I’ve isolated the cause of the lurching stomach. Turns out that not even writing my thesis provokes as much anxiety as sending my daughter to spend time with her grandmother (my mother). Bella arrived Wednesday night, today is Friday. In two days, my mother has had two lunch dates and two evening meetings, leaving Bella by herself most of the time.
Last night I stayed on the phone with my kid until 10:30 pm, so she wouldn’t feel so alone. When she woke up this morning, she was alone again with a note saying that my mother would be home around 2 pm. What have I done? I suppose she and I will both survive and I’ll make it up to her when she gets back. I did have an angry cry about it this morning.
On a brighter note, two things have made me laugh out loud today: Chad’s “photo-roman” (Bella sent it to me), which I will post as soon as I am able and, a transcript of Tagny Duff’s Telepresence (2002), which took place in Montreal. I have to figure out a way to include it in my thesis – it is like a real time audio walk, via cell phone.
Guide: So where are you guys now?
Participant 1: I can hardly hear you.
G: Can you hear me?
P1: Barely.
G: Are you on Sainte-Catherine Street now?
Participant 2: Now we are, yeah.
G: Could you do me a favour? Could you lie down on the sidewalk?
P2: You want us to lie down on the sidewalk? Are you serious?
G: I want you to lie down on the sidewalk if you feel comfortable. Do you?
P1: Okay.
P2: Okay.
G: OK, so you’re lying down on the sidewalk?
P1 & P2: Yeah, we are…
G: Are you getting weird looks?
P2: I’m not really looking. Haha.
P1: People are looking at us.
P2: It’s kind of comfortable actually.
P1: People are walking over us.
G: People are walking over you? They’re stepping over you as if you weren’t there?
