Borealiso Beautiful: April 2011

Friday, April 15, 2011

Borealiso Beautiful

From Steve's collection. Poplar and birch at their mossy, lichen-covered best.

Lady Dunnigan's Book of Pressed Gargoyles

When I first saw this photo, I thought it was a mistake; a smear on a microscope slide. Look closer, though, and it's reminiscent of Lady Cottington's Book of Pressed Fairies. No boobs and butts in this photo. (Like lascivious fairies). My suspicions of monster are confirmed with this proof: baby's squished facial features. We're having a gargoyle! Long pointy ear leaves it open to interpretation.

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Bloomin' Spring

This is what springtime blooms looks like in The Pas.

I love my work jeans. Unfortunately, they no longer work for me.

Primary Pieds

A parade of primary-coloured shoes hypocritically picked their way through Winnipeg's slush and saturated streets. Hypocritically only because these same styles of shoes (and girls) get laughed at when they can't switch up their favourite footwear to accommodate the weather. But for a night on the town, celebrating one of our best girls, you gotta pull all the stops and primp to the best of your capabilities, foul winds, rains and sludge be damned.

Pick a colour, any colour. Mix em up and you get great results.

Petits pieds

One of our French immersion teachers in The Pas is from Africa. You meet a lot of French-speaking folk from different countries when you teach in French in Canada, especially when you sit on provincial committees. (toot toot). They bring a whole new perspective to teaching, a whole new voice to the French that I learned in school and later in travel and work, a whole new view of your hometown, home life, home geography.

So when Elisabeth found out that I was pregnant, she exclaimed, "Tu as des petits pieds!" Apparently, "enceinte" (pregnant) was a slightly taboo word that could attract the evil eye when speaking of young girls. They skirted that issue by talking about having "little feet" when a woman was in an interesting situation.

Alors, voici mes petits pieds. The ultrasound pics reveal a lot of spinal cord in one, top of a round head in another, but never that full lateral view. Other than this. Petits pieds portant du plaisir palpitant.

Bedtime Stories

October 10: Mr. Fox (Helen Oyeyemi): Why say with a few words what this review says so well with a lot? Took me a while, but I've been busy. I may have told you. It's a book I floated on top of, dipping my toe in, not really sinking into. Maybe it was the violence against women dressed up in fables. But a couple of passages that I loved. Here's one: ""Let this enemy of progress tell you something," I said. "I'm never sad when a friend goes far away, because whichever city or country that friend goes to, they turn the place friendly. They turn a suspicious-looking name on the map into a place where a welcome can be found. Maybe the friend will talk about you sometimes, to other friends that live around him, and then that's almost as good as being there yourself. You're in several places at once! In fact, my daughter, I would even go so far as to say that the farther away your friends are, and the more spread out they are, the better your chances of going safely through the world..." "Ugh," my daughter said."
August 12: Be Different (John Elder Robison): Here's a view of life with Aspergers. An easy, informative and entertaining read. I like how he stresses that Asperger's does not necessarily mean you're disabled, or that there's something wrong with you; you're just different. Your brain is wired differently. A good insight into some of the behaviours linked with Aspergers. Robison stressed that these behaviours are not there to hurt, bother or defy other people; they are entirely self-serving. As the author points out, however, knowledge is power. Both the Aspergian and those who live and work with them benefit from knowing about Aspergers so that true growth can happen.
Early August: Fifty Shades of Grey and Fifty Shades Darker (ELJames): I don't know if I should be admitting to reading these. Annie-Claude called it mommy porn. I am a mommy. I would consider this porn. But the website says erotica. If there's a bandwagon, you should jump on it, right?
Mid-July: On the Outside Looking Indian (Rupinder Gill): This girl could definitely be a stand-up comic. As for a novelist or a "year-in-the-life-of-ist", she's a bit of a lightweight. Superficial goals that only briefly acknowledge their raison d'etre...this is a quest for happiness and self-acceptance, Rupinder, not just for Disney Land and a childhood denied. You'rein charge of your own destiny, rah rah rah.
Early July : The Dovekeepers (Alice Hoffman): She's a witch! Alice Hoffman has a good feel for the customs, speech and social expectations and taboos of these Roman times. Great strong female characters.
May 16: The Continuum Concept (Jean Liedloff): Felt like I was sitting in on my first-year anthropology class, listening to a very passionate teacher who adored her subject but who had to share it with an indifferent audience. What did I take away from this? I like to carry my baby, had her in a sling or carrier most of the time when she was young, let her feed on demand...but she sleeps in her crib (a no-no, according to Jean). I do like her description of the "in-arms phase", where "...the infant is always present but rarely the center of attention. He is simply there, in the midst of the caretaker's life, constantly experiencing things, safely being held." Until he starts exploring on his own, at which point he does so without interference ("protection"), but with mother nearby and available if he needs help. Ready, set, explore Clearwater Lake! Waldkind.
May 8: Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (Ransom Riggs...really?!): Great creepy, black-and-white photos of (real) peculiar children. The story is kind of contrived and spoon-fed, though. It is a beautiful looking book, found in the well-stocked children's lit section of Brighton's tiny bookstore.
May 3: On Writing (Stephen King): I like books on writing. Teaching writing, becoming a better writer. Essentially, it boils down to two things: you need to read a lot and write a lot. That's it. As a side note, did you know that Stephen King was an alcoholic and drug addict? Liked his memoirs and thoughts on his own stories. Am quite happy to steer very clear of said stories. I believe that they're good. Good enough for me.
April 27: I Love You, Beth Cooper (Larry Doyle): Steve's been wanting me to read this for a while. It is hilarious. I was actually grossed out in the first few pages and expected to gag on a description of exploding white puss-filled zits, but was soon flying through an epic grad night. Adventures in Babysitting style. I now want to see the movie.
April 22: I am Number Four (Pittacus Lore): Tee hee hee. Young-adult superhero book at its "best". Favourite line: "That's for my dad!" (as Sam uses a shotgun to blow away the Mogadorian, revenge for the abduction of his father).

Borealiso Beautiful

Friday, April 15, 2011