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"If I were you I'd take a cup of cocoa and go on to bed"--ibid.
Dreamed of being in the Parliament Buildings in Ottawa.
Headache!
Dinner was McDonald's. (Moira was going to make quiche, but she didn't have all the ingredients.)
Saw the DVD of Sidney Gilliat's Green for Danger, a British thriller about murders in a World War II hospital. Pretty suspenseful, with a great performance by Alistair Sim as a relentless police inspector.
Dreamed of Wile E. Coyote preparing to fly over the Roadrunner and drop a firebomb; writing this down.
Dinner was spaghetti.
Got sick in the evening.
Went shopping.
Dinner was scalloped potatoes and ham.
Set up the new DVD player. You can tape stuff on computer discs with this machine, then watch it on our other DVD player!
It turned out that the bread machine hadn't started the other night, so I baked the bread today.
Saw the DVD of a 1930s John Wayne B-western The Star Packer (for the second time).
Dreamed of seeing a black & white episode of Star Trek (it was all in colour) on a big, old-fashioned TV console that needed replacing.
Dinner was steak.
Saw the curious animated movie The Nightmare Before Christmas in 3-D at the Empress Walk. The visual design was quite imaginative.
"I don't give a shit about anything I can't control!"
"Then you must not give a shit about anything."
--Oz
Dreamed of being married to the late Anna Nicole Smith in a parallel universe.
Went to see Dr. Hassan, but I didn't have much to say.
Saw the last episode of Oz. I want to see the whole thing again!
Dinner was ham.
We got a new DVD player with some sort of HDD capacity.
At choir practice we started preparing for the Christmas concert. I'm glad we're doing "Sheep May Safely Graze" again.
Baked rye bread overnight
The Coro Verdi did its autumn folk song concert. There were barely fifty people there.
Very warm weather!
Dinner was pizza.
Unusually, I went to sleep for two hours at 20:00.
Started rereading Philip Pullman's The Subtle Knife. The first chapter reminds me of Fahrenheit 451.
"How's your heel?"
"He's all right."
--Battling Butler
Dreamed of a non-existent episode in my school days where we locked the gym teacher up and went on a rampage!
Saw the DVD of the first episodes of the 1960s spy spoof Get Smart. I watched it a lot when I was a kid, and it still makes me laugh out loud!
Finished the last Harry Potter book. It played a bit like a movie serial.
Dinner was McDonald's.
Saw the DVD of Buster Keaton's Battling Butler, in which he pretended to be a boxing champ so he could marry the girl he loved. (I also saw the short Cops, in which he got chased by hundreds of policemen.)
Prison guard: "When I became a zookeeper, it wasn't just to behave like the animals"--Oz
Went down to the Cinematheque box office and got several tickets.
The chapter "The Prince's Tale" in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows was pretty breathtaking.
Dinner was lasagna. Afterward I had a pretty bad case of indigestion.
Went to the dress rehearsal for Sunday's Coro Verdi concert.
Dinner was fettucine alfredo (which I cooked).
Went to the Eclectic Screening Rom and saw TV Party, a documentary about a New York cable show from around 1980 that was close to the "new wave" culture.
Closing credits acknowledgement: "Thanks to Kurt Vonnegut for everything"--Sicko
Went shopping.
Dinner was roast chicken.
Saw Michael Moore's documentary Sicko at the Revue. It's Moore at his best: sad and angry, but ultimately eye-opening and even hopeful.
On the way home, the streets were nice and foggy.
Dinner was halibut.
Dreamed of having my left ear come off, holding it in my hand and putting it back on; bringing a laptop to a university class taught by actor Laurence Fishburne to show a DVD; being unable to raise the volume; speaking to Moira on the phone just as we met up in a mall; denouncing the War on Drugs.
Got another package of comic strips from Barry King. (I hadn't got one in a while.)
Dinner was sausages and mash.
Went to a meeting of Green Neighbours 21 at St. Michael's. (I missed choir practice to attend it.) There were over 25 people.
Put a second duvet on the bed for winter. When I got the cover out of the linen closet, there were three missing shirts inside!
Dreamed of a London policeman grabbing my hand.
Went to the first Brunch Club Meetup at Didier's. There were seven people there, and four of us (including me) ordered Eggs Benedict. Organizer Patricia had an envelope full of slips with questions to start discussion. I pulled out "What objects would you put in a time capsule?" and I said "Britney Spears." (Big laugh.)
Then I joined the We Don't Do Mainstream Movie Meetup to see Ang Lee's World War II Chinese spy drama Lust, Caution. It was pretty depressing. I had to leave before the movie was over, just after the rough sex scene that got it an NC-17 rating.
Then I tried to go to the Over the Hill Philosophy Meetup, but when I got to the Riverdale neighbourhood, I couldn't remember the address! (I didn't have time to check online in the morning.)
Dinner was the rest of the stew.
Saw the first two episodes of The Tudors, which Father had taped. It was trying too hard not to be a stodgy, old-fashioned drama. (Too much sniffling.)
Baked multigrain bread.
Choir practice was on Saturday afternoon for a change.
Dinner was lamb stew.
Went to Theatresports at the Mad Dog Theatre as an Out of the Mainstream Singles Meetup event. (There were three others.) It's an improv show with lots of audience participation. I was crazy enough to volunteer to come on stage, where I provided sound effects for a skit. Afterward Yoland gave me a drive home.
It turned out that I'd forgotten to turn the bread machine on. So I baked the bread overnight.
Dreamed of a newspaper report about a rebellion on several islands in Micronesia; visiting the post office in my hometown of Sackville, N.B. and finding it modernized.
The cool weather has definitely arrived!
Dinner was macaroni.
Saw the DVD of Buster Keaton's Go West (for the second time). That's the one where he moves to a ranch and gets attached to a cow called Brown Eyes. (His character is called "Friendless.")
"You're either insane or extremely religious"--Kung Fu
We went to Orchard Home Farms for the October apples. We picked Golden Delicious and Mutsu and got two bags of Jonagold. (We got there earlier than last year and they were nice and big.) We also got two bags of Cortland because they had a special on them.
Dinner was pork chops.
Headache!
The chapter "The Silver Doe" in the latest Harry Potter book is a wonderful piece of writing.
Those Jonagolds taste great!
Dreamed of a non-existent movie of The Wizard of Oz from the early 1930s with Dorothy as an Okie in California; someone attacking Harry Potter with a knife to get a ruby he didn't know was implanted in his face; arriving in Alberta by train; having a place to put all my papers, in an outdoor garage.
Went to see Dr. Hassan to get my Cipralex prescription renewed and book my next appointment.
We went shopping late in the afternoon.
Dinner was spaghetti.
Went to the Julian Heller campaign's election night party, then to the proportional representation campaign's do. At the latter I met Judy Rebick and mentioned I recognized her from the TV show Faceoff.
Oh dear, it looks like my fear about the referendum was prophetic. (Mother's guess of 37% was on the button!)
What a day!
I'd dreamed about singing "Yankee Doodle Dandy" from the movie with the same title; recalling that when James Cagney sang it, he seemed to be reciting the words without the melody.
In the morning I distributed the proportional representation literature I had on hand in our immediate neighbourhood. Then at noon, I joined other MMPers for a leaflet blitz downtown in the financial district, then near Dundas Square. The place was like a brick wall! Afterward I dealt with my remaining stuff the same as in the morning, so there was no waste anyway.
Late in the afternoon I did the same think near St. Clair & Yonge. This time, I had somewhat better luck. (A woman who'd come outside for a smoke sympathized with my tough job.)
Dinner was the rest of the Indian food.
In the evening I distributed the leaflets left over from the afternoon, again in my area.
I hope the referendum doesn't turn out like the 1992 Charlottetown Referendum, with people voting no simply because they think it "empowers" them. [Alas, that's what happened.]
Dreamed of a non-existent Huckleberry Finn movie with Huck narrating in closeup like Salieri in Amadeus.
Saw the DVD of Buster Keaton's Seven Chances (for the second time), the one where he has to marry the same day to inherit a big fortune. Pretty dumb plot, but it has a great sequence where he's being chased by a throng of would-be brides.
John, Kathrine and Donald came over for Thanksgiving dinner, which was Italian food.
Korny Kollins: "Gee, how do you fire Korny Kollins from The Korny Kollins Show?"
"They do it all the time on Lassie!"--ibid.
"If I'd let you go out you'd now be in prison fighting hookers for cigarettes!"--ibid.
"Even as we speak, your daughter is entering a nest of moral... turpentine!"--ibid.
"Tracy, eat your doughnuts"--ibid.
"My husband... accidentally suffocated"--ibid.
Dreamed of an older person recalling seeing some Tarzan movies decades ago with a star called Dean Banner(?); an actual Cheech & Chong routine with the exchange "It's me, Dave!" "Dave ain't here!"; a reprint of British comics by Sir Nicolas Crack(?); the actual British comic Brassneck [about a robotic schoolboy].
I meant to go to the Snail Pace Walking Meetup at the Old Mill station, but I overslept and didn't get there in time. (Assuming that other people showed up...)
Instead I saw the musical version of Hairspray at the newly reopened Revue. (It still has the smell of fresh paint.) It was quite good, and almost as zippy as the John Waters original.
Dinner was McDonald's (I was going to eat at Harvey's but they were closed for some reason.)
The rest of the family returned from Kingston.
The rest of the family went to Kingston for the weekend. (Moira would have gone alone by train, but it was booked solid for Thanksgiving. Are people returning to train travel?)
There was a big rainstorm in the middle of the afternoon.
Dinner was KFC.
Saw "The Praying Mantis Kills," a Kung Fu episode I recall seeing back in 1974.
Brought up the last Macintosh apples from the basement.
Went to the Karaoke Metup again at the Leaside Fox & Fiddle. I sang the new song "Ferry Cross the Mersey" along with "Dancing in the Dark" and Elvis' "Memories." Someone sang U2's "I'm at a Place Called Vertigo," and it was so loud that I had to go outdoors for a minute, where I said to someone "I'm at a place called earache!"
John's opinion on Kung Fu 30 years ago: "Each show is better than the next."
Dreamed of taking a year off. (Then I realized that's my regular life!)
Dinner was steak.
Went to the Art Gallery of Ontario with the Museum Meetup. (Only the special exhibits are open, and even they'll be closing next week for renovation.) They had an exhibit of Medieval and Renaissance metalwork from the Victoria & Albert Museum in London! I don't think most of the people in the group are my type: a couple were gossiping about a college girl who had to change universities because photos of her stripping turned up on Wikipedia.
Saw the DVD of an episode of Kung Fu: the one where David Carradine got sentences to hang because ten-year-old Jodie Foster thought she'd seen him shoot a guy. The best thing about that show was always the flashbacks to the Shaolin Temple; the scenes in the Wild West seemed cheap and unpleasant.
Dreamed of finding some unknown parts of the lawn around our old house in Sackville, NB; mowing it in an instant with a scythe, and finding holes where natural gas had gathered, resulting in a will o'the wisp flame; seeing potatoes growing in our old garden, and feeling glad that it was still productive.
Dinner was spaghetti.
Went to the Architecture for Humanity Meetup. Fourteen people came! I offered them pamphlets explaining how MMP proportional representation would work, and several people took them.
I'm a sixth of the way into the latest Harry Potter book and there are already a lot of great lines:
"'This isn't your average book,' said Ron. 'It's pure gold: Twelve Fail-Safe Ways to Charm Witches. Explains everything you need to know about girls.... You'd be surprised, it's not all about wandwork, either."
"'Are you planning to follow a career in Magical Law, Miss Granger?' asked Scrimgeour.... 'No, I'm not,' retorted Hermione. 'I'm hoping to do some good in the world!'"
"'It's time you learned some respect!' 'It's time you earned it,' said Harry."
In the afternoon I saw the the DVD of Philippe Mora's 1975 documentary Brother, Can You Spare a Dime? It shows the 1930s through contemporary footage and Hollywood movies, without any narration.
Dinner was roast chicken.
In the evening we saw the DVD of Murder Most Foul, one of the four Agatha Christie movies where Margaret Rutherford played Miss Marple. This one was set among a theatrical troupe, and the title is a Shakespeare quote.
Baked cheese bread overnight.
Dreamed of coming to a high school as an assistant teacher; waiting around for something to do; being annoyed when someone called me "Jamie." [That does annoy me.] (I had an interesting dream in addition, but I failed to write it down in the morning, and I forgot it.)
Went shopping.
Dinner was halibut (which I marinated).
Went to the Book Club Meetup where we discussed The Golden Compass. (I was a bit late because I thought the series book Meetups were still at the Bedford Academy, but now they're all at the Victory Cafe.)
The next day I remembered the dream I'd forgotten: the scene in The Honeymooners when Ralph begged Alice to give him the money to pay his back dues at the Raccoon Lodge because they were going to kick him out, and Alice's mother interjected in a gung ho voice "Don't give him a dime!" (That was the episode where he found a suitcase full of counterfeit money.)
Dreamed about reflecting on how the Beatles song "If I Fell" is brilliant songwriting; rowing a boat away from the sinking Lusitania.
Distributed half a dozen posters promoting proportional representation to businesses along St. Clair Avenue West. (I chose places that already had NDP signs.)
Dinner was steak.
At choir practice we did the new song "Fenesta Che Lucive." We also went over some songs we've done before.
Printed out Joseph Wright's painting "Experiment on a Bird With an Air Pump" for tomorrow's Book Club Meetup. It's one of my favourite works in London's National Gallery, and reminds me of the themes in The Golden Compass.
Moira couldn't finish her marathon. (She wasn't quite over her cold.)
Went to the Word on the Street festival in Queen's Park. The Eclectic Screening Room had a booth there and I bought a Roger Corman scrapbook and a magazine with the theme "VHS RIP." (They had a guestbook where you could put down your own VHS memoires, and I mentioned how funny fast-forward searches looked when we bought our first machine.) You got a free videocassette with the latter purchase, and I chose Alan Rudolph's quirky 1986 gangster roomance Trouble In Mind, which the seller said was a good choice. (I've seen it before, and I know it is.)
Started reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
Went to an Acting Meetup at Milestone's. I finally met the new organizer, Danny, who plans to film a low-budget movie next year!
The Imam: "If faith were easy, everyone would believe"--Oz
Pickets protesting The Itchy and Scratchy Show:
"Destroy violent people"
"Bring back Wagon Train"
--The Simpsons
In the morning I went to the autumn fair at Humewood School and helped Luisa with the proportional representation display there.
Dinner was McDonald's.
Headache.
In the evening I went to a party at Gary Shaul's house for volunteers on the campaign for proportional representation. I ended up playing the piano a bit. His cat Peaches sat in my lap and made me wish I had a girlfriend (one whose claws don't need trimming!).
Finished The Golden Compass.
Captain Lance Murdoch's daredevil catchphrase: "When he's not in action, he's in traction!"
Bart's imagined daredevil catchprhase: "When he's not in class, he's risking his ass!"
--The Simpsons
Dreamed about Tim Robbins and his girlfriend (not his real-life lady Susan Sarandon) keeping the kinky details of their sex life private.
At the St. Paul's NDP campaign office I hole-punched and bound a huge list of our volunteer pool.
Dinner was roast chicken.
zip.ca sent me an undamaged DVD and I saw the first episode of the last season of the prison drama Oz. It's one of the great HBO shows.
"'We are all subject to the fates. But we must all act as if we are not,' said the witch, 'or die of despair'"--The Golden Compass
"Children need discipline. Ask any syndicated advice columnist!"--Marge Simpson
Dreamed of seeing a scene from a movie of a Thomas Hardy novel, with music from the gambling scene in La Traviata.
Dinner was pork roast.
We watched a show debating proportional representation on TVO's The Agenda.
Saw a DVD of a Simpsons Thanksgiving episode. Marge's sisters are really funny!
Dreamed of visiting Washington, DC with John; realizing I had no US money and having to borrow John's bank card and look for an ATM, which I couldn't find.
Went shopping.
Dinner was spaghetti.
Went to a St. Paul's all-candidates meeting at the Holy Rosemary hall where they discussed environmental issues. (Afterward I passed out MMP brochures.) I didn't envy incumbent Michael Bryant having to defend the status quo policy.
Saw the DVD of Roger Corman's The Pit and the Pendulum. (The plot was a variation on Diabolique.) Pretty effective, with Vincent Price in fine form.
Dinner was battered fish.
Saw the DVD of Akira Kurosawa's famous Rashomon (for the third time). Toshiro Mifune was quite the badass!
Baked whole wheat bread overnight.
The Oz DVD was unplayable so I had to return it. (Too bad the the second in the final season's DVD series is already on the way.
Dinner was KFC.
At the Coro Verdi we did a new song, "Quel Mazzolin di Fiori." It turns out that our upcoming concert is on the same afternoon as the October Book Club Meetup, so I'll have to miss the latter, at which they'll be talking about Edgar Allen Poe. I wish I'd realized that before I posted what I was going to read ("The Facts in the Case of Mr. Valdemar").
