Wednesday, December 27, 2006

End of the Year Bits and Bobs



Well, lots has happened since I last wandered by. The Dems took back the US government (thank the gods,) Michael Richard's career imploded, Friday Night Lights was renewed for the full year, and we all survived the triptophan haze which was the Solsitikkah season. (Although my blog's previous incarnation did not make it out alive, in my turkey stuper I decided to change my template, and lost all my customized add ons, damn it. The warning that stated clearly "all custom yadda yadda will be lost" didn't even register...) I now have to try and remember where I got the HTML coding for the fundie logo - I really liked that one...

Now I know - you've tripped up back in the last paragraph. "Wtf is Solstikah, you ask?" Well, my wife and I - good pagans that we are - celebrate the winter solstice this time of year instead of Xmas. (Don't even get me started on how the early christian church basically stole most the of the festivities from the pagans - Jesus wasn't even born this time of year...) And the wife also has incorporated some Jewish tradition into her belief system. So we created Solsitkah. We celebrate 6 days of Solstikah, beginning with the winter Solstice on the 21st of December and running through Boxing day (December 26 for you Americans.) We exchange a big present on Solstice, then little ones every day, do stockings on the 25th, and finish up on the 26th. We also cook our big feast on the 21st. It's a really cool tradition, and we enjoy it very much. We also exchange a small present the first night of Chanukah, and light the menorah.

I also took holidays beginning on the 20th, which was a really nice break. However, I spent much of it staying up late in the night playing poker. I really think poker will either be my major life lesson, or will be the death of me. I swear - nothing brings out pure rage in me like this game! Yikes! It makes me crazy. In a way that deserves it's own post - look for that soon...

Tuesday, September 05, 2006

Those Scary Canadian Fire Fighters...!

So have you heard about the wildfire in southeastern BC? The smoke is so thick folks can't see. The National Post has an article on it here. Especially interesting is the following quote from Jeanne Rucker with the Forrestry Service:

"If the wind is blowing more towards the west, Manning Park could be threatened," said Rucker. "And if it goes the other way it will go into Cathedral Park and Snowy Mountain protected area.
"We've been watching it now for weeks, but we haven't had the approval or the authority from the U.S. government to go down there [across the border] and fight it. We've had to wait until it comes to the border before we can take any action."
Rucker said the U.S. finally gave permission late Saturday "to go in and perform certain action on that fire."


Ok - so this fire has been burning out of control for weeks. Headed to Canada. No reason for it to put itself out before it crossed to border. The US Forest Service has been too overwhelmed, undermanned, and all around busy to try and deal with it.

But the US "Officials" wouldn't let us cross the border to try and contain it. I suppose they were afraid that we'd send terrorists across the border disguised as fire fighters...

Good grief.

Tuesday, August 22, 2006

He finally admits it!...

Taken from the President's press conference this morning:

Reporter: What does the war in Iraq have to do with 9-11?

Dubya: NOTHING!

So What the Fuck have you been
doing the last 5 years???
This is what happens when Dubya goes off script... Oh, and he does stuff like having an assinine conversation with the Premier of China about how far China is from Germany, and he gives the German Chancellor an unwanted massage (which could be construed as sexual assault,) and just shows us once again how he a a sociopathic child prone to tantrums...

Monday, August 21, 2006

The poker gods are laughing...

Ok - so I'm 3 levels into a MTT at Poker Stars, middle position, and I have A J of spades in the hole. In EP is a LAG (Loose Agressive Player) that will play any two cards. I'm surprised has not gone out already - much less has managed to garner more chips than me.

Blinds are 25/50 and LAG comes in for 300. I call, as does the button. Flop comes 3, 5, 10 - all spades. I've flopped the nut.

LAG bets 600. I laugh at the screen in glee, and come over the top all in. The button quickly folds. LAG calls! (We both had around 2400 at the start of the hand - he with a bit more, so he has me covered.)

The cards turn over to reveal my nut flush, and his - 3 Q of Diamonds. He called my all in with a PAIR OF THREES??? No spades?

Now I'm laughing out loud. Dancing in my chair.

The turn is the Q of hearts. Ok - now he has 2 pair, and 4 outs. But only 1 card to come...

The river - can you guess???

3 of hearts.

Frikin suck out King pulls a Full House out of his butt and busts me out.

And all my Zen practice went out the window! I stomped around the house turning the air blue and dreaming of ways to go throught the computer to punch Suck out King in the face.

Apparently I have not yet achieved enlightenment.

Friday, August 18, 2006

Still here....




I'm still here...!
I know what you're thinking. You're thinking my god - she has returned to us! Or else your'e thinking who the hell is this chick and why does she think I give a rats- ANYWAY, I figured I needed to check in.

The world is further down that road to crazy. Don't even get me started. So I'm just trying to live my life, do my thing and enjoy the days as they pass. Summer is glorious here in the Land of Bubba - the only place in North America that isn't too hot, and the evenings are cool and sweet. Xena's Kwoon is getting off the ground and we're excited about that.

And I've continued to try and improve my poker game. I'm studying, and playing some every night. I'm now in the money more than I'm not, and that makes me happy. I wanted to go with my Karma theme, but Zen in poker has already been done.

It's an interesting concept - attempting to apply the principles of Zen to a competitive game. There are some things that are easy connections -
Patience
examining the moment and paying attention
letting the frustration role off you and avoiding tilt
The biggest seeming conflict for me is that winning at poker calls for aggression. Passive players don't win - at least not in the long run. And Buddism is about a lot of things - but aggression isn't one of them.

So part of my task is to balance the Zen principles I'm using with being aggressive when necessary. It's a delicate balence - let me tell you. I tend to tilt way too much.

Tonight I came in 3rd in a S&G. Won $18. Not bad. Play the players. Wait for good cards. Then push!

Saturday, July 01, 2006

Poker and Me




My relationship with poker is definately love/hate. I suck. Then I suck not so badly. Then I suck again. Then I play great and just know my sucking days are over. Then I suck. Again.

My performance in the Blogger Tourney was a clear example of me sucking. I had high hopes, but was out within the 1st 1/2 hour. After moping about for a couple of days, I went into a round one freeroll over at Full Tilt Poker, where I amazed myself by coming in 6th of 1800 and winning a seat in the 2nd round satellite. The top 9 in this second round would go on to a WSOP Seat tourney, where the top 20 would win free seats to the WSOP Main Event!! That's a $10,000 buy in!

I took my seat, gulped down a Red Bull... And was out in 1/2 an hour. Again. I played too tight at first and missed out on some amazing hands, and then my cards went cold.

Why do I play this game?? The only thing consistant about my game is my inconsistancy. The day is beautiful. I could be walking my dog, or enjoying my yard. So why am I inside staring at the screen?

Because there is a tourney starting in a couple of minutes. Gotta go!

Wednesday, May 31, 2006

If you're looking for me...

These days you're likely to find me playing online poker. I'm not sure how I caught the bug - but I've got it bad! I'm a really inconsistant player (the poker gods are very fickle, don'tcha know) but I'm having a blast.

On June 18th I'm playing in a blogger tourney at PokerStars.net. Scroll to the bottom of this page and check it out! Hopefully I won't go out in the first 3 hands... LOL

Wednesday, May 17, 2006

News From the Home Front!

Politics - new day, same crap. Between Harper and Bush I just have to shake my head and sigh. The only bright spot (and thank you bloggers for insuring we even heard about it) was Stephen Colbert's brilliant and scandalous skewering of the president et al, including the dickless media. If you haven't heard his address, here you go. You need to see this. To read the transcript, go here (with thanks to the Daily Kos.)

But enough of that, because I have huge news on the home front! As you may know (but probably don't,) my family has been in flux for the last several years as I've been sponsoring my wife's permanent immigration to Canada. We are both originally from the States (I escaped in 1989, she in 2000.) Imagine - to want to live in a country in which we feel safe, that sanctions our marriage, and that allows me to sponsor her! What can we be thinking! ::sarcasm off - mini rant for our "friends" in the US who are sad that we "cut and ran"::

A bit of background... We began our relationship in 2000. Had a Joining Ceremony in 2001. (We call that our Emotional Wedding.) Began exploring sponsorship in 2003 when the law changed to allow same sex couples to sponsor under the family class as commonlaw. Decided we would rather get legally married, and planned for that after BC changed provincial law to allow it. Got married in 2004 (our Legal Wedding) and began the application process.

All that time my wife has been a "visitor" in Canada - here legally on a visa but not allowed to work, go to school, etc. The joke was that she couldn't get sick because she couldn't go on my insurance. (Thankfully, she didn't.) Money moved back and forth from tight, to very tight, to just crazy sleepless tight. Six years in limbo is a long time.

However, last Friday, May 12 2006, she became a Landed Immigrant!!!!!

Wow. We hadn't realized just how stressed we had been until the stress came off. Up until the last minute, DW was worried that the Powers That Be would change their collective minds, and put her on a bus to Seattle. Not because she had broken any laws, but just because... (Don't get me started on the fact that living the last few years in the US helped bring on that mentality...)

Anyway - she has now been added to my insurance. Her SIN card is on the way. She can begin to advertise her business and actually make some money.

And she's counting the days until she can apply for Citizenship (just like I did all those years ago.)

So Welcome to Canada, sweetie. We'll make that appointment at the tat shop for your Maple Leaf now!

(The beautiful watercolour included in this post is of the Peace River in northeastern BC, where we live. I found it on the net, so with many thanks to the artist...)

Sunday, April 02, 2006

See what I mean?


A perfect illustration of my post below...

This and that....


Wow. Sorry I've been so negligent. I have all the basic excuses - work in the way, had to travel a bit... But the truth is that the news has finally started getting to me, so I've been avoiding it. And I can't very well comment on something if I'm not paying any attention to it, now can I?

So I looked around to see what the latest is in the land of Harper - didn't find much. I guess that's what happens when the PM essentially muzzles the press .

It's no surprise that Harper is no friend to an open media. He's like his idol, Dubya, in that regard. Especially the damn liberal media - who only want to critize him. One of his henchmen (Colin Mayes, Tory MP from BC) actually advocated jailing reporters who "skew the news." WTF? Yes, he retracted his statement - but what about the message he sent?

Dubya has been leading the states down the path toward "1984" since he stole the 2000 election. So what did we do? Put his number one fan in power. Not one of our smarter moments.

And the result? Harper will continue his Baby Bush imitation, running the country as he sees fit and listening to no one.

No wonder I've been avoiding the news...

Tuesday, March 14, 2006

Look what the Russians turned up....

Sorry I've been so quiet lately, but springtime in the great white north has consisted of blowing snow and wind chill of -35. So I've been doing the most logical thing - staying parked in front of the computer playing online poker. Why is it that I can blow $100 on a night out without batting an eye, but losing $2.37 in a poker game drives me crazy?

Anyway, my new preoccupation has kept me from reading a lot of news lately. Good thing, too. I came up for air today and found this in my inbox. If the Russians have it right... Crap.

If I'm going to get a migraine, I'd rather it be because my Aces full of Queens gets beat by Aces full of Kings. That's poker. Something I can trust...

Wednesday, March 01, 2006

And the War Rages On...

Non Sequitor by Wiley Miller


The civil war that has erupted in Iraq between the Sunnis and Shiites has gotten me thinking about the even bigger worldwide battle. You know - the one between those of us who realize that the planet is composed of a myriad of beliefs and that's more than ok, and those who want us all to believe EXACTLY as they do, and they'll go so far as to kill us in order to save us. Those people who insist that their god is the only one, and their way of worship is the only way - the one's who would send me and my people to exodus groups and straight camps.

Thinking about this topic tends to give me a migraine. So instead, I want to share with you a post by John Hintergerger of the Seattle Times (original date unknown) that hit my inbox, and made me laugh. It's long, but bear with me - I hope you enjoy it.

"Ahhhhoooo!"

"Shhh! You can't howl in the Board of Education offices."

"Now hold on! What in the name of God are you people doing? What are you dressed up in all those old fur vests?"

"You guessed it! We're here in the name of God. We are the elders of the United Church of Barbarians, Orthodox Pagans and Druids, Scientist."

"Ahhhhhhhhoooooo!"

"Pipe down, Beowulf. Beowulf sometimes gets carried away."

"Oh, I get it. You are here to protest the school prayer amendment issue."

"No. No. We are all for it. It's time someone put Thor back into the classroom."

"Thor?"

"Sure, Thor. Also Woden, Frigga, and the Ancient Ones. You see, we heard that under the terms of the president's proposed amendment to allow school prayer, the content of the prayers could be taken from classic world religions or be written by local clergy. We just want to make sure that our congregation is represented."

"That seems reasonable, but it seems you're a rather minor ..."

"Ahhhhhooooo!"

"Beowulf, knockin' sie off! Sir, we are a nation of religious minorities. With 51 million members, the Roman Catholics are the largest single denomination (there are about a half million evangelical Christians by comparison), but the United States doesn't have a dominant religion."

"I see. Well, what form of prayer do you want?"

"It varies. On Monday, we'd appreciate if all of the children could bow their heads and worship the moon."

"The Moon!"

"Well, that's what it means. Moon day, from Monan Daeg or Montag. What did you think Monday meant? Moon Day is kinda special to us. We like to howl a bit."

"Well, I suppose since it's only one day of the ..."

"Now Tuesday is another matter. Tuesdays we think the children should drink mead and practice sword fights."

"Sword fights!"

"Well, perhaps it would be enough if they just had a silent moment of bloody thoughts in honor of Tui,k the Teutonic god of war. I mean, if you're going to use the name of our war god on your calendar, at least pay him a little appropriate respect."

"Tui likes swords?"

"Loves 'em. Wednesday, of course is our big day. We really go nuts on Wednesday. Woden is our chief Teutonic god (and also Olaf theNorselanders -- he calls him Odin) and Wodnesdaeg is our day of religious frenzy. If you look up the root words in old German, you'll find that wodeno means raging or insane, or carried away by the spirit. We like to do it up right. Lots of chanting and howling."

"Ahhhhhhhhoooooo!"

"Shhh, Beowulf. I know it's Wednesday, but lighten up. Thursday, the schoolchildren should make great groaning noises for a minute or two. It's the day of Thunder."

"But what about Jesus? And God? And the Virgin Mary? What about them? We can't have all the kids in America groaning every Thursday."

"God? What do you think we're talking about? As for the other two you mentioned, they are relative newcomers. If you don't want your kids to worship Thor, the god of thunder, on Thursdays, stop using His name in vain."

"I suppose you have plans for Friday as well."

"Funny you should ask. Friday is a day for making love. Now, here's our plan ..."

"Stop! You can't impose your crazy values on the children of the nation."

"Frigga ..."

"Don't talk to me like that!"

"Friday is Frigga's day. Frigga is the wife of Woden. It's the day of love, of warmth, of passion. It's always been. Even the Romans called it Veneris Dies, Venus's day. And statistically, more Americans make love on Friday night than on any other night of the week. Frigg (or Frigga) is very big."

"I don't care!"

"Don't you want your children to know what Friday means? They'll be saying it all their lives."

"I don't want them to know anything about all this wierdo rubbish. I just want them to put God back in the schools, where He belongs."

"So do we. But whose god? "

"Mine. Ours!"

"Ahhhhhhoooooo!"

"Oh, go ahead, Beowulf. What the heck, it's Wodensdaeg. Get spiritual. Go crazy."


Thursday, February 23, 2006

Wednesday, February 22, 2006

Fundies preparing for assault on our rights...

I found this amazing, and thoroughly scary link through Canuck Attitude (another great blog,) and wanted to add my own link to it. (Reading something third hand works in this instance...) Dave at The Galloping Beaver has written a great post that should be read by every Canadian who values protecting our civil rights. I won't take up any more of your time - CLICK! READ!

Tuesday, February 21, 2006

Why Ronald, Why?


What is the world coming to?

Emerson won't be a man and face a by-election. Harper is blind to the Reformers Conservatives' drop in the polls. Bush still cries "trust me!" and claims to have his public's best interest at heart. But these guys are politicians - the assumption that the world revolves around them is a given. Their behaviour is no surprise.

But friends, I am shocked and saddened. Because we have been lied to by North America's most famous clown. And when a clown lies to you... it's bad and sad and pathetic and just a low point in the evolution of our so called civilized world.

The news came today that Mcdonald's friench fries, touted for years as gluton and dairy free, are chock-full of - well, gluton and dairy. Which doesn't really matter... unless guton and/or dairy makes you sick. First it was beef tallow. Then the secret "natural ingredient." (Have we ever discovered exactly what that is?) Hey - maybe it's gluton and diary!

Personally, I always knew that there was something in those fries besides potatoes. But as addictive as they are - I thought it was crack.

Saturday, February 18, 2006

Trivia from south of the 49th...

(I found this in my inbox this week...)

NBA, MLB, NHL, OR NFL?

36 have been accused of spousal abuse
7 have been arrested for fraud
19 have been accused of writing bad checks
117 have directly or indirectly bankrupted at least 2 businesses
3 have done time for assault

71,(yes)repeat 71 cannot get a credit card due to bad credit

14 have been arrested on drug-related charges
8 have been arrested for shoplifting
21 currently are defendants in lawsuits, and
84 have been arrested for drunk driving in the last year

Can you guess which organization this is?
Give up yet? . . .


None of the above,
It's the 535 members of the United States Congress.
The same group of Idiots that crank out hundreds of new laws
each year designed to keep the rest of us in line.


Anybody know how our new Parliment would stand up to this?

Friday, February 10, 2006

It's a lesbian thing...

While I was in Vancouver this week I had dinner with my close friend C and her lovely partner, T. This astounded many of my colleagues, who earnestly questioned whether things were all right at home, and if my wife knew what I was doing. They claimed to be looking out for my welfare. I was confused. Don't they go out with friends?

"But she's your EX!" they cried. "You don't go out with your EX!" "I'd kill my husband if he was seeing his ex!"

Lesbians are defined by a vast number of stereotypes. Being a community of ex's is one of the most famous, along with the need for a UHaul on the second date and the fruit basket turnover at the start of softball season. (Wait - I suppose fbt is part of the community of ex's thing...) We have been known to form attachments quickly and deeply. And many of us have maintained close bonds with those who were once our one true love. C&T were the witnesses when X and I got married, and hosted our wedding in their home!

C and I have figured that we've been family in all our past lives, but we had never done the partner thing - and we do "family" better than we do "partner." Makes sense to me...

I do think that the whole "being friends with your ex" thing - while not totally unique to my people - is something that lesbians do better than straight folks. It isn't onesizefitsall... I have an ex or two that I'd cross the street to avoid. But on the whole - I really like the fact that someone who has known me so well for so long, is the same someone I can count on now...

It's a lesbian thing...

Tuesday, February 07, 2006

On second review...

Ok, so perhaps I was drunk last night with the happiness of Jay getting the bums rush in the Cabinet appointments. Or maybe that spicy burrito I had for supper clouded my judgement. I only know that, in the light of day, I was too optimistic about the Cabinet.

In my second reading I'm freaking out! Toews for Justice Minister??? And Day as Minister of Security??? Yikes! Toews doesn't believe we deserve ANY protection under the Charter - he's made that loud and clear. And Day believes that cave men walked with dinasaurs when the world was created 6000 years ago.

Please read today's Xtra.ca for a great explaination of what might very well be in store for us.

Monday, February 06, 2006

Where's Jay?

Wow. I say again - wow. Up here in the boonies of BC, the Conservatives were grinnin' and chuckin' and tellin' everyone that would listen how the North would rise again and we were in the money now that Harper was in power. After all, Jay Hill has been a little c Conservative (and every other socially right wing party member...) since god was a child. He was the biggest grinner of 'em all. He was going to make sure that us homosexuals got what was comin' to us - mainly, the roll back of our rights.

But low and behold, Harper was sworn in and announced his cabinet - and Jay Hill isn't on it. Instead there is David Emerson who won as a Liberal just 2 weeks ago by declaring the Tories were the devil. Now he's a Tory. (What does that make him? I'll ask some of the ONLY 4500 people who voted him on over the NDP candidate - they might have some choice words...)

Does this really mean that Harper is sincerely moving to the middle?

Only time will tell.

Friday, January 27, 2006

Is it Notwithstanding or Not?

I've been really confused by Stevie's proclamations about using the notwithstanding clause to eliminate my rights under the Charter. And now I know why. He really has been saying two different things. Check out this article by Brenda Cossman, a law professor at U of T. It finally makes sense.

Keep saying you're a moderate, Stevie... Maybe you can sell some bridges while you're at it.

Secret Harper/Bush Call Revealed!

Harper's been saying that his private phone conversation with Bushie was nothing more than simple congrats... But now we know the truth! Click here for the actual transcript!!!

Thursday, January 26, 2006

Betrayed by the Globe and Mail

Ok, so far Harper has:
  • demonstrated his "family values" by stiffly shaking his kids hands as they went into school,
  • had a private heart to heart with Dubya,
  • and vowed to secure the artic for Canada.

Oh - and this: (from the Globe and Mail) "Asked for a timeline on his promise to revisit the same-sex-marriage debate, Mr. Harper said he expected to revisit the issue "within the life of Parliament."

"I would prefer to do it sooner rather than later, but not immediately," he said.

A statement issued by Vote Marriage Canada — a group devoted to having the traditional definition of marriage restored — said that "as many as 45 per cent" of the members of the new Parliament may support its position."

(get the full article here)

What I want to know is WHY THE HELL is the Globe and Mail quoting the shit spewed by Vote Marriage Canada??? Are they now an objective news source?! What the FUCK???

Take an actual poll, G&M - I dare you. 45%?? Bullshit.

We know the media behaved like it was Harper's love slave during the election. Looks like they are still blowing him.

And we're still getting screwed.

Tuesday, January 24, 2006

You think?

A New Day


Ok. It's a new day. Harper is PM - with a government that is more minority than the last one...

You could hear the collective sigh of relief at about 10:30 pacific time last night, as Canada proved once again that we are a country that loves the middle ground. Talk last week of a possible Conservative majority was enough to make us start thinking again. Sure - everyone is sick of the Liberals. But giving the Reformers the keys to the kingdom? Nope - not quite ready to go there.
Today national thinking seems to be on two tracks:
  • That the allocation of seats will ensure that the Harperites will be unable to annex us to the US, and that women, gays and lesbians, and the poor are safe for now...
  • OR, that because the seats are allocated as they are, Harper, et al will push harder than ever to annex us to the US, gut our social programs, and make my legal marriage disappear.

Can you guess which track I'm supporting??

Everyone keeps assuring me that the Liberals and the Bloc will keep Harper in line. But what if the rumours are true, and Harper has bought the Bloc?

Fingers crossed...

Sunday, January 22, 2006

We're being watched...

Michael Moore Statement on Canadian Election

Michael Moore is currently in production on his next movie. As an avid lover of all things Canadian, he has issued the following statement regarding Canada's upcoming election on Monday:

Oh, Canada -- you're not really going to elect a Conservative majority on Monday, are you? That's a joke, right? I know you have a great sense of humor, and certainly a well-developed sense of irony, but this is no longer funny. Maybe it's a new form of Canadian irony -- reverse irony!

OK, now I get it. First, you have the courage to stand against the war in Iraq -- and then you elect a prime minister who's for it. You declare gay people have equal rights -- and then you elect a man who says they don't. You give your native peoples their own autonomy and their own territory -- and then you vote for a man who wants to cut aid to these poorest of your citizens. Wow, that is intense! Only Canadians could pull off a hat trick of humor like that. My hat's off to you.

Far be it from me, as an American, to suggest what you should do. You already have too many Americans telling you what to do. Well, actually, you've got just one American who keeps telling you to roll over and fetch and sit. I hope you don't feel this appeal of mine is too intrusive but I just couldn't sit by, as your friend, and say nothing.

Yes, I agree, the Liberals have some 'splainin' to do. And yes, one party in power for more than a decade gets a little... long. But you have a parliamentary system (I'll bet you didn't know that -- see, that's why you need Americans telling you things!). There are ways at the polls to have your voices heard other than throwing the baby out with the bath water.

These are no ordinary times, and as you go to the polls on Monday, you do so while a man running the nation to the south of you is hoping you can lend him a hand by picking Stephen Harper because he's a man who shares his world view. Do you want to help George Bush by turning Canada into his latest conquest? Is that how you want millions of us down here to see you from now on? The next notch in the cowboy belt? C'mon, where's your Canadian pride? I mean, if you're going to reduce Canada to a cheap download of Bush & Co., then at least don't surrender so easily. Can't you wait until he threatens to bomb Regina? Make him work for it, for Pete's sake.

But seriously, I know you're not going to elect a guy who should really be running for governor of Utah. Whew! I knew it! You almost had me there. Very funny. Don't do that again. God, I love you, you crazy cold wonderful neighbors to my north. Don't ever change.

Michael Moore

Too Little Too Late?...

I live a quiet life out in the boonies of northeastern BC. My vote on Monday is purely a statement of conscience, because I live in Jay Hill's riding, and the polls say he's leading with 55%. I've lived my life these past years trying to ignore him - and that's been entirely possible with the Reform/Conservatives in the opposition.

So the realistic possiblity of tempering a Tory landslide is not something I'm privy to outside my connection to the rest of the nation via the internet. Today I came across Think Twice and I'm glad that I'm certainly not alone in my worries about our nation's future. But is it too little too late?

Are there enough progressives and moderates in southern Ontario to make a difference? Are the Quebecers really buying the siren song of that wolf in sheep's clothing ?

My people are rushing to the alter in anticipation of the new world order on Tuesday. We know the Tory plan is reckless and will ultimately fail. But it's definitely a "two steps back" scenerio.

And all I can do is sit here in the boonies and wait, and watch...

Saturday, January 21, 2006

Remember what we're choosing...

With only 2 days to go before the election, I'm resigning myself to the fact that, unless he's caught reclined nude on a pile of money with a 9 year old boy... Harper is going to win. This reality makes me very sad. I'm incredibly pissed at the Liberals for being such assholes that the average Canadian can't stomach another term of their corruption and scandal. And I'm frustrated with Jack Layton for seeming to apologize for providing the "third option." Like Oliver Twist, he begs for votes instead of standing up and fighting for the NDP. Love 'em or hate 'em, the NDP continues to be the only major party that really means what they say and says what they mean.

So because we're stuck with really no choice, Harper will win. But, dear Canadians, please don't fool yourself into thinking he has changed. He has kept the far right members of his party sufficiently muzzled this campaign. He's no dummy - give him that. But their views are the same as they always were. They are not the PC of old - they are Reformers in disguise, and will take us as far right as they possibly can. The Vancouver Sun has a great article about this very thing today. You can read it all here: http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/story.html?id=a056990a-32cf-4e06-aabb-024f361e58f8 . But allow me to cut and paste a bit:

  • "Voters should not fool themselves into imagining that Conservatives, once in power, would not be much different from the Liberals. The electorate needs to recognize that they will be extremely different, in both good ways and bad.
    Harper will downsize government, stubbornly persist in trying to limit the definition of marriage to the cookie-cutter man/woman model, focus on promoting economic growth through the private rather than the public sector and reward citizens, as he so frequently says, who "work hard and play by the rules." His capital gains initiative would mainly benefit $100,000-plus earners.
    Harper has suggested he won't be bound by the Kyoto protocol, the requirements of which the hypocritical Liberals disgracefully ignored. This will be significant on the foreign policy front; withdrawing from a signed international accord isn't the sort of thing Canada is known for.Harper pledges to appoint judges with "a judicial temperament" -- prepared in their decisions to recognize parliamentary supremacy.And forget decriminalization of small amounts of pot.After a relatively brief fling with one of Canada's least ideological prime ministers, voters are about to embrace an ideologue."

Remember this as you vote on Monday. Because Harper will be limited only by the number of seats he holds. A majority? Can you say "USA North"?

Our next PM...?


Sunday, January 15, 2006

Does Wookiee Need a Website?



This is Wookiee, the newest member of our pack. He's a Pomchi and in this pic is only 4 month old. Just the right age to be getting his own website, don'tcha think?

That's exactly what is happening according to an article in today's New York Times. Parents are apparently buying up domain names for their infant (and sometimes unborn) children "before all the good names are taken." (See the URL http://tinyurl.com/78v4y for the full article.)

Good grief. My first reaction is that this is an egocentric example of the belly button gazing that preoccupies so many North Americans these days.

My second reaction, that I'm loath to admit - is that it's kind of cool... What if an internet presence is as necessary in 20 years as a phone number? And what if I don't have one? Never mind that I don't know anything about web page design. That I'm chuffed right now because I've figured out enough to add links (with pics, no less!) to my sidebar...

So I'm torn. What do you think? Does Wookiee need a website?

Saturday, January 14, 2006

Sometimes...

What my house feels like sometimes:



Thanks to Non Sequitor by Wiley Miller

Wednesday, January 11, 2006

More Harper Worries...

From Beth Gorham, Canadian Press - Washington (CTV.ca) in an article titled
"Relations with Canada in Flux as Bush Faces Political Storms"

...""The White House, upset that Canada rejected the missile-defence plan, was particularly miffed that Martin failed to personally tell the president.

And the willingness of Liberals to play against the Bush administration for political gain at home have some eyeing Stephen Harper and the Conservatives with relish.

"A Harper victory may prove to be the exception to the international rule - a rare foreign event that manages to put a smile on President George W. Bush's face," Basham wrote in a recent commentary in the conservative Washington Times newspaper.

"Move over Tony Blair: If elected, Mr. Harper will quickly become Mr. Bush's new best friend internationally and the poster boy for his ideal foreign leader.""...

Does this scare anyone else as much as it does me???

Harper denies any close ties - of course. But this article smells like more of the same smoke that has surrounded him for some time... Can you smell it?

For anyone who cares to look, the similarities between Harper's and the US Republican platform are obvious. Stephen is still dogged by the question of what he'll do about same sex marriage (which is so near and dear to my heart...) and his support of the Iraq quicksand pit is more than troubling.

More and more I wonder and worry about what will happen if the Conservatives get a majority...

Monday, January 09, 2006

January 23 - A New Hope? Or Revenge of the Sith?

"America is our Neighbour, NOT our Nation!"
~Paul Martin, Janauary 9,2006 Leadership Debate
Oh my freaking god, I'm actually quoting Paul Martin?! Crap.
I watched the debate tonight with fear and trepidation. It's no question that the Liberals, with all their back room deals and corrupt, slimy officials, have squandered whatever right they had to try and lead the country.
But Harper? Mr. Calm and Smiley and Wanting-Nothing-More-Than-To-Make-The-People-Happy? I'm sorry, but isn't he behaving much like Senator Palpatine in Episode II??? Only wanting the best... only wanting to save the nation (federation) by ending corruption (trade wars)?
Do Mr. and Ms. Average Canadian not realize that he thinks Bush is taking the US in the RIGHT direction??? (Pun intended) Does no one remember that he was/is a right-winger in the same way that Bush/Cheney and far right fundies are right-wingers??
And the Conservatives are ahead - really ahead - in the polls.
I'm getting a migraine.
I'm middle aged, middle class, and married. Just the type of Canadian that should love Harper, don'tcha think?? Unfortunately - I'm a lesbian, married to a woman. According to Harper and the Conservatives, my marriage is a threat to the very fabric of our country. I'm a second class citizen, undeserving of the same rights and protections as everyone else. How am I supposed to deal with that?
Enough about Harper.
I want to be optimistic. I want to believe that Canadians are researching each candidate's background, and not taking the rhetoric at face value. I want to believe that the NDP will actually make a decent showing on the 23rd.
But Jack was unfocused and stiff tonight. Paul was panicked and desperate. And Stephen? Stephen was eerily like Palpatine....

Sunday, January 08, 2006

The move to a Big Girl Blog...

Well, it's time I moved to a grown up blog. So here I am at blogger. MSN Spaces kept crashing and I swear I was the oldest blogger there.

They did have more selection when it came to layout. But like the evolution from Captain Crunch to All Bran, I'm feeling the need for less sugar and more substance.

Consider this blog a metaphor, because from where I sit in the middle aged section - I know I'm a work in progress...