ted on a tuesday

you know it is a rather monotonous day of work when i come up with more ted talk recommendations.

as my go to website that i am allowed to stream video from at work (there are not many), ted has a few gems up on its main page at the moment.  take a look if you too need some stimulating background noise to desk work that you are not particularly thrilled about.  or if you just want to watch some inspiring talks by two humble individuals.

i love a lady who isn't afraid to drop an eff bomb if it makes her point clear (although she refrains in this talk).  peace activists don't always get a lot of credit from the 'establishment,' but i think that Jody Williams can speak their language and to boot, she is not an avowed pacifist.  which means she gets my vote.  for what, i don't know, but a vote nonetheless.

a canadian kid whose life didn't go quite as he planned (ever heard that one before?) turned it into an internet sensation and then a best selling book.  Neil Parischa talks about the As of awesome and how no one is immune to hardship or negative experiences, but that being authentic is one of the ways to get through it.  this should be required viewing.  for everyone.

still asking for what i want

over a month ago, i found a conference in canada on human trafficking that i thought looked interesting and i brought it to the attention of my supervisors at my part-time position.  she said our organisation would not be represented, but i was free to go on my own accord.

this morning, i got an email from the organiser of the conference saying that i had been recommended by my supervisor to attend the conference as there had been additional funding received from the federal government to have more organisations represented and they could now pay for me to go.

i am excited to go to the conferece, excited to do some more of that networking thing, but not so excited to go to windsor, ontario!  i know a lot of people all over the country, but none that i can think of in windsor!  i don't even know where the city is or what it has (apart form some ancient auto factories, i would assume), but i feel pretty lucky to be going and see it as another great opportunity.

it's good to have hobbies

last weekend it was canning, this weekend it was painting!

i started at 4pm on saturday and wasn't in bed until after 2am. i had to laugh that years ago it would have been me and some ladies stumbling home from a night out at that time on a saturday, but now i am standing with a paintbrush in my hand, talking about the stippling technique, the challenge of mixing a good purple, and creative license.

it was so much fun! my painting is three quarters done and i cannot wait to get back to it to finish it. it's also nice to know things i learned in high school art class are applicable 10 years later.

i am working at the federal election tomorrow (while i sit back and watch my potential employers fight over me, or something like that) and i am less excited about being a deputy returning officer than about the outcome of the election. who will it be and, perhaps more importantly, by how much?!

and now i am watching the tv show 17 kids and counting. if ever there is a time to use the phrase WTF, it is now. i mean, WTF are these people thinking?! nearly 18 children, the girls only wear skirts, they don't date, and home schooled? and then they let people film it to put it on television for people like me to watch like a bad car accident, i just cannot turn away...

i hope you got to eat some turkey or dressing today. happy thanksgiving! i have a lot to be thankful for this year, as always.