Tuesday, December 30, 2014

Europe in 100 Days


Source:http://www.ionbee.net/europe/europe-map.ph

This is an exciting time for me.  I am planning to embark on a 4 month trip (100+ days) of European travel.  I am 50+ years old and female AND planning on travelling solo.  Am I crazy???

I hope not!

Over the next few months I trust you will join me as I plan my trip and then I hope you'll continue to accompany me on my trip.

I would love any recommendations on where to go, places to stay or things to do. 

Source: http://www.explorergirls.com/

Looking forward to a great adventure.

AlliMac

Monday, April 21, 2014

End of Your Life Bookclub - Will Schwalbe


Book club is this week so I spent a marathon weekend finishing this book.  I think it is a great read - it accurately reflects (in my opinion, based on limited exposure) how to courageously battle the end of your life with grace, realism and optimism.

It also talks about mother-son relationships which speaks to me at my point in my life.  It's sometimes difficult to "create" conversation with your grown children.  Being able to talk "through" books helps to bridge this challenge.

And finally, it talks about books.  There are a wealth of titles in this book - some I have read, some I would like to read and some I don't think I would touch with a ten foot pole.  But then again, that is why I'm in a book club.  If I only read what I think I want to read, I would have missed many great books over the past couple of years (The Rosie Project, Half Blood Blues, the 100 Year Old Man, and so on).

This was a great ode to book clubs and to family relationships.  It was a great read.

A couple of passages that stuck with me included (I read it on my ereader, so I don't know what actual page it's on, so I'm only referencing the chapters.)

  "I was learning that when you're with someone who is dying, you may need to celebrate the past, live the 
   present and mourn the future all at the same time." The Uncommon Reader 

  "Just by giving friendship and love, you keep the people around you from giving up - and each expression 
   of friendship or love may be the one that makes all the difference."  The Price of Salt

  "If you do not wish for His kingdom, don't pray for it.  But if you do, you must do more than pray for it; 
   you must work for it."  Too Much Happiness

   "Evil almost always starts with small cruelties..."  Continental Drift

   "If you believe in good, you also believe in evil, pure evil."  My Father's Tears

Happy reading

Friday, April 18, 2014

Easter

It's Good Friday and it's....snowing!  Crazy weather we're having here.



We're off to have our Fish Friday tradition at Joey's only (fish 'n chips) and then lay in front of the TV and watch bad reality re-runs.  Hope you enjoy your day with your friends and family.

Tuesday, October 22, 2013

The Purple Wave - Elections YYC


So this was the first year I actively participated in ANY campaign.  I have always voted (except for times when I lived in another country) but I have never worked on any campaign.  Well I can now say I have!

Image Source here

I chose to support our Mayor Elect Naheed Nenshi.  I got on the band wagon relatively early this year.  I signed up in the summer (before the election was "officially" called) and volunteered my time as office help.  After my first volunteer meeting, I realized that my "early" was pretty late to the game compared to some of the volunteers there -- many who were returning from his 2010 campaign.

Image Source here

Though the office job may sound a bit boring, being surrounded by people who are excited about their city and want to ensure that change happens, is very addictive.  If I didn't have a day job, I'm sure I would have been at campaign headquarters more often (and it seemed like some volunteers were there very, very, VERYoften.)

Nancy and Susan, my two main coordinators were not only professional but personable and always seemed interested in you, regardless of how busy they were.  What amazed me is that they remembered who I was all the time (now I believe I am completely unforgettable but realistically when you consider that the @nenshi campaign had over 1300 volunteers, Nancy and Susan's gift of being able to remember not only the names, but specifics about the volunteers they work with, is simply amazing!)


Image Source here

I also loooooved meeting all the different people.  From the lawn sign distributors, the phone bank callers, the T-shirt folders, the gutsy souls who were the door-knockers, the mainstreeters (the group that accompanied Mayor Nenshi to public meet and greets in the "Main Street") to just everyday Calgarians coming in to drop off donations or perhaps pick up purchased T-shirts, I had the distinct pleasure of meeting so many great people.

There wasn't one person I came in contact with during my volunteer shifts that was a "downer".  Every person was excited and you could feel that we all knew that we were doing important things and were attached to an important cause.


 Image Source here

And the most incredible thing????  Everyone thanked everyone.... all the time.  You were thanked for coming in, thanked for working hard, thanked for staying late (even when you had to leave early) thanked for doing a great job.  You never left after a shift working on the Mayor Nenshi campaign feeling ignored or unappreciated.  What a classy bunch!  

Now other politicos might say that this is a terrible reason to vote for a candidate.  They might say that your decision should be based solely on the candidate's platform and what they stand for.  Well let me say that after working a number of shifts at Mayor Nenshi's campaign headquarters, I don't need to read his platform (though I have ... a number of times) to know that I agree with his policies. The fact that he surrounds himself with people (himself included) that are expected to treat everyone they encounter (even an occasional once-per-week volunteer) with the utmost respect and appreciation speaks volumes to me as to his values and how he must treat his staff and colleagues at City Hall. 


Image Source here

So now it's my turn to offer my thanks.  

Thank you to all the great people I met...from Nancy and Susan to Chima and Marc and Mayor Nenshi, himself. See you next time! (Maybe on the next campaign I'll get up the nerve to actually ask to have my picture taken with the real Mayor Nenshi and not just take a selfie with his campaign poster)!



Alli Mac

Sunday, October 6, 2013

How Pechakucha 17 changed my life

Image Source here

At a recent Pecha Kucha evening, I had the pleasure to listen to Kate McKenzie speak about her travels throughout the world and how she started the Passport Project with her students upon her return to Calgary.  I have to admit - I have a bit of a professional crush (envy?!) on Kate - she has already accomplished so much in her young lifetime -- she is so talented...she has even had her own TED Talk (can you imagine!).  If you have time see it here.

But back to the challenge...Kate created the Worldviews Project   with the goal of "fighting hopelessness through inspiration and action!" Isn't that an amazing title - you feel inspired without even knowing what the project is all about!  

Kate developed a task for her junior high students -  to complete 20 different activities and to write a reflection on each. Slowly, the most amazing things began to happen.  Instead of her students only focusing on the negatives in their lives, they began to notice the positives and they began connecting with their community as well as each other.  

I was so inspired!!!  I absolutely LOVED the idea of Kate's challenge, and realized that throughout my life, I am actually trying to live out many of the same ideals as the Passport Project.  The largest difference is that I wasn't journalling or reflecting about the activities I was participating in.  

This is where Passport #YYC came to be.  

Going forward, as I travel throughout Calgary participating in the wide variety of events, activities and opportunities available, instead of simply enjoying the activity in somewhat of a superficial fashion, I hope to celebrate both the event AND the participants by consciously making connections and building relationships. 

I am giving myself one year to complete all 20 tasks of the Passport Project.  Come join me.  We can all do Passport #YYC together!

Here are Kate's 20 challenges - how many will you finish this year????

1. Make a journal to record each of the challenges you complete. 

Include a current photo, your place of birth, date of birth, address, and citizenship so it looks like a real passport!

2. Try using a new form of transportation.
Ideas: bicycle, roller blades, C-train, city bus, taxi, skate-boarding, horse-back riding, canoeing, kayaking, skiing, snow-shoeing, swimming, quad, sail boat, train, trolley, tram, airplane, helicopter, dog-sled, hot air balloon, sleigh, carriage, S.S. Moyie Paddlewheeler.


3. Attend a Theater Production or Dance ShowIdeas:Check Fast Forward Events, High Performance Rodeo, Decidedly Jazz Danceworks, University of Calgary Dance, Alberta Ballet, One Yellow Rabbit, Alberta Theater Project, Theater Calgary, Vertigo Theater, Pumphouse Theater, Milonga, Theater Junction, Swallow-A-Bicycle Theater, Enbridge PlayRites Festival, Epcor Centre for Performing Arts, Loose Moose Theater Company.


4. Go and watch a sporting event – it can be at a local level (school, community, family league) or it can be at a professional or semi-professional level. It can be a competition, a game, whichever but it must be live not just something you watch on TV.


Ideas: School Team, Grizzlies Wheelchair Basketball, Calgary Rugby Union, U of C Dinos, SAIT Trojans, Mount Royal Cougars, Calgary Rough-Necks Lacrosse, Calgary Bobsledding, Calgary Hitmen, Calgary Vipers Baseball, Calgary Flames, Calgary Stampeders.


5. Volunteer for at least one hourIdeas: Volunteer Calgary (Propell:us), The Mustard Seed, Canada Bridges, Acumen Fund, CBC Do-Crew, Women in Need, SPCA, Calgary Folk Music Festival, CAWST


6. Meet someone from a different cultural heritageIdeas: Calgary Immigrant Women’s Association, Immigrant Services Calgary, Calgary Multicultural Center.  Want to find a list of all the cultural associations in Calgary? Go here.


7. Go to a Live Music EventIdeas: Go to a band concert at the school, check Fast Forward for upcoming concerts, go to a concert at the library, Calgary Philharmonic (C-Possibilities), Calgary Opera, Calgary Youth Singers, Calgary Folk Festival, Sled Island Fest, Blues Fest, Reggae Fest, Jazz Fest, Jack Singer Concert Hall.

8. Try a different kind of ethnic cuisineMake it yourself and invite others over to sample it, go to a restaurant or get an invitation  to someone’s home to try it home-style.


Ideas: Chinese, Vietnamese, Indian, Middle-Eastern, French, Italian, Mexican, Japanese, Thai, German, Ethiopian, Nepalese, Polish, Indonesian, Spanish.



9. Go to a large urban, provincial or national parkIdeas: Fish creek, Nose Hill, Prince’s Island, Inglewood Bird Sanctuary, Bowness Park, Sandy Beach, Rotary Park, Riley Park, Ralph Klein Park, Kananaskis, Banff, Canmore, Bragg Creek, Waterton.


10. Join a GroupIdeas: team, club, volunteer group, religious group, choir, band, volunteer organization, community association, parent council, association, Calgary Outdoor Club, Calgary Sport & Social Club.


11. Visit a different neighborhood and find at least one cool thing
Ideas: check out community newsletters for upcoming events, stroll down Kensington, Inglewood, Bridgeland, Marda Loop.


12. Visit a historical site or a unique building in CalgaryIdeas: Doors-Open CalgaryCalgary Heritage Initiative Society, Century Homes,  Mayor’s Urban Design Awards, Lougheed House.

13. Go to a cultural eventIdeas: Calgary Turkish Festival, Calgary Arab Film Fest, Marda Loop Film Fest, Visaki Mela, The Calgary Comic and Entertainment Expo, Honen’s International Piano Competition, Lilac Festival, Calgary International Children’s Festival, Calgary Jazz Festival, Calgary Improv Festival, WordFest Writer’s Festival, High Performance Rodeo, Exposure Photography Festival, Alberta Theatre Projects’ Enbridge playRites Festival of New Canadian Plays, the Midwinter Blues Festival, Kiwanis Music Festival, Calgary International Spoken Word Festival, Zoolights, Calgary International Film Festival.


14. Go to another religious building or speak with someone from another religion. Ideas: Intercultural Dialogue Institute, Unitarian Church, Buddhist Temple, Hindu Temple, Gurdwara, Mosque, Synagogue, Church.


15. Go to a political office/center or meet a politicianIdeas: Councillor, Mayor, MLA, MP, City Hall, Legislative Assembly, Parliament.

16. Meet/contact an expert in an area you are interested inIdeas: Living Library, Career Fair, Artist Talk, Lecture.


17. Go to a point of interest in CalgaryIdeas: Devonian Gardens, Olympic Plaza, City Hall, Glenbow Museum, Calgary Tower, Fort Calgary, Science Center, Zoo, Heritage Park, Calaway Park, Military Musuem, Other Calgary Attractions.


18. Go to an Art Gallery or Art ShowIdeas: Gorilla House Live Art, ACAD, Glenbow Museum, Art Gallery of Calgary, DaDe, Axis Contemporary Art, Endeavour Arts Gallery, Arts Central, Stride Gallery, Nuit Blanche.


19. Life Long LearningIdeas: Attend an event with a speaker, Poetry Reading, Doc Film Fest, Pecha Kucha, TED-X event, debate, book reading, a talk at the library, speaker series, panel discussion.


20. Read a book about Calgary or by a Calgary Author

Ideas:  Chris Turner, Marcello di Cintio, Will Ferguson, Sheri D. Wlson, Richard Harrison, Kristi McLellan Day, Kirk Ramdath, Julie Van Rosendaal.


 Image Source here