The Strangest Place on Earth

I found this on the blog "Dark Roasted Blend", a blog of 'weird and wonderful things'



The place is an island in the Indian Ocean called Socotra Island and is home to hundreds of unique species of plantlife. The entry is titled "The Most Alien-Looking Place on Earth"

Palin Around With Republicans

According to this New York Times article Sarah Palin is indeed cut from the same cloth as George Bush (remember him he's still President)



"Once Elected, Palin Hired Friends and Lashed Foes"

Read more >>

Last Weekend

It was a fun weekend the last. Saturday I went over to my bosses house for some great homemade pesto, garlic bread and roasted red peppers. Mmmmmmm. They even bought one of my favourite beers, Mill Street's Tankhouse Ale. After dinner we sat around drank a Brazilian red wine and told ghost stories. Some eerie things happen out East is all I can say. Afterwards I stopped off at my old friend Jan's. We ended up going around the corner to the Elmdale Tavern and had some Beau's a fine local brew, and watched a corny but good old time country band. A lot of Carleton students hang out there so we sat in on one tables conversation. It was sad and strange watching the really drunk old guy dragging his girlfriend around the floor trying to dance, when clearly she didn't want to. Finally she sat down and he danced all by himself.

I slept at Jan's and made my way home for a meeting with a friend to go see the exhibit at the National gallery. It was a great collection of European works on the theme of "the New Man" that developed along with Fascism. They had works by Kandinsky, Picasso and all the other usual suspects. It was an interesting balance of art that glorified a fascist ideal and that which critiqued it.

Afterward we went for Vietnamese food even though it's Ramadan and my friend should not have been eating until sundown. We capped it off with some bubble tea before I finally ran to a standstill and went home straight to bed at the late hour of 6pm.

Bad Kitty

She killed another plant and decides to sleep in it's soily grave.



She's also strangely fascinated by smoke. I have a feeling she may have been a stoner in another life.

Mara and Sharon

Mouffie

 

Rainy Morning

So much water. Water never stops moving,it travels constantly around the planet. As oceans, rivers, rain, clouds, as floating blocks of ice dissolving in warmer bodies. It's ever changing state: gas/liquid/solid. It enters our bodies and those of the plants and creatures we consume, but it's only ever passing through taking the essence of its vessel with it: sweat, tears, spit, blood, juice. We need it more than we need electricity, because it is us. When we pass from this world do we only return to dust?

End of Summer

Signs that that this summer has come to an end, in spirit at least,are everywhere. Two buses were so full this morning that they didn't even stop to pick anyone up. Also the new crop of students are all over the downtown core doing activities for various charities. My roomate moved in yesterday. She is a lawyer in Civil Law, which is what they use in Quebec. She will be studying Common Law which is what they use in the rest of Canada. She's really great but it's going to take getting used to not having my sweet Leslie at home.

Vet School Gone Bad

Labour Day Weekend

The new room-mate is coming tomorrow. I'm almost ready, but not really. Too many memories seeping through the knit. Reminder: it's different this time.

Katini Anyone?

Boston, Little Italy, 2006

Update

I just noticed that I actually joined blogger in 2002 so I will have to change that header graphic on Tuesday. I don't have the .psd file at home.

One Year Later

I'm back. I wasn't really gone anywhere of course, I just haven't been blogging. After 4 years of posting almost every day I took a sabbatical. It's no coincidence of course that I took this during the year that Leslie and I have been living together. In the past my postings have tended to be very personal and at times effusive. Being in a relationship I felt that I couldn't expose all of that in such a public forum as a blog.

Now Leslie is living in Philadelphia, attending University and on her way to becoming one of the world's top veterinarians. I'm extremely proud that she got into the program although I never doubted that she would. I miss her tremendously but at the same time it's really wonderful to see that she has taken this huge step towards making her dream come true. I can't wait to see you Leslie.

American Beer, Canadian Myth

Growing up in the late 70s early 80s in Central Canada I was taught that Americans made shitty swill for beer and Canadians made the good stuff. I believed it for years even though at the time all you could buy in Canada was straw coloured Molson, Labatts or O'keefe products. The story was that American canned beer was lower in alcohol and flavour. The truth was that American macrobrews were as bland as Canadian macrobrews.
To make a long sordid story short and clean I know that you yanks make good beer. Harpoon, Sierra Nevada, Sam Adams, and so many more as we make Maudite, St. Ambroise, Coup de Grisou, Sgt. something. So the moral of this story is drink it, taste it and don't worry where it was made. Focus on where it's going. In your gullet.

Last Friday we made a special beer run to Quebec and bought some gemful Cheval Blanc products. The weekend before we bought A case of Harpoon, some Magi Cat (Magic Hat?) and some Sierra Nevada. Oh and we ran into my Aunt and Uncle at a rest stop just across the US border near Brockville. We were all a bit freaked out by that.

American moves to Canada reach record high

Come on the rest of you. There's plenty of room.>>

The number of Americans admitted to Canada last year reached a 30-year high, with a 20 per cent increase over the previous year and nearly double the number that arrived in 2000.
from the CBC

Approaching

I've never been so nervous about anything in my life. Leslie is going to be living with me tomorrow. Another way to say that is that we will be living together. A subtle but significant distinction.I was never this nervous when we got married or at a job interview. If I have this bad a case of the jitters I wonder how she feels? It's nothing to do with being scared of committment either. What scares me is blowing the whole thing. Saying the wrong words. Doing the wrong thing. This isn't like before where you hang up the phone and go on with the day. This is life full time. I hope we are both ready!

I should stress that yes I am delighted. She is the best.

A Pause Before Midnight

I can't even begin to fathom my own excitement at the fact that tonight Leslie is arriving to live in Canada. I know that it is harder for her because she is leaving her familiar surroundings, her friends and family to start a new kind of life. I have to keep that fact in my own perspective. It's not going to just be all champagne and rooses for her. And yet I want her to know how happy she makes me and that I will do my best to listen and be understanding. She's so good to me. I hope this effusive post doesn't embarass her too much but I love her!

Update on Manhunt

They captured young Jesse >>

He was busting into a man's home near Portage-du-fort which is a few miles West of our cottage. you cross there to go to Renfrew on the Ontario side.