I am really thinking hard these days about life ‘n stuff. We saw Coco avant Chanel on Saturday night and I really have to say that I can see myself in her — a bit of a maverick. It was a really well done film and a great love story, too. See it. It also gave me pause to think about independent women and how they can either let themselves become dependent on men, or be forced to do so out of certain necessities in life. Coco learned to use men’s affections for her own gain in the end, but she truly did love them… in spite of herself.
Yes, there’s a recession. But it’s taken a whole year plus of that for someone to get around to writing about it affects on the Gen Xers — as far as I’ve seen, at least. I know we’re small and insignificant, being wedged between the Boomers and their kids (That’s Gen Y)… but how about getting on it?!
The “M” is for “Monarchy”, fyi. And if you were watching the Canadian news this past week or so, you might have noticed that Prince Charles, hier apparent to the British crown (and therefore heir apparent to being official head of state of Canada) was in town.
I didn’t get to see him, but he was on the front of all the newspapers, daily, mostly dressed in military garb from what I could see.
The other night, I read the NYT review of his visit, which dubbed it a “royal yawn”. But also pointed out that given how hard it is to amend our Constitution, we’ll likely just allow the monarchy to fade away into obscurity.
I won’t even get into the fascinating matter of having to read this kind of analysis in an American paper.
The fact of the matter is most Canadians don’t even know that the British Monarch is our official head of state. And so they would simply wonder why the heck Prince Charles keeps appearing on the front of our newspapers for a week in his military outfits and then go about their daily business unperturbed, thinking it has nothing to do with them.
When I lived in the UK, I jokingly told a number of Brits that we would probably maintain their monarchy long after the Brits themselves had moved on.
The article fails to address the issue of just what we could replace the Monarchy with. Not that I have any bright ideas, though back when I was 15 and the world was more cut and dried I had a thought or two on the issue. Today it occurs to me that one reason we might not be discussing it is that no one else has any clue what to do either.
So easy… my Torontonian friends! Friday Nov 13, join The TTC Riders’ Strike and let the TTC and the government know how you feel about the constant fare hikes and the shoddy service!
So, we have this slightly cantankerous dishwasher. We’re renting, so it’s not like we can just go out and buy a new one. Giving up my environmental principles, I had even taken up Rinse Agents in an effort to keep the dishes grit free.
Then, I read online that one should run a full cycle once a month with nothing more than vinegar (1 cup) in the dishwasher. It helped, but was far from perfect.
I was just considering rinse agent again when, after having a conversation about dishwasher function while on vacation in VT, I decided to simply put vinegar into the rinse agent container and see what happens if the dishwasher rinses with some vinegar in it every time.
Well, after a month of this, I would just like to report that it’s ***awesome***. There is little to no grit on our dishes. They feel smooth and rinsed at the end of the cycle. The glasses shine.
So there you have it folks. Stop buying rinse agent and fill that rinse agent container with plain white household vinegar. (it’s a lot cheaper than rinse agent, too! )
Or so says Jenny in the film An Education. So odd that I feel I can identify so strongly with that sentiment and indeed with the story.
Truly written in the real Nick Hornby style — because after all, he is the writer & I guess what I mean to say is that he doesn’t disappoint — the story is loosely based on the real-life first boyfriend story of Lynn Barber.
And while my first boyfriend was certainly not nearly as, ah, exciting as Jenny’s, I could somehow find myself in her story. Was it the private school life? The conservative father? The understanding mother? Or the whole damn thing?
It was definitely the music. You must check out the music — a combo of jazz and classical. I am especially hooked on the version of the song “You got me wrapped around your little finger” by Beth Rowley.
Possibly it’s Jenny herself. Who says to her mates, “When I get to university I’m going to read what I want and wear black.” — which summed me up in a nutshell at 16 — little did I know…
Or maybe, maybe what I really identified with was the line by her father, “Then, you’ll be a rebel and they don’t want a rebel at Oxford.” — channelling my own father (not that he had any plans to send me to Oxford!)
Or the headmistress, who tried to convince Jenny to stay in school with a line something like, “You know, you don’t have to become a teacher. There’s always the civil service.” A line which resulted in about half the female audience at the Bytowne rolling their eyes and audibly sighing along with Jenny. (heh, this is a government town, after all!!!)
Check out the Trailer… and then see the film:
Is it possible, that at 40… I have pin pointed the problem down to a line in a film?
So there’s the dilemma. I’m allergic to all fish and shellfish. But I have asthma and people with asthma are at a higher risk for H1N1. So, should I have the vax, or not?!
Nothing on this blog represents the ideas, policies, practices of any organisation or institution of which I am/have been a member, student, volunteer, or employee. This is not a democracy and I reserve the right to edit or delete your comments. Thanks for dropping by!
