US Thanksgiving Walk

Steve, my ex, Skyped from LA this morning and it was an excellent start to my day. He is a dear friend who knows me very, very well. His advice and insights into my dilemmas and behaviour are always spot on.

After our talk I went to Ming Wo, a favourite cooking store. I love the place, but boy, there was a woman—clearly a person in authority—who was rude to a caller on the phone and two staff members when I was there. I fled rather than speaking up in defence of her staff. Ming Wo just lost a fan.

I took the long route along the seawall to Chinatown, visited the Dr. Sun Yat Sen Garden, the first authentic classical Chinese created outside Canada. They have these perfect gifts there: Glass eggs, hand painted on the inside, for only $12.

On my walk, I took these photos of vibrant fall foliage:

Acanthus

This is an acanthus plant. I grew them where I used to live and they naturalize easily. There are about fifty species of the genus and I loved having them because they are a very old plant. They have been around for a long time. Flowering somewhat like a snap dragon, they have sharp spikes.

When I was a kid, a cousin I really liked moved to Athens and over the years her correspondence and gifts made me passionate about Greece and Greek history. I read so many myths and looked at so many picture books that I was always doing my school reports about things Greek.

One thing that really impressed me were Greek columns. I loved the massive structures and marvelled at their construction—slightly bellowed so as to look straight to the eye—and I loved how each form had a name and different capital. My favourite, by far, was the Corinthian column and it was my favourite because the design of its capital was derived from the leaf of the acanthus.

All my life, I have enjoyed enlightening visitors to my garden about the architectural history of this plant. I thought about this this morning because I came across this glorious illustration of a Corinthian capital.

In Love With Adele

I watched the Adele special last night—the BBC, Graham Norton-hosted one. I love her. I love everything. The woman is a natural. Watch those hands move. Look at that smile.

She has this rough street accent when she speaks and the exquisitely beauty of an aristocrat when she sings and moves. She is stunning; simply gorgeous. I have to say so because I am so struck by her beauty. Call me shallow; I adore beauty of every form and she has beauty in spades. She is a full-figured gal with a bit of a trucker in her but she's supremely feminine and graceful. And real, so real.

When Graham Norton asks her about touring, you can feel her reluctance and disinterest. She says: "England maybe." And you feel it is Adele, not some corporation, who is calling the shots in her career. Whoa! And selling more records in her inaugural week than anyone else ever period.

Her dress is simple and beautiful. It is snug below the waist, the way hefty women are advised not to dress and she looks spectacular. It is green with gold print but her face and her golden hair is framed in radiantly pure green. There is no collar, no frill, no jewellery; her hair waves gently off a side part. You see one glittery big earring and she stays in this ensemble the whole night.

BIG fake eyelashes. Big glittery nails. High, high heels. Perfection.

The set is simple. There are no edits in the camera work: it is straight-on no-frills entertainment with the focus entirely on her. Her band plays in dim light. There is no set, only minimalist video projections that add to the atmosphere; they are in black and white. All the colour on the set, the only colour on the set, comes from Adele's dress. (I must take a moment to thank God for my ability to see beauty and to appreciate it so!)

In response to a question from Mr. Norton about how much her life has changed, she responded: "A lot. It's changed a lot! But I haven't. I haven't changed. I'm still the same person I've always been."

And thank God for that because who she is is a refreshing delight in a show biz world of control freaks. For me,  part of her incredible appeal is the sense she is real—that what we see is who she is. Nothing fake.  She's a monster talent as grounded as she is talented.

You get the sense of someone quietly yet confidently and solidly in control of her career. Her casual explanation of what prompted her to write A Million Years Ago, overwhelmed me with its unabashed frankness.  Her accent sounds so street, but she might be the smartest contemporary artist in the recording business.

I have never felt about a singer as I do for Adele since I sat down one day a bazillion years ago and was transfixed forever by Joni Mitchell's album Blue.

Be Still My Beating Heart

Pure pet porn. I cannot stop watching this.
An incredible feel good GIFF. Mmmm.

Horizontal Watching TV

Being sick when you are retired is a lot easier than when you have a job or family responsibilities. I didn’t have to advise anyone or worry about anything, I just rolled over and went back to sleep. At least yesterday, although I stayed in bed, I could stay awake and watch some TV.

I watched Act One, a dramatization of Moss Hart’s autobiography of the same name. James Lepine adapted the story for the stage; it was produced at Lincoln Centre and it stared Tony Shalhoub, Andrea Martin and Santino Fantana.

Observations:

• Big names can ensure shows get “green lit,” and James Lepine is a big, big name, but I am not convinced that the money involved with this rich, rich show was worth it.
• Andrea Martin has become a terrific force on Broadway and seems to be a much different person that the Andrea who slayed us as Edith Prickly on SCTV (that was filmed in Edmonton).
• Santino Fantana was a total joy to watch.
• And Tony Shaloub was nothing short of spectacular as Moss Hart’s father and as George S. Kaufman. I am a fan now.

This show is part of the PBS Fall Arts Festival. It has been a really fabulous series. Unity, the Michael Jackson tribute by Latino musicians was incredible—especially in that it showcased (very modestly) the absolutely majestic talent of Tony Succar.

Billy Elliot was another hit of this series as was First You Dream, the Music of Kander and Ebb. I did not see the other shows in the series but if they were as good as the ones I viewed this is a series no one who loves Broadway should miss.

And I recently watched a documentary called Every Little Step that records the process of putting together the revival of A Chorus Line. I love both the show and the film for so many reasons, but a highlight is when the role of Cassie is won by the daughter of Jacques d’Amboise who is one of my heroes. He was a principal dancer of George Balanchine, the greatest ballet choreographer of the modern world.

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Next I watched Eddie Murphy being awarded the Mark Twain Prize for humour. I have seen the same award presentation to Lily Tomlin and Tina Fey—the event is a fundraiser for the Kennedy Centre. I loved Eddie Murphy as a young man. We all did. But watching his skits had me never crack a smile. It all seems dated. He is from another time and I loathed his movies. I thought it was a low point of the Mark Twain inductions.

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I feel so much better today than yesterday so my dinner planned for Sunday is not threatened in any way. This morning I drafted a menu:

• I'm considering an Ahi tuna tartar salad as the first course.
• And for course #2: Tourtière... because Beth loved the look of my deep-dish, woven pastry version. This time, the goal will be to cook it differently so that is stays moist. I will layer it, for fun, as I continue to make it my own dish. I will use couscous on the bottom to absorb moisture and I am thinking I will add some layers of asparagus and carrot inside as well so it is attractive when sliced.
• To accompany the tourtière, I am thinking: 
• Duchess potatoes. I have never made them and they would look awesome on the plate. I plan to practice cooking them tonight.
• Red Chard and caramelized onions. I have never cooked chard but it looks gorgeous on the plate.
• And for dessert, my latest favourite: Apple Cake dripping with a creamy maple sauce and velvety ice cream. Mmmm. The point of life.

Horizontal Tuesday

I believe that sleep is the best medicine so I am getting as much as I can. Yesterday, I could not stay out of bed. Today will be on the couch because it is stunningly sunny and I can watch TV. I plan to binge watch the whole season of Indian Summers from Masterpiece Theatre and nap as much as I want.

Sick Monday

The bad news: Sick and in bed all day.

The good news: Thanks to my asthma diagnosis and treatment this is the second time I have tolerated a virus without hospitalization.