Diane Babcock

Awesome Birthday Outing

2011-09-15T11:46:00.000-07:00

My birthday lunch experience was awesome.

First of all I have to drive 20k into town, which makes for a long trip to start with, so you can see how much can happen between here and my destination in a few short hours.

En route and by pure coincidence one of my clients was heading back from an impromptu trip to the airport at the same time I was entering the highway. Wave Wave! He's the one that advises me on computers while I advise him on bookkeeping.

Then I stopped in to see my son, who was contracted for some work at Mack Trucks on my way to meet my cousin at Alladin's for lunch. As a birthday present he offered to wash my car with his mobile detailing unit and WOW... I have not see her sparkle so much ever. Every street light, tail light and bit of sunlight on this cloudy day was reflected with much pride – along with many admiring comments from passers by.

Then I looked around the Mack Truck parking lot. I haven't been there in eons, since I worked in the Service Department as Warranty Administrator 20 years ago and Tyler was only 10. We just lived down the street so he could stop by work any time – as was the norm in my household: anywhere I worked my son could always drop in. His immediate memory was when he used to bring his bike in with a broken chain and the guys would fix it for him. Neato. Then along came an employee who offered courtesies of the day and to whom Tyler introduced me as his Mom. He acted quite surprised and then retorted with "You're a mom?". Talk about making my brithday even better. Like I said to Tyler just this morning when he called, "You really don't get old when you get older" – he liked that.

Although I was running late, I knew my cousin would be so very patient and understand about my tardiness, as I was enjoying time with my son. She was, of course in ultimate sync with me and saw my shiny Jag drive by in search of a parking space only 20 minutes after our date. It also gave her a good excuse to chat with the waitress who was somehow made excited by arrival from all the questions surrounding my unusual lack of timeliness.

New to me: when I first parked the car, I got out and attempted put money in the parking meter, but there were already two crammed coins in the slot, so it wouldn't work. Right away I had to grab the next stall and at the same time feel sorry for the poor sucker who parked in that one. What is the protocol for parking meters that can't be used anyway? When I returned from lunch there was a motorbike there, so maybe I could have parked for free?

So, now lunch was on and happening. I just love Falafal Pitas and it took me back to when I first had them before they were 'in vogue' when the chef was trying some new dishes at the Greek restaurant I worked at as head waitress many more years ago.

It's so nice to chat with people of the same mindset as yourself and this is where me my cousin are so wonderfully linked. For some reason we always get high off of each others energy and ideas, which is really good, because we are both quite private people in some ways and don't get to see each other often. In other ways we have completely different upbringings, lifestyles and life experiences, but that syncronicity we found at one point those decades ago has never left us.

Over our yummy lunch and glass of pinot gris, we had a grand old time chatting about internet capabilities on a TV screen and the different technologies available. Plus, our usual chat about all of the latest good things that have been happening in our lives along with our most recent insights into the universe and lessons learned.

She really liked my idea of helping people who are overcoming abuse and trauma with subliminal video and audio that is directed at the subconscious to heal past conditioning. It is my theory that counselling a person on a conscious level alone does not provide enough of an impact towards changing the deeply rooted conditioning of earlier life experiences. I believe whole-heartedly in the need for brain entrainment as a necessary part of therapy and am starting a campaign towards providing generic audio and video that will help with the healing process on that level.

Today I saw so much joy in my life in those three short hours that it makes me even more appreciative of my many gifts of the universe.

Campbell Spreads Cancer of Corruption

2011-09-08T13:05:00.000-07:00

The thick black tar of cancerous political corruptionin the BC Liberal party is spreading to our awareness faster than a BCwildfire. It is a tumor of arrogance and greed that is so aggressive andmetastasized that to remove it could kill the party. But, remove it we must. Wecan bombard this parasitic growth with the radiation of truth and knowledgethat will give us the power to choose real direct democracy over fraudulentabusive dictatorship. The list of exploitive and scandalous undertakings thatthis party has enacted behind our backs is now well past 100 and growing.

Whatwas your first clue?

The slap on the wrist for GordonCampbell’s ill-apologized 0.161 DUI where now they will take your vehiclefor 0.05 and you lose your job? The BC Railgate or Water War Crimes? Hisbig raises with money from cutbacks to domesticviolence/medical/social/education services and wages? It is total tyranny totake from the struggling and impoverished to give to your cohorts and 'assistant'– is it not?

It is our Beautiful BC.

Let’s keep actively seeking tofind an organized opposition party with integrity and honour. Let’s alsocontinue to be our government’s watchdog as preventative medicine to therecurrence of this soulless scourge of sleaze.

_________________________________________

As sent to Letters to the Editor in BC, UK & Northern Ireland

Tax, Lies, and Idiot Sticks

2011-08-02T11:18:00.000-07:00

Vote YES to Extinguish the HST and Stop Dictatorship.

The HST ballot must be RECEIVED (not POSTMARKED) by Elections BC, a Service BC Centre, or an Elections BC Collection Centre before 4:30 p.m., Friday, August 5, 2011.

If you did not receive your HST ballot, go to the Missing Ballot Registry ASAP to make sure your democratic rights are upheld.

You have until this Friday, August 5th to Vote YES

_______________________________________________________

When it comes to the Harmonized Sales Tax, like most people, I will be glad when this HST nightmare is over and I can get back to my regular nightmares.

Considering that this tax was a bad idea in the first place born from desperate minds out of an historically incompetent and desperate government makes me wish I could have stopped them sooner. This tax is a huge band-aid meant to cover up their huge boo-boos with no forethought whatsoever to the consequences and no thought for the people. The signs were there way back when they sold off our resources, took over anything they could call a ministry, cut back our education and health care and turned our police force into a cash cow. People are naive today if they think those were justifiable decisions that would benefit the province and this government would stop at some point and find some real solutions – but no – and now it’s worse.

Now, I’m insulted by all of the lies that are being crammed down my throat and I’m forced to pay for, because the government views me as a ‘confused idiot stick’. Anyone who knows me knows better and the only confusion about the HST is being caused by this government.

Fact 1: with the HST we are paying 12% on everything instead of 5% on everything and 12% on some things; the HST is 12% and will not change. There is NO 10% HST rate in effect now or ever.
Fact 2: retail businesses that charge PST have a PST Exemption Number and don’t pay it on resale items, as it is an end-user tax on only some items; these businesses get a percentage of what they collect as a commission to cover the cost of doing the paperwork.
Fact 3: for those who don’t get the HST rebate don’t even think that it anywhere near covers the original outlay on purchases. At a zero tax payable income level, at 5% GST if the rebate is $360/year then at the more than doubled 12% HST the rebate does not even double at $600/year; the HST on a storage unit alone will eat up one of those quarterly cheques.

There are more facts where the government is telling lies, but you get the gist. Just walk into any store or restaurant and bring up the subject of the HST, you'll get the facts all for yourself.

Today when I watch the news, I shake my head in disbelief when I see people who tout the HST and all they can do is either repeat the lies our government tells us or read from a script like they did at the forum. I’m speaking from the viewpoint of experience with and without the HST as both a consumer and a business person. I knew when the HST was dumped on me that it was not my load to carry; I knew in my mind and in my heart, and that has never changed.

Our government is paid by us to manage our money in our best interest – not strip our wallets bare and demand that we imagine ourselves with money.

I say YES to Extinguish the HST and bring back the GST + PST so that another government can find real solutions, since this one is the ‘Idiot Stick’ that it thinks I am.

Missing Ballot Registry | Vote YES BC.ca

2011-07-28T15:35:00.000-07:00

Missing Ballot Registry | Vote YES BC.ca

http://www.bclocalnews.com/vancouver_island_central/nanaimonewsbulletin/opinion/letters/124817339.html

2011-07-04T11:28:00.000-07:00

http://www.bclocalnews.com/vancouver_island_central/nanaimonewsbulletin/opinion/letters/124817339.html

Poem For Queen Victoria's 81st Birthday - May 24, 1900

2011-05-24T17:14:00.000-07:00

Poem written by my great-grandfather, William Hunter: to commemorate Queen Victoria's 81st Birthday.

When morning's sun with golden beams
First streaks the eastern sky
We hear the beating of the drum
And there a flag floats high
And as the orb of day ascends
We hear that same loved lay
"God Save the Queen" is sung by friends
Upon the Queen's birthday
It's three and sixty years ago
A youthful maiden fair
Came to the throne, received a crown
And still she's sitting there
This earth has never seen the like
Go search where'er you may
Of all these three and sixty years
This is the greatest day
She had gained a place in every heart
Throughout her vast domain
Not only o'er her people rules
But in their hearts she reigns
All rulers sure can learn of her
Why – she's a great success
A faithful wife, a mother true
But queenly none the less
One thing has helped our noble Queen
With home and nations cares
And that one thing we all have seen
Is a nation's stream of prayers

And prayers ascend from Afric's shores
Where lances flash and gleam
Midst battles rush, and cannons' roar
Arise, "God Save our Queen"

________________________________

I sent this poem to Queen Elizabeth II in 1993 to lend support when all heck was breaking loose with Charles & Diana and there was a fire at Windsor Castle. Here is her reply:

2011-05-12T16:08:00.000-07:00

Stop The Liberals From Sucking Another 7% Of BC's Life Force

The BC Liberals have created a poor province through the reckless mismanagement of OUR previous tax dollars – and now they want more. You don't need to be a psychic to see where our financial future is headed – and I don't want to find out what other even more desperate liberties they will take when they have mismanaged all of the money they get from the HST heist.

On my storage unit alone I am paying an additional $88 per year and that's just a start – and that's only on $105.00/month outlay. Do the Liberals seriously think that a paltry $120 per year extra is going make a dent in compensating for my outrageous new monetary outlay – or anyone else's?

Here is a list of items and services that were previously PST exempt and we now pay an additional 7% on. Where are you losing your 7% dollar force?

Accounting
Admission Fees
Advertising
Airline tickets
Animal feeds (hay is exempt)
Appliance repair & maintenance
Architects
Art Galleries Admission
Attractions / Events
Ballet Lessons
Basic Cable TV
Bicycles
Campgrounds
Cigarettes / Cigars
Catering
Chinese medicine
Clothing –adult sized children
Clothing – used adult (less than $100)
Coffee shops
Commercial Leases
Compost
Computer servicing
Concert Tickets
Condo management fees
Consulting services
Conveyance fees
Delivery Services
Dietary supplements
Dry cleaning
Driving Range fees
Electronics repair
Energy equipment
Esthetician Services
Fast food – Beverages
Fire extinguishers
First aid kits
Fishing charters
Fitness Club memberships
Fitness Trainers
Food producing trees and plants
Freight (in BC)
Funeral services
Golf fees
Grass Cutting
Hair cuts
Hall rental
Health equipment
Helmets
Hockey tickets
Hockey rink rentals
Home appraisals
Home inspections
Home maintenance
Home renovations (Labour)
Horse Boarding
Horse Shows
Horse riding lessons
House Cleaning services
Insulation
Interior design services
Investment Counseling fees
Landscaping
Life jackets
Limousine rentals
Magazines/ newspapers
Marketing services
Massage therapy
Membership fees
Moorage
Museum admissions
Movies / Theatre
Moving Costs
Music MP3 downloads
Naturopathy
New Homes (some rebates applicable)
Nicotine replacements
Non-prescription meds
Painting
Parking
Photography
Postage
Private Bus fares
Printing
Rail travel (originating in BC)
Real estate fees
Reflexology
Rentals for Weddings, Canopy, Tuxedo etc.
Reroofing House
Restaurant meals
RV parks
Safety equipment (Not all safety and Energy Equipment is affected)
School supplies
Shoe repairs
Skiing
Smoke detectors
Snow removal
Solar power
Some groceries
Spa services
Sports Training / Lessons
Storage lockers
Tailoring
Taxi fares
Telephone (Basic Charge for landlines will be affected)
Theatre admissions
Veterinarian
Video downloads
Vitamins
Wedding Planner
Windows (energy star)
Rentals / Strata fees (Though they are HST exempt, most people will notice increases brought on by an increase in maintenance costs and other costs associated with owning Rental and Strata properties)
Used cars / trucks / boats / non-turbine aircraft (Private Sale will have an additional 5% tax, it is not called HST)

Believe me...there really is a better way.
But, first we need a government who knows how to manage any tax dollars we have.
Vote YES to Kill The HST!

My New Best Friend - The Spa

2011-04-29T13:16:00.000-07:00

If you ever do one thing just for yourself – go to a resort spa.

I had never been to a resort spa before in my life and now I am incredibly aware of what I've been missing for all those stress-riddled years. Sure, I've had the odd body wrap and facial, plus my esthetician girlfriend gives me manicures and pedicures when I visit– and that is so pampering. But, those are just teasers compared to the real thing!

After two years of back pain, subsequent surgery, my battle for compensation and final win, I decided I needed a real break – and last week I finally got the chance. I have been wanting to go to the Kingfisher Resort in Courtenay ever since they opened about 11 years ago and I finally did it. I did a bunch of research on their packages and found a great deal – and it was the best thing I ever did for myself.

Just look at that view! (I had to Photoshop 3 photos together to make this)

2-Night Spring Celebration Package

For two people and about $350 night includes 2 nights accommodation in an ocean view room where you each get:

$75 restaurant credit
$100 spa credit
One visit to the Pacific Mist Hydropath
$25 gift card
One fitness class

My Hydropath Experience

The first day we did the Hydropath in a private grotto-like atmosphere where the decor is entirely carved sandstone with a driftwood-matted ceiling. The Hydropath has eight unique water features and I never knew you could do so many different therapeutic things with water – it was a truly awesome experience.

Starting at the Swiss shower jet Massage Rinse, every feature is timed and your water glass is constantly being refilled with refreshing lemonized water.
Then you soak in a Mineral Massage Pool for a bit, which is similar to a jacuzzi, only the jets are set around the perimeter progressively from the lumbar to the top of the shoulders – plus, one for your feet.
Next is the Waterfall Massage, which is like a little cave with closets where you sit and let four different flow types of showering water fall all over your head and body.
Now it's time for the Steam Cave where can just sit with your chilled 'lemon-eau' and let the steam and eucalyptus draw toxins out of your tissues and down the drain.
Here's where you get to show your true brave form – or not. To get the whole benefit from the Hydropath experience, a douse from the Glacial Waterfall will help boost your immune system.
For something totally different it's the River Walk, which is extremely beneficial for circulation and lymph glands. It's two side-by-side path-like pools where the water is about hip deep. The first path is warm water and the second is cool water and there are jets along each side at levels progressing fromthe ankles to the upper thigh. You walk kind of straddled to each set of jets and stand for a count of 30 seconds before moving forward to the next.
One of my favourites is the Sea Mineral Soak, which is a pool full of water that is at a perfect temperature and has 104 trace elements. You can do a 'float and soak' while your buoyant body soaks up all those elements as they bubble all around you and a warm 'rain' falls down through the ceiling at the center.
The last feature is a neato Tidal Bath where you cover your skin with a salt-type paste and lay in a warm pool of water carved like a tub to fit one. It's good to have a partner to do your back.

Once you've gone through all the features of the Hydropath, you will be totally oblivious to anything other than how really good you are feeling. You'll find that along with your body floating on cloud nine your mind is, too and you will just want to savor that sensation.

All you have to do now is shower, moisturize, put on your fresh robe and sandals and head for the lounge where you can lie down and just 'be'.

What a wonderful experience!

Seriouly...if I had known how therapeutic and rejuvenating the resort spa experience was I would have done it long time ago. I also believe adopting that as a habit long time ago may have prevented my back problems, too.

Now, I still have a long way to go if I'm ever going to heal from my back injury, but I'm off to a good start now that I've gotten past the worst of it. I've cleared a lot of stress toxins out of my system and renewed my life focus – my health.

To your health.

Christie's BC Cabinet Swearing In - Same Old Hash - My Steak Solution

2011-03-14T14:25:00.000-07:00

I'm just watching the newly juggled Christie cabinet members being sworn in.

Hey...aren't all those same people on the recall list? I thought so. They may as well all put their hands down...not an honest bone in the bunch, but I guess it's just a formality. I wonder how much this freak show is costing us.

I don't know about you, but I'm tired of the same old hash....especially when they are eating steak. The crap they are trying to cram down our throats is just the same old hash with one new ingredient prepared by a new cook to make it seem like a new dish but it's not. Please...don't try and feed us the same old hash again. With the HST that's all some of us can afford to eat.

Come on people, the Refed party was the most active in the HST fight and in the recall. Let's take our steak back.

Add this to your Error 404 page.

BC Refed Party gets my vote. √

WE BELIEVE IN PEOPLE POWER – “REAL CHANGE" INSTEAD OF WORTHLESS PROMISES.

BDEB Real Life Poetry - A Baby's First Birthday

2011-02-07T08:00:00.000-08:00

The first year shows especially
How well you trained your family

You can be proud

SO CELEBRATE

With your first candle on the cake.

BDEB Real Life Poetry - A Grandma's Birthday

2011-02-06T08:00:00.000-08:00

To My Grandma

In all the days since we were born

The sun and moon and stars

Have lavished light across the sky

And on this world of ours

Yet in this world another light

Shines brighter than the sky

From deep in hearts, it reaches far

The love we live life by

And then in very special ways

We share this love with you

In rose-kissed smiles upon your face

And "Happy Birthdays", too.

From the book 'Birth, Death, and Everything Between – Real Life Poetry

Buy at Lulu.com

BDEB Real Life Poetry - Male Birthday - Humor

2011-02-05T08:00:00.000-08:00

A Wizard's Son

We’re glad that you were born dear

But we’re really not sure when

You see we have this theory

And we’ve put our thoughts to pen

We think a lofty wizard

Was looking for his wand

And came upon a maiden fair

Enchanted by her charm

He whispered hocus-pocus

He moved in wizard ways

He said the magic words and POOF!

You started your birthdays

Of course it’s just a theory

For you to be so fawned

The question that we ask you is

“Where did you get that wand?”

©1993 Diane Babcock

From the book 'Birth, Death, and Everything Between – Real Life Poetry
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New Baby Girl

2011-02-04T12:12:00.000-08:00

She's just newly born

Already

The world stops in wonder

Her light is her charm

Just a look

One can only adore her

It's joyful to see

Such a love

Like mother, like daughter.

©2003 Diane Babcock
For my god-daughter on the birth of her first child.

From the book 'Birth, Death, and Everything Between'

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New Baby

2011-02-01T16:37:00.000-08:00

If at the time you’d only known

How love could honour you

To see the moment sweetly held

The taste of passion true

Conception in its purest form

The babe that found the way

Into your life, into your hearts

You bless that secret day

The eyes that see the two of you

Will call you Mom and Dad

And show you in a special way

The blessing that you have

Your precious baby bunting

Has come with gifts for you

The gift of joy, of innocence

A love that’s fresh and new

And in this love, you will embrace

A fortune only told

In ‘yesterdays’ and ‘will be dones’

In moments you can hold…forever.

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Friendship Is Priceless

2011-01-14T12:00:00.000-08:00

Exceptional things happen all the time to people, but sometimes a person wants and finds the place of trust enough to share and this is a friend who shared with me and this is what I did with it.

_____________________________________________________

Just before Christmas a husband announces he's leaving her so-thought happy 16-year marriage to live with a woman he'd been bedding for the past few months. In her pain she discovered a part of her that she'd been ignoring. This is how she shared it with me.

No, he was not allowed back!

Update: Now she is happily married to a wonderful, runs two companies and smiles even more than she used to.

The Best Advice Has Positive Results

2011-01-13T12:00:00.000-08:00

I never ask people for advice about solutions to problems in my life, because I know it better than anyone else and I always find the answers through meditation and hunches. I do however fall back on some of the most profound sayings ever written every once in a while to help keep me focused.

I believe advice should support, inspire and influence on a positive level when a person is trying to make the right decision about their life, rather than warn of impending doom, gloom and disaster.

"Actions speak louder than words" is one of the clearest and most helpful pieces of advice that I like to share. Another one that helped me when I was going through a lot of guilt during my divorce is "Marriage was made for people...people were not made for marriage". One that my son told me teaches a lot about how to live life in "Reality is a crutch for people who can't handle drugs.” And then there’s the timeless Goethe with “"Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness had genius, power and magic in it. Begin it now.” Of course one should never forget, “Thoughts are things, think the good ones” and "As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he."

Advice that should never be shared is “Damned if you do and damned if you don't”, “Nice guys finish last”, “No pain...no gain”, “Only the good die young”, and my all time least favourite, Want in one hand, shit in the other, and see which fills up the fastest.” These are really heavy, hard to unlearn and basically tell you to put up and shut up, because there ain’t nothin’ you can do about it. Whoever thought them up was probably miserable and didn’t want others to be happy if they couldn’t – that’s my theory.

To counteract some of the negative advice I received growing up I created some of my own words to live by. When I’m up against it I just recall one or more of them and the answers to my problems come quite quickly. I think it’s because positive thoughts open your mind to the divine where solutions are kept – that’s my theory. When I need them I choose to remember thoughts like “It's not so much what you need to learn to make a good life...it's more what you need to unlearn” and “Never be a prisoner of some else's bad decisions” and ”You can never believe in nothing, because you can always believe in yourself.”

One thing I always made sure of when my son left the house was to say, “Have fun” rather than “Be careful” and I still say it whenever anyone leaves my house. I guess I never want anyone to leave my home feeling afraid that something bad might happen to them once they’ve left.

Overheard By Me At My Own Funeral

2011-01-12T12:00:00.000-08:00

I used to be a wall flower, so to be a fly on a wall is not much of a stretch – as long as no one brings a fly swatter.

I know what I say about other deceased at funerals, as I know the protocol of reminiscing about their virtues, so I imagine it will be the same at my own funeral. At funerals, you don’t want to upset anyone by saying something bad about the deceased person, especially to family members, as they are grieving enough.

Anyway, a funeral these days is a ‘celebration of life’, so even though you are aware they were a miserable old fart or cranky old hag, you refrain from expressing those particular sentiments for this one day only. And even though they were abusive, selfish, demanding and a waste of oxygen on the planet in your mind, their wife, co-workers, church and/or drinking buddies only want to have rapport with you about their generosity and good times had by all.

For myself, I want to know the truth about what people say about me today and I think I’ve got that covered in that I’ve burned many a bridge to find sincere and loving friends. Anyone that doesn’t relate to me on an intellectual and emotional level and doesn’t know how to see the good in life really has no business or pleasure with me – and won’t be invited to my funeral.

Most people tell me to my face what they think of me and I reciprocate with my own compliments for them. I only want my friends at my funeral anyways and they will say things like “She really had a zest for life and never let anything get her down for too long before she found a way back up.” “She adored her son and always tried to make a good life for him” is what they will say, too. A favourite of mine will be, “It’s great that she found a wonderful man, even though it was later on, and lived long enough to share many wonderful adventures with him.”

It will be said, too, that “It was good that she make her own funeral arrangements and picked out her own plot, because that will be one less stressor for the family” and “By the way, did you see the bench that she had installed under the tree by her plot? Anyone can sit and visit comfortably – and the plot is right by the road, so you don’t have to walk far.”

I’m hoping that when my funeral time comes around they will be able to say “What a great writer she got to be and soldier for the greater good in the world. She really made a difference just by sharing her thoughts and speaking her mind.”

When I am a fly on the wall at my own funeral, I will be the one with the big huge smile as I watch and admire the greatest loves of my life gather in one place to remember me – a best friend for life.

My Most And Least Favourite Quotes Of All Time

2011-01-11T12:00:00.000-08:00

I fall back on some of the most profound sayings ever written every once in a while to help keep me focused.

"Actions speak louder than words" is one of the clearest and direct and is immediately recalled when someone promises me something. Another one that helped me when I was going through a lot of guilt during my divorce is "Marriage was made for people...people were not made for marriage". One that my son told me is "Reality is a crutch for people who can't handle drugs.” And then there’s the timeless Goethe with "Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness had genius, power and magic in it. Begin it now.” Of course one should never forget, “Thoughts are things, think the good ones” and "As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he."

Quotes I hate and will never repeat are “Damned if you do and damned if you don't”, “Nice guys finish last”, “No pain...no gain”, “Only the good die young”, and my all time least favourite, Want in one hand, shit in the other, and see which fills up the fastest.” These are really heavy, hard to unlearn and basically tell you to put up and shut up, because there ain’t nothin’ you can do about it. Whoever thought them up was probably miserable and didn’t want others to be happy if they couldn’t – that’s my theory.

Some of my own quotes that I wrote that appeared in my consciousness to help me on a personal level are “It's not so much what you need to learn to make a good life...it's more what you need to unlearn” and “Never be a prisoner of some else's bad decisions” and ”You can never believe in nothing, because you can always believe in yourself.”

One thing I always made sure of when my son left the house was to say, “Have fun” rather than “Be careful” and I still say it whenever anyone leaves my house. I guess I never want anyone to leave my home feeling afraid that something bad might happen to them once they’ve left.

You Can Be In Love All Of The Time

2011-01-10T13:19:00.000-08:00

We all know what it's like to fall in love with someone or fantasize about a special someone to fall in love with. For most people that kind of romantic love is deemed to be the ultimate in life quests and we are taught that we will be empty without it. What you probably didn't know was that falling in love with life for the sake of it feels similar to falling in love with a person and is our first quest.

Surprised? You shouldn't be...deep down inside you already know it.

A word of caution. Be careful when you fall in love with life as it's a very attractive quality to others. Use your powers of discernment when someone wants to get closer to you.

If I Could Relive Any Day of My Life.

2011-01-10T12:00:00.000-08:00

If I could relive any day in my life it would be 'The day I got married', I wouldn't have shown up.

Your wedding day is supposed to be the happiest, most looked forward to day of your life…isn’t it? Maybe for some that’s how it works out, but for me it was a day from hell – and that was just the beginning. When I saw my wedding photos of me walking down the aisle, I was as white as a ghost, and I remember feeling terrified.

I’d always been afraid to get married and had been engaged a few times before, but I thought because I started going to church and found someone through the congregation that I was pretty much guaranteed a happy and long lasting marriage. Little did I realize that the church was more of a cult and the so-called husband was a certified psychotic – and everyone in his family knew it. The reception was a potluck where the church folk sat on one side of the room and family sat on the other. These church folk didn’t believe in dancing, so even my first dance was uncomfortable – and the discomfort didn’t end there. His mother was overheard at the reception to say, “Well, he’s her problem now.” Even my stepfather had some insightful advice for me at the reception when he took me aside and said, “I don’t give this marriage 6 months.” How did he know?

Maybe it was the reason I was getting married at the age of 28 – to stop people from pressuring me, like my mother since I was 20 and those who looked down on me for being a single parent, like the church. It worked really well in the end, but it cost me $400 to get out of it 6 months later, plus the cost of tranquilizers from having my life threatened.

Well, nobody pressures me about getting married anymore and at 55, I’m just starting to think that I’m ready for it.

To Love Is Inherent In All Of Us

2011-01-09T13:15:00.000-08:00

We all have the ability to be in love as it is our inherent nature and there are two ways of letting go and letting love happen that create a sense of romance with the universe and magic in the air.

They both bring out the best in us with every good fortune and make the world a great place to be. The only differences between the two is that one has an object of desire in a dependent state that loses its sense of romance over time. You will never be disappointed when you fall in love with life itself and you can never fall out of love with it, because it doesn't happen only when things are going well. There are no feelings of desperation or distant yearning or searching for love in all the wrong places, or heart-ache.

Then, in the next quest, when you are already in love, you learn to share its power in all honesty with someone who has the same capacity for loving.

Get Back To Your First Love

2011-01-08T13:14:00.000-08:00

Circumstances can push us a few degrees off balance or send us to the far end of the scale in any or all aspects and bring us all kinds of distracting mind chatter. It's up to each of us to maintain our balance as it is our foundation for new experiences and in creating and reaching new goals. This is a guide to un-learning crippling thought patterns and accompanying emotions as first and foremost in personal responsibility. Life is multi-faceted and distractions are many...those who know themselves and their thoughts best have the clear mind to envision and create a greater world with greater peace for the one and the many.

The fact is not everyone has the time or inclination to actively seek knowledge about life, but there are those who are prompted to do just that. These individuals will continue to find answers and solutions to make life better for the rest of humanity until all of humanity "gets it". They are the warriors of the unseen world of thoughts about being human which of itself brings a sense of expanded loneliness at times. The very nature of the understanding process is in deciphering which thoughts are truth rather than ego. The highness test for truth is that it gives without taking. If an idea gives only to a select group or person by taking away from another, it is ego. When you think you have to take from another in order to have, it is a sign that you believe that there is not enough to go around, which is a lie.

Knowledge is freely available to everyone in the world who uses their mind to seek it. Those who don't seek it for themselves should be able to put a value of at least one good thought towards those who find it for them. The gift of thankfulness is more valuable than money as it releases forward positive energy.

Get back to your first love…your self…you can only teach that which you yourself know.

Teach by example and love others from a place of honor and strength.

Loving your self is your natural protection against bad experiences

Medication Versus Meditation For Pain

2011-01-08T12:00:00.000-08:00

As a society we rely too much on medication and not enough on meditation. Both can be used for pain relief, but one doesn't have side effects and can actually help your body to heal naturally – can you guess which one
One problem with meditation is that it takes practice to go deep inside your heart and body to locate pain, bring it to a conscious level and find the peace that is beyond it. The other problem is that although you find that state of peace and stop the pain, once you become active again it is retriggered.

Now take a look at medications like Percocet, Tramacet and Lyrica. Percocet doesn't actually kill the pain, it just makes you feel numb to feeling anything, but it also makes you feel numb to your good feelings and that's not good. Tramacet is a better alternative to Percocet, as it stops the pain signal from the brain. Lyrica is for neurological pain, such as the burning in legs and feet from a herniated disk pressing on the nerves. It works quite well for that and as an added benefit it also calms anxiety, but it can make you sleepy.

The best solution is to use both meditation and medication in conjunction until the injury is healed, as meditation will surely help lessen the need for a higher dose of medication.

Wonder Drugs No Better Than Aspirin?

2011-01-07T12:52:00.000-08:00

I try to trust my doctor to prescribe medications that will help alleviate my symptoms, but most of the time the drugs are either not as effective as over-the-counter meds or the side effects are worse than my symptoms. A case in point is the prescription drug Arthrotec, a non-steroid anti-inflammatory drug that was prescribed for my herniated disk versus a generic Acetylsalicylic Acid.

For one thing, the 75 mg Arthrotec costs 58.82 for 60 tablets at the pharmacy and the 325mg ASA costs 5.99 for 100 tablets at London Drugs. The other thing is the possible side effects for Arthrotec are stomach pain, dyspepsia, nausea, flatulence, diarrhea and bleeding gastrointestinal ulcers. The possible side effects for Enteric Coated ASA are upset stomach and heartburn.

You'd think that with all of the money the drug companies charge they could do better.

Thanks anyway, doc. I think I'll stick to aspirin.

Make the world a better place…remember to flush.

2010-12-02T18:35:00.000-08:00

Everybody has their own crap to deal with and if we all took responsibility for our own instead of leaving it for someone else clean up, there would be less of it.

It all starts with childhood conditioning, as parents dump on their children every bit of crap they have learned up to that point on both a conscious and sub-conscious level – and sometimes it’s a load of diarrhoea.

Life is about taking responsibility for your own thoughts and actions, which is what we should learn during the stage of childhood. As a child you are an observer and you are not capable of reacting to anything bigger than not getting something you want at that exact moment. This is often referred to as the ‘terrible twos’ stage, because it is the time that is most prominent with the ‘want’ factor in human development. Responsible parents will be able to ‘respond’ to a child’s tantrums with acknowledgment and redirection, whilst irresponsible parents will ‘react’ on the same level as the child without so much as a tiny fore-thought. You can imagine how much this adult has grown on this level since they were two years old and what lessons they have yet to learn – the hard way.

All the while you are growing up and beyond adulthood, you are observing how others respond or react to things that are not yet part of your experience and down the road when you’re in that same scenario you mimic those that got the desired result. Without thinking you will fall back on the skill that is most beneficial to your cause, depending on what was impressed upon you. Whether your resulting action is your most entrained or whether you created a response mechanism that works for you based on your personality and interactions with people, it’s your choice and your responsibility.

Far too many people blame others for their actions and it is one of the worst things I have been witness to in the course of my existence. How often have you heard it said, “You make me so mad” and “Now look what you made me do” and “It’s your fault that I didn’t fulfill my dream” – as if you could have done anything about their choices?

Nope, personal responsibility is by far the most lacking human quality from my perspective and when more people pick them own selves up and get busy making even ‘common sense’ choices for their own life, they will be strong, their families will be strong, our country will be strong and so on – if they just remember to flush.

Microdiscectomy Surgery Video: A Spine Surgeon Explains the Procedure

2010-08-09T09:12:00.000-07:00

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via Microdiscectomy Surgery Video: A Spine Surgeon Explains the Procedure.

Microdiscectomy - Best Fix For A Herniated Disc

2010-08-09T09:10:00.000-07:00

T minus 20 hours and counting

Tomorrow is D-day at Victoria General Hospital for back surgery on my herniated disc. Believe it or not, I am more excited than scared about it. A herniated disc can be described as a flat tire for your back...where the disc material bulges out like an inner tube and presses against the spinal nerve causing excruciating pain radiating down the legs – that among other horrible pains.

I will be having a Bi-Lateral L4-L5 Microdiscectomy for a herniated disc that I have been suffering with for 20 months. I can't wait to live my first day without chronic sciatic and nerve pain running up and down my legs in almost 2 years...and can barely remember what a pain free life is like.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="400" caption="Microdiscectomy (Microdecompression) Spine Surgery"][/caption]

In preparation for surgery, I've already had my pre-op physical along with blood & urine tests, electro-cardiogram and chest X-rays. Also, I've stopped taking nutritional supplements along with certain over-the-counter pain medications like aspirin and ibuprofen for at least a week.

Tonight I start self-preparation by having using the Chlorhexidine Gluconate surgical scrub called BD E-Z Scrub 747 that you buy at the drug store for two bucks. In the shower I have to scrub from the top of my shoulders all the way down and to the back of my knees, leave it on for 2 minutes and rinse. Tomorrow morning I have to repeat it with another scrub. These scrubs are prepackaged and ready to use.

I am to have NO food after midnight and very little water, except 1-2 very small sips if I need to take pain medication and then NO water at all for 3 hours before sugery.

I am to wear loose comfortable clothing and NO lotions or perfume or nail polish, although if I felt I had to wear nail polish, clear only. They have to be able to squeeze your nails to check for blood flow and they need to be clear as possible. Lots of polishes leave a residue, so I've not been wearing any at all for over a week to make sure that there is no leftover staining.

The only thing I'm told to bring is my Care Card and a smile. The surgery will take an hour and a half and recovery will take another hour and a half after that. Once I'm awake the nurses will be 'nagging' me to do some deep breathing and coughing exercises so I don't get pneumonia. During my stay I will have to do some pumping leg exercises and circling ankle exercises to help with healing.

Honest! I can hardly wait!

No Health Care, No Workee, No Taxes

2010-08-05T05:22:00.000-07:00

How bad is health care in BC? It is so bad that that you can get bumped from surgery the day before it’s due – even when it’s emergency surgery. That’s the true picture of the internal workings from inside our government’s ‘band-aid legislation’ towards basic human life services that created our health care system. This kind of ‘duct tape health care’ that taxpayers have literally broken their backs for will not allow those backs to be fixed. It thus follows that this same system that we strive to maintain will find our children wanting when their backs are broken, too.

Guess what? No health care equals no work equals no taxes of any kind. The arrogant disregard for a basic quality of life that this government has for the people is beyond appalling – it is mismanagement at its worst, bordering on criminal neglect. The wonderful health care system that we have been touting to the world simply doesn’t exist, except in our dreams and broken campaign promises.

The saddest part is that there are many people that have been in chronic pain for years and the hospitals won’t open the operating rooms. The surgeons are willing, the hospitals are well-staffed, but the operating rooms are apparently only used for 'storing' operating equipment. At the same time, the emergency room is a virtual bottle-neck of all kinds of sick and injured people waiting hours only to leave with a prescription in one hand and a campaign promise in the other. Guess where the money’s being made here?

The emergency room scene is one where you enter and take a seat until a triage nurse calls for the next in line and does the medical background interview. In the meantime there are other nurses flitting around with not much to do until one decides to look busy and takes down names and ailments. Once you’ve passed through the triage nurse you go to one of the otherwise idle admitting nurses who simply hand you your file along with a brochure on emergency room procedures and direct you to another waiting area . When you finally get to see the doctor on call, there are three other health care workers mulling around the room all commenting about how bad things are managed while you try to explain your reason for intruding. Once it is determined that you are not paralyzed or dying, just in chronic pain, the doc hands you some heavy-duty painkillers that keep you a ‘sloth zombie’ until you can get your surgery along with a prescription for anti-depressants so you don’t’ feel so bad about it. Again, where’s the money being made here?

As a parent, I want to ensure to best of my ability that the cornerstone of health care will support a foundation that my child can count on to keep him healthy when he gets to be my age. I used to think that I was covered by a great health care system, but am now finding that I have been naïve to the point of delusional since I have been struggling with chronic pain for nineteen months with nary a glimmer of hope to be free from it. I normally live a pretty health life style by walking one to two miles a day to maintain optimum health and use quantum biofeedback therapy as a further prevention tool for disease. I would never have considered that a herniated disc would be so crippling of an injury and the wait so long until it could be fixed with all of these fine resources at my disposal.

Through this ordeal I’ve learned a lot about what is really going on with health care in my community, as well as other government services– and it looks like I have a lot more work to do to find an intelligent government that can handle the job properly. Yep, I'll get right on that – when my back is fixed.

Fight HST - Petition Signing Location Info

2010-05-12T14:49:00.000-07:00

Petition Location Relevant?

The initiative petition is administered by Elections BC and as such is subject to many rules that have to be adhered to. You can sign wherever you wish PROVIDING the canvasser that witnesses your signature has the correct petition sheet for the Electoral District you reside in. Also, if you moved since you registered as a voter then you also need to
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One Voice + One Minute = Change

2010-05-06T13:22:00.000-07:00

If you would like to drop a note to the Prime Minister of Canada and let him know what you think of his HST, this is his email address: pm@pm.gc.ca

We've Had Over 100 Years Of This Kind Of Politics - It's Time For A Change

2010-05-06T12:58:00.000-07:00

My great-grandfather wrote this poem in 1898 and only the names have changed. I say it's time for the people to voice real changes. FYI: San Jose Scale is a tree fruit pest that feeds on the sap of fruit and was a serious pest when it came to California from China on a peach in the 1870s.

ONTARIO YET

William Hunter - February, 1898

Hurrah, Hurrah for Whitney
Ontario's loyal son
Hurrah, hurrah, we'll soon be free
The fight will soon be won

No more shall loved Ontario
A million dollars spend
To help Sir Wilfred Laurier
And Israel Tarte, his friend

And full two thousand parasites
Just like the San Jose Scale
That suck our blood with all their might
Until our strength does fail

And Dryden, how he hollers
About his butter trade
Each pound just cost two dollars
Now where's the money made

No more shall Davis pig-sty
Its cholera porker sell
While honest men do blush and sigh
The story for to tell

No more shall 'Yankee' saw mills then
Take just our best pine logs
While Hardy and Ross say to our men
Why you go to the dogs

Rise up Ontario in thy might
And freeman ballots cast
And twenty years of moonlight
Will not much longer last.

Letter To The Editor: Gordon Campbell...You're Fired!

2010-03-30T13:16:00.000-07:00

Gordon Campbell...You're Fired.

Your services in the current position of the Premier of British Columbia are no longer required. I’m sure you know the reasons for the termination of your employment, but in case you are as far removed from reality as you are to the taxpaying people of BC who employ you, I will make them clear.
For one, you have failed to provide the services you promised when we hired you, beginning with your first duty in managing the province’s finances. Rather than being wealth-oriented, you have shown yourself to be incapable of managing our money to the point of instilling outrageous cutbacks to our life-basic health and child care providers, selling off our precious resources and extorting from organizations that are the very foundation of our infrastructure…to name a few.
For two, you have wasted more time and money by starting new and idiotic ways to extort more money from us and judging by what you did with what we already gave you – NO, NO, and NO. By the way, I know these stupid ideas are for the most part a distraction so you can conspire in some other underhanded scheme that won’t be exposed until it’s too late and that is the type of activity that is going to stop.

Going for three, the lazy people and the whiners do not pay your salary, the taxpayers do, which means that you work for us and not the other way around as you like to see it…we are not here to serve you or pay your 'gambling with our money' debts.

By the way, this taxpayer's British Columbian roots are 100+ years old and my Canadian roots are 160+ year old. As a female single parent since 1981, I have helped build successful businesses as an office manager and bookkeeper and now have my own business. I have volunteered as a Beaver leader and RCMP auxiliary police. I have two published books, one of inspirational poetry and one of real life poetry. I have overcome the challenges of sexual discrimination and harassment in the work place and been an advocate on behalf of others who didn’t know how to stand up for themselves. Do you hear where my voice is coming from? Need I shout?

I entrusted you with one job! I take care of everything else in my community and you can’t or won’t even do that one thing for me? I deserve to be treated better and am now looking for high-minded intelligent business people who can handle the job of the province for me and I won’t stop until I find someone who can.

So, Gordon Campbell. Leave the truth about your past underhanded schemes on the desk when you go and take your co-conspirators with you, because they will be exposed eventually, too.

Diane Babcock
diane@dianebabcock.ca

Note: Bolded words are what was printed in the Nanaimo News Bulletin on Thursday, March 18, 2010 under the headline "Premier overstayed welcome".

How To Make Your Business Come up First In Google Search | Practice Building Articles at VitalityLink.com

2009-09-02T12:18:00.001-07:00

How To Make Your Business Come up First In Google Search | Practice Building Articles at VitalityLink.com

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2009-09-01T14:44:00.000-07:00

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Who Can Help If You Have A Complaint In BC

2009-08-01T03:45:00.000-07:00

Here is a list of common complaints and who can help you with them.

If you have a complaint about:

· Car Purchase or Lease:
Contact the Vehicle Sales Authority of British Columbia (formerly the Motor Dealer Council of BC) at www.vehiclesalesauthority.com http://www.vehiclesalesauthority.com\

· Manufacturer Defects:
Canadian Motor Vehicle Arbitration Plan (CAMVAP) mediates disputes between consumers and vehicle manufacturers about alleged manufacturing defects. http://www.campvap.ca

· Businesses:
Including fitness clubs, weight loss organizations etc, contact the Business Practices and Consumer Protection Authority at www.bpcpa.ca
or
the Better Business Bureau at www.bbbvan.org http://www.bbbvan.org

· Real Estate Agents or Home Sale or Purchase:
Contact the Real Estate Council at www.recbc.ca

· Stock Brokers or Firms (including stock market scams):
Contact the BC Securities Commission at www.bcsc.bc.ca

· Scams (Such as telemarketing, email, phony prizes):
Contact the BC Crime Prevention Assoc. www.bccpa.org or Phone Busters at www.phonebusters.com

· Telemarketers and Ad Mail:
Contact the federal Do Not Call List http://www.lnnte-dncl.gc.ca To prevent you from getting junk mail register with Canadian Marketing Association at www.the-cma.org <>,

· Advertising:
Contact the Competition Bureau at www.competitionbureau.gc.ca

· Financial Institution (Bank):
Contact the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada at www.fcac-acfc.gc.ca <>, or your bank manager, regional manager, and bank's ombudsman or the Ombudsman for Banking Services and Investments. http://www.obsi.ca

· New Home Builder:
Contact the Homeowner Protection Office at www.hpo.bc.ca

· Roofer:
Contact the Roofing Contractors Association www.rcabc.org

· Moving Company:
Contact the Better Business Bureau at www.bbbvan.org or the Canadian Association of Movers at, www.mover.net or the Business Practices and Consumer Protection Authority www.bpcpa.ca

· ICBC:
Use the Fairness Review Process at www.icbc.com/dispute/how_to.asp

· Cell Phone Company:
Contact The Commissioner for Telecommunications Services http://www.ccts-cprst.ca/en/

· Strata Disputes or Questions:
Condominium Home Owners Association www.choa.bc.ca

Additonally, if you can't resolve a dispute you can go to:

Small Claims Court, www.ag.gov.bc.ca/courts/civil/smallclaims/ http://www.ag.gov.bc.ca/courts/civil/smallclaims/

Nosy Canadian Slams US Health Care System

2009-07-11T14:43:00.000-07:00

Human Life Is Not A Commodity. Why Is Human Health Care In The USA?

I may be a nosy Canadian, but I'm not the only one with compassion for my neighbour and an opinion on the outrageous undertakings in the American version of a health care system. So, on the heels of Michael Moore's 'Sicko' and Bill Moyers' revealing interview on PBS with Wendell Potter, ex-Head of Corporate Communications for CIGNA, I feel compelled to share my views and offer some solutions.

Apparently in the USA there are publicly trading corporations made up of morally-challenged money mongers and pompous profiteers who determine health insurance policies for the nation. More so, the government is said to be powerless to stop these bullies and even allows them a brash god status to decide if a claimant lives or dies based on what it's worth to shareholders.

Anyone with a little knowledge about publicly trading companies knows that the one and only goal above all for this type of industry is to satisfy the shareholders, which is where it makes sense - on that level. It's within this framework that the shareholders are served by the company, but it's also within this framework that the life and death fate of American insurance policy holders are made. In plain English, the insured person's fate is based purely on financial reports at the time of the claim, which determine and are reflected in the company's stock price. Hence the decision to allow or deny claims based on the Balance Sheet figures - make sense?

Where it doesn't make sense is on the intellectual and human(e) levels. Every consumer is familiar with orange juice as a publicly traded commodity and the orange juice company has a single directive to create profit in order to make money for its shareholders. If the company fails to do that, because frost happened, the shareholder has the option of selling the shares and investing in another product. Cancer is not a commodity, so why is the approach to health care of an individual the same as the buying and selling of stock in orange juice?

It is shocking to realize that the deployment of health care is structured on the business model of a publicly-trading company rather than a non-profit or other organization - and ungoverned to boot. Let's consider the business model of the College of Physicians & Surgeons; it's a self-governing body with very strict policies and higher standards of conduct than a court of law - they govern the doctrine of doctors in order to best serve the people.

You can ask why I should care if it doesn't affect me directly, because I live in Canada and my government provides for a national health care program. Simply stated we all want the same thing - to be surrounded by healthy people in a healthy world. Let's face it, accessible and affordable health care makes healthy people and healthy people make money and create wealthy societies. Who doesn't want that?
The flaw in a rampant renegade system of corporate-governed health care is for them it's not about health care at all, it's not even mandated. Subsequently, the burden of cost for rejected claims lands squarely on the shoulders of family and friends - then they get sick - then they develop health issues - and society suffers - and so on.

If you agree that your health care does not belong on Wall Street making money for shareholders, but under the protection of a national committee where all are equally treated, the only way it can happen is to make intelligent and informed choices in a loud voice.

Send a fax, email or letter to your local politician; put your name on a list that supports a higher quality of life. Better yet, tweet!

Consider this your invitation to a long and healthy life. http://www.bit.ly/15LwsC