working

Now I remember one reason I'm glad not to be an actress any more: tomorrow I give my talk at the Miles Nadal JCC, and today, I am utterly paranoid about my voice, my health, my throat. I'm getting sick! Must lie down! The actor's paranoia. I have gone over my talk several times and am looking forward to it. And also to it being over. Just got to get through and collapse.

Such a strange time - editor friends for dinner last night, a writer friend for dinner tonight, and guess what we mostly talked about? Not our jobs and lives. No, simply how - if - we and the world are going to survive Tuesday's cataclysm. The horror, the horror. Steve Bannon Rudi Giuliani the KKK the rise of racism and anti-Semitism the horror! Today in the Globe, an article that made me deeply, profoundly sad - about how glad Netanyahu and the Israeli right are about El Trumpo. That Israel should support such a foul, vicious racist ... but there you go, that's the sad, strange world. Apparently David Remnick of the New Yorker destroyed that pompous idiot Conrad Black on TV recently, must find that. Whereas a surprising new Canadian hero has emerged - David Frum, once a darling of the Republicans, now the voice of right-wing decency and sanity. His mother would be proud.

Some good news: paid subscriptions to good newspapers have gone way up. I already pay for the NYT on-line, the Star and the Saturday Globe - but a few days ago I donated 50 pounds to the Guardian, which until now I've read for free. Good newspapers, good reporters like Daniel Dale of the Star, are on the front lines of democracy. We must give them every support!

Teaching winding down. Last class at Ryerson on Monday, one of the best classes ever - a thrilling if very big group who made extraordinary progress. I felt sorry for the woman who dropped out because, as she wrote, "I don't want group therapy, I want to learn to write." The writing in this class was stunning, and the group is already arranging to continue to meet. The U of T class, with one to go, is also a joy. And a student from a few years ago wrote to thank me for what she learned in class and to tell me she now has a two-book deal with a publisher. A two-book deal! So, something's working. Something, in this strange, sad world, is working.

Tonight there's a musical tribute to Leonard Cohen at Christie Pits. I intended to go - people were to bring song sheets and sing along, how wonderful. But I'm not going anywhere, concerned about not getting sick. I am a fragile flower until tomorrow at 3.

And then I'll go nuts.

From the Washington Post - this we know:
North America’s most astonishing warmth this week has focused in Canada, where temperatures have been up to 30 degrees warmer than normal.