Just Curious

I am now blogging at A Living Alternative

Well, blogging has taken on a major role in my life of late.  My main blog, (e)mergent Voyageurs is requiring a great deal of my deal (though worth every minute).  Our family blog, fairly new, is "settling in" nicely.  I am helping some friends set up a blog for their upcoming event.  There are a couple more, though not worth mentioning.

Almost as consuming as my own blogs is visiting the blogs of others.  I have a list of about 50 or so that I view daily.  Often I glance over them and move on, but some times the topic will draw me into the comment section.

It certainly can become overly consuming, so I have tried to add some balance.  However, used responsibly, I think blogging is one of the most dynamic and promising communications mediums online we have seen to date.

As you may well have noticed, I have not been blogging here in some time.  I had intended to continue, but my other blogs (namely Emergent Voyageurs) has taken more of my energy.  I may occasionally post here, but don't count your breath.  Most of my attention will be on my other blogs:

Emergent Voyageurs
Looking Forward Ministries Blog
Youth With A Mission Blog

Peace,
Jamie

For the last few days, my dog has been going nuts, as he kept hearing the repeated "meows" of a cat.  Before long, I was becoming annoyed as well.  It had been 3 days, but I couldn't locate the offending feline.  In our inner city neighbourhood, wild cats are a problem, but I couldn't resist that voice.

I finally went outside, soon to be joined by my neighbours (a group of girls going to uni) who pointed out their kitten up a large tree (3 storeys high, at least).  Casey (the cat) had been there for 3 whole days.  They had called everywhere, including the fire department (who informed them that they only save kittens from trees on television).  Alas, nothing seemed to be able to coax the little kitten down.

Later than evening, with nothing better to do, I screwed a screw into a rubber ball, tied fishing line to it and threw it WAY up and over the branch.  Lowering that end back to the ground, I tied it to a bucket.  The girls came out to join my attempt, adding cat food to the pail.  And yet, the cat refused to take the leap.  At this stage, several neighbours were on their front steps, offering advice.  A few joined us under the tree.

A First Nations guy biked up, said he lived in the apartment across the street.  He said they had an extended ladder.  We pulled it out and, after much trouble with the gentle kitten turned hissings killer, Casey was rescued from the tree.

Not a big deal, but never have I seen our block come together like it did then.  Creative problem solving as inner city revitalization plan?  It just may have possibilities!

April 11th, 2005

Appleseed.

A tiny, seemingly insignificant promise of life. So much potential, so many possibilities. How will the world, the landscape be different if this seed should take root? What fruit- sweet or bitter- might it produce?

Appleseed.

The size of the cluster of cells in my wife's womb 5 weeks after conception. In the arenas of politics, religions and science, the question might rage as to whether this little Appleseed constitutes life. However, those arguments are meaningless to us. Life or no, it represents the all the hopes and dreams of our shared love. All we can do is celebrate!

I find myself, at night, lying awake in my bed, wondering about Appleseed. Will she be a fussy baby? How many lost hours of sleep will he claim? Beyond that, I imagine the child, running around the yard with the dog. I imagine catching him on the internet, "discovering" the fairer sex. I imagine myself hating the boys who take her out on dates. I see him leaving for college, pursuing a dream I may or may not support.

As I lay there, my heart begins to race at the implications. Appleseed will have his own children. She, too, will lay awake wondering about the future of her children. Within this little, seemingly insignificant promise of life, there contains the potential for generations- literally thousand of lives, shaping and changing the world, the landscape of history. What a terrifying and thrilling responsibility to bring a life into this world!

However, Appleseed is not with us anymore. As we begin to let go of the joy of what was to come with our little one, we cannot let go of the questions. We cannot but wonder how the world will not be changed by her life.

Appleseed.

A tiny, seemingly insignificant promise of life. So much potential, so many possibilities. How would the world, the landscape have been different if this seed had taken root? What fruit- sweet or bitter- might it have produced?

*Disclaimer: This post is by no means intended to be a political or moral statement. It is not meant to affiliate myself with "Pro-this" or "Pro-that". It is simply an honest expression of where I am at.

I was recently doing the quint-essentially self-centered activity of Googling my own name: Jamie Arpin-Ricci. The hoped for result was there! I found a listing that I had nothing to do with. Someone had come across my Blog about the movie "The Manchurian Candidate" and quoted me in their own blog.

On the posting, entitled "Conspiracy of Pretty People", I was quoted by name. It was only after reading it a second time (and with the help of my friend, Jim), I noticed that the writer referred for to me... as a she!!! DOH!

I guess I can't blame him (or her?). With a name like Jamie, it happens a lot, especially on the net, where identity is as real as a Baywatch boob job. I can't even fall back on James, because Jamie is my birth name. And besides, it's my name and I freaking like it!

Anyway, for all future readers, let it be known:

Congratulations! I'm a boy!

Once upon a time, a box of cereal took a trip. This tasty bit of "Uncle Sam Cereal With Real Mixed Berries" began its life by being boxed in Needham, MA. It was not, however, destined for the local shelves of Needham, but crated up, loaded into a truck and driven away.

Our adventurous little box waited and waited, wondering what city or state it may end up calling home. When the truck finally stopped, however, it was not at a supermarket or even a 7-11, but rather at an airport! Loaded into another crate, the box sat in the darkness as the ground slipped away from under him. Hour after hour, the miles past and still, the box wondered where he was going.

At long last, the plane landed, the crate was loaded into another truck and began it's journey anew, with the box knowing his travels must soon be at an end. And before long, the truck stopped and our box was carried, at last, into a grocery store... IN TAIPEI, TAIWAN!!! Our simple box of good old American cereal had traveled half the world over to end up in this bustling Asian city.

After days of watching the locals pass by, a couple eagerly snatched the box from the shelf. This was not a typical couple, however, but rather a Canadian pair who were teaching English in the country. Having tasted and enjoyed "Uncle Sam Cereal" before, they found it more to their tasted than some of the local breakfast cuisine. And so, this American cereal in Taiwan was taken home by a Canadian couple.

But this was not, by far, the end of the travel plan for the box. The couple had not bought the cereal for themselves, but rather for their Aunt, who they would soon would be seeing... IN CANADA! And so, packed tightly into a suitcase, the box once again crossed the ocean to find his way to Winnipeg, MB. The ride was bumpy, transferred from plane to plane, location to location, and his seams couldn't hold together. Embarrassed, the little box spilled some its contents into the case.

Having arrived, their contents cleaned up, the couple presented the box to their Aunt. The couple and the Aunt were staying with their cousins home for the visit. One evening, going out to celebrate the couples visit, the cereal was left alone on the table... well, not totally alone. Dino, the family Jack Russell, was also left behind. With a nose for food, Dino found the box, dragged it across the carpet and tore in for a treat.

A few days later now, the dog punished, the cereal untasted by all (except the dog), the shredded box sits on the couch next to me. What a strange and wonderful world we live in that a simple box of cereal can have such great adventures. How many other great stories hide behind the every day products? If we could all be so lucky.

And that is what happens when groceries travel!

(originally posted on August 20th, 2004)

Okay, so I am fairly new to Blogging, but I gotta ask myself, Why am I doing this? I mean, how many people are actually going to read this. I've been cruising through random Blogs and have found that most hardly get any hits, and fewer receive any comments. So why do we all do this?

I am sure there are all sorts of reasons. It's free. It's fun. It's a diary that won't kill trees. Because my friends do it. I can't speak for everyone, but here are a few thoughts about (maybe) why I do it.

I think, like most people, I want to be heard. Even if no one ever reads it, knowing that my thoughts and ideas are available for millions of people worldwide to read, is exciting, even comforting. Add to that the ability to say WHATEVER you want, as anonymity or false identity is as available as you imagination, there is a sense of daring freedom, free from the risk of censorship or judgment. While the first part of that reason (being "heard") is true, the last half is not, as I choose to reveal who I really am (or do I?).

In addition to wanting to be heard is my sense that what I have say is worth hearing. Here is where it gets sticky. Is this pride? Is this vain self-indulgence to assume that, with the millions of people out there wanting their voices heard, that what I think is worth hearing? I guess it all depends on what I have to say and how I say it. So, let's take a look.

For the most part all I have is shared my opinion on a few movies. Sure, this multi-billion dollar industry warrants some attention, but my reflections aren't so profound that they are "must read" material. In defense/balance from one review, I did talk about citizenship & identity, but not with any real depth. I've promoted a series of books that I doubt anyone will take the time to read.

Why I am I doing it then? And perhaps more importantly, as I ask this question, why am I writing it in a Blog? While Bill Clinton said it is the worst reason to do anything, I guess it comes down to this- because I can. Oh well...

For those of you who have followed my old blog, I have moved one last time (I promise).  I will slowly be moving some of my better posts over, so keep coming back.  All the old posts will remain available, so if you are new and curious, check them out here.  I will also be posting new stuff over time.  However, my main focus right now is moderating and writing for my new blog Emergent Voyageurs, which has grown faster than I had imagined.

So, stick around and enjoy.

Peace,
Jamie