I got this 20-minute read from the library as a tiny red hardcover: apparently lots of people want to have a copy to read at Christmas. Personally I think the end of October is a fine time to read it - I wouldn't want to cast a pall over Christmas Day with this hilarious but almost dystopian story.
Dave and Morley, the familiar couple from the Vinyl Cafe, have agreed that Dave will take charge of the turkey for Christmas dinner. Belatedly he realizes that this includes buying the turkey. On a wild goose (turkey) chase in the wee hours of Christmas morning, he finally scores a dubious-looking bird at a convenience store and it gets a lot worse from there.
For me the funniest part of the story is Morley's diatribe in which she compares a mother's holiday duties to a runaway train. I can relate to that. Even though the desire for elaborate holidays may have long faded for the rest of the family, I can still feel that runaway train bearing down on me as every holiday approaches, especially Christmas. I alternately laughed and cringed as I read this story.
October 31, 2012
October 23, 2012
A Year by the Sea by Joan Anderson
This book is subtitled "Thoughts of an Unfinished Woman," a record of a year in which the author separated from her husband and lived in their cottage on Cape Cod.
While it's not an outstanding book, it was close enough to home for me to find it really interesting. Anderson writes honestly about the issues that matter to a lot of women: what she wants from her husband, how to make ends meet, how to get her weight down, how to relate well to her adult children. She also wrestles with deeper issues, like who she is and what she wants out of life.
There's a great underlying sadness, but also beautiful passages describing swimming, sunsets, times at the seashore, and time alone. Anderson writes unromanticized descriptions of the nearby fishing village, and the jobs she takes there, at the fish market, clamming, especially when her hot water heater breaks and she doesn't have the 20% down that her plumber needs to do the installation.
She doesn't pull any punches regarding her relationship with her husband. The foreword says he read all the chapters as they were written and offered advice, and if so, he's a brave man.
The book got me reflecting about the importance of taking time to think, to be separate, regroup. Some good friends (and sisters) have been talking to me about finding my own truth, and this is really what the author's retreat year was about. I haven't figured out how I might do this, but maybe I've made a few small steps. The book shows me that although it might be lonely and inconvenient, it could also be immensely rewarding to offer yourself this gift of time to ponder life, rediscover who you are and just rest.
While it's not an outstanding book, it was close enough to home for me to find it really interesting. Anderson writes honestly about the issues that matter to a lot of women: what she wants from her husband, how to make ends meet, how to get her weight down, how to relate well to her adult children. She also wrestles with deeper issues, like who she is and what she wants out of life.
There's a great underlying sadness, but also beautiful passages describing swimming, sunsets, times at the seashore, and time alone. Anderson writes unromanticized descriptions of the nearby fishing village, and the jobs she takes there, at the fish market, clamming, especially when her hot water heater breaks and she doesn't have the 20% down that her plumber needs to do the installation.
She doesn't pull any punches regarding her relationship with her husband. The foreword says he read all the chapters as they were written and offered advice, and if so, he's a brave man.
The book got me reflecting about the importance of taking time to think, to be separate, regroup. Some good friends (and sisters) have been talking to me about finding my own truth, and this is really what the author's retreat year was about. I haven't figured out how I might do this, but maybe I've made a few small steps. The book shows me that although it might be lonely and inconvenient, it could also be immensely rewarding to offer yourself this gift of time to ponder life, rediscover who you are and just rest.
North Shore Celtic Ensemble
We walked out of our first community concert of the season with big smiles and light hearts. The North Shore Celtic Ensemble is a group of young (teenagers, maybe 16 - 18) musicians from North Vancouver, mostly fiddlers, who showcased a lot of talent but also a lot of joy.
The Ensemble consisted of about 22 violins, a flute (or something like that) drums, and keyboard. The music was complex and lively, mostly Celtic style, and much of it composed or arranged by Ensemble leaders.
The Ensemble's purpose is to "inspire kids to explore who they are as musicians, to push themselves artistically and to come into their own as socially conscious and community-minded individuals." Mission statements often sound like well-meaning words, but from watching these kids, I felt this one was really coming true. They looked inspired, confident, and happy, and they got their audience feeling that way too. While very much individuals, moving and responding to the music in different ways, they still produced music that was completely unified, and they played the entire two-hour concert without sheet music. The informal atmosphere, solos, and a little bit of singing and dancing made the whole evening more like a ceilidh than a concert. What fun.
The Ensemble consisted of about 22 violins, a flute (or something like that) drums, and keyboard. The music was complex and lively, mostly Celtic style, and much of it composed or arranged by Ensemble leaders.
The Ensemble's purpose is to "inspire kids to explore who they are as musicians, to push themselves artistically and to come into their own as socially conscious and community-minded individuals." Mission statements often sound like well-meaning words, but from watching these kids, I felt this one was really coming true. They looked inspired, confident, and happy, and they got their audience feeling that way too. While very much individuals, moving and responding to the music in different ways, they still produced music that was completely unified, and they played the entire two-hour concert without sheet music. The informal atmosphere, solos, and a little bit of singing and dancing made the whole evening more like a ceilidh than a concert. What fun.
The Forgery of Venus by Michael Gruber
This novel has everything I like in a good read - a little bit of history, lots of art, fine writing and a great plot. Besides which it's quite long so it lasts a few nights.
The premise is that the artist participates in a scientific study that unexpectedly sends him back to the 17th century or at least puts him into the body or mind of the famous painter Velazquez. He begins to paint like Velazquez. His family life is chaos, and he gets involved with shady dealings. You're never quite sure exactly what's happening in what dimension, but it's a really good uncertainty that keeps you guessing and reading. I highly recommend this for quality escapist entertainment!
The premise is that the artist participates in a scientific study that unexpectedly sends him back to the 17th century or at least puts him into the body or mind of the famous painter Velazquez. He begins to paint like Velazquez. His family life is chaos, and he gets involved with shady dealings. You're never quite sure exactly what's happening in what dimension, but it's a really good uncertainty that keeps you guessing and reading. I highly recommend this for quality escapist entertainment!
September 30, 2012
Watercolour Sketching
He made 30 paintings, all the same size, about 9 x 12". Cynthia and I loved them, watching a video of Hartman at work, and joking that "we could do that!"
It's harder than it looks. I was inspired to try my hand, while at the same time fulfilling an item on my bucket list, which was to go up to Kettle Valley one sunny afternoon and paint. There are two benches there with little tables in front of them - just perfect. It was a glorious afternoon and I had so much fun and gained new respect for John Hartman. But hey, it was just my first try. I bet I could get better at this.
Hartman didn't do any colour mixing at all. Because he worked quickly outdoors, he just dabbed away directly from his watercolour box, getting some colour variation by overpainting once in a while, but mostly the pictures all have the same 8 - 12 colours and they look great together.
I decided to pay little attention to colour - hence the purple mountains. This watercolour sketching method, working fast with no preliminary drawing, takes the pressure off trying to be perfect. Even though my scene looks a bit like palm trees by the Nile river rather than the park at Kettle Valley, I'm pretty excited about doing more of this, and taking a break from the watercolour portraits I've been working on lately. 
You can see Hartman's paintings at the Kelowna Art Gallery for the next three months.
Update: I tried another one (left) looking out over the valley from Thornhaven the other day. Too much fun.
Kurelek's Vision of Canada
I always thought of Kurelek as primarily a pastoral painter who recorded scenes of farm life on the prairies, and he was that, but his main goal as a painter was to engage his audiences in deep thinking about spiritual principles. Kurelek converted to Catholicism in his 20s and became passionate about his belief that the world was going to hell in a handbasket, as the saying goes, and that the only hope for salvation is God. Besides farm scenes, the book includes many dark and disturbing images - funerals, a barn burned down, a metaphorical crucifixion in a field because of anger.
Joan Murray takes an unflinching view of Kurelek's art. She says there is "Much to hate" and that Kurelek had an "unformed sense of picture making" and a terrible sense of colour, with a few later exceptions. His characters are simplistic, often with hackneyed expressions and looking "as though they have no bones." Kurelek was largely self-taught and admitted that what rules and techniques he did learn, he liked to flout. For instance, he had no trouble with dividing a canvas exactly in half.
I love Kurelek's folksy style and would love to do what he did, driving around the countryside and recording everyday scenes with a paintbrush.
Cover Letter Queen by Carol Caron
I helped a little bit, early on, with the editing, and found myself so intrigued that I'm sure at times I forgot my editing duties entirely while I chuckled my way through a section. I thought Carol did a particularly good job of the parts that included "Johnny." The book is fictionalized, but I know quite well the man on whom this character is based and I thought she just nailed it with him.
The timing is great - the book moves along briskly, taking a wry look at the sixty-some jobs the main character has held in her lifetime. In spite of taking a hilarious look at why she applied for each job, how she got it, what she did and why she quit, Cover Letter Queen never falls into anything even close to a monotonous rhythm. You will laugh, you will squirm at times, and most of all you'll keep reading to try to figure out what makes the protagonist tick and what she'll be up to next. Whatever she does, I hope she keeps writing. I'm looking forward to the next book already.
You can get more info or buy at http://coverletterqueen.com/
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