How Much Does it Pay?

I recently took a part-time job. And since that time several people have asked "How much does it pay?"

I've recently published a book. Recently people have started asking me "How much money will you get for that?"

Some time ago I starting doing news reporting for a local Cable television program. Same question was asked.

Now perhaps times have changed or perhaps I grew up in a culture where people didn't ask each other such questions, it was considered rude, but every single time someone has asked me I've been tempted to answer "None of your business." Mostly I've given them a look that says "I can't believe you just asked me that" and walked away.

I took the part-time job because I no longer want a full-time career in business..at least not in the business I used to be in. I also took a part time job because it came up and appealed to me and because the hours were flexible in that I didn't have to pay a sitter, I can work while my kids are at school and it's in retail, something I've never worked at. I like people, especially those with babies. It pays enough.

I did the television thing because I'm a news junkie, I love it and the idea appealed to me. I like talking to people, particularly those who are out there making the world go round, the news makers. I've interviewed an MP, an MPP, The director of the local autism society, gotten people to sing the twelve days of Christmas on the street and learned how to operate a television camera to some degree. I've learned something about the magic of television, particularly how quickly my hair went from blonde to brunette in back to back stories!

I do the writing because it's in my soul and it has to come out. It's what I have to do with my life. I would do it for free..and mostly I do for now.

Does money come into the equation? Of course and yes, I'm earning some. I am earning exactly what I should be and need to be earning at this point in time. Would I like more? Sure, I don't know many people in my circle of friends who wouldn't and many of them have way more than I do.

If we were starving, if we were even close to the edge of poverty then it would be a bigger issue. My children are little and my husband and I have decided this is enough for now. More work would take away from their quality of life and my ability to parent them well on my own.

What is it with the preoccupation with money? Who asks another person how much they earn? Is that really done? Have you ever asked a person how much they earn? Who do you think has the right to ask that question? I'm baffled by the whole thing.

For me there is a far more important currency. The currency that matters to me is "meaning." I read a quote the other day. It is an ancient saying. There are two hungers, the little hunger and the Great hunger. The little hunger is the hunger of the belly. The Great hunger is the hunger for meaning.

I will always earn enough money to feed the little hunger in both myself and my family. Of this I have no doubt. It has always happened that way in the past and will continue to do so in the future. What must happen from now on is a feeding of the hunger I have for meaning. I've ignored the hunger for too long now.

I find meaning in the volunteer work I do at the school, setting up the Nutritional Program that will start at the end of January. I find it in meeting and talking to people who set policy, who change people's lives through their work. I find it in my writing and I find it playing with babies at the little store I work at. I also find it in the faces of my children who will always remain my priority.

So the answer to those who ask how much does it pay?

It is priceless.





Breeze Talks About Weight Loss

These Boots Were Made for Walkin'

If you like walking with one good heel. So I spent Saturday shopping. I'm not a fan of shopping. I'm not a good consumer at all but I had a few Christmas dollars to spend and I'm running out of time. So I take my 3 girls off to Kitchener, the BIG city about half an hour east of here.

I have a dear friend who works at a place where they make saddles for horses. One of my winter boots were torn at the seam so I dropped it off at her place. I was wearing my other boots, fashion boots, little short ones with a heel. I had finished(thankfully) and as I got in the car somehow hooked my heel into the floor of the car and broke it completely off!

Now I have other boots. They kinda look like this.


What's wrong with those you ask? They are warm and perfect for this cold Canadian winter I keep complaining about. They will keep the wind out and my toes perfectly warm while I wrestle with the snow blower and the shovel.

Yes they are quite sufficient. Unless you are interviewing the Member of Parliament! Yes, on Monday I get to interview the MP for this riding for our New Year's eve news special and the only boots I have are those GARGANTUAN boots!

Now with the magic of television I'm sure the Camera operator can make sure my boots don't appear but somehow it kind of seems a little off to wear boots like this to meet the Member of Parliament.

Can you picture it. There I am in this nice outfit, dressy pants, pretty cami with a jacket, nice dressy scarf, hair and make-up to perfection for television ...and then these massive, perfect for giving the hubby a swift-kick-in-the-butt boots. It's not going to work is it?

Oh and did I mention that it's an indoor interview? Yep..I could wear shoes except, getting into the office will require going through the parking lot and well, I need boots for that because this is Canada, this is winter, and there will be snow or ice. Either I'll fill up my pumps with the white stuff and lose a few toes to frostbite or slip on a patch of black ice and go arse over teakettle, pumps asunder! Either way the impression on the MP would not be the one I was going for.

So that was my dilemma and then I remembered! Walmart is open 24 hours. It's 30minutes away but my older daughter and her friend are here to babysit, it's a beautiful evening and I need boots! So I bought a nice pair, almost like the ones being repaired, they are actually warm though dressy and will look fine under my dressy pants. They are kind of like these.




So bring on the Member of Parliament! Heck bring on the Prime Minister, wait, no never mind, not fond of him. So forget that, though these nice new Walmart boots might be perfect for kicking some Tory butt!

This kind of thing seems to happen just a little too often. I swear the universe gets bored and says "What if we..." and then sends these little comedy of errors our way just for laughs. But thanks to the greed of Wally World, I've got boots and I don't have to risk my life tomorrow in miserable weather to do so!

I am out a few bucks but now at least I have back up boots! I wonder, can I use them as a tax write-off? There must be a "impress the MP with nice boots exemption!"




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I've been Roasted!

This morning the smoke alarm went off three times. We were completely confused as to what was happening until I signed on to blogger and remembered that Eddie Bluelights over at Clouds and Silvery Linings had the spit turning with me, a veggie no less, roasting over the fire. Powerful Eddie, to set off alarms across the Atlantic!

I rushed over to Eddie's blog to read what he has put together, because you see Eddie takes editing privileges and although he's a lovely man, he can't be trusted with the handle of the spit. I think he left my butt over the fire a little too long!

Being roasted was an interesting process.


First of all he needed a picture. I sent this picture to him from that time I visited Rob Pattinson on the set of Twilight. Tiger Woods was busy that day(something about an emergency room and a golf club in his escalade) so I hopped over for a rendezvous with my favourite vampire and the paperazzi captured a great picture of us. I immediately sent that one off to Eddie because it really captured my good side.

The first set of questions were easy to answer. Just straightforward interview type questions. Not too roasty.

Then things got hot! Eddie decided he wanted to make the roast a little more fiery! And I was to be the first victim, erm, I mean candidate. I agreed immediately because I was distracted at the time, drunkenly removing all the text(sext?) msgs and voicemails Tiger had ever sent me.(another lost weekend sigh)

So I got to answer Eddie's fun questions at the end. I did so to the best of my ability. I hope you enjoyed them.

Then Eddie said I could ask him a question and so I asked him the first question I ever asked Rob Pattinson or Tiger or any of my other conquests(excluding Matt Damon because my friend at Transcript of a Significant Life is very stingy and won't share him at all..grrrr). Boxers, Briefs or Commando? Eddie answered. Or did he? Mmmm..with that non-answer Eddie I think you could run for politics!

Hop on over to Eddie's blog to read the entire roast. Let's hope the smoke alarm stops going off as the windows open at Eddie's Blog!


Between now and my publication date anyone who comments on a post is automatically entered into a draw to win a copy of my poetry book, Wind Rhymes!. The book should be released somewhere around the end of October! No limit, every comment is an entry!



Breeze Talks About Weight Loss

A-Muse-in Me; Photographer April Lindfors

When I started to assemble the poetry for my book Wind Rhymes; Poetry from the Breeze, April from A-Muse-in-Me, who also happens to be a long time internet buddy starting when we were both in a due date club expecting our now 4 year old babies, offered me some black and white photos.

Now you must understand that I have no photography skills. I like digital, take a hundred photos, get one good one! So the offer was immediately accepted.

Then she started to send me some of the pictures she thought might suit my needs and I was floored. I was not expecting such high quality art! They were exquisite and they were perfectly suited. As artists we lean in the same direction though our mediums are different. Her nature photography complimented my poetry perfect.



There was a hitch though. I needed a cover photo in colour. So April set out to take one. When she sent me the photography I was in awe. It was so perfect. The book title "Wind Rhymes" and the photo, an autumn leaf drifing on an errant breeze was so perfect it took my breath away. I immediately made arrangements to change the colour of the book from its original green to the colour of the leaf in the photo. The resulting photo is inspired
So a little about April. Well first of all she is also a poet. She writes on her blog A-Muse-in-Me. She should put together her own book of poetry, her work is certainly worthy but where she truly excels is in her music. Much of her poetry makes its way into song. If you scoot over to my sidebar you will see a little sample of her work. Her beautiful voice marries with her poetry beautifully and she is currently embarking on her singing career, a career that holds much promise and success. I'm anxiously awaiting her first CD.

Being incredibly multi-talented, April has several homes on the web to display her work.

My favourite place is her Etsy Store where you can purchase archive quality copies of her photos including the ones in my book. These pictures are perfect for framing and available in time for Christmas.

Her music is showcased at this blog

Her photography space can be found by going HERE.
but the hub of her work remains A-Muse-in-Me

Please check out these links and support April and her work in any way you can.

On a personal note, thank you April. Without you this book would not be the same, your beautiful photos made it a work of art and your support and advice throughout the process made it that much easier and fun for me!

Congratulations on a job well done!

Winter Blues; Not this year!

My daughter, Sophia Chaffey enjoying the snow!

I have alway, in my adult life anyways, truly abhorred winter. It's a messy business, all that snow and fuss, unable to drive where you want to go, snow, no sunshine, snow, dressing kids in clothes that takes hours to put on, snow, warming the car, scraping the car, shovelling the step, snow blowing the driveway with a cursed snow blower that never works properly. I love Canada but hate its winters. I often wonder if the one divine mistake was having me born on a little Island on Canada's east coast instead of say, Maui? Perhaps the "W" was smudged or something and they read east instead of west.

I've decided though, that this year I won't let winter get to me. First of all I've found an advantage. When it's winter I'm going to write more because frankly, there isn't all that much else to do. In my romantic mind I cross country ski, or snowmobile and get out there and enjoy it all. In my practical mind, the one that really doesn't like frozen rosy cheeks, who gets hives(literally) from the cold and who never seems to have the right snow gear, it's really not going to happen.

So I've decided I'm not going to fight winter. If the snow blower doesn't work we won't leave the house. If the roads are slippery I'll miss whatever I have planned and do something else. I will not hate winter this year because I won't fight it.

I sat down and decided to write the advantages of winter, the positive points so that I had a reference point, something to look at when the shortened days get to me a little.

1. Christmas. I like Christmas, particularly the visiting friends, cooking dinner, children playing, carollers and Santa Clause parades. Unfortunately it comes early in winter so it won't get me through for too long.

2. The kids love it. They really do. They love to play in the snow and make snowmen and I love their ruddy red cheeks when they come in from outside.

3. It's down time. I can write more, I don't plan things, it's week after week of boredom that now I will fill up with words.

4. I can take that online editing class I've been wanting to take. It starts in January.

5. With the Internet winter isn't as isolating as it used to be.

So there are 5 positive things about winter. Today we had our first storm, my feet got wet because it was a slush storm, the car was frozen over, the kids had to be driven on icy roads to school and I made it back in one piece and I only cursed twice. I only yelled "I hate winter" three times and I only nearly fell down once. I also must apologise to mother earth for those "Bring on global warming comments" as they were completely out of line.

See it's already better than last year!





Breeze Talks About Weight Loss

In this Community of Plenty

I live in a nice community in one of the wealthiest countries in the world. I heard today that the poorest of our poor are still in the top ten percent in the world for privilege. I thought, how lucky we are, how fortunate to live here, in this land of plenty.

Then I went to the school council meeting. I volunteered at the last meeting to see if we could find enough volunteers to implement a nutritional snack program. It would be entirely funded by a special program of the county, be universal for all children regardless of need and would provide a snack daily from each of the three main food groups, vegetable or fruit, protein, and Carbohydrate. They all have to be fresh and have strict nutritional guidelines. After a month of promotion, a story in the local community newspaper(Thank you Tavistock Gazette!) this community stepped up! We have the volunteers and the go ahead to start the program in January.

Then I came home and mentioned to my daughter about this program. I had gotten an idea of the need of some of the children and was curious as to if there was any child in her class without food. She proceeded to tell me that there is a child who comes to school every day with little or no food. In an abstract way I knew this happens but to know, concretely, in this wonderful town of plenty, that this child and likely her siblings are hungry breaks my heart. I worked hard to hold back the tears until my children were asleep. My daughter also said "If they didn't have the no sharing of food policy I would give her some of my lunch." How difficult for other children to watch and to have a rule that prevents them from sharing. I understand the dangers of food allergies but this is hunger. I'm brainstorming ways to help this child that doesn't interfere with her dignity, or her privacy. Sometimes the rules that protect us are frustrating in how they also limit us.

Now that I do know, what do I do? First I emailed some people, then I came on here to blog. Now I wait for some answers. This nutritional program doesn't start until January. That's a long time and this is urgent.

The fact is though, that in this community of plenty this should not ever happen. In this community that jumped in to help with the nutritional program, this will no longer happen. We are going to fix this and see that it doesn't happen again. In this community of plenty, children shouldn't ever go hungry.

But unfortunately they still do. I heard Justin Trudeau speak once for two hours and I remember one sentence stood out to me, though his entire message was inspiring.

He said "Life isn't fair" then he paused for a moment and said "but it ought to be."

In this community of plenty "It really ought to be."



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Indigo; An excerpt!

With all of the excitement of the poetry book I almost forgot about the novel! I am currently working on Chapter 20 of the third draft.

Here is a little sample from that chapter set at the Royal York in Toronto in 1989. I hope you like it.

"He leaned back against her legs where she sat, wrapped warmly in the deluxe white robe the hotel had provided and laughed along with her, the yellow haze of peace falling like a flowing wave of warm caramel from his brow downward. He handed her the joint and she finished it tossing the tiny remains in the lead crystal ashtray.
She stroked his long jet black hair gently and relaxed into the twin feeling. Their connection grew in the silence as the sweet mellow sounds of Jackson Browne filled the room. They both became lost in the smooth voice of poetry married to music that filled the luxury suite. They stayed that way for a long while until life and the city and the waning buzz drifted them gently back down. Then later they slept in the large king-sized bed, curled together like happy contented children. Neither of them ever slept as well as they did together."




Breeze Talks About Weight Loss

Looky looky, it's my Booky!!!

To Get Your Copy of Wind Rhymes contact me at breezedaze@gmail.com. The book is $16 Canadian and $18 to ship to the US. I accept paypal or a personal cheque. I appreciate your support.

It will be available on Amazon in the near future!


Guess What! I have copies, two of them, of my book! Wow! What an incredible feeling to hold something in your hand that you created. Something even a year ago seemed like a dream. I cannot even explain how thrilling it is. Clouds have been under my feet all day and the sun has been sitting on my shoulder!

What a great day it's been and the book is not the only reason! First I recieve my complimentary copies of the book and then tonight went to see my favourite band, Blue Rodeo.

These guys have been playing the theme songs of my life for as long as I remember. At every intersection in my life there has been a Blue Rodeo song, a reflection of how I feel, telling me I'm ok, that someone else has felt that way as well. They've entertained me, consoled me and thrilled me.

Tonight, at this intersection, the day I hold my first published book in my hands, they didn't just provide me with a song on the radio but they were right there, rocking my soul and stroking my heart, in person! I laughed, danced and wept at the joy and the beauty of it all. It was perfect.

I will soon have the copies for the draw as well! Keep commenting, Every comment is an entry!

Thank you every one of you for your support! My appreciation is immeasurable but there is one thing I want every one of you to do for me. See this as proof that dreams can come true if you dream them and then take the steps to make them happen!

CLICK HERE to hear Blue Rodeo sing my favourite song!





Business: How to get a book!

If anyone is interested in ordering copies the copies are $15.00 incl. shipping in Canada and $18.00 including shipping to the US. I'll have to research shipping charges to calculate for other countries. Right now they can only be ordered through me by sending me paypal to knufeesgirl@yahoo.com. Send me an email at the same email with your mailing address so I know where to send your copy.

Between now and my publication date anyone who comments on a post is automatically entered into a draw to win a copy of my poetry book, Wind Rhymes!. The book should be released somewhere around the end of October! No limit, every comment is an entry!



Breeze Talks About Weight Loss

Good Advice vs Intuition. What do you think?

I've actually become quite good at deciding whether to take advice or just go on my own way. I've become bolder and more confident as I've grown older, I've given up caring what people think of what I do and just do it for the pleasure of doing it.

This is particularly true of the novel I'm writing. I've been studying writing, doing some online workshops to hone my craft.

I'm finding that my book often breaks the rules of writing. I'm a little overboard with the descriptive narrative, my dialogue doesn't ring true, it's a little "out there" in the airy fairy world etc.

And I listen and take notes and then keep on doing what I'm doing, only changing things if they match what I'm going for. When I decided to write "this" novel it was with the intention that it be light and poetic. I wanted the language to be beautiful and creative because it's my first book and the book that I get to practice this in. I wanted the feel of the world around the characters to reflect the times in their lives that they were in at the moment. I wanted it to be romantic, not in the happy ever after, but in the life is romantic and sweet and difficult and beautiful way.

But my biggest hitch is the dialogue. I write from my own experience. My characters are from my home province and we have a distinct dialect and our own special meanings to words. I don't write in the vernacular but I hear the dialogue with the lilt of the Newfoundland language and try to "describe it" in there somehow.

I recently had a critique of a scene that said "No one would say this." The dialogue itself was one word. Here it is.


"She carefully settled into the crook of his arm but her caution was wasted. He stirred and became aware. He pulled her closer whispering one word as he held her in his strong, now familiar, arms.

“Wicked.” the heart-stopping grin touched his lips briefly just before he kissed her. She smiled at him and agreed with her eyes and then drifted again into a light sleep at the dawn of the new day. The sun lifted itself over the earth to shine hot rays on the couple through the dirty window with its cracked pane held together with a wide strip of greying masking tape. But even in these dingy and dirty surroundings, there was great beauty in the new love that was dawning, as hot and as powerful as the sunrise."
Now I can find a lot to criticise about this piece. It's a little wordy, there are some things that will likely change. However..I'm from Newfoundland as are my main characters and if something is exceedingly good it's "Wicked."

But this guy doesn't seem to believe that, thinks I'm hanging on to this one word out of some attachment to the scene or being a difficult writer. I'm not..we say "wicked" we really do. It doesn't mean evil, it means "excellent."

So what's a writer to do? Do I pull it because this "expert" says so? He thinks that other, non-Newfoundlanders won't get it. Well, perhaps. But I've read Dickens and Austen and Shakespeare and they weren't Canadian but I got it. I'm giving my readers the benefit of the doubt. I've explained their heritage, they know these characters aren't from Ontario or California or England.

I know what I know to be true.

There is also one other aspect to this. My novel is fiction but there are scenes in it that are absolutely true. As a writer we pull bits and pieces of our own experiences and add them to the work. This scene is a memory. This scene is true.

So I'm leaving it for now. I may pull it later for another reason, if a valid one presents itself but not for this reason. Expert be damned!(and I know you're a subscriber so yeah, I'm talking to you!xx)

Holding on to what you believe to be the truth and following through on your convictions is difficult at times. I think you have to be truly confident in yourself and your intentions. But there needs to be a balance. I don't want to be stubborn and unable to learn what is being taught but I want to be able to hold on to my own confidence and trust my own ability to make my work what I want it to be.

This is not just a writing thing, this is a life thing. In any endeavor, finding the balance between trusting your instincts and trusting others is a challenge. Both are important for learning and growth but I think intuition has a place at the head of the line.

So what do you think? Do I leave it in? Do I listen to the workshop guy and pull it for that reason? You tell me?






Breeze Talks About Weight Loss

Excerpt from INDIGO

"She’d introduced herself as Chris but Joe preferred her full name, Christianna. It was a somewhat unusual name, simultaneously spiritual and earthy. He liked the way it sounded in his mind. It flowed through his consciousness as if it were a thought that belonged there, that was supposed to have been spoken by him at some point in his life, meant to flow through his lips and hang in the air a moment, sweet, uncommon, special.

“We have to go Christianna” he said, her name on his lips as sweet as it had sounded in his mind. Recoiling at his use of her full name, she hesitated for a moment, then felt unexpected pleasure. For the first time, her name sounded beautiful to her."




Breeze Talks About Weight Loss


Between now and my publication date anyone who comments on a post is automatically entered into a draw to win a copy of my poetry book, Wind Rhymes!. The book should be released somewhere around the end of October! No limit, every comment is an entry!