Men Don't Notice - So Why Must I?

I blame it all on my grandmother. The pre-Christmas, must clean and tidy and fuss compulsion, I mean.

Men never notice if you haven't dusted the top of the book shelves in two months.
Men don't care if your oven sparkles or not, as long as it doesn't make the food smell funny, or send smoke into the room.
Men don't mind if you haven't made the bed in the Martha Stewart fashion.
Men are not bothered by a square candle perched in a round dish, because you can't find the right one.

But the darn Christmas tree, whether it's real or fake, large or small, had better be straight. Where did I put my hammer?

If People Would Stop Asking, I Might Get Something Done

It's not December, not yet, and already my neigbours are asking me if I'm ready for Christmas. An answer springs to mind, but I don't use it. I could say - Yes, I'm ready, I've even cooked dinner and it will stay on the table until the day. The truth is, I'm not the who will be cooking the dinner on Christmas day, my daughter will have that delightful task. I am planning a family party for December ninth and that seems to lead to things like soaking all my stainless steel flatware in the sink overnight, cleaning out my junk drawers in an effort to find certain kitchen implements I never use and wondering if two different types of salad dressing will be sufficient.

Then there's the tree issue. People are asking me if I've put my tree up yet. No, I haven't. It isn't December yet. If we have a snowfall that stays on the ground sometime before December first, I might become filled with pre-Christmas spirit and put the new tree together.

And, no, I haven't finished my Christmas shopping either. I'll likely go to the mall next Monday when I hope it will be quiet and maybe I'll be able to find what I want. If I knew what I wanted it would certainly be easier. But never mind, ideas will come, they always do.

Speaking of ideas that don't come easily. I went to see "Stranger Than Fiction" with the man in my life on Saturday. I won't reveal all of the plot, but if you are a writer, I think you would enjoy the movie.

Friends who know I write are asking me if I've had anything else published. Only a letter to the editor, I reply. I guess that answer won't change if I don't get some of my stories back on the road and revise the one I should be working on now.

It seems I've run out of excuses and will have to proceed with revisions.

Strange Media Happenings

For the last week or two, CTV has been promoting its telecast of the Giller Prize awards evening. I find it more than passing strange that CTV and not the mother-ship (CBC) is broadcasting this show and in prime time. Justin Trudeau is the host and that alone will likely draw some viewers who don't usually watch literary television. All the promos for the show mention the "big" prize money. They don't mention how long the writers may have slaved before they became luminaries - but then again, why should they? - unless the writer has a personal Dickensian tale to tell.

Four of the five short listed books have been published by two small presses, House of Anansi and Cormarant Press. As more and more publishers get gobbled up by conglomerates, it seems there are few independent presses left, so I hope the publicity will be a helpful for both presses. Running a small press has to be a labour of love because it sure isn't the way to make piles of money.

Speaking of money and the media. Moses Znaimer, the guiding light behind CITY TV and MuchMusic and other successful money making ventures, has purchased a Toronto-based classical music station. There is speculation that either Moses has gone soft, or he sees a market trend that others have not noticed yet.

I'll be quite happy to have another classical station to listen to, if my tuner can pull it in. But I don't know if I can tolerate more than two ads per hour. Maybe I'll just stick with CBC Radio Two.