The last day of February...

...which means tomorrow is the first of March, which means there is one month left for our subscription contest. Press release: #1 on the to-do list. And it's one month 'till our Spring issue publishes so #2 of course is contacting our readers whose subscriptions have just lapsed - adding those "Time to Renew!" sticker reminders to the NQ sub cards works for some, but not for all, so we make it our job to email and call - this bunch being known to us as "the 438s". #3 is to continue with our gathering and editing material; we're especially excited about a piece coming from a certain prominent and celebrated author, whose name starts with Bernice and ends with Morgan; we can hardly wait to cast our editorial eyes over that.

(Image, by Rae Perlin, courtesy agnl, www.heritage.nf.ca.)

Here's to midterm

It's quiet around campus today...too quiet.
Well, though, what can we expect; it's midterm break. Those first exams are written and papers handed in, and the students are no doubt using this time wisely, studying and prepping for class and so on. Or, whatever. Midterm Break, that seasonal restorative, has inspired a number of films and even a poem by Seamus Heaney (emotional warning: it's not what you'd call chipper). Some other places even twin it with a Family Day, on the idea that anything that gets you through February is, well, a bit of a Godsend, frankly. You may also choose to hoist one of these.

(Image: elle.com.)

Where's my wandering parakeet?*

Perhaps you're mad about Valentine's Day, perhaps you're just mad that it is Valentine's Day, or perhaps you haven't noticed what day it is (except that it's three weeks to our Spring Issue copy deadline, of course). If you'd rather ignore the day altogether, that's your prerogative. But if you'd like to mark it, either solo or as part of a duet, then I say tuck yourself away from these February winds, raise a champagne toast to The Philadelphia Story (or whatever), and unwrap one or three red-foil-wrapped chocolate hearts.

(Image: 3.bp.blogspot.com.)
*Liz Imbrie, seeking an awol Macaulay Connor, TPS.

Fine tuning February

One month to copy deadline, and February is one quarter fini. It is hard to get through this time of year. I have been treating myself to nice flowers and great theatre - The Fights, Pains of Youth, The Drawer Boy - and next up are two pieces by Anton Chekhov, The Proposal and The Dangers of Tobacco, opening at the Basement Theatre Feb. 16. Plus I ordered Beethoven's Symphony no 7 - the 2nd movement is the piece of music that plays at the climax of The King's Speech, in case you were wondering; I was, so I asked my classical-music-playing sister. And the record Jason Statham plays whilst chilling between assassinations in The Mechanic? That would be Schubert's Trio in E-Flat, Op. 100. Culture, culture everywhere.

(Image: Schubert at the Piano, by Gustav Klimt.)