this weekend was relaxing.
finally made it to the ottawa public library ... took out a few books ... explored their library. indulged in reading "real simple" magazine -- my fave publication (practical yet picturesque!) took out "confessions of a shopaholic" for some light reading, "the missing manual for Mac OS X" for practical purposes, "the swashbucklers" by knowlton nash for nostalgic reasons and "paper shadows" by wayson choy for cultural enrichment and insight.
met with a fellow co-op student for coffee. she and i will be staying in the nation's capital for a second term.
we discussed the student evaluations. we talked about how politeness in some cultures can be seen as not being assertive enough, or possibly even passive. my friend, being a caucasian, noted that Canadians are pretty polite, too. women, are still, to some degree, socialized to be submissive. so, we agreed that assertiveness or passiveness could be measured by varying degrees ... depending on the person ... maybe librarians are also a bit "timid" because they don't want to offend patrons ... hmmm ...
as we had this discourse, we sat by the rideau canal and soaked in the sun. we also observed the sad state of debris leftover which the snow once concealed. the national spelling bee tour bus was parked on the other side of the canal. kids were out taking advantage of the balmy weather (we think). kids. sign of new life. the two seem to go well together.
when another season starts, particularly spring, it's a time to plan for the summer ... for relaxation. sowing the seed for the warm weather to grow something or other, as gardeners and farmers do. summer slips by so swiftly, if not scrutinized. so many plans, potential ... but unless there is intention and purpose and some goals established early in the season, fall comes more quickly than we wish.
