A Life, Lived

Let's Talk Day

Today is Bell Let's Talk Day. Launched in 2011, the annual Bell Let's Talk Day is the most high-profile event in the national Bell Let's Talk mental health initiative. By getting engaged in the mental health conversation across a wide range of communications platforms on Bell Let's Talk Day, you directly drive Bell's donations to Canadian mental health programs all year round.

Bell donates 5 cents to Canadian mental health programs for each of these interactions on Bell Let's Talk Day at no cost to participants beyond what they would normally pay their service provider for online or phone access:

• Talk: Every mobile and every long distance call made by Bell wireless and phone customers
• Text: Every text message sent by Bell wireless customers
• Twitter: Every tweet and retweet using #BellLetsTalk, featuring the special Bell Let's Talk emoji, and every Bell Let's Talk Day video view at Twitter.com/Bell_LetsTalk
• Facebook: Every Bell Let's Talk Day video view at Facebook.com/BellLetsTalk and every use of the Bell Let's Talk frame
• Instagram: Every Bell Let's Talk Day video view at Instagram.com/bell_letstalk
• Snapchat: Every use of the Bell Let's Talk filter and every Bell Let's Talk Day video view

Total Bell Let's Talk Day interactions since the first event in 2011 stand at 867,449,649 and are expected to exceed 1 billion on January 30. Bell's funding commitment for mental health, including the company's donations based on Bell Let's Talk engagement and its original $50-million donation to launch the initiative, is now $93,423,628.80 and expected to surpass $100 million on January 30.

 

 

It's Cold Out There . . .

It looks as if winter has finally arrived. SIGH

Stavanger Kunstmuseum

The Stavager Kunstmuseum (or fine arts museum) was originally started when a small group of local art lovers got together to pool their collection. It eventually grew into a public museum of fine arts. The museum is located on the west side of the lake across from the hotel.  The museum has an extensive collection of more than two thousand works by Norwegian and international art from the 1800s to the present day. Works by Lars Hertervig constitutes a center of gravity, with more than 70 watercolors and oil paintings. Other Norwegian artists from 1800 - and 1900's are represented Kitty Kielland, Edvard Munch, Christian Krogh, Eilif Petersen, Knut Baade, Olaf Lange, Carl Sundt-Hansen and Harriet Backer.

Last Thursday there was a key note speaker at the end of the day. I had already seen this presentation in the summer and when I ran into the speaker at the airport she told me not to come on Thursday because I'd be bored. Having seen Maggie speak before I knew I'd not be bored but it did provide an opportunity to take a short walk and visit the art museum.

The weather had shifted and it was getting foggy.

The town had built a pedestrian underpass underneath the busy street. One of my observations of Norway is that they had planned the city with both pedestrians and cyclists in mind.

At the other end of the underpass you come out on the tranquility of the lake surrounded by pathways, forests, gardens, and art installations. I was a bit surprised with this small pond. I'm not sure what was so special about oit that these two pairs of ducks were nesting there rather than in the big lake 20 feet away but such is the mind of a duck apparently.

The gallery consists of a large glass dome which forms the guest facilities and two wings on other side which house the displays. Like many galleris most of the collection is in storage due to space limitations.

One of he exhibits featured a local artist who found fame in his lithographs and etchings. Olav Lange studied in Paris, at Académie Julien (1897—1901), and lived in Munich and Dachau from 1903 to 1943. His years there were interspersed with sojourns elsewhere. During World War I he lived in Copenhagen, and after being expelled from Germany in 1943, he returned to Norway. By this time he could look back on a career involving many international exhibitions and several years as the German correspondent for the newspaper Stavanger Aftenblad and other Norwegian and Swedish newspapers. Lange bequeathed several works and artist proofs to Stavanger Faste Galleri – the forerunner of Stavanger Art Museum.

It is with his colour etchings of typical Art Nouveau subjects and literary motifs that Lange made his most significant contribution to Norwegian art history. The subject matter includes, for instance, a quatic flora and fauna, butterflies and often ambiguous depictions of women: femme fatale, strong women, sensual and innocent types, also women who might be or are in bondage or suffering. The literary subjects are primarily drawn from the literature of Gustav Flaubert, but we also find references to Biblical texts and Indian sagas. The colour etchings are particularly influenced by a southern German Art Nouveau style, and by works by artists such as Max Klinger and Franz von Stuck.

The core of the exhibition featured colour etchings from 1904—1912, which were presented thematically and in the context of works by other relevant artists. The exhibition also included Lange’s large paintings of Art Nouveau subjects, urban themes, floral motifs and the unique collages he made in preparation for creating larger works. I was particularly impressed with the part of the exhibition which focused on the dramatic period in German history which Lange witnessed and on which he reported.

The other exhibition featured the work of a local art collector who had bequeathed his collection to the museum. I always find collections like this interesting as you try to get a sense of the person from the art they found tugged at their heart. It was set up in what I was advised were classic Norwegian themes for art - the future, landscape, workers, family, and the home.

When I left the museum a deep fog had rolled in making for a eerie walk back to the hotel.

A Walk in the Morning

The conference started in earnest today. There wasn't a lot of time to wander about looking at interesting things. After breakfast I had a bunch of work to get caught up on. Once that was done I had about an hour for a walk.

There is a smallish lake near the hotel. The council has made it into a beautiful recreation area with pathways, bike baths, picnic areas, art installations, and children's play structures. There was even a pedestrian underpass that allowed me to travel underneath the busy street to reach it rather than trying to cross the street.

I wandered around the lake enjoying the environment. It was peaceful and relaxing and clearly popular with the local folks as I passed couples walking hand-in-hand, parents pushing baby strollers, joggers, and seniors out for a power walk. I even met the local ducks and swans.

It was a great way to clear my head before a heavy day of thinking  . . . to say nothing of helping me reach my step goal!

First Day in Stavanger

I arrived in Stavanger on Sunday night. Having traveled for the better part of 24 hours I really wasn't up for much other than getting settled, having a shower, and a restorative nap. By the time I logged on to my laptop and responded to emails and stuff it was time for bed.

Stavanger is as far north as Iceland. It gets dark early here. When it gets dark it is VERY dark.

This is great for sleeping.

My hotel is attached to the conference centre. The location is great for that. It is, however, some ways from the city centre where the touristy things to do are located.

That location close to the conference centre helped out yesterday when the jet lag and pitch black night conspired to make me sleep in!

Had it not been a 2 minute race from my room to the meeting room I would have missed the session.

We started off as a large group talking about the Norwegian education system. Then we were broken into groups and sent with a guide off to individual schools. I went with a group of educators to a school in Tananger.

When we arrived we meet with the school leaders. They told us about the school and the philosophy for learning and student engagement. We were paired up and assigned a student guide who took us around the school and showed us life at Storevarden skole.

We had lunch with the staff and in went out to watch the kids at play. They had an interesting system where student leaders ran activities for the students during the lunch hour. It was great to watch kids at play - it seems this is one of the great similarities across cultures.

The school visit wrapped up around 2:00. When I got back to the hotel I got a taxi downtown to the old area of Stavanger.

The first place I wanted to visit was the old Cathedral - the oldest cathedral in Norway. Originally built in the early 1100s, it has been in continuous use for the last seven centuries.

An architectural heirloom, it’s a medieval-era cathedral that has maintained most of its interior from the time of its construction. Wandering its halls and solid-rock fixtures, one is instantly transported to another time and place – one which seems increasingly hard to believe or recreate.

The cathedral was consecrated to Saint Svitun, the local patron saint who was an early Bishop of Winchester. In 1272, a large fire ravaged Stavanger and the cathedral suffered large-scale damage.

It was later rebuilt under Bishop Arne, and the Romanesque Cathedral was enlarged in the Gothic style, providing a fascinating intersection of architectural eras for those who know where to look and how.

After leaving the church I wandered around the old port area. Most of the buildings are wooden structures from the 1700s. In fact, this part of the city is the oldest collection of 1700 wooden structures in all of Europe (does that mean the world?). Most of the buildings are painted white - although some streets stand out for the riot of colours on the structures. The streets are narrow, hilly, cobblestone passageways - many were still decorated for Chrismas. It was a treat to wander around, do a bit of shopping, and most of all - people watch!

Off to Norway . . . yes, Norway.

You might be wondering why anyone would go to Norway in the winter. Certainly I'm sitting here wondering that right now. While certainly Norway is known for its wintery weather and hosting the winter Olympics most pics of the country look like this:

The only snow in sight being at the top of a mountain!

So what is dragging me to Noway? The International Congress for School Effectiveness and Improvement being held in Stavanger. I have not been to a conference in three years. It is time to reconnect with education and the positive things happening around the globe (particularly when you consider what we will be going through in Ontario for the next four years).

Stavanger is the oil capital of Norway located on the south-west coast. It is also a major port for North Sea and Baltic cruise ships - although I don't think there will be any of those in port next this week. It is also the place where the various tribal factions in Norway were unified as one nation so there is plenty of history. While I'll be spending my time in a modern looking conference centre hopefully there will be plenty of time to get out and explore.

Louise Penny - Kingdom of the Blind

My second 'Christmas' read.

Kingdom of the Blind is the 14th mystery in the Inspector Gamache series — and it’s a spellbinder. But such critical praise hardly matters anymore to this series. By now Louise Penny, deservedly, has built up such a large community of adoring readers that her novels belong to that most rarefied of literary categories: They are review-proof.

Like a slightly sinister holiday letter, Penny’s mysteries, which have been coming out regularly for over a decade, catch up readers on the latest news with Gamache’s unruffled wife, Reine-Marie, his more emotionally vulnerable protege and son-in-law, Jean-Guy Beauvoir, and his dear friends in Three Pines — particularly the overwhelming fan favorite, that mad, duck-toting poet, Ruth Zardo.

Penny’s insightful, well-plotted 14th novel featuring Chief Supt. Armand Gamache finds him on suspension from the Sûreté du Québec following events that unfolded in 2017’s Glass Houses. No matter the suspension, Gamache becomes embroiled in a murder case when he and psychologist-turned-bookseller Myrna Lander are enlisted to be executors for a stranger’s will, and one of the key beneficiaries winds up dead.

Over the course of the investigation, Penny offers intriguing commentary on the willful blindness that can keep people from acknowledging the secrets and lies in their own lives.

For long-time series fans, plenty of time is spent in the mystical village of Three Pines, and it’s refreshing to have a spotlight shine on Myrna, one of the most relatable of the village’s population.

A secondary plot involving a rogue shipment of opioids in Montreal comes to a satisfactory close.

Penny wraps up some continuing story lines and sends recurring characters in surprising directions in this solid installment.

On Ice?

This made me smile this morning . . .

Happy New Year!

I think that this is the perfect quote for 2018.

There was so much to be fearful about this year - the constant barrage of negativity and anger was overwhelming. I can't remember a time when I so wanted to be able to crawl under the covers and shut the world out . . . even for an hour or so.

Yet in the midst of all the horror there were wee glimpses of hope. Resistance. Courageous individuals standing up and declaring that they had had enough and were no longer going to take things as they were.

My thoughts as we take the 2018 calendar off of the wall and replace it with a shiny new one for 2019 are that we need to grow that hope. It may be cliche (particularly after the Obama 'Hope' political campaigns) but we really do need to think of our better selves . . . they are in there somewhere. If we let them out more often our world would be a far better place.

So, no resolutions for me in 2019. Just a reminder to be positive, presume good intentions, and work to let the better Jerry out from time to time.

I wish you the best and ask you to join me.