1st World Problems

 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 provi

 It is Canada Day eve.  Usually spent camping, fireside, with a good chance of someone nearby shooting off some fireworks.  Memories of burned marshmallows and sunburns, this weekend always felt like the start of summer to me.  I have been a proud Canadian since I was old enough to understand what that meant. Our contributions to the world range from medical breakthroughs ( Banting ), to sports ( Naismith ), and our role as peacekeepers ( berets ). We have a lot to celebrate.  We do need to acknowledge a lot of our failures as a nation as well though. Internment camps , starlight tours, and our treatment of Indigenous people in general (think drinking water ).  Then there is the waving of our flag. Since the convoy, I haven't seen anyone flying our flag in the same way. Instead of a feeling of pride and community, I now think of people who think that their rights triumph over everyone else. I think people who have moved so far from the truth and what I always thought it meant to be

 If you have been reading my written meanderings for a while, you are probably expecting me to be super excited about what happened yesterday. Unless you haven't heard.  Jason "Kenbabe" Kenney made it through his leadership review by the skin of his teeth (incidentally, I hate the phrase it makes my teeth hurt). And then took the podium. From the crowd's reaction to his speech that I watched, his announcement that he was stepping down came as a surprise for everyone.  My initial reaction when I heard was one of elation. Then excitement. Now I am worried.  Jason (the real-world embodiment of Randy from The Trailer Park Boys) was not the right leader for the average Albertan. Own an oil and gas company? Do your kids go to a private school? Do you believe that public healthcare is terrible, and those who can afford to jump the line are the ones that deserve health care? Then he was your man. For the rest of us, who work every day and don't have much of their paychequ

 How much of parenting is just trying to get ahead of the problem? Every time I think we have a handle on what is going on in the world, some new chaos arises and we are in information mode again.  I have always been open with my kids no matter the issue, and I have shared my opinion and encouraged them to have and share their own. A healthy discussion with differing viewpoints where no one gets angry is always the goal. As the issues seemingly become more personal and hot button-type topics, the discussions and information that is talked about and the research done into why it matters and how it matters is getting to be more frequent.  There are certain benefits to living this close to America. In the past, it was good to know that they would protect and help us should something go sideways war-wise. It was good to have them as our main trade partner. We have the longest demilitarized border in the world with our southern neighbors, and that is something that we should be proud of.  W

 Have you heard the term "navel-gazing"? If you haven't, it's a term that basically means that the person doing the gazing is spending too much time focusing on how something is affecting them and not enough time focusing on what it will do to the big picture.  There is a lot of navel-gazing going on these days. Many of us have forgotten that there is a great wide world out there and that we are not the actual center of the universe. I am not going to pin this on one particular age group, gender, or political leaning.  As a society, we have become less "greater good" and more "what's in it for me". The chasm between those who are able to big picture things and the ones who can't see the forest for the trees causes more than just a shoulder shrug with an agreement to disagree. It's getting us into intellectual and political disagreements with neither side willing to listen to anything but their voices. No respect is given, and there is n

 I'm feeling a little feisty today. Maybe it's the sudden snowstorm that came through last night, maybe it's the longer days.  Remember February? When all of the goose convoy (noisy, angry, left a lot of crap around that they didn't pick up) decided it was a great idea to park in downtown Ottawa? You know, the people that were trying to overthrow a democratically elected government? With the memorandum of understanding? The one that said that the current government would step aside and let the members of the convoy lead the country? Yeah, those guys.  Well, it seems that at least the leaders of that group are having a heck of a time.  Tamara, who started the GoFundMe that raised $10 million was back in court today, arguing that the ban she was given to not use social media basically is too broad and not fair. I wonder if they will ask her where the $8 million that was removed from the fundraising before it was shut down went. Maybe partially to fly her husband in on a p

 You may already be aware, but just in case, this weekend is Easter.  I think for most of us, the church aspect of this weekend may be a thing of the past. Now it is more about the chocolate eggs and various pastel-colored items.  Growing up, Easter was not a big thing. I knew the basics, Jesus dies, he goes into a cave, the cave is empty, Jesus comes back, miracle. I knew that it meant Lent was over and whatever we gave up was feasted upon gleefully.  The biggest religious moment for me was always the showing of Jesus Christ, Superstar that was always on TV somewhere. I must say of all of the musicals I love, this one has a special place in my heart. I don't know if it was all the dancing hippies in the desert, the movie in a movie side story, Yvonne Elliman's voice, or the end with all the fringe and shiny people. It just makes me happy. Sidebar: My kids are older now, so usually when I am watching something, they are in the same room watching something else. When I am left t

 Well, I guess we were wrong about one thing. Seems to me like the Timbit Taliban did affect some government changes.  I don't think a coalition government between the NDP and Liberals was quite what they had in mind when the MOU was first drawn up.  For those of you who have been around for a while, a coalition really isn't a new thing. It tends to happen when the party that wins is a minority. A smaller party will hitch their wagon to the minority leading party and they agree to look out for each other.  And this new agreement is not technically a true coalition, as no NDP representatives will sit in the cabinet.  Usually, the smaller party gets to have a bunch of the platforms it ran on at least brought forward to be looked at, if not voted on and passed. The larger party gets to be in power until the next election and now feels a little bit more comfortable when it comes to getting back to the business of running a country. Kind of like a big sibling protecting a little sib

 We made it friends. To another Friday anyway.  For those keeping scores, at least our province isn't the only one with a clueless leader. Allow me to tell you a little bit about what is happening in Manitoba this month.  On May 1, 2021,    Krystal Mousseau , had a 31-year-old Indigenous woman having a medical crisis. The Brandon hospital she went to for help deemed themselves unable to help her. They were in another covid wave so beds and staffing were not available to give her the help she required. So she was prepped for an airlift to an Ottawa hospital.  Here is where things start to go sideways. It seems the team that was transporting her did not have the proper training nor the proper equipment that was needed to get her to the airlift. They were unable to install an arterial line used to monitor her blood pressure, she was not given a "high-alert" drug that she needed, and no one knew how to use the IV pump to deliver the other medications that she needed.  After s

 Sometimes a different perspective can make you think. I was driving around with my son today and I mentioned that there had been a road rage-related shooting in our city yesterday. I said something along the lines of all the weird things that had been going on in the city lately.  He said something back that made me think. He asked if the frequency of odd events was actually higher than normal, or if it was just that the news covered it more because people are tired of hearing about covid and the other news-making events that have been hitting us over the head lately.  The internet is an interesting place and for the most part news sources have had to change the way that they deliver the news. No longer does news come in the morning when the paper hits the front step. In some cities, the morning edition and the evening edition have become things of the past. To think about it, I don't think my kids would even know that such a thing had ever happened.  News is reported as soon as i

 I want to start today with an improv game of sorts. There will be no theatre games. I guess it's more of an imagination exercise. I promise this is leading up to something.  In front of you, there is a chocolate bar, a Kit Kat. At this point, the fingers are all together and the bar is in one piece. It is a lovely-looking snack and the future of your nibble is outstanding. Ok, wait, maybe a Kit Kat won't work for this.  So, you have a rope. It's a long rope, made of many fibers that all work together because of the way the fibers are braided and intertwined. Then a person you know comes along and needs some rope. This won't work either.  Have you played Kerplunk? If you haven't, here is a small run-down. It's a game of strategy and some logic. There is a center tube with a top and a bottom. The middle of the tube has a whole bunch of tiny holes that you put very skinny, multi-colored plastic sticks into. The sticks from a kind of a nest. When your nest is forme

 I read a funny thing on Twitter this morning.  The author of the tweet asked if we had tried having a victory party for the every weekend still protesters. If we have banners and cover them in confetti. If we tell them that they won, will they go away?  It's a funny line about a pretty serious conversation. If you are unaware, there are still "anti-mandate" protests happening every weekend in downtown Calgary. One in Beltline and one in Inglewood. They aren't just gathered in a park, sitting with their signs and soliciting honks from passing supporters. They are blocking traffic, throwing smoke bombs, selling white supremacist logoed gear, and they even have a pizza tent set up. The people who live and work in these areas are suffering the worst. Many feel unsafe in their own places, and no one seems to care. Small business owners are losing money as customers either can't physically get to them or don't want to engage with the potential powder keg that is go