HOW TO DECIPHER THIS INTERESTING ENTRANCE WALL COAT OF ARMS

My friend lives in this great condo on Montagne, and the lobby had this stone on the wall. Unfortunately I am a poor symbologist, but this combination of skull and caduceus was too intriguing not to attempt to understand. After trolling the internet, here are a few (plagiarized) ideas. There are only four certain symbols I could identify: the fasces, the caduceus, the  (bay) laurel wreath (a tradition begun in the University of Padua), and the oak branches with acorns.

Here are a few links to symbols used on Coat of Arms:
Fleur de Lis , Family Tree and Crests, The Red Thread

Try making your own!

From top to bottom, left to right:
Rising star (5 points ?3rd son, excellence, good luck)
Skull - Mortality
?
Sun - energy, success, power
Bundle of rods around an axe: Fasces, an Etruscan symbol for strength through unity
Eye and Ear - Sight and Hearing
Alpha Omicron- The only lead I found on this is a Concordia Fraternity called The Omicron Brotherhood, but I haven't found a connection with Alpha. The idea I had of Alpha and Omega still lingers. Although not the greek symbol, the circle  could represent eternity and fidelity.
Lips - Speech
Oil lamp - light, life, spirituality, learning, wisdom
Right Hand, dorsum
Feather - obedience and serenity
Harp - Represents a well-composed person
of tempered judgment. A bridge to a
mystical contemplation. Music.
Laurels - Peace, Triumph, Victory and Caduceus - medicine, balance/union of opposing forces.
Oak branches with acorns - continuous growth and fertility

GREEK POTATOES

Baby potatoes, feta and lemon. Bake until tender.

PLAZA POINTE-CLAIRE PETTING ZOO

Every year at Easter, there are petting zoos that come to the malls in our area. I suspect this happens across the country, but I am grateful that it happens in our nearby mall. It is a source of nearly everything, and it has the added charm of transforming from a strip mall, so people still walk through the now closed hall with their dogs, as if it was still the good old days. We made the yearly trek and saw new chicks and multicoloured ducks, and a batch of the cutist goats. 

Canards de tout les couleurs

Mignons chevreau

BEING A PLAIN JANE

Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to be beautiful. I never used to think about this because I had something else going for me. I had a decent body. I was confident. I laugh easily when relaxed. I am easy to convince to do something. I had other things to think about. But as I lose my assets, and the confidence that apparently hinged on them, I wish my face was strikingly beautiful. Just to be a pleasure to look at. See my value reflect back in others' eyes.

There are many people though, who have it a lot worse, and I think of them to remind myself to be grateful. Today I heard someone who was working at the Starbucks cash, and it sounded like a woman. I looked up and was surprised to see he was a man. That must be hard to have to surprise people. I should consider myself lucky to be largely ignored.

I think the patients I have seen in the hospital that I don't see walking around. The face cancers that erode into the skull. The people born with short limbs and funny heads. The totally dependent neurological patients.

I see why we love to watch the young. We are beautiful when we are young. There are versions of more beautiful and less beautiful, but being young has a beauty all on its own. There are moments when I am bowled over by a beautiful face, or a charismatic personality, and, like the cliché, I too admire a pretty face.

But beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and I hope that I have beauty that someone can see. I know that I see beauty where others seem not to. So keep your eyes open for the beauty that is everywhere. In the young, in the old, in the kind, in the bold, and even sometimes in the ugly. So I embrace who I am, and hope that I too am beautiful for someone. So I will try and lead with a smile, take care of what I have, and wear my heart on my sleeve. I will keep searching for beauty in everything I see. I will rejoice in the joy my sunshine girl brings. I will seek to be kind, and be open for kindness in return.

WHY (YOU AND) I AM GLAD THAT I AM NOT A PILOT

I recently admitted at a party, when asked directly, that I found my job stressful. I think I am supposed to imbue confidence, and I certainly couldn't admit it at work, but I find my job hard most days.

I have driven in to work with a full on panic attack. I have reacted out of proportion when the stress starts to get to me. I had to tell a colleague to wait because I couldn't process the 4 things I had just been asked to dc, and he was giving me another one (Where is your patient? he asked calmly when I had written down my list. Really? There was no one else to ask? Thankfully he shrugged it off, charming me to calm by saying, I like talking to you, when I thanked him for his patience.)

But when things get really stressful, my life is not threatened. I worry constantly about making a mistake, and my professional happiness and success feels in the balance, knowing that I want no patient to suffer less than ideal care. But my personal safety and health is not often a concern.

A pilot, on the other hand, when faced with an emergency would have to deal with his own mortality, while trying to do the right thing for all mortals on board. A rare event I am sure, but a much tougher job than I have. ( I pondered this during a short flight to Toronto, with a spectacular view of the island, turning first to the east north of downtown and the mountain before winging around back to the west). Fortunately, most flights are easy, and today was no exception. We quickly moved above any turbulence and had a beautiful soft landing. I was glad for everyone involved that I was not the nervous pilot today!

SWEARING CAN BE LAZY AND UNCREATIVE

I have to admit. I like to swear. It relieves some negative energy for me, and occasionally feels like I am one of the cool kids.

This is pretty funny considering I grew up abhorrent of swearing. My high school beau would say 'Damn' when he was very upset, and I felt bad for his lack of control!

Fast forward to today when the commonest word I hear is 'Fuck'. I actually get tired pretty quickly of the word, but used rarely I have to laugh when people apologize for saying the word. In a trauma emergency department it's usual to hear the "fuck" as a tic, i.e. fuck fuck fuck fuck, which is easy to ignore usually, but my least favorite is when it directly in a personal direction. Then I remember that the relief the word brings me may cost the other person. Besides, it is lazy speech and there are lots of alternatives.

Here are some examples the next time you hurt yourself or get angry:

From my mom: Piffle
Unless your name is Peter: for Pete's sake
Oh brother!
Get out of town!
Shut the front door!
Cinnamon sticks!
Son of a lollipop!
Scrumptious!
Fiddle-dee-dee!
Fa la la la la!
Gadzooks!
What in tarnation?! (from New England, now southern: from eternal damnation)
Barmy!
What a blighter/eejit/wally/wazzack!
You flipping...
..blooming..
Pish posh!
F.O.C.U.S!
Fanny
Fudge

SHENZHEN CONVIVIAL MEAL

We had a table overlooking the bridge.

Amuse bouche

Lobster tail with mango and avocado sauce - very bland

Beef shank with plum sauce - this was a rare piece of beef that  was exquisitely tender flavored beautifully with star anise and a delicious broth
The Show Cabernet 

Taro and tapioca in coconut milk

DEL FRISCOS

First outing with two dear gentlemen I have known for 18 years. We met at a conference and had a wine tasting together, and then by some small miracle, the boys said yes and we went to Del Friscos. My friend knew the owner, and this was the first meal (for all three of us) I have ever had comped! It was quite overwhelming! I left a tip that was less than my meal for all of us, as I was the only one with cash! It was a great visit and we are planning to do it again soon!

Funghi Misti Pizza with parmesan and arugula. Too salty, but I do love mushroom pizza!

Towering banana nutella crêpes dessert