Friday, October 31, 2008

C'est L'Halloween !

Enjoy your tricks.
Enjoy your treats.

Load up on Rockets mmmmmmmmm.

It's time for screams. Eeek, I say.

(I don't even know what I'm writing. It's like a haiku from the Dollar Store. Lowest quality possible.)

I Hates Myself

Sometimes, I feel like I am in a bad marriage with my endocrinologist. Yesterday he said to me "We've been playing this game for 10 years."

This game being the fact that he threatens to prescribe a statin, and I promise to reform my bad eating habits, so he gives me another 6 months to change. I don't change. And on we go.

Yesterday was the day of reckoning. I left his office with a prescription. Our actual exchange:

Me: You are going to give me hell.
Dr. S.: No. I'm not going to give you hell, I'm going to give you a prescription.

So now I am truly middle-aged. But he told me he has taken people off statins if they can show him that they have truly and for the long-term "changed their lifestyle". If I truly and in the long run "change my lifestyle", and the change will be visible on my blood tests, he will take me off the statin in a year's time.

Can I truly and in the long run "change my lifestyle"? I want to!! I really do!! I don't want to take pills. But today I had a Big Mac and fries for lunch, because work is pissing me off and I had to stress-eat with my colleagues. I'm screwed.

Putt, Putt, Zoom

My cousin is learning to drive. She got a job that requires her to go between Montreal and Quebec City regularly, so she must drive.

She's 48 years old. And taking driving lessons.

I feel for her. I got my license at 23. To this day, I still hate my sadistic driving instructor, Darryl. He did his job well, I passed my test, but I hated him. Darryl the asshole.

I did not get behind the wheel of a car for 14 years after that. So, at 37, it was like having to learn all over again, and I did not have a choice. I HAD to drive.

I can only imagine what my cousin's going through. (Stay away from LaPrarie!)

Thursday, October 30, 2008

Wedding Bell Blues

Did I miss the big news or have Palin's daughter and her lunkhead boyfriend not gotten married yet? Weren't they supposed to be happily wedded before the election?

There's only 5 days left. And only three of them are "November surprise" days.

Does this mean that the power-that-be (i.e. Mom) has accepted that she's not going to be Veep next week, so basically the kids get off the wedding hook? I hope so. Making those kids get married was such a dumb-ass idea.

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Gross!!!!

There's a story out of Australia today about a pub that served a customer a chocolate gelato with some human poo in it.

This happened in Sydney. Of course it did. Such a thing would never happen in Melbourne.

Winter?

I cannot believe I've made it this far into the day without mentioning the snow. This is known as anger management.

Yes, for those of you not in the region, it effing snowed overnight. The roofs were white this morning. Gaaaaaawd. Just came in from outside, and a few flakes are still falling in the pretty cold wind. Fortunately they are melting on contact with the ground. Small mercies.

2 and a half weeks until vacation.... ah! This is exactly why I planned a November vacation this time around.

Dorion Suits

Following on from the comments on the last post, I do not remember Yvan Cournoyer doing Dorion Suits commercials. I feel I should, but I don't.

I do, however, remember Tony Perez doing a Dorion Suits commercial. (Watch, this is where Mr. Anonymous will pop up and say it wasn't Perez but Andres Gallaraga, but I'm SURE it was Tony Perez.)

That commercial, I can still recite: "They got so many suits, in so many sizes, it's easy to pick out what you want". At least I think that was what he was saying, his accent was pretty heavy. It started with something like "Going to get myself a couple of goooood-looking suits. Where you gonna send me? To Dorion Suits."

And, on the French side, Jacques Laperriere did commercials for a headache pill. Can't remember which brand. But he overstressed the word "penible". It was always "pour les maux de tetes peeeeeniiiible" My mother and I would be in stitches every time.

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Help

(Mr. Anonymous, you will probably know this.)

I'm trying to remember the product and the hockey player in an old tv commercial, where the player got "two minutes for looking so good".

It popped into my head (at least partially) tonight, and the only thing I remember clearly is how dumb it was.

Recession = time to waste money


Following in the numbskull foot steps of our beloved Con. U., the city of Montreal has dropped close to half a million dollars (Canadian) (which equals = $1.95 US) on a new city logo.
Look! It's a....worm? A snake? A colourful worm? Nothing sez Montreal joie de vivre like a colorful worm.




Word of the day

The feeling the rest of us are experiencing watching the Republicans and the right wing implode and self-destruct amid a flurry of accusations, blame and general nastiness: schadenfreugasm.

American Insanity

I can't wait for this campaign to be over. I can't stand to hear the words "Obama" and "socialist" in the same sentence, over and over. They really don't know the meaning of the word.

You know who I bet is loving this? Fidel.

Finally la Revolucion socialista has made it to US shores. Viva! He can die happy now.


On the aesethetic front, I was watching tv last night, and man, the Obamas are such a good-looking couple. He's handsome, and she's an absolute knock-out. And their girls are adorable. It's going to be Camelot. The whole world will fall in love with America again. I'm so looking forward to it. I want to feel what it was like when Kennedy was elected, and I believe that is what we are going to experience.*

Contrast with the McCains. Poor John. All that skin cancer has really left him looking bad. Of course, this is not his fault. His eyes, on the other hand, are crazy. When he gets that scary look, I think of the Curb Your Enthusiasm episode with the rapper Crazy Eyes Killah.

But Cindy. Yikes. All that botox has made her face so tight and scary. And that is her fault. You can barely see what is left of the beautiful woman she used to be. She could've been an elegant older woman now instead of a piece of plastic.

(*Yes, I am fully aware of the ominous undertone of that comparison. Let's not go there yet.)

Adios, Romantic Malebox

Last night Kumar told me he is deleting his profile from the dating web site because he believes "we have something that is going to last for a while".

I guess this is how people declare a commitment in our modern world? Funny.

I don't think I'll delete mine completely because "a while" is not much of an accurate figure. But I'm changing the status from "single" to "seeing someone" and making the account dormant. This is amusing.

Monday, October 27, 2008

Another One?

There's a rumour of a Quebec provincial election in December? Who votes in December?

I call Time Out.

We just had an October election, we have American election madness in November, and now a provincial in Dec?

I have election overload. Uncle! Oncle!

Sunday, October 26, 2008

Guilty, Guilty Pleasure

Today, in my role as loyal slave, I was at Provigo buying cat food for my overlords, when I spotted US Weekly, a magazine I never, ever buy. Ever.

But the cover was all about Madonna's divorce, and I just couldn't resist. I had to have it. Look at these headlines:

They both had secret lovers!
Guy called her "old, fat, ugly, wrinkled"!
Madonna's slaps, months without sex!
On A-Rod: "It's like she spit in Guy's face" !

Relieve me of my $5.00, please.

I'm not much of a Madonna fan (forgive me, Reservoir Dogs connaisseurs). I like her okay, but I don't own a single CD of hers. But I've always respected her as a businesswoman. She's been a hugely successful rich, rich woman for 25 years, and to my knowledge, she's done it all on her own with no Rene Angelil running her life for her. If she gets shafted in this divorce, I'll be really surprised. I can't believe she doesn't have an iron-clad pre-nup. She'll find a way to turn this to her advantage. I'm sure of it.

Sunday Morning Fart News

Flatulence's stink may be linked to lower blood pressure
The gas responsible for the foul odour of flatulence and rotten eggs may play an important role in regulating blood pressure, Canadian researchers say in a study released Friday. (CBC)

I've always been proud of my low blood pressure, and now I learn there's a way to demonstrate it. prrrrt.

Friday, October 24, 2008

Baby Panda

Awwwwh!

This has broken the needle on the adorableness meter.



It's Do-Nothing Friday!

My boss has called in sick. Yay!

I don't mean yay! she has a migraine!, because I know how badly she suffers from them, but I do mean yay! I'm in between tasks and don't need to ask for something new, so I can spend the day "cleaning" my messy office, doing a few little things and, oh, I dunno, perhaps blogging a bit. Sweeeet!

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Dead Celeb News

I'd be a poor excuse for a blogger if I did not take a moment to note the passing of Rudy Ray Moore.

For some reason, I doubt his name will be mentioned at the next Academy Awards when they go through the list of dead stars of the past year. But it would be cool if they did. And he should get the most bitchin'est applause.

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Anxiety Dream 101

This is the dream I had in NYC the night before the test.

All my department are at a UN fair that looks like the Village in The Prisoner. Our boss tells us we have to attend a lecture. It is at 9:00 a.m. I am panicking because I know my test is at 9:00, although I also know it only officially starts at 9:30. So I go along with the group to the lecture. By 9:30 I’m looking at my watch and trying to figure out how to get out of there. At 10:00 I leave and go to the exam room.

The exam room is a dirty room that is decorated like a kindergarten, with posters and blackboards. There is one woman there who will be the invigilator. I am alone to do the test, so I sit at a table. She hands me the exam booklet which looks like a dirty copy book. It is orange and has stains and coffee rings on the cover. A lot of the print on the cover is in German.

I start the test. The woman starts talking at me. When I ask her to be quiet because I am writing my test, she starts to tell me off. “What do you think? The UN is a busy place! Do you think the UN stops just because you are working? If you don’t want this job, someone else will take it.” I tell her angrily and firmly that I need quiet to do my test. She continues “Who do you think you are? You think the whole UN will be quiet just because YOU are working? If you cannot work this way, someone else will.”

The she turns on a transitor radio and music starts playing, and she keeps talking at me. I am getting very angry, but I am determined to write it to prove to her that I am serious and I want the job. Then two other women come in and all three of them start speaking loudly in Spanish. I keep trying to write the test.


(You don't need Freud to analyse this baby. )

News you need

A team of Japanese climbers claimed they have found the footprints of the legendary abominable snowman in the folds of the eastern Himalayas in Nepal. An eight-member team claimed the footprints of the snowman or Yeti were about 20 centimetres long and were human in appearance. (Guardian)


Far, far too many weeks go by without any reliable, newsworthy Yeti reports.




All My Little Wealth

I got my third quarter investment statement last night. Overall, things were down 7%. Which is bad, but I know from looking at the mutual fund pages weekly, that things have gotten much, much worse over the past 3 weeks. I can only guess how much further it has dropped, maybe 15-20%. Maybe more.

Thank god I'm not rich!

To paraphrase the one and only Bob, when you ain't got much, you ain't got too much to lose.

Awwwww!

This scores an 11 on the adorableness meter!



Monday, October 20, 2008

D'Oh!

Can't believe I forgot to mention this earlier. The most exciting news of the weekend. I saw a trailer for the new Peter Greenaway movie about Rembrandt.And guess what? It looks and sounds like a Peter Greenaway movie. Yay! Can't wait to see it.

This week's Mad Men

Sometimes a minor, minor character can be a high point: This week it's the angry Xerox repairman. He was great. So snooty. And yet I felt for him. Nobody respects the photocopier as they should.

Just in case...

anyone might have feared that, given my recent activity, I have not been keeping up with current affairs, let me just say that, no, I don't believe Joe The Plumber will be a factor in the upcoming election.

As for the Liberal leadership race: I'm a Ralph Goodale girl all the way. Why? He's cuddly! How's that for political analysis. And he's the only Lib from Manitoba through Alberta (I think, anyway). If he can rise above all the Tory blue out west, why not hand him the reins and see how he does? Does he speak French? At all? I dunno.

Sunday, October 19, 2008

Bragg

Ever rediscover something and think: Jeesus, this is even better than I remember it?

I'm addicted to watching a YouTube clip of Billy Bragg singing Levi Stubbs' Tears. When the trumpet solo comes in at the end, I am blown away by how gorgeous it is. God I love that performance.

Romantic Pessimist Update

Kumar and I have decided to keep seeing each other and see where it leads. Yep, there's a spark of a lurve connection.

Place your bets: Can this last until Xmas? US turkey day? US election turkey day? Halloween? Next Monday?

I'm so not an optimist.

Another Brain Fart (but not mine)

At the exam we were seated two to a table, and the woman at the other end of my table seemed like a smart person. She is currently doing the same job in NY that I do here.

So get this.

There was a long, but clear explanation at the beginning of each part of the test about how we were not to identify ourselves in any way on the test pages. If we identified ourselves in any way, this would result in immediate disqualification. We had been given booklets and were told to put our names and ID numbers on the cover page. But not to put our ID number on any of the test sheets. They told us that HR would take our booklets, and they would write our ID numbers on each page of our booklets and then remove the cover page, ensuring complete anonymity. This was explained at the start of part A of the test. Clear enough, right?

Apparently not.

It was then repeated at the start of part B. During the part B explanation, the woman at my table looked stunned and her hand shot up. The HR assistant came over, and I heard the applicant say that, in part A, she had written her initials on every page.

I tried not to look at her, but I thought: what the f***, lady? Are you nuts?

I believe that, in old psychology textbooks, this is known as self-sabotage. I mean, what the f*** was she thinking? Her initials? On every page?

The HR assistant said she believed this meant immediate disqualification, but the applicant asked if there could be an exception made. Why? You must be joking. The HR assistant looked skeptical, and asked the applicant if she still wanted to continue with parts B and C. The dimwit said yes. And I just kept thinking: what an effing maroon.

Well, that’s one member of the competition out of the way.

Saturday, October 18, 2008

My Balkan Brain Fart

On the test yesterday, one of the things we had to correct was a reference to Kosovo as a Baltic state. I knew that was wrong, but do you think I could remember the word "Balkan"? That was the only time I drew a complete blank, and I mean complete.

I thought about writing " starts with a B" or "B...." but I knew it wouldn't fly. In my head (not out loud, I hope) I was saying Ba, Be, Bi, Bo, Bu, Br, Bl, but it just wasn't happenin'.

I left it until the end, hoping that once I stopped obsessing about it, it would come back to me. It didn't. Even on the bus heading to LaGuardia at 5, I still couldn't remember that effing word.

So I wrote "former Yugoslavia" which is technically correct, but not the word they wanted. Maybe I'll get half a point for at least knowing Baltic was wrong? maybe?

Other than that, the test went pretty smoothly.

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Panic, pack, panic, pack

Tonight is Prez debate night again. The tv will be on, but I won't be paying attention because my evening will be taken up by packing and repacking my little carry-on bag for my trip to NYC on Thursday.

And praying that I don't forget anything important, such as the email I have to present as proof that I am allowed to write the test.

And panicking. A large portion of this evening will involve panicking. Followed by worry and insomnia.

My tummy is already in knots.

He has a heart?

Cheney Has Abnormal Heartbeat (NY Times)

In Local Election News

The winning Liberal got 44% of the vote in my riding. That seems quite low considering how the Libs have traditionally done here. I guess I'm not the only person tired of seeing the Libs coast in this area.

In other news, the Marxist-Leninist candidate got: 187 votes. Hmm. This is interesting to me for two reasons: 1) some of these people are actual Marxist-Leninists! They exist! and 2) even those who are not real MLs cared enough about voting to go the polling place and mark a ballot. Good for them.

10 million eligible Canadians did not vote yesterday. Shame! I don't want us to turn into the US. People in other countries are willing to die for this voting crap/right. We should respect that.

Election Results

Ho-hum. Several million $$ spent and we are pretty well right back where we started. That is not money well spent.

Who wanted this election other than Harper? Nobody. And it shows.

This being said, I am very, very glad to see another minority. It will keep the kooks in line for another year.

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Them Commies to our South

The US Govt is spending $250 billion to "temporarily" "nationalize" some banks.

I'm buying a shotgun, dagnabbit.

The US of A has been taken over by pinkos. We're gonna be invaded by Reds soon. I must defend my private property!

Live Free or Die!

Le Grand Jour

Election Day is finally here. Fun!

I bought popcorn. Will be hunkering down at 9:30 to watch results.

I think the Bloc will do very well tonight, possibly regaining the seats they lost last time 'round.

I predict: return of the Tory minority. Anything else will be a surprise. Will that mean another election within two years? Probably.

Monday, October 13, 2008

Turkey Day, Canadian-style

I return from Thanksgiving holiday. I ate so much pie that if my body mass was to be measured right now, it would be 25% pumpkin.

On the train to the Holy City, I drank most of the way. I was seated with a family of 3 Australians, and they were fun. Mom, dad and 20-year-old daughter, who said "my parents are alcoholics". (I think it was a joke.) They were from Sydney, but were still really funny and nice. (Really, susie, they were!) When my sister met me at the train station, I said "It's 3:00 in the afternoon, and I'm drunk". Damned Aussies.


In other news, Paul Krugman won the Nobel Prize for Economics! Whoo hoo. I'm a big Krugman reader and I think this is very cool news indeed.

Friday, October 10, 2008

OK Gang, It's Time For....

A Friday afternoon Stock-Market-crash sing-along.

All together now:

Doom despair and agony on me (moan awwwwh)
Deep dark depression excessive misery (groan yaaaah)
If it weren't for bad luck
I'd have no luck at all (ohhhhhh ahhhhh)
Doom despair and agony on me! (moan bis)




(My only quibble with this quote is: is it doom despair or gloom despair?)

P.S. on Kumar

He insisted on paying for my green tea smoothie.

(This is known as passing Test No. 1)

What the heck?

This looks like a fake headline from The Onion but it's real from MSNBC:

"Palin pre-empts state report, clears self".

She cleared herself of troopergate charges? Cleared herself? Who is she? Joe Stalin?

This campaign gets crazier and scarier every day.

And in Market News., wait a sec, lemme check....oh, they're down. I wish I had a sound effects thing here to make that sliding wooooooop sound. Followed by a wah wah.

Kumar Update

(Aside: Work e-mail finally seems to be fixed.)

Finally met him. It went much, much better than I anticipated. Which, since I had no expectations, isn't too surprising, I suppose.

He's very nice, very mature. But the moment that really made me go hmmmm was when he said he likes to write about international affairs. He then took 3 packets of sugar, laid them on the table and said "This one is Afghanistan, this one is Pakistan and this one is India." And then gave me his explanation of the tribal zones between A'stan and P'stan, and the history of P'stan and the US. It was a meeting of geo-political nerd minds. Anyone else's eyes would've glazed over, I suspect, but I paid close attention.

I also noticed at that point that his hands and fingernails were very clean. (Bonus points!)

How very odd this is. But in a good way.

Thursday, October 09, 2008

Double Huh?

What the eff is he talking about? I watched this clip from CNN of McCrazy making a speech. Please explain to me who these "fellow prisoners" are.

"Across this country, this is the agenda I have set before my fellow prisoners and the same standards of clarity and candor must now be applied to my opponent."

Wha?

Email

I hate our stupid at-work email system. For reasons unknown, messages this week have either not materialized at all, or delivery has been delayed by anywhere from 90 minutes to 9 hours. Grrr.

Huh?

The Nobel Prize for literature has been awarded to Jean-Marie Gustave Le Clézio, whom, allow me to say with complete honesty, I had never heard of until 4 minutes ago.

Does this make me a philistine? Should I care about JMGLC?

Wednesday, October 08, 2008

P.S. on the Debate

I've been reading commentaries, and there hasn't been much mention of what I thought was McCain's dumbest, most embarrassing moment, when he said (not a direct quote) I know where bin Laden is and I will catch him. I have a plan to catch him but I can't tell anyone what it is.

Wow. That was so pathetic. It wasn't even high school, it was elementary school.

I know, but I'm not telling you! So there! (Sticks out tongue) nyah nyah!

You'd think since he has this plan, and he loves America, he would've at least shared it with his bestest friend, Gen. Petraeus. But no, even the General, will have to wait until Old Crabby is President. What an asshole.

Hockey Night in Buffalo

On Friday night, if you are watching the Canadiens-Sabres game, and between periods, you see two 50-something fools (who really should know better) riding the zamboni, take a moment to watch because that will be my brother-in-law and his brother.

We are so proud.

Bro-in-law's bro won a contest so they go to the game, ride the zamboni (why does this make me think Special Ed?) and meet the Sabres players. Just my luck they get to meet the team when Satan no longer plays for them. I would've loved an autograph from Satan.

They are die-hard Canadiens fans but they get to meet Sabres? oh well.

Maybe they will meet Lindy Ruff. I'm really out of it and don't even know if he is still the coach. I just like his name.

Last night's debate

Republican shills can try to spin it any way they want, but last night Obama wiped the floor with creepy, stalking, unfunny McFlatline.

On Radio Canada they had a French-speaking Republican on (yes, there is such a thing!) and he was calling it a tie, and I thought, wow, you have to be embarrassed about saying that.

Tuesday, October 07, 2008

Don't Call Me

I have just registered on the National Do Not Call List.

I'm truly skeptical that this will allow me to safely answer the phone between 6 and 7 p.m. without having the split-second delay, before someone says "May I speak to Mr. or Mrs...." argh.

What is the latest a telemarketer has ever called you? I've gotten 9 p.m. calls from the Gazette and I'm just barely managed not to yell at them. Quit bugging me, people.

Comic Relief

I love a good idiot.

A Spanish tourist has been arrested after swimming naked in the moat of the Imperial Palace in Tokyo. The man spent an hour in the water before he tried to make his escape. He hurled rocks at police and charged at them with a long stick, before jumping back into the water. (BBC)

It's worth going to the BBC site to watch video. I watched it, thinking, wow, what a fool. Did he really think he could escape police and photographers by waving a pole around. And, if he had, then what? Run around the streets of Tokyo naked for how long? Until everyone else got tired and went home?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/7656537.stm

Monday, October 06, 2008

Gulp

The TSX has lost over 1,000 points this morning. I've never seen a 4-digit loss on the Market before.

shit!

Repeat after me: It's only money, it's only money. I never wanted to retire at 60 anyway. I've always wanted to work until I die. Sure, I have. Working is fun. Work will set you free.

The Dow has only lost 360. Every1's a winner!

Speaking of Dow, I need a beer.

10-minute update: The Dow is now down 500. I can't keep up!

Another update: The Dow is now down 700...and JAW Fan still doesn't care!




Bumpity bump

Another Monday, another day with the Markets in free fall. Ho hum.

I need to go shopping today. I'm looking to buy a flattering barrel with sturdy shoulder straps, as I predict that is what we will all be wearing in 2009.

Best line of the McLaughlin Group this week: Eleanor said "Trillion is the new billion."

Money has no value anymore.

Most disturbing photos of the weekend. Pictures of the leaders meeting in Europe. Why does Sarkozy always look like he's ready to jump into Angela Merkel's dress? Sarko, you've got a hot wife. Isn't that enough?

And in US politics, the final month of the campaign will be about the Repubs turning Obama into a terrorist-sympathizer. They are so effin' lame.

Only 8 days left in our campaign. I'm sick of everybody.

Saturday, October 04, 2008

Saturday

No romantic update. I had to postpone because I felt really ill at work and came straight home. Kumar seemed okay with it. We have rescheduled the great Indo-Canadian summit for Thursday.

In the meantime, I got a message from a guy in Tennessee who seemed friendly and nice. So I answered and thanked him for his nice message, but said, oh well, 800 miles is too far. So today he writes back and still wants to chat, and, get this, if we get along, he's ready to relocate. Good lord. You know, I used to think women were desperate and men indifferent, now I've reversed this view.

I spent most of the day doing the Sample Exam for my New York test. If this sample fairly reflects the real test, I think I'll do okay. It will be challenging to get it done in the allotted time, but I feel fairly confident. Now, how often do I ever say that? Not very often.

Friday, October 03, 2008

I'm gonna miss the Red Sox for this?

Kumar gets a second chance tonight. I have no optimism about this encounter at all, only curiosity about the fellow.

I expect Kumar to be rapidly sent to romantic Guantanamo, do not pass Go, do not collect $200.

American Debate

There's nothing like low, low expectations. The fact that Palin didn't break out in tears and run off the stage was enough to impress me. She's so lame, though. Talking points and "gosh, darn it". What a joke. Rah, rah. I thought she might turn a cartwheel. Go team! I wanted to punch her repeatedly.

Oh, and she thinks Cheney's concept of the vice-presidency is okay. I'm sure she doesn't even know what it is. That answer alone should condemn her forever.

Biden was great. The high point was his "Maverick"-is-a-piece-of-crap answer. I loved every second of that. Killer Joe!

Baseball update 3

Why bother, Cubs?

Thursday, October 02, 2008

Sigh

I am the world's biggest romantic loser.

Mexican Manuel Uribe, the world's fattest man in the 2007 Guinness Book of Records, said Wednesday that he would wed this month, after losing nearly half his original weight.

"It will be a hefty wedding, on a large scale, but with a low-calorie banquet," the 43-year-old told AFP.

Uribe, who lives in his bed, in February said he had dropped 230 kilograms (570 pounds) from 590 kilograms (1,300 pounds).

He said he would marry a widow named Claudia, to whom he has been engaged for two years, on October 26 at home in Monterrey, northern Mexico.

The media-friendly Mexican expanded his wedding plans after offers of sponsorship from international magazines, television stations and local mayors who offered a cake for 400 guests. (Salon)

A man who "lives in his bed" can find a partner, and I can't. If anyone's looking for me, I'm taking to my bed.

Also, "media-friendly Mexican", leads me to ask: where is Joe Berger these days? I miss his alliteration.

La politique canadienne

I watched the French debate on and off. It was 4 against 1. I would’ve enjoyed it more if the 4 oppositions folks had been given foam bats and actually smashed Steve over the head with them. But politics has not yet risen to that point.

Harper was really, really flat. No energy. Was he indifferent, or bored, or what? I dunno. But considering how much the Tories need Quebec to win their majority, I would’ve thought he’d be trying harder.

Best comment on radio this morning: Somebody should’ve given Harper a Red Bull.

I’ve always been an NDP woman, but I just can’t stand Jack Layton. He’s in love with himself. Just can’t stand him. On the opposite side, I disagree with the very existence of the Bloc, but I like Duceppe.

Consensus seems to be that Dion did very well. That’s good for those of us who are praying for a minority govt.

Last week, I watched Liz May on with Mansbridge, and I liked her and decided to vote Green, and last night, I was reassured in my decision. I like her. She did very well given her limited French, and all her grammatical mistakes. She’s really bad on mixing up “le” and “la”. But she was game, and she made her points, and she seemed sensible. So she won, in my book, and has my vote.

So, tonight, will I watch some of the English debate? Yes, for a while, but then I’ll have to switch to the highly anticipated train wreck that will unfold on CNN. Must see tv. Though I am reaching the point where watching Palin has become painful. That Supreme Court question last night on CBS had me squirming.

Go Red Sox!

Wednesday, October 01, 2008

Baseball update 2

Stupid Cubs.

Baseball update

GO CUBS!

(They're practically a Canadian team.)

In other news: the sky is blue, the grass is green

Former foreign affairs minister Maxime Bernier comes off as vain and superficial in tell-all book (Globe & Mail)

! ! !

Nanuk and Kumar don't go to Second Cup

So here’s a story. I made plans to meet our young Indian friend (let’s call him Kumar) for coffee last night at 7:15. He didn’t know exactly where he was going but said he would mapquest the location.

Knowing this, I wasn’t concerned when I arrived precisely at 7:15, and no Kumar. 7:30 no Kumar.
7:45 still no Kumar.

At this point, I had finished drinking my green tea and passionfruit smoothie, (which I’m still enjoying even though it isn’t summer anymore) so I packed up my stuff, went for a pee and left at 7:50. Thinking: jerky kid.

For this I missed the first 25 minutes of “House” !

Post-House, I turn on my computer and see two emails from Kumar: one says he’s running late, and the second says: he’s really, really sorry, but now he is at Second Cup (it’s 8 effing 30 at this point) and will I come and join him.

Then I get an IM coming in from him. I shut it down.

Then I get a third apologetic email saying: you have every right to be angry. Grovel. Grovel.


I did not respond.

So the questions for the panel are: how much more grovelling am I owed in these circumstances? Do I give this a second try (for a second green tea smoothie at Second Cup?) or do I blow this thing off?


(An aside: When I saw the scotsman in the caf getting coffee this morning, I was this close to saying "you don't know what crap I go through just because you don't want me, bozo". )