Photo credit: Stefan Lins on Flickr

This blog still exists, in case you are wondering. Maybe you are a regular who is surprised to hear from me again after so long. Or you’re here for the first time because I gave you a business card or you clicked my link on Facebook, or you Googled me for some reason.

Whoever you may be – here you are at mainwriter.com – so welcome. Perhaps you’ve already noticed this blog has gone without new content for several months before this post. It’s because I’ve been pouring most of my blogging vim into Speaking of Safety – where I write about safety and danger in the workplace. It makes me mad to think of people exposed to danger so others can make a profit from them, and I spend a lot of time soliciting personal stories.

Lately I’ve been thinking about this blog again because I want to share some of the many smart, creative ideas from different people, “crowds,” and communities I mingle with. New videos are on the way, including comedy sketches, skate vids, commentaries, and other madness. Collaborators are always welcome, especially if you aren’t shy, don’t take yourself too seriously, like attention, and have an outrageous streak! Until then, thanks for visiting, and let me know if you have event info to share. xo

My kid friend loves to "drop in" with moves like this caveman, which he landed, on Sunday afternoon on Commercial Drive in Vancouver

The kid in this picture has a big cast on his arm, but this doesn’t stop him from doing risky things. We met at Leeside Park, near Hastings and Cassiar, in an underpass and had seen him around at other parks.

I drove Toby down to Leeside to meet up with his friends and they were definitely the youngest there. I was what I called their “adult chaperone” and when I arrived there were two police cars parked outside.

I went up to one cop and asked: “How’s it going here?” and he told me the property next door had called them to check out the event. Organizers brought in fencing on a rented flatbed and a generator for powering the sound system that played death metal. But aside from a little drinking in public, it was safe, and the cop asked me to call if anything got out of hand.

His request made me feel like such a responsible mom! haha

The event was hosted by Deer Man of Dark Woods of the Barrier Kult, a.k.a the BA.KU. movement. I learned about it from our friend Max, 12, who was thrilled to win a limited edition Deer Man of Dark Woods board by SKULL SKATES at the skate comp.

“Vancouver is a place of ritual and awe,” Deer Man told the VancouverIsAwesome blog on Halloween.

The boys were definitely in awe and I’m thankful to the organizers (including PD of SKULL SKATES, who I said hi to and thanked). They put a lot of work into the event and were really supportive towards the younger kids like my son and his friends.

Deer Man told my son he could get a t-shirt “if he tried anything” on the barrier. So he gave it a go, amongst all the bigger guys, and won his t-shirt, which he was so pleased with. He also got another one for his friend, along with a big handfull of stickers (now on my car).

I made this video below using the camera on my MacBook, so it’s pretty rough, but I put it on YouTube to show the mood of the event. I wish it captured the swoosh of skateboard wheels and the growling voice of the death metal singer on the recorded music powered by a generator.

Photo credit: Greg Livaudais on Flickr

It’s been a busy time at the mainwriter headquarters. The “new year” isn’t even that new any more; in fact, the first month of it seems to be whipping by pretty quickly.

My safety blog – SpeakingOfSafety – has been a big focus for me. Story ideas seem to leap out at me from all directions, since most people have stories about safety/injuries at work. Let me know if you have one to share.

Another huge focus is my son’s education, which is evolving in new directions now that we are hooked in with BrainBoost Education. He’s having one-on-one sessions in tech/math and is also studying hands-on science in a small group. I’ve also been doing some great learning after meeting for a couple of sessions with BrainBoost director Matt Giammarino, who coached me on managing time and setting up a great atmosphere for learning.

Stay tuned for a new mom and son blog – coming soon! Actually we might do some posts together for this blog, since he is the “vice president” of mainwriter, after all.

Art and photo by Toby Main

This water pump at Watch Lake took some muscle.

I’ve been writing safety stories for SpeakingOfSafety and getting started on a new homeschool year with the SelfDesign program, which has a big online component. I’m using LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, Basecamp, Action Method Online, and Google Docs for my work and play communications.

Ideas are called for. Lots of them. So I’m pumping them out of my brain when I have the chance. I do some of my best work in the car on my laptop tethered to my iphone outside a skateboard park. I have a portable Ikea umbrella I prop in my car window to save me from screen glare. I keep a lawn chair in my trunk if it seems too sketchy in the park to let my son be alone, with no other skaters.

Then I sit beside the skate bowls, on the grass, trying to work, but today it was hard because a guy was sleeping nearby on the lawn, with a boom box beside him playing loud C-Fox-ish music (presumably to drown out the urban sounds so he could get some rest). He had a shopping cart full of stuff with a bicycle on top.

Toby often says “Watch this!” and shows me new moves at the skate park.

A tow truck like this picked up my car yesterday. This one is leaving the impound lot to bring back more.

Yesterday our car was towed from an alley behind Commercial Drive. I had parked there at least 50 times in the past 15 years when a free street spot wasn’t available.

When we found the empty parking spot and confirmed the car was taken by Busters Towing, my 10-year-old son was furious. He said it wasn’t fair because there aren’t any “No Parking” signs in the alley.

He yelled rude things about the government, while I stayed calm and sat at a table at Waves (drinking a coffee from Continental). I looked on my iPhone for info on the exact law I’d broken.

“In Vancouver all lanes (except in the area bounded by Burrard Street, Coal Harbour, Stanley Park and English Bay) that abut commercial property (e.g. stores, hotels, restaurants, parking lots) are classified as commercial. The only vehicles allowed to stop in these laneways are properly licensed commercial vehicles,” reads the City of Vancouver article Top 10 Ways to Avoid Getting a Parking Ticket.

Okay. Fair enough. It would be bad theoretically if two delivery vehicles were trying to pass and were blocked by people’s cars. But no explanation was good enough for Toby, who was still furious.

“I could have bought a new skateboard with that money!” he said.

Indeed the amount would cover the Hydro bill or buy a lot of good groceries. It was $94 to get the car out of the impound lot and I still have to pay another $50 for the parking violation fine.

Ouch.

We followed a long green hallway to this window. I gave them my Visa card and they gave me receipt and a parking ticket for another $50.

This token gets you and your car out of the impound lot. A sign on the wall says you have to pay another $94 if you lose the token.

We walk through the lot to Spot 94, where our car waits. We feel like it was kidnapped and feel quite sorry for it.

Toby puts in the token and releases us from car prison.

"Customer Exit" reads the writing on the door that you have to drive really, really close to before it opens and lets you out. I don't feel like "customer" is quite the right word.

My son learns to "drop in" at a big angle at the Dry Spot in Vancouver, B.C. Canada. July 22, 2010

By the time I arrived and took the picture, he had done it about 10 times, “without bailing once,” he reports.

He said he felt “scared as all hell” when he decided to try it. I asked what he was thinking and he said his initial thought was: “Oh my god, I’m going to break my neck as soon as I try.”

So, how did he find the guts to try it? (Because, I can honestly say, there is not a hope in hell I would ever try that!)

“By saying ‘I know I can do it’ and just doing it,” he said. “Ben helped me by standing in front of me and holding my hands and then telling me to push down with my front foot really really hard.”

He was talking about Ben Chibber, owner of the Dry Spot and Monke Skateboards. Ben gives private and semi-private lessons along with skatepark day camps in August (some spots still available).

Ben is a natural mentor – calm, patient, and encouraging – and Toby has a great connection with him. Toby said another reason he “just did it” is because Ben was coaching him.

“I just decided to do it because I didn’t want to be annoying,” he said, describing the adrenalin rush it gave him, which he says he loved. “I felt it go from the tips of my hair to the bottoms of my feet in a split second!”

Trout Lake is closed to the public due to an elevated coliform count.

Original post on July 2, 2010:

Well… at least we can still make sandcastles.

That’s the positive spin we put on the situation when we arrived at Trout Lake with bathing suits and towels – only to be greeted with this disappointing sign.

We asked the lifeguard why and he said it was because of the coliform count. He said it was only one point over the maximum level and that another test would be done on Monday (July 5). If the level is down, Trout Lake may reopen on Wednesday.

The kids got busy making sandcastles, while I Googled a little more information and learned about the Canadian Recreational Water Guidelines.

“Vancouver-area receiving waters are sampled throughout the swimming season to determine compliance with the Canadian Recreational Water Guidelines,” reads the Vancouver Coastal Health website’s Beach water quality report.

“These guidelines establish a level of 200 coliform bacteria (an indicator organism associated with sewage contamination) per 100 mls of water for ‘primary contact’ recreational activities.”

Trout Lake’s water same was at exactly 200 at the last reading on June 29. I asked the lifeguard if it was because of bird poo and he said he didn’t think it was, since the number of birds in the water had not increased. He said he suspected it might be caused by sewer upgrades in the neighbourhood and added that his coworkers disagreed with this theory.

Fun times at Trout Lake, even with the swimming / wading ban

“Ewwww! He went on the poo poo!” tattled one little boy, as the lifeguard walked to the water’s edge and told the guy to get out of the water.

“Didn’t you see the sign?” the lifeguard asked him.

This made me wonder if it’s actually “illegal” to ignore the warning, and, if so, what would you be charged with?

In any case – personal freedoms aside – I’m glad enough to heed the warning because I definitely don’t want to go on the poo poo.

The feet of my kid-friend Max at the skate park

I’m a skater mom – and I don’t mean a mom who rides a skateboard (though I have tried it). I keep a lawn chair in the trunk of my car, ready for sitting action beside the bowls and ramps.

We show up at the skate park when we feel like it – no need to rush for practice or game time. I use the time to work, read, or draw, while I sip a coffee and chill.

Once you get the basics – the deck and hardware (in the $100 – 200 range), a helmet (around $40), and a set of pads (around $50) – there are no fees or admission charges. Just show up at the park.

If your kid is interested in this great form of exercise, I recommend Skull Skates or Monke Skateboards, both local outfits owned by good guys who will set you up right.

At the park, I offer my bits of encouragement from the sidelines, but it’s not really a “Watch me mom!” situation any more. My son has been skating for a few years now, so it’s more about doing than being watched. Sometimes, on request, I take pictures or make videos – but these days my son doesn’t want to be a “poser” standing in front of mommy’s camera.

So I just enjoy the great, low-pressure atmosphere – relaxing and doing my thing while my high energy boy wears himself out.

Suzy Birstein and my son Toby at the last class of Clay Days for Homelearners

But luckily for him, Suzy is offering Summer in the City Art Camps for children at her Kitsilano garden studio in July and August. Kids from 6 to 16 can “experience the wonders of ceramics, mosaics, paper mache, and painting” in these week-long classes.

In case you are wondering, I’m not getting paid to say this! I just want other families to know about the opportunity to work with Suzy because of the great energy and atmosphere of her classes. They play music and talk and laugh while they create – while also attending to technique and making some beautiful pieces of art.

I wrote about the homelearners class in more detail in my March 29 post: Ceramic artist Suzy Birstein offers home learners class

Suzy is also one of the founding members of Artists in Our Midst – an annual art show and two-day Art Walk in which members of the public are invited into artists’ homes and studios. The most recent one was in the beginning of May – and I’ll try to remember to remind you next year.

Thanks so much to Suzy for sharing her passion with my son. We will definitely be back – and maybe one day I’ll take one of her classes for adults.