On a quick note...

I am often asked by people to explain my background, and with little time to sit down and explain the ins and outs of my upbringing, what I have left behind, and why I am more comfortable living as I am now, I believe the best thing is to enclose some links to currently viewable documentaries. I may of course eventually add my own video blog, when my home computer technology permits; for now, links seem to work best for the majority of people, so here are some which save me going into many details, some of them painful to recall:

http://video.msn.com/video.aspx?mkt=en-au&brand=ninemsn&from=truveo&vid=dbe19b55-8a15-445c-94ab-b285291052a1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ui9W2IsNYg8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=43kH91vHfKo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E1_vRjycrb4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=skV3nwIsIq8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eF5QOK8If6M

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eCbnLx24mcw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oUA2MS1doJY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZygrhNHGIUY&feature=related

Hopefully these will give the picture to those who have expressed interest!

New Year, New Decade, New Life

and though much has yet to change, reviewing the year of 2009, I have come a long way already!

As soon as one leaves a closed, high demand group such as I was born into, the process of re-education begins; some children or adults may have been better educated in life skills, the tools necessary to survive independantly without all their direction coming from notes and directives which masquerade as an individual "conscience"; others, such as myself, are undergoing a long, upward learning curve on the route to "normalcy", that desirable, yet unnatainable state! Since 2008, when I was officially excommunicated, this learning process has been ongoing- and though it has at times been difficult, it has at least been far from dull! I have always looked on my surrounding environment with a naive wonder, indeed when I was born, my father commented how enthralled I was with the lights and sensations of the hospital; this fascination with my surroundings has been extended enormously through my reading, and often prompted me to consider a career in, if not a fascination with, journalism. Blogging may not be the best way to begin a career in journalism, but it does at least provide a forum for my thoughts, on which people can comment if they wish. I am always cautious that this could become very egocentric, or rambling.

My aspirations must have been relatively conventional; though I desire strongly to travel, to write of my experiences and to have challenging experiences, I greatly enjoy simpler things in a typical family unit: shopping with my wife, cooking, cleaning our apartment and caring for the cats. I love the seasonal traditions of giving and receiving gifts, entertaining people in our home, and writing to the folks back home. Maybe my life is happier lived quietly, after all.

I am writing this after a period of introspection, especially about my past upbringing. I have been reading of others who left the religious group of which I was once a member, and who are now becoming almost militant, talking of flag waving, wearing tee shirts and ribbons, protesting at public conferences. There are many people out here in the real world who have had their lives ripped apart by the EB's, who have family and friends on both sides of the "Wall of Seperation", and who have horrific stories to tell; these people need a voice, but to react in the way some are, is going to merely further the interests of the reclusive but outwardly "friendly" group, who wish to discredit these people as disturbed, imbalanced and unsuitable for communal worship in the first place. My personal take is that I have more family on the "outside" of the group, and thus do not have any right to take an activist stance against them, merely to document my experiences while on the inside. I do not bear especial personal animosity against any individual, nor against the group as a whole; I learned many valuable life lessons whilst with them, and had some reasonably close friends too; also, I do not wish to be perceived as a victim, just to be permitted to get on with normal life outside of their direction. I will, however, be following with interest the cultic studies conference at which both ex and current members of the group will be present.

To return to normal life- whatever "normal" may be- work is very much easier now that I have a relatively conventional schedule of 9-5, Monday to Friday. I can choose between over twenty buses each morning, and have started forming friendships with more established faces within the company. I also have whispers that I could be promoted, which is a surprise after so short a time there. Selling is not proving to be my strong point, but at this stage I have just begun to find my feet, and it is not the highest of my priorities.

The temperature is very low outside, and I am learning that my skin reacts very badly to the cold, leaving raw patches around my face. Now that the temperature drops below -15C almost daily, wrapping up to leave the apartment is an important factor in my morning time budget. Amazingly, I have not yet slipped and had a serious fall on the frozen snow or black ice that covers most of the sidewalks. The shovelling operations still occur in the wee hours of the morning, but I am almost blasé to this now. The city looks very unattractive with a heavy layer of slush, frozen into jagged ruts almost covering every minor road. For the time being, I am glad we do not own a car! The sunlight is amazingly bright and clear on this continent, and it is very beautiful on the untouched banks of snow nearby; after the haze, fog and heavy humidity of Britain, I am surprised that this area has so little rain. The weather makes every day life that little degree more exciting, because of the challenges.

There is not any significant news since my last posting; Christmas was a pleasant but quiet time, and as our holiday was so limited, Sylvie's birthday was not held until last Sunday. Being on a limited budget and a postponed date meant that it was not the most romantic of occasions, and we had a mutual friend over from Longueuil, an ex-Parisien who works in the same call centre as myself, and who provided a lovely mocha birthday cake for Sylvie and gave her a nice candle holder as a surprise bonus gift! Now that we have two-day weekends every five days, we are able to relax a lot more and spend more time together, something that was important to both of us.

More to follow, as it occurs!