Itty Bitty Book Review: "Believing the Lie"

"Believing the Lie" by Elizabeth George

 

Elizabeth George usually gives me my "mystery fix" but I do consider most mysteries brain candy (P.D. James is an exception for me) and would rather they come in smaller packages than over 600 pages.  Of course I got hooked and waded through it all which is not what I read a mystery for.  I think I'll take a pass on the next one if it's too long.  Or perhaps do what John does....skip over and just read the parts with Barbara Havers.  It's true that they are at least good for a laugh and although they were rather few and far between with this book they didn't disappoint.

Jody Paterson's CUSO gig in Honduras

 Jody playing her accordion in the Honduras.


 I think many readers of the Times-Colonist in Victoria have really enjoyed Jody Paterson's columns over the years.  Last year she mentioned a blog she created writing a haiku to capture her day's activity.  I found the idea quite interesting and began following the blog.  Through this blog I found out about her doing a CUSO tour of duty in the Honduras and I've now been following her "A Closer Look" blog where she is now writing about that experience.

I must say I really admire her for doing this.  I certainly haven't ever felt I could do something like this.  It's also interesting to read about all the roadblocks in actually accomplishing something.   I'm sure Jody will be successful because of her tenacity but it does make one wonder how many people are trying to do good works in the developing world who won't be very successful in accomplishing much even given how much they have to offer.

I've posted links to the two blogs I mention and here's a sample I particularly liked on her  recent "breakthrough".  I can see why her new "name" worked so well...it involves humour and she demonstrated she admired something in the culture....the beautiful sound of Spanish names.  

"Here at the Comision de Accion Social Menonita, my tactic has been to make myself useful.
 It's a strange thing to be trying to do communications work in a country, culture and language you barely understand, but I can type fast in any language and that skill won me some Brownie points early on. Everybody can use a good typist now and then. I can also lug big heavy things around (helping poor communities in Honduras involves a striking amount of lugging big heavy things around, whether it's tins of food or bricks for a new cooking stove). And I can take photos. Lots and lots of photos. My little camera has been an amazing ice-breaker both at work and in the streets, as people just don't get much opportunity to have their photo taken here.
I've put major effort into improving my Spanish, too. When we did our Cuso International training back in Ottawa last December, the Cuso reps rightly told us that just because you speak the language doesn't mean you understand a country's culture. True enough, but you can't possibly access the culture without the language. Without a shared language, you're always going to be standing outside the group wondering what the heck they're all talking about, and the last one anyone wants to try to strike up a conversation with.
But the real breakthrough came last week, when I complained to one of my young co-workers that my name didn't have the same musical flow that all of their names had, and that I needed a Spanish name. She decided I would be Yolanda Macarena Rosa de Fuentes from that point on.
Within what seemed like minutes, everyone in the office was joking around with me about my new name. Someone just has to call out "Yolanda!" and the whole group starts laughing - with me, not at me, I'm happy to say.
We went on a group outing to nearby hot springs last night and the same co-worker decided my spouse needed a Spanish name, too. So he's Mr. Pancho now.
We laughed and laughed. I think it means we've arrived."


Jody's Daily Haiku

A Closer Look: Jody Paterson

First golf for me yesterday...

After Jim came home from teaching we headed to the Stanley Park Pitch and Putt.  Jim had been out a couple of times earlier in the year.  The rhodos and azaleas were fabulous....have to take my iPhone for photos next time.  Jim played one under par and I didn't muff a shot and scored pretty well myself.  A little stiff today so will look forward to swimming and hot tubbing...off to the Waterfront Centre pool now.

Good times with an old friend...

Great thing about old friends you can be really casual so we just picked up pizza and chicken wings for dinner last night.  Derek took transit in and walked from downtown...it really is a great way to go and he must have worked up an appetite since I've never seen Derek eat as much.  Good to see for one who normally eats like a bird!  Mary,  Derek says you are definitely coming in to the new Ikea  and then we'll all head to the "Pi".  Looking forward!.

I can see why people eat at Ikea...this is a 10 piece meatball dinner with fries or mashed potatoes, lingonberry perserves, a salad you serve yourself from a salad bar and a drink for $5.99...wow!  Now, of course the meatballs wouldn't be as good as the ones my Auntie Florence made for our Christmas Swedish Smorgasboard dinners....

Gourmet evening at John and Carol's

Carol made a wonderful halibut in parchment for dinner....wow...what a treat!  A good time together as usual.

 Mr. Darcy made a brief appearance but wasn't impressed by getting his photo taken and made a hasty retreat...

John and his new camera which does wonders....now,  you would think Mr. Darcy would be used to having his photo taken....

Mussel Mania

We joined Richard and Emily for Mussel Mania on Granville Island last night.  Great to see her again but she'll be back to NYC in a few days.  Then to the market to pick up some saucage at Oyama...some "coq au vin" and the other was blueberry chorizo or something like that.  I really do need them to write down what they are.

My latest painting

"Our Paradise Beach"
16 x 20 acrylic on canvas
May/12

This is our wonderful little beach across the road we go swimming at.  I wanted to capture the rock balancing figures that so many people do...they're kind of like these mandalas people do that are meant to be temporary but give many people pleasure in the meantime.  One day, some kids made an octopus sand sculpture so I had to put that in.  I would have liked to have the kayakers, stand up paddlers, and rowers actually in the water doing their thing but that didn't work out so they are represented on the sand.  You have to be creative when you don't have traditional painting talent!

Camosun College starts comics, graphic novel program

I was introduced to the graphic novel when Richard gave us this two volume set that won the Pulitzer Prize.  I was amazingly touched and affected by the story and the medium.  And it broke a spell since I had found it very difficult to read or see anything about the Holocaust after visiting the Auschwitz memorial in Poland in 1976.

Big spread in the Vancouver Sun today:

"Eager to help young artists tap into these career opportunities, Steacy has teamed up with his wife, author and graphic novel illustrator Joan Steacy, and the creative writing department at Camosun College in Victoria to offer Western Canada's first full-time comic and graphic novels certificate program. Beginning this September, the eight-month course will welcome 16 students who will combine creative writing and graphic novel illustration courses, with an exploration of the history of the industry from superheroes and villains to groundbreaking literary works such as Art Spiegelman's Pulitzer Prizewinning Holocaust survival story, Maus, and Marjane Satrapi's Persepolis, depicting the author's childhood in Iran following the Islamic Revolution.

The goal is give graduates the skills they need to work as freelance authors and illustrators for comic books, graphic novels and web comics, or pursue careers in gaming, motion graphics, animation, advertising and as storyboard artists for the film and television industries.
"We just want to absolutely stuff their heads with information that they can then parse and determine how best to use," Steacy said. Stan Chung, Camosun's dean of arts and science, said the school is thrilled to be able to offer the unique certificate program in what he called a "booming industry."
But it was really Steacy's international reputation and his willingness to share his real-world experience of the business that really sealed the deal....

Chung said Camosun has been approached by post-secondary schools interested in a partnership that would see certificate graduates transfer credits to a degree program.
"I can name you two universities that have expressed their admiration and jealousy about this program. They wish they had Ken Steacy. They know who he is and what he can offer."

 Camosun College starts comics, graphic novel program

Way to go Camosun!

Strolling along Main Street

Main Street around 26th and up for a while seems to be like Fort Street used to be with the antique and memorabilia shops.  Most of that is gone now in Victoria for various reasons....people don't buy a lot of that these days and the US tourists don't come up and buy because of our strong dollar.  These shops might be a dying breed here as well but for the moment I guess Vancouver has the population to support them and also I see they are pitching to the movie industry.

 Quite a mix of housing in this area.  I really liked this one.

 The photo doesn't do this chandelier justice but it is a very beautiful art deco piece.  It's just been reduced from $3600 to $2600.  If it was $500 I probably would have bought it for our dining room in Victoria.

Vintage clothing seems pretty big these days.

My latest painting

 We love going up to the revolving bar of Cloud 9 and getting tapas and a drink and I knew I wanted to do a painting.   I love the photo I took from Cloud 9 that I include here but you'd have to know something about painting to actually be able to do justice to that.  I also love the red and orange sky and figured I might be able to do something with this.  So...in the end it was fun and I'm quite pleased with it.

"View from Cloud 9"
18 x 24 acrylic on canvas
April/12

Here are the two photos I took  that inspired the painting.

Sunset at English Bay

V

View from Cloud 9

Connecting with humour...

 I quite liked this article in the Sun yesterday.  I've included some of it here and the rest can be read on the link.  I guess what attracted to me is I am always fascinated by the subtle,  the gray aspects of life....I can never see things in black and white terms.   It would be easier to just not ever touch on race, religion, ethnicity, or gender in humour and I certainly hate with a passion jokes that are ignorant and only meant to hurt.  But laughter can promote understanding.

From the article:  Humour my be our most unifying weapon

"Religious humour is especially delicate, since Jews, Catholics, Doukhobors, Muslims and others have long suffered persecution.
Given the context, British Muslim comedienne Shazia Murza is bravely reaching out when she jokes: “I was walking around the Kabbah, the black stone [in the holy city of Mecca], and somebody pinched my bum. It must have been the hand of God.”

Similarly, Jews are poking fun at grandiose members of their own religion when they ask: “How do we know Jesus was a Jew?”
Answer: “He thought his father was God, and his mother was a virgin.”

Spence, a retired United Church minister in Metro Vancouver, agrees that “deep laughter” comes from being pleasantly surprised in difficult times, from recognizing the wonder of life and common humanity.
“To be ‘delighted,’ perhaps one must embrace the tragic in life,” Spence said. “To be ‘lighthearted’ – perhaps one must experience the broken-hearted, the – bitterness of life.”
Just as humour created solidarity among our multi-ethnic band of religion journalists in Italy, I was often struck by the drollness of many of Canada’s aboriginal people when I travelled to research the legacy of residential schools and the rise of self-government.
Many aboriginals may have a right to be bitter. But while some are angry at the devastating effects of colonial-ism and continuing abuse, many I’ve met also have a mischievous sparkle in their eyes or are quick to tell jokes. They were far beyond passively thinking “poor me.”

Even some people in the over-ear-nest world of scholarship seem to be getting the irony. In a research piece in The Journal of American Culture, Stephen Hall et al. wrote that humour is the most useful tool for social integration in an increasingly fractured society.

“Laughter usually comes when we have revealed our own or others’ weaknesses and limitations. What could be more ‘popular’ than this reminder of our human vulnerabilities?” Hall said.
“Doesn’t being able to laugh with others bring us together? The message humour communicates is that people share common values; this in turn makes them feel closer to each other. It is sort of a ‘smile of recognition’ involving shared experiences.”

The Search | Vancouver Sun

Theatre of the absurd....

We haven't been to a Beckett play since university days I think so we were quite intrigued by seeing Endgame.  It was in a funny little space called Little Mountain Studios at 26th and Main.  The performance was excellent but I don't think we'll go to other performances there since folding plastic chairs are pretty tough to take...more for the young.  

We had some time before the play so walked up Main and found this area to be pretty interesting so will definitely go back and explore.

 This restaurant which had a take out window as well as an inside place had a line up for the inside before the play and after.   People in the line up were being served small cups of something by a staff member...a nice touch.

Expo 67

I always enjoy the Vancouver Sun feature of looking back to what happened on the current day.  Today,  April 27, was when Expo 67 opened in 1967 of course.   Kerry and I went back on the train (a three day trip) because it was half the price of flying and stayed for a week.  The pavillion I remember the most was the Czechoslovakia pavillion and I was blown away by the chrystal particularly.  I picked this up in a google search:

"Czechoslovakia's pavilion, a world of enchantment where art, technology and industry was marvelously interwoven, was perhaps the most popular national pavilion at Expo. Its exhibits were sophisticated and presented brilliant and delightful audio-visual techniques where technology became art."

I was also very impressed with the Habitat 67 and I see you can rent or purchase a unit.
http://www.habitat67.com/origine_en_.html

This is a rather interesting blog post on it from someone who visited.
http://www.pagehalffull.com/humanyms/2005/09/habitat-67/

Army and Navy shoe sale

As teenagers my friends and I would be sure to take in this but I don't remember ever buying more than one pair of shoes and we certainly didn't get up early or go on the first day...times have changed.

From the Vancouver Sun:

"They started showing up at 4:15 a.m. and by the time the doors opened to Army and Navy’s famous shoe sale, the line of shoe-obsessed women snaked down the block and around the corner. The veterans carried flip flops so they could quickly try on the shoes they liked. “Virgins”— those new to the sale —listened intently to the advise of the regulars and stored it for future reference.
“If the shoe fits, buy it,” was the slogan emblazoned on the tee of perennially first-in-line shopper Su Chun who hired her personal assistant to hold the front spot for her. Over the past 8 years, she has bought at least 70 pairs of shoes to augment the hundreds she has at home. But fit is critical.
“I have too many shoes to buy ones that don’t fit,” she says....

Nicolle Gicas and Jasmine Gudavicious, both 27, got there at 5:15 a.m. They took three days off work and came from Victoria to shop this sale and then head south of the border for more deals. This is their third year and after over-doing it the first year, they made a rule that they have to wear the shoes at least once before the next sale."

Read more: http://www.vancouversun.com/your+shoe+Army+Navy/6518124/story.html#ixzz1tAUMYfKn

Le Parisien Bistro Français

This is a new incarnation of a French restaurant at this location and got great reviews so on this rainy day decided to give it a try.  We both had the steak/frites with Roquefort sauce.  Excellent and the fries were wonderful and the baguette was almost like a Carqueiranne one.  We will be back! 

For my cat loving friends....

Richard showed me how to make a link on this new blogger interface so here goes....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q34z5dCmC4M&feature=youtu.be

Amazing sky tonight....

I didn't think we were going to get much of a sunset at all then this happened...actually rather briefly....then suddenly turned gray.  I should have taken a photo of that but we were watching Mad Men.  We're really enjoying the new season.  I bought a "season pass" on iTunes so I download it Monday.

Itty Bitty Book Review "The Lesser Blessed"

"The Lesser Blessed" by Richard Van Camp

We picked this up in a thrift shop free bin.  I really enjoyed reading it but a bit raw so not for everyone.  It's a story of a coming of age of a First Nation's boy and quite powerful writing in places especially for a first novel (novella really at 119 pages).  Van Camp is member of the Dogrib Nation and he did the UVic writing program and is now writer-in-residence at the University of Alberta.   Apparently the book has been made into a movie and will be released this year.

Book Spine Poetry

 This seems to be the latest fad.  We don't have a lot of books here in Vancouver but I came up with this one.

 More examples on the following llink.

2012 Book Spine Poem Gallery | 100 Scope Notes

Cloud 9 tapas and beer...

We always enjoy a light meal here in the bar.  I think this photo of the view the other day just might inspire a painting.

We parked on Nicola in our resident's parking and I really liked this house and beautiful tree out front.  It really gives me pleasure to see these old houses that have been preserved in all the density of the West End.

*  Jim pointed out this photo was from Arbutus Street when we were at Las Margaritas recently.

Old times...old cars...

We had Don and Colleen for dinner last night and had many good laughs.   In 1970,  Don was doing graduate work in the state of New York and they drove a loaded up 1958 Anglia back there and actually made it with various adventures along the way.  You only do this kind of stuff when you're young and broke.

It worked out...amazingly....

Since we got our pied a terre in Vancouver I've been wanting wanting to do the Sylvia Hotel but realized it would be difficult for me.  I created various messes but in the end I'm quite pleased with the final result.  I could pick away forever but decided to stop and leave it be.

14 x 18 acrylic on canvas
April/12
Sylvia Hotel

Back to painting...

I started painting again the other day and am working on three paintings I had started quite a while ago.  I like to have 2 or 3 or the go so I can work on something else while something is drying.  I get impatient even though acrylic dry quickly.  I don't think I could ever work with oils.

 This one is of our "Paradise Beach"....now if I can just manage to paint in all the things I want....

This one will be of the Resort Course at Taquitz.   I've pretty much given up trying to capture these wonderful San Jacinto Mountains but the Resort Course has all sorts of palm trees and cacti and that should cover up a lot if I can just manage to get these right or some facsimile.

The last one is of the Sylvia Hotel and of course that presents many problems for me.  At the moment it's a bit of a real mess but I haven't given up yet.  I did want to include the tall apartments beside it but that seems impossible for me so I've painted over that.  My salvation (I hope) will be to hide flaws and shortcomings with trees in front....worked with my Notre Dame painting...

So what was all the fuss about?

We went to see The Artist the other day at our local Denman Cinema and we were both somewhat disappointed.  It was ok and pleasant to watch but "Best Picture of the Year"...as some reviewer said "I'm speechless".    I think we are more in agreement with him and the following review.  To each his own...

Say anything – The Artist review | Quickflix� DVD & Movie Blog: The appeal of the three leads – yes, we include Uggie – as well as a few novel sequences – one involving an empty tuxedo jacket, and the charming finale – make The Artist a mostly enjoyable watch. However, Hazanavicius’ half-hearted tribute to black-and-white silent films seems more like a gimmick than a particularly unique or refreshing attempt to share a meaningful story in an entertaining way. If you’re looking for an enchanting film about the early days of cinema, watch Hugo. Should you be in the market for a romance about an up-and-coming movie star in the age of the talkies, revisit Singin’ in the Rain. For those intrigued about the awful after-lives of elderly silent movie stars, see Sunset Boulevard. However, if you want to see some spectacularly adorable if not particularly lasting or memorable dog tricks, The Artist is the film you’ve been waiting for.

In the eye of the beholder...

Preface by Aldous Huxley to an exhibition of watercolours by W. Eisenschitz in 1935.

“Provence is a much painted and, on the whole, an exceedingly ill-painted region...Those hideously garish railway posters...

The real Provence glows with soft, yet powerful colours; is severe and at times even savage, but full of the most exquisite subtleties; combines breath and nobility with a wealth of delicately varied brightness....In these admirable water colours Mr. Eisenshitz has succeeded, it seems to me, in rendering a great deal of the essential Provence.”

Well,  I do take exception to the "garish railway posters" as I like them very much and do feel they capture Provence.  I find Eisenschitz's water colours of Provence could be anywhere really especially the ones 1935 and before.  There is one he did in 1952 I quite like and feel is evocative of Provence.

Here's some the of garish railway posters...it's possible only the best ones have survived.

I particularly love this one.

The watercolours:

Now this one does say Provence to me....done in 1952.