The good ... Last week a friend bought us tickets to a local charity event for the Pride comittee - a reading by
Ivan E Coyote, who was the writer in residence at one of our Universities. I will admit up front that I went under duress - readings either grab me or bore me to tears ... the latter is more often the case. This time I was absolutely and positively enthralled. Ivan is the perfect mix of storyteller and wordsmith - and her charm is palpable, accentuated by a soft northern accent (made me think of some Native accents I've heard) that had a wonderful lilt. The stories she wove completely enthralled me and at one point they seemed simple and straightforward - a conversation with a woman on a plane - but they became so much more and left me laughing outloud and blinking back the odd tear. I was absolutely and totally enchanted and I strongly recommend seeing her read if you ever have the chance. I'll be picking up her books at AfterStonewall when I'm down there next.
Two days later, I found myself enthralled once again - this time at a local play called Plan B, a play about a secret negotiation to draft the seperation of Quebec and Canada, a clandestine affair and a whole bunch of anglo-franco politics. Believe it or not, it was a comedy. A smart and biting comedy with some amazingly clever dialogue and wonderfully talented actors to deliver one of the best performances I've seen. Part of why I (and the rest of the audience) loved it was probably because we're in Ottawa, right on the border of Quebec. The situation hit home and the politics were pretty close to the mark. The play was funny and thought provoking - the anglais weren't the heroes and neither were the quebecois. It was definitely an emotionally charged performance - you can't have a discussion about English and French Canada without tempers, feelings and gut reactions being involved. The level of humour was a perfect counterpoint though - giving a break to what could have been a pretty heavy play.
I'm hard pressed to choose between Ivan and Plan B ... both were amazing evenings in their own right.
One last good - Sunday afternoon, I was in the office (okay ... not so good) for a series of conference calls and to manipulate some documents on my big dual screens (I love extended desktops). The calls finished earlier than expected and deakat said she'd come pick me up. So after a hellish week of overtime and extended hours, I sat back in my ergonomically designed chair, propped my feet up and read a few stories from Haunted Hearths while one of the biggest nastiest storms of the season raged outside the wall to wall window I was sitting in front of. Perfect weather for reading a ghost story or two. If you've got a copy of the book "Words Like Conversation Hearts" is a must read. I loved that one.
The bad ...Work. Sucks. 'Nuff Said.
The ugly ...I don't want to get into it.