Among the very large collection of phonograph records which the Library maintained were perhaps a hundred which Mr Kelso called his Horrible Examples. These were pieces of music which he despised, sung or played by people whose manner of interpretation he despised ... It had taken Pearl a long time…
The light goes so fast. It's dark again before I realize it's happening. A darkening room, a quieting world, the rushing of distant cars the only reliable sound. A bird now and then, to make me feel like it's spring. I've been writing again. Not much, but it's there, and…
- The lake in the distance, shining too brightly in the sun. - An old white serving/casserole dish of my parents' that I remember admiring even in childhood. - Three red apples inside said serving dish. - My dog, laying sideways in a patch of sunlight. - A Christmas photo…
Some small sound will wake me - my dog taking a stroll around the apartment, the curtains snapping in the breeze. I used to get frustrated, but now I find a strange ease in it. It's my time to research things I've been thinking about, work out story ideas, make…
To me, the most beautiful sound of all the sounds is the Finnish language. It sounds like a steady rain on a pile of firewood. It sounds like birch trees and the bluest lakes and wood fires in the snow and I want to be part of it so desperately.…
Yesterday was spent exploring, driving through the rain and taking pictures of houses, main streets, beautiful brick and stone buildings. Secret little towns and areas that surprise us. Searching for a place we can insert ourselves. Adjusting expectations. Vague words are the best I have because vague thoughts are all…
No pictures for today, which has already been a day of moments too quick to photograph. Like the intersection where, as I pressed the walk button, I saw a photo attached to the pole. Black-and-white, a professional-looking shot of a young man wearing black-rimmed glasses, with a slightly startled expression…
When the lights don't come back after an hour, I start to grow anxious, imagining the worst (it appears prolonged blackouts have had that effect on me since 2003). And then there are reports of flooding in Toronto, which make me doubly anxious after the terrible floods last month in…
A couple of weeks ago, I took up running. I'm not exactly sure why. I'm not an athletic person by nature, and running had always felt like the sort of activity I'd dislike. To me it seemed overly focused on speed and power and pushing limits. I prefer nudging limits,…
