Alicia - KINETIC MOTIONS

July 21, 2017

Doo Yoo No How too Spell Corectly?

My apologies for the multiple spelling errors in the title of this post. Can you read what I wrote? What I asked was, do you know how to spell correctly? The inability to spell has become an epidemic in our society. I don’t believe this is a situation that only exists within the younger generation. People of all ages simply cannot spell, and it drives me crazy.

I won’t even touch the topic of grammar etiquette as that is a whole other can of worms. For now, I will look at spelling.

We all learned to spell back in elementary school. I had regular spelling tests all the way through high school. First, I learned the simple words like “it,” “and,” or “cat,” then moved up to the four or five-letter words like “your,” “what,” or “table.” It became more complicated as I grew older, as I learned exceptions and longer words. English is a hard language, and it can be complicated to learn its nuances. However, everyone is capable of learning how to spell correctly.

Spelling errors are commonplace in elementary school, as a child learns how to read and write and sound out words. I would even allow for mistakes in high school as a teenager learns some of the harder words like “chrysanthemum” or “accommodate.” But, every high school graduate should understand the difference between “there” and “their” or “your” and “you’re.”

Technology has pushed its way into our daily lives. The art of letter writing seems to have disappeared, and we communicate by text and email. In some ways, we are writing more than ever. It’s easier to send your friend a text than walk across the room to ask a question. Employees prefer to email their colleagues instead of picking up the phone.

So, if we are talking less and writing more, shouldn’t we spell better? Text and email are so informal that people often don’t check what they wrote before sending, and the messages are sometimes unreadable. A person who cannot spell is as bad as someone who knows how but is too lazy to check if they spelled the words correctly.

Many would say that newspapers are a dying industry, as people receive their news in new and innovative ways each day. Copy editors lost their jobs years ago, and it shows. It is rare to read an article in even a respected publication anymore that does not have spelling errors. Someone had to edit it – the writer or some editor, I would think. I encourage them to please take the time to read through their articles and correct their spelling errors before pressing “publish.”

I could go on and on about my distress over the lack of good spelling in our society. Emails, texts, news articles, press releases, even road signs and books. Please, everyone, learn to spell, or at least use spell check. Take your time before you press “send” and make sure you spelled the words correctly. It will make me happy.

*Thanks to my friend Dara for seeing this Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) sign, snapping a photo and posting. It’s priceless.

July 20, 2017

My Husband David Usually Cooks and Bakes Great Food But….

My husband, David, loves to cook and bake. He does not cook and bake often, but when he does the food usually tastes really good. He always comes up with interesting and adventurous ideas for meals, and usually the result is delicious. I commend David for being enthusiastic about cooking and baking and helping out in the kitchen. I encourage him to keep experimenting with recipes. But… sometimes the food tastes a bit funky, or it looks strange or it takes David so long to make the food that I quietly grab a snack or two while he cooks and I don’t have the opportunity to eat his food.

David makes the BEST pie I have ever tasted. His two specialties are sour cherry and blueberry. I don’t know how to make pie so I have no idea what he does to make the crust perfectly flakey and the filling a perfect balance of sweet and tart. I have learned to never actually watch him prepare his pies as he manages to turn the kitchen into a space that looks like a hurricane blew through. Flour covers all surfaces; the floor is sticky and every bowl and utensil in the kitchen is utilized. He cleans up after the baking is complete, but the process is painful to watch.

Some of David’s baking experiments have not gone as well. The one I remember best was his version of Black Forest Chocolate Cake. My poor sister joined us when David presented this abomination, which definitely did not look or taste like a cake at all. Kudos to him for trying.

Barbecuing is not his forte either, as the food often comes off the grill either burnt or dry. Most men, in their macho way, see themselves as King of the Grill, but from my experience women are much better at grilling up perfect cuts of meat than men. Yes, I do the barbecuing in our house!

I don’t know what it is about males and eggs, but I have met many a Dad who can’t cook much but can make great eggs. Scrambled, sunny-side up or over-easy, David makes great eggs. He usually makes use of every fry pan and pot in the house when he cooks those eggs, but they taste great. It took him a while to figure out how to make pancakes, and his first try was rather unsuccessful. He has learned from his errors, and I know our children love his pancakes.

Speaking of eggs, David’s best dish is an egg-based middle eastern delicacy called Shakshuka. Simply put, it consists of eggs poached in a sauce comprised of tomatoes, chili peppers and onions, and it is spiced with cumin and black pepper. David cooked this dish for dinner last night, and it was the inspiration for today’s post.

David offered to cook this dish for dinner last night, even though he only started the prep well after 7:00 pm. He was slow moving and messy as usual, but wow, it was delicious! I cleaned my plate and even our seven-year-old polished off her portion.

So indeed, my husband David usually cooks and bakes great food. He is slow and messy and sometimes does not quite read the recipe correctly. But… I love that he cooks and I hope he keeps rolling out great food.

July 19, 2017

How Many Ways Can You Get Your Sports Fix Today?

If you are a sports fan, it is important to get your sports fix on a regular basis. Growing up, for me, I was a huge fan of the Toronto Blue Jays. I was upset if I missed a game. I had few options back in the 1980’s and even the 1990’s to follow the game, and my preferred choice was usually the radio. Or, my parents would turn the TV on then mute it. Then they cranked up the radio so we could hear Tom and Jerry call the game.

There was something so pure about listening to a baseball game on the radio. If I closed my eyes and listened carefully, I almost felt like I was there. I could hear the ambient sounds of the ballpark coming through my speaker, like heckling fans or the hollering “beer here for sale” guy.

If I was away on a trip or even just out for an evening it was rather difficult to follow the Blue Jays or really any other hometown sports. Newspapers proved useful, where I could get the score and sometimes a short news story the next day. There was always the telephone, where someone could check on the score and tell me instantly. But, until recently sports fans had few options if they really had to have their fix.

An avid fan today has a plethora of choices to get their sports fix. It is so vast that it’s almost overwhelming.

First of all, the old reliable radio is still available, with Jerry still calling the game, along with Jo. There’s something so sweet about listening to the Jays game on the radio, while in the car driving to the cottage or just sitting at home. With the Blue Jays Radio Network a super fan can listen, on the radio, from Vancouver to Halifax. And there is no subscription fee to listen live.

Today every game, all 162 of them, are aired live on TV, all be it on cable, on Rogers Sportsnet. The regular team of Buck Martinez and Pat Tabler are entertaining and informative. Many people still do subscribe to cable TV. But, if you have just a basic TV package and want to watch the game on actual simple TV you are out of luck.

Then comes the internet. About 89% of Canadians have access to the internet, and if you are a sports fan there are many ways to make use of the World Wide Web. Every sport, including Major League Baseball, streams games live on the internet – for a fee. If you want to watch your favourite sports team and you are on the road, don’t have cable TV or eke, you are at work and can’t miss the game, the internet can usually come through for you.

MLB TV boasts that a fan can “watch live on over 400 devices.” Really? I didn’t even know there were 400 different devices available. Other major North American sports have similar subscription options, such as the NBA, NHL and NFL. I see that the MLS also has a subscription option to stream all their games live. Most sports leagues around the world have jumped on the live streaming option as well. On a quick check, for example, I see the English Premier League and Japanese baseball. International multi-sport competitions also live stream.

If you don’t want to pay to live stream or don’t have enough data to watch a game live (wow do live sports eat up a lot of data!), a super fan can easily follow the game with live updates on the internet or check scores for every sport around the world 24 hours a day. The internet has definitely given sports fans an easy path to become sports addicts, with so many websites, blogs and social media feeds dedicated to the love of sport.

Are you a sports fan? What’s your favourite sport and how do you follow it and get your sports fix? Leave me a comment here, post on Facebook or Tweet me @AliciaRichler.

July 18, 2017

Two Months for this Blog and What have I Learned so far?

Time has a habit of happening very quickly. As I wrote in my first post on May 17, I always wanted to write, but it took me many years to compose my thoughts and create an online space where I could voice how I felt about many topics. I registered Kinetic Motions back in February of this year and knowing just a little about WordPress I launched this blog a few months later.

One thing I quickly figured out is that I am not an expert at this! Many people have guided me and shown me some tricks (thanks in particular to my brother Neil Richler!), and I have played around and experimented over the last five months to get this blog to where it is. I will admit that what you see is still very amateur, and I know that these pages will continue to evolve.

I would consider myself both a journalist and a strategic communications expert (yes one can be both). I have always been confident in my skills associated with these professions, in particular my writing and editing skills. I always worked closely with many online journalists and bloggers and social media experts. But, until recently my knowledge and deep understanding of how the blogosphere and social media space really worked and moulded our society was limited. Every day over the last two months, as I write and publish my work for all of you to read I am in awe of the world’s online space. I am excited to write each new post and share my thoughts with you.

But alas I do still have a lot to learn and hope to see my blog grow. What I have laid out is very basic and I am not sure how easy it is to navigate. I am starting to find my way through terms like SEO, Widgets, Plugins and a good Readability score. I feel good about the content – that it is interesting and appeals to a wide audience.

I am always happy to listen to advice and take some constructive criticism. It is how I will learn and grow as a writer and blogger. If you have suggestions on how to make this blog easier to navigate, how to improve its SEO or topics of interest to you that I should cover please do reach out to me. Send an email to kineticmotions17@gmail.com, leave a comment here, post to me on Facebook or Tweet me @AliciaRichler.

Thank you to everyone who follows and reads my blog. Your support is appreciated. Stay tuned for great things from Kinetic Motions!

July 17, 2017

Would you Accomplish More if you Worked Three Uninterrupted Hours a Day?

I just read an interesting historical fiction called New York, by Edward Rutherford. It follows the story of this great city from the 1600’s to the present day, interweaving real historical events with the lives of fictional characters. The book had many memorable moments, which I will not describe here, except for one in particular. It was less of a moment and more of a statement in a conversation at a dinner party near the end of the book. The characters were overworked and all spent hours each day at the office. One person brought forward the idea of uninterrupted work and getting more done in less time.

I will quote directly from the book as the author quite eloquently discussed the subject:

“’I was reading Virginia Woolf the other day, and she remarked that at one period in her life, she was able to get so much done because she had three uninterrupted hours to work in every day. And I thought, what on earth is she talking about? Only three hours a day? And then I looked around the office at all the people working their fourteen-hour days, and I thought, how many of you actually spend three hours in a real, creative, intellectual activity in a day? And I reckoned, probably not one.’ She smiled. ‘And there’s Virginia Woolf achieving more than they ever will in their lives, on three hours a day. It makes you think. They might do better if they worked less.’”

When I read this, it made me put the book down and think. For years I worked long days, spending hours at the office and often I continued my work at home late into the night. But how often did I have a true uninterrupted stretch to work each day? When I was at the office there were so many distractions around me. The office phone would ring, a colleague would stop by to ask a question or a group would congregate nearby and I would join the conversation. Add in the meetings and conference calls and I wonder now how I ever got anything done.

Once in a while, when I wanted to concentrate and really focus on my work, I left the office and worked instead at home. If the house was quiet and empty I could accomplish a whole day’s work in just a few hours. The distractions of the office weren’t there (yes, I know the house provides other distractions but I am able to usually avoid them!), and with few to no interruptions I used my time efficiently.

I believe I am not unique and that most of us would accomplish much more if we worked three uninterrupted hours each day. Now that I am a sole proprietor of a business and answer to myself each day I need a lot of self-discipline to get work done. I need to find time each day to focus my thoughts and energy and avoid distractions. When I do that I am always amazed how much I can accomplish.

I believe that it’s less about how many hours you work each day and more about how you use the hours you work. It is not about physically being at the office for 8, 10 or 12 hours in a given day but rather efficiently using those hours and completing your tasks. I think this is a philosophy that is slowly being embraced by many Canadian businesses and workplaces and something I strongly support and encourage. It is an approach I hope to follow as I go out on my own and work as independent professional. Just imagine how much I could accomplish every day if I gave myself three uninterrupted hours to work. My time is valuable and I hope to use it wisely.

July 14, 2017August 20, 2018

Everyone Should be Making Music Together

How many children’s songs do you know? Did you know that Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, Baa Baa Black Sheep and ABC are the same tune, written by Mozart? What songs do you remember from childhood? If you have children, do you sing to them or expose them to music?

Most adults can typically name only four or five children’s songs that they know well and admit that not only were they not exposed to music in childhood but that there is little of it in their home today. I believe that human beings are naturally musical but that musicality needs to be nurtured.

One of the simplest ways to cultivate the love of music in a child is to sing to them at home or play a tune when the child is an infant. Research has shown that even in utero a baby can hear and respond to music. A newborn baby, at least my newborn babies, sleep well with calming classical compositions in the background or the gentle voice of his or her mother, father or siblings.

After a short time, many babies graduate to music classes. Children’s music classes are popular throughout North America. It has actually become quite a business. I have been taking my kids to these classes for over ten years. Some are better than others and all are a great way to get a new mother out of the house and give her a great activity with her baby.

Whether the music class is a short session with a bunch of well-known children’s songs or a more in-depth course in music, singing and voice training, I feel everyone should try to expose their child to at least one session. The City of Toronto Public Library offers free (that’s right FREE) drop-in 30-minute “Move-and-Groove” classes for children aged 0-6. My one-year-old goes to that one all the time.

All three of my kids have benefitted most from a great program called “Making Music Together.” I won’t go into its history but you can read about it HERE. As the website states, the program is about “songs, chants, movement & instruments in a relaxed, fun, interactive environment.” Because of this program my children have all expressed their musicality in their own special way.

Walking into a Music Together class is quite an experience, though that may be the case for most baby and children’s music classes. The caregivers and children sit around in a circle and over a 45-minute period sing, dance and play instruments. Note that I say caregivers AND children. Each week, as I sit around this circle with my baby I chuckle to myself as I watch grown men and women, many with Masters degrees, MD’s or other professional designations, bark like dogs, tap little wooden sticks on their heads and skip around the room.

We spend years growing up, working hard to become mature adults, then at our children’s music class all pressures of adulthood are released. We can sing and dance and be free. It’s not just the children who benefit from music but the adults too. Lately I sing all day, all be it songs entitled Wiggle, See the Pony Galloping and Shake those ‘Simmons Down. Music energizes me and makes me feel good. I know it does the same for my children. Try singing one day, even to yourself. It’s worth it.

July 13, 2017

Do we really want our Children to Dream of being a Pirate and a Princess?

When I think of a pirate a very clear picture comes to my mind. He is a tall strapping man with dark evil eyes. He is mean and ruthless and will kill anyone who gets in his way. The pirate is a murderer and thief and wreaks havoc on the world.

When I think of a princess I have in mind another clear picture. I think about a fairy tale. Most definitely she is beautiful with long flowing hair and wears a gown made of the finest fabric. She is loyal to her father, the King, and upholds the duties that are bestowed upon a young woman born into nobility. She does what is expected of her and knows she will one day marry into another noble family and look down at her poor subjects who did not have the good fortune to be born into royalty.

Our modern society has romanticised the world of the pirate and the princess, and it is something I just don’t understand.

The pirate in particular has become a much-loved cartoon character and Halloween costume for children. We, as adults, find it so cute when our kids put on the pirate hat, eye patch and hook and say things like “Ahoy Matie” or “Walk the Plank.” Pirates were not cute – they violently plundered ships and shoreline communities, killing people along the way. There are even some pirates today, sailing off the coast of places like Eastern Africa. I am quite sure no one wants their kids to look up to these people.

Princesses are in quite a different category as, for the most part, they do not steal and murder. But, the fairy tale princess is not one I would like my daughters to model themselves after. I see the princess as a second-class citizen, who though intelligent, is often passed over in favour of the male heir. I know what you are thinking – in recent years we have seen the coming of age of the feminist princess like Elsa and Ana in Frozen, or Merida in Brave. They are the exception, and I cringe when someone calls my daughter a princess.

That said, I am not going to stop my children from dressing up as pirates and princesses and reading about them in bedtime stories. I will admit that my kids have dressed up in versions of pirates and princesses over the years. I let them take their own spin on it, like my daughter’s werewolf princess costume for Halloween a couple of years ago. It was definitely unique.

Maybe I am just a crank and should let it go. Could it be that our modern society believes that with time our perceptions of everything changes? The 17^th and 18^th century pirate was a villain then but is seen as a bold and formidable character today. The fairy tale princess obeyed her family’s wishes and was mostly a pretty thing whose only dream was to marry a handsome prince. Today people believe that same princesses could have ruled the kingdom and changed the world.

What do you think? Are there other historical characters or stories that have been romanticised? Leave me a comment here, post to Facebook or Tweet me @AliciaRichler.

July 12, 2017

Celebration of Sport and Culture at the North American Indigenous Games

I love a wide variety of sports, and in particular I look forward to hunkering down on the couch every four years to watch all kinds of events during both the Winter and Summer Olympics. In between there are many other international competitions which feature elite athletes, and I will admit that for the most part I barely notice them. I was intrigued a few days ago when I heard about the North American Indigenous Games (NAIG).

This competition kicks off this weekend, with opening ceremonies on July 16. And it’s happening in the Greater Toronto Area! I have done my best to read about this event, its athletes and its cultural significance to the Indigenous people of North America, and I will share a few details I have learned with you here.

The NAIG showcases the extraordinary talent of over 5,000 young Indigenous athletes from across North America. They will be competing in 14 different sports, including athletics, baseball, swimming and wrestling, among others. The athletes will compete at venues located around the Greater Toronto Area, the Region of Hamilton and Six Nations of the Grand River over a period of eight days.

But it’s not just about the sports and the competition. Like the Maccabiah Games I wrote about last week, this event is also about the celebration of Indigenous culture across North America. The competitors at the NAIG range from age 13 to 19, and participating teams come from all 13 Canadian provinces and territories as well as 13 regions from across the United States.

I am intrigued by the Cultural Village that is being hosted at York University and McMaster University, that the website states will “feature a variety of Indigenous artisans, interactive booths, elders, vendors, and Indigenous artists and performers, with nightly entertainment.”

While the spirit of competition is great and provides the opportunity for thousands of youth to push their physical limits, I feel that the best part of this event is the opportunity for Indigenous Peoples to showcase and share their unique cultural heritage. I applaud the North American Indigenous Games Council for putting this event together for over 25 years, and I look forward to following the Games over the coming week as we all celebrate great athleticism and Indigenous culture.

July 11, 2017

If you really have to Smoke can you show a little bit of Courtesy Please?

I think smoking is disgusting. There is no simple or sugar-coated way to say it. I find it vulgar and utterly repulsive. I know that nicotine is addictive and many smokers would quit if they could. If they need to smoke of course I can’t stop them. But when they smoke in public places could they show more courtesy to those around them?

I recognize that many municipalities have attempted to mitigate the problem of smoking in public places by creating all kinds of legislation over the years. I remember back to the days when I was a kid when smokers had free reign, and then the government stepped in. First there were smoking areas in restaurants and my favourite, the smoking rows at the back of the airplane. If smoking was allowed in rows 28-30 and I was in row 27, was I really separated from the stench of smoke behind me?

Slowly, over time, big “no smoking” signs appeared inside malls, restaurants, movie theatres and on airplanes. Smokers were forced outside to do their dirty act. Then came the “no smoking within 9 meters of any entrance” signs, that are always ignored. For the last couple of years, at least in Toronto, there are also bylaws outlawing smoking in certain outdoor areas like playgrounds and restaurant and bar patios. I believe that is usually observed.

So, smoking has been delegated to the streets of the city, where I cannot escape it. I find it unpleasant to walk behind a smoker, as I seem to inhale more of the fumes than the person holding the cigarette. I often feel helpless when I wait at a traffic light at a busy intersection, waiting to cross with my stroller, and beside me is a smoker, dangling a cigarette.

What a sight it is when I see what looks like a good looking well put together person, on the move down the street, with a cigarette dangling from his mouth? Does he think he looks cool? I think not.

And why do smokers think it is okay, when finished a cigarette, to drop it on the ground, snuff it out with their feet and walk away? The sidewalk is not a trash bin, but somehow many smokers treat it as such.

Are smokers aware how bad they smell? A few weeks ago, while on the subway, a person sat down beside me. Though she was not smoking (something banned on public transit many years ago), she was clearly a heavy smoker. She reeked. It wasn’t just her breath but the scent of cigarette smoke emanated from her body. Lucky for me I had to get off at the next stop. The odour was nauseating.

No one In my close family or circle of friends is a smoker (though some did smoke in the past). I grew up in a smoke-free home and am glad I am raising my children in a society that is doing its best to keep the air clean. For those who do smoke I just ask you to please be courteous of those of us who don’t. And for those who smoke and are trying to quit I wish you luck and hope you succeed. You will be better off.

July 10, 2017

I Planned to Salsa on St. Clair but Ate Italian Instead

Today I am writing another installment of “Being a Tourist in my own City.” Summer in the city, especially on the weekend, can often be warm, muggy and oppressive. It’s easy to laze around the house or pull up a chair in the backyard and do a lot of nothing. Instead of that, this weekend we decided to take advantage of an annual event in our neighbourhood, and on Saturday night, with only one child at home (the baby), we stepped outside and walked over to Salsa on St. Clair.

I remember stopping by this event a few years ago, as it wound down on a Sunday night. We had only checked out the perimeter and I recall that it was busy. This year, at 7:00 pm on a beautiful Saturday evening, we decided to try it again. I had checked out the event’s website and expected to find loud lively music, some dancing on the closed off street and a mix of Latin American and South American food.

We found all of that, and I also found dense crowds and long lines. I should have known better. After weeks (or was it months?) of rain in Toronto and so many washed out weekends, people were desperate to get outside and party on such a gorgeous evening. As we approached the Eastern edge of the event, I could hear the music, I could see the crowd and I could smell the sumptuous food.

No doubt the event delivered on its promises – there were blocks of music and dancing and a huge variety of food for sale. But it was impossible to move, never mind dance, and I did not have the patience to wait in snaking lines just for a taste of a tomatillo, plantain or churros. I don’t doubt the food was delicious, and the music was so vibrant that I could feel myself wanting to dance, but I (or my husband or my parents who joined us) did not have the patience nor the stamina to stay, so we kept walking.

It was slow moving, but we crossed the Salsa, from one end to the other and passed people of all ages enjoying the event. There were families with babies and young children, teenagers and 20-somethings out for a night on the town and even an older crowd enjoying the scene. We just kept on walking.

If you keep walking along St. Clair West in Toronto you arrive in one of the many “Little Italy” neighbourhoods of our great city. With our stomachs rumbling we checked out a few places and eventually decided upon a modest but sweet looking place that had a quiet patio and space to accommodate us and the stroller. Big Slice Restaurant came through with a tasty meal and friendly service. On our walk home, as a bonus, we stopped a for a treat at Punto Gelato, where everyone (including the baby, of course), enjoyed a couple of scoops of this Italian treat. I highly recommend the Caramelo flavour by the way!

To get home we chose to dive back into the Salsa again to see how it looked at night. The music was lively and there was some great dancing. The crowd had thinned somewhat, though I didn’t see too many young families or the older crowd from a couple hours before. We definitely brought the average age up while we walked through!

I am fortunate that I live in a city that has such a vibrant mix of cultures that are celebrated throughout the year. Whether it is a street festival or a parade, and whether the event is small and quiet or crowded and lively, I love them all. My family and I participate in our own special way, and I look forward to the next time I can be a tourist in my own city.