Bubba Gone Crisis

These are personal entries so I don't comment on world events. But given the rise of the pandemic, far-right populism, extremist demagoguery, and now war, the future feels uncertain. I haven't even touch on the elephant in the room, climate change, which two years ago seemed at a tipping point. Nobody talks much anymore about Greta Thunberg, her generation, and our environmental legacy.

As for myself, I'm feeling my age. I did the late-night shows stage of life as a late-bloomer, so I felt perhaps not young and hip but at least in the loop for a while. But now I don't go out for weeks thanks in part to downloadable books, streamed movies, and even grocery delivery. Last Thursday, I rejected seeing Charlotte Cornfield though music tours don't often come through Ottawa.

My weight gain has contributed to that creaky feeling. I ate out more often in Toronto but I think the home-cook meals in Ottawa have more calories overall. Perhaps they also contribute to my stomach problems. So dreams of extended visits to far-off cities may not happen. In addition, I've seen testimony from BIPOC visitors and students online about their treatment in European cities. I'm not excited to spend thousands of travel dollars to be racially insulted by locals.

Last Friday I visited an elderly relative. At their advanced age, even their son has recently retired. Although if he plans to spend it just watching videos on the sofa, his golden years may be shorter than expected.

On a positive note, my daily Yoga practice that started on Boxing Day is at 75-days strong. With fewer restrictions, I returned to the Astanga Studio for an in-person class on Saturday. Unless you have a one-on-one (guru) relationship, which is hard to do in Western society, or years of practice, don't do this very traditional style. In my opinion, The Primary Series doesn't benefit the average yogi and some aspects such as the constant vinyasa flow between asanas will likely cause injury.

After the yoga class, one of the students complained that because of the pandemic, she doesn't know much of Ottawa despite moving here from Edmonton 2 years ago. I wanted to tell her two things. First, stop practicing astanga yoga. Second, if she made the journey East, she should have aimed for Toronto or Montreal.

I was surprised to find out on Wednesday that another colleague is moving on to another job. Since they were older and only a few years from retirement, I thought they would simply stay until the bitter end and then hang up their keyboard for good.

I'm heading to Toronto this week-end for a longer stay. I'm generally excited though I am surprised how negative and cranky my internal voice is now. Maybe being back in a more urban milieu will let my inner fogie rediscover some joie de vivre.