Keeping it simple

This post might be a little early for Christmas but I didnt want to get too caught up in things before having the opportunity to write it because if you post this kind of thing in January, it's just kinda weird. We all know that it's so easy to get so busy that we miss all that is out there for us to appreciate - the sights, the smells, the sounds that surround us. 

For those of us who have diabetes, this is doubly true because we also deal with a disease that tends to dominate our time, and we count buckets of carbs, we rage bolus trying to get our blood glucose numbers in line, and we ride the famous glucoaster. We do all of this and we do all the things that regular folk do - the shopping, the baking, and all the things that go along with the holiday season. And some of us crash and burn. 

I was reminded on the weekend that simple things make me happy. As we took down our rather bedraggled but well-loved fake Christmas tree and put up a mighty fine Douglas fir, the smell of the tree scented air, mingling with a hint of apple cinnamon spice (alas compliments of Glade, not my baking).

The room has lit up from colourful tree lights, pretty garlands wrapped with more coloured lights, wrapping the room. As a twinkling wonderland emerged in our house, the room also filled with Christmas carols and songs, setting the mood, and throwing me back to sometime way back. I love Christmas music. And what better song to decorate the tree and my family room for Christmas than a little Vince Guaraldi and dancing to a little Linus and Lucy.

But I saw something else this weekend, that just made me feel happy. It made me happy because a 16 year old youth, who totally gets Christmas and what it's all about, created a wonderful video, performing the Little Drummer Boy - the drums, all the instruments, directing, shots - everything. Gotta love this dude!

He says, "I just want people to remember what Christmas is about. It's not about Santa, it's not about presents. It's about the birth of Christ, and that's what's important to me right now."

In an interview with CBC News, Sean Quigley, a high school student in Winnipeg, Manitoba, tells the story of how the video came to be. He was going to film it in front of the Christmas tree, but the lighting wasn't working, and he scrapped the idea the night before he was to shoot it. He said, "I prayed that I would get something awesome and woke up the next day and it just happened to snow all night and the beautiful scenery that you see in the music video."

He touches on what faith can bring - that sometimes that we are given the gift of what we need. And we can learn from that. 

He also says, in a typical way that only a 16 year old can carry off so casually, "I just did it for kicks".

Yeah, Sean. You did it in the best way possible and you remind us what this is all about, and there is no better time than this as we get busy with the season. Whether it's Christmas, Hanukkah, or whatever you celebrate, let this young dude remind us to take a moment, breathe deeply and remember that life is about the simple things. It's time to say to the people in our lives, thanks for being there. And as I get busy this season, buying gifts and whatnots for the people in our lives,I will once again immerse myself in the twinkling lights, hints of air freshener fresh baking and forest smells in my family room Christmas Wonderland, while enjoying some cookies Bailey's, listening to music and remembering that it's not the gifts that make this a wonderful time of year. I will remember what it's all about and just hang out with those that mean the most to me. (That, and I won't forget to bolus for said Bailey's!)

This season I resolve to subscribe to the KISS principle - Keep It Simple Santa.

Whose Handicap Is It Anyway?

When asked if he is visually impaired, Larry will say he's blind. After all, what does visually impaired mean? Does it mean he can see? Kinda see? See a little bit? No... it means he's blind. All the way kind of blind.

George Carlin was a master of observation and of language. He had observed that somewhere along the line, our language has been changed. But who's changed it? The media? Government? The public a.k.a. all of us? Carlin has a few words to say on words.

In today's post, as tribute to George Carlin, let it be said that George Carlin isn't late, and he hasn't passed away. There are no euphemisms here. George is dead, and we're going to miss him. The world is going to be a little more blind without him.


George Carlin, May 12, 1937 - June 22, 2008


Contributed by Jamie Naessens

Dad's Lessons About Life & Other Cool Things

Of the many many things my Dad taught me, he taught me to appreciate things that are mysteries in life. He taught me that life isn't fair (right Dad?). But he also taught me that it does offer mysteries, paradoxes, ironies and conundrums. That's pretty cool.

Dad specifically requested that he didn't need anything for Father's Day, but what I do know is that he will appreciate this simple auditory illusion. It's called a Shepard tone.



Happy Father's Day, Dad.

Contributed by Jamie Naessens

The Good Ol' Hockey Game

So the buzz in Canada is that CBC is on the lookout for a new theme for Hockey Night in Canada. Apparently the theme that they've been using... for like ... FOREVER!!! ... isn't good enough for them anymore. Apparently CBC resents, or can't afford to pay the $100 royalty fee per play.

I would like to submit this song as the new theme ... and even better (for the CBC), I'm betting it's part of the public domain (aka royalty free) too.

The Hockey Song, by Stompin' Tom Connors, a bona fide Canadian icon... for like... FOREVER!!!


Contributed by Jamie Naessens

Messing Up A Perfectly Good Mind

At work, for the last couple of weeks, we've been participating on and off with some team exercises, a morale/teamwork booster of sorts. So in honour of this teamwork psychology, I thought I'd share this gem with you - and just think as you watch, what would you do if you were on this elevator?



Contributed by Jamie Naessens

Numb what?!

I can only imagine what is going on in this kids head. I'm amazed he could keep it together as well as he does.


Contributed by Jamie Naessens

What's Your Type

Personally, I can do without Wilfred and his constant badgering about Quaker oats. Enough about the oats alreay! Larry finds this particularly funny, and I had to send the link directly to him (I guess so he can play it anytime he needs a pick-me-up). But whether you like Wilfred or not, you gotta love this one:


Diabetes is in the news - a lot. Type 2 is the new "in" disease. Our doctors and the media are telling us that we have sedentary lifestyles, get fat, we are at risk of getting this disease. In the U.S. 8% of the population has Type 2, and many more are undiagnosed.

Type 2 is a genetic-related disease, generally speaking, often brought on by choice of lifestyle. Only 10% of those diagnosed with the disease are Type 1, otherwise known as insulin dependent, or juvenile diabetes (I swear, I am not juvenile!)

I've noticed that the media has been offering many poorly researched articles and ads by companies wanting to sell the latest weight loss program - and the implication (and sometimes in part stated outwardly), that is Type 2 happens to fat and lazy people. Just lose the weight, exercise a bit, and you'll be fine. Commercially, this phenomenon is a boon to the weight loss industry. Lose weight, you can look great, and be all better! Isn't life just so simple?

The media rarely talks about Type 1, except in hushed tones as it talks about poor Timmy who's only treatment is to take insulin. If Timmy says he has Type 1, adults give Timmy a new respect, because after all, poor Timmy has to take NEEDLES!! (actually many T1s, including kids, use insulin pumps - needles are so 'old school'). But the implication is that, if you have T1, you have a "real" disease.

Now if you have been diagnosed as having T2, the implication is that you must be fat and lazy. The fact is, we are all a product of the diseases we have, and we need to deal with the disease as it affects us.

But let's take a right turn for a moment, and talk about cancer (I'll get back to diabetes in a moment, just bear with me). Now just about everyone knows someone in their family who has cancer. But is there a difference, for example, if you got cancer due to exposure to asbestos or whether you got it because it's in your family? It's still cancer. Causes, treatments, impacts on quality of life and survivalrates may vary, but it is still cancer, and a life threatening disease.

Both T1/T2 diabetes is serious, regardless of why someone has it. It is up to our doctors to determine the appropriate course of action and treatment based on our own medical conditions and set of circumstances, and it is up to the person with the disease to keep on top of things.

If you, a friend, or someone in your family has, or is diagnosed with diabetes, they are part of a growing crowd of people with this disease. But just because there's a big crowd of people, don't assume that all people with diabetes are the same, after all, this disease is so much more than just saying no to the piece of cake.

Contributed by Jamie Naessens

Do You See The Difference?

To invent an airplane is nothing. To build one is something. To fly is everything. ~~Otto Lilienthal (b.1848-d.1896), pioneer of human aviation, who became known as the German "Glider King"

Yves Rossy is our first jet-powered flying human. Elton's Rocket Man is the soundtrack. It's only right!

To infinity and beYOND!!!!!! ~~Buzz Lightyear, in Toy Story

Buzz Lightyear, my favourite jet-powered flying superhero. You also can't go wrong with Randy Newman's You Got A Friend in Me.

Contributed by Jamie Naessens

Crazy as a Bedbug

Andy Kaufman was as crazy as a bedbug, but he was the most brilliant Elvis impersonator ever. According to Elvis himself, Andy's impersonation was his favourite.

Although Andy passed away from a rare form of lung cancer in 1985, when he was only 35 years old, rumours that he is still living still circulate among some fans. That would have made him very happy - a kind of happiness he never found in his short life.

He started those rumours himself. He often claimed that he would fake his death, long before he died. Wikipedia reports, "It is almost certain that he did indeed die on May 16, 1984. His death certificate is on file with the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services." That sounds like a most definite maybe. Just as Elvis is hanging around somewhere in Michigan, so is Andy.

Taxi was an award-winning show with a large audience and Kaufman was widely recognized as Latka. On some occasions, audiences would show up to one of Kaufman's stage performances expecting to see him perform as Latka, and heckling him with demands when he did not. Kaufman would punish these audiences with the announcement that he was going to read "The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald to them. The audience would laugh at this, not realizing that he was serious and would proceed to read the book to them, continuing despite audience members' departure. At a certain point, he would ask the audience if they wanted him to keep reading, or play a record. When the audience chose to hear the record, the record he cued up was a recording of him continuing to read "The Great Gatsby" from where he had left off. ~~Wikipedia

Even if you don't like Andy's Foreign Man/Latka character that is introduced in this clip of the Tonight Show, in 1979 by Johnny Cash, it is most definitely worth sticking around for his Elvis impersonation, That's When Your Heartaches Begin.



Contributed by Jamie Naessens

Monkeying Around

Marge, don't discourage the boy! Weaseling out of things is important to learn. It's what separates us from the animals! Except the weasel. ~~Homer Simpson

Contributed by Jamie Naessens

All Grey & Stayin' Alive!

It is possible to grow old without growing boring.

Chris Barth

This morning there was an article in the Star about an awesome group.

As an introduction to http://www.youngatheartchorus.com/index.php, here's their updated version Stayin' Alive, from a somewhat grey perspective. By grey, I mean only that it is the most common colour of their hair, but they certainly are not grey in their humour.



A documentatary has been made about them, and is just being released. I think they had to produce it pretty fast, given their ages.



Read about their Story

And when I'm getting up there - wherever there is - I want to be Young At Heart, just like Young@Heart.

Contributed by Jamie Naessens

Seeing & Believing

Everyone takes the limits of his own vision for the limits of the world.

~Arthur Schopenhauer~

Follow your dreams and ditch your perceptions.

~Jamie Naessens~

The guy in this video can paint. And he's pretty good, I think. He's been blind for years.

By now you've probably made some assumptions, like "he probably sucks". I'd like to submit he can "see" in a way that many can't.

I'm betting that at least more than one friend thought, "This too shall pass". I'm also betting that many people may have politely shrugged their shoulders when he told them that he was going to paint.

And there's this blind guy, Larry, sitting right beside me as I write this, who will often remind me that a shrug is as good as a wink to a blind horse. (Okay, I know the expression is really a "nod", not a "shrug", but allow me some creative license here!)

So my advice of the day is, just try it - whatever it is - and you might surprise yourself.

Contributed by Jamie Naessens

Are You Smarter Than a 2 Year Old?

Need I say more? I'm betting that she's working on expert level Sudoku too.

I can do a Rubik's cube... just like this one:

I'll stick to blogging.

Contributed by Jamie Naessens

Doing The Hour

We did the Earth Hour last night. At 7:55, I started shutting down, and dutifully notified everyone that it was the official 5 Minute Warning, then I flipped the switch. There was no power to be had.

I must say, it was very enjoyable. Candles were lit, adding a nice ambiance, although that part was a little lost on Larry, but whever. I enjoyed it. I think Steph enjoyed it too. We had a wonderful meal and dessert, and enjoyed each other's company for 1-1/2 hours! It was nice to have some family time and some good conversation. We also noticed a number of houses lit by the glow of candles, or were dark, so they were presumably participating.

And apparently, Canada proved itself to be the world leader in the Earth Hour... and on a hockey night too (it probably helped that the Leafs sucked so bad!) You can read more here.

Why bother? Here are my reasons:

Make our opinions known - speak out. If we speak out by participating in this small gesture, the more the politicians might notice, and actually do something. The decision makers will know how many of us care, by knowing how many of us registered to participate. These numbers are backed up by the drop in hydro usage. It is a statement of "show me the money", and we did. So now we can say, we are ready to do something, what are you going to do about it.

I believe that we have become energy addicts. We drive everywhere, flip on lights, turn on TVs and computers without thinking, and then just walk away. There is no such thing as darkness anymore. Everything glows. Even our power bars glow, and this just eats away at our precious resources. So we can start breaking these habits, and that starts at home. Who knows where it can go from there.

This video explains why I think we need to do something... to make that statement. It explains why I think we need to make a difference in our world. Consider making the Earth Hour part of the everyday changes of your own lives.

Contributed by Jamie Naessens

Tropical Strings for a Snowy March

I'm a little bitter right now. I believe this is the end of March, right? So is it right that yet again, we wake up to sub-zero weather (-11C/12F) this morning, and had to brush the snow off the car, knowing that half my family is busy vacationing in Hawaii.

But really, I know Spring is around the corner. So to give it a little nudge, I thought I'd bring you a traditional and very underrated instrument, the ukelele. Now don't start rolling your eyes... I'm not going to be doing a Don Ho thing here. Bear with me...

Jake Shimabukuro
Jake Shimabukuro, plays "While My Guitar Gently Weeps", showing us exactly what this tiny 4-string instrument is capable of:


'Iz' Israel Kamakawiwo Ole
Iz does an amazing rendition of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow/Wonderful World" with his beautiful voice and simple ukelele chords. This was recorded in one take, one night and on the spur of the moment. Although he passed away more than 10 years ago, he became a legend in Hawaii. Here you'll see why.

And while watching the video, we can dream of rainbows and of Spring. I hear it's coming soon.



Contributed by Jamie Naessens

Furballs ~ About Bunnies

If you happen to be one of those people who doesn't celebrate Easter, that's okay, because these rabbits are just so darned cute. Just being a furball fan is enough to make it worthwhile to watch.

And for those who do celebrate this holiday, Happy Easter.





Contributed by Jamie Naessens

The Saddest Story Ever Told

We all know that bunnies can be very busy creatures. Well some of them are anyway. Here's a very sad story as told by a rather desperate bunny.

Kinda sticks in the head, doesn't it?

Contributed by Jamie Naessens

Don't Raise the Ire of this Irish Girl

In honour of St. Patrick's Day, I thought I'd share a video from YouTube from Becky Barry, a 9 year old who lives in Dublin. She had a very important job for a local demolition company.



Contributed by Jamie Naessens

Rocky's Favourite Video

It's a slow day today, so I will play Rocky's favourite video, The Mean Kitty Song, starring Sparta and his owner, Mr. Safety. Rocky says Sparta reminds him of Petey, and sometimes I wonder who's being mean to who when Rocky and Petey are in their room upstairs, and I hear the thundering of their footsteps over my head... what is really happening up there? Anyway, he hopes you enjoy Mean Kitty.



Contributed by Jamie Naessens

Just Give Me Anything But The Dinosaur

I don't get to watch much daytime television. I normally have a life, getting out and about, going to work, and other stuff too. But this week I've been somewhat under the weather, and during some of my (relatively) better moments, I've had some time to watch some TV.

One show that I haven't had much time to watch is Ellen, which I think is mildly amusing. When one has a cough such as mine, you really don't want to laugh too hard anyway, and when you are sneezing 10 times in a row, it's easy to catch up on what you missed.

Now as I was channel surfing in search of Ellen, I must say that I passed by some of the worst kids TV shows I've ever seen. Perhaps I didn't give them much of a chance, but face it, you can usually tell very quickly whether they are worthwhile. I'm sure some programs are better than others, but I noticed a proliferation of really bad shows out there. For heavens sake, what are we doing by making this programming possible? There must be people out there plopping their children in front of these shows.

Personally, I've always hated that purple dinosaur. This takes stupid to a whole new level. Actually today I passed by shows that would surpass that insipid dinosaur in stupidity. However, I'm sure you have your own short list of most hated children's programming.

And let us remember, as we perhaps give ourselves a "break" from our kids, to have a brief nap (sure, like that happens), or clean the bathroom, or make a hot lunch, as we tell them they can have some TV time, let's opt for something that might inspire them, instead of having their eyes glaze over at the very sight of his Very Purpleness.

Anyway, after I separated myself from my couch nest today, I first checked my work email, to find that the world has gone on without me, and then went to Ellen's website. There I stumbled upon a clip of Emily Bear.

Emily is only 6 years old, a tender age to be an accomplished pianist. Not only that, she is charming, without being precocious. We need to appreciate that our own children are capable of much more than we think they can achieve. We need to encourage them to set goals and help them achieve these goals. Teach them about hard work, having fun with it, and making a place for themselves in the world. It's never too early.


Emily Bear practicing at the Coronado Theatre in Rockford, IL before supporting the Ramsey Lewis Trio later in the day. This song is an original composition, written for Ellen on occasion of Emily's appearance on the Ellen DeGeneres show.


Emily's performance on Ellen's show. Emily tells the story of how she came to write this composition.

Contributed by Jamie Naessens