To thine own self be true

Canada, Danielle Smith, and Alberta in one fell swoop. Long live dictators, Trump, the G.O.P.s, Manifest destiny, and the American cesspool.

The Ugly American and The Ugly Albertan onstage together.

Early spring. We were actually going somewhere for a change and it was much appreciated as we piled onto a bus similar to the ones that picked up the air force kids at Bannatyne School. We were escorted through a maze of rooms inside the old grungy plant, seeing the bottles move along, being filled, and so on. At the end, I believe we were give free small bottles of the small Coke version to take away with us.

Our teacher asked us to write about the trip and I remember asking my Dad for a word to describe the weather that day and he offered “balmy”. I thought my first-ever essay was good, but someone else won the best essay ‘contest’ in our class. After all these years, I can still here the bottles clinking together on a belt and remember what a red letter day it was for all us poorer kids, especially.

Just received a copy of my bio and two poems (“Deux Cataracts”, “Default by Techno”) published in the 2023 Atunis Galaxy Anthology: Anthology of Contemporary World Poetry, a Netherlands anthology.

DEUX CATARACTS

Vivid, I said
More widescreen
and maybe more colour.
But then I remembered
being under her knife twice
and seeing the same blue sky
peeking thru the white clouds
above me.
It was a possibility, no less
I’d often dreamed
but never realized
till that surgery table
and the strong steady beam
of God’s light overhead.

DEFAULT BY TECHNO

No bot could ever
replace a sky.
No phone will ever
stop the tides.
Nor any screen nullify
our limitless love.

No avatar could
supplant you
in any case.
Nor any cloud
clone Monet
nor any bug
hack Beethoven.

The variables in the
Internet of Things
are this restricted.
Touch-screens shall never
supercede skin,
mind and soul.

All the brave new whims
are merely greyscale
and deletable.
And a user-world is just that.
Egoic diminishments
in virtual domains.
Nothing else of note.

which would you rather watch?

The New Hampshire primary coverage or “The Littlest Hobo”?

was special with the Monarch butterflies.

Norman Jewison, 97.

Always liked it–the whole business of one person challenging nature, the course, and other players to win tournaments.

I really got interested in golf in grade 5 and 6, initially playing with 2 very old woods and 2 old mismatched irons. The 7 was my club of choice until I finally bought a Spalding starter set in grade 6 from my paper route money ($30?); had a 1 and 3 wood, 3, 5, 7, and 9 irons and a flat head putter. Went out to Bannatyne schoolyard and batted balls around; fortunately never hitting any houses. (My mother knitted 4 green wool head covers for my now 4 woods.)

Got interested, at about the same time, in the Kirkfield Park miniature golf course which had a mini-tournament I played in, finishing in 3rd (won something like $5-10). My older Wallasey Street acquaintance, Ted Rich, who played real golf finished first; he also joined once or twice on the Bannatyne field. We were both living in the shadow of popular Canadian pro of the day, George Knudson, who had been at Bannatyne School some years before me.

Our family was car-less so one Saturday morning I finally travelled with 2 or 3 friends via bus from Wallasey to Assiniboine Park to play on an actual course. Then we crossed the bridge and walked all the way through the park to Tuxedo Golf Course. My shoes were quickly soaked from the dew and I sky-ed my first shot. Overall, it was a long wet walk duffing our way around 18.

(Pamphlets similar to the ones I wrote away for from the local newspaper. I still remember learning his grip.)

Arnold Palmer was an inspiration back in those days and I used to imagine myself as one of ‘Arnie’s Army’ when I saw him play on tv.

Anyway, in the next three years, came girls, music, The Beatles, and learning to play guitar, followed by university and work. Trying to keep up this sport became impossible for years.

I played a couple of rounds on dirt greens up near Cold Lake (1972-73). And I played in some staff tourneys, again with those same old clubs. And played with my father-in-law a few times in the ’70s at Riverside, a nice Edmonton valley public course near the school I used to teach at. But it was hard to walk the courses, especially after work!

Eventually, I discovered the Kinsman Pitch and Putt in the river valley, which was a lot nicer course than the Stanley Park pitch and putt I played in gr. 5 (But it was a kick a few years back to revisit that memorable Vancouver course). I would play it by myself or with kids on early fall mornings. That was probably the most fun I ever had.

There still is a driving range near home which I would occasionally practice swing at in the early 2000s. With early retirement in 2002, I bought a new set of clubs, bag, and my first cart, but, by this time, I was ‘feeling it’ more in my back and so forth, so I officially retired and later sold the set at a garage sale. (I believe my daughter still has the original set.)

And I still watch some of tournaments and the BIG Ones–Masters, PGA, British Open. The viewing habit dies hard. I still remember the Big 3: Palmer, Nicklaus and Player. The sport remains interesting and there’s nothing quite like an unbelievable great shot or putt, or a tight tournament finish. Golf has definitely been an activity I’ve enjoyed and still take an interest in.

to go into U of A Graduate English ended during my 3rd yr. of my B.A. in English. ‘Twas in the middle of the winter session, I sensed that this was my one and only chance so, with two egotistical profs as references, I applied and got an interview with the famed John Orrell. He counselled me what I should take (I would have no choice): Chaucer, Restoration poets, The English Novel (which included writers no one read anymore)  and other similar courses that were undersubscribed. The arrogant profs also sabotaged the reference letters and I was officially ‘turned down”.

It was then, I decided that the diploma after degree leading to a high-school English teaching career was the ticket for me. In any cases, the English courses I still wanted to do– Shakespeare and English Poetry–I was still able to take after that.

In later years, in talking with profs, I would notice that I knew more about literature than they did and made significantly more money, and wasn’t on the bubble for being declared surplus from the system. So, in retrospect, one of those lucky limits and choices that gave me the freedom to read and study whatever lit I wanted to.

Definitely one of my past musical and concert ‘spots of joy’. Went with my daughter, who is also a fan. Met her in the Arden lobby afterward to get some of my prized Vega merch signed. Don’t know if she was standing on a higher level or weighing higher heels, but I was surprised that she seemed taller than my 5’7″. She was nice, beautiful, and gracious, signing all my stuff and I complemented certain of her set songs.

Listening to her again today, I am reminded of her ability to assume personas and plunge the listener into their lives and situations emotionally and musically. I really like that she is basically a likable, youngish musical soul and, at bottom, an individual self putting her feelings and thoughts on the line to share with complete strangers. A very cool lady who remains her own person.

from the 1950s to the 2000s:

The Golden Age of Comedy

Laurel and Hardy’s Laughing 20s

Bedtime Story (with Brando and Niven)

The Naked Edge (Cooper and Kerr)

The Bridal Path

The Americano

Deliverance

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid

Blazing Saddles

Jaws

Return of the Pink Panther

The Verdict

Forrest Gump (last one we saw)

Ones I Saw with My Mom before I was 5:

The Vikings

The Court Jester

Calamity Jane

Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier

Lady and the Tramp