Now that spring is here and in recognition of North American Occupational Safety and Health week, it is important to consider what we have, keep ourselves safe and enjoy life.

Protecting your and your family’s hearing IS important.

Once lost you do not get it back. A small little ear plug does an amazing job in helping you stay safe not only at work, but when at home and during times of recreation. Get out, enjoy whatever activity you like (even mowing the lawn!) but be protected and be mindful of those little ears who are with you.

For a brief escape try Wild Sanctuary . This site not only provides an introduction to the concept of sound ecology but lets you pause to take a walk in your mind and enjoy the forest!  This is just one of the many excellent referrals available through Quiet.org.

From Health Services

Photo by Gabriela Ludusan

Here’s your set of Wellness Links for the week of May 6th, submitted by Gabriela Ludusan, Mentor Program Coordinator from Diversity and Immigrant Student Support. Enjoy!

• The one magazine that I read every day is the Elephant Journal.  I like the focus on “the mindful life”: yoga, sustainability, conscious consumerism, non-new-agey spirituality, enlightened education, wellness and adventure…anything that helps us to live a good life that also happens to be good for others, and our planet. Read it with my morning coffee, every morning.
• The Digital Photography School is a forum dedicated to all lovers of photography. There are weekly assignments that anyone can participate in, take photos and share them with others (latest weekly challenge is “Peace”).
• Intelligence Squared is an online forum for intellectual debate. Ideas are debated by the world’s sharpest minds, experts in their fields and exciting orators. Some of the motions tackled:  “THE RIGHT TO BEAR ARMS IS A FREEDOM TOO FAR”, “THE TRADITIONAL NUCLEAR FAMILY HAS HAD ITS DAY: GAY PARENTS, SINGLE PARENTS, COMMUNES – ANYTHING GOES!” It’s always interesting to see the two sides of a coin, makes for a well grounded perception and critical thinking.
• I like Dalai Lama’s approach and advocacy for an educational system with a strong focus on inner strength, tolerance, honesty, co-operation and compassion as key aspects that lead to a healthy society and progress.
• Amnesty International campaigns globally for human rights for all. I follow their updates and like to get involved in their campaigns and sign their petitions as, for me, this is a small step to take action and make a difference, but I’m trying to do my part.
• Noah’s Dad is a blog about baby Noah, Down syndrome, and videos, pictures, and facts that tell the story of Noah, his family and raising a child with Down Syndrome. The reason I follow this blog is because recently the most adorable and special baby boy was born into my family with Down syndrome and noahsdad.com is a wealth of information and resources on DS. Plus, it’s so much fun watching Noah grow up, learn and enjoy life!
• Who hasn’t watched or at least, heard of TED Talks?! TED is a nonprofit devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading. It began in 1984 as an annual conference devoted to Technology, Entertainment and Design and now TEDTalks cover science, arts, politics, global issues, architecture, music and more. Speakers come from a wide variety of communities and disciplines and it hopes that the power of ideas can change attitudes, lives and ultimately, the world.
• I recently started to follow the Diversity Journal for news and updates on diversity topics. Having started a new position in the Diversity and Immigrant Student Support department, I want to expand my knowledge in diversity/inclusion, best practices workforce diversity strategies also.

If you’d like to contribute your own set of links for a future Monday Mash, please contact Mike Krywy at mdkrywy@rrc.ca

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I don’t think I am alone in my secret passion for chocolate, yes I have a vice…or two.

A flavonoid found in cocoa beans could mean the difference between remembering and forgetting. I am therefore eating chocolate, drinking gallons of green tea, and I will continue to enjoy a glass of red wine (or two) to ensure that I am productive and useful to my employer. I do it all for you Red River College.  Read on – the science is very cool as they discovered this by letting snails soak in epi flavonoids and water.

Next time you reach for that second chocolate you can tell yourself “I am working on my memory”. This in not license to throw your wellness plan out the window, it just means you may not have to beat yourself up quite so bad when you do take that extra chocolate …or second glass of wine.

Some of the members of my meditation group attend a chocolate appreciation night once a year. I haven’t gone yet, but I am thinking next time it comes up I will, as I could use some help with my memory. 

Here’s the last of my 2012 tomato crop.  The line-up of jars reminds me of bookending things.

A few Bookends:

• Monday, April 22nd  Friday, May 26th
• Earth Day  Earth Year Mindframe
• Seedlings  Jars of Stewed Tomatoes

As Monday was Earth Day, it’s exciting to take some of the practices you did to honour the day & incorporate these practices into our day-to-day.

One practice was to enjoy meals built around the offerings from the earth.

Here’s a recipe which was passed down orally (no written record of this one).  Be prepared to try a recipe that has no ingredient amounts.  My fam calls this “German Spaghetti.”  In no way am I saying that this is “Germany’s Spaghetti.”  The way my fam knew which recipe was from my mom’s side and which was from my dad’s side, was to add the Prefix:  German to the name of the food/meal that came from my dad’s mom. We would start our day with “German Pancakes & bookend it with German Spaghetti.”

Writer’s Note:  Feel free to make a healthier version of this one!  A lot can be done to ‘healthify’ this one.  To make it authentic to a farming community in the 1950s, this is what was done:)

Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• spaghetti noodles
• canned tomatoes (1 large jar)
• Velveeta cheese (globs)
• butter (globs)
• salt & pepper
• wieners (cut into small pieces)

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Cook spaghetti according to package
3. Drain spaghetti
4. Put 1 layer of spaghetti on bottom of roaster
5. Pour 1/3 of stewed tomatoes over spaghetti
6. Add globs of Velveeta & butter
7. Place another layer of spaghetti
8. Pour 1/3 of stewed tomatoes over spaghetti
9. Add globs of Velveeta & butter
10. Add rest of spaghetti
11. Pour remaining stewed tomatoes on
12. Top with wieners
13. Sprinkle with salt and pepper
14. Bake covered for about 45 min.
15. Uncover and bake another 15 min. to brown the tomatoes and weiners

Next post will greet you with a heart healthy recipe using stewed/canned tomatoes.

Wow, the snow has finally melted (mostly) and it actually feels like spring.  Nice. Here’s this weeks collection of wellness links courtesy of the Monday Mash.

• Jazz Winnipeg has put out its lineup for the Winnipeg Jazz Festival that runs June 13^th to the 23^rd.  Despite the name, the Jazz Festival features an eclectic mix of artists covering a wide variety of jazz styles, with some soul, blues, indie rock, and hip hop thrown in for good measure. Many of the performances take place in the Jazz District in Old Market Square, just a stone’s throw from our Exchange District campuses.  You can find the full list of performers here.
• One of the best things about spring is the return of so many birds who are coming back to their summer home or migrating through on their way further north.  To familiarize yourself with bird songs, there’s some great resource books out there that have pictures accompanied with audio – such as the Backyard Birdsong Guide produced by Cornell Lab of Ornithology. I also came across a cool sounding app called iBird – which I haven’t used but might just pick up.
• If you dread this time of year, when there is non-stop hockey and basketball playoff action and the television is going non-stop, Psychology Today has some advice for you – with five tips for living with an avid sports fan.
• Ashley has passed along this piece about the relationship between chronic diseases and sitting too long. Makes you want to get up and walk a bit.

If you have a link or a photo that you’d like to share send an email to mkrywy@rrc.ca and we’ll include it in a future “Mash” edition.

Sprouted Seeds

After 6 days of germination, the tomato seeds sprouted 2 “ and are now ready for a new home.  To create this home, look to your own home for creative inspiration & materials.  I learned long ago  that January is a great month to begin saving 2L milk cartons.  These cartons are great for seedlings & props to reusing items. I’m not sure what my dad used when our milk came in powdered form from Canada Post in brown paper bags.

Simple Materials:

The “Enough”

2 L milk cartons, Regular potting soil (lighter weight), Water, Sharpie

The “Lux”

Root Stimulator, Grow Lights

Seek the Light  & Rest at Night

Tomato seedlings thrive with light and darkness.  To create this environment:

• Put them in a sunny window, or
• Place an artificial light (fluorescent lights) 4-6 inches above the seedlings to encourage strong stems
• 12-16 hours of light a day is ideal.  Don’t forget the darkness component.  Use timers to regulate

 Gardener’s Tip

Construct a hanging light system on chains where you can raise the lights as the plants grow so you retain the 4-6 inch space between plant and light source.

Other Uses

In anticipation of Earth Day, think of a third way to re-reuse your milk carton – like this DIY bird feeder that I found on “Inhabitots”.

This week on the Monday Mash we share some great links on music, memory, and the martial arts.

• Aikido turns conflict on its head. I’ve been fascinated by Aikido for years but have never followed my fascination into a class. The last session exercise classes here at RRC didn’t offer the Ki-Aikido classes that were offered previously and I was kicking myself for not taking the classes sooner. And since I hadn’t learned any form of Aikido yet I didn’t know how to redirect my kick and flow around it.
• If you really pay attention. This is a completely lovely story about paying attention. If you read it you can be warmed by a memory-story about learning to listen with the heart.
• SoundCloud. The SoundCloud website is an online audio distribution platform that allows collaboration, promotion and distribution of audio recordings by users. [wikipedia]. You have to sign up so that means another darn password to remember. But it’s free (or you can choose to go the paid subscription route) and you can find treasures to listen to! Or upload your own sounds, music and stories. There seem to be new audio files of all kinds uploaded every day. If you are a listener you will never run out of wonder. If you are a sound maker you will have an enormous audience.
• Virtual Choir. I had no idea I was a fan of choral music until I heard and saw Eric Whitacre’s virtual choir version of Lux Aurumque. The virtual choir concept and what Eric Whitacre has done with it is stunning and fascinating all by itself. He describes how it all started and how the process developed in this TED.com talk. You can find performances of choir music he has composed and conducted, some with virtual choirs on YouTube.  I started with Lux Aurumque and continued exploring from there. Transcending is the word that floats into my brain when I think of this music.

If you have a link or a photo that you’d like to share send an email to mkrywy@rrc.ca and we’ll try to include it in a future “Mash” edition.

This year’s seeding began on April 5^th, 2013.   The lessons began in the 1940s in Lowe Farm, MB.  My Dad, Jack, learned the simple gardening lifestyle from his mom.  Jack carried this lifestyle to The Pas, where gardening was a part of our family’s spring to fall ritual.

Gather at this blog to get a glimpse into simply gardening.  The methods, tools, practices and tips are humble and very unpretentious and sometimes just plain amusing.  You’ll never look at a milk carton the same way again or throw out a pair of worn or torn panty-hose.

I’d love to hear your stories for simply gardening.  A wish would be to provide each other with things such as:  simple practice tips, a take-away (or rather give-away), a vegetarian recipe and a fun enhancement:  photo, song, ‘how to,’ upscaling or recycling tip or Wpg gardening connection.

Today’s Learning Moment on Starting Tomato Seeds

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We’ve added a touch of green to this edition of the Monday Mash. Here are another set of fantastic Wellness-related links to help inspire you this week.

• Have you ever wondered how a movement gets started, like Find The Cure, Earth Hour, Free The Children or others? I have always found it interesting how “a seed” – one person’s actions – can create a movement and ultimately change how we do things. Enjoy “Lessons from Dancing Guy” – a short but telling video about leadership and how one person’s courage can spark a movement.
• Tired of all those negative news-stories? If you’re like me, I am looking for positive, heart-warming stories… something to help inspire and start my day with a smile:). Check out Happy News a site dedicated to only happy news stories from around the globe.
• Earth Day is April 22. A great way to practice wellness is to spend a day outside; take a hike, listen to the geese trumpeting over-head, or watch for signs of spring. Check out Fort Whyte Centre’s Earth Day celebration on Sunday April 21 and spend some time in the great outdoors.
• Have you heard of Fresh Option Organics? They are an organic grocery delivery service right here in Winnipeg. You can get fresh, local, and organic wholesome foods delivered right to your door.

If you have a link or a photo that you’d like to share send an email to mkrywy@rrc.ca and we’ll include it in a future “Mash” edition.