Some things that happened this week --
ATTENDED: a musical called Crescendo by Edmonton playwright Sandy Paddick, based on the true stories of women in a community choir. All the cast members were very good singers and performed a range of music from opera to folk and pop. My theatre buddy and I had a good time at this!
BINGE-WATCHED: Season 2 of the Marvel/Disney+ series Loki. With a lot less of the first season's charm, humour and whimsy, season 2's storyline is exceedingly complex and darkly metaphysical. However, Loki does finally find out exactly what is entailed by being "burdened with glorious purpose."
LISTENED: to my CD of Benjamin Britten's War Requiem to mark Remembrance Day. It's a beautiful and moving setting of the traditional Latin Mass for the Dead interspersed with some of the war poems of Wilfred Owen.
SADDENED: by the death this week of Dr Dick Smith, Winnipeg's "Gay Hero Doctor" during the HIV/AIDS crisis of the late 1980s/1990s. He had been my family doctor before closing his private health practice to focus exclusively on fighting HIV/AIDS.
BECAME A HOARDER: I use artists' quality Prismacolor Premier coloured pencils. Just learned that the company will no longer be selling individual replacement pencils, but sets of pencils only. Immediately rushed to my local art store and bought one of every individual pencil they had in stock so as to fortify myself against the coming drought. The store owner very kindly gave me the "bulk sale discount," LOL!
WATCHED: both the Eastern and Western Finals of the Canadian Football League. Next weekend those two winning teams, the Montreal Alouettes and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, will compete for the Grey Cup in Hamilton at Tim Hortons Field. I'll be watching that too!
BAKED: a batch of banana-walnut muffins. Behold the yum --
RIP Dr. Smith. You lived a good life and helped a lot of people who might not have been treated.
ReplyDeleteA week full of meaningful moments.
ReplyDeleteHello Debra, Isn't buying one of each color the same as buying the set? Or are they going to discontinue some colors?
ReplyDelete.
Also, try substituting pecans for walnuts and prepare yourself for magnitudes of improvement.
--Jim
That's a full week. Muffins, even!
ReplyDeleteFirst I heard of this Dr. Smith, but anyone devoted to eradicating that wretched disease is OK by me.
ReplyDelete@ Parnassus (Jim) -- You're smarter than I am, LOL! Also, I'll give pecans a try sometime. I like them too.
ReplyDeleteThat was quite the interview with Dr Smith one day before his death.
ReplyDelete@ Old Lurker -- Yes, he was an advocate for our community right to the very end.
ReplyDeleteAnd don't forget to lightly toast the pecans first for extra nutty flavour!
ReplyDeleteI love your Sunday Seven posts. You are an inspiration.
ReplyDeleteI struggled to finish Loki season 2 for some reasons
ReplyDeleteNot being from Canada I don’t know who the doctor you mention is.
ReplyDeleteBut I do remember the aids epidemic. It was a scary time because people were just so scared. Even though we were told again and again you couldn’t catch it via normal contact.
How different from the covid pandemic, where we were told casual contact is enough to pass it on. Yet everyone was all. I’m fine I won’t catch it.
Dr. Dick Smith sounds like an amazing man. I cared for AIDS patients in the eighties and it was not good. The drugs we had to treat AIDS at that time didn't work well and there was so much stigma and discrimination, sadly even amongst some of my coworkers.
ReplyDeleteMr. Loki certainly gets a lot of press these days; it seems every generation gets the Loki it wants.
ReplyDelete"Prismacolor Premier coloured pencils"
ReplyDeleteI hope you got a lifetime supply.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=x4DDjfogb_E Oil base pencils blend better.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uthDJB_4gF8 Wax base pencils blend better.
I've never heard of Dr. Smith before. Clearly, he was a hero. I have Loki on my watch list. Perhaps I'll check it out sooner rather than later.
ReplyDeleteLove,
Janie
What a hero Dr Smith was, a true hero. I hope many people pick up his torch and carry it forward.
ReplyDeleteHey, there's nothing wrong with stocking up on the supplies you need to do the things that make you happy. It's not like you are out there buying a boat, for crying out loud. It's pencils! Treat yourself!
Those muffins look delish!
Cheers,
E
I haven't baked for ages.
ReplyDeleteCoffee is on
Debra are you sure that news of discontinuing the individual pencils sales wasn't just a marketing ploy to increase sales? Well I know who to call for a sharp colored pencil.
ReplyDelete@ Mike -- Thanks for those video links, very informative! I use Prismacolor Premiers because that's what my first coloured pencils instructor recommended. I know some people swear by the oil-based alternatives instead. I might try those eventually but for now, I've invested in Prismacolors so I'll stick with them, LOL!
ReplyDelete@ Bill Lisleman -- Yes, the veracity of the news has been confirmed by the three major art stores in my city. People are quite upset by it. Some are wondering if it's the beginning of the end for the Prismacolor company. I guess time will tell.
ReplyDeleteStill haven't gotten around to the second season of Loki. The first season was complicated enough.. will have to watch a recap before diving into season 2. Those muffins look great.
ReplyDeleteAll that and The Yum!
ReplyDeleteI've always used Derwent water color pencils...Have you heard about Inktense?? I have the blocks and the pencils but I should sell them...I'll probably never use them..
ReplyDelete@ This N That -- I use Derwent watercolour pencils too. I know of Derwent's Inktense line as well, but our watercolour instructor warns us not to use them in class because of their ink base, which prevents the layering needed in traditional watercolour pencil work.
ReplyDeleteThe musical sounds like fun, the muffins look delicious and there's no harm in hoarding art supplies. Your prior Doctor sounds like a stellar human.
ReplyDeleteI have to finish Secret Invasion before Loki. Been so behind
ReplyDelete