Painterly light

You may be feeling the winter days are still way too short (although we're a month and a bit passed the longest night of the year!) but the sweet sunlight does have a specific, ethereal quality, so brilliant and yet askant. Painters like Claude Monet loved the elusive radiance of the season.

(Image: Winter At Giverny, hoocher.com.

Creation

It's not often a bunch of biology professors get together and write a letter to the editor about a movie, but yesterday's Telegram included a plea from just such a group - they had united in protest of the decision not to screen Creation in our cinemas. It's a valid point - good movie, wonderful cast, 200th Anniversary for Charles Darwin - doesn't take a biology degree to see we deserve to have a look at this picture. Here's hoping their epistle has some effect.

(Image: tribute.ca.)

Sigur Ros

The Directing class that's letting me tag along this semester screened a batch of student shorts last night - really smart, fun stuff. The soundtracks were neat, too - Moby, Mercy the Sexton, and this gorgeous group, who are like Norwegian or Finnish or whatever? Like they have all those umlauts and such. Anyway, you should check out this video for sure.

(Image: flickr.com.)

Empress rules

Josephine Bonaparte (nee de Tasher de la Pagerie; the former Josephine Beauharnais) had a fairly lively time of it. Celebrated for her charm and noted for her compassion, she was also glamourous, witty, generous, and a fierce hand at cards. If you haven't read Sandra Gulland's trilogy on her, do yourself a favour and grab 'em (should be at the library). It's the kind of read that could get you through a good part of February.

(image: foucet.cc.)

Petrina Bromley and Alison Woolridge break our hearts with ukeleles

C2C's Beautiful View hit a lot of high notes, but few things match a duet of strong, talented actresses ukelele-ing up and just going for that Pat Benatar cover.

(Image: wordpress.com.)

Beautiful buildings & beautiful views

Is (architectural) beauty in the eye of the beholder? Perhaps we can assign a few attributes to heralded structures - a graceful line, a sense of place, a knack for not blocking everyone's view of the harbour...but, I digress. Here is one take on the ten most gorgeous such examples, and, speaking of Beautiful Views, don't forget C2C's play running this weekend.

(Image: worldonaplate.org.)

Snow Day Ahead?

They say some weather is on the way. If it hits, here's hoping you don't have too much running around to do - in fact, maybe you'll find yourself in a nice warm kitchen stirring up some lovely soup.

(Image: heartofwisdom.com.)

Kings of Leon

How great is this band? So great I bought their latest cd - a rare event, believe me. But just check out this song, Closer, for one example - the beautiful calibration of voice, pace, instrumentality, and pure keen lonesomeness.

(Image: stevesword.com.)

Shortbreads - like mittens for the January soul

As we all know, the best thing to do on a windy winter morning is to stay in a warm kitchen and make cookies. Tomorrow I'll make a batch of these (when you take them out of the oven, sprinkle chocolate chips on top and let them melt, yum yum), which I will try to share, and not consume entirely by myself. Then the schedule becomes all things Sparks...I'll be back @ blog on Tuesday.

(Image: timeinc.net.)

Spark your Sunday

If you've been wandering through the January cityscape, beset by winds and longing for some poetry - or a novel or some non-fiction or a panel discussion on all three - take heart for the Sparks Literary Festival is scheduled for Sunday, with all kinds of great writers like Lisa Moore and Russell Wangersky, and it's Free yes Free, and the N.Q. will be there giving out magazines and all.

(Image: katewelch.com.)

The Lady Eve

This semester I'm sitting in on a Directing course; I'll eventually deliver three lectures and I wish I had the vocabulary to discuss black and white film. Actors don't perform like this anymore - kind of a shame, hey?

(Image: filmreference.com.)

NQ Survey

We're gearing up for a survey, trying to distill what you like (or don't) about the N. Q. How did you find us? What's your favourite part of the magazine? Have you ever given us as a gift? We're just at the drafting stage now - but if this short note has you in the mood for a personality quiz, here's a bunch of 'em.

(Image: gregsheadnet.)

NL Blogroll

Did you know there was an axis site for blogs published throughout Newfoundland and Labrador? All kinds of stuff, and they're having a contest and everything.

A recipe for chat

Perhaps you have crested the wave of holiday parties, fetes and dos only to realize you were so busy hobnobbing you didn't have time to actually talk with any friends. A nice winter brunch might be a solution. Hope your weekend brings you something so relaxed and tasty.

(Image: cityweekend.com.)

Republic of Doyle

All ready to tackle the challenges of the New Year, full of zest and grit and imagination? Me neither. My theory is that everyone should have January off, to sleep in a half hour late in the morning, spend lots of time at cafes with their friends, watch movies in the afternoon, and work on their novels. In fact perhaps much of February and even March could most productively be used in this manner. Anyways that's not how things are, so we all need a little something fun we can look forward to - and Republic of Doyle is definitely going to help me through this part of the calendar.

(Image: globeandmail.com.)