cold, guilt, perversion

Holy shit, it's cold. Crazy me, I saw it was sunny and decided to ride my bike to U of T. Much bundling, including three layers of mitts, and still I nearly froze to death. Found out later the temperature was minus 5, but with the windchill, minus 20. Minus 20, on Nov. 18. And there she was, folks, pedalling away, her feet numb, her hands numb, her face and head shrouded in whatever scarfing material came to hand ... And then my back brake cable froze and I only had one brake.

Lesson: sun is good for biking. Minus twenty not good.

Why is it so @# cold in mid-November? Winter doesn't even begin for four more weeks! I do not remember this, ever. Scary. Luckily the class was wonderful and I was energized and warmed by stories before the trek home.

Much debate from my francophone group on the innocence/culpability of Edward Snowden. Jack (on the right, anti-Snowden) says Snowden's careless revelations are directly responsible for the deaths of several Mossad agents and probably many others. Jacqueline (on the left, pro-Snowden) is concerned with the threat to us all from our mad search to protect ourselves from enemies - what is lost when we jettison civil liberties? Interesting issues. Laura Poitras, director of the documentary Citizen Four in praise of Snowden, was on the Daily Show last night; an admiring Jon did not ask her about Mossad agents, though he did point out the irony that Snowden, because of his protest against the invasiveness of the American government, is now living in Russia, one of the most invasive governments on earth.

Another controversial topic: now, thanks to Jian, that sexual abuse and S and M are much in the news, I was interested to read a review in the New Yorker of Alain Robbe-Grillet's last work A Sentimental Novel, published just before he died. One of the most renowned French authors, Robbe-Grillet has written a hideously violent porno fantasy based, he says, on his adolescent journals, about the horrible torture and abuse of young girls. Is this a rock we have just overturned in our society - men who fantasize about abusing or who actually abuse very young women and think it's okay? Ghastly. Nightmarish.

BUT - the good news - Keystone XL was just defeated in the Senate - though it's shocking to read on-line:

Canada disappointed by U.S. decision delay

Canada expressed disappointment that U.S. politics continued to delay a final decision, Minister of Natural Resources Greg Rickford said in a statement.

What Canada? Not my Canada. You may not have noticed, dear blog-readers, but I am distraught that the loathsome Harper and his minions in Ottawa pretend to speak for me. And you. Canada disappointed indeed. @#$# you.

Sorry. What an uncharacteristic display of petty anger. And I, usually so serene.

Today, an album of Macca's music sung by others was released and will, I hope, be under our Xmas tree with my name on it. David Sedaris is going to be on Finding Your Roots on PBS at 8. There is pleasure. Even when out there, in the bitterly cold world, rocks are being irrevocably overturned and God knows what is crawling out.