May 24, 2007
Sense
Have you submitted your workplace haiku to Bookninja? I did today, inspired by the haiku they have posted (and by the workplace, of course). Read them here, including a few by my favourite poet Jennica Harper. And then submit your own!
Heather Mallick underlines why I perpetually sing her praises with her piece on challenging authority. Oh, when she writes, “I believe education is important for its own sake. It is the basis of civilization. I especially believe in the teaching of history./ I am an elitist. I want people to be well-read, to value books. Here’s my reasoning. Educated people are more likely to deny authority. People who don’t read don’t have an intellectual storehouse to help them think independently. They do what they’re told. They have an endless desire to please those in authority; they don’t know they don’t have to.” Has anybody in the whole world ever had more sense?
Maud Newton points me toward the following: the hierarchy of adjectives, which are rules you don’t even know you know; and a poem by Grace Paley. And it was my coworker (since we’re giving props here) who showed me this article on the evolution of phonebook catagories. No more shall you be able to look up a buttonhole maker, or carbon paper.
Today I met Erica G walking down Palmerston. I was on Harbord, reading and walking, and she pulled her own book out of her bag, which we discussed as we crossed the street, and then we said our farewells. I think it would be lovely if we all starting asking, “So what are you reading?” instead of “How are you?” when we met. The conversations might be better.
May 21, 2007
Turkey Lurkey
We’ve had such a boring long weekend– splendidly boring! The sun shone every day and I finished reading two books, and read the newspaper, and magazines, wrote most of a story, and blogged-a-rama. I spent a lot of time supine, we let the house get filthy, the hours ticked by so slowly. Though I imagine we might have managed as much fun as this away at a cottage up north, at least we never had to sit in traffic. Wonderful Kensington shop on Saturday and empanadas for lunch. Yesterday we went shopping for shoes, purses, wraps, shirts and ties from Bronwyn’s wedding. I also spent $160 on make-up, which I think qualifies me as an officially grown-up woman, or at least a very stupid girl. A kind of strange indulgence, considering how often I wear make-up, but I suppose then it will last a long time. And I won’t ruin Bronwyn’s wedding photos with sallowness. Finally, today we went to Riverdale Farm with Jennie– our inaugural trip of the 2007 season. I do love that place, and we had a very lovely afternoon.
May 19, 2007
It's all summers
My beloved Bronwyn is getting married two weeks from today, and I am so thrilled we’re going to be there. Since we met six years ago, Bronwyn’s and my lives have been much entwined: we moved to England at the same time, fell in love with Northern boys, she even came to stay with us in Japan for two weeks. And even now, when our lives are quite divergent (I moved back to Toronto, whereas she is living a sweet London fairy tale), we’ve remained so close. She was there on my wedding day, and I am honoured that I’ll be there for hers. That we’ll share in wifedom, which seemed a million miles away, or even impossible, back when we met. And we look forward to our parallels continuing; she emailed me a few weeks back and said, “When I think about it I think of sunshine, which can only be a good thing. Looking forward, it’s all summers!” I imagine the future the very same, and I am so excited for it.
I am going to be doing a reading at Bronwyn’s wedding, however, and I went a bit insane trying to locate something good. When thumbing through my own library turned up nothing, I turned to the internet. Who would have thought? The “Unique Wedding Readings” on Google turned up nothing spectac (unless Kahil Gabran is your bag). I wanted to find something lovely and fitting, and I eventually did (but it’s a secret for now). I really wanted something from Carol Shields, because really who knows more about love and marriage than she did? But nothing was quite right for a wedding ceremony. Still, however, some of what I did find needs to be shared nonetheless. Stay tuned then.
May 7, 2007
Park Life
It is hard to reconcile the inherent rubbishness of the world with weekends like this one. Oh weekends, you are the one thing that makes me pleased to be back in the workaday life. Though as a student/housewife every day was the weekend, that sort of took away the very point of it. And this weekend was extremely pointful. We went out for sushi and ice cream Friday night with Erica and Alex, which was splendid. Saturday we did our Kensington shop, which was a sweet summer dream. Saturday afternoon was a bike ride to High Park where we sprawled on our blanket all afternoon, ate strawberries, read books, and later I climbed a tree. The park was fullsville but the wonderful thing about parks is that we all share that wonderful space. It really was splendid, and nice to get the bikes out of the garage for the first time all season. Today Stuart was doing boyish things with other boyish types, and I was writing writing. The marvelous Natalie Bay came for supper, which was great. She’s just come back from Japan and brought us omiyage– pnis shaped cookies. I’d post a picture, but this is not that sort of blog.
I’m adjusting to my new life, and so reading/blogging have been slow of late. Though I’m working on two books at the moment: 28 Stories of Aids in Africa by Stephanie Nolen, and The Ladies Lending Library by Janice Kulyk Keefer (and there ain’t a better book for a summer’s day).
April 29, 2007
Summer by your side
So far, it’s been weekend most glorious.
Saturday Stuart and I went to afternoon tea at The Four Seasons, which was my treat for finishing school. We tried to savour everything for at least four bites, the scones were oishi, perfect jam, and we absolutely fell in love with pear tree green tea. Nothing short of delightful.
We were thrilled to accept an BBQ invitation last night by the Brown-Smiths, and we enjoyed our city rooftop summer night, until it got cold and we had to go in. It’s only April after all. But even indoors, the night continued in hilarity. Carolyn and Steve are wonderful company, and our glasses kept magically refilling themselves.
Today was fun in Trinity Bellwoods with Curtis. Tealish refills, Type Books birthday party (we had a piece of a cake shaped like a typewriter), fish and chips, and a fabulous game of frisbee.
Later I wandered lonely as a cloud.
And as if you needed any more proof…
All we need now are leaves on the trees– but then shade is overrated.
April 17, 2007
Or both
Curtis is back, and man, did he ever bring candy. We are pleased. In less pleasant news I’m in a state of high-agitation regarding my thesis defense next week, the undergraduate essays which are trickling in slowly conspiring to ruin the time I have left before my full-time job begins, wondering indeed about my passport application (“up to ten weeks” they’re saying? Well, we’ve arrived), arrangements for our trip to England in June, how I’ll manage driving on the wrong side of the road. Plus the sun has yet to make an appearance this April, which is sort of rubbish. I would prescribe myself a stiff drink, or a hot bath, or both.
I’m also bothered that I can’t find Miffy books anywhere in this city. I even ventured into the mean blue bookstore that dares not speak its name, and no dice. If anyone can tell me where I can find some Bruna lit, I would love the tip because I know two babies (newborn and about-to-be) whose libraries need starting.
Good lit-news: Lionel Shriver in The Globe, CanLit in Hungary, and UofT makes its contributions to the Internet Archive.
March 11, 2007
Other Springs
Late Morning March
The air through the open window is the same
as when you breathed for what you don’t believe in now
and such anachronistic miracles are dizzying
separating you from local time.
I remember every spring that came before this
linked in the smells the city makes.
The armature of scattered selves
fastening you to year-to-year.
I posted this poem last year, and wrote it many years before that. And while I don’t think it’s a particularly good poem, and I don’t even write poems anymore, it says everything I want to say about this time of year, so I feel no need to say it another way. Because there is something so evocative about spring time. I think one’s senses become primed after months of hibernation, and so walking around there is so much to see, notice and revel in. And it takes you back to other times you felt that way, other springs.
Yesterday we walked around as if in a time warp. The weather wasn’t even particularly good, but I wore a vest instead of a winter coat, and we could hold bare hands instead of gloves. And we stomped around places I used to know before I knew Stuart, and at the same time the weather and how we spent our time reminded us of passing Saturdays in Nottingham, and quite a few things happened that were exactly like in Japan. And so yesterday, which was a magical lucky day, we relived all our springs at once.
We got up early and I got three hours of work in, just so I would be happy for the rest of the day. We went up to Bloor and went out for lunch sets at Thai Basil, and then searched for treasures in the bargain basement at BMV Books. After that we went to Whole Foods, with a basket in tow so we wouldn’t look conspicuous, and went up and down the aisles eating free samples amongst the beautiful people. Our basket stayed empty. We went back to Bloor Street and looked at clothes after that, and got depressed because beige seems to the new black. (And we saw Pickle Me This reader Erica G. at the Gap. Hi Erica!). We went to The Cookbook Store next, and bought the three recipes books we don’t yet own by our beloved Jeanne Lemlin omnibussed in hardover and on sale for $13.00. What luck! I showed Stuart The Toronto Reference Library which he’d never seen before and he was quite impressed. And then he got new shoes, which he loves and they’re wonderful, and we got a box of cookies and a chocolate bar as a gift with the purchase. (?) We had tea/coffee at7 West after and looked at the paper. Walked home, and then had just about an hour to relax before going out again to the Jonker/Lev’s for dinner– but there was magic on the way, of course. The Bloor-Danforth Line had been diverted and we got to see Lower Bay Station! And then the rest of the night proceeded absolutely splendid, with good food and fine company.
Today is a little bit shorter, but yesterday stretched on so long, I am not bothered.
March 9, 2007
The Joy of Things
My kitchen windowsill is one of my favourite corners of our apartment and it’s become even more pleasant with the addition of this little gerbera plant– a gift from Jennie who came to dinner last night. The flowers bloom and we had a delightful time. Also notable on the sill is my yellow dragonfly sugarbowl– at gift from Kate. Oh, the joy of things. In other notables, the letters which spell SLOAN have rubbed off my keyboard. M is on its way out too. I can’t see that I favour these letters particularly, and I wonder overused words of mine have hastened the erasure? Fruit and veg is getting cheaper at the grocery store, which indictates spring is coming. Weather forecasts above 0 for this weekend indicate much of the same, oh bliss. This short winter has been a long long time happening. And I am hankering after watermelonish festivities.
March 2, 2007
The Myth of Justice
A recent overdose of Decca had a detrimental effect on last night’s sleep. I’ve never dreamt in letters before. To do so is rather maddening. I’m starting Middlemarch today; Bronwyn’s reading it too.
The Guardian World Literature Tour in New Zealand: fascinating to read the discussion in comparison to Canada’s which turned in to an all-out internecine CanLit hatefest. Here for literacy initiatives. The usual suspects for Britain’s favourite books. Here for Granta‘s best American novelists.
Our beloved Curtis’s birthday plans were waylaid last night due to a ferocious winter storm. An emergency birthday party was thrown together with some success. Cake was devoured. Excellent. Bonne fête.
