Spring is springing!

I hope you're enjoying your first day of spring break.  It is a strange feeling with the many closures for the coronavirus, but the weather is lovely and a nice walk is always in order.  You can go out and walk along the water's edge and listen to the birds and smell the fresh air, and it's all free!  My crocuses are up in the backyard and that always makes me feel optimistic.

I have a "to do" list for the holidays and I've told many of you that a list is helpful in a campaign against procrastination.  I read this morning that procrastination is more an emotional problem than motivation or scheduling or organization and that's why my particular listing techniques might help.  I always put a variety of things on my list, like to read a certain book I'm interested in (something I want to do), and then clean the bathroom (which is easy to do) and then things like calling the plumber to fix our sink in the basement (I don't like to call people or use the phone, in general) and my income tax (which fills me with ennui and is hard and takes a long time).  Then I always have the pleasure of ticking things off the list, even if I haven't done the hard or unpleasant things.

On my list this break was see "Revolt.  She Said.  Revolt Again." at UBC.  A couple of our alums were involved in the production and I was eager to see it.  Unfortunately, it closed early because UBC is going online while the COVID19 emergency is happening.  But FORUNATELY, I was able to see it on closing night (Saturday).  The performance was so full of life and so energetic and I was so glad to have been able to see it.  It is a thought-provoking play about what a mess we've made of the world, especially with regard to women's issues, but don't get the idea that it isn't fully engaging as theatre, too.  It was very funny and edgy and made the audience sit up in its seat (when you walked into the theatre, the actors were on stage warming up and they actually acknowledged us and waved and made eye contact -- even for an old "break the fourth wall" kind of actor like me, it was a bit unnerving, which is just what you want.)  There was a lot of fun word play and a variety of well-played characters who were funny and also recognizable and relatable.   I have been thinking about it since I saw it and wishing I could have a discussion about it with the playwright, because I would like to hear what she thinks about what it all says, and obviously, that is a great outcome for a play which really wants to shake up your worldview.

Anyway, I hope you are getting lots of sleep (which many of you sorely need).  I am reading a book right now that I don't like (The Yellow House by Sarah Broom) but I am determined to finish it, and then I'm going to reread The Decameron, which is about ten young people who flee Florence during an outbreak of the plague and head for the countryside -- sounds rather appropriate for these days, right?