March 06, 2005

ephemerides

Despite the moderate snow that fell earlier this morning, March is starting to organize itself, speeding disorderly towards the beauty of spring. It’s still a bit sketchy for now, but the small earthquake felt on Quebec and the US border last night should help set things back in place.

This weekend I attended a show from the “Under the snow” festival, The brotherkites. My ears still hurt a bit… They had 3 guitars on heavy reverb, and quite catchy songs. I feel well-rested (dreamed I was climbing up a mountain! ah) and now have a whole day ahead of quiet…It is a good day for reading, and bringing water to boil, and not much besides this. Well one could also prune trees, I guess. But just reading is fine.

When I was a kid I loved quiet sundays spent with sweepstakes mailings, also the Guiness book of Records, the TV Guide, etc. I was made fun of for reading instruction booklets, too. That was before the Internet. One thing I especially enjoyed was The People’s Almanac, with something new to ponder upon for every day. So here is a page for March, which you might want to refer back to occasionally.

(c) Pere Ubu’s Almanac, 1901

Posted by nathalie at 11:48 AM

January 23, 2005

stage one = denial

I can’t help feeling sorrow and embarrassment over the outpouring of winter panic, from the northeastern cities. Really have all reporters already forgotten the lessons of summer, the stickiness and death sunburned in puddles of dirt… contrast with the locomotive walk and breath on days of blizzard, how your thoughts swirl and fly. Also, it builds character!

A lot of smoke come out of the city’s chimneys, I don’t know what is burning precisely, I just feel glad all engines are running. The weather only matters in that you derive pleasure from its contrast, and again there is no contest; to be filled by warmth of meals heavy in flavor and texture, and by lush layers of winter music, or to side with the salads and ice cubes one survives hot summers with? I know a thousand wonderful counterexamples could be raised but I can’t afford it at present, bringing them up would kill me. Yet not many indolent summer ways help building character, I wouldn’t think so.

We have all been fooled into embracing summer, just because it lasts for only a month, it should be deemed highly desirable. But it is the icestorm of 98 that generated an as yet unseen baby boom; compare to heatwaves when even a hug feels uncalled for. Now I wouldn’t join a baby boom for the world, but still it gives an example, regarding desire.

My fingers are frozing on the keyboard, maybe I should go watch television before we lose power again. But within my four walls of ice, always I’ll keep drilling these thoughts into my head: winter, my mother! o my country, my season

Posted by nathalie at 08:59 PM | Comments (3)