On hiatus...

Hello all! I'm sure most of you have noticed that my posts have been steadily declining in frequency over the last little while. Main reason is my own increasing lack of time and energy to sit down and come up with some truly insightful musings. I find my attention span has gotten a bit shorter these days; my mind wanders and I lose focus. My train of thought is more easily derailed these days, you might say :-) It's not that I'm bored with blogging - not at all. I just can't seem to get motivated a lot of the time, even though I know there's plenty of inspiration out there. Basically, it's my problem, not yours. I wouldn't dream of spurning my dear bloggies!

So, that being said, I've decided to officially announce that my blog is on indefinite hiatus. Figured I owed it to my loyal readers to tell them directly, and not leave them hanging out in the proverbial cold. Taking an extended breather, not gonna worry about drafting the next intellectual post every week. Gonna focus my energies (that is, what remains of them) on other things - my reading list is dreadfully long and I have a stack of books dating as far back as two Christmases ago that I've really been meaning to tackle. So, you'll hafta do without me for a while! I'm quite sure you can manage... :-) My pedantic prattle can be annoying sometimes anyway... ;-)

Don't worry - I won't be disappearing from cyberspace completely. By no means!! I'm still the digital junkie, Internet man-whore I always was! I'll still post replies and commentary on my friends' blogs wherever possible. And let me be clear: I'm not abandoning this blog! If inspiration hits, I'll still post stuff every so often. That won't change. I just won't be as prolific about it. I'd suggest checking my blog, say, once per month instead of once per week.

My friends, thank you all so much for your interest, and I hope to talk to you again in the near future!

My new "sister"

Hello all! Some personal news. We (my Mom and I) recently got a new cat! Her name is Vivian - "Vivy" for short. Here's a nice pic of her:

And here's another pic of me holding her, as we pose for posterity ;-) ...

We got her from my mother's boss (who lives out in the country). Apparently, little Vivy wandered up to her front door one day. Poor thing was starving - she was obviously a stray. So, Jen (Mom's boss) took her in for a bit. Offered to give her to us. We took Vivy in for the weekend to see if we were compatible, whereupon Mom and I both promptly fell in love with the little cutie! So, she's here to stay! My mother named the cat after my great-grandmother (her maternal grandmother), though I'm not exactly sure why...:-) Mom said the name "just came to her all of a sudden."

Not exactly sure of her precise breed and age. She looks like a calico-tabby mix. Our best guess is that she's about a year old (still a kitten, practically!). She's quite small - very delicate looking. Understandable given the fact that she was a stray and was therefore probably a bit malnourished. No problem, though - I imagine we'll fatten her up in due course!

Overall, we're really glad to have another family member to add to the household (albeit a non-human one!)

Governator 2: Judgement Day

Saw something noteworthy on the news yesterday. Apparently, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger intends to veto a bill legalizing same-sex marriage in California, a bill which was legitimately passed by the legislature in Sacramento. Well, then... Not surprising in and of itself - Arnie's still a true blue Republican, after all. Even solidly Democratic states aren't touching that particular hot potato! Currently, it's only legal in good old Massachusetts - and there's even talk of reversing that. Here's an excerpt from an article on the CNN web site:

Schwarzenegger said the legislation, approved Tuesday by lawmakers, would conflict with the intent of voters when they approved an initiative five years ago. Proposition 22 was placed on the ballot to prevent California from recognizing same-sex marriages performed in other states or countries. "We cannot have a system where the people vote and the Legislature derails that vote," the governor's press secretary, Margita Thompson, said in a statement. "Out of respect for the will of the people, the governor will veto (the bill)."

Proposition 22 stated that "only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California." The bill to be vetoed by Schwarzenegger would have defined marriage as a civil contract between "two persons."

Okay, here's the thing: call me crazy, but isn't the legislature elected by the people to serve and represent them? In essence, doesn't the legislature epitomize or embody "the will of the people"? We vote to put such people in a position where they can make these kinds of decisions on our behalf. Passing laws like this is part of their job, a job we as the electorate implicitly bestowed on them. It's what we pay them for, folks! For the Governor to peremptorily override their decision strikes me as dangerously undemocratic. The main flaw of the whole veto concept, I think. Sure, I know the whole "checks and balances" counter-argument, but still... Too often the principle falls victim to partisanship and ordinary political posturing.

Another thing that struck me as ironic was Arnie's assertion that the issue of same-sex marriage (SSM) should be decided by voters or the courts. Or the courts... What amused me about the last bit was that, here in Canada, opponents of SSM legislation hinged their arguments on having the issue taken out of the court's jurisdiction. You see, in our case, it was a decision rendered by the Supreme Court of Canada - whose official opinion on this matter was specifically solicited by the federal government - that got the proverbial ball rolling in Parliament with respect to SSM. Essentially, opponents here wanted the issue dealt with by the legislature exclusively, and not by the courts - the reverse of Schwarzenegger's position, in effect! Funny how they argue the same thing from opposite angles...

Chip jockey extraordinaire

As many of you may already know, I rather enjoy the game of poker. Primarily Texas Hold 'Em (but not exclusively). Not hardcore or anything - I'm not addicted to on-line tournaments and the World Poker Tour on TV or anything - just every once in a while with family and friends. Luckily, I've twice had the occasion recently to partake in this fun pastime.

Occasion #1 was last Saturday (August 29) at my dear friends' Leslie & Noel's place. A friendly, informal affair - just some university students (both former and current) battling it out for nickels. 'Twas good fun. Had lots of laughs, punctuated by good-natured insults and put-downs. Bandied about numerous Simpsons, Family Guy and Arrested Development references and jokes. Ended the night with a profit of 80 cents. Hooray! Such an accomplishment! Most remarkable was my unusual ability to win hands after the final flop. By some odd miracle, I was often able to get the desired card(s) right at the end, when victory seemed improbable. Even more amusing was Noel's mounting frustration at this phenomenon. Often robbed him of what he perceived to be certain triumph. When he had the King, I almost always had the Ace! Too funny! Also atypical - I'm not normally that lucky. Oh well, you know what they say about gift horses and mouths... Overall, though, was an enjoyable evening!

Occasion #2 was last night here in C.P. Over at my friend Matt's house playing with a bunch of high school buddies. Equally friendly, informal and fun. Even more foul language was freely used, given the fact that we've all been friends for nearly a decade. Higher stakes this time around - we each put in five dollars per game. Was out fairly early in the first game. Actually won the second game, though! Again, I was atypically lucky... Master of the flop once more, for some inexplicable reason. Kept managing to get the right card(s) towards the end of the hand. The river was generous... Surprised me as much as it did the other guys. Also, whenever my chip count got perilously low, I found that using "blitzkrieg" (or perhaps kamikaze) tactics often paid dividends: I would go all in for the hand, betting all my remaining chips - the end result being that it either scared the other players into folding, or that I miraculously had the winning hand anyway. Oh, the things they called me whenever that happened... :-) It was all in good fun, though. Left with a net winnings total of $15! Woo-hoo! Next stop: Vegas! (Yeah, right... ;-)

Lisa Lionheart

Kindred spirits, perhaps?...

"There is a time when the operation of the machine becomes so odious, makes you so sick at heart, that you can't take part; you can't even passively take part, and you've got to put your bodies upon the gears and upon the wheels, upon the levers, upon all the apparatus, and you've got to make it stop. And you've got to indicate to the people who run it, to the people who own it, that unless you're free, the machine will be prevented from working at all!"
- Mario Savio, speaking from the steps of Sproul Hall, University of California at Berkeley, December 2, 1964

"An open letter to the people of Springfield: Today, our town lost what remains of its fragile civility, drowned in a sea of low-fat pudding. We are a town of lowbrows, no-brows, and ignorami. We have eight malls, but no symphony. Thirty-two bars, but no alternative theater. Thirteen stores that begin with "Le Sex." I write this letter not to nag or whine, but to prod. We can better ourselves!"
- Lisa Simpson, Episode AABF18 ("They Saved Lisa's Brain")


[SOURCE: Chris Turner, Planet Simpson: How a Cartoon Masterpiece Documented An Era and Defined a Generation, p. 193.]

The Not So Big Easy

Just wanted to give a big shout out to the brave and tenacious people of New Orleans. What a terrible mess... Hang in there and stay strong. Your lovely city is one of America's greatest treasures. It will ultimately be restored to its former beauty and glory, I'm quite sure. Like a phoenix rising from the (water-logged) ashes... Don't let that vile harpy Katrina have the last laugh!