Tag: The Scintilla Project

Run Away Fast As You Can

A shot of a younger me after a cross-country run!

Last updated on January 12th, 2021 at 09:01 am

Last Updated: January 12, 2021

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1. Talk about a time when you were younger and you embarrassed your parents in public, the one that still shames you.

2. We exert control over ourselves and others in many ways. Talk about a time when you lost that control. This can go beyond the obvious emotional control into things like willpower, tidiness, self-discipline, physical prowess—any time that you felt your autonomy slipping away.

— The Scintilla Project’s Day 14 prompts

I wasn’t really that embarrassing as a kid—I asked my Mom about stories where I embarrassed her, and she only came up with a story about visiting an Indian store when I was 4 and complaining about the stink, so not much to tell there.

The real story is the other one, though…

Not exactly done in public, I once tried to run away from home. It was 1987, and I was mad at my mother. Don’t expect me to remember why, though—I was only 4 then. But somewhere inside that child’s mind of mine, I’d had it. I refused to suffer my mother’s tyrannical ways—I was running away.

So, clad in my jammies, I packed my favourite toys and my little brother—I shouldn’t leave him to deal with this injustice, after all—I waited for the perfect opportunity, and around 9 or 10 PM we stole away into the night!

The Master Plan

I had it all figured out. My buddy lived two doors down (I think his name was Jesse), and this was my logic:

  • his parents were nice
  • he had a Sega Master System, which was absent from my life
  • I was sure we’d all get along just fine

So after making the long trek to our next-door neighbour’s next-door neighbour, I knocked on the door, and Jesse’s mom opened it with one of the most confused looks I can ever remember seeing in my life. I promptly explained to her that we were running away and asked whether we could stay there instead.

In the next few minutes, she called my house, my Mom came over in a whirlwind equal parts apologetic worry and embarrassed fury, and my Mom took me home to what was historically one of the worst spankings of my life.

So, lesson learned—there’d be no more running away in the Palmer household. It’s not like I had any money to make it very far, and it didn’t look like anyone else wanted to take care of me, so it just wasn’t the smart play.

I would’ve definitely been the cutest runaway ever, though!

The second logo for Casey Palmer, Canadian Dad

Wasabi?!?!

A picture I took in 2007 at a birthday party at Maki Maki in Mississauga, ON

Last updated on January 12th, 2021 at 09:26 am

Last Updated: January 12, 2021

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1. Post a photo of yourself from before age 10. Write about what you remember of the day the photo was taken. It may not be a full story—it may just be flashes of event and emotion—but tap into the child you were as much as you can.

2. The saying goes What you don’t know won’t hurt you, but sometimes the opposite is true. Talk about a time when you were hurt by something you didn’t know.

— The Scintilla Project’s Day 13 prompts

I wasn’t always as adventurous as I am today. I grew up a pretty sheltered child, nose in the books, a close-knit group of friends around me, and never doing much that would upset my parents. My diet regularly consisted of chicken, Kraft dinner, and other items that you could find in a generic North American diet.

That is—until I started going to school in downtown Toronto.

A whole new world filled with new experiences, new friends—it was an entirely new chapter of my life where my parents trusted me to navigate it and come out intact.

One of my earliest memories from those days was the first time I ever tried wasabi.

My First Experience with Wasabi. One I’ll Never Forget.

A couple of hand rolls at Maki Maki in Mississauga, ON
All about trying something new!

I remember being out at a sushi restaurant for the first time, and my Asian friends were explaining how it all worked and what many of the ingredients were.

When the food came out, I pointed to the green blob and asked what it was. One friend told me “it’s a candy they give you to cleanse your palate for the sushi—you should try it out!”

And so, popping the entire wad of wasabi into my mouth, I started to suck and chew on it for all of a moment—until I realized that my friends were a bunch of dirty little liars.

It was like flavour exploding in my mouth—in the worst way possible. My eyes started to water, my nose started to burn, I was gasping for relief, and all of my new friends were splitting their sides with laughter. This was not a good start for my studies downtown!

I know what wasabi is now, but I’m still not a heavy user—soy sauce on its own is usually plenty for me!

What you don’t know won’t hurt you and ignorance is bliss. We want to think it’s true, but it’s faulty thinking. Knowledge is power, and the more informed you are, the more opportunities you have available to you.

Getting to know wasabi shockingly might not have been ideal, but knowing the options available to you at any time is always better than going into a situation cold and wondering what’s on the menu.

Think about it.

The second logo for Casey Palmer, Canadian Dad

A Chicago Story

In a 2010 trip to Chicago, I lost my passport, wallet and camera, but magically managed to get them all BACK! And here’s that story!

Chicago's "Cloud Gate" sculpture, otherwise known as "The Bean".

Last updated on January 12th, 2021 at 08:51 am

 

1. Write about an experience you had that was so strange or incredible, it sounds like it could have been made up.

— The Scintilla Project’s Day 11 prompt

Those who’ve known me awhile often think I have a lucky horseshoe lodged firmly somewhere within my rectum.

While I have no burning desire to prove nor disprove this theory (as invasive surgery doesn’t seem like the most attractive idea), my Green Bay/Chicago adventure in 2010 helps me see why people might think this way!

A Chicago Story

In May 2010, I went with some old high school buddies to visit our friend living out in Green Bay, Wisconsin. From there, we’d go by car to Chicago, eventually flying from there back to Toronto.

 All fine and dandy, right? A good four-day vacation with cool people doing cool things.

Yeah, you’d think so. This trip was further proof of one simple fact:

You can’t take Casey anywhere.

CONTINUE READING: Proof that Casey Palmer is incorrigible and that you should really think twice about travelling with him! “A Chicago Story”

Young Casey Casano-no

Casey Palmer holding a Dating for Dummies toolkit that he'd received for his birthday.

Last updated on May 18th, 2021 at 10:48 am

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1. Sometimes we wish we could hit the rewind button. Talk about an experience that you would do over if you could.

2. Write about spending time with a baby or child under the age of two. The challenge: if you’re a parent, do not talk about your own child.

— The Scintilla Project’s Day 10 prompts

I did not handle things well with girls at all when I was young. I always kept insanely busy and sucked at letting anyone in, so relationships were kept pretty low-tier on my list of priorities. It all ended well after those years of screw-ups, but if I could have do-overs, I’d:

  • not have ditched that girl on her prom just because I’d broken the garage door and was broke; I’d have found a way to make it work;
  • have asked that girl out; especially after later discovering she would’ve said yes;
  • kissed that girl when the perfect opportunity arose, but I chose logic over feelings;
  • have kept talking to that girl despite my friends thinking she was weird; and
  • taken more chances with the girls who made it obvious that they were interested.
Subtlety is key. Casey Palmer with a Dating for Dummies toolkit.
Continue reading “Young Casey Casano-no”

I Once Was Lost, But Now…

Jon Barker at Roscoe's House of Chicken & Waffles with some MASSIVE plates of food before him for a birthday feast!

Last updated on May 17th, 2021 at 10:57 pm

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1. Talk about where you were going the day you got lost. Were you alone? Did you ever get to where you meant to go?

2. What is the longest thing you know by heart (for example, a prayer, speech, commercial jingle, etc.)? Why did you learn it?

— The Scintilla Project’s Day 9 prompts

I’ve been blessed to have a pretty solid sense of direction—I’ll go somewhere and orient myself with the sun’s placement in the sky, landmarks, where the moss is growing on trees (yeah right—I’m a city boy; no way I know that)—generally, I tend to know where I’m going.

But my internal GPS isn’t perfect. There have been times that I’ve gotten ridiculously lost, either due to my ignorance or just rotten luck.

Continue reading “I Once Was Lost, But Now…”
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