May 18th: Astrology & “The Hidden World of Birthdays”

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, there has been an increase in the amount of demand for astrological horoscopes. During this time of uncertainty, people want to know what will happen in the near future, and whether Covid-19 will directly affect them. Astrological readings provide people with a sense of comfort, because it gives them a sense of what is to come.

Astrology is the study of the alignment of stars and planets around earth, and how this affects events on earth in a repeated cycle. It is also studied to see how the positions of these celestial objects affect an individual’s personality, mood, and environment depending on when they were born. It is not a science, but it has been studied since ancient times, and it dates back to 2nd millennium BCE.

Here is a video which describes astrology in further detail: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oH2UWiUbpjE

Contemporary Western astrology is often associated with horoscopes, which try to explain a person’s personality and predict events in their life based on the positions of stars and planets around the earth at the time of birth.

Amazon.com: Sacred Wisdom Chart: Astrology, 8.5 x 11 Inch: Wall Art

The above chart shows the different Sun Signs, which are dependent on the time of year you are born. There are twelve Sun Signs throughout the year, just as there are twelve months in the year. Each Sun Sign has different characteristics that are associated with it, and each sign is one of the four elements: fire, earth, air and water. Check out the chart to find out more about your astrological sign!!

Today in our class call, we will look at everyone’s birthdays and Sun Signs. We will also look at; “The Hidden World of Birthdays” by Judith Turner, which is a book that discusses individual birthdays. The book highlights possessions and desires, what’s lucky, health, and spiritual guides based on your birthday.

Let me know if you think your horoscope/birthday reading is accurate for you!!

Also, here is the horoscope for today! Check yours out: https://nationalpost.com/life/horoscopes/daily-horoscope-for-monday-may-18-2020

What it says in “The Hidden World of Birthdays” by Judith Turner

Irene: Jan 25th, Aquarius

  • Gem: Garnet, which might show you how to find faith and emotional stability
  • Astral colour: Blue, which creates calmness and brings promise, blue in your environment helps stabilize your mood. In your wardrobe, purple reflects your giving personality and brings you luck.
  • Tree: Sycamore
  • Instrument: Harp
  • Bird: Mockingbird – the most proficient minstrel in the world’s orchestra; graceful and enthusiastic
  • Symbol: Heart – you are enthusiastic, empathetic, and full of generosity and love
  • Lucky charm: an old key

Kerr: Jan 30th, Aquarius

  • Gem: Ruby, which may lead you to energy, friendship and happiness
  • Astral colour: Blue, which creates calmness and bring promise. In your wardrobe, many shades of Green keep you confident and always looking great.
  • Tree: Elm
  • Instrument: Trombone
  • Bird: Swan – regarded as royal and sacred, this bird has the protective nature of a mother, and can become a furious fighter in defence of its young.
  • Symbol: Wreath – you have been crowned with a special personality, you are strong but extremely compassionate.
  • Lucky charm: A pen that someone else has already used.

Christine: April 28th, Taurus

  • Gem: Emerald – those who carry this stone tend to be lucky in love
  • Astral colour: Red, which enhances passion, power, excitement and strength. Yellow in your environment stimulates and exhilarates you. In your wardrobe, rose gives you balance and harmony.
  • Tree: Walnut
  • Instruments: Oboe
  • Bird: Bird of Paradise, the “bird of the gods.” You will shine and love extraordinary circumstances.
  • Symbol: Crown – the universal sign of dignity.
  • Lucky charm: A new penny in your shoe

Carolyn: May 28th, Gemini

  • Gem: Turquoise, which may help you find material wealth.
  • Astral colour: Red, which enhances passion, excitement and strength. Violet in your environment keeps you empathetic towards others. In your wardrobe, wine red gives you energy.
  • Tree: Walnut
  • Instruments: Oboe
  • Bird: Hummingbird – This bird is delicate and graceful. It can remain still for hours, then suddenly dart off and be busy as a bee.
  • Symbol: Crown – the universal sign of dignity.
  • Lucky charm: A new penny in your shoe.

Bobbi: June 7th, Gemini

  • Gem: Ruby – This stone may lead you to energy, friendship and happiness.
  • Astral colour: Red, which enhances passion, excitement and strength. Violet in your environment keeps you empathetic towards others. In your wardrobe, green gives you confidence.
  • Tree: Sycamore
  • Instrument: Harp
  • Bird: Goldfinch – these can be the most charming of birds, but these gentle creatures can be moody in unsettled weather.
  • Symbol: Heart – You are enthusiastic, empathetic, and full of generosity and love.
  • Lucky charm: An old key

Gabriel: July 18th, Cancer

  • Gem: Emerald – Those who carry this stone tend to be lucky in love.
  • Astral colour: Green, which gives you confidence. Green in your environment enhances your luck, because you will feel secure. In your wardrobe, brown gives you confidence and a sharp look.
  • Tree: Holly
  • Instruments: Violin
  • Bird: Mockingbird – the most proficient minstrel in the world’s orchestra; graceful and enthusiastic.
  • Symbol: Anchor – This tranquil symbol signifies stability and strength, and stands for strong commitments in relationships.
  • Lucky charms: A U.S. coin or a bill of any amount from the year you were born.

Jean-Luc: August 7th, Leo

  • Gem: Ruby – This stone may lead you to energy, friendship and happiness.
  • Astral colour: Red, which enhances passion, power, excitement, and strength. Orange in your environment gives you confidence. In your wardrobe, Plum brings out the best in your looks.
  • Tree: Sycamore
  • Instrument: Harp
  • Bird: Warbling Parakeet – the most beautiful of all birds, known as the love bird. It does seem to have the powers of imitation.
  • Symbol: Heart – you are enthusiastic, empathetic, and full of generosity and love.
  • Lucky charm: An old key

May 14: More Things To Do Online!

CANADA'S PUBLIC BROADCASTER LAUNCHES CBC GEM STREAMING SERVICE ...

CBC Gem:

Listen to:

Vinyl Cafe Stories: Stuart McLean: Amazon.ca: Music

Watch on YouTube:

Justin Bieber: Seasons | Official Trailer Ft. Yummy | YouTube ...

Justin Bieber, “Seasons” – 10 short episodes about his life in the last few years: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=justin+bieber+seasons

Some Good News with John Krasinski: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOe_y6KKvS3PdIfb9q9pGug/videos

Ted Talks: https://www.youtube.com/user/TEDtalksDirector/videos

Educational documentaries from Netflix, i.e. Our Planet, Explained, Babies (full episodes): https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvahqwMqN4M0GRkZY8WkLZMb6Z-W7qbLA

Trent Shelton, Motivational Speaker: https://www.youtube.com/user/tshellybaby/videos

Websites:

Buzzfeed: https://www.buzzfeed.com

  • quizzes, pop culture news, videos, funny things from around the web

Assignment for the weekend:

What have you been up to during the quarantine? Have you watched any shows/movies/videos that you really enjoyed? Have you taken on a new hobby? Have you been playing any games? Is there anything that you would recommend for the other participants of class?

Let me know via email and I will post it on the blog!

Ask Bobbi!

10 Summer Flowers That are Just as Pretty as Peonies

1) How are you feeling on the day to day during the quarantine? How has this affected your mental health? 

The quarantine has been difficult for everyone. When the quarantine first started it was a bit easier because we didn’t know how long it was going to go. I know I have good days and bad days. The good days are started when I wake up and I’m able to move my body the way I want to and the way I need it too. I feel more energetic and am able to do some exercise.
Now the tough days. Those are started differently it’s usually when my body is fighting me and hurting and it’s difficult to do normal tasks that I have to do. It’s those days that I really have to fight. I look for something on TV that will make me laugh. I congratulate myself for getting through the first half hour on my own and then an hour. I also have to try to force myself to workout or do something constructive. I realized that it’s important on those days especially to give myself a little bit of a goal something that I want to finish. Once I finish that goal I can let myself know that I’ve accomplished it and it doesn’t feel like such a hard day. I will be honest though there are days especially tough. I really want people to know that it’s important to realize that it’s okay to have those days to feel how you feel and not to bury it. Burying it will cause anxiety to heighten. I allow myself to have these days but try to remember to congratulate myself for getting through them. It’s okay to need help as well whether that means calling a friend or emailing a friend it’s amazing how helpful it is when you hear a friend tell you things about you positive things. We forget positive things about ourselves when we’re having difficult days and that’s normal but it’s important to be able to hear the reminders from other people.


2) How are you keeping positive during the pandemic?

I think keeping positive during this pandemic can be difficult sometimes. The things that I have mentioned in question 1 can be helpful. But another thing that I do is when I’m having a tough time I look up Trent Shelton on YouTube he is a motivational speaker and has a lot of different topics that he speaks about. I pick one that I think will be interesting and I listen to it. Another thing that I do is as silly as it sounds I talk to myself when my anxiety is high. I tell myself it’s going to be okay we’re going to get through this and it’s going to be okay. I say this over and over and then I try to watch something funny on TV or something I’ve been looking forward to watching. I also look for relaxation exercises on YouTube. This is new to me because I just got a fire stick so I could see this on my TV when I find good ones I will let everyone know.

3) As someone with cerebral palsy, how do you feel about the pandemic? Are you anxious/nervous/scared?  How do you address these feelings?  

As a person with CP honestly because of the CP I think my pain is increasing or it could be because of my sitting in my chair. I’m not altogether sure. At the same time I truly believe but during this pandemic the feelings that I deal with on a day-to-day basis are relatively similar to someone that doesn’t have a different ability.

4) How has your daily life changed since the quarantine started? 

My life since the pandemic started has changed dramatically as I’m sure everyone’s has. I used to get up and go to variety Village 5 days a week, I went to church on Sundays, and I had a job on Saturdays. I also attended meetings on the acat committee ( advisory committee on accessible Transit) for the TTC. We met at least two or three times a month and I also sit on the appeal committee and participate in that once every couple of months. So it’s been a bit of a challenge and adjustment.

May 12th: About COVID-19

Wastewater Test Could Provide Early Warning of COVID-19

What is COVID-19?

It is an infectious virus and disease that has the main symptoms of a dry cough, fever and tiredness. Other, often more mild symptoms include; aches and pains, nasal congestion, headache, conjunctivitis, sore throat, diarrhea, and a loss of taste or smell.

COVID-19 is dangerous due to its possibly severe affects on the respiratory system. It can cause complications to the lungs such as pneumonia, and in severe cases, acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS).

COVID-19 Pneumonia

In pneumonia, the lungs become filled with fluid and inflamed, leading to breathing difficulties. Breathing problems can become severe, and may require treatment at the hospital with oxygen or a ventilator.

The pneumonia that COVID-19 causes usually affects both lungs. Air sacs in the lungs fill with fluid, limiting their ability to take in oxygen and causing shortness of breath, cough and other symptoms.

Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome

As COVID-19 pneumonia progresses, shortness of breath sets in, and can lead to acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), a form of lung failure. Patients with ARDS are often unable to breath on their own and may require ventilator support to help circulate oxygen in the body.

How does COVID-19 spread?

People can catch COVID-19 from others who have the virus. The disease spreads primarily from person to person through small droplets from the nose or mouth, which are expelled when a person with COVID-19 coughs, sneezes, or speaks. People can catch COVID-19 if they breathe in these droplets from a person infected with the virus.  This is why it is important to stay at least 6 feet away from others. These droplets can land on objects and surfaces around the person such as tables, doorknobs and handrails.  People can become infected by touching these objects or surfaces, then touching their eyes, nose or mouth.

COVID-19 is mainly spread through respiratory droplets expelled by someone who is coughing or has other symptoms such as fever or tiredness. Many people with COVID-19 experience only mild symptoms. This is particularly true in the early stages of the disease. It is possible to catch COVID-19 from someone who has just a mild cough and does not feel ill.

Some reports have indicated that people with no symptoms can transmit the virus. It is not yet known how often it happens.

What is being done?

  • Countries all over the world are enforcing different measures for social distancing. Some countries are on complete lockdown measures i.e. India currently, whereas other countries have begun easing lockdown restrictions i.e. Germany. Results from the easing of lockdowns have been mixed, and are closely being monitored.
  • “Flattening of the Curve” – reducing the growing number of cases of Covid-19, in order to flatten the curve on a graph that shows the number of cases i.e:
(Patricia Treble and Lauren Cattermole)
https://www.macleans.ca/society/health/coronavirus-in-canada-these-charts-show-how-our-fight-to-flatten-the-curve-is-going/
  • Drug companies and scientists around the world are working on a vaccines and treatments to combat the spread of COVID-19. A vaccine is estimated to take 12-18 months to be ready for use, which is mostly due to the amount of testing that needs to happen in order to ensure its safety for use in humans.

Mythbusters:

The following images (and many more) can be found on the World Health Organizations Website, here: https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019

FACT: There are currently no drugs licensed for the treatment of prevention of COVID-19
FACT: Cold weather and snow CANNOT kill the new coronavirus
Does the new coronavirus affect older people, or are younger people also susceptible?
Are there any specific medicines to prevent or treat the new coronavirus?

May 11th: Realistic Fiction and Stuart McLean

Realistic Fiction is a genre of storytelling that is based on real-life circumstances and situations. Because it is fiction, the story will have made-up characters and a story line, but it is realistic in place and situations. Therefore, realistic fiction is often relatable to its readers or listeners, and there are genres within realistic fiction such as; humour, drama, crime, romance, thriller, etc.

Stuart McLean, CBC Radio host and award-winning humorist, dead at ...

Stuart McLean is best known as a Canadian storyteller, who hosted the CBC Radio program The Vinyl Cafe for over 20 years. He began on CBC Radio as a researcher and documentarian, and eventually he reported for CBC news programs such as The National, discussing human interest stories. These stories were about average Canadians, and they were often funny and relatable for many. This majorly inspired the production of The Vinyl Cafe.

The Vinyl Cafe - Wikipedia

The Vinyl Cafe was a variety radio show, which featured music, fiction and essays performed by Stuart McLean. The show was broadcasted by CBC Radio from 1994-2015. Within the show, Stuart McLean often wrote and performed the “Dave and Morley Stories” which is a collection of short stories about a fictional Toronto family. The stories focus on one man, Dave, and his wife, Morley, who own a second-hand record store in Toronto. Dave and Morley have two children, named Stephanie and Sam.

The Vinyl Cafe

The Dave and Morley Stories were by far the show’s most famous segment, due to their humour and relatability. Each story is about 20 minutes long, and they follow the misadventures of Dave and Morley, as well as their family, neighbours and friends. There are hundreds of stories to listen to, now in podcast form and on Youtube. In 2011, The Vinyl Cafe was chosen by Apple as their best audio podcast of the year.

Today we will be listening to “Dave Goes Babysitting” which is on Youtube, here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLA5EKFz62o

Assignment: Create Your Own Superhero Fiction! Pt. 1

The world's rarest comic books - Ebuyer Blog

For the month of May, we will be focusing on creating our own Superhero Fiction. With the superheroes that you may have already created or imagined, we will work toward writing our own story which will include the superhero, an origin story, and a call to action.

This story is entirely your own, so feel free to add personal elements and inspiration from your own life in order to make it unique. As we learned from Stan Lee, the writer and creator of hundreds of Marvel superhero comics, make the story something that you would want to read.

We will begin this assignment in steps, which will enable us to closely create every element of the story. For instance, your first step in creating your own superhero fiction is to develop your superhero. To do this, come up with the following characteristics:

  • Superhero’s physical appearance: Give a detailed description of what you want your superhero to look like, including; special items, weapons, colours, symbols etc. If they have a physical disability, are they in a wheelchair? Do they have a communication device?
    • *****Try to be as detailed as possible, because Adam (my brother) will attempt to illustrate everyone’s superheroes based on the physical description you provide! Once they are illustrated, pictures of the illustrations will be posted on the blog!*****
  • Superhero’s superpower: What is your superhero’s special ability? What powers do they have? Do they have many, or only one? Do they have a special item that they use to enable their power (i.e. Captain America’s shield)?
  • Superhero’s personality: What kind of personality does your superhero have?
    • Are they eager to use their powers to fight for the good of humanity/against evil forces? Or, does it take some getting used to for the superhero to want to use their powers?
    • What are they like in their normal life? Are they funny, serious, shy, super intelligent (i.e. Iron Man), friendly, etc?
  • Superhero’s secret identity: Many superheroes have secret identities so that they can live normally. Does your superhero have a secret identity? If so, what is their name (i.e. Clark Kent for Superman), what do they do (are they in school, or do they work) and who is close to them in their normal life? Do they have friends, family members, etc.
  • Superhero’s sidekick: Does the superhero have a sidekick, i.e someone who also has superpowers and aids the superhero to fight crime? What is their relation to the superhero? What are their powers? Does the superhero have a sidekick who does not have special powers (i.e. a friend/family member), but who helps them in other ways?

These are elements that help to build your superhero, which we will use as the first step in creating our superhero fictions. There is no due date for the assignment, so do everything at your own time! If you want to start thinking about the setting of your story, as well as the origin story of the superhero i.e. how they got their power, feel free to do so.

Send me the physical appearance of your superhero, and Adam will start illustrating! Very excited to see what they end up looking like!

If you ever have questions or want to brainstorm ideas, feel free to email me! I’m happy to help. 🙂

May 7th: Vibrant Healthcare Alliance, “Coping With Anxiety During Covid-19,” ***What was talked about on the call***

Vibrant Healthcare Alliance (@AJHS_THAC) | Twitter

Today we will be spending our class Skype call on the phone with Vibrant Healthcare Alliance, who are hosting a Virtual Health and Wellness Series in response to Covid-19. The session today is called “Coping with Anxiety During Covid-19,” and it is run by Rosemary Romeo, who is a social worker in Toronto. We will be listening to the call today at our normal class time of 1pm, and hopefully we will be able to learn about different ways of coping with anxiety at this time.

This is a subject that is often difficult to talk about, but it is important to recognize that feelings of stress and anxiety are heightened due to the uncertainty of the pandemic. Therefore, getting as much information as we can on ways to deal with these emotions from experts can be very beneficial for our overall mental health.

For more information on Vibrant Healthcare Alliance, check out their website here: https://www.vibranthealthcare.ca

Vibrant Strong Virtual Series: “Coping with Anxiety During Covid-19”

Things that were discussed on the call:

  • Our mental health greatly impacts our physical health
    • Anxiety affects our immune system: immune system shuts down in order for the body to conserve energy for feelings of anxiety
    • Humans are prone to overthinking stressful thoughts and situations, whereas animals stop thinking about a stressful situation as soon as it’s over. The only animals that also show signs of anxiety are cats and dogs, where they’ve learned the emotions from their owners.
  • Tips for dealing with the stress of Covid-19
    • Limit the amount of time you’re watching the news, and only watch at certain times of the day. The news is often filled with upsetting stories and facts, so limiting the amount of negative thoughts is very important. Try to not watch the news right before bed, as negative/stressful thoughts can impact quality of sleep.
    • Try to focus on positive things that have come out of the pandemic, including stories of people helping one another.
    • You can only control what you do. Do not let the actions of others stress you out entirely, if someone is doing something that is causing stress to you (i.e. ignoring social distancing) politely tell them what they are doing wrong.
  • Tips for dealing with anxiety in general:
    • Keep healthy: make sure you are getting a good amount of vitamins and nutrients everyday, especially B vitamins and omega-3s which support the brain, and vitamin C which helps our immunity.
    • Be aware of your triggers for stress: write down what makes you feel stressed and acknowledge that this is a trigger going forward.
    • Practice self-compassion: be kind to yourself. Acknowledge small things that you have done in the day as accomplishments. Try not to self-criticize, and focus on positive things that you have done.
    • Learn how to relax: there are many things to stress out about in today’s world, especially with constant newsfeeds, but use practices such as deep breathing to help yourself relax and chill out.
    • Stay connected with others: make sure to keep connected with other people through technology in order to not feel alone with your thoughts. Reach out for help if you feel you are not able to control anxiety on your own.
    • Get outside: connecting with nature is proven to help reduce feelings of anxiety. Try to get some fresh air when you can.
    • Find help for anxiety: if you feel that anxiety is interrupting your functioning, you might want to reach out to a specialist in order to get help.
  • Resources and Exercises:
    • These will be emailed to you!

Jean-Luc’s Superhero!

In these times of sickness, a lot of groups and people are suffering. With the
importance of taking care of individuals, pet shelters are probably not getting
the donations they usually take in. As my dog, Newton, is so important to me and
my family, my superhero would be one that could fly everywhere and help animals.
His name is Underdog. He is a beagle that is humble and lovable. He is super
strong, he flies, and he helps everybody. His motto: “ There is no need to fear
, Underdog is here.”

Bobbi’s Superhero!

I wanted to start my superhero being a dog or cat in a rescue centre. They have come from very difficult circumstances being treated not very nicely. One person in the rescue has been able to gain their trust and truly shown them unconditional love that they’ve never had before. One day it was time for them to be adopted. The shelter stuff that they have trusted give them both a new collar as a present for them to go to their new home. Unbeknownst to her the collar had a power. Each time the that collar is on it allows them to see people in their city that may need help. They are able to find their way out of their houses to the people in need. They stay with their people until help arrives and then go right back home again. One day a member of each of their families needed help and they did the same thing they normally do stay with them until help arrived. What’s the First Responders arrived at their houses they noticed and recognized these animals and their commitment to helping people. The first responder stated that he had been on a few rescues and recognize these animals. It just shows the unconditional love that an animal can have for their humans. The story ends with us knowing the unconditional love that we received from animals and the families that the dog and cat belong to continue to assist them and helping others in their community.

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