Return to The Scooterverse

 

Past Blogtobers, I'd have a lot more done and shared by now, but the month's been a wee bit busier than I anticipated with work and planning for some near-future events (speaking opportunity, work retreat, and a rock concert, all of which I will write about when done!)

The busyness though, has put me in an extra-creative sort of mood and sucked me back into The Scooterverse.

During the pandemic, I did a lot of free writing and creative challenges. One month, I combined ideas from a couple Scriptwriting projects like a one-act play and TV series-turned comic book pitch, as well as characters I created messing around on Heromachine, a character creation website that's sadly no longer functioning, to create my own fictional universe, The Scooterverse, writing profiles and mini origins for the various characters and creatures I made.

Suffering a bit of writer's block a couple weeks ago, I opened a few Scooterverse documents up and expanded on things here and there, just for fun. I've been writing since, and just turned one of my origins into a four-page story, The Trial of Sekhmet. Nothing to post, share, or submit anywhere (sorry), and could use polishing, but it looks pretty good!

I'll still try and write one or two Blogtober posts, but I also want to try and write at least one more story too.

Cheers!

Where to Next?

 

In the last three years, I've been to The Royal Tyrrell Museum in Drumheller, Science North in Sudbury, and The Biodome in Montreal. 

So, where do I go next??

There's the Joggins Fossil Cliffs in Nova Scotia, where I could also squeeze in some family visits. L'Anse aux Meadows Viking settlement in Newfoundland is still high on the destination list. Or do I go big for my 40th and plan for the Smithsonian? All good choices.

Something to think about.

Cheers!

Biodome/Insectarium 2024

 

I never took much of a vacation over the summer, so a few weeks ago my father and I took a fairly spontaneous day trip to Montreal’s Biodome and Insectarium.
 
We had a lunch lovingly made and packed for us the night before, left early the next morning, got breakfast, and drove to Montreal.
 
The Biodome is part of Montreal’s former Olympic Stadium (the velodrome). 

A lot of walking to and from where we wanted to go, but worth it.

 
The Biodome contains five ecosystems representing life in parts of the Americas: the Gulf of St. Lawrence, Sub-Antarctic Islands, Labrador Coast, Tropical Rainforest, and Laurentian Maple Forest.
 
Dad and I did the Gulf first, which was two levels. The top level was a few tidal pools with starfish, urchins, and anemones, then rocky outcrops and perches for ducks and seabirds. 

The bottom level was an aquarium. There were small tanks with lamprey, more starfish and anemones, and shrimp, and a much larger tank with bigger fish, chief among them several black sturgeon.

 

At first I thought they were sharks! Photos don’t do justice to just how massive and prehistoric-looking these things were.
 
Next, we went into the shared Sub-Antarctic and Labrador environ. Freezing cold with icy walls, but nice on a hot day. This was filled with puffins, murres and my Dad’s favourite, penguins!

All different species of them, from one or two gigantic king penguins to smaller rockhoppers, some of which were pretty good at showing off for people.

From there, we went into the incredibly humid rainforest. Pro-tip: do this BEFORE the cold stuff!
 
In the main environment, we saw macaws, an alligator, tamarins (tiny monkeys), very well-camouflaged capybaras, and a couple odd-looking birds. Attached was a darker exhibit with poison dart frogs, bats, and piranhas.

Lastly was the Maple Forest, basically the same ecosystem as where our family’s cabin is. A beaver lodge, raccoon, a couple river otters, and a pair of lynx (one of my favourites!)

That was it. I bought a little souvenir magnet before leaving.

We then walked back to where we parked, looking at various Olympic displays on the way.

Inhaled our lunch and drove to the Insectarium, located in a nice little park around the corner.

A very random place, but probably more fun than the Biodome. The entrance is modeled after a termite mound. Very tight and narrow, brownish stucco looking like dirt and almost pitch black, with little tunnels (obviously made for little kids).

Around certain corners are little visual treats like flower-shaped lights on the floor and a Bug's-eye View simulator.

This leads to a room full of mounted insects, collected together based on themes like colour, size, antennas, and horns.

Camouflage

The final part of the Insectarium was a giant greenhouse, teaming with butterflies and other insects. I got dive-bombed more than once, and had one or two briefly land on me.

One of the employees was showing a group of visitors a Caribbean stick insect. When they were finished, I approached to learn more, and she asked me if I wanted to hold it. Tickled a little bit, but otherwise didn't feel weird at all!

 Right before the exit, we saw a tree full of leaf cutter ants, actually cutting, eating, and marching with leaves!

We drove to a deli for a smoked-meat sandwich before driving home.

Another year, another fun trip, and sciencey place I can say I've visited.

Cheers!

Blogtober 2024

 

It's almost time...

Taking advantage of a nice, sunny, long weekend to plan a month of blogging, start writing a couple posts, look up AMC's Fearfest schedule for this year, and make sure the first few spooky movies are set to record. I may even engage in some light Joubert syndrome awareness/advocacy at work this month.

 Cheers!

Work Series: Work and Self-Esteem

 

Work has done a lot of good for me. 

I’ve written about how my current job has made me realize how much I’ve accomplished, and given me plenty of opportunities to get out and enjoy some time to myself. Some added financial independence has been nice as well.
 
Above all else though, paid employment has helped a lot with my psyche and self-esteem.
 
My search for work was long and occasionally frustrating. With the exception of a brief volunteer gig at the local hospital one summer, the small, rural town I grew up in offered no opportunities for a physically disabled adult looking for a job. Moving to the city and taking Scriptwriting provided significantly more, and better, prospects, as did a few volunteer opportunities and internships soon after, but regular employment and a paycheck still eluded me. My parents were getting frustrated and I was getting desperate. Worse, I was starting to feel like I was conforming to the stereotype of a “lazy pensioner.”
 
Things hit rock bottom around the beginning of summer 2017. The employment agency I was with at the time wasn’t getting me anything, and I had ben pretty-well blown off by a couple local politicians after turning to them for help with searching for work and other disability-related services. It came to a head quickly, and I broke down one evening. That, and some encouraging conversations at the Phoenix Joubert conference the following month, were what convinced me to join LiveWorkPlay. Within a year, I had a job!
 
Work necessitated finally setting up some homecare, which meant more self-advocacy and responsibility on my part and, just as important, less for my parents. All of this led to more freedom, independence, and the sense that I was making a contribution and really doing something.

Cheers!

Work Series: Work as Respite

 

I'm grateful for every bit of help I receive on a daily basis, and for those who give it, but the regular routine of family, work, supports like homecare and Para Transpo and, depending on the time of year, medical/care appointments, can get overwhelming. It doesn't take long before I find I need a break.

I've been fortunate to have been able to work right in the heart of downtown Ottawa for the past two years, where there's lots to see and do. Plenty of opportunities to get out and be on my own for a bit.

Even if it's pushing my ride ahead in the morning or back in the afternoon by a half-hour to an hour before or after work, that's plenty of time for a decent walk or a chance to sit and read a chapter or two of a book with a nice drink. Those little moments make all the difference between sanity and frustration.

Cheers

Work Series: Drawing on Experience

 

For most jobs or opportunities I’ve applied to, I’ve never been able to go into much detail about past experience, since I either didn’t have any or it wasn’t very applicable.

 

While going through the process that led to my current Communications position at work, I was able to rely on pretty well everything, including public speaking, what little I did in Public Relations, and this blog! I was even asked for writing samples and sent links to some old disability articles.

 

Impressive as it was, it was also a slightly strange feeling. I’ve never been able to draw on so much before. And, weird as it may sound, I never really realized until this moment just how much I’ve done in my adult life.

 

A very amazing feeling, for sure.

Cheers!