Sunday, February 27, 2005

Non-sequitur of the day

Sboro's Restaurant is one of my favourite local restaurants.

Their marquee currently reads: "Gourmet Lenten Specials."

Huh?

If this lapsed Catholic recalls correctly, Lent is a time of sacrifice and abstinence, no? The "gourmet" part borders on blasphemy, no?

We're still totally going there as soon as Steve recovers from jet lag.

Happy Trails Posted by Hello

I would have loved to have been at this wedding

I have developed a peculiar obsession with the wedding announcements in the New York Times. Once in a while, there is mention of the fascinating wedding of some fabulous people.
This wedding-on-skis is one such event. Note that the dogs in attendance wore neither bonnets nor frills.

Monday, February 21, 2005


Skaters on the Rideau Canal Posted by Hello

Winter sunrise Posted by Hello

Sunday, February 20, 2005


Crystal Palace Posted by Hello

Saturday, February 19, 2005

Now, that's art

With a more reasonable budget and less fanfare, Hargo gives to the world, The Somerville Gates.

I was moved to laughter and tears. That, my friends, is art.

Wednesday, February 16, 2005

Mood elevator, continued

I highly recommend Shall We Dance.

I rented both versions - the original Japanese movie with subtitles, and the Miramax version - and thoroughly enjoyed both of them.

Now to find a dance class ..

Tuesday, February 15, 2005

As Vogel would say, at least it's vegetarian

Finally, a paper product worthy of the scribblings of certain right wing pundits. No further comment.

Monday, February 14, 2005

Mefloquine again

MSNBC is running an expanded version of the Lariam side effects story that I blogged about the other day.

I find it bitterly ironic that, accompanying this story, are both a banner ad and a prominent in-story ad for the antidepressant Wellbutrin. Good thing it wasn't an ad for Zoloft (the answer to the sweaty palms of "social anxiety disorder"). I might have destroyed the monitor if that was the case. If you know me, you know why.

Sunday, February 13, 2005

That's DOCTOR STEINBURG to you, Drudgemeister

Why is Matt Drudge so hateful? I know that Howard Dean is an acquired taste, one that does not sit comfortably on the palates of middle America. Got it.

But what, pray tell, has Dr. Dean's wife, Dr. Steinburg-Dean, done to deserve being a target of Drudge's trademark mudslinging innuendo?

She's a MEDICAL DOCTOR, accountable to her PATIENTS. Get it? Accountability? Responsibility?

Umm, I almost understand this, but ..

I am tremendously fond of Chocolate, our SPCA super-mutt. She keeps half the bed warm in my sweet hubby's absence, she takes me for long power walks every day, and she keeps the elephants away. (Have you seen any elephants on our road? I rest my case.)

So, I didn't even blink when I read that a couple from Manchester have selected their dog as chief bridesmaid for their upcoming nuptuals. There could be no better foil for a bridezilla than a wagging tail and wet nose. I totally understand and respect that.

Here's what I don't get: the canine-bridesmaid will wear a frilly pink dress and bonnet. Now, I love pink. I wore pink suit when my husband and I eloped ten years ago. (Reminder - I saved you a lot of money, Dad!)

But frills?

And a bonnet??

That's really testing the bonds of friendship, ya bridezilla!

Back to some seriously frivolous blogging

My daily internet rounds include the three major New York City newspapers. Generally, I skim through the headlines, stopping only to read the Post's more outrageous articles, the wedding announcements in the Times (don't ask me why, I don't know from whence this addiction came) and Paul Krugman's columns.

So, I was vaguely aware of this "art project" called The Gates. I had not read any articles about the subject, and had only acquired some vague notions of "saffron" and "$21 million." Shrug. New York City. Whatever. I've been to NYC once, and have absolutely no intention of returning. How and why my in-laws commute 2+ hours each way into Manhattan, five days a week, is one of those great imponderables. But I digress.

Keith Olbermann, a.k.a. MSNBC's "Bloggerman" lives across from Central Park, and has formed a strong opinion about this particular piece of work. This piece has launched a series of imponderables for me.

What kind of country do we live in, when $21 MILLION DOLLARS can be spent on 7,500 pieces of "saffron" fabric that will flutter for only two weeks before being taken down? In my part of the country, people have to hold chicken bbq's to pay for their cancer treatments. Twenty-one million for fluttering saffron? WTF? What are they going to do with these monstrosities after they have been removed?

I guess I'm just a philistine, too.

Saturday, February 12, 2005

Light blogging

A few months ago, my friend K asked me why I don't blog more than I do. I certainly read more than my share of mainstream and offbeat news stories, and have formed many opinions about them.

I guess there are certain streams of consciousness that I just don't want to follow to their logical conclusions. There are certain truths that I just don't want to ponder for too long. The side effects of lariam (mefloquine) constitute one such Pandora's Box.

I've had a front row seat to the bug-eyed paranoia that mefloquine can unleash. The mission for which my husband dutifully swallowed his anti-malarial medication was a very short one - a non-combattant evacuation mission to Liberia when it fell into chaos in 1996. If he had been on mefloquine for a longer period of time, if there were significant stressors in our lives at that time .. I don't want to complete that thought. I believe that mefloquine can have the equivalent effect of cutting the brake lines on a car that is speeding out of control. And I do believe that the powers that be have known and understood this for a long time.



Tuesday, February 08, 2005

M.Y.O.B.

Now that Dr. Dobson and his ilk have rescued my family from the likes of Spongebob, it seems that Right-wing Christian Americans have turned their attention to political issues north of the 49th parallel - namely, same sex marriage.

Yup, our fine feathered red state friends have taken to telephoning MPs to tell them how to vote on the proposed Civil Marriage Act.

It goes beyond a few phone calls. Some serious US dollars are being spent on this issue. The Knights of Columbus in the United states spent $80,782 for two million postcards being distributed in Catholic churches across Canada. Now, I have a soft spot in my heart for the KOC. As a Grand Knight, my late Uncle Cecil started a great service in Brampton. The banner quote on The Knight's Table website reduces me to tears each time I think of it: "Peter, if you love me .. feed my sheep." So many poor and hungry people could be fed for $80,782. Obviously, the single men running around in purple robes have solved that problem, and all the other problems facing the Catholic Church, and now must protect tolerant Canadians from themselves, eh?

Here's a news flash. Canadians define themselves not so much by who they are, but by who they aren't ~ namely, Americans. So, please, keep those cards and phone calls a'coming. Reverse psychology is a great thing.

Sunday, February 06, 2005

Ann Coulter making a fool of herself - God bless the internet

Courtesy of Michael Moore, here is the video clip of Ann Coulter trying to convince Bob McKeown that Canada sent troops to Vietnam.

This is the first time that I've heard Ann Coulter's voice. It's surprisingly deep. And what a prominent Adam's Apple Miss Coulter possesses.

How odd that a 40-something single, childless woman denounces "feminists." I'm just saying.

Tuesday, February 01, 2005

A delicious little smackdown

There are a few moments .. few and far between .. in which I second-guess our decision to be TV-less. I do regret missing last week's episode of CBC's the fifth estate. Or maybe not. I don't think I could stomach seeing or hearing Ann Coulter, even if she was making a fool of herself by insisting that Canada had participated in the Vietnam war.

The ever-slimyinimitable Bill O'Reilly, surprise surprise, took umbrage at the CBC's coverage of his bombasticpithy journalistic modus operandi.

The Toronto Star's TV critic, Antonia Zerbisias, has taken the time to smack downcorrect the assertions that Mr. O'Reilly made in his little temper tantrum on Friday. It's a scrump-dilly-icious piece. Enjoy.