March 29, 2015: Little giant

I attend a lecture by the illustrious Brenda Milner.  What an honour!

She speaks of experiences as an experimental psychologist in Wilder Penfield’s laboratory.  This petite woman’s research spanned our knowledge of how the mind works—from Penfield’s homunculus to recent fMRI technology.  She describes how she made key discoveries of motor skill function of the brain with her work with HM, one of the most famous patients of neuroscience.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brenda_Milner

March 22, 2015: Light show, no sound

Ten years ago, I learned an important lesson: take time to enjoy the moment.

I was making my way to work in northern rural Ontario.  At the beginning of a 4-hour drive late at night, I had seen in the distance streaks of green. A delayed flight lengthened my night.  No time to pause--I hurried on. I discovered the next day that the previous night’s aurora borealis was one of the most spectacular in decades. Just a few minutes pause would have given me an unforgettable sight.  Instead, I received an unforgettable lesson.

Fast forward 10 years.  Local radio announces that clear skies and high solar activity predict excellent aurora viewing tonight.  I set my alarm for wee o’clock.  At wee o’clock, my body wanted to continue its slumber.  I finally dug myself out of bed at 3 a.m., snuggled into my parka, and headed out.

Leaving civilization was an easy feat in Atikokan—2 km drive up the road and I was enveloped in complete darkness.  Except for the skies.  Car lights dimmed.  Eyes adjust.  I look north.  Spectacular!  The lights danced fluidly between pulses, quite different from the faint streaks I had expected.  No regrets over lost sleep.  One regret: I could not record this on camera.

March 15: Hot jam

Only hours reprieve from those gusts of Arctic origin, just enough to fool me into a bike ride to the legendary Massey Hall.  This 19^th century venue had played host to several landmark recordings.  I am lucky to have heard Cesaria Evora, Oscar Peterson, and Diana Krall within. Tonight, Colin James makes one of his occasional visits to Toronto. His not so gritty baritone works well with his blues guitar—or guitars—he change guitars for almost every song.  His boyish good looks hide well his years.  He must live a cleaner life than that of an average bluesman.  The concert ends when he runs out of guitars. 

March 8, 2015: Time travel

For me, it was one of those rare nights out on the town.  I am invited to a colleague’s DJ gig.  I walk through the stone tunnel into the Velvet Lounge at Auberge Saint Gabriel in Old Montreal.  This building was constructed in 1688 as the first functioning inn in North America.  Their alcohol permit was issued on March 4, 1754, the first to be issued in North America and predating confederation of both Canada and U.S.

http://aubergesaint-gabriel.com/restaurant/historique/