Happy places

Libraries have long been my happy places. Tonight on the Edmonton Public Library site I found these pictures. Good times.

The first image shows one of the ducks from the children's section at the Centennial Library. I miss the ducks! And the iguana!



The second image shows the exterior of the Dickinsfield Library, a location where I spent vast amounts of formative time and where my independence began to grow. On the other end of the mall were chocolate donuts, always an incentive.



These are my happy places; these are my heart songs.

L

For Elephants, Whenever I May Find Them

Back to the grind after a long, long weekend. Gird yourself!

Not once in our history
Has an ant gone out and captured
An elephant single-handedly.

Hafiz; Daniel Ladinsky, trans.

Art and Philosophy

Reading about and looking again at my beloved Klimt. Ahh.


The sun will stand as your best man
And whistle

When you have found the courage
To marry forgiveness,

When you have found the courage
To marry
Love.

— Hafiz; Daniel Ladinsky, trans.

From the mouths of Dusty and Lefty

Dusty and Lefty may be two of most under-appreciated characters in recent film memory, and these lines could be theirs — but they're not. Still, this "cowboy wisdom" should give you a laugh. Enjoy your Saturday!

*

• Don't squat with your spurs on.

• Don't never interfere with something that ain't botherin' you none.

• If you find yourself in a hole, the first thing to do is stop diggin'.

• Timing has a lot to do with the outcome of a rain dance.

• The easiest way to eat crow is while it's still warm. The colder it gets, the harder it is to swaller.

• Never smack a man who's chewin' tobacco.

• If it don't seem like it's worth the effort, it probably ain't.

• It don't take a genius to spot a goat in a flock of sheep.

• The biggest liar you'll ever have to deal with probably watches you shave his face in the mirror every morning.

• Never ask a barber if he thinks you need a haircut.

• If you get to thinkin' you're a person of some influence, try ordering somebody else's dog around.

• Don't worry about bitin' off more'n you can chew. Your mouth is probably a whole lot bigger'n you think.

• Always drink upstream from the herd.

• Generally, you ain't learnin' nothin' when your mouth is a-jawin'.

• Tellin' a man to go to hell and makin' him do it are two entirely different propositions.

• Generally speakin', fancy titles and nightshirts are a waste of time.

• Trust everybody in the game, but always cut the cards.

• If you're ridin' ahead of the herd, take a look back every now and then to make sure it's still there.

• If you're gonna go,...go like hell. If your mind's not made up, don't use your spurs.

• Never kick a fresh cowpie on a hot day.

• After eating an entire bull, a mountain lion felt so good he started roaring. He kept it up until a hunter came along and shot him. The moral: when you're full of bull, keep your mouth shut.

• Never drop your gun to hug a grizzly.

• When you give a lesson in meanness to a critter or a person, don't be surprised if they learn their lesson.

• The best way to have quiche for dinner is to make it up and put it in the oven to bake at 325 degrees. Meanwhile, get out a large T-bone, grill it, and when it's done, eat it. As for the quiche, continue to let it bake, but otherwise ignore it.

• There's two theories to arguin' with a woman. Neither one works.

• When you're throwin' your weight around, be ready to have it thrown around by somebody else.

• Lettin' the cat outta the bag is a whole lot easier 'n puttin' it back.

• Always take a good look at what you're about to eat. It's not so important to know what it is, but it's critical to know what it was.

• The quickest way to double your money is to fold it over and put it back in your pocket.

• Never miss a good chance to shut up.

At the end of your rope?

Here's a knot to tie and hold on with:

I’ve never understood suicide. I’m a big believer that if things are so bad you’re willing to kill yourself off, you should consider what else you’d be willing to kill first — like a shitty job or a bad relationship or the part of yourself that you’ve been too afraid to change. — Lisa Rosman (for the larger context of this excerpt, go here )

Something to remember when the black dog is baying.

L

Happy Canada Day!

Whee! We're one hundred forty-three years old, and it's one of those unbelievable summer mornings that remind me why I live in a northern town.

Happy to be here,
L

Oscar + me = BFF

Here's a great thought about the ways in which we spend our free time:

It is what you read when you don't have to that determines what you will be when you can't help it. — Oscar Wilde

I guess that explains my inner fifteen-year-old girl!

Getting ready to celebrate,
L

The continuing relevance of booksellers

Clearly acknowledging that he knows nothing of the longer history of publishing and bookselling, Michael Edwards, CEO of US-based book giant Borders, recently said, "the onus is on booksellers to prove their continued relevance in the digital age. If they continue to innovate in the services and experiences they offer and the ways they engage the community, consumers will continue to make bookstores a vital part of their lives. If they fail to adapt to changing market conditions and consumer needs, they'll deserve the empty aisles -- and cash registers -- that result. The next chapter is up to them."

Ah, that's clear. But what's with the us and them rhetoric? Isn't Borders ... a bookstore?

In the last year there has been a noticeable shift in the book industry's panic. Now, with the rise of e-books and e-readers, it's not the book that's dead; it's the bookstore. Consumers don't want to be troubled with the hassle of shopping among other people when they can buy from the sanctity of their homes, and they don't want to have to wait for a physical book when they have so many other screen-based entertainment options available instantly, on a whim. Doesn't help when leaders of the book industry talk junk in the press, though.

Maybe if we stopped insisting on market dominance and started contemplating market stability, market sustenance, we could put an end to the panic. But that's not the way the invisible hand of the market works, is it?

This business of publishing has endured so much over the centuries, and booksellers have been part of the business for most of that time. What if — shockingly — we tried to work together? This crazy idea worked for centuries; it could work again.

Wednesday thoughts

Ah, Wednesday. The mid-way point in the treadmill of the week. So much better when Wednesday represents Friday, no?

And now to the commonplace book:

The absence of the Witch does not
Invalidate the spell —

— Emily Dickinson

L

Me 'n' Jesus used to hang

Note to copyeditors: Quotations within quotations or speech are important. Omitting the interior quotation marks can change the meaning of both expressions.

For example, note the significant difference in meaning in these sentences:

Reverend Warren said, "Jesus said I am the resurrection and the life." (wrong, and now Reverend Warren seems like he's boasting)

Reverend Warren said, "Jesus said, 'I am the resurrection and the life.'" (right)

Just something to consider, anonymous-copyeditor-of-book-I-am-currently-reading. Something to consider.

From the other side

"Oh, with a mind that renders everything sensitive
What chance do I have here?"

— Kate Bush

What a piece of work is a man

"A man is unapologetic, unless he knows you are mad at him, in which case he is busy." — Alison Rosen

Really, quotations like these make me wonder if feminism ever really happened.

L

Good morning, starshine

It's a beautiful spring morning (despite the smoke in the air). Whenever people ask me why I live in Edmonton, mornings like this are the answer.

Last night was the Alberta Book Awards — nice to see everyone, and a great way to wrap up a very long week.

And Happy Birthday to all the Tauruses: here's to the year ahead!

Off to start the day,
L

The rewards of poetry

After a long day at school, one finds something like this:

"How to photograph this,
the dark when one has said
too much. The dark
of sudden feeling. Love's
darkness."

— Anne Michaels, "Fontanelles"

Ahhhh.

The moon and mothers

Looking up again, I saw what has always been,
suspended since time began, for anyone to discover—
God's eternal clue:
the moon in its wet skin of light,
the moon not less in its halfness.

What I learned then sustains me
through every sorrow:
it's the believer who keeps looking for proof.

— Anne Michaels, "A Lesson from the Earth"

Happy Mother's Day!

L

Canadian Children's Books You Should Know

If you've ever read my blog before, you know that I have a little addiction issue with books. B has taken to referring to the near-weekly arrival of books from around the world as my "power-ups." (I like the image of myself as a video-game character!)

Today I read two recently published books for children that I think deserve a little more attention than they're currently getting:

• Mom, What Can Be Done? by Jason Leo Bantle and Lori Nunn
• Theo in the Spotlight by Patti McIntosh

Mom, What Can Be Done? is a photographic picturebook that tries, through verse, to introduce environmental concepts like climate change, habitat loss, and environmental responsibility to young readers. The book is set in the Arctic, using perspectives from various arctic animals to convey the themes of critical climate change and environmentalism. There is clear passion and urgency behind the simple presentation.

Theo in the Spotlight is intended for a slightly older, school-aged audience. In this book, Theo, a "soccer-playing kid," turns social activist by raising money and awareness in his school. (The book builds on an earlier volume by the same author, Ollie's Field Journal: A 9/10ths Happy Story from Africa.) Through the first-person narrative, it steps the reader through the process of setting up a benefit concert, evoking the figure of George Harrison for inspiration.

I am particularly pleased with Theo in the Spotlight and wish it had better reach. However, according to Library Thing, neither of these books is carried by Amazon, and neither one came up in a search through Chapters.Indigo.ca. That's a shame, because children need more books about social activism, social justice, and global awareness.

I've spent the last two weeks immersed in Web 2.0 concepts. This post is, I suppose, my tiny attempt to bring some peer-to-peer exposure to these two deserving books. I'm doing so not just because I love books, especially Canadian books, but because I believe in the missions of these particular books.

So, if you have or know children — early readers or Grades 3 to 4 — who might benefit from greater awareness of global issues, presented in an accessible, attractive way, please consider picking up these books. You can learn more about them here:

• Mom
• Theo

Best of luck, little books!

Postscript: On Friday, 14 May, Theo in the Spotlight won two awards at the Alberta Book Awards. Well deserved!

Reiterative

Learning again that too much is not enough. Too much is not enough. Too much is not enough.

Srsly.

L

Happy birthday!

Happy birthday, Bruce! Here's hoping today's festivities mark a year of happiness, fun, and laughter to come.

love,
Leslie
and
Zak

So glad that's over

The site visit was overall a success. And we finished homicide free: a bonus!

Now back to my regularly scheduled chaos.

L

Poetry Isn't Commonplace

But my blog is. From Apostrophes VI: open the grass.

Whatever you have held —
not roses but the air that they exhale that is a breath inside
your breath — that is the hush that rises there, the sound of it the sound
of nakedness and nothing more, every moment of a life
surrendered then, the asking that is in the light, the stance of trees,
not asking but the what of what we are, birds turning at night.

— E.D. Blodgett, "Turning"