August 25

BOFA babies

How lovely to see them — yesterday, Trisha, Andrew and Robin visited for the afternoon, for iced tea and coffeecakes. Rae had to go to Montreal to sign a lease, and couldn't come. Everyone looks wonderful, and is set to be really busy in the fall. Trisha- who is still not quite well- has already started her dance year at LAMMI. After a day of dancing from 9 –5, she has to do academic studies from 6-10 all week at Dawson College. Robin goes back September 11 for his last year of theatre school in London, a year of performing- except for two courses. And after a couple of years working, Andrew is heading back to school to study Radio Broadcasting. He has been playing with a band in Montreal. It was so good to see them all, relaxing in the living room in the old way.

I watched Greg Cochrane's show, Comedy Now, on CTV, on Friday. Greg was great and looked confident and beautiful, yeah, he did.

GREG NELSON

On Sunday I had a lovely evening with Greg Nelson. Greg is a playwright, whose new play, The Fall, opens this year’s GCTC season on Sept.7. Greg was in my English classes and in LAG performances at Laurentian High School. We got back in touch after Raoul discovered our connection, when he was acting in one of Greg’s plays out west. Greg was a sterling member of my very first improv team. We competed in 1984 and won the west end, for some reason our only competition. The games were very different then and so were the Games, that year being small, and run by Ottawa drama teachers.

KINGSTON

Steph and I spent a couple of days in Kingston this week, doing summery things- We had a picnic of organic shrimp, wine, cheese, asparagus and chicken, on a windy hill overlooking the waves in Lake Ontario Park. Later we stopped to watch some improv, in a building on the edge of the starry lake, and then we went to a drive-in movie! We couldn't resist, after discovering that one still existed. Wonderful, our first drive-in in how many years? ( Well, the drive-in was wonderful, the movie, Talladega Nights, um, it was ok.)
The next day we went on a cruise of the Thousand Islands. Beautiful blue sky with perfect clouds, rocky islands, some with cottages, some taking up the entire island, and seagulls hovering overhead. Lots of wind, summer hearts.

Did you know that in order to qualify as an island a piece of land must be at least six square feet and have two trees?

THE 401 HORROR

My trip home was horrendous. A sudden, other-worldly roaring in my car on the 401 meant that a tire had burst. I pulled over onto the shoulder, and in my rear-view mirror, I numbly saw a transport truck looming behind me, and a van smashing into it - twice - in sparks and flying metal. Thank God only metal and tires were damaged, and no one was hurt. While we waited for the police, the truck driver, a truly decent man, changed my tire for me. Dealing with it all took about three hours, and then I drove slowly home, a long, dark drive, and a shaky heart, on a tiny tire which had been buried deep in the bowels of the car. I didn’t even know it was there. Home was a great relief. A shame to end the Kingston trip's sun-shiny memories that way. Now I am re-thinking my dislike of cell phones....

CHEMICALS and the ENVIRONMENT and YOUR BODY

You are aware of the awful illnesses and harm that sometimes come about from the way cattle are fed, I am sure. You know that Ken Godmere,who owned the comedy club,The iNSTiTUTiON in Ottawa contracted that brainwasting disease, Jakob-Creutzfeldt. You know that cattle are often fed the remains of other beasts- and that they are fed antibiotics when they aren't sick. You know that these antibiotics are in the milk we drink, and flushing into our water systems. All this to make lots of money for food-producers.

This page on the care2 site describes some farms and producers whose products are clean. You can find your province, and maybe find the clean products in the grocery stores:

http://www.care2.com/dailyaction/primary.html?da%5Btoday%5D=2006-08-25