How About Those HABS!

In a memorable debate moment, President Reagan once chided "Well, there you go again..." And it seems the same can be said for these upstart Canadiens of 2010.

After a stunning 7-game upset of the league's best regular-season team (Washington) in the first round, all Les Habitants could do in Round 2 is dispatch the defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins and their stars Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. Here's a good write-up of Game 7 from TSN, Canada's ESPN-equivalent.

What makes Montreal's accomplishment even more improbable is they almost missed the playoffs entirely, earning a single point on the last day of the season to snag the final berth in the Eastern Conference. And they've enthralled the faithful back home, where over 21,000 fans packed the Centre Bell to watch Game 7 on the Jumbotron. Talk about your fan support - some NHL teams in the Sun Belt can't even get fans into their buildings when they play games there in person!

Now not all is belle in La Belle Province. It seems there is the not-so-small story of some fans back home taking their enthusiasm to extremes, or what most people call rioting. Quelle domage! Let's keep it clean and fun, mes amis! Make all Canadians proud to support the Blue, Blanc et Rouge.

So on to Round 3, and hopefully another treat for fans across Canada and even us supporters here in Mexico. Boston and Philadelphia are tied 3-3 in their best of 7 series, with Game 7 coming up in Boston. Now wouldn't that be a dream showdown - Habs vs. Bruins for a trip to the Stanley Cup Finals. Sweet!!!

Lena Horne (June 30, 1917 – May 9, 2010)

It is with much sadness that I learned of Lena Horne's passing today. She was a remarkable lady in so many ways, and the last surviving member of a quartet of remarkable African-American women (along with Sarah Vaughan, Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holliday) who shook the world in the middle of the 20th century.

It's still hard for someone of my generation to imagine the difficulties she faced due to segregation; prejudice which severely limited a budding film career and forced her to take a heroic stance against playing "Latin American" roles to disguise her true ethnicity. She refused to compromise with the big studios, choosing instead to pursue a career in the theatre and as a recording artist. One can only wonder at the mega-star she might have been in a more open-minded society.

But in my mind her talent is both unmistakable and truly legendary. The laughter and joy she made a hallmark of her career will never be lost and never duplicated. The light in her smile will never be extinguished in the hearts of her fans around the world.

Rest in peace Lena. You will be missed.

Sunsets, et al.

Sunsets are a thing of beauty in Mexico, particularly here on the west coast. There is nothing more inspiring and relaxing than watching that big orange orb disappear into the Pacific Ocean. But it's more than just a spectacle to celebrate the end of the day.

I find that the sun sets the rhythm for the entire cycle of life here. It's easy to start a sleepy morning when the sun rises behind the mountains to the east, lighting up the sky but still leaving most of the world in shadows. Mornings take on a fluid, easy pace as the sun climbs over the surrounding hills and trees, illuminating the lower lands which hug the bay.

But don't be fooled into thinking the pace here means the local residents are slow or lazy. Nothing can be farther from the truth. In the nearly 20 years I've been visiting Puerto Vallarta, I've seen quite a transformation from workmen leading donkeys laden with bricks and concrete sacks to today's modern, mechanized workforce. You can argue the pace is different than Canada or the States, but trust me - these folks work hard and take great pride in their labours. And they certainly earn my respect and admiration.

So it's with a bit of sorrow and much longing for tomorrow that I bid another day adios and watch the waves swallow El Sol once again. But a tropical sea breeze and a cold cerveza will certainly take the sting out of the loss for yet another evening.

Until next time, hasta luego!
Don Marcos

Thar she blows!

You gotta love those pesky idioms.

Being in a foreign country reminds me of how little I really know my own native language. There are so many things we say that we take for granted, knowing nothing about the origins of what we speak. "Mind your Ps and Qs" (pints and quarts - Old English) or "Adios!" (go with God) spring to mind. There are countless other expressions we use daily without a moment's thought to what they truly mean.

And so it seems the native Spanish speakers here in Mexico have another thing to teach me - and one I'll remember well. Most beer here is sold in American-sized 12 ounce (355 ml) botellas, or bottles. But as I learned in a previous trip to Mexico (Huatulco, to be exact) they have a special name for the big boys.

Here, it seems the 32-ounce, or litro bottles of beer are known as ballenas.

And if the picture doesn't say a thousand words, that translates to WHALE in English. And how appropriate, I might add.

Nothing caps off your day (pun strongly intended) quite like an icy cold ballena, and my personal favourite when visiting this part of the world is Pacifico. I must say I'll never forget this one in any word-association game, regardless of language...

So as you go about your daily travails, give this a thought: Somewhere, at this very moment, someone in the tropics is hoisting an icy-cold draught of pure heaven. Don't you wish you were here?


Vaya con Dios!
Don Marcos

Bienvenidos a Puerto Vallarta!

Mexico always evokes a sensation of calm each time I'm here. Not exactly the calm of destiny realized or purpose fulfilled, but more like the calm experienced when one bears no responsibility to others, only to one's self.

And, of course, there's the pace of life here. Not slow, per se, although it's easy to think that at first glance. For me, it's more a sense of deliberateness of purpose centred around activities of true importance. Family, faith, work and compassion for others are real values here. Values which easily trump the rampant accumulation of material wealth in more "developed" countries. Mexicans seem to know the real deal, and they truly embrace their part in it.

Sundays are when one really gets to know the Mexican people. Stroll the Malecón or walk along a neighborhood street and watch fathers playing with their children or extended families sharing a meal. It's a window into our own past - recalled with fondness for a simpler time. It's easy to understand that despite all our material riches, these people know a wealth we can only admire.

Hasta luego...

What a Game 7!

I can't let the occasion pass without acknowledgment. The Montreal Canadiens shocked the hockey world and thrilled everyone in La Belle Province with a stunning Game 7 win over the Washington Capitals. I must say I was completely caught up in the excitement, literally jumping out of my seat when the final horn sounded last night.

What's so remarkable about the win isn't the fact that Les Habitants came in as the 8th seed in the Eastern Conference and knocked off the President's Trophy winning Caps. Rather, it was the way they did it - coming from a 3-1 series deficit and winning the final three games (2 in Washington!) to clinch.

Led by Jaroslav Halak's 131 saves of 134 shots in the last 3 games, Montreal gets some reward: a date with the defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins in Round 2. So don't plan the parade just yet, hockey fans. But hope springs eternal across a nation yearning for a return of the Cup to Canada for the first time since 1993. And wouldn't it be something if these upstart Habs brought home another championship...?

Can't wait for Round 2 to begin!

I Survived Grade 9 (Again!)

Here's a quick update on my JA session yesterday. Overall, I think it went very well and the student evaluations confirmed that the kids thought so too.

I hosted a class of 22 students from John Paul II Collegiate in Okotoks. They were a bit chatty at times and the teacher wasn't as helpful as I'd hoped with regard to keeping order. Still, I think they were pretty well behaved and attentive. It was interesting to see which of my adult facilitation techniques worked with a group of 15-year olds. For instance, drawing out the quiet ones worked but standing next to the unruly ones generally had little effect on their behaviour.

Their bus arrived late, so I lost about 25 minutes of my 3-hour session right off the hop. I ended up compressing things a bit and still finished up on time. I think this was a great feature of the curriculum, as it was composed of lots of short segments which could be customized to the time available.

The kids liked the interactive bits the most, particularly the games (as expected). But they also did quite well with the budgeting, specifically trying to match up their expenses with the fictitious jobs and paycheques I gave them. Several students asked some pretty good questions - when they weren't cutting up, that is.

In general, the girls were way more into the day than the boys were. The guys seemed to have a much harder time focusing and keeping their attention on the lesson. Which leads me to the following observations...

Things I'd do differently next time: 1) Assign random seating to break up the little cliques; 2) Arrange the seating in table groups vs. row style; and 3) Expect the teacher to merely observe and not participate.

There are other JA programs for different age groups, so next fall I'd like to try out some other teaching opportunities. I can't say enough about the JA support staff and the way they organize things. It really makes the volunteer's role super easy and enjoyable. I definitely recommend the experience!

Grade 9 Revisited

It’s been 20 degrees and sunny for the past few days, so the thought of blogging was not exactly at the forefront of my mind lately. Still, I feel compelled to share some news of note. Monday April 26 will be a bit of a milestone day, as yours truly will be going back to the classroom. Grade 9, to be exact.

Only this time around, I’ll not be the geeky kid in the back of the room thinking he’s smarter than the teacher. Instead, I’ll be the teacher. Talk about instant karma.

Here’s the skinny: I’ve volunteered through the local Junior Achievement chapter to teach their Economics for Success course (formerly Economics of Staying in School or ESIS). It’s offered free of charge to Grade 9 students from across the Calgary area: public, private, parochial – everyone. The program is run in partnership with Mount Royal College as a field trip opportunity.

In brief, the course is a half-day workshop designed to give kids entering high school an idea of what things cost and what is involved in supporting one’s self after leaving school. The idea is the more they know about the “real world” the more inclined they will be to stay in school and complete an education which will equip them to enter the workforce successfully and sustain themselves.

The curriculum is excellent. I attended an orientation session earlier in the week, along with around 30 other folks from the business community. There is both structure and flexibility in the course materials, plus lots of places to insert some personal School of Hard Knocks anecdotes.

So, as the school bell rings on Monday, think of me standing up in front of a room full of 15-year olds. Will it be a moment of enlightenment and hope, or perhaps sheer terror? Either way, I trust the mental image will bring a chuckle out there in cyberspace somewhere…

Spring is in the Air!

OK, so it snowed and blowed up a near blizzard in Calgary yesterday, and it’s below freezing again this morning, but I still feel optimistic that spring is finally at hand. Maybe it’s the fact that we are blessed with a lot of sunny days here, albeit chilly ones of late. Perhaps it’s the longer days or simply that Easter has passed and April is well under way. Regardless of the reason, I have lots to look forward to.

For one thing, we’re just 3 weeks away from heading to Puerto Vallarta for an extended visit. We’ve booked a lovely condo on the hillside overlooking Banderas Bay and for a soul-satisfying five weeks it will be our home away from home in the tropics. We’ve even been polishing up our Spanish, thanks to the fine folks at Rosetta Stone. It should be a wonderful month plus and a great way to kick off summer time.

I’m also feeling a lot healthier this spring. A combination of better diet, some more exercise and probably just a generally less stressed life has left me with a sense of renewed energy and determination to enjoy life and my place in the world. I’ve got a couple volunteer opportunities cooking too, so that should be rewarding once everything comes together.

So while it lasts, I hope to soak up the sun and seize each day along the way. I hope that those of you who follow my blog will do the same. As George Harrison so wonderfully sang, “Here Comes The Sun!”

Status Check – First 30 Days

OK, so I’ve been off work for nearly a month now. Time to reflect on the weeks since then, and what I feel I’ve accomplished.

For one thing, thanks to the combined efforts of Tonya and yours truly, the house is in the best shape ever. The office is tidy and actually looks like an office, instead of like a storage unit. The entire place is clean and feels altogether spring-like. The only big remaining task is to clean the winter’s grime off the patio furniture and get the balcony ready for some long overdue sun-worshipping. Although admittedly I’m loathe to anger the weather gods with a misplaced show of bravado, so maybe another week or so until that goes down.

But this time off was never about catching up on chores. Rather, it is about getting my own personal “house” in order. And that’s more of a mixed report card at this point, I must admit. I have been engaged in some serious thinking and planning, that’s for certain. And though I may have been aiming a bit high, I don’t feel I’m as far along there as I’d like.

I’ve not selected a radical new career, nor set sail on a one-way cruise to some exotic port of call to open a bar for suntan oil slathered gringo patrons. (That one did make the “possibilities” list though!) Nor have I cured cancer, solved world hunger or learned a new language fluently. In fact, aside from a tidy domicile, I don’t feel I have a lot to show, tangibly speaking. And in some ways, I find this depressing. Perhaps deep down I naively expected some kind of revelation or epiphany to provide a crystal clear path to follow. Alas, it seems life does not work that way. 

So I’m resetting my expectations and going into woodshed mode, getting ready to muck and grind and get dirty, metaphorically speaking. Or since it’s nearly baseball season, it’s time to manufacture a few runs. A bunt single, an error or even (gasp!) a hit batsman or two. Just get a couple runs over and get a rally started. And if not, what the hell. I'll grab a beer and a hot dog and enjoy a day at the park, just the same. Maybe the sun, the crowd and the grass will prove inspirational. Hmm.

So to get the inning started, I’ve decided to embark on a little volunteer work suggested by a trusted colleague. Reaching out to one of my passions, as it were. I hope to teach a few Junior Achievement seminars to Grade 9 students in the month of April. The obvious course fit from my viewpoint is entitled Economics for Success. I hope that for the first time I might be able to use my economics degree for something other than a drink coaster. One of the things I’ve realized this past month is that I really do love teaching others and sharing my experiences, or perhaps just relating my dumb mistakes. Time to embrace that prophetic despair.com gem: It could be that purpose of your life is only to serve as a warning to others.

So for now, life starts with me squaring around to bunt and hoping not to eat a high and tight slider. But hey, it’s a start.  And isn’t that the whole point? Play ball!