protesting C51, teasing Chekhov and the "tyranny of we"

I'm proud to announce a historic occasion: Eli, in his new waterproof "fireman pants" from MEC, went to his first protest rally today. At two he is perhaps too young to have formed his own opinion of our vile government's vile Bill C51, granting the paranoid enormous powers to chase down the "enemies of democracy" and destroy democracy in the process. But just because he can't vote doesn't mean he shouldn't have been at the cold wet event today, at Nathan Phillip's Square.

 Not much fun, but at least there were Timbits.

The family that protests together ...

When it got too dull for him he and I went for a walk around the square and watched the skaters on the big rink. And then - SCORE - the Zamboni came out. How happy I was to be there when this Canadian child encountered his first Zamboni. What a fabulously interesting machine that is. We loved it.

I had to leave my family protesting and hoof it up Yonge St. to meet my friend Terry at the Panasonic Theatre. For her 70th birthday, she'd asked her friends, rather than buying gifts, to take her somewhere, so I took her to "Vanya and Sonya and Masha and Spike" by Chris Durang. In 1976 in Vancouver, I was in a show called "The Idiots Karamazov" co-written by Durang; I played Anais Nin, pushing the body of her father and a pile of her diaries in a shopping cart through the Russian Revolution. (Typecast or what?) It was crazy, and so was the Tony-award winning play today, a take off of Chekhov and Greek tragedy and much else. Very goofy and scattered, a bit of a strain but fun - saved by the delightful Fiona Reid as a gloomy Russian-type American; she takes the audience into her arms and never lets go. Worth seeing just for her imitation of Maggie Smith - spot on and hilarious.

Last night, dinner with an old friend who was widowed some years ago, and her new partner - a treat to sit by her fire and see her ensconced in coupledom once more. I don't understand the need to be conjoined, but I am happy for my friends who want it so much and find it. Sometimes I resent what I call "the tyranny of we." But I am happy when those to whom it matters are able to use their favourite pronoun again.

Four more days and I'm outta here. Yikes.