Friday, May 20, 2011

Victoria Day Weekend

This long weekend (sometimes called the “May 24th” long weekend) heralds the first of the summer holiday weekends in Canada. Being a sole practitioner (translation: tied to my office like a ball and chain), I have learned to make every effort to profit by the opportunity to enjoy a three-day weekend. It is however a circumstance of mixed sentiments. On the one hand there is the happy prospect of being able to absent oneself from the grind with impunity; on the other hand long weekends are notoriously overwhelmed with like-minded travelers who clog the highways, hotels and restaurants. Bearing that in mind we have sought to defeat some of the anticipated mayhem by preferring an urban retreat to the rural retreat which traditionally characterizes summer adventures for the masses (primarily people with children). In short, instead of going to the lake, we’re going to the city, Montreal in fact. Most citified cave dwellers are only too happy to escape the concrete landscape at every opportunity, while we (being country folk) by contrast value the chance to indulge ourselves in the metropolitan delights of restaurants, museums and the like.

Breaking Down Walls

Given the choice, I would prefer to break into a crowd of octogenarians rather than intrude upon an assembly of youth. Young people scare me. From a distance I find them a prickly bunch, inordinately confident and potentially rude. At the very least I have difficulty imagining what they must be thinking, and I have always given them the benefit of being inherently wicked and malicious. Granted, the really young ones (the ones who are still small and young enough to harbour a becoming fear of adults) are not as threatening; but once they have acquired the ability to speak and think for themselves, watch out!

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Kijiji

I first heard about Kijiji when I set about selling my grand piano in early March of this year. I was unhesitatingly referred to the internet web site by the first two people whom I successively contacted about the undertaking, and they both spoke glowingly of my prospects of success in using the service. One person even went so far as to suggest that the piano would be gone within days. In fact the transaction took longer than that to consummate, but it did happen.

Saturday, May 14, 2011

I’m there!

At last I have arrived at that point in my life when I can truly say that I am well pleased! Many factors have at length come together nicely. Unquestionably this is gloating, but I have to say I like it!

The truth of the matter however is that, typically of any person whose personality approaches that of being mildly bipolar, this current elevation may be nothing more than a mood swing. Yet an analysis of recent events in my life leads me to believe – and accept – that I have in fact attained a degree of satisfaction which is the culmination of concerted effort and calculated choices. Perhaps I am one who is easily fulfilled, but either way it works.

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Making Ready

He had only been in bed for six hours, since ten o’clock last night. He wouldn’t be able to go back to sleep. The customary early morning disturbance down the hall had effectively broken the spell. Besides he was tormented by a reminiscence of the 9/11 terrorist attacks upon the World Trade Centre in New York City. He couldn’t imagine what would have driven them to do that, to kill themselves and others in a plan which was perfectly premeditated. He added to his misery by imaging what the killers must have thought as they boarded the plane, as they walked up the aisle past the other passengers fretting about their seat adjustments, as they knifed the pilots.

Saturday, May 7, 2011

Mother’s Day

The day began as a model day in the country. The sun was shining brilliantly, the sky was perfectly clear and there was a promise of continued fine weather and warm temperatures for the remainder of the weekend, “Mother’s Day” weekend.

We initiated our affairs by peeling to the golf club for breakfast. The River meandering about the club house was bulging from recent plentiful rains. Everything was an emerald green and many of the flowers were already in full bloom. As we arrived at the club house earlier than usual there were not as many people there as we are accustomed to see, which turns out to be a good thing because the dining room was set up for a banquet. We did however manage to locate an undecorated table for our present purpose. Our cheery server Tiffany took our respective breakfast orders efficiently and with a smile. We treated ourselves to the standard weekend fare of bacon, eggs, sausage and accompanying toast, home fries and English muffin with crunchy peanut butter and sliced green apple, coffee and milk. Truly an athlete’s way to start the day!

Thursday, May 5, 2011

One Damned Thing After Another!

For the first time in a long while life’s vessel seems to have righted itself and is now charting upon an even keel. The Royal Wedding is over, the Canadian general election is accomplished and bin Laden is dead, all good things. As much as one might pretend or prefer to rise above the portent of these circumstances, the truth is they affect us all even if our interest is little more than passing curiosity. I expect that for the most part these events are uplifting, at least for the majority of us in the Western hemisphere. Whether these experiences are intoxicating enough to fuel renewed economic vitality is difficult to predict, but my wager is that they are. Given the immediacy of the internet and the current speed of communication it is unimaginable how historically similar events might have altered the lives of our ancestors. Today however these monuments of global activity impress themselves upon our daily undertakings with almost instantaneous effect. The bin Laden affair, connected as it is to the nefarious activities of the despots of the Middle East, also bodes well for early resolution of those conflicts. Like it or not the strong arm of the United States of America has once again extended to the remote corners of the globe with the renewed assurance of fulfillment of its mandate. Even the bloke on the street can appreciate the connection between these activities and the price of oil. Foreign policy is no longer the domain of effete diplomats. International affairs touch us all.