I am spending part of this sunny Canada Day writing my next fashion column for Comment.

I often find myself asking the question: what’s the point of writing about fashion? (Or about any topic for that matter, be it strollers, art, bike rides — just a few of the articles I have in process at the moment). And then I stumble across a bit like this that reminds me that all things in life, if seen in the right light, have value, importance, even spiritual significance.

Syliva Plath seems an unlikely source but, then again, God’s great legacy is using the broken of us, right?

“…I wrote a very clever essay ostensibly in praise of style in all its forms as a religious devotee of style, defining it is that order, line, form, and rhythm in everything from the sonnet to the whalebone corset which renders the unruly natural world to becoming bearable.” - 

Sylvia Plath in Letters Home

Happy Canada Day everyone!

I fear for the beloved mother corp. Read the news here, here and here.

I fell for the CBC, and public broadcasting at-large, through my liberal communication studies at Simon Fraser University. Reading McChesney’s Corporate Media and the Threat to Democracy solidified it for me. Still does. To my mind, these are fearful days. We are on the brink of losing public broadcasting in this country.

Why do some parts of the country (the world?) have milk in bags, and others in cartons? Ontario is a bag province and it seems me the refillable milk pitchers are an environmental choice. They’re even used here in Toronto’s Starbucks. 

I just found this image — Is Canada the only country in the world with milk in bags?

Answers anyone?

The view from our 32nd floor condo 

I have been (lovingly) harassed to post an update from Coldsville, Ontario.

To begin I have only seven words: I. Am. Not. A. Creature. Of. Cold.

It’s official. I prefer rain over snow. Walkable seawalls over highrises. Outdoor boutiques over underground labyrinths. But here we are. In Toronto.

It’s been two weeks since I arrived and it’s taken that long to adjust, more or less, to my new surroundings. Luckily it snowed over the weekend so it was warm enough to go outside. Read that sentence again. It is wrong. But as Michael reminds me, every other part of the country other than Vancouver is ‘truly Canadian.’ Hogwash I say. Vancouver is truly Canadian and every Canuck in their right mind should move there. Immediately.

But here I am. In Toronto. The bad Good. (I am learning.)  

Michael is really enjoying his work which is making it worth it. Also, Matthew Cowper came to visit this weekend which was solid. He was staying with a religious order downtown. We ate at the New Yorker Deli (the only down-to-earth and affordable digs I’ve located so far) and he pointed us at Paper Things, a lovely stationary shop in Yorkville.

We eat out a lot. I can’t stand cooking on a hot plate. Don’t ask me why. I’m eating a lot of white cheddar, gala apples and Raincoast Crisps. And I watch a lot of CBC Newsworld, What Not to Wear and Jon & Kate Plus 8. A LOT.

I’m going to go google: “cool, free, warm things to do in the centre of the world.” If you know some, I welcome your suggestions.

Chilly in Central Canada, 

Christina

Warning: this post may will include partisan overtures.

 IGGY IS IN, and Rae is out for the leadership of the Liberal Party and it’s the best news I’ve heard all week.

In the fall of 2006 Michael and I travelled to Montreal to support Ignatieff at the 2006 Biennial Leadership Convention. Here we witnessed Dion’s unexpected win and Ignatieff’s gracious concession (even though he’d led in the race in all but the last vote.) The juxtaposition of Ignatieff’s concession and Dion’s befuddled acceptance speech revealed what promised to be a difficult road for the Canadian Reds.  

….

Here’s my original post from December 2, 2006:

tous ensemble .

many people have been sending me their regrets because michael ignatieff, my candidate at the 2006 biennial convention , lost the liberal leadership race. to be honest the melancholy didn’t kick-in until after going home saturday night and watching three hours of convention news coverage. watching ignatieff’s speeches again made me feel deep regret, that canadians were missing out on the leadership of one of the most passionate, inspiring and intelligent minds of our day.

* watch ignatieff’s candidate speech here.

in the words of my friend sarah , fellow liberal and soon-to-be new roommate: “this is not to say I am disappointed with dion. i am disappointed ignatieff lost. here is a man who had the charisma to inspire a nation , who is a fresh face in the Liberal party who itself is renewing, who has bold ideas and vision and is more than skilled in both official languages. dion just does not have the same presence.” (read her blog here ) 

dion and ignatieff’s shared commitment to the environment (dion is the former minister of environment and iggy’s policy on the environment, committing to lower emissions by 50% of 1990 levels by 2050, was unparallelled;) their history of academic acheivement (both are former professors, ignatieff teaching at cambridge, oxford, the london school of economics, and most recently harvard); as well as their desire to see canada lead as a middle-power on the international stage, brought them to the final ballot on saturday night.

in the end experience won out.  

the press may have been reporting that it was a done deal (in dion’s favour) but on the convention floor, at montreal’s palais de congres, no one knew which way it would go. delegates were scrambling, signs were swaying, buttons were flashing, people were texting…  it was madness and all 6000 delegates plus staffers and journalists, were holding their breath.

when the results were announced the green-clad dion camp went wild while us iggy-kids were left straining to hear how close the final vote had been. not by much, but dion had done it.

stephane dion has years of political experience, a man of integrity and a faithful public servant. he is a tried and tested member of parliament who has contended for canadian unity year after year. the election of this soft-spoken francophone was a definite surprise but i must concede, a good choice for canadians. dion will continue to gain the trust of canadians the nation over and will prove himself to be what he is: a man of integrity, conviction, intelligence and humility.

speaking of dion’s win, ignatieff himself said: “we have chosen a great leader. we have chosen a man of principles, a man with a vision, a man with courage, a man with conviction. and he will have my support.”

“tous ensemble… all together.”

here’s to fair, grass-roots, democratic politics.  i am glad to have been a part.

…….

Today you’ll find me smiling. 

Go Iggy Go!

Why are we so obsessed with secrets?

Think of the Post Secret phenom: hundreds of thousands of people writing their darkest secrets on postcards and sharing them with the world. Or consider the runaway self-help tome with the same title: The Secret. What’s it all about?

Author Anne Lamott sheds some light on the ‘secret obsession’ when she writes: “When people shine a little light on their monster, we find out how similar most of our moments are.” (From Bird by Bird, 1995)

The honesty of others gives us permission.

Lamott continues, “…when people let their monsters out for a little on stage interview, it turns out that we’ve all done or gone through the same things… We don’t end up with a brand on our forehead. Instead, we compare notes.”

Not to get all churchy or anything – but this description reminds me of the stories of Jesus moving about the ‘outcasts’ with ease. He gave people permission to be real – to be human – in a way the religious elite and wider society of his time did not.

In a controversial piece of Scripture, Jesus, who encounters a woman condemned for adultery, challenges: “They that have no sin, cast the first stone.” (John 7:53-8:11)

Jesus leveled the playing field.

Are there people in your life like that? People who have stood by you no matter what? No matter what dark secrets you’ve exposed? Do you feel free to let your guard down with them? If Jesus were here now, would you feel free to tell him?

(Image: Sculpture by Cliff Baldwin. Fulton Ferry State Park, Brooklyn, NY 1991)

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Originally posted on the SoulChat blog.