June 12, 2011

Quint: "Here's to Swimmin' with bow-legged women!"--Jaws

    Dreamed of meeting Desiree McGraw, whom I knew at my Goodenough College stay in London in 1995.

    In the morning I went on a Walking Meetup in the Forest Hill area.

    Because I'd woken up early, I napped after getting back home.

    Dinner was beef stroganoff.

    Saw Steven Spielberg's Jaws (for the second time) at the Underground.  It's best to ignore the fact that a real shark does not lurk around a beach waiting for hunters to chase him.  Quint does a lot for the movie:  Robert Shaw plays him with just the right degree of ham.  If they were making it today, they'd show the shark a lot more and it wouldn't be as good.

June 11, 2011

    Dreamed of trying to play a saxophone; finding a coupon that entitled me to a free Volkswagen; the song "Thank Heaven for Little Girls."

    Went shopping.

    Dinner was pork steak.

    Moira and I got most of the seeds planted. (Only the potatoes are left.)

    Saw the DVD of Raoul Walsh's They Drive by Night (for the second time).  It's a realistic Warner Brothers trucking melodrama, which happily costars Humphrey Bogart.  The second half, with Ida Lupino as the boss' dangerous wife, got pretty silly.

    Saw Dion Conflict's Trailer Trash show (for the second time) at the Underground.

June 9, 2011

    Dreamed of the song of the William Butler Yeats poem "Down by the Sally Gardens."

    Visited my shrink Dr. Hassan.

    I'm ready to start planting the garden, but just don't have the energy!

    Dinner was spaghetti.

    Saw the DVD of the TV play Bang the Drum Slowly.  Compared to the movie, it did more with less.

    The city turned off our water for a short time in the evening because they're replacing the ancient pipes that connect us to the water main.

June 8, 2011

    Dreamed of the children's book Heidi; an episode of the comic strip Alley Oop with a cameo appearance by characters from other comic strips (including the Phantom) concerned about Oop's fate; getting teary-eyed.

    I now have a fifth Kingdoms of Camelot city, which I called Sandby.

    Got my hair cut, then went to the Tim Horton's doughnut shop near St. Patrick station and met some of the people in the Aspergers Meetup group.

    Dinner was chicken curry.

    Saw the DVD of Rod Serling's TV play Requiem for a Heavyweight (the version with Jack Palance).

June 7, 2011

    Dreamed of writing a test that asked how I'd organize a protest against car dependency for maximum impact; wanting to write that I'd stage the protests near places with high traffic, but writing erratically, skipping to different pages of the test paper, changing pens and crossing out many words; driving in southwestern Ontario and seeing an explosion that seemed to be an A-bomb but turned out to be a space shuttle launch; stopping in a town called Jughead; gathering large piles of leaves.

    Baked multigrain bread.

    We went to Fiesta Gardens and bought some more seeds.

    Dinner was stir-fry (using the leftover pork).

    Moira and I bought some more seeds at Canadian Tire, near St. Clair & Keele. (She wants to plant kale this year, and we finally found some kale seeds.)

    Saw the DVD of the first episode of the Kevin Brownlow series D.W. Griffiths:  Father of Film.

June 6, 2011

    Dreamed of trying to explain the cleverness of the script for the murder mystery The Last of Sheila.

    Father and I walked to the nearby No Frills and bought some seeds for the garden.

    Finished the ditch, and started evening the garden surface with the hoe.

    Dinner was McDonald's.

    At choir practice Giuseppe was saying that we should sculpt our words, and that even when you throw your chisel it'll leave a mark!

June 5, 2011

    Dreamed of "waking up" at about 08:30, in plenty of time for today's concert. (I actually woke up at around 10:00, still in enough time.)

    Took part in a Coro Verdi concert as part of the festivities marking the sesquicentennial of Italian unification.  We sang several folk songs, along with a few opera classics.

    Dinner was pork roast.

    I've been posting a lot in a Huffington Post forum about Pentagon whistle-blower Bradley Manning. (I was this active three years ago in a form about Proposition 8 and the African-American victimology.) Some of the posters are really full of hate!  But there was one who said that the question wasn't whether Manning had the right to leak the information but whether the U.S. government had the right to keep it secret!  I fanned him and added "Couldn't have said it better."

June 4, 2011

    Dreamed of the Bergman movie Fanny and Alexander (which I have seen).

    Went to a Games Meetup at Jeffrey's townhouse.  I played 7 Wonders, Incan Gold and a new game called Betrayal at House on the Hill.  The last is a game where we're all exploring a haunted house and after a while someone goes insane and tries to kill the others with some supernatural help.  I managed to kill the traitor because I was the one with a spear and a suit of armor.

    Dinner was stir-fry.

    Saw the DVD of the first episodes of 500 Nations, a documentary series about North American Indians.

    Then I saw the DVD of the uneven Concert for Bangladesh.  Goodness knows it isn't as fun as Monterey Pop or Woodstock, but Billy Preston has a show-stopping number. (And you can't get too much of Ravi Shankar...)

June 3, 2011

"Jan, what will it be like if we can't talk to each other any more?"

"The boat is here now."

--Shame

    Dreamed of being called on to join a high school play at the last minute; riding a bicycle without a safety chain and with only one brake around the streets of my hometown Sackville, N.B.; opening a bag of jelly beans.

    Yesterday Father and I went to Scotiabank and I got an interest cheque they'd failed to send me.

    I've been redigging the ditch around the garden.

    Finished the DVD documentary series Monarchy. (Moira missed half the episodes because she can only watch for a while in the early evening before getting sleepy.)

    Dinner was shrimp curry.

    Saw the DVD of Ingmar Bergman's Shame.  A curious meditation on the debasement of humanity in wartime, it feels pretty real.

June 1, 2011

    Baked raisin bread.

    Went shopping. (We bought ice for the hot weather.)

    Dinner was KFC.

    Started the work issue of Lapham's Quarterly.

    We had an extra choir rehearsal for Sunday's concert.

May 31, 2011

 Dreamed of a non-existent Australian movie about a family leaving on an airplane, a story retold with the adults played by children, then by pet animals.

    Finished the book Empires of the World.

    Dinner was spaghetti (which I cooked).

    Finally finished forking the garden. (Rainy weather delayed me.)

May 30, 2011

    Dreamed of being introduced to scuba diving in the Pacific Ocean; walking on a semi-outdoor trail south of Amherst, N.S.; waking up in a car driving eastward on the Trans-Canada Highway in western New Brunswick toward dawn.

    Dinner was pork steak.

    At choir practice we went through all of Nabucco.

May 29, 2011

    Dreamed of a squadron of cavalry horses on the Titanic.

    Went to a Games Meetup at the Yellow Griffin.  I played Guillotine and Seven Wonders. (Still can't figure Seven Wonders out...)

    Dinner was sausage and mashed potatoes.

May 28, 2011

    Open Doors Toronto weekend!  I visited the St. James Cathedral bell tower (I was hoping to meet some of the Classical Music Meetup people, but didn't); the King Edward Hotel's unrestored but historic top-floor ballroom; Hotel Victoria; the Church of the Holy Trinity (I walked along the nearby Trinity Square maze); and the Gilbert Studio (where I saw a darkroom demonstration).

    Dinner was the rest of the Chinese food.

    We started looking at the DVD of David Starkey's documentary Monarchy, about the kings of England.  The first disc wouldn't play, so we started with the second. (It's sixteen hours long, and it's due back at the library in a week.)

    Went to a Karaoke Meetup at TKO's, near Coxwell Station.  I sang "Hold Me Now" and "Sway."

May 27, 2011

    Dreamed of showering in the back yard of my old home in Sackville, N.B. through a hole in the garden hose; the cuff on my pants getting undone; visiting a junior high school locker room; looking off a cliff to some nearby islands that turned out to be a lot closer than I thought.

    Sent an email to Henson Trust Associates inquiring about propert arrangements before applying to the Ontario Disability Supports Program.

    Dinner was Chinese food.

    Went to the Trash Palace's latest classroom film show.  Their longest film was a 1979 evangelical production Cult Explosion. I won a free DVD of classroom films in a raffle.  At the end they said the Trash Palace in its current form is ending after this summer.

May 26, 2011

    Dreamed of Father getting a bank loan to open a bakery in a New York City neighbourhood called Truro.

    Went shopping.

    Dinner was roast chicken.

    Saw the Vietnam War documentary Sir No Sir! (for the second time) on DVD.

    The Huffington Post has a new Canadian section!  They were interviewing Arianna Huffington on CBC Newsworld.

    Headache!

May 25, 2011

 At choir practice last night we did the Nabucco finale. (I was going to compliment Carmen on how well-dressed she was, but didn't get the chance to speak to her.)

    Suffered cramps in both my legs when I woke up in the morning. (Maybe it resulted from a sleeping pill.)

    Dreamed of a non-existent 1950s movie with Laurence Olivier and Grace Kelly; beggars approaching us for food at my old home in Sackville, N.B.; reflecting on the strange feelings caused by changes in life, where even old things seem new.

    Started forking the garden.

    Dinner was salmon.

    Saw a DVD documentary about Marco Polo.

May 23, 2011

Mae West (responding to a marriage proposal with dice): "I'll roll you whether I do or not!"

MW to a Russian gigolo: "Cigarette me, cossack!"

--Goin' to Town

    Dreamed of visiting Mexico [which I've never done]; a family business with goods to sell; the song "You'll Never Walk Alone."

    Saw the DVD of Goin' to Town, another Mae West vehicle.  This one came out under the Production Code and was a bit milder than her earlier movies.

    John and Kathrine came over for dinner, which was vegan pizza. (I sneaked out to KFC afterward.)

    In the computer game Glory of Rome, in addition to Megalopolis and Basilopolis, I've started a third city called Drudunum (Celtic for "oak hill.")

May 22, 2011

Mae West: "You stick with me, dearie, and you'll be platinum blond!"--Night After Night

    Dreamed of the Beatles song "She's Leaving Home" (which I sang at karaoke last night); living an RPG about people going from the rural Deep South to Minneapolis; a cinema showing Ben-Hur with a soundtrack commentary like on a DVD.

    Dinner was lasagna and a recipe with lentils, spinach and couscous.

    Finished spading the garden.

    Started a DVD of early anvant-garde films involving dance.

    Saw the DVD of Night After Night, a gangster romance lucky enough to have Mae West in a supporting role. (You can have the rest of the movie...)

May 21, 2011

    Long time getting to sleep.

    Dreamed of visiting London briefly; "waking up" in a standing position; being unable to open my eyes.

    Baked whole wheat bread.

    Joined some of the Aspergers Meetup people for dinner at the Golden Griddle. (Evghenia organized it through Facebook.) I met Anthony, who's going to be baptized for the second time.  I had spaghetti and meatballs.

    Afterward I went to Bar Plus for a Karaoke Meetup, where we rented a room again.  I sang "Limbo Rock" for the first time.

    The world hasn't ended so far. [Some people were predicting the Rapture would take place on that day.]

May 20, 2011

Cary Grant: "I wish I could trust you."

Mae West: "Of course you can--thousands of men have!"

--I'm No Angel

    Dreamed of a non-existent Warner Brothers cartoon about animals in the luggage compartment of a train; a non-existent episode of Hogan's Heroes about a POW who was Colonel Hogan's cousin; extra scenes from Barry Lyndon involving money.

    Finally got a start on preparing the garden! (But it didn't last long, what with the rain.)

    Dinner was lamb stew.

    Saw the DVD of I'm No Angel.  Mae West was ahead of her time!

    Got sick in the evening. (I think it was the calamari from the Portuguese restaurant last night.)

May 19, 2011

    Dreamed of meeting a supermodel.

    Went to a Dining Meetup at the Portucale restaurant, just around the corner from this house.  We had a six-course Portuguese dinner, with soup, sardines, calamari, risotto and marinated pork. (I skipped the dessert.) It was pretty oily and salty. [But they were very friendly.  It closed a few months later.]

May 18, 2011

    Dreamed of getting a non-existent letter to the editor published in The New Yorker 20 years ago.

    Went shopping.

    Dinner was chili.

    Went to the Open Minds Cafe.  This time I didn't suggest any new subjects.

May 17, 2011

Homer: "Look at those idiots!  I paid my taxes a year ago"--The Simpsons

"Homer, you're like the son I never had!"

"And you're like the fathe I never visit!"

--ibid.

    Went to see an ear, nose & throat specialist at a clinic near Main Street station. (I've been having a slightly sore throat since last summer.) I seemed normal, but they'll give me a CT scan anyway.

    On the way back, I got two new tickets for the opera cinemacasts in July, to replace the ones that got misplaced.

    Dinner was sausages and mashed potatoes.

    Saw the DVD of the Mystery Science Theatre 3000 version of Ring of Terror.  Lots of jokes about the actors clearly being too old to play college students.

May 16, 2011

    Dreamed of actress Demi Moore in bondage.

    Baked white bread.

    David Kiang came to visit.  A retired Dalhousie math professor, he was one of Father's early students back in the 1950s. (He was babysitting at our house and left behind the Chinese novel Wandering Youth, which I've been translating in recent years.)

    Dinner was McDonald's.

    At choir practice we did most of the rest of Nabucco, except for the finale. (When we got to the Slave's Chorus it turned out it wasn't in the score copy we'd received, and we had to scramble for our older copy.)

May 15, 2011

Grandpa (getting a haircut): "No, the George Raft look is out.  I want Audie Murphy!"

--The Simpsons

    Dreamed of coming onto a game show; the MC saying that my job was dancing the bossa nova, and insisting that I dance with him.

    Saw Kelly Reichardt's western Meek's Cutoff at the Lightbox, the first time I've seen a movie there.  Pretty good, despite the elliptical ending. (I also looked at a Mary Pickford exhibit on display in the same building.)

    Dinner was roast chicken.

    Finished the DVD series America:  The Story of Us.  The last two episodes, dealing with the post-1945 era, were especially weak.  No mention of the Korean War or the Gulf Wars, and the Energy Crisis was only mentioned in passing!

May 14, 2011

Moe: "It's been four years since I had a date with a whatchamacallit?-- a woman."

The Simpsons

    Dreamed of joining Prince Andrew on a hike from Moncton to my hometown Sackville, N.B., through a forest path; sweat on my lower back; non-existent piano pieces that I didn't quite master.

    It turned out that the internet connection on the side of the house somehow got yanked off. (John came and fixed it in the morning.)

    Went to a Fair Vote rally in Queen's Park.  The speakers included Judy Rebick, Carolyn Bennett and William Molls.  Pretty good turnout considering the rain. (I also saw a demonstration by a group of Libyans.)

    John and Kathrine brought dinner over, which was vegan lasagna.

May 13, 2011

Child: "Psychiatrists are easy to fool"--Mad Men

    Dreamed of reflecting that the expression "One of the two or three most" bugs me. (You could just as well say "one of the three most" or "one of the most.")

    Dinner was the rest of the lasagna.

    Went to Mary's games night.  I played Alhambra and Say Anything.

    The internet connection is off!

May 12, 2011

"I'm not the solution to your problems.  I'm another problem"--Mad Men

"I don't want to believe it."

"So don't."

--Weeds

    Dreamed of visiting a public library in Brooklyn.

    Dinner was lasagna.

May 11, 2011

Young son: "Stop pretending to be a mother!"--Weeds

"Less talk, more eat!"--ibid.

    Dreamed of a western about a woman successfully investing in mines; a non-existent article in The New Yorker about the Unsinkable Molly Brown's husband (who didn't really reunite with her after the Titanic sinking--the musical ended with an audience-pleasing lie!).

    Went shopping.

    We ate out at Red Lobster, and Donald came with us.

    Headache!

May 10, 2011

"We can take the boat up the Hudson."

"I'll take the train--water doesn't agree with me!"

--She Done Him Wrong

"One of the finest women who ever walked the streets!"--ibid.

"He's the kind of man a woman has to marry to get rid of!"--ibid.

    Dreamed of reflecting that the neoliberal magazine The New Republic isn't worth the worms to eat it!

    Baked multigrain bread.

    Dinner was ham quiche.

    Went to the Toronto City Opera board's annual meeting (for the first time) at Barbara's house in the Annex.  We managed to make a profit!  Seems that our ticket sales vary with the size of the chorus. [A big chorus means lots of friends and relatives coming to see the show.]

    Saw the DVD of the Mae West vehicle She Done Him Wrong (for the second time).  I have a feeling some of the off-colour jokes went over my head.

May 9, 2011

"This country has a religion, and it's business"--Mad Men

    Dreamed of taking a music course in a place in the American west; missing a whole morning class because I'd taken a sleeping pill and overslept. [I'd just started taking sleeping pills in real life.]

    Went to see Dr. Ang, and after a long wait it turned out that last Monday's tests were unclear. (The heartscan turned out to be negative.)

    Dinner was the rest of the scalloped potatoes.

    At choir practice we basically just review everything we've learned in Nabucco. (There wasn't much time for learning new stuff.)

May 8, 2011

"I sent you some messages."

"And I ignored them.  That's my message to you."

--Mad Men

"You've crossed the line from lubricated into morose"--ibid.

    Dreamed of one of the lenses in my glasses being cracked and not fitting in its frame; reflecting on the tragedy of President Ulysses Grant being forced to abandon black civil rights at the end of Reconstruction; the Nik Kershaw song "Wouldn't It Be Good" (which I've never liked).

    I've lost my opera screening tickets! (Or rather, Moira misplaced them when she cleared my room without me asking her.  I'd known exactly where they were before.)

    Dinner was scalloped potatoes and ham.

May 7, 2011

    Dreamed of the song "Beyond the Sea."

    I've started using sleeping pills again.

    Went on an art walk on Queen Street.  We met at Analogue Gallery, where some actors performing in The 21st Annual Puttnam County Spelling Bee did a number for us. (They also did an audience participation thing, and I spelled the whaling slang word "caterjunes" correctly.) I left the walk early.

    Dinner was spaghettini.

    Had a games night with Nepeta's Fun & Boardgames group. (She's off meetup.com now.) We played The Amazeing Labyrinth, Ticket to Ride and a new Scrabble-like card game called Do I Have to Spell It Out For You? (It was pretty fun.)

May 5, 2011

Don Draper: "I come from the Midwest.  People there are taught that it's rude to talk about yourself"--Mad Men

"It was all going great, until it wasn't"--ibid.

    Dreamed of a non-existent story in the comic strip Mary Perkins on Stage set in rural Canada and culminating in a barn being set on fire; the scene in the Fiddler on the Roof movie where the Fiddler comes down to the ground.

    Dinner was roast chicken.

    Went to Blockbuster and rented the DVD of the first episodes of the fourth season of Mad Men.

May 4, 2011

"Dan is the only man I know who had the guts not to commit suicide"--The High and the Mighty

Drug cartel man: "Either you eat the bear, or the bear eats you"--Weeds

    Dreamed of the song "You'll Never Walk Alone"; a strategic game involving a civil war in the region of Angola; recalling the actual workplace comic strip Lolly (from the 1960s and 1970s), where my favourite character was the boss' tipsy son Junior.

    Went shopping.

    Dinner was sausage and mashed potatoes.

    Saw the DVD of William Wellman's The High and the Mighty.  Entertaining '50s hokum with John Wayne in his element.

May 3, 2011

"Insignificant molehill sometime more important than conspicuous mountain"--Charlie Chan in Egypt

    Dreamed of the western High Noon; reflecting that the townspeople balked at supporting Gary Cooper because the plot required them to; the TV show The Sopranos.

    Poor Michael Ignatieff!  He even lost his own seat. (The NDP should set up a coalition with the Liberals and Greens.)

    Dinner was fettucine alfredo (which I cooked).

    Saw the DVD of Charlie Chan in Egypt.  I always liked Warner Oland in that role. [Rita Cansino later became Rita Hayworth!]

May 2, 2011

"Hope for sun, get ready for rain"--Weeds

    Dreamed of a murder mystery set in Shanghai's International Settlement; a square couch with an ad promoting a breed of apple.

    Voted [in Canada's federal election] early in the afternoon.  I thought my health card would be enough, but I had to go back and bring a bank statement with my address on it.

    Went to a clinic near College & Euclid and got an abdominal ultrasound and a chest X-ray.  All the doctors there seem to be Chinese.

    Dinner was pork steak.

    At choir practice I told Giuseppe I was putting my singing lessons on hiatus for now.

May 1, 2011

"You shouldn't be here."
"That's not what you said last night."

--Troy

    Dreamed of visiting the junior high school in my hometown Sackville, N.B., with Moira; telling her "I'll never be doing lab experiments in there again."

    Dinner was McDonald's.

    Saw the DVD of Wolfgang Petersen's Troy.  A pretty intelligent script, though I wish the Achilles-Briseis relationship had been fleshed out a bit more.

April 30, 2011

"The only way to inner peace is by sticking"--American History X

    Went to the clinic at St. Clair & Bathurst and gave them a urine sample. (No doubt they want to see if my kidney's causing the trouble.)

    Dinner was lobster rolls.

    Saw the DVD of Tony Kaye's pretty disturbing American History X.  Could have used fewer arty touches (like slow motion and choral music).

April 29, 2011

    Dreamed of having a penis swollen to the thickness of a wrist; being on a plane taking off from a moving ship.

    Phoned Giuseppe and cancelled next week's singing lesson. (My energy level is low.)

    Went to see Dr. Ang again.  This time she was in, though I had to wait a couple of hours.  She arranged for me to get an X-ray and ultrasound.

    Dinner was spaghetti and riceballs.

    Saw the video of Jamboree, a 1950s rock & roll movie featuring performers from Count Basie to Silm Whitman, with cameos by DJs like Dick Clark. (Too bad about the dorky romance in the foreground.)

April 28, 2011

Matt Helm: "Shouldn't we be introduced first?"

Babe: "You're Matt Helm."

"That's good enough for me!"

--The Silencers

    Baked raisin bread.

    Tried to go see Dr. Ang about my "stitch," but she isn't in on Thursdays.

    Did some more campaign leafletting along Arlington and Rushton streets, which I'd planned to do two days ago.

    I was late getting home for dinner, which was fish.

    In the evening I finished the area west of Christie Street. (We need a new doorbell!  I forgot my house key, and when I came home I rang five times, but they only heard me when I banged on the door!)

    Saw Phil Karlson's The Silencers, the first of the secret agent series featuring Matt Helm.  A languid spoof of James Bond with an emphasis on the drinking and womanizing, it's very much a Dean Martin vehicle.  What a 1960s artifact!

April 27, 2011

    Dreamed of getting published in a periodical; a murder scandal involving a wealthy Edwardian widow that was made into a silent movie.

    Got another blood test at the Bloor & Bathurst clinic (for the haematologist).

    Dinner was salmon.

    I've had a "stitch" in my side since yesterday evening.

    At choir practice we're now concentrating on Nabucco.  A Canadian Opera Company chorus baritone came and gave us a lift.

    We've now finished the Peyton Place episodes they released on DVD. (Hope they release some more!  Mother really enjoys it.)

April 26, 2011

"Rodney the Righteous, armored in ignorance and spoiling for a fight!"--Peyton Place

    Dreamed of seeing skyscrapers blow up; starting to write about someone starting a worldwide trade network; York University campus with new train connections.

    Went shopping.

    Dinner was more turkey pie.

    Headache.

    Saw a DVD of The Queen and the Skipper, a CBC Canadian Experience documentary about the Bluenose.

    Once again, I went to bed early, then woke up for several hours in the middle of the night.

April 25, 2011

    Dreamed of a movie comedy about a bunch of slobs in college.

    At today's singing lesson Giuseppe was going to lend me a book about Verdi for Moira but I forgot to ask for it.

    Dinner was turkey pie.

April 24, 2011

    Dreamed of Flash Gordon being on a train on a path that seemed to be circular (like in Hanna-Barbera cartoons).

    Went to a Games Meetup at the Yellow Griffin.  I played a new game called Factory Manager, a spinoff from Power Grid.  Then I played Ticket to Ride.

    Donald came over for dinner, which was turkey.

    Felt sleepy after dinner and napped for three hours.

April 23, 2011

"Whatever you write just remember that once, I was your good friend."

"I remember that once, Lucifer was an angel."

--Peyton Place

    Dreamed of a letter to an advice columnist from a man whose sister-in-law was obsessed with expensive learning (from a reprint of decades-old advice columns).

    The weather's warmer, and I went out and dropped NDP campaign leaflets in my neighborhood.  People were saying things like "Give Layton a chance."

    Dinner was ham.

    Saw the DVD of Beyond the Prairie, a TV movie about the "true" story of Laura Ingalls Wilder, author of the Little House books.  It wasn't very good.

April 22, 2011

"Your religion is bullshit.  It's just another excuse for people to fuck around!"--Big Love

"What are you doing here?"

"I'm eating cereal."

--Weeds

"Try not to look homeless"--ibid.

    Dreamed of the movie A Clockwork Orange; the comic strip Steve Canyon.

    Dinner was chicken and rice.

    The Coro Verdi performed The Seven Last Words of Christ at the Blythwood Baptist church. (It's in the same area where we rented a Lytton Boulevard house for about six months back in 1982.) Giovanni and John George made sure I had a stool to sit on for much of the concert.

    I've started a new Facebook game called Superhero City, which is said to be addictive.

April 21, 2011

"It's Fruit Loops time!"--Big Love

"My cope bin is full, do you hear?  Full!"--ibid.

"Don't talk to me about love.  It only opens you up to hurt"--ibid.

"I wish you wouldn't make 'killing her' sound so much like killing her!"--Weeds

    Baked whole wheat bread.

    Father and I went to see Dr. Hassan.  We discussed how I should go about getting into the Ontario disability Support Program. [I only noticed how tall my shrink was when he was next to my father.]

    Dinner was lasagna.

April 20, 2011

To a customs inspector at the U.S.-Mexico border: "You think there's a tiny little immigrant inside my lipstick?"--Weeds

    Dreamed of taking a date to see a movie in the morning at a non-existent cinema just east of the actual Vogue Cinema in my hometown Sackville, N.B.; seeing an airplane in Cape Breton skirt the horizon in a complete circle and crash-land; rushing to give first aid.

    Went to see Dr. Ang.  They're going to send me to a haematologist!

    Finally did my taxes. (None to pay again this year.)

    Dinner was pork chops.

    Went to the Open Minds Cafe.  I suggested the topics "Who are your heroes?" and "What are your favourite TV shows?" but few people seem interested in what I suggest.

April 19, 2011

    Dreamed of coming to rehearse for a recital but not knowing what I was going to sing; the Donizetti aria "Una Furtiva Lagrima."

    Went canvassing with William in the Wychwood & Louise area.  People seemed receptive.  There were several Jewish residents and we had to be careful about disturbing Passover. (One said she couldn't vote NDP because we're anti-Israel.)

    Dinner was vegetable stew.

    We dress-rehearsed our Easter concert at Blythwood Baptist Church.  I'd been walking so much that I had to sit for much of the rehearsal!

April 18, 2011

    Dreamed of a school quiz where the questions were so cryptic that nobody could answer them; the British heist comedy The Ladykillers.

    At today's singing lesson Giuseppe was complaining about singing teachers who don't know the repertoire.

    Dinner was boneless chicken with the rest of the Indian food.

    At choir practice we learned a difficult part of Nabucco.

April 17, 2011

"Behind every man is an exhausted woman"--Big Love

"I don't care if you're Minnie the Moocher!"--ibid.

    Dreamed of a movie about Batman's origins with a rural setting full of bright sunshine, and the hero surviving a summary execution of all his brothers.

    Went to a Walking Meetup. (Felice has taken over from Anita as organizer.) We visited Allen Gardens, then walked to City Hall and Easter Around the World, where a dozen ethnic groups were selling Easter food!  If I'd stayed to 16:00, I could have got a lot for free.

    Snow on Palm Sunday!

    Dinner was more of the Indian food.