dreaming of oceans

Snow has arrived in Ottawa. It won't last, I know. (Or it will last for 6 months and then disappear.) 

I love the snow.

I love the scent of the cold air in my nostrils, and the way the snow crunches under my feet. 

I like the way my eyelashes will freeze together and how my breath makes ribbons when I breathe.

 I love the magical way that ice hangs on bare branches - somehow adding nature's glitter to the stark greyness that seems to permeate everything. 

How the moonlight gets magnified by the crystals of the snow's surface - so much so that a walk at 9 in the evening can feel like the dawn might be just breaking. 

I love shoving frigid fingers into the warm envelope of friend's pocket, the heat tingling my skin so quickly it stings.

The way smoke from a chimney seems to wind it's way around my nostrils and infuse me with peace and calm, the way a hearth might have greeted a weary warrior in days gone by.

I love all these aspects of winter. Especially how it makes me yearn for heat and sunshine.

How I fight the change of temperature with denial and disgust.

And I dream of oceans, warm water, fresh fruit and the luxuries of the tropics.

surfers

slick black bodies

bobbing

waiting for the gust of white

watching

silhouetted against the sun

solitude

crashing against the current

calmly

opening themselves to the ocean

outside.

 -lml may 2006

being social

Last week I attended my first Social Media Breakfast in Ottawa. 

I loved the fact that a community of people got together to discuss online communities of people who have shared interests in the world of networking, media, marketing and business. These layers of interconnectedness made me smile: people tweeting about the commentary that took place at the breakfast; bloggers meeting each other face to face for the first time, only recognizing each other by their respective handles; iPhones flashing as pictures and live "stills" were taken of the event and immediately uploaded to YouTube and Facebook. It felt edgy and surreal to be there, like we all knew we were on the cusp of something really different. Like a tiny crack in time was open and we had a glimpse of the future.  

I'm a devourer of anything social media. I have Google Alerts send me daily news about it. I read social media blogs. Many of the people I follow on Twitter are recognized in the industry as being gurus. I tweet. I post on Facebook. I have a blog. I get regular feeds. I tag content and bookmarks. 

My favorite pastimes are to peruse the pages of Tweets (on Twitter) and Facebook and see who's connected to whom, what they are talking about, what they are reading, what they are looking at and commenting on. I wouldn't say I am one of the creators of any of the tools or applications of social media, but I'm fascinated by all the variations that social media and social networking is bringing the world of business and human interaction. 

I think it's a natural extension of my own personality. As human beings we are connected. To each other. To the world around us. And so, by extension, our lives tend to overlap in places. We have similarities. Shared experiences. Common friends. Together, this intertwining of worlds and lives reminds me that we are meant to be a community. Our physical lives may be separated by miles, but we thrive when we can build communities of knowledge, information, support, and interest. 

It's a natural leap to move from personal networking to social networking for business. And this is what brought me to the breakfast in the first place. I'm simply marking this point in time with a blog because I'm very curious to see what the next 3-5 years will bring. 

The Gulper

My father is a firm believer in the adage "everything in moderation". He lives an exemplary life of doing a little bit of everything. He starts his day off with a glass of water, a piece of fruit, a little sweet, and a cup of strong, dark coffee. Not too much. Not too little. He is at peace with living simply and living conventionally.

I, on the other hand, am an excessive person. I drink heartily, I laugh boisterously, I play frequently. I love without reservation. I eat too often and too much. I watch too many movies. I love sleeping in. I love staying up all night. I relish chugging contests. I get hyper and goofy when I am around a lot of people. I am loud. I talk with wild hand gestures. I can spend a week on the couch and then go out for a 5 hour bike ride. I buy clothes impulsively and then give them away when they don't fit me. I enjoy being up for anything - and usually am.

In other words, I take great big gulps of life which sometimes leave me intoxicated, overstimulated, depleted, dangerous, and dizzy. Oh how I enjoy that!

artful living

the threads of us
our individual yarns of textures
each colored by our experience
and the exposure to life's adventures and light
wove themselves together as we talked

our stories mingled and danced
unearthing our desires and unspoken dreams
reflections that made us smile as tears spilled from our eyes
the pauses and silence
enhancing the fabric of our gathering

over the hours we connected and quilted a pattern of friendship and laughter, soul food that wraps me in warmth and love

-- lml Oct 2/08