Mind Picking : Farewell 2014

Another New Year's Eve and time to look back on my second year of blogging. I have to admit that it seems worthwhile as a way to leave a record of myself and I am fascinated to think that strangers read my thoughts; what a strange thing that is when I'm fairly certain that no one who actually knows me has ever stumbled across this, but there will be a time and place for that.

2014 was another fine year; one without mind-blowing highs or earth-shattering lows and I need to constantly remind myself that that is what quiet happiness looks like. I had many hours to read and review books (150 of them according to goodreads) and that's a luxury not many have access to. To start with the books, here are my Top Five for 2014 releases and Top Fifteen for other years:

Top Five Books Released in 2014

 Sweetland

My favourite book of the year -- so Canadian and entertaining, I'd have given it the GG.


 The Enchanted

Everything about this book is just exactly my kind of weird and wonderful and important.

 The Bear

This thriller, told from a child's point of view, touched my heart.

 History of the Rain

I like books about books and reading and this quirky Irish tale would have been my early pick for the Booker.

 The Narrow Road to the Deep North

I wasn't disappointed that this book about the building of the Burma Railway during WWII did win the Booker.

Top Fifteen Reads From Earlier Years

 Cape Breton Road

This book felt personal and universal and incredibly well-written.

 War and Peace

There's a reason this is a classic.

 None is Too Many

Learning this history is the best thing to have come out of that lame lit course I took.

 My Best Stories

This is why Alice Munro was awarded the Nobel Prize for Fiction

 The Heart is a Lonely Hunter

Another classic that deserves to be read for years to come.

 The Colony of Unrequited Dreams

Epic Newfie origin story by a master storyteller.

 The Wreckage

The second Michael Crummey for my year-end list: why isn't everyone reading this guy?

 Deliverance

So much more than squealing pigs and purdy mouths, James Dickey is a poet who captured something unique here about how a man should live.

 The Quiet Twin

I love Dan Vyleta and this prequel to The Crooked Maid was a wonder.

 Us Conductors

What an interesting new voice Sean Michaels is and I wasn't unhappy to see this book win the Giller.

 Juliet Was a Surprise

Weird and wonderful short story collection.

Suite Française

The story behind this story is even more touching than the story itself.

 Born With A Tooth

Love me some Joseph Boyden.

 Filth

I don't know how Irvine Welsh makes me care so much about such despicable characters.

 Bear

And I'm including this book on my best-of list to emphasise that it's literature, not smut.


   And now a look back at 2014 in (mostly fuzzy cellphone) pictures.

So, for the first time in 10 years -- and mostly because of Grandpa's bypass -- we didn't take a sun vacation with the girls and I didn't like that (which is why we leave for the Dominican Republic in a couple of days). Dave and I did go on a quick trip to Vegas  in February because he was changing jobs again and wanted a small break in between, but I missed having the girls around.

We did go to the zoo to see the pandas (as a long overdue birthday present for Ella), and the zoo is a place I prefer to visit in the snow:

And I'm jumping over a lot of things because I blogged about them at the time, but in July we went to a music festival (me, Dave, Rudy and Dan):

And we were this close to Kim Mitchell:

And Aerosmith:

(And Bryan Adams and Slash and Styx and...) And as cool as all that was, I think I'm too old for the crowds and the noise and all of the people around us smoking dope. I'm pretty sure Dan wants it to be an annual thing, though, so I may need to follow along. For the most part, I spent the summer on the hammock chair, enjoying the back yard:

But Kennedy and I did go to a high tea for Aunt Susie's birthday. We thought we were being smart asses wearing fascinators, but everyone else there (those who thought to wear big hats and those who were provided with some) thought we were brilliant:

Mallory went on her Europe trip and it was hard to say goodbye:

But here are some pics I stole from her; of course the trip was worth my worrying about it:

And you know that if we're at a Busker Festival and the performer is grabbing volunteers from the audience, Dave will be forced to go:

I particularly like the advertising banner behind them there: did no one ever think that "MY CONDO MY LIFE" would be read as "MY CONDOMY LIFE"? In this show, the woman arranged all of the men in different roles and she had picked one of them to strike a heroic pose and hammily shout out some lines, but he was so embarrassed by the attention that he just couldn't do it. Then she asked Dave if he would do it, and just like when he went on stage during the Jim Belushi improv show, he looked like a total plant, projecting his lines and posing like a hammy actor. The woman ended up on Dave's shoulders and he had to walk around while Nancy Sinatra sang These Boots Were Made for Walking with his cell phone ringing in his pocket the whole time because Mallory and her friend were ready to be picked up from their One Direction concert.

We rented the cottage at Sauble Beach, which I talked about at length here, but here's a lovely Lake Huron sunset:

(And is it a little sad that everyone was walking around in jackets during our beach getaway?) Like every year, we went apple picking. But like only happens sometimes, Dave came this year:

Kennedy returned to her second year at Guelph, now with a Griffin statue:

And for the first time, Kennedy was old enough to join us at Oktoberfest, so her mama showed her how it's done:

The inlaws thought they were going to downsize to an apartment this year and we went to declutter their house:

So we had what we thought would be the last Thanksgiving at their home in London, taking a lovely Norman Rockwellesque selfie (and they eventually changed their minds about moving just yet):

And I was able to convince Mal to let me take a Halloween picture of her as Black Widow (finding a costume for her this year was harder than ever -- she wanted to be Black Widow, and after we finally found the exact right costume, she "wasn't sure"...hours later...I know she's 16 and was going to a party that was socially important to her...but come on, this is adorable):

We took the girls to Evil Dead the Musical and sat in the Splatter Zone; natch. It was only a so-so event as a play, but once they started spraying us with fake blood, it was the most hilarious thing I ever experienced -- I just could not stop laughing (the lighting here doesn't show how completely covered in red we are -- thank goodness for the ponchos).

After the horrific shooting of the soldier in Ottawa  this fall, I thought it was important to go to the Remembrance Day ceremony downtown, even if I had to go alone. I was totally choked up at the singing of O Canada and at the sight of the soldiers -- active and veterans -- who paraded into the square, but was truly upset by the sight of officers on the roof of the library. That was something I never thought I'd see in Canada (and, trying to not be obvious, I only caught a shoulder of one cop):

On a lighter note, here's my favourite story from the end of the year: I follow the local radio station on facebook, and for fun one day, they posted, "do an image google search of your name + 'meme' and copy/paste the results". I looked and had some funny results so posted this one:

Now, that's hilarious to me because I don't get the whole "Hey Girl" Ryan Gosling appeal -- and don't have finals, of course -- so it was all for fun. After checking back a few times to see what other people put, I saw my mother had posted: What's a meme?

Is there anything more stereotypically lame than a senior citizen piping up in the middle of a game with her social media ignorance? Every time one of the girls mentioned the word "meme" since then (and Mallory actually thinks it beyond lame that I might know or use them -- because I'm so old), I've put on a cranky old lady voice and said, "What's a meme?" And, to save face for Ma, I replied to her with this:

We had a great Christmas and recovery and will be going to Ken and Lolo's tonight for New Year's, so that's pretty much the year. We saw many great plays and concerts -- especially enjoying seeing our own girls performing -- and obviously, I read a huge pile of books. No worries, no problems, just a safe and placid, happy ride.