Pat Blythe – Openings, Bands and Music…Playing Catch-Up….

Openers…….

Today is a bright but chilly October day. (great opening line huh?) Then there’s Snoopy’s book opening….“It was a dark and stormy night.” Okay, how about “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” (Tales of Two Cities – Charles Dickens) Or, “It’s a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.” (Pride and Prejudice – Jane Austen) THAT was a different time….most definitely. Then there’s, “It was the afternoon of my eighty-first birthday and I was in bed with my catamite when Ali announced that the archbishop had come to see me.” (Earthly Powers – Anthony Burgess). I can’t even begin to imagine explaining that one. How about, “I write this sitting at the kitchen sink”. (Capture the Castle – Dodie Smith). That’s sure to grab attention…..and apparently it did. “It was a queer, sultry summer, the summer they electrocuted the Rosenbergs and I don’t know what I was doing in New York.” (The Bell Jar – Sylvia Plath). Confused, frustrated, a chronic depressive, Plath committed suicide by sticking her head in a gas oven at the very young age of 30, leaving behind two young children. “You’ve no choice, look back.” (The Story of Hansel and Gretel – Louise Murphy) We must learn from the past. “It was a bright cold day in April and the clocks were striking thirteen.” (1984 – George Orwell) Canada’s pants would do well to pay attention. Apparently they’re not paying attention to Hansel or Gretel.

Pat Blythe – Blues, Rock and a Fond Farewell….

My first AirBnB guest has arrived. A Brooklyn girl from NYC. A very young (emphasis on the word “young”), freelance film producer who has one of her works showing at the Female Eye Film Festival. Jessica has never been to Toronto before although this is the second time one of her films has been selected to show. With only two full days, unfortunately she won’t have an opportunity to really experience The Big Smoke. However, she was asking me if I knew any clubs with live music…..REALLY!!!

Segarini: Greatness

I have always been amused by self improvement books. The best of them are well intentioned, homily fueled screeds couched in common sense and written in the confident prose of an educated and caring individual who shares his or her triumph over a similar situation shared by the reader. They attempt to build confidence, offer advice, and lay out a step by step plan that, properly initiated and followed, will result in the reader becoming whatever kind of ‘better’ person they desire to be. On one hand, these books can give comfort and focus to a person, a leg up on coming to terms with their problems, and at least the hope of one day being free of whatever it is they think is holding them back. On the other hand, if the author’s blueprint for personal success doesn’t work for the reader, he or she might end up in a bell tower with a high powered rifle, a case of ammo, and a bottle of decent whiskey. Why do we put ourselves through all the self doubt and brutal self-assessment that feeds this ever growing self-help cottage industry? We all want to be great.