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I need some privacy, and yet some friendly interaction. I'm back for a spell Mindsay.

Since breaking my shoulder, my life took a nasty nose-dive. It was gradual at first but quickly buried me in a landslide as so many areas of my life were impacted.

Self-employed, and a part-time job, I found myself incapable of carrying out either job requirements. I was already living on a shoestring making it by every month as I desperately tried digging myself out of a hole. I thought I had started to climb that treacherous hill. Instead, something was the straw that broke the camel's back.

Pointless.

...

...

I pondered it: Pointless.

It took more than a year to overcome this exhausted perspective. Even so, the dreams had all been swept away on the barren riverbed. Fortunately, a single point of clarity knew this to be a problem and the only actionable solution was to start walking everyday. Making hard choices and struggling through the pain became the path to change.

Eventually the ride smoothed out, and the confidence grew. But this was only a couple of the spokes in the wheel now repaired, and unaware of this I rode that wagon hard into the next pot-hole. The axle broke.

Fuck. Here we are again without a spare.

I received a gift via Facebook today that stated simply, 'For the writer...' My eyes continually averted wanting to avoid the truth. Turning away, the mirror inside caught the reflection so intensely the glare blinded me with the reality. I've not been writing.

Time for some new routines.

Peek-a-boo - I see you.

I was piddling around today and found I missed the interactions here on Mindsay. Though, to be fair, there are also good reasons to take a break.

How's everyone been? I'll be trying to catch up and reconnect the next little while so please say hello.

Her screaming agony curdled the kidneys to chilled.

He would be 19 years old today, going to University.

Six years later, it hurts just the same.

My pain is nothing. Hers is complete.

Shed a tear of love for those left behind.

Okay, so I've been absent. A long time. I know.

Ever since I broke my shoulder, there has been significant change occurring. When the shoulder didn't progress in healing, the series of unfortunate incidents continued as my ability to work and function normally were impacted. Shortly after New Year 2007 I found myself a proud recipient of social assistance, dealing with a system of ineptitude and callousness acidic enough to clean the rust off the Titanic. Getting through these gatekeepers was the toughest ordeal.

Once through, I found more support and encouragement than I'd hoped for. Due to the injury and mental state, I was told I had a "Free Pass" till the fall before I had to worry about finding work. Right... who can afford to live on $600/month? I declined and said I needed to start taking immediate steps to begin the healing process. I knew this was integral to my mental and emotional well-being. And there had to be limits and safeguards in place. It was.

Engaging in pursuits down various avenues after reaching that space of not-caring, and not-desiring anymore, I decided to embark upon each day without any preconceived notion of what opportunity might look like. I began saying Yes to a few things that showed up, and No to some others that looked too much like the dumb-ass traps I fell into before. Toughed it out, found myself employed full-time - much to my chagrin. I had only wanted a max of 30-hours per week in order to keep my own business going. This might still be the case, at even 50+ hours per week, I'm discovering.

I think I've shown you some of the stuff I've done recently. I'll offer up a little menu of variety here:

So What? Turn around and go this way

How?

Life | A Steep Climb

Trust: Whose Got My Back? | Teams & Leaders | Empower Requires Safety

Watch What I Say? Watch What You Hear!

Valerie Arntzen, Assemblage Artist

Civic Commentary Pieces

Mount Pleasant and City of Vancouver Community Events

The Mount Pleasant stuff is rather interesting. There exist a variety of initiatives launched by the City of Vancouver and little grass-roots organization in Vancouver's highly transient community. These initiatives are trying to change all that.

Here's what I was gifted with to further the cause for the Mount Pleasant community: The Mount Pleasant Heritage. The pages aren't properly organized yet, as there are significant changes occurring with the software managing the site. Here's a bit more to gawk at: Historic Mount Pleasant

And of course, there are a lot of other things happening related to the sites and businesses responsible for their creation that keep me even more busy. Including developing a fantastic software application that is ... well... that'll take too much to explain right now.

My social calendar has picked up significantly as well these past few months. I'm grateful for the changes, long overdue. Now I'm working more on routine, structure, and healthier habits. Even more overdue.

Catch you all later.

http://www.care2.com/c2c/share/detail/630025

Back before the Culture Crawl really got underway, I met Valerie Arntzen, the Executive Director for many years. I was supposed to be getting information to write a story. Instead, I got side-tracked in her wonderful world at her studio, in her home, and in her past. It took a while, and another visit back to Valerie for me to finish the original assignment. Once it was completed, I was inspired to profile Valerie.

You see, I searched on the Internet and I didn't really see much of anything that shows us who she is. She's always mentioned as a part of something else, or supporting something else, and what not. But nothing to really know who she is, what she did to get to where she is now, and holy crap - I love the concept of Assemblage Art and the impact this inside glimpse into another world has given me. The world of creative beauty if much more vast than the mainstream realizes.

I'm pleased to share with you the new piece featuring Valerie Arntzen. I hope to have many more such pages added soon featuring other local Artists, Galleries, and Studios. I'm not paid for this extra side-job I've taken on, so your traffic and readership will be greatly appreciated.

Important Notes or Links:
Valerie Arntzen's Feature Profile
Valerie Arntzen Fights for Local Artists
Vandalism Misses Target
Arntzen Cause to Save 901 Studios

I think everyone would benefit from watching this video.

A tremendous spark of creativity fuelled me this afternoon as I wrote of an encounter with a special someone.

Oh, and

Happy New Year Everyone!