What I Want For Christmas

I Loved Ethel

Click to enlarge.

Rare overhead shot of the complete I Love Lucy sound stage, as it existed in the studio when filming. 

Post Party Report

1. The fish tank was, I think, a hit.
2. I had three minor asthma attacks during the festivities.
3. People say they had a good time. What else can they say to my face though?
4. I know some people had a good time because they reconnected with long lost friends.
5. It was so weird to be so close to so many whom I love and yet unable to connect with anyone.
6. There was a shitload of food left over. I could not find anyone to take it so I hoofed it to the homeless camp in the lane behind my building. I woke the guys up and gave them about 60 sandwiches and a huge bag of apples, oranges and bananas. They were palpably grateful and I wept all the way home. I don't recall being called "sir" with more meaning, ever.
7. Cleaning up was exhausting and tool all day Sunday.
8. My friend Paula managed the phone, the door and greeting guests. What a huge gift to me that was. I have undying love for Paula.
9. My friend Nicola, an introvert whom I thought might abhor the event, came in a stunning dress and stopped the show.
10. My iMac hard drive crashed. I had to shlep it into the Apple store. They replaced the hard drive and installed the wrong software so that my backup drive could not be installed. I had to re-shlep to Apple again and now am going through the importing process. Another nightmare like cleaning up after a party.

Party Preparations

Putting on a party when you are single is a challenge. I decided to focus on preparing the space and had Vancouver Community College make the sandwiches. I am getting the cake from the Bon Ton, the only bakery in town (other than Patisserie Bordeaux). I got a big Diplomat cake; their specialty. But even though I got the food catered, I had to get it today and store it overnight and that meant having an empty fridge. All the prep is kind of fun. This party is a no-Costco zone.

I even tidied my closet.

The tank is ready and looking as good as a new garden can.

I'd had this red silk forever and I got inspired to just hang it on the wall with clear push pins you don't even notice. Then I hung my Buddha on top of the fabric. This is my entrance corridor.

This is more silk, but in the living room. It is less noticeable than the bright red, but I love having fabric on the walls. Hmmmm…. a peu de Versailles, maybe?

The fridge is jam packed with sandwiches.

Catastrophy

Photos from  http://deshommesetdeschatons.tumblr.com

Got up, turned on my computer, everything normal and then CRASH. No more hard drive. In the past, this would have fried me. I would have had, for certain, a migraine. But not today. With automatic backing up and a spare computer (my laptop) I have been, for the most part, up and running.

I unplugged my machine and took the bus to the Apple store. To the genius bar where the stupefying young man had an apprentice learning from him and who said, "I am learning to be a genius." Humble.

The Apple diagnostic procedure and customer service is as other-worldly as the young man who helped me. I came home in minutes and my computer will have a new hard drive by the end of the weekend. Awesome. But thank God for this laptop. I got all my end-of-term marking done today.

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Because Opus has ended my contract, I can de-list from the GST/HST registry starting in 2014 so I asked Opus if I could submit my last three columns in 2103 and invoice for them in order to keep my income low in 2014. Scott said "yes." So I am done. After over 28 years, I have written my last Opus column. Talk about end of an era.Talk about a luctravie contract!

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Saturday morning I teach then I come home and get ready for a party here. My first at this address and I have invited 40+ people to my one bedroom space. But I think it is going to work. Thank God for Saint Caterer.

I'm Having Thanksgiving with Billy

"Billy's making a penis with his vegetables!"

If I didn't know this wasn't Liberace, I would swear it was. This is a photo of a Betta that looks exactly like him; Liberace has the the same blue/salmon coloration. It is from a series of photographs of Bettas taken by Thai photographer Visarute Angkatavanich and you can see more of them  here.

My tank is on a timer. The lights automatically come on at 11:00 am and they turn off at 9:00 pm. I get up anywhere between 5:30 and 6:30 am and it kills me to have to wait until 11:00 each morning for the lights to go on. When they do, I am there looking at every plant and fish. I feel exactly like the little boy I remember being who, when he got his first guppy, spent all night in the kitchen waiting for her to give birth so I could see it.

My fish are the perfect contemplative focus for me when I come home from visiting Chris A. in the palliative care ward across the street.