Thomas Trofimuk - Waiting for Columbus - Columbus Book

Recent Journal Entries

Trofimuk, on writing...

July 19, 2010

I like the idea of a writing log here. I may try it for a week or so. See how I feel about sharing the journey. Not sure how much juice I have left at the end of a day of writing but perhaps there will be value in this…Hemingway said something about never talking about what you’re going to write because once it’s out, you might not get it back, and you might not get it on the page. So, this is not talking about what I’m going to write. Rather, it’s a log of what I have written.

July 7. 2010
Pinsky on the airplane today — maybe an hour and a bit into his flight. The woman next to him has been studying jaguars in Belize for the past nine months. He asks questions. They share wine together. He finds out more about jaguars than he ever thought he would. Here’s the thing…I didn’t think it was going to take off, this section…but it did…and it’s not bad. Tomorrow, back to the Scottish book. Not thinking about publishers or agents or readers, just having fun with story…seeing where it’s going to take me…seeing what’s going to happen next…

July 8. 2010
Wrote 2,000 words on the Scottish book today. The writing started slowly. Thought I’d never make it to the 1,500-word mark but then it took off. Ended up in an odd, mildly erotic, and a bit scary, place. I think I was teetering on the brink of soft porn — at least it was bloody erotic. I kept pulling myself back from the edge. It surprised me. I’ve been looking around this bedroom and never saw the hook in the ceiling until today. Also, this seems to be a happy marriage. I’m writing a happy marriage.

July 19. 2010
Spent the weekend in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, at the Saskatchewan Festival of Words 2010 edition. What an utterly brilliant festival this was!! Big, enthusiastic and smart audiences. Very well organized and attended. Kudos to the team of volunteers!! A small list of the writers includes Jack Hodgins, M.G. Vassanji, Pasha Malla, Mariko Tamaki, Judy Fong Bates, Richard Scarsbrook, A.F. Moritz, Sean McGarragle, Yann Martel, John Lent, Steven Galloway and Lorna Crozier. I met so many wonderful people, including the mayor of Moose Jaw, Glenn Hagel – one of the most gregarious and lovely men I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting. More on the festival later. I wanted to share – as part of this writing log – the news that I read from the new Mexico book (The World is Three Days) at the Moose Jaw Fest and it flew. Very well received and ergo, encouraging. Wrote more than I thought I would, on both projects – the Mexico book, and the Scottish book.

July 19, 2010 ~ Link ~ Commentary {2}

A note to a lovelorn airport

July 6, 2010

Well, there are just 24 days until Edmonton’s Municipal Airport is done. That day can’t come soon enough. The debate has gone on long enough. Now, there’s a shit-load of money behind the desperate movement to stop it from closing. I hope to hell they fail. This little airport has to go. It’s time to move into the future…I sent this letter to the Edmonton Journal this morning. I promise my next post will be about writing, or gardening, or poetry….enough politics, eh!!!!

Dear Municipal Airport,
I realize this is hard for you but you keep hanging on, you keep writing letters about how you think our relationship can still work, but honey, I’m done with you. I’m sorry, it just doesn’t work anymore. I used to love you but I’ve grown, and you haven’t. And now you’ve started a petition to force us to stay together. I’m so sick and tired of talking about this. We’ve been through how many marriage councilors? You really have to let this go. I know. I know. Break-ups are hard. But you have to move on. You keep bringing up the same old arguments about how people will die if we break up – and how all the businesses in Edmonton will close if we break up – and you even tried to tell me that if it were easier to get Edmontonians to Calgary by way of your runways then more direct flights would land at Edmonton’s International airport. Seriously?! And you recently called the proposed development of your land “sprawl”!! Sprawl is when we expand outward. This is in-fill. It’s actually good to develop land in the middle of a city. All the services are there. The LRT will be there. Honey, you need help – professional help. You’re holding me back. I haven’t grown to the heights I could have because of you. And I have a bigger, better airport not too far down the road. In fact, the way I’m growing, my city limits will be there soon. Once you’re gone, I’ll be able to focus on my big airport. And, as you know, I have big plans for the space you’re occupying. Please don’t make me get a restraining order, honey. Leave me alone and let’s move on with our lives. I’ve started a Facebook group called “The Edmonton alliance to quickly kill the Municipal Airport.” I may even start a petition to stop your petition. This has gone on long enough, Muni. I’ll always remember you but this is good-bye.

Love
the city of Edmonton

July 06, 2010 ~ Link ~ Commentary {4}

An open letter to the G-8, G-20

June 28, 2010

Dear G8, G20 leaders; Why, why, why? Why do you insist on antagonizing protesters, violent, non-violent, idiotic, and the stupidly earnest by telling them where you’re meetings are? Your little meetings, which cost my country close to a billion dollars by the way, are magnets for criminal hooligans who just like to break and destroy stuff. These morons mix in with legitimate protesters – who mistrust the police and so communication is muddied. Look, it’s always going to be like this. ALWAYS!! It’s always going to teeter on the brink of out-of-control. Innocent people get hurt, have their rights trampled and it’s always an ugly game of brinkmanship between protesters and police. There will always be stupid young, macho bucks who will antagonize police because, well, because they’re morons. From now on, have your meeting but don‘t tell us where you are. I don’t need to know where you are. I don’t give a rat’s ass where you are. After, tell me what you talked about. Prove that these meetings are worthwhile. But please, keep the meeting location a secret. It’s a massive stupidity to announce where your meetings are going to be held. And I suspect this plea is as ridiculous as the shouts and rantings of those protesters, and you’ll ignore me too.

Note to protesters: Good on you for exercising your right to free speech and to protest and to let those evil politicians know what you’re angry about. But I really don’t think they care. Seriously, do you think you’re making change? Do you seriously think you’re being heard? Do you think you’re a bunch of hippies running around in the ’60s? Well, it’s not the ’60s. And you’re not heard. The world only sees and hears the violent buggers who are hiding in your ranks. The world goes to YouTube and watches the violence. Your protests have become a dumb, predictible spectator sport. The world watches the burning police cars, the hundreds arrested, and guess what, you and your issues are lumped together and completely lost in that ugly mix. What exactly are your issues? What, exactly are you protesting? You see? You’ve failed to communicate. Find a better way to make change. Find a better way to protest. Be smarter than the G-men and women (are there any women in the G-team?) This isn’t working. Seriously.

All the best

June 28, 2010 ~ Link ~ Commentary {3}

The new "Buddha Garden"

June 22, 2010

Okay, the light is not right, but here’s the new Buddha in the “Buddha Garden” at chez Trofs. This garden needs moss, and time….but I think the Buddha is happy.

June 22, 2010 ~ Link ~ Commentary {3}

The new Buddha gets a home

June 22, 2010

Spent most of Sunday building a new garden space in the back yard. Drove out to Ellerslie Greenhouses and bought a very nice (big) Buddha who sits on a block that has engravings on its sides. This is a cement block and I have to say it took all my strength to lift the damned thing. So the new Buddha now sits amidst ornamental grasses – my favourite is the Japanese Fire Grass – and a spirea shrub and some small red-leafed flowers that Hole’s Greenhouses had on sale: three for ten dollars. Three lattice screens (recycled from a previous project) provide a backdrop to this nascent garden. When I get a good picture, I’ll post here. It makes me happy just to look at it, and to make adjustments. Add new elements. In the meantime, the front garden is blooming!

The thing I love about irises is that they really do not last very long. You have to pay attention or you’ll miss them. Once the irises are finished, I’ll split some of them and they’ll move to the new back garden.