Desultory Observations

 I do have an acerbic, critical side and if I were to let it out for a moment, possibly with this facial expression:

I might make some further comments about my trip to Vancouver.

• I encountered a new kind of cuisine a few times that I will call "bullshit cuisine" defined as the kind that focusses on the presentation and "healthy" aspects to the exclusion of things like good preparation and flavour. I think the exemplar of this was the ridiculously over-priced room-service breakfast I had at the ridiculously over-priced hotel in Victoria. The presentation was impeccable:  large tray with flower vase and flower. elegant cutlery and napkin with a glass of excellent grapefruit juice (no complaint there), a mug of so-so latte, a serving of Belgian waffles that were overcooked, tasteless and dry, but looked great with berries scattered over top and finally, and most hideously, two oversized "breakfast sausages" that never resembled any sausage I have ever had. Extraordinarily firm, if not actually tough, brownish-tan in color and nearly tasteless. I had the feeling that they were concocted from some blend of overcooked chicken breast and tofu. Inedible. The day before I had a similar brunch. This was called an "oatmeal buttermilk pancake" and indeed there was just one, a large very flat pancake resembling a particularly unsuccessful pita with some blueberry compote smeared in the middle and dollops of whipped butter here and there. It didn't taste bad exactly, it just did not resemble any pancake I have ever had due to its stolid, chewy texture. Oh, and this was accompanied by a sausage as well, a greenish cylinder, also very chewy with no discernible flavor, or not one you would wish to taste, at least.
• My theory about these travesties is that this is another instance of the triumph of progressivism over common sense. The traditional tasty dishes all must be replaced with ones we will feel more comfortable eating for "health" reasons. They might still look ok, though a lot greener and more rustic than they used to, but they must not have the fluffy scrumptious textures of the past. No, they must be chewy and resistant so that we can feel virtuous in their consumption. Like so much these days, it is really just another form of bullshit.
• One neat thing about a highly developed nation like Canada is that you have interesting and diverse travel options by which I am referring to the seaplane I took from Vancouver harbour to Victoria harbour saving many hours of travel time I just didn't have. This was a De Havilland Otter, upgraded to a turboprop. It is just slightly disconcerting to realize that the company went defunct in 1963 so all these well-maintained aircraft are rather elderly.

• While in my hotel room I subjected myself to an hour or so of Canadian news broadcasting on the Global, CTV and CBC networks. One might expect a bit of diversity from these three networks, one an upstart, another a venerable private network and the last the government-subsidized one. But no, everything was highly filtered and staged to present a very specific narrative about our world. I won't offer my interpretation of it, but I will say that I then went to the BBC and it was even worse, insufferably so. I guess I would call this "bullshit news narrative." Whether you agree with my point of view or not--which I am not going to share with you--wouldn't you at least be able to agree that all this stuff bears very, very little resemblance to reality?
• My old friend who came over to Vancouver from Victoria specifically to record the last concert was one of the most delightful aspects of the trip. Since retiring from the symphony where he was principle flute, he has taken up the vocation of recording. Due to modern technology, this is a lot easier than it used to be, though it still involves the careful coiling of a lot of cables afterward. High-tech microphones and recording apparatus means he was able to set it up, hit "record" and then just join us in the audience. He has already sent me the edited product which I won't listen to until I get home and can listen to on some good speakers.
• The natural beauty of coastal British Columbia is just stunning and the good citizens are doing their best to preserve it. That is a big plus.
• I am really delighted with how this trip has turned out. The quartet got better and better and the final concert was excellent and I believe we got an excellent recording. Lots of people had good things to say about the music and I was so happy to re-connect with people I hadn't seen for a long time. In my final three days I am going to have a little vacation starting today with a dim sum brunch with some family. Tomorrow I am going to visit a spectacular park and the day after I am heading to the Granville Island Market, a very hip shopping destination. Souvenirs!