Our lives are populated by incomplete projects. Half-finished bird-houses lie in our sheds awaiting a final coat of paint or a roof, the beginnings of books and poems litter our notebooks and flutter around our offices in blizzards of paper. Sometimes, however, we steel ourselves to work, or, more likely, clear enough time to be …
Monthly Archives: February 2011
Life-Love 68: Playing the piano
Our lives are so full of noise. It’s difficult to feel enough quiet to be able to be creative, or even simply to feel human. Quiet is a funny thing – it doesn’t mean absence of noise, does it? No, in fact, one can feel quiet in the midst of a cacophonous train station or …
Life-Love 67: A night at the Opera
Many of us discount the Opera as a medium that could possibly interest us. When we think of it, we get images of dowdy people in suits and music that we can understand, sung by large people in outlandish costumes. This couldn’t be further from the truth! The opera is a vital and powerful way …
A wonderful night at the Opera: Nixon in China.
Last night I went to the Canadian Opera Company’s production of Nixon in China by American composer John Adams. It was a great night. I had been trying to get some friends together to see it, but it was a challenge because of family commitments, the upcoming reading week and the associated travel plans, etc. …
Continue reading “A wonderful night at the Opera: Nixon in China.”
Life-Love 66: Waking up refreshed
If you suffer from insomnia, the way I do, you know what it’s like to spend a lot of time exhausted. You’ve tried it all – going to bed at a set time, having some warm milk before turning in, crosswords before bed, perhaps even a night cap. Sleep eludes you, however, and you read …
Life-Love 65: The first sip of coffee
For those among us who love coffee, there is nothing like the first approach our favourite muddy drink. First there is the feeling of personal sagging that brings on the desire for caffeine: drooping shoulders, twitchy eyelids, a cottony batten in the mind that seems to start around the ears and spread to behind the …
Life-Love 64: Happy Places
We feel a little uncomfortable, don’t we? Unknown surroundings make us feel a little out of sorts, and the pressures of life make even very familiar things like the first sip of a fresh steaming coffee hard to enjoy. At times like this, our everyday surroundings can seem unfamiliar and we can even start to …
Life-Love 63: A Snow Day
Unexpected pleasures are the best ones, aren’t they? Our lives are so incredibly busy, steaming forward devouring the days from dawn until dusk – filling them with reports, family commitments, meetings and new friends. The pace can be overwhelming and it’s easy to start feeling as though you’re chasing your shadow, a little out of …