So long, Swine '09!

Well, I was going to write a reflection on 2009 on New Years' Eve, but time was a luxury I couldn't afford at that point. But now I'm back in Vic and more or less settled in, so I can now get on with it.Thankfully there isn't enough of 2010 yet so I still can still make some timely commentary. I'm just fashionably late, that's all. ;)

I feel like I should say something big and important, but I have no idea what. Much has happened this year, as it does every year, and no grand account of it could really suffice. Plus I'm too lazy.

So we'll have to settle for this brief summary. the first half of the year was kind of sucky. I hate to say it because it had some really good moments in it, but the less desirable parts seem clearer in my mind. Essentially I came to really question whether I wanted to stay on the path I was following. This is pretty huge, especially considering that pathway is several thousands of dollars a year and will guarantee none of that money back when I get to the next level. By the time summer came around, I was pretty beat and in need of a rest. The universe had other plans, however. I was to do Summerstock, and it was too late to back out. But I did it, and that was when things turned around for me. Even though I didn't get the mental rest I was hoping for, I became gradually more optimistic as the summer went on. By the fall things were going very well and by the end of it, I feel like the personal progress I made, though seemingly small, was significant. I wrote 3 short stories, and was in 5 shows this year, one after the other (and two of them actually concurrent) with no hope of rest until Christmas holidays. But Time, being what it was, went on, and Christmas finally came. It was a very good holiday though.


I could make some sweeping commentary on world events, but I haven't enough understanding of the world. So I'll try to recount some of its most momentous moments, stream of consciousness style: A recession hit the honey-moon period with Obama eventually ended an almost revolution went down in Iran following the country's incendiary election results a handful of celebrities died people got swine flu the crew of the Starship Enterprise boldly went where no one had gone before...again...for the first time...(and it was awesome by the way!) Afghanistan had its sophomoric election leaving a bitter and jaded taste in a lot of peoples' mouths Lady Gaga shot sparks out of her boobs Peter Mansbridge stood up on CBC the Olympic Torch started its journey across Canada Jon and Kate called it quits a bunch of powerful people met in Copenhagen and seemed to do very little while they were there Obama managed to get his health-care legislation passed in his final act of arrogance of the year Mr. Harper prorogued parliament and yes. Mickey Rooney is still alive.

I always wanted to have some 'Best of 2009' spiel, but I have no idea what I would do. I can't say anything about the movies, or the music. Not even theatre, for that matter. I'm no critic and I didn't really have my ear to the ground....in any area, really. I can tell you about the books I read though. Specifically the books that shall we say had the biggest effect on me this year.

So without further adieu, the Top Five Books of 2009 (in chronological order) are:

5. Respect for Acting by Uta Hagen
I explained why this book is so meaningful to me way back in a Summer entry. Basically it renewed my faith in acting as an
art form.

4. Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer
What a powerful story! As I said in an earlier post, I don't condone what Christopher McCandless did per se, but I can't help
but admire this young madman, and how damned hard he tried to live up to his ideals, at all costs. He has inspired me
do the same (maybe with less success, but that doesn't mean I shouldn't try!) Krakauer's prose is brilliant and he's the
perfect man to tell McCandless' story, given his own background. I rarely cry when reading books, but this was
definitely one of them.

3. The Unfinished Canadian by Andrew Cohen
In my effort to better understand Canada, at least literarily, this book launched my enterprise. He presents some
provocative ideas on how we as a people can "find ourselves", some of those ideas controversial but definitely insightful.

2. Playing Shakespeare by John Barton
This book, coupled with the Playing Shakespeare TV mini-series (from which the book is transcribed almost word for word)
almost singlehandedly decoded the acting of Shakespeare for me. Well, the theory side of it, anyway. The practice I learned
in class and onstage. John Barton and his students (including Ian McKellen, Patrick Stewart and Judi Dench) showed to me
how brilliant Shakespeare can be, provided it's executed with skill and talent.

1. The Case For God by Karen Armstrong
I read this at the end of the holiday, and although it might be too soon to say, but it has made the biggest impact on me
that a book has made in a while. When I finished it I knew that it had significantly altered the way I think about belief,
religion and God. I'd like to go further into what this book is all about and what it means to me, so I'll have to devote an
entire entry to it...

I read some other books worth noting, like Watchmen, Tales of the Perilous Realm by Tolkien, Paradise Lost, and Up Till Now by William Shatner. Boo yeah. Reading is fun!

Anyway, it was a good year, but now it's time to look forward and press onward, as per usual. So say we all.