M o v e m e n t - S t a y the c o u r s e

Hamilton is undergoing a self concious re-awakening...












Enter the infighting...



Common goal, different perspectives & lack of confidence - an awkward rebirth really...

Toronto had it too. In the mid to late 70's. A timid fear or shame. Of not measuring up to the other capital or world class cities...

Blundering along...until it turned around...

We must remember: most decisions that are conciously thought out by those that care and are dedicated to the cause, those with pertinant experience & education - at length - are sound.

Come what may by detractors, a committee of sound and level headed inividuals should stay the course of their collective decision.

The Mayor is critical.

They must lay out the ground-rules: that they are the voice & reach of the collective and that the decisions made will be put into motion and will come to fruition.

The collective must be committed & thought full because their decisions are to come to pass & not just time consuming debate...

The Mayor must hold the rudder, elect the necesary implimenters - another arm of the collective - and, after the agreements are made, rudder the ship forward.

Not throw down anchor, begin to drift backwards or heaven forbid, aimlessly.



We are at a crossroads. An election in the offing and some major summer decisions...



I hope we can collectively garner the confidence to jump ahead - and then not forget our bearings again.





Early Summer Over Victoria Park

The Ups and Downs of Real Estate +

From a Realtors perspective, the highs and lows of real estate as a profession:


When it is all coming together it is a high. Everything is falling into place...the hard work is coming to fuittion... - a terrific place to be. There is some financial reward and security, finally, it seems. And, as I have been fortunate enough to have, the 'right sales' come together. (but, don't they always? - the constant goal)


But, when it is not coming together or when the presure and weight of the responsibility is pressing in...maybe the pursuit is appearing impossible...or something has gone awry, whether inadvertantly, un-fortunately or the other...it is a low...an utter low...


When one takes one's work or profession seriously, the highs are a truimph, the lows feel a failure.


Dedication and commitment always bare a weight and burden - carrying it as lightly as possible should always be a goal.




And now, it is summer. Deep summer, end of July.

Got picked back up again with a lovely sale: a truly sweet experience and an obvious blessing, and so it has turned around again...

Alert to my realtor friends, reading this - perhaps - The Ups and Downs denote the ups and the downs...

The Ups and Downs of every profession, every pursuit, creative endeavour, way of being - the downs help to define the ups...and, I beleive, like a wave, the peaks and valley's equalize - into calm. Peaceful, joyous & energizing... - Perfect Calm.

And a perfect calm has been doled me out for the time...I am thankful...



Now Summer: family & friend visitings and time. Sweet time. And pleasant work I have been given too...



Listening to Accu Radio. Sipping vodka and water from a flask...friday night evolution...

Changing Spaces & Clock Faces

I am very fortunate in my work as a Realtor: I get to help people find the property that will become thier new home or new business location & I usually get to see and enjoy the transformations that occur as my friends and clients make these properties their own.

Most recently I attended an open house at Klockwerks Studio.

Roger Wood, the magnificent artist, artisan and owner of Klockwerks is a client & now friend of mine. Fortunate enough to have had my name refered to him some time last year, I took on the task of tracking down a property that would become his new Hamilton studio & home.

Roger's studio on Fraser Avenue in Toronto had become too small and was under constant threat of becoming another condominiumium for the well off and well healed young urbanites of Toronto...the artist's refuge of the Fraser Avenue & Liberty Street warehouses are facing extinction...it has been many moons since I myself shot films out of 7 Fraser Avenue...with the smell of Dempsters bread baking outside and the stale warehouse air inside...many a newspaper or police drama shot in the bullpen set of the old warehouse offices...Artist retreats back then tucked in the back and this way and that throughout the property...not sure if they or the studio itself has survived T.O.'s real estate boom of the past decade...

We began to hunt for a mixed use building; apartment above and storefront below. Of course we looked on James North, a location considered by every artist but nothing big enough or small enough was to be found. One property did come on the market during our hunt, but thanks to a wonderful twist of fate, it was not to be the one - and, I would not understand how wonderful this twist until 317 Queenston Road appeared on our radar. Indeed, I only fully understood the wonder twist when I saw the studio & apartment set up in all it's glory during the open house a couple of weeks ago....Klockwerks needed space & 317 had it.

317 Queenston Road had been on the market for a while. Vacant lonely lower level, rented upper apartment & 2 huge storage containers in the backyard. There is a side drive and boulevard parking in front - which for commercial is an incredible plus. The concrete & block construction was solid, high dry basement, huge 2 bedroom apartment, interior cement stairway from basement to upper level in the back, a hop from the Red Hill Expressway - definately a contender for what Roger was seeking. My own thoughts: how had this escaped everyone else? It did not require too much thought. We went for it and negotiated an excellent price.

Roger has now filled it with his equipment, findings, furnishings and artist's touch. I stepped in during his open house - immeidately awe struck by the whimsical clockmakers shop that the lonely vacant store front had become. Clock faces adorning almost every wallspace, old wooden cabinets full of bits and pieces, large tables of finished and soon to be finished enchanting one of a kind time pieces.

The back interior cement stairs now draped & adorned with antique runners & art. The spacious apartment dressed as an excentric comfortable home. And in the backyard where the containers sat, a lovely garden that knows not of the hard encrusted soil that was there for decades.

Magnificent Transformation. Whimsy. Magic.

One of the delightful acquisitions that I have been fortunate to have a hand in.

..if you have not seen his wonderful work, I would think if he is not too busy, Roger wouldn't mind you sticking your nose to the window until he lets you in...

http://www.klockwerks.com/index.php

T h e M a y T w o F o u r

A Canadian Icon - TheVictoria Day long weekend. The first three day weekend since Easter.

A time of planting, family, celebrations, parties, cottages & backyards.

The weather is by now, temperate and possibly swimming warm - usually chilly swimming warm.

The 24th of May long weekend is the national holiday in celebration of Queen Victoria's Birthday...

History of Victoria Day as described, in part, in Wikipedia:

"The Birthday of the Monarch was a day for celebration in Canada long before Confederation, with the first legislation regarding the event being in 1845 passed by the parliament of the Province of Canada to officially recognize 24 May as the Queen's birthday. It was noted that on that date in 1954, the 35th birthday of Queen Victoria, some 5000 residents of Canada West gathered in front of Government House (near present day King and Simcoe Streets in Toronto) to "give cheers to their queen'" On Victoria Day in 1866, the town of Omemee, also in Canada West, mounted a day-long fete to mark the occasion, including a gun salute at midnight, pre-dawn serenades, picnics, athletic competitions, a display of illuminations, and a torch-light procession.....the reigning Monarch has been in Canada for his or her official birthay twice...20 May, 1939...King Geroge VI...the second time when Queen Elizabeth II was in Canada from 17 to 25 May 2005 to mark the centennial of the entries of Saskatchewan and Alberta into Confederation (above picture, Wikipedia), no events were organized to acknowledge this fact."

The Victoria Day Long Weekend. a.k.a the may 2 4.

A day-long or days-long fete. Salutes at midnight, pre-dawn serenades, picnics, athletic competitions, displays of illumination and torch-lit processions...the origin...

What a celebration; the May Two Four became a weekend fete of fetes...whether rocous & social or quiet & peaceful. An extra day off to spend as each would.

Monday is the Holiday. The stores, banks and businesses are closed. A time away from Commerce. At the end of the weekend there is a day of rest.

The ghosts of May 24 past can call - the memories line up, like Christmas. The weekend captured unto itself, to belong to that date, that weekend in the history of one's time.

Remembering the different types of celebration throughout life...childhood with parents & family up north at the farm, fires & fireworks. Later on in teenage & university years with friends at cottages, classic times, love, laughter, with drinks & adult dreamings.

Now, a time of no work, with our children entertaining their desire for picnics, athletics, displays of illumination and torch-lit processions...

This May 24th Monday dedicated to gardening, playing, badminton, fires, fire crackers, fire works and sparkler torches...

A terrific celebration & another great celebration past...

The Top Ten & the Gala Screening

Congratulations to MG International and the H24 Festival from one having participated in the 24 Hour Film Event and just now having come from the screening of the top 10 shorts of the Film Event

...it is a terrific success!

Great talent in the event. Terrific talent.

What film maker would not want to throw their hat in the ring?

A great challenge & learning experience.

(We shall do it again. And again I hope.)

A great Event indeed. A great Hamilton Event. And showcasing the incredible creativity & passion of a great many people...

I drink a toast to all the film makers from the top 10 on down.

And to us, a family of four siblings who made a film as a collabrative.

And to all the friends & collectives who have made a film together - an experience for a lifetime.

Yes, congratulations to the event organizers, the sponsors & participants...the outcome of this challenge is a terrific testimony to human creativity, our human desire to create & to share our experience.

We shall put ours on Youtube for a lark...of the top 10 in the totally novice category I am want to believe...

The H24 (the Hamilton 24 hour film event)

A filmakers challenge. Not a contest. A challenge.



In 24 hours we must make a movie. A short movie - maximum 5 minutes.



My brothers & sister are en route from Toronto. We are a team. And all of the team. We will have some day players that have been arranged, we will probably have some day players that have not been arranged: the Talent. I have put the feelers out to more then have signed on. I have extended to many who will not perhaps not end up able to be used.



I have secured a good wealth of varied film locations, public & private.



They have arrived in Hamilton and are making their way here...



It is begun.

...the five hour weekend is the new two day one...

Here is total blog...an online diary; a personal chronological log of thoughts published on a Web page; also called Weblog, Web log. Typically updated daily, blogs often reflect the personality of the author (dictionary.com).

Friday night. a 5 or more (if I am lucky) hour awake window, of complete off-the-clock-mode. When the on-the-clock-mode has been almost dizzying, almost but not. Fortunately, I am very organized in my business affairs...though as of yet, not particularly my personal ones (ie. Thomas went to school twice with no 'snack' (not really negligent since he had had a very late and fulfilling break fast both days, but negligent enough to warrant a note home in the school bag & probably T being outsider-esque in his school sphere...no, I am not Totally on it...) but, particular enough to have booked the imunization apt. for him next week...).

For now, pager is not buzzing, apt's have ceased & responsibilities have stopped...it is, the five hour weekend.

As a Realtor, I am on call. Pursuing properties for clients, booking apt's for properties to be shown, doing my best to find and sell what is right for those who trust me to do it and then negotiating & seeing to fruition the sale & purchase of those properties I am entrusted to help buy and sell. I sell both residential and commercial real estate, which differ in dynamics significantly (ie. no evenings or weekends as a rule for commercial, potentially crictial zoning issues...) but not critically - they are all of utmost importance & significance...

ANd that is about all I will write at the moment

in this blog

I am on the 5 hour weekend

time

is

ticking