The Fringe Festival is almost over -- I hope some of you were able to take in some performances. As I said before, it can be fun just to stick a pin in the program randomly and see whatever you get. That's what I did last night. Even if the show is putrid, you can still get something out of it.
Last week, I saw "2 for Tea" with James and Jamesy and it was great fun. Jamesy is a great physical comedian with stunning control of his character and his physical attributes -- he is like a dancer (perhaps he has some dance training -- he can hold his leg out straight for a LONG time and he had this great shtick when he sat down that even the people they chose from the audience were able to incorporate into their little performances -- lovely) and he and James play very well together. James is a bigger, beefier fellow with a big open face. The premise is simple -- two friends get together once a week for tea. They got people out of the audience to play the general of the British army (to whom they wanted to serve tea, with dire consequences) and Jamesy's parents. It was very entertaining and just what my friend and I needed after a challenging week of back to school! It was light and funny but also rather touching and sweet and I liked James and Jamesy's relationship -- I believed they were friends and even their conflict (which was based on Jamesy calling James "Jamesy"!) was handled with sweetness and a little bit of an edge. I was gratified that, even though the story was simple and they were going for the laughs, they were able to give us performances that struck several notes, which is what life is like, I think. I liked the contrast between the two characters and their precise movements and the use they made of the audience and their set and costumes and even the little jokes they made about how the stage was spiked.
Last night, we saw "The Dance Teacher" and this was the one I just chose randomly. It was about a guy who is a dance teacher and how he molested his students. The playbill said one of the things that was worth seeing about the show was that you would leave wondering if he had actually done it. But in the play, they said they had video evidence to show that he had, indeed, done it. And in fact, he confessed. When I chose the show, I read that the cast was great, but afterward I didn't think so. The guy who played Justin, the main character, was very handsome and he had some good moments -- mostly when he was quiet and just sitting there and you could imagine what he was thinking. (Note to self -- you don't have to TELL the audience everything, and, in fact, you shouldn't -- let them figure out stuff for themselves.) But the other actors played one note each (this might be the fault of the script which was very pedestrian, obvious, repetitive and solemn). Even the gestures were repetitive -- everyone seemed to be grabbing each other's faces. And there was no dancing. I think when you call a play "The Dance Teacher" there should be dancing. There were a number of moments when I think they were trying to shock us, but that's what it seemed like -- "oh, look how shocking we are!" and everyone seemed to be constantly in everyone else's personal space in a way that didn't work theatrically, but just made it seem like they weren't using the stage. And there were lots of those "soap opera" moments, when someone would say something shocking or angry (there was NO HUMOUR in it at all -- none, nothing -- all super solemn) and then the other person would walk away and look out at the audience. When you see a show like this, the best part is afterward when you can discuss it. As you can sense, I hated it.
The Fringe continues today. If you have time, pop into Vancouver and take in a show. Here are a few which have had some good reviews:
Space Hippo (at the Waterfront on Granville Island) from 1:15 to 2:15 (about saving the planet)
Marrow (at the Havanna Theatre on Commercial Drive) from 4:00 to 4:50 (about two sisters with a secret)
Curious Contagious (at the Waterfront) from 8:05 - 9:05 (about a virus taking over a unicorn's body -- appropriate for all ages, apparently)
Happy Fringing!
Sunday, 18 September 2016
Thursday, 15 September 2016
Journal #2 - Can we separate the art from the artist?
There is no journal this week for Grade 8, because most of them are at camp! I hope it has been a heap of fun for all of you and that you come back as a unified class with lots of shared experiences and memories. It was fun for me to meet the kids who participated in the in-house camp -- I hope some of you think about joining the drama club.
For all of the rest of you, here's a philosophical question for all of you to ponder.
Can you separate the art from the artist? Many of you have probably heard about Nate Parker's new movie called "Birth of a Nation" which is about the Nat Turner slave rebellion in the southern United States in 1831 (I would highly recommend the great novel about it by William Styron called The Confessions of Nat Turner). The movie was a huge success at the Sundance Film Festival. After the festival, it was discovered that when Nate Parker (who directed, wrote and starred in the film) was 19 (about ten years ago), he was accused of rape. It was when he was at college and he and his friend were at a party where there was a lot of drinking and his friend's girlfriend was intoxicated and unconscious and they apparently took advantage of her when she was in that state. There was a trial and Nate Parker was acquitted and his friend was convicted, but later the friend was also acquitted on appeal when the victim did not testify. She later committed suicide. At first, when the story was reported, Nate Parker said that he had been a "dog" and was still learning about gender relationships and was sorry about the woman's suicide, but now at the Toronto Film Festival, Parker is deflecting questions about his past and trying to focus attention on the film.
Many people are now suggesting that they don't want to see the film because of Parker's past. What do you think? This question arises often, because artists are often not exemplary people -- many of them do bad things, many of them struggle with demons, sometimes of their own creation.
Should you not enjoy a work of art because it's created by a person who has done something you find reprehensible? Is the work of art separate from the person who creates it? What expectations do we have of artists? Write your thoughts on this issue.
For all of the rest of you, here's a philosophical question for all of you to ponder.
Can you separate the art from the artist? Many of you have probably heard about Nate Parker's new movie called "Birth of a Nation" which is about the Nat Turner slave rebellion in the southern United States in 1831 (I would highly recommend the great novel about it by William Styron called The Confessions of Nat Turner). The movie was a huge success at the Sundance Film Festival. After the festival, it was discovered that when Nate Parker (who directed, wrote and starred in the film) was 19 (about ten years ago), he was accused of rape. It was when he was at college and he and his friend were at a party where there was a lot of drinking and his friend's girlfriend was intoxicated and unconscious and they apparently took advantage of her when she was in that state. There was a trial and Nate Parker was acquitted and his friend was convicted, but later the friend was also acquitted on appeal when the victim did not testify. She later committed suicide. At first, when the story was reported, Nate Parker said that he had been a "dog" and was still learning about gender relationships and was sorry about the woman's suicide, but now at the Toronto Film Festival, Parker is deflecting questions about his past and trying to focus attention on the film.
Many people are now suggesting that they don't want to see the film because of Parker's past. What do you think? This question arises often, because artists are often not exemplary people -- many of them do bad things, many of them struggle with demons, sometimes of their own creation.
Should you not enjoy a work of art because it's created by a person who has done something you find reprehensible? Is the work of art separate from the person who creates it? What expectations do we have of artists? Write your thoughts on this issue.
Thursday, 8 September 2016
Welcome to the world of the journal!
These are your first journals of the new year! (Resolve to answer each question in a complete and timely way!)
Drama 8:
What should Ms. Kosar know about you? Obviously, you will want to share stuff about Drama -- do you have a lot of background in theatre or performing (even musical performances, dance recitals, speech contests, athletic performances are of interest to me). Do you have stage fright? What do you look forward to in Drama this term? Is there anything that concerns you about the class? Whatever you'd like to share, I'll be interested to read.
Drama 9/10:
Write about a news story that you think would make a dramatic play. It can be a specific story (like Justin Trudeau "photobombing" that wedding to Tofino this summer) or it can be something broader (like the American election or the concept of climate change). Describe how you would dramatize the story. Give details.
Theatre Production 11/12:
One of the things a theatre production person does is to solve problems. Here's a problem we are presented with in Macbeth. Macbeth is holding a dinner for a bunch of Scottish nobles. Unbeknownst to them, Macbeth has just had his best friend, Banquo, (who is a Scottish noble, expected at the dinner) killed. Everyone arrives and Macbeth's wife is welcoming the guests, and Macbeth sees the ghost of his friend arrive. Only Macbeth sees the ghost. How would you stage this scene? How do you think the ghost should look? (Think of what you'd do in our theatre, because that's where we're going to stage it.) Have you ever seen a ghost in a movie or a play? Does that help you imagine what you could do?
Directing and Scriptwriting 12: Have you ever directed anyone before? Describe the circumstances. What do you imagine are the most difficult things about being a director? (Name at least four things.) What skills and knowledge do you bring to the class that will help you work with the actors?
Acting 11/12: Who is your favourite actor or actress? (Don't say you don't have one. If you've taken Acting at this level, you need to be aware that there are good and bad actors out there and you need to try to learn from their performances and think about how you can create real-seeming characters on stage like they do.) Explain why you think they're good. Describe their performance in a film, play or television program and focus on what they've done to impress you.
Try to remember to bring something to write with tomorrow and something to write in.
Drama 8, here is the Shakespeare we'll be working on over the next couple of weeks:
All the world's a stage,
And all the men and women merely players;
They have their exits and their entrances,
And one man, in his time, plays many parts.
Remember, "women" is pronounced "wimmen".
Drama 8:
What should Ms. Kosar know about you? Obviously, you will want to share stuff about Drama -- do you have a lot of background in theatre or performing (even musical performances, dance recitals, speech contests, athletic performances are of interest to me). Do you have stage fright? What do you look forward to in Drama this term? Is there anything that concerns you about the class? Whatever you'd like to share, I'll be interested to read.
Drama 9/10:
Write about a news story that you think would make a dramatic play. It can be a specific story (like Justin Trudeau "photobombing" that wedding to Tofino this summer) or it can be something broader (like the American election or the concept of climate change). Describe how you would dramatize the story. Give details.
Theatre Production 11/12:
One of the things a theatre production person does is to solve problems. Here's a problem we are presented with in Macbeth. Macbeth is holding a dinner for a bunch of Scottish nobles. Unbeknownst to them, Macbeth has just had his best friend, Banquo, (who is a Scottish noble, expected at the dinner) killed. Everyone arrives and Macbeth's wife is welcoming the guests, and Macbeth sees the ghost of his friend arrive. Only Macbeth sees the ghost. How would you stage this scene? How do you think the ghost should look? (Think of what you'd do in our theatre, because that's where we're going to stage it.) Have you ever seen a ghost in a movie or a play? Does that help you imagine what you could do?
Directing and Scriptwriting 12: Have you ever directed anyone before? Describe the circumstances. What do you imagine are the most difficult things about being a director? (Name at least four things.) What skills and knowledge do you bring to the class that will help you work with the actors?
Acting 11/12: Who is your favourite actor or actress? (Don't say you don't have one. If you've taken Acting at this level, you need to be aware that there are good and bad actors out there and you need to try to learn from their performances and think about how you can create real-seeming characters on stage like they do.) Explain why you think they're good. Describe their performance in a film, play or television program and focus on what they've done to impress you.
Try to remember to bring something to write with tomorrow and something to write in.
Drama 8, here is the Shakespeare we'll be working on over the next couple of weeks:
All the world's a stage,
And all the men and women merely players;
They have their exits and their entrances,
And one man, in his time, plays many parts.
Remember, "women" is pronounced "wimmen".
Saturday, 3 September 2016
Tips for making society run smoothly
We went shopping yesterday. Many of you know how much I love THAT (not.) But it was relatively painless, except we bought socks somewhere (we always need socks, it seems) and now we can't find them anywhere. Hence, your first tip! Check your bag! Make sure that everything you bought makes it into the bag! (Because, especially since I hate shopping, you do not want to have to go back, especially on a rainy day like today when everyone will be lined up at every checkout (like yesterday even though it was a Friday) and people will be wandering aimlessly looking at stuff and I can't imagine why anyone would want to do that. For me, it's go in, get what you want and get out! (And then go to the bookstore or have lunch somewhere.) And of course, what is the point in going back to the store? Will they trust me that I did not receive the socks I bought? Why would they? I could be a sock scammer, who takes the socks out of the bag and then returns the next day and says, "oh, I didn't receive the socks I bought" and then get two packs of socks for the price of one!
Next tip . . . identify yourself on the phone, when you phone someone. Don't assume they know who you are, because they probably don't. Someone phoned me this morning (and you probably know I hate the phone even more than shopping) and she just started talking and I thought she was one person and she turned out to be someone else. I don't think she knew that I thought she was someone else, and I didn't tell her (I should have because she never says who she is) so I'm to blame for the situation as well. And it isn't enough to say "it's me" because everyone is me to themselves.
Tip #3: I'm not going to explain it, because you will all know what I mean. Take a creative risk once in a while (like my French meal turned out pretty well and I'm reading Macbeth and thinking about how we are going to stage it this fall -- exciting!)
Final tip for today . . . and it's a very Kosar tip. Try to see the silver lining. It is easy to look on the dark side, but there is usually another (better) side to see that will benefit you and everyone around you. On Wednesday, I donated my husband's tools (he had a huge number of tools and the boys and I don't know how to operate any of them and Mike decided they should be donated to Habitat for Humanity, which builds houses for people who might not otherwise be able to afford them) to Habitat for Humanity. They came and took a truckload of stuff and are coming back in a couple of weeks to get the rest. It was hard to see them dismantling the benches and things that Mike had used to build all the beautiful furniture that he made. The men who did the pickup were very nice and the gentleman who was in charge was very sympathetic about Mike's death and our loss but it brought back a lot of painful memories, of course, and I knew it would, which is probably why it took me so long to have it done (over a year). But after I felt badly for a while, I remembered Mike telling me to donate the tools. He grew up in a family that always struggled financially and he appreciated the work that Habitat for Humanity does. He wanted to help and not just let the tools sit there and gather dust. When he was alive, he was able to use those tools to build beautiful things, many of which we have in our house and he was always very proud of the work he did, proud that he was able to do such creative and positive work, proud of being self-taught, and he loved wood and the smell of sawdust and planning out what he was going to build and how he was going to build it. He would be proud and happy that the tools he used in his business were going to continue to be used to make people's lives easier and better. Sad and tragic things will happen to all of us in our lives but we need to focus on the lovely things we experience. We lost Mike but we had him in our lives and each day we think about him, his laugh and his smile, and his kindness and thoughtfulness, his enthusiasm and creativity, and we know how lucky we are.
Next tip . . . identify yourself on the phone, when you phone someone. Don't assume they know who you are, because they probably don't. Someone phoned me this morning (and you probably know I hate the phone even more than shopping) and she just started talking and I thought she was one person and she turned out to be someone else. I don't think she knew that I thought she was someone else, and I didn't tell her (I should have because she never says who she is) so I'm to blame for the situation as well. And it isn't enough to say "it's me" because everyone is me to themselves.
Tip #3: I'm not going to explain it, because you will all know what I mean. Take a creative risk once in a while (like my French meal turned out pretty well and I'm reading Macbeth and thinking about how we are going to stage it this fall -- exciting!)
Final tip for today . . . and it's a very Kosar tip. Try to see the silver lining. It is easy to look on the dark side, but there is usually another (better) side to see that will benefit you and everyone around you. On Wednesday, I donated my husband's tools (he had a huge number of tools and the boys and I don't know how to operate any of them and Mike decided they should be donated to Habitat for Humanity, which builds houses for people who might not otherwise be able to afford them) to Habitat for Humanity. They came and took a truckload of stuff and are coming back in a couple of weeks to get the rest. It was hard to see them dismantling the benches and things that Mike had used to build all the beautiful furniture that he made. The men who did the pickup were very nice and the gentleman who was in charge was very sympathetic about Mike's death and our loss but it brought back a lot of painful memories, of course, and I knew it would, which is probably why it took me so long to have it done (over a year). But after I felt badly for a while, I remembered Mike telling me to donate the tools. He grew up in a family that always struggled financially and he appreciated the work that Habitat for Humanity does. He wanted to help and not just let the tools sit there and gather dust. When he was alive, he was able to use those tools to build beautiful things, many of which we have in our house and he was always very proud of the work he did, proud that he was able to do such creative and positive work, proud of being self-taught, and he loved wood and the smell of sawdust and planning out what he was going to build and how he was going to build it. He would be proud and happy that the tools he used in his business were going to continue to be used to make people's lives easier and better. Sad and tragic things will happen to all of us in our lives but we need to focus on the lovely things we experience. We lost Mike but we had him in our lives and each day we think about him, his laugh and his smile, and his kindness and thoughtfulness, his enthusiasm and creativity, and we know how lucky we are.
Tuesday, 30 August 2016
Let them eat cake!
I just finished reading Antonia Fraser's biography of Marie Antoinette. Of course, we all know what happened to her at the end. According to Fraser, she never said, "let them eat cake" and was an amiable enough woman, not endowed with a great deal of intelligence or drive, really an ordinary woman -- who wanted to be a good mother, who tried to be a good wife, who liked pretty things and the theatre and music. Her husband, King Louis XVI, was a bit of a buffoon -- not an evil man or a megalomaniac or a womanizer, like his predecessors. But they are the ones who paid for the excesses of the monarchy. At the end of the book, Fraser says that Marie Antoinette was a scapegoat -- she was a foreign princess (from Austria) and was hated by the populace and one of the revolutionaries said they had to have her head. Yes, I guess so, but if she was a scapegoat, she was not alone.
When you see Versailles, you see the unbelievable indulgence of people who feel they have a divine right to money and power and beauty. (One of you, you know who you are, pointed out that Versailles explains the French revolution.) As a Anglophile friend of mine said, it puts Buckingham Palace to shame. You can understand the rage of people who don't have bread and see other people who seem to have more than everything. That's why it's dangerous to have these societies where there is such a discrepancy between the very rich and the very poor. (And of course, it's wrong, in my opinion, for some people to have gold thread and pearls on their dresses when little kids are dying of hunger and drinking dirty water.) Having read a bit about the French revolution, I see that the revolutionaries had many of the same goals as the Communists in Russia and they did articulate them quite clearly, too. (I had always pictured them as rabid nuts before.) But like so many of these violent upheavals, the revolutionaries lost control of their movement and then it started to feed on itself. Robespierre, Danton, Saint-Just, Philippe Egalitie, all died at the guillotine during the Terror. Anthony pointed out that once you remove the normal checks and balances and legal and political control from society, you're facing the possibility that anything can happen and anarchy can well prevail. I guess it's fortunate that human nature appears to prefer some sort of order because it rears its head pretty quickly after a conflagration like the French Revolution. In the case of France, six years after the Reign of Terror, Napoleon was in charge.
Well, in a week we will all be back in our own orderly lives, with almost no "unstructured" time. I love unstructured time (although, human that I am, I attempt to structure it with lists!) -- long, lazy days walking Daisy or going to Aquafit classes, or having an impromptu meal in a nice restaurant, or sitting and reading a biography of Marie Antoinette all day, if that's what I like. (That sort of describes my day yesterday.)
I'm going to try to make a French meal tomorrow for a couple of friends. Here is my menu:
Entree (in France, that's the appetizer) -- lobster bisque
Plat Principal (the main course) -- sole meuniere, with roast potatoes and haricots verts
Fromage (cheese course) -- baked camembert
Dessert -- Clafoutis (which is like a cake with cherries, or in this case, blueberries, in it) and ice cream (French vanilla, of course)
I'm going to try to pair a different wine with each course. If it doesn't turn out, we'll just bulk up on cheese and bread! That's as French as anything.
When you see Versailles, you see the unbelievable indulgence of people who feel they have a divine right to money and power and beauty. (One of you, you know who you are, pointed out that Versailles explains the French revolution.) As a Anglophile friend of mine said, it puts Buckingham Palace to shame. You can understand the rage of people who don't have bread and see other people who seem to have more than everything. That's why it's dangerous to have these societies where there is such a discrepancy between the very rich and the very poor. (And of course, it's wrong, in my opinion, for some people to have gold thread and pearls on their dresses when little kids are dying of hunger and drinking dirty water.) Having read a bit about the French revolution, I see that the revolutionaries had many of the same goals as the Communists in Russia and they did articulate them quite clearly, too. (I had always pictured them as rabid nuts before.) But like so many of these violent upheavals, the revolutionaries lost control of their movement and then it started to feed on itself. Robespierre, Danton, Saint-Just, Philippe Egalitie, all died at the guillotine during the Terror. Anthony pointed out that once you remove the normal checks and balances and legal and political control from society, you're facing the possibility that anything can happen and anarchy can well prevail. I guess it's fortunate that human nature appears to prefer some sort of order because it rears its head pretty quickly after a conflagration like the French Revolution. In the case of France, six years after the Reign of Terror, Napoleon was in charge.
Well, in a week we will all be back in our own orderly lives, with almost no "unstructured" time. I love unstructured time (although, human that I am, I attempt to structure it with lists!) -- long, lazy days walking Daisy or going to Aquafit classes, or having an impromptu meal in a nice restaurant, or sitting and reading a biography of Marie Antoinette all day, if that's what I like. (That sort of describes my day yesterday.)
I'm going to try to make a French meal tomorrow for a couple of friends. Here is my menu:
Entree (in France, that's the appetizer) -- lobster bisque
Plat Principal (the main course) -- sole meuniere, with roast potatoes and haricots verts
Fromage (cheese course) -- baked camembert
Dessert -- Clafoutis (which is like a cake with cherries, or in this case, blueberries, in it) and ice cream (French vanilla, of course)
I'm going to try to pair a different wine with each course. If it doesn't turn out, we'll just bulk up on cheese and bread! That's as French as anything.
Friday, 26 August 2016
Retour de la ville de lumiere
Back from the city of light.
Please, if you have the chance to visit Paris any time in your life, go there. It is a wonderful, life-changing place and has something for everyone, no matter what you like to do. I heard that Parisians were very snooty and cold, but that was not our experience. I will say, they were very efficient, but even in their efficiency, they were pleasant and friendly and helpful and almost everyone was able to speak fantastic English (much to our shame and chagrin, because we did try to speak French, and they were quite encouraging about it, but many of them would say they spoke a "little" English and then go on to speak it extremely well. We improved over the time we were there though and were able to order in French and ask for directions in the Metro and even have small conversations about the weather and where we came from and things like that by the end of our holiday.)
Paris is an astonishingly beautiful city -- our little hotel window had a killer view of old St. Eustache and the Bourse du Commerce and many little French apartment windows with red flowers in the boxes and Juliet balconies and French doors behind (and also the very ugly Forum des Halles, which is a modern mall sort of thing in this old neighbourhood which was the scene of the assassination of Henri IV). We saw many sights -- all except the Musee d'Orsay from my list of to-do's -- poor William had a migraine on the morning we had set aside for the Impressionists. We ate lovely food --- cheese and bread and pastry and chocolate (except for Anthony who can't eat chocolate) -- and drank lots of coffee and wine (me) and walked great distances (many Parisian woman wear very elegant shoes and of course, they generally look a lot more "put together" than someone like me, even on their worst days, but I thank goodness for sensible shoes). We idylled away hot summer afternoons reading in different picturesque parks (while William caught European Pokemon, much to the envy of his fellow Pokemon hunters back here in Canada) and ate at sidewalk cafes and listened to music and hung out at the Paris Plage (the city brings in tons of lovely rose coloured sand and beach chairs and beach umbrellas and they have activities for children and dancing and ice cream on the banks of the Seine). We shopped along the Rue de Rivoli and the Rue St. Honore and in the Marais (mostly window-shopped because, as you know, I am not a shopper) and we had a bit of a book-buying frenzy at Shakespeare and Company (and felt like Hemingway or Scott Fitzgerald, sitting on an old couch on the second floor reading Proust's letters {that would be me}). We saw some political demonstrations (right outside our hotel, to Anthony's extreme pleasure, the Communist Party of France held a meeting -- one of the pamphleteers tried to engage me in conversation, but my French was not up to the task) and rode the metro (which is efficient and well-organized and safe) all over the far flung reaches of the city. I got to make a pilgrimage to Oscar Wilde's grave and that of Moliere (at Pere Lachaise Cemetery -- where there are lots of amazing people buried -- but my map was not easy to read and so I didn't get to see Sarah Bernhardt's grave and several others that I really wanted to see -- but it was wonderful to see Oscar Wilde (there were flowers there for him) and Moliere). We went to an organ concert at St. Eustache, which is where Moliere was baptized and where Liszt conducted (and one of the pieces was a very dramatic composition by Liszt himself). I can't describe how moved I was to stand in front of Botticelli's Three Graces at the Louvre or to visit Napoleon's tomb (where this inscription stands over the entrance to his very impressive coffin -- "I desire that my ashes repose on the shore of the Seine in the midst of the French people whom I have loved so much"). It really is impossible to list all the amazing things we got the chance to do and how happy we were to be able to be there and have these experiences.
I would go back in a heartbeat. There is the Musee d'Orsay to see and we didn't take the train to Chartres because once we were there, I realized that there were so many things we wanted to do right in Paris that it would push us over the top to try to go to Chartres as well. We didn't spend any time in Montmartre and I would like to go to the Cluny Museum and the Atelier Brancusi and the Centre Pompidou (which was close to our hotel, and visible from our window) and the Picasso museum and a gazillion other things.
Here I will end with a bit of Baudelaire -- not the sickly stuff from "Fleurs du Mal" but something more "upbeat"!
Treasure galore - ornate,
Time glossed -- would decorate
Our chamber, where the rarest blooms
Would blend their lavish scent
Heady and opulent
With wisps of amber-like perfumes;
Where all the Orient's
Splendid, rich ornaments
Deep mirrors, ceilings fine -- would each,
In confidential tone
Speak to the soul alone
In its own and secret speech.
Please, if you have the chance to visit Paris any time in your life, go there. It is a wonderful, life-changing place and has something for everyone, no matter what you like to do. I heard that Parisians were very snooty and cold, but that was not our experience. I will say, they were very efficient, but even in their efficiency, they were pleasant and friendly and helpful and almost everyone was able to speak fantastic English (much to our shame and chagrin, because we did try to speak French, and they were quite encouraging about it, but many of them would say they spoke a "little" English and then go on to speak it extremely well. We improved over the time we were there though and were able to order in French and ask for directions in the Metro and even have small conversations about the weather and where we came from and things like that by the end of our holiday.)
Paris is an astonishingly beautiful city -- our little hotel window had a killer view of old St. Eustache and the Bourse du Commerce and many little French apartment windows with red flowers in the boxes and Juliet balconies and French doors behind (and also the very ugly Forum des Halles, which is a modern mall sort of thing in this old neighbourhood which was the scene of the assassination of Henri IV). We saw many sights -- all except the Musee d'Orsay from my list of to-do's -- poor William had a migraine on the morning we had set aside for the Impressionists. We ate lovely food --- cheese and bread and pastry and chocolate (except for Anthony who can't eat chocolate) -- and drank lots of coffee and wine (me) and walked great distances (many Parisian woman wear very elegant shoes and of course, they generally look a lot more "put together" than someone like me, even on their worst days, but I thank goodness for sensible shoes). We idylled away hot summer afternoons reading in different picturesque parks (while William caught European Pokemon, much to the envy of his fellow Pokemon hunters back here in Canada) and ate at sidewalk cafes and listened to music and hung out at the Paris Plage (the city brings in tons of lovely rose coloured sand and beach chairs and beach umbrellas and they have activities for children and dancing and ice cream on the banks of the Seine). We shopped along the Rue de Rivoli and the Rue St. Honore and in the Marais (mostly window-shopped because, as you know, I am not a shopper) and we had a bit of a book-buying frenzy at Shakespeare and Company (and felt like Hemingway or Scott Fitzgerald, sitting on an old couch on the second floor reading Proust's letters {that would be me}). We saw some political demonstrations (right outside our hotel, to Anthony's extreme pleasure, the Communist Party of France held a meeting -- one of the pamphleteers tried to engage me in conversation, but my French was not up to the task) and rode the metro (which is efficient and well-organized and safe) all over the far flung reaches of the city. I got to make a pilgrimage to Oscar Wilde's grave and that of Moliere (at Pere Lachaise Cemetery -- where there are lots of amazing people buried -- but my map was not easy to read and so I didn't get to see Sarah Bernhardt's grave and several others that I really wanted to see -- but it was wonderful to see Oscar Wilde (there were flowers there for him) and Moliere). We went to an organ concert at St. Eustache, which is where Moliere was baptized and where Liszt conducted (and one of the pieces was a very dramatic composition by Liszt himself). I can't describe how moved I was to stand in front of Botticelli's Three Graces at the Louvre or to visit Napoleon's tomb (where this inscription stands over the entrance to his very impressive coffin -- "I desire that my ashes repose on the shore of the Seine in the midst of the French people whom I have loved so much"). It really is impossible to list all the amazing things we got the chance to do and how happy we were to be able to be there and have these experiences.
I would go back in a heartbeat. There is the Musee d'Orsay to see and we didn't take the train to Chartres because once we were there, I realized that there were so many things we wanted to do right in Paris that it would push us over the top to try to go to Chartres as well. We didn't spend any time in Montmartre and I would like to go to the Cluny Museum and the Atelier Brancusi and the Centre Pompidou (which was close to our hotel, and visible from our window) and the Picasso museum and a gazillion other things.
Here I will end with a bit of Baudelaire -- not the sickly stuff from "Fleurs du Mal" but something more "upbeat"!
Treasure galore - ornate,
Time glossed -- would decorate
Our chamber, where the rarest blooms
Would blend their lavish scent
Heady and opulent
With wisps of amber-like perfumes;
Where all the Orient's
Splendid, rich ornaments
Deep mirrors, ceilings fine -- would each,
In confidential tone
Speak to the soul alone
In its own and secret speech.
Sunday, 14 August 2016
A bientôt!
On Tuesday, we're off to Gay Paree for ten days! I know it is not a long time, but I also know we will have a terrific time and lots of adventures and make memories for the rest of our lives. It can be stressful to enter the Unknown (my youngest son is not happy to leave his comfort zone) but you aren't safe anywhere -- you can fall in the bathtub or down your own stairs or be killed in your car on the way to work, and you have to grab the opportunity to enjoy all the wonderful things that the world has to offer. I have been reading a lot about Paris and there are so many things to see and do that ten days is only scratching the surface. We will eat, drink and make merry and see the Louvre and the Musee d'Orsay and Notre Dame and the Latin Quarter and the Luxembourg Gardens and la Place de la Concorde and Napoleon's Tomb and Versailles and Chartres (quite a lot to manage, I'm afraid).
I've also been reading novels about Paris -- I have found a mystery writer called Cara Black who writes about a detective, Aimee Leduc, who lives and works in Paris. I must confess that mysteries are my guilty pleasures in the book world and although I don't think the writing in the series -- Murder in the . . . (and then she names a part of Paris, like Pigalle, or Montmartre) can compare to my favourites -- Dorothy L. Sayers or P.D. James -- they still give you a taste of Paris, I think. I will report back once I'm there and experiencing it for myself. It's very exciting.
Are you watching the Olympics? I actually thought I was off the Olympics for good this time. I saw all the news reports about the Olympic committee moving people out of their villages to build Olympic venues and parking lots and the desperate economic situation in Brazil contrasting with the enormous monetary outlay required to put on the games (that most people agree is never recouped by people after the games) and I really didn't want to watch, but something convinced me to watch one event (I'm not sure what it was, maybe women's soccer) and now I have been sucked right back into the personal stories of the athletes (who really can't be blamed for the excesses of the IOC or the bureaucratic interests that provide the disgusting aspect of the Olympics). My husband and I used to say that they should always have the summer Olympics in Athens and have permanent venues and athletes' quarters there and the countries who participate would pay to maintain the site (and the winter games could be in Lillehammer, because if you remember the games there, it was really a magical place and Norway is not some big world power and it is a stable place and a nice wintery scene, as long as climate change is contained to 2 degrees -- let's hope for that!)
Anyway, I have watched the races in the pool and been amazed by the great Michael Phelps (and touched by Canadian Penny Oleksiak's look of surprise when she is successful in her races) and, as I said, the women's soccer games (shocked by Hope Solo's remarks after the United States was defeated by Sweden) and the 10,000 metre race last night which, to me, really expresses the agony and ecstasy of athletic competition -- Mo Farah from Great Britain was the favourite, but he ran at the back for the beginning of the race and when he made his move, he fell and appeared to be trampled by the other runners, but he jumped back up and then, took the lead and he and his Kenyan competitor, Paul Tanui, pushed themselves beyond what any of us can imagine, running hard at the end of such a long race and Farah won the gold and Tanui the silver. I feel so badly for athletes like Ryan Cochrane, who give it their all and then are disappointed with their performance. He came sixth in his final race, a gruelling 1500 meters in the pool, and he was unhappy about it -- I understand that he wanted to do better, but really sixth in the world is an amazing achievement and I hope as time passes he can realize that he has done what none of the rest of us can ever imagine doing. He put himself out there, did his best, "left nothing behind" (I think athletes say that when they give it their all) and has achieved greatness. And all the people who have competed -- Anthony said he read that they should have an ordinary person running or swimming or jumping or whatever next to all the athletes so we could see how amazing they are and how great all their performances are. It is an extraordinary accomplishment to even go.
I've also been reading novels about Paris -- I have found a mystery writer called Cara Black who writes about a detective, Aimee Leduc, who lives and works in Paris. I must confess that mysteries are my guilty pleasures in the book world and although I don't think the writing in the series -- Murder in the . . . (and then she names a part of Paris, like Pigalle, or Montmartre) can compare to my favourites -- Dorothy L. Sayers or P.D. James -- they still give you a taste of Paris, I think. I will report back once I'm there and experiencing it for myself. It's very exciting.
Are you watching the Olympics? I actually thought I was off the Olympics for good this time. I saw all the news reports about the Olympic committee moving people out of their villages to build Olympic venues and parking lots and the desperate economic situation in Brazil contrasting with the enormous monetary outlay required to put on the games (that most people agree is never recouped by people after the games) and I really didn't want to watch, but something convinced me to watch one event (I'm not sure what it was, maybe women's soccer) and now I have been sucked right back into the personal stories of the athletes (who really can't be blamed for the excesses of the IOC or the bureaucratic interests that provide the disgusting aspect of the Olympics). My husband and I used to say that they should always have the summer Olympics in Athens and have permanent venues and athletes' quarters there and the countries who participate would pay to maintain the site (and the winter games could be in Lillehammer, because if you remember the games there, it was really a magical place and Norway is not some big world power and it is a stable place and a nice wintery scene, as long as climate change is contained to 2 degrees -- let's hope for that!)
Anyway, I have watched the races in the pool and been amazed by the great Michael Phelps (and touched by Canadian Penny Oleksiak's look of surprise when she is successful in her races) and, as I said, the women's soccer games (shocked by Hope Solo's remarks after the United States was defeated by Sweden) and the 10,000 metre race last night which, to me, really expresses the agony and ecstasy of athletic competition -- Mo Farah from Great Britain was the favourite, but he ran at the back for the beginning of the race and when he made his move, he fell and appeared to be trampled by the other runners, but he jumped back up and then, took the lead and he and his Kenyan competitor, Paul Tanui, pushed themselves beyond what any of us can imagine, running hard at the end of such a long race and Farah won the gold and Tanui the silver. I feel so badly for athletes like Ryan Cochrane, who give it their all and then are disappointed with their performance. He came sixth in his final race, a gruelling 1500 meters in the pool, and he was unhappy about it -- I understand that he wanted to do better, but really sixth in the world is an amazing achievement and I hope as time passes he can realize that he has done what none of the rest of us can ever imagine doing. He put himself out there, did his best, "left nothing behind" (I think athletes say that when they give it their all) and has achieved greatness. And all the people who have competed -- Anthony said he read that they should have an ordinary person running or swimming or jumping or whatever next to all the athletes so we could see how amazing they are and how great all their performances are. It is an extraordinary accomplishment to even go.
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