Literary Portrait #1: Alfred's Secret

I have decided to introduce a new feature to [the little spruce tree], it's called "Literary Portrait". One of life's simple pleasures is to sit and watch people, and I wanted to incorporate that experience of inquisitive observation into this space - to simulate the moment through words. I simply write what I am experiencing (thoughts, emotions, questions,etc) which is influenced by the interactions of the social space.

Let me know if you have any thoughts/reactions to it.



I have been here for nearly an hour. Sipping scalding Earl Grey, picking at a buttery croissant, and doing my best to absorb the information that my textbook dangles before me.

Then he enters.

A man of 80 years, perhaps. He looks like an "Alfred".

Alfred whistles along to the sad jazz music that plays as he takes of his snow covered boots and places on indoor shoes. He wears a gold watch and a ring on the right finger. There is something right about him. On his head sits a wool cap that is removed to reveal whispy white hair and a small bald area.

He is old, but seems joyful... and I am mesmerized by this.

Alfred speaks to me briefly in French, and I reply shyly with my limited skills, wishing that I could better honour his willingness to engage me. He tells me how lovely this space is; this cafe where funeral home and art gallery and library softly find a meeting point. Often there is death in the air, but Alfred seems to keep it at bay with unabashed life.

He walks to the back to speak with the girls who work here. The seem happy to humour him and exchange French words like free flowing traffic moving in opposite directions. He hovers there longer than socially appropriate, perhaps wanting to savour the interactions.

One of the girls brings a coffee to his seat, and he commences to hum again. The music from the stereo has stopped in the cafe and his quick tune fills the space. He sits, coffee sipping and flipping through his newspaper.

Alfred's face is long; time has pulled on his cheeks with indifference to any aspiration of maintaining youth.

The music recommences and Alfred adds more hot milk to his espresso. He sips and says, "C'est bon, le café". The newspaper rests at the crossword and he holds a pencil in his right hand while humming once more at the music.

I do my best not to stare, but I want to witness his moves. I want to soak in his ability to be alive. I want to ask him how he has maintained his spirit.

Alfred holds a secret.

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tree/plugs

Here´s what´s good in the world:


[heard] Mika. If you haven’t heard (and loved) Grace Kelly on the radio by now, then you are officially being diagnosed with the boring bug. Mika’s debut album, Life in Cartoon Motion, is sweeping through the land faster than herpes at a whorehouse.

In Billy Brown he sings about a married man falling “victim of the times”, poor Billy falls in love with another man. Mika gives a nod to fat girls everywhere in Big Girl (You are Beautiful), saying that ya’ll have “curves in all the right places”. He even gets a bit sentimental in Happy Ending, calling for a “little bit of love” for all of those who have been burnt by love. It’s campy, it’s light, it’s sassy, it’s fun, and it’s sugary pop perfection… just in time for summer.

I just want to pinch his cheek(s).


[read] Dwell. A magazine subscription is great because it guarantees that I will get at least one thing in the mail per month that is not a bill. A Dwell subscription is great because I get 100 pages of beautiful design (homes, appliances, art, and more), reviews of household products, and sustainable ideas to make my life functional and fabulous. The magazine is for those who appreciate good design but haven’t yet had the opportunity to go to art school; it is accessible, but tasteful.

Core values of the magazine include creating spaces and objects that are environmentally sustainable, that build community, and that are beautiful. I am converted. It’s time to start accepting the fact that we don’t have to compromise form and function… everything we buy should work wonderfully and look beautiful.

Now it’s up to us as consumers to demand this.



[seen] Shut Up and Sing. There is something about a sharp-tongued southern gal that makes my heart go pitter-patter. In the spring of 2003, Natalie Maines spitted out a phrase that would cause years of turmoil for The Dixie Chicks… “We’re ashamed that George Bush is from Texas”.

The filmmakers take us along a journey of intense pro-American backlash and the impact that Maines’ words had. Shown are three intelligent women who understand the music industry game they are playing, who have a sense of humour about their scenario, and who are willing to speak out for freedom of speech. It’s more than a documentary about a country band; it’s about standing up for what you believe in.

The Dixie Chicks, I believe in.



[experienced] Hedonism - the philosophy that focuses on increasing pleasure.

For the past month, I have been lucky to have some down time to recover from a hectic school year and enjoy a slower pace of life. I have watched movies, read a novel, practiced yoga, made a video, and spent leisurely hours with friends. It was basically about enjoying life and being good to myself.

Is it okay to pause? To take extended time for self? Is it a privilege or a right? Could we go as far as saying that self-indulgence could lead to enlightenment?

You tell me.

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"Society better get used to..."

Speaking of "deviant" sexual behaviour, the CBC Archives has some really amazing footage of a 1950's television special on homosexuality, as well as other footage throughout the past 50 years.

It is quite the marker of a cultural shift.

From the CBC Archives:

"It's 1959, and homosexuality is a topic few are willing to discuss. Like some of the people interviewed on the street in this CBC Television clip, many believe that homosexuals should be locked up. Most in the medical profession believe homosexuality is, at best, a psychiatric problem. But a gay man — interviewed in silhouette to protect his identity — says society has to get used to homosexuals, and not the other way around..."

Take me to the archives...

May is Masterbation Month!

Don't believe what you read!!! Every time you masterbate this month,
God will reduce a vote from the Conservative Party for the next Federal election!

So May is Masterbation Month! (but as if you need ME to tell you that..) And in honour of hairy palms and being thrown in insane asylums (see below), I have decided to share an article from one of my favourite columnists, Ms. Josey Vogels. Enjoy!



Self Reflection

It was viewed as the crack cocaine of sexuality, writes Thomas W. Laqueur about masturbation in the 18th century.

“It was prone to excess as no other kind of venery was […] it had no bounds in reality, because it was a creature of the imagination,” Laqueur writes of the beliefs surrounding onanism, in his exhaustive history of the practice Solitary Sex: A Cultural History of Masturbation (Zone Books).

So much for the Age of Enlightment...

Take me to the rest of the article!

Throughout the ages, Ken has always been a classic wanker...

Space for Growth

To live is to change: our bodies change, our perspectives develop, our knowledge levels grow, our relationships evolve. Change is the only constant that I know. It is unavoidable, unpredictable, and, at times, uncontrollable. What is here today may be gone tomorrow, and what is currently absent in our lives may appear over time.

Change can force a reaction. Often we counterpoise to limit the impact of events or losses or moves; we struggle to maintain our equilibriums. At times we fear change because we don't know what will happen to our balance. The unknown is scary.

But change can also be proactive. To a certain degree, we have the abilities to define what changes we would like and what we can avoid. We can author our own plot twists.

As such, I have made a video to honour the process of welcoming change.

Happy 100th!

Guess what? This is the 100th post of [the little spruce tree]! Can you believe it?

"Actually... yes", says you.

"Well thanks for raining on my parade", I say.

"Shut up and write", you say.

"Oh... okay"

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So with out further adieu, I will present five of my favourite posts from the archives. Perhaps you've read them before, perhaps not. Either way, I wanted to take the opportunity to look back and revisit some of the highlights. This is [the little spruce tree] at its best...

• Professional Crastinator (April 06). This was one of my earliest posts. Because I try to post something every 3 or 4 days, I was feeling pressured to post something, but I had no idea what to write about (creative block)... so I wrote about nothing. Definitely one of my funnier moments.

• On Romanticism (June 06). Without expecting it, this simple "ode to romanticism" became one of my most controversial posts with some interesting comments. I was so stoked that someone had chosen to engage/challenge me that I devoted a whole post to responding (see July 06 archives).

• Graphing the Glory (September 06). A good image can take a post to a higher level. This was a great example where I found the perfect image to accompany what I was writing about. Looking back, I crack up at the thought of my "motley theory of karmatic emotional equilibrium"... vintage Baylis ramblings.

• Urgent Resolutions! (January 07). I feel confident with a post if I laugh out loud when I write it. I was in the library giggling as I imagined myself "dry-humping bar stools"... [the little spruce tree] aspires to mix introspection and humour, I felt like I succeeded here.

• Let's Talk about Sex (February 07). I love to talk about sex. It was a pleasure to sit down with my friend, Mylene, and chat about what is sexy and why. Plus, I interviewed International Mr. Leather! It was all very satisfying for me... tee-hee.

So thanks for reading... and remember that your feedback is always welcome.

Please stick around to see what the next 100 will look like!

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Carbon Neutral...

[from the David Suzuki Foundation Website]

Climate change is a serious problem, caused primarily by the carbon dioxide released from burning fossil fuels like oil, coal, and gas. But there are things we can do about it - like choosing to go carbon neutral.

Going carbon neutral is an easy way to take responsibility for the greenhouse gas emissions we create every time we drive our cars, take a plane, or turn on our computers. It's based on the principle that, since climate change is a global problem, an emission reduction made elsewhere has the same positive effect as one made locally.

Here's how it works: if you add polluting emissions to the atmosphere, you can effectively subtract them by purchasing 'carbon offsets'. Carbon offsets are simply credits for emission reductions achieved by projects elsewhere, such as wind farms, solar installations, or energy efficiency projects. By purchasing these credits, you can apply them to your own emissions and reduce your net climate impact.


Why Go Carbon Neutral?

Keep reading to find out...

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