Proust Questionaire

What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery? Unrequited love

Where would you like to live? The sea, the sea

What is your idea of earthly happiness? Being with friends when I want to be and being alone when I want to be

To what faults do you feel most indulgent? Despair

Who are your favorite heroes of fiction? Ada-- Poisonwood Bible

Who are your favorite characters in history? Lucy-Australopithecus afarensis

Who are your favorite heroes in real life? Terry Fox

Your favorite painter? Frida Kahlo

Your favorite musician? Leonard Cohen

The quality you most admire in a man? Trustworthiness

The quality you most admire in a woman? Strength

Your favorite virtue? Creativity

Your favorite occupation? Writing

Who would you have liked to be? Iris Murdoch

Your most marked characteristic? Driven

What do you most value in your friends? Availability

What is your principle defect? Judgement

What to your mind would be the greatest of misfortunes? To live in pain

What would you like to be? A writer

What is your favorite color? The greens of the forest

What is your favorite flower? Gladiolas

What is your favorite bird? Kestrel

Who are your favorite prose writers? Iris Murdoch, Barbara Kingsolver, Tolstoy

Who are your favorite poets? Robert Service, ee cummings, Leonard Cohen, George Elliot Clarke

Major error here-- forgot to include Dorothy Parker--Probably my most favourite poet.

Who are your heroes in real life? Terry Fox, my grandmother Dort

Who are your favorite heroes of history? People who were breaking boundaries -- Gertrude Bell, Albert Einstein, Sally Ride

What are your favorite names? Suki, Nate, Milton

What is it you most dislike? Lying, ownership

What historical figures do you most despise? The usual – Hitler, Mussolini, Suharto-- dictators in general

What event in military history do you most admire? Normandy—the courage of the soldiers.

What natural gift would you most like to possess? Forgiveness

How would you like to die? In peace with my children and friends around me.

What is your present state of mind? Busy

What is your motto? Look where you are going not where you have been.

Friends: I am interested in your thoughts-- please answer the questionnaire and post below.

What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?

Where would you like to live?

What is your idea of earthly happiness?

To what faults do you feel most indulgent?

Who are your favorite heroes of fiction?

Who are your favorite characters in history?

Who are your favorite heroines in real life?

Who are your favorite heroines of fiction?

Your favorite painter?

Your favorite musician?

The quality you most admire in a man?

The quality you most admire in a woman?

Your favorite virtue?

Your favorite occupation?

Who would you have liked to be?

Your most marked characteristic?

What do you most value in your friends?

What is your principle defect?

What to your mind would be the greatest of misfortunes?

What would you like to be?

What is your favorite color?

What is your favorite flower?

What is your favorite bird?

Who are your favorite prose writers?

Who are your favorite poets?

Who are your heroes in real life?

Who are your favorite heroines of history?

What are your favorite names?

What is it you most dislike?

What historical figures do you most despise?

What event in military history do you most admire?

What natural gift would you most like to possess?

How would you like to die?

What is your present state of mind?

What is your motto?

No problem

This is the start of my modest campaign to get people to stop saying 'no problem'. I stopped saying it last year when I realized that when I said 'no problem' I was in some way indicating that whatever favour I had done for someone was of little consequence to me and therefore should not be appreciated.

It actually is of consequence to me when I do someone a favour or someone does a favour for me. I really got to thinking about this again yesterday when two people did favours for me and when I thanked them they responded with the now typical reply of, 'No problem'.

In the first instance my babysitter picked up a yellow shirt for one of the kids-- she's on the yellow team for winter carnival. I could have done it-- I actually thought about doing it but it was just one more thing to add to an already busy schedule and I decided she could live without a yellow shirt. Unbeknownst to me the child had already bemoaned the fact that she did not have a yellow shirt to the sitter and she set out to get her one. When I thanked the sitter she replied, “No problem.”

She took time out of her day to look for a shirt for my child. It may not have been a problem but it did take time and consideration and I think when we say no problem we downplay these things which are so important to how we live together as a society.

Yesterday I also asked someone for some information about an after school program. I sent a message to the recreation Facebook page. In the evening, after work hours, one of the staff from Recreation got back to me and answered the question. Once again when I thanked her she replied, “No problem.” Again, it was not a problem for her but it did take time and thought after her work day was supposed to be done.

I just want to call attention to this phenomenon of the 'no problem' reply. I want people to say 'your welcome' so that we will think more about the time and effort put into these every day favours. I think when we say 'no problem' we are selling ourselves short-- we need to think more about what we give and what we receive. I know I do since I banished the 'no problem' response from my repertoire.

It's hard—being a woman

It is International Women's Day and this day always makes me stop and think about what I am doing to further the cause of woman kind.

This day is important to me because I am a woman and even more so because I am the mother of two future women. It is because of them that I feel it is my responsibility to make being a woman easier.

The usual stories about unequal pay, unequal opportunity, and sexual harassment are often the talking points on International Women's Day-- but how do we as individuals fight such big culturally embedded inequities?

I don't have the answer to that but I do have an answer about how to make life better for the young women I have created-- show them the possibilities.

All of my life, any time I have started in a direction that was not what others perceived to be my path, I would meet with unconcealed doubt. Others doubting my ability has been something I have endured for decades and I am so tired of it.

This year I went back to school in science. The first response of most people when they heard that was my intention was, “That's hard,” accompanied by a pitying look that told me they thought I would not succeed.

I have faced this response anytime I have dipped my toe in scientific waters. Why is that the case? I can only imagine that the response would be different if I was a man.

There have been some few people-- most of whom were women-- who congratulated me on my choice to return to school in the sciences.

But it is the disbelief that I, a woman should attempt to enter the sciences, that I feel I am constantly fighting. Although I am happy to say a majority of my classmates are female-- I think progress is being made but the final proof is who graduates with a BSc not who starts out in the program.

I entered a BSc program because I have always had an abiding interest in how the world works. I am curious about that rock on the beach, how plastic affects reproduction, and a million other things. I also entered the program to set an example for my children; to show them that science was not something to shy away from, that their questions about the world around them could be answered and they could be the ones finding the answers. That women can do anything.

So on International Women's Day I feel I am doing my bit in my little corner of the world by by making my way along this path to scientific knowledge.

It is hard-- being a woman-- moving beyond all the doubters.