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.

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!”

Mom Edna Clifford offered this advice for parents of kids like her son who “stayed off the beaten path” as writer Francois Marchand put it in his article Bandmates, family, friends mourn drummer Devon Clifford’s sudden death published by CanWest in The Gazette Online.

“We want to say to musicians and parents, ‘Even though your (children have) chosen a path that you might not have wanted them to, or know will be a hard one for them, if they need that in their life, then let them follow their passion and encourage them and support them as best you can. Devon was really satisfied with his music. It was all about him, his band and their fans.”

Like this mom, I want to support and encourage my son to do what he loves. I see too many adults who have lost touch with their passion – don’t even know it exists. They don’t know what they want to do in their lives because their passion faded away some time between childhood and adult life as they bowed to the pressures and expectations of others. Many of these folks can rediscover their passion but it’s hard work and better not to lose it in the first place. Kudos to moms like Edna, who encourage their kids’ interests instead of forcing them into what they or others think they are “supposed” to do.

Mentor Steff and her protege

Now people 11 and up can sign up for Steff’s one-on-one Cooking For Kids (and Adults). Check out her ad on Craigslist to sign up for a session at her home in Vancouver, B.C. Canada.

“Kids like learning about cooking from me because I relate to them, keep it simple, but I don’t dumb it down,” reads her Craigslist post. “It tastes great and it’s the kind of meal you’ll want again and again. I’m a big fan of Jamie Oliver, and it shows in my cooking — wouldn’t that be great to have in YOUR kitchen without you doing it?”

After reading Steff’s tweets for several months, I met her last year in real life at a corn maze “tweetup” (i.e. a social event initiated and planned via Twitter.) My son had an urge to run around the maze and ended up with really rowdy behaviour among all the polite, angelic toddlers and preschoolers. I tried to reign him in, but it was very difficult.

On the way home, Steff struck up a conversation with him about his interest in cooking, and after a few moments, his behaviour turned right around. We ended up stopping at Safeway on the way to Steff’s so we could get the ingredients for a dessert made with dark chocolate and out-of-season fresh strawberries.

Later – before I knew of her plan to offer classes – I asked Steff if she would consider working with my son, the home schooling guy who loves to cook. And now – thanks to Steff – he can make a delicious chicken pot pie. He learned to make a lower fat version of the dish, using chicken stock instead of the liquid and drippings from an entire chicken carcass. She explains her focus on healthy adaptations on her craigslist ad:

“Having lost 70 pounds through diet and exercise, I’ve learned ways to ‘fake’ fat flavour while keeping foods healthier and lower in salt and fat, but not always — ‘diet’ awesome pot pie is an oxymoron. There’s always baked falafel or spring rolls, though.”

The science of cooking

Steff talked with my son about the science of cooking – explaining how it’s all about the process of using heat to evaporate the liquid from foods. She told him how to prepare and store chicken safely to avoid bacterial contamination. She also stressed the importance of keeping a clean, well-ordered work space in your kitchen. (I think she said: “Get cleaning if you want to eat!”)

We drove away from Steff’s with full bellies, a big bowl of leftovers, and another pot pie to drop off for some Twitter pals who are under the weather and mourning the loss of their dear old cat. On the way home, my son said he was “even more into cooking” after his time with Steff. And, at this very moment as I write this post, he is in the kitchen making stock for soup.

Astra Taylor

Other families start off right away with home schooling or “unschooling” – defined in Wikipedia as: “…a range of educational philosophies and practices centered on allowing children to learn through their natural life experiences, including child directed play, game play, household responsibilities, and social interaction, rather than through the confines of a conventional school.”

If I had to define our approach, I’d say it’s mostly unschooling but we also have a portion of each morning devoted to what I call “old school academic stuff” (spelling, writing, math, and silent reading). My instincts tell me this is the way to go – but I sometimes wonder if I am doing the right thing. How will this home school experience affect him as an adult?

Because that question is so big in my mind, I’m always glad to hear stories from adults who grew up with untraditional schooling experiences – people like Astra Taylor, a documentary filmmaker who is speaking at East Vancouver’s Purple Thistle Centre on Tuesday, March 30 from 4:30 to 6 p.m.

Helen Hughes, founder of Windsor House Learning Community in North Vancouver, announced this opportunity via email: “… we will be inviting the local community to come hear Astra talk about her story, how it was for her going to high school, what she thinks about un/homeschooling, what her childhood was like, etc. and more importantly to have a group dialogue about unschooling and alternative education in general.”

The event is free, but donations are welcomed and will be used by the Thistle’s unschooling youth program, Youngunz.

A drawing by "BRIH" photographed by my son Toby Main at JJ Bean on Commercial Drive.

I never know what I’ll see on my iPhone camera after my son’s been using it. Yesterday I found this super-cool drawing on it after our trip to JJ Bean. He’s also taken some interesting shots of the painting on the south wall of Continental Cafe (which is worth a look-see next time you’re in there).

Inside the dryer, inside the toilet, street corners, random people on the airplane – all are images I find on my camera. I’ve only “banned” a few things – and I’m reluctant to tell you what they are, but here goes. I had to say: “No private parts, no poo and no pee” pictures on my iPhone. Otherwise, privilege to use it is lost. Anything else goes!

Pass the camera to the kid

Point-and-shoot technology makes it easy for little kids to take pictures. You may not want to risk your new iPhone to small hands, so acquire a cheap camera you won’t worry about. However, I risk my iPhone all the time – letting wee ones look at our photos and take their own. I take lots of pictures of flowers, dogs, cats, birds, beams of sun, and other things that kids have checked out on my camera. Then, if they seem interested, I show them how to take their own photos. “Just look in here, see the picture, and touch the camera button!”

Yesterday my three year old friend took many blurry photos of feet and a dog under a table at the cafe’s outdoor patio. It’s interesting to see what’s at her 3-year-old eye level. She seemed so happy to look through the collection again and see her own shots added to the randomness.

Last fall I heard the sad news that Virginia was dealing with cancer and had to decline an invitation to carry the Olympic torch on Vancouver Island. Then yesterday I read a story by Vancouver Sun reporter Gerry Bellett who reports that Virginia rearranged her chemotherapy schedule so she could take a second chance carrying the torch. She just had major surgery in December along with six rounds of chemotherapy – but this didn’t stop her from carrying the flame in honour of all people having chemo and everyone who offers them support.

“I now have an enormous regard for the kindness and help that has been shown me especially from people who are going through the same thing,” Virginia told the Sun.

I send my best wishes to Virginia and thanks again for the advice, which I tried to encapsulate in this post from my other blog on Jan 29, 2009:

Virginia Greene shares a new expression at IABC event in Vancouver

The expression is “hidden wiring” and Virginia Green picked it up a few weeks ago at a business event during the U.S. election campaign. Virginia, president and CEO of the Business Council of British Columbia, says the expression was used in reference to the bonds that exist between business people who work together from both sides of the Canada-U.S. border. Their personal relationships are held together by “hidden wiring” that is stronger than a change in the U.S. administration.

Virginia spoke before an audience of communicators at “Networking 101” – an event hosted by the B.C. chapter of the International Association of Business Communicators at Steamworks Lounge in Vancouver, B.C., Canada.

“These relationships are so deep – so interconnected, personal, and one-on-one,” says Virginia, who networks all day long as a part of her job as Council president / CEO.

Virginia told us Business Council members reported in a recent survey that networking is the main reason they are members. Virginia described three different networking situations:

1) The optical opportunity – This is a “see and be seen” situation that shows your organization was represented at an event. You might just whip in for 20 minutes, circulate, says hello to a few people, and leave after making a quick appearance.

2) The serendipitous opportunity – You run into someone you haven’t seen for a long time – maybe someone who used to work at a company you just took a job with, or perhaps the ex-wife of your new boyfriend! These conversations can turn out to be very illuminating…

3) The strategic opportunity – This is a situation that is important to your business. You are there to work and you are approaching the event mindfully with a purpose.

Vancouver is “a nicely networked community”
We’re considerably more casual than other cities, and Virginia says our community is friendly, open, and entrepreneurial. People make time for each other and return each other’s calls nine times out of ten.

It’s “personal courage” that keeps us going in networking situations, as we follow up with contacts and try to get past receptionists who might say: “Will he know what this is about?” (though now most executives use email and blackberries and iPhones and it’s not as hard to get through the old school “receptionist filter”)

I leave you with two final tips I took away from Virginia’s talk. They are just so wonderfully basic and obvious – and important to keep in mind for those of us who might feel shy or “not on” or lacking in “personal courage”… (or self-conscious about our outfit choices LOL) We are all told that “confidence” is attractive and important – and this is very challenging for people who are naturally more introverted. So it helps to be prepared…

What do you do when you arrive at an event? Look for someone you know. That helps to get you relaxed, geared up, and social. Have a bit of a chat, then politely move on to someone you don’t know. What are some good ice breakers? “Hi. How are you?” is always a good stand-by – along with “What business are you in?” or “Where are you from?”

Lorraine Murphy - raincoaster

Back in the 1980s, Lorraine met – and got asked on a date by – convicted serial killer Willy Pickton. This was so many years before he was in court, when many of his eventual victims were still alive – and even then, strangers at a cafe warned her about Willy when he left the room.

Lorraine told me the story in person, then I came home and read her post Date with a Devil. The topic of Willy Pickton came up in reference to blog analytics. Someone landed at her raincoaster.com blog when they searched Willy Pickton.

Questions for Lorraine

I brought two pages of questions to my lunch date with Lorraine at Steamworks today. We talked about this mainwriter.com blog – my personal / creative / portfolio – and I’m going to take her suggestion that I develop my writing practice by posting every day for 26 days. If I can’t think of anything or I’m feeling sick – then I will write about how I can’t think of anything to say or describe (maybe in great detail) the bad feeling in my nasal passages.

Lorraine also gave me some ideas re: should I change to wordpress.com from wordpress.org? Ultimately I just want to write and not have to mess around with the blog platform. I was thinking it would be easier to focus on the writing part if I switch. But for now I’ve decided to stay with this .org version and learn more.

I’m hoping to learn more at WordCamp 2010. John Biehler and organizers are looking at June, 2010 and they are running a survey to learn more about people’s interests in attending the event. So I’ll go over and explain what I am hoping to get out of it…

And thanks again to Lorraine!

“A lot of newcomers have never had to look for work in the same way you look for a job here,” says Astarte, who researched, developed, and launched this new program in September, 2008. “Sometimes you would be looking at making a whole different career choice. If you’re a doctor, the chances of you working as a doctor are very, very slim and very costly and time-consuming… There’s a lot of barriers in terms of what Canadian employers want. The people have arrived, they’ve got skills, and they’re led to believe they will find work – but Canadian employers are reluctant to hire anybody without Canadian experience.”

At first my intention was to write a post about Astarte and her work for my Super Citizen Showcase blog. Yet the more I heard about the program, the more curious I was about the newcomers and mentors. I spoke with some of these folks and then decided to write a story for MOSAIC to use as they wished. Instead of volunteering as a mentor, I volunteered my writing services – and now the full story about Workplace Connections is published in HRVoice.com.

If you want to be a mentor – or you are a newcomer – call MOSAIC at 604-254-9626 or leave a comment below.