Each of the 24 days counting down to Christmas Deserves a cookie!

And here's a link!
http://www.thestar.com/cookies#interactive

The simple things to do for fun in life

Recreation, or "Fun", is the expenditure of time in a manner designed for therapeutic refreshment of one's body or mind. ~ Wikipedia.

This is a list of just random stuff that I would like to do for fun. I will write them down whenever I think of them, and I am at the computer to write them in. May this list forever grow, and may I be able to do everything on the list, and enjoy every minute of it!
For example, I LOVE the summer sun, and doing something as simple as sitting on the balcony at my place and soaking it up!

* Baking
* Eating crackers and cheese (or just cheese alone if it's smoked Gouda!)
* Going to see the documentary "My Playground"
* Loving beautiful typography
* Building a deck
* Go to Canada's Wonderland with friends
* Get a hot stone massage, or three!
* Browsing through magazines, and writing about articles on my blog
* Reading about the world around me
* Having a space to plant things ... inside my condo, on the balcony, in a garden ...
* Have a condo ... have candles in my condo
* Painting a mural in my condo! (That would be such an amazing project!)
* Have my own place to live, and decorate it!
* Visit the Elephant Sanctuary one day
* Eat grapefruit
* spend time out with friends
* Be culturally proactive - go see a musical performance, or a lecture
* Participate in a Women's Build ... !
* Jump down a waterfall (a small one! Maybe 20-30 feet)
* Bake perfectly soft, moist, cookies!
* Sit on the balcony, in the sun, reading Azure magazine, and not worrying about going anywhere!
* Have the time, facilities, and "company" to make furniture
* Go to a cottage with some sand, and make sand angels
* Go to see the Sunshine Coast, BC, Canada
* Go to see Gros Morne National Park, NFLD; and hike through it
* Hike through Toronto's trail (the one that passes through Edwards Gardens and Sunnybrook Park ... don't know the name of it)
* Spend time with cousins, (and their brand new babies!)
* Get a video camera (something that records picture and sound!) and start videotaping nature.
* Go swimming!
* Sitting with Karen on my balcony, her playing her guitar, and us laughing and chatting, etc.
* Reading literature.
* Brunch at Cora's!

That's it for now!
What would YOU add to the list?

* Stair Porn *

This is a post about designed stairs.
If you like art, if you like architecture (and read architecture/design magazines for the pictures), if you like to, or would like to build stairs, if you like to hiking up stairs, if you like to store things, if you like to rethink the way things are built,

... then you will like this stair blog.



P.S. ... and I thought buildings were made by pouring the cement. This video proves me wrong!

Beatbox Chick

If there's any chance for the proletariat to vote, babe - you got mine!
Julia Dales, age 17, is going head-to-head with the best of the beatbox artists from around the world to compete. And some people say girls can't do sound effects!

You can get more info on the event from their formal website. They have a live webcast tomorrow at 1400h. (2pm for those who operate in standard time) ...

Scratch that! It seems as though she has already won. Okay. This was an online battle ... and she took gold! Now next year we need to send her away to compete onstage!

|| Sisters in the Building Trades ||

Women in construction.
That's right, sinking nails in 5 hits, framing, formwork, scaffolding, welding, operating heavy machinery, divers, highrise, steelworkers, plumbers, and residential. Here we ALL are.
Yes, this is a clip from an American site, but if you gave me enough time, I could put together one of Toronto's own clips, from Habitat, at least.

play the video, ladies, and enjoy!

Woman, Empowered.

I need to take a moment to express this, because it is in honour of one of the stand-outs at the Women’s Build. Her name is Jenny T. Also known as “Jenny of the Block” … or something like that. She is an incredible woman. She took this Women’s Build and made it hers (in part ... at least I think so!). I don’t know what her official title on this project is (something to do with actually co-ordinating the project though), but I know she is a no-bull-sh!t kind of woman, who takes any crap that anyone throws at her, and turns it right around. She is capable of leading a project that many others, including, quite possibly myself, are not (yet) able to do.

I am so happy to see that Jenny has risen to the top of this project and is glowing. I absolutely admire her work, and how she conducts herself. She even wears her reputation on her sleeve, and I absolutely love that! LOVE IT!!! I get the idea that there are several people who do not like her way of doing things. Does she just absorb it? Hell no!! If they can’t cope with her way of doing things, I think she kind of enjoys calling them on their inability to cope with her particular leadership and less than fluffy and perfect conduct, and she has offered them, very politely and tactfully, a piece of their own cake. Here, if this is what you say about me, I will show the world that this is what you say about me, and let the world make a judgment call.

You know what? We will never know who called her some of her more “choice” nicknames, but she did mention some of those names in her speech one time. I think there are many women out there, me being one of them, who can relate to having to fight past those jerks and slothes who sit around passing judgment and making it harder for you, while they do nothing but give themselves the authority to judge. You need to push past the cynics, impress the people you should, and be value-based. And to everyone who just calls you names, well, you can make them into “nicknames” when people call you them, and then stand on the podium and publish those names later. Damn f^ck hun, but that felt as good and empowering to me as I hope it did to you! How do I become more like her? Not by just being around her, but by doing everything it takes to make and achieve my own goals, and not spending time crying about what other people do wrong. In fact, wearing what other people say to try to drag you down on your sleeve, and shining the light on the sh!t in such a way that they might just regret their actions, if they have the brain cells to do so.

They are not the ones who did all the hard work. They sat back and threw stones, wallowing in jealousy or bitterness, while Jenny pushed through, and “got’er done”, and continues to “get’er done” every single day of the build.

Who is the one who truly shines? Not any of those people who sat back in judgment, calling out names, but Jenny. She both chastises and compliments where each is due. She is confident; she is firm. She makes things happen. She makes decisions and enforces action. She is strict, and makes her statements and commands with confidence. These things are just a part of why I aspire to be more like her.

Here is the part I am personally truly grateful for. I saw her the second day I was at the build, first thing in the morning. She hadn’t had her coffee yet. I helped her, in my keener energy, to laugh through putting up caution tape. That same day, I worked with her at the very END of the day, when I think both of us were stumbling over our words a bit, and joked with her about that fact – gee, I’m seein’ you at your VERY BEST today hun, ain’t I!? Those were moments I am grateful for sharing with her. I am also grateful for her help, in allowing me to come back on Wednesday, and I kinda wish I could have come back Thursday, Friday and Saturday. But Saturday especially is the wedding, Friday we are taking women in our family out for dinner, and today I had to get some errands done for Mother’s Day, that considering all the other events of the upcoming weekend, I had to do today. I had a very good time at the Build though, and I am grateful for the powerhouse behind it all, that “got it all done.”

Kudos to you, Jenny, and your contribution to Canada’s First Women’s Build.

What a Seminar!

Oh this is a laugh!
I am sure it will be a wonderful seminar, but I just read on DCN about an "Update on Mould Breakfast Seminar" happening on May 13th. Somehow I can just picture it; mould on the eggs, bananas, orange juice ... what an appetizing seminar!

That among the articles about another 61,000 construction jobs lost in March, mostly in the residential sector. Maybe commercial carpentry is a just fine place to be right now. Maybe after the recession (and my apprenticeship) I can head back into the field for more residential-based work.

Jane's Walk

Whoa! I think I should create a post on Jane Jacobs … but because I also want to bake, make dinner, and read about framing (construction) I will limit this post to a simple summary and listing.

Jane’s Walk is a series of walking tours happening in different cities and communities across North America where local residents give guided tours of different areas, telling the stories and history (or herstory!) of each area as they see it. This is the second year Jane’s Walk has been held, and I would like to go this year.

To anyone who would like to join me, I can only go to walks on the Saturday, and only as time permits, but if you are interested, please cast your vote, and we can head off! And PLEASE, somebody has got to help me out here (like Dad, maybe?) research these walks, because I want to go on all of them that I have listed, but there is too much overlap! So I need to narrow it down to two, or maybe three walks total, but there are eight that I'm interested in!

More details for each of these walks, and a complete listing can be found on the Jane's Walk website.

This listing is not complete, but these are a few walks I am interested in:


Junction-High Park: West Bend Community Walk
* Duncan Farnan
* Saturday, May 2, 2009
* 9:45am
* Walk: 2 hours

Davenport: The Stairs Along Lake Iroquois
* Leehe Lev
* Saturday, May 2, 2009
* 10:00am
* Walk: 2 hours

Downtown Sculpture Walk
* Charles Campbell
* Saturday, May 2, 2009
* 10:30am
* Walk: 1.5 hours

King-Spadina: One of 'The Two Kings'
* Paul Bedford, Margie Zeidler
* Saturday, May 2, 2009
* 10:30am – 1:pm
* Walk: 2.5 hours

Fort York: 200 years of Lakefront Development
* Rene Malagon
* Saturday, May 2, 2009
* 1:00pm
* Walk: 1.5 hours

Jane-Finch Neighbourhood Tour
* The Spot Youth group of Jane/Finch Centre
* Saturday, May 2, 2009
* 1:00pm
* Walk: 2 hours

Victoria Village Adventure Walk
* Victoria Village Residents
* Saturday, May 2, 2009
* 1:15pm
* Walk: 1.5 hours

Dovercourt Village
* Lewis Poplak
* Saturday, May 2, 2009
* 1:00pm
* Walk: 1.5 hours

Jungle Jaunt: Lawrence Heights is Not What You Think
* Students of Sir Sanford Fleming Academy
* Saturday, May 2, 2009
* 2:00pm
* Walk: 1.5 hours

A tribute to Music

Song. It has passed on so many traditions. It is the music of the soul, and soul music. It can be the bridge to the divine. It is written for love, to mourn, to grieve, to celebrate, and just for the sake of music.

Music is a huge part of our emotional expression. The music we listen to, sing, and perform helps define who we are as people, for better or for worse. Choose your music wisely. Base it on quality of lyrics, and who you want to be. Choose your music to be something you are proud of sharing with others. There are different kinds of music that are incredibly demeaning to others, and that's the kind of music that is destructive. It's full of anger, it encourages racism and sexism, it encourages problem solving by violence. That kind of music defines you too, if that's what you listen to.

But there are so many wonderful kinds of music out there, and so many ways to express yourself through it. My sister plays in a band that plays some jazz and swing, a very good friend of mine is a piano accompanist for a choir, and she also plays in many concerts outside of that, I have an acquaintance who sings professionally(?), and a classmate of mine and I just sing in the car along with the radio.

One group that performs quality music is the Nylons. They have been around since 1979, when they started singing gigs in clubs across Toronto. Completely acappella, (well, ALMOST completely acappella - sometimes they use a tambourine, for example) they let their voices be the harmony and beat that instruments would otherwise provide. I was reminded of them, oddly enough, in a carpentry course I am currently taking, and the song was not "Chain Gang", although that would be fitting considering the kind of work we were doing, but "Up the Ladder to the Roof".

This kind of music is pretty much as close to pure music as possible: all you use is the sound of your own voice, as does the wind, the birds, and the sound of the rain. Sure your voice can make so many different sounds, as the rain makes a different sound for everything it hits, and we can play different instruments, but when all rain has is water, or all you have is your own voice, you can still make music.

And we shall let expression ring
Hear freedom in our singin' ...

Wish List

* Tickets to the Nylons, performing at Markham Theatre on September 26th!!! OMGOMG!
* One of those tea strainer thingies: Yeah! I got one, thank you, Mom!
* Another Hot Stone Massage (or three!)
* Loose fitting Hoodie. Tastefully done of course! (Anything from Winnie the Pooh to ROOTS to SHERIDAN/GeorgeBrown/York ... it's all good, just as long as it's somethin'!
* Subscription to Dwell Magazine: Yeah! I got one, thank you, Mom!
* I just discovered my "Holst's Planets" CD that "Erica" burnt for me @ Sheridan is cracked ... don't know how that happened! But I will need another copy of it!
* Of course, charitable donations (Canadian Food for the Hungry Women's Sewing Class, or School Dues for a Year)
* More than "Anything Clothes" would be a shopping trip to Yorkdale. I go through there once a month and never buy anything ...
* On the concept of never buying anything ... I never buy chocolate bars for myself. I love the mint ones from Laura Secord, Coffee Crisp, and Caramilk ...
* Code White
*Iced - By Judith Alguire: I went through that book three times without stopping! Cover-cover-cover-cover-cover-cover!
* A sturdy bag for tools. Would have to be MINIMUM 24" long, as it will need to potentially accommodate a 24" level.

I want to own:
* Kung-Fu Panda
* Anna and the King (with Jodie Foster)
* Contact (with Jodie Foster)
* Paycheck
* Anne of Green Gables, original (and maybe sequel) in DVD
* Starwars 4/5/6 in DVD
* League of Extraordinary Gentlemen
* Pitch Black / Chronicles of Riddick
* When Night is Falling
* Better than Chocolate
* The Time Machine (2002 Release)
* The GridIron Gang
* Fire (Deepa Mehta)
* Born into Brothels
* The Chronicles of Narnia; Prince Caspian (the DVD with all the extra stuff!)
* The Golden Compass
* The Nativity Story
* Spirited Away


I want to watch:
* A Wrinkle in Time
* The Secret Life of Bees
* Slumdog Millionaire
* Lady in the Water
* Bride and Prejudice
* Daredevil
* Drumline
* Flushed Away
* The Last Mimzy
* Nim's Island
* No Reservations
* Over the Hedge
* Peter Pan (Directed by P.J. Hogan)
* Pixar Short Films Collection
* Rocky movie ... ?
* The Time Machine, released 2002
* The Spiderwick Chronicles
* Stardust
* Steamboy
* Howl's Moving Castle




The list will continue ...

An Avalanche of Days

[start of quote] Then the tree actually did begin to shake. It whipped forward and back once, then splintered into pieces as the biggest avalanche in a hundred years roared down the side of Princess Margaret Mountain and smashed everything in its path.
Far uip on the mountain, on a cliff overlooking a particularly steep gully, a stone had fallen. It was a chunk about the size of a raven. When it plopped into the gully it sent a small force out into the surrounding snow. There was enormous power in that snow. Each flake was a crystal of latent energy, one among billions, poling up day after day, covering the slopes, filling the gullies, getting heavy, getting ready … As the stone hit, the interlocking flakes – just barely touching each other, all prickly and uncomfortable – started to slide.
The avalanche was small at first, quietly carrying the stone slowly down a single gully. But the slide began to move faster, as more and more snowflakes fell into step, until the gully was wall-to-wall with churning whiteness, snaking through the narrow places and flinging itself into the air as it bounced around the corners.
The slide overflowed the gully. Cracks ripped across the slopes on either side as the snowpack collapsed there, too. A gigantic slab comes as it broke loose, a mountainside of snow moving faster, so strong that when the blast hit the trees they snapped off. The snow carried the shattered wood and limbs and branches and needles farther, down and down with a noise like thunder …
The last of the slide reached the flats and stopped. A sprinkling of conifer needles settled over the huge heap. There, sitting on the surface, was the stone that had started it all.
The stone came to rest directly over Carrot Creek. In the spring it would melt out of the avalanche debris and drop into the stream, where it would be tugged, tumbled and rolled for centuries toward the Bow River, then on to the Saskatchewan River, the Nelson River and eventually the slat waster of Hudson Bay. “Gee,” the rock said to another stone, lying beside it in the snow, “the system works!” [end of quote]

This quote was taken from pages 143-144, of the novel “Raven’s End” by Ben Gadd. The passage was a bit out of character for the book, as it was the first time Gadd gave an inanimate object a voice. It was a kind of segue of sorts from the story line, a soliloquy. Maybe that’s why it stood out in my mind. Maybe he had written this passage as a poem, and just wanted to publish it somewhere, so he placed it in this story. I take this as a mini-story within the larger one, and I think it is worth quoting. The entire book is a wonderful read.

For me, this quote provides a good example of an avalanche of days. If you perform actions on one day, and repeat them for hundreds of days, with the end in mind of achieving a specific goal, those days will add up. Your action will become your habit, and your habit will become your character. Then all it will take is one symbolic stone, and when it drops all of everything you have worked so hard to achieve will finally be set in motion. Just as the stone did, you will finally see that everything really works. Sigh, I hope I can build up good habits, while I wait for my stone one day to drop!

The Bustling City of Port Colborne in April

We went as a family today to Port Colborne. It was an Easter Weekend Family Event; one that my Dad chose. This would have been one of those days where “it’s the journey, not the destination that counts” would have described the day perfectly!
We all spent time together today; we did not interact with each other for every minute of the day, all day long, but we did spend quality family time together. Do I dare quote an RVing commercial … that we should “never confuse the devices that connect us, with the moments that keep us together”. It doesn’t quite fit, But spend moments that keep us together today.

So yes, Port Colborne was not very exciting, but there were a lot of wonderful moments in today. We got up by 6:30am. I uploaded the previous 200 pics from Mom’s camera onto her laptop. We were out of the house by about 8:30, and in 45 minutes, we stopped for a Tim Hortons. We read on the way; Raven’s End, the book we are currently reading right now as a group. I tried to sew the buttons on “my tubes!” (long story), didn’t work, not in the car.

When we got to Port Colborne, we had lunch at Walter’s … a restaurant on West St. Good food, and fast and friendly service. It was a nice place for lunch. We then did some browsing in a couple of the shops in the area; the all of two streets that had any craftsy type shops we found in the city. I got ideas from a 10,000 Villages on Mom’s stationary project that I may one day finish … and at a scrapbooking store – Damn those were some pretty creative crafts (I didn’t like the scrapbooking stuff, but they had other very creative ideas there). We then went for coffee, cookies, carrot cake and a latte at a corner Coffee Café (don’t remember the name), but it also had a nice atmosphere.

It felt like a quintessential small town; with a population of only 19,000 it had a close-knit community feeling, with notices for community issues all over the place. The two that we saw today were for Corporal Tyler Brooks; Port Colborne’s fallen hero, with everyone posting notices to say he will be remembered, and to honor him. He was one of the soldiers that Don Cherry honored a few weeks ago on either March 28th, or April 4th on Coaches Corner. It’s pretty amazing that notices in his memory were all over that city. Something else that was all over the city, just as much on people’s lawns as anywhere else, were notices pertaining to the Save Our Hospital Rally. We drove past their hospital, and it didn’t look in top notch shape, but it definitely deserves to be there.

It’s population is only 19,000. Sadly, it seemed a bit like there wasn’t much “get up and go” in this city. Maybe it’s still asleep for the most part. Maybe it really comes alive in late May, when the weather is good enough to start recreational boating. There were three beaches in this tiny city, and I think three marinas as well, but they were all mostly deserted. There were also several stores that were closed up, and even in the middle of the town areas, it looked like there were several places that could use at least a good power washing and a fresh coat of paint!

We then pretty much drive the entire city, going through all the side roads and residential streets, and if we had counted the houses, we could quite possibly have accounted for a good quarter of the population! I actually loved the houses there! The roofs were absolutely beautiful! I would love to actually build a cup roof like many of those houses had. Some of the houses were very plain, and some were absolutely gorgeous, but they were all relatively quiet. I have seen some houses in Azure and Dwell that are out of this world, so even the ones that had character and personality in Port Colborne were not quite as modern and edgy as some of the magazine homes, but they were still very beautiful. Where I wouldn’t chose to live in Port Colborne, many of those houses had me drooling, but not to live in, so much as to build!

When we were finished with Port Colborne, we headed home, but our day wasn’t over yet. On the ride home, we stopped at a Tim Horton’s in Oakville … for yet another coffee, yeah, more coffee. We had a small dinner at home, just leftovers, and now I am here writing Blog posts, my sister is organizing her sheet music, and my Mother is downstairs watching her Hockey Night in Canada, which I also watched a part of, albeit small tonight!

Lighting Up

Some people are instantly addicted to nicotine like some cats love catnip. Some people become addicted to nicotine over time, and for others, the chemical addiction is never the issue. For some, it is purely a social activity. It becomes okay to talk, or to just stand around in silence, and “share” the smoking. It’s a reason to create a group that others cannot enter, and enjoy the power of peer pressure. It satisfies the need of belonging, and is the glue that binds a group together. It’s all about the aesthetic. For others, it’s all about doing something. When they are not busy their mind will wander, they may become nervous, or their brain becomes distracted, and like biting your nails, it becomes something to do absent-mindedly while your brain works.

If you are in the middle of the habit though, you only really see it from your own paradigm. You have your reasons for smoking, and smoking began as a way to solve a problem/issue/fill a void in your life, and over time became a habit. So rewind, and figure out what it was for you. Now for fear of losing my audience, I will try not to mention the reasons for not smoking. People know those already.

Maybe the more important thing about smoking is that it began for a reason; it really did solve a problem. Maybe that is the same with all addictions. Stopping smoking can be scary, it can result in the resurgence of the physical, social, and behavioral symptoms that you began to smoke in order to fix. So that brings you face to face with your own reality. Why did I start to smoke, and it’s not just quitting for some, but also now I have these problems back, and what am I going to do to fix these issues/problems? I’ll just reach for a … Umm, let me think about it. While I’m thinking, I’ll just go out for a … Crap. Okay, this isn’t working.

For some, it’s finding an image, and sticking with it. One guy I worked with at Canadian Tire was telling me one time the story of how he quit smoking. One of his duties was to clean up the parking lot, and it was through cleaning up the cigarette butts, and picturing putting all those cigarette butts, along with all the other garbage that he swept up, into his system, that made him quit. I applaud him for his strength, as that image alone was something he held onto to force himself to break his habit. He was a good guy; nice to talk to, and had some very interesting insights if you took the time to listen to him.

In another case, my instructor from SCAS is a perfect example of just finding something else, at least during the workday, to fill the void. You will always find something. He smoked only a few years ago. A lot has changed in his life over the past five years, including even taking the position as an instructor for the SCAS program in the first place. When he started that position, he still smoked. I don’t know who he was before, but right now I knew him to be someone who was a pretty good teacher, and who thoroughly enjoyed carpentry and renovations. He also loved joking around, and had so many stories to tell. He shared all these jokes with the class all the time, and I really learned a lot from him. I don’t know what exactly he put in the void of the cigarettes, but I know that he always had energy, and he didn’t have a minute in his day to spare. So he definitely filled his time with something. Maybe he just learned to do more of what he did before, and like pouring too much concrete into a form, or gaps in the footings between the form and the earth, his better habits, and his outgoing energetic personality just spilled over. Is he a good example? What, of a saint – no! But he is at least an example of someone who said “bugger this, I’m quitting, and I will bloody well survive just fine without smoking”, and he does.

Apparently he was all about the smoking before, even making benches in the “smoking hut” for him and his students who smoked. Now he is spending his time making shelves for his daughters instead. Pretty damn cool, I think. Proof that quitting is possible? Definitely.

Construction permits in Ontario

Tighten up your toolbelts, guys, ‘cause times may be getting a bit thinner!
One of the best ways to cope through the upcoming few months may be with “all-salad diets”, as one of my previous classmates jokes about being on right now. He has worn two toolbelts at once in the past, but he may find that he has to tighten them both up in the times ahead. Well, he may be okay, actually, but the province, on the whole, isn’t doing quite so good right now.

Alex Carrick, the Chief Economist at REED Construction Data recently conducted a small interview on Daily Commercial News, where he stated that private, non-residential construction starts in Canada have sunk rapidly in first quarter this year. He also mentioned that with corporate profits declining, he sees very little improvement in new investments until the first quarter next year. As a closing comment, he passed the ball off to the public sector, suggesting that based on the lack of private sector profits, they won’t be in a hurry to invest until the economy, and their profits, pick up, even through they have received tax cuts to continue over the next 4 years. Through the entire year, Carrick states that there is only 54 million square feet of non-residential building starts forecasted for this year; the lowest start since 1970. It will be up to infrastructure spending plans to hold up the building economy, and how fast they can get their projects started.

Looking at StatCan, a recent survey (published on Monday, April 6th) shows that the value of building permits fell from $4.39 billion to $3.7 billion in February, with the largest decreases in the non-residential sector in Ontario, where the value of building permits fell from $2.3 billion to $1.6 billion. Looking at the chart StatCan provided in their article, last year February it was at about $5.6 billion, February 2007 AND 2006 it was at about $4.8 billion. So this year has definitely hit a trough, but what does long-term history look like (over the last quarter century?) Well, employment in general in Canada hasn’t gone very well either. October 2008 was our last peak, but since then, the country has seen job losses over 357,000 jobs. The article itself stated that this has been the largest decline in a five-month period since 1982. That would give us a good look at the fact that 25 years ago it was EXACTLY this bad.

Where has this decrease come from? Well, mostly in Ontario and Alberta all across the board, but this post is focusing on construction. (… one guy in my formwork course therefore may have traveled provinces straight from the frying pan right into the fire!) These decreases came specifically in the areas of medical buildings, and educational institutions where the permit value fell over 50% in February. The decrease for commercial permits was only 20%, coming from office and recreational buildings; both being areas that showed the greatest increase in B.C., and with the 2010 Olympic Games starting February 12th, it’s no wonder that B.C. is continuing to build happily.

The only increase in permit value in Ontario was a 14% increase in the industrial sector. This comes, however, right after a 50% decrease in January.

In the residential sector, things are mostly unchanged right now, with only a 0.3% decrease in the value of permits, largely due to a 10.6% increase in the permits for “multi-family dwellings”, meaning a structure or site that will house more than 5 families. Again, Ontario is one of the provinces that has shown a decline even in this area though, with B.C. again leading in this area. Toronto also has shown declines for all areas, across the board (commercial, residential, industrial, institutional, recreational … ALL components) with B.C. leading the way in pretty much all areas. Even so, looking across the value of building permits, across all areas, by city since October, none of the stats look incredibly good. Vancouver has gone down from $456 million in October to $330 million in February, and Toronto has gone down from $840 million in October to $569 million in February, but Toronto spiked to $1.09 billion in December.

Lessons in hammering, and correcting mistakes

Okay, one comment I made in my blog yesterday was offensive. That comment has been removed. I have since been reminded, in a very strange way, about also correcting these kinds of mistakes; mistakes in my behavior. I am trying to correct myself, and yet still have off days, where I write with a biting edge. The one comment I made in my post was off, especially considering the topic my post was about, which is about the wonder of human life, the God-given blessing that we all are even to exist … and then I demean people who may read the post. That was pretty stupid, and inconsiderate. The papers on people’s walls do not define their intelligence. The way people say things also does not define their intelligence, but the choices they make every day define the quality of person they are, and how intelligent they are. I should be recognizing and celebrating everyone’s differences, and realizing that people are smarter than I am, and stronger than I am, but maybe just in other ways.

So, what is the classroom lesson today that sparked this perspective on this blog post? It was an instructor of mine critiquing my hammering technique, and mentioning to me that if your nail goes on an angle, then stop and correct it right away, don’t keep chasing the nail, hammering it at all angles, as though you mean it to do that. Correct mistakes, even if they aren’t yours (you didn’t hammer that nail off course on purpose, but you still did it!) Now you can look like an idiot and chase your actions as if you meant to do that, or you can correct it right away. And then if you keep missing the nail, don’t keep swinging randomly, re-set-up your angle and position if necessary, and start again. Take the time to be aware of your angle, your aim, your position, your strength, technique, the direction you are going in, and correct them right away if something is messed up. If I can learn these lessons well, and continue to put my full attention during class into carpentry, I will have corrected my bad aim, and will still continue to learn and make progress in the course.

I should not, however, take my blog opinions into the course, or my course opinions into my blog. They would not do well to be mixed. I do apologize for making that comment, and thinking that way. A lesson to be practiced tomorrow, as well as my hammering technique, and building from the bottom up and the framing in, is to celebrate the different intelligences of others, respect those people, and not shun them for being different than my own.

The Wonder of You

I have heard of Deepak Chopra before, but never heard his words. I stumbled across them on YouTube today, and in these videos, he encompasses a broad range of topics. In one video he discusses our physical beginning, and the wonder of human cells and human life. In 20 replications, the single cell that began "you" divided into over a million cells, and in 50 replications, you had over a hundred trillion cells, and each of those cells does over 6 trillion things in a second. All these cells communicate with one another to know what all the neighboring cells are doing at all points in time. Now, throw in consciousness, which is a mirror of the "supreme genius of the universe". Try that on for size as being a special creation of God, and truly blessed!

Now, once we are about 20 or so, just to pick a random age, we should be able to acknowledge that we have responses to things; reactions. But between the stimulus and the reaction, there is a pure, non-judgmental "witness" in all of us. A part of us that JUST sees everything; it absorbs information and facts. To bring out the independent, non-evaluative, non-analytical, non-judgmental witness is one goal meditation seeks to achieve. (In my opinion, that is also living in the moment, and allowing ourselves to take in joy, sadness, pain, boredom, happiness, comfort, whatever is there in the moment). Then again, all those things I just mentioned are emotions, and therefore subjective, as opposed to objective reactions to a situation.

Chopra also speaks of disease in this video, and states that "fear-engendered responses" make us more susceptible to disease, and that we can help to go beyond these responses through meditation. That I believe. If you do not believe in anything above you, and are prone to fear and lack of trust, your stress level will surely increase, and you will become more prone to disease. But if you allow yourself to believe in something else out there, some energy, some life connectedness, and trust in that, things become a little easier for you. It's part of faith, and spirituality. I know, for example, that if I trust in God, and that if I do what I feel to be right, and if I do intelligent things that hold up my "end of the deal" to take care of myself and others, then it follows that I am, in return, taken care of.

Chopra speaks of intuition as that Third Eye Chakra, almost. He states that entering a state of meditation (restful response) ... I guess would almost be the same as being deep in prayer, would open up a channel between your spirit and a cosmic awareness. In the intuitive response, in that mode of awareness you achieved earlier, you have not only the ability to just objectively witness, but you can also ask questions. In the intuitive response, the message you put out, or the question you ask through that higher channel of communication will manifest itself as an answer. The answer will not always be what you want it to be, you have to be open and accepting to whatever the answer actually IS; how it presents itself. This answer is not as easy as direct cause and effect. It processes itself through many filters.

Chopra's explanation really puts more confidence in my ability to affect a positive difference in this world, not only through what I do, but also even just through prayer to help others, and meditation. Although that doesn't mean I give up on everything I DO, and will now just focus my life on prayer! No thanks! I would rather do as much as I think, if not more, and analyze less!

Chopra explains the next response as the creative response, stating that as a result of asking your question and stating your intention, that you will be able to create. The ability to create something that was not there before is a purely human attribute, as it was given to us by the Creator because we are created in the image of the Creator, and as such, we have the ability to create, and understand how to build things.

The last response Chopra discusses is the Sacred Response, and this response entails the ability to wonder, and to ask where all this creation is coming from. To seek to know the source of the creativity. The actual source of creation is beyond all interpretation. But the interpretation of the cosmic being(s) changes based on the time we live in. We at least need to realize that there is some sort of cosmic Being, or cosmic Force, and we are expressions of, and contained inside that Being. We are all parts of this "scheme of things". The human mind, which seeks to understand the Creator Mind, is a part of the cosmic mind, and in that way it is possible for human minds to connect.

The more you can understand your own mind you start to eavesdrop on the nature of that cosmic mind. The more you ask questions, the more you understand, the more you create, and the stronger your "Sacred Response" becomes as well.

Bear

Nicknames are wonderful things. They can be used to describe people, in good or bad ways. they can be given to demean, as "pet names", or to bolster a person, and make them feel like they belong to a group.

My best friends and I are always calling each other nicknames. We have standard nicknames for each other, but sometimes we veer off from those. I have also looked on Helium, a writer's "forum" that I belong to, and found an article there titled Why People Choose Nicknames For Themselves. It was funny that she mentions people usually choose names that fit the named "to a T", and I had just written that myself.

One woman I know has a very easily pronounceable, albeit longer name. Her self-ascribed nickname is short, simple, sweet, but out of character for her, as far as I would understand, but she likes it, and it sticks! I works so well for her, and I wouldn't call her any other name. People don't even know her by her real name.

There is a person who I do not have "the right" to name, and I do not know that if I ever did give that name, that it would stick. I do not even really want to give that person that name until they "deserve" it. That is one thing about nicknaming ... the "recipient" needs to deserve the name. It's funny then, that the people I named Bulldog, Penny, Sparrow, Little John (Robin Hood character ... as in this guy was huge, but why he reminded me of Little John, I am not sure!) I have only known for one day, but they still deserved the name, and some people you have a name lined up for, but they just never "deserve" to be called by that name.

"Your name is important", this author says. It describes who you are, and what other people think of you. It also means to the person giving you the name that you mean something to them. Like my nickname for my sister, who finally allowed me to give her some kind of nickname. Now, the name has "stuck" for years, if not a decade. It has now also become a bit of a term of endearment that I use for others, but it is only the "Name" for one person; my sister.

So why have I chosen the name Bear? Well, in the middle of my affections, (which only lasted about a month, before that it was only a passing friendliness) I thought it described the proportions, and that was not a bad thing. In fact, that was a charming thing, I thought! I loved this person's stature and presence. In fact, they have proof in ink to support their nickname, which I found out after I had thought of the nickname, but seeing as I have NEVER called them that, there is no proof of this fact. So it is a perfect nickname for the person, but I still think they need to deserve it.

Nicknames can also be used to ascribe characteristics that are not inherently human, to people. "Honey", "muffin", and all those cutesy names "Popples", "Karebear", as well. Names can be short forms of actual names: "Vanny", "Nessa", "Ria" for example, of can be only between two people (like I used to call a friend way long time ago (in a galaxy far away) when we were both into Star Wars, and she had her own fan fiction site that she maintained, I called her "Master", and she called me "Padawan". Crazy names; we were young and dorky, but they were amazing good times!

So why Bear? It has nothing to do with shortening the name, but
the Panda Bear would be part of the reason, just as a cute animal, and the Grizzly Bear. Hmmm, interesting to think about. I will keep this info in my back pocket, ans let you know if the name is ever used. Never being able to use it would be a shame, and a waste of potential friendship, indeed.

Penny and Bulldog

Wow, what a day! Today was amazing! There are a couple of highlights to my day personally, and also technical highlights to my day as well. The day of drywall mudding in the trusses has been unrivaled until today – today was its equal!

There was a time where I would say that whatever day was THE BEST DAY EVER!! I think I have been around too long now to get quite that excited about any one day anymore, but this was an amazing day. One reason that it rivaled that drywall mudding day was in terms of the intense spirit and positive energy of my crew, enough to get me “nicknaming” a lot of the people there; that gives people a heightened sense of belonging. I have noticed this through mostly construction experience though, and different of the guys in charge will give out nicknames, it doesn’t mean someone is a “favourite”, but often people respond well to those names, especially if they are given and received respectfully, and in good humour. For example, one of the guys today was Bulldog, from Fraser, to a T! Bloody absolutely PERFECT match, right down to the pitch and gruffness/gravel in his voice. So I mentioned that to him about halfway through the morning, and he thought that was pretty cool, and ran with it! One of the women in my crew informed me later that the name I picked was a good one, because this guy had a tattoo of a bulldog on the back of one of his shoulders! LOL, that worked! If that guy is ever onsite again, he is Bulldog, hands-down!

Another name I ran with was this guy who had “Penny” on a sticker above his name for the day, and when I met my crew in the morning I couldn’t read his actual name, but I could read “Penny” very clearly. So I looked at this guy and said “Penny?!?” The whole crew laughed, and so did he. But that name kind of stuck, although I did not push anyone’s nicknames too far. I called everyone by their real names, but also kept the nicknames going throughout the day. It’s hard enough to keep everyone excited, let alone remember 13+ names throughout the day, so you have to have jokes in your back pocket for when you inevitable mess up people’s names! He was also a good worker, he learned how to use the skill saw, and was someone I could depend on to get the job done. Some people will do that; they will allow themselves to take on a job early in the day, and then you can depend on them throughout the day to do their job and contribute their new skill to the work of the project. It also gave this guy his own way to belong to the group.

Another thing I did today was something I “re-learned” after last Saturday; break people up into small groups, and assign them projects, then instead of having to find work for, or follow up on, 13 different people, you only have to find work for/follow up on about 3 or 4 groups. That is a lot easier.

Sometimes I have to give people away. It is NOTHING personal usually. I had to do that with several people today, as my “boss” – as she had adopted the role of – needed people. One not so good thing about today though, is that there were too many people there, and I did not have the opportunity to train one of the people who, as Alison noted, was one of the quiet ones, who may have the most gumption. Hw was always hanging back, and acting like “it’s okay, I’ll just wait”, well then, he was just waiting all day. I felt bad because I didn’t have time to show him anything, so he always got the leftovers. He didn’t step up all day long to be the squeaky hinge, and get in on any of the building groups I had going. But he did get to work with a lot of different groups onsite, and do many different things. Maybe next time. Let’s see how much he puts out if someone takes the time to show him what to do, and recognizes and encourages him.

Women’s Build Aspirations

I still maintain that this Women’s Build will be an absolutely amazing experience. Yes, we may not get an amazing amount done, but I have still met with several women who have already given me enough hope for my own goals that I am very interested in, and extremely excited about what people I will meet during this Build! In fact it’s “not only the destination, but the journey” that counts, and even if the Build is just stressful for me, the journey towards the Build has so far been well worth it!

I am developing a camaraderie with different of these women who will be participating in this build that I have had with other of the guys onsite, but what makes it even cooler is that we can connect on a higher level than just construction – we all share “being female” in common. It’s the kind of joking around with “the guys” that you get in these such boys clubs, that sometimes, if you fit in well enough with them, they will let you in on, but if they don’t let you in on it, you are SOL. But working with these women, there is no "boy's clubs"; in fact there are actually "girl's clubs" starting, where the girls who share renovation or construction in common are bonding together over the experience of being involved in residential construction from the ground up. We can do it just as well as "the boys" can, and we are bonding, and having a blast! It's amazing!

Once again, Habitat is one place where I can be myself and be accepted for being EXACTLY who I am on a daily basis, and not only that, but also be EXPECTED to be a leader, and be pushed to my full potential, and joke around and have fun doing it!

I met this woman today who will be a House Leader at the Women’s Build, and oh yes, is she ever cut out for it! A carpenter, and then I am assuming, a project manager in B.C., she doesn’t seem to take much BS. She is all I needed to keep me on track, and keep me doing what I am supposed to be doing. I really enjoyed working with her. She seemed to adopt me. It also seemed that she’s one tough cookie. When she was an apprentice, there would have been probably only one “her” in the entire program, and she would be the one!

First thing in the morning it was like a car driving along the side of a metal wall, screeching, paint-stripping friction, with me wondering what would be worse. But I think that even though there were a couple of instances where we collided the wrong way, but were BOTH determined to work together with each other, and respect and understand each other, and that determination had us working together really well by the end of the day. It was bloody gorgeous! Whenever I would go to teach someone something, she let me do that, but whenever I would go to “do work” – and she seemed to know the difference – it would be “what are you doing?! You have a day job; here you have labour; get THEM to do the work! You lead! You supervise, don’t work!” Holy crap! It was amazing! It was like she was on my back, but that’s the kind of yelling I respond to beautifully, there are no demeaning or derogatory elements to her commands, but she does issue commands. I am trained well enough that all I need is a little kick in the butt when I am veering off in the wrong direction, and she was kicking me, so I corrected. Another amazing thing was that I could share construction humour with her, and she actually got it … it took some prompting on one of the jokes … and she could share joking back with me. It was so cool to be able to do that with someone.

See, this woman that I met today, along with other women in Habitat, like Jenny, are pretty amazing to me, because they are proof that there are “tough chicks” out there, who have no problem at all with being that way, because it gets things done. And they have found their way to construction because of one of the exact reasons I am drawn to construction; it is an area that operates on the gears of respect, and being tough, and so you can BE yourself, and BE tough. It’s almost too good to be true, but yet these women are living proof that it is in fact possible.

Here’s Jenny saying a while ago that she gets these nicknames, and this reputation as a “nagger” @ Head Office, but does she give a f…damn? NO! And I think that’s bloody amazing! She gets the job done. She is a tough and confident woman, and other people are not used to that, and so they resist, and possibly try to send jibes her way, to cut her down, but these women are able to not let it phase them, and keep on going. THAT is exactly how I yearn to be. I would love to have the confidence, and the unshakable goals to be able to be like Jenny. I could follow some of these women around onsite just in awe of how they conduct themselves. (Although if I actually DID that, it might get to their heads, and I don’t want to inflate anyone’s egos here ;-P ) Although I would not be ashamed to say that I would be very willing to respect these different women, because I KNOW how they are acting, and I know some of the crap they went through that toughened them up. I hope I can come out of my own challenges as successfully as they have.

Speaking earlier of camaraderie, I am now comfortable enough with some of the women onsite, that I have started to bug them and joke around with them, like I joke around with Roger and Brian. It was gorgeous! I kept on bugging Jenny, and goin’ at her today, makin’ her lose her train of thought, just doing all the kinds of “being a brat” that Roger can do, but doing it in a way that it was received as fun, and joking. THOSE are the kinds of things that bond you. Is being able to goof off with someone else, and know that they can goof off with you right back.

There are other women there (Barb from Head Office, Kerry, and Kris) who are younger (30s I’d guess) who are not quite as tough as Jenny, but you know they are also confident women. This is the kind of thing that a young (male) apprentice would feel, if they felt that kind of stuff! Kind of like a warm, fuzzy feeling; a hope that they can achieve what these other guys they work for and learn from have achieved, and that they have the ultimate respect for these guys. I actually talked to one of Will’s students today, and I think he feels that way about Will.

Tricks of the Trades

Don’t get me wrong. I have just written about the women from the trades that I have met (mostly through Habitat, although there are others) but there are guys I genuinely respect onsite too. Some of them, like Mike and Carlos, are continuing to adopt me. I have known of them for a while, but because I was not as “dedicated” to Habitat before … as in, I hadn’t yet based my CAREER direction on it … I had no reason to connect with them. Now I have found a couple of things, one being they respect me as an apprentice, and another thing; they can discipline me for not getting something right. They know how to do that respectfully. There are lots of other guys there that I respect, and enjoy learning from. I can take being yelled at, really I can. Being told I am worthless and essentially useless, no. That shows a lack of any class. But these guys don’t do that. Mike, Carlos, MikeBlake, Roger, Brian, Will, Dave, to name a few off the top of my head, are all pretty good guys to work for, to work with, and to learn from.

Speaking of learning, it’s time I moved on to the technical achievements of my day. I noticed that I worked with Carlos EXACTLY the way an apprentice works for a foreman, and the fact that he treats me in that way is pretty cool. I recognize how he is treating me, and how he is expecting me to behave, and I understand that he doesn’t do that kind of thing for “just anyone”. He is investing teaching in me, which is something that I am very receptive to. I am here, at Habitat, more importantly than anything else, to LEARN. I need to learn like I need air. I need to be given the opportunity to learn. I need to be given the responsibility to do things, a chance to f…mess up, and then to be told that I messed up, and helped to see what I can do better next time. That is one of the reasons why I appreciate Brian’s sites, and respect him so much; because he attracts teachers, and he believes in making Habitat a learning experience. I have learned not to take that for granted, because not everyone operates that way. I am grateful for all these opportunities, and I do not want to do anything that would jeopardize them. I understand how lucky I am to be able to participate in this kind of environment, and I love it! I am like a sponge, and it’s finally paying off! I am actually understanding how to do these things, and I am now more able to Crew Lead these projects on my own, although not without still messing up.

Today, Carlos was not so happy with a mistake I made … and I sort of made it twice. I was not on my Crew to remember a very important element of installing the joists, which was to make sure the double joists were flush … and again later with the braces. That was not my project, but Michael was (apparently!) my Crew Member, so when the braces were not flush with the top of the joists, it was my responsibility. Damn. So out came three or four small joists, and the joist hangers had to come out, etc. And watching someone like Carlos just take a skillsaw to your work is kind of shocking. I was a bit confused there, like WTF is going on here?! What did I do wrong? I didn’t understand at first. but the thing is, I COMPLETELY respected the way Carlos did that, because at no point in time did he demean ME, he just chastised the mistake I made, and told me to pay more attention next time, and not mess it up, because that was a bit of work that had to be redone. The thing is, a year ago that may have had me in tears. Today, I have been toughened up by several experiences like that, I don’t take it personally anymore. That is just a construction guy whacking an apprentice over the head and saying “You dork! Now, pay attention, and get it RIGHT the next time!” So this experience was a good one, because I learned here, and I kept all my dignity intact.

However, after that happened, I was kind of shocked, and just stood there for a while. After wanting to go off in a corner and whimper, something in my brain kicked in – Probably Susan or Jenny’s voice in the back of my head! – and said, “Come on girl, you’ve got a Crew to lead, and a mess to fix up – don’t just stand there, you know what you did wrong and what you have to do to fix it, now mobilize the forces and get back to work!” And so I did. Some switch in my brain flipped, and I came to life. People were standing around just staring, almost open-mouthed, at what had just happened, and that was no good. So I gave each of them a piece of wood, and told them to take the nails out. I told Bulldog to make sure he got the double joists flush, and “Penny” and one of the other guys to start cutting the new pieces we needed. I couldn’t believe it! I refused to be upset at messing up, and I went back at it, and look at what happened because of it – I remained my team’s leader, and I gained confidence. THAT was one of the times where the little voice inside of my head, after I had picked up the pieces and fixed things, said “atta girl, good stuff, you deserve a pat on the back.” And believe me, 90% of the time I am Waaay too hard on myself, and even after I have earned a pat on the back I still will not give myself one, but after today’s personal success I really did deserve that. That is a victory, and victory is sweeeet! The last thing that happened today was one of the best things. I shook hands with most of my Crew Members, and was going to just shake Alana's hand, and she just came forward and gave me a big hug! I felt like a million bucks! I felt so good! That was another way for someone to say that I have really made a difference. What a bloody tearjerker. Amazing. Yeah, I don't get paid money to work for Habitat, but that is one of the reasons that makes coming there completely worthwhile.

So for next week, I learned that (keep previous weeks in mind too) you need to watch out for keeping things flush.
* You need to watch every member of not only your original crew, but everyone under you, or working in your area. If you see anything that is wrong, don’t be afraid to tell them to take it out and start over again. Also, I was a bit tough on the guys for the braces, (but still not as tough as Carlos!) but I could be a little softer, maybe … as in, “it’s a mistake guys, it’s okay. It’s not a bad thing. You still are doing a good job, but you have to take out the pieces, and start again.” THEN I can go on with the, “okay, don’t just sit there, take out your mistakes!” kind of stuff! Enh! They’re big boys; they can handle bein’ talked to tough!
* Keep your crew divided into smaller bits.
* Understand the things you have to be aware of in completing your project correctly BEFORE you start.
* Don’t freeze because you messed up, keep moving!

There are other things … but I will need to remember them later. I think I am just about “brained-out” in terms of writing right now!

First Saturday @ WRP

I think I am running out of firsts at WRP ... ummm, on second thought, I can think of a LOT of firsts I wouldn't mind happening there!

But for now, the was the first York University Day at WRP, but not the first York Day at Habitat. In fact, one of my first days as a Crew Leader, at 4200 Kingston Rd., was with York University students and alumni. I think I preferred the spirit of that group over the group this past Saturday, but then again, this group was also pretty amazing!

My Crew today consisted of about 7 women. Our job was to put up sill plates on Block A. I felt a bit like a brand new, never held a hammer before kid at some points during the day, because one guy loves to tell me that what I am doing is wrong, and say "why don't you do it this way; it's so much easier?" At every turn. Who's f*g crew is it? Mine, or yours? Sometimes his lack of ability to think through what he says has dumbfounded more than just me, and even the Site Super was at least able to recognize this guy's behaviour. The fact that he made a comment to that effect did not help me to necessarily look any better in front of my Crew today, but it helped me to definitely FEEL better. Even just to know that I DID actually know what I was talking about, and how to fix the problem, and that he was the boss, and not this tactless so-and-so. No, I didn't need to re-snap the chalkline, and stop being so anal about it. I am quite capable of, as Brian said, "eye" it, to make the minor adjustments needed. But I have worked around this guy for three years, and I know that he has people telling him that he does stuff wrong different times, and he seems to rail against being told that is not the way it will be done like his LIFE depends on it. Nor does he trust me with a skillsaw, or think I can teach others to use a chopsaw, etc etc. I had to ham it up with my girls just so that they would still listen to me.

Arrgh! I hope he is NOT there next Saturday, or at least that I do not work around him! I would like to work more with Mike O. and Carlos, though. Those guys are pretty amazing. I can at least defer to them when I don't know how to do something, and not be made to feel like sh*t, or have my task whipped from under my feet, and my Crew think I can't do my job or don't know what is going on.

Anyway. I actually DID manage to teach these women how to put down sill plates. You know what? I didn't go as fast as the fastest Crew, but there were a couple of young women there who are very interested in building, and want to return to the site. Some of the others were just "girly". Some of them took the opportunity to learn to use a chopsaw, use a drill and a spade bit, put down sill gasket and Tyvek, swing a hammer, and even toenail in Rimboard.

And one of the guys there recognized my "craft". My What? What, as in the way I swung a hammer? You can tell I am a budding carpenter, can you now?! LOL! Listen, whereas I will demand the respect that I give to others (to whatever degree I give it!) I also know that, as C+ says, I am at "the bottom of the pile". I know nowhere close to what Will or Carlos or Mike O. knows, I have nowhere near that level of confidence. Please do not try that kind of comment. I would tend to take it as sarcasm, or buttering me up to see how I react to that kind of B.S. I know I can hammer in a nail, and teach others to toenail, but don't assume I am a hammer "craftsperson"! B.S!

Well, there are some things I missed from today, but I also had quite a lot of fun, and learned some new things, as always, in the process.

Gratitude

My sister is grateful, every day this Lent. For example, every morning, when she wakes up (to HER alarm, usually an hour after she is woken up by my alarm, and spends that hour cursing me ... sigh ...) she is grateful that she has functioning hearing to hear her alarm, and functioning sight to see her alarm. She is grateful that she lives in Canada, and has a job. She is grateful for freedom to choose what to do with her future, and I am sure she is grateful for her family, too.

I have spent the last few days fairly depressed, stressed, and doubtful, but there have been daily things for me to be grateful about, too. Maybe her idea is pretty good. So, yesterday I saw a cardinal, right there in front of me on a branch above the sidewalk. I am very grateful for that. He was beautiful! I am also grateful for spending the day with my Mother on Thursday.

I do not know that I am grateful for not having a job, but I am sure I could spin it that way for now, too, if I worked at it. I am grateful, at least, that I live at home, and my family is willing to help me out when I need it, but also that I have enough money for now from my savings that I can keep going on my own steam. So I am grateful that I am not a big spender at the best of times, so that in the not-so-good times I am still at least okay for cash.

First Fortnight @ WRP

Well, it's now been two weeks that I have been working at the WRP site (known as Hainford, but I still call it WRP, because the "Women's Religious Project - the land for that entire site is owned by nuns - is what it started off as being called). Brian, Bethany, Caroline, Roger, David, and a few volunteers have been helping to renovate Brian's "office", not to mention Raymond (electrician). It now has trim, and new floor, the wall and door are back in, and it's all wired up and ready to go!

By now, all of the units on the west side, and most of the units on the east side have the foundation walls poured, and as of Friday this week, we were putting the sill plates on "Block E". The units are divided into 8 blocks; two units (left and right) each. Blocks A-D are on the west side, and Blocks E-H are on the east side. The west side blocks will be the women's build homes. Actually, at 100 women per day, we could easily work on all the homes ... that might actually be what is going on.

I have been working on building form footings, striping the forms back off the footings, and once again, shucking around hay and clay. This past week I have led groups of individuals; people who are on March Break, for the most part, but also some women. On this site, I assume that most women are either home owners, or training for the Women's Build Blitz (henceforth to be known on my blog as WB, or WBB!). Although I should not necessarily make that assumption. I have seen several new faces though, and most of them have been pretty cool.

First Day @ WRP

I just started today on WRP - it's at Lawrence and Manse Road. I spent a good solid six hours taking nails out of wood, stripping the footing forms, getting rained on, and helping an with the excavation process. There are lots of things to do at Habitat right now if you are one of Habitat's "Dedicated Volunteers". I have started to read the blueprints for the site, but at 15 minutes at a time, really thoroughly digesting these blueprints will take me a little while!

There will be 8 blocks of two units each, divided into left and right. They will have two floors each and a basement. They will be constructed using SIPs (external), stick framing (internal), 2x8s (and are there any 2x10s?) as floor joists, and 5/8" T&G sub-flooring, and a mix of wood and steel beams and lintels. And that's about all I retained from the drawings today.

Two years ago; January 2007, I started volunteering at 4200. I didn't even know what a blueprint was. Today, Will was congratulating me on becoming part of the Union - something he just found out today. I can read residential blueprints, and am learning to hold my ground in reading commercial blueprints as well. None of these things are required by Habitat, but they are things that Habitat has influenced me to do with my life. I have come so far since the beginning of 4200. I hope to keep moving forward!

Some days I wonder if anything will ever piece together and I will ever figure out what I want to do and how I will do it, but on days like today those goals seem a little more attainable. I have options I can pursue, and opportunities in my future. there are a couple of things I need to get there: hardwork, smartwork, a positive attitude, self-confidence, and dogged determination ... not to mention faith and prayer. And THAT'S just in hot pursuit of the career I want!

Eons Since Habitat

Wow.
September 15th, 2007. That is the last regular comment post on Habitat that I can see that I have written on my blog. That was 2.5 months into my position as Hardware Supervisor at CTCR store #654. June 27th, 2008 was my last day on that job. I have also enrolled in AND FINISHED a carpentry pre-apprenticeship course, and am now 800+ hours into my apprenticeship with Local 27; Carpenter's Union.

Since my last post, I have continued to volunteer with Habitat on a fairly regular basis, contributing about 36 days in 2008 (that averages to one day every week or every two weeks, spread out over the year). My time at Habitat is sometimes sporadic; based on what else is going on in my life, sometimes 8 days a month, sometimes 2 months without. I do what I can, when I can.

I have also experienced my first clashes with Habitat in a few ways since I last wrote, but I also think they are starting to work themselves through, if not out.

Brian (one of the site supers) is now a Proud Pappa - as of September 2nd, 2008, the VERY DAY I finished crocheting the baby blanket I had made to give him! Naomi __ Thornton ... can't remember her middle name. But that is one of the wonderful things that has happened. Soon she will be volunteering for Habitat, and building houses of her own! Although she will probably start off with just the Gingerbread Builds. We gotta start'em small!

There have also been two Volunteer Appreciation Nights since I last wrote a regular Habitat post. The 19th Anniversary was a little boring; although the winner of the youth volunteer award was very cute! (they were not a kid, but a young adult, relax people!) The 20th Anniversary, on the other hand, was amazing! It was very well done, and it was at the Steam Whistle Brewery, a place I suggest they host it at next year! The event was also very well-paced, with speeches interspersed between ample time to mix and mingle.

Whereas some people were taking advantage of the "Brewery" location, I just went C+ style; all out for the orange pop! Well, I hope that this year I am able to contribute more to my Habitat adventures. Whether or not I am ever able to retell all that I have missed reporting on, I will not push myself to do. Just as long as I try to keep up in my writing with my Habitat participation this year, is all I can hope to achieve.

She Plays Hard

But she's here to have fun.

The month is Ocotber, 2007. Our team, then the Spartans, were thinking of getting some practice time, somewhere. Fast forward to June, 2008. Our team, this time around the Canadiens, were again thinking of getting some practice time somewhere … I began talking to Mandy Cole and Mandy Cronin about them starting a Women’s skills session, that our team could join. That fell through. Now again, move to October, 2008; our team manager mentions practices. A long-term advocate of them, I perk up. Practices? Do we need practices? Is there an actual opportunity? Yes, one of the league convenors said she was willing to coach us. Great! So I did research on the least expensive rink time, and the best location I could get.

Last of all, zoom to the present moment. We are now just ending this hockey season, and our team has managed 8 practices. At first, it was just our team, but we only had intermittent commitment from our ladies, and a poorly planned financial situation, leaving us in the red because of lack of commitment. For the latter half, we practiced with new recruits, broke well into the black, and were able to properly reward our practice coaches. For me personally, I wonder if it has been more stress than it was worth. Our team chemistry has changed. I feel responsible. I feel my attitude in part was also responsible. I was in the organizer position, and I ended up being “the young punk with attitude”, pawed aside by my “wiser and more experienced teammates and coaches”. If I was going to be the leader, maybe I should have been a more enthusiastic cheerleader. Or maybe I am just having delusions of grandeur, that I could have affected team chemistry that much. Maybe I am not THAT responsible for everything that has happened this year. Things just happened. But in a way, I am glad that they did. I am in this to improve myself, and eventually play more competitively.

I think only time will tell that. I learned that gathering team commitment for practices can be like herding cats, and am very grateful for the help and persuasive tactics of a team member who moonlights (when she’s not playing hockey, of course!) as a Senior Executive Marketing Officer … who helped out immensely. In the bigger picture, I know my attitude on the practice ice lately has been way too aloof socially, and to intense about my game. Every mistake has built up to be the end of the world. That’s not they way I used to see practices. Because I know this, I think I have some “getting back to a better attitude” to do here. I used to thoroughly LOVE her practices, and her energy that everyone on the ice adopted. I still remember her pushing us on the ice. I hope that is what things will be getting back to this Spring’s Skills and Drills. Or maybe it’s Cole and Cronin’s job to take on that position now. Who knows? Let’s see what their Spring practices are like.

There were also decisions that were made during this hockey season. I know my goal is to improve, personally, to the level where I am playing competitive women’s hockey at a B level, by the time I am 35. Attainable? I hope so. The biggest thing that has got to change, though, seems to be my attitude. Stubborn, stoic and determined don’t seem to be good enough qualities, although just potentially annoying ones. Enthusiasm, social graces, always having something good to say, not in any way ever even looking like you are trying to be NHL level (or any better than you are) … and not getting pissed off in any way if you miss, you can’t shoot, you’re not good enough at the drill, etc. It’s a shift from personal depreciation, which can bring everyone down, to team support.

Is there any such thing as “team attitude therapy?” I think we need some! I think it’s called “team building skills” and days, and events. Cassie Campbell talked extensively about what her team did to build team spirit, including training at bootcamp. Hmm, Maybe Cole and Cronin would be willing to put us through a week of hockey bootcamp … is that what we need? I personally would love that kind of test. But maybe that’s something a little more what I need to do with people my own age; people who have the ability to be pushed through grueling physical routines, and sometimes just keep going because they don’t know when to stop. THAT is the kind of thing that I would LOVE to push against. I love to push myself against that kind of test, I love succeeding, and I love failing and trying again. But I think I approach that too aggressively, and too turned in on myself, and what I am doing, and whether or not I succeed or fail.

Some team decisions Cassie’s team had to make were on the topic of those who refused to go even TRY the gauntlet that the rest of the team went through on the first day of bootcamp, where they witnessed military personnel going through this obstacle course first. Those women were the ones who, in the end, got cut. Not because they weren’t good enough physically, but because they didn’t even try out this test.

“There were three or four girls who, when called on, wouldn’t even try the course. This was when Davidson began to question these people, and their ability to be members of that team. I don’t think any of those girls made the Olympic team. As I mentioned earlier, Cassie honestly admitted that none of them finished the gauntlet, even though they were all trained athletes, but everyone who tried it was able to prove that day that they were committed to the team. If they failed, they would fail as a team, but at least they all tried. That boot camp was perhaps the bonding experience that united that team, the way Cassie described it at least. It would be too, they were treated like soldiers; their wake-up call would come early in the morning, (6 or 7, I believe) and they would fall back into their beds, exhausted, at about 10pm after seven training sessions each day.”

A little intense for our team? Yes. but I wouldn’t mind more pre-season team-spirit training. I wouldn’t mind a hard-assed, tough coach. I like playing to improve, just as long as we can all actively remember, including the coach, that we are playing to have fun. I think if I could speak for everyone, I would say that we all lose sight of that sometimes, and focus a little too closely on the carrot in front of our own nose. But I can only say that, with 100% accuracy, about myself. Why do I even have that goal? Because I am in control of its outcome, not the economy, not whether or not I have a job, not my family – although they DO support me, not even the ice itself, but just me.

Women's Build

Habitat for Humanity Toronto is planning it’s own Women’s Build. Of course, there are many different opinions about having a Women’s Build. There are some people at the Habitat office who are behind it with all their hearts. That is truly wonderful. There are also people who have flatly and bluntly refused any participation in the event, either because they feel they have to spend so much time cleaning up after the scrambled eggs that they feel a “Blitz” is in general, or because they look with dread to the disaster that this Women’s Build will be, in their opinion. I believe that, for all its possible flaws, this Women’s Build is worth the effort, and should be extended throughout as much of the duration of the build of these 6 houses as possible.

* To clarify something here, this “Build Blitz” has been altered in name to just Women’s Build.

Those who are against this Women’s Build have cited that they believe that, inevitably, Blitzes are poorly organized, and only lead to repairs and set-backs in the progress of the project. That, I cannot COMPLETELY argue against. That is because I do not know enough of the aftermath of a Blitz to say whether or not it is worth it. But if that is that case, then why doesn’t Habitat Head Office figure out how to better organize themselves, and actually work with their Site Supers and Block Leaders to successfully execute a Build / Blitz, and not just rename it to avoid the negative stigma of a Blitz? Renaming is just a Band-Aid solution. I also know that there are possible setbacks in EVERY build, Habitat or "professional", and even the best intentioned of Block Leaders can sometimes glue and nail down a piece of sub-flooring, and then have it pointed out to them; "shouldn't the side that says THIS SIDE DOWN be placed facing down? ..." Oh well. We all make mistakes. Too late to fix it now.

For people who sit in judgment of this effort, and criticize the Women's Build, remember that Habitat is NOT Mattamy, or Monarch (even though we have finished homes on a Monarch build site!) Yes, I know how Habitat works. Maybe not as well as any of its employees, but I DO have my own perspective. Habitat exists NOT to follow the exact same behaviours as the profession of residential construction, but to provide homes for those who would otherwise live in conditions well below the poverty line, and there are disgusting places to live, even in Toronto.

Another thing the proponents of the failure of the Women’s Build seem to believe is that, at some level or another, women can’t build. Women believe this. More than that, Female volunteers, and Crew Members/Leaders at Habitat believe this, about other women. How sexist and self-depreciating is that? Or are they excusing themselves of this behaviour, and believing that the only women who will participate in this build (all the women involved, over a period of nine days) are Fashionista airheads and featherweights who don’t know one end of a hammer from another?

I have heard from different women, including more than one Biker, and one Bike Instructor with the Ministry of Transportation, that women approach learning and getting things done differently than men do. Some of her stories are quite entertaining! There have been male students, all impatient and ready to go Go GO! Speed, faster, harder! Let’s be manly and ride motorcycles! Bugger theory, who needs that, let’s get on these bikes and ride! And then she is legally responsible for licensing these people, and she cannot license these men, because they cannot handle a Bike properly. And yet, women tend to take riding more seriously. They LISTEN to the lesson, and incorporate strategy into their approach. They think things through. They focus on technique. Yes, there are also Fashionistas even there, who only want to learn how to ride a bike to go down to the States and ride in their bikinis … where a helmet isn’t mandatory and a bikini-ed body splattered all over the road is cool and fashionable, but there are also women out there with brains, who are serious about learning to ride; learning to build.

Women can take building seriously. They can be dedicated to the cause of Habitat and fundraising for it, learning to build, and building for it. I am looking forward to, I will admit, the Oh-Yei with a crowd of Women. I am also prepared for set-backs, conflict, and dealing with conflict, solving problems, thinking creatively, and working as teams. Just as much as anything else, I am looking forward to building on this site, and (I hope) having fun at this Women’s Build. I do not wholly disagree with these women who believe in the inevitable flaws of a Build/Blitz, or women building. But I am in this Women’s Build anyway. I am in it because I believe in the cause of giving women the opportunity to build; and my own story is a case in point. I believe that giving other women that opportunity to participate in building fits in perfectly with how Habitat works, and what it is supposed to be about.

Women Can’t Build

Should there be a law against letting a woman lose with a hammer and a nail gun? Are there some things a woman should just not be allowed to do? Habitat for Humanity Toronto is Hostessing a Women’s Build. Will it ever be successful?! Gosh, I just don’t know, deary. Are women possibly qualified and up to the task? Are we all just good homemakers with dreams of sub-flooring, or is there any potential for Rosie the Riveters amongst us?

Let’s take a realistic look at this: I HAVE volunteered with Habitat for over two and a half years. I DO KNOW that there are Fashionista groups out there. But there are also dedicated groups of women (and co-ed groups) where there are women who are at least intelligent, if not also competent, and hardworking. I also know that even professional tradeswomen bring something men don’t to a jobsite. Some say that is common sense; some say that is good housekeepingp; some say that is good organizational skills. They are all right. I will now attempt give an example of the range of different types of women who may be at this build:

Just this past August, I Crew Led a group of women from the Head Office of a fairly reputable fashion company in Toronto. They could hardly bloody well put up ONE bloody section of party wall ALL DAY, and most of them “just weren’t getting it” in terms of crowning studs … ummm, I could comment there, but I won’t … There are crews like that. I am not even sure if they really wanted to be there. One of those corporate Fashionistas even had the “brains” to say, and I quote; “Oh my God, I’m sweating like a man!” as if this was the worst thing that could possibly happen to her. I was speechless. I was floored. After all my years as a girl and a woman playing hockey, for example, and I had no idea I was in fact “sweating like a man” out there. I never knew what it was like to be “sweating like a man”. What is it like, then to “sweat like a woman”? I couldn’t bloody well believe that stupidity, and the unproductiveness that was that day.

There are also well-intentioned women who have just never used a hammer before, but who are actively willing to learn; to not just giggle about their nails, but drive in 10d common nails instead. I have helped some of them, too. They may have their mind in the right place, and be determined, but it takes them over 60 swings to sink a nail flush to the wood. It takes me between 10-18 hits, depending on how awkward the angle and position of the nail is, and whether or not I am toe-nailing, too! So these women will take longer to get the work done, but they are still going to get the work done.

And THEN there are women like those in the TPS who will be gracing the Build with their presence. They have also been doing their own fundraising for the event. There are women who are damn serious about learning to read blueprints, and contributing to carpentry (even if they would rather do finish carpentry, and politely would rather refuse to have a hand in rough carpentry). There are women who I am intimidated by before I even walk onto the site; because I know that the teams they make will be so solid they will kick everyone’s ass out there, and this Build isn’t even about that. They will just do it without even trying, because when they focus on something, they WILL get it done. I have seen groups like that as well. Their power, strength and energy are dangerously wonderful to witness, and they have my respect and admiration!

I believe that there will be some Crews who will need “extra help” as it were, but I think we are enough up to the task to make some progress on building these 6 homes. After all, women aren’t called Home Makers for nothing, and we are capable of doing a little more around the house than washing dishes.

Hip Flasks and Shinny Nets

Wowee! After doing personal research, I found that my involvement in TWOW Shinny Tournament 2009 began back on August 16th, with a message from a past (and future!) teammate of mine. It's interesting how long even the "simplest" of things can take to come to fruition sometimes. Just getting into a women's hockey tournament took, in a way, 6 months. My God you could be 2/3s of the way to having a CHILD in that same time! But that is not what this blog post is about ... because I want hockey, not children!

I am here to introduce you to The Women of Winter (TWOW). This group seems to be based around an annual hockey tournament, which started four years ago. I am not sure exactly what defined the parameters of TWOW back in 2006, but the tournament has grown to encompass more than just two days in winter. TWOW's Matriarch runs skating lessons, shinny hockey, a shinny hockey tournament (what the TWOW is known for) and fundraising for women's hockey at a more professional level.

I have not availed myself of very much that is involved in this organization, as it's a little too far south for me, although it's good that if I went, I wouldn't have to lug all my hockey stuff, because everything she does is shinny. However, I did participate in one skating lesson, the 2009 Tournament, and I went to THE Game, and brought a friend of mine and her family with me. She also encouraged people to buy an extra ticket in to allow inner city hockey kids to go see the game, and I did that. So I brought in a modest $30 for the event.

I will, now that I have participated in different activities this year, be on the watch for her stuff next year, and see how many people I can drag out with me, especially for the skating lessons. There are some people I know who could use skating lessons, and as the lessons are comfortably within my range (I was a little bored on the ice, so I had to make up extra things from the drills, and it may have looked like I was Showboating. Really I wasn't, I was just trying to keep myself occupied) BUT if I occupied myself teaching someone else how to skate there, then I could still be there, and be challenged.

The tournament itself was a little out of my comfort range; I am not used to playing such raw hockey ... which says that I am DEFINITELY NOT as good as I rated myself. That too, was humbling. Next year I put myself even below the lowest level, if at all possible, so I know I won't get creamed so badly on the ice, or drag my team down to a score of 29 to 2! Wow! Shinny hockey really is a very different game!

One thing is for sure though; the venue was gorgeous! A pot-bellied, wood burning stove stood proudly in the corner of the "dressing room" hardly a room, but a community space separated by a curtain. Under almost all the benches, cut wood was piled, ready to burn when necessary. The "snack bar" there was a constant blur of new, different kinds of homemade soup and cookies being carried from the little kitchen on the other side of the way. They used cutlery, and plastic cups and bowls, too, so there was hardly any garbage from their venture. Even the women's washroom had an article above the hand-dryer from 1938, about the women's hockey team (I don't know where from though) challenging the men's hockey team (maybe they were both from UofT) to a match. I didn't get to find out who won though, because my hands were dry before I finished reading the article! The whole place radiated a feeling of small, close-knit community. It was wonderful. It's something I am glad exists, and I wish I could partake in. It's good to come across these venues, and know that people have carved out these little alcoves of neighbourhood within our bustling city.

Onto the tournament, on Friday night it was good and cold, and the ice was good and hard. After the game Saturday night, I had been sitting beside a teammate of mine, and THW Woman of Winter herself came around with a hip flask. My word! That was not the last hip flask I saw at the tournament, but hers was the only one I drank from. And no wonder no-one batted an eye about drinking from that communal watering hole - whatever was in that flask was tough enough stuff to kill germs from anyone's lips that touched the rim of the flask" Holy fcuk was that stuff strong. Although many a participant in that tournament would probably have thought that was the soft stuff I'd wager!

Saturday morning; the ice was noticeably softer, and Saturday afternoon was another story altogether! For 2009, the headlines should be something like "Women's Shinny in +8 temperature, girl wears water wings to final match!" And she did, too! the skating surface was a swimming pool! Just the other day, (March 6th) a newscaster on CityTV News commented on the state of the ice that day at Nathan Phillips Square, asking "have you ever seen an ice surface like this?" To which I turned around from making dinner and replied "YES!! I have played hockey on one!!" And that was a month prior!

After the last game, we were all wringing out our socks out and soaking wet ... and as one woman said -- thank God that happened, or else we would have nothing else to talk about. We would be dropping cutlery just to hear the echo. Really, do you think so? I wondered what else she and her ilk thought about that particular tournament, but I didn't dwell on it for too long.

I have taken many interesting moments from this tournament, as well as a few bitterly cold ones. One woman (who plays at Chesswood, apparently) and started on our team, caught some airtime RIGHT OVER my teammate (my, she has quite the name of Tie Domi on the ice!) although that one was unintentional. I have only ever seen that happen in a fully padded NHL Game. So that woman from our team hit the hard cold ice, HARD, and with no padding but what she was born with, to boot! Ouch! She didn't come back for the rest of the tournament, and I don't blame her. But she DID finish that game.

I also enjoyed playing against these two inseparable women; wingers I guess, #11 and #61 - wearing a Sunohara jersey. They would come down the ice, over and over again, the exact same way, and I had a chance to make that a truly learning experience; one that I have carried through my playing since that game. #11 would come down the left side of the ice (my right) and #61 would be coming down the centre. #11 would always get off ... either a shot, or a pass to #61. (almost) Every time. Grumble grumble. I tried all sorts of strategies, and none of them worked, until something finally clicked, and I got the puck away from them once or twice. Hot damn I felt mighty FINE after pullin' that one off! Fcukin' Sweet! Although I didn't really know what to do with that little black thing after I had finally gotten it off of #11. Ooops! You can only learn one thing at a time, I guess.

I also tried something this tournament that I had never tried in any hockey game before, Ever, in my entire life. I tried to skate into a hornet's nest of hockey players, sticks and stingers ready, all by my lonesome. No-one to pass to, KNOWING that I would get creamed and that it was just a matter of time ... seconds maybe, before the puck was taken from me. Well, I did score a few goals that game, but that attempt was not one of them! However, I learned that I am capable of doing that. I skated full-tilt towards that fear, and although I didn't make it through, I skated into it anyway. It was one of those moments you remember with absolute clarity: 4 girls in box formation. Me skating with the puck towards the centre of the box. The girl in their lower right corner took it off me, and then things blur. But it was that decision I had made, that I have since had the opportunity to do again in a fully padded game, and I learned there that I could actually survive an actual break-away ... just me and their goalie. But I was unsuccessful in that venture as well. All that proves is that I AM a good skater; it's just my shots that need work. If I could perfect my shot, than I may actually be able to contribute something successful to a team on a regular basis!

Here is a quick run-down of previous tournaments:
2008 = "that meant shoveling snow and skating in the rain"
2007 = "January 12 and 13" and was apparently uneventful
2006 = "...and a light snow falling. (not so light later on) ... each team had to dig a little deeper (and I'm not talking the snow)"

With that being said, I am not sure if next year the time should be moved to a weekend in January, or if it should stay in February, with the hopes that next February global warming does not descend on Toronto for the week of our Tournament.

Happy Birthday to my Blog!

Next year will be its fifth anniversary, and it will mark exactly one week before the 2010 Games start as well.

So I will definitely have to write a celebratory Olympic Post on my Blog's fifth anniversary. Four years, and I think that deserves a year full of blog posts to really make my Blog's fifth year worth the fireworks!

Habitat for Humanity, 4200 Kingston Rd.

I have had this post in the works since early February, but since it is not materializing as I hoped it would, for lack of time on my part, I will just post this whole thing at once, and go back and elaborate on each day’s tasks as time goes by (again, if I actually GET the time)!

Habitat for Humanity, to provide a definition, is a not-for-profit organization whose goal is to build decent homes for those living in poverty housing, with an emphasis on the fact that they are not a charity; they do not just give to the poor, but they teach them how to create their own communities, and work hand-in-hand with the recipients of these homes to give them the skills they need to take care of their homes, and truly feel a sense of pride, independence, and ownership for the places where they will live.

Habitat is an international organization which has been in operation since 1976, not only building houses throughout Canada and the U.S., but also creating communities abroad, providing people with the opportunity to learn about building houses anywhere from Africa to Alaska.

If you follow my blog, you would know that I volunteer for Habitat, and have done so since May 2006. As a volunteer with them, I have now worked at three buildsites in Toronto, (McLevin Woods, Lakeshore, and 4200 Kingston Rd) and find this experience truly rewarding, not only for the tasks I accomplish each time I go, but also for the specific group of crew leaders I worked for (and now, in effect, with) at these sites. I have happened to inadvertently follow them through the completion of McLevin Woods over to 4200 Kingston Road, and I am glad I have, as they continue to dedicate themselves whole-heartedly to their work, the homes, project management, the recipients and the volunteers.

Since January 26th, I have been working once a week (almost every week) at 4200 Kingston Rd, and I TRY to get there on time every day, which has gotten progressively earlier as the year has unfolded, from 10am the first day there this year, to the shocking time of 8:10am this week, in light of my recent ‘promotion’ to crew leader. It seems as though I was already able to become a crew leader, but I have a sneaking suspicion that the only thing holding me back was that the specific person (*ahem!) who doles out the orange shirts was waiting for me to get there at the time the crew leaders SHOULD be there in the morning. (grrr!) Although I do appreciate the recognition, and will do all I can to live up to, and learn up to my position in the orange-shirted ranks.

If you look back through my blog, you will find each day’s events posted as an entry, so that the text is broken up. To be taken directly to the posts, you can click on the months at the side, and find the post corresponding to the date. The posts will not be too hard to find, as I don’t write in this blog a lot.
Without further ado, here are the dates where you will find my Habitat postings:
January 26th
February 2nd
February 9th
February 16th
March 2nd
March 9th
March 16th
March 23rd
March 29th
April 13th
April 20th
May 4th
May 11th
May 18th
May25th
June 1st
June 8th

June 22nd
June 23rd
June 30th
July 7th