Savoured: DIA on a Quiet Sunday Morning

Things Made: Creatures from The Cute Book

Over the past few months, I've been making creatures from the Cute Book for my little friend E who is, if you ask her, "three-and-three-quarters-years-old." Many more photos on my flickr site.

Aha...

According to a story on the BBC website, "Nearly half of all men and one-third of women have lied about what they have read to try to impress friends or potential partners, a survey suggests." Intriguingly, the men polled said they would "be most impressed by women who read news websites, Shakespeare or song lyrics" while women "said men should have read Nelson Mandela's biography or Shakespeare." As one might imagine, "one in five adults said they would read their chosen material whilst waiting for their date to arrive in the hope of making a good first impression."

Winter Storm Advisory: 10 AM

Toronto: December 11, 2008

My melancholy of missing people dissipated after finding some silence, a comfy chair, this view, a coffee and this passage from Virginia Woolf: "how curiously one is changed by the addition, even at a distance, of a friend."

Read: Mrs. Woolf and the Servants

If I've talked to you about reading recently, I've probably gushed about my latest find, Alison Light's Mrs Woolf & the Servants: "Virginia Woolf was a feminist and a bohemian, but without her servants-- cooking, cleaning and keeping house-- she might never have managed to write. While I like and admire non-fiction, I rarely find it as riveting and compelling a read as a novel. This book, however, was one that I had a hard time putting down. Perhaps it's my deep fondness for Woolf's novels or my vexed relationship with her notion of "the room of one's own." It might be my own puzzlement over how to carve out time to write among all the other things that demand precedence or my intrigue with the telling of lost histories. Or my admiration of excellent research and elegant prose. Likely, this book's appeal for me is a combination of all of these. The Times says it is "an invaluable glimpse into the hidden history of domestic service in an absorbing narrative, beautifully written" and the Observer calls it "A scintillating meeting of biography, social history and literary criticism." It's a mighty fine read. Some visitors to the Cafe will find it at their local academic library.

Saw: the first real snow of the year

I spent all morning organizing digital photos from the spring and summer and so today's snowfall seemed a bit jarring. I went out for a walk and noticed that even though the green is long gone, there are some interesting things happening with line and colour.

Sent: a magical link!

From the wonderful A, something equally wonderful and full of wonder:


This Is Where We Live from 4th Estate on Vimeo.

Looking: To the Cookie

Here at the Cafe, we like to look to the cookie. Of late, we've been looking to one of my favourite childhood cookies. A couple of weeks ago, I was inexplicably drawn to purchasing a bag of butterscotch chips and two minutes of googling when I got home brought me to this long-loved recipe for Butterscotch Oaties. I fear I might have looked to this cookie a bit too much in recent days.

Speaking of looking to the cookie, I also recommend looking at this lovely cookie site: Gourmet Magazine's Favorite Cookies, 1941-2008. It's a fascinating survey of cookie cookery over the past 60 or so years and some of them are stunning (such as the ones at the top of this post). If you're feeling particularly Seinfeldian, you can also make your own mini black and white cookies.

Found: Three more reasons why being a librarian is fun

1. It is a profession that runs annual contests like Pimp My Bookcart. This year's First Place went to Food for Thought by Student Employees of Columbia University Library: "Hot dog carts and used book vendors are a staple of any New York City sidewalk. A team of student work-study employees at Columbia’s Butler Library drew on this urban inspiration to transform a vintage wooden bookcart into Broadway’s hottest book stand."



2. It is a profession about which movies like THE LIBRARIAN: CURSE OF THE JUDAS CHALICE are made. Moreover, it is a profession that, when depicted in film, casts Noah Wyle* as the hero whose "geeky bookishness is coupled with a razor-sharp wit" and grants Bob Newhart the "amazing ability to fell villains when called upon to do so". Check out the web comic.


3. It is a profession who, in their professional communiques, offers links to videos like Sesame Street's classic "No Cookies in the Library." Cookie Monster would be pleased to know he could get cookies in our library*.



Grover might find the library* a little more amenable to him as no one is on specific shushing duty.

* For better or for worse, librarians may not be exactly as illustrated.

Brought: My own teacup

I don't think I've ever been to a social event where the invitation said "bring your own teacup." But bring my own teacup I did. I inherited this lovely teacup last spring from my grandmother and it did my heart good to wash it out and carry it up the street to an afternoon dance. The music and dancing were amazing. She would have loved it as much as I did. As I walked home this evening, carefully carrying my teacup, I felt like she and I had a very nice afternoon.

Received: Five Dozen Vintage Lipstick Samples

One of the signs of a good friend is someone who knows exactly what you will love even before you do. Such is the case of my friend L who, last week, gave me a box full of tiny vintage lipstick samples from Avon and, strangely, the Fuller Brush Company. At first, I was intrigued with this little box. I am now thoroughly enchanted. I love the little cases (especially the little metal ones), the colours, the colour names and the promises lurking within those names. Clearly there is a dissertation in here somewhere but here are just a few of the names: Orange Chiffon, First Violin, Prize Pink, Wild Honey, Fire Flower Red, Silver Trill, Red Commotion, and my current favourite, Russet Rage. Thank you L!

Found: Ink, Paper and Archives

Things have been incredibly busy lately and I've been flipping between ideas and interests and intrigues as if they were some sort of intellectual flipbook. Lately it seems as if half of my day is spent thinking about digital archives and the other half spent thinking about paper and ink. Occasionally I will run into things that make me stop and marvel at their loveliness. Yesterday it was the Thomas Jefferson Papers which somehow managed to embody three of my current fascinations: digital archives, ink and paper. Time and the grey cold skies melted away as I perused Jefferson's Garden Book. It's a beautiful document in so many ways.

YesterdayPhoto

Up until last night, Joe Louis Arena was a mythical place for me. As a lass, I had listened to and watched many an Oilers- Wings game coming from Detroit so it was a particular treat to see the Oilers in my first Joe Louis experience.

Return of the Facebook Haiku

Heidi has returned from London and is currently in residence at Windsor Castle. She may commence the writing of her Christmas address. 5:19pm

Heidi wishes the London she will visit tomorrow was of the UK variety. 7:27pm -

Heidi has been classified as part of the phylum "cardiganus” by JW. 12:58pm -

Heidi may or may not be doing a small jig in her office right now. 10:29am -

Heidi is relieved that she has friends protecting her from the biblio-mafia. Phew! 11:18pm -

Heidi is thinking about becoming a baker of pies. 10:49pm -

Heidi was feeling guilty about skipping class. Then she ate a piece of pie. Soon she will feel guilty about that. But happy. 8:33pm -

Heidi is back to singing "hey la, hey la..." 7:55pm -

Heidi is thinking of joining the Darling Mermaid Darlings. 7:30pm -

Heidi is singing "hey la, hey la... my voice is back." 4:23pm

Heidi is sorry to have disappointed Marlow. 2:12pm -

Heidi just likened herself to George Costanza in a conversation with a colleague. 1:16pm -

Heidi is being tormented by offers from British Airways. 10:45am -

Heidi is happy she has the Chiffons on her work computer. She thinks One Fine Day will be today's Ref Desk walk-up song. 9:49am -

Heidi feels agoraphobic looking at the open space on today's calendar. ACK! 9:19am -

Heidi is stunned and amused that her knowledge of Robbie Burns' poetry is helping her out in WordTwist. 7:17pm -

Heidi is more ironic than even she can handle. 5:07pm -

Heidi is, in her spare time, "the last, best hope of all men". 3:18pm -

Heidi is about to lose her voice again. Enter "Information Literacy: the Interpretive Dance." 2:32pm –

Heidi is wearing a poppy close to her heart. 10:18am –

Heidi is apparently quotable. 10:37pm -

Heidi is brought to you today by Halls Vitamin C cough drops, ibuprofen, caffeine, the MLA Style Guide, the letter J and now some joie de vivre. 4:58pm -

Heidi is brought to you today by Halls Vitamin C cough drops, ibuprofen, caffeine, the MLA Style Guide, and the letter J. 4:47pm -

Heidi is brought to you today by Halls Vitamin C cough drops. And the letter J. 4:23pm

Heidi is glad to have her voice back. She was worried about being known as "that librarian mime". 2:19pm -

Heidi got called "evil" in her first three minutes of work. This might be a record. And maybe an omen. Perhaps even a warning. 9:18am -

Heidi has reconsidered. She now says to Dale, “Pot, this is kettle. Kettle this is pot.” 8:15pm

Heidi is not saying anything in response to Dale’s comment that “Heidi is nerding out over ___ should be her default facebook status setting. 8:15pm -

Heidi is nerding out over an Austen program. 8:15pm -

Heidi's wine selection was based on where she'd rather be right now (and it's not Leamington). Nothing against Leamington, of course. 6:55pm -

Heidi is thinking about Botticelli... 3:08pm -

Heidi has been narrating her day in the form of the Discovery Channel song: "I love my coffee mug, I love the treadmill, I love my iPod, I love Jane Austen still..." 12:43pm

Heidi and Colin Firth went skating and drank lattes. They were best friends. Even though Heidi is awake now, she likes to imagine they still are. 8:50am -

Heidi is seeking the healing power of a tremendously mismatched ensemble of polar fleece. 7:51pm -

Heidi feels blinded by library science. 5:51pm -

Heidi is not a fan of working Saturdays. Or feeling ill while at work. She is happy, however, that it's cold enough to wear her cute boots again. 2:18pm -

Heidi just issued her second double dog dare of the week. What's up with that? 9:48am

Heidi loves tornados, she loves arachnids, she loves hot magma, she loves the giant squid... 9:35am

Heidi really was just answering a question about what we do with vegetables. 9:13pm -

Heidi says: "Yes We Can. We also Pickle and Freeze." 8:09pm -

Heidi begins assembling her White House | Black Market team.

Heidi's inner Audrey Hepburn is doing battle with her inner Harriet Beecher Stowe. Again. Heidi hates it when that happens. 11:08pm

Heidi is waffling about a dress. Which is, in case you were wondering, different from dressing for a waffle. Or like one... 3:44pm -

Heidi says, "America, I have never been more hopeful than I am this morning that we will get there." 8:56am -

Heidi is quoting those modern bards Blur: "Wooo Hooooo!!!" 12:30am -

Heidi wishes she were in Grant Park right now. 10:23pm -

Heidi is even more pleased CNN is projecting Obama will win Ohio. 9:34pm

Heidi is pleased that CNN is projecting her laundry to be done shortly. 9:01pm -

Heidi has Hope. And laundry. These are unrelated. Though she also has faint hope someone would do her laundry. 8:12pm

Heidi has Hope. And laundry. 8:10pm

Heidi not only has Hope, she has snacks. 7:23pm -

Heidi is looking forward to being part of the Best Political Team on Facebook Chat. She hopes John will let her be Campbell Brown. 4:46pm -

Heidi may or may not be a bad influence. She remains chock full o' hope. 3:20pm -

Heidi is chock full o' hope. 10:58am -

Heidi and John N will be the best political team on Facebook Chat tomorrow. 10:06pm -

Heidi is wondering if she and John N will be the best political team on Facebook Chat tomorrow. 10:00pm -

Heidi wonders how it is that Lou Dobbs can shake her peaceable nature in less than three minutes. 8:51pm

Heidi is dismayed to learn that an unwatched pot of rice does not cook any faster than a watched pot of rice. Additionally, threatened rice does not cook any faster. 7:02pm

Heidi is going to be late... drat. 4:58pm -

Heidi is venturing thither. She shall return anon. 7:20am -

Heidi just realized she is a merry wife of Windsor. 2:29pm -

Heidi is set to bring her message to prime time. 1:49pm

Renovations at the Cafe

In the past week, Alec and I came to the conclusion that it seemed like time to put TodayPhoto on hold for a bit. As noted in its last post, there were wonderful things about doing TodayPhoto but other things were being pushed aside. While I miss it, I'm looking forward to channeling some energy into other projects, including this blog which has been neglected over the past months. Some of the ideas behind and within TodayPhoto will, I expect, manifest themselves here. I'm excited about getting back to work at the Cafe. Cheers, H

A Re-Post from TodayPhoto, May 2008

Day 2: Canadian War Cemetery at Calais
Both of our families lost beautiful, vibrant, adored young men in the Second World War. Even though they died long before we were born, D and I still notice an absence in our families for those who were lost and are still mourned. And so, we traveled to the Canadian War Cemetery in Calais to visit one family grave site and also to pay respects to all Canadians buried there. Taking a bus to a nearby village and then walking though this gorgeous and historically significant landscape to get there, I worried about what we might find. What if the grave site was in disrepair? Should I have brought seeds or bulbs to plant? What would we report back to our family? As we climbed the hill and approached the cemetery, I quickly saw how wrong I was to question what I might find. On top of a gentle hill and protected by trees was a serene and immaculately maintained tribute to our fallen countrymen and women. On our visit, two gardeners quietly tended the site and paid careful attention to all the tiny details. Spring flowers and bulbs were planted between each grave stone, edges were trimmed and precise, the lawns mowed evenly and carefully. Calais is a long way from the Canadian prairies but there's something of them in the flowers, in the sky, and in the way a place looks after its loved ones.

How to write a fugue: or, what a Britney Spears song sounds like as a fugue.

(Note: If you just want to hear the fugue itself, advance to 3:29)

Colbert on Libraries

What I've Been Reading: The Frozen Thames

Earlier this week I read Helen Humphreys' lovely book The Frozen Thames. Having loved a couple of her other books, I was excited about this one. I was even more excited to read it after I held it: it is a small book that nestled perfectly into my hands. Its layout to brings together text and historical illustrations. In the ongoing discussion of why eBooks will never fully replace print books, this book is Exhibit A.


The Frozen Thames' premise is that "In its long history, the river Thames has frozen solid forty times. These are the stories of that frozen river." Humphreys has written a short vignette for each of those forty times. Humphreys draws me in with her subject matter (i.e., Julia Margaret Cameron, Virginia Woolf and gardens but she captivates me with her spare, elegant, evocative prose that moves toward a moment you feel like you can almost hold in your hands. For example, "The girl looks at the robin on her bedpost, and he cocks his head and looks back at her. Somewhere downstairs the other robin is singing. All over London, the girl thinks, all over London this very same thing is happening. Each house is a dark lantern, and each one holds the lit flicker of bird within its ribs" (175).

This book is not only a meditation on the river Thames but, as Humphreys writes, "This book is intended as a long meditation on the nature of ice. Each story is a story of transformation, as ice itself is the result of a transformative process" (182). The fact that there is only one vignette from the 20th century is significant: "we are in danger of losing ice from our world. If ice disappeared, we would not only lose the thing itself and its stabilizing place in the balance of nature, but we would also lose the idea of ice from our consciousness, and all the ways in which we are able to imagine it" (182).

What I've Been Reading: People of the Book

As some visitors to the Cafe may know, a number of us are finding ourselves with a bit more spare time than usual. I've been feeling incredibly distracted lately and so have attempted to find some respite in catching up on my reading. In the next few days I'll be posting some more about what I've been reading.
One particularly interesting read from the past 14 days is Geraldine Brooks's People of the Book. This novel is, as the promo material describes, "Inspired by the true story of a mysterious codex known as the Sarajevo Haggadah, People of the Book is a sweeping adventure through five centuries of history. From its creation in Muslim-ruled, medieval Spain, the illuminated manuscript makes a series of perilous journeys: through Inquisition-era Venice, fin-de-siecle Vienna, and the Nazi sacking of Sarajevo."
I was originally drawn to this book for its connections with book history and because it was dedicated "to the librarians." Having spent mornings engrossed in it, I think there is a lot more going on in this book than an interesting topic and a compelling read. Given a range of things happening both locally, nationally and internationally, I've spent a lot of time recently thinking about power: not only about the ways in which people take, use, and abuse power but also how ordinary people can find, reclaim and assert power in small yet deeply significant ways. In recent weeks, I've also thought about libraries, librarianship and the multiple roles libraries and librarians have played in the world throughout history and today. Brooks's book is one that I'm going to be thinking about quite a bit over the weeks and months to come.

Top Things from Todays' RSS Feeds

Digital cameras give us another way of enjoying art
"Everyone does it. Even I do it, and in theory I disapprove of anything that gets in the way of a pure contemplative experience of art. When I see other people doing it and I'm not, it makes me angry and contemptuous - can't they just look? But every so often I too reach for my digital camera or, if I haven't got it, my phone's built-in camera, and photograph or even film a work of art."

There are many mysteries in Wrest Park -" not least what precisely went on in the bedrooms concealed in the dome of the Georgian garden pavilion, a miniature party house with secret staircases hidden in the panelling - but the one that baffles the gardener is how such a spectacular place became almost forgotten."

MoreCowbell.dj is "a little Flash app that takes in any MP3, analyses it, and adds rhythmic cowbell and Christopher Walken samples, thus vastly improving it."


"It's not that they're not compelling, but sometimes those 'must read' books remain unread. There, I've said it.
This is a risky admission for someone in my line of work to make. But I have this as an excuse: I have to read a hell of a lot. And I also like reading a hell of a lot. But there are only so many hours in the day. Other writers and critics understand this."


What's in a Hot Beef Sundae? Apparently "Golden mashed potatoes covered with a generous portion of our roasted and seasoned-to-perfection top round beef. Then aged cheddar cheese, more golden mashed potatoes smothered with our special beef gravy, more aged cheddar cheese, a slice of buttered toast, and a cherry tomato on top."

McCain/ Obama Wordles Someone took "McCain's acceptance speech from last night's Republican convention and compared it to Barack Obama's acceptance speech from the Democratic convention and made wordles of each. John McCain's wordle is on top, Barack Obama's is on bottom."

From the "Is this April 1?" category: Michael Jackson and Robert Burns

I saw this yesterday and still have the feeling that I had a really weird dream where Michael Jackson recorded an album of Robbie Burns poems. But, alas, I don't think it's just a weird dream. According to a story in the Guardian, "the album is a modern musical take on some of Burns' classic poems." In case you were wondering, "There are no current plans to release the recording as an album." Read some of the aftermath.

Back to school

There's something about that hint of fall in the air that-- no matter how long I'm out of school--still gets me itching for new pencils. Here's a neat site that makes the average pencil a curiously compelling site of aesthetic inquiry. I'm particularly fond of the range of Dixon pencils. And, while you're thinking about things you write with, here's an interesting site about the physicality of writing.

Just read: The Invention of Hugo Cabret

I am grateful for Alec who never steers me wrong in his book recommendations (among other things). His latest suggestion is stellar: Brian Selznick's The Invention of Hugo Cabret. This book won the 2008 Caldecott Award.
In trying to find words to describe it, I stumbled upon this description on the book's website: "This 526-page book is told in both words and pictures. The Invention of Hugo Cabret is not exactly a novel, and it’s not quite a picture book, and it’s not really a graphic novel, or a flip book, or a movie, but a combination of all these things." Indeed, it's hard to know exactly what to call this book other than remarkable.
In doing some more reading about this book on the website, I was captivated by an essay by Remy Charlip called "A Page is a Door." Here, Charlip notes, "A book is a series of pages held together at one edge, and these pages can be moved on their hinges like a swinging door...Of course if a door has something completely different behind it, it is much more exciting. The element of delight and surprise is helped by the physical power we feel in our own hands when we move that page or door to reveal a change in everything that has gone before, in time, place, or character. A thrilling picture book not only makes beautiful single images or sequential images, but also allows us to become aware of a book’s unique physical structure, by bringing our attention, once again, to that momentous moment: the turning of the page."
These pages are a door you're going to want to open.

Pretty things

Visitors to the cafe may know of my fondness for pretty things, fonts and fabrics. Amazingly, here they all are in one neat-o site. Here are some of my favourite items: one two three four.

Richard Serra in London: Or, Reason 412 that I'd like to be in London this fall

We saw this exhibitin Paris in May and I became a fan.
I'd love to go see Richard Serra's installation in London.. See more of his work here.

Heidi's Adventures in Wonderland (or Cleveland...)

This past week, D and I went to Cleveland to see the Tigers play two away games. Those two games were the best of times and the worst of times. If you follow the team, you know what I'm talking about. Aside from baseball, we also went to see what we could see of Cleveland. Although our travels to Cleveland met with a few raised eyebrows ("you're going to Cleveland because....?"), we saw a few remarkable things.

The first is the stunning Cleveland Botanical Garden. I saw a lotus flower in full bloom for the first time, walked among butterflies, saw an actual baobab tree, and felt transported to another world.

Perhaps the most amazing part of my visit was seeing the children's garden. I left feeling thoroughly enchanted. So often children's spaces are built according to what adults think children want. This space struck me as an entirely different kind of space. I wasn't surprised to read later that the designers of this space asked
children what they wanted to see and do and then designed a space according to what they said.


The resulting space looks like something out of The Hobbit with child-sized paths, archways, buildings, plants and activity centres. While many children's spaces are heavy on text and guided activities, the designers of this space seemed to understand that, given ample stimuli, children are happy to explore what they want in the way they want to explore it.

While we were there, three little kids studiously filled small watering cans with water they drew from a hand pump and then watered whatever plants they wanted. Another sat in the shade on a blanket with a grandparent and another squealed to see real live frogs in a pond. Meanwhile, another amused himself by filling his shoe in the fountain and another just looked at flowers and a range of growing vegetables that were all at her height. I think we all took away something magical that day.

After leaving the garden, we stumbled upon this exhibit by Jerry Uelsmann and Maggie Taylor. I have seen some of Uelsmann's work in books before but, as one might expect, found his work even more impressive in the gallery. I'd not seen anything by Maggie Taylor before and left wanting to see and know more about her work. I bought the exhibit catalogue and remain wowed and intrigued. Maggie Taylor has just published a gorgeously illustrated version of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.
Who knew Cleveland could be such a wonderland?

Green onions on my cutting board and my radio

I'm just waiting for dinner to cook and am hoping the dish fairies will come and dry my dishes. A few moments ago, while chopping green onions, CBC Radio 2 just played Booker T and the MGs Green Onions, a song which never fails to put me in a great mood. This week, while hiding from the humidity, I've become an addict of CBC Radio 2 or, as it's been called, the New Radio Two. I sought it out last week when I wanted someone to give me something new to listen to and to show me something that I would not find on my own. Radio has, I realize, always been a huge part of my life but I'd forgotten about it recently. It's easy to get distracted by podcasts, web radio, and iPods. Lately, though, I've been thinking a lot about radio and have been trying to think about what makes radio so magical. I think it's that element of surprise, delight and intimacy. Even though some shows are podcast now, there's still that sense of the fleeting moment of radio. Once it's passed, it could be gone. One never knows what's coming next: it could be great, it could be ok, it could make you run for the volume (either up or down). Last week, I found myself doing something with CBC 2 that I've never done with a podcast or web radio. Even though I was exhausted and needed to be up in a few short hours, I couldn't bring myself to turn it off. I wanted to know what was coming next. I felt like my brother must have when he was about 10 or 12. Most nights, I'd hear my parents at his door: "Is your radio off??" and he'd offer a weak "Yeah..." Through our shared wall, however, I could hear the tinny sound of music coming out of cheap little white earphones he attached to his little pocket radio. Often I could hear it until the wee hours of the morning.

The day I'm going to remember that day in January

There's always a day in July that I think "I'm going to remember this day come January" and there's always a day in January when I remember that particular day in July and don't feel so cold. Today is one of those days in July. It's 33o and the air is so thick I feel like I'm walking under water. It's also one of those days (like those days in January) when I'm happily hermit-ing inside reading fiction. Some of my neighbours meanwhile are basking in the gooey heat. In my self-imposed exile, I've been thinking a lot about "the great read" and keep returning to two major questions: what is the allure of a good novel and how does one find a great read?
I've run into two interesting articles today which may also be of interest to Cafe visitors. The first is a recent G&M article that describes how "a group of Toronto researchers have compiled a body of evidence showing that bookworms have exceptionally strong people skills. Their years of research - summed up in the current issue of New Scientist magazine - has shown readers of narrative fiction scored higher on tests of empathy and social acumen than those who read non-fiction texts." Fiction, the researchers suggest, "is really about how to get around in the social world, which is not as easy as one might think." Interesting.
The other interesting article comes from the beloved Nancy Pearl (you may know her from her action figure with real shushing action) who offers a great list of "perfect carry-on books" for summer travel. One of the things I love about Nancy Pearl is her Rule of 50 that she describes in Book Lust: "Believe me, nobody is going to get any points in heaven by slogging their way through a book they aren't enjoying but think they ought to read. I live by what I call 'the rule of fifty,' which acknowledges that time is short and the world of books is immense. If you're fifty years old or younger, give every book about fifty pages before you decide to commit yourself to reading it, or give it up. If you're over fifty, which is when time gets even shorter, subtract your age from 100. The result is the number of pages you should read before deciding." I wished I had Nancy Pearl's sage advice when, years ago, I thought a 14 hour flying day would be a perfect way to get through a book I could not stand. And yes, Peter, it is that one.

Just finished: An Illuminated Life

Sometimes a day with the flu is a gift. Because of this cold/flu, I was finally able to finish Heidi Ardizzone's absolutely fabulous biography of Belle da Costa Greene that I've been reading for quite a while. It's rare that I get enthralled in non fiction but this one kept me turning pages. In 1905, Belle Greene was hired by J.P. Morgan to organize his rare books and manuscript collections. Over time, she acquired what became the Morgan Library, one of the finest collections of rare books and manuscripts anywhere. Her story is remarkable and fascinating and the book is meticulously researched and beautifully written. It's part biography (of Belle da Costa Greene), part history (social and political context early 20th century America), part social history (how exactly did race and gender work its way into almost every facet of life and how did Belle da Costa Greene negotiate her way into and through this matrix?), part intellectual history (about the art and rare book world of early 20th century New York and Europe as well a who's who of the New York art, theatre and literary worlds). And, it's also sort of a romance too. In the winter I was able to get to the Morgan Library and see some of the works I read about in this biography. It's a beautiful, magical place. Most recently, they've added a very nice Renzo Piano addition.  Thank you flu/ cold (don't hurry back though....).

Just read: The Sealed Letter

A good novel is a treat; a great novel a delicacy. This past week or so, I've been enthralled with Emma Donoghue's great new novel The Sealed Letter based on "the details of a scandalous divorce case that gripped England in 1864." It's by far one of the best novels I've read this year. Reading The Sealed Letter had me thinking about the genre of historical fiction (of which I read a lot). As with anything, there's great historical fiction, interesting historical fiction and what seems like gratuitous historical fiction. Gratuitous historical fiction is often fun to read and can usually be identified by the recurrence of lines like "The nurse put the baby in the perambulator, a remarkable new device that had been invented just last year." Good historical fiction conveys the time, place, and ideas evocatively, accurately and convincingly and uses historical detail deftly. Sometimes good historical fiction is better history than fiction; sometimes the needs of conveying history seem to override the needs of a well-crafted novel. I'm starting to think that great historical fiction not only recreates a time, place or character evocatively but that it also guides you through the nebulous areas of doubt, contradiction and ambiguity of that time. I think one of the recurrent shortcomings of historical fiction is that it suggests that eras before our own were simpler: that life made more sense, pieces fell into place and everything added up. Donoghue is clearly a gifted fiction writer but she's also a gifted historian. At the end of the novel, we understand that nothing has ever been simple. We are not offered answers but questions. We need to think not only about the events and characters she has brought back to life in this fine novel but also about the very act of telling and conveying history and how we shape and are shaped by history or histories.

Guerilla Gardening

When I was in Bruges last month, I saw a little patch of pansies on the street which struck me as a lovely random act of gardening. Today I've been reading about Guerilla Gardening (read more about it here) which is a great idea. Hmm...

American History and the Cracker Jack Prize

Today I purchased some Cracker Jacks at the ballpark as I root, root rooted for the home team. I was delighted to find this mini biography of George Washington as the prize. It reminds me of a Simpsons episode my pal N, a historian, often cites:
Bart: "Gee, how come you know so much American history?"
Grandpa Simpson: "I pieced it together…mostly from sugar packets."

And the winner is: the Chocolate Digestive

According to a BBC story, "about four out of five UK businesses believe the type of biscuit they serve to potential clients could clinch the deal or make it crumble." The survey of 1000 business types found that "the chocolate digestive was deemed to make the best impression followed by shortbread and Hob Nobs." I would have voted for the HobNob. On the topic of biscuit etiquette more than half of respondents looked down on dunking biscuits in tea or coffee during a meeting. On a related note, a survey of 7000 people last year revealed that the custard cream was the nation's favourite biscuit.

Sir Walter and Amy W

According to a story in the Guardian, "Cambridge University finalists have been asked to demonstrate their three years of intensive study at a world-class institution in an exam question that compared the poetry of Sir Walter Raleigh with the lyrics of the pop singer Amy Winehouse." A spokesman for the university said "the question was not 'usual', but added that it showed the university was firmly rooted in the 21st century." Ah. Yes. This comparison is pretty easy if you compare Winehouse's lyrical musings with Raleigh's very little known poem "Roanoke" : "They wanted me to go to Virginia and I said sure, sure, sure".

Two Photos

My poor cafe. I have been neglecting it. I've been a bit pre-occupied with todayphoto but I think I can get back to doing both. While sorting the candidates for today's today photo, I was struck by a few similarities that I would not have noticed had they not been side by side in iPhoto. One was taken while waiting for my bus on campus and the other while I poked around my garden. I'll let them speak for themselves.

Facebook Haiku: Volume 4

Heidi thinks it's good to know that both the Modern Language Association and the Meat and Livestock of Australia both use the acronym MLA.2:42pm

Heidi is amused by the New Yorker referring to Amy Winehouse as "the Marge Simpson of junkie retro soul".11:36am
Yesterday

Heidi had a fabulous guys' weekend: one can sure watch a lot of Jane Austen movies and try on a lot of shoes without them. AND get the remote.9:08pm
May 25

Heidi spent some time in the Mudville Nine.5:23pm

Heidi is, like the bank commercial says, 'richer than she thinks.' It's true. She just found 2.50 in Canadian Tire Money.9:22am
May 24

Heidi was wrong in thinking dashing out to grab a coffee would motivate her to read her icky book. Talking with Dave and Ron was a lot more fun.3:08pm

Heidi is wondering if she suffers from "techno-romantic idealism" or if she's just reading too much theory.1:58pm

Heidi is continuing her jet-setting by traveling to Chatham on Monday.11:17am

Heidi is participating in Take Your Giant Ferns Home From Work Day. D will join her. But he will mutter curse words. She will not.2:31pm

Heidi is living on the edge and microwaving her lunch!1:13pm

Heidi is not so vain as to think this song is about her.12:30pm

Heidi does not regret staying out til 1 AM on a school night. She might, however, regret it at 6:30 AM.1:01am
May 21

Heidi is not a geranium.9:22pm

Heidi still needs 2,026 delegates. Come on Puerto Rico!8:36pm

Heidi loves the statement she heard at a workshop: "as far as I'm concerned, if you're up @ 3AM wine & dancing should be involved; Foucault should not be." 12:25pm

Heidi is half the man she could be.8:09am
May 19

Heidi distrusts the email she just got promising she can be twice the man she is now.9:43pm

Heidi shouldn't be surprised to discover that standing in her backyard and whining "warm uuuupp!!!" doesn't achieve much.5:19pm

Heidi would really like to be sipping Campari on her front deck while neighbours ask "hot enough for ya?" Instead she's shivering and sipping tea inside.2:22pm

Heidi is grateful for the leads on butlers.7:03pm
May 17

Heidi is wondering if people still hire butlers these days; she thinks she would like one.3:50pm
May 16

Heidi is considering practicing random acts of microwaving.3:40pm

Heidi is baffled as to why, an hour after wondering why she's still here, she's still in her office on such a nice day. How did she miss lunch?? And coffee...3:21pm

Heidi is baffled as to why she's still in her office on such a nice day. How did she miss lunch??2:43pm

Heidi has been on the phone since 9:20...11:07am
May 15

Heidi is surprised that she is surprised to realize that emoticons lack subtley and precision.12:00pm

Heidi is wondering if her Tigers jersey would be considered business casual....10:43pm

Heidi has just been given a pair of brown argyle socks as a gift. Really.3:14pm

Heidi can't stop thinking about her lunch.12:25pm

Heidi feels like librarianship's Jim Leyland.11:16am

Heidi wishes she had a pain au chocolat for breakfast.9:04am
May 13

Heidi is not expected to win the West Virginia Primary. Things also don't look great for her in Kentucky, South Dakota, Oregon or Montana. Puerto Rico however...8:03pm

Heidi is not expected to win the West Virginia Primary. Things aren't looking great in Kentucky, South Dakota, Oregon.8:00pm

Heidi is not set to win West Virginia either but will take aim at McCain nonetheless.5:18pm

Heidi 's feelings of invincibility have been dashed. She just got a phone call from the circulation desk asking if she'd returned her own DVDs with her books. Ah.9:26am May 12

Heidi is feeling invincible! She can outsmart jetlag by ignoring it!8:21pm

Heidi is home! Her cats are happy; her inner vegetarian is joyous but her inner aesthete is singing a sad song by Edith Piaf.5:02pm
May 9

Heidi is sufficiently self aware to realize she is naive in believing Dale is charmed by her encyclopedic knowledge of dog breeds in Paris.4:50pm

Heidi is amazed at what looking at classical sculpture for a morning can do for one's body image.10:56am
May 7

Heidi is fond of Paris in the spring time.11:27am
May 6

Heidi is in Paris. She is happy to no longer be hearing the Eagles everywhere she goes. Really, Belgium, what gives??3:40pm
May 4

Heidi apparently has allergies that work in the European Union as well as NorthAmerica. Oh well.2:59am

Heidi now knows where bad American pop songs from the 70s went.8:36am
May 2

Heidi is in Brussels; Bruges tomorrow; all well.10:39am
April 28

Heidi is not married to Seal.3:47pm
April 25

Heidi is taking on 418 words. She might take Renee's advice and get rid of all words starting with T. Would anyone notice?9:25am
April 24

Heidi has 418 words to expunge and 72 hours to do it. But she also has a date with Curtis at 1:05. 418 words can wait.11:40am

Heidi has 682 words to expunge before first pitch.10:27am

Heidi is discovering BobbleHead Curtis's forte is not open ended questions.10:17am

Heidi is trying to delete 913 words before first pitch.9:18am
April 23

Heidi has lost her strathspey.10:31pm

Heidi is home and more mirthful.5:21pm

Heidi is looking a lot less merry than BobbleHead Curtis after a long day of editing.4:33pm

Heidi and BobbleHead Curtis only need to get rid of 961 words now. He's so agreeable.3:18pm

Heidi and BobbleHead Curtis are ecstatic that the AC is kicking in at work!1:52pm

Heidi has found that while BobbleHead Curtis is a very agreeable co-writer, he's not very speedy. She still needs to get rid of 1,164 words.1:24pm

Heidi is going for a walk and leaving BobbleHead Curtis with her revisions. Hopefully he'll delete 1300 words by the time she gets back.12:20pm

Heidi and Bobble Head Curtis are deleting 175 words per hour.12:14pm

Heidi is happy Bobble Head Curtis has agreed to help her rid her article of 1,438 words.9:17am
April 22

Heidi is amused R said it must be baseball season because "all the boys are coming to see you." I didn't want to say "they're actually here to see BobbleHead Curtis".2:28pm

Heidi is worried that her evilness has escaped her fragile facade of innocence.1:55pm

Heidi has just come back from a lunch where she shared many of her pranks over the years. She feels the need to apologize to everyone she's ever known. Sorry...1:44pm

Heidi still hopes to woo superdelegates, elected legislators and party insiders.11:25pm

Heidi is attempting to dispel rumours that she has a crush on a certain center fielder.11:17pm

Heidi is glad to hear she's appearing tactful.2:21pm

Heidi is not exactly as illustrated.2:04pm

Heidi finds that watching Curtis' bobble head bobble is a lot more fun than tending to some of her work email.1:54pm

Heidi would like you to know that Bobble Head Curtis is in the Leddy house.9:20am

Heidi regrets mentioning the baseball and is surprised people are emailing to say "are you ok" rather than "you got a Curtis Bobblehead? WOW!!!".10:08pm

Heidi sustained no major injuries after getting hit by a Toledo Mudhen baseball. She also now has a Curtis bobble head doll. EEEEEE!!!!7:50pm

Heidi is sort of weepy after seeing La Rondine at the Detroit Opera house. Poor Magda.10:45pm

Heidi has been researching shoes and finds the recurrent claim "where style and comfort meet" spurious.3:51pm
April 18

Paris photos

As many of you know, I've been in France and Belgium the past 2 weeks and am working through my photos.  I found this very lovely site this afternoon; sigh... it's not helping me adjust to work life but it's nice to look at.  

When Obama Wins

This is a site worthy of a visit and a few dozen clicks. I think my contribution to this would be "When Obama Wins, people will stop wearing UGG boots." Thanks to PB for passing this along.