Toronto, land of too many pressures

It's really hot in Toronto. There are a million responsibilities to attend to in Toronto. My seasonal allergies this year, here in Toronto, are far more severe than ever before. My apartment is a mess.

There's been so much to do, I haven't had a chance to catch up with many of my friends. This weekend in the League of Canadian Poets AGM. It's my first one. I don't know if I'll go to another. And this week has also been somewhat consumed with the shooting of Heart Of A Poet, a TV series made in part by my very long-time friend Maureen Judge. There are episodes on Sandra Alland, Sherwin Tija, Christian Bök, me, and a bunch of other poets. Maureen's been trying to make things as comfortable as possible, but I sure do dislike being on camera and being made to do things for the camera. The highlight, though, was that they had me go out on the street to sell my books again, which I haven't done since about 1990. Was only out for an hour, and though the camera crew was on the other side of the road for most of that time, I didn't sell a single book. But I sure had fun, and think I'll go out and try to do it again. Back in the 80s, though, I was selling $2-$5 chapbooks. Now I'm out there with $10-$25 books.

On the bright side, David McFadden has moved into my neighbourhood. Dana starts her excellent new job downtown on Monday, and will no longer have to make the excruciating trek to Oakville. And, um, I'm sure there's more of a bright side.

Over and out.