In what I believe is now an attempt at cruel and unusual
punishment the folks of the Georgia Straight via the conduit of its somewhat pleasant Arts
Editor Janet Smith have contacted me yet again to shoot the pictures for this
coming week’s (Wednesday September 16) Georgia Straight Fall Arts Preview. I
believe this may be my 15th year at working on this assignment. I have informed Smith that next year when she phones again for this my wife will answer and tell her I am dead.
If you consider that I am an aging, rheumatic, chronic
cougher, with an enlarged prostate, a heart that accelerates without notice and a mildly balding chap of 73 you might wonder if the folks on West Broadway
cannot find younger blood to draw on.
But that is not the case so I am currently not sleeping nights
while my brain whirs on photographs that would be easy if it were not for the
fact that Smith (as usual) asked me, “Alex what’s this year’s theme going to
be?”
Without unleashing the cat out of the bag the accompanying
selfie reveals (in a subtle manner) two items that are central to this year’s
theme. I will not make it easier for you folks by giving you two hints. These two items have (or perhaps not) ancillary
connections with Richard Widmark in a 1962 film called The Secret Ways and to Jimmy Stewart and a chap (also an actor) who was born in New
Westminster.
If you cannot figure it out (and I suppose you cannot)
you will have to wait until Wednesday to find out.