I find it fascinating that movies are made in the fashion that Europeans live, in a multi-linguistic environment. This film had the main characters speaking French, English and German, like Marx and Engels would have.
I will review it later, and tell you a funny story about their statues in Berlin, but for now, I just wanted to transmit these two ideas.
One was that they joined, and seemingly took over, The League of the Just.
Second is a quote that is spoken in french, but translates as:
Criticism devours everything that exists, and when there is nothing left, it devours itself.
Thoughtful ideas all around, and I have now a clearer picture of how Engels got involved, and how some causes are most difficult for those who don't suffer from it, but for not having it. A kind of survivors guilt, I guess.
Saturday, February 29, 2020
Friday, February 28, 2020
DORVAL PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION
I've walked it all now, and understand how the airport, bus, train and commuter train link together. It is not too bad once you know the tricks, but it definitely is not made easy by any of the four, which is a shame.
The closest link is the bus and the via train. It's easy to go the wrong way, because it feels like you are walking into the territory of "stay off the tracks", but it's a small path, cleared even in a blizzard, to the east side of the bus station, just a short walk toward the north.
The bus shelter and the commuter train connect with a tunnel that has a greenhouse garden that is quite unexpected and well maintained.
The walk from the airport is treachourous, and the bus payment is quadruple the real price. If you have a regular pass (I carry one now with me), you can get the same trip for just under $3, instead of $10 at the only machine at the airport. They don't even try to make it easy at dorval station. There are no machines at the station for bus. If you walk several kms from the airport to the mall, you can buy tickets at the pharmacy by buying an OPUS card. All of these are inexcusable gauges that do not seem to have a rhyme or reason.
BOOK REVIEW: ELEANOR OLIPHANT IS COMPLETELY FINE
It was hard for me to feel that Eleanor's character was real. The pace was slow and the directions unsurprising. Things were larger than life. Still though, I found it enjoyable to live in her fantastical world, even when it was a crushing lie for the character.
Listen to this prose:
"Mummy said that we were empresses, sultanas (india) and maharanis (arabia) in our own home, and that it was our duty to live a life of sybaritic pleasure and indulgence. Every meal should be an epicurean feast for the senses, she said, and one should go hungry rather than sully one's palate with anything less than exquisite morsels. She told me how she'd eaten chili-fried tofu in the night markets of Kowloon, and that the best sushi outside of Japan could be found in São Paulo. The most delicious meal of her life, she said, had been chargrilled octopus, which she'd eaten at sunset in an unassuming harbor taverna one late summer evening on Naxos. She'd watched a fisherman land it that morning, and then sipped ouzo all afternoon while the kitchen staff battered it again and again against the harbor wall to tenderize its pale, suckered flesh. I must ask her what the food is like where she is now. I suspect that Lapsang souchong and langues de chat biscuits are in short supply."
Listen to this prose:
"Mummy said that we were empresses, sultanas (india) and maharanis (arabia) in our own home, and that it was our duty to live a life of sybaritic pleasure and indulgence. Every meal should be an epicurean feast for the senses, she said, and one should go hungry rather than sully one's palate with anything less than exquisite morsels. She told me how she'd eaten chili-fried tofu in the night markets of Kowloon, and that the best sushi outside of Japan could be found in São Paulo. The most delicious meal of her life, she said, had been chargrilled octopus, which she'd eaten at sunset in an unassuming harbor taverna one late summer evening on Naxos. She'd watched a fisherman land it that morning, and then sipped ouzo all afternoon while the kitchen staff battered it again and again against the harbor wall to tenderize its pale, suckered flesh. I must ask her what the food is like where she is now. I suspect that Lapsang souchong and langues de chat biscuits are in short supply."
ORGANIZING PHOTOS
My computer is starting to labour in the same pathetic way as my refrigerator did without proper maintenance, and tonight seems like a good one to try to consolidate two libraries into one (Thanks to a backup, a robbery did not talk my photos away this time, but did hide them and create duplicates!).
I found a nice video that seems like a good place to start: My Albums. They had run away, honestly, and it was great to eliminate them in one fell swoop, with the reassurance that the pictures were all still there.
Next, I created folders that were each year (1911 was NOT the first picture, despite that being posted as the case), then smart albums, and those can be subdivided into groups, which is what I wanted all along!) There is a place to update the correct dates. He gives a practical suggestion to focus on the correct year.
Wish me luck! If you want to see the details, watch David here.
Useful keys:
shift allows you to highlight the first and last in a sequence and select those in between
command A = select all
command N = new album
I found a nice video that seems like a good place to start: My Albums. They had run away, honestly, and it was great to eliminate them in one fell swoop, with the reassurance that the pictures were all still there.
Next, I created folders that were each year (1911 was NOT the first picture, despite that being posted as the case), then smart albums, and those can be subdivided into groups, which is what I wanted all along!) There is a place to update the correct dates. He gives a practical suggestion to focus on the correct year.
Wish me luck! If you want to see the details, watch David here.
Useful keys:
shift allows you to highlight the first and last in a sequence and select those in between
command A = select all
command N = new album
Wednesday, February 26, 2020
BLOOM'S (COGNITIVE) TAXONOMY
There are 3 hierarchical models in educational objectives as set out by educator Benjamin Bloom:
Cognitive/Knowledge based
Affective/Emotion based
Sensory/ Psychomotor/Action based
These are further broken down into objectives:
COGNITIVE - 6
Remember
Understand
Apply
Analyze
Evaluate
Create
AFFECTIVE-5
Receiving
Responding
Valuing
Organizing
Characterizing
SENSORY -7
Perception
Set (Readiness to Act)
Guided response
Mechanism
Complex overt response
Adaptation
Origination
Cognitive/Knowledge based
Affective/Emotion based
Sensory/ Psychomotor/Action based
These are further broken down into objectives:
COGNITIVE - 6
Remember
Understand
Apply
Analyze
Evaluate
Create
AFFECTIVE-5
Receiving
Responding
Valuing
Organizing
Characterizing
SENSORY -7
Perception
Set (Readiness to Act)
Guided response
Mechanism
Complex overt response
Adaptation
Origination
UPGRADING RENAISSANCE MAN TO INCLUDE WOMEN
I like the idea of being a renaissance man or a jack of all trades, but with XX chromosomes, neither term fit. Then I came across a term from the greek that applied to Leonardo Da Vinci: polymath.
This term, in latin (homo universalis), is the only one that describes an individual whose known and problem solving skills spans a number of subjects, without suggesting gender.
I am proud to call myself a polymath!
This term, in latin (homo universalis), is the only one that describes an individual whose known and problem solving skills spans a number of subjects, without suggesting gender.
I am proud to call myself a polymath!
BIOLOGY TAXONOMY
I love sorting, but it was clear from grade 8 science that the world I knew in high school has not stopped changing in its classifications.
When I was growing up, there were 5 kingdoms: Monera, Protista, Plantae, Fungi, Animalia
and the big name, Linnaeus, based these on anatomy, morphology, embryology and cell structure.
Viruses weren't considered living organisms, so they were not even included.
Fast forward to today's viral pandemic of Coronovirus 19, and the world now is represented in just three "domaines of life":
1. Bacteria
2. Archaea aka life's "extremists"
3. Eukarya -Protista, Fungi, Plantae, Animalia
When I was growing up, there were 5 kingdoms: Monera, Protista, Plantae, Fungi, Animalia
and the big name, Linnaeus, based these on anatomy, morphology, embryology and cell structure.
Viruses weren't considered living organisms, so they were not even included.
Fast forward to today's viral pandemic of Coronovirus 19, and the world now is represented in just three "domaines of life":
1. Bacteria
2. Archaea aka life's "extremists"
3. Eukarya -Protista, Fungi, Plantae, Animalia
Friday, February 21, 2020
JANICE'S SKOR BARS
This picture does not do it justice, but I was very happy to make this recipe without worrying about throwing away a candy wrapper. I have this initial recipe from my neighbour Janice who lived across the street from me when I was growing up. She made them on soda crackers which would be perfect, but I had stale graham crackers.T hey did the trick, although would not have balanced as well, lacking the salt of soda crackers, and did not avoidbeing overly sweet, but there were no complaints from this version.
This is popular at passover with leftover Matzo bread, affectionately known in Jewish circles as Matzo crack!
Mock Skor Bars
Using a baking sheet lined with a silpat or aluminium foil (shiny side down), layer out your crackers to fill 9x13". Or however many have gone stale in your open package.
Preheat oven to 350F.
In saucepan, boil 1 c margarine and 1 c brown sugar until boiling. Remove from heat after 3 minutes. I used butter, and I would expect white sugar would work also. I stirred the butter and brown sugar version with no problems.
Pour over crackers and bake in heated oven for 10 minutes. Pour a scant layer of chocolate chips over and smooth as it melts, about 1/2 cup (some recipes say 1 cup).
Cool and break into smaller pieces.
Try not to eat too many at a time!
This is popular at passover with leftover Matzo bread, affectionately known in Jewish circles as Matzo crack!
Mock Skor Bars
Using a baking sheet lined with a silpat or aluminium foil (shiny side down), layer out your crackers to fill 9x13". Or however many have gone stale in your open package.
Preheat oven to 350F.
In saucepan, boil 1 c margarine and 1 c brown sugar until boiling. Remove from heat after 3 minutes. I used butter, and I would expect white sugar would work also. I stirred the butter and brown sugar version with no problems.
Pour over crackers and bake in heated oven for 10 minutes. Pour a scant layer of chocolate chips over and smooth as it melts, about 1/2 cup (some recipes say 1 cup).
Cool and break into smaller pieces.
Try not to eat too many at a time!
VEGAN BOWL (BUDDHA BOWL)
Makes 4 servings.
Marinate 450 g of cubed tofu for 30 minutes in soy sauce, chopped garlic and chili flakes.
Pan fry.
Combine in blender the ingredient for dressing:
1/4 c tahini
1/2 t tumeric
1/2 " peeled ginger
1 garlic clove
2 T maple syrup
1 T white vinear
4 T water (on rewarming I added even more to get out the residual dressing so as not to waste a drop)
1/8 t garlic chile sauce
For vegans, consider 1/4 c nutritional yeast for vitamin B12.
Here I had mixed jasmine and wild rice in a rice cooker, which undercooked the wild rice a little.
I added grated carrots and julienned canned beets to the marinated tofu and topped with a quarter of the dressing. One day, I added some sliced almonds which was excellent.
Other options:
Quinoa instead of rice
sliced avocado
sprouts
spinach
pepitas or hemp seeds
cooked sweet potato
chick peas instead of tofu
Marinate 450 g of cubed tofu for 30 minutes in soy sauce, chopped garlic and chili flakes.
Pan fry.
Combine in blender the ingredient for dressing:
1/4 c tahini
1/2 t tumeric
1/2 " peeled ginger
1 garlic clove
2 T maple syrup
1 T white vinear
4 T water (on rewarming I added even more to get out the residual dressing so as not to waste a drop)
1/8 t garlic chile sauce
For vegans, consider 1/4 c nutritional yeast for vitamin B12.
Here I had mixed jasmine and wild rice in a rice cooker, which undercooked the wild rice a little.
I added grated carrots and julienned canned beets to the marinated tofu and topped with a quarter of the dressing. One day, I added some sliced almonds which was excellent.
Other options:
Quinoa instead of rice
sliced avocado
sprouts
spinach
pepitas or hemp seeds
cooked sweet potato
chick peas instead of tofu
 |
| From Health is Happiness |
Thursday, February 20, 2020
BOOK REVIEW: KINGDOM OF THE BLIND
The epilogue that Louise Penny writes for this book is in itself worth the read. In difficult circumstances, she paints the picture of how she sat down at her dining room table and slowly wrote this book. Titled after the quote from medieval Erasmus, "In the kingdom of the blind, the one-eyed man is king", the cover reminded me of the dystopian movie Blindness.
I read this book after investing the time to read all the previous ones. It's a series that requires this investment. It requires an understanding of the development of the characters. Some of the friends are expanded, and the family that is Gamache's work family comes together in this story, that is a dénouement of a number of books, some of which I found myself disliking.
In most of the past books, there are usually a couple of ideas that are meant to work out as clever constructs, but sometimes are darlings that should have been killed (glass houses and Spanish Cobradors, as potential examples).
In this case, there are some original, and potentially too unrealistic constructs, but I found the ones in this story more subtle, and woven together more carefully than others in the last books.
A couple of ideas that I enjoyed a lot were:
Gamache's idea that we all have a longhouse of experiences. None can be walled off. All make up the complexity of our existence. In Armand's words:
"...my mentor had this theory that our lives are like an aboriginal longhouse. Just one huge room....He said that is f we thought we could compartmentalize things, we were deluding ourselves. Everyone we meet, every word we speak, every action taken or not taken lives in our longhouse. With us. Always. Never to be expelled or locked away....if you don't want your longhouse to smell like merde, you have to do two things---Be very, very careful who you let into your life. And learn to make peace with whatever happens. You can't erase the past. It's trapped there with you. But you can make peace with it. If you don't,...you'll be a t perpetual war,...and the enemy you'll be fighting is yourself."
The character of a billionaire investor based on Penny's acquaintance with Janislowsky.
A group of people chosen as strangers to be executors of a will.
A young naive couple with romantic ideas and a delusional elderly pair that referred to themselves as Baron and Baroness, who are just as romantic, a play on the name Rothchild (Kinderoth).
I like to imagine the paintings that Clara paints, and the books of poetry Ruth writes.
I prayed to be good and strong and wise,
for my daily bread and deliverance
from the sins I was told were mind from birth
and the Guilt of an old inheritance.
I like to have to look things up: like what is primogeniture? What is the movie A Shot in the Dark about? What food is lemon posset? What is The Wreck of Hesperus about? Is Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds an actual book? What else did Marcus Aurelius say in the book he is quoted as saying: It is not death that a man should fear, but he should fear never beginning to live?
I wish that I could have the wherewithal to think of my favourite things when stressed or scared, like Armnad lists them in his head, like a rosary.
Clean sheets. The scent of wood smoke. Feeling Henri's head on my slippers. Flaky croissants. The scent of fresh croissants. Holding Reine-Marie in my arms, in bed, on a rainy morning. Driving across the Champlain Bridge and seeing the Montréal skyline. The scent of fresh-cut grass. Walking along the Seine, holding the little hands of Flora and Zora. Reine Marie in his arms on a lazy Sunday morning. Laundry on the line. The scent of Honoré. Sitting in the garden with an iced tea. Reine-Marie. Croissants. The first log fire in autumn. The scent of fresh-cut grass. Croissants.
I like the silly ideas of opening a local carnival with Justin Trudeau and running a contest around the village green in bathing suits, wearing snowshoes!
It also may help that this story concludes many uncertainties about the character of the beloved Inspector Gamache. I thoroughly enjoyed this read. Even if you have yet to start the story arc of this series, this book is worth you starting Still Life, reading the preceding thirteen in total, just to get her.
It is worth mentioning that this book rates as parental guidance for violence, homicide (no surprise there!), and vulgarity (F.I.N.E has officially become a darling to be killed!).
OBSENITY WARNING:
They fuck you up, your mum and dad.
They may not mean to, but they do.
Man hands on misery to man.
It deepens like a coastal shelf.
Get out as early as you can
And don't have any kids yourself.
Or as read to a kid as a bed time story:
Man hands on happiness to man.
it deepens like a coastal shelf.
so love your parents all you can,
And have some cheerful kids yourself.
This was a well woven tapestry of intellect, justice, hope, irreverence, trust, community, and love. I enjoyed it thoroughly.
I read this book after investing the time to read all the previous ones. It's a series that requires this investment. It requires an understanding of the development of the characters. Some of the friends are expanded, and the family that is Gamache's work family comes together in this story, that is a dénouement of a number of books, some of which I found myself disliking.
In most of the past books, there are usually a couple of ideas that are meant to work out as clever constructs, but sometimes are darlings that should have been killed (glass houses and Spanish Cobradors, as potential examples).
In this case, there are some original, and potentially too unrealistic constructs, but I found the ones in this story more subtle, and woven together more carefully than others in the last books.
A couple of ideas that I enjoyed a lot were:
Gamache's idea that we all have a longhouse of experiences. None can be walled off. All make up the complexity of our existence. In Armand's words:
"...my mentor had this theory that our lives are like an aboriginal longhouse. Just one huge room....He said that is f we thought we could compartmentalize things, we were deluding ourselves. Everyone we meet, every word we speak, every action taken or not taken lives in our longhouse. With us. Always. Never to be expelled or locked away....if you don't want your longhouse to smell like merde, you have to do two things---Be very, very careful who you let into your life. And learn to make peace with whatever happens. You can't erase the past. It's trapped there with you. But you can make peace with it. If you don't,...you'll be a t perpetual war,...and the enemy you'll be fighting is yourself."
The character of a billionaire investor based on Penny's acquaintance with Janislowsky.
A group of people chosen as strangers to be executors of a will.
A young naive couple with romantic ideas and a delusional elderly pair that referred to themselves as Baron and Baroness, who are just as romantic, a play on the name Rothchild (Kinderoth).
I like to imagine the paintings that Clara paints, and the books of poetry Ruth writes.
I prayed to be good and strong and wise,
for my daily bread and deliverance
from the sins I was told were mind from birth
and the Guilt of an old inheritance.
I like to have to look things up: like what is primogeniture? What is the movie A Shot in the Dark about? What food is lemon posset? What is The Wreck of Hesperus about? Is Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds an actual book? What else did Marcus Aurelius say in the book he is quoted as saying: It is not death that a man should fear, but he should fear never beginning to live?
I wish that I could have the wherewithal to think of my favourite things when stressed or scared, like Armnad lists them in his head, like a rosary.
Clean sheets. The scent of wood smoke. Feeling Henri's head on my slippers. Flaky croissants. The scent of fresh croissants. Holding Reine-Marie in my arms, in bed, on a rainy morning. Driving across the Champlain Bridge and seeing the Montréal skyline. The scent of fresh-cut grass. Walking along the Seine, holding the little hands of Flora and Zora. Reine Marie in his arms on a lazy Sunday morning. Laundry on the line. The scent of Honoré. Sitting in the garden with an iced tea. Reine-Marie. Croissants. The first log fire in autumn. The scent of fresh-cut grass. Croissants.
I like the silly ideas of opening a local carnival with Justin Trudeau and running a contest around the village green in bathing suits, wearing snowshoes!
It also may help that this story concludes many uncertainties about the character of the beloved Inspector Gamache. I thoroughly enjoyed this read. Even if you have yet to start the story arc of this series, this book is worth you starting Still Life, reading the preceding thirteen in total, just to get her.
It is worth mentioning that this book rates as parental guidance for violence, homicide (no surprise there!), and vulgarity (F.I.N.E has officially become a darling to be killed!).
OBSENITY WARNING:
They fuck you up, your mum and dad.
They may not mean to, but they do.
Man hands on misery to man.
It deepens like a coastal shelf.
Get out as early as you can
And don't have any kids yourself.
Or as read to a kid as a bed time story:
Man hands on happiness to man.
it deepens like a coastal shelf.
so love your parents all you can,
And have some cheerful kids yourself.
This was a well woven tapestry of intellect, justice, hope, irreverence, trust, community, and love. I enjoyed it thoroughly.
PRINCESS PIRATE ARTIST
Science meets art: Fluorine
Haida art meets a fantastical creature
Haida art meets Valentine's Day
Rainbow cloud meets the surrealism night sky
 |
| Madamoiselle Fluoraux |
Haida art meets a fantastical creature
Haida art meets Valentine's Day
Rainbow cloud meets the surrealism night sky
Wednesday, February 19, 2020
STEREOSCOPIC VISION AND A SNOW MOON
I have always been frustrated with how poorly a giant full moon looks when you try and take a picture of it. My friend Susanne, who photographs often to use as reference to produce art, explained it to me. I love that the answer just confirms how incredibly we are made as humans.
A camera always has a focal point that puts everything beyond it at the same distance in the background, but our eyes, with stereoscopic (binaucular) view can distinguish the nearness in the way that can wow on a crisp clear night.
MCGILL CAMPUS TOURS
This map gives me ideas.
Every time I walk by the McGill Campus, I wander. Sometimes I notice motifs on the tops of buildings. Sometimes I have a chance to go inside and explore.
The Redpath Museum.
The Osler Library with its stained glass windows from across the country.
The McLennan Library exhibitions and Gallery.
I recently found the Maude Abbott Medical Museum.
Every time I walk by the McGill Campus, I wander. Sometimes I notice motifs on the tops of buildings. Sometimes I have a chance to go inside and explore.
The Redpath Museum.
The Osler Library with its stained glass windows from across the country.
The McLennan Library exhibitions and Gallery.
I recently found the Maude Abbott Medical Museum.
LOUISE PENNY
I just finished her 13th book Kingdom of the Blind, and she has hit it out of the park with this one. Mourning her husband's death, she wasn't sure if she would write again. I think she wrote the best one yet.
As I was looking around for Marian Scott's artwork, I found a couple of lectures that I would like to watch with Louise Penny. First is a Hugh MacLennan lecture. Second is her unexpected road to success.
Nature of the Beast
Glass Houses
At the Library of Congress
As I was looking around for Marian Scott's artwork, I found a couple of lectures that I would like to watch with Louise Penny. First is a Hugh MacLennan lecture. Second is her unexpected road to success.
Nature of the Beast
Glass Houses
At the Library of Congress
MARIAN DALE SCOTT
This Montreal Beaver Hall impressionist has been floating in and out of my psyche recently, and I found her again while obsessing over geometric images for art deco ideas for closet doors.
That led me to this incredible painting.
It feels like she reflects everything I love about Quebec.
Her floral prints are exquisite. My favourite is the milkweed.
Some connections to this artist have surprised me. A small exhibit at the Glen hospital of Norman Bethune includes a painting of his, and there is photograph of what looks like a nurse and orderly teaching children in hospital beds to paint. That woman in hospital garb is Marian Dale Scott, and she was a friend of Normal Bethune!
That led me to this incredible painting.
 |
| Lauren Harris Meets Emily Carr Meets Art Nouveau |
It feels like she reflects everything I love about Quebec.
 |
| Seems like the road to Kamouraska |
 |
| Bank Street Bridge by her friend Pegi Nicol MacLeod |
 |
| Snow clearing at Night/Lorne Crescent 1936 |
Her floral prints are exquisite. My favourite is the milkweed.
 |
| Milkweed |
 |
| Bud 1939 (Art Gallery of Hamilton) |
 |
| Skunk Cabbage (McGill Visual Arts Collection) |
 |
| Tulip |
Some connections to this artist have surprised me. A small exhibit at the Glen hospital of Norman Bethune includes a painting of his, and there is photograph of what looks like a nurse and orderly teaching children in hospital beds to paint. That woman in hospital garb is Marian Dale Scott, and she was a friend of Normal Bethune!
 |
| Untitled Landscape 1932 (Canadian Art Group) |
This is a mural I need to check out soon. |
| Endocrinology 1942 (Strathcona Anatomy and Dentistry Building) |
AU PETIT COIN BRETON, QUEBEC, QUEBEC
We walked down the street Sunday morning to a Breton Crepe place. Greeted by a woman in traditional dress and a lace headdress, we made our way upstairs. The interior was full of timber, and we even sat on timber chairs. It was incredible fast service, and we were very happy. This is what we ate, and we almost finished it all. The plates were eclectic and the placemats outlined Brittany. It was fun to dream of the province in Roman Gaul that Asterix and Obelix came from, and who's accent has been likened to Quebec's. Rennes and St. Malo were familiar. I have no idea if the food is authentic, but the experience as a visitor to Quebec City was wonderful.
Menu
Menu
 |
| Nutella Banana Crèpes |
 |
| Comes with a little side of whipped cream that looks like Bonhomme! |
 |
| Early Bird : Le Traditionnel |
Tuesday, February 18, 2020
A LITTLE FRIDGE LOVE
I thought my fridge was dying. I am taught to expect it, what with planned obsolescence and all. As early as last summer, I remember the laboured vibrations that started to echo through the house. When the fan turned on, it was becoming so loud that I started to shop for another one. It has been almost 15 years, after all. I found the paperwork from the place that did appliance repairs when it was under warranty, and was going to call them for a Hail Mary today.
Instead, I googled fridge maintenance and mostly found videos of coils at the backs of fridges that needed to be vacuumed. I got out the vacuum, that had its own maintenance issue ( I did find that quarter round moulding I was looking for!), and discovering the back of my fridge was almost totally inaccessible, which was unlike the video. I pushed it back in place, resolved to call for one last maintenance look after the house was vacuumed, and took the faceplate off at the foot of the freezer bottom to finish the kitchen. I guess it had been a while because this is what I found:
It sounds much better now! Purring, actually! Poor thing!
Instead, I googled fridge maintenance and mostly found videos of coils at the backs of fridges that needed to be vacuumed. I got out the vacuum, that had its own maintenance issue ( I did find that quarter round moulding I was looking for!), and discovering the back of my fridge was almost totally inaccessible, which was unlike the video. I pushed it back in place, resolved to call for one last maintenance look after the house was vacuumed, and took the faceplate off at the foot of the freezer bottom to finish the kitchen. I guess it had been a while because this is what I found:
It sounds much better now! Purring, actually! Poor thing!
Monday, February 17, 2020
CANADIAN ABORIGINAL SYLLABICS
Thanks to flights north and growing up on the prairies, I have seen the symbols that represent Inuktitut and Cree languages, but I didn't realize this was mostly a Canadian thing.
Here is a simple table with the alphabet from Cree Literacy.
Wycliffe has a nice summary too.
Here is a simple table with the alphabet from Cree Literacy.
Wycliffe has a nice summary too.
KURT VONNEGUT RINGS TRUE
From A Man Without A Country
"If you want to really hurt you parents, and you don't have the nerve to be gay, the least you can do is go into the arts. I'm not kidding. The arts are not a way to make a living. They are a very human way of making life more bearable. Practicing an art, no matter how well or badly, is a way to make your soul grow, for heaven's sake. Sing in the shower. Dance to the radio. Tell stories. Write a poem to a friend, even a lousy poem. Do it as well as you possible can. You will get an enormous reward. You will have created something. "
"If you want to really hurt you parents, and you don't have the nerve to be gay, the least you can do is go into the arts. I'm not kidding. The arts are not a way to make a living. They are a very human way of making life more bearable. Practicing an art, no matter how well or badly, is a way to make your soul grow, for heaven's sake. Sing in the shower. Dance to the radio. Tell stories. Write a poem to a friend, even a lousy poem. Do it as well as you possible can. You will get an enormous reward. You will have created something. "
ODE TO A FORMER SOLDIER
House of God
My home away from home
Three long days
Proud of a job well done
Leaving late to my real home
Museum pieces litter the hallways
At the foot of Queen Victoria
WWII display case
History trumps smart phone
Walking by I reach out
Resource Librarian in my heart
Don't miss the bigger find around the corner
I slow, puzzled, as he turns
We connect
You don't know Norman Bethune?
Communist Hero ?
Mcgill Thoracic Surgeon?
Statue at Guy-Concordia?
I offer to show him
Regain my pace
Baseline fast
Strides too long
He peels away towards me
Catches and keeps up
Tall, handsome
Listening and talking
Former soldier
Waiting for an MRI
Not so young but not old enough
Stride for stride
We are here.
He slows, then turns to investigate
Photos, painting, instruments
Enjoy! Hesitates?
I march past
I am almost out, almost home
Outside, I see it in reverse
Grateful for a stranger
Gifts of time, effort, interest
Reminds me I have something
Hope for someday
My home away from home
Three long days
Proud of a job well done
Leaving late to my real home
Museum pieces litter the hallways
At the foot of Queen Victoria
WWII display case
History trumps smart phone
Walking by I reach out
Resource Librarian in my heart
Don't miss the bigger find around the corner
I slow, puzzled, as he turns
We connect
You don't know Norman Bethune?
Communist Hero ?
Mcgill Thoracic Surgeon?
Statue at Guy-Concordia?
I offer to show him
Regain my pace
Baseline fast
Strides too long
He peels away towards me
Catches and keeps up
Tall, handsome
Listening and talking
Former soldier
Waiting for an MRI
Not so young but not old enough
Stride for stride
We are here.
He slows, then turns to investigate
Photos, painting, instruments
Enjoy! Hesitates?
I march past
I am almost out, almost home
Outside, I see it in reverse
Grateful for a stranger
Gifts of time, effort, interest
Reminds me I have something
Hope for someday
Friday, February 14, 2020
HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY
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| A perfect lunch for Princess Pirate |
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| Grandma's classic cookies, smaller, with way less finesse, but just as much love. |
COVID RESTRICTIONS AND ABSTINENCE DREAMS
I was working beside a colleague this week. I came in from a train ride trying to calculate the golden ratio without the help of google because I had forgotten my phone at home and didn't have enough time to goback. He starts throwing out numbers that include both the right answer and the wrong, but I already have it worked out that it has be between 1 and 2. Without google, neither of us come up with the magic number (it's 1.6), but we both babble on about different aspects of it. I am struck with how dumb it is that I try and remember Fibernacci's sequence when a two digit number is all I need to take home. He's trying to find an image that shows that each adjacent segment has one shared length, but the other has to be smaller in order to form the spiral that we both know as the classic example. We both admire not only the beauty of the concept, but how the geometric certainty plays out in natural life. I find this remarkable, and for one moment feel akin. This is not something that has happened before.
We could not be more opposite. He tells me about WW trench smells in forests and using the decay to attract deer while he hunts. I am philosophically vegetarian. He was recently against including a statement about equity in our department rules unless it was "actionable" but doesn't see that his stance only makes the gender divide larger. He wears button down dress shirts and pants and is usually clean shaven. I wear yoga pants and runners, am lumpy, and usually wear my hair up in a ponytail. He lives in a two story modern apartment downtown. I live in the suburbs in a cluttered rundown bungalow on a street I love filled with art I love surrounded by neighbours I love. He loves Archer and mixing drinks and talks a lot about death. I love Martha Stewart and drinking red wine and being disorganized and think a lot about suffering and am exhausted by death.
I believe he has a kickass surgery girlfriend who works elsewhere (is her fellowship over? I haven't seen her for years. Are they still together?), and I am understood as asexual, especially during Covid restrictions, in our department of mostly male physicians, surrounded by younger women and being of that middle age group of women who are largely invisible. I hate his father, a former bad mentor, and he would make my daughter cry in a heartbeat. But in that moment, I look back and see the broad strokes of attraction.
He's in his late 40s too, grey haired and a little more thick than trim, but he's tall enough, has a nice enough voice, great hands, and is smart. Standing there, he looked strong and manly. He had good eye contact. He works hard enough. But he is probably not nice enough. He could eviscerate me with his words faster than he could clean a deer. I don't know if he could listen. I know I tried to make a joke about the golden ratio, but he didn't laugh.
But what if he didn't laugh because I scared him? What if he left without saying goodbye because he was single and abstinent and feeling the same thing?
"I never noticed before, but she's smart enough. Attractive enough. She looks confident and soft and alluring enough. Like I could put my arm around her waist and feel solid curves. Like she could laugh at my jokes if I was funny enough. She's intense. She's feisty. I could like her."
Within the knowledge of being who we are, diametrically opposed, and certainly if he is attached, it's fantasy; still, whether he is single or not, I'd have another conversation about the golden ratio and geometry's beauty, and nature's tessellations again.
If he was single and listen and hiding a big heart behind a gruff exterior, I wouldn't throw him out of bed either.
Wednesday, February 12, 2020
DAIRY QUEEN MOTTO ON AN ICE CREAM CONE
I AM 365 DAYS OF SUMMER VACATION.
JE SUIS 365 JOURS DE VACANCES D'ÉTÉ.
JE SUIS 365 JOURS DE VACANCES D'ÉTÉ.
SENDING MY DRAGONS TO MYTHICAL CREATURE SCHOOL
Yesterday I was asked to send some mythical creatures to Princess Pirate's outdoor snow school. I foolishly offered the name a unicorn named Glitter I have conjured up in the past. This was not good enough. Now that PP is on book number 8 of Wings of Fire, I am now searching for names for dragons that come from these tribal families: Seawings, Sandwings, Mudwings, Icewings, Skywings, Rainwings and Nightwings. This is who I am sending to mythical creature school tomorrow: Ariel, Rose, Piggy, Squall, Cloudy, May, and Moonbeam.
I have taken to writing down some of my pets over the years.
3 years ago, the animals were simpler.
My bird was named Harriet.
My fish was named Kipper.
My goat was Abigail.
My horse was named Clover.
Princess Pirates pets:
Peregrine falcon named Sky.
Sea otter named Sea Queen.
Turkish Van cat named Ruby.
Mom horse named Lily.
Baby horse named Daisy.
Bunny named Bun-Bun.
I have taken to writing down some of my pets over the years.
3 years ago, the animals were simpler.
My bird was named Harriet.
My fish was named Kipper.
My goat was Abigail.
My horse was named Clover.
Princess Pirates pets:
Peregrine falcon named Sky.
Sea otter named Sea Queen.
Turkish Van cat named Ruby.
Mom horse named Lily.
Baby horse named Daisy.
Bunny named Bun-Bun.
Monday, February 10, 2020
ONCE UPON A TIME IN NEU PREUßENDORF
A long time ago, my relatives lived in Prussia. Being that the family was German speaking, I failed to determine the location, as in this particular case, the town they came from in Prussia is now in Poland, translating to Prusinówko, in Walcz.
OSCARS
Thanks to CTV, I was able to miss the Oscars and catch up today. I have found time to watch them the last few years, and although I have watched none of the films up for awards, I did watch Elton John's biopic Rocketman on a plane sometime last year.
The jokes are pointed and necessary. There are so many cringeworthy moments, and other hilarious ones. There are so many incredibly beautiful people, doing incredibly gifted passionate work.
My favourite moment this year was Joaquin Phoenix's speech. It was overtime, and modestly delivered, and incredibly honest, and in my mind, spot on!
I am quite sure that a lot of these films are no better than others, and I am saddened by the irony that the 3 meant to speak on behalf of makeup in Bombshell, only the man spoke.
I am drawn to the stories of women. I may not have time to watch any more examples of men playing roles, and men directing films, and men writing music, and men writing more stories about men. So I will look to watch Harriet, Judy, Little Women, Bombshell, and Frozen II in the coming months.
The jokes are pointed and necessary. There are so many cringeworthy moments, and other hilarious ones. There are so many incredibly beautiful people, doing incredibly gifted passionate work.
My favourite moment this year was Joaquin Phoenix's speech. It was overtime, and modestly delivered, and incredibly honest, and in my mind, spot on!
I am quite sure that a lot of these films are no better than others, and I am saddened by the irony that the 3 meant to speak on behalf of makeup in Bombshell, only the man spoke.
I am drawn to the stories of women. I may not have time to watch any more examples of men playing roles, and men directing films, and men writing music, and men writing more stories about men. So I will look to watch Harriet, Judy, Little Women, Bombshell, and Frozen II in the coming months.
LONG LAKE
Saskatoon to Meadow Lake to Camrose via my great uncle's namesake lake (my grandma's aviator brother). Next trip to the West!
Editor's note:
I was wrong about the location that honoured my great uncle Morgan's life and death. He has been honoured at Wildnest Lake, a 5 hour drive north west of Saskatoon, near Flin Flon, with Long Bay carrying his name.
That makes it less likely I will visit the lake than I had hope, but I still want to do a Saskatoon - Meadow Lake - Lloydminster - Camrose tour on our way to Jasper - O'hare - Banff parks.
Here is the plaque obtained by his siblings:
His burial was near Brest (Bretogne), France at Le Conquet Communal Cemetery, in Finistere.
GORILLA GLUE IS MY NEW GO-TO GLUE
Plastic to plastic, boot sole to upper, broken stocking hangers.
Allow for expansion. Compress if you can. Don't expect a clear finish.
Shave the excess that you can't plan to hide. So far a highly durable glue that isn't always dried up and activated each new application.
PAILLARD BAKERY, RUE SAINT JEAN, VIEUX-QUEBEC
Un Jésuite (packed with marzipam, in flaky pastry)
Un croissant nature
Une choquette (a sweet version of Yorkshire Pudding)
LE CARNAVAL DE QUEBEC
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| Hotel Palace Royal, Quebec bracelets by Princess Pirate, 2020 Effigy pass |
In front of town Hall, we met the Carnaval mascot. PP was sliding down a snowbank, and to my everlasting shame, I was taking a picture of this statue. He walked up the steps, and asked, in French, why I was taking a picture of a statue when the real deal was in front of me! He seemed enormous, and when he hugged us to his side, he was strong! One of his two entourage companions was kind enough to take a picture. I was laughing so hard, half embarrassed, half thrilled, to have met the Bonhomme so early in the weekend, and we had two days to go!
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