have already been jumped on and are sitting in a hundred year old vat fermenting. On this day, the juice was siphoned out of the vat and run, by a long hose, into the cellar vats where it will age for two years. After the initial juice has been drained off, the grapes are then transferred into the press, where they are “squashed” down, (for more juice), with all the speed and efficiency Italians are known for. (Hey, I never said they were German).

From the first vat to the second…

Prepare the press…

Crank vigorously…

And voila! Wine juice….

As an interesting side note, the leftover grape mush is shoveled out and tossed onto the ground. This has been going on for a number of years and in days of yore, apparently, there were cows that used to wander the property and feed on the discarded and highly alcohol-laden fruit. Said cows could later be found stumbling around, bumping into each other, falling down, and getting quickie marriages in Las Vegas.

OK, I’m kidding, I don’t think any of the cows fell down.

Someone was sampling the supply…

From Petaluma, it was time to move north, this time by plane. A very late plane. Gotta love that San Francisco fog. Back in Vancouver, we were picked up by Kozy and chauffeured back to the Kozak mansion, where food and frivolity awaited. This time around we were not only graced with the traditional Kozak five-star fare but Wink and Keith – Kozy’s buddy and brother, respectively – were also hard at work in the kitchen. Between the three of them, the dinner menu consisted of salad with super-secret Thai dressing, Kozy’s award winning chicken wings, sweet potato fries, some other delicious stuff, (I had a few glasses of wine and I was very tired, sorry, not ideal for the memory), and for dessert a “Chocolate F&*k-F*#k, which I didn’t sample until the next day because I passed out at 9pm.

(I am beginning to suspect that there is some secret competition, between our friends, to see who can out-feed us. If so, um, keep it up.)

Tweeter was in fine form and it was nice to see that the two of us can still mock with the best of ‘em.

Our first stop at the mansion was a quickie as we were just off-loading gear before our family visit on the island. Mom had the camera out before we even had exited the ferry, (apologies to the people who had to stand and wait behind us while we posed and smiled). No one will ever accuse Prez and I of being conventional, so no one should be surprised that our first, impromptu family reunion in two years was held in the parking lot of the Parksville Ford dealership.

But more about that in my next Chronicle.

QUESTION: Can you think of a stranger place for a family reunion

Until next time, I hope this finds you healthy, happy & lovin’ life!

The Princess

Posted in Travel | Leave a comment