Prorogues Gallery…
I’m not sure what I thought I was going to write about on my Blog.
When I started it, I thought maybe it would be a way for me to “stretch” the writing muscle that had lain dormant for too many seasons, and give it a bit of a run !
As you can tell, the postings have been… eclectic, and far from serious, but today’s events change that, for today, Canada’s Parliament was Prorogued (suspended) until March 3rd.
This appears to have been done at a time in the news cycle when News Media are focused on Holiday Events, Team Canada annoucements, and Year End List compilation.
I was raised in a Household where politics were discussed, and my Dad and his colleagues from CBC Radio would embrace discussion of different points of view, and as my Dad worked the “Victoria beat” for many years, would often have discussions with members of different political parties, and then differences would be put aside, and a dram or two would be had.
Today, I questioned the timing and reason for the Prorogue on Twitter, and I was replied to by someone whom I neither follow, nor know… and called, amongst other things, a “Liberal Spinner” and a “Harper-Hating Dog” !
Apart from the fact that I am more of a Cat Guy… I think it is sad that questioning the actions of a politician, after that individual does something that seems to be extraordinary in nature, gets someone I don’t know, riled up enough, to the point where he calls me names ?!?
I’m not sure, in the age of Blogs and Social Media, where someone like me fits in. I still believe in the Golden Rule: “Treat others, as you would like to be treated”
I extend someone I don’t know, the same courtesy, that I give to someone I am friendly with. This includes Business People, and the folks on the other end of Twitter.
Just because someone doesn’t know me, they can afford to insult me ? Sounds like Anti-Social Media, to me.
But, I digress…
And, on that note, I shall probably also transgress, because I am now going to Post the e-mail I sent to Her Excellency, the Governor-General of Canada, today… (and I’m not sure if etiquette permits that… but I wrote it, and I stand behind it !!!
And so, My Blog becomes a politically-charged target, for all things mud !
Her Excellency the Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean C.C., C.M.M., C.O.M., C.D.
Governor General of Canada
Rideau Hall
1 Sussex Drive
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0A1Excellency:
As a Canadian, I am deeply concerned by two events, which appear to have occurred today.
The first is that our Prime Minister apparently has made a request to Prorogue Parliament.
The second event, is actually the confluence of a number of events, ranging from the sad loss of five Canadians in Afghanistan, a car-jacking of some Hollywood Actors’ car in Vancouver, to the naming of the Hockey Players on our Olympic Team.
The second has impacted the first, so much, that there has been no discernable News coverage of the Prorogue.
I would suggest that in this time of uncertainty, where Countries are just beginning to see a glimmering of hope in the mists of our future… and we are already coming off an extended break for the Holiday Season… that this is an unfortunate choice of timing, and uncertain times demand strong, not absent, leadership.
As a Canadian, I am saddened by the loss of our Canadian Soldiers and a Canadian Journalist, although I believe that Canada should help, when oppression rears its head.
I am also saddened that, on this day, gamesmanship seems to have replaced ethics, and hard work and persistence have given way to time off and disinterest.
In the last 15 years, I have voted for Conservative, Liberal, NDP, Reform and Independent candidates. I have never held any affiliation with any political party. As each election arrives, I decide which Candidate will best represent me, and my Riding, and I don’t care what Party they represent… I want to know how they, as an individual will represent me. Yes, I am that naive. I am also foolish enough to believe that Leaders should lead, and when they grow tired of leading, should stand to the side, for another to take their place. Just because they are the leader, they do not get to call the journey off… whether they get scared, or are uncertain, or have doubts. They will have moments of pause, certainly, but by the nature of the Title… a Leader must lead.
I feel that this Prorogue is an extreme dis-service to the Citizens of Canada… and serves, from what I can see, no purpose, other than to prevent business from being done in the House of Commons, where questions can be asked, and answers given.
There is a Driving School, called Young Drivers of Canada… which teaches young drivers to always ensure that there is a gap beside them, in case they suddenly have to veer, when cut off. I believe that Canadian Politics should not be run by the “Young Drivers of Canada Brake & Avoid” system.
Best wishes to you, and your family, for a Happy and Healthy New Year.
Most sincerely,
Bob Gray
Christmas…
Christmas, for me, has always been like New Year’s Eve for everyone else.
Christmas Day has always been rooted in traditions and family, and has only occasionally changed.
I was born, the first Canadian, in a family of Scottish heritage, where the presents were opened Christmas morning, and the primary meal was the Scottish Breakfast… (Another blog, another time !) When I first got married, my wife and I were fortunate enough that her Families’ Traditions were afternoon and evening based… With everyone in her Family going to Aunt Vi and Uncle Ron’s house in the afternoon, and gift opening was an event that followed Aunty Vi’s Turkey Dinner.
The Traditions and rituals stayed the same for many years, until the passing of my Parents, and my Wife’s Aunt & Uncle… all, within a few years.
Kindly, my sister-in-law invited us to share Christmas in their home, as they had two young children, and with them, we were able to adapt the Traditions of my Wife’s Family into a new set of Traditions.
As I say, only a few changes in my 47 years, and probably the most stable of all the Events on the Calendar, for on no other occassions do I know when, where or how I will be celebrating… but on Christmas, there is a plan, years in the design, and rigid in its’ Structure. (And we LIKE it like that !)New Years, is the Holiday when most people reflect upon the the passing of another year, and the events that have happened.
For me, because the New Year’s celebrations have included Parties, stay home sick-ins, responding to a Break in, quiet nights at home, and Scottish Hogmanay celebrations… and are usually too varied and often alcohol-laden to include much retrospection, beyond… “why did I drink so much ???”
So, it falls to Christmas, to be the time when I do my mental “inventory”. My review, of my life, and the interaction and impact my life has had on others.
This year was a tough one, emotionally. I found myself missing my Parents more than I have in a few years… and a sense of Melancholy was ever present, for me, throughout the Holidays.
I left a job I had worked at for over a decade, feeling that it was time for me to make a new start, despite the daunting times that many Businesses are facing. Although I am anticipating an uphill climb ahead, I am relishing facing a new series of challenges, and finding a new place where I can help a good team become better.
Around our House we completed a series of projects which were vast in their scope, and successful in their outcome… not the least of which was the completion of the Recording Studio and Black Cat Hockey Lounge/Games Room/Bar in our Basement.
I am blessed with wonderful friends, crazy cats and a couple of Families that we would be happy to have as friends, but are fortunate to have as Family !
And, as always, my wife is loving, supportive, giving, caring, and more beautiful than I deserve…
I think inventory this year has gone well, and I am excited to see what 2010 has in Store !!!
New career opportunities… new friendships being made… old friendships being deepened… The Olympics… and probably other things that I haven’t though about, or maybe don’t know about…
Whatever it is, I’m up for it, and looking forward to it !
Happy New Year !!!
A Matter Of Taste…
I like Single Malt Scotch.
Over the years, I have accumulated Scotches from a few different Distilleries.
It has largely been a hit or miss situation, where someone will recommend a Scotch that they like, and sometimes I do like it, and sometimes not so much.
Because I am a cheap drunk, I find it inherently difficult to taste test different Scotches, side by side.
And, because I am of Scottish descent, I would rather drown, than spit out a single drop of Single Malt.
I had always, as they say, relied on the kindness of Strangers, in terms of selecting my “next” choice.
I was thinking about the approach of Christmas, and the Holiday celebration, and wondered about tying the seasonal drinking binges, and trying to rationalize it in the context of the “12 Scotches of Christmas” but the more I think about this, the more I realize that, while I know when I taste it, what I don’t like… I have no idea WHY I don’t like it.
I have no ability to share with you, how to assess, quantify, or communicate the various aspects of this task… so I shall be doing research on this most serious matter, and shall report back, as soon as I feel appropriately enlightened.
In the past few hours, I have learned that some of the terms are “The Nose”, “The Tongue” and “Flavour”… I’m sure there are more, but I’m just starting to learn.
In the meantime, I will try to keep my “Spirits” up… and suggest you do the same !
Cheers !!!
Out On A Limb… (Out Of My Tree… Out Of My Mind…)
When I was a young boy, I fancied myself as a climber.
From a young age, I was able to brace myself inside door frames, to climb up… Pull myself up onto buffet hutches… and of course, trees were my playground.
My mother often recounted… (although I have no memory of it,) …how frightened she and my Dad would often be, to go into my baby room, and find me climbing around the outside of my baby crib, hanging onto the bars.
It was a strange dichotomy… for although I do not care for heights, and in fact HATE ladders… climbing to the top of a tree holds no concern or fear for me.
In the places I’ve worked, it frequently drew comments from my co-workers, that I would spurn a ladder, and would prefer to climb the shelving itself, if I needed to “get something down.”
Need Cherries picked ? I’m your guy. I’m not the best picker… but I’ll get into the tree where it’s hard to go. (Of course, I eat more than goes in the bucket… but hey… you get what you pay for !!!)
So, I found myself today, in a situation where I wondered how a 47 year old, became trapped in the body of a 12 year old.
My wife had, for years, been speaking of having large spheres of woven Christmas lights, hung in the big Maple tree outside our front door.
This year, after years of discussion, we found a way to make them a reality !
We had also been lucky enough, after Christmas last year, to find some large plastic Ornaments, 9″ – 12″ in size, that would be a nice partner for the lit balls, and would provide some daytime colour, as the LED lights don’t show in daylight.
So, I climbed the tree, trailing a plastic chain, and my wife proceeded to hook on a succession of light strings, illuminated balls, and ornaments, which I pulled up, and suspended, throughout the canopy of the trees branches.
It all went well, and was looking FANTASTIC… until the wind started gusting, as I was at the top of the tree.
Again, I am a 47 year old man.
I have recently lost 30 pounds, and am getting close to my “target weight”.
However…
I weigh a LOT more than I did when I was 12.
Picture if you will, a 175 pound man, in the upper branches of a tree, fighting sudden, but intense gusts of wind, and the top of the tree swaying like a sailor who has had too many tots of Christmas rum.
Suddenly, I was a cringing little boy, holding onto the slender branches with all my might.
The situation was made ever so much more delightful, by my loving wife, who, upon my exclamation of “Holy $%#&” when the first gusts hit… collapsed on the stairs in shrieks of laughter, as the top of the tree was bounced around by subsequent gales.
Her apologies for laughing, between fits of laughter, did little to convince me of her sincerity, or concern for my plight.
But, in that moment, although I was afraid… (and a tad peeved at my laughing wife) … I was exhilarated !
But, I guess that is why mountain climbers climb… why pilots soar… and why I climb trees, all these many years later.
One day, I may get TOO old to climb trees, but I think that day is a long way away…
Next year, the tree is going to look even MORE awesome !!!
Stay tuned !!!
Befuddled…
I am sitting at my desk, about six different windows open, on my two computer screens… and I am befuddled.
I have been blogging for a few months now, on and off… but only in the past few days have I had an opportunity to actually get into the nuts and bolts of WordPress, and have the combination of time and courage necessary, to start messing with my Blog.
Dusty Keyboard
I don’t know if it was my connection timing out, or what happened… but previously, I had made an attempt to change a Theme… and although I spent a few hours on it… nothing was different. There was some sort of error messgae that kept coming up, and so I put it away, and didn’t try it again, until this weekend.
NOW I’m hooked !!!
Must have more widgets… Oh… adjustable width !!! More pages… How do I use the calendar ?!?
I LIKE it !!!
I am trying to poke, and experiment… prod, and try stuff, in hopes that when I encounter someone who really KNOWS what they are doing, that I can use the correct “lingo” to describe what my issues are !!!
That is, in my estimation, the biggest problem with technology…
The Folks who design a System, don’t take into account that someone like me, doesn’t know what they call stuff. Thus, the manual that comes with MOST software, is useless, because unless you know (for example) that a point in a line where it changes velocity is called a NODE… you can’t look it up in the index !!!
Thus, I am sitting at my computer, early on a Monday morning… befuddled and bemused.
I’m not really sure what I’m doing… but I believe my blog is better looking today than it was yesterday… so my baby steps are moving me forward !!!
Now, I wonder what a category is…
Hmmmm….
The Write Time…
BobSongs
Hi !
If you’re reading this… Sorry !!!
I’m a songwriter, and not so much a blogger !
(Although I’ve often told I’m full of… blether…)
I’m trying to write / finish a bunch of songs… but there aren’t enough hours in the day for that… let alone this !!!
So, if you are reading this… Sorry !!!
It just wasn’t the “Write Time” to Blog !!!