November 30th, 2008

Cheesy Photo Blog

A bit before *Once* came out, I mentioned to a friend that I would be occasionally getting to do out-of-town readings. He responded, “You’ll have to get a cheesy photo blog to record it all, then. All the big authors have them.” And I was totally set to do so, although I’m not entirely sure if he was kidding or not (Joe?). I even bought a new camera (Mayumi) partially so I could. But…I didn’t. Part of the problem of is being *on-stage* while doing these readings, along with often being too flustered or embarrassed to ask anyone to take the pictures. And really often being too flustered to remember to take pictures of things other than myself. And Mayumi breaking down fairly often when I remembered. And Blogger *hating* to upload pictures from a Mac. And assorted lazinesses.

No more!! I remembered to get the camera out, I asked photo-favours, I geekily begged people to sit still and show me their salads. And, once I patiently spend 45 minutes doing laundry while Blogger uploads, I will now I give you:

*Salon des Refuses Redux, Windsor (November 27) and Waterloo (November 28): Cheesy Photo Version*
(note: I made the first few pictures teeny in an effort to make the upload quicker; no dice, so the rest are normal size. Just click on’em for versions where you can actually make out what’s going on. No offense to the first part of the trip)

The Detroit skyline, as viewed from across the Detroit river, standing in Windsor, being agog at how attractive Detroit is in person (but across water).

Short-story (and other things) author Mark Anthony Jarman being attacked by aliens and/or public art, at the waterfront.

Short-story author Heather Birrell, her husband Charles Checkitts, and their charming daughter Maisie, all getting ready for the reading.

Biblioasis and Canadian Notes and Queries publisher Dan Wells introduces the show.

Beautiful and brilliant The New Quarterly editor Kim Jernigan, with a salad worthy of its diner.

Charles and Maisie listening to Heather reading “Impossible to Die in Your Dreams.”

Mark reads from his story “A Nation Plays Chopsticks.

After the reading, the post-reading drinks, a drive, the other post-reading drinks, a little sleep, a lot of French toast, playing transformers and a lot of talk, we were all still cheerful. That would be Dan, Kim, Me, Mark, and TNQ Managing Editor Rosalynn Tyo.

I am not over seeing *Once* just casually hanging around with real books, and maybe I never will be. The book sales table at the Waterloo reading.

Bruce Johnstone, chair of *The New Quarterly*’s board, opening the evening and chatting with the crowd.

Writers waiting to read. Like cats waiting to spring.

Me, reading. Awesome how ten years after it was pointed out to me, I still do that thing with my foot when I’m nervous.

What an amazing couple of days.

Good morning Starshine!
RR

November 26th, 2008

Readings of the Week

I just now realized the irony that my last post was a little blog manifesto stating that Rose-coloured is about reading and writing, when all my recent posts have been about publicity, bread and kisses. I’ll get it together shortly, promise: a real short-story review is upcoming.

But first, a little more publicity (no more bread or kisses; we are very professional here at Rose-coloured):

Tonight is the newest incarnation of the Pivot Reading Series, starring Daccia Bloomfield, Catherine Graham and Mike Knox, starting at 8pm. I’m looking forward to going back to Press Club and seeing CG and MK read for the second time each, and DB for the first. And of course, the always-awesome Carey Toane, as the MC.

A rival event for this evening is Mark Jarman reading from My White Planet at This Ain’t the Rosedale Bookstore. Much I loved *My White Planet*, I’d normally be sad to miss the reading but I’ll be doing a couple readings along with Mr. Jarman, tomorrow and Friday nights both, so this diappointment is less distressing than it might be.

See us, Heather Birrell and Russell Smith read some short stories and then talk about the form at:

Salon des Refuses Redux: Windsor
Art Gallery of Windsor
401 Riverside Dr. W, Windsor
7:00 pm

Salon des Refuses Redux: Waterloo
November 28, 2008 at 7:30 pm
Conrad Grebel University, Great Hall

Obviously, some of these events are a bit of a hike/drive, but all are heartily recommended.

Into the blue light of the flame
RR

November 25th, 2008

Journals, Diaries, Logs, and Blogs

I’ve always been rather worked up over journals. As a bookish kid, I was forever being given pretty little notebooks in which to record my deep thoughts, and thus was perpetually disappointed that I didn’t have any. So many adorable diaries, fabric-covered or pleather-covered, some with little tiny keys, and only the first dozen pages filled. Even when I managed to keep one for a few months, it was deadly dull going–a routine litany of school, piano and arguing with my brother. And months-long absenses, followed by passionate exclamations of self-disgust, and resolutions to be more faithful. The most interesting material in those old journals is all rather meta-journal.

And yet, the absolute worst thing imaginable was my journal falling into the hands of a parent, sibling, school frenemy or, horror of horrors, a stranger. Who knows, I don’t actually remember now, but I think I was actually keeping those books as a record of my *artistic progress*, or possibly as notes for my autobiography. Oh dear.

Good thing the internet came along and allowed me to be a bit more focussed in my journalling. Of course, as an adult, I can make a better effort at the interest factor–I no longer play the piano nor argue with my brother (much), and I definitely don’t feel bound to keep anything so dull as a *record of what actually happens to me*.

Because, you know, who cares? Of the 1000s of actions anyone takes in a given day (“make microwave oatmeal,” “have 3-minute conversation about insects with neighbour,” “get hit by door on way off bus”) only a few are even vaguely interesting, and even fewer are relevant to people who aren’t going to be eating that oatmeal (or plagued by those insects).

Rose-coloured is mainly a public space for me-as-a-writer–what I’m writing, what I’m reading, what’s being said about my work, what I’m saying about other writers. I try to keep interesting. For more boring matters, I do keep an everyday workbook, on paper, wherein I describe the work that I managed that day on whatever story I am absorbed in. Those entries are quitte regular and quite painless, being mainly a sentence or two each. And then I keep a reading log, where I write don’t titles and authors and, again, a sentence or two about what I thought.

I guess I *am* a record-keeping type, after all, in my way. Making this blog was my reward for finishing my Master’s thesis, and I’ve rarely so enjoyed a self-given gift. I like to write through my ideas to know what I think, and I like to know what others think, too. It definitely makes my day when someone responds to something I’ve written, be it in print or on-line.

So, if you’ve read this far, thanks for reading, and thanks for thinking about stuff I think about. I guess I natter a lot, but I do enjoy it.

Something underground / gonna come up and carry me
RR

In my salad days…

when I was green, I thought that one kind of writing was much the same as another, and if I liked to write fiction, I would like just as well to write non-fiction. More fool me, but I did briefly work on The McGill Tribune, where I was treated very kindly despite the fact that I was a piss-poor student journalist, and actually too nervous to conduct a proper interview.

Now that I am older, wiser, riper, and know better my own strengths and weaknesses, I am delighted to be writing fiction, where you never have to interview anyone, among so many other things I don’t have to do if I don’t want. And I am delighted, too, that one of the real student journalists, Diane Salema, at the Trib wrote such a lovely review of *Once*.

Cheers to full circle, or near enough.

A scapegoat falls to climb
RR

November 24th, 2008

Minor pleasures

Because there can never be too many, here are some minor pleasures to try:

1) Telling strangers their dogs are cute.
2) Getting an up-to-date phone book and recycling the old one.
3) Touching paper over glass. Seriously–the nicest sensation. There was an ill-placed window in the changing room of my gym that they just recently papered over (I never noticed it before, but that doesn’t bear thinking about) and I am now in love with touching that window. Cold through dry–I can’t explain it. It’s lovely.
4) 14 second video of a kitten falling asleep.
4 a) The fact that when I mentioned this at a party, everyone wanted to see.
b) The fact that when we searched this on someone’s iPhone at the party, there were *pages* of sleepy kitten videos
c) Other people’s iPhones, one of the only things on the planet that inspire technolust in me.
5) A peck on the cheek.
6) Feeling smug about buying nothing on Buy Nothing Day

They always did the best they could.
RR

November 21st, 2008

Honours

*Once* was chosen as one of Quill & Quire‘s 15 Books of the Year, an extraordinary honour, especially when you consider what other books are on the list–I was particularly thrilled that Claudia Dey’s Stunt was included, since it’s one of *my* favourite books of the year.

Of course, with this honour comes an attendent one, which is Least-Suave Performance by a Female Author at a Newsstand. Sorry, Jeff and staff, I did try to be cool. It’s just not in me.

Are we human / or are we dancer?
RR

November 20th, 2008

Good List

1) Apple bread from Cobbs.
2) Pretty sparkly snowfall before you’re sick of it (give me another two weeks).
3) Not getting hit by a car (so far), on this, the worst driving day of the year.
4) Brilliant Kerry Clare takes her Passion for Reading to Ottawa (this is more good for the citizens of Ottawa than me, since I can’t go; lucky citizens!!).
5) Coming Attractions 08 now in select bookstores, with a bestiary on the front, and stories by Daniel Griffin, Alice Petersen and myself. A gorgeous little book!

Another place that’s really swish
RR

November 19th, 2008

Admirable Words

I have read in the past about a (famous?) writer who seeks inspiration by writing out texts by other people that he/she admires, just to enjoy the sensation of such great work flowing from his/her fingers. Do you know who this author is? If so, let me know and I’ll give credit for this great idea! In the meantime, I’m going to start trying it–typing out material I like, just to see if there’s anything in the rhythm of the text that I can learn from. Also, I think having reproduce a text letter by letter forces me to read with much greater attention. So what follows will not be cut’n’pastes but actually my own little fingers at work, and thus will likely contain some typos. I hope this will be a regular-ish Rose-coloured feature, a little more high-calibre reading material than I generally provide myself.

Thank you. Thank, my friends. Thank you for coming here on this beautiful Arizona eventing. My friends, we have — we have come the end of a long journey. The American people have spoken, and they have spoken clearly.

A little while ago, I had the honor of calling Senator Barack Obama to congratuate him. To congratulate him on being elected the next president of the country that we both love.

In a contest as long and difficult as this campaign has been, his success alone commands my respect for his ability and perserverance. But that he managed to do so by inspiring the hopes of so many millions of Americans who had once wrongly believed that they had little at stake or little influence in the election of an American president is something I deeply admire and commend him for achieving.

This is an historic election, and I recognize the special significance it has for African-Americans and for the special pride that must be theirs tonight.

I’ve always believed that America offers opportunities to all who have the industry and will to seize it. Senator Obama believes that, too.

But we both recognize that, though we have come a long way from the old injusticies that once stained our nation’s reputation and denied some Americans the full blessings of American citizenship, the memory of them still had the power to wound.

A century ago, President Theodore Poosevelt’s invitation of Booker T. Washington to dine at the White House was taken as an outrage in many quarters.

American today is a world away from the cruel and frightful bigotry of that time. There is no better evidence of this than the election of an African-American to the presidency of the United States.

Let there be no reason now…Let there be no reason now for any American to fail to cherish their citizenship in this, the greatest nation on Earth.

Senator Obama has achieved a grea thing for himself and for his country. I applaud him for it, and offer him my sincere sympathy that his beloved grandmother did not live to see this day. Though our faith assuresus she is at rest in the preseence of her creator and so very proud of the good man she helped raise.

Senator Obama and I have had and argued our differences, and he has prevailed. No doubt many of those differences remain.

These are difficult times for our country. And pledge to him tonight to do all in my power to help him lead us through the many challenges we face.

I urge all Americans…I urge all Americans who supported me to join me in not just congratulating him, but offering our next president our good will and earnest effort to find ways to come together to find the necessary compromises to bridge our differences and help restore our prosperity, defend our security in a dangerous world, and leave our children and grandchildren a stronger, better country than we inherited.

Whatever our differences, we are fellow Americans. And please believe me when I say no association has ever meant more to me than that.

It is natural. It’s natural, tonight, to feel some disappointment. But tomorrow, we must move beyond it and work together to get our country moving again. We fought– we fought as hard as we could. And though we fell short, the failure is mine, not yours. I am so…I am so deeply grateful to all of you for the great honor of your support and for all you have done for me. I wish the outcome had been different, my friends.

The road was a difficult one from the outset, but your support and friendship never wavered I cannot adequately express how deeply indebted I am to you.

I’m especially grateful to my wife, Cindy, my children, my dear other…my dear mother and all my family, and to the many old and dear friends who have stood by my side through the many ups and downs of this long campaign.

I have always been a fortunate man, and never more so for the love and encouragement you have given me.

You know, campaigns are often harder on a candidate’s family than on the candidate, and that’s been true in this campaign.

All I can offer in compensation is my love and gratitude and the promise of more peaceful years ahead.

I am also–I am also, of course, very thankful to Governor Sarah Palin, one of the best campaigners I’ve ever seen…one of the best campaigners I have ever seen, and an impressive new voice in our party for reform and the principles that have always been our greatest strength…her husband Todd and their five beautiful children..for their tireless dedidcation to our cause, and the courage and grace they showed in the rough and tumble of a presidential campaign.

We can all look forward with great interest to her future service to Alaska, the Republican Party and our country.

To all my campaign comrades, from Rick Davis and Stever Schmidt and Mark Salter, to every last volunteer who fought so hard and valiantly, month after month, in what at times seemed to be the most challenged campaign in modern times, thank you so much. A lost election will never mean more to me than the privildge of your faith and friendship.

I don’t know–I don’t know what more we could have done to try to win this election. I’ll leave that to others to determine. Every candidate makes mistakes, and I’m sure I made my share of them. But I won’t spend a moment of the future regretting what might have been.

This campaign was and will remain the great honor of my life, and my heart is filled with nothing but gratitude for the experience and to the American people for givign me a fiar hearing before deciding that Senator Obama and my old friend Senator Joe Biden should have the honor of leading us for the nest four years.

I would not–I would not be an American worth of the name should I regret a fate that has allowed me the extraordinary privilege of serving this country for half a century.

Tonight–tonight, mroe than any night, I hold in my heart nothing but love for this country and for all its citizens, whether they supported me or Senator Obama–whether they supported me or Senator Obama.

I wish Godspeed to the man who was my former opponent and will be my president. And I call on all Americans, as I have often in the campaign, to not despair of our present difficulties, but to beleive, always, in the promise and greatness of American, becuase nothign is ineveitable here.

Americans never quit. We never surrender.

We never hide from history. We make history.

Thank you, and God bless you, and God bless America. Thank you all very much.

(Text of John McCain’s concession speech, Tuesday November 4, 2008, as reported by the Associated Press)

“…no association has ever meant more to me…” Wow.
RR

November 18th, 2008

Intra-blog Naval Gazing

I’ve had a site-metre thingy hooked up for a while for Rose-coloured, but I don’t get much use out of it. I don’t know if it’s a hard to intuit one or I’m just lazy (I suspect the latter, but it’s Google Analytics, so you can check it out and judge for yourself) but I find it hard to learn anything useful from it. Or maybe there’s nothing useful to learn from a site metre except for the number of people who look at this site every day. And GA *does* tell me that, with a helpful day-by-day line graph. I am pleased to note that in recent months there are more people reading this site than I have personally discussed the material with, which would be the point of having a blog in the first place. So we are moving in the right direction.

Hello new friends, anyway.

Sometimes, when I get ambitious (read: bored) I try the more advanced site tracking features, like the shaded map. From the varying shades of green, I now know that people in Sweden and Belgium have read this blog, which is puzzling, but hello to both of you anyway. I have also learned which sites link to mine, which I already knew, except for the one with “p*rn” in the title, which I refuse to click on to discover the connection. We shall let that remain a mystery.

And, after much skidding around the GA site, I figured out how to find out what people Google to get Rose-coloured (I have done this before, every six months or so, but then I forget how again). I know this is often very entertaining for bloggers, as people somehow wind up on lit-type blogs after searching “emo chicken gargoyle” or something equally inexplicable (and bound for disappointment on a lit-type blog). Less interestingly, but more profitably, readers of Rose-coloured generally search some combination of my name and the title of my book, or sometimes other authors that I have mentioned here. In fact, in the top 50 searches, there is only one that is funny, and that’s a sort of sad one:

infected ink pen puncture

because I made a joke about that once, and I am sure the person who wanted info on that subject was not kidding. I am sorry, whoever you are, that I was flip about something that would be a serious problem if it actually happened. I hope that it is not very badly infected.

If something needs to be changed/now is the time to change it
RR

November 17th, 2008

The Day I Went to America

…was yesterday. Whilst there, I

Saw
–an inflatable and operational Ferris wheel, each car of which was filled with a lovable Christmas-related cartoon character. It was going backwards (cost: $US179)
–big hair
–7 massage chairs (cost: $400-600)
–infinite gum
–a brand of candy called “Palatable Pleasures” (cost: too much, considering)
–more than 4 purple houses (we lost track); one each that was teal, lime-green and salmon
–children making a scene

Heard
–nonstop Christmas carols, excepting one song by Genesis and one by Steve Winwood
–drawls
–“honey,” “sweetie” and “darling” from people serving us in stores and restaurants
–children making a scene
–a refreshing lack of honking no matter how poorly anyone was driving

Consumed
–FOUR different kinds of pop, all unknown and unattainable north of the border($1.89 to $2.25, so worth it)
–one bite each of three truffles (these were being shared; it was complicated and messy, but very good)(Cost: won from a scratch’n’win)
–all-you-eat salad and breadsticks at Olive Garden (cost: ~$15)
–fistfuls of Trix on car-ride home (cost: approximately 1/8 of $3.59)

Purchased
–two pairs houndstooth tights (cost: $4 and $6)
–box of Trix ($3.59)
–2L (or Imperial measurement equivalent) bottle of Cherry Coke Zero ($1.59)
–2 3-packs of Orbit Bubblemint gum (cost: $3.59 each)
–*Midnight’s Children* by Salman Rushdie (cost: $15)

Felt
–that things are very very slightly, almost imperceptibly, different since November 4 (cost: priceless)

(c’mon, you knew I was building towards that)

I found music/and he found me
RR