Zoom webinar for Word on the Street, and Stevie Cameron
I’m doing a free Zoom webinar for Word on the Street in two weeks, on Thursday Sept. 19 from 6 to 7. Info and registration here. Please pass on to anyone who might be interested. The great thing about Zoom is that if you’re bored, you can turn off your camera and do the dishes. The date, below, is wrong: it’s Thursday not Tuesday Sept. 19.
It’s the Cabbagetown Festival this weekend, a marvellous event when the ‘hood is packed with garage sales, an arts and crafts show, music, street food, and huge crowds showcasing the extreme multicultural nature of this city – one snapshot, a group of black-shrouded women in niqab walking next to a bearded person in a dress, a bald man wearing leather and chains with a completely tattooed head, and two elegant gay men with their kids. People of every colour under the sun, and there was some sun, though it was mostly cloudy with a bit of drizzle. We remained undaunted. I bought a bunch of books for the kids at the garage sales (ever hopeful, though they are not readers yet), and later Anna, the boys and I wandered about and bought meat on a stick for them and Thai food for us. The food booths – Ethiopian street food! Colombian street food!
There are lots of events; on Wednesday, Annie, Ruth, John, and I went to the C’town Short Film Festival. This morning, though, I copped out. It’s the C’town Mini-marathon, almost 2 k. through the local streets, and I’ve run it almost every year, even by some great fluke a long time ago won it once or twice in my category of Senior Women. But it means getting up early, warming up, being there by 8.30, running at 9, and being exhausted for the rest of the day. This morning, I’m still not 100%, it was freezing, and I decided to give myself a break and sat drinking coffee at 8.30. I did go out to cheer the runners. The magnificent Jazz Shukla, a gorgeous specimen of womankind who started her athletic career in this ‘hood and just ran at the Olympics, breezed in, by far the first. And then the others, including many children, dogs, and walkers. I want to do it next year with my boys. We’ll see.
The start. Where I was not.
In previous years, when I was still a Goodwill junkie, I’d have a big garage sale myself, which is a lot of work. Glad not to do that any more. It was gratifying that twice this weekend I was stopped by youngish men who took my course years ago. One I didn’t remember well, but one I certainly did, because of the power of his unusual story. Right now, happy to be home with yet another fat peameal bacon sandwich from Mark the butcher’s booth on the street. We get them every year. Soon I’ll bike around and explore again.
I had another reason to preserve my strength today, besides the very busy week coming up — I’m going this afternoon to the memorial event for my C’town neighbour Stevie Cameron, whom I knew and admired. She was a formidable investigative reporter in her day, exposing, for example, PM Mulroney’s corruption; she was a great writer of several important books, hugely respected. Latterly she was sadly diminished by both Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, so cruel. I want to honour her life and work.
Thank you, Stevie. We need you now more than ever.
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