Read.....

I am in a book club several of us girls in the hood put together 13 years ago.  The dynamics of the group have morphed from year to year as the group has grown and changed.  There are periods of time when I don't go for several months when I am just too busy, but I always go back.  I like to read, I just can't always find the time.   I had the occasion to visit with a few boys tonight I haven't seen in a while.  The conversation turned to books and one asked me what my thoughts were on "The Brother's Karmazov".  I mostly remember I read it during one of the most difficult times in my life.  To begin with, it was a tough read (at least for me).  I remember a horrific father and of his convoluted relationships with his sons, wive and those surrounding him.  It was so much more than just one story.  I remember the suffering, but mostly of my own.   It was a depressing experience.

Sometimes music can take me right back to a single moment in time.  I was surprised tonight that a mention of a book could as well.  I should re-read it and see what it may mean to me now.  I used to read Dead Souls over and over again, but outside of that, I have shied away from Russian literature  - preferred the french.  When I was younger, I read some Flaubert, but then zeroed in on Zola.  The Drunkard was the first of his books that I consumed.  And I mean consumed.

Now my daughter is consumed with a series of books the same way I was with Zola.  I wonder how she will feel about those books if/when she re-reads them as an adult. 

Today is nothing short of a struggle for me

Mildred's Temple Kitchen

There used to be this great restaurant in town called Mildred Pierce. It had been around for years, but shut down last year with the promise of something new.... Well, it is back. The reincarnation is called "Mildred's Temple Kitchen" and it is located at 85 Hanna Avenue in the west end of Toronto - basically just a stone's throw from the old location. I happen to know both the owners and was invited there on the weekend for a test brunch. I think their actual opening is this week, but check the official website to be sure (www.mildredstemplekitchen.com) The food was pretty much as I expected - great. But the new look? Oh boy it is fantastic! Totally modern and ultra cool, right down to the bathrooms. Do yourself a favour a check it out. You will not be disappointed.

Progress

I have not posted for months but felt I should today. This is a photo of a sign on my neighbour's lawn. I've had quite a few inquiries about this as I live in Canada and it is a U.S. election sign. My neighbour, however, is American and favours Mr. Obama. In truth, so do I. I am a news junkie so I stayed up late last night to watch the election. By the time Mr. Obama arrived at Grant Park, it was just my daughter and I sitting on the couch to witness this historic event. I am hopeful he will be a better President than the last.

Segregation was alive and well the year I was born. I was raised in a fairly white-bread neighbourhood and it didn't seem out of place to tell an off-colour joke involving race, religion or sexual orientation. As I got older, I learned the errors of my ways and the hurt that can be caused by even the smallest of prejudices. I am now raising my children in an urban area that is a melting pot of cultures and colours and it is a whole new world than the one I was born to.

I still harbour some prejudices, but only towards assholes.