July 18, 2005
And you know it
Lately, the world has been presenting itself to me on a silver platter. Not the whole world mind you, but just the parts I am interested in. We had another weekend in Toronto, and were shown hospitality beyond our wildest dreams. On Saturday, my friends threw the world’s most pleasant wedding shower in my honour, at Burwash Hall at Vic. We had an enormous amount of fun and I saw people I haven’t seen in ages. Everyone had a really good time, and it was quite a surprise. Was rendered dumbfounded and we all know how often that occurs. Afterwards it was dinner in Chinatown, and then karaoke at the Gladstone which was interesting to say the least, and quite enjoyable. I was surrounded by all the beautiful people and had a lot of fun. The rest of the weekend was less organised, and mostly involved me reclining in various places. We had a brilliant dinner at Kate’s and today I got the world’s cutest bathing suit, which is a good replacement for my current “the world’s biggest bathing suit”. I deal in superlatives. The fun just continues then, as we are going out for dinner tomorrow night on a gift certificate thanks to my dad, and then to the Delawana Inn on Thursday for two days of Canadian Summertime fun (with canoes!) thanks to my sister’s wedding gift. If you’re lucky and you know it, stomp your feet.
July 16, 2005
The future's in the air
I flipped through “The Believer” today, and though I am way too poor to buy it managed to read the excellent Three Songs from the End of History: Billy Joel, The Scorpions and Jesus Jones, about pop at the end of the Cold War, which is definitely a subject subject dear to my heart. It also concurs with my theory that the nineties were heaven on earth, and we were spoiled for it. An article on lost photos of Hiroshima, which made me think for the first time about why our enduring image of the attack there is of the mushroom cloud, whereas pictures of London or Dresden burning are almost gratuituous. We saw Ann Marie MacDonald read tonight at the Lakefield Literary Festival tonight, and she was brilliant. She read from “The Way The Crow Flies” and it was so gripping. I was gutted that it ended when it did, and it turned out they’d gone over time. I’ve really missed being engaged with culture the last year or so, and even when I lived in England, where I was still an outsider. Canadians are obsessed with themselves and with spend hours defining Canadianness and Can Lit etc. and I’ve really missed those conversations, that exchange of ideas. It’s really good to be back.
July 15, 2005
You can get used to this
Tonight we went out in the boat. There had been a pretty anti-climactic storm this afternoon that did kill the heat a bit, and the air was just fresh. We went swimming off the boat and the water was perfectly warm, we just slipped in with pleasure rather than icy torture. My mom had packed a picnic dinner- chicken and watermelon. There were loons in the water and the sky was blue, the sun reflected broken in the waves. Stuart asked, “Is this Canada?”. My dad laughed and told him it was. Stu said, “I’ll adapt.”
July 14, 2005
It's not easy
Lionel Shriver’s strange column, volume two. She doubts Tony Blair’s ability to stand up to terrorists, in light of concessions made toward terrorists in Northern Ireland. It’s a complicated issue, and perhaps she draws parallels too quickly. I think when you have to live with people who harbour some legitimate grievences against you, compromise is necessary if you want to move out of the Dark Ages. In Italy, ignorant people engage in print warfare. It’s drawn parallels to this story, as Theo Van Gogh’s murderer goes on trial in Holland. There is no black and white anymore, no room for sweeping statements. Living together has become unbelievably complicated and requires an open mind.
I enjoyed “The Dialectic of Fat” from Ms. The article talks about the centrality of women’s weight to her identity, double standards, fat as a feminist issue and the new globalisation of eating disorders. I find it so interesting to look at the way Western media has affected women’s body images internationally. It’s sometimes difficult to strike a balance between these feminist fat acceptance ideas, and the fact they could be seen as excuses to be unhealthy. I think the former is more important. The article mentions the amount of time women spend at the gym these days, and how many of these women really are seeking health over thinness. It’s an absolute fixation for most women I know, regardless of what they actually weigh, and really there are so many more important things to worry about.
Found The Gates of Ivory by Margaret Drabble today in a used bookshop. It’s the final book of the Radiant Way trilogy, the first of which was absolutely brilliant and the second (A Natural Curiousity) which I enjoyed. I’ve never seen it used (or new- it’s out of print now) and the spine wasn’t even cracked. So now I have all the Drabbles except “The Red Queen” which isn’t in paperback yet anyway. And we saw Dr Barnardo’s Children tonight. It was one of the best shows I’ve ever seen, so moving and entertaining. It’s such an important story and was told in such an honest way. We also went to our wedding reception venue to check it out and it was lovely. Tomorrow we’re renting a sander to get ready to repaint some furniture for our new apartment and selecting flowers for the wedding, and perhaps going for a ride on our boat on Clear Lake.
July 11, 2005
Cancon on
Now reading Geist, which is odd and not entirely satisfying, Northrop Frye’s “The Educated Imagination” and the play Alice’s Affair by Susan Coyne. We are going to see “Doctor Barnardo’s Children” at the 4th Line Theatre this week and to see Ann-Marie McDonald read at The Lakefield Literary Festival on Friday. Apparently we are also going canoeing tomorrow. I think we can determine that I am getting my Cancon on, even though I missed seeing Lighthouse at the Festival of Lights last week.
July 8, 2005
Our best?
I read something recently about the way the public mood was so misjudged after September 11th 2001. Revenge wasn’t the first word on everybody’s lips, but instead compassion, outpouring like it never had before. If America had had a different kind of leadership- more confident and less shakeable- it could have rode that wave to show those who hate what we stand for how wrong they are in their condemnation. A better world could have come of that tragedy but instead the simpler knee-jerk reaction was chosen, and here we are four years later and it’s all the same. In no way is anyone responsible for these acts but the perpetrators, but I also don’t think world leaders have done much to make us safer. Iraq had nothing to do with international terrorism until the US invaded, and now it’s a breeding ground. Their regime needed to be done away with, but it was hardly the ideal political climate in which to do so. I would feel much more confident about proclaiming the greatness of our society (and I really believe it is great) if we had taken a look at ourselves after 9/11 and ensured we had no blood on our hands. Our reputation has been sullied by irresponsible leaders who have lied to us and riled us to ignorance for their own gain- but it’s clear now that this isn’t the war they were looking for. It’s like the Russians who rolled their 19th century cannons into World War One. You can’t fight a war with “terror”; you can’t win it and you can’t land on a boat in a jumpsuit and proclaim your mission accomplished- unless your mission was to stir up a chaotic maelstrom throughout an already troubled place. Reading the Churchill quotes at Live Free or Die, it’s so clear what a dearth of good leadership we have today. Churchill says, “You do your worst and we will do our best” but for the last four years, I don’t think “we’ve” been doing our best at all. Something has to change because the road we’re on currently just isn’t going anywhere.
The Guardian has some really throughtful articles right now that I’ve enjoyed. We’re in Toronto this weekend- patio bbq last night with a view of the skyline, today we went our for breakfast, went to the Beaches, an art show in Nathan Phillips Square, looked for Miffy goods in Chinatown and bought fruit and veg in Kensington. We saw our new apartment last night, and it’s the most wonderful place I’ve ever seen. I’m in love with this city in a way I never was when I last lived here. Was ashamed by the Toronto Sun headline this morning, which my English husband really didn’t find amusing. I thought “Bastards” was brilliant, and “Go get ’em George” was classic, but todays’ headline- so distasteful that I daren’t repeat it- was simply inexcusable.
And just sad for London, which is one of the most magical places in the world. We were there just two weeks ago, which of course makes it stranger. So relieved no one I love was too affected, as selfish as that may be.
July 7, 2005
Sundry
I would really like to know how to live with stuff like this and not become an angry Daily Express reader. I am relieved to find my loved ones well and accounted for, but I am so angry and frustrated and the tirades that come out of my mouth- not worth repeating and embarrassing. The whole thing is perfectly heartbreaking.
July 6, 2005
Collect
I enjoyed reading “An English Professor’s Credo”, the Victoria College Baccalaureate Address by my former professor C. Anderson Silber. A very odd but interesting article by Lionel Shriver, whose “We Need to Talk About Kevin” I finished this afternoon. Oh my, what a book. You wouldn’t think a book that you know from the start winds up in a school massacre would be able to twist so far at the end, but it did. Lionel Shriver, politics aside, is an absolute genius. On the Things I Miss About Britain list is celebrity chefs; Zoe Williams skewers Nigella on the telly. Matt Seaton. who wrote a book about cycling that I actually enjoyed, recommends his ten best cycling books. I don’t know if I’ll go so far as to read them. AS Byatt on the still life as metaphor.
Have organised my photo albums, CDs, and am getting started on all the rest. We are streamlining my collection of collections. I had half a Dairy Queen Blizzard Yesterday for the first time in two years, and it was brilliant. We are going to Toronto from Thursday until Sunday. Canada is a very good place.
