Bliss

Last week was unsettling for me on a few levels, but the weekend has proved to be more than worthy in calming nerves and stomachs.
What can work better than meeting this little fellow on an evening kayak ride? in one instant you know in your heart of hearts what's what in life:

Ah, yes, this:

And This:

And many hours of solitude with this, and a masterpiece of a book on hand:

There is something good in the world when a good friend trusts you enough to leave you all alone in her cottage for a night, knowing it will still be there the next day, and you will be once again a happy companion.

On the Airwaves about Bartering

http://www.cbc.ca/ontariotoday/2013/07/02/tuesday-do-you-barter-for-clips-and-services/

A call in show on CBC yesterday took my call. I'm the last caller at the end of the podcast.
There was such a short time to explain the concept, and I was a bit nervous, it's not quite clear how the bartering works for me so let me elaborate:
The consigners who choose to spend their share of the sale in the shop use it as credit on their purchase if it is a larger amount, or a reduction from their purchase if it's smaller.
Another bartering experience I didn't get a chance to talk about is this: I got my piano tuned for the price of an expensive pair of glasses. Both of us, the renowned piano tuner Jamie Musselwhite and I, were very happy. He looks cool in his Oliver People's round glasses, and my piano no longer has a sticky middle F#, a very usable key. Not to mention, there is a consigner out there who is due his share of the glasses. He's happy too.

Accentuating the Positives

These are strange times.
I walk the streets of my neighbourhood and find more and more old architectural treasures in the clutches of "development". It makes me sad and I feel I'm continually mourning my city. Everywhere we go a sign the size of a small apartment pronounces an application to city hall for a redevelopment that promises to replace an old Victorian row house with a tower of an indistinct nature that is going to look like a slum in 20 years or less.
How Pathetic is the state of our nation, that we sit and let it happen without trying to put a stop to it?
Truth is, the building where I am, this little shop, is under the same threat after changing ownership recently. I can see it coming, even though it could be years in the making. The noose is already being tied in some back room of the wheelers and dealers at the planning departments and city councillors, behind the scenes and far from anyone's ears.

That rant over, let's think about the nice things in life, to replace these bitter disappointments with a bit of sweetness.

* Summer vacation. No morning rush, no afternoon classes. Leisurely dinners, movies, rest, warm sunny days in housecoats and nothing else.

* Summer festivals in the city of Doom (this is what I'm calling Toronto from now on) - culture, music, art. Some counterbalance to the greed and ugliness of the "It's not personal, it's business" crowd we have to live with these days. Thank the universe for artists.

* The nasturtiums are blooming - YEA!!!

* A new chimney towers over my house at last, the 100 year old one put to rest (together with a large chunk of money).

* New delightful customers discovering my shop of treasures every day.

Proud, Happy, Hot?

Pride flag is on my door, as it flies every year.
Pride week in Toronto kicks in Friday. This is a big weekend. It's a wild wild party in this neighbourhood, with 3 different parades: trans on Friday, the ladies on Saturday, the guys on Sunday.
My personal favourite is the party on Church street every night. The things you see on the streets of our village will teach you more than you ever wanted to know about sex in all its variations.
I'll be here on Saturday watching the biker ladies passing by. The heat is on. It means there will be more skin and intimate parts visible than usual this year. Of course the weather is just an excuse.

Meanwhile, IRL

Not to suggest that my life in the shop isn't real, only to say that there are other aspects and places in which I enjoy my existence.
Some of our season's activities so far (such as they are, and this summer) have been helping with costumes and make up and going to watch end-of-year performances of our children in their various artistic activities and schools, outstanding leisurely outdoor dinners with neighbours, and walks at dusk when the rain isn't falling.

Where is Our Summer?

It comes and goes in spurts and fits of rain, wind, cold, with a burst of sunshine tease here and there.
Meanwhile, people get hopeful and shop for summer clothes, of which plenty are to be had at RM.
The latest incoming items and sales include fabulous Boss jackets and suits, fun T shirts and shorts, sandals and shoes. Anything a man of taste and style needs.

One of my favourites still offered is a fine Boss jacket of linen and silk mix - summery, light and elegant. It's in my window, hanging over a Gotstyle stripy cotton shirt, a match made in Heaven.

The jacket is similar to this one:

Summer!!!

It has arrived. Furiously so.
The weather is driving people and homes mad. My basement was flooded by the rain. Now it has become too hot to sleep.
A little balance could do us all a world of good.
The up side is that there are summer clothes to be had at Renaissance Man, so come and take a close look.

Back Home

Back home, refreshed, rejuvenated, happy.
These are some of the things I experienced while away.
Clouds over the Georgia Straight off the pier in Sechelt:

Cabin on the water's edge, where you fall asleep to gentle waves lapping sounds, like earth breathing endlessly:

Skookumchuck seawater rapids:

Everett dock in the morning fog:

The magical fuzzy trees in the forest on the Skookumchuck trail:

The fearless fat seagulls in Vancouver you have to love:

Out and About

I'm off - even criminals get time off got good behaviour.
The shop is closed until May 16th. Keep an eye on it for me, won't you?

I'll be exploring the wonders of the west coast.
Toodaloo.

Sunday Afternoon at The Rex

This soft song of Kate Schutt, I'm yours if you'll have me, was covered yesterday by the Swing Shift big band and the smokey-voiced young singer Sofia Perlman. A very crowded Rex jazz bar ate her up:

The Mayor And Me

Yesterday was an interesting day in the politics of Toronto.
I sat in the stuffy meeting room and waited my turn, along many others like me, to ask the city not to sell itself to the devil for no good reason. The devil was there too - a bunch of American stake holders looking for an easy mark. A former mayor of Las Vegas was one of them, telling the crowd how good they are at giving jobs where none have been before. It made us all raise a universal eyebrow, since we know Las Vegas is the suicide capital of the U.S.
One smart man said to the gathering crowd: in a card game look around the room, and if you can't tell who the mark is, it is you.
Thats us alright.
After 10 hours waiting I got my wish to have my say. And what do I have to show for it? Tired eyes, and this:

Get Ready: Sun Time

There's a nice crop of Sunglasses here.
A pair of Silhouettes, light in weight, dark enough to make you mysteriously fab. $80.
Oliver Peoples old fashion frames, trendy and light. $100.
Hugo Boss, brown lens, $80.
Ray Ban sport light, protective, clingy - $80.


And a special: beautiful Bering watch $100.

Not Spring Yet

But the good guys have been cleaning their closets and I'm getting full again here at RM.
There is a new crop of suits, jackets, shirts and shorts, shoes and my personal favourite: A fabulous Filson bag in military green and brown leather, fit for papers, laptop, or your gym attire, in a pinch. It's in mint condition, and priced generously, $175.

If you couple it with the tweed Boss jacket adoring my mannequin, you'll look fabulous, fashionably pragmatic, and you'll get a little discount too.

Positives

* Boy getting award for excellence at school.

* Stuffing our stomachs silly on fantastic Passover foods, sitting around a friendly beautifully set table, reading old stories and laughing.
* Grandmother's chicken soup with matzo balls to die for.

* Warmer days and hints of spring to come.

Emergence/ Four Seasons

I went to the last performance of the National Ballet, mainly in hope to find something redeeming in Kudelka's work, and to catch another breath of fresh dancerly air with Crystal Pite's creations.
The Four seasons was a predictable disappointment, and Emergence simply wonderful.
There is something wrong when a choreographer takes continuous on-the-nose approach to the music he works with, only to wait for the most compelling and dramatic part of the phrase to take a pose. That's what Kudelka does. He does this all the time. My other quibble is that this is a good group of dancers, accomplished, skilled. He takes a humble approach to their skill, modest to a fault. He doesn't challenge them, doesn't give them a chance to shine, to show off their virtuosity. If there's anything in classical ballet that dancers and audience love, is the skill of it. Without that, it's nothing but prancing around in tights and flawy costumes, posing in between, with a bit of heavy lifting for the boys. Who cares.
Of course, traditionalists love this. They don't have to think about anything at all while watching - it lulls them to a nice comfortable snooze, as the old man sitting besides me confessed he was going to do even before the show started. But he wasn't snoozing during Emergence. He was startled, and watched intently from the moment the first dancer started to twitch on the stage.
Crystal Pite gives a dancer something to chew on, as well as the audience. Something to think about, a mystery to discover and anticipate. A fleshy piece of work, this Emergence, a bit creepy, inspired by the life of insects and intersected with introspection into the life of a dance group, yet beautiful and graceful and challenging. At 45 minutes, it is a long dance, and I wished it was longer. Excellent costumes, careful use of the atmospheric music, flawless lighting design that highlights exactly the parts of the body she wants us to notice at any given time, while hiding what lurks in the shadows just enough for us to wonder what's there.