a peek inside the fishbowl

24 Feb, 2011

Find me @podcamptoronto

By andrea tomkins in Publishing/writing/career stuff

I’m going to be attending/presenting/soaking up all the know-how at PodCamp Toronto this weekend.

Not only is it “Canada’s largest gathering of members of the new media community” but I’ve been looking at the sessions and I’m pretty sure that the collective brain power within PodCamp could power a whole other city.

Woot!

I have been working on a presentation about blog monetization (2:45 on Saturday!) and am getting squirrely just thinking about it.

Will you be at PodCamp T.O.? If so, please look for me and say hello! If not, follow @podcamptoronto on Twitter and/or follow the convo at #pcto2011.

Remember our Stealth poetry project (first written about here) … in which I fastened a poem to the back of our front door in an effort to keep poetry alive in our hearts and minds?

Well, I have a new one to share with you today.

Emma actually reminded me of this poem and asked me to dig it out. I’ve printed it out and I’m pinning it to the back of our door, even though it’s unfinished. The girls think it’s hilarious.

FYI, I wrote it in high school! Read it out loud for maximum effect. :)

Fred, the Vegetarian Vampire

In a dark little kitchen, in the midst of the meal,
Someone began to cry and to squeal.
It was Fred. No doubt.
And everyone knew what the fuss was about.

Fred refused to eat his dinner,
His mother was afraid that he’d keep getting thinner!
As he pounded the table with his little vampire fork,
He shouted “You CANNOT make me eat this pork!”

(You see my friends, I am here to say,
modern vampires are different today.
Taking people’s blood is against the law,
so most will just eat all their meat quite raw.)

“If you don’t finish what’s on your plate,”
Said Father vampire quite irate.
“You will be punished, and you know what I mean,
So don’t move a muscle until your plate’s clean!”

Poor Fred just sat there, very still in his seat.
Watching his tears marinade the meat.
He sat there for one hour, two, three and four,
Until the sun rose from beyond the front door.

Mother tucked all the children in bed,
And then went to the kitchen to check on young Fred.
His vampire face was full of despair,
“Oh mommy, oh mommy it just isn’t fair!”

Mother gave up and took away his plate,
and from that day on, Fred chose what he ate.
Broccoli, spinach, lentils and cheese,
he ate it all up, as quick as you please.

(I am missing a satisfactory ending. Your poetic suggestions are welcome!)

Smile!(A continuation of this post.)

Sorry for the really long backstory there, I wanted to explain why (a) why I thought smiling was important and (b) why smiling can be a bit challenging for me at times.

I think we probably can all agree that:

  • Smiling makes you happy.
  • Smiling makes other people feel happy (at least feel good for a split second), and who knows, maybe those brief connections have a farther-reaching impact than we think?

This is going to sound REALLY WEIRD, but since it’s Kindness Week, I’ve decided that from February 22 -24 I’m going to make the extra effort to dole out the smiles. That’s right, I’m going to razzle dazzle as many people as I can with my smile. This includes friends and neighbors, clients, perfect strangers, and my family.

Smiling is so easy, and it makes the world a better place.

I realize that I run the risk of looking like a crazy person, but I think that this will have a positive effect on myself (and hopefully) others.

PLUS: I’m going to keep track. (I haven’t figured that part out yet. Is there an app for that?? Hee hee.)

Would you like to add to my totals? How many smiles can we collect here? That’s the big question.

How not to frighten people! Things to keep in mind:

  • Accompany a smile with a nod and a hello. (I already do this while taking the dog out for a walk. It totally works.)
  • If smiling at a stranger, direct it at their child or dog …. if there is one available. It make smiling less scary. (For them.)
  • Reign in the width and brilliance of the smile in smaller enclosed areas such as elevators and stairwells. (Smile briefly! This is not the place for a Cheshire.)
  • Choose your recipients carefully. I cannot take responsibility for smiles gone awry. Smiling widely at a beefy leather-clad member of a biker gang suffering with poison ivy while sitting across from you at the doctor’s office might not be a good idea.

SMILE AT YOUR OWN RISK.

I’m kidding. Obviously. (Ok sort of kidding.)

So I’m issuing a challenge. On Tuesday February 22 through Thursday February 23 (inclusive), I’m going to be tallying the smiles. Join me? Even though Kindness Week is an Ottawa-area initiative (here’s the official kindness blog!) you don’t need to live here to join. Track the smiles you bestow upon others and add your daily totals in the comments below. I will total the numbers on the 25th and we’ll see how many extra smiles made it out into the world during Kindness Week.

Are you up for it?

Archives


  • Jeanie Maennling: I spent many wonderful days visiting my cousins and Uncle Herb and aunt Eleanor at the Farm in the 1950's. Mycousin Skippy (Sharon) and I got into l
  • alex: For a classic Canadian treat for valentine day , try a BeaverTail (a fried dough pastry) there its yummy
  • Juliet Luiz: I was at this park today and saw the foundation and historical sign which got me curious and let me to your blog post! Great information:) too bad t
  • Rowyn Tape: Hello, I was sitting at Easter dinner with my grandmother and she was telling me this story. She is Herbert Lytles daughter who eventually bought the
  • Bernie: I freeze ball sizes of bread dough for beavertails each winter season.Easy to thaw, roll out and fry. Best winter treat!
  • Jen_nifer: I feel very much the same about my SUP. Floating with snacks is fantastic! When I go on water with some current, I make sure that I paddle into the cu
  • sam: Great article. This is very insightful. Thanks for sharing

The Obligatory Blurb

My name is Andrea and I live in Ottawa with my husband Mark and our dog Sunny who is kind of a big deal on Instagram. During the day I work as a freelance writer. I am a longtime Ottawa blogger and I've occupied this little corner of the WWW since 1999. The Fishbowl is my whiteboard, water cooler, and journal, all rolled into one. I'm passionate about healthy living, arts and culture, travel, great gear, good food, and sharing the best of Ottawa. I also love vegetables, photography, gadgets, and great design.

If you're so inclined, you can read more about me here.

I've deactivated the commenting function as well as my contact form so if you want to get in touch, please drop me a line at quietfish@gmail.com. Thank you!

 


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