OHprah

"The biggest adventure you can ever take is to live the life of your dreams."
Oprah Winfrey

The day is coming to an end. My belly is full. The bed is comfy and I've crossed another key item off my bucket list. Today I saw Oprah. The day started early. Around six thirty I slipped down to the hotel lobby to pick up coffee for Ger and I. After stopping on another floor to drop off coffee to Cath and Nan, Ger and I got ready. We met Cath and Nan in the hotel restaurant for breakfast then grabbed our coats and headed to Harpo Studios. We lined up inside a narrow unheated tent. After about an hour and a half we were allowed in. We showed our I.D., checked our coats, submitted ourselves to bag inspection and walked through the metal detectors. Then we were sent upstairs to wait for admission to the studio. The room was buzzing. Everyone was speculating about the topic of the show. Was there a famous celebrity coming? Were we in for something special, maybe Oprah's birthday party or a politician to speak on a hot topic? We got into the studio around twelve-fifteen, were directed to our seats and then warmed-up by an Oprah staffer. The topic of the show was Oprah's Vegan Challenge. Okay, it wasn't a birthday party but maybe some celebrity chef would share excellent vegan recipes - not. Instead it was a show about meat production in the United States. I had never heard of the guests. We were shown a video of a slaughter house. It was graphic and difficult to watch. Ger and Nan didn't. Cath and I did though I must admit that at a couple of intervals, I looked away. The topic was interesting. Shot in real time, it was over in an hour. Oprah and her guests stayed to talk to us for about fifteen minutes more. After she left we were allowed out of the studio, handed our swag bag (in this case a copy of the book written by one of the vegan guests and a few boxes of Kashi cereal) and moved out.

So no celebrities, no big gifts, no hype. Also, no disappointment. Oprah was as gracious as could be. She is lovely and warm. She made us feel like her friends and peers - like we dropped by her place for coffee. She is a substantial woman but not as heavy or big as she looks on T.V. It was a wonderful experience - all that I hoped for. After we left the studio we crossed the street to the Oprah store. We each bought a keepsake, took a few pictures and stopped for a bite of lunch. Then back to the hotel for a glass of wine and a little relaxation before our dinner reservation. We went to Table 52, the restaurant owned by Art Smith, formerly Oprah's personal chef. Deviled eggs, goat's cheese buttermilk biscuit, fried green tomatoes, cornbread with bacon and brown sugar syrup, pistachio encrusted chicken and banana-pinaeapple cake with cream cheese icing, made for an incredibly delicious and filling meal.

Now I'm safely tucked into my bed. Tired. Stuffed. Satisfied. Happy. Going home tomorrow. It's all good.

My Kind of Town

"My first day in Chicago, September 4, 1983. I set foot in this city, and just walking down the street, it was like roots, like the motherland. I knew I belonged here."
- Oprah Winfrey

We arrived in Chicago a couple of hours late following an uneventful flight. I had forgotten how beautiful the architecture is in the city. We were able to check into our hotel upon arrival. After leaving our luggage in our room we headed out for lunch and shopping on the Golden Mile. Lunch was a fantastic assortment of shared dishes at the Grand Lux on Ontario Street, just off Michigan Avenue. Then a brief stop at Ann Taylor before heading to Macy's. We stayed at Macy's for five hours. Much of the merchandise in the store today was 70% off. We had a really good time. I even managed to score a Calvin Klein dress from the new spring collection at 50% off. We all got great deals. At about 3:30 this afternoon, I received an email from Brian. Brian and Geraldine's daughter Courtney, was in labour. At about 9:00 tonight we got the word and the first pictures of a lovely little girl, 7 lbs. even. No word on the name yet.

Our scheduled early morning start at Oprah's tomorrow was cancelled. We are now attending the 11:00 a.m. taping rather than the earlier show. Works for me. At least we won't have to line up at 6:00 a.m. We'll have a better opportunity for a good breakfast. Our excitement is palpable. We still have no idea what the topic of the show will be. I'm guessing it is Oprah's birthday show. Doesn't much matter. Whatever it is, it is a dream come true.

Shorn

"Long, beautiful, gleaming, steaming, flaxen, waxen... I adore hair!" ~James Rado and Gerome Ragni, Hair

When Jacob was home for the Christmas holidays I sang a few notes from the famous song in Hair. "Give me a head with hair. Long beautiful hair. Shining, gleaming, steaming, flaxen, waxen. Give me down to there hair. Shoulder length or longer. Here baby. There mama. Everywhere daddy, daddy - hair...." Jacob's last haircut happened in September 2009, when he had his head shaved as a part of freshman engineering orientation. By Christmastime, his hair was longer than mine.

Now hair length, I decided long ago, is a hill I never intend to die on. I don't like long hair on men but it is only hair. I made a deal with Jacob when he was in tenth grade that as long as he was in compliance with the rules at his private school, I wouldn't bug him about the length of his hair. When the powers that be told him he must cut his hair, he would comply. In exchange, he promised he would not do the two things I couldn't live with (not that he was likely to do them in any event). No tattoos. No face piercing. There were many times in his last two years of high school when the word was sent down - cut your hair or you can't come back to school next week. He always obliged. But of course, there are no such rules in university. He went along with the head shave in freshman year but he demonstrated no interest in any further hair cutting. His friends teased him rather mercilessly over the holidays, calling him Tarzan and Jacobetta. I saw photos of the girls French braiding his hair on New Year's Eve.

When I drove him back to school a couple of weeks ago, I very gently suggested that before he was summoned to any interviews for summer jobs, he might like to visit a barber. Hair can be styled and neat without being short. He was irritated by my suggestion.

This afternoon I drove to Guelph to take him out for lunch. He greeted me at the door with his hat and jacket on. It was absolutely frigid out. Imagine my surprise when we arrived at the restaurant and he removed his hat to reveal that his hair has been once again buzzed to about a half inch in length. Don't misunderstand me. He looks fantastic - all blue eyes and chiseled features. But I am frankly mystified by his seeming inability to find a compromise between hippie and soldier. Too funny.

Snow Snow and More Snow

"A lot of people like snow. I find it to be an unnecessary freezing of water." ~Carl Reiner

I'm sitting in the family room watching the snow accumulate outside my window. Snow is pretty but I don't care for it much. I've been feeling the itch to make a trip to Guelph. It's been two weeks since I've seen Jacob and if I don't see him this week, I won't have another opportunity for a couple more weeks. I've had a really busy week - all board business, all the time. Both the clinic and Willow are sucking up my life these days. I tried to arrange with Jacob to go for a visit yesterday but he was busy with classes. So we agreed I would go Saturday. The weather forecast yesterday morning was for terrible weather and driving conditions on Saturday so yesterday afternoon we changed our plans so I would go late this afternoon. But I woke up to snow today with a new prediction that it will continue all day. The 401 has been closed in both directions at Guelph Line due to a tractor-trailer accident resulting in a spilled load. The highway will stay closed for several hours at a minimum. Add to that, there are problems on the 401 at Highway 6. So it was with real disappointment that I sent Jacob a text this morning to tell him I'm not going. The forecast this morning is for better weather tomorrow so I've moved my visit back to the original plan. Even if the weather is lousy, at least I will be able to do both ends of the drive in daylight.

This afternoon I will bake a batch of brownies to take with me tomorrow. I'll also put together some slow cooker kits that can be frozen and dumped into his Crockpot before he leaves for school in the morning with the reward of a hot delicious dinner ready upon his return. It's not much, but it's something. A little bit of mother love to greet him on a cold winter's day.

I've been shopping regularly these past two weeks to try and find a new dress to wear to Oprah's show on Wednesday but I've had no success. Audience members are requested to wear bright colours but I haven't found a brightly coloured dress at any price point. I think I'm going to settle for the red dress I have in my closet already and save my shopping for Chicago. If all goes well I will have a number of hours to shop on Tuesday. If I find something to wear the next day, great. If I don't, that's okay too.

Cath has been in bed all week with a wicked case of flu. As long as she is back on her feet and well enough to be with me in Chicago, I will have everything I need.

Snow

“When it snows, you have two choices: shovel or make snow angels.” Anon

I am looking out the window onto the ravine. The tree branches are covered in snow. The ravine floor is white and the trees look stark across the gray sky. The back deck of the house is covered with more than a foot of white powder. It is beautiful.

Yesterday's dump of snow resulted in the cancellation of my scheduled lunch meeting. The plows cleared our driveway before noon and I thought I would venture out for a few hours to run some errands and do some shopping. But I kept putting it off, hour after hour until I finally decided to stay put. When I went to bed I realized I had spent a whole day without setting eyes on another human being. Merv is still away and even my cleaning lady didn't feel confident enough to venture out in the snow. I woke today with the temptation to spend another day in isolation. It's so cold outside. But I will fight it harder this time. There are a few chores I want to do in the house but after that, I'm going to head out. Merv will be home sometime this evening, if indeed his flight is unaffected by the storms raging on the eastern seaboard. This afternoon I will make a batch of slow cooker chili in case he is hungry when he gets home.

I've been avoiding watching more than the local news the past couple of days. Even in the face of the Arizona massacre that happened last Saturday, our friends to the south can't seem to find a way to turn down their hateful, political rhetoric. I just don't want to hear it. Even the local news is tough right now. I am deeply saddened by the death of Sgt. Ryan Russell who was struck and killed by a stolen snowplow shortly after he started his early morning shift yesterday. It was senseless and heartbreaking. Let's hope the news gets better in the coming days.

Tragedy Tomorrow, Comedy Tonight

No royal curse, no Trojan horse,
And a happy ending, of course!
Goodness and badness,
Panic is madness--
This time it all turns out all right!
Tragedy tomorrow,
Comedy tonight!
- Lyrics from "Comedy Tonight" performed at A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum

It has been two weeks since I last wrote in this blog. Two weeks of celebration and parties, rich food and good champagne, music and laughter, and quiet days spent in the comforting company of Jacob. Today that all officially ends.

Last night Jacob and I attended A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. As Merv was leaving early this morning for a trip to Florida, he didn't want a late night so Jacob accompanied me to the theatre to use our subscription tickets. The play was light and there was the occasional chuckle but I couldn't help but feel that the show is past its expiration date. In spite of the lackluster event, we still had fun.

Today I will drive Jacob back to Guelph. First I will stop at the grocery store and lay in a supply of steaks, ribs and chops to fill the freezer in Jacob's kitchen. And then the drive. It's been so great to have him home. I'm struggling a bit at the prospect of sleeping in this empty house tonight.

To distract myself from the pain, I will work on making trip arrangements for the end of the month. Our dear friend Brian managed to secure four tickets to Oprah's show on January 26 so Geraldine, Cath, Nan and I will fly to Chicago on January 25. I'm very excited. I don't know what the show will be about that day but I don't care. Attending a taping of the Oprah Show has been on my bucket list for years and I'm thrilled to have the opportunity to cross it off in the show's farewell season.

I have lots of meetings lined up for the coming week. Lots of work to do for WTCLS and for Willow. Paying clients remain harder to come by though I'm hoping my upcoming marketing efforts will line up some business. I'm trusting that everything will unfold as it is intended by the universe. And I'm planning to savour every day of this new year.