While I had a bit of downtime over the weekend, I've actually been quite busy since Friday. Friday was a particularly full day. I woke up at 6 and went jogging with my daughter. She hasn't followed through on the jogging quite as much as she hoped, but we've gone a few times.
I then biked to work to get a meeting room set up for a 9 am meeting. It was fortuitous that I showed up when I did, as some other team was squatting in my space, despite my having booked the room for the entire day. After I kicked them out, the meeting got going. The first meeting went from 9 to 3, though with an hour for lunch. Then I had an even more intense meeting from 3:30 to 5. I was kind of wiped out.
However, the day wasn't over. I had seen there were quite a few seats available for Yaga at Tarragon, so I decided to drop by and try to score rush tickets. I got quite good seats, though I was just a bit distressed that the show ran over 2 hours. (I'm getting more and more into the mindset that 75-90 minutes plays are my preferred mode of experiencing theatre.) I enjoyed this quite a bit (though probably would have caught some of the twists and turns sooner if I had been a bit more rested). Maybe I'll say a bit more about the play after it closes in mid Oct.to avoid spoiling things.
Sat. I visited two libraries, the Humane Society, the Eton Centre and then finally the Regent Park Aquatic Centre for leisure swim with my daughter.
I actually did take a nap but then left around 7:30 to go up to the Danforth to catch Tinariwen in concert. This makes the fourth time I've seen them live, twice in Chicago and twice in Toronto.
Sunday was a bit calmer, mostly going to the gym, getting the groceries, doing laundry and so forth.
Today was a moderately long day at work, but I was trying to pace myself since I was going to the Salman Rushdie event at the AGO. I wasn't so surprised that I had to check my bag, though I wish they had been more clear there would be no book signing, since I could have just left my book in my bag. The other thing is there were quite a few open seats, and I know a few people who would have come if they had made those seats available. Oh well. Finally, this was just a long interview and not a reading at all. While the interview was quite wide-ranging and interesting, I think it still might have been a bit better if they had kicked things off with Rushdie reading a passage or two from the start of Quichotte to whet the audience's appetite.
At any rate, I have survived all this, and I think things slow down a little bit today. I only have to swing by the library on the way home from work to drop off some books (including Morrison's Tar Baby, which I am abandoning midway through) and to pick up Frying Plaintain. I'm somewhat surprised that this did not make it to the Giller Prize shortlist, though it is more of a surprise that Atwood's The Testaments was also cut. In terms of major things on the horizon, I'll be off to Stratford in about 3 weeks to see Henry VI, and then I have a week in Nov. where I am attending quite a few classical concerts, but again I am hoping to pace myself and not end up as exhausted as I was this weekend...
Tuesday, October 1, 2019
Tuesday, September 24, 2019
Hands On
My daughter has also become fascinated by other kinds of self-improvement and specifically clearing up her skin (so she wants to visit a dermatologist) and growing her nails. Not being quite patient enough (or disciplined enough to stop biting her nails), she asked us for press-on nails to see how they might look. We decided that this was a relatively minor ask, so I picked some up from Shoppers.
I have my doubts how long this "manicure" will last, but she seems to like it well enough.
I have my doubts how long this "manicure" will last, but she seems to like it well enough.
A New Leaf
I do try to stay away from big pronouncements and (New Year's) resolutions, but I am glad to note that I replaced my swim goggles with a brand that actually works. The first time back in the water I only managed 8 laps, though I had hoped for 10. The second time back I did make 10 laps. I probably would have swum last Wednesday, but I needed to wash the swim trunks. I had planned to swim on the way home from work on Friday, though it turned out that the lap swimming was much later than I thought and it was a leisure swim period. Since my daughter (somewhat surprisingly) has been very interested in going swimming, I decided I would see what the leisure swim set up was like. It turned out that the Regent Park Aquatic Centre is set up to have a fairly large shallow area, probably twice the space that the Matty Eckler pool has. Then there is a middle area basically set up to do short laps. Then they have an area to practice diving. Since I was there fairly early, I claimed some space in the middle section and worked on building up endurance, i.e. how many short laps I could swim without a break. I don't know if this ended up adding up to 10 or 12 full-length laps, but it was a decent workout. They also have a spa area open, though only for swimmers 17+, which will be a sore temptation for my daughter.
In addition to this new-found interest in swimming, my daughter had been pestering me to race her. I've never been a particularly fast runner, but I had pretty good stamina for middle distance running in my 30s. I finally broke down and bought a new pair of running shoes, since my gym shoes were starting to get worn down in the heels. There's an elementary school with an actual track around the corner from us, so we went there. Sad to say, she was much faster than I was, though she can only keep it up for about a lap. On our second outing (the following week), she was able to run the first lap quickly, then rested while I ran laps 2 and 3, then she jogged with me on the 4th lap. I told her that in general, she should work on endurance, and this is also the area where she will see the most immediate improvement. We did do some jogging in the neighbourhood, with her again having to stop about halfway through with a stitch in her side. She asked if we could jog every morning. I didn't think she could stick with it, and indeed this morning she didn't get up in time (and she wanted to take a longer shower), but we may jog after I get home from work. I do want to encourage her in this, but temper it with realistic expectations of how often she'll actually feel like running (maybe every other day instead of every day) and how fast she'll be able to run.
She was a bit disappointed that she couldn't join my gym right away and try out the treadmills, since she is a bit too young. But I guess I can sign her up on her birthday, and then take her after work during the winter, though it will probably mess up my routine, since I prefer to lift weights and then do the stationary bike and don't use the treadmill at all. Keeping her active and relatively happy is an important goal, however, so I'm sure we can figure something out.
She is also quite interested in doing yoga as well, but I said that I would leave that up to her mother, since I don't know the first thing about yoga and don't intend to start now. It's definitely quite a turnaround from before, but a good change so long as it lasts.
In addition to this new-found interest in swimming, my daughter had been pestering me to race her. I've never been a particularly fast runner, but I had pretty good stamina for middle distance running in my 30s. I finally broke down and bought a new pair of running shoes, since my gym shoes were starting to get worn down in the heels. There's an elementary school with an actual track around the corner from us, so we went there. Sad to say, she was much faster than I was, though she can only keep it up for about a lap. On our second outing (the following week), she was able to run the first lap quickly, then rested while I ran laps 2 and 3, then she jogged with me on the 4th lap. I told her that in general, she should work on endurance, and this is also the area where she will see the most immediate improvement. We did do some jogging in the neighbourhood, with her again having to stop about halfway through with a stitch in her side. She asked if we could jog every morning. I didn't think she could stick with it, and indeed this morning she didn't get up in time (and she wanted to take a longer shower), but we may jog after I get home from work. I do want to encourage her in this, but temper it with realistic expectations of how often she'll actually feel like running (maybe every other day instead of every day) and how fast she'll be able to run.
She was a bit disappointed that she couldn't join my gym right away and try out the treadmills, since she is a bit too young. But I guess I can sign her up on her birthday, and then take her after work during the winter, though it will probably mess up my routine, since I prefer to lift weights and then do the stationary bike and don't use the treadmill at all. Keeping her active and relatively happy is an important goal, however, so I'm sure we can figure something out.
She is also quite interested in doing yoga as well, but I said that I would leave that up to her mother, since I don't know the first thing about yoga and don't intend to start now. It's definitely quite a turnaround from before, but a good change so long as it lasts.
Friday, September 20, 2019
Tired of Trudeau
This is really the last straw for me. I don't actually get to vote in Canada, so it is all pretty hypothetical, but I'm not entirely sure what I would do if I had the vote. I generally am centre-left and vastly prefer the Liberal platform to the NDP's, but I am so tired of Trudeau and his terrible judgment. The ridiculous trip to India and now the brownface from his past. (Actually, I generally gave him a pass for the SNC-Lavalin "scandal.") Maybe I wouldn't care quite as much if he hadn't been such a sanctimonious prick about what a feminist he was and how much he was going to do towards reconciliation. And now this. It never crossed his mind that this would come up, and therefore maybe he needed to tone it down a bit in 2015??? I think what really kills me is that he was 29 at the time of his Arabian Nights party and it was 2001 (to paraphrase the man himself). By the 90s, it was well known that one should avoid blackface and brownface (remember Ted Danson... -- that happened in 1993).
While it is far too late for the Liberals to ditch him in 2019, maybe the best case scenario is that he pulls off a minor miracle and, after the election, ends up leading a minority government (with the Greens propping him up), takes some time to think these things over and agrees to step aside for a new leader by 2021 or so. Wishful thinking, I know, but I just can't bear the thought of Scheer (aka Harper Lite) in charge... But I guess I won't be too surprised (or even all that upset honestly) if the electorate agrees that Trudeau has worn out his welcome.
While it is far too late for the Liberals to ditch him in 2019, maybe the best case scenario is that he pulls off a minor miracle and, after the election, ends up leading a minority government (with the Greens propping him up), takes some time to think these things over and agrees to step aside for a new leader by 2021 or so. Wishful thinking, I know, but I just can't bear the thought of Scheer (aka Harper Lite) in charge... But I guess I won't be too surprised (or even all that upset honestly) if the electorate agrees that Trudeau has worn out his welcome.
Monday, September 16, 2019
Bright Spots
Things are definitely pretty gloomy right now, in the world generally and in my home life. But there are a few things worth celebrating or looking forward to.
It sounds as if there is a reasonable chance that Gary Larson is restarting The Far Side in one form or another. (I don't think they would bother announcing anything if it was just the old comics in a new format (Old Wine in New Bottles), but one never knows.) I was pretty excited a couple of years ago when Berke Breathed restarted Bloom County. I don't usually remember to check in on his homepage for the daily strips, but I have been buying his new collections as they come out, and they are pretty solid. In some cases, even more profound than the old strips from the 80s.
While this second item is mostly of interest to the bookish, scholars believe that they have uncovered a First Folio with John Milton's hand-written comments in the margins. How cool! I assume that, if this is proven true, then the entire thing will be digitized at some point, and then students can write all these papers on how Shakespeare influenced Milton, etc.
Third (and perhaps actually the most exciting for me) is that there is another blockbuster show (on top of Diane Arbus) coming to the AGO in 2020 - Picasso and the blue period. That's one I will check out several times for sure.
It sounds as if there is a reasonable chance that Gary Larson is restarting The Far Side in one form or another. (I don't think they would bother announcing anything if it was just the old comics in a new format (Old Wine in New Bottles), but one never knows.) I was pretty excited a couple of years ago when Berke Breathed restarted Bloom County. I don't usually remember to check in on his homepage for the daily strips, but I have been buying his new collections as they come out, and they are pretty solid. In some cases, even more profound than the old strips from the 80s.
While this second item is mostly of interest to the bookish, scholars believe that they have uncovered a First Folio with John Milton's hand-written comments in the margins. How cool! I assume that, if this is proven true, then the entire thing will be digitized at some point, and then students can write all these papers on how Shakespeare influenced Milton, etc.
Third (and perhaps actually the most exciting for me) is that there is another blockbuster show (on top of Diane Arbus) coming to the AGO in 2020 - Picasso and the blue period. That's one I will check out several times for sure.
Thursday, September 12, 2019
Closing out Shakespeare
I'm definitely getting closer to seeing all of Shakespeare's plays at least once, though it is true I passed up a chance to see a somewhat distorted version of The Winter's Tale in Withrow Park and then also King John at Stratford. As I just mentioned in the previous post, I will be checking out Henry VIII in Oct., and now it turns out that Shakepeare Bash'D will be doing Cymbeline in Feb., and I'll want to check that out. (They are also doing Midsummer's Night's Dream, but I think I pass, as I've just seen this so many times, including this summer and last summer in Withtow Park.)
In early April, Shakespeare Bash'D is doing a staged reading of Ford's Tis Pity She’s a Whore. I don't think I've seen this, though I could be mistaken. A staged reading is better than nothing, so I expect I'll go to that. I did encourage them to do some of the Middleton plays I haven't seen or Jonson's Bartholomew Fair, but no dice so far. Actually I should see if the UC Follies or one of the other UT dramatic companies* takes this up. Otherwise, it will be a long wait I fear.
* I did a quick spin around the UT websites, and there isn't too much of interest. About the only thing I might check out is Jordan Tannahill's Peter Fletcher (UC Follies), and I think I'll be passing on everything else. Too bad. Well, as I said before, I will be subscribing to George Brown again, and that usually works out reasonably well.
In early April, Shakespeare Bash'D is doing a staged reading of Ford's Tis Pity She’s a Whore. I don't think I've seen this, though I could be mistaken. A staged reading is better than nothing, so I expect I'll go to that. I did encourage them to do some of the Middleton plays I haven't seen or Jonson's Bartholomew Fair, but no dice so far. Actually I should see if the UC Follies or one of the other UT dramatic companies* takes this up. Otherwise, it will be a long wait I fear.
* I did a quick spin around the UT websites, and there isn't too much of interest. About the only thing I might check out is Jordan Tannahill's Peter Fletcher (UC Follies), and I think I'll be passing on everything else. Too bad. Well, as I said before, I will be subscribing to George Brown again, and that usually works out reasonably well.
Wednesday, September 11, 2019
Procrastination Pays Off!
The post title is supposed to mostly be ironic (normally procrastination is a terrible idea), but it is true that in some specific instances it can work out.
This is one of my favorite Dilbert cartoons of all time where they are given an assignment they know will be cancelled, and of course do not work on this task (whereas Alice finds the task to be completely urgent):
The trick of course is getting a good sense for when a meeting will be cancelled or when priorities shift and some tasks are just left at the bottom of the to-do list forever. This can backfire spectacularly if a manager suddenly remembers and elevates the unnecessary task. I don't often pull this at work, but it has worked out in my favor a few times.
At any rate, in this specific case I am thinking about the Stratford festival. I wasn't that interested in the 2019 season and didn't book any tickets in Dec. or Jan (before the prices went up). When I finally decided I was interested in checking out Henry VIII after all, the prices were frankly ridiculous. (This is often a problem with shows in the Studio Theatre. The Festival Theatre has a much broader range of ticket prices, and it is more typical that they will offer 2-for-1 sales and other discounts.)
I decided I would hang tough and see if they sent me a late-season discount. While it took longer than I expected, I finally got the flyer with the discount code. I was a bit more surprised that the Stratford Bus was still going to be running in October, but that makes it even more satisfying (since renting a car to drive down there would more or less eliminate the ticket savings). So I will be checking out Henry VIII after all. This gets me pretty close to seeing all the history plays, aside from King John (I guess I'll just rent the video from Stratford's 2014 season) and Richard II. Not sure if I have had a chance to see Richard II and passed, though I have seen Marlowe's Edward II (once live and then Derek Jarman's film). While it's not the end of the world, it is just a tiny bit disappointing that the bus will be coming back kind of late on the 20th, so I can't catch Thievery Corporation at the Danforth Music Hall that evening. (Or rather I can't count on being back in time, though I might conceivably be back home by 8 pm. Hmmm.)
At any rate, next season at Stratford looks a lot more interesting to me. There are three plays I am likely to see (The Rez Sisters, Moliere's The Miser and Hamlet) and I may go see Hamlet-911, which is a new play by Ann-Marie MacDonald built on the bones of Hamlet. I may even take my son to see Hamlet,* but I'll have to see how everything works out in terms of timing. I will make much more of an effort to book tickets in the pre-sale period before the prices go up.
Once again, Shaw doesn't interest me that much. There is a small chance I'd check out Trouble in Mind, and I'll think it over for a while. Actually, I might be up for Flush, based on a novella by Virginia Woolf, which is one of the lunchtime one-act plays, but I am almost certain the bus won't get me there in time, so I would either have to rent a car or carpool with someone else who wants to go to that.
* I've definitely been taking him in reverse order -- Lear and then Othello and now probably Hamlet. I still haven't managed to get him to Macbeth or Romeo and Juliet, which are the much more typical entries into the tragedies.
This is one of my favorite Dilbert cartoons of all time where they are given an assignment they know will be cancelled, and of course do not work on this task (whereas Alice finds the task to be completely urgent):
The trick of course is getting a good sense for when a meeting will be cancelled or when priorities shift and some tasks are just left at the bottom of the to-do list forever. This can backfire spectacularly if a manager suddenly remembers and elevates the unnecessary task. I don't often pull this at work, but it has worked out in my favor a few times.
At any rate, in this specific case I am thinking about the Stratford festival. I wasn't that interested in the 2019 season and didn't book any tickets in Dec. or Jan (before the prices went up). When I finally decided I was interested in checking out Henry VIII after all, the prices were frankly ridiculous. (This is often a problem with shows in the Studio Theatre. The Festival Theatre has a much broader range of ticket prices, and it is more typical that they will offer 2-for-1 sales and other discounts.)
I decided I would hang tough and see if they sent me a late-season discount. While it took longer than I expected, I finally got the flyer with the discount code. I was a bit more surprised that the Stratford Bus was still going to be running in October, but that makes it even more satisfying (since renting a car to drive down there would more or less eliminate the ticket savings). So I will be checking out Henry VIII after all. This gets me pretty close to seeing all the history plays, aside from King John (I guess I'll just rent the video from Stratford's 2014 season) and Richard II. Not sure if I have had a chance to see Richard II and passed, though I have seen Marlowe's Edward II (once live and then Derek Jarman's film). While it's not the end of the world, it is just a tiny bit disappointing that the bus will be coming back kind of late on the 20th, so I can't catch Thievery Corporation at the Danforth Music Hall that evening. (Or rather I can't count on being back in time, though I might conceivably be back home by 8 pm. Hmmm.)
At any rate, next season at Stratford looks a lot more interesting to me. There are three plays I am likely to see (The Rez Sisters, Moliere's The Miser and Hamlet) and I may go see Hamlet-911, which is a new play by Ann-Marie MacDonald built on the bones of Hamlet. I may even take my son to see Hamlet,* but I'll have to see how everything works out in terms of timing. I will make much more of an effort to book tickets in the pre-sale period before the prices go up.
Once again, Shaw doesn't interest me that much. There is a small chance I'd check out Trouble in Mind, and I'll think it over for a while. Actually, I might be up for Flush, based on a novella by Virginia Woolf, which is one of the lunchtime one-act plays, but I am almost certain the bus won't get me there in time, so I would either have to rent a car or carpool with someone else who wants to go to that.
* I've definitely been taking him in reverse order -- Lear and then Othello and now probably Hamlet. I still haven't managed to get him to Macbeth or Romeo and Juliet, which are the much more typical entries into the tragedies.
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