Tuesday 30 April 2013

De-Nesting Diaries: Tuesday, April 30th

There is then creative reading as well as creative writing. When the mind is braced by labor and invention, the page of whatever book we read becomes luminous with manifold allusion. -Ralph Waldo Emerson, writer and philosopher (1803-1882) 

Boondocks

MEANING:
noun: Rough country; backwoods.


ETYMOLOGY:
From Tagalog bundok (mountain). Earliest documented use: 1944. 
Zelda Fitzgerald

Hi, Patrick:
Hope you are continuing to improve.  Dizziness can't be pleasant.
I saw the surgeon on Thursday, who indicates that I am on a normal trajectory.  My foot is behaving quixotically (not the right word, but I can't think of the right one).  Feels quite normal for quite awhile, then suddenly there will be a blast of pain, or the scar will start to throb . . . .  Overall, it's not bad.  My only worry is whether it will be fully resolved before I leave for India on October 8th. 
I went back to work yesterday.  It went all right, from a foot point-of-view.  However, the email deluge was quite, most even, overwhelming.
I still haven't heard back from Eyob; will follow-up this week if no further word.  He does travel for his job quite a bit, so that could be a reason.
Sounds like your plans for England are coming along well.  Should be a great trip.  And then . . . India!!!!!  (However, I would not recommend cycling in the major cities!) For reading material . . . are you familiar with William Boyd?  He's one of my favourites.  I'd suggest starting with Brazzaville Beach, one of his earlier works. Well, have to think about getting ready for work soon . . . .Have a splendid day! Janet

A Kenyan elite runner passes water to a dehydrated disabled Chinese runner who was suffering. This slowed her time--she came in 2nd in the race--not only costing her the win but also the $10,000 cash prize.

Hi Janet!

Pleased to hear that return to work is proceeding without too, too much discomfort, physical or psychological. I know what you mean about email backlog as I've only now managed to take care of most of messages that accumulated while travelling! Thanks for suggestion about Brazzaville Beach as
I don't think I've read any of William Boyd's work. Cheers for now, Patrizzio!

PS: Sorry if pictures are "too gruesome" for a non-meat eater! 
 


Man, that must have been quite a fall to hurt your head thru your helmet.  (No helmet?  Bad Boy!)  Looks like you are pretty much laid up.  If you get tired of reading you can always knit.

We are back on Orcas chasing weeds.  Looking forward to shrimp opening on Saturday.  Have been knitting in the evenings.  Jack is petting the boat and chasing tent caterpillars.    Slowly but surely we will get caught up.  Think we have decided to eventually sell this place.  The "eventually" is the main word in that sentence.  



First we have to downsize and don't have a clue where to start.  I suppose this year we will just poke around at this or that and hopefully develop some idea for next year.  We don't have to sell.  We are just feeling that this place represents work rather than fun.  Florida is fun so far and we could live there year around.  It's not too close to the kids but they are just coming up to retirement and we don't have any idea where they might land.

Drop a quickie every now and then.  Let us know what is happening but no more crashing.  That isn't necessary for a good read. Gail 


Hi again, Gail!

Good luck with downsizing! I thought that is what you did when you moved from Alaska!!!
Don't worry, I always wear a helmet. Simply cannot imagine what those who don't are not thinking! Hello to Jack and his pet caterpillars. Cheers for now, Patrizzio!


Hi Patrick.  Congratulations on the "go" for Provence.  It sounds very tempting.... Number is for my cell phone 3.  Talk soon! Trice
 
Hi again, Tricce!

Thanks for your number. Am I correct in assuming you have three cell phones?  Do you hold one with your right or left foot? Octopus Woman! I don't even own a mobile. Super Express Lane in Tinsel Town!!! Makes me dizzy just thinking about it! Cheers, Patrizzio!


March Barrel Wine Club Shipment Ready for Pickup!  Hello Amber!

My name is Patrick Dunn and this past February my wife, (Corinne Durston), and I became Cellar Club members. We had planned to pick up the March release in May when we were hoping to drive to LA. Needed to change plans as now
we won't be back in Vancouver until October 19th. However, we do hope to drive to California for your Thanksgiving when we may well be house sitting for a cousin in Simi Valley. We spent last Christmas there while they relaxed in the ocean off Tahiti!


I believe it was Victoria that was in the Tasting Room when we signed up. We were led to believe that we could leave our purchases at the winery until we were able to collect them, within a reasonable time period, of course. I trust that this is the case. As well, I'm curious to know what happens to be in the March selection. Let me thank you, in advance, for any help in these matter. Cheers, Patrizzio!

Hi Sir James and Lady Patrizzia!  Trust you are both well.Fondestos from Cora Lee and Chloë to you both. Cheers, Patrizzio! 


Hi Riptide!

Trust you and our favourite Sweetheart are well. Did you ever have knee surgery?


On another matter, I've inherited a small TD online trading account that I know zilch about. I was wondering if, at some point, you might be willing to give me a very, very basic introduction to finding my way with it. No rush as we have been busy and will continue to be that way for awhile.  Give me a shout and let me know what you think. Thanks and Cheers, Il Conduttore! 


Il Conduttore!

We are well - except Lynda has a sore shoulder because she hunches unconsciously, even while sleeping.


We were over to Hawaii, the Big Island, for a fraternity brother's second marriage (her's too). We stayed a couple of weeks and really enjoyed our first time on that island. We did the full tourist tour.


Next week we are off to the 'Toon for Lynda's dad's 90th birthday and then Mother's Day.

I'll probably get 'pressed into service' with such a long winter ending and spring things needing to be done.

As for the investment assist - sure!

I can do that anytime up until Sun 4pm or upon holes in your travelling after our return on May 15. No further travel plans for us until the fall.

I attended the West Coast Whisky Club tasting 2 wks back. For Peat's Sake showed a progression from light to heavy peat single malts. We were over at the Hugo Ray Park Cricket Club up off Taylor Way. Some 97 tipplers and 6 scotchs. Ben Riach,Curiositas; Ben Riach,Birnie Moss; Erador,Calxx?; Talisker 25Yr; Laphroaig,Cairdeas and Bruichladdich,Octomore. RipTide 


Hi again, Ripster!

Sounds as if you have been having a pretty good time as well. Hawaii must have been lovely. Glad you made it to For Peat's Sake. Interesting line-up.

With respect to help with investment portfolio, perhaps later this week if you are still free. As of this writing I don't really have any engagements or appointments until Sunday afternoon. I'll send along another message once I have "cleared" things with Cora Lee. Thanks again. Cheers, Il Conduttore! 


Hi Patrick.  Question - Where is the home you are renting in Languedoc?  I googled Beau Soleil and found many properties.  and I only have 1 cell phone! HA! Thanks, Trice
 
Hi One Cell Phone Gal! Beau Soleil is at 7 Ave de Fontes, Neffiès, France, 34320. If you Google this address it should provide you with quite a good overview of the region. 
 

One of the main reasons I'm very happy to have rented the place, (Other than the fact that it comes very, very highly recommended by close friends, Dennis and Claire, who have stayed there, with two other couples.), is that it is really close to many spots we've always wanted to visit: Carcassonne, in particular, but also Toulouse, Narbonne and Montpellier, not to mention being relatively close to Agen, where we will start our canal cruise. As well it is along the Canal du Midi and is surrounded by vineyards. Coast is not far either. Good train/airport connections so relatively easy to get to and from. Hope this has convinced you! Cheers, Patrizzio!


Pic: Snap of weekly market at Pézenas sent by Dennisovitch. He told me about Beau Soleil last November when we bumped into each other in a line-up for a Jill Barber concert. Do you know her work? (www.jillbarber.com/‎) About 20 minutes, by car from Neffiès.


Raised in Toronto, she is sister to singer-songwriter Matthew Barber. She attended Queen's University before pursuing her musical career on a full-time basis.

Barber won the Female Artist Recording of the Year award for her debut album Oh Heart at the 2005 Music Nova Scotia Awards. In 2007 Barber earned her fourth win as Best Local Solo Artist (Female) in The Coast’s annual "Best of Music Reader’s Poll", and her first win as Best Canadian Solo Artist (Female).

From February to March 2007 she toured eastern Canada with Dan Hill as part of Stuart McLean's CBC Radio show The Vinyl Cafe. She returned to the Vinyl Cafe Tour in 2009 performing across Canada with Matt Anderson.

In 2008, Barber released Chances, a jazz album with full orchestral arrangements which was partially co-written with her producer Les Cooper, while also collaborating on several songs with Canadian music legend Ron Sexsmith. This album led to a new level in touring reaching audiences across the globe while earning two Juno Award nominations including New Artist of the Year.

  She followed up with the album Mischievous Moon, released through Outside Music in 2011. In the same year, Jill and Matthew Barber collaborated on a cover of The Hardship Post's "Your Sunshine", which appeared on the charity compilation album Have Not Been the Same - Vol. 1: Too Cool to Live, Too Smart to Die.

Barber has performed predominantly in English, although she has also recorded and performed French translations of two of her songs, "All My Dreams" ("Tous mes reves") and "Tell Me" ("Dis-moi").

Her 2013 album Chansons, a selection of cover versions of classic songs from Quebec and France, was her first album of material recorded and performed entirely in French.
She is married to CBC Radio 3 personality Grant Lawrence.

Thank you Patrick. I'll check it out tomorrow. I've been to that area - stayed in Nimes. Spent four weeks touring France by car after one week in London and two weeks inIreland. A LONG time ago! Trice

Hi Beatricce! Just one more very good reason for you to come to Languedoc: You can be the resident tour guide! Cheers, Patrizzio!

Exercise video from Phnom Penh included:

Hi Pat, I am well. Retired living has it's perks.
Sorry about the tumble you took on your bike. That was a very close call. Glad you are on the mend too. I see the Island Inn is being repurposed, or rebranded, as a recovery clinic. Hopefully, not for long.


I missed "Lore." which was on my radar, but caught "Barbara." I liked it more then i thought i would. After the "Lives of Others," i thought that would be a hard act to follow. I had a few quibbles like the excessive use of wind machines as Dr Barbara cycled along the path. That was   really phoney. Also, love making near the road, with hardly any cover? I don't think so! A lover from the west wouldn't normally be that stupid, unless he was Stasi. Otherwise, the movie captured the DDR that i remembered. I was the there multiple times including one week in 1977.

Would like to take the opportunity to invite you out one of these mornings for breakfast. Could you be persuaded or does that interfere with swimming? It could also be brunch or lunch.
Anyhow, thanks for the mail. Regards to you and Nurse Durston. bob


Odometre Setting after Accidento, May 20th, 57.6 K over 3:08:21, AVG 18.3 KPH, MAX 42.9 KPH
 
Hi again, Bob!

I agree with some of the "niggles' you have about Barbara but, for a start,  I didn't find the wind off-putting. I assumed it had to do with being near the coast. You should have been riding with me today. Talk about wind as I headed for Stanley Park on Seawall! Turn off the Wind Machine, God! With respect to "Splendour in the Grass", I thought it was credible even if foolhardy, unbelievably so, as you say. For me it simply emphasized the precariousness of her situation. She steels herself against any other human contact for fear of betrayal and the emotional dam simply bursts when the possibility of intimacy/primal sex presents itself, in spite of the known danger.


I am reminded of some of the stolen liasons in Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn's In the First Circle or of the relationship between the woman, Hannah Schygulla, who commits adultery with a Polish POW, while her husband serves as a soldier during WWII, A Love in Germany. Stakes were equally as high yet their emotions drove the individuals to endanger one another's lives.

Didn't actually plan it but today was two weeks to the day from the date of my accidento. Had ridden an older bike yesterday as I was doing errands and don't like to leave my expensive carbon fibre unchaperoned while I'm inside a store or office. Very short outing, just 10 K, but felt much more comfortable, physically and psychologically than last Wednesday so pleased about that. Again, unbelievably windy coming back from downtown over Burrard Bridge. (Perhaps that's why I empathized with Barbara riding into wind!) Really had to concentrate not to be blown sideways gusts were that strong. Had to return to lab, across the street from St Paul's, for another test and then I made my way back to Kitsilano to the Royal Bank on the corner of 4th and Balsam for a spot of banking. Friendly young woman who served me suggested I upgrade my Visa Gold to Platinum for no annual fee. She obviously knows about my numbered Swiss bank account!



Took things very slowly and did three loops of the Prospect Point Hill to give me 51.3 K over 3:00:58, AVG 17 KPH, MAX 43.7 KPH, so I was quite pleased. Still a bit sore, my right shoulder and right gluteus maximus, to put it politely, in Latin. Don't feel too badly about AVG as on the day of my "tumble", as you so nicely put it, my AVG was 18.3 KPH, as recorded at the very moment of impact. Anyway, all this by way of saying that I hope I'm on road to recovery. Funnily enough, my right, upper rib cage, under my arm, is still very tender and if it doesn't improve I'm planning to see doctor about it. This discomfort is keeping me from swimming, at the moment. Nevertheless, having said that, perhaps I should try getting back in the water to see if that helps.

At any rate, breakfast or lunch sounds lovely. As of this penning/keying, my calendar, for this week, is completely free and Tuesday of next week is the only day I have a number of events to attend, both at UBC as it turns out. Let me know what you think and we'll plan accordingly.

Great to finally be in touch again. Nurse Durston is at Hycroft this evening at an All Candidates Debate. (I'm a citizen for boysenberry jam fan!) I trust her bedside manner will have improved by the time she returns for the evening shift! Nurse Ratched in the film version of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest comes to mind! Cheers, Patrizzio!

Hi again,Bob! Couldn't open video attachment! Cheers, Patrizzio!

  • Nicole Marie

    Hey pat! I'm looking to get dad bike pedals and clips for his birthday (depending on how much they cost) and suggestions on where to go and what the price might be for them?
  • Patrick James Dunn

    Hi Nicolina!
    I think the best place is MEC on Broadway. I suggest pedals with clips on one side, nothing on the other so that somebody who doesn't have cleat formatted cycling shoes can ride bike as well. There is a wide range of prices but I'm sure you can probably find something that would be suitable between $50-$75, maybe less.


    Are you asking about shoes as well? If so, probably somewhere between $85-$120, depending on model. I bought mine for $85 and have been very pleased with them.
    Furthermore, he can always take anything back and find model/type he would like. Buona Fortuna with hunt for poifect gift! Cheers, Patrizzio!
Bike accident - you might not want to watch, Pat This is the a very ridiculous accident! Ray

Hi Raymond!

Thanks for calling this morning. Good to catch up. Glad Mike is still doing well. Watching the video brought back the sheer repressed horror of my own accident. Thanks to you, in spite of your pallid warning, I'm now suffering from PTSD and have already finished three full bottles of malt! Even Maggie is pleading with me to stop drinking! Couldn't believe the motorcyclist. Seems almost as if he ran into cyclists on purpose or didn't even see them. Incredible that they were not seriously injured or worse. Talk about bikes being bent out of shape. Whole new meaning to the phrase. Cheers, Patrizzio!

Hi Pat, Monday morning works for me. How about for you two? Anytime after 9 am.

Here are three photos from the days of "Der Republik" which is a little earlier then the period depicted in "Barbara." The trio of images are from Leipzig in 1977. East German commercial for the Wartburg (shown in the movie "Barbara") with James Bond type music:
Hi Bob!

Monday is great. Where? When? Terrific snaps. Were you the cinematographer for Barbara? Let me know about meeting and we'll plan accordingly. Cheers, Patrizzio! 


Hi Giggster and Amira!

Trust you are both well and enjoying camping and cycling. How is the weather?

Had a long chat with Raymond this morning . He wanted to know if I wanted to ride. I did but felt it best to go alone, at my own pace for a few days. He understood and sent me the following, (See above), to show that he did!



On a more positive note, had confirmation yesterday that Beau Soleil is mine/ours for September. Start booking your flight! I've already sent out an Expression of Interest to the Swedish Association of Nubile Masseuses so that winnowing process can begin!

Sarge's birthday is coming up this month and Nicolina just sent me a message asking about pedals with clips, etc. I suggested MEC. Maybe it'll be carbon fibre next!

I'm going to start trying to put together a fairly regular bridge group. Mike said he is on so with you, Sarge and Ted Keating, I think we could have a viable group. Having a few more than four is probably a good idea with busy schedules, etc. 
Enjoy the rest of your US furlough. Buona Fortuna with tourney Amira. Travel safely, both of you. Give me a shout when re-entry is complete, Giggster. Cheers, Patrizzio!

PS: A quite enjoying the Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, by Rachel Joyce. Robo Man passed it along last Saturday.


Jill Barber says she gained a new respect for people who interpret songs with her new album, Chansons, her first featuring her singing in French.
Barber, the Toronto-raised chanteuse who began a career in folk music before crossing into jazz, has always written her own songs.

Now based in Vancouver, she has spent the last few years learning French, after feeling embarrassed during an appearance at the Montreal Jazz Festival that she couldn’t say anything beyond a few basic phrases.
Then a friend translated one of her own songs into French and she sang for the first time in the language of love.

“Something happened. I had a kind of revelation that night that I wanted to sing in this beautiful language, the language of our country and there is so many great French songs and they’re so romantic,” Barber said in an interview with CBC’s Q cultural affairs show
.
She began to consider creating a French album and had to find songs she felt she could deliver in a personal way, she said. That got her thinking about how difficult it can be to interpret someone's else's songs and make them her own.

One of her choices was Sous le ciel de paris, a song made famous by Edith Piaf.
“I think Edith Piaf was the first French singer that I really listened to. I think that’s the case for many anglophones — she’s kind of the gateway chanteuse,” Barber said.

Though her next album will again be original material, Barber said she believes adding French songs to her repertoire has been a liberating experience.

“For me as a singer, there is almost a permission to sing more passionately” she said. “What comes across in the song is the passion, the romance and certainly the nostalgia.”

Jill Barber

@jillbarber

Songwriter, torch singer, hopeful romantic, vinyl lover, hat revivalist, foodie, cbc devotee, aspiring french-speaker, amateur gardener, excellent wine-pourer. Vancouver, BC · http://www.jillbarber.com

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