Things I miss, part 1

I was thinking on the way back from Safeway this evening, of the things I miss about [Vancouver.](http://www.tourismvancouver.com/)  There’s a big list, but I reckon there will be some things I miss about Melbn when I inevitably move [somewhere](http://www.berlin.de/) [else.](http://www.blundstone.com/get_mountain_cam.cgi)  The sun was setting behind the buildings of Prahran, there was a cool breeze coming up the streets, there was some Gilbert \& Sullivan on my [iPod.](http://www.apple.com/ipod/)  It all came together to remind me of [Saturday Afternoon at the Opera.](http://www.cbc.ca/sato/)  Saturday afternoons during the Northern Hemisphere Winter, the CBC would rebroadcast complete operas from New York’s Metropolitan Opera House. So, most Saturday afternoons, I’d spend in my flat, puttering around. I’d fidget on the computer(s), clean, vacuum, reorganise my CDs, bake… anything to stay within earshot of the radio for 3\+ hours. If I had to go out, I’d try **really**  hard to be back before the opera started. 

My favourite segment, in terms of sheer comedic value, is the Opera Quiz . At halftime of the opera, they would break for one of the most esoterically bizarre quiz shows ever. They’ve managed to find a half dozen opera wankers and put them in the same room for a thinly veiled “quiz show”, in which the real objective is to out-wank everyone else with the sheer amount of opera trivia they know. Brilliant comedy, and they take it so seriously.

They program a good mix of “classic” and “modern” operas over the half-year season. The performances are uniformly very good, and even if I’m not into the particular opera itself, there’s something about the regularity of the tradition that appeals to and comforts me. If someone else is lucky enough to be around (poor Hilary …), a bottle of wine got opened, and the afternoon would get much more interesting as time progressed.

I will be able to listen to the Met here, but as wonderful as the ABC is, I don’t know if it will be the same.

You can’t go back, only forward with hindsight.