IID: Cotton is High and Your Mama's Good Lookin'!: Blood's a Rover Weekend Blues: Friday, November 8th

Until you've lost your reputation, you never realize what a burden it was or what freedom really is. -Margaret Mitchell, novelist (1900-1949)

Hi Paolo!

Sorry to learn that your surgery has been delayed until next week. Know what you mean about long weekend figuring into schedule as I ran into a somewhat similar situation with my hip-replacement as operation was delayed on account of 2010 Olympics. Still more than happy with result and I trust your own will be even more successful.

The Volunteer Party last night was loads of fun. Lovely food spread and plenty of hootch. There were three Open Mic sessions and I was very, very impressed with quite a few of the readings, from short stories, to novels to poems. One young woman, (Can't recall her name, unfortunately), delivered two truly wonderful poems. In the first she had literally taken the blurbs from the dust jackets of Vancouver Matters and Vancouver Special by Charles Demers, (He was the moderator of Rocking Again: From The Rock II), and recombined all the words to create a poem which payed hommage to Shane Koyczan and his position on the Olympics. In the second, she used Edmund Spenser's Epithalamion as her model and inverts the celebration of marriage into one of separation. A quite, quite remarkable, gifted poet, both for her obvious intellect but also for her riveting delivery.

I must say that there certainly is some pretty impressive creative talent within the volunteer pool. When I first started to attend these wind-up parties I was rather skeptical about having to listen to plodding, mangled prose and half-baked poems, (my initial pre/mis-conception), but was quickly disabused of this ridiculous notion. Of course, there is, or can be, a wide range in the work but how better to encourage writing than to provide such an intimate forum within the VWF itself. Again, I applaud VWF for fostering this creative impulse in a small, perhaps, but necessary and critically important way.

This being said, I've attached my own sorry offering. Compared to many of the wonderfully insightful, deliriously imaginative pieces, I am the "plodder" I feared. My intent, however, whatever its realization, was really to say how strongly I feel about the Festival and what a magnificent cultural event it is and continues to be.

So take care of yourself and make a speedy, full recovery. The Festival needs generous, informed, committed, articulate people like you, Paul, to continue to spread the Word, to shine the Light. Here Endeth the Lesson! Fondestos and Cheers, Patrizzio!

Hello Squamish Waldorfians!

Just a quick note to thank you both for the more than wonderful weekend! Terrific to see you and catch up in such ultra-comfortable surroundings. Hope we are able to see you before Christmas. Don't forget to start pre-planning for a weekend of golf and bridge in January at Madroña Manor. Trust this message finds you both well! Fondestos and Cheers, Patrizzio!

Hi Pat,

I hope you listened to my voicemail. It's a really sad thing, and, again, I'm very sorry. This knee spoiled most of my stay here. Kjell

Hi Kjell!

How very distressing to learn that your knee has so totally incapacitated you! Please don't worry about any inconvenience to us. There isn't any and our only concern is for you. Just very, very sorry that the injury has been so incredibly disruptive and marred your stay, not to speak of the concern about knee itself. I trust you will be able to receive speedy further medical attention and appropriate treatment once back home so that you are able to play tennis, hike and cycle without restriction, upon your return.

So take care of yourself and make a speedy, full recovery. Bon Voyage! Cheers, Patrizzio!

Stats for today's ride:

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/401997297#.Un6hVYZq2e4.email

David Kessler