Updates update

I have started the next leg of the adventure this evening. I might be updating my twitter feed more regularly than the full blog here. To follow along there go to www.twitter.com/i_rober. It’s good for quick updates when either Internet use or my attention span for writing are sparse.

Thanks for all the wishes of support!

Summary to Adventure

I was supposed to have written a few posts by now. One need only look at the previous post May 23 to note that I had ambitions of writing about a number of topics. The fifth anniversary of Être ou Avoir passed here without a whimper, and le Tour is now half over and not a word. Instead, I have been out living and preparing, and for that I make no apology – instead I encourage you to do the same. All the same, I have returned as I am perched precariously on the cusp of a new adventure, and adventure is what got this blog started in the first place. Just over five years ago I started writing here for a few reasons (check them here if you’re looking to bore yourself). I attended a monumental wedding, and prepared to cross an ocean. Here I sit, having attended a monumental wedding a week ago and am (somewhat) prepared to cross a different ocean. Thus, this post will serve to make a few connections, summarize some points that could be postings in their own right, act as a catch all, and perhaps prepare me to work on my writing while I am on this next adventure.

Firstly, a public congratulations to two of the most inspiring, and caring people I know: J & L had a wonderful wedding, and it was humbling to be a part of it.

Secondly, multiple chapeaux to the riders who poured it out to make the first part of le Tour so exciting. Namely: Hushovd, Evans, Voekler, Flecha, Sanchez, Sanchez, Cavendish, Farrar…. the list could go on. Of course, it’s been great to see my man Jens toil away with such dedication as well.

Thirdly, I am incredibly excited about the adventure that lies ahead. In less than two hours I will depart for London. Two days later I will fly to Kenya and spend about a month there volunteering with Education Beyond Borders. East Africa has been a dream of mine for a long, long time, but what makes me so very amped – and nervous – about this adventure is the opportunity to work with, and learn from Educators in a culture that is new to me. Publicly voicing this adventure reveals my passion for teacher development. This acknowledgement in this forum is also part of this adventure. I am looking forward to being humbled, learning, growing with others, and hopefully being able to give as well. If all goes well, reflections and summaries will get posted here.

Finally, I am so very appreciative of all the support I have had from family and friends. This past year was a fantastic one – not because it was always easy, on the contrary its challenges and successes combined to make it so fantastic. However, both it, and the run-up to this adventure would not have been possible without the care and support of so many intentional and positive people. Quite simply: Thank you!

I often say that I am beyond fortunate to have so many people in my life that are so caring. That still rings true – but there is also something to be said for being in this together, and there is most definitely a post on that topic waiting in the future.

Hear from you soon no doubt,
A bientôt
IR

Return to Blog?

Where have I been? It certainly hasn’t been blogging, but I must have been somewhere.

I realized yesterday that the 5th anniversary of this venture is quickly approaching, and I also realized that I have had a number of posting topics in mind for the past 4-6 months, and none of them have developed into an actual post. Thus, this post shall hopefully serve as a personal catalyst, and reminder that I should take the time to practice my writing, and think about whether or not I want to acknolwedge 5 years of Être ou Avoir.

Potential upcoming post topics:
-my upcoming adventure with Education Beyond Borders in Kenya.
-a post (or seven) about hockey, as it’s been an interesting winter/spring both personally and in our fair city.
-cycling
-use of Twitter
-online identities
-balance of not finding the time to post
-topics of your choice?

More than anything – hope this finds you well, and that you are having a very good spring.

Four Year Randomness

Four years ago we started trying something here. Apparently we’re still going at it. I won’t write much more today, as I have a lot of reading waiting at hand. A more in depth post is brewing for Canada Day anyways. Just want to quickly note the anniversary, and express some wonder that this has still held up.

Also, just read Egan using Ferris Beuhler’s Day Off as an example of heroism. I’m stretching the context a bit, but I do think it’s awesome, and I do think it works! I’ve gone a bit random here, but that’s been a tendency of the past year here at Être ou Avoir – increased randomness. Perhaps that’s what balance has needed this year, or perhaps that’s what balance has created in the past 12 months?

Anyways, as long as we’re being random, also laughed again at this clip today:

…actually… wait a sec… that wasn’t funny

Four years ago an amazing wedding coincided with the start of things, and here I just came back from another very special marriage.

These quadrennials and this time of year also throw a hefty slice of sports that seem to steal my life away: now, just as four years ago, we’re coming off the Winter Olympics, coming off the Stanley Cup, coming off the French Open, watching World Cup, watching Wimbledon, and heavily anticipating the Tour.

Alright, final random connection, this clip below ties in with personal stuff and worldly sport stuff right now. Genius. Hope you’re well, see you back soon for a real post. “Marx was claiming it was offside!”  ….Blah

10,000

If you’re reading this, then you could very well be the 10,000th view of Être ou Avoir. I just checked the stats and we are 9,999. If there’s no comment on this post, then let’s assume it is you! Please leave a comment to let us know you were (likely) the one to get us to 10,000. Thank you!

It’s been a worthwhile challenge so far. I think it’ll keep going, of course, it couldn’t happen without you. It’s a means of communication, and that always takes at  least two.

Merci.

Third Anniversary – Friendship

“Friendship, like the immortality of the soul, is too good to be believed. When friendships are real, they are not glass threads or frost work, but the solidest things we know.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

A couple of days ago the third anniversary of Être ou Avoir came and left without any fanfare, let alone any postings. This does not mean however that I forgot that it has been three years since we went live at irober.wordpress.com. Rather, I knew I would get around to posting, and instead have been enjoying some time tieing up some loose ends, and then taking some time with friends, rather than jump on to my computer.

Now that I’m hear and reflect briefly on the past year of both blogging, and the past year in general, I find that friendship has been more prevalent in my thoughts and in my postings. This is certainly not to say that I have all of a sudden seen value in friends. Far from it in fact. For years now I have put a high value on the relationship with my friends (including my family). Regardless of time and space, the relationships I attempt to build with close friends involve trust, care, patience, intentionality and love. While some might see these as being the qualities of a partner relationship, it became clear a few years ago that nothing less should be expected from a close friendship. Values, hopes, challenges, and balance – perhaps the defining characteristics of us all – can all be defined, supported, and achieved with friends of this nature.

The values, hopes, challenges and balance woven into this past year have meant a little less blogging from me. However, they have also resulted in a deepening of my close friendships. Quite frankly, I would not have wanted it any other way. At the outset of this blog I made clear that it is important to be off engaged in other things, especially adventure, instead of typing on a computer. In this past year I feel I have. Further, friends have garnered a great deal more influence in this space on the internet in the past year, with suggestions, feedback, questions, sharing, and conversations. Quite frankly, what would I do without them?

In relation to the theme: I have always tended to lean towards the side of being a friend, rather than having friend. Yet, with personal milestones this past year, overcoming challenges, and the deepening of friendships in all areas of my life – work, play, family, social – I see value in both the being and the having. That being said, the act of being, or existing in friendship, is still one of the finest things in life.

Rather than continue to babble on, about either a third year of blogging finished, or friendship, perhaps a couple of quotes that balance each other off would be more appropriate.

The most basic and powerful way to connect to another person is to listen. Just listen. Perhaps the most important thing we ever give each other is our attention… A loving silence often has far more power to heal and to connect than the most well-intentioned words. – Rachel Naomi Remen

A friend is one before whom I may think aloud. – Ralph Waldo Emerson

As you know, I’m a fan of saying what you mean yourself, but I still get roped into a quote every now and then. I do not fret about this. It will likely continue to happen in the fourth year of this blog. C’est la vie. I look forward to the adventures, and postings of the next year. More than those, I look forward to the continued, and perhaps even new, friendships of the next year, and look back with wonderment, and gratitude.

Thank you. A bientôt.

The most I can do for my friend is simply to be his friend. I have no wealth to bestow on him. If he knows that I am happy in loving him, he will want no other reward. Is not friendship divine in this? - Henery David Thoreau

Summer Requests

Welcome to summer!

With it’s official arrival yesterday, the season that is often a fan favourite has gotten off to a decent start. June could rank as my favourite month. You have sneaky long days that many don’t notice (except perhaps myself and S.), along with general feelings of positive expectaions and exciting anticipation for the glamorous summer months of July and August.

Currently, and locally, the weather has been decent, there are a number of community events on the calendar, and personally I have some more free time for a bit. This coincides nicely with the long days, and the third anniversary of Être ou Avoir. Thus, if there is a topic you would like to see a post on, please let me know. Maybe you’re even interested in giving blogging a go, and we could have some guest posts? Whether it is revisiting an old topic, striking up a new one, or just posing a question, I’m always open to requests, but a little more so around the time of the anniversary. Plus, be sure to keep track of any memorable, funny, ironic, silly, or even philosophical quotes that arise during your summer experiences. A post last year that colleted quotes of the summer seemed to go over well, so we might try again this season.

Finally, and mainly, wishing you an excellent start to the summer. I hope you get to spend lots of time outside and adventuring.

Argh

Apparently I haven’t written here in a while, almost a month to be exact. Further, the previous two posts are short in nature (although the March 1^st one was very meaningful). Where have I been? Nowhere special – except, maybe I have been.

This post was supposed to be about something. It was supposed to be about one of the two outstanding books I finished reading – one of them some time ago – when I wasn’t blogging. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, along with Three Day Road were excellent and exceptional respectively. They deserve postings, but, as it turns out, not this one. Then, it was supposed to be about Heimspeil, the documentary I told you I would write more about – and I should, just not now. I then considered a recent physical challenge I took on might be deemed blog worthy. While it may very well be, it didn’t transform into a post today. Some might suggest that my thoughts have been centred around a milestone recently – at least society deems it a milestone, to be honest I didn’t feel different, but it did give an excuse – and I looked back at the past 5, 10, and 15 years in some brief thoughts.

It was at this point when I began to get into what this post was really about – mainly that it was not meant to be “about” any “thing” in particular. Rather, I was pondering a thought that has been both recent and long term. That all of the things I, you, we, talk “about”, read “about”, and write “about” occur through the lens of our own being and perhaps even having.

However, now… my mind is gone somewhere else entirely from blogging. The only reason I am still posting this is because it exemplifies what I may have taken another three paragraphs to write. My current lens – my preoccupied mind – makes it impossible for me to consider any topic at all as blog worthy right now.

So, there you have it. Honestly, I did start out with the intention of a post, and it ended in a personal experiment gone awry. We will try again another time. Even though this whole thing has gone pear-shaped I might as well post – it’s the truth. If nothing else it will get C, D, J & M off my case for a bit.

Argh.

Puppy Sounds

Apparently the puppy cam is still in full operation (a few posts down, or here if you click.) So, you’ll notice that you hear puppy sounds when you’re on the main page, even though the video is down quite a bit. If that annoys you: to bad, so sad. Although, by making a post here, out of it, I am moving it closer to off the main page. So there you go C.

Updates

Every page (except docs page – but very soon I hope) has been updated very recently. Even the About page has new information and thoughts intertwined within it. Have been reading and watching some more stuff lately so there’s new stuff on that page too. Anyways, just a general reminder that things change on the other pages without notification always appearing on this main page. Of course, the photos also change quite regularly as well, and appear on the left, or visit flickr for all of them. If you become a friend on flickr you get to see even more shots when you go to my photostream because I mark some as private, and then they don’t appear on the left (including the two most current at flickr). If you want to join, just ask and I can guide you through it easy peasy.

Take care.