I went to the opera tonight, it was a date with my sister. We’ve never done the opera before; we’ve seen a lot of plays, been to the symphony, done a myriad of other cultural events but never the opera. As we settle into our seats I remember how we suffered through Les Miserables; musicals are fine, just not a fan of talk-singing. I love a good number but if it’s dialogue, just say Read more
I am kicking my own ass because sometimes that’s what you’ve got to do to get back on track. It’s almost an entire month since my last post. What the frack! For the record, I have managed to sit my skinny ass in the chair and scribble some new pieces for a few storytelling events and it’s been most rewarding; I won my last bout at Write Club Toronto‘s anniversary event. The trophies lend a Read more
I have to lean in real close to hear his little voice. At first I did a double take because I thought he said years. He just stared at me patiently as if to say, why do you second guess yourself, you know you heard me the first time. He never repeats himself. I wonder if that’s why the others have such a hard time understanding him; they never get a chance to adapt to Read more
I fell off the blog-wagon. This is simultaneously no big deal and the worst thing to happen. Outside my head I know the world didn’t skip a beat, but inside my endlessly contorting grey matter the puzzle of how to jump on again tortured me. The more time passed the louder the chatter in my head got. It got so loud I had to abort a meditation challenge. Seriously it was *that* loud. I could Read more
Some days a single word is a trigger. Serena remembers when the twins were five and how she’d give anything for a ‘no word’ day. She challenged them to round after round of the ‘silent game’. One gummy bear for each five minutes of silence, their best time was thirty-one minutes. They were so impressed with their bounty, when they bragged about it they rounded down their victory. “Daddy, Daddy, we did quiet for anaf Read more
Her handwriting looks like it could be used for close-ups in the movies. It’s fluid and legible but it’s not perfect. It looks like it’s written by a real person. She writes a lot. Mostly note cards to people after shows or dinner parties. She has a reputation for her old-school, mannered ways. She is a favored guest of many. No one knows of her affliction; the condition of finding the perfect retort after the fact, Read more
Penny sets the plate down and steps back to offer fresh ground pepper. She freezes with the pepper mill suspended. The young woman is staring at the tangle of noodles in horror. Penny scans the dish with the artfully smeared pesto and negative space. There is nothing amiss but something is terribly wrong with the woman at table four. Penny flashes back through the endless questions about the menu; what’s inside the Agnolotti, what’s the Read more
Oh words, you’ve done it again, letting me go blithely on my way believing I knew what was what. Silly me. The beauty of words is that they have specific meanings. Yes sometimes different words can mean the same thing but they each have their own unique identity. Planning and Preparing. They are not the same thing. When the shit hits the fan, the proverbial fan blades shred said plans without discrimination. Plans fail, plans Read more