The Slow Lane Chronicles – in snippets and with italics

I’ve used the italicized opening paragraph twice in the Lane and enjoyed it each time and this week instead of one subject it’s a few snippets, so given the italicized opening paragraph can be used to denote special information, that makes it a perfect fit now.  So the special information is that, well, this is not a regular column but a column of snippets:

Okay, here we go.  There was a plant on the Queen Capilano, an African violet that was near the cafeteria for years. It was taken away, I’d heard, by the upper-echelon of B.C. Ferries.  Tried to get details from ferry staff but they’re very loyal to their employer and said little.

By this time I was in ‘reporter’ guy mode, a mode I normally do not cultivate.  But a couple of passengers had said they missed that plant.  (By the way, I’ll add parenthetically that I can’t recall who said that.  That can happen on the Cap because given all the time you spend on her and all the folks you talk to, it’s easy to forget who said what.)

At any rate, I emailed Deborah Marshall over in Victoria about it, their director of media relations, and she said the plant was removed because it did not fit the B.C. Ferries “brand.”  For us islanders, I expect it would fit our brand but, well, even though we ride the ferry, we don’t call the shots.

I thought that worth passing along.

*****

Islander Paul Welsh once told me that we get our kids until they’re 10, at which time they pretty much get interested in other stuff and we’re secondary, at best.  For the Boy, that is proving to be bang-on accurate.  The guy has an iPod now, pals around with kids from school and kids from his hockey team and hanging with Mom and Dad is not a priority.

We’ve become primarily the drivers, chief cooks and bottle-washers, the clothing suppliers and cleaners and the people who remind him of his appointments, like school.  In short, we are the glorified doers-of-things that he needs done.

However, at this age you can take them into an atmosphere they are unaccustomed to and – Presto – you get your kid back.  Downtown, at night, or on the Canada Line, they are out of their element.  Still too young to get cocky and go “I’m cool” and old enough to be impressed, they get intimidated.

Suddenly your kid grabs a hand and asks you things and makes observations and actually pays attention to YOU, glad that you’re there.  It’s really enjoyable to just go to the city and wander around with your 10-year-old.  Like old times, it will take you way back to when they were nine years old.

*****

A great off-shoot of being a parent is being able to get to know other kids, mostly kids your kid kids around with, or kids who have parents that you kid around with. Have you ever thought about who your favorite kids, other than yours, on Bowen Island are?

For me Jo-Jo Bucklesnort-Lightbody is right at the top.  I once did an entire column on Jo-Jo alone. The rest of Bowen’s kids are tied for second, though Ollie Sven Welsh, Hudson H. Henriques, the entire Beaird family, and the Kerr kids and Eliana Kasmana are exceptionally great kids. So is the Willing One, the Atom man, the Gem, Jewel Minoose, J. Giraffe, Duncan Beale, the Mait Man...and about 300 more.

Kids are fun, positive and spontaneous, a combination we adults might consider emulating.

*****

What about your favourite adult?  That’s hard to admit to, somehow, on Bowen or anywhere.  Why is it embarrassing to say ‘well, I like so and so’ about adults?  It’s awkward.  It’s too...nice, or weird or intimate.  But there are lots of nice adults on island and usually we have favorites for things.

All right. I like...okay, I like Michael Hogan.  He’s a great type of person.  Oh - Mike Bingham.  I...you know, I like Mike.  Penny Wright, she’s great.  She’s got a great dog.  Mary Ann Zakreski.  She’s got a great name.  Mikey Lightbody.  Carmen.  Susan.  I like Chris S. only he forbids me to put his whole name in paper.

But those are my neighbours.  That makes it easier.  Right – I like Bob Bates, never a dull moment if Bob is around.  And Cindy Brown, never a dull moment with Cindy, either.  Mrs. Ballou.  Paul Stratford.  Reed Bement.  Kelly Santiago.  I don’t know.  I can’t pick a favourite.  It’s immature, I guess.

And embarrassing. But go ahead – try it.

That ends the snippet column and I’m taking the unprecedented step of using the italicized paragraph at the end here, too.  I must say that it felt different writing a snippet column and it was a great learning experience.  So thanks for reading all the way through.

And I...you know, I...I like...you, too.