Weekend Roundup. Empty Shelves, Full Heart, a Few Movies, And Some Great Advice.

This last particular week seemed to go on forever. I’m not sure why.

Maybe it was the empty shelves and challenges of getting fresh produce. The floods, washouts, and mudslides have wreaked havoc on the supply chain from Vancouver to the interior of the provinces.

I took these pix at our local Walmart. Produce virtually gone (what you see in abundance there is garlic). The shelves were pretty picked over too. It’s getting better though.

After initial panic buying (like seriously, why do you need 5 gallons of milk? but hey, all good if you do), the stores limited quantities and that made a big difference. The produce is still sparse depending on where you go but we push forward and it gets a little better every day.

Stepping Up…

Last week I did something I’ve never done before but always thought I’d like to. I volunteered to be a bell ringer for the Salvation Army. All the money collected stays within the community for the food bank and soup kitchen.

This is such worthy work. I had a family member who lived on the streets of Calgary. We all know how cold it can get and how unforgiving the streets can be. Doing this small part hopefully makes someones day just a little bit better.

If you see a bell ringer, don’t ignore them… a wave or a smile is appreciated. If you have some spare change that’s awesome as every dollar makes a difference.

Stepping Out to the Movies….

I went with a friend to see Spencer.

It was a snippet of Diana’s life within the confines of the Royal Family. The title of the movie I think was reminiscent of normalcy and a longing to be free.

The movie was very sad. Kristen Stewart did a great job in capturing the mannerisms and voice of Princess Diana.

I went in expecting a film on Diana’s life but was slammed with a very different portrait of a young woman in mental distress who was simply ignored, judged, and in way over her head. While this is all common knowledge I think the film, though depressing, really captured the difference between the reality of living a normal life and the traditions of monarchy.

I sincerely believe Diana gave that institution a gift and paid with her life.

I also went and saw DUNE.

Well, I suppose there couldn’t be a more different movie than Spencer…

I knew nothing about Dune and it’s history, so I went in blind. Well, I came out almost as blind as the convoluted story jumped all over the place and didn’t keep my interest in anyway.

It reminded me of a Star Wars movie in many ways… Worlds against each other, fighting for supremacy and supplies, sand…so much sand, and of course the flight scenes of zipping through mountain passes, always surviving, and hyped up blades/noise.

Meh, didn’t do anything for me. Sorry to all Dune fans but I found it drawn out, boring, and old hat.

Hey, the popcorn was great and there were only six of us in the theatre…Bonus.

And Some Advice Too…

Well, it wouldn’t be a full week if I didn’t include all my blog posts from the week.

The week started with me being interview by Billie Daddario. This is a fun blog to read along with. I’d love to know YOUR answers to some of the questions. Check HERE

I also discussed Thanksgiving but got off on a bit of a rant. See HERE

Let’s not forget about Whimsical, Wacky, Wonderful Wednesday. Check HERE

My Twisted Writer Brain did a Six Word Story #7 this week. There are some really awesome responses. Check it out HERE.

I also resisted one of my fave interviews with John Mavin, author, teacher, speaker extraordinaire. This post also include FIVE of John’s epic tips to become a better writer. Check it HERE.

And finally….