Festival Log

OCTOBER 11, 2005 BY SUSAN J

I’ve just arrived in Calgary for Wordfest and am pleased to report that the hotel is very nice. It’s so nice that I’ve put my clothes away in the bureau provided in the hopes that they’ll soak up some class while they are in there. The toiletries are eminently steal-able. The hotel hasn’t gone overboard like the Fort Garry in Winnipeg and provided L’Occitane, but the house brand looks very smart and smells good.

I would do a bit of writing and take a bath while waiting for my clothes to absorb the ambiance of the room, but I have to get ready to go for dinner. Apparently I will be one of the guests at a fundraising dinner in an hour or so. I will be seated with six Wordfest patrons. Now, I’m not saying that they aren’t going to get their money’s worth, but I will note that I’m not always the most stimulating conversationalist. James is accustomed to me, and Frank and Tango rarely complain due to their tenuous grasp of English, but all of my men do occasionally, through looks and gestures, let me know that I can be a little… removed. Not with it. Spaced out.

James deals with it by sighing and saying things like “Hello! Hello! Remember me? We are married. We are sometimes supposed to exchange words that aren’t typed.” Then he jumps up and down and sometimes dances, which I always enjoy. That’s my cue to put down my book and smile.

Frank head-butts me in the thigh until I babytalk to him while hand-feeding him biscuits. Fortunately, I don’t have to stop reading to do this. Tango also head-butts me to get my attention, but when he does it I tend to go flying across the barn and frequently end up more spaced out and silent than before. Dazed, you might even say.

Tango’s new to our family and has a lot to learn about getting me to focus. As James and Frank would tell him, a combination of howling and dancing is much more effective than violence. God, I hope none of the Wordfest guests tonight get violent when they realize what a conversational dud I am. Maybe I could convince one or more of them to dance for me…

What I do have to offer tonight’s dinner guests is the ability to eat large quantities of food very, very quickly. I hope it’s Chinese food. Then I’ll really give them something to remember!

I’m looking forward to reading tomorrow with Sheree Fitch, who is a much loved Canadian children’s writer who has a new YA out called The Gravesavers. It’s very exciting and stars a girl named Cinnamon and a very tragic piece of Canadian maritime history.

Until later.

FILED UNDER: DEFIES CATEGORIZATION