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Momma's Boy

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 My son is technically an adult. I mean he is 18 and in the Navy. So I guess he can be called a grown-up. He left for basic training in September and wound up halfway across the country. After graduation, he was sent even further away. I guess I wouldn't call him a Momma's boy in the traditional sense. He is far too independent for that. He makes his own decisions and while I may be consulted from time to time, I wouldn't say he needs me to make decisions.  I do miss him terribly though.  The good news is that he is back for Christmas. A whole month! The bad news is that I have to share him with his friends and other members of my family. Including his girlfriend. And I am having a bit of a hard time with it. Not with her, she is a lovely person and she loves him very much. She makes him happy, and I am glad that he has her to talk to about the things he can't talk to me about.  Here is the rub. I am having problems sharing him. He has been home for three days. And s...
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Deep Breaths

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 This time of year is always so busy.  Parties, shopping, kid performances, trying to stay warm and sane.  Everything is happening at the same time.  Which is somewhat contradictory. To me anyway.  It's cold, it's dark, and my basic instinct is telling me to stay home and hide from the people who don't live here.  This is a rough time of year for many people. Even if you remove the financial constraints to throw yourself into debt and make sure that all the people you love know how much you love them through the magic of material goods. That is if you have loved ones. If you don't everywhere you turn you are reminded that everyone has a happy family. Except you. Then your brain, the liar, starts to tell you all the things wrong with you and why you don't have a family. Or why you aren't good enough for your family, if you have one.  On top of all of the pressure we place on ourselves, there are social pressures. Invitations, expectations, work parties,...
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Changes, or how I never thought I would miss the last guy.

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 My word it has been a while.  Over the time I have not been here many things have changed, as they tend to do. And the other things that haven't changed are the ones that will bring you down.  Now, you know I can't resist talking at least a little about politics. So let's get that out of the way.  Alberta, we are on the cliff. As of July 1, 2022 (according to Google) our province's population was 4,543, 111. That is a lot of people. Through the magic of politics, 42000 people elected our current leader, on their sixth shot at it.  I am sure you know about our current leader. How can you go anywhere without hearing about her next try at speaking her truth into existence and then backtracking on what she said like a three year with red hands telling you that they aren't the one who got red paint all over your walls? I never thought I would be able to say anything positive about our last leader, but at least Kenbabe never seemed to be actively trying to tear our p...
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My Baby Is All Grown Up

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 The universe has a funny way of doing things.  If you can't find humour in the way things happen, you are definitely making things harder on yourself.  I was born in a place that has never been economically prosperous. The land is hard and nearly impossible to farm, the province is even nicknamed "The Rock" because that is what it is. A rock tethered to the ocean floor in the north Atlantic. The ocean pounds against the cliffs and shores. The land is made up mostly of black rock with sharp edges and unforgiving faces.  Because the major industry of fishing has become mostly a thing of the past due to many countries' greed (including our own), the harvests from the ocean are not enough to support the residents of the province. Oil hasn't quite hit there yet. The infrastructure is in place to supply surrounding areas with hydropower, but no one can agree on how much or even how the province should be remunerated. Due to these reasons and more, most young people win...
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Racism Peanut

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 I'm Back! It's been a while. And there really is no reason other than every once in a while, you need a break from the routine.  I also spent last week in Newfoundland with my mom and daughter. We spent the week living within our own schedule (for the most part) and stopping whenever we felt like it to see whatever sparked our interest. One stop was a shipwreck, another for an ice cream cone.  Whenever I spend time somewhere other than where I live I wonder whether I could live there or not. I think we all do some form of this. New places are just that, new. We are on vacation and have the time to poke around instead of the seemingly endless race of routine when we are living our normal lives.  Vacation places don't have the same issues. Unless you do research or watch the news where you are staying, you don't really know what is going on there. The politics of home and the difficulties in the local area are lost to us.  So when we think about relocating, are w...
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Fun With Tens Machines

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 Stampede is here and everyone is distracted.  Even those of us that don't go wind up taking it easy, or slacking if we can. Unless you're driving. Then it's as though we are all trying to recreate every racing movie you've ever seen. Speed, diving into other lanes, disregard for all laws, and safe following distance. And indicating? Never heard of it.  Some of you may be wondering how that is different from most days on the Deerfoot. It just is. It isn't just the BMWs that ignore the little stick on the steering column. It doesn't help that we are having a full moon this week and that it is stupid hot. We haven't even had any of the good stampede afternoon thunderstorms to cool everyone down. It's a risky combination.  But here comes the upswing. There is something new at the stampede. I am not talking about the Kraft dinner soft serve or the fried chicken in pop rocks.  There is a new booth in the marketplace.  This one isn't selling knives or some...
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I prefer Dudley Do-Right

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 Here comes another political post.  Gird your loins friends. As you are well aware the federal PC party is looking for a new leader. They said, "see you later loser" to Erin O'Toole months ago. According to the die-hards in his party, he was too liberal when he spoke on acceptance and how the party itself needs to move forward (and maybe a little scooch left) if it wanted to be a contender for becoming Canada's top party.  That was far too much and he was catapulted out. I bet he was hurt at the time but is now super relieved that he isn't the one that needs to herd all of the cats that are currently running to be the leader.  Let's start with Jean Charest. He seems to be the safe choice. He is the best choice to work on stopping the growing divide in our country. He acknowledges that the country can't continue this way if we ever want to work together. He comes with some issues though. He has been in the leader's seat before. In 1993 he was the leade...
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