I'll know the squirrel when I see him or her.

Hmm. So. Today we arrived home in the dark to find a box on our doorstep. I knew instantly it was the box my mum had Fed-Exed yesterday and I also knew that it was full of the baking that makes Christmas Christmas no matter how far away we live. As I brought it inside, I noticed a biggish hole on the top of the box. I tried to imagine how and why Fed Ex would peel back the mailing label and gouge a hole in the box. Then I said to Dale: "Look: it's like it's been chewed!" We peered in even closer and saw a half eaten chocolate marshmallow roll. Squirrels! Gack! I'm glad my mum packed the rest in tins. I peered around outside looking for the squirrel. It was dark but we'll know him or her when we see him or her: it will be the one hepped up on chocolate, sugar, and marshmallows. And, he or she will probably be back tomorrow. With friends. Shockingly, the paperback copy of Mauve that my mother borrowed and returned appears to be untouched!

Read this book: Google and the Myth of Universal Knowledge

I've just, this afternoon, finished Google and the Myth of Universal Knowledge by Jean-Noël Jeanneney (president of the Bibliothèque Nationale de France). It's one of the most compelling and engaging books I've read in quite some time. For anyone interested in digital archives, access to information, the rise of ventures like Google Books, globalization, the preservation of all kinds of cultural artifacts, social justice or democracy, this is a must read. Did I miss anyone? I don't think so. Writes Jeanneney, "The plan I call for in these pages, ambitious as it may be, must be placed at the center of a wider duty: that of reducing the growing gap between the privileged and the underprivileged, the users and the unconnected, the rich and the poor of the Web. . . In the long term, our project should ensure a more harmonious balance, to the benefit of the entire planet. We are not merely striving for a better digital library. . . We are dealing, ultimately, with a universal challenge. May we have the courage to respond" (88-89).

Snow and Rick Mercer

As I watched the news this weekend, I was reminded about Rick Mercer's rant about Canadians and weather which you can read right here: "We don't have forecasts anymore - we have weathertainment. And it's all designed to scare the hell out of you." I'm really trying not to laugh at his term "Torontarded." Then again, when you listen to the Detroit news, you'd swear they were being attacked by swarms of tiny frozen locusts; apparently apocalyptic weather knows better than to cross the Detroit River. At any rate, we got snow; it was pretty; it's still here; I've reconnected with my inner Susanna Moodie. It's all good.

Speculation and Memory: Dealing with the Grey

Perhaps it's the grey weather but I've been feeling a wee bit glum. Today, in hopes of feeling a little less glum, I went for a walk and, at the end of it, I found myself doing two things I don't often do: eating a veggie burger (with fries and a Pepsi no less) at Harvey's and watching the sports network. The news of the hour was the Orioles trading Tejada to Houston for 5 players: highlight after highlight showed spectacular plays and I began to crave the roar of a crowd, the heat of the sun, the smudges on my scorecard. On TV today I saw players I didn't realize I had missed over the past few months: "Big Papi! How are you?" "Good afternoon Mr. Jeter..." The longer I looked at the dirt of the infield and the green of the grass, everything seemed less grey and cold around here. Over the past couple of weeks, I notice I keep having surrepticious conversations at work about baseball: talks about batting order in the stairwell even though I know I'm going to be late for a meeting; pontifications about the Maybin trade over the carrot sticks at the Christmas party; and hushed conversations about Granderson at the reference desk. I'm starting to realize that the baseball isn't a game that just happens between April and October. There's the regular season where there are concrete things to talk about: who's doing well, who's in a slump, who has what injury. And then there's the off-season when all you talk about is memory and speculation: remember when...? who do you think is going to... ? I wonder who...? I wonder if....? I'm starting to realize that in the doldrums of winter, there's nothing lovelier than existing in the realm of memory of springs past and and the speculation of springs to come. Spring is, I'm realizing, just around the corner.

Suggestions for K's Mum

K writes (as he does around Christmas and his Mum's birthday): "The time has come for me to think about Christmas presents for my mom and, thus, the time has come for my semi-annual request for suggestions from the two of you. Would either or both of you have any suggestions for books that she might enjoy?"

Well... here are a few I really liked. This year I found the Man Booker shortlist excellent and the Orange Prize list very strong too.

Fiction
The Gathering, Anne Enright,
The Thirteenth Tale, Diane Setterfield
On Chesil Beach, Ian McEwan
The Reluctant Fundamentalist, Mohsin Hamid
Mr.Pip, Lloyd Jones (which finally inspired me to read Great Expectations for the (gulp!) first time)
Half of a Yellow Sun, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
The Laments, George Hagen
The Meaning of Night, Michael Cox (with perhaps one of the best opening lines of all time: "After killing the red-haired man, I took myself off to Quinn's for an oyster supper..."
Of course HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS, J. K. Rowling.

Nonfiction
The Judgment of Paris: The Revolutionary Decade that Gave the World Impressionism, Ross King
Mauve: How One Man Invented a Color That Changed the World, Simon Garfield
Riding with Rilke: Reflections on Motorcycles and Books, Ted Bishop

Here are a few other places to look
The Costa Prize List
Guardian List
Buzzfeed's List of Lists

PS: these are also very good links from frequent visitors to the cafe: short reviews of good books and Pete's Picks

Facebook Haiku: Volume 3

Heidi is singing her own weird version of "Wonderwall" after seeing the "Wonder Wok" restaurant this morning: "Cuz after aaawk, you're my wonder waaawk". 8:47am

Heidi is willing to rid Dale of some of his biscotti... 1:15pm

Heidi is mad at herself for putting Johnny Cash songs into her own head. 12:02pm

Heidi is clarifying that she was in the process of "regifting the wine"; her previous update was not a comment on her morning. 11:08am

Heidi is about to walk through the library with a bottle of Citrus Pear "Vineyard Mist" in a paper bag. 10:17am December 3

Heidi is wondering if Tims will take Canadian Tire money. If so, she could purchase a cruller and three timbits. 10:28pm

Heidi is no longer grumpy about typing up meeting minutes since Dale just brought her a Hello Kitty egg from the machine at Zehrs. She now has a HK cellphone charm. 7:23pm

Heidi is standing in the shadows of lentils. 1:09pm

Heidi is sitting on her front porch sipping mint juleps and eating Red Velvet Cake (or at least she thinks she should be since she's living in Canada's deep south). 9:17am December 2

Heidi is regretting she said 'John John' instead of 'Jackie O' at Trivia tonight: we could have won!. 11:26pm

Heidi is fruit forward with hints of pepper, cherry and chocolate. She is well balanced in her tannins. She goes well with cupcakes and tofu dogs. 6:52pm

Heidi is still walking on a cloud from her DIA visit. 6:09pm November 30

Heidi is thinking that Dale's pretty darn swell for surprising her with tickets to the Lion King tonight :). 11:36pm

Heidi is unable to edit without coffee. And, maybe a cookie... 1:06pm

Heidi is seasonably attired. 9:25am November 29

Heidi is going to be seasonably attired tomorrow. 9:55pm

Heidi is not "Dressed this way for the United Way"; she's dressed this way because she forgot wearing short skirts and tights on a cold day is kind of stupid. 4:18pm

Heidi is tired but it's a dry tired. 12:45pm

Heidi is regretting that she left her warm bed. 9:35am November 28

Heidi is chuffed she got an email from Barack Obama with the subject line "Hey.". 3:06pm

Heidi is feeling ok despite the egg salad. 2:15pm

Heidi is too late for the tuna and resigned to the egg-salad. 12:38pm

Heidi is cold. And editing. Good times,. 10:27am November 27

Heidi is thinking Dale should listen to "Heidi Tried" to catch some of her complex and nuanced sensibilties. Heidi is also saying 'ahem'. 10:06pm

Heidi is thinking a constant Motown soundtrack is probably less harmful than car rides with Merle Haggard CDs. 9:38pm

Heidi is stopping in the name of love and thinking it o-o-over. 7:33pm

Heidi is feeling like Badly Dressed Girl in her Grover-blue shirt and celery green socks; but she's warm! 5:48pm

Heidi is wondering if Pips would be willing and able to help her with the finer points of the Chicago Manual of Style. 11:47am

Heidi is wondering if Gladys Knight would loan her Pips to Heidi: Heidi would really like some Pips. 7:03pm

Heidi is feeling nostalgic for room temperature. 4:04pm

Heidi is newly enlightened about the history of Troll Dolls. Thanks Mita! 9:45am

Heidi is concerned that Mita is regifting the set of Troll Dolls of the World Heidi gave Mita for her birthday in the name of charity. 9:18am November 25

Heidi is wondering if raking leaves is good enough for Isabelle Eberhardt. 1:49pm

Heidi is googling Isabelle Eberhardt because of Ron Leary. 9:58am

Heidi is wishing Dale hadn't found these chocolate toffee pretzels at the Westborn market and that they weren't soo tasty. 4:00pm

Heidi is crepuscular. 5:42pm

Heidi is, like the office photocopier, in Power Saver Mode. 2:34pm

Heidi is "unfashionably optimistic." 2:40pm

Heidi is still sensibly shod. 9:49am

Heidi is unaware that she's moving to Del Boca Vista. 9:41am

Heidi is sensibly shod. 9:31am November 21

Heidi is amazed what a little Motown will do. 5:28pm