YouTube has these videos about the weirdness of the week between Christmas and New Year’s—that time when it gets particularly hard to remember what day of the week it is and you find yourself subsisting mostly on decadent leftovers. For example:
Hmm, I guess YouTube Shorts display really big in WordPress…?
Being retired also brings with a certain amount of having to work to remember what day of the week it is anyway, and I can confirm that this is only gets worse the week between Christmas and New Year’s, when whatever usual weekly activities you have set up are often cancelled or moved. So that the week did feel a bit “off” wasn’t too surprising.
What I hadn’t expected was the way that Christmas Day itself really snuck up on me. In my working times, I’d typically have the week between Christmas and New Year’s off, and usually a few days before Christmas, too. And I would plan ahead for that. What am I going to cook when. What events will I attend. What back burner projects will I move onto that front burner.
But now… Well… That’s closer to what my life is generally like so I didn’t need all these “special” plans. But, I did still want to do a Christmas dinner and maybe a few other event? And I didn’t want to be grocery shopping on Christmas Eve, and events weren’t going to plan themselves. I had to get on it.
I’d heard on a podcast that it was good for couples to do “novel activities” together.
On another podcast came the comment that Landmark Theatres were far superior to the more dominant Cineplex ones. We have a Landmark Theatre close by.
In the newspaper, I’d read how Aziz Ansari had fought to have his new movie get a theatrical release. And that he’d cast a bunch of Canadian actors in it, albeit not because they were Canadian.
On the shared calendar, I saw that we had an opening Monday afternoon.
Hence Jean and I found ourselves at Landmark Cinemas for a matinee showing of Good Fortune.
Now, by this point the movie had been out for about four weeks and it was, you know, Monday afternoon. So this wasn’t a true “watching with a crowd” experience, given that there were only about two other people in attendance. But—notwithstanding our having gone to see a physics documentary at the Princess Cinema last month—it had been so long since we’d gone to a chain theatre, this seemed to qualify as a “novel” experience.
Plus, you know, Monday afternoon! On a non-holiday! Novel!
The Landmark was nice. We sprung for a few extra bucks to sit in the premium seats with recliners, heaters, a coat hook, and such. The screen was big. The movie was high definition. The sound was surround.
And the story was entertaining. The trailer is a pretty accurate synopsis: Arj, played by Ansari, is trying to stay afloat with part-time and “gig economy” jobs—and not entirely succeeding. He captures the attention of Gabriel, an angel played by Keanu Reeves, who longs to make bigger gestures than saving people from texting and driving. Though advised against it by his supervisor, Gabriel tries to show Arj that money wouldn’t solve all his problems by having him trade places with Jeff, played by Seth Rogen, a wealthy “tech bro” that Arj has been doing errands for. Only Arj very much enjoys living Jeff’s life and doesn’t particularly want to go back, setting off a chain of cosmic chaos.
It’s quite funny, it moves at a good clip (it’s about 90 minutes long), and it has a strong cast. It is pretty delightful seeing Keanu Reeves as a “budget angel”.
But, it’s kind of excruciating sitting through the struggles of Arj, and then Jeff, and also romantic foil Elena (played by Keke Palmer), working so hard for so little while Jeff, and then Arj, live in such leisure, comfort, and luxury. Because it is so true. And because I know which side of that spectrum I’m closer to (sitting in my premium seat, on a Monday afternoon).
Warning that I’m about to be a little spoilery about the ending…
We selected Prince Edward County as the destination for our first post-retirement vacation together. Although we waited until late enough in October that we missed out on all the unseasonably warm Fall weather, we were still able to get some hikes in. And despite having visited this area a number of times previously, we still had some new experiences.
Highlights were:
The quite fascinating tour of the S.S. Keewatin, a decommissioned luxury cruise ship, at the Great Lakes Museum in Kingston.
Staying at the Jackson’s Falls Inn in Milford, where we enjoyed a king suite with Nespresso machine, excellent breakfasts, and an included Netflix account (hello, The Diplomat Season 3).
The informative and basically private wine tasting stop at Sugarbush Vineyards in Hillier, makers of excellent Viognier and Cab Franc and experimenters with adding a bit of maple syrup to wine (not bad!).
Dinner at the cozy Hartley’s Tavern in Picton, whose casual name belies the excellent food and service provided.
A rather stunning beach walk at the Prince Edward County Bird Observatory.
Finally making it to Three Dog Winery in Picton, where we enjoyed their excellent charcuterie board along with tastes of a good portfolio of red, white, and sparkling wines.
The S.S. Keewatin. We went aboard!The beach at Prince Edward County Bird Sanctuary.
I’d sometimes feel a little prickly when people would ask what I planned to do when I retired. For one thing, how do I know, really, until I actually have that extra 37.5 hours per week? For another thing, I figured some of the things I expected I’d be doing wouldn’t sound interesting to other people.
Some things I’ve done:
Made a tiny apple pie (just as much work as a full-size pie, fyi)
Tried out Jean’s ebike to see whether I like certain features for myself
Finally switched out my Windows 10 PC for a Windows 11 one
Researched a suitable cat food substitute for a flavor that’s been discontinued
Are you not entertained?
I have a habit of overthinking regardless, but I hadn’t quite realized that so many things could be re-thought. Like, what time should I set the alarm? Does doing groceries once a week still make sense? How long should my workouts be? Do I have French press coffee every day now? (Answers so far: I’ll try adjusting it every three weeks or so to roughly match sunrise; no, every six days works better; slightly longer than before, unless I’m too busy or tired that day; and no, on busier mornings I’ll go with filtered coffee.)
We aren’t planning a big trip yet; just some small trips.
But, I have done a few local things that are more interesting to describe.
Fun with physics
Waterloo is home to the Perimeter Institute (PI) for Theoretical Physics, which Jean likes to take pictures of. They periodically have free public lectures. I hadn’t been in years, but decided to sign up for one called “How the Universe Ends”, by Dr. Katie Mack, both because that sounded interesting, and because I follow Dr. Mack on Bluesky (where she’s astrokatie), and I think she’s cool.
Not a recent shot of the Perimeter Institute; it’s been quite nice and warm here lately!
The talks are now held at the nearby Centre for International Governance rather than at PI, which allows for more attendants. They also livestream them. Nevertheless, the event was still sold out.
It’s always mind-blowing (for me, anyway) to be reminded that our planet is just one of several big rocks rotating around one star among billions of stars in one galaxy among billions of galaxies that comprise an ever-expanding universe—and we’re not sure whether there’s only one of those.
The talk wasn’t about when and how the Earth will end (as that isn’t too much of a mystery), but the universe. There are several theories about that. Dr. Mack outlined four of them, all in a very entertaining fashion. (And for public health fans wondering, yes, she gave her talk while wearing an N95 mask.)
About a week after that, Jean and I went to the Princess Cinema to see a free movie sponsored by PI that Dr. Mack had mentioned in her talk: Particle Fever. This documentary was about the development of the Hadron Collider, which led to the discovery of the Bose Hickson particle. That might sound dry, but in fact, it was so fascinating! Even the woman introducing it (who was from PI, I assume?) commented that she was so surprised how good this movie was.
We knew that two people were going to be available to take questions afterward, but I hadn’t realized that the two people would be the film director and one of the physicists featured in the documentary. (I had thought it would just be generic physicists from PI.) Getting their insights into the making of this film was really cool as well. It took four years and, going in, they had no idea if the Collider would even work and, if it did, what it might uncover. The Hickson particle was discovered three years into filming, requiring a complete re-edit of the whole thing and another year of footage.
Feeding the world
Or, feeding a few beings in my little corner of the world, anyway.
I’m still doing cat shelter volunteering, at slightly increased frequency, though I haven’t picked a regular day per week, preferring to select based on what else is going on that week crossed with when they seem to need people most. Going there more often makes it easier to keep up with the kitty population and any changes in the care routine. I’m also getting to know a few of the other volunteers.
In the foreground is Shawnie, my little buddy. She used to be considered un-adoptable as she was so grouchy. Turns out she just had really sore teeth. Now she’s toothless and an absolute sweetheart.
And how did it go? Well, my plans were minimal—see family, see friends, do some outdoor dining while the dining is good… But even so, results were mixed.
Seeing family
Thanks to Jean arranging it (also with a number of his friends), I did get together with one of my sisters and brother-in-law for a canoe trip down the Grand River. The trip started just upstream of a small waterfall. We then had to stop ourselves before going down said waterfall, and maneuver the boats (and people) down it from the side, while walking on rocks and sloshing in water.
Post waterfall. I’m not related to any of these people, but they were on this canoe trip with us!
This was a rather stressful start to the trip, particularly for my sister and brother-in-law, who, at that point, were still working on just getting the canoe to go in the direction they wanted. But we did all get through it.
And after that, it was a lovely trip down the river on a nice sunny day! (Or what Jean called “the boring part”.)
The long weekend of August, we travelled to Timmins—and so did both of my sisters! We stayed with Dad, and my brother hosted all of us for dinner one night, along with a few other local relatives. The occasion, we declared, was Dad’s pending 90th birthday.
This is a Timmins resident, but again, not someone I’m related to.
That dinner, and the other dinners and gatherings we had that weekend, were great despite the wildfire smoke in the air. One of my sisters traveled with us, and we broke up the return trip by we stopping over in Orillia. The highlight there was a patio dinner at Picnic, a tapas and wine bar. It was a nice day, with better air quality, and really good food!
So, I’d say that was pretty successful, especially if you also consider the Quebec City family gathering we had earlier in the season, and that another sisters gathering is pending, in September.
Seeing friends
We did see some friends in Timmins, and we managed the Blackshop outing in July, and Jean sees his friends all the time. But due to certainly valid reasons such as trying to sell a house, or getting sick, or traveling, I haven’t been able to arrange too much else.
So in August, I stopped trying to wait on doing certain things until friends were available, and Jean and I just headedout à deux.
Outdoor dining and such like
So here’s the run-down of, I just realized, all new (to us) places we tried this month.
It’s been open for about three years, but it was our first time there.
Getting there: It’s in uptown Waterloo, so we biked there. They didn’t have a bike rack, but we found a spot to park the bikes in front of the (at the time) closed ice cream shop window.
Reserving: Uses Open Table, and allows you to select outdoor seating, which is nice.
Service: Not wonderfully outstanding, but not bad, either.
Ambiance: They do what they can to block off the street from the patio, but it is a street-side patio.
Drinks: Some of the best iced lattes we’ve ever had. And a pretty decent wine menu.
Food: We went for brunch, so it was that kind of thing. My French toast was nice, and Jean’s braised beef skillet was very good.
A historic building recently reopened at Victoria Park, now with patio. Our first time trying it since that happened.
Getting there: It is in downtown Kitchener, and we biked there. There was a nearby bike rack.
Reserving: Was not going to bother, as it was a weekday, but at the last minute I did request a reservation. They use Touch Bistro as the reservation service.
Service: Strange. Upon arrival, we asked to sit outside, but they said there was no room—though it looked as though there was? We said we’d wait a bit to see if room opened up, and went outside to spy on the patio tables. After maybe 10 minutes, we did see two people leave, so went back in to ask for their table. Which they agreed to seat us at. While waiting for that to be cleared, a few more people arrived, and they asked to sit outside, and were immediately told that wasn’t a problem. (?) I remain perplexed.
Ambiance: Beautiful patio, because Victoria Park is beautiful, and you get a great view of it from here.
Drinks: We both ordered off the very interesting mocktail list, and were both pleased with what we got.
Food: Very good fries / poutine. Jean said his burger was fine. I had the burrata grilled cheese, which was just way too much bread for the amount of cheese, the taste of which was further overwhelmed by the zucchini relish. When they saw I only ate half of the sandwich, they did discount its cost by 50%.
Believe this is a relatively new restaurant, with a partner one in Hamilton. This was our first visit.
Getting there: It’s in the Gaslight district of Cambridge, so we drove. Was a bit of a challenge finding parking.
Reserving: Recommended, so we did make them, on Touch Bistro. We were aiming for their seafood raw bar on the patio, and mentioned that in the reservation comments. We knew that option would get canceled in case of rain.
Service: The day was cloudy with risk of rain, so we weren’t sure what the restaurant would have decided to do about their seafood raw bar. On arrival, they told us that, despite what the Gaslight District tourist site said, they weren’t actually offering that menu at that time! Only brunch. However, they said they would still accommodate us and let us sit outside and order off raw seafood menu (and/or off the brunch).
I thought all that was excellent. Table service throughout the meal remained so.
Ambiance: Quite a nice patio, actually, because it’s in a quiet historic square in Cambridge. Restaurant indoors looked nice as well.
Drinks: They had a rose flight feature, whereupon you could pick three 2 oz servings among a choice of seven roses, one of which had apparently been dubbed the world’s best rosé. We were both intrigued by that, so we selected it and five others: two Ontario (one sparkling, one Pinot Noir), three French (“the best” and its cheaper cousin, along with another), and a Spanish. It was interesting comparing and contrasting those. “The best” was definitely the most complex, but the Spanish and the Ontario Pinot Noir were probably our favourites.
Food: From the raw bar menu, we had oysters (shared), tuna crudo (me), and crab (Jean). Everything was delicious, though the crab was messy to eat. From the brunch menu, I added smoked trout salad (no, I wasn’t sick of seafood) and Jean had a foie gras danish—which might not be the best way to serve foie gras, but was still a quality dish.
This is a winery near Guelph that serves wood-fired oven pizzas and charcuterie. It was our first visit.
Getting there: We drove. They have a parking lot.
Reserving: Suggested but not required, but we did make them, using Tock.
Service: We went on a Wednesday, a quiet day overall, but with mainly one person to handle visitors. A couple was finishing up their tasting when we arrived, meaning we had to wait a bit for our turn to select wine tastings and get our charcuterie delivered. That was all fine. The server was very knowledgeable.
Ambiance: The winery is on a bit of country road, on a property with walking trails, so it was nice to sit outside there—except that there were quite a few wasps this time of year!
Drinks: Jean expressed some dubiousness about a Guelph winery, but they actually make some pretty nice wines—including a non-alcoholic sparkling. They also do some ciders and fruit wines. And they let us try the reserve Meritage, even though it wasn’t on the tasting list.
Food: No pizza on Wednesdays (we knew that), but the charcuterie board was excellent. They made their own relishes and honeys and stuff and Jean wanted to buy them all, but at this point, they aren’t for sale other than as part of the charcuterie board.
In the summer, we like to do patios when the weather cooperates, but the pickings have become slimmer. In uptown Waterloo, our beloved Babylon Sisters Wine Bar closed over the winter, following the early closures of S&V Uptown and Redhouse. Loloan remains an option, but it’s a bit of pricey one. Solé is booming, possibly in part aided by their appearance on OpenTable’s top 100 outdoor dining spots. But this brings on another problem, in that it can be difficult to get a reservation for one of the coveted outdoor spots.
CBC ran a recent article on some of the best patio spots in Waterloo region, which reminded me of another option: Blackshop Restaurant and Wine Bar. The thing about Blackshop is that it’s in Cambridge, about a half-hour highway drive from Waterloo. It’s not inconceivably far, but is far enough that we don’t tend to think of it when pondering where to eat out. Hence, we haven’t been there in about 20 years.
It was in a different location then, and under different ownership—the same as Solé’s, at the time, but both have been sold since to different entities. I had no idea if it was any good anymore, but the menu looked promising enough, and it did have outdoor seating reservations available, even on a Friday night, and the weather forecast for that day was perfect. So off we went, with some friends.
The restaurant is on a busy street in Cambridge, but the restaurant building is set back from the street, with the patio at the back, nicely decorated with plants and red umbrellas, so it makes for a reasonably serene atmosphere. Part of the patio is covered, so usable even in case of rain, but this day we were able to sit in the open part.
The menu is manageable in size and fairly traditional, with appetizers such as soup, salad, and seared scallops; and main courses such as salmon, duck, and steak. Gluten-free, vegetarian, and vegan options are available as part of the standard menu.
The wine list is long and impressive, and even by the glass, there are some appealing and unusual options, such as Moscato, Appassimento, and Vacqueyras. There is also a nice cocktail list, including several no-alcohol options, one of which I tried—the hibiscus spritz, with pomegranate, ginger honey, and lime. It was very nice, quite refreshing, not too sweet.
We had semi-settled on menu choices when they told us about the daily specials, which did change some minds. Jean and I ended up starting by sharing the special of PEI oysters, while our friends decided to share the Brussels sprouts side dish as an appetizer (including letting us have a taste). Both items were very good, the oysters very fresh, the sprouts really tasty. I had a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc with that, while Jean had a prosecco.
Jean stuck with duck as his main course, while I decided to try the fish special of the day, halibut with asparagus and risotto. The duck main was fantastic, the meat perfectly prepared. The halibut was also properly cooked and juicy, with tasty risotto and crisp Ontario asparagus. It was a pretty large serving, so I also had some for lunch the next day. Jean had the Vacqueyras with that, and it was amazing, while I had an Ontario Tawse Riesling named after the restaurant! It was also quite good.
Come dessert, we were told they made everything in-house, including the gelato, so Jean and I shared that, in three flavors. Our friends went with a different dessert that also came with gelato. Nobody seemed to regret their choices. Several of us had decaf coffees or lattes as well.
Sorry, no photos of the place or its food, but if you’re in the neighbourhood—or don’t mind the drive to it—you might want to check it out.
Of course we didn’t like the tariffs, but it was really the 51st state / Governor Trudeau / not a real country / artificial line / not needing anything we have / US is subsidizing us talk that really pissed everyone off. It produced that very rare occurrence: an actually effective consumer boycott. Travel to the US really is down. So are California wine sales. And businesses relying on cross-border shoppers.
It’s a bit sad, as it’s not actually the hotels and restaurants, the vintners, and the duty-free shop owners that we have a beef with.
But what’s a foreigner to do? We don’t have a vote to grant or withhold. We’re not allowed to make political donations. It’s not exactly safe to go over there and protest. And I’m not feeling this is an administration that would be moved by a sternly worded letter.
So, we got our wallets. It’s economic warfare, and many are choosing to direct our meagre funds to products made elsewhere than the United States. Ideally in Canada.
I’m hardly perfect at it, but you do what you can. Since I’m not in this by myself, it’s not only up to me! And it turns out more is accomplished when we come together as a group to work together toward the same goal. Seems there could be some kind of lesson there…
In the meantime, I have discovered some great Canadian products. And I will share! In my favourite categories: food and entertainment.
Cherry juice is very delicious and apparently also a good anti-inflammatory. Black River brand is made with 100% Ontario cherries. It is a little expensive and somewhat caloric. But both problems are solved by serving it diluted with water, which is still delicious, but makes it cheaper and lower cal per serving.
Also worth mentioning (though I discovered it a while ago): Heartwood sour cherry sparkle, another delicious beverage made with Ontario cherries, this one already diluted with sparkling water. 50 calories a can.
I wrote earlier about not yet having found a good non-dairy yogurt, but this is it—as long as you don’t mind a mild taste of coconut. It’s made in British Columbia and has only four ingredient, one of which is gut-friendly probiotics.
Some jars are just a nightmare to open, and Jean’s not always around to help. So he bought me this metal gizmo, which hooks and releases the seal. He also got me a rubber gripper thingie (made in England). With that combo, I can open jars with ease.
The first week of not buying American was tough in the lettuce aisle, because there seemed to be nothing but California lettuce. Over the next few weeks, though, more and more GoodLeaf Greens became available. These are grown in greenhouses in Southern Ontario. The stay-fresh packaging is really fantastic, and this stuff is good!
Arts and entertainment
I have most definitely have not given up all American TV shows and movies and books (and streaming services). But, I have recently consumed some good Canadian media as well…
This Québec series, available on Crave, is just a stunner. It’s one of my favourite shows right now. (Jean loves it also.)
Suzanne, a former criminologist turned psychiatrist, starts a new job at the Mont-Royal Psychiatric Institute, where she meets Mortimer, an intriguing intervention officer with whom she strikes up a friendship, and fascinating patients.
Right in the first episode, as we segue from Suzanne’s private to professional life, expectations and assumptions are upended. It only gets more fascinating as more of her past is revealed, and learn more and more about her troubled patients and dedicated but flawed coworkers.
The scenery is the main stunner in this CBC Gem / Netflix series, which was filmed in Inuktitut. But it’s also fun watching Siaja try to make more of her life than being a wife and mother. You can’t help but cheer her on. It is a comedy, but there are some heavy moments as well. Nothing you shouldn’t be able to handle.
This CBC Gem series might not be for everyone. It’s a comedy in which two women of very different characters and slightly different stages of life are forced to work together to make a podcast. It’s particularly notable for its very open depiction of perimenopausal and menopausal symptoms. It’s funny and very feminist and I wish it had been available when I was first navigating the mysteries of perimenopause.
Yes, that Fall on Your Knees, the Anne-Marie McDonald novel, set mostly in Cape Breton, first published way back in 1996. I have just finished reading that now.
I had avoided it partly because it’s quite long, but more because I thought it would be super depressing. Turns out, it’s not particularly depressing. Admittedly, a lot of pretty terrible things happen. It takes place in the past (late 19th and early 20th centuries), when things weren’t so great for women (unlike now, haha).
But for the characters, things just are as they are, and they have to cope, without falling into despair (although that happens on occasion). More often, though, they find original and often terribly misguided ways of dealing. It’s so interesting! I just found myself pulled along and wanting to continue reading, so the length wasn’t much of a problem, either.
The novel starts with the meeting of James, the piano tuner, and Materia, the daughter of one of the piano owners. Their ill-advised marriage sets all subsequent events in motion, and the novel continues through the lives of their daughters and grandchildren.
This is a road movie, based on a true story. It takes place in 1970, when things weren’t so great for LBGTQ+ people (unlike now, haha). Following his father’s funeral, a plumber from a small town in New Brunswick has to drive to the big city of Toronto to get his brother out of jail, after he’s been arrested for public indecency. Their mother insists that he bring his brother back home.
Some funny and some rather harrowing moments ensue. The movie stars the wonderful (despite not being Canadian) Alan Cumming and the also very good (and probably Canadian) Charlie Creed-Miles. It’s available to stream on Crave.
Though we’ll probably be taking a break from this “tradition”, this year we again spent a few days in the Niagara-on-the-Lake area. I wrote up the full blurb here: Return to Niagara. This post is just a summary of the more notable items.
Best discoveries
Caroline Cellars and Farmhouse Cafe: Menu items almost all under $20. Glasses of wine $7 or less. Bottles of wine (to take home) under $20. And it was all very good! Not blow-off-your-socks good, but both food and wine were very enjoyable. Staff were friendly. A nice visit. A nice change.
Niagara Custom Crush Studio: It features the wines of multiple small wineries all under one roof, a cool idea that is well executed. On this visit, we tried wines from two wineries with very different approaches to wine making, which was super interesting.
NOTL: Treadwell’s sister restaurant, with a simpler menu and lower prices, but still excellent quality. And a bonus beautiful sunny dining room.
Weather report
Mixed bag for sure. We had one warm but cloud day; one cool but sunny day; one day with torrential rain / freezing rain / thunder / snow / wind; and yet another cool but sunny day. In between the inclement weather events, we did some walking and hiking.
Winery round-up
Best guide: Strewn, where our private, sit-down tasting was led by someone with a lot of experience and knowledge. Most fun: Fielding Estates, because we’re suckers for the snow globe experience (now done for the year). Best refuge: Reif Estates, from whence we watched the crazy storm while tasting wine and eating charcuterie. Most chaotic: Malivoire, who were supposed to be closed due to storm damage, but finally gave up and gave tastings.
The other dinners
Jean was underwhelmed by the offerings of Trius Winery, despite their Michelin star. Nothing bad—but maybe not star worthy? Beautiful plating, though.
Adorned chicken pate.
Treadwell’s was up to its usual high standards of food quality and wine pairings, but compared only to itself in the past, it was disappointing in terms of the experience. It was just your usual three-course meal with good service. We didn’t get our past feeling of it representing a really special night out.
Last week, some friends and I went to see the Classic Albums Live group do David Bowie’s ChangesOne album. That album selection is a bit of a cheat, since it’s a compilation album with many of Bowie’s early hits. But it certainly made for an entertaining first half.
Singer Joseph Salsbury seemed like a very cool guy, and did a great job on the Bowie vocals.
The second half was various other Bowie tunes, and ended with a highlight for Gen X types, of “Let’s Dance” followed by “Modern Love”. But they started that half with a cut from Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars: the very haunting “Five Years”.
Pushing through the market square So many mothers sighing (sighing) News had just come over We had five years left to cry in (cry in) News guy wept and told us Earth was really dying (dying) Cried so much his face was wet Then I knew he was not lying (lying)
…
We’ve got five years, stuck on my eyes Five years, what a surprise We’ve got five years, my brain hurts a lot Five years, that’s all we’ve got
Here’s the whole song
Five years from now: Is that all we got?
One the many newsletter-type things I subscribe to is by an author of the definite opinion that we are in the early stages of collapse, who expects that things will completely have to gone to shit in about five years. Given the climate crisis, species depletion, pandemic risks, misinformation effects, economic threats, food insecurity, and global political instability, it doesn’t seem an utterly crazy notion. And this is a US-based publication, so they’re also living under that administration.
The one that’s threatening us.
I can’t totally buy in. I’m just not there yet. So I have not gone whole hog on things like learning to grow my own food, making my own medicine, and reinforcing my house with bullet-proof glass and sandbags. Still, I have picked up some useful tips. You might find them useful, too! For example…
That’s Dwayne, with a D, and not Wayne, the former hockey great we’re no longer so fond of these days. On February 22, we went to see Dwayne Gretzky in concert at Centre in the Square.
It was not based on much in-depth knowledge about this band. I knew they did covers. I had heard a couple of these covers, probably on CBC Radio, and I’d thought they were good. They were supposed to perform with the KW Symphony as part of their (the symphony’s) ultimately doomed 2023–24 season. I’d been left a bit curious about them ever since.
The show was a party.
It was really well attended, and many of the attendees were pretty well lubricated. Jean and I were sober as judges, but were still infected with the mood. Stand or sit? was the question, as it often is at these “soft seat” venues. Sitting was initially winning out… But not for that long! Soon there was a lot of standing… And dancing… And singing along.
The show was a party.
The Dwayne Gretzky band is… large. I think I counted 16 people? Because they cover lots of instruments—horns and strings and stuff, along with the expected guitars, bass, drums, keyboards—and lots of vocal styles. And these vocal stylings are great, some fantastic voices on display. And great instrumentation as well.
This video gives a pretty decent overview of what the band is like
The covers were largely from my era—1980s, with a side of 1970s and 1990s. So, though I’d never seen this band in concert before, I still knew all the songs. This is the key to the fun, if you’re in the right demographic (as most of the audience appeared to be).
You Can Call Me Al (Paul Simon cover): The crowd was definitely starting to rise here
We Don’t Need Another Hero (Thunderdome) (Tina Turner cover): Though we sat back down for this
Rosanna (Toto cover)
Baba O’Riley (The Who cover)
Walking on Broken Glass (Annie Lennox cover): During intermission, had to Google who did this originally. Still recognized it, though.
Maybe I’m Amazed (Paul McCartney cover)
How Will I Know (Whitney Houston cover): They brought out yet another singer, a guest, to handle these Whitney / Abba / Celine tunes
Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight) (ABBA cover)
Drive (The Cars cover): A new one in their large repertoire, they said
Dancing in the Dark (Bruce Springsteen cover): We were, we were dancing in the dark.
Intermission!
1999 (Prince cover)
Let’s Go Crazy (Prince cover): At some point, they mentioned how much livelier this crowd was then their previous night’s (so suck it, Peterborough, I guess)
9 to 5 (Dolly Parton cover)
Crazy (Patsy Cline cover): A vocal virtuosity
I Will Survive (Gloria Gaynor cover)
Higher Love (Steve Winwood cover)
It’s All Coming Back to Me Now (Céline Dion cover)
I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles) (The Proclaimers cover): So much dancing and clapping!
Bang the Drum All Day (Todd Rundgren cover): A youngster joined for this on-stage, very cute
Piece of My Heart (Janis Joplin cover): This singer, man! The rasp! Fantastic.
Bobcaygeon (The Tragically Hip cover): Ah, my heart! So good.
Radio Ga Ga ((Queen cover)): Yes, we did the arms.
Under Pressure (Queen & David Bowie cover)
Encore!
Come and Get Your Love (Redbone cover)
With a Little Help From My Friends (Joe Cocker cover)
So basically, if you need a lift, if you want a high, quick as the speed of light, a Dwayne Gretzky concert might be the ticket. Especially if you’re GenX-y.
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