September 27, 2007

I've been meaning to post...

...but I've just been so busy. Busy doing nothing even remotely postworthy. That will change, however, for next week my driving lessons will resume, a full year since my last official lesson. My former driving instructor, Lino, has abandoned me, putting his own safety and security ahead of my need to swerve. Honestly, the nerve of that guy. Anyway, a brave new instructor will soon be sliding into the passenger seat of harm's way. Stay tuned, and stay off the sidewalks.



September 20, 2007

Not so fast!

Drop the Timbit. Stop cheering. The recent court decision has resulted in only a partial victory. This means that we're all still in limbo here, wondering what the heck our jobs will entail once this all gets sorted out. Grumble grumble.

Whew!

My colleagues and I are enjoying some celebratory Timbits after receiving much-welcomed news about a court case. I won't get into the details, but suffice it to say that we're pleased about the outcome and hopeful that an appeal won't be launched any time soon. Here, help yourself to a Timbit.



September 14, 2007

Referendum


Even more important than the question of whether or not to eat a dirty apple is the decision Ontarians will be asked to make on October 10th. If you are an Ontario voter and you have not heard about the upcoming referendum, please educate yourself here. Personally I'm in favour of the proposed new mixed-member proportional system.

The Five-Second Rule

(Or, as my mother once mis-spoke, the 15-Minute Rule.) Does that rule change depending on the surface onto which one's food has fallen? When I sat down on the bus today I set my lunch bag on the floor between my feet. In the plastic shopping bag was a flat container of leftovers and, perched on top of the container, a shiny Red Delicious apple. During one particularly sharp turn, the apple attempted to break free. It bounced off the container, rolled out of the bag and travelled across the bus, stopping momentarily under the seat opposite mine. Evidently daunted by this sudden freedom, the apple rolled back toward me. I casually scooped it up and placed it back in the bag, as if the apple and I had rehearsed this several times. I wanted to stand up and take a bow, announcing, "The amazing boomerang apple trick! Thank you, thank you ladies and gentlemen. I hope that you enjoyed the show." I didn't. Instead I remained in my seat, my face as red as the apple, and read the minds of my fellow passengers. They were all thinking the same thing: "Is she actually going to eat that?"

I don't know. Will I eat the apple? It is still in the plastic bag, once again secure in its captivity. The entire escape attempt lasted less than five seconds, I'm confident of that, but does the Five-Second Rule become the Two-Second Rule in the case of a dirty bus floor? Does it become the Don't Even THINK About Putting That Near Your Mouth rule once the especially filthy under-seat area is involved? Can any amount of washing fix the damage that has been done? Do I have to resort to peeling? Help me out here, folks. What would you do?


September 11, 2007

Ignorance

September 11th is as good a day as any to discuss the subject of ignorance. Scott and I recently spotted a man in the grocery store wearing a shirt that said, in great big letters, "Speak fucking English." I had to cringe at such multi-levelled ignorance. I could rant and rave about it here, but I scowled and muttered enough at the store. I just wanted to bring it up so that my like-minded readers could shake their heads in dismay, while my, um, other readers could look down at their Confederate-flag T-shirts and ask, "Whuuut?"

September 06, 2007

Making my blood boil

I finally watched Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11. Even if only a quarter of the film is true, Dubya and company should be tossed in jail for a very, very long time. I don't know how enlightened Americans can tolerate having such a fatuous, uncaring windbag as a leader. Not that Canada's leader is any prize, mind you, but there has been far less bloodshed as a result of Harper's command. I guess Harper isn't much of a businessman.

September 02, 2007

Scott's Party at Mike and Cheryl's

Scott and I regularly host parties at our place. We seldom host parties at other people's places. Recently, however, Scott inadvertently invited a number of people to the penthouse dwelling of our friends Cheryl and Mike, who have access to a terrific rooftop patio. (Thanks, you two, for being so hospitable!) The patio was the perfect vantage point from which to watch the Canadian International Air Show.


I took quite a number of photos. Here's one of the better ones:




Our friend John took 1100 photos. Yes, 1100. Here's one of them:




In my defense, John's lens (see below) is much more powerful than the one I was using. But I'll admit that John is an awesome photographer.




The weather was absolutely perfect, especially with the breeze off Lake Ontario. It was that kind of refreshingly cool day that leads one to forget about the necessity of sunscreen. At least, I forgot about it. I didn't wear a hat, either. I did wear sunglasses. You know what I'm getting at. I ended up with this style of sunburn:




Following the air show we all retired to Cheryl and Mike's place. Cheryl's hands were full so I carried her camera, still attached to its tripod, back downstairs. I placed it out of the way in Cheryl and Mike's bedroom. I didn't consider how it would look when the other guests spotted the camera mounted at the foot of the bed. Scott, inebriated though he was, took no time to figure out the camera's self-timer feature.