Friday, March 31, 2006

Calendar Girl Blog: Broken Camera

My new digital camera decided to cease taking pictures yesterday. Leaving it at the photo shop, with the understanding that I may not see it for 4 weeks, was like getting a stick in the eye. I stammered something about it being my 'work camera' which the kind clerk dutifully noted on the form, and then left, feeling somewhat naked.

This amazes me. Especially given the angst I went through buying the bloody thing. Now, a short 3 months later I'm weeping with separation anxiety. Over a camera I might add.

Calendar Girl is turning into some whacked out version of her former self. It's true that 'sentimental' is one of her more pronounced features. Still, suck it up girlfriend.

Calendar Girl

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Thursday, March 30, 2006

Calendar Girl Blog: 2007 Calendar Draft

My apology to those of you accustomed to a daily drone from me. I was attending a Wellness Fair and a Menopause Symposium yesterday. Now I'm loaded with information on all manner of women's health.

In my flurry to go forth into the public and learn, I failed to note that the draft copy of the 2007 Breast of Canada arrived under cover of darkness the other day. Draft form includes photo placement, dates, breastlore and model info.

Usually, we reach this stage in April so on that note we're ahead of our own game. Strangely, being ahead gives me no comfort. The closer we are to running the presses, the more pressure for me to find, make, conjure up $10,000.00 for the bill.

Seems more daunting than ever before. Guess ignorance really is bliss.

Calendar Girl is pleased with the draft. Considering that Gareth and Calendar Girl have not communicated face to face on this edition as of yet, what Calendar Girl hoped for and what he made is relatively close.

Calendar Girl

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Tuesday, March 28, 2006

Calendar Girl Blog: World Readers

I'm not sure what I find more pleasing. The fact that I just figured out how to get this image onto this blog or all the little dots here there and the next place.

This map shows this blogs last 100 readers in their natural environment. The red dot is me.

Calendar Girl would encourage you to place a site meter on your blog simply because of this mind puffing feature. And to you folks that appear hither and fro, Calendar Girl would like to thank you for making her world light up.

Calendar Girl


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Monday, March 27, 2006

Calendar Girl Blog: The Future

What does the future hold for Breast of Canada?

After assessing the numbers for one of my U.S. distributors, I had to end my relationship with them. In business speak, the margins were way to thin. This result was not from lack of trying. We gave it three year's of effort. But even after three years, my per unit return was under one dollar.

The majority of the calendars sell from my website so loosing a distributor is of less concern than say loosing my printer. But the ease of having a distributor that I can ship 150 calendars to instead of me shipping to 150 customers bears mention. More work is not something I'm trying to develop.

Calendar Girl, a former fortune teller, hoped to read her tea leaves and forecast the future. But no tea leaves poured forth. Does this cups message mean clear sailing or no future in sight? Or maybe Calendar Girl should simply enjoy drinking the tea and trust that the calendar business will work out as it should.

Calendar Girl

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Friday, March 24, 2006

Calendar Girl Blog: Fry Day

Last evening, our 'listening group' tucked into a CD of speeches made by Martin Luther King Jr..

Unless I'm deaf, which of course I am on so many levels, I'm not hearing anyone speaking with such clarity in today's world. My gawd the man could string a sentence together. And funny. Very funny.

So on one hand the CD proved inspirational and awe inspiring. On the other, I'm filled with head shaking disappointment. Given that was the 60's, progress seems some slow.

Calendar Girl wonders where we're headed as a world. Not to be negative, it simply bares asking.

Calendar Girl

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Thursday, March 23, 2006

Calendar Girl Blog: PayPal Pal

Problem solved.

PayPal is my pal once again.

Calendar Girl

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Calendar Girl Blog: Pay Pal

I'm having PayPal problems. My password has been locked. Why, I have no idea. I'm on hold for the third time trying to find out. For reasons that further frustrate, I keep getting cut off.

Calendar Girl is curious. Could this be a cruel trick to further rattle my menopausal mind?

Calendar Girl

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Wednesday, March 22, 2006

Calendar Girl Blog: Giants

Giants as a rule, are not good for the environment. Not only do they hold superior notions of themselves, but they can and often do squash everything in their path. The appetite of the big is voracious.

Giant retailers are no different. Local small business cannot compete with the "Everyday Low Prices" of the mammoth. Given our unfortunate attitude that end price is the number one criteria for all purchases, little guys drop like flies when the big boys move into town. The misguided belief commonly held claims that bigger stores give you more variety. When in reality, bigger only gives you a taste of other bigger things. Little publishers like me join the endangered species list.

I want to be a small business. In order to exist, I need other small businesses to work with. When BIG BOX BUDDY comes to town, we loose our small retail outlets which fit with our business model. Poof goes the small. Then just like that, everyone's shopping choice is effectively reduced.

This is but one reason I'm not pro Wal-Mart.

Further to the Wal-Mart drama that continues to unfold in our city, I wrote this pithy letter to our daily paper, The Mercury. Yesterday's post will flesh out the God part for you.
Dear Editor,

I'm curious. If the 6/7 development game is between Wal-Mart and God, who would you say the home team is?

Sue Richards
Calendar is trying to perfect the two sentence letter thinking that as previously stated, bigger isn't always better.

Calendar Girl

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Tuesday, March 21, 2006

Calendar Girl: Gods Lawyer

I spent the morning in court, observing the proceedings for a case that has been cast as Wal-Mart vs. God. The short version of the story goes like this. For ten year's Wal-Mart has been trying to build a big ass store between our two main cemeteries and adjacent to the Ignatius Jesuit Silent Retreat Centre and Organic Farm. Over ten thousand members of our community have signed petitions requesting the big W pick another city location.

But no. Wal-Mart wants what Wal-Mart wants. And so goes the lawyers. And so comes our day in court.

Turns out the lawyer representing God also worked on behalf of Gwen Jacob, the Guelph gal who dared to walk topfree on a scorcher hot day back in 1991 here in G-Town. She was arrested for indecent exposure and spent the next decade fighting for topfreedom rights which she eventually won for the province of Ontario.

I didn't know this connection, but one of the other court hawks did. As we waited for our hearing, she was quick to introduce us...solely because defenders of breasts do gravitate toward one another. She followed up by expediently purchasing a calendar for his legalness who prior to lifting the Bar or whatever lawyers do, was the business manager for heavy metal rock sensation Helix. Whacky images do appear.

The ability to sell a breast calendar that ends up going to Gods heavy metal lawyer in our cities courthouse strikes Calendar Girl as noteworthy and memorable. Or is that just me?

Calendar Girl

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Monday, March 20, 2006

Calendar Girl Blog: May I Take You Out to Lunch

What a difference a week off makes.

Here's what's shaking. I'm facing the phase of the Breast of Canada publishing cycle where I need money. Over the past five year's I've scrapped and scrambled, asked, begged and pleaded plus cracked into my own piggy bank to amass the chunk of change needed to put this baby out. The lions share of my costs have been paid for from my own pocket. And yet, interesting, the benefit of Breast of Canada is well beyond my little world. The message, breast cancer prevention, is a universally needed paradigm shift. Little attention is put into breast cancer until you are struck with the disease.

Call me crazy, but I would prefer to stay cancer free if at all possible. I'm assuming that I am not alone. Hence my work and my effort. I trust that by this point it is pretty obvious that I'm not in this just for myself.

Further, I can no longer publish the project without being paid. To date, Breast of Canada covers it's own costs but my effort has been voluntary. Now that I've worked out the kinks, have 2500 loyal customers and a five year publishing history of excellence, I feel ready to take the project to the next level. But here's the rub. I don't live on air alone. Scrambling to cover my cost of living does not inspire great work, takes time and leaves me exhausted. The next level requires all of me.

So here's the new deal. Below is my resume. I am looking for an angel/philanthropist to step forward who can see my potential and has an interest in helping this project thrive. If you are one, please contact me. If you know one, do share. Or if word spreading is your forte, please spread away.

I'll buy lunch.

SUE RICHARDS
P.O. BOX 714, GUELPH, ON NIH 6L3
VOICE: (519) 767-0142
artjam@artjam.org

SOCIAL ENTREPRENEUR, ARTIST AND CULTURAL ANIMATOR
PRODUCER, PUBLISHER, FUND RAISER, 2001 - PRESENT breastofcanada.com Breast of Canada Calendar: an annual fine art photography, cancer prevention, breast health calendar.

ARTS EDUCATOR 1998 - PRESENT
Three time recipient of Ontario Arts Council, Artist in Education Grant for elementary school play writing program.

ART JAM: CULTURAL ANIMATOR 1998- 2000.
Artist in Community National Pilot Project funded by the Laidlaw Foundation, The Canada Council for the Arts and The Ontario Arts Council. Community partners include AIDS Committee of Guelph and Wellington County and Guelph and District Multicultural Centre, Canadian Clay and Glass Gallery.

ART JAM: CREATIVITY CENTRE 1998 - 2000 artjam.org
Leaseholder of retired 1910 school building in downtown Guelph. Provided rental space to the artistic community, facilitated school programs, hosted improv comedy night and events.

KID CULTURE: CURRICULUM DESIGN/ARTS EDUCATOR 1996 - 1999.
Partnership specializing in curriculum based theatre performance and community play programs for elementary schools. Series of intensive creative workshops for schools in, Inuvik, Aklavik N.W.T., Mississauga and Cambridge, ON.

WRITER
GEOSIGN CORPORATION 2003 - 2005
Writer and editor for two women's health web sites. thebreastsite.com and menopauseinsight.com

GUELPH MERCURY COMMUNITY EDITORIAL BOARD 2003 - 2004
Write monthly 800 - 1000 word editorials on municipal issues.

FREELANCE 2002 - PRESENT
Exchange Magazine, Canadian Women's Health Magazine, Charity Village, Women Can Do Anything, "Close Calls, Dogs and Horseshoes" published by Penguin Canada: Facts and Arguments Selected Essays from The Globe and Mail.

BLOGGER 2005 - Present
Calendar Girl Blog: www.breastofcanada.blogspot.com
The Breast Views Blog: www.thebreastviewsblog.blogspot.com
My Menopause Blog: www.mymenopauseblog.com
Blog Guelph: www.blogguelph.blogspot.com

ARTS ADMINISTRATOR AND MANAGER
AGENT, MANAGER, PUBLICIST AND GRANT WRITER 1989 - 1998
Roster of international touring musicians and actors. Gross annual revenue $250,000.00.

ADVERTISING MANAGER; ONTARION STUDENT PRESS 1984 - 1988

VOLUNTEER, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR AND ARTISTIC DIRECTOR 1984 - 1992
Hillside Community Music Festival of Guelph Inc.

VOLUNTEER
MENTOR 1998 - PRESENT
Offer coaching and business mentoring to emerging artists and women. Also under the guidance of mentor Jim Estill, SYNNEX Canada Ltd and Dr. Pierre Brunet, Concordia University.

TELEVISION REPORTER AND PRODUCER ROGERS 2000 - 2001
Television "Plugged In" Program team member.

JUNO AWARDS JUROR 1999 BY INVITATION
Best Roots and Traditional Album - Group Category.

AWARDS
HONORARY CHAIR: YMCA-YWCA WOMEN OF DISTINCTION AWARDS, 2003

RECIPIENT: YMCA-YWCA 5TH ANNUAL WOMEN OF DISTINCTION AWARD ARTS AND CULTURE, 2000

EDUCATION
-Yoga, private instruction with J. Gilbey 2003 to present
-Mindfulness Meditation, various instructors 2002 to present
-Learn to Row, Guelph Lake Rowing Club, 2002
-InternetWorking, Continuing Education, Guelph. 2001
-Level One Vocal Training: Private Instruction, Guelph. 2000
-St. John Ambulance Standard Safety Oriented First Aid, Guelph. 1999
-Level One and Two Improvisation: Second City Workshop, Toronto. 1998
-Creative Writing: both university and professional level courses, Guelph. 1995/96
-Conflict Management: Mediation Centre of Metropolitan Toronto. 1995
-ORCA Canoeing Program, Moving Water, Madawaska. 1990
-B.A. University of Guelph, Ontario. Psychology. Graduated 1984.

OTHER NOTABLE EXPERIENCE
WORLD BUDGET TRAVELER 1976 - PRESENT
-Select trips include Zanzibar, Tanzania, Vietnam, India, Thailand, Newfoundland, Japan, N.W.T., Costa Rica, Alaska, Guatemala, Australia, New Zealand, New York City, Crete, Georgia, Vancouver Island, Nova Scotia, Great Britain, Mexico, Norway, Italy, California and Ireland.

WILDERNESS CAMPER AND CANOEIST 1986 - PRESENT
-Favourite destinations include Algonquin Provincial Park, ON; Massassauga Provincial Park, ON; Killarney Provincial Park,ON; Yosemite National Park, California; Able Tasmen National Park, New Zealand; Olga Rocks National Park, Australia; Haleakala National Park Crater, Maui; Serengeti National Park, Tanzania and the Grand River Watershed, ON.

PET OWNER/FOSTERING 1992 - PRESENT
-Medium to large dogs.

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Friday, March 10, 2006

Calendar Girl Blog: Word Rest

Writing in excess of 15 blog posts a week seems to be messing with my audio vocabulary retrieval. Give me a pen and I have no problem. But put me face to face, and my language skills tank to an embarrassing low.

I suspect that my menopause is adding her own slight of hand to the mix, what with the short term memory lapse known to be part of that package. Still, cranking out three or four posts a day may also be weighing heavily.

To test this theory, I'm going to take a week off of this blog and The Breast Views. Considering that March is one of my slowest months calendar wise plus considering the best I've been able to do lately is brag about skating and...the art of ceiling staring, I think a break is in order.

Let's say we meet for lunch on March 20th? Calendar Girl's treat.

Calendar Girl

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Thursday, March 09, 2006

Calendar Girl Blog: Ceiling Thoughts


Every Thursday, almost without fail, I stare, observe or simply look at this ceiling as I do yoga. Inevitably, my mind wanders to thoughts of Lemon Meringue Pie. Or mashed potatoes. Or that hard ass icing that goes on wedding cakes.

Today, Calendar Girl didn't think of food. Instead the ceiling inspired thoughts of summer followed by anxiety because summer leads to fall and fall is busy with calendars. Perhaps Calendar Girl should shut her eyes for the time being.

Calendar Girl

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Wednesday, March 08, 2006

Calendar Girl Blog: Late Skating

Photo Credit: Calendar Girl
Location: On Guelph Lake

So maybe this has turned into a skating blog....

The skate guards....get a load of the skate guards.

Calendar Girl is somewhat sorry to report that the temperature is rising. Our sunset skate last evening was twinged with that earthy hint of spring. Calendar Girl was a late blooming skater this year. But she will be much faster out of the gate next year...all things being good.

Calendar Girl

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Tuesday, March 07, 2006

Calendar Girl Blog: New Skates


Photo Credit: Self
Photo Location: ON Guelph Lake

Do not fret. This has not turned into a skating blog.

Thankfully, March is the slowest of slow months in the calendar business. I say thankfully because my tank needs filling before launching myself into another year of breast calendar wrangling.

It's not March that I favour so much as a break from the routine. Changing my daily habits, even if only for a month, is refreshing and invigorating.

These are my new skates. They were not my new skates until this moment. Unlike any pair of skates that crossed my path before, these babies knew exactly how to be on my feet. It was love at first glide, until death do us part.

The sun is shining again today. My skating neighbours and I are breaking out of town this afternoon and heading back to the lake for a sunset frolic. We are all self employed, home business heads. Working doesn't have to fit into the 9 to 5 model of weekday drone.

Calendar Girl is so darn lucky to hang out with people that know how to seize the moment. Soon enough the lake will thaw. But for now, Calendar Girl has twirling to perfect.

Calendar Girl

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Monday, March 06, 2006

Calendar Girl Blog: Skating on Thick Ice


Photo Credit: Calendar Girl
Location: On Guelph Lake, Under the Picnic Table.

Yesterday the skating goddess shined down. Guelph Lake had frozen smooth. The sun was out, the wind light and the snow covering a mere dusting that was easy to clear. A gaggle of my neighbours loaded a tobaggan with soup, sandwiches, beer and brownies and adventured to a sheltered shore side nook for a day of wild, boundary-free skating.

Calendar Girl did not fall down once in her spiffy new skates. She even managed a wobbly twirl.

Calendar Girl

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Friday, March 03, 2006

Calendar Girl Blog: Listening

Last evening I hosted a 'listening' of the third in the Massey Lectures series by Stephen Lewis. The man is a brilliant orator, with a vocabulary that requires ready access to a dictionary. My posture improves the minute he begins his speech. My eyes brighten.

The series is about the AIDS Pandemic in Africa. Mr. Lewis, has been relentlessly banging his drum in concert with world leaders trying to avert the death of millions of people dying of AIDS and deal with the millions of orphans of the already dead.

With no hesitation, Stephen Lewis takes aim at the many Big Mucky Muck Talking Heads that promise the moon, but deliver nothing of the sort. In short, they're all talk and no action. Our world leaders fail to lead when it comes to Africa.

It's heavy stuff to take in while sitting around a cozy living room, eating organic snacks and drinking port with the neighbours. And yet, I believe that by 'listening' to this series, our neighbourliness will be strengthened. Our understanding of the ugly world issues help us wake up to and appreciate the incredible situation we enjoy everyday. And, we become wise to the real way of the world instead of the fantasy we wish were true.

Calendar Girl realizes that many folk prefer ignorance over awareness. It's much easier to say, "I had no idea", then do nothing. But once you tune into the train wreak our world is barreling toward, it's pretty darn hard to stay seated.

Calendar Girl

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Thursday, March 02, 2006

Calendar Girl Blog: Preventing Cancer

CBC Radio, The Current, did an interview with Wendy Mesley this morning. Wendy is pissed off in the same way I'm pissed off. Yet, we are different. I don't have breast cancer.

Yet.

Normally, what ever that means, I would be unlikely to recommend that you watch tv. I don't own one so it's a bit strange for me to encourage consumption of the boob tubes daily dish. But you just might want to tune into this program on Sunday.

Chasing the Cancer Answer: After fighting the disease herself, Marketplace's Wendy Mesley is asking questions about our rising cancer rates.

She's getting some disturbing answers.

Chasing the Cancer Answer travels the world to provide revealing interviews with an outspoken American doctor, frustrated cancer victims in southern Ontario, pharmaceutical sales representatives in Paris, France, and an activist in London, England.

Chasing the Cancer Answer invites viewers along on the journey to find answers to one of the country’s fastest growing medical crises.

For that story, watch Marketplace Sunday March 5, 7:00 pm on CBC Television.

Calendar Girl has been putting up her hand in class for the last 5+ years asking, "What about prevention" followed by "Is it accurate to say that we're poisoning ourselves"? Oh yah, I forgot...how menopausal of me....I've mentioned the BIG BUSINESS of CANCER and how that just maybe getting in the way. It's so very satisfying to have someone else raising their hand too.

Calendar Girl

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Wednesday, March 01, 2006

Calendar Girl Blog: Eyes of March

Farewell fair February. March on March.

After a 5 year hiatus, my project Art Jam is being resurrected. Tonight I will meet a dozen artists that have expressed interest in forming the new team. After that, we embark on a journey of the creative process that will lead somewhere new.

As I mentioned yesterday, I'm in the throws of a 'open house' over at My Menopause Blog. Not one to let technology limit my style, I've had folks popping by for a party, checking out my archives and sending me messages. No glasses were broken or wine spilled.

2007 Calendar bit coordination continues to move along. Gareth and I work like a well oiled machine once we get rolling. As the publisher, I'm responsible for feeding him the details, he for executing the design. Currently, I'm keeping ahead.

Yes, Calendar Girl is up to her chinny chin chin today. Being creative is consuming enough. Drawing attention to my creative output, in a creative way, is one big twisty series of try this, tell them, do that, see how this goes uncertainty that can be both terrifying and thrilling.

Excuse me while I scream in delightful fear.

Calendar Girl

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