I got up early this morning, tense about a presentation to CBC today. I have to speak to CBC’s “international role — how it is the voice of Canada abroad.” So I started thinking about the time I was in Syria, travelling alone near the border of Iraq. I was in a smoke shop, reading and taking deep puffs of nargileh (it’s the thing to do – that and play backgammon — and I don’t know how). A man invited me to his house. He seemed nice. We rode on his motorbike into the night. I was scared shitless, thinking I’d made a big mistake. But it all worked out. And he tuned in Radio Canada International for me, somehow knowing I would want news from home. I’ll never forget hearing the jingle for The World at Six after midnight in the desert.
A good way to deal with morning stress — stretch. Suzy gave me a yoga tape for Christmas. It’s great. The guy is a bit goofy, but nobody really looks good in tights, do they?
Today. Out there.
