molière and such

Today I went to the park to watch a group of staff members play "camp games" against each other (arranged by one of the managers)--like trying to pop water balloons, an egg toss. The best part was that the balloons refused to burst and the eggs were the hardest raw eggs any of us have ever seen. After awhile they just started chucking them at the ground, trying to get them to burst, but the super eggs just bounced along their way... Must have fed those chickens too much iron.

Just watched this movie, from the library. It's like Shakespeare in Love--where they take an unknown part of an author's life, and go crazy with it, and make out as though it served as the inspiration for ALL their great works. It's a style that kind of annoys me, I'd rather watch something more true to life. But I guess if you wanted to introduce someone to Molière's plays, or get them excited about them, this would be a good way, since it makes use of many famous scenes. And it suited my present mood, since I just read Scapin by Molière, and am reading Les Trois mousquetaires which takes place around the same time.

I also took out the mini-series Les Rois maudits, which my friend Banana recommended to me. Will probably start that tomorrow. The series will be a nice complement to my Shakespeare history plays (and my languishing novel) as it deals with the French monarchy leading up to the Hundred Years Wars (and Henry V.)

So reading Les Trois mousquetaires... my French actually did get better. I remember trying to start this book in 1996 when I first bought it, and I had trouble getting into it because it was hard to understand. This time I'm doing much better.

Mind you, it's a 600 page book, and I read slow in French! Could be reading this for months, if I don't give up. I often re-read phrases that I don't understand, because I find if I skip too many lines ("Oh I'll skip this, I'm sure I'll pick the thread back up in a moment") I get more and more lost. Better to stop and think.

Same with French movies/tv. I watch with French subtitles, cause I understand written French better than spoken, and then I can pause when they're talking too fast and I need a moment to catch up.

Soooome enchaaaanted eeeeveniiiing

The revival of South Pacific is playing in Toronto, but not long enough for me to see it for Gilmabelfest. But it's showing on tv, so I'm watching parts of it. Ah well, it'll probably come to Montreal eventually.

Here are two of my favourite songs:

50 Questions - jelly beans jelly beans and lies

What's the most interesting biography you've read?

I haven't read many, but my clear fave is that of Harpo Marx--the silent, curly-haired Marx Brother. He was a really nice man, and really funny, and hung out with entertaining people (like Alexander Woollcott of the Algonquin Round Table) so it's super entertaining. My brother thought so too. It's the kind of book that leaves you with a lot of favourite stories at the end.

Like his claim that he went to a movie with George Burns, fell asleep during, and Burns ate his entire gigantic bag of black jellybeans; but that Burns claims they fell off his lap, cascaded down the length of the theatre, and caused a huge ruckus.

"How much did you lose along the way?"

Today while doing the dishes and having breakfast I caught the CBC show Global Perspectives, and one of the most moving stories I've ever heard called The Lonely Funeral. It's the kind of thing that if you read a short paragraph about it in the paper, you'd think--that's interesting. But when you hear a longer program, with interviews of the participants, a well-produced documentary, it becomes incredibly beautiful and moving.

I wished I was reading it as a novel, or watching it as a fictionalized movie (think: About Schmidt or American Splendor or The Squid and the Whale) so I could experience the story unfolding. I would have cried even more than I just did!

If you like listening to things online, you can hear the 30 min program here.

In Amsterdam the city holds funerals for people who die and have no one to put on a funeral. It might be an abandoned baby they find in the street, a lonely millionaire, a murderer, etc. When a new civil servant, Ger Fritz, took on the job of arranging them, he didn't like how they were being done--he wanted them to be less distinguishable from other funerals. So he arranged for flowers to be bought, and three songs played, and attended them. He's not a sentimental man, he just thought this is proper, and he attended to make sure everything was done right.


A local poet heard about it, and started running after Fritz, trying to convince him that they should have a poet write a poem for each of these people. Fritz resisted the idea, mostly because he didn't want to divulge information about these people--out of respect for their privacy, and fear that the poet would judge these people based on random facts (Eg. that not one of the man's 10 children wanted to attend the funeral, or that the person died of alcohol poisoning).

But the poet, Starik, won out, and here's his reason for wanting to write the poems: "One of man’s essential qualities is the need for a story. We are story machines. Our job is to return to people their stories that have somehow been lost along the way."

Here's one of the poems he wrote, recited on the show:

Goodbye stranger, I say goodbye, on the road
to nowhere, to the final country where everyone is welcomed in,
where nothing needn't know your origin. Farewell sir,
without papers, without identity. What were you looking for?
How much did you lose along the way?

Who stares through the empty window, waits - nameless man, wait, while I speak
and entrust my empty words to this empty room.
I am too late. You I never knew.

Not at your weakest, not in your strength.
Not in the final country, where you are greeted without name.
I don't know the words you spoke. Not me.

Who then, loved you? In which rooms did you sleep, who kissed you goodnight, who'll wear out your shirt?
Who will want to stand where you once stood?
Who now takes the road you took?

Who still looks for you? Who remembers whence you came?
Who heard the voice calling out for you to come on home man to your final haven, Amsterdam.

Mabel's VeganEats re-opens!

I felt it was time to redecorate my café. I had lots of money saved up, so I could re-do it all from scratch. My original Mabel's VeganEats was started by Fernando. You have to cook and make money to afford better furniture, so here's the evolution.

I don't have a pic of what I inherited, but I turned in wood floors and blue walls for some nice tiles and tasteful paint. I could only afford a few fancy tables and chairs, so I made a VIP lounge.

Here I tried a new setup, but it wasn't working somehow, people weren't getting served or something. There was now a kiddy corner, and still a VIP section.

More traditional setup.

I afforded more matching tables, and a new VIP corner.

This was my latest decor--I took all the various pieces I'd purchased over time, and made many different themed sections. Sort of a banquet hall on one side...

a cozier section on the other side, and a special corner for the single person--with puppy company. Next time I'm going to decorate ALL in bookcases and puppies. (There's no kitties.)

But for now, here's my new up-do.

You like my sleeping puppy?

You can only configure the tables certain ways, with one person per. So there's a lot of strategy! involved. Now I need to cook up some food on my stoves.

Return to Meowee East: Jump on youuuuuuu!

random humour:

Woke up early today because of stoopid day shifts last couple days, and getting up early for movie on weekend.

My mother asked for a Return to Meowee East update. There hasn't been much to tell.

Minion:

- is super obnoxious to humans when trying to

(a) suck their ears (rare settling-for-arm-because-ear-not-allowed)

(b) chase things on the computer screen

- plays plays plays then suddenly collapses in a nap [below: play, then sudden collapse on foot]



- eats a lot, loves softies, and Snappy Tom treats
- is super obnoxious to cats when trying to (a) chase them, (b) jump on them.

She Who Must Be Obeyed:
- accepted the kitten quite soon
- but tires of being jumped on
- enjoys how often kittens need to be fed, cause she gets fed too (though we feed her a much smaller portion)

I think once the kitten's older, and less PLAY I MUST JUMP ON YOU! and their energy levels match more, then they might settle in as buddies. Cause Haley does like to play, but ease. Ease!!

I'm in charge of the water cooler!