POLYGLOT!

1) A book that changed my life: That's a tough question. All books to some degree have changed my life; they all leave a kind of adjustment behind...even if they're not directly recalled, don't they?
A book that changed my life...well.
I going to name a book that changed my life not so much for the content (though it's a great story) but more for the forward and for the fact that if it hadn't been written and I hadn't read it, an intrinsic and valued part of my life would possibly still be lost to time and distance.
So.
The 212 pages of The Tattooed Wolf by Ms. K. Bannerman gets to hold that title.

2) A book I've read more than once: "The Rebel Angels". Robertson Davies. I believe I've raved about it before!

3) A book I'd take to a desert island: Can't I just take my library card? Damn! Another tough question. I can't answer it. Not possible that one single book could suffice. (Though a book about survival on a desert island might come in handy, no?)

4) A book that made me laugh: "Monty Python's Flying Circus: Just the Words". (Nudge nudge, wink wink!)

5) A book that made me cry: See answer to question 1.

6) A book I wish I had written: I think any of the books by Robertson Davies would have pleased me to have written. Or maybe Carol Shields? Of course books by Carl Sagan and Joseph Campbell all could stand in that spot, too.

7) A book that should never have been written: They're out there, but fortunately I've erased them from memory so I don't have titles to supply!

8) A book I'm currently reading: "Salt: A World History" by Mark Kurlansky. I've experienced some mocking for this title, believe you me!

"You're reading a book about WHAT!?! Salt!!? Oh.My.God. Are you serious?

Mind, I've also been ridiculed for using the phrase "I'll keep you abreast of the situation."

I work with cretins, what can I say.

In fact, just yesterday I said something about being obtuse and this reply followed.

"Obtuse? Why do you have to use words like that? I guess I'm just not as smart as you Tai. Oh, wait. I am as smart, I just don't have to use big words to prove it."

I was, to say the least, stung.

"But I REALLY speak like that." I protested. "In fact, all my friends do as well. I can't help it!"
I spoke my defense to uncaring ears.
Sigh.
Good thing I didn't trot out my current favorite word, 'polyglot'.
That would have REALLY annoyed her.

But I digress....
Back to the books!

9) A book I'm planning to read: As many as I can. I figure I've got at least another 50 or 60 years.
I'll just have to plan my time carefully!



*Thanks Dagoth, I enjoyed this quite a bit!

Blogger come back...?

More like deadbeat blogger!

What do they call an old, unused blog?
A 'cobweblog'.

HA!

(groan, yes I realize that was awful and I beg your indulgences. What with this betablog thing they've set up I barely figured out how to get to this one!)

So.

How you doin'?






p.s. a wee picture of my lil' cat Attessa to amuse and entertain

I'm on my way to a blogging comeback...

...but until then the bubbles will have to suffice.
Oh. Right.
There were bubbles AND my mom as the 'White Queen' in a life sized game of chess.

And I found another one of these signs:
It won't be long...I'll be back.

"The Shakespeare Incident."

I want to share with you an amusing episode from the other night (now referred to as "The Shakespeare Incident").
Twas the night before I went to see the Shakespeare play "Midsummer Nights Dream" at Vancouver's "Bard on the Beach Festival" (for which I should include a link instead of being lazy, but alas, I'm expected for dinner shortly and so am pressed for time.)

Spider and her dear husband were visiting that evening, in preparation for said event, and we were all fast asleep in my wee apartment.

Suddenly, in the dark hours before summer's dawn, a voice rang out across the alley, "You should not have believed me; for virtue cannot
so inoculate our old stock but we shall relish of
it: I loved you not.
Get thee to a nunnery: why wouldst thou be a
breeder of sinners?"

"Hey," I started, "That's Hamlet!"

More sonorous quotes, more passages from Hamlet...something about balconies.
But it was the rocks that had Spider leaping to her feet in consternation.

Check out Spider's account. She made me laugh out loud!


(Also? I'm on HOLIDAY! Thus the questionable posting output. I'll be back sometime next week!)

Learning new things.

Early the other morning I believe I found one of the most stunning trees I think I've ever seen.

Oh! And I've seen some truly beautiful trees, I must mention that...there once was a Maple tree in a gently sloping field that I will never forget.
Remember 'Pol? Remember it's limbs that we drowsed in?
And the cows that followed us, hoping for dinner?

Anway.
I digress.

My friend and I happened upon a truly remarkable tree in the Point Grey area of Vancouver last weekend.
We were wandering about, admiring the stately old homes and August full-blown gardens when the most stunning of trees rustled softly over us.

Looking up through the green-glowing sunlight we stopped dead.

A white gray trunk 3 people around full with long delicate branches stood over us, filtering the morning light in a patched spectacle on the pavement where we stood.

Walking across the street to admire it from a distance, we murmured as if on holy ground, "I wonder what kind of tree it is...it's spectacular."
"It must be very old to have grown to that size. I wonder it's age."

As if the tree had sent a messenger to answer us, a non-descript middle aged man on a bicycle rode slowly near, then stopped by us.

Almost unbidden he said, "That's an American Beech Tree. The neighbourhood was established in 1912 and it's thought that that is an original planting."

And just as slowly, our thanks echoing after him, he rode on.
Of course, when I turned to look to see where he had gone, he had vanished.


I love learning new things.

I learned a marvelous tree I love lives at Dunbar and 1st, and that people sometimes still stop to chat with strangers.

Eureka!

It's possible that the entire free world is already acquainted with what I'm about to rave on about, but nonetheless. Here I go.

I have just discovered the very best FREE music site known to (wo)mankind.

At the risk of having all of you dear people raise an concerned eyebrow at me and quietly think to yourselves..."Um, yes dear. And here in North America we also have wonderous inventions called "com-pew-turs" and "in-tur-nets"", damn it. I'm willing to take that chance.

This site is easily navigable and fun. *
It has music on it that I listen to...this is an important requirement, certainly!
(Django Reinhardt is always a difficult one to find and they have it! Lots of it!)

And thus far, it doesn't seem to be the virus distribution site that other 'free music sharing' thing was.
Honestly, that was SO 3 years ago. I can't even remember what it was called! 'Sleeping' something? 'Ster' whatwasit?
Anyway!
This is better. Far, far better.

Oh, and for us Canadians?
Here's a little secret.
When they ask you to create an account (it's free) they'll require you to use an American postal code.
I've heard it rumoured that 12345 works wonders.
Mind...it's just a rumour.
~ahem~






*I must admit here and now that I suffer from a little bit of paranoia.

I worry that this site is just a cleverly disguised gambit to suck all the personal information out of my computer and thereby cleverly obtain a way to possess my soul. (Which, frankly, I'd be more concerned about if I hadn't lost it at a pool game years ago.)

Yet I soldier on.
Spreading the word.

I'm listening to the wonderous music RIGHT NOW.
All hail the amazing music site.
Let us bow down.

AND, a tremendous amount of thanks to M. Viking for bringing this to my attention.
Cheers!

I hate to sound like a nag but...

Be careful out there!

There were two occasions over this weekend where motorcyclists almost hit me, and neither my mom or I were impressed.

The first one involved a motorcycle trying to run a red light in front of me, almost causing a major accident (I don't think his girlfriend on the back was too impressed with him either).

The other incident involved a motorcyclist attempting to change lanes into my car!

C'mon guys!

As the driver of an enclosed vehicle I know to look out for you guys on two wheels (believe me, having also driven a motorcycle I know how vital that is) BUT you have to take care of yourself as well!

There's only so much I can do when you dart out in front of me or try to merge yourself into my car.

So don't do it...okay???

I forgot to mention the Scrabble!

This weekend was a veritable whirlwind of activity.

Suffice to say that my mom and I had the most marvelous of times.
We visited Granville Island where we 'admired' some Native carved heads and we picked up the makings for dinner which I cooked for mom later on Saturday.

Sunday we tore around Vancouver; we did go to the Powell Street Festival, but there was an odd juxtapostion between the people doing the celebrating and the indigent peoples sleeping around the outskirts of Oppenheimer Park.
My mom and I both felt uncomfortable; it rather felt like we were disturbing the people that called that plot of land home just so we could peruse expensive jewelry and eat food they couldn't afford so we left.

Instead we went to historical Steveston, where we watched a little play about the exploitation of immigrant workers at the turn of the century and admired the flowery doorsteps some of the business had put together.

We then explored the beautiful Buddhist Temple in Richmond.
So unused to anything more surprising than a deer by the side of the road, I suppose it's easy to understand that my mother gasped and stumbled when we rounded a corner to see a massive 30 foot gold statue of a many armed god/dess confronting her.

She recovered quickly, and obviously enjoyed the peaceful calm of the temple.

Monday we were able to get up early enough to grab a quick bagel breakfast from Tim Horton's and raced to Stanley Park to be there before the hordes of bus riding tourists hit the calm sea wall.
Ah, breakfast in the fresh air before our jaunt.

We walked a lot...after a 2 hour stroll around the sea wall, the next stop was lunch at the serene Van Dusen Gardens and a leisurely walk through the gardens.

Then off to the bus for the long ride home my momma went; happy, tired and stuffed full of memories.

I really did forget to mention the Scrabble!
My mom loves Scrabble so we bought ourselves a board and had a few games each evening after dark fell...I kept catching her giving me extra points by 'accident' so the truth of who REALLY won the games is forever lost.
But that's what mom's are for, right?

Visitations!

Well, lucky lucky!
My momma's coming to spend time with lil' ol' me in the 'big city'.

I'm very excited.

I really enjoy spending time with my mom, and it's so much fun when she comes over to Vancouver from the small town she lives in.
Having her here kind of allows me to see Vancouver with fresh eyes.

This weekend is a loooong weekend; Monday the 7th is a holiday in British Columbia and there are PLENTY of things to do in Vancouver over the next 3 days.

The Gay Pride Parade takes place on Sunday, as well as the Japanese-Canadian festival ("Powell Street Festival").
White Rock is having a torchlight parade too!
Not to mention the regular wonderful stuff in Vancouver.
The Stanley Park sea-wall, Granville Island, Steveston Village and on and on.

The only problem with my mom coming over to visit will be what, of all the fun things to choose from, we should do!

Even if we don't partake in any of those options, and just sit around and chat it'll be a great visit.

We have fun together...she doesn't come over often enough!

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend no matter what they do!

And speaking of reading...

My pirate name is:

Captain Mary Read

Even though there's no legal rank on a pirate ship, everyone recognizes you're the one in charge. Even through many pirates have a reputation for not being the brightest souls on earth, you defy the sterotypes. You've got taste and education. Arr!

Get your own pirate name from piratequiz.com.
part of the fidius.org network

Thanks for sharing, Dagoth!
This pirate name couldn't please me more!