Chan recently lost a dear friend to breast cancer. Sissy and Gretchen, being the supportive furkids they are, initiated the Pink Parade to help raise awareness for breast cancer. Henry and I decided to help out… unfortunately he doesn’t like to dress up as much as Chan’s girls do! You can easily join in too! Visit Sissy and Gretchen’s post to learn about the initiative (you don’t have to use pets).

My first idea was Henry’s hot pink mouse… but he is not a very independent player. It took a few tosses to get this shot, and after the mouse fell he looked at me like “okay, now what?”

My next idea was my hair! I dyed my hair purple several months ago and then lightened it up over the holidays. Henry loves sitting on my shoulder like this and rubbing his head into me. He also likes to chew on my ponytail too. But I still didn’t think this quite conveyed what I wanted to.

So I subjected Henry to his least favourite activity: dress up. Mainly it just confuses him. He has never liked to be “under” or “within” things like blankets or covers or outfits.

Princess Henry

However, if you catch him asleep and unawares… you can do what you like! [This is an old photo] (In real life, his tiara is pink)

It’s hard to describe and/or summarize the chaos going on here. Everyone is wearing Canada gear and I can’t tell who is a tourist unless they’re wearing a different country’s gear. Here are some photos and links I like. For all my photos, view my Vancouver Olympics 2010 collection on Flickr.

Countdown to the Olympics — 8 Days to go (taken February 4, 2010)

Lantern Trees at LunarFest on Granville Street

Vancouver Biennale art installation “Cabeza Vainilla, Cabeza ordoba, Cabeza Chiapas” by Mexican artist Javier Marin

The Olympic Cauldron! ….. wait a minute….. what’s that fence?

Let’s try that again (with some zoom)…. The Olympic Flame!

Inside the Four Host First Nations Aboriginal Pavilion. Photo taken (with permission) during screening of “We Are Here”.

Inside Canada’s Northern Pavilion highlighting the Yukon Territories, Northwest Territories, and Nunavut.

Some people have been disappointed with the Canada Reads 2010 list. Reasons include the authors/publishers/books being too well-known already. There are two new grassroots challenges called Canada Reads Independently and Canada Also Reads which aim to shed light on the lesser known titles/authors/publishers. How very Canadian of us! Personally, I haven’t read any of the books but I did know of Generation X and The Jade Peony already. I’m enjoying reading the Canada Reads list but also want to spread the word about these Canadian works too.

CANADA READS INDEPENDENTLY

When I first heard about Canada Reads Independently 2010, I thought it was a list of books from independent presses. Wrong. It turns out that Kerry Clare of Pickle Me This launched Canada Reads 2010: Independently for a different reason. Kerry says, “I’m not going to knock [Canada Reads] because I love the spirit behind the whole thing… but it just wasn’t the reading list for me. What I wanted was what I found from (most of) the 2009 lineup– book recommendations out of nowhere, books I’d never pick up otherwise, that challenge my sensibilities, and that I might just fall in love with.”

In an interview with Julie Wilson (aka BookMadam) at CBC Book Club, Kerry said, “I’m going to be reading the five books over the next two months, posting reviews as I go, and rating the books against one another. I’ll be inviting other readers to comment on my reactions to the books, perhaps have some guest posts and coverage of other readers’ reviews, and then I’ll choose my own favourite of the bunch, and we’ll have a vote to come up with a readers’ choice champion as well. And I’m hoping my “celebrity panelists” will be able to weigh in from time to time in their book’s defence, which should be fun.”

The books:

• Moody Food by Ray Robertson
  (championed by Steven W. Beattie of the Quill & Quire)
• How Happy to Be by Katrina Onstad
  (championed by author Rona Maynard)
• Wild Geese by Martha Ostenso
  (championed by Melanie Owen of Roughing it in the Books)
• Hair Hat by Carrie Snyder
  (championed by illustrator Patricia Storms)
• Century by Ray Smith
  (championed by publisher/bookseller/editor Dan Wells of Biblioasis)

CANADA ALSO READS

The National Post’s book blog The Afterword has released a selection of titles called Canada Also Reads 2010. When the Canada Reads list was released, they agreed with “many of the 140-character-or-less comments that appeared in the moments after this year’s crop was unveiled: these are great books, but haven’t they already been read?” And so Canada Also Reads was born. They are “a fan of what Canada Reads has done to promote CanLit, we figured this would be a great opportunity to help shine a light on some of the books sitting in the shadows. What books should Canada also read, we asked? We were immediately inundated with hundreds and hundreds of submissions from readers across the country.”

The books:

• My White Planet by Mark Anthony Jarman
  (defended by writer and critic Steven Beattie)
• The Day The Falls Stood Still by Cathy Marie Buchanan
  (defended by author Tish Cohen)
• Best Laid Plans by Terry Fallis
  (defended by singer/songwriter Andy Maize)
• The Last Shot by Leon Rooke
  (defended by poet Jacob McArthur Mooney)
• Yellowknife by Steve Zipp
  (defended by blogger John Mutford)
• You And The Pirates by Jocelyne Allen
  (defended by author Lisa Pasold)
• Come Thou Tortoise by Jessica Grant
  (defended by author Neil Smith)
• Fear of Fighting by Stacey May Fowles, pictures by Marlena Zuber
  (defended by author Zoe Whittall)

Initially I was apprehensive about Nikolski, written by Nicholas Dickner, because it was translated from French. Translations can go one of two ways and I was worried that a lot would be lost in translation. However, I was pleasantly surprised as the translator, Lazer Lederhendler, transformed the French writing into eloquent English. This was very impressive because there are several plays on words as well as witty banter.

The story itself is more of a character journey than a standard plot-based story (as many of these Canada Reads books seem to be). I loved all the little details that would crop up later as well as the decisions of these unique and surprising young characters.

Read the rest of this entry »

Last year when I posted about Canada’s Freedom to Read Week, I was trying to read The Handmaiden’s Tale by Margaret Atwood and/or Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov as part of the challenge. Unfortunately, I haven’t read either book as I got distracted by my huge TBR Pile. However, this year, I’ve got more exciting news: my friend Diane has begun a challenge on BookCrossing to Release Challenged Books as part of Freedom to Read Week 2010. The challenge to release banned/challenged books, or books by persecuted/jailed authors (especially Canadian) during the month of February.

Freedom to Read Week is from February 21-27, 2010 and lots of Canadian libraries celebrate with special events and challenges. Make sure to check out the Calendar of Events on the Freedom to Read website to see if your local library is planning anything. If they aren’t, why not ask if they will!?

Can’t think of any banned or challenged books or authors? You’ll be surprised by some of the names on these lists.

• Freedom to Read Week has a list of Challenged Books & Magazines
• Wikipedia list of books banned by governments around the world
• Amnesty International USA has updates on Banned Books each year
• PEN Canada helps to protect and aide persecuted writers

Please release your Canadian banned or challenged books and authors via BookCrossing and help spread the freedom to read.

The W2 Real Vancouver Writers’ & Culture Series is happening every Wednesday in February at the W2 Culture + Media House. W2 is located across from the refurbished Woodwards Building in Downtown Vancouver. The four weekly events will showcase local Vancouver writers, publishers and creative literary artists, giving guests a chance to rub shoulders with local talent.

“These evenings are designed to show the city and the world real and diverse Vancouver culture and real creative individuals in the literary and publishing communities at a time when the eyes of the world are on our city.

Each night will showcase local writers doing short readings their work and/or interacting with a moderator, taking questions from the audience and will include book sales, signings, a multi-media component, music, cash bar, raffles and give-aways.

Every night will consist of writers that will give the in-house audience a glimpse of the variety of cultures, ethnicities, forms and skills of writers living and working in Vancouver.

It will showcase the writers, their books, their publishers and other support structures within the local community and the larger culture and publishing communities.“

Organized jointly by Books on the Radio and Geist Magazine, the talent line-ups each week are phenominal. Make sure to follow @W2Woodwards on Twitter for all the latest updates.

http://realvancouverwriters.com/

On Saturday night I headed over to Janel’s place to learn how to spin yarn. As soon as I entered, I heard the whirl of treadles on spinning wheels. Janel first explained how to tease the fibre (teehee) and then showed me how to drop spindle. It helped to have her spinning the spindle while I pinched the fibre… but eventually I was able to try on my own.

Pictures, or it didn’t happen:

Meg and Sara (aka wenchlette) with a horde of wheels

Janel spinnin’ away and styling her new hair cut

Yarnpiggy (aka Hilary) our sexy hand-model (who would kill me if I even took a proper photo)

Mah yarnz!

After I tried drop spindling, Meg (who has a podcast now…) let me try her wheel. I think I liked that better because you could make it go with your feet and let your hands concentrate on the fibre. I didn’t play long enough to quite get the hang of it (or make anything) but I certainly enjoyed myself. Thanks for being such a fantastic host and teacher Janel!

Fine print: enjoying myself does not mean I will become a spinner. I think I have enough hobbies already, I just like trying new things.

Yes, I’m talking about the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games, which begin with Opening Ceremonies on Friday, February 12th. I have to admit, the city has been preparing for the Games for nearly 6 years, and even in the beginning I wasn’t particularly excited. The idea of (logistically) trying to host “the world” is overwhelming. The cynic in me thinks that the money could have been better spent elsewhere. Vancouver has been voted the West Coast’s “most liveable city” yet some things (like our transit system) isn’t nearly up to snuff.

I am amazed at how much as been spent on advertising within our own city. It’s certainly something you don’t see during the Olympics on TV: the entire saturation of the city in Olympic promotions. Every single advertising space, billboard, transit shelter, etc. is taken up by VANOC or an official sponsor promoting the Games. Although a lot of things have also been installed to aid tourists. For example, we finally have Information boards posted in major areas. This was something that I was really impressed with in England, I could get into a station and just follow the signs to different sights around the city. [Note: for the cynics still out there, there is The Olympic Resistance]

Cynicism aside, there are a few things I’m looking forward to. I will sit at home, watching the Olympics on TV and be able to point and go “I know where that is!” There is also the Cultural Olympiad. Despite the buckets of money that the BC Government has cut to Arts budgets, part of the Olympic bid for Vancouver was our “unique cultural events”. The Cultural Olympiad and many other events occuring around the city (both paid and free) include music, art, dance, ceremonies, installations, etc. That is the kind of thing I’m looking forward to.

There is far too much going on to have a complete handle, but here are a few links if you’re interested (and for me to keep things straight):

• Cultural Olympiad (official) – full of free and paid multidiciplinary events
• Miss604 – Vancouver’s “it-girl” blogger. Check in daily, she even has an Olympic Blog feed.
• Olympic Torch Relay (ongoing)
• BC Living – sign up for daily emails during the Games about coping with things to do in the city.
• Vancouver Pavillion & Cultural Houses – visit Miss604’s post about all the locations.
• Official Celebration Sites – including LiveCity Vancouver, Whistler Live!, Richmond O Zone, and more.
• Made In Vancouver – I heart VanArt celebrates local art and creativity.
• CanaMADE – a market celebrating art and craft from Canada.
• CityCaucus lists tons of free events occuring in the city (some repeats)
• Vectorial Elevation – a light display from dusk till dawn over English Bay

I’ve been home a week today (it feels like much longer) and once I got home, I scooped up my kitty and gave him a snuggle. I texted once the plane landed and my dad picked me up from the airport. We met my mom at my apartment where they’d just finished cleaning up (after the kitchen reno — more on that later) and brought back my boys.

My mom said that once they brought Henry back to my apartment, he scoured the apartment for me and when he couldn’t find me, he looked at mom and just. kept. meowing. He looked at her like, “okay, I’m back. Now where is MY mom?” (according to my mom’s interpretation).

While I was gone my parents took very good care of both Henry and Chico (my chinchilla). Dad and Chico bonded and on the way home from the airport, dad told me how Chico’s new favourite treat is walnuts. He said once he tried to give Chico a piece of fresh banana, and he wouldn’t even touch it until he’d had a walnut.

HAPPY WHISKERS ON WEDNESDAY

The Jade Peony by Wayson Choy will be defended by Samantha Nutt during Canada Reads 2010.

I finished this book several weeks ago but wanted to wait until after I met with our book club to discuss it. I missed the last discussion for Good to a Fault, so I was very excited to join in on The Jade Peony gathering. I’ve just returned from our discussion, but I will do my best to convey my before, during, and after feelings. It’s amazing how much your ideas can change once discussing a book!

My initial impression of the book was general enjoyment and actually a little bit embarrassed for the way Canada treated immigrants. I enjoyed how Wayson Choy examined Vancouver’s Chinatown from the perspective of three young children, as each take their turn to narrate the novel. I thought the novel was well-written and had some valuable insights into living in Vancouver as a Chinese person in the ’30s and ’40s. We got to see how a girl-child was treated, the middle-boy, and the youngest boy.

Chinatown, Vancouver, in the late 1930s and ‘40s provides the setting for this poignant first novel, told through the vivid and intense reminiscences of the three younger children of an immigrant family. They each experience a very different childhood, depending on age and sex, as they encounter the complexities of birth and death, love and hate, kinship and otherness. Mingling with the realities of Canada and the horror of war are the magic, ghosts, paper uncles and family secrets of Poh-Poh, or Grandmother, who is the heart and pillar of the family.

Wayson Choy’s Chinatown is a community of unforgettable individuals who are “neither this nor that,” neither entirely Canadian nor Chinese. But with each other’s help, they survive hardship and heartbreak with grit and humour.

[from the publisher, Douglas & McIntyre]

At book club, we started by talking about all our favourite characters. The discussion was very organic and sometimes we strayed far from topic (which I enjoyed too). I think my favourite was Jook-Liang and Monkey King (Wong Suk) and their relationship. A lot of people really liked Poh-Poh (Grandmother) as she is a very strong character and represents “old China” as well as being part of Vancouver. I think Stepmother is a very underrated character. There was some discussion about her role and position in the family as “second wife” and even her own birth children call her “Stepmother”.

Should this book win Canada Reads 2010? My first, gut response was no. My thought-process was: The Jade Peony won the City of Vancouver Book Award in 1996 and I think this book would be a great selection for the Vancouver Public Library’s One Book One Vancouver... but I don’t think that it is something that all Canadians “need to read”. I think that this is definitely something that Vancouverites and Lower Mainland residents should read and reflect upon.

But upon discussion with the book club, it was brought up that the books that win Canada Reads don’t necessarily have anything to do with Canada, they are just written by Canadian authors. With further discussion, I came to feel that this could be a good book for all Canadians to read… because really, who is Canadian? It is one of the points brought up by the children: “Am I Chinese or am I Canadian?” One of the great things about Canada is that we are a mosaic, you can be Canadian as well as something else — Chinese, Japanese, Ukranian, Croatian, Korean, etc.

The Jade Peony is all about characters and their environment. You would have a very different story if you took the book to Eastern Canada and tried to make it work there. Because it is a story of immigration and being from somewhere — a story of identity — you’d be hard-pressed to change the location. I think that it works and it opens your eyes to a whole different side of Canada and the government’s treatment of immigrants during this era. It is a story that would touch many Canadian people, whether they were born here or not, or their parents immigrated here or not.

The question of identity is never really answered by Wayson Choy in the novel, and I think that is okay. It is a continuing struggle to find out “who am I”, not just as an immigrant, or a Canadian, but as a person. At book club, one person teaches ESL and she related a story where her students were talking about a Canadian person they saw on the bus. She asked the students, “what made the person Canadian?” and they couldn’t really answer. To open their eyes to the lesson, she brought in several other teachers with different heritage and backgrounds and asked if they were Canadian or not.

I don’t really have an answer for “what is Canadian” or which book should win Canada Reads (I haven’t even finished all the books yet)… but I will say that The Jade Peony certainly opened my eyes to a part of Canadian history that I had forgotten. I was reminded about what I learned about the Cariboo Goldrush and the building of the CPR, and the Chinese Head Tax, and the Japanese Canadian internment… but it really is a different fact when you read a novel from the point of view of child experiencing these things within their own family. It’s an honest, yet confused portrayal of the time and the experiences of the people. I really enjoyed The Jade Peony for those reasons.

In addition to our “real life” book club, I’ve also joined the online Canada Reads Challenge! [Fun fact: another person from "real life" book club also joined the online challenge!]