January 21, 2011

Mother: "I had to be both a mother and father to him!"

"His father's dead, is he?"

"No, but he isn't much..."

--Rhoda

    Dreamed of reflecting that if the Democratic Party were a surgeon it would have been sued for malpractice and lost its licence years ago; wanting to rename it Not The Republican Party; carrying a large container of root beer.

    That Madama Butterfly music from the Toronto City Opera show we're rehearsing is going through my head!

    Baked rye bread.

    Dinner was scalloped potatoes and ham.

    Headache!

January 20, 2011

Royal Family (hearing a Hitler speech): "What's he saying, Papa?"

"I don't know, but he seems to be saying it rather well"--The King's Speech

"They're idiots!"

"They've all been knighted..."

"Well, that makes it official"

--ibid.

"You're not taking me serious!"

"How can you tell?"

--Weeds

    I had another dream about that non-existent composite London museum on a medium scale with three stories, a round shape and hallways along the outer edge.

    The parents and I finally saw The King's Speech at the Varsity. (We were going to see it Sunday, but Mother wasn't up to it; then we were going to go yesterday, but the roads were icy.) It was a bit conventional but affecting.

    Dinner was roast chicken.

January 17, 2011

 Dreamed of reading Private Eye magazine while walking along the street in my hometown Sackville, N.B.; falling into a deep ditch.

    Dinner was ham quiche.

    I've started a second city in the online game Kingdoms of Camelot, and called it Strathkirk.

January 16, 2011

Popeye the Sailor (on the huge gorilla he's about to box): "The mos' he can do is kill me--he can't scare me or make me quit."

    Dreamed of feeling inept; thinking that even when I do nothing I can't do it right; the Battle Hymn of the Republic.

    Good day to stay indoors. [More snow!]

    Dinner was scalloped potatoes and ham.

January 15, 2011

    Dreamed of the Bonnie Tyler song "Total Eclipse of the Heart"; the HBO series The Wire being shown on a broadcast network; recalling how the movie of Forrest Gump twisted the book's opening sentence ("Bein' an idiot ain't no box of chocolates") into a line about life being a box of chocolates.

    Went canvassing to save Transit City. (The canvassers met through Facebook.) There were quite a few people considering the snow.  Jesse and I covered Richardson Avenue and Claybrook Street in Frank di Giorgio's ward. (He's undecided.) A lot of people were out--no doubt, some were in Florida--but those we met were mostly supportive.  One woman even gave us a couple of rolls she'd just baked!

    Dinner was ham.

    Went to a Games Meetup at the Runnymede Starbucks.  I played Scrabble and Smallworld.  In the latter game, I went through four races:  hill ghouls, heroic halflings, flying amazons and merchant humans.

January 14, 2011

    Dreamed of wanting to visit local libraries; reading a parody of the showbiz magazine Variety set 1000 years into the future and titled Wrong; being asked for a code name and taking Null.

    Baked a loaf that's half white flour and half whole wheat.

    Dinner was fettucine alfredo (which I cooked).

    Went to Mary's games night. (Her arm is finally out of the sling.) I played Apples to Apples and The Amazeing Labyrinth.  Then I left rather early.

January 13, 2011

Olive Oyl: "I hate you!  Hate you!  Hate you!"

Popeye the Sailor: "Even if ya hates me twice as much, I loves ya jus'a same as always--an' when yer ol' an' gray, I will love ya anyways on account of tha's the kind of heart I got."

Popeye (uncharacteristically punch-drunk): "Lemme in the life-boat first!  Ain't I the captain?"

    Went to see my shrink Dr. Hassan. (He envies the time I have for reading.)

    Dinner was African stew.

    Went to a meeting at Wychwood Barns where City Councillor Joe Mihevc called for saving the TransitCity program.

    The reprinted story of Popeye and Olive Oyl in the frontier town of Skullyville is really compelling!