the power of pencils

Ran into a friend at Shopper's today - she had lost so much weight, I hardly recognized her. When I exclaimed, she said, "I have cancer. I've lost 40 pounds. We're hoping for the best."

What to say except - I give you all my love, I hope for the best with you? Be safe, be well. A reminder that what matters most is health.

Fantastic moving images today of the outpouring of support for France. Who would have thought the entire planet would one day focus on a few French cartoonists? Jon Stewart was particularly fine last night on the subject - how, as a kind of cartoon himself, to speak about the murder of funny men? He did it beautifully and ended with a piece about Nazi cows, which turned, subtly, into a musing on extremism. 

Juliet who lives in Paris has mused in her blog, at the left, about the fact that the Charlie guys did provoke deliberately, and often published really offensive cartoons about other people's cherished beliefs. No reason to be murdered, it goes without saying, but courting anger from the least rational people on earth nonetheless. Not my kind of humour. But the beauty and sensitivity of the cartoon images coming out is stunning. Like this one:

http://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/cover-story-2015-01-19

Here's a bit of wonderful Canadian humour to leaven this dark freezing day - FREEZING! -

PS

I have to tell you that while waiting for an appointment this morning - my shrink, if you must know - I went into Starbucks to kill time. First, I ran into an old friend, one of my favourite people, the actor and singer Brent Carver of the luminous and expressive face, who's a great person. So it was good to see him. But I also ordered the new Starbucks offering, Flat White. God knows what that means, but it's stronger than their regular cappuccino, with whole milk, and it's absolutely delicious. I HATE to advertise for any brand. But seriously good coffee... I'll be back.