Sunday, November 23, 2014

Great Romances end in tears

Hooray - it's November again and not February. A balmy 5 degrees or so, drizzly and grey but not cold, great on the bike. Must get old Bill to come put the Xmas lights up before it freezes again.

Yesterday, an enormous dim sum feast with Mary and Bernie at the Pink Pearl at Harbourfront, overlooking the cold grey lake. Mmmm dimm summm. And last night, a feast of documentary - The Nature of Things about babies, how naturally empathetic they are, incapable of deception - but how quickly they grow savvy and learn to fib. And how even very young children form automatic bonds with people who look like them.

And then finally caught the episode I've been trying to see of CNN's excellent series on "The Sixties": The British Invasion. A wonderful exploration of that crazy time when suddenly America was flooded with incredibly talented British musicians, bringing American r and b and blues back to the States: Beatles, Stones, Kinks, Gerry and the Pacemakers etc. They showed the Who, and one guy said, "The Beatles were always supporting each other musically, but the Who were like four separate leads on stage, having as little to do with each other as possible." And there they were in their own worlds, Pete Townshend flailing at his guitar, the lunatic Keith Moon, Roger Daltry with his long Louis XIV curls wailing into the mike - made me laugh out loud. And yet the music was incredible.

It showed how they were all listening to each other and to the American singers - the black groups, Bob Dylan, the Beach Boys - overlapping spheres of influence. At the end, someone said, "How many people you fell in love with in 1964 do you still love? And yet we still love this music. It's one of the world's great love affairs." Right you are. And have I got a book for you!

I've disapproved of television all my life but am keen, now, on my new big bright TV. When the TV Guide comes on Saturday, I check it for interesting shows for the whole week, especially this week, the last days of free Documentary Channel. I just saw there's a show on PBS tonight at 9.30 called Great Romances. I've often seen it listed and never watched it, so decided to check what great romance it's about today. Guess who? "Paul and Linda McCartney"! I must have a sixth sense.

So you know what I'll be doing at 9.30 tonight. If you want to break into my house, go ahead, I'll be busy.

Love this, from Facebook:

This photo series by Rose-Lynn Fisher captures tears of grief, joy, laughter and irritation under the microscope.

Tears aren't just water. They're primarily made up of water, salts, antibodies and lysozymes, but the composition depends on the type of tear. There are three main types - basal tears, reflex tears, and weeping tears.

As you can see, they can look incredibly different when evaporated and placed under a microscope.

More info: http://bit.ly/RJqvK7

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