Public Speaking

Two words that evoke fear in the hearts of the toughest men and women.
Beyond the normal adrenalin rush and nervousness, I have no fear.

I am a certified trainer with the company for which I work; one element of the position includes teaching classes to new managers and presenting any new initiatives that the company may have.

The people in the classes number fifteen to thirty. There is also usually a varied degree of experience in the room. The classes can run for as little as two hours to as long as two days.

I am a stutter and have been for most of my life.

The key to my success is to make other people comfortable with my stuttering.
In my learnings about myself, I’ve found that when I am stutt… stutt… stuttering and trying to deliver a message, the receiver tends to focus on facial ticks and my other struggles trying to get the words out.

The message is lost, and they are usually embarrassed for me, they also empathize and sometimes they laugh.
At times, I look and sound very funny and I laugh too.

Beyond that, I am amazed with my success speaking in public.

You may not believe it, but I was not born a stutter.

When I was about seven years old, there was a boy in the neighborhood (his name escapes me) who was a terrible stutter. I made fun of him at every opportunity. This went on for about two years. Kids being kids.

When we moved away, I could not stop.
There is a God.. I suppose..

I have gone to several different speech therapists over the years and none of them have been able to help.

Over time, I have developed my own techniques to minimize my condition. My family, close friends and work colleagues tend not to notice anymore.

So to all the stutters out there, remember it’s not you, it’s them.

And to all the people who have encountered a stutter, It’s not them, it’s you.

Writer's Block. Sort of

Are you still there?!?



If you are, thank you for keeping the faith.
I started this Blog while I was on holidays, then it was easy to find the time.
However after getting back into the working regime, I found that I was too elsewhere, and too frazzled to effectively put my thoughts into words.

Another reason I went on hiatus was my wife; her writing skills totally intimidate me.
She makes it seem effortless, but for me it is painful.

I had not told anyone that I had started a blog. However, my best friend (whom I wrote about much earlier) read my posts and he was awed by my efforts.
That was enough for me.

I will continue to post as often as possible.

Thanks for your patience everyone.

I'll be posting shortly.

Bush or Kerry

Two subjects I try not to get into arguments about are Religion and Politics. Religion because you cannot win. Wars have been started over Religion. I also do not argue over politics because I firmly believe if you do not like the government and what they stand for then use your vote. Don’t get me wrong, I am very opinionated on both subjects and can articulate my ideas and thoughts as well as the next person.
However, I choose not to be involved in the type of display I witnessed recently.

Saturday last, I went to a party and an argument about Politics erupted. A group of about eight guys were standing around talking, when the subject got on to movies and then onto Michael Moore's “Fahrenheit 9/11”. From there, it went to the upcoming elections in the US.

Interestingly, the topic never made it to US foreign policy as I thought it would, but these guys were actually yelling and screaming about who the better candidate was Bush or Kerry.
The booze, the yelling, the music made it hard for me to follow, so I am not sure who came out the winner. I thought, you have a bunch of Canadian men almost coming to blows over ‘AMERICAN POLITICIANS’
Now how stupid is that? I though it would have been much more interesting had they bothered to explore history of the two parties, and the effects of their individual foreign policies on Canada.
I could have only hoped.
I might have participated.

Night Fishing

Folks, last night I did something for the first time, that I never envisioned doing.
I went Night Fishing (for salmon). I actually have enjoyed fishing with the boys but I have never associated it with being a nocturnal sport.

My new neighbour who is a fervent angler invited me. When he told me, we would be leaving at 8pm returning at 2am I was a bit troubled. I went along for two reasons; first, it would allow me to get to know him a little better, and secondly, it was something different to do.

When we got the docks at Port Hope, I was flabbergasted to see 50 to 60 people (men and women) fishing at that time of night. I became aware of a subculture that I previously did not know existed.


The evening was quite enjoyable, even though we did not snag any fish. The conversation and the atmosphere made it a worthwhile experience. I learned something new about fishing and I got to know a lot more about my new neighbour. We have a lot more in common than I previously thought. It’s going to be fun having him next door.

A True Friend

We have been very tight for over twenty years; we partied together, laughed together and shared a few secrets. He even knows where the bodies are buried. As we got older, our priorities changed; life got busier. We saw each other less (about once every two months) but still spoke quite often on the phone and we always attended each other’s special family functions. For some explicable reason I stopped communicating with my friend. Perhaps it was I was depressed over my relationship with my younger son (later with that issue), I don’t know. We did not speak over Christmas or the New Years Holidays, he called a few times and spoke to my wife but I did not return his calls. Now you must be thinking “what an idiot”. Well, believe me the longer this went on, the worse I felt. I was ashamed and embarrassed over my actions. Eventually he stopped calling. I had lost my very best friend because of my self-absorption. Last May, I realized how much I missed my friend. I missed his voice of reason, his objectivity and most of all his presence. I decided to call. It took me days to gather the courage. I made the call. After making the call, I finally got the message of what True Friendship is. When he got on the phone, I was stuttering, babbling, apologizing and justifying. He only asked on question; “WHY”? I said I could not explain. He said he understood (he lied). We kept on talking and were able to be caught up with each other’s lives in about an hour. You could not imagine my relief. Things between us are as if nothing had happened. We do not go back to that dark time. I continue to reflect from time to time, as to why my behavior towards my bro was so bizarre.

Driving While Black

Recently in our fair city, a black man had a case against him dropped. He was charged with cocaine possession with intent to traffic (over $1million worth of cocaine was seized from his car).

His lawyer argued that his client was stopped only because he was a black man driving a fancy car (this fact was proven in court)
Another factor in him being acquited was the fact that the police lied in their statements concerning the case.

I have several concerns about this case.
Firstly, I am very concerned about the police stopping anyone just because of the their skin colour, choice of car or just looking guilty.
I personally never felt that way, every time I have been stopped by the police it was for a valid traffic violation.

However, I have a friend who was.
Secondly, as a law abiding citizen I am also concerned about the increase of drugs and gun related crime in the city.
I firmly believe that the police must to do everything they can (within the law) to fix this problem.
I do believe 99% of the police force is honest, hard working, and want to do the best job possible.

But it is the 1% that makes it hard for us to trust.

Imagine

Imagine you have over 25 yrs experience and you are driving with "someone" in the passenger seat.
Imagine you are very alert and attentive to traffic around you and you make a maneuver that is necessary.
(speed limit 40--60 km)
Imagine you look to your passenger and "she" is pushing an imaginary brake pedal ( Just like the one in the cars used to train new drivers)
Imagine this happens "every time" you are in the car with "her".
I am not sure if I am the only one who has experienced these Imaginations.
Help me please!!

Inspiration

This is my first attempt at public writing, I was INSPIRED.
We all have someone in our lives that INSPIRE us to move mountains, to do the impossible and to even to change ourselves in some major way.
My INSPIRATION just happens to be my wife, The Mrs.
She succeeds at everything she does.
She is an accomplished artist ( I wish she would spend more time at it).
She is a tremendous writer ( she proof reads all of my important communications).
She is stupid funny ( her humor never fails to brighten my mood).
She can sew any outfit from scratch ( for obvious reasons, I demand that she does A LOT MORE of that).
She started a job without any practical experience and is succeeding beyond her her wildest dreams ( she may not agree with me on that one).
What a wonderful cook; my friends call her "Suzy Homemaker" ( when we first met - that's another post - her cooking was.........,
The Mrs is better read than any other person I know ( It has made her open to other cultures and experiences).
I could go on and on. What makes her so amazing is that she views her accomplishments and abilites without much of a fuss.
She is so hard on her self, it pains me.
So you see, it was only fitting that my first post in this new venture be about my wife whom I LOVE VERY MUCH.

Who Inspires you? Please share.