When is sympathy the wrong approach? When you are talking to a perfectionistic procrastinator with ongoing leg pain in winter. When it hurts to sit and stand, and its cold and wet outside, it's so comforting to curl up under a cosy blanket and escape into a well-told tale, whether a novel or a television series. And when your own words emerge in jerky clumps, as if your thoughts are crashing against successive barriers erected by electric flashes of pain - well it's too easy to say "I'll write better when I feel better", and open a new novel on my E-Reader.
In the past 12 weeks I have read 30 novels on my IPad or my E-Reader, 10 paperback novels, much of 4 non-fiction books, watched three British and several seasons of three US television series, and slowly worked my way through a well designed course on Bridge, around eighty cryptic crosswords and innumerable "brain training" games. But my Dance Cruise narrative is still stalled in Bar Harbor, and only 12 stories have made it to publication on ReviewFromTheHouse.
A frequently used derogatory reference when I was growing up - eons ago before more graphic terms became common usage - was "he is too dumb to walk and chew gum at the same time." The implication being that not only could the maligned victim not multitask, but he or she couldn't even multitask at two such fundamental activities.
I thought about this as I stood in my kitchen sadly surveying the potatoes I had just boiled for potato salad. I actually can't remember the last time I made a potato salad - it is that low carb thing - but I wanted to make something for our strata barbecue and I did not want to make yet another green salad or roasted vegetables - my usual contributions.
Into my mind popped the fantastic potato salad my friend Jan made during our Reunion Weekend on Vancouver Island, and the thought would not go away no matter how much I tried to reject it. Well, potato salad it would have to be. And it would have to be the perfect potato salad. I still have not got over that drive for perfection although I had better work harder at it, as you will see.
Well here I am back in Vancouver after a fantastic 7 nights of dance, food, wine and meeting new friends on board the Sapphire Princess. The cruise was a great success - I had a blast! My feet may need a week to recover from dancing till midnight most nights. But on the other hand, despite eating great food and not stinting on the wine, i did not put on any weight! Ballroom dancing is the key!
I walked off the ship early Saturday morning dragging my heavy suitcase - yes I packed too much! Was home by around 8:30 and after putting in a load of laundry went up to Urban Fare to stack up on grocery essentials like cream for my coffee, fruit and yogurt. On both Saturday and Sunday I had arranged to get together with friends I had met on the cruise, so between that, unpacking, seeing True Story at the Cultch and dinner at r.tl (regional tasting lounge) , I am only partially through creating the record of my trip.
Yes - my intentions of posting a daily travelblogue fell victim to my decision to "live it now and write it later." I have decided that I will post the log of my trip in one single post. That will also help with the issue of chronology that blogging messes up. But watch for it - I intend to have it posted early this week as I have 5 more plays to review by Saturday.
On Mother's Day two years ago, my daughter and I shared something special; the privilege of hearing twenty brave and talented actors share with us the facts of their mothers' lives - My Mother's Story: A Mother's Perspective . Together we laughed, we cried, and we thought of my mother, Amanda's grandmother, and the part she played in our lives. As we drove home we discussed the empowering effect that relating the arcs of their mothers' lives seemed to have on these women, and that we both felt enriched by the experience of seeing this work.
This Mothers' Day, Sunday May 10th, My Mother's Story 2009 will run at The Granville Isand Stage at 4 pm. In 90 minutes, you will hear about the "extraordinary lives of 20 ordinary women". This year will be the fourth staging of this event by Jenn Griffin and Marilyn Norry. While some of the women that will perform have been part of previous events, others will be new. Even if you have seen previous shows, each script is different as playwright Jenn Griffin interweaves 20 life stories into a story that reaches out from countries as diverse as India, South Africa, Vietnam and England, and evokes memories of love, abandonment, hope and despair. It is impossible to hear the words without something resonating within your own heart. You can buy tickets through VancouverTix.com . They are $23 dollars, reserved seating - and going fast.
Jenn and Marilyn share a moment of amusement over the script As often happens, the end-result you will see on stage, represents the synergy of two talented women bringing together their individual concepts to make something that is more powerful than the sum of the individual ideas. Both Jenn and Marilyn set out to write the story of their mother but the impetus was different for each of them. Although I remembered a bit about the origins of this event from a brief chat after the first show I saw, and I learned more from My Mothers Story web site, I wanted to dig a bit deeper and so I invited Marilyn and Jenn over for a casual chat.
When is sympathy the wrong approach? When you are talking to a perfectionistic procrastinator with ongoing leg pain in winter. When it hurts to sit and stand, and its cold and wet outside, it's so comforting to curl up under a cosy blanket and escape into a well-told tale, whether a novel or a television series. And when your own words emerge in jerky clumps, as if your thoughts are crashing against successive barriers erected by electric flashes of pain - well it's too easy to say "I'll write better when I feel better", and open a new novel on my E-Reader.
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