Marcus Lopes's Blog, page 48

Have We Lost Our Humanity?

In the news last week there was a story about a family from Guelph, Ontario, that caught my attention. For a year, this family has decided to live like it’s 1986. That means no computers, internet, or cell phones. And they’re dressing the part, too, with mullets and cut-off jeans. They’ve brought 1986 to the 21st century to embrace the simplicity of that era. That says a lot, to me anyway, about how we’ve evolved and the role technology has played in that evolution. Would I want to return to...

Balance

The sky is overcast. Writing in my living room, and glancing up from time to time to take in the scene below, the streets and sidewalks are wet from the intermittent rain. The air is cool. The summer is spent and fall is eager to take its place. It’s the first day of school. It’s like the end of a cycle, and we have arrived once again at a beginning. Life will become “crowded” again as we take up activities that were left behind at the end of the school year. More cars will be on the roads,...

What's the Rush?

I live in downtown Toronto in a condo building that’s located at a busy intersection. On my street, it’s the last intersection before the exit to the Gardiner Expressway (westbound). That explains why, during the suppertime rush hour, cars race to make the light. The result? Two lanes of four or five cars parked in the intersection after the light has turned red. That’s when I’m treated to a symphony of honking horns, and the occasional aria of expletives, as drivers, trying to advance while...

Staying Grounded

Last Friday (16 August 2013) I attended the Opening Day of the 135th edition of the Canadian National Exhibition (CNE). It was a bright, sunny day and, after several days of below season temperatures, summer had returned to us again. I spent several hours wandering around Exhibition Place, taking in the sights, playing Midway games and tasting some of the food on offer. It was a day of adventure that conjured up memories of my youth, and allowed myself to be a kid again.
Working through what...

The New 40

When I woke up the other morning (Thursday, 8 August 2013), something shocking happened. I turned forty. Actually, it wasn’t that shocking. I didn’t want people to make a fuss. I didn’t want (or need) expensive gifts or a fancy dinner out. I wanted a day, as a friend of mine put it, to do “Marcus things.”
And in many ways, it was a day like any other day. I got up and began the day with my “Morning Pages,” and then went for a run. I spent a couple of hours, seated on the patio at Spot Coffee...

Celebrating Freestyle Love

Zach Brennan talks about what it's like to be the unpopular kid, depression, and desire's "unholy" grip: https://www.facebook.com/FreestyleLov...Freestyle Love

40 is the New 40

I know a lot of people who have had crises at thirty, and complete breakdowns at forty. There’s something about getting older that sets us on edge. I think it’s because we live in a world that prizes youth and beauty. (Thin and beautiful only at Abercrombie & Fitch.) We forget that we can be sexy at fifty (Venassa L. Williams, Greg Kinnear), vivacious at sixty (Oprah Winfrey, Pierce Brosnan), and still at the top of our game in our seventies (James Brolin, Vanessa Redgrave).
Age is a stat...

A Perfect Day

Some days just seem perfect. These are the days that have a natural ebb and flow — when everything I touch turns gold. Today (Monday, 29 July 2013) feels like one of those days.
In-between loads of laundry, I showed up at the page and edged my current work-in-progress forward. I’m about a third of the way through a tough rewrite of a novel. Lately I’ve felt, with this particular project, like I’ve been writing uphill. But today was different. The writing seemed easy, as if the characters were...

Freestyle Love: 2nd Anniversary

November 30, 2013, will mark the second anniversary of the publication of Freestyle Love. Over the next few months, you'll have a chance to get to know the characters better through some of the character interviews completed before and after the book's publication. Interviews will be posted on the Freestyle Love Facebook Page (https://www.facebook.com/FreestyleLov...). Check it out regularly so that you don't miss out! Freestyle Love

Delayed

From my living room window, above the roof of the condo building across the street, I can see the baby blue sky dotted with clouds. The sun is shining. I step outside briefly onto my balcony to survey the scene below as people make their way to work. The air is cool and crisp. It feels more like spring than summer, but the cooler weather is a much needed break from the heat and humidity we experienced earlier in the week.
This is my first summer living in Toronto, my first time experiencing t...