a unique perspective on this crazy world

Beckham not so bendy these days…

July 19, 2012

Last night I finally got to see David Beckham play football.  Last year the rumour was he picked a fight so he would get suspended and be able to rest up for the MLS Final so the LA Galaxy came but without Beckham.

For me it likely worked out for the best.  I am starting to get an understanding of the game and can appreciate a lot more what players are bringing to the table than last year when sometimes it just felt like I was watching a bunch of incredibly fit guys in shorts and tight T-shirts run around getting sweaty (which does have its pleasures even if you don’t understand what all the running is about 🙂

At first I couldn’t figure out why the lines for the ladies’ washrooms were so much longer than usual.  It was a sold out stadium thanks to Becks.  But then my friend Rodz pointed out that it was likely not that the female soccer fan population had increased substantially in the last week but that a lot of women had come to the game to watch David Beckham run around and get sweaty!  At the end, he stripped off his shirt and gave it to someone.  Why would you want some dude’s sweaty clothes?  Yuck!  And he was sporting some strange mustache that made him look creepy, like he might take off more than his shirt if he got you in a dark alley…

But he DID get a goal!  And he’s an old guy so you have to give him a few accolades.   But it was Barry Robson who impressed.  We are being invaded by the Scots – and it is a fortuitous thing.  He’s a new addition to the Whitecaps from Scotland.  I am getting better at reading the press releases and understanding more about what they mean but I am still no soccer geek who can yell commentary at the field.  And I think I won’t start doing that… I always wonder just HOW good the people on the benches would actually DO if they were out there following their own advice.

But I do know a lot about business.  And Beckham is a great businessman!  The poor guy got booed every time he got the ball.  But I am sure he knows every boo puts more money in his pocket 🙂  It’s interesting  talking soccer instead of football.  In North America where we call it soccer, Beckham is a demi-god.   I never hear anyone talk about Beckham in Europe.  He got punted for the British Olympic team because other players were better.  In Europe everyone talks about Messi.

So, my first Beckham sighting was underwhelming.  But the guy is smart!  For world class players outside North America, the MLS is the stuff of dreams.  Play in a “real” league, make a name for yourself and then when you get too old to really count against the young kids in the big leagues, sign a deal with a North American team in the MLS where you will look awesome.  Becks developed the prototype.  Apparently he’s not just a pretty boy.  It’s too bad “cheap celebrity” runs so rampant through English speaking culture but Beckham actually seems like a good guy – and his rise from regular East London kid to one of the most famous men in the world is the stuff of dreams.  But he should be famous for being a great football player, not for taking his shirt off and posing through a heavily Vaselined camera lense.

But that isn’t his fault.  He is only capitalizing on the craziness of the culture he inherited.  Barry Robson isn’t nearly as pretty.  Or famous.  So he is going to have to play good football.  His first home match with the new team shows that looks promising 🙂

I don’t know enough yet to be able to analyze one player’s impact on the team but the boys were in fine form last night.  Last year the Galaxy came just before they took the MLS Cup home and we looked bedraggled.  But last night they were on fire!  In the first half it looked like an amateur Spanish team trouncing an amateur Italian team in the EU Final.  We lost our way in the last 20 minutes or so.  But we didn’t lose!  And Barry scored an impressive goal.  And certainly seemed to make the entire team better and brighter.

So, give us your cast-off European football league players.  We can make good use of them – and give their careers a second act.  You should all thank David.  But, please, don’t create your own fragrance!  Just play football… 😉

 http://www.whitecapsfc.com/news/2012/07/highlights-whitecaps-fc-vs-la-galaxy

Category:

social commentary

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I’m civilizing you :)

July 16, 2012

What a concept! 🙂  I have been thinking of plenty of posts but still catching up from my time in Manitoba so not quite sure when they will hit the internet but I just watched episode 4 of “The Newsroom” and it has already inspired one unwritten post before this one so I decided it was time…

I’ve never been much of a TV watcher.  It’s almost always “background” to me… and the sophistication of the plot and dialogue of most TV shows doesn’t require much real attention… but it’s nice to have the comforting noise so I often have the TV on even though I am not officially watching and can always catch more of the details in future re-runs.

But sometimes you stumble across something that arrests your attention and you can’t even just google stuff while watching and actually follow the entire show…  That would be “The Newsroom”, Aaron Sorkin’s newest baby.  I happened to stumble across the pilot in the last week or so.  I was planning to write about it with a heading, “america is not the greatest country in the world.”

I have been in love with Jeff Daniels for a couple of decades… and Emily Mortimer is one of those actresses who should be described as “one of the leading lights of her generation”.  And it has Sam Waterson and even Jane Fonda, for god’s sake.  For those who appreciate great acting and actors who can deliver great writing… well, it just restores your faith in humanity.  It really is trying to civilize us 🙂

The speech that Jeff Daniels (aka Will McAvoy) delivers in the pilot is one of the most intelligent, introspective, inspiring descriptions of the current state of the American nation and the American mindset I’ve encountered.  Both the dialogue and the delivery are astonishing.  At first Will is trying to avoid saying anything because he has become a meaningless rich celebrity without a point of view.  The question is why is America the greatest country in the world.  Not “is.”  Then he thinks he sees his old girlfriend in the audience, a journalist who he thinks is in Iraq dodging bullets.  She is holding up a sign that says, “it’s not.”  It inspires him.  Unlike his fellow pundits who cite something stupid like “freedom” he cites facts (remember those little nuggets, Fox News???), trying to explain to the underliterate audience just what America IS good at…  We lead the world in only three categories: number of incarcerated citizens per capita, number of adults who believe angels are real, and defense spending, where we spend more than the next twenty-six countries combined, twenty-five of whom are allies. 

I am sure there will be more to be said.  As I type this, I am trying to follow Jon Stewart skewering Mitt Romney.  It is pretty sad that all the best news in the United States of America is not really “the news”.  That’s the message of “The Newsroom.”  Pundits and infotainment replacing actual facts and analysis that made us all smarter and better world citizens… Will McAvoy-aka Jeff Daniels-channelling Aaron Sorkin really IS trying to civilize us.  We need it.

Once upon a time I was in an elevator with Rupert Murdoch… back when he was just famous in Australia and there was no Fox News.  I shoulda slugged him.  But that would have been bad for my career 🙂  I made a lot of statements about my dad at his funeral but the one that fits tonight…

He watched Lloyd Robertson every night.  (I actually saw Lloyd in the CTV cafeteria but was never brave enough to talk to him.  I wanted to tell him about my dad.)  He knew way more about the world than George W. Bush ever will and he would have made a far better President.  You would think there should be an IQ test for the leader of the free world.  At least a few skill testing questions… and no calculators!

My dad was the one who taught me about the importance of civilization – and my role in keeping it alive.  Let’s hope “The Newsroom” is a hit – and we all learn how to be more civilized.  America can be great.  Will talks about that too – and it’s worth hearing.  America is your promising child who turned into a drug dealer when you weren’t paying attention.  Maybe the big mistake was giving Murdoch American citizenship?  Apparently points for character are not a big part of the criteria…

http://www.hbo.com/the-newsroom/index.html

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artsy stuff, social commentary

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Star of the East

July 5, 2012

One of the big highlights of this trip to small town Manitoba for my mom’s big birthday was seeing Elaine.  This is her second tribute in my blog.

I can’t remember what context I gave to my other post but Elaine is in palliative care at the hospital in SwanRiver.  I was really hoping I would be able to see her on this visit.  And sometimes the stars align.  We went to the hospital yesterday.  She isn’t awake that often and she has a lot of difficulty breathing so I knew the chance to interact with her would be a real gift.  But we arrived at just the right time.  Her daughter Jill was there and graciously let us see her as soon as she was awake.

Her physical state is diminished but she is still the same Elaine that played such a fundamental role in my life and who will always have a special place in my heart.  It was such an honour and privilege to be able to talk to her in person.  And hug her.  I tried to convey how important she had been to me.  Elaine is a very humble person though so she would always downplay a message like that 🙂

She and her husband Glen played a big role in my life.  They were always so excited to see me.  They watched a LOT of slides from my trips.  They asked me intelligent questions.  They talked to me about the world – and my place in it.  They both possess this incredibly rare graciousness and warmth that I can only hope to replicate.

A great relationship should involve at least one or two great stories 🙂  My favourite Elaine story goes back to the 1970’s.  My father and Elaine’s husband were both farmers so were in Regina for the Canadian Western Agribition – the big farm show of the year for farmers from that part of the world.  The rest of us came along for the big city holiday.

None of them drank much and the women were pretty much teetotalers.  I have no idea how we ended up in the Italian restaurant.  But my mom and Elaine ordered a carafe of wine along with the food.  I think the men might have been at the exhibitions.  In any event, that evening they were peripheral.  Elaine’s daughter, my sister and I were all teenagers, eager for our lives to be more interesting.

I am pretty sure it was the first time we had seen our mothers a little tipsy.  We all wanted to be staying at the Hotel Regina, with the pool we could see across the street from our hotel room.  So, to console us, they thought they would take us to the bar.  But given that we were underage, that plan didn’t get too far.  And it was likely more fun to just all be cooped up in the hotel room.  I can’t remember if there was a can-can but “Star of the East” was definitely sung.

Both Elaine and my mom have great voices.  And everyone had a great sense of humour.  I was too young to be at the New Year’s Eve dance that year… but apparently my dad (who used to be famous for announcing things on stage) told them he was going to get on stage at midnight and announce they were going to sing “Star of the East” so they hid together in the bathroom until the time was safe.

Whether it was all true, it was great cinéma vérité and it was always one of my fondest childhood memories.

A lot of the time I spent with Elaine – and Glen – was less dramatic.  But that didn’t mean it was less meaningful to me.  I know now how spoiled I was at such a young age to meet someone who taught me so much about hospitality, grace and the beauty of the human spirit.

Elaine is one of those human beings in an elite league of realizing her potential, which the rest of us should aspire to achieve.  And she sings a mean “Star of the East” 🙂

p.s. I finished this late last night so was going to post this morning.  Just before I posted it I found out Elaine passed away last night.  But the legacy of her kindness and compassion will live on.

Category:

life philosophy, shining examples

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Messi, not Messier…

Messi, not Messier

It is my mom’s 70th birthday this Friday (with the party that involves most of the town it seems 🙂 on Saturday) so party prep has been preventing me from boring you with my thoughts on the internet… but the party is getting under control so hoping to write a little bit over the next few days and get back to regular missives next week.

As part of the festivities I flew into Regina and we stayed at the Hotel Saskatchewan.  As my niece said, the hotel where the queen stays when she is in town…  It had one of those fancy hotel brunches to die for – and a great cocktail lounge.  But I have now been indoctrinated into European football sufficiently that I was looking for a place to watch the 2012 Euro Cup on Canada Day.

Not something I would have ever expected to happen in my youth… it all started with a guy… don’t so many things in life? 😉  The journey that took me from someone who knew nothing about soccer to someone who was obsessed with watching the Euro Cup final is a long one.  It started 10 years ago… in 2002, when I went to the Jazz Festival with my friend Keyvan and he was talking about the World Cup.  At that point, it was merely a term I had heard – with no knowledge of the history or meaning behind it.

He is from Iran.  And I had my first inkling of the importance of what North Americans call “soccer” in world culture.  He went to the World Cup.  And seemed a bit obsessed with the game.  At that point I was just impressed with his passion.  And the international flavour of the sport.  All he had done was pique my interest.

It took a number of years before that kernel grew into a seedling.  That was 2010, two World Cups later.  I was in New York City for a magical weekend that spanned both Canada Day and the 4th of July.  And the World Cup!  It happened the hotel I was staying in had a beer garden and each day there was a chalkboard announcing the World Cup games.

It all meant nothing to me but Keyvan had piqued my interest in the concept.  And everywhere that I went guys were talking about the World Cup.  Especially Italian guys.  And New York is full of them.  But it’s the most international sport there is.  And New York is a very international city.  So all sorts of people were talking about the World Cup.  And given Keyvan’s enthusiasm, I took an interest.

At that point, I was also involved in some crazy flirtation with a Dutch guy… and the Netherlands made it through to the World Cup final that year.  And I watched the game from a bar in Calgary during the Stampede… texting Engelbert at the appropriate moments.  I barely knew what the players were doing… but I liked the atmosphere of the crowd.  And their enthusiasm.  Even in Canada where no one cared about soccer…

So, last year, when my friend Rodz and I decided we would try and watch as many Canucks games as possible once they were in the playoffs… and during game two the topic of Whitecaps season’s tickets came up… I decided that would be my new project.  I would buy season’s tickets for the inaugural season of the Whitecaps – and invite guys (or girls) to games who knew about soccer so that I could learn how to watch the game… and in 2014 I would be able to watch the World Cup – and actually know what was going on!

My friend Alex (aka Alessandro, actually born in Italy, where the gene to watch a football match involving an Italian team with the passionate intensity of a love affair is given at birth) has been my biggest coach in learning to appreciate “the beautiful game”.

And he has done a spectacular job.  He is the one who taught me how incredible Messi is.  I’ve had conversations with European guys about soccer.  I really wanted Italy to win on Sunday because it was Alex’s birthdays so a win by Italy would have been spectacular.  But he is a very gracious guy and accepted Spain had played a beautiful game.

And he would have been proud.  I rushed through brunch, paid the bill and left my mom and niece to finish at their leisure.  I went to the lounge and said to the server, “I thought you would be playing the game.”  (They had had TSN on the night before.)  He said they would so switched channels so I could watch the pre-game show.  When I said I would have to go to my room cause I couldn’t watch it without sound, he turned up the volume.

I was one of the tiny minority watching a soccer match in Regina.  A few people drifted in and out of the lounge but I was the only one watching the entire match.  My mom came to find me near the end and I explained to her the Spanish style of play and why Italy was having trouble getting the ball.  I also tried to explain the historic importance of that game and what Spain had accomplished.

I’m ready for the World Cup ahead of schedule.  Now when the commentators say stuff or the guys run around on the field, I am not ONLY thinking, “wow, lots of cute, super fit guys in tight shorts.”  I am also thinking, “wow, I know what they are doing.”  Thanks, Alex, Rodz, Peter and any of my other soccer coaches 🙂

Mark Messier was very impressive but Lionel Messi… check him out 🙂

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social commentary

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a european sensibility

June 22, 2012

This is a day late as I was too sleepy to do the final edit last night.

Last night I overheard the TV advertising something called Skinny Girl wine and spirits.  I didn’t bother to check it out.  I was sure the concept was that calories trumped flavour.  Being a whiskey girl I can appreciate maybe Skinny Girl vodka might be OK – but Skinny Girl wine?  Seriously?

It smacked to me of the nutso North American attitude toward our diet that has helped to increase obesity across our fair continent.  Sadly, to the detriment of health, common sense and – most importantly – pleasure…

As I write this, the concept of pleasure is at the cortex of my brain… I am sitting in one of my favourite restaurants and just arranged with David, the charming English bartender, to do a menu paired with cocktails instead of wine.

My first course is salmon grilled over mesquite.  Presentation at l’Abattoir is always exceptional.  The salmon comes with a stunning crispy skin floating independently on top, some stunning green carefully chopped asparagus, all floating in a frothy pool of anchovy foam.

David’s pairing cocktail starts with gin for the juniper to compliment the salmon.  He adds a bit of Mescal and some chartreuse to add balance and compliment the mesquite.  I’ve just eaten the likely tipsy sour cherry at the bottom of the glass.  It really complimented the salmon dish.  It also worked really well with the bacon brioche.  Seriously, bacon brioche… does life get much better?

To go back for a minute to the theme, the bread at l’Abattoir is almost worth a visit on its own.  It’s full of carbs – and fat – and pure deliciousness.  And I am no fatter today.  It’s the European sensibility.  The portions are not huge.  You don’t indulge every day.  You drink a lot of water.  Most importantly, you eat real food, full of fresh ingredients, flavour and satisfying fat and protein.

No trans fat.  No wild amount of sugar.  No empty calories that don’t satisfy so you eat vast amounts.  Europeans laugh at low fat food – and most walk away.  They know it’s mostly crap.  Instead they eat small portions of foods full of fat, flavour – and carbs!  And then walk it off by hardly ever using their cars.

Like me, they would cringe at the very idea of Skinny Girl wine… hey, most of them are skinny… drinking gorgeous, flavourful Old World wines that they sip slowly while drinking large quantities of water.  Binge drinking Skinny Girl wine would just not occur to them.

Instead, like me, they would be open to my fabulous dinner…  the chef at l’Abattoir even got me eating kale and lima beans!  Because they came together with some juicy, perfectly seared scallops and pancetta so crispy it must be what they feed you in heaven.

All the flavours complimented each other so well.  And David made me a special version of the Harvard Cocktail.  Apparently a Harvard Cocktail is a Manhattan made with cognac.  It includes a splash of club soda.  David also added celery bitters (more veggies!) to compliment the kale.

Since I was far too stuffed with rich food, I told him I would only have the cocktail for dessert.  A digestive.  Very European of me 🙂  My dessert cocktail consisted of Kraken spiced rum from Indiana, crème de cacao, sweet vermouth and aromatic bitters.

So much better than chocolate…  And it would kick Skinny Girl wine’s ass 🙂

Category:

eating & drinking - well, life philosophy

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sucking it up to make the world a better place :)

June 19, 2012

Yesterday I was at the bank trying to figure out how to transfer euros to a German bank account.  The purpose of this mission was to pay my share of the fees related to my German divorce.  It is one of the most amicable splits in history so it was a little shocking to see how much it was going to cost me.

But Germans are good at logic so it was explained to me that we were not paying for the actual time incurred by the professionals to deal with our actual situation.  Instead, we were subsidising other couples who had made less sensible decisions.  The fees to be paid are based on a schedule determined by the net worth of the divorcing couples.  The concept behind this is to make sure that even couples with few assets and lots of anger can afford to get a divorce and don’t have to stay together because they can’t afford to be apart.

I am a socialist at heart.  So happy to pay a little more than my fair share for the greater good of the entire social framework.  It’s a concept that doesn’t go down so well with the average Republican.  I just don’t get it.  HOW rich does anyone really need to be?

I like to live my life all over the map.  I purposely tried to spend time in my room at the Four Seasons because, hey, I was staying at the Four Seasons!  And my mom and I postponed our visit to the National Gallery because they offered us free champagne when we checked into Claridge’s – and who says “no” to free champagne???  One of the best meals of my life was my private five course chef’s menu dinner at the Meridien in Shanghai with the cute French chef taking my order and then popping out to check on me after every course.

So I appreciate how enjoyable it is to have a little cash to throw around 🙂 But I enjoy it more when there is someone there with me to spoil.  And most of the best memories of my life cost less than $100, sometimes less than 10.  Most of my happiness comes from interacting with others – and that is free.  Too much money can lure you away from actually living your life.

Why I became a socialist.  It all started when I was about 12.  I was always good with my allowance and have those strong fiscal Scottish genes.  So I was a young conservative, a Republican wrapped in the Canadian flag really.  I thought my father shared all my views.  But one day I said something and his response shook up my world.  He said we did not all start with the same advantages so it was unfair – and wrong – to adopt that great conservative stance that a social safety net was not required. Making it hard would make everyone try harder.

Right now I am reading two fantastic books about money, Niall Ferguson’s The Ascent of Money and Roger Lowenstein’s Origins of the Crash.  You will be hearing more about them in future posts.  Lots of information to support my arguments 🙂  and food for thought.

Last night I was reading about the origin of the welfare state.  Not surprisingly, Germany invented it!  German society runs really well.  Having seen it in action, I am happy to pay the fees for my divorce.  Sucking it up, paying your share and contributing to the greater good of your society really is a lot more rewarding than a pair of Jimmy Choos…

Category:

life philosophy, social commentary

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bewitching you with her beauty :)

June 18, 2012

That statement traditionally refers to an ingénue.  But I’ve always described Vancouver as a pretty girl who doesn’t have to try very hard.  Like a pretty young girl, it’s a city that doesn’t seem to have an economic plan or purpose.  It figures it will just find a rich husband – or three – and everything will be fine.  And so far it seems to be working.  It might suck for the rest of us but being pretty does seem to work…

I have been working to try and get my life under control a bit after all the travel so this post was actually inspired by events over a week ago – but, as if by divine providence, the sun came out today and it seemed the right day to write it after all…

A week ago this past Saturday was one of those glorious days when you remember Vancouver is one of the ten most beautiful cities in the entire world.  I can see the water from my living room window so was looking in the mirror to put on makeup in natural light and behind me there was this glorious swoosh of jet after jet of water.  I think it might be an installation put in for the 2010 Olympics.  There were spectacular water shows every night during the closing fireworks at Yaletown Live City.

The jets of water just accented the brilliant blue sky and water as the sun shone on the green grass of the park.  I may be a little more susceptible to aesthetics than most.  I really appreciate beautiful things, whether they are cities, architecture, art, fashion…  It’s definitely one of the reasons I have developed a gigantic crush on this piece of the earth that is hard to duplicate anywhere else.

I have had greater success falling for cities than falling for men 😉  Most of the relationships have lasted longer anyway… and been less complicated.

It was due to a guy that I first moved to Vancouver.  And it was when we broke up that I realized he and I may not be soulmates but this city was.  While I have never been anywhere that surpasses the beauty of this place on the right day, it is definitely a female city, moody and full of drama.  It’s more a low level passive-aggressive girlfriend, not a full blown Latina who might throw a heavy object at your head without warning.

Vancouver is the girl who cries to get her own way.  So, not surprisingly, on the day after the first significant breakup of my life, it was raining… but it was just a mist.  And I was still in my insane period where I lived here but refused to buy an umbrella, as if somehow by NOT owning an umbrella I could will away the rain 🙂

And most of the rain in Vancouver is sneaky.  It’s Scottish rain.  Lots of it… but often just a fine mist.  So it’s not so hard to survive without an umbrella.  Or not realize you are getting soaked to the skin.  When I started out wandering aimlessly around the city trying to figure out how I felt about my newly single status, I was dry.  And the rain was a very fine mist, easy to dismiss.  But I walked for hours, along stretches of forlorn beachfront, through residential neighbourhoods, along the Seawall into Stanley Park on a day the crowds were staying home.

When I finally arrived back home, I wasn’t too sure how I felt about the breakup or where my life was going to go.  I was only 24 so I knew my whole life was ahead of me.  And I knew I was absolutely SOAKED to the skin.  I had to take off every piece of clothing – and then dry myself with a towel.  I wrapped myself up in a fluffy robe and made some popcorn.  And thought about how I really didn’t know if I should be with Mike or not.  But I DID know he had brought me to this city.  And I WAS in LOVE with this city.  Even in the rain, I loved it.  It was a relationship that would last.  We will soon have our 30th anniversary.  Will I celebrate it with some guy – or will it just be the city and me? 😉

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life philosophy

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