Silly Season is upon us!

The Silly Season begins at the stroke of midnight tonight.

Gone will be the pumpkins, ghosts and goblins, only to be replaced by sleigh bells, Scrooge and cellphone commercials.

Of course, this isn't my first rant on the subject of Christmas. Like the holidays themselves, I am prone to repeating myself every year at this time.

In 2007, I published a student paper in the Georgetown University Critical Theory Journal entitled "Sameness, Repetition and the Function of Christmas," (pg 30).

In the paper I refer to Christmas as a "psychotechnology," (György Markus' term) and suggest it is a form of managed behaviour. Every year we set out to have a happy holiday yet our expectations are thwarted and we find ourselves disappointed and emotionally hungover once the event has ended.

By looking critically at our habits and performance at this time of year we could learn something about the expectations we pack into our rituals and come to understand that this emotional hangover, or boredom, is a catalyst.

"Our needs and desires are ultimately liberating because they contribute to the mechanism of standardization, which in turn, can lead to an understanding of our needs and desires," (pg 36).

We can only acknowledge our predicament once we've gone through it. For some of us, we need several attempts. But it starts by realizing boredom is not something to be feared. It is the way out.

So, take care this holiday season.

Hey, you, get off of my mat!

Nothing like a Rosedale yoga class to get your blood boiling.

Yeah, I know - this isn't what you'd expect from yoga, but hear me out.

There is a core group of women who attend the class I like to take on Sundays. They seem to know each other or have come to know each other through the class.

Most people spend the time before a class begins lying on their mat, practicing their breathing and calming their minds. Not these ladies.

They show little consideration for other students in the studio and stand around gabbing to each other without a thought about the people trying to relax before the class starts.

When they get props - blocks, bolsters or straps - from one of the double closets that line the south side of the studio, they leave the doors wide open. Who cares about the person sitting near the closets?

But their bad behaviour doesn't end there. They also walk across other people's mats - mine included - on their way to-and-from the closet!

Clearly, they don't know the significance of the mat, and probably see it as mere padding for the knees.

The yoga mat is my practice space, a clearly delineated haven where I come face-to-face with my thoughts and delusions. In this way, it is a sacred space, and unlike the mat in the front foyer of one's home, it is not intended for people to trod across mindlessly.

So, hey, you - get off of my mat!

Wahoo - Jan Wong!

I just read the latest post on Lizz Bryce's blog, A letter to Jan Wong.  It seems Lizz's reply to a Jan Wong article, Get off the Road ... (September issue, Toronto Life), was printed in the Nov. issue.

I haven't read the Wong article yet, but judging from Lizz's reply and the comments posted on the TL website, it looks like Wong has drawn the ire of Lizz and a host of pissed-off Torontonians!


Stay tuned ... I'm going to read the article, see what's causing all the fuss!

Ten Ten Ten: Just another day!

Yesterday was October 10, 2010, or 10 | 10 | 10 as the news reporters and the superstitious like to say.

It is novel, but does it really make a difference that the day, month and year are all the same number? I think there are 2 more left (11-11-11 and 12-12-12) and that's if for a long time.

Some people planned the birth of their child to fall on this day (by caesarean if necessary!), City Hall even performed marriage ceremonies - unusual because they don't normally work on a Sunday.

The claim is that 10 | 10 | 10 suggests perfection, a wholeness because it contains the other numbers 1 through 9, but for me, it makes me think of binary code. On, off, on, off ...

I spent most of it walking the Waterfront Trail from Neville Park to Rosetta McClain Gardens.

I brought my camera along with me, as I usually do when I when I go for a walk. I didn't see perfection - at least I don't think I did (would I know it if I saw it?), but I did see some pretty ordinary things.