And I bet this short escapade to Italy won’t be his only trip, this year; I’m sure he’ll be on the road again for his summer vacation. Because that’s how great it is to live in Europe: you’re only a hop, skip, and a jump away from a myriad of fascinating places.
Here’s what he wrote (in case you’re confused, “Mudd Lavoie”
is my real name — “Oza Meilleur” is my alter ego):
Hi Mudd,
France and I decided to take a 4-day break in Venice.
It’s a place to see, but only once. I’ll tell you about it.
Big kisses
If he hasn’t phoned by tomorrow 3:00 pm — which is 9:00 pm in Belgium — I’m going to call him. I can’t wait to hear what he thought of Venice and why he recommends going there only once. Hmmm…
You can’t imagine how happy it makes me to receive a postcard from my brother; I haven’t seen him since February 2004 when he came to Montreal and a whole bunch of us got together to celebrate his 50th birthday.
Yeah, I miss him a lot — he’s such a CRRRRazy guy. I have his photo up on the wall, in my office; when I’m at the computer, I often stop to look at him…
He’s sitting on a terrace, in Portugal,
drinking a nice cold Carlsberg.
I subscribe to MUTTS, a comic strip by Patrick McDonnell. And so every day I receive a new strip in my email box.
Usually starring Earl — a small mutt with a big heart (based on Patrick’s own dog) or Mooch — Earl’s feline pal who loves his little pink sock, each strip starts my day with a smile and sometimes a sigh… because McDonnell’s devotion to rescuing animals is what makes him and his characters so lovable.
Here’s this morning’s strip:
Cute, simple… yet what a positive message it sends out:
There’s always a reason to be HAPPY.
So if you’re feeling down in the dumps, then why not start singing — it’ll switch you back to feeling good about life. If you believe in the Law of Attraction, your singing will attract better vibes… and better days.
Meet the rest of the MUTTS’ cast and fall in love!
One of the reasons I’m not
too crazy about winter is that
I miss talking to the birds.
I can hear them yapping outside the window as
I work at my computer, but I can’t yap back.
How could I? — The window is closed, and there’s this plastic film taped over it to keep the cold from filtering in.
And when we get strong winds and freezing temperatures — which is what we’ve been getting much too often this year — I keep the bamboo shade rolled down and the curtains shut tight; there’s no way I can strike up a conversation.
So when I step out the door and there’s a bunch of sparrows sitting in the tree that’s right in front of my balcony, I stop and chirp my little heart out. I like the way the birds stare at me, tilting their heads to one side and then to the other, and I always wonder: Am I making any sense to them, or is it total gibberish?
If I’m walking on the street and I see or hear a crow and there’s no one in sight, I caw. It’s annoying to have to restrain myself from cawing just because there are people around.
At home, when I’m on my balcony or in the yard or even when I’m walking in the lane, I don’t care what the neighbours think… I CAW CAW CAW!
But I try not to caw too often — I’m not THAT deranged.
Anyway, if you want to hear what I sound like when I
talk to birds, here’s a little slide show video I made.
It’s the first in a series of “Giggle Tips” videos I’ll be putting up on YouTube. As a Giggle Coach, I want to get as many people giggling
as I can.
I intend to conquer the World… one giggle at a time.
P.S.: The video is on YouTube, but for some strange reason, I can’t put it on my site; here’s the Google Video version instead.
I think I’ve told you before how easily I get bored.
If not, I’m telling you now: boredom follows me
around like a shadow. As far back as I can recall,
I’ve always ended up in a rut.
And this explains why I haven’t been posting as often as I’d like to: I get weary of writing the same thing on both my English blog and my French blog.
Once my English article is ready to post, I don’t feel like reproducing it in French, and vice-versa; the thrill is gone — I want to move on to something new. And to tell you the truth, I hate to translate, so imagine the fun I’ve been having over the past thirteen months.
But yesterday, on my walk back from the library, I had an aha! moment: I suddenly felt liberated from this self-imposed obligation of having identical blogs. From now on, each blog will be distinct and have a life of its own. I will do what I want, when I want, in whatever language I want.
Yet another milestone reached
on my road trip to happiness.
How sweet it is!
Why, you may ask, did I wait so long before taking this rather simple decision? I’m sure I could find many reasons that would explain my neurotic behaviour, but now is not the time to dwell on the past. Now is the time to snap out of this boring pattern, this masochistic discipline, and start using the rerouting opportunities presented to me by the RuneRaido.
In other words, I must master the art of being a bum
in order to boost my creativity.
If I’m walking on the street and I see or hear a crow and there’s no one in sight, I caw. It’s annoying to have to restrain myself from cawing just because there are people around.
