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.

My son, at right, and his pal sporting suave 'staches at It's All Fun & Fames on Commercial Drive

I hear this a lot but am not allowed to use it because cool expressions don’t work if a mom says them. It’s clear I don’t have the context right.

For much of this hot summer, I’ve been hanging out with my son and his pre-teen crew – when I’m not working on my new blog: SpeakingOfSafety.

Otherwise, I’ve been enjoying summer with friends and family – camping as much as possible and eating local in-season foods together outside. Haven’t been doing much yoga or any other exercise (and that has to change soon!) aside from chasing around with my son and his pals, which takes a fair bit of energy.

Embracing the pre-teen boy experience can be pretty hilarious, if you look at them the right way. Don’t see the “obnoxious” aspect. Try “mischievious” and “playful” and “full of energy.” Think of wild kingdom and picture the younger, smaller, way more hyper version of the larger animal. Pre-teen chimpanzees or tigers.

I find myself unbelievably irritated by their behaviour sometimes – like yesterday in Tim Hortons when my son and his friend kept changing their order at the till as we stood facing a confused new cashier in her 60s with a line-up of other customers behind us. Once I paid and we got to the table, the boys scuffled, grabbing for each other’s drinks, and spilled that iced de-caf mocha with extra vanilla and whipped cream.

A part of me will not outgrow their crude, immature sense of humour. Often I’m the “straight man” for their jokes, as I drive them to the swimming pool, and try to come up with my best “parental guidance” comment.

Much of the time, I try not to laugh aloud, but it often seems like such a lie to stifle it. They can be horrible and hilarious at the same time – depending on your sense of humour.

Here in this photo is Dave Dawson playing music with our neighbour friends at our housing co-op in East Vancouver. We share a lot of meals outside during the season of good weather. Too many times I’ve been inside at my computer, listening to the laughter of my neighbours outside, in the distance.

But in the past few days I’ve been outside with all the people – not in here at my computer. When I have been inside, I’ve been working at my paid job on a cool new blog I’m about to launch.

Multi-family dinners

The kids all play together, with older ones looking out for the smaller ones. A dad comes around the corner just in time to help break up a playfight-turned angry between the 10-year-old boys who are getting tired after a long day. They are getting so big and strong, and as the mom, it’s exhausting to keep breaking up these play fights – half-playing, half-angry.

The young adult men are laughing at them in a reminiscing way. A little later I see one of the young men teaching them fighting moves.

Eventually the boys collapse in a hammock. Everyone has overeaten. Lots to tidy up. Not much time for blogging.

Elder Brenda Wesley demonstrates the dance of the whale at CRAB park at today's Canada Day Celebration

Only a few people accepted her invitation to dance, but as they rose and moved to the drum – which became “the heartbeat of the Earth” – the sun made a brief, magnificent appearance.

It was the only time I saw the sun all day.

In this photo are two of the blankets created in celebration of the four lifespans of the ages: newborns, grandmothers, adults, and tiny tots. Each blanket, which contains a story within it, was presented to someone from each age group.

Volunteers served hundreds of hotdogs and people lay on the grass enjoying the music of Circus In Flames, Micheal VanEyes and his Lot, and Blackberry Wood.

“2010 marks the 23rd year of Crab Park as an official park for the people of the downtown eastside,” reads the Facebook invite that gave me the idea to check out the festivities. “This is your park, not a private corporate entity’s park. Crab Park is a much-needed, waterfront greenspace in the immediate area of the downtown eastside. Come out and experience the beauty of this park and take in some fabulous music as well!”

So I accepted the invitation and went down there with my son. We had lots of great conversations with local folks – including a man named Paul who volunteers with youth at the Carnegie Centre gym. Paul had been watching Toby wrestling gleefully with a new friend and said he sees a future in wrestling for my boy. Toby beamed with happiness, completely flattered, and showed Paul his flexed arm muscles.

Paul nodded at the flexed muscle and said: “Oh I know. I can see it! Just make sure you eat a lot – and be good to your mom!”

Photo credit: revertebrate on Flickr

It’s Car Free Vancouver tomorrow – and I’m going to be on Commercial Drive watching Slowpoke and the Smoke at the East End Food Co-op at 2 p.m.

Slowpoke’s “psychedelic doo-wop” gets me every time, with all those wacky Frank Zappa covers and more – played by veteran Vancouver musicians Tony Bardach, Brad Lambert, and Eric Napier.

“Let’s really take back our streets tomorrow at car free!” says main Car Free coordinator Carla Bergman, via Facebook. “Be generous, bring food to share, give out art and other things for free. Stop the buying. The drive has become too “commercial”! We will have lots of FREE stuff at the Thistle space down on Napier! Come visit.”

She’s talking about The Purple Thistle – a youth-run arts and activism centre in East Van.

The party goes ahead despite the rain at Italian Day on Commercial Drive in Vancouver.

Dancing in the rain with umbrellas at Italian Day on Commercial Drive June 6, 2010

The smell of garlic and Italian sausage was luring people into line-ups. So was the gelati. We saw a pasta eating contest, from a distance. It was hard to get a close-up look because so many people were cheering and chanting for the contestants.

My heart went out to the vendors, trying to keep their treasures dry, and to the restauranteers whose extended dining patios (some with red and white checkered tablecloths) were getting soaked. The cafes and many shops were full of people looking for shelter from the rain, which came down hard at a couple of points.

Italian Day party on Commercial Drive in Vancouver

Overall people seemed to be having a good time, though I overheard one woman complaining to her companion: “I think we made a big mistake coming here in the rain.” Too bad for her eh? I’m glad I checked it out, in any case.

I’ll be off-line for a few days, so take care. I’ll be back soon with your daily dose of gentle weirdness. xo

Slide from Kimli Welsh at Northern Voice 2010

The hour is late, so I will share one story that really sticks with me. It’s the story of blogger Kimli Welsh – creator of Delicious Juice Dot Com – and how she used cognitive behavioural therapy and social media to overcome her social anxiety.

“I’m terrified of each and every one of you,” Kimli told us. “But it’s not you guys; it’s my thoughts.”

Kimli’s stories stood out because I relate to them. I, too, have bought tickets to events and then chickened out of going at the last moment. And, like Kimli, I’ve also made some great connections with people thanks to Twitter.

She described social anxiety as “an overall bummer” that “makes you miss out on a whole lot of fun.” True that, in my experience.

Social anxiety affects 1 in 8 people

“It’s been estimated that social anxiety affects 1 in every 8 people, and can range in severity from uneasiness in social situations to a debilitating fear of the unknown,” reads Kimli’s write-up for her talk at Northern Voice.

“Learn how to use Social Media to overcome your terror of the unknown. Get out of your comfort zone! Take on new challenges! Weed out the crazy to forge new friendships and the exciting times that are rightfully yours!”

She also suggested we reassure ourselves with this positive affirmation: “No one here is cooler or more important than anyone else.”

Over and out.

This photo has no relation to this post

It’s the monthly meeting of The Shebeen Club – moved to a different location because the Shebeen was booked. Organizer Lorraine Murphy, raincoaster, wrote in the invite: “Wes aims to bring the mystique and hyperbole of social media down to earth, exploring its practical uses for environmental, political and social activism, and recounts some of his personal experiences on the social media frontier.”

When I saw this invite, I immediately thought about my friend Astarte Sands, program coordinator of Mosaic’s Workplace Connections Mentoring Program. Her program connects immigrants with local mentors who help them find jobs in their professional area. Astarte is already a master networker, and by adding more social media, they can connect with even more people who are willing to be mentors.

It’s $20 for a drink, dinner, conversation, and probably learning something.

The Art Express, photo by Michael Bray

For the past five years, The Art Express has been offering art classes, birthday parties, and special events for 6 to 12-year-olds. It’s a family-owned and operated business co-founded by Michael Bray and his wife Katherine Main. I asked Michael via email how they got the idea for this.

“After working in the film business for over 10 years, I wanted a change. My wife and I put our creative thinking caps on tightly, and…shazam! Let’s turn a bus into a children’s art studio,” Michael says.

“We’ve always enjoyed doing things that are a little larger than life, and The Art Express bus was a way of sharing creative notions with little minds. The most rewarding experience is seeing the joy on kids faces when they’ve discovered what they are capable of creating.”

Inside the Art Express bus, photo by Todd Higden

Well, take a look at the inside! It fits just over a dozen kids and a couple of teachers.

Art and Theatre Fun at The Cultch Saturday May 1

The Art Express and the Vancouver East Cultural Centre invite kids between 6 and 12 to puppet making and a puppet play on Saturday, May 1 from 1 to 3 p.m. The play is The Tooth Fairy, presented by Old Trout Puppet Workshop with music by David Rhymer.

The Art Express bus will be parked on-site at The Cultch. Kids will make their puppets, then go inside to the play. Parents are invited to drop their kids off between 12:45 and 1 p.m. and return to pick them up in the lobby at 3 p.m. (a good chance for parents to explore the shops and cafes Commercial Drive). Cost, including the ticket to the play, is $23. To register, contact info@theartexpress.com.