daring

I went to HMV today, to find a singer called Eva Cassidy whom I'd heard on Randy Bachman's program on CBC. I'd never heard of her before, but it turns out she has made many CDs. But I was also looking for a piece of classical music. Mum told me once that at her funeral, she wanted Mozart's G minor string quintet played, because it was one of her and Dad's favourites. Even though it sounds as if she's getting better, and we hope she will be around for many years to come, I thought I should have Mozart's G Minor string quintet on hand.

So I went to the top floor of HMV, and there found such a nice man, obviously starved for company, who wanted to discuss Mozart, and classical Spanish guitar, and who wanted very much for me to buy a sale CD of young French pianist Alexandre Tharaud playing Bach with les Violons du Roy from Montreal. "Listen, please listen to this," he begged, and put it on his sound system. A few bars, and I started to cry. I am almost too emotional to listen to Bach, right now. Almost too emotional to listen to Eva Cassidy, for that matter.

I bought all 3 CDs, and they're all wonderful, through my tears.

My Francophone discussion group gathered here tonight, a reduced version, four of us. Monique and I did an exchange; I'd just finished my library book, Alison Bechdel's "Are you my mother?" which was even more powerful, difficult, embarrassing and moving than her last book, "Fun Home," about her dad. She's incredibly brave, because she not only tells us all the details of her life, her childhood and parents, her therapies and sex life, she DRAWS IT ALL FOR US. I urge student writers to be brave, but let me tell you, Alison Bechdel makes us all look like shrinking violets.

So Monique asked if she could borrow the book for the weekend, and in exchange, offered "Fifty Shades of Grey," the vaguely pornographic S and M novel, first in the trilogy which has sold nine trillion copies worldwide. I heard the writer Anne Rice discussing female porno writing with Jian yesterday - the frank release of women's sexual curiosity, as seen in her work and now in books like this. There was an article in the paper today about how they're going to turn Jane Austen and Bronte sisters classics into porn. Mommy porn, they call it.

I am curious yellow to read this book. I'll let you know.

And ... I'd heard of this guy who goes around the world dancing with people, and here is a beautiful short film sent by my friend Chris in Vancouver - like me, another weeper - who writes:


"This made me weep after, making me feel that life can be such a wonderful gift and thing to enjoy."

http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap120710.html