Canada's wild week; Have Speedo, will vote; Let me be your web browser

3 Things this week and the poem "Hiding"

Thanks for spending part of your weekend with Things I Wrote Down.

I had one of those wonderful, busy weeks of life where every minute was full and I went to bed knowing the hard work had been done. It was exhausting and wonderful. I look forward to sharing about the project we sent out into the world soon!

When it rains it pours and

Unveil

’s new Daniel film surpassed the $1.1 M crowdfund and is throttling toward production.

I don’t know about you, but while the big and exciting stuff you work towards and give your time to is amazing, it’s the little things that bring such joy: sneaking chocolates from your kids’ Easter stash, throwing the ball to the dog, an extended hug in the kitchen, the laughter of a friend.

Here’s to the big and the little things. And now here are three things that stood out this week on the web and a poem.

Canada's wild week

So, what just happened? It was a topsy-turvy few weeks up here in Canada that ended in a way few could have imagined a few months ago when Trudeau resigned. The Liberals pulled off an election victory and the man-who-would be Prime Minister didn’t even win his seat.

I’ve chatted a lot about the results with neighbours, family and friends, and there’s been a ton of commentary within our borders. So, I was interested in what other parts of the world are saying about the Canadian election.

Here’s a sampling:

• The Independent: Canada’s election in numbers: How Mark Carney’s Liberals won power in Trump’s shadow (UK)

• Canada was poised to elect its own 'Maple MAGA' movement. Then Trump happened (USA)

• Could Canada's election hold lessons for Australia? (Australia)

Have Speedo, will vote

Australia went to the polls too. And it sounds like Trump loomed large in the election down under as well. But so did speedos.

I had to laugh when I saw pictures on X of Australians showing up to the polls. It seems there are polling stations right on the beach and one simply wanders over from the surf to cast the ballot.

I got comments on the question that I posted when I saw this post. In Canada we bring ID or the voting card we receive in the mail from Elections Canada (however I didn’t, receive my card…yet again).

This comment was both illuminating (I didn’t know this about Oz) and it cracked me up (It’s nice to laugh online):

Let me be your web browser

This is a lovely article from the Oxford American (thanks to

Jon Kerr

for pointing me to it).

Some 2.6. billion people in the world don't have or don't use the internet. There was a time when none of us did. How would you answer questions or solve facts conflicts?

Back in the day, Auburn University created a line where anyone could phone to ask any question. And that line is still open (try it: (334) 844-4244).

Here's a snippet from Emily McCrary’s wonderful piece:

A day’s worth of calls to Foy would look a lot like someone’s browser history: What is cefuroxime prescribed for? What’s the average cost of an acre of land in Texas? What’s the cheapest property in New Jersey? How much is Elon Musk worth? What’s the customer service phone number for Costco? How much is a ticket to the Super Bowl? What is watercress? What is that weird smell? Are AirPods Pro 2 waterproof? What do I do if there’s a snake in my house? What are all the names for female genitals? (Foy student workers won’t respond to that last question, but that doesn’t stop callers from asking it.)

It’s the kind of human interest story that’s perfect Sunday reading and will make you feel good about humanity.

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A poem

It’s short and sweet, and sometimes poems should be. This week I’m sharing "Hiding” which reminds me there’s so much we don’t see. Enjoy!

~ AK