Monday, August 29, 2005
Books
I've had a lucky streak this summer, choosing books that I've really enjoyed, for the most part. I thought I'd recommend a few:
The Girl With the Pearl Earring - tracy chevalier
This is a surprisingly absorbing novel that imagines what the girl in the Vermeer painting was really like. In here, she is a Protestant servant in Vermeer's well-populated Catholic household. She gets to assist the great man in preparing his colours once she proves how smart and meticulous she is. The beauty of this book is in the historical details. She captures the Dutch city (Rotterdam, I think) as it may have been, the family life and the life of a servant, the market, the class struggles, etc. The tension between the girl and Vermeer is tantalizing, even if you know how it will end, and the explication of painting technique is fascinating. Now I can rent the movie with Colin Firth and Scarlett Johannsen. I'm sure it won't measure up, but I'm curious.
A Thousand Acres - jane smiley
This book won the Pulitzer and a bunch of other awards, with good reason. It's the story of a farming family with the biggest farm in their part of the country. The old-but-still-capable father capriciously decides to give the farm to his daughters and sons-in-law and trouble (oh mama, what trouble!) ensues. It is a play on Lear, of course, and a clever one at that. The protagonist is the second daughter, whose life is ripped apart in the end. She even gives in to murderous intent, despite my mind screaming at her not to do it! Quite a brilliant novel; it seems to really capture what it is to be a farmer and the kind of slavery to land and family that can drive people crazy.
The All-True Travels and Adventures of Lidie Newton - jane smiley
After reading a thousand acres I had that lovely feeling of discovering a writer I like: like sitting down at a banquet and taking the first exquisite bite -- you know there's so much more waiting for you! This novel didn't disappoint, tho' it's totally different; a story of a rebellious young woman in early19-century US and her adventures moving to Kansas (the wild west, and the site of a struggle between abolitionists who want to settle it and declare it a free state, and southerners who hate them and want them to butt out of their business). The heroine is amazingly well-drawn, real and flawed and lovable. You follow along on her adventures with breathless anticipation. The book deals with a time and a place I'd never heard about, the times leading up to the Civil War and Lincoln, and it illustrates how complex and frightening an issue the "goose question" (slavery) was. If you think that you would have been 100% "unsound on the goose question" (an abolistionist), you might have to wonder after getting a taste of the context for that decision.
I've had a lucky streak this summer, choosing books that I've really enjoyed, for the most part. I thought I'd recommend a few:
The Girl With the Pearl Earring - tracy chevalier
This is a surprisingly absorbing novel that imagines what the girl in the Vermeer painting was really like. In here, she is a Protestant servant in Vermeer's well-populated Catholic household. She gets to assist the great man in preparing his colours once she proves how smart and meticulous she is. The beauty of this book is in the historical details. She captures the Dutch city (Rotterdam, I think) as it may have been, the family life and the life of a servant, the market, the class struggles, etc. The tension between the girl and Vermeer is tantalizing, even if you know how it will end, and the explication of painting technique is fascinating. Now I can rent the movie with Colin Firth and Scarlett Johannsen. I'm sure it won't measure up, but I'm curious.
A Thousand Acres - jane smiley
This book won the Pulitzer and a bunch of other awards, with good reason. It's the story of a farming family with the biggest farm in their part of the country. The old-but-still-capable father capriciously decides to give the farm to his daughters and sons-in-law and trouble (oh mama, what trouble!) ensues. It is a play on Lear, of course, and a clever one at that. The protagonist is the second daughter, whose life is ripped apart in the end. She even gives in to murderous intent, despite my mind screaming at her not to do it! Quite a brilliant novel; it seems to really capture what it is to be a farmer and the kind of slavery to land and family that can drive people crazy.
The All-True Travels and Adventures of Lidie Newton - jane smiley
After reading a thousand acres I had that lovely feeling of discovering a writer I like: like sitting down at a banquet and taking the first exquisite bite -- you know there's so much more waiting for you! This novel didn't disappoint, tho' it's totally different; a story of a rebellious young woman in early19-century US and her adventures moving to Kansas (the wild west, and the site of a struggle between abolitionists who want to settle it and declare it a free state, and southerners who hate them and want them to butt out of their business). The heroine is amazingly well-drawn, real and flawed and lovable. You follow along on her adventures with breathless anticipation. The book deals with a time and a place I'd never heard about, the times leading up to the Civil War and Lincoln, and it illustrates how complex and frightening an issue the "goose question" (slavery) was. If you think that you would have been 100% "unsound on the goose question" (an abolistionist), you might have to wonder after getting a taste of the context for that decision.
Sunday, August 28, 2005
Snnnzzzz...
Jeez, this is a boring blog. So earnest!
A few notes, in lieu of real content...
Jeez, this is a boring blog. So earnest!
A few notes, in lieu of real content...
Blondie is turning 75, as everyone who reads the comics already knows. Now, I like it when comic strip characters visit other comic strips -- for one day! This cross-stripping has been going on for weeks now, with all the other King Features characters showing up for Blondie and Dagwood's anniversary party. Fine, except for yesterday, when B & D showed up at Hi and Lois's house and frightened the crap out of me. They looked like they'd been drawn by a two-year-old! There oughta be some rules: When characters venture outside their own strip they must be drawn as closely as possible to the originals, and they should only do it once in a very long while, lest the authenticity of the created worlds within the strips be compromised. I don't want the King of Id sleeping on Dagwood's couch; it makes me uncomfortable.
Listened to "Simply Sean" yesterday on CBC Radio One (I know. I shouldn't be listening when the workers are locked out, but all other radio is crap in comparison! Except NPR, which doesn't come in on my kitchen radio.) Anyway, Sean Cullen's new show on the Ceeb is sooo good! He just blabs and makes me chuckle and then plays tunes that he likes. The music is almost all fabulous and he's just so hilarious and weird. Kudos to the CBC for getting Sean Cullen. In your face, CTV! (Do people still say "In your face!"?) Brent Butt is good, but he's safe and oh so Canadian. Sean Cullen is bizarre and unpredictable. Between "simply Sean" and "Wiretap", I'm ready to sell my soul to the CBC once again. Simply Sean is on Saturdays from 10-11 am.
Why are we embarrassed to be caught sleeping? A friend dropped by yesterday while I was napping on my comfy chair and I felt so silly. We wondered why that is; why do we always say no when someone calls and wakes us and asks if they woke us, even when it's obvious? Maybe it's because we're so vulnerable when we're sleeping, and that seems embarrassing once we're awake. If so, it goes to show how much of a guard we have up most of the time.
Thursday, August 25, 2005
On the CBC Lockout
As some of you know, I (have) worked for CBC Radio for the past 5 years. It is a wonderful place to work, full of bright, creative, fun and intelligent people who are dedicated to both radio and public broadcasting.
I have always been a "casual" worker, someone who can be called to come in and work (or not) at the whim of the producers and their bosses in management. This worked out well for me, for the most part, because I wanted to be part time, and had a great rapport with some of the best producers. I got called a lot, in other words. But I never got a real job and so never had benefits or any kind of job security. Because I worked there, though, I was trained and given lots of opportunities to learn. The CBC spent a whole lot of money training me and I worked hard and worked well and helped to create some very good radio content.
But I was never actually hired. I was counted as a freelancer for all those years, even when I worked full-time in a management-type position running the Literary Awards. All around me I saw people who had given 15, 20 years to the CBC and who were still considered "casual". I saw some of them given the boot when management thought that was a good idea, and they didn't have much of a leg to stand on in protest.
The fact is, cutbacks made the hiring of real employees impossible for the most part, but they still needed people to make the radio and TV content. So they got all the young, eager, passionate people who were willing to live on a tightrope and they used their talents and energy and gave them a paycheque but no benefits or job security. CBC people make great public broadcasting programming (for the most part), and they do it with few resources and lots of resourcefulness and imagination. If you're going to train and pay people for years and years, you should hire them and let them have some sense of security and a real job title. They are professionals, and the people I worked with (and I) deserve to be treated as such.
Lots of people would say that CBC employees want too much. I say find me educated, intelligent, creative and hard-working people who are willing to give everything they've got to making public radio and TV, and then tell them that they will probably never have an actual job. If they don't say "Screw you. I'm worth more than that", they probably already work for the CBC and figure it's worth the insecurity to be a part of something you believe in.
Find me people who are dying to take advantage of all that good will and talent, and I'll suggest that they work for CBC management, if they don't already.
As some of you know, I (have) worked for CBC Radio for the past 5 years. It is a wonderful place to work, full of bright, creative, fun and intelligent people who are dedicated to both radio and public broadcasting.
I have always been a "casual" worker, someone who can be called to come in and work (or not) at the whim of the producers and their bosses in management. This worked out well for me, for the most part, because I wanted to be part time, and had a great rapport with some of the best producers. I got called a lot, in other words. But I never got a real job and so never had benefits or any kind of job security. Because I worked there, though, I was trained and given lots of opportunities to learn. The CBC spent a whole lot of money training me and I worked hard and worked well and helped to create some very good radio content.
But I was never actually hired. I was counted as a freelancer for all those years, even when I worked full-time in a management-type position running the Literary Awards. All around me I saw people who had given 15, 20 years to the CBC and who were still considered "casual". I saw some of them given the boot when management thought that was a good idea, and they didn't have much of a leg to stand on in protest.
The fact is, cutbacks made the hiring of real employees impossible for the most part, but they still needed people to make the radio and TV content. So they got all the young, eager, passionate people who were willing to live on a tightrope and they used their talents and energy and gave them a paycheque but no benefits or job security. CBC people make great public broadcasting programming (for the most part), and they do it with few resources and lots of resourcefulness and imagination. If you're going to train and pay people for years and years, you should hire them and let them have some sense of security and a real job title. They are professionals, and the people I worked with (and I) deserve to be treated as such.
Lots of people would say that CBC employees want too much. I say find me educated, intelligent, creative and hard-working people who are willing to give everything they've got to making public radio and TV, and then tell them that they will probably never have an actual job. If they don't say "Screw you. I'm worth more than that", they probably already work for the CBC and figure it's worth the insecurity to be a part of something you believe in.
Find me people who are dying to take advantage of all that good will and talent, and I'll suggest that they work for CBC management, if they don't already.
Wednesday, August 24, 2005
The secret revealed: How not to be a 40-year-old virgin
Went out last night to see The 40-Year-Old Virgin. It's a funny movie; I laughed at just about every scene, a rare thing in a comedy. It's all about sex, though, so not for the very young or the faint-of-heart or prudish (you know who you are). I was a bit uncomfortable with the way women were referred to in the movie, and they were only referred to; this is a movie that doesn't even pretend to be about women. The virgin himself was well-done, not so OTT that he was just a caricature. I've known guys very close to being this guy.
What irks me though, in this and every movie and TV show, is that the socially-challenged guy doesn't end up with a not-so-pretty or god forbid a-little-overweight woman. Of course not! He ends up with a beautiful, skinny, leggy woman. This rings all too true, unfortunately. All the lonely guys I've known were not looking to meet a nice, normal woman who might not look fabulous. They all thought they should be able to meet someone pretty/cute and of course skinny. Maybe a few more movies like Dogfight (the only one of its kind I can think of at the moment) would make it more acceptable to look at women who aren't great-looking. I agree with Bill Bob Thornton, who says that guys should look at the plain Janes a little more, cuz sometimes sex with them can be mind-blowing, whereas sex with beautiful women can be (his words) "like ^%$ing a couch".
Not that I'd know anything about that, of course.
Went out last night to see The 40-Year-Old Virgin. It's a funny movie; I laughed at just about every scene, a rare thing in a comedy. It's all about sex, though, so not for the very young or the faint-of-heart or prudish (you know who you are). I was a bit uncomfortable with the way women were referred to in the movie, and they were only referred to; this is a movie that doesn't even pretend to be about women. The virgin himself was well-done, not so OTT that he was just a caricature. I've known guys very close to being this guy.
What irks me though, in this and every movie and TV show, is that the socially-challenged guy doesn't end up with a not-so-pretty or god forbid a-little-overweight woman. Of course not! He ends up with a beautiful, skinny, leggy woman. This rings all too true, unfortunately. All the lonely guys I've known were not looking to meet a nice, normal woman who might not look fabulous. They all thought they should be able to meet someone pretty/cute and of course skinny. Maybe a few more movies like Dogfight (the only one of its kind I can think of at the moment) would make it more acceptable to look at women who aren't great-looking. I agree with Bill Bob Thornton, who says that guys should look at the plain Janes a little more, cuz sometimes sex with them can be mind-blowing, whereas sex with beautiful women can be (his words) "like ^%$ing a couch".
Not that I'd know anything about that, of course.
Monday, August 22, 2005
Vacation highlights
Okay. I'm sure you don't want to know all about my summer vacation, so I'll just put down a few thoughts and memories for myself. After all, this is a journal, right?
The campsite was perfect, a little point of land between a lake and a lovely little river, about a hundred feet across. Our trailer was about 6 feet from the lake, and when I waded in, dozens of little fish would come around and a few brave souls would nibble at my feet.
The first time we went to Sandbanks, to the beach (walking distance from our campsite), the first words out of my mouth as we crested the dune and beheld the beach were "Oh my god!" I'd never seen a beach like this before: white sand, greeny-blue surf and clear water as far as the eye could see. D. said it was as nice as South Carolina, and better in a way because you didn't step on life forms as you waded out.
The owner of the campground came up as we ate outside the trailer on our third night there and offered to take us for a ride on his pontoon boat. This was delightful. We went down the river, through the provincial park, and saw all kinds of vegetation and fish and birds. The sun was setting and the air was crisp and clear. I love boating. I was drinking a beer at the time as well, which was perfection.
The baby loved crawling around the wilderness so much she developed what I call her "camping crawl", a high-steppin' kind of crawl where she lifted her arms high in the air, like she was dancing.
I adopted a spot just beyond our camper, where the grassy hill looked over the lake. I would put my chair there and read my book in the breeze, the sound of the waves lapping up against the shore, birds and fish dipping and jumping between sky and water. The last morning there I felt such a sense of peace and connectedness that it felt like wisdom.
Noone got hurt or sick, we didn't spend tons of money and we only had one day of rain, and that was only intermittent showers. All in all, a beautiful vacation.
Okay. I'm sure you don't want to know all about my summer vacation, so I'll just put down a few thoughts and memories for myself. After all, this is a journal, right?
The campsite was perfect, a little point of land between a lake and a lovely little river, about a hundred feet across. Our trailer was about 6 feet from the lake, and when I waded in, dozens of little fish would come around and a few brave souls would nibble at my feet.
The first time we went to Sandbanks, to the beach (walking distance from our campsite), the first words out of my mouth as we crested the dune and beheld the beach were "Oh my god!" I'd never seen a beach like this before: white sand, greeny-blue surf and clear water as far as the eye could see. D. said it was as nice as South Carolina, and better in a way because you didn't step on life forms as you waded out.
The owner of the campground came up as we ate outside the trailer on our third night there and offered to take us for a ride on his pontoon boat. This was delightful. We went down the river, through the provincial park, and saw all kinds of vegetation and fish and birds. The sun was setting and the air was crisp and clear. I love boating. I was drinking a beer at the time as well, which was perfection.
The baby loved crawling around the wilderness so much she developed what I call her "camping crawl", a high-steppin' kind of crawl where she lifted her arms high in the air, like she was dancing.
I adopted a spot just beyond our camper, where the grassy hill looked over the lake. I would put my chair there and read my book in the breeze, the sound of the waves lapping up against the shore, birds and fish dipping and jumping between sky and water. The last morning there I felt such a sense of peace and connectedness that it felt like wisdom.
Noone got hurt or sick, we didn't spend tons of money and we only had one day of rain, and that was only intermittent showers. All in all, a beautiful vacation.
Saturday, August 20, 2005
I'm back; and I'm dirtier than ever
I want to write a fulsome post about my vacation, but I am sitting in the middle of a living room full of dirty clothes and Ziploc-brand baggies full of sandy toiletries. My motherly neuroses won't let me spend much time on anything but tidying.
For the moment, let me say this: We had joy, we had fun, we had seasons in the sun, but the wine and the songs made the seasons, uh -- all go wrong?
No. Let me say this: It was a great family vacation, full of sun and sand and campfires and lots of discoveries for the baby.
Good to be back. I like baths, I like real toilets and I like my own dishes, however mismatched and chipped. Most of all, I like my bed.
I want to write a fulsome post about my vacation, but I am sitting in the middle of a living room full of dirty clothes and Ziploc-brand baggies full of sandy toiletries. My motherly neuroses won't let me spend much time on anything but tidying.
For the moment, let me say this: We had joy, we had fun, we had seasons in the sun, but the wine and the songs made the seasons, uh -- all go wrong?
No. Let me say this: It was a great family vacation, full of sun and sand and campfires and lots of discoveries for the baby.
Good to be back. I like baths, I like real toilets and I like my own dishes, however mismatched and chipped. Most of all, I like my bed.
Thursday, August 11, 2005
Woohoo! Uh-oh...
Got some lovely feedback today on the writing I did for my clients. Apparently the whole team really liked it. And I heard that there's a lot more work coming my way from them. So it's all good, as they say.
But I'm going to have a hard time doing more and more work. As it is now I do most of it at night, after long days of full-time mothering. Not ideal.
Maybe when the older ones go back to school I'll be able to work out a few hours a week of babysitting for the bairn (bairnysitting?). Otherwise I have a feeling late nights and bleary mornings will become the norm for me (again!).
Anyone out there know a wonderful, flexible, available babysitter?
Got some lovely feedback today on the writing I did for my clients. Apparently the whole team really liked it. And I heard that there's a lot more work coming my way from them. So it's all good, as they say.
But I'm going to have a hard time doing more and more work. As it is now I do most of it at night, after long days of full-time mothering. Not ideal.
Maybe when the older ones go back to school I'll be able to work out a few hours a week of babysitting for the bairn (bairnysitting?). Otherwise I have a feeling late nights and bleary mornings will become the norm for me (again!).
Anyone out there know a wonderful, flexible, available babysitter?
Wednesday, August 10, 2005
Where have all the bloggers gone? Long ti-ime passing...
It seems I'm the only loser with enough time on my hands in the summer to post the occasional entry on my blog.
I feel like I'm being shut out of the lives and minds of my blog friends! Of course, I suppose I could call them, or maybe see them in person... Naaaah. Come on guys! Lemme in!
It seems I'm the only loser with enough time on my hands in the summer to post the occasional entry on my blog.
I feel like I'm being shut out of the lives and minds of my blog friends! Of course, I suppose I could call them, or maybe see them in person... Naaaah. Come on guys! Lemme in!
Tuesday, August 09, 2005
Insomnia sucks
Haven't slept properly in many a long day. It doesn't make me much fun to be with, and my poor kids are hanging around the house in these dog days of summer. We go out and have fun, but man is it exhausting when you're runnin' on nearly empty all the time.
I just got another job -- an ongoing-type thing that's more editing than writing. That's in addition to the possibility of another ongoing job that's seems to be coming my way soon, tho' I don't know when. Plus I hope that the NFB will continue to give me work after this contract's done.
It's early days yet, but I'm very pleasantly surprised at the way the work seems to be coming in.
Now if I can just get a few nights' sleep under my belt and get these kids off to school, I might just make a go of this freelancing thing. But first, vacation!
Haven't slept properly in many a long day. It doesn't make me much fun to be with, and my poor kids are hanging around the house in these dog days of summer. We go out and have fun, but man is it exhausting when you're runnin' on nearly empty all the time.
I just got another job -- an ongoing-type thing that's more editing than writing. That's in addition to the possibility of another ongoing job that's seems to be coming my way soon, tho' I don't know when. Plus I hope that the NFB will continue to give me work after this contract's done.
It's early days yet, but I'm very pleasantly surprised at the way the work seems to be coming in.
Now if I can just get a few nights' sleep under my belt and get these kids off to school, I might just make a go of this freelancing thing. But first, vacation!
Friday, August 05, 2005
Instant gratification - sort of
I've been hired to work on a web site for the NFB, and I just checked out the first installment of the new copy I'm writing for them now that's it's up on the site. I'm pretty happy with it, but having seen it there, I realize that the sentences are too long. Everything has to be shorter and punchier on the web.
Live and learn. It looks pretty good though, and they seem to be happy with it. Next installment will be even better. It's exciting doing this kind of work. I like it!
I've been hired to work on a web site for the NFB, and I just checked out the first installment of the new copy I'm writing for them now that's it's up on the site. I'm pretty happy with it, but having seen it there, I realize that the sentences are too long. Everything has to be shorter and punchier on the web.
Live and learn. It looks pretty good though, and they seem to be happy with it. Next installment will be even better. It's exciting doing this kind of work. I like it!
Wednesday, August 03, 2005
All things pass
My fridge went on the fritz yesterday, necessitating a visit from the repairman, to the tune of more than 100 bucks. I had to rope my friend Maggie, who just came for a cup of tea, into helping me bring meat to our neighbours' houses to keep in their freezers. After Maggie had gone I had the nasty task of cleaning up the kitchen; everything had been moved around and the floors were filthy. Try keeping a happy crawling baby away from the kitchen while it's dirty and then for longer while you're mopping the floors. Maybe I should've used the playpen, but that only occured to me as I was writing that last sentence, which is a little late.
It appears my next-door neighbour sold her house today. She tells me the couple are very nice. They work for the Chinese government and English is their second language. That's all I know. I'm happy for her but sad to know that she will indeed be leaving us in the end. Let's hope the new neighbours are as nice as she seems to think they are.
We'll be celebrating my son's 6th birthday this weekend. It hardly seems possible that he's so big already. I feel all nostalgic when I look at him lately; there is something uniquely beautiful about a little boy. Somehow he just seems to embody young childhood. His perfection is painful because it's so fleeting.
My fridge went on the fritz yesterday, necessitating a visit from the repairman, to the tune of more than 100 bucks. I had to rope my friend Maggie, who just came for a cup of tea, into helping me bring meat to our neighbours' houses to keep in their freezers. After Maggie had gone I had the nasty task of cleaning up the kitchen; everything had been moved around and the floors were filthy. Try keeping a happy crawling baby away from the kitchen while it's dirty and then for longer while you're mopping the floors. Maybe I should've used the playpen, but that only occured to me as I was writing that last sentence, which is a little late.
It appears my next-door neighbour sold her house today. She tells me the couple are very nice. They work for the Chinese government and English is their second language. That's all I know. I'm happy for her but sad to know that she will indeed be leaving us in the end. Let's hope the new neighbours are as nice as she seems to think they are.
We'll be celebrating my son's 6th birthday this weekend. It hardly seems possible that he's so big already. I feel all nostalgic when I look at him lately; there is something uniquely beautiful about a little boy. Somehow he just seems to embody young childhood. His perfection is painful because it's so fleeting.
Monday, August 01, 2005
Relax. I kid.
Okay. I don't love my laptop that much.
But it is kinda fun to have something new. I'm not the kind of person who buys things for myself, really; I get all excited when I get second-hand shoes at the GoodWill, so this is major. But in a way it just confirms what I've always suspected. Having stuff imprisons you. I honestly never think about whether my door is locked when I go out for a little while, or at least I didn't until I bought this, the first thing I've owned that someone might conceivably want to steal.
It's a small example, but it's a confirmation all the same.
Okay. I don't love my laptop that much.
But it is kinda fun to have something new. I'm not the kind of person who buys things for myself, really; I get all excited when I get second-hand shoes at the GoodWill, so this is major. But in a way it just confirms what I've always suspected. Having stuff imprisons you. I honestly never think about whether my door is locked when I go out for a little while, or at least I didn't until I bought this, the first thing I've owned that someone might conceivably want to steal.
It's a small example, but it's a confirmation all the same.
