of senators and speedos...

The Federal Budget was tabled today.  And yes, the budget is a hugely consequential event that portends an ever-more conservative Canada, where the old work till their older, where public servants are disposed of with nonchalance, where the private sector gets more free money, the taxes stay low and the gas pipes flow free.  And yes, this is a chance for a newly-minted and much-hyped NDP leader to show voters what he's got, and perhaps finally give the PM a run for his money in the House of Commons.  And yes, the Minister of Finance donned lovely new shoes, and when offered a penny for his thoughts announced he was doing away with pennies altogether.  So yes, a big day indeed.

But I'm WAY more interested in this!  I mean, what the f*ck?  That guy's a senator??

felled by cold...

It's basically a fact that every spring, with the first full burst of good weather I get hit hard by a cold. Well, at least I know I can still set my biological clock by the phenomenon... Day 2, sore throat fading, body and head aches holding firm.

On the bright side it IS gorgeous outside, and I still managed to finish reading Malaise of Modernity by Charles Taylor despite a thick fog of DayQuil and acetaminophen... That's got to count for something, right?

hard day's night's day's evening...

Without a doubt the hardest thing about OFHRP is the fatigue that sets in after a long day of work is followed by a long night of insulating a basement is followed by a long day at work. Throw in an early morning medical appointment, a dog with acute gastrointestinal problems requiring a trip to the vet, a series of unexpected reno issues to resolve, oh, and let's not forget a pile of dirty dishes and a pile of dirty laundry both calling out for attention, and well... let's just say I'm in no mood to read Charles Taylor tonight.

No, no, tonight will involve shutting off my brain, drinking some beer with my life partner in crime, while we both remind ourselves of why we weren't totally crazy to buy a 102 year old house and try and make a go of it.

Priorities are important, after all.

been a long time...

Yes, I'm a terribly inconsistent blogger. Truth is, for the last couple of months I've disappeared into the gaping jaws of Our First Home Renovation Project (OFHRP).

*cue dramatic off-stage scream*

It's been quite an experience, and all I can say is that I've learned a lot, am amazed at how we've risen to the challenge, and I probably drink my weight in wine on a weekly basis. Oh, and without my partner as the main lead on OFHRP I'd probably be a tear soaked mess desperately clutching a handful of tiny screws and shaking my fist at a stack of cracked drywall. But anyway, it's going just fine...

In whatever downtime can be found, I'm reading as much as I can (my antidote to stress in all its forms), and right now I'm cracking my head against the big brain of Charles Taylor, trying to get through the first 100 pages of his grand tome A Secular Age, while also dipping my toes into his Massey Lecture The Malaise of Modernity (also available as a CBC on-line audio broadcast!).

I won't attempt to summarize his ideas or provide some personal insight or anything like that (at least not until I make it even 1/5 of the way into one of his works), but Taylor's philosophical writing is the kind of hard brain candy that I totally go in for, and is keeping me happily buzzing with thoughts great and small while the paint dries and the plaster cracks.

Now, where's that bottle of wine gotten to...?