the reason

you may be wondering why i suddenly have started blogging again, after such a long break.

first of all, i didn't want to blog until my chronicles of italy (not to be confused with the chronicles of narnia) were finished. i've been whittling away at it, and finally finished it today.

but i do have a reason for finishing it today, and not next week...or next month. my reason is this:

many of you know i have been teaching in oakville for a long time now. my very first student has always held a special place in my heart...not just because she was my first student in a new environment, but because we hit it off immediately. i taught her for years and she came to my wedding! although she is no longer my student, she remains a friend and we keep in touch regularly, thanks to life's modern advances - namely, facebook, texting, blogging and starbucks.

a bit more background info for you...

dana is an amazing person. she is vivacious and smart, funny and responsible, caring and quirky. she is beautiful inside and out. she excels at everything she does, and she doesn't even need to try. but that's not the type of person she is...she doesn't do things half-way. everything she does, she does with determination and all her energy.

dana has an equally amazing father. he was known to all that worked at the school, as the dad who cared endlessly about his kids. he used to listen in on his daughters' lessons outside their classroom doors, i think, because he wanted to support them without smothering them. he was incredibly cheerful and known for his easy-going manner. the people that knew him, admired him. a wonderful person with a perfect family.

dana's father has a rare form of brain cancer but was in remission. unfortunately, his cancer has returned. you can check out dana's story here. the shortened version: dana's dad is in palliative care and she is participating in the ride to conquer cancer in june 2010.

no one deserves to go through something like this, but dana's family is especially unworthy of such heartbreak.

we have all been affected by cancer's deadly reach, and we would all like to see cancer beaten in our lifetime. please, if you can, donate even a bit of money to help this happen and to support dana on her journey. click here to donate.

thank you.

burglary 101

kris went to vancouver for work last week. i met him on thursday, flying on aeroplan points, and we had a great mini-vacation...a bit of shopping, had some good food, saw the mountains, stocked up on authentic japanese groceries...

the flight back from vancouver was delayed though, by almost an hour. normally this wouldn't be a big deal, but kris was supposed to catch a connecting flight to montreal. he ended up missing it because of the delay, but was placed on the next flight. because of his later departure time, kris was able to walk me to the cab stand and say good bye...

i got in the cab, and the driver was making idle conversation with me...he asked who kris was, and where i was that week. i explained to him that kris was my husband, and he went to vancouver for work, so i met up with him there...and that he was off to montreal next. after i said it, i thought to myself that i probably shouldn't have told this man, who i don't know, who will drop me off on my front step, that i'm home alone with my husband out of the province. i dismissed the thought quickly, mostly because i didn't want to scare myself.

that night, i slept soundly until about 4am. i dreamed that i had some friends over, and the doorbell rang. it sounded so vivid and real, my eyes shot open, and i thought that the doorbell actually did ring. i immediately convinced myself that the cab driver rang the doorbell, and that he was coming to get me! i listened carefully for any strange noises...and of course, i heard many creaks and squeaks that i never usually hear. i comforted myself by reminding myself that the security alarm was armed, and, failing that, i would be able to hear mr. cab driver open the door to the bedroom. he would still need to climb a full flight of stairs before he could do any damage, which would give me enough time to call 911 and start yelling at my neighbours (the police officers) that someone was in my house. i formulated all these plans while being only half awake.

then i realized in my sleepy stupor that if someone was planning on breaking into my house, said perpetrator would likely NOT ring the doorbell as it eliminates the element of surprise. so i went back into a fitful sleep. i woke up in the morning, safe and sound. short a few brain cells and a little bit tired mind you, but safe and sound.