I did an odd thing yesterday. I got a library card for my child. This is only odd when you remember that she is three months old. I mean, it’s not as though she was expressing a burning desire to get out books on her own or anything. The reason to do it is a little mundane I’m afraid, library fines for children are ¢10 and ¢30 for adults. None the less it felt in a small way like a milestone.

Books you see...no, lets talk about some other things first. As a child I was not good at a lot of things. I had three older brothers, so I did nothing for the first time, as well as they did it nor with the same difficulties that they had fought through. Is that clear? It was to me. Except for books. Those were mine. Even the ones that they knew first. I read for pleasure, to escape, to learn, so many reasons, but in the end for only one, I read because I had to. There have been many passions in my life, but there is nothing that is quite the same as reading. The moment of orgasm encompasses your whole being, but books last longer.

Libraries are for me the promise of eternal pleasure. Libraries are... let me do something unusual to explain them; use math, or more specifically geometry. Dimensional understanding has to do with doubling, so the first dimension we are told is a line on a page, the second a cube on a page, the third a cube separate from the page. The fourth dimension is that cube squared again, essentially a cube travelling in time. (The fifth dimension is of course a somewhat cheesy R&B group, but leave that aside). That much is clear. Now think of the dimensions in language. The first is the word, the second grammar, the third the book (really the created piece in any form, but dimensions are other things than cube so just roll with it OK?). The fourth then is the Library. It is the book in time, travelling in time and space from say Thomas Mallory’s prison library in London to the Main St branch of the TPL in the form of the “Le Morte D’Arthur”. They are the place of interaction between all aspects of communication in all of creation. Or so they seemed to a lonely, shy and frustrated child.

I remember the magic of piling books up on the counter and then, by merely passing over my little cardboard card and waiting while a mysterious process of running it, and then the cards at the front of each book though a machine with a roller, which whirred excitingly, I was allowed to take them home and run them around in my imagination for a period of weeks. I spent hours in the window seats of the Pape library reading and dreaming and inhaling the library air. Some nights my Dad and I would go on trips to the vast and overwhelming Northern District Library, searching through the acres of books, records, films and (a personal favourite) the “Oversized” section which still makes me think of Medieval libraries with it’s great uncataloged depths piled with books of every variety, recognizable by colour as much as title.

So my daughter got her first library card yesterday. And we went upstairs to the picture book section, and I found things for us to read together, or look at, and as I held her and walked around the room I walked over to the windows, which still have seats in them, and looked out across the world with her, and if I cried a little it was for that boy, dreaming and travelling in time and space through libraries on the powerful magic of books, who has come to this wonderful place on the first day in the life of a library card owner.

B is pregnant!

I'm going to be a father!

The rest of this post is anticlimax.

We have been keeping a secret for a long time in the hope that there would still be a secret to keep. Our thinking was that there were so many things that could go wrong, by not telling people perhaps they wouldn't. And they haven't, so... now the word can come out.

B is 16 weeks pregnant as of Tuesday. Due in the middle of April.

Please feel free to tell anyone who might be interested or who might not care but knows us, or whoever you feel like.

But more than this.

I want to take this opportunity to ask folks to get in touch with me. People that I've lost track of, or touch with or just lost the phone number for.

Please write me with contact info, updates on your life and any contact/other info for anyone else that you know that knows us. Don't assume that I have info for mutual friends, I'm terrible about this stuff, but am trying to get better.

I will write more about this soon.

Ingmar Bergman Died

He was not a young man, he died happy, loved and revered around the world. The news is only sad because a great soul has passed, but I'm still upset.

He created so many thing that moved me so much, that taught me so much, that affected my own creative work and my life... I just feel a little adrift.

I remember seeing Cries and Whispers for the first time in a film class at Trent and being totally shattered, it changed forever how I looked at Colour and Sound.

I remember how comforted I was by reading his autobiography and finding out that he suffered from insomnia and had anxiety dreams as I often did.

I got a whole huge load of stuff from Teachers College today. Some dull, some interesting and a great deal of it Shockingly Illiterate! Not just typos either, a letter from the head of the program missing participles, quotation marks thrown in at random, partial sentences, etc. But the worst (the real head banging type stuff) was from the Education Student Association, remember, this is written by aspiring teachers many of whom have finished their degrees. I give you a few choice quotes there are far too many to choose from.

"...it is also an important professional learning in that..." or "A no less important learning" Interesting use of the word learning.

"...do not get involved in any way with a student that is not conversant with professional ethics and generally accepted moral codes." SO, is it the student that needs to be conversant?my dictionary defines conversant as "Familiar, as by study or experience: conversant with medieval history" so I guess getting involved is OK as long as I am familiar with the moral code?

How about this sentence? "Without fanfare and with seemingly little notice." , is something missing, a subject for example?

and my favorite is the last sentence in the whole thing, I think it needs no other comment.

"Is is over the course of several years' experience that a teacher develops into good teacher, but only if through the willingness to engage in this type of professional learning."

I hope I can do well in school, only if through the willingness.

OK, It's official, we are coming to Peterbrough on Monday.

We will be around in the afternoon and early evening.

We really want to see folks. (public_ear I'm looking at you, since you don't answer your email!)

call or answer or whatever.

Sorry if it's short notice.

It has now been confirmed,

B and I will be coming into Peterborough on Monday the 29th.

We want to see people!

Are any of you around?

We'll have a car,

I'll be doing some Trent related stuff in the morning, but that's all we know so far.

Here's hoping folks are free.

On an unrelated note, I'mm thinking about getting a notebook computer and am soliciting opinions about what to get... so fire away.

Yesterday was my Eleventh Wedding Anniversary. Getting married was the best thing I have ever done in my life. Some mornings I think it's the only good thing. Most years B and I go out to dinner and spend the evening staring at one another happily over really good food.

This year we had dinner with my parents and parents in law.

A bad plan.

When we got home a friend that we haven't spoken to in Five years had called, out of the blue.

Little things can be very cheering.

We had a drainage and flooding problem manifest itself during the thunderstorm on Tuesday. It looks to cost us $7,500 to get the problem solved.

This morning (and the next) I have to work.

Just Trudging Along.

I got in to Teachers College!!!

The short version is that I applied to Five different programs and got accepted to Two of them.

Trent and Queens both said yes. U of T and York and a special Artist/Teacher program at Queens said no.

SO

I'm going to Trent in September!

I'm a bit freaked out, very happy and relived and very much at sea. It's been a long and needlessly frustrating trek to this point and now I don't really know what to do or how do figure out my plans.

It does mean that I'll be looking for a place to stay in Peterborough next year ( Public Ear I'm looking in your direction)

Any teachers out there who can offer words of advice about what I can do for the next few months to prepare or just things that I can do to be a good teacher I'd appreciate it.

It has been a while since I last posted. I was reminded by Public Ear (who I am still frustrated that I wasn't able to see the one weekend in five years that he comes into T.O., AUUGHGH) that I really ought to especially with my last post being a sort of teaser with no follow up. There are reasons for this, but none that should really count so here I go. My news.

1) I have a job! It's stupid and badly paid, but it's a job. I'm a parking lot attendant at Pier 27. For those that care this is a parking lot near the ferry docks to the Toronto Islands, past Captain John's Restaurant (that's the one which is a boat). I sit in a little glass booth for 35 hours a week, I take money and give out little yellow tickets. I have plenty of time to read and listen to the radio, it's completely stress free and involves NO DATA ENTRY! Plus I work alone %99 of the time which is very calming and good.

2) There is still no word about teachers college. I am slowly going mad waiting but am supposed to start hearing in April. I've decided that if I don't get in this year that I will not apply again. I put a lot of time, energy and money into applying this year and if I don't get in there is basically nothing that I can do to improve for next year. I can't improve my grades, I can't go back in time and have done different volunteer or teaching related things and the amount that I can add in the next eight months won't change things enough. So, here's hoping.

3) My parents sold their house last month. This is the house that they bought when they were expecting me so they had owned it for almost 40 years. It was a huge deal, and I ended up spending most of February getting them packed and out of the house. They now live in a beautiful condo by the St Lawrence Market which is a great deal smaller then the four story house they had but this is really a good thing for two 75 year olds.

4) Brin is still working on Lord of the Rings and related costumes. We got to see a preview of the show and...well... it's great. There are some cheesy moments (the Lothlorien tourism song, the Gondor model houses) some amazing scenes (Helms Deep, Frodo and Sam lost and alonein Mordor, the Dark riders) and some bits that they clearly just had not got right yet (the death of Boromir looks like he tripped, Brent Carver clearly in text revision hell) but in the end it really is great.

5) I really am learning how to play guitar. This is a big deal for me, I don't think I ever realized just how much I wanted to do this. Everyone I knew in high school seemed to play guitar and so I think I spent a great deal of time needing to not need to do it. If that makes sense. It's very cool, picking out blues chords and fingering Clapton and Oasis. It's still early days to say the least but I love doing it, and can spend an hour working my fingering without noticing.

6) One of the side effects of my parents moving is that I inherited a lot of books. Anyone that has seen my house knows that the last thing that I need is more books but I have found places for them, mostly. It means that I'm reading more and having the fun of sorting books, a joy that only bibliophiles know.

That's all the main stuff for now. I hope to be a little more regular in posting in the future, but I promise nothing.

OK so, I can see the frightening fun in This. just follow along and tell me what you think.

BTW I've had a totally insane week and intend to write about it in the next day or so.

LJ Interests meme results

1. croquet:
   There is very little in life as much fun as drinking wine and playing croquet with friends. You have to love a game where you get to whack things with a mallet and yet be dressed in high fashion.
2. friends:
   I don't mean the TV show. I know it sound odd to say that friends are an interest but really what I mean is that I maintain an interest in my friends. I self isolate very easily and need to spur myself to keep up with others or I tend to lose them.
3. hope:
   In a world of hate and war I maintain that a healthy interest in hope is essential.
4. mods:
   I started defining myself as a Mod when I was 14. I firmly believe that the strength it gave me kept me alive through my teenage years. "Clean living under difficult circumstances", "the sharp edge of punk" and "let your heart dance" having a great deal of meaning.
5. nigella:
   The cooking goddess. How can you not love her?
6. peter brook:
   The great theatre thinker. A man that forced theatre into new places and asked fundamental questions that changed everything about directing and acting for me.
7. rpgs:
   Like most in my generation I started with D&D, but quickly played everything that came along. To this day the fear and derision with which it is greeted makes me certain of its continued creative power and importance.
8. show jumping:
   My wife got me hooked on this. I can happily spend hours and hours watching horses jumping over things. I love that the top riders in the world are both female and male, over 60 and under 25 and that the love that they show to the animals is so clear.
9. syncopation:
   This is really a way of talking about the music that I love. I am fascinated by the interplay of rhythms and sounds. I love getting into fights about music, afterall it means so much and is so totally subjective.
10. theatre:
    For many years my entire life was defined by the theatre that I was doing at that moment. I feel better now. It remains the single place that I feel fully at home and creatively alive.

Enter your LJ user name, and 10 interests will be selected from your interest list.

The Washington Post on American invasion plan for Canada. War Plan Red

Sadly it misses the Civil War stuff(nod to nottheterritory!) but it's still a fun read.

For some reason I have Raised on Robbery in my head. I know that I've been listening to a lot of Joni recently (and I just got a CD of Blue so that's not stopping anytime soon) but why I wake at 2 in the morning with this line in my head I do not know.

I'm choosing to cure it by listening to Thin Lizzy and Blur, radical but effective treatment.

It's been a while since I updated so...

I'm unemployed again, the massage centre I was working at went broke. all offers considered.

I really love learning guitar, I don't know why I didn't do this years ago except to say that everyone I knew in high school played guitar and the intimidation factor was very high (considering that three of my close friends from that time are now professional musicians I think I was right)

I've been having a lot of fun cooking the best being a medieval "Farsed Chicked" (stuffed with cherries, lentils and oats) from Fabulous Feasts, but I've also been baking (hazelnut and orange Biscotti was fun but a little dry).

I've become a little addicted to downloading through BitLord. Mostly TV shows (who knew you could get all of The Good Life) but also a fair deal of music (best find a top 100 albums of 2004, lots of indy stuff that I didn't know, "Woven hand" or "The soundtrack of our lives" or "John Vanderslice" anyone?)

my tutoring has been better and worse recently. The homework club is more fun all the time "Hey John, come help me... NO! Help me!" and the day program worse, just a lot of angst and nothingness from sullen teenagers.

Holidays are good so far both family gift giving things went without major idiocy (nothing like drinking to get through these things in a stoned stupor) Got some things I really wanted (thank you Amazon gift lists!)

I've been very tentatively starting some writing projects... enough said about that for now.

Still doing not nearly enough gaming, this is mostly my own fault.

I miss people. Plan to rectify that in the new year. Not that anyone calls me either.

I have finally finished the process of applying to teachers college. I've filled in all the useless forms, gotten reference letters and signatures and all the rest, sent them off to the right place (or for York and OISE dropped them in the right places)and I now get to not think about it again until April when I might first get word.

As any of you who have gone through this process know it's a stupid and annoying set of hoops to jump through, questions that largely ignore your experience and the tiniest spaces to fill in huge amount of thinking and explanation.

Oh, and it costs a lot of money (well, a lot to me) and I haven't really been sleeping.

You see, the thing is that I apply now, then find out if I got in in April, for next September, and if I didn't, then I can do the whole thing again next year. Fun eh? So, no sleep this last few days. But, all done now.

RIGHT, on to the rest of life.

What are you folks up to? public_ear you never did call me, did you get my email? Anyone else? Call me, I'm not so busy anymore.


The Clash helps though.

If anyone has been sending me mail or trying to get in touch with me in the last week and a half please note that my computer is dead and I have only been able to check in from work every once in a while.

I have been getting royally reamed by Best Buy and have no idea when I'll be properly back online.

As reported in the Evening Standard.

"A Sky News presenter announced at 12:01 p.m. that Harold Pinter had died," the paper said, "before correcting herself, after a Pinteresque pause, and saying that he had in fact won a Nobel prize."

How do you improve on that.

Following the lead of </a></b></a>rayne_y_daze:

When you see this, post your favourite line from a movie and have your flist guess where it's from.

"You are paid to squeeze and so you must squeeze to pay!"

Good Luck all.

So, it's been a while since I wrote anything here, but there are reasons.

1) I started tutoring.
          This has been a mixed bag at best, (a lot more like babysitting angry youth then teaching or even helping) but it is a step forward and something that I need to do if the teacher college thing is going to take off for next year.  Any teachers out there that would care to have me come in and watch what you do for a day or two it would be greatly appreciated. 

2) I got a job.
           It's only a part time thing, and it's very badly defined.  I'm working for a massage place (no sex jokes please, we're legit) trying to get their office and publicity things going.  Anyone interested in hot stone massage talk to me.

3) Work around the house.
          In the past weeks I have, fixed the eavestroughs, put up shelves in a workroom, covered the backyard in mulch, stopped an area of erosion, moved bookshelves, finished a bathroom project off, sorted and filed and played with many storage areas.  It will in the end be worth it, or so I keep telling myself so that I don't go mad.

4) Joining some other actors in a collective type workshop.
          This is a very fun thing that has only just started.  Our second meeting was last night.  Six of us so far and hoping to grow.  I don't fully know what will come of it but so far it's great to get together with other creative types and just feel like we are moving on something.   More about this as it grows and gets clearer.

5) Rebuilding my parents porch roof.
         I recovered my parents roof.  It was not a lot of fun, we had a hurricane in the middle of doing it, but it got me a little money and it sure as hell didn't cost my parents the $1,000 that the roofers were going to charge. (it's a 8x8 roof for f***s sake!)

6) Angst, pain and recrimination.
        Lets just say that nothing comes without a price, not family, marriage or dreams.  I often hate myself, this has been one of those times.  I feel better now.

7) a short trip to to the north to look at old boats/ historical site.
        B and I took a day off to go to Discovery Harbour.  It may seem like an odd thing to do but then we're odd people.  It was very cool, lots of wandering through reconstructed 19th century buildings and then (bestill my heart) onto and into a 49 foot two masted schooner (the Bee). A gaff rigger, tiller steering and a six hands to work her...a beauty, all wood and lovingly made.  I even got to meet the man that built her. Now that's a life!
 
So, I hope that this goes a certain way towards explaining why I haven't A) done any gaming with anyone. B) called or seen anyone. C) commented on much.

I am getting things in order, my life as well as my work situation. B will finally be getting back to work after a 4 week layoff (wasn't that a fun thing for August) so some money worries are diminishing, if not actually going away. My family life is sorting out, people are actually talking to one another again (doesn't everyone love a scene) and everyone is healthy (touch wood).

For those that don't know, we have been doing some renovations to our house in the last month.  Not a lot, just painting and clearing the backyard etc, and biggest task of all laying a tile floor along with a new toilet and sink in our little bathroom  (not even 5x3). We got it mostly done on Monday. A new sub floor, concrete backerboard, new tile, grout, calking, sealent, the toilet put in, the sink in place.  All that remained was the sink to finish hooking up.   So, last night we discovered that we had a leak, from the second floor bathroom into the basement.  Through the walls. I'm talking water soaking through the floorboards into brown puddles on the floor of the basement. 

That was a good way to start a panic.  Would our new floor have to come out?  Would we have to tear out the walls to get at the shower or sink pipes?  Not a good nights sleep.

Today the plumber came,  two hours later, and for not the arms and a leg that we feared it turned out that the toilet flang was not attached properly, and was thus leeking.  A new flange was fitted (without needing to drill new holes as the plumber feared).  Problem solved, end of panic. He also gave me the info on a better way of hooking up the sink than I was going to use so that looks good also.

Owning a home is not for the faint of heart.

 

The Social Worker You scored 31 Leadership, 39 Charm, 76 Nobility, and 47 Competence!

Oh, kind and selfless soul! So obsessed you are with helping others that you fail to see that your own character is suffering. It's great to help new players get a foot up in the game, but make sure that your own character is building up some skill in the meantime. You can aid others better by building good relationships and taking initiative once in awhile.

My test tracked 4 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender: You scored higher than 99% on Leadership You scored higher than 99% on Charm You scored higher than 99% on Nobility You scored higher than 99% on Competence

Link: The Roleplaying Destiny Test written by MadelineGrace on Ok Cupid