April 25, 2009

"Outgrowing things we love is never a pleasant process"--Emily of New Moon

Dreamed of reflecting that the Maginot Line worked on its own terms but diverted money that would have been better spent on tanks; that despite all the frustrations of doing my Ph.D. thesis, I wish I could do another one.

Went with the Walking Meetup along Cedarvale Ravine.  Julie was pleased that I knew the area and all 15 people showed up. (The weather was excellent:  I wore my spring jacket for the first time, and ended up carrying it!) We were going to have ice cream at Dutch Dreams, but it isn't on summer hours yet and wasn't open.  A few of us went further, along the Nordheimer Ravine.

Dinner was lobster rolls.

Went to a DBE games night at a Pantages Tower recreation room.  First I played the trading game Pit for the first time, but I'm no good at it. (You have to think on your feet really quick.) Then I played Settlers of Catan for the first time.  Once you get into the strategizing, it's really captivating!  I didn't do that well in points, but I still feel proud that I built three of the five cities.

Finished Emily of New Moon.  I'm tempted to term it L.M. Montgomery's masterpiece.

April 24, 2009

Dreamed of a man and a woman fleeing a nuclear explosion by bicycle at the northern tip of Cape Breton; being in our old house in Sackville, N.B., as it slid off its foundation downhill into the nearby quarry; being backstage in a huge theatre.

Last night we saw the DVD of Henry Hathaway's Call Northside 777, a good film noir with Jimmy Stewart as an investigative reporter who uncovers a frame-up.

Patricia quit as organizer of the Brunch Club Meetup so I've taken over.

Saw the DVD Let's Get Together, highlights from the World Folk Music Association's 20th anniversary benefit concert.  I would have liked more of the older songs.

Dinner was quiche, which Moira made with the leftover ham.

My choir performed Cavalleria Rusticana.  This performance was largely for potential Columbus Centre patrons.

 

April 22, 2009

Dreamed of seeing actor brothers Jeff and Beau Bridges with a third brother I hadn't heard of.

Went shopping. (I also got a new pair of pants and slippers.)

Dinner was boiled ham.

We did the Cavalleria Rusticana dress rehearsal.

April 21, 2009

"Well..."

"A well's a hole in the ground,  Howard.  Be careful you don't fall in"

--Picnic

Dreamed of introducing Father to someone I'd known in London, England.

Saw the DVD of the first episode of the BBC school drama To Serve Them All My Days.  Wonderful.

Dinner was Indian butter chicken (with sauce from a jar).

At drama class we were given scenes to work on.  I have a scene from William Inge's Picnic as a guy holding out on marrying his desperate girlfriend.

Saw the DVD of the silent German fantasy The Golem.  Imaginative.

April 20, 2009

"Middle age is when you go to bed hoping you'll feel better in the morning.  Old age is when you go to bed hoping you'll wake up in the morning!"--Groucho Marx:  A Life in Review

On brother Chico: "He'd give you the shirt off his back, and it would be the one he borrowed from you last week!"--ibid.

Dreamed of being attacked on the street by a crazy woman; waking up really early in the morning and going out for a walk; an adventure series based on Scottish legend, involving a high-minded hero and his down-to-earth sidekick.

At huffingtonpost.com you can add an avatar to your profile now.  I've added a photo of early Canadian socialist leader J.S. Woodsworth.

At archive.org I found the educational film Holiday From Rules, which I remember seeing in school 40 years ago!

Dinner was roast chicken.

Saw a DVD of Groucho:  A Life in Revue, an entertaining play about Groucho Marx written by his son, with Frank Ferrante in the title role.

After choir practice I told John George about Moira and it turned out his daughter had also qualified for the Boston Marathon, but in her case she caught a cold.

Saw a DVD of Pixar's animated shorts.  Pretty clever computer animation.

April 18, 2009

"Do you love her?"

"It depends on what you mean by 'love'"

--Madama Butterfly

Dreamed of a puzzle contest involving a site called Fort Georgia.

Saw the cinemacast of the Met's Madama Butterfly.  The staging was imaginative. (This time I found a seat in the back.)

Dinner was steak.

Went to the DBE Meetup.  Didn't stay long.

Read almost 60 pages of Emily of New Moon!

April 17, 2009

Dreamed of helping to rebuild a railway bed in the hills of Nova Scotia; reflecting that summer was the most joyful of seasons; a new version of Goodfellas, with a more upbeat look and scenes on the brink of Niagara Falls; arriving in New York City by ship.

The warm spring weather is here, so I can open my windows for the first time.

Went shopping. (We got some cheap post-Easter chocolate.)

Since it was warm enough for open windows I cleaned the windows in my room.  I also opened the window on my balcony door, and the draft scattered my loose paper all over the room!

Went to a Karaoke Meetup at the Golden Griddle.  First we had a buffet dinner. (I didn't get any of the fish and chips because the others used it up before I could get to it.) I sang "Sway," "I Want a New Drug," "I I Were a Rich Man" (that brought down the house!) and "Against All Odds."

Headache.

April 16, 2009

Dreamed of writing a description of Brian de Palma's thriller Femme Fatale.

Moira left for Boston.  I've promised to make her some more raisin bread when she returns.

Dinner was KFC.

Tired to play King's Quest VII on Moira's desktop computer, but there was no sound.

April 15, 2009

"'I'm not going to say things about you,' said Emily. 'I am just going to think them'"--Emily of New Moon

Dreamed of a comedy about a bickering team of skyscraper climbers.

Baked raisin bread. (First I had to go out and buy more yeast.)

Dinner was salmon.

The Coro Verdi did a run-through of Cavalleria Rusticana, including the soloists, who are quite good.  Adolfo is now doing the piano accompaniment, and he's always terrific.

Moira's going to Boston for a while.  She was going to compete in the marathon, but she got injured and now she can only watch it.  If I'd known she was leaving, I would have delayed baking the raisin bread till after she comes back, since she likes it so much.

April 14, 2009

Dreamed of a big accumulation of calcite on my glasses.

Finally did my taxes.  Once again, I should be getting a refund of about $50.

Dinner was steak.

At drama class I improvised a scene where I had to ask my maid for a loan.

Tried to look at the DVD of Salt of the Earth, a movie about a mine strike made in the 1950s by people blacklisted from Hollywood.  Too depressing for me.

April 13, 2009

"I can't stand women who remind me of their furniture"--Pauline at the Beach

"I have a fiance, two in fact!  One her and one in America"--ibid.

"She can't love him, or she's insane!" "Love is a form of insanity"--ibid.

"Did he score?" "That's such an ugly word!" "Not the word, the act"--ibid.

Dreamed of reflecting that a good war story can be about the war coming to someone slowly but inexorably like a tank approaching from the horizon; the sitcom McHale's Navy; the Gordon Lightfoot song Early Morning Rain; going out jogging before dawn (like Moira does).

Dinner was lasagna.

Saw the DVD of Eric Rohmer's Pauline at the Beach.  A pretty fun combination of Gallic talkfest and summer romp. (Rohmer's Frenchwomen are what American women wish they were!)

April 12, 2009

Dreamed of reflecting that the Republican Party depends on Americans hating other Americans; E.T.'s sister.

The others returned from Kingston.

Saw a DVD documentary about the first five years of Saturday Night Live. (They didn't mention "The Mr. Bill Show"!)

John, Kathrine and Donald came over for dinner, which was ham and vegan wraps.  John's 50th birthday is in two days, and they brought a chocolate birthday cake.

Spent a couple of hours online checking the genealogies of the people who didn't succeed Queen Anne because they were Catholic.

 

April 11, 2009

Dreamed of moving into a new house with surroundings a lot like our old house in Sackville, N.B.; upbeat calypso music; discussing Coco Chanel while walking through heavy snow in the back yard of the Sackville house; writing this diary on foolscap sheets instead of in the usual book.

Saw a simulcast of a Cambridge performance of The Messiah at the Empress Walk.  I liked the aria "A man of sorrow, with grief acquainted." There was sound trouble during "A trumpet shall sound," causing a 20-minute delay.  I'd planned to borrow a book from the Northern District library, but by the time I got there it was closed.

Dinner was Wendy's (for variety?).

Saw the rest of Ang Lee's Lust, Caution on DVD.  I'm sorry I did--it got even more depressing!

April 10, 2009

The others went to Kingston for the weekend. (It's my niece Katie's birthday.)

Dinner was the rest of the fettucine.

The choir performed The Seven Last Words of Christ at St. Peter's church in Vaughan. (John George drove me there and back.) Some people were there who'd been in a choir with Giuseppe decades ago, and at the reception afterward they were singing Italian folk songs a capella!

April 9, 2009

"'You ought to be thankful to get a home anywhere.  Remember you're not of much importance.' 'I am important to myself,' cried Emily proudly"--Emily of New Moon

"The voices of the gentle spring night called to her all unheeded--unheard the Wind Woman whistled by the eaves.  For the fairies dwell only in the kingdom of Happiness; having no souls they cannot enter the kingdom of Sorrow"--ibid.

Dreamed of having been elected to the British Parliament.

Baked whole wheat bread.

Father bought a new computer mouse for just twenty bucks.  It works fine.

They're now laying the new streetcar rails near our avenue.

Dinner was fettucine alfredo (which I cooked).  

April 8, 2009

Mr. Burns (on what the Republican Party wants in a candidate): "... a true leader, who'll do whatever we tell him."

Dreamed of a cryptic puzzle where the answer was the movie Husbands and Wives, revealed through the names of cast members like Woody Allen and Mia Farrow; being late for a math class in a music school.

Went shopping.

Dinner was frozen Indian food (which we'd bought today).

Took back the old computer mouse.  Now I can't drag and have trouble clicking.

Went to the Non-Fiction Book Club Meetup.  It's grown to over 20 people, so Ian moved it to the Ferret and Firkin.  We discussed Maxed Out, but I didn't have much to add.

April 7, 2009

Saw the DVD of Jim Henson and Frank Oz' The Dark Crystal.  Dorky acid-trip fun.

Dreamed of visiting our hometown Sackville, N.B., in an invisible spaceship that allowed me to hover near the ground; a non-existent episode of Six Feet Under where they get attacked by rioting mourners.

My computer's Mighty Mouse was acting up, so I borrowed the mouse from the upstairs computer.

Dinner was ham.

The second acting class had no drop in turnout.  We did an exercise where we improvised skits with everyone shouting, and my Idea was to do something involving Tarzan, but Eva didn't know who Tarzan was! (Instead we were people scattered around a house and nobody wanted to answer the phone.) We also did some master-slave skits, and in one I was a toady slave who killed one of the less-favoured slaves.  I'm disturbed by how well I fit into that role...

Yesterday I picked up Emily of New Moon at the library and started rereading it.  Wonderful.

April 6, 2009

Bart: "Why the crap do I have to go to church on Sunday?"

Marge: "Young man, you answered your own question with that commode mouth of yours!"

--The Simpsons

Dreamed of my anger that Britain's "New Labour" government, hiding behind a false consensus, has passively preserved the Thatcher government's disastrous privatization of utilities, because they're determined not to offend big business. [I'm still angry about that!]

It snowed!

Dinner was the rest of the stew. (There wasn't quite enough.)

Went to the Coro Verdi dress rehearsal for The Seven Last Words of Christ. (We also rehearsed Cavalleria Rusticana, and once again we came in late on "A casa" the first time around!)

Wrote a mrcranky.com review of the Joan Crawford movie Possessed. [One line was "If you can't guess what happens next, you haven't seen Mildred Pierce!]

April 5, 2009

Dreamed of the 1970s detective show Cannon (which I never watched).

Dinner was stew.

Performed the Requiem at the St. Clare Church.

April 4, 2009

"Why did you lie to me?"

"Because I felt like it.  I wanted to lie, so I did.  Let me alone"

--Possessed

"Be reasonable, Louise! [Louise slaps him] That's pretty reasonable"

--ibid.

"I didn't realize that Canada was so big and far away"

--ibid.

Went to a Walking Meetup in Forest Hill.  There were eleven people, though the weather was cool.

It turns out the library has only a few copies of Seven Years in Tibet and you can't get any copies in the local Chapters and Indigo stores.  When I couldn't find it at Book City, I decided to change the book to Emily of New Moon.

Dinner was McDonald's.

Saw the DVD of Possessed, the film noir where Joan Crawford loves Van Heflin, but he won't marry her so she marries rich employer Raymond Massey instead and goes off her rocker.  Quite fun, though the Schumann concerto was used unsubtly.

April 3, 2009

Dreamed of going to visit a "museum of Canada," but finding out that it was about to close for the day.

I've decided to make Seven Years in Tibet the next book club event and have a Sunday lunch in May.  But I can't find our copy, and the library has fewer copies than I thought.  So it looks like I'll buy it.

Had dinner with the Walking Meetup at Sheba, an Ethiopian restaurant near Bathurst & College.  I had to wait 20 minutes for the Bathurst streetcar so I was half an hour late. (I wish I'd taken the Ossington bus and the College streetcar instead.)

Afterward we went to Plaza Flamingo and took salsa dancing lessons.  Then I left because the crowd was big enough to make me uncomfortable.

April 2, 2009

Went shopping. (The shopper ahead of us used a debit card that wouldn't register.)

Dinner was beef stroganoff (which Moira made).

Benny and I were the only ones who showed up for the DBE book club, but we chatted for over an hour.

Baked rye bread overnight.

April 1, 2009

"By the way, how's your connection to industrial science?"

"Well-oiled."

--The Avengers

Dreamed of travelling in the northwestern United States (Montana, Washington) with the parents; trying to decide whether to stop for a while in Seattle or in Oregon.

Saw an Avengers episode on DVD, and it turned out to be one I'd seen before.

Dinner was pork chops.

Went to the Coro Verdi dress rehearsal at the St. Clare church, which is in walking distance of my home. (We're performing Faure's Requiem there.)

March 31, 2009

Dreamed of riding a bicycle in the downtown of my hometown Sackville, N.B.; riding uphill at such a steep grade that I couldn't stay balanced.

Got a sample of our tap water to test for lead. (First I had to run the tap for five minutes.) I took it to Toronto Public Health, and on the way home I picked up some rye flour at Noah's Ark.

They're now pouring the cement for the new St. Clair Avenue streetcar line along the stretch near our house!

Dinner was spaghetti, which I cooked. (I hadn't cooked spaghetti in ages!  I wish they'd ask me to more often.)

Went to the first class of the drama course at Central Tech.  For some reason, my inspiration was down.

March 30, 2009

Dreamed of being in a British royal palace because Father was nominated for an academic award; Father losing; a movie about Chinese missionaries in the 1920s which ended with them finding a missing pearl necklace in the countryside; noticing that a scene with refugees in a helicopter was anachronistic; travelling in a balloon with Father; the balloon scraping the ground; Father losing his glasses but being to polite to stop the balloon and find them.

Dinner was roast chicken.

At choir practice they gave us Cavalleria Rusticana tickets to sell.  They were all for the second concert, because the first is already sold out!

March 29, 2009

"This is all bizarrely plausible..."--Slumdog Millionaire

Went to a DBE Meetup where we visited the Textile Museum.  Benny had scheduled it for 10:00 but the museum didn't open till 11:00!  The two of us were the only ones who came. (They had an exhibition of Judy Chicago's feminist tapestries.)

Finally saw Danny Boyle's Slumdog Millionaire at Sheppard Grande with a DBE group.  Started out unpleasantly, but it got better and better. (Though I could have done without the flashbacks at the end.)

We snaked afterward. (I had a parfait.)

Dinner was lasagna.

Saw the DVD of the last part of The Power of Art.  The Mark Rothko episode wasn't as successful as the earlier ones.

March 28, 2009

Dreamed of visiting Sackville; considering that urban life and rural life are divided by a screen door, where the flies inside want out, and the flies outside want in (a metaphor my mother used to describe married life and single life); carrying buttons in my pocket.

Dinner was McDonald's.

Moira takes a dim view of my taking more singing lessons.

March 27, 2009

"Yale students think for themselves, but only because they know we want them to"--William Deresiewicz

Dreamed of Moncton airport; taking a course at a modelling school; borrowing Mother's overcoat; a 27-cent postage stamp. (Those were the days!)

Mother isn't so pleased about my plan to visit New York. (She worries it's a dangerous place.) [I changed my mind.]

Dinner was pork steak.

Started reading the education issue of Lapham's Quarterly.  Very interesting.

Saw Kenneth Branagh's Western Front movie of Mozart's The Magic Flute.  Bizarre. (Give me the Ingmar Bergman version!)

 

March 26, 2009

Dreamed of an updated version of computer trash, where you could trash files in one of four places depending on their usefulness (including one called "radioactive waste"); an online commercial for a new ice cream brand featuring the Muppets, with the line "Officially it doesn't come out until Easter, but who cares?"; the opening sequence in the James Bond movie Thunderball involving a fake funeral.

Dinner was stir-fry beef.

Finally printed out my new "Di Provenza" score.

Practiced my scales singing for the first time since December. (I won't get inot the songs till after Moira tapes the accompaniment for the lower "Di Provenza.")

Saw a DVD of some early cartoons with Bugs Bunny.  So far I haven't seen any I recall seeing before!

Booked a New York City hotel (the Buckingham) for 10 nights in September! [I changed my mind later.]

March 25, 2009

Dreamed about Cambodia; a house decorated with skulls.

Baked multigrain bread.

Went shopping.

Dinner was fish and chips.

Saw the DVD of some early silent one-reel comedies with Harold Lloyd, when he was at the start of his fame. (In one he's lost as sea and picked up by an all-female pirate ship!)

Saw Gus Van Sant's Milk at the Revue.  Quite good. (If Harvey Milk were still alive, Proposition 8 [the measure blocking same-sex marriage in California] would have been soundly defeated and Obama wouldn't have dared invite Rick Warren to his inauguration!)

On the way there and back I did puzzles in the latest Games magazine.  I got a headache, of course.