Mandatory

  The city of Ottawa lost another hero on Friday, Det. Thomas Roberts. At the age of 35, he decided that life was not worth living anymore and died by his own hand in the police station. It is a tragedy for all of us and I cannot express enough my sympathies to his family, friends, and coworkers. Unfortunately, my family has first-hand knowledge of the effects of suicide on those left behind and my heart cries for this young man's wife and infant child.

  Police officers, firefighters, military personnel, EMT's they all see the worst of humanity. On a daily basis, they are thrust into situations that human beings are not meant to deal with. Yet they go to work tomorrow and the next day, protecting us and putting our lives above their own. Now it's our turn.

  We need to press our leaders in all of these fields to make counseling mandatory. Every month perhaps and if the counselor deems it necessary making it a weekly event. And no one gets out of it. No one. You never know when or how PTSD will present itself so everyone must be taken care of. We owe them at least that.

  It will be expensive. We are talking about hundreds of thousands of people. But worth every penny if we can stop even one person from hurting themselves or someone else. All from the effects of what we, as a people, ask them to do. Surely that is worth any expense.

  Over the years I personally have seen the effects of PTSD and it's staggering how many first responders suffer from it. Being part of the military community for many years we have watched people suffer thru and finally succumb to the demons in their minds. It is heartbreaking to see. I can't imagine living through it first hand. 

  Yet over the years we have also watched people suffer and become whole again. With therapy and medication, they heal. They go on and lead productive lives. Parents, spouses, children.....it's who they were and I've seen them become those people again. It's a life long illness and they need life long treatment. 

  I hope that Det Roberts has found the peace he craved. I hope those who loved him can figure out in the days and years ahead how to make peace with what he did. And I so hope someone will make our heroes mental health a priority and we never have to experience this again.

  Ang

Put Away The Scissors

  10,000 of anything is a lot. That many teachers being taken out of the Ontario school system is astronomical. Add, on average, eight more students into the classroom according to the Minister of Education. What does that mean for our children? It means that the leaders of this province are setting them up to fail. And they will. How could they not?

  As I type this my son has twenty-seven students in his class. All at varying levels of knowledge. In a seventy-five minute class, there are approximately sixty minutes of teaching and fifteen that is devoted to one-on-one help as the class does homework and the teacher has a few spare seconds to help those who didn't quite get the lesson. 

  Now let's do the math. That is under one minute per student the teacher has to give them their undivided attention. What can she/he possibly show a student in under thirty seconds? Let me tell you what....NOTHING. And that's now. Add the eight students "average" increase and see the numbers plummet even more. Too bad for those students who need help or the teacher to go over it one more time. Sorry outta time.

  The blame can't be put on the teacher. Not in this case. Class sizes are already too large. And I get it money is tight and we need to start living within our means however.....not by cutting education. There must be other places pennies can be saved.

  When they cut funding to education parents are expected to step up and cover the shortfall. By that I mean tutors and online courses. Which is great if your parents can afford to do that. But the harsh reality is most can't. So we have a two-tier education system that penalizes the poor yet again. That continues the cycle of poverty perhaps for another generation. 

  Which brings me to my next question...does the government cuts to education make other programs need more money? If I can't get a well-paying job because my parents couldn't afford extra help for me and I can't get into secondary education won't the government at some point probably be helping me make ends meet? Or have me using their other programs? Like social services or subsidized housing or daycare? Are they not taking away from one to help me and putting it into something else to help me? Wouldn't you help more people by putting more money into education? Makes sense to me.

  I have no answers. I can't balance my own budget let alone give advice to the province. But I am 100% certain that cutting funding to education is a lose-lose situation. One that we all will feel for many years to come!

  Ang

UNCLE

  It's finished. Over. Done. I'm beaten. Defeated. Done. You won. I lost. I say uncle. In all caps. Did I mention I'm done?

  No matter what you may call it.....agua, su, voda, eau or dad wasser....it's my nemesis. Yes, I mean water. The scariest five letter word in my vocabulary. My ears hurt when they hear it and my throat constricts when trying to speak it. Just seeing it now causes my insides to curl. I can't speak for my hubby but if I was a betting person I'd put a few bucks on him agreeing with me 100%.

  I can't give you details, it's too late and I'm too defeated, but let's say it is another kick in the ass we didn't need! Just know that once again we were in the basement mopping up water and leaving a fan on overnight.

  I'm aware this is a first-world problem. In the grand scheme of things, it's unimportant and minor. But right now, at this second, it's yet one more set back in the decade of setbacks. And I'm done.

  I hate this house.

  Ang

My Downton Abbey Review

  Finally! Finally! It's here! The Downton Abbey movie premiered yesterday! I've been excited about this film for almost a year. I'm not a big movie-goer normally but I was front and center for this one. And it did not disappoint!

  I'm not going to give you any real spoilers. Ok I'll try really hard not to. The premise is that the King and Queen are on a tour of the north country and stay at the Abbey for a night. Then the real fun begins! What an honor for the Crawleys yet a nightmare too. Clothes, jewels, the house...all on display. Everything must be perfect. It is the Queen after all.

  Downstairs there is both excitement and anger. Imagine serving the Queen!!! No one is more excited than Mr. Mosely who never goes unnoticed in a scene. In both the series and the film. There are lots of changes for the servants since we saw them last but they are all there and their stories are a continuation of the ones we know and love. With one exception which I will talk about later.

  I heard it was supposed to be about 18 months later on from the series but I'm not sure that's true. Sibby and George look the right age but Mary and Henry's daughter seems older than that. As does the son of Mr & Mrs. Bates. The kids, as always, are seen but not heard. Exactly as they would have been in real life in those times. 

  The real star of the movie, besides Maggie Smith, is the Abbey and the clothes. On the big screen, everything seems more opulent and rich. The smallest details of the clothes stand out and the jewels sparkle and shimmer. It's amazing that there is such a difference between the big and small screens. I'd bet money an Oscar for Best Costume Design is in their future.

  The Dowager Countess Violet is in perfect form. She has the greatest lines of the movie. Her strength, sarcasm and arrogance come through in every sentence. Dame Smith knows how to deliver a zinger like no other. At 84 she shows the others how it's done! Her chemistry with Penelope Wilton's Isobel makes for some of the movies best scenes. Just like in the series.

  I'll tell you nothing about Mosely. Except he is the scene-stealer of the movie. But one thing I was waiting to find out about wasn't mentioned or even hinted at, the budding love story between Mrs. Patmore and Mr. Mason. It was so subtle and sweet in the final season of the tv show I had hoped it would have been included in the movie. Maybe the next one!

  This movie is exactly the escape we need right now. Like all really good films, it helps us escape from our own lives for a few hours. We care about these characters and their lives. It's almost like meeting old friends and catching up over a cup of tea and a little port. Even if you didn't watch the series, and you should, the movie explains itself somewhat for newbies. Trust me you will love it.

  I can't wait to see it again! 

  Ang




  

Healthcare Debate....Canada vs US

   I know I've written a few times about the debate the United States seems to be having almost daily about healthcare. They can call it Universal healthcare or Medicare For All but whatever they decide to call it they certainly won't be using Canada as a model because they have no idea exactly what ours is or how it works.

  In my life, I have never "paid" to visit the doctor. Not in my province of residence or when traveling across this beautiful country. I take out my health card and see a doctor. No one asks for my credit card or proof of insurance just that little card that I have possessed since birth. I can have ten million dollars in the bank or just ten cents, my bill is the same. Zero.

  When a baby is born in Canada their birth is registered and a healthcare card comes in the mail so I guess we do "opt-in". We prefer to call it birth but you can call it whatever you like. And based on that information you can figure out how and when we "opt-out". 

  Now that I have the card, almost every single thing medical is covered. Most cosmetic surgery isn't covered like a facelift or skin tag removal. But if you are in an accident it most certainly covers reconstruction. Need a dermatologist, gynecologist, neurologist or nephrologist? Covered. Heart surgery? Covered. Appendix removed? Covered. Broken leg, stitches or sprained wrist? Check, check, check. 

  My doctor is paid by the provincial government. The office bills for each visit unless the doctor works on salary. If I need to see a specialist, again free, I am referred. Unlike my GP, who I pick myself, I have very little say in who that will be. Mostly because there isn't an overabundance of them in many specialties. 99% of all tests that are ordered, by any physician, are covered. MRI, CT Scans, pap tests, bloodwork etc all taken care of by the government. 

  We do pay for some things. And that's where insurance comes into play. Prescription drugs, eye exams, and physio, among others, comes out of our own pockets. But if you are in a certain income bracket there are programs to cover, or at least off-set, the cost. The people who administer these services even help you figure it all out. Canadians are so nice!

  Is our system perfect? Not even close.  But no one, NO ONE, is ever denied healthcare. Ever. Because Canadians believe it is a right not a privilege. Which most of the US population does not seem to. Or at least their government doesn't. 

  So after explaining all that let's talk about what is always said next by US politicians who oppose everyone having access to free healthcare. "It's not free you pay in your taxes." That's absolutely true we do. Those who make more pay more. I pay for my elderly neighbor, who paid for me when I was a kid and so on. Canadians take care of each other.

  People in the US pay taxes. Just like us, they get libraries, schools, sidewalks, and roads from their paycheck deductions. We Canadians get the added bonus of healthcare. We all agree we pay too way too much in taxes. But we also all agree we would never reduce them if it meant losing or diminishing our healthcare. It's just too important.

  Bottom line, for me anyway, every single person on the planet has the right to healthcare. Income, geography, and pre-existing conditions should never play a role in it. And if you want others to call you the greatest country in the world you better lead by example......and you are not.

  Ang

  



  

Me A Travel Agent?

  If you've read this blog more than once, you are aware I love to travel. I'll go just about anywhere at just about any time. I can go by plane, train, boat or automobile. I'm not fussy just as long as it's an adventure in a new environment. Who am I kidding...I'll go to the same place again and again if it's nice!

  One thing I like almost as much as traveling is planning my travel. I do tons of research on where to go, what to see, what to avoid. Then I figure out costs, schedules and whether to leave it on the go-to list. I enjoy the process almost as much as the actual trip. It's frustrating for some family members as I might be telling them about an adventure six months down the road as if they too should be excited like I am. Which, by the way, they are not.

  John has asked me several times over the past few years why I'm not doing it as a source of income. I've wondered it myself and now I am actively looking into it. I think I would love it...or hate it. What if I had a client who didn't realize a good deal when they saw it? Or was unrealistic with their expectations? Would I still find the joy in helping those folks plan their dream vacation? I can't be sure.

  I don't know if this will come to fruition. I hope so. Til then I can drive my family nuts with info on our next family get-away. Which is more than 180 days away. 

  They'll get over it.

  Ang

A Little Cocky

  With the first week of school under our belts and a chance to embrace the quiet that comes from a few hours of solitude each day, it's time to get back into the swing of my September thru June life. That includes many things I push aside when I can spend more time with my family. But today is week two and I'm determined that this school year I won't waste as much time as I did last year.

  So this morning I used my coffee-fuelled energy to tackle the laundry. Not washing it. Not drying it. But sorting out who owns what and who outgrew what. That is something I have put off for weeks. I'm pretty sure already we will be pants shopping this week. For both kids. As fascinating as this is I am taking a break to talk about something much more interesting.

  While I was sorting I had the news on in the background. Filler noise I call it. And I couldn't help but stop when I heard that commentators are calling Bianca Andrescu "almost cocky". Compared to Serena Williams????  Who in the world of women's tennis could be considered cockier than either Venus or Serena?? Surely not the young Canadian who won the US Open.

  But wait....cockiness? You don't hear that word associated with Andy Murray. Or Nadal. Or Federer. They are called confident, dominant and explosive. Their mental fortitude is emphasized and praised. Their physical awareness and effort congratulated. But they are not called cocky.

  So why is Bianca? Or Serena? Why can't they just be called confident? Or dominant? Why do they bear a burden that doesn't exist in the male world of tennis? Or for that matter sport in general? Isn't excellence gender neutral?

  Worse yet it wasn't just male commentators saying it. Some were even trying to infer that the grunts coming from expending so much brute strength were exaggerated. Unladylike if you will. Never mind these women are at a level of sports you and I can't even dream of, they need to be dainty and meek.

  Well the hell with that! Bianca won against her idol. Imagine her nerves walking down that tunnel. But she pulled up her big girl panties, took a deep breath and got down to business. Every grunt, every "Come on!" was from a professional athlete. One who was on the way to winning a major tournament. Her sex shouldn't have even been a topic.

  It's time women take the word cocky from a derogatory reference and turn it into a billboard for confidence, success, and strength. And Canada's own Bianca Andrescu did just that!

  Time to get back to that laundry. Maybe I'll turn off the tv too.

  Ang