Leah Costello

Afghanistan's Fawzia Koofi to visit Vancouver

2011-04-21T20:47:00.000-07:00

Every once in a while, a rare opportunity comes along to meet someone who is making history; defining the course of people's lives now and for many generations into the future.

One of those people is Fawzia Koofi. While not a household name here in Canada, her actions and leadership are changing the lives of many in Afghanistan. If you believe in the ripple effect, she's changing lives here too. A well-known activist for democracy and human rights, she's one of the growing number of Afghan women who are standing up to fight for their future, in a society often warped by tradition and war.

Condoleeza Rice with Fawzia Koofi

She's Afghanistan's most popular female politician, and the first female Deputy Speaker of the Parliament in her country. She was chosen as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum, and will run for President of Afghanistan in 2014. That is, if she can survive the extremists that dominate politics in this region. She's challenged Hamid Karzai to take a stronger position on human rights before conceding to Taliban insurgents - resulting in the murder of one of her aides just months ago and numerous attempts on her own life.

She's coming to Vancouver on June 6th to talk about Afghanistan, politics, religion, and her own, very personal experiences. I'm thrilled to be hosting her for two events that day:

Lunch at the Vancouver Club - REGISTER HERE
11:45 am - 1:45 pm
For the business crowd at lunch, her presentation will focus on the political dynamics at play inside Afghanistan; where the country is headed as involvement from the international community evolves.

What forces are shaping the political leadership - how influential are the religious extremists? What is the relationship between Afghanistan and its neighbours? How do these dynamics influence us in the West, in terms of energy, security, and economics?

If you're downtown, this is a great opportunity to host your colleagues and clients for a stimulating presentation. More information and registration details for the lunch event are here.

An Evening at the Kay Meek Centre - REGISTER HERE
7:30 - 9:00 pm
In the evening, I will be hosting her for a larger public event at the Kay Meek Centre in West Vancouver. We'll have a little more time, so she'll be broadening her talk to include more of her personal experiences as detailed in her recently published memoir Letters to My Daughters.

"In it, Ms. Koofi describes unflinchingly the wreckage she witnessed at the hands of Afghans of all ideologies and clans: the domestic violence that was a mundane part of family life, gang rape, the burning of a Kabul mosque where dozens of women had sought shelter during the civil war, and the public humiliation and beatings meted out casually by the Taliban." - An excerpt from a recent Globe & Mail article.

More information and details about how to register for the evening event are here, but read on for a small preview of her story:

On the day Fawzia Koofi was born, her mother set her under the blazing Afghanistan sun to die. The 19th child of 23 in a family with seven wives, her mother did not want another daughter. Despite severe burns that lasted into her teenage years, Koofi survived and became the favourite child.

In Letters to My Daughters, Koofi tells her remarkable life story, one marked by a fierce passion to better the world around her. Koofi''s father was an incorruptible politician strongly attached to Afghan tradition. When he was murdered by the mujahadeen, her illiterate mother decided to send the ten year-old girl to school, and as the civil war raged, Koofi dodged bullets and snipers to attend class, determined to be the first person in her family to receive an education.

Koofi went on to marry a man she loved and they had two cherished daughters, Shohra and Shaharzad. Tragically, the arrival of the Taliban spelled an end to her freedom. Outraged and deeply saddened by the injustice she saw around her, and by the tainting of her Islamic faith, she discovered politics herself.

And thinking about her upcoming visit, this quote really struck me:

"Develop an interest in life as you see it; the people, things, literature, music - the world is so rich, simply throbbing with rich treasures, beautiful souls, and interesting people."
- Henry Miller

I hope to see you in June!

An evening with John Weston & Jason Kenney

2011-03-26T22:53:00.000-07:00

Well, we're officially off to the races!

Thank you so much to everyone who attended the reception with our local MP John Weston and Jason Kenney, Minister of Immigration, at my home on March 11th. It was great to connect with everyone, hear the updates from the hill, and have some fun!

Photos

Thanks so much to Cat Barr for capturing some photo highlights from the event and posting them in the March 17th North Shore Outlook. Great to see Conservatives having a good time!

Volunteering

We have a lot of work to do to get John re-elected, and a great new office space to work from. Pop down for a visit at 2429 Marine Drive in West Vancouver. To find out how you can get involved as a volunteer - fundraising, signs, get-out-the-vote etc., please contact Catharine Johnston at catharine@cgjohnston.com or April Accola at aprilaccola@telus.net.

Donations

And all of the signs, phone systems, mailings etc. cost a lot of money. Please donate today to help us win the election! All donations are tax receiptable according to CRA guidelines:

www.seatoskyconservative.com.

See you on the campaign trail!

Its Time to Change the Culture of Entitlement

2011-03-24T21:50:00.000-07:00

Thank you so much to those of you who came out to our lunch with Bill Gairdner, author of The Trouble with Canada...Still. My apologies to those of you who weren't able to attend - I had a technical glitch with our recording and so haven't been able to put up a podcast on my iTunes channel. But I've learned my lesson!

Anyway, for those of you who are still looking for a copy of his book, I've just checked www.chapters.ca and it looks like there are 7 left in the lower mainland - 6 at the Broadway and Granville store and 1 at Brentwood Mall. I'm still waiting for the copy that I ordered on-line : ) We've hooked Bill up with another possible publisher and so we shall await some good news that he is back up and running, and in print again.

I've been thinking a lot about Bill's message about changing the culture of entitlement, and agree that that is where we all need to focus our efforts. As politicians clearly have no incentive to say no to those who ask them for money, the only hope that we have is to change the culture of popular opinion, which in turn may change the policy platfoms from which governments operate.

Perhaps now is a good time for us all to work on those within our circle of influence to encourage more understanding around the appropriate role of government, and how everyone would benefit by government pulling out of programs it should not be involved in (and aren't very good at). This would allow more room for the private sector, community groups, and volunteers to stake a greater role in building the kind of compassionate society we all want to live in.

On that note, Dambisa Moyo's latest book "How the West Was Lost" outlines how our culture of entitlement (and the mis-guided policies that support it) have harmed our economies nearly beyond repair, when compared with the relative success and high growth rates of China, India, and others. You can order your copy of her book at www.chapters.ca, and if you're interested in attending our next event with her on April 4th, you can register through www.bonmotclub.com.

Confessions of a Greenpeace Dropout: The Making of a Sensible Environmentalist

2011-03-22T23:55:00.000-07:00

Yesterday at the San Diego Wild Animal Park, I met two of the last seven surviving Northern White Rhinos in the whole entire world. They looked pretty lonely and were a sobering reminder to me of how delicate our natural environment can be. I left with a lump in my throat and softened heart.

I can only imagine the passion for our planet that must have pulsed through Patrick Moore and his co-founders when they started Greenpeace 40 years ago. Had I been alive then, and of an age to be swept up in the movement, I probably would have signed up with bells...er...bellbottoms on.

Patrick Moore vs. whalers

Many of their campaigns championed important ideas, and provided education to a world in need of some wake-up calls. But something's happened to the organization - their agenda now seems anti-science, anti-business, and sometimes, anti-human.

Dr. Moore left 15 years after co-founding Greenpeace to establish a more sensible, science-based approach to environmentalism. His new book Confessions of a Greenpeace Dropout: The Making of A Sensible Environmentalist gives his first-hand account as an insider and witness to how the group devolved into extremism.

He envisions a more sustainable world by using practical and straightforward solutions to some of the most controversial subjects in the news today - energy independence, climate change, genetic engineering, and aquaculture. He even supports nuclear power in the wake of the Japanese nuclear crisis.

In the midst of his busy book tour (if I couldn't host him now, his next availability was June!), he's making the time to join us for lunch and to discuss some of his ideas. I hope you'll join us!

"Patrick’s great talent is his ability to clearly set out the environmental challenges we face and identify innovative solutions that fully take into account both people and the environment… In these challenging times, I think that’s exactly the kind of environmental leadership people are looking for."

- Rudy Giuliani, former Mayor of New York City

"Former colleagues in the environmental movement scorned and shunned Dr. Moore, after he left Greenpeace… He is a tough minded scientist and an advocate for sound scientific research, policy, and practical, sustainable development."

- Dr. Terry Simmons, Greenpeace co-founder

Friday, April 8, 2011

The Vancouver Club

UBC/SFU Room, 3rd Floor

11:45 am - Casual sandwich buffet

12:15 pm - Serious intellectual stimulation

1:30 pm - Back to work!

$45.00

The Trouble with Canada...Still!

2011-02-25T09:06:00.000-08:00

One of the things I love the most is to debate ideas - especially about politics, economics, and current affairs. I'm interested in all points of view as long as the ground rules of respect and open-mindedness are there.

I've known Bill Gairdner for a number of years, and although we don't see eye-to-eye on everything, what I appreciate about him the most is that he cares a lot about our country and isn't afraid to put forth controversial ideas for discussion. I believe its important to think outside the boundaries of political correctness - perhaps only to reinforce your belief system or perhaps to stretch and test it.

Twenty years ago (okay, just a little before I was fully engaged in policy discussions), he published a book called The Trouble with Canada. He's now updated his best-seller to once again look at:

-Why are our taxes so high?

-Why is our National Debt so high?

-Why are earnings of immigrants so low?

-Why is our rate of police-reported criminal incidents among the highest in the world?

-Why do we allow politicians to control our health care?

-Does bilingualism discriminate against Anglophones?

-Is multiculturalism supporting diversity or tribalism?

-Is the judiciary making laws instead of applying them?

He proposes that Canada is caught between two irreconcilable styles of government: a top-down collectivism and a bottom-up individualism. Do you agree? I hope that you'll join me for lunch to discuss and debate his positions on these topics!

William Gairdner has had a busy life as an Olympic athlete, an academic, a businessman, and now as a successful writer. After earning a number of higher degrees, including a Ph.D in Literature and Philosophy from Stanford University, he taught at York University. He then pursued a career in business from which he retired to devote his time to writing.

Bill was then the managing editor of Canada's Founding Debates - now a historical landmark. His published books have included The Trouble with Democracy, The Book of Absolutes, The War Against the Family, Constitutional Crack-Up: Canada and the Showdown with Quebec, and After Liberalism.

"If it is not already so, Canada is in danger of becoming a Tripartite State in which one third of the people works to create wealth, one third works for government at some level, and another third depends on government for a significant portion of its income. Anyone can see that the last two segments will always gang up on the first." - William Gairdner

Copies of The Trouble with Canada...Still! will be on sale at the event, but if you'd like to get a copy in advance, you can order from Chapters here.

Tuesday, March 8, 2011
The Fairmont Waterfront Hotel

Cheakamus Room, Concourse level

11:45 am Registration & casual sandwich buffet

12:15 pm Serious intellectual stimulation

1:30 pm Back to work!

$45.00

REGISTER NOW* Advance registration only - this link will also take you to the Bon Mot Book Club site (please note this is a separate event from that series)

Lunch with Calvin Helin discussing "The Economic Dependency Trap"

2011-01-11T22:58:00.000-08:00

Over forty years ago my parents moved to a small native reserve in northern Alberta to teach in a one room schoolhouse. They taught as best they could, but spent much of their time helping the kids survive the abuse and extreme poverty rampant in the community. Forty years later that generation has grown up, but not much else has changed.

A few years ago I met native lawyer Calvin Helin who opened my eyes to the scope of harm caused by government-sponsored poverty. He wants to change these circumstances, and if anyone can, I'd place my bets on him. With a gentle spirit and a passionate intellect, this six times best-selling author of Dances with Dependency: Out of Poverty through Self-Reliance, has become quite the force as an outspoken advocate for aboriginal empowerment.

I've asked him to join me for lunch at the Vancouver Club to discuss his latest project The Economic Dependency Trap, and sign some copies of his book. I hope you'll join me, but do come prepared to be swept up in his revolution!

The Economic Dependency Trap:
Breaking Free to Self-Reliance
From urban public housing projects to impoverished reservations, middle class suburban neighbourhoods to Bay Street, economic dependency has become a serious pandemic. Just what is economic dependency? It is the inability to become financially self-reliant, because government programs aren't just a temporary help - they're a permanent crutch. Today, economic dependency has become a way of life for millions of North Americans.

In the US, approximately 20 percent of the population relies on the government for daily housing, food, and health care, and one in six Americans is now being served by at least one government anti-poverty program. Most troubling of all, one out of every five children is now living in poverty.

But Calvin Helin - attorney, entrepreneur, and recognized authority on poverty, not only wants to expose this reality, he wants to reverse it.

"Calvin Helin's epic study of dependence and the physical, mental, as well as spiritual harm it spreads among its victims is a revolutionary document. A leading First Nations lawyer, the son of a fisherman, and very much a self-made intellectual and reluctant advocate, Calvin speaks for his people from the heart and from the gut. The collected wisdom in this book will lift the burden and let the sunshine in." - Peter C. Newman

Tuesday, January 25, 2011
The Vancouver Club
UBC Room, 3rd Floor
11:45 am  Registration & casual sandwich buffet
12:15 pm  Serious intellectual stimulation
1:30 pm   Back to work!
$45.00
REGISTER NOW* Advance registration only - this link will also take you to the Bon Mot Book Club site - please note this is a separate event from that series :

Lunch with Ezra Levant discussing "Ethical Oil"

2010-09-09T18:30:00.000-07:00

In my family, the biggest compliment that you can give someone is to say that they "have a nice mind". My friend Ezra's got that an then some! His new book Ethical Oil: The Case for Canada's Oil Sands is about to hit the shelves on September 14th. For those of you who thought his book Shakedown was a hot seller, this is going to blow that out of the water.

I've asked him to join me for lunch to talk about his new book, and as I'm guessing that a few other people might be interested as well, I've booked a large room at the Vancouver Club if you'd like to join us. You can order the book in advance, but there will also be some available on-site with an opportunity for a personal autograph.

The event details are below - I hope to see you there!

Ethical Oil: The Case for Canada's Oil Sands
Friday, September 24, 2010
The Vancouver Club
$40.00 (Advance registration only *this link will also take you to the Bon Mot Book Club site - please note this is a separate event from that series : )
11:45 am Registration & casual lunch buffet
12:15 pm Speaker program
1:30 pm Adjournment

In 2009, Ezra Levant's bestselling book Shakedown revealed the corruption of Canada's human rights commissions and was declared the "most important public affairs book of the year."

In Ethical Oil, Levant turns his attention to another hot-button topic: the ethical cost of our addiction to oil. While many North Americans may be aware of the financial and environmental price we pay for a gallon of gas or a barrel of oil, Levant argues that it is time we consider ethical factors as well. With his trademark candor, Levant asks hard-hitting questions: With the oil sands at our disposal, is it ethically responsible to import our oil from the Sudan, Russia, and Mexico? How should we weigh carbon emissions with human rights violations in Saudi Arabia? And assuming that we can't live without oil, can the development of energy be made more environmentally sustainable?

In Ethical Oil, Levant exposes the hypocrisy of the West's dealings with the reprehensible regimes from which we purchase the oil that sustains our lifestyles, and offers solutions to this dilemma. Guests at all points on the political spectrum will want to participate in this timely and provocative discussion, which is sure to spark debate.

Sarah Palin coming to Vancouver

2010-09-03T20:37:00.000-07:00

So it seems that everyone has come out of their summer slumber and noticed that the second speaker for the Bon Mot Book Club is going to be Sarah Palin. Malcolm Parry announced this in his column in early July, yet still the Vancouver Sun called a few days ago to "crack" the story!

Anyway, the media frenzy aside, I have enjoyed (most) of the comments and emails. Some on the Georgia Strait site are really quite witty and funny.

Some of the personal attacks against me that have arrived in my email box? Not as funny, but I guess that's how some people deal with a difference of opinion.

What's most interesting are the assumptions that are made about me and my motives for bringing her in. I like some of her policy ideas and disagree with others. Regardless of that, she is an interesting person with an interesting background and story, and someone who, regardless of whether you agree with her or not, is certainly a force in US politics. So why wouldn't I and others want to meet her and have a stimulating discussion? And what would be the point of only having discussions with people who you agree with on all issues?

If you're interested, please join us on October 13th - just a few weeks out from the US midterm elections!

I'm a Catalyst now...

2010-08-20T10:16:00.000-07:00

I responded on a whim to an invitation from the Globe & Mail to be a member of their Globe "Catalysts" program. I was accepted to be one of 1000 out of 8000 applicants, to provide my personal insights and comments on current affairs and issues of interest to Canadians, via forums with other members and their journalists.

I was happy to be accepted, and even somewhat surprised, given that part of my application included a personal rant about their climate change front cover page from a couple of weeks ago. The headline was something along the lines of "any doubts around climate change have now been debunked". Their evidence was a dozen or so "graphs" containing various squiggly lines, most of them sweeping up to the right. The captions on the graphs had titles around temperature and other measures.

My rant, however, was that none of the graphs had any x or y axis! So there were no measurements of what I presume would be tempurature and timelines, for example. Any one of the graphs could have been the temperatures from yesterday, for example, or showing a range of .00001 to .00002 degrees. There was no way to tell, and this was covering their entire front page! Even less intellectually stimulating than an Al Gore documentary.Crazy!

The good thing I guess is that they accepted me into their forum anyway. I guess every group needs an agitator : )

We Day 2010

2010-08-18T05:09:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Lorne Segal and his team for producing a truly remarkable event to get young people engaged in their community! They're doing it again in Vancouver on October 15th and bringing in speakers including the Reverend Jesse Jackson, Martin Sheen, Rick Hansen, and...well, Al Gore (you can't win them all)! I encourage those of you with teenagers to try and get them involved through their schools - check out www.weday.com.

Build that mosque

2010-08-14T15:14:00.000-07:00

I've been struggling with the petitions and outcry around the building of the mosque near ground zero.

Congratulations to Obama for standing up for freedom of religion - I also think this article from The Economist does a terrific job of outlining what the real issues are - or should be.

If something is illegal, then it shouldn't be allowed regardless of how close or far away it is from anything else. There's nothing illegal about this building, and its up to the owners to decide upon its location, whatever their reasons may be, and regardless how distasteful those reasons may be to some groups.

First "Bon Mot Book Club" event - Author Michael Lewis (The Big Short) - September 20

2010-08-13T03:18:00.000-07:00

I have to say that I'm pretty excited about the first speaker in my new event series! Michael Lewis has been writing about the financial markets (and other things) for about 20 years. Or since I was about 5 : )

I've booked him to launch my new event series in Vancouver on September 20. The Bon Mot Book Club will feature thought-leaders, newsmakers, intellectuals, heroes, and more than a few characters and rogues. And that’s just the guest list! The speakers bring all those traits and more as they focus on the headline-making issues and pressing problems of the day – covering topics on business & economy, politics, science & innovation, religion & spirituality, world affairs, culture, and much more.

But back to Michael Lewis and his book The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine. My only wish is that it had been published a year earlier so that I would have had more insight into the financial crisis as it was unfolding. But that's the issue, isn't it? No one had much insight into the financial crisis as it was unfolding, except the few that Lewis follows in his book who managed to short the market and make a bunch of dough.

Its a captivating read, and you're left feeling like you are as smart as the guys in the story - it all seems so obvious in hindsight. I hope you'll join me for a fascinating evening with the author on Monday, September 20!

Ezra Levant and his new book "Shakedown"

2009-04-07T16:32:00.001-07:00

It's pretty amazing to me that I've now known Ezra for nearly 15 years now. As young "freedom fighters", we worked together at the Fraser Institute in the mid-90's. He hasn't changed a bit! Still as charming, intelligent, and eloquent as ever, I could listen to him for hours.

Which is what I've had the opportunity to do a lot of lately! I've just finished reading his new book "Shakedown". In it he chronicles his experiences publishing the infamous Danish Cartoons of Muhammed, and his subsequent battle over Free Speech with the Human Rights Commission. He's now on a campaign to have them abolished, and I couldn't agree with him more. The book is a rant extraordinaire and a page turner - 100% Ezra all the way. You can watch his video promotion of the book here and can buy it here.

The book was so interesting that I hosted him as a guest for our Behind the Spin: Fraser@Metro series. We filmed the event and you can enjoy my inability to keep from laughing out loud at his antics here. I need to work on my skills as an "independent" moderator, apparently : )

2009-04-06T14:22:00.000-07:00

Okay, I just can't help myself. I think this is HILARIOUS! 'Nuff said. : )

An Evening with Diana Krall, Elton John, James Taylor, Elvis Costello, and Sarah McLaughlin!

2009-02-18T16:20:00.001-08:00

Thanks so much to Malcolm Parry for taking this photo of David & I and publishing it in Vancouver View this month!

The fundraiser, organized by Diana Krall in memory of her mother who died of cancer, was particularly special for me to be a part of. Having just lost my mother as well, it brought back a flood of memories...

Had dinner with John & Janette Howard on Sunday night ...

2009-02-03T10:00:00.000-08:00

One of the most interesting parts of my job is the people that I get to meet. I recently invited John Howard, former Prime Minister of Australia, to Canada to speak at a series of events for the Fraser Institute.

On Sunday, as I was about to leave on my run through the Capilano trails, a call came through on my cell phone from a number that I didn't recognize. It was John Howard's assistant calling from Australia, asking me to call him at his Vancouver hotel to discuss his speech the next evening.

We had a fabulous conversation about provincial, federal, and world politics - on everything from Obama to the environment to the war in Iraq. At the end of the conversation, it crossed my mind to invite he and his wife out for dinner as it seemed that there was so much more to talk about - so many more of the world's problems to solve! But practicality took over, and having just prepped some spaghetti sauce, I thought I'd better keep to our original plans.

I called David to tell him that I was now going to be late for dinner, what with having spent so much time on the phone with "John". I mentioned my fleeting thought about inviting the Howards for dinner and my reticence given my previous pasta preparations. David groaned and said well, we could invite them OUT for dinner...

So I ran for a bit and then thought - why not!?! I called John back and asked him if he and his wife had any plans for dinner - that David and I were planning on heading out to our favourite local seafood spot and would they like to join us? A few minutes later he phoned back and said... sure, could we pick them up at 7:30?

Yikes! What favourite seafood spot? A quick round of calls informed us that Vancouver has very few seafood restaurants open on a Sunday night. Luckily the Italian Kitchen on Alberni was accommodating, and we had a delightful dinner out. A nearby table of Aussies recognized our dinner guest and sent over a lovely bottle of Australian Shiraz from Barossa, which nicely complimented the 5 (mostly) seafood inspired courses from chef Eric. And, which nicely complimented an evening of anecdotes and storytelling with the Howards.

The moral of the story? Always ask for what you want. If you're lucky, you just might get it : )

I Run for Life

2009-01-15T21:42:00.000-08:00

I'm nearing the end of my first week of really focused training. So far, so good.

To keep myself motivated on my Tuesday run, I dug out the iPod and dusted off my old Vancouver Sun Run 2006 playlist.

About 7K in, I was flying along the eerily vacant and darkened Kits Beach trail. I was in the "zone" and running at a pretty good clip, with the lights of the city dancing on the water beside me - my breath forcing a frosty mist into the still night air. I could hear my feet pounding and my heart beating - sending steady vibrations through my chest.

I felt healthy and strong and powerful and invincible. If you're a runner then I know you know that feeling.

You feel so..... incredibly alive.

If you've lost someone who you loved, then I know you also know that gnawing, empty feeling that can sometimes grip your heart so hard that sometimes you feel like you can't even breathe.

When this song came on that night, the pain of losing my Mom was heightened so intensely for me that I thought I actually would stop breathing. But instead, I let it wash over me and I just let myself .... feel.

And I ran, and I ran, and I ran.

I ran until I felt I'd been hollowed out. Emptied.
... I ran until I felt emotionally drained of pain.

I hope that when you listen to this song, you can share in a small piece of that feeling. And I hope that someday, when you need it, you can feel its power and strength too...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LgiwrvEX8wY

I Run for Life - Melissa Etheridge
It's been years since they told her about it
The darkness her body possessed
And the scars are still there in the mirror
Everyday when she gets herself dressed

Though the pain is miles and miles behind her
And the fear is now a docile beast
If you ask her why she is still running
She'll tell you it makes her complete

I run for hope
I run to feel
I run for the truth
For all that is real
I run for your mother, your sister, your wife
I run for you and me, my friend
I run for life

It's a blur since they told me about it
How the darkness had taken its toll
And they cut into my skin and they cut into my body
But they will never get a piece of my soul

And now I'm still learning the lesson
To awake when I hear the call
And if you ask me why I am still running
I'll tell you I run for us all

I run for hope
I run to feel
I run for the truth
For all that is real
I run for your mother your sister your wife
I run for you and me my friend
I run for life

Ohohohoh
And someday if they tell you about it
If the darkness knocks on your door
Remember her remember me
We will be running as we have before
Running for answers
Running for more

I run for hope
I run to feel
I run for the truth
For all that is real
I run for your mother, your sister, your wife
I run for you and me my friend
I run for life

I hope the pool's heated...

2009-01-12T13:16:00.000-08:00

Last week I had my first pool session - only 8 months to go until the Penticton Ironman (http://www.ironman.ca/) and I was thinking the time is right to get my rear in gear. Probably the time was last August to have had my head checked when I signed up for the race in the first place, but its too late for that as they've already processed my Visa. Tis the New Year and the time for all things foolish to be packed into one's life.

So, the Pacific Triathlon Club - a certified group of insane people joined together with the ultimate goal of swimming 3.8K, biking 182K, and topping it off with a 42.2K marathon all in one day - has organized these swims. The schedule lists the location as the UBC (Outdoor) Pool, from 7 - 8 pm, every Monday evening and again first thing Saturday mornings.

Now the word (Outdoor) is a little intimidating. And I wonder about the (brackets). Perhaps the organizers thought if they put the word in (brackets) you might not notice that they were trying to whisper (Outdoor).

This might not be so daunting except that it's January and its Vancouver and we've experienced record snowfall and most of it is still piled up. And as I was to discover, most of it is still piled up around the UBC (Outdoor) Pool.

I packed my gear as per the instructions: "Bring parka and flip flops for walk on pool deck". Nice. Bad enough to be thinking about the actual swim, but they're thinking that the conditions are so awful that even accessing the activity requires its own protective gear.

I fleetingly wonder if I should bring my wetsuit. Two possibilities - I show up with a wetsuit in tow and am immediately scorned by the organizers wondering about my faith in them - did I really think that they would make us swim in an unheated pool? But if it is heated, I will be labelled immediately by my swim-mates as total wimp requiring a wetsuit. Or, I show up to an unheated pool without a wetsuit and be categorized as a rookie novice - obviously incapable of preparing properly for a training swim much less a whole race. I'm wishing now that the instructions read "UBC (Outdoor)(but heated)(don't worry about bringing a wetsuit) Pool".

I arrive on deck avec parka and flip flops. At least I presume I still have flip flops on as my feet are calf deep in snow and have lost their feeling many drifts ago. I join the huddle, 5 minutes late, during the part of the orientation session where they talk about the importance of being on time for the practices. I'm not sure if the instructor is looking directly at me as she mentions this - my eyes are partially averted to avoid the driving rain/snow.

There is steam rising from the pool. My Physics 11 background has taught me that this likely means the pool is heated. I am grateful of this and also to note that no one else is wearing a wetsuit. I am, however, ungrateful to note that many of the men are only wearing Speedos, but at least this is a somewhat elite group and most of the bodies have survived the Christmas season somewhat better than mine has.

Once the lecture on timlieness is finished and we are about to dive into the pool, the instructor throws out an offhand apology. Apparently the recent power outage has resulted in some heating problems and the water is 10 degrees colder than it should be. I would turn around and exit immediately but my hands have frozen to the metal handrails of the ladder.

The "steam" eventually thaws out my fingers, and we're off! Gasping and spluttering in the dark through the frigid waves, towards the light at the end of the 50m lane beckoning us like flies to a zapper. It crosses my mind that a zapper would be a welcome addition to the pool as at least it would provide some heat. I'm convinced by now that the instructor has played a mean trick - there's simply no way that an increase of only 10 degrees would make this water tolerable.

Apparently I spent too much time wondering whether or not I should bring a wetsuit - distracting me from the much more important items such as a bathing cap and goggles. Usually a bathing cap helps to keep my hair back and off of my face, however my hair has frozen, just like a cap, to the top of my scalp. I didn't think this was much of a problem until one of the instructors notices this and tosses me an extra cap from the edge of the pool. I'm thinking a life jacket with a tow line back to the ladder would be more helpful, but I'm not in a position to negotiate. As I raise my hand to catch the cap, I feel like Jack from the movie Titanic as he slides down into the dark, icy ocean...

It's a little known fact, but bathing caps are made from the same manufacturers that process Saran Wrap. The plastic sticks to itself and is nearly impossible to open, especially when wet. With the cap finally on and my hair nearly pulled from it's roots, at least I now look 10 years younger as it suctions the skin on my cheeks towards its shriveled peak.

Surprisingly, this thin film of plastic makes me feel a few degrees warmer! I remind myself to bring actual Saran Wrap to the pool next time to see how that might help the rest of me.

One of the first drills has us swimming using only one arm. The purpose of this is not immediately apparent and means that I keep veering to the left and skinning my tightly strung cheek on the tiles. I make the most of the opportunity, however, by clutching my limp arm to my abdomen to try and retain more heat for some of my favoured organs. I figure the instructors must be trying to prepare us for all sorts of possibilities including the offchance that I have an arm amputated between now and August, in which case I will still be able to compete in the race. You can never be too prepared.

Now, I usually never swim with goggles. It might have something to do with learning to swim in a lake as a kid rather than in a pool. In a lake you don't have to worry about chlorine stinging your eyes and thus don't need to wear goggles. You do have to worry about water snakes, but with googles on you have a better chance of seeing them, so you're still better with your eyes blurry like nature intended.

Not so in the UBC (Outdoor) Pool. Notwithstanding that I'm sure I don't really want the Speedo water snakes to come into focus, my eyes start stinging like I'm sitting downwind of a bonfire. A few more laps and I'm convinced that the reason the pool's so cold is so that your eyelids feel anaesthetized before they melt off completely in the chemical cocktail. Now, my Biology 11 background has taught me that the reason you chlorinate a pool is to kill the bacteria. There are no bacteria in this pool. There are no life forms in this pool. Anyway none that should survive Darwin's evolutionary theory if survival instinct is part of the criteria.

60 grueling minutes later, the swim is finally over. It's amazing how "time flies when you're halfway numb." We slowly creak, blue-lipped and frosty, over to our towels. Which are now frozen into folded rectangles like stale fig newtons. As I flip and flop over the pool deck and enter the Aquatic Centre a thought crosses my mind.

Why on earth aren't we booked into the UBC (Indoor) Pool?

Former Austrialian Prime Minister John Howard coming to Vancouver

2009-01-12T10:44:00.000-08:00

I'm pretty excited to be hosting former Australian Prime Minister John Howard here on February 2 at the Four Seasons. http://www.fraserinstitute.org/newsandevents/events/6185.aspx

As always, hosting someone requires the right balance of protocol with enough humour to make things interesting. I'm thinking of using this opening line:

A friend of mine recently moved to Australia for work and had an interesting experience trying to enter the country. At the customs desk she was asked for all of the usual paperwork, including passport, visa, and travel documents. The clerk then asked her about her criminal record.

"Criminal record?" she asked. "I didn't think you still needed one to get in here!"

Hardy har har : )

I'm leading, where are my followers?!?

2009-01-12T10:40:00.000-08:00

So I've been blogging for 10 minutes now and so far no one is "following" me. I take no personal offence to that... : )

Bailouts Gone Wild: Porn Chiefs Seek $5 Billion

2009-01-12T10:33:00.000-08:00

I've been following the public clamour for bailouts with quite a bit of interest. I would prefer that the market (all of us as individuals) choose which companies succeed and don't by our willingness to buy products from the businesses that provide us the products and services that we want, instead of government bureacracies taking our tax money and divvying it out the way they see fit.

The line up of people with their hands out is becoming more and more bizarre. Now it's the porn industry! I don't have a particular problem with legal pornography (note: this is not an endorsement or a criticism), but I can tell you for sure that I don't think governments should subsidize it! Check it out:

Bailouts Gone Wild: Porn Chiefs Seek $5 Billion
http://dealbook.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/01/07/bailouts-gone-wild-porn-chiefs-seek-5-billion/

Book of the Week Club - Me, Karl Rove, & George W. Bush

2009-01-12T10:21:00.000-08:00

One of my New Year's "intentions" is to read a book a week.

You might be surprised where I got the inspiration from - I recently read an article by Karl Rove who said that he and George W. Bush have had a longstanding, friendly competition about who could read more books in a year. Initially they set a target to read one a week - both apparently surpassing this easily and in some years each finishing over a hundred.

Now I'm not anti Bush (nor am I heavily pro, she says, thinking it unusual there are even categories for a person - aren't pros and cons usually reserved for causes?) - but this little factoid surprised even me! Karl apparently is a more prolific reader, but acknowledged that Bush might have been busy what with running the country and all.

....or was he? Arguable some might say : )

Anyway - It's January 12th and I'm almost finished my first one - have to pick up the pace. Less Food Network and more reading time...

2009-01-12T10:15:00.000-08:00

Okay, this is pretty funny. I've decided to get "with it" and create a blog. So I go into Blogger.com to create one and leahcostello already exists. Turns out it's me and I set this up nearly 7 years ago. I am such a slow adopter of technology!

Christmas Letter 2008

2008-12-31T23:55:00.000-08:00

December 2008

Dear Friend/Family Member/Facebook Acquaintance,

I am delighted to be wishing you and your husband/wife/kid/kids/cat/dog/other a Happy Hannukah/Merry Christmas/Joyous Economic Downturn! It’s been an exciting couple of months – hard to believe that Jack Layton/Gilles Duceppe/Stéphane Dion almost took down the government.

I’ve included my 2007 letter as well in case you want to spend your entire holiday reading about my life! I apologize that I didn’t send out Christmas cards last year, unfortunately I was trying to save the environment/couldn’t figure out how to use the printer/the dog ate my address book.

Well, okay I didn’t have a dog last year but I do now! Her name is Georgia O’Beeffe, named after the artist formerly known as Georgia O’Keeffe. She’s an orange coloured mix of Australian Cattle Dog/Finish Spitz/Sheba Inu/all of the above. I’m having a great time with her but I really wish that she would stop eating the Christmas tree ornaments/white chenille couch/black leather shoes/all of the above.

Unfortunately she was a bit of a replacement pet after finally saying goodbye to my old kitty Gustav last Spring. Still happy to have Simba though who has been renamed Spare Cat/Putin (for his attitude towards Georgia)/cat-who-lives-downstairs-with-the-neighbours-now-as-he’s-upset-that-I-got-a-dog.

The animals are not the only ones keep me busy as David and I have been keeping actively jogging/meeting Robin Williams/weekending in Paris/planning New Year’s in Whistler. David’s had a heck of a Fall though getting a few bits (not those bits!) surgically removed, causing him to taking some time off work/spend more time sleeping/learn to ring the little bell when he’s ready for his dinner. All involved are hoping he will be feeling better soon! We are planning to spend a lot of time this summer in Spain on a bike riding/Paella eating/wine trip.

Of the places I traveled this year, the one with the most wine was the Okanagan’s Naramata Bench and the least amount of wine was found in New York/Muscat/Dubai/Doha. They all tied for heat and sand. This year I am most looking forward to completing the Penticton Ironman in August/taking piano lessons again/starting my term on the Board of the Arts Club. I am also hoping to spend more time relaxing (ha)!

I am still working at the Fraser Institute and am happy to have evolved into a new role – launching and hosting our new Fraser TV series on YouTube. I’m still hosting our Behind the Spin current affairs events series downtown – my favourite guest this year was David Frum/Ralph Klein/former VPD Chief Jamie Graham/Chief Justice Don Brenner. I will welcome former Australian PM John Howard here in February (he’s heard that there might be a job opening in Canada).

I hope that this note finds you well, and I really hope to see you soon for a coffee/run/snowshoe/bike ride/gossip session/dinner at your house/pedicure/long winter’s nap!

Much love,

Leah/Fluffy/Boo Boo Bear

Heaven doesn't really exist

2008-11-02T02:36:00.000-08:00

It's taken me 3 days to write this email - you'll see why below! Please note my disclaimer that I was brought in to help with this event just weeks ago as the main person fell ill...caveat in place, let's begin...
***
After my delightful lunch on the terrace we met with the hotel manager for a tour of the resort and to check out the venues that we will be using with our group.

I've never seen anything like this! The 3 hotels on the bay (again, this is the only development as far as the eye can see, for 100's of miles to the south, and the city is half an hour to the north) are stretched along a secluded beach. Of the 3 hotels, ours is the luxury 6 star one. Of the many amazing features, my favourite is a 200m exclusive + private stretch of sand reaching out to a large rock. Called Sunset Beach, guests can lounge on the dozen or so lounge chairs spread along the sand watching the sun go down, with water on both sides. Another favourite is the infinity pool. When you swim side to side and lift your arm for a breath, all you can see is water, which drops off the edge to the cliff below, so that you see nothing but water meeting water....

We are shown the dinner spot for our opening night with the Minister of Oil + Gas - a grassy tip of the far peninsula, with billowing linens covering tables set under palm trees. When night falls, the cliff wall is lit with coloured lights and a traditional feast laid out. It is breath-taking and I can hardly wait!

!*!*Reality Check!*!*

After my lunch and tour, I was shaken into reality. Apparently I'm not an Arabian princess, but here to work! 5:00 pm until 2:30 in the morning involved a laptop, slow internet connection, a business centre that closed earlier than the 24 hour a day service we were led to expect, and a dinner of almonds and diet coke out of the (complimentary at least) mini bar. The sounds of the waves, the singers from the lounge, and the chimes of laughter from the beach drowned out by the clicking of the keyboard....the program needs updating from all of the changes we've made over the last week. We've been told that its a cultural thing, that people don't confirm appointments or information until the last possible moment. It's nerve-wracking, but we think we're ready to go.

***

Unfortunately I went to bed before the fat lady sang. From my vantage point it was hard to tell the girth of whoever was wailing possibly ancient traditional camel-mating sounds from the lounge patio adjacent my window.

It's Hallowe'en when I wake up after a diet cola induced fitful sleep dreaming of planes, papers, and delegates, but my costume is ready to go! I dress as a rumpled, tired, + foreign event planner with a look of desperation around her eyes. I carry off the look convincingly well and the same lady who stayed 2 hours late for us last night in the business centre works with us as we try to decipher why the emails we send her with more materials to print are evaporating in the heat. The machine with the adjustable hole-punch settings is stuck on 4 holes which means that my notes look like snowflakes and none of the papers can be inserted into the binder. We've brought A4 paper stock as is the size here, but the templates from our printer, which were supposed to match, don't. The colour printing comes out so badly I'm not sure if someone's slipped LSD into my coffee or if its my eyes unable to focus.... The scent of incense is making me crazy and the air conditioning on so high I actually fear I might catch pnumonia.

In a moment of genius, I'd invited the guests who are arriving early to join us tonight for a casual BBQ and drinks at the beach bar before our formal program starts the next day. At 3:30 from the business centre, I vow never to come up any nice ideas like that ever again. The extension number we've given people to call to RSVP for the BBQ is very convenient unless you actually expect anyone to answer the ringing line. If someone does, they ask to take a message so that they can call you back. At which point I think they crumple up the little message papers and toss them into the incense burners.

The participant kits are delivered to the rooms, but very (in)conveniently placed in bottoms of desk drawers making it hard for guests to know they are there. Hysterically, I wonder at one point if this is some kind of Hallowe'en/Easter fusion celebration where you have to scramble around your room finding hidden things you didn't know you were supposed to look for, buried deep within the furniture.

***

It's 4:30 and I walk out to the pool deck. The sun is setting but I catch the last few rays as I slide into the water. Someone at the front desk in a stroke of brilliance has been asking the guests as they check in, if they'd like to join us for dinner. 15 have said yes, the reservation is in place, and I feel like a princess once again....

***

Our BBQ is set up down a path lit with candles, just above Sunset beach in a private area down from the hotel. Palm trees and lanterns sway in the warm evening air. I'm handed a cocktail and there are jumbo prawns on the outdoor grill. The guests arrive, tired but relaxed, and the dinner begins...

(A lovely evening all in all, and I consider myself lucky to be in the company of 6 people who all, amazingly and coincidentally, retrospectively predicted the financial crisis. Much of the evening is spent with them congratulating each other on their brilliance! : )

***

6 am wake-up call and our first day begins with an optional cultural tour of the Grand Mosque, local museum, and shops. Our advance guides had told us women could enter the mosque as long as our skirts/pants were below the knee and we were wearing a head scarf. Not so, and my calf-length capris are not enough to hide my sexy ankles from Allah. I understand that Allah is trying to tell me I need to nap on the bus instead for the next hour. I gratefully take his advice.

Our charming and relatively uneventful day (well sure, there's always someone lost in the market and late for the bus) includes some narration on Muscat. 30 years ago they had no phones, roads, water, electricity..... Incredible how far they've come under their Sultan. A modern fellow who has graciously also allowed women the right to drive. (Perhaps he'd change his mind on that if I were to take him for a spin?!?)

The day, however, takes a turn for the worse as we arrive back at the hotel. Our local partner, who is the host and organizer of our opening dinner starting in 2.5 hours, has left us a note. Shocking, really, to have any communication from them at all, given that they've been more elusive than David Copperfield over the past weeks and months.

The Minister of Oil + Gas has cancelled, they've subsequently cancelled the dinner on the peninsula, and if we'd like to give them a call, here are 8 phone numbers. (If you can accurately guess how many of the 8 phone numbers actually work I'll give you a dollar.) The hotel says no, they can't rebook us in to at least eat, with or without a speaker, as they've sent all the staff home. As I'm thumbing through the yellow pages trying to ascertain if Panagopolous will at least deliver (turns out they would), the phone rings!

Another Minister, of Heritage and Culture, has invited our delegation to join him and Her Excellency I Don't Understand The Name Over The Phone But Its This Long at an event they are hosting at the Grand Hyatt. They are very vague about the purpose of the evening, but given that they've cancelled our dinner and are insisting we attend, our work is now cut out for us. We find a bus, call back the photographer, track down 32 delegates who are spread over acres of hotel, change the departure time, and alter everyone's dress code. People are obviously disappointed but a sense of excitement and mystery settles over the bus. One of our dignitaries laughs and says "Welcome to the Middle East".

After an hour or traveling back through the city, the sense of excitement and mystery has been replaced by heat and hunger. However the Grand Hyatt looms large in white marble, and is enticing with its sparklingly lit pillars and porticos and a mile long line of Mercedes in the turnabout.

Its no small wonder that we've arrived on time and the event organizer expresses her wonder as well, in that nothing ever starts on time in the Middle East. A grand but entirely vacant reception area and ballroom are decorated to the hilt and we are invited to wait for the other of the 150 guests to arrive. Wait and have a drink to start. A non-alcoholic drink. Oh no.....

It is a Muslim country but the international hotels do serve alcohol. Just not, it appears when there are local VIP's in attendance. Notwithstanding the irony that no-one's actually in attendance except us, VIP or otherwise, we won't be served cocktails here! A dash through the dishdashas (long white robes that the men wear) on the mezzanine level upstairs finally reveals a small bar with a terrace patio over looking the ocean. And wine! With a lovely server who immediately sets to arranging glasses. I dash back down the stairs as the guests are just entering the reception area and whisk them up to liquid 13.8%.

No sooner have they started sipping, but the event organizer is calling for us to come back down as the VIP's are arriving. I actually consider telling the delegates to chug their wine as it's the only alcohol they're going to get, but decide I just can't stoop to that level. They're smart people and many figure that out on their own. A flurry of activity and the guests are down the stairs and then moved from our original tables behind a wall of pillars to better seating. Mike Harris and some of our other high-profile delegates are moved to seats of honour. Fabulous.
And then, the fun truly begins.

The reality of what we've been invited to starts to sink in. It's a fundraising dinner for a local Children's Library. As sweet as the event is, I'm not sure that many of us would have traveled halfway across the planet through 27 time zones at a ridiculous cost, in the interests of learning more about economic policy formation in the region, to attend this. It takes a moment longer for our guests to understand what's going on, what with all of the presentations being in Arabic. Unfortunately the gift of a children's book on ants at each place setting doesn't take long to read and soon everyone is restless and getting hungry. But for a few wedges of pita, there's no food in sight....

Our partners and "hosts" for this event have conveniently disappeared which is probably a good thing as I'm not sure what kind of sentence a charge of asphyxiation with a dishdasha would get me in Oman. At 9:30pm with the first course only starting to arrive, some of our delegation is heading for the exit in search of a taxi back to our hotel. Some plates arrive as we are leaving and I wonder if anyone else is considering tucking a chop in their pocket for the trip back on the bus.

We arrive back at the Resort to a graceful setting of sparkling and crisp Moet Brut with some elegant tables of food set up on the terrace near the pool. Having promised our guide my hand in marriage (probably as wife #3 if I think that through) if he can actually pull this off while we're en route from the Hyatt, I now throw in some cash and a kiss on the cheek.

Our guests visibly relax but don't stay long as its now 10:30 pm and they're due in the lobby, packed and checked out, by 6:30 am the next day. They start to wander back to their rooms through the peaceful garden until....

SPLASH! One of our senior dignitaries trips and falls into the pool.

Sigh.

I don't think there's enough champagne here to help me now...

***

2 am and we've got the details for the next day sorted out and our plan's in place. I return to my room and call for a 5 am wake-up call. All I've eaten since lunch is a raspberry off of the dessert tray but even the usual assortment of almonds from the mini bar doesn't really appeal. I reach to unplug my computer from the hotel's converter when....

Sparks and a small fire erupts from the end of the plug and my fingertips are now on fire. The jolt has sent me dancing and I would look for my phrase book to translate F*!K into Arabic but I can't see a thing. The surge has caused all of the electricity in my room to turn off and now its pitch black, and I'm hopping naked around the room with my blistering finger in my mouth.
I could care less about the blackness, but now that I've knocked out the phones, I'm mostly worried about my wake up call not getting through.

I grope around for my robe and finally find the door. I'm certain that if capri pants are unsuitable for the local religion, a bathrobe is my ticket to hell. Under different circumstances I might find this disconcerting were I not sure I'm not already there.

The front lobby is a good mile from my room and I furtively skip along the corridors hoping desperately not to run into a delegate. I am also hoping desperately to find a house phone but no such luck.

The reception staff, averting their eyes from my gasping chest and smoking hand, gracefully suggest another room while they try to fix my electricity, so that I can see well enough to pack and blow dry my hair in 3 short hours.

I fall into (some other bed), hoping that they've managed to reroute the wake-up call.

Day 1? Completed. Six more to go....

I've arrived in Heaven!

2008-10-30T01:59:00.000-07:00

For the first time (aside from the desert sand and heat surrounding every city) I feel like I have arrived in an area that much more meets my imagined view of the Middle East!
Although we're still surrounded by so many Western touches (Pepsi signs, Volkswagons, Pampers + Tang in the stores), Muscat is relatively much more traditional, and full of history and culture.

The buildings are a light cream, yellow, or light pinky stucco buildings with either castle-like or ruffled trim along the top of their 3-4 stories. Most buildings are and look very new, but there are no highrises and not a lot of steel and glass. Many of the most beautiful buildings are either mosques or (government) Minster's compounds.

Our guide and his driver quickly drove us past the cultural tour sites that we'll visit on Saturday with the group, and then along a brand new highway in an air-conditioned Land Rover over the rolling "mountains" to the Barr Al Jissah Shangri-La Resort + Spa. Lots of greenery with palm trees and flowers (all imported) and planted within the last few years. Until the installation of the desalination plant there was no water for things like bougainvilla bushes!

Once you are past the 10 ft of landscaping though at the edge of the road, there is just rock, rock and more rock. But it's beautiful! Shades of orange + cream and striated with lines and time. Some of the rocky hilltops nearer Muscat are crowned with forts from the late 1500's when they were protecting the then-village from the Portuguese invaders.

We drove over a rocky hill and through the gates of the Shangri-La, and this is how I define heaven! There is nothing but rocky features all around, but nestled against the green/blue ocean are the 3 compounds that make up the hotel. No other developments anywhere for miles.
My room is at the one at the end of the bay, looking over the curved sandy beach dotted with cabana chairs, umbrellas, and palm trees, along with the other 2 compounds, for about a half mile. The place is almost deserted and as far as I can tell there are about 10 staff per guest.

We were driven to the front door and entered the palatial lobby with walkways spanning over the indoor fountains and shallow pools. Its about as close to a modern palace as I can imagine, with marble columns and a large pircture window overlooking the cliff and out to the ocean. We waited on chaise lounges amidst silk pillows while the staff came to us with cold towels and fresh juice, taking our passports and bringing our room folios to us where we sat.

My room is even larger and better appointed than The Raffles was, with a full set of outdoor couches on the ground level patio. The ground only extending about 15 feet before the cliff drops off and the beach begins.

I am sitting now in the blazing afternoon sun, kept cool by the hearty but soft breeze, on the outdoor deck of the Sultanah restaurant which also overlooks the beach. I have lunched on a warm vegetable salad, and lightly grilled ahi tuna with sparkling and crisp pellegrino. Another couple is sipping champagne in the shade - but for them the place is serene and tranquil....

Xo
Leah

On the Road - Day 6

2008-10-29T21:49:00.000-07:00

Good morning!

I've just figured out that I've hit the airport(s) 6 times in 6 days. Another 9 between now and November 11th - how relaxing!

24 hours since my last note and it's been a fast pace. We landed (late) in Doha and had a scant 4 hours to dash around to all of our meeting sites with our guide. Made easier was the fact that both Al Jazeera and the US Central Command base are off limits until we actually visit them with our group next week.

Doha's the capital of Qatar, a country of only a quarter million people. 6000 of which are members of the Royal Family and who spend some time in the palace compounds built along the water. Some of the buildings in Doha have been around since the 60's and most of the roads have been completed enough that getting around is easy + quick. The skyline again is dotted with brand new modern skyscrapers, most in varying stages of completion, with 500 towers to be build in the next 7 years by 2015. 500!!!!

Doha feels a little more like a resort, at least our hotel does as it's right on the beach with a large pool and cabana area. Not too relaxing though what with the sounds of construction everywhere around us.

Our guide Leel, who will be with us next week, finally captured what we've been feeling. It's been incredibly hard to confirm meetings, get answers back, finalize venues and speakers. Much more so than any other excursion I've organized. Leel (who comes from Sri Lanka) offered that people here have so much money that there's not a sense of urgency to anything. Most work in the mornings and take the afternoons off. Shopping is the biggest form of entertainment, as are afternoon coffees at Starbucks. Ah! That explains it.

The nationals of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are a minority and very well taken care of by their government, including free houses, cushy jobs, and a $25,000 subsidy for your wedding if you marry another national. All the service jobs in the hotels and elsewhere, and certainly construction, are all done by foreign workers.

Spent a half an hour napping on the beach in the late afternoon, but as the sun goes down just after 5 I have yet to experience the real heat. Everything is air conditioned to the nth degree so much so that I'm wearing more and more layers as I look longingly outside at the sun during the day.

Early morning with a 4 am wakeup call and back on the plane to Muscat, Oman this morning. We'll be on the ground for 3 days, with our participants starting to arrive tonight and tomorrow. Today will be a little frantic trying to get our packages organized for the guests, incorporating the 957 large + small changes that we've made to the program now that we've been here in person. The goal is to take half a day off tomorrow in the sun before we launch into the 6 am - 10 pm days of our program.

Xo
Leah

Arrival in the Middle East...

2008-10-28T23:49:00.000-07:00

We're tracing the steps that we will do with our group when they arrive next week in the 4 cities that we're taking them to and so started in Dubai with a drive to Abu Dhabi and on the plane to Doha today.

We went to a Starbucks yesterday and it was exactly the same down to the uniforms and the white ceramic trays that the pastries sat in. Oh to be the supplier of white ceramic trays to Starbucks! You'd be set!

We were also on the road yesterday all day so lunch was from Burger King. (Such a glamourous way to travel). I had a Lite chicken burger on whole wheat (still working off my 3lbs!) But I could have had a Whopper or onion rings just like home. Other choices would have been Subway, Basken + Robbins, and of course McDonalds. I've also seen a Harley Davidson store and a "Safest Way" (like Safeway). All the major hotel chains are here of course, and the Hilton in Abu Dhabi was stunning - tallest tower in the city and right across the street from the beach.

The black floor length sabayas that the women wear are actually surprisingly sexy. I walked out of the elevator and a woman standing there was breaktaking. Of course all you could see were her eyes but she was incredibly beautiful. The women's robes have slight personalizations like crystals or sequins and some have brands like the YSL logo subtley embroidered. Another gal at the airport was walking and you could see that she had jeans and heels underneath.

For the men, wearing the white robes is a choice, but if I was a guy I'd be into that for sure rather than a heavy and binding wool suit in this weather! The more you see them the more you start to notice the subtle differences in the robes which look the same at the beginning. The higher quality ones are white white, starched and pressed just so, with very subtle quality trim. They personalize their outfits by their cufflinks, jewelry, and shoes. So far, no "dark-eyed" males have been learing, no matter what Gramma led me to expect.

I was sad to leave our hotel this morning, out of my large room with balcony overlooking the pool and then the city, with a walk in closet and bath tub that you could swim in. Raffles here is really new and modern and is like an upscale Four Seasons. I will especially miss my daily basket of assorted exotic fruit and floor butler, who knocks on the door every morning 5 minutes after my wake-up call with a silver tray of coffee and mini chocolate cookies. (Didn't try the cookies - 3 lb thing!!)

Yesterday I had a very short break at the pool where I was virtually the only guest there to use the swim up bar and current pool (where you swim in place against the current). I'm not entirely sure but I think that the walls are actually painted in gold in places - the hotel is built in the shape of a pyramid with a 4-5 story lobby full of Egyptian-style pillars, water pools, and comfy seating strewn (precisely casually) with pillows.

Last evening the General Manager hosted us for cocktails in the lounge where we sat in a Persian style gazebo with more pillows, overlooking the statues and waterfalls in the hotel's botanical garden. 2 other tables there had gals (who looked liked arabian fashion models, dressed in very high-end Western clothes) smoking hubbly bubbly pipes. They are tall (2-3 ft) ornate silver and glass and heated with steam with fruity scents. They're supposed to make you mellow and a brilliant conversationalist : )

Dubai is like one large construction site, and everything is brand, spanking new. Only a small town of 25,000 lived here in one-story sand houses 30 years ago. Now they boast the world's best of everything. The tallest skyscrapers, the largest theme parks, the top of the line golf courses - everything. Their unique (and very expensive) taste for creating man-made islands off the beach by taking sand and piling it out in the gulf has resulted in a massive development that from the air is shaped like a giant palm tree with 1000's of high end waterfront homes. Another development looks like a map of the world from the air, again comprised of tiny man made islands all designed to be miniature continents.

We drove by a huge modern building home to the world's largest indoor ski hill (totally man made and air conditioned to freezing). One mall, opening tomorrow, covers 50 football fields and has parking for 14,000 cars. Every road is under construction and buildings, over 100 stories high, are erected in less than 18 months with the most spectacular architecture. Crews are scheduled 24 hours a day and are recruited from Pakistan, India, and other Asian countries. I thought all of the world's cranes were in Shanghai but they're everywhere here as well. The city is now 1.5 million and growing fast. Although of course you get to the edge and there's nothing by scrubby flat desert as far as the eye can see!

I'll check in again soon, assuming that I can remain un-kidnapped for another couple of days.

Xo
Leah

The List

2008-06-02T11:00:00.000-07:00

THE LIST

John just found
a small pad of paper
with my mother’s handwriting
still beautiful
but shaky.

With a list of 13 dates
written out from May 22 to June 3.

A little calendar of things she’s got
planned and what
she’s looking forward to.

On May 22 it says Make Buns
and on May 23 it says Make Chicken Soup.

Smaller expectations from previous calendars I know.

On May 24 it says Sort Books in Shed
which makes me sad because it’s one of the
projects that she really wanted to do when I was here last
but I was trying to keep up with my email from work
and so we didn’t.

The Books are her boxes of children’s books
that she wanted to look through and pick out
her favourite ones for me
in case I ever get around to having kids.
So that I will have them to read with them.

On her last night I asked her to tell me
which ones were her favourites
so that I can find them on my own.
She took a long time to answer and I’m not
sure if The Cat Box means that
there is a book called The Cat Box or
if there is a box of books about cats.

It’s May 31 today and she's already gone so
the pedicure she was scheduled to have
on June 3 will have to be cancelled.

It’s a sign of a good life when you still
have things you are
looking forward to doing even if you don’t ever get to do them.

-Leah Costello

Still Here

2008-05-31T14:00:00.000-07:00

STILL HERE

We’re sitting on the porch and
I’m reflecting and being quiet
John’s talking.

We should do this and
we should do that and he thinks
I should go for a run with Catherine from
next door because
I would really like it.

And I probably really would but that’s not the point
and he catches my thoughts and says
he bets I thought that with my mother gone
no-one would still be trying to tell me what to do.

I smile and think that sometimes when people are
married for a long time they become
a lot like each other.

Or maybe they get married because
they are already a lot like each other?

-Leah Costello

Mornings

2008-05-31T10:00:00.000-07:00

THE MORNING AFTER

Before she got diagnosed the second, and final time
I asked her how she was feeling about
her post-cancer life.

At that time, I believe,
she was mostly trying to
deal with the loss of her breast, the scars it left,
and the worry that the cancer might
come back.

So in answer to my question,
she said “Okay”.
And with more consideration,
“Pretty Good, you know”.
Because my mother dealt with everything that way.
Straight-forward.
Practical.
And determinedly Optimistic.

But then she said, in answer to my question, that
the mornings were the worst.

She said that there were those moments
in the morning.
When you’re just waking up
from that sleepy haze.
The sun might be coming in.
The birds might be singing.

And you’re still just…feeling.
You haven’t started thinking yet.

And then it comes over you.

The reality.
The knowledge.
The understanding that things have changed
and are different now
and will never be the same.

Mornings were the worst.

Mornings were the worst.
But then she’d have her coffee
and go upstairs
and nudge the cat
and have some breakfast.
And have a Pretty Good day.

So I woke up this morning
in a sleepy haze
in my mother’s house
for the first time without my mother.

The sun was coming in the window
on the honey coloured beams
and the birds were singing outside.

And I was just…feeling.
I hadn’t started thinking yet.

And then it came over me.
The reality.
The knowledge.
The understanding that things have changed
and are different now
and will never be the same.

And I know what she meant now
that mornings were the worst.

This morning was the worst.

But then I went downstairs
and nudged the cat
and had some coffee
and then some breakfast.
I will try to have a Pretty Good day.

-Leah Costello

May 20, 2008 - 3:15 pm

2008-05-30T15:15:00.000-07:00

May 30, 2008 - 3:15 pm

Her breathing’s really slow
and her eye lids flutter
and it’s really quiet.

But there are some birds chirping outside
and some ducks playing in the
pond made by the
overflowing creek.

Then, gently,
she just whispers to a stop.

-Leah Costello

Drowning

2008-05-30T14:00:00.000-07:00

DROWNING

I don’t know the medical term for it
but she’s got some kind of fluid
bubbling up in the back of her throat.

Her already strained breathing is
clouded further
by the froth and bubbles that
she’s trying to breathe though.

We wonder if this is maybe just part of the process
or if we can do something about it
to make her more comfortable
like we promised we would do.

Ruth left a vacuum-type thing
Like something you’d use in a dentist’s office
with a suction hose.

So I turn it on and it makes
a loud whirring sound
overcome only by the
whirring sound of the oxygen machine that is still
rasping in the corner.

We clear some of the fluid
but there’s more below that
and the suction won’t clear it out.

So I turn off the machine
and make her more comfortable
by touching her face and
holding her hand.

Listening to her and
watching her struggle makes
my own breath feel tight.

I hope, in agony, that she knows
and feels, that we’re doing our best.

-Leah Costello

Last Words

2008-05-30T09:00:00.000-07:00

LAST WORDS

In the movies it seems like
people say their last words
and then shut their eyes
and they’re gone.

After 12 hours of her being unconscious
and unresponsive to
touch and sound,
I am wondering if I should stretch out
on the couch instead of
napping in the chair beside her bed
where I’ve been since Wednesday night.
I’ve been wondering this for a while
because in a situation like this
nothing happens quickly and you have
a lot of time to ponder even small decisions.

The couch looks more comfortable but then again
I can’t hold her hand from there.

And while I am thinking about this
she opens her eyes
and squeezes my hand,
which is still there,
and says “I love you both”.

Which seems like something
you would just imagine wanting
someone to say at a time like this.

But she actually just said that.

And now she’s been unconscious again
for nearly another 12 hours and I am still in my
chair because there will be lots
of other times
to lie on the couch.

-Leah Costello

Breathing

2008-05-30T07:00:00.000-07:00

BREATHING

She’s been unconscious
for over 12 hours now.

Which might not seem like a long time
if you’re lying on a beach on your
last day of vacation
or having a busy day at work.

But when all you’re doing
is watching someone breathe
and wondering if they’ll breathe again
it can feel like time is standing still.

She’s breathing on average
six and a half times per minute
if I were to count.
Which I do because what else
do you do when all you can do is
watch and wonder and count.

And six and a half times per minute
means that there are many times when
I think it has to be down to four now
because it’s such a long time in between.

So I count again and it’s still six and a half.

-Leah Costello

Nightie

2008-05-29T17:34:00.000-07:00

NIGHTIE

Her nightie is bunched
under her arms
behind her back.
The collar is crooked and one side is pulled
up too high
and gaping
slightly around her neck.

At the store it would be
on a hanger
draped and smooth
but probably not as pretty.

-Leah Costello

Sunflowers for Mom

2008-05-29T15:00:00.000-07:00

SUNFLOWERS FOR MOM

She’s sort of in and out of sleep
and part of it is that John can’t stay still.
He’s very intent on entertaining her
which is more than I have the will to do
and I admire his energy while
he admires my ability
to just sit with her for so long.

He comes with juice
and a spoonful of ice cream
and turns on her favourite music
and brings her a stuffed sheep.

He says that he will go and bring her sunflowers
but she has to promise to be here when
he gets back.

She nods yes that she promises
and seemingly seconds later
he arrives back with a huge
bunch of sunflowers
from the hill down the road.

I’ve heard the phrase
“her face lit up” but never really
understood it until
I saw my mother’s face
light up at the sight of that armful of vibrant yellow life.

Her movements aren’t completely coordinated
and she can no longer speak
but she reaches for the flowers
and holds them, glowing, while
John looks for a vase.

-Leah Costello

Christmas Letter 2007

2007-12-31T23:55:00.000-08:00

December 2007

I’m not sure why I was in such a rush to buy my cards before Christmas given that I’m not writing in them until nearly New Years! A benefit I suppose in my procrastinating is that you will get my 2007 update so complete it will include even the last few hours of the year…

Most of the interesting things I did in 2007 were through my job at the Fraser Institute where I have worked now for just over (gulp) 6 years! In the spring I was promoted to Director of Events which has been interesting as I now sit on our management committee and am more involved in decisions about the organization as a whole. Primarily it means more reports to write, financials to analyze, and just a little more stress, but the experience has been good so far!

As part of our efforts to bring discussions around public policy ideas to a younger (than 65!) demographic, I started hosting a monthly event series called Behind the Spin at the trendy OPUS Lounge in Yaletown. Over green martinis and canapés we have entertained guests including US Ambassador to Canada David Wilkins, the leader of the Marijuana Party Marc Emery, and conservative communications guru Tom Flanagan. We’ve also discussed climate change, healthcare, and, with VSO Maestro Bramwell Tovey, the role of government in funding Arts & Culture. All of which has involved a few late nights, a lot of wine, and many interesting ideas as to how to solve some of the world’s most challenging problems!

The biggest blast to the past was the opportunity for me to host Brian Mulroney as he came through Vancouver on his book tour in late September. He’s the only Prime Minister I remember from my childhood and so to share a stage with him was somewhat surreal. He’s quite a character with his Irish charm and humour, but I was happy that our event was over before he made such controversial front page news for the rest of the fall! We taped that event and a number of the OPUS events and will have them posted on-line soon.

I’ve also continued organizing policy excursions farther afield including our annual trip to Washington where we added a visit to the Supreme Court and briefing by Chief Justice John Roberts. This spurred an interesting discussion on the role of the courts in protecting (or not) liberty and freedom. However the most complicated but rewarding project was a two-week excursion to Shanghai and Beijing. This was a fascinating experience – China is such an eclectic mix of capitalism and communism! They have the most modern architecture and technology but then you turn around and their garbage collection is done with small barrels on the back of bicycles. Other trips included many visits to Calgary, Toronto, Montreal, & Ottawa, as well as a week in London, England. 2008 will find me again in London, Scotland, and Washington D.C., but also a week of springtime in New York and a trip to Kuwait City and Dubai in the fall exploring Economic Freedom in the Arab world. I’m intrigued to see if the faucets really are plated in gold there…
I had a few free moments for some personal trips and over Easter took David on a journey of my childhood. We drove through 100 Mile House and then up the long winding road to my Mom & John’s ranch in Tatlayoko Lake. I’m pretty sure his car had never seen gravel roads before and I’m pretty sure they may never again! In May we spent some time north of San Francisco in the Sonoma valley – amongst the eating and wine-drinking we rented some bikes and visited some of the local wineries. Reminiscent of our trip to Italy the year before and an inspiration to take more time doing more of the same this year! More food and wine in San Francisco and a brave trip across the Bay for a tour of Alcatraz. In search of sun, we spent a weekend in Los Angeles in September and have booked a much-needed get-away to Hawaii for mid-January. yay!yay!!!

Sadly though, the year has ended with some bad news for our family….

My mother was diagnosed with breast cancer two years ago and after surgery and chemotherapy we hoped she had overcome it. Unfortunately she has been re-diagnosed with cancer this fall - she will start radiation therapy in January to help her be more comfortable but no cure is expected this time.

I’ve spent the last week over Christmas here in Tatlayoko Lake at the ranch. We’ve shared a bunch of tears but also some laughs and great memories. She has an amazing spirit and a very positive attitude. In a moment of reflection she told me that she is very happy with her life and the many things she has experienced in the world and contributed back. I think that although this is a sad and frightening time for all of us, she is a living inspiration in how to live well and enjoy each day with few regrets. Although she has closed the chapter on the teaching career that she has loved for so long, and the community newspaper that she published for 10 years, she plans to keep doing what she loves for as long as possible. She’s got a bouncy dog that she takes snowshoeing every day and a number of projects on the go with her husband John. The vast number of local friends and neighbours arriving through the snow with baskets of food and good wishes make me nostalgic and grateful all at the same time.

It seems better somehow to have a chance to say good-bye and I’m grateful for the time that we still have together – it will be a very special year…

Lots of Love to you in 2008,

Leah, Gustav, & Simba

Not Going to Get Better

2007-12-17T23:31:00.000-08:00

NOT GOING TO GET BETTER

So we’re all getting better at doing this.

This time I’ve been told clearly that the
new spot is cancerous and that there is
an appointment in Kelowna
on Monday morning.

The promised call doesn’t come until late that night
but I miss the phone in the back seat so
I listen to my mother leaving me the
phone number of the
hotel in Kelowna.

It’s 9:30 at night so I should know that it’s
bad news but people with
bad news don’t do normal things like
leave messages with phone numbers on
answering machines
I think.

I’m still not expecting my mother to say in a
steady but already resigned voice
that this time …

she’s not going to get better.

-Leah Costello

Unexpected

2007-11-03T23:29:00.000-07:00

UNEXPECTED

There’s a song about sunscreen
that says that sometimes
the biggest moments in life
come when you’re not expecting them
like on a Tuesday afternoon.

It was a Saturday afternoon in dreary November
when John said
that they’ve found some more spots and
they aren’t sure what it means
but that my mother has some tests scheduled.

And so I let out a gasp
and started to cry
and John said
“DON’T. Just don’t. That’s what your mother did.”

Which, interpreted, means
he’s really scared and so is my mother
and if I want to cry it will have to be later.

-Leah Costello

Lop-Sided

2005-12-24T23:27:00.000-08:00

LOP-SIDED

I know there will be something
warm and hot on the stove and Mom
will have been waiting.
Waiting for the sound of the car
completing my snowy journey
since my last call nearly three hours ago
from the outskirts
of Williams Lake.

My throat catches
as it always does
as the lights come into view
on their little log house as I
drive over the crest of the hill.

Turning right into the driveway
over the cattle guard that
never keeps all of cattle out.
Left past John’s shop and the sheds
that house my childhood treasures and the newly re-built
computer shed/movie-making studio.

Down the slope
between the creek
and the basement door and
I’m a little slow
getting out of the car
because I’m scared to see her.

I brace myself
and put on a smile
and it’s okay
to hide a little behind the
It’s Been A Long Drive face.

She gives me a huge hug and
we’re both shaking with emotion
and she calls me Boo Boo.
I’m just surviving the moment because
she’s lop-sided
underneath her sweater
and I’m trying not to look
while trying not to make it obvious
that I’m not looking.

-Leah Costello

All She Wants for Christmas

2005-12-17T23:24:00.000-08:00

ALL SHE WANTS FOR CHRISTMAS

I’m walking through the Bay
looking at men’s clothes because
Mom says John wants a sweater
for Christmas.

I’m not sure if John actually wants a sweater
for Christmas or if it’s
one of those things
like when you’re a kid
and your Mom tells you that
what she really wants
are some new
oven mitts or ear muffs or black socks.

Because she knows that
what you really want
is to make her happy.
So she picks Something Easy
for you to buy
and you don’t realize
until you’re older
that for her it wasn’t about the item
it was about
seeing the look of relief on her daughter’s face
that she found the present that her mother really wanted.

I guess that’s why she didn’t ever make it
hard and tell me that what
she really wanted for Christmas was
for me to shack up with an artist or
share her leftist political views
or move to a small town.

So I’m wandering through the sweater aisles
and the most important thing
at the moment is deciding on
brown or blue?

I know that they’re expecting a
call from the Doctor this morning
to tell them if the
test results say that the
cancer has spread to her lymph nodes or not.
I don’t know what a lymph node is but
I know enough to know that we
don’t want her to have cancer in them.

When my phone rings in the
Men’s Department I know already
that it’s good news because
I understand now that
good news is shared
as soon as possible and that only
bad news waits until there’s been
time to process and plan
a communication strategy.

So when I arrive on the
Kitchen & Bath floor I understand that it’s not about the
blue Cuisine Art griddle pan because
she’s already received
what she wouldn’t have been able to ask me for.

-Leah Costello

Mastectomy

2005-11-28T23:19:00.000-08:00

MASTECTOMY

I’m sitting in my car on 2nd Avenue
in tears because she’s going to have a
Mastectomy.

I’m devastated for my mother because
she’s a very sexual person
and although it might be unusual for
her daughter to understand that about her mother
its just one of those things I’m
acutely aware of right now.

I’m feeling so profoundly sad for her
but what can I do but sit, in tears,
in my car on 2nd Avenue.

-Leah Costello

It's Cancer

2005-11-26T23:18:00.000-08:00

IT’S CANCER

I’m driving to sailing and I
call Mom and John to
ask about the check-up.

It’s been a couple of days so
probably perhaps that means there’s no
bad news to speak of?

It’s not unusual for them to mention
days or weeks later in a conversation
much after the fact
that Mom’s broken her arm
and they had to drive 6 hours to the hospital in Kamloops, twice,
and now she has a metal plate bolted into her elbow.
Or that John lit the computer shed
on fire by accident last week but luckily the
local volunteer fire brigade
of neighbours with buckets
dipping water out of the creek
put the flames out before they reached the house.

John’s flustered and worried and frustrated
and I’m trying to be sensitive but also
pressing him so that I can understand what’s going on.

And yes there is a lump so
I’m asking what happens next and if they’re going
to do some tests to find out if it’s the bad kind.
And John’s says finally, clearly,
as if I should already know

that its cancer.

-Leah Costello

Chances Are

2005-11-16T23:13:00.000-08:00

CHANCES ARE

I’m emailing David
that my mother has found a lump and that
what will I do
if she’s not going to be around to be a
grandmother to my future potential imaginary children?

David writes back not to worry because
97% of the things
you worry about in life
don’t ever happen.

I know he means well
and I feel a little better
but what if the 97%
includes things like
what if I don’t get that report done or
what if I can’t afford a new car or
what if I’m late in filing my income taxes.

And the 3% includes
that my mother has cancer
and that she is going to die
and then she won’t be around to be a grandmother to my kids?

-Leah Costello

A Casual Call

2005-11-15T23:09:00.000-08:00

In my past life as a caterer we would say that it’s
not only about the food it’s about the
presentation too.

So I’m talking on the phone to
my mother
first about new recipes and the
daily activities of her cats and mine.

And then about how I’m
feeling, about my
upcoming move and
ending yet another relationship.

We update on my
grandmother
who is about to undergo
surgery and radiation for a
small cancerous tumour in her breast.
And we’re genuinely sad and
respectfully worried but then again
that’s the kind of thing that happens to
grandmothers. And mothers,
when they get older.

And then Mom mentions that
a few months ago
she also found a lump, and that
she’s scheduled to have it
checked out too
sometime in the coming weeks.

And looking back I wonder
if it was spontaneous that she
mentioned her health on that call or
if she planned the message carefully to be
mixed in with other things to make it
seem like no big deal.

-Leah Costello

2002-12-09T10:38:00.000-08:00

Here is Leah. Sometimes it's good to put a face to a name. That, and for me to remember who I am and what I look like. Do you ever think that it's unusual that other people know what you look like better than you do yourself? Because I think that a person's mannerisms reflect much more about what you look like than when you're standing in front of the mirror brushing your teeth...

Hmmm... can't seem to figure out how to post the picture... will have to do that later.

I'm thinking maybe this can become my version of Bridget Jone's Diary. Could be an interesting read...

2002-12-09T10:32:00.000-08:00

Well, this seems easy even for a "late-adopter" technology person like me. Wonder what will happen when I push the Post button...