Handy Words That Don’t Exist In English
Arigata-meiwaku (Japanese): An act someone does for you that you didn’t want to have them do and tried to avoid having them do, but they went ahead anyway, determined to…
Lilian Nattel
Perspective
winter flowers, click to enlarge I held the camera under the flowers and pointed up, surprising myself in the frame. Filed under: Fun, Interesting Tagged: urban photography
The Process: 10 Years Ago
As you’ll know if you follow my blog, I sent off the first draft of a fun new book to my agent. He is a dear as well as smart,…
Albert Nobbs
Glenn Close as Albert Nobbs and Janet McTeer as Hubert Page via Gallery for Albert Nobbs Throughout history, there have been women who have lived as men either because of…
Princess Shoes
These were custom made for Princess Lilian of Belgium, designed by Roger Vivier, whom I gather from my visit to the Bata Shoe Museum, was the shoe to M. Dior’s…
Nutcracker
The choreography, sets, and costumes were new, at least to me. This was my family’s Christmas present from A’s mom: row F, seats 14 to 17. I haven’t seen The…
Bravery: the Writer
I want to tell you about a writer who looked old in his mid-30s. He walked with a cane. He was overweight, lethargic, pasty-faced and depressed. It was no wonder.…
Writer’s New Year Resolutions
1. Create more, worry less. (h/t Diane Shoemperlen) 2. The market isn’t Stalin. Have fun writing. 3. The market is Stalin. Be subversive. n invisible force was crushing him. He…
Eugenides Advice on Writing
To follow literary fashion, to write for money, to censor your true feelings and thoughts or adopt ideas because they’re popular requires a writer to suppress the very promptings that…
Buddha’s Flowers on Christmas
Click to enlarge I saw the day come into the sky this morning and waited for my family to awake. There was peace and there was joy, like the songs,…
The Sun Keeps Rising
click to enlarge The world ain’t ending folks. View from my kitchen while getting kids their breakfast. Filed under: Miscellany
Sea Plane and Reading
WWII military supply plane That is the interior of the sea plane that took me from Vancouver to Gabriola Island. As the only passenger, I got to sit in front.…
Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera
Portrait of Diego Rivera and Malu Block and Frida Kahlo de Rivera by Carl Van Vechten (Click photo to enlarge) I am drawn to survivors whose spirit pushes through trauma…
Hanukah Last Night
click to enlarge Do you see the blue lights? And the evanescent ball hanging out with the plant? Who can say whether they are optical effects or angels? Filed under:…
Draft One Done!
You may have noticed that I’ve been blogging less and less of late and the result is…drum roll please…the completed first draft of a New Book. Yes, folks, there is…
Inspiring Ted Talk: Peace
I remember first coming across the Facebook Page that this talk is about, but I didn’t know the context, how it got started, or how it evolved. The video went…
Multiple Personalities: We on the Inside; We on the Outside
I’ve been intensely living with the Power of We for about 8 years, so it is karmic that today is Blog Action Day and the theme is The Power of…
Searching for the Canadian Voice – Imprint
Last week I was at the Kitchener Writers Festival, where I was interviewed by a delightful young woman, Catherine Vendryes, who is an English Major at the University of Waterloo,…
Baseball
Today I’m writing about baseball. Have fun with this! John Fogerty – Centerfield – YouTube. Filed under: Fun Tagged: Centerfield by John Fogerty