A little retreat – The Studio Cafe

Well, I’m meant to be writing up an article at this moment. But all parts of my being are calling out “capture this moment!” so instead I’ll write you this post.

strumming

Are you an artist, writer, creator, reader, day dreamer in Ottawa? Well, I’ve got a beautiful little nook for you to go and craft your beautiful moments. For some time now I’ve been playing with organizing beautiful retreats for writers in Ottawa. BUT till that plan takes shape (check this out if you are interested), this cafe seems like the next best thing.

The Studio Cafe on 1089 Somerset Street West in Hintonburg (where Somerset turns into Wellington). How can I describe this place? It’s coffee shop meets your dream office space. The area is open, there’s a fellow strumming his guitar and singing amazing grace, sunshine is pouring through the massive windows, tea & coffee are on tap. (Okay, not ‘on tap’ but I happen to like that phrase.)

cookies

Coincidentally, Ottawa is currently full of fluffy white clouds of fluff – and that translates into fuzzy snow-like landscapes outside the window, so I kind feel like I’m in a movie with the beauty and the music and the relaxation.

The Studio Cafe is a great place for creation. Designed to host artists, there are rooms to rent, a classroom in the back, and art classes/seminars are taking place often. There’s this one water colour class coming up on June 14th from 10AM-12:30PM that looks lovely, and I think involves painting doughnuts.

But if you aren’t an artist – I think this is also the perfect nook for a laptop and some street gazing as you hunker down for your next chapter, article, blog post, or story structure. If they start offering lunchables then I might just start camping out all day for some writing-only time (as opposed to I-need-to-clean-out-the-fridge-and-wash-the-laundry time).

chairs and table

So, writers in Ottawa – you have a new retreat. It’s called The Studio Cafe, and it’s really freaking gorgeous. (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram)

~Catherine #OttawaWrites

Life between the scans

So, upon my request, my oncology and CT appointments are being moved.

It’s funny, a lot of this business with cancer really does take place in the mind. I happen to be in the very fortunate circumstance where there isn’t any pain. Many others don’t have that luxury, but I do and I am thankful for this moment. The pain in my chest has quieted down, and I only get that wheeze when my anxiety kicks in. Actually, as I’ve said before, different moods seem to trigger different reactions in my chest.

Anyhow, all that to say, the appointments are being moved. Some may say it’s risky to move the scan back five weeks. But there are always risks in this “game” of health. There’s the risk of over-treating, the risk of under-treating, the risk of too much radiation, the risk of not knowing what is happening, the risk of knowing too much, the risk of knowing too little.

Or I guess you could say, they are the choices. There are a lot of choices, and yet sometime it also feels like I have no choice at all. This shit is happening and I am dealing.

little bug

Lady Bug. She’s happy to offer a distraction from the swearing in this post.

I have chosen to move my CT scan by five weeks so that for just a little window of time, it can feel like life isn’t all about cancer. This isn’t a cowardly decision, it’s a brave one. That’s how I see it. What is life all about anyhow? Is it about the terror of scans and the waiting for results? Fuck no. Those are not the benchmarks I want to live by. I get the need to be aware and be strategic and yet I need my dose of “normal” too.

Anyhow. Don’t get me started 🙂

The scans are postponed and I’m happy about it (and apparently defensive). They aren’t gone, but they will keep. And then, once they arrive, life will reboot and we’ll start again from scratch. That’s what it feels like after each of these tests, it feels like starting again from scratch – for better or for worse and no matter what the news, I need to recover and rebuild.

In the meanwhile, I’m dreaming again. It’s a possibly bad habit that I am associating my happiness with my busy project creation, but ever since last year I’ve been compelled to go-go-go.

There is the book, my Literary Love, which I will leave alone for a little while apart from a book signing in June.

And I’m also working on a project to help local writers find one another more easily within Ottawa. Kevin and I are creating a podcast to go with the #OttawaWrites venture, and that is rather exciting. More news to come.

Zsolt and I maintain our big dream of living in both countries, though I’m honestly scared sometimes we won’t get to realize those moments if we keep putting them off. Next year is our ten year anniversary and Zsolt wants us to go back to Nice where we met. 🙂 He is awfully romantic. And I just want to make it there. I want to make it there, and then I want to make it much, much further for years upon years of growing businesses, travelling to Hungary and back, visiting new places, writing in this blog and so much more. Maybe we’ll get a dog?

I’d love to start planning writing retreats for writers, bloggers, authors, etc. Can you imagine going somewhere beautiful and being encouraged to write, write, write while also having a group of like-minded folks to bounce off ideas? A special time made just for you and your passion? That’s what I’d like to do, and I have absolutely no idea how to start that rolling!

Hello gorgeous place to write and retreat! This is from Le Nordic outside of Ottawa, it’s a cabin in the woods by a spa with about 10 different saunas, rest spaces and excuses to live in your bathrobe.

I’d like to also maybe one day set up a writer’s house – which would work just like those shared office hubs – where people could book time to come and work/write and have resources for editing, designing, printing etc. And this place would be in a gorgeous location that feels like a retreat even though it’s really connected to town. 🙂 I don’t know. I just feel like creating and entrepreneuring 🙂

Plus, I want to give myself time for my own personal creativity – whatever that may be. My next project may not be a book, or maybe it will be . . . I don’t know until I find the quiet space in which to experiment. I have this mental image of throwing spaghatti against the wall till something sticks. That’s kinda the way it goes with me and my mind.

So many ideas.

So many ambitions.

There is so much life to live in between the scans. Putting them off five weeks is a good compromise, I guess. Ideally I’d run away from everything and go live on a beach with Zsolt somewhere. But since isn’t an option . . . five extra weeks, and then we’ll start again.

P.S.

Holy Moly, look what just landed in my inbox today (1 day after the post). Did some sophisticated cookies or internet spiders do this? I swear I didn’t google Nice, France, I only wrote it in the blog. I’m quitely freaking out now as I read way too much into this as a sign . . .when it could simply be very strategic marketing. How is a girl meant to distinguish a sign from the universe from google ninja internet crawlers?! Now I’m all “maybe we should jump on a plane now while we can!” vs “be practical, you are saving for big dreams!”  Air Canada, you done confused me. Probably best to ignore the coincidence since it’s most likely google ninja crawlers. . . I hope, hope, hope.

Air Canada

Book Launch Recap and Pictures for #ClaireNE

927944_246674885537252_714669401_nWhile I try sorting out having my CT scan moved till after my B-Day (Onco appointment moved, but the scan needs to utbe fixed. I just got my two weeks letter yesterday), you can enjoy these pictures from the book launch!

My facebook page has the whole album, so I’ll leave most there and just share a few here while I describe the party.

Thank you to everyone who made it such a great success.

My mom did fortune telling 🙂

My brother JP who practises traditional Chinese medicine and acupuncture donated two sessions to the bingo draw.

My friend Catherine made three batches of homemade cookies – some were even gluten free.

Domicile allowed us to use their space, and were so great about helping set up. The ladies there for Domicile were totally charming.

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FacingCancer.ca & Look Good Feel Better donated two stunning watches.

Lou Truss donated a photo session and took photos of the event (which you can see on the facebook page)

AND Lise Boivin provided gorgeous paintings of local nature scenes on which people could bid. (She’s also the only lady without a web presence, but if you want to get in touch with her just shoot me an email.)

1All together, we drank many massive bottles of wine (Zsolt was the bartender, and a wine-enthusiast for the night), had well over 50 people come along across the evening, got the book into more people’s hands, had folks dropping in from off the street, raised over $800 for A Fresh Chapter, flipped through 140 slides, had at least ½ a dozen fortunes read, ate many beautiful and yummy homemade cookies, snacked on a spread designed by Costco, mom and my dad, had three bingo winners, and enjoyed many, many happy conversations.

It was great. 🙂

And whew, now it’s done. 🙂

Facebook page with pictures, once more.

Oh! And if you want to grab a book for Mother’s Day and you are in Ottawa – Chapters in Kanata has several copies avaiable.

Thank you so much to everyone who took the time to come. I so very much appreciate you being there. And for those who missed it, thank you for all the good wishes and thoughts. It was a great success, I reckon!