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hold infinity in the palm of your hands
After getting plenty of sleep and spending the day fixing my laptop, I am pleased to finally blog about The Best Day Ever™.
I started by rolling out of bed (literally rolling off my bed and onto the floor) at around 9:30. Groggy and bleary-eyed, I turned on my laptop (doesn’t this tell you a lot about me?) and then I ate a quick, small breakfast. A then phoned me and informed me that we (A, N and me) would be meeting at Burrard Station at 11:30 to watch Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (of which I have only re-read 50%). Quite happily, I set off (wearing appropriate attire for the assuredly hot day) and arrived exactly at 11:30. Of course, this meant that I was awkwardly on time. A and N arrived shortly thereafter, gently reminding me of how I have a tendency to induce guilt in others by being precisely on time. I must remember that for the future – I will earnestly endeavour to arrive fashionably late, sauntering into the room with a grand entrance.
It was decided to purchase the tickets first at the Scotiabank theatre and off we went. I felt slightly crestfallen when I noticed that A’s ticket actually printed her name on it while mine was nameless. Curse my cashier for not knowing advanced functions made to impress friends and foe alike. Curse her.
After first visiting the Burrard location (at which we were turned away due to full capacity), we arrived at the Robson location of the Cactus Club Cafe and sat down for lunch. We had much deliberation over the menu and I got the J.D. BBQ burger (which was juicy and yummy! but not really my style, to be honest). We noticed the sheer number of staff our location seemed to possess; at every turn, a new staff member strolled by dutifully. N sardonically remarked about the recession and labour wages. I concurred.
After lunch, we headed to watch the movie. After reading the book in preparation for the movie, there were certainly some things I liked and disliked about the cinematic experience.
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I was generally unimpressed with the movie but felt like it did the job. It was adequate but not much more… As much as I adore the movies and the books, I can’t say that Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince will be a particularly memorable cinematic experience. It’s a shame because I had had high hopes for David Yates’ directorial vision.
After the movie, we ventured around downtown and ended up in Sears at Pacific Centre. Excitedly, I skimmed through the stationery section, glowingly appraising the Montblanc pens and Moleskine notebooks.
We then heard the announcement of a lifetime. "Attention shoppers. We will be having a free giveaway on the fourth floor today, for shoppers only in the store right now." I paused and looked to N and A, who were listening with rapt attention withal. I gingerly replaced the Moleskine notebook I had been thoughtfully caressing and we set off towards the fourth floor.
Needless to say, it was a disappointment. We got a dinky orange little fruit juicer (the efficacy of which I sincerely doubt) and waited the whole presentation to learn that we could have a free filet knife…with purchase of 29.99. We left.
As such, A and I were horrendously late for dinner with C and D at Thai Spice. I ordered Tom Yum which, admittedly, is a weakness of mine but I was rather disappointed with the lack of flavour. A’s pineapple rice was only passable. Happily, though, we played Sorry during dinner which (albeit displays a thorough lack of table manners) enlivened our dinner much more than the food would have done.
The crown jewel of the evening was really watching Les Miserables. It was spectacular. If you haven’t watched it yet, I assure you that you are missing out. The casting was wonderful; perennial favourites Jonathan Winsby and John Mann gave breathtaking performances while newcomers didn’t slacken at all.
Here’s what I thought:
- Murphy (Valjean) displayed masterful skill at singing with a particularly strong voice and diverse range; he was a little wooden at times but his singing was spot-on flawless
- Cournoyer (Javert) was a personal favourite; Javert doesn’t get much variety in song but Cournoyer did a commendable job at conveying Javert’s character
- Hosie (Fantine) was a strong presence but her wig was very offputting; I’m usually a big fan of Arts Club costume design but here is one case where I was rather distracted
- Lipman (Mme. Thenardier) and Mann (Mr. Thenardier) offered wonderful — wonderful — comic relief but Lipman’s vocal strength was not what I would have expected
- Winsby (Enjolras) was, of course, incredible and powerful; his performance is almost so strong that it is overwhelming, actually, threatening to overshadow the performances of others
- Victor (Marius) had a perfectly respectable performance though he was really overshadowed by Winsby at times
- Talbot (Eponine) was a surprise star; I was really impressed with her performance and vocal strength!
- Harwood (Cosette) gave a good performance throughout but I can’t recall any moments where I was floored by her
- Ballard (Gavroche), Matchette (Young Cosette) and Withers (Young Eponine) gave great performances, particularly at their ages! I bet I’ll be seeing them at the Arts Club when I’m much older
I particularly enjoyed “I Dreamed a Dream,” “Master of the House,” “Stars”and “Drink with Me to Times Gone By.” Unfortunately, “One Day More” was nowhere near as strong as what I would have liked but ç’est la vie!
All in all, a marvelous day. I just hope A doesn’t tire of my company!
Or, after dark, will dubious women come
After having brunch with my family this morning, I came home to prepare for a quiet day of housecleaning and relaxation. Of course, it was not to be so.
L phoned me and asked if I would like to go to Oakridge. Intrigued, I acceded to her proposal and off we went, picking up A along the way. I later found out that a celebration for the opening of the Cambie Street – 41st Avenue Canada Line skytrain station was being held. Our tour guide, T, was on duty at the time.
It was a raucous affair, featuring a mainstage and several informational booths. At the time I went, some youth dance groups were performing.
After being amused for a while, we decided to descend the stairs into the Cambie Street – 41st Avenue station. I was impressed by the cleanliness and brightness of the underground station; it was really quite nice! Unfortunately, it reminded me of the “No Mercy” campaign in Left 4 Dead, specifically in the subway level. Can anyone who has played Left 4 Dead blame me?
After spending a few more minutes appreciating our tax dollars at work, we left the station and returned to the festivities above ground. T took a moment out of work to watch the main stage, black tresses trailing behind her.
Re-entering Oakridge, we took a quick walkabout before T had to return to her post. On our way, a dark stranger whispered something mysterious in T’s ear…
Just kidding! It was just A, talking to T. We ended up walking through Oakridge without much incident so we left. Thanks to L, A and T for making an otherwise quiet day into one filled with fun times.
The bookful blockhead, ignorantly read
While others are connoisseurs of food or fashion, I devote myself to a more scholarly vice – the compulsive purchase of books. Beginning last summer, when I first watched “The Unicorn and the Wasp,” I have begun my descent (ascent?) into Agatha Christie’s works.
I’ve purchased and/or read the following:
- The Mysterious Affair at Styles
- The Murder on the Links
- The Murder of Roger Ackroyd
- Murder on the Orient Express
- Three Act Tragedy
- Cards on the Table
- Death on the Nile
- And Then There Were None
- A Murder is Announced
- Hickory Dickory Dock
- Dead Man’s Folly
- 4:50 from Paddington
- Cat Among the Pigeons
- The Clocks
- At Bertram’s Hotel
- Third Girl
- Hallowe’en Party
- Nemesis
- Elephants Can Remember
I also intend to read or purchase at least the following:
- The A.B.C. Murders
- Lord Edgware Dies
- Death in the Clouds
- They Do It With Mirrors
- Curtain
- Sleeping Murder
I’ll end up reading all of the Poirot novels, then neatly transition into the Marples. I’m iffy about Tommy & Tuppence and I’m not at all enthused for the books featuring random detectives. If anyone has any good recommendations, please leave them in the comments!
All this murder, mystery and mayhem really propels me to want to join in the National Novel Writing Month this year, writing a murder mystery. I’d like the irony of having a serial killer murder popular (fictional) mystery writers…
How exciting that the Sherlock Holmes movie comes out soon! L has already expressed disinterest in watching it, but I already assured her that she’d be obligated to come with me if I was forced to watch My Sister’s Keeper.
The day the music died
Today was a good day, all in all. I slept in, having finished my hours at work, and when I woke up, I ate breakfast while reclining leisurely on the sofa, watching television. L and I had our impromptu trip to downtown today for two reasons: the Chapters Indigo Summer Sale (Buy 3 books, get 1 free) and the lure of Japadog.
We dropped by Chapters first, perusing for 2 good hours before finally purchasing our books (I purchased Elephants Can Remember, A Murder is Announced, The Mysterious Affair at Styles and 4:50 to Paddington in case anyone was interested):
On our way out, I noticed that two book covers looked strikingly similar. I wonder why? (Publisher fail?)
After leaving Chapters, we hunted down the elusive Japadog stand and enjoyed the fruits of our labour.
L and I had previously had Japadogs when they came to UBC as part of a charity fundraiser, but I still had the urge for them. I had the Cheese Terimayo while L had the Okonomi (which I would totally get next time).
Next, T invited L to her house (which necessarily included me by social convention). As per L’s decision, we took the 22 MacDonald…in the wrong direction. Luckily we hopped off at the terminus at Dunbar and merely needed to switch to the handy 49 Metrotown Station. We saw T and A!
Of course, I was delighted to see Pocky, T’s lovable, lick-happy dog!
We spent the time reminiscing, chitchatting and happily ensconced at T’s house for a while.
While T and A were making strawberry tarts…
I was busy playing with Pocky and taking random pictures.
All in all, a rather good day.
I would have written a shorter letter
Some don’t know this about me, but I have a deep and longstanding love for notebooks of all sorts: lined, ruled, A4, pocket-sized, blank, composition, etc.. There’s something so promising about a blank notebook – it’s a tabula rasa, waiting to be filled with doodles, sketches, ideas, musical compositions, fables, stories, tragedies, comedies, satires, anything. It’s so innocuous too; we’ve all used notebooks as children in elementary school – completing arithmetic practice or writing journal entries with accompanying drawings.
It shouldn’t be surprising that my post-BIOL 334 splurge was on a pocket Moleskine notebook (blank pages, I don’t like ruled – the lines feel limiting). I’m still searching for an appropriate accompanying pen but the Zebra G-301 pictured will do nicely until I find a better pen.
As with most notebook fanciers, I suffer “blank notebook syndrome,” a paralyzing disorder in which I am loathe to scribble upon the pristine pages of a new notebook lest I ruin its beauty. If I intend to use a notebook, I need it to be used thoroughly, fully, I need to really commit to it. I’ve torn pages out of notebooks in which I used one page in order to regain the “new notebook” feel. It’s a pathology.
At any rate, Moleskine is renowned for their (expensive) notebooks; GTD devotees stock up on Moleskines when (and if) they go on sale while authors, musicians and artists take comfort in the fact that they are joining Hemingway and Matisse in using the ubiquitous, black notebooks.
Of course, I’ll be modifying my Moleskine; I’ll be picking up some durable plastic tabs to section off the book. I’m wondering what I’ll use it for though, I want to ask for suggestions.
Here is what I can imagine myself using it for:
- reminders for due dates, action items, etc.
- important appointments
- interesting quotations (from poetry, from people, from literature, etc.)
- blog post ideas
- *chicken-scratch” sketches
- brainstorming
- contact information
I’m keeping a few 3”x5” index cards in the back pocket because it seems like a sensible thing to do.
Of course, I’m not a Moleskine snob, I’ve got a variety of notebooks in my cupboard; many unused and collecting dust because I haven’t purposed them yet. I don’t want to ruin them. I might just end up collecting them.
Even with innovations like the Livescribe Pulse Smartpen (which I wouldn’t mind trying out, if I had the disposable income), I’ll never stop loving the tactile feel of paper notebooks, nor will I ever lose my admiration for their simple elegance.
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