Jack Layton: Another Fight for a Man of Courage
Shocked, although maybe not too surprised, to hear that Jack Layton is battling another cancer. Here's a link to a place where you can send a message of encouragement to…
Mary Soderstrom
The Intimacy of Facebook and Men Who Cry in Public on It
Just a quick comment on the day the furniture comes back (the boxes including 5000 books arrive Thursday!): the most emotionally over-the-top posts I've seen on my Facebook network have…
Saturday Photo: Hot Day, Light on Leaves
If you ever wondered about the value of street trees, here's an object lesson. The trees across the street from our temporary digs shade the buildings there, which means they…
What Is That Mushroom Cloud Advancing on the City? Just an Amazing Thunderstorm?
This is a link from a friend from the storm we had Thursday night. The view from the terrace here was very similar, and I stood and watched the rising…
A Couple of Laughs on a Hot Day When the Less You Wear the Better (But No Elastic-Breaking, Please)
Got this from a friend this morning. It seems perfect as an antidote for a day that looks blistering:"In April, Maya Angelou was interviewed by Oprah on her 70+ birthday.…
The True Story of Little Match Girls in Canada: Why Unions and Government Regulation Are Important
"The Little Match Girl" is one of those Hans Christian Andersen stories that wrench the heart: the poor little match seller outside a grand residence dies of cold after slowly…
Claire Messud and the Murdochs: A Novel That Saw What Was Coming
One of the few things I've been able to read lately--too much physical labour, it seems, makes you fall asleep at 9:30 p.m.--was Claire Messud's novel The Emperor's Children from…
Countdown to Moving: Let’s Hope It’s Not Like This
The clothes, rugs, linens and the like come back on Thursday. Monday it's the furniture, Wednesday the boxes (including 5,000 books.) Maybe it will all be over soon!BTW, the plumbers…
The Nicest Weekend of the Year? Or Why Countries Have Holidays This Time of Year
This was taken as the moon rose on Thursday night, Bastille Day or the Fête nationale française. The moon was not quite full, but the evening was lovely after a…
Saturday Photo: A Tangle of Hosta Flowers, and Shooting Star Daylilies
One of the joys of a garden full of perennials is that the plants and the flowers come back, even in yars of neglect. I took these yesterday, when the…
Swimming in the St. Lawrence: Not So Crazy as You Might Think
As I write this, at shortly after 7 a.m., some hardy souls are gathering on a pier in Montreal's Old Port, getting ready for the Grand Splash. For the seventh…
The Plumbers Came and (Almost) Fixed Things
Well, actually the plumbers yesterday came to put the radiators back in place. They'd been removed so the new hardwood floors could be installed. It only took two guys to…
Upon the Roof: The Place on a Summer Evening
The last couple of weeks on the Plateau, as the house near readiness. It is very hot, and the apartment is hotter, but at least we can get up on…
St. Basil’s Cathedral and Disneyland: Celebrating Kitsch
Google this morning brings us an image of St. Basil's Cathedral in Moscow (right). Seems it was consecrated on July 12, 1561, or 550 years ago today.It's quite an impressive…
The United States: Classless Coiuntry of Equality?
One of the strange things about the US (and to a lesser extent Canada) is the way this supposeodly classless society dumps on people who would be considered on the…
Saturday Photo: The Eure at Chartres
As the pace quickens in our struggle to get back inot our house, I find myself slipping off mentally into quieter times. This photo is from our trip to France…
Why There’s Nothing Interesting Here Today
Running errands, washing kitchen cabinets, putting out more fires (figuratively speaking) as the countdown on the house continues, so no post today.
Coming Up Sometime: A New Short Story Collection
My big news is a nice grant from the Conseil des arts et lettres du Québec to support work on a new short story collection. It'll be called Desire Lines:…
Cool City = Low Rent: Better Times for Detroit?
When Montreal seemed to tank after the various crises about French nationalism, some interesting things started to happen, in part because rents were low enough to encourage edgy young people…