Office MIschief

 Yesterday I walked into the office to find this epic Alouettes pennant hanging on our office door. I suspected that Erik had spirited away from treasure from the Alouettes game, not only because he had mysteriously disappeared during the game, but also because it's a classically Erik thing to do. He's definitely one of the people who I will miss the most next year when we're overseas.

It makes me happy that this will continue to grace the Wick hallway even when I'm overseas.

2025 Readings 84

 I'm finishing up a reread of Julian Barnes's Flaubert's Parrot, a novel that I truly love. The novel tells the story of Geoffrey Braithwaite, a professor searching for the actual stuffed parrot that sat on Flaubert's desk, but the book is really a love letter to Flaubert. Barnes is such a brilliant writer. Last year I reread his nonfiction work The Man in the Red Coat and reread The Sense of an Ending, and was blown away once again. This makes me want to go through a massive Barnes reading - and also reread (for who knows how many times) Flaubert's Sentimental Education (ne of my all-time favorite novels). 

A Truly Wretched Game - and a Wonderful Day

 A couple posts ago I shared the surprising math wherein I had, over the years, brought 19 different people to CFL games. The "research" was inspired by taking my friend Erik, a first-time CFL game participant, along with Cyndi and Kevin (veterans) to an Alouettes game on Saturday. The game was pretty dreadful. It was played in a steady cold rain, and the Alouettes were, due to injury, down to their backup backup backup quarterback, but the day itself was an amazing day spent with great friends.

I've attended some ugly CFL games, but this may have been the ugliest. Kevin and I freezing to death in Calgary this summer was unpleasant, but the bizarre weather conditions made it beautiful in its own way. I remember watching Johnny Manziel "play" a game for the Alouettes once, and that was train wreck, can't look away bad.

Having said all that, before the game we stopped by the Kouign Amann bakery before hand, for delicious and dangerous pastry. Then we drove on the Schwartz's Deli for smoked meat, and you can't ever complain about that.

The crew at Schwartz's, getting ready to tuck in. To paraphrase Homer Simpson, "Can't talk, eating."

Erik and Kevin enjoying the grandeur that is Schwartz's. After our mad dash to Kouign Amann we arrived at Schwartz's at 10:20 (they open at 10:00). Apparently you don't want to get there any later - within ten minutes the place was packed.

Cyndi, strangely, eating her smoked meat sandwich with a knife and fork, clumsily displaying her patrician roots.

Cyndi, rocking one of my Alouettes shirts and her Ali McGuirk hat.

A brief moment when it was raining on us. During the game I was pitching a Hamilton game to Cyndi and an Ottawa game to Kevin. They both, wisely, ignored me.

This was, inexplicably, again, Erik's first CFL game. Here he is trying to grasp the different dimensions of the field and the complexities of the rouge. Oh, and we didn't see a rouge, adding to our misery. On the hill, in the distance, is a building we discussed during the game.

Every time I go to an Alouettes game I look at that building and pick out my imagined new office, only partially because I could go into my office during games to "research and write" while watching the Alouettes play. Since Erik was at the game we discussed that this was also his decision since we always share an office. We settled on the office right below the clock. Now, of course, I don't even know if this is a faculty office building, but we've chosen our spot nonetheless.

After leaving Schwartz's Erik and Cyndi stumbled into Cafe Le Nigiriz in pursuit of a cup of coffee. We ended up watching an extraordinary science experiment. Erik joked that it was a pity that we ended up missing the game because of the elaborate preparation time, but that it was the greatest cup of coffee of all time. It was a cool place, and I suspect it will be added to our Alouette game routine.

And, of course, the day ended at a Tim Hortons in pursuit of TimBits. All was right with the world.

2025 Readings 83

 Last year I bought all three of my friend and office-mate Erik Esckilsen's novels. A couple nights ago I finished his first novel, The Last Mall Rat, which I enjoyed quite a bit. Technically, I guess it falls in the young adult fiction category, except that's awfully reductionist for a thoughtful and knowing novel. I asked Erik if he was actually Mitch, the main protagonist, who set up a sort of protection racket at a mall to mildly terrorize horrible customers; he said only mildly and indirectly, which I took to be yes. On a deeper level I think the novel is also about the tension between a small town and corporate America - and between a younger and older generation. As I said, I liked it a lot, and it's definitely recommended. I think me reading his novel made Erik slightly uneasy - and Janet was when I read her - and which I will doubtless be if my book is ever published (happily, that will never happen, so I'll avoid that uncomfortable moment). I'm looking forward to reading Erik's other two novels, which are on my nightstand.

The Canadian Economy

 Yesterday I calculated that over the years I've taken 19 different people to CFL games, some multiple times, across six different cities. I'm afraid that when we move to Europe the Canadian economy may collapse. 

Living on the Edge

 Here's a simple picture that I snapped in my office the other day, which reflects the hectic, exotic life that I lead as a professor: the Ramayana, a scribbled edit, coffee, and Digestives.

It is funny/amazing how happy writing is making me. It makes me realize that retirement is going to be a good thing.

2025 Readings 82

 Yesterday I finished Albert Camus's The Stranger, which is another book that definitely calls for a reread before too much time has passed. I didn't like it as much as The Plague, which I loved a few months ago when I reread it for the first time in decades. Somehow, and I blame growing up in the intellectual wasteland that is Indiana, I had never read The Stranger. I'm also looking forward to reading Camus's The Fall and The Myth of Sisyphus, which have found their way into my queue.