April 22, 2007





April 17, 2007

Google maps weirdness. What is it?

April 16, 2007

Let it Snow, Let it Snow Let it WHAT???

I woke up this morning with Elvis singing Christmas tunes running through my head. We had a crazy green Christmas and t-shirt weather in January. Now we have too much snow for April.

April 14, 2007

Anniversary


Two Years Ago Today Leslie and I met in Boston.

June Callwood April 14, 2007

June Callwood was one of the Canadian public figures who seemed immortal to me. Like Trudeau, Pierre Berton and even Don Harron, she was around long before I was born and continued to be active in the public sphere as I passed from childhood to adulthood. Like the St. Lawrence River or the Rocky Mountains she seemed to a part of the natural scenery of Canada. Having said this I never really was aware of her many achievements, beyond the fact that she was a social activist and appeared on the CBC. Growing up she seemed famous for being famous. In reality she was a woman of remarkable achievement of which I am only now aware of as the media commemorates her life. From the CBC:
a founding member of the Writers' Union of Canada, the Writers' Development Trust, Canadian PEN, the Canadian Civil Liberties Association and the Canadian Association for the Repeal of Abortion Laws, the president of a prostitutes' community organization and a bencher of the Law Society of Upper Canada.
I hope that it's not too trite to say wow, but "Wow!" On top of it all she was a respected journalist and the author of 30 books. She survived poverty, severe depression and battled cancer in her final years. There are few public figures that I find admirable but she is definitely one of them.

April 12, 2007

Big-Wigs Say the Darndest Things

Former Ford big-wig Lee Iococca has something to say about the Bushocracy in his new book Where have All the Leaders Gone?
Am I the only guy in this country who's fed up with what's happening? Where the hell is our outrage? We should be screaming bloody murder. We've got a gang of clueless bozos steering our ship of state right over a cliff, we've got corporate gangsters stealing us blind, and we can't even clean up after a hurricane much less build a hybrid car. But instead of getting mad, everyone sits around and nods their heads when the politicians say, "Stay the course."

Stay the course? You've got to be kidding. This is America, not the damned Titanic. I'll give you a sound bite: Throw the bums out!

You might think I'm getting senile, that I've gone off my rocker, and maybe I have. But someone has to speak up. I hardly recognize this country anymore. The President of the United States is given a free pass to ignore the Constitution, tap our phones, and lead us to war on a pack of lies. Congress responds to record deficits by passing a huge tax cut for the wealthy (thanks, but I don't need it). The most famous business leaders are not the innovators but the guys in handcuffs. While we're fiddling in Iraq, the Middle East is burning and nobody seems to know what to do. And the press is waving pom-poms instead of asking hard questions. That's not the promise of America my parents and yours traveled across the ocean for. I've had enough. How about you?

I'll go a step further. You can't call yourself a patriot if you're not outraged. This is a fight I'm ready and willing to have.

April 9, 2007

On Renavigating Towards the Kingdom of Wellness

Today is the first day I have felt somewhat normal in over a week. The fog is lifting and I can think in words more than images again. I just ate an orange and that had a huge impact on lifting that mental fog. I did wake up with a sore throat but that seems to be gone now for the most part. I can see the shores of wellness but it will be better once I arrive there again. Hopefully by tomorrow night in time to return to work. The blog of Delerium can then retire but after this I just may become one of those people who washes there hands fastidiously every five minutes.

April 8, 2007

More Notes From the Realm of Delerium

We all went to Jeanne's for Easter Sunday. I started off feeling so-so had some squash soup felt good for ten minutes then ran to worship at the porcelian altar. I spent the rest of the day upstairs in bed listening to everyone else laugh, play games and enjoying all the food. I did manage a game of marbles with the kids before I had to crawl away. I've been sick so long now it's hard to know what it feels like to be well. Aches, nausea, weird dreams, fevers, slashed throat, raw throat, aching ribs from so much vomiting, fatigue, chills stiffness, delerium. I think that's it. Oh no sinus congestion now and headaches. Oh also 'looking like Hell' as my sister so kindly pointed out just after telling me I looked worse than when I arrived. There.

Why share all of this misery? I guess because I feel powerless and by talking about it I at least feel like I have some control even if it is only to name what ails me. Also I'm looking forward to being well and rereading this with relief that it's over.I also feel like I let the kids down by not being as attentive as I normally am, among other things - my job, my love, - so we can throw guilt into the mess.

Sick of Being Sick

I'm starting to think I might have been better off staying in bed at home in Ottawa for the long weekend. last week I was very sick with a stomach flu but I wanted to come home for the Easter weekend to see my family, especially since I hadn't seen them since Christmas. I was feeling better on Thursday but yesterday I woke up with a fever and a throat infection. I'm all bloated and have been sick to my stomach alot. It's hard to think straight after one week of feeling like I have been floating. I am kind of worried as I can't remember ever being this sick for so long. I'm also worried because I have to go back to work on Tuesday and I need to feel much better than this just to function. I feel like I'm slipping back and forth between being coherent and in a fog. Last night things were very strange and I was kind of sleepwalking. Right now it feels like I've stepped out of time if that makes any sense at all. I just want to be better. Good health is such a wonderful thing that we take for granted.

April 7, 2007

Merry Christmas

Christmas has come early in 2007 or else this is the stand in Christmas for the Green Christmas of 2006. When I left Ottawa on Thursday I decided to take the bus to Toronto. We drove through four different snow squals with one real white out and a hail storm. I'm glad that I wasn't driving through that myself. As Leslie can tell you James and winter driving aren't the best combo, although having a monster truck does help.

I arrived to a cold windy Toronto where I had an hour to wait before my friend Dave H met me for lunch. I see that Yonge and Dundas is trying to get a Times Square type of thing going but it looks pretty shabby with that giant Labatts Blue beer can dominating things. I checked out Sams which still exists despite my worst fears. They had most of Neil Youngs recent reissues of newly remastered recordings on sale so I grabbed three of the harder to find discs, Zuma, On the Beach and Hawks and Doves.

Our favourite Italian bar by the Bus terminal has been relaced by a Starbucks. Sad but true. Maria met us in what is likely the most poorly designed bus terminal in any major city in North America. You have to wait for the bus outside standing amid the buses breathing their fumes and dodging them as they make the tight turns between the lines of awaiting passengers. Not to mention the wicked wind that blows through there. it's crazy and sad that such a major city has such an unfortunate bus terminal. To top it off they had people standing in the aisle of the bus we were on as there was not enough seating.

I'm in Owen Sound now and it's white as December (should have been) It's been snowing since Thursday and we had one more fresh blanket descend this morning. It's actually quite lovely except for the poor tulips that were tricked into coming out last week.

Today I will do a bit of shopping and then go see Grindhouse with my bro-in-law. Unfortunately I woke up this morning feeling like someone had slit my throat in the night. A lovely addition to the stomach flu I've had since last Monday. I felt guilty starting my first day as a permanent staff member being sent home after vomiting three times at work. At least I have sick leave now.

Tomorrow we are having Easter dinner celebrations at my sister's I hope I am feeling better by then as Monday I have a 12 hour trip back to Ottawa and need to be in ship shape to get back to work for Tuesday.

I've been sick a lot sonce last fall and the irony is I have been living healthier than ever diet and exercise wise. What the hell is with that? Maybe its all the stress of the radical changes in my life or maybe its just being out in the 'real world' more now. In either case I am so sick of feeling sick.

April 3, 2007

Urine Trouble Now

From the United press International:
"A middle school student from Muncie, Ind., is facing expulsion after admitting he put urine inside a coffee pot used by one of his teachers." Details >>

"A British dentist may have his license revoked after it was alleged he urinated in a surgical sink, among other things." Details >>

Sad Things Found on the Web: #3865

April 1, 2007

The State of the Nation

Holy crap. Do I love the Shins. Yes. Yes I do. I can't believe this is a recent band because this is like I'm going back to 1982 and discovering all these amazing British bands and there are the Shins. Except there weren't the Shins.

Did someone take my favourite lps and process them through some Google master music maker algorithm? Because this is what you would get. Except for the silly name. On second thought the name works in this context.

Saint Simon is one of my favourite songs period. It's so rich the entire song could be an album.

Good God. I'm going to go out and buy all there cds tomorrow. I haven't craved music like this since I was in my early 20s. Embarrassing because it's a simple thrill? I'm not saying you will love it or even like it but I do. I do.