The NQ offices are across from the Arts and Culture Centre, so all week we've had a front row seat to the Convocation goings-on across the Parkway. As the weather shifted from Tuesday's snow blight to today's near-summer balm, the lawns and grounds have remained peopled with little clutches of photo ops, gowned grad flanked by proud kin. We heard David Suzuki and Jill Keiley delivered great speeches, and Keiley's will be broadcast on Weekend Am tomorrow morning. And here's a story of a convocation address that never was.

(Image: www.packaging-b2b.)

Today marks the anniversary (1533) of the validation of the marriage of Henry VIII to Anne Boleyn. Well, we all know how that ended - but if you don't, you might want to check out the film The Other Boleyn Girl, which, while completely ludicrous, features some nice performances including a surprisingly thoughtful Henry from Eric Bana.

(Image: William Hogarth, Henry VIII Introducing Anne Boleyn At Court, www.allposters.com.)

Our class last night was about Russian avant-garde poetry, and fun stuff it sounds, too. The goal was to upset everybody, by all means possible, whether it meant flinging cups of tea into your audience, or stolling the streets wearing a top hat without the appropriate neck ornamentation.

Vladimir Mayakovsky, a leader in as much sense as such a movement of stray cats can be said to have one, was also afraid of death and sought to evade this by always paying his rent well in advance. I pass along this sensible tip.

(Image: tango.cows.jpg.)

In the interest of positive thinking, which apparently is the basis off all kinds of good stuff, I offer this interpretation of today's weather: it's good that it is snowing - and, gosh, it's really, like, totally snowing out there! - but that's OK because it's making us subconsciously reset our mental calendars to March. "Wow," we're thinking, "March is some long this year." And in two days it will be warm again and whoosh, we'll feel like we've been beamed straight to summer, woken from flurried dreams.

(Image: Amazon.com.)

Writing up some notes on some local exhibitions, which has me thinking about still lifes - I suspect the most popular of art genres.

(Image: Still Life With Flowers in a Crystal Vase, by Eduard Manet.)

Where to start enjoying this lovely summer Friday? Whatever your pleasure, let's hope that at some point it includes an ice cream sundae - the dessert so iconic it has its own official webpage. Incidentally, here's how Miss Manners advising consuming this dish, the epitome of American cuisine: start with the cherry; follow with the whipped cream; mix and savour remaining ingredients according to taste; three slurps allowed.

(Image: www.bfeedme.com)

My course reading lately has included several papers on eccentrics; famous among these would be Nikola Tesla (1856 - 1943), the inventor and electrical engineer who proved the earth was a conductor, believed extra-terrestrial radio signals were being bounced off us by Venus or Mars, and has been portrayed by David Bowie.

(Image: www.colorado.edu.)

Walking to work on this cool yet summery morning, all the Bishop Feild kids I saw seemed to be in shorts and t-shirts, which made me wonder is this sports day? All parents of elementary school kids know this time of year, when volunteers pack up hundreds of brown bag lunches, and more volunteers boil boil boil hot dogs, and some other volunteers run around trying to find handi-wipes, and, hey, did I ever tell you about the time me and my friend Ruth locked the keys in her car in the Canadian Tire parking lot on sports day? And the car was running? And all the hot dogs and buns and everything were inside? One lesson we learned - if you're looking for men, lock your keys in your car in the Canadian Tire parking lot, because that's where they'll materialize. Guarenteed, you'll be surrounded.

(Image: marchants.com.)

Someone once described their home decor as "early My Mother." That would be the look of our house, too. Which only intensified after we hung two sets of her homemade curtains, one in the front room where we have been without a blind or appropriate dressing for, oh, two years easy. Why are some of us (me) seemingly helpless as kittens when confronted with even the most basic household demands while others can reupholster their own sofas? I'm thinking here of Michael Paul Samson, of the Newfoundland wilderness homestead project, whom I interviewed last Friday and you can read all about him in the upcoming NQ. This guy can build bridges, dream of beekeeping, protect his property from bears.

(Image: canada-photos.com.)

May 24th

Nothing says summer like long weekend, and here we are on the cusp of our first: May 24th. Some like to spend this out of doors, camping and kayaking and engaged in other wilderness-ing activities. Others, who never willingly stray more than several hundred feet from the nearest cafe (hey, we need our lattes!), let alone hair straighteners (trust us, you don't want to be looking at us otherwise) prefer to take a more downtown approach to the fete. But, whatever your pleasure, enjoy this holiday, which honours, of course, Queen Victoria.

(Image: examiner.com.)

Weather Wisdom of Alistair MacLeod

Last Friday I was lucky enough to attend the Atlantic Ink Awards in Halifax, and although our own supremely talented Sara Tilley did not win, as I personally think she should have, the evening remained worthwhile as it also featured an address by Alistair MacLeod. Part of his talk was about how he believes writers write about what worries them, and how he realized he maybe had said this too often when he heard Margaret Atwood on the radio saying, in response to the question, 'Why did you write Onyx and Crake?' - 'Well, Alistair MacLeod says we should write about what worries us.' But it does explain, he said, how much winter is in Canadian writing, as Canadians as a whole worry about winter, and quite right too, because winter could kill you. And how nice to hold that in mind on this very fine Thursday while walking around with the leaves finally coming out, no jacket on, the chance perhaps to sit in the backyard and drink a glass of riesling, and think, but not today, buddy, not today.

(Image: matchingfoodandwine.com.)

Boldly Go

I do understand, at least in the abstract sense, that some people neither like nor get Star Trek. Although what could possibly be more fun than a weekday matinee watching Kirk and crew warp around the galaxy? (Guess I just outed myself for leaving the office early yesterday - but I worked really, really hard all weekend in Halifax.) If you're holding back because you think the film isn't sophisticated enough or something, do remember the series/cinema has its origins in the elegant and thoughtful The Menagerie, a deft and pleasing two-parter.

(Image: sliceofscifi.com.)

Today is the birthday of Frank Stella, famed American minimalist (except for when he was a 'maximalist').

(Image: Harran II, 1967.)

So, yesterday we have a thunder and lightning storm, and now the air is full of blustery snow. This is not something we want or need to see - but,

May snow

is thought to have special curative powers; you need to save the melted water for treatment, especially of sore eyes. And hopefully we will soon have a real sight for sore eyes -namely sweet sunshine, leafy trees and lovely flowers. Halifax, for one, was full of these magnolias.

(Image: karenwinters.com.)

N. Q. Road Trip

This time tomorrow we'll be hitting the streets of Halifax, and amidst all the contacts we hope to make we also look forward to catching some great readings - i.e. our own

Sara Tilley

at Outside the Lines Bookstore tomorrow night at 7pm (fingers crossed - she's up for the Thomas Raddall Atlantic Fiction Prize). Once again if you are in the vicinity our subscription booth will be at the Scotiabank Theatre, St. Mary's University (we'll be easy to spot, surrounded by our beautiful Newfoundland artwork which a lucky subscriber will win). Or email us, you'll still be eligible for the draw. No postings while en route, unfortunately, but we'll talk Monday!

(Image: wallpaperme.com.)

Peter Pan

I'm writing about someone associated with Bowring Park (Clare Cochius Gillingham; her father designed the park and, even more famously, the WWI memorial parks in Belgium and France). Which made me think about the Peter Pan statue. Most people know it was commissioned by Sir Edward Renniw Bowring in memory of his little grandaughter, lost on the Florizel, but did you know it is one of six replicas found all over the world? Here is some more information on this most compelling work of public art.

(Image: playle.com.)

Medical Nomenclature

Ted Blades had a great interview late last week on how we name diseases. Among other things, his guest explained how we used to called things after what the patient experienced (consumption) and later retitled them to what the physicians saw (tuberculosis). A really interesting piece and I'm trying to link up to it; in the meantime here's Scott Feschuk 's take on the same issue.

(Image: mercantile.files.wordpress.com.)

Reports Due

We're gone a bit mad here getting our reports together. In lieu of my writing a half-sensible post, please accept these pretty flowers.

(Image: proflowers.com.)