a peek inside the fishbowl

For a long time the girls and I tried to outdo each other in the “I love you more than…” department at bedtime.

We’d compete for the biggest, most numerous thing to which we could compare our love. i.e.

I love you more than all the leaves in all the forests.
I love you more than all the grains of sand at the beach.
I love you more than all the stars in the universe.

Lately it’s been fun to consider some less-than-nice equivalents.

I love you more than all the dust mites living in your pillow.
I love you more than all of the wet and stinky bathing suits in the lost and found at the swimming pool.
I love you more than all the bruised bananas in all of the grocery stores in all the world.

The first time I did this with Sarah she stopped to think about it, turned to me and gave me one of those HOLD ON A SEC looks. And then she smiled.

It’s part insult when you think of it, but the girls and I always end up laughing. As you can imagine, when we’re doing this our choice of phrasing descends into toilet humour faster than you can say “monkey poop.”

If you could dine with any CBC personality (radio or TV) who would you choose?*

I’m having trouble narrowing it down and would love your two cents on the subject.

1. Mark Kelley – The nicest guy on the news. I will never forget his broadcast on 9/11. Calm, thoughtful, personable … he was the one behind the desk as the towers went down. He knows how to talk to people and spin a good yarn. Wouldn’t he make a great dinner guest? I wonder what stories he’d share.  

2. Peter Mansbridge– I watch The National on most nights, timeshifting between 9 or 10 depending on how my evening is going. I trust Peter to give me the goods. And I bet he knows his salad fork from his dinner fork. I’d like to ask him what it was like being discovered at the airport in Churchill, Manitoba.

3. Jian Ghomeshi is host of Q, one of my favourite radio programs. I have a love for arts and culture, so no dinner would be complete without Jian. He’s informed, funny, insightful … and passionate about the country in which we live. He’s famous for his handling of Billy Bob Thornton, an interview that is cringeworthy yet nothing short of amazing. See the horror unfold here. It was a radio coup – worth a gander if you haven’t seen it (but I honestly can’t listen to it anymore because it is SO painful it hurts).

4. Rich Terfy – is the host of Radio 2 Drive, which has become my new favourite on Ottawa radio. He has a voice that can melt the polar icecaps and is entirely to blame for global warming.

5. Rex Murphy – Rex is smart. And funny. And he has a way of cutting to the heart of every issue he takes on. Have you ever read his column in the Globe and Mail? The man never wastes a word. And I bet he’s great dinner guest. What would Rex would bring as a hostess gift?

I told Mark about my list the other day and he immediately remarked upon its lack of women. I pointed out that I would have invited Wendy Mesley (she’s my hero, and I love her on Marketplace) but I doubt she’d want to be in the same room as Peter. There is also Anna Maria Tremonti, the host of The Current. She is hard-hitting and no-nonsense, but on second thought, the thought of making dinner conversation with her makes me kind of scared. What if I got some parsley stuck in my teeth or said something totally dim?

What do you think? Who would you like to have over for dinner?

* I would only agree to do break bread with these folks if it the dinner was NOT based in my home. Oh, I couldn’t bear the stress of roasting a bird for broadcast journalists. It would have take place a very good local restaurant. Do you think Rich likes Indian food?

This came across my desk and it’s too good not to share:

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This February 2010, Spins & Needles, in collaboration with the city’s National Capital Commission, is calling on artists, crafters and the public, individuals and groups, of all ages, and all creative levels to be part of the Winterlude Urban Cozy Project. Various warm coverings, or cozies, wrapped around trees, lampposts, and other urban elements will be installed on two major festival sites. The intervention will remix warmth, cold, art, craft, music and the city, and also play with traditional images and conceptions associated with a country known around the world for it’s cold weather climate.

Makers from the Ottawa region, across Canada, and around the world are invited to contribute cozies! We want contributions from near and far. They can be traditional knitted/crocheted ones or also more novel creations (e.g. plastic canvas cozy?) Once we receive a cozy, it will be labelled with the maker’s name(s) and city or residence, and installed at one of the two Winterlude sites. We’ll also post a photo with the person’s name, city and website info on the Spins & Needles site and Flickr so that cozy makers can connect with one another. Plus if the cozy is something to talk about, we’ll profile it and the person on the Spins & Needles blog as well!

The submission deadline for cozies is February 1, 2010.

For more information, how to submit and FAQs visit www.spinsandneedles.com/winterlude2010.