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.... Knot, ready for winter.
:P |
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In other news.....
OTTAWA (AFP) - "Thatcher has died," read the short text message that kicked off a brief diplomatic flurry among members of Canada's parliament and their advisors at a black tie dinner this week, said local media Thursday.
Upon learning the "news" via mobile or Blackberry at a soiree honoring Canadian military families Tuesday, some 2,000 shocked Conservatives, said to revere the Iron Lady of British politics, and their advisors reportedly huddled to discuss a reaction.
The prime minister's office called Buckingham Palace and 10 Downing Street to confirm that Margaret Thatcher had indeed passed away -- baffling British officials, CanWest News Service said.
It turned out the message was sent by Canadian Transport Minister John Baird from his home in Toronto to a person at the gala dinner to say his beloved 16-year-old gray tabby cat, named for Margaret Thatcher, 84, had died.
The recipient then forwarded it to others.
A spokesman for Prime Minister Stephen Harper's office was not immediately available for comment.
Too many jokes to make about that posting.... not enough time to make them all. |
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Nov. 9th, 2009 @ 03:21 pm
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Damn, that flu shot really works! Managed to finally get the kids innoculated on Thursday, and by Saturday Jake had the flu!
Who do I call to complain about Holly still being healthy?
Oh, and I notice that I missed posting halloween photos besides the pumpkins.
The original plan was that Jake was going as Jason Vorhees, and Holly wanted to be Freddie Kruger. Our own little cadre of murderous mayhem. That was the operating assumption until we got the costume store and Holly decided that she wanted to exert a little authority instead.
OK. Officer Cutie-Pie can arrest Jason...that still works!
Until the day before when Jake decided that he didn't want to be a maniacal killer after all.
Instead.... he aspires to be a bum.
We're soooooooooooooooo proud with his high aspirations! lol.
OK, well cops do like to beat up on the homeless, and it meant I got to wear the Jason mask. So it all worked out.
And, as the added bonus, my good wife never noticed where I'd put the bag of tootsie rolls, so I got my fair quota of candy too!
Went and visited Dad yesterday before he heads south for the season. His absences seem to get longer and longer each year.
Can't say as I blame him either. |
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Hope everyone had a Happy Halloween!!! |
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I've been wandering in the woods my whole life. Some of my earliest standout memories are treks through the bush at the cottage. Discovering wild strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, and once - a skunk.
Ottawa, as a semi-planned city (yes - they planned to make it this dull!), was designed with a ring of greenspace around it to limit it's growth. We call it the greenbelt. Many others call it 'that unneccessary forest which means that my house is situated a mile further from my office than it needs to be!'
Of course, what we all tend to forget is that this greenspace wasn't always what it is today. There were a ton of expropriations when it was created in order to fill in some gaps. It also, in many instances, can best be described as "the forest around the big-assed swamp that no-one wanted to build on anyway!"
But every now and then you find those surprises in the bush. Most times it's sighting some rarer bird, plant, or anmal, but on rare occassions it is things that left there and were long forgotten.
For example, in the 70s someone stumbled across the ruins of an old industrial lime kiln deep in the bush between two bogs. It has since been stabilized and a marked trail leads you in.
And on Friday, I had my own little moment.
It was a gorgeous day under golden, late afternoon light. And I was a little ahead on my commute when I saw the light filtering though the trees along the road. I had to stop...
It's a place I've stopped at so many times. The place where the bulk of my morning-frosty-fall-leaves pictures have been taken for several years now. But I'm not sure that I've ever stopped there on the way home. And this time, I wandered up the deer trail a little further. Up over the rise to see what lay ahead.
The first thing that appeared was the fence. Old, decrepit, and collapsed. An old farm fence with sections of log, and sections of cleared stone reminiscent of the way the Irish build stone fences from the rocks cleared from the farm.
Well, a fence has to go somewhere right?
( And sure enough, it did! ) |
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Well, I guess it's time to put the final nail in summer.
It's done!
( Some fall colour behind the clicky.... ) |
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Dear Nobel Committee...
Are you shitting me?
Look - nothing personal. Love you. Love your work. Love that Obama dude. I mean, really - was an active booster for him and was there to celebrate his big moment. HAve the highest regard for the man, and the best hopes for his tenure as Prez.
But the Peace Prize?
Now?
For WHAT?!
Fancy rhetoric above and beyond the call of duty?
I love the guy and think that he might manage to inspire enough people to make a difference in this world. And I know that compared to the last guy living on Pensylvania Avenue he looks like MLK, JFK, Mother Theresa, and Ghandi all rolled into one! And maybe that swayed you a bit.
But the Peace Prize? Already?
Sorry - but this sort of "grand gesture" just cheapens it. It's like the Peoples Choice award instead of the Oscars.
Look - I hope that Obama lives up to it and that in seven years we think to ourselves - "yeah, he earned that sucker".
But now?
Sorry dudes. I know it's a convenient location but you have to STOP having you committee meetings in Amsterdam.
'nough said. |
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too damn many leaves starting to look like this:
I guess summer is over. |
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"We should have a party because I'm an awesome swinger!"
--Mikayla, age 4, thrilled that she managed to get the swing to go back and forth under her own power without pushes from an adult.
The only response I could come up with at the moment?
"Your mom will be sooooooooo proud!"
Oh, and forget not ye scurvy rats that today be International Talk Like A Pirate Day.
Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr! |
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People-watching can be a full-time leisure activity in a tourist town. If you wanted to set yourself a project like ... say ...pictures of people taking pictures - well you could get that done in an hour. So, you could try and be more specific. Like... pictures of people taking pictures while also drinking a cup of Timmies coffee!
You get the basic, awkward, "dear god don't spill it on the camera" grip...
And then there are the far more inventive ways to coordinate the two activities....
And just what are these Timmies-drinking photographers shooting?
( Well, come along and take a look..... ) |
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