Hump Day

Tuesday Night

My lovely wife worked late. I was left to my own devices for quite a while.

Is it bad that I kinda want to drop what I'm doing and write a novel about vampires? Even if I promise that Anne Rice fans will hate, hate, hate it?

Visiting the War Museum

Took the afternoon off and went to the Canadian War Museum with the whole fam-damily. My lovely wife and I joined the Old Man, Mothership, KGB and her dashing fiancee, and Wolfgang for the outing.

We also stopped by Wolfgang's apartment while picking him up and said hi to Mattrix, Wolfgang's roommate, whom KGB refers to as Bunny. We took the opportunity to point out to my brother that his treatment of his brushes borders on criminal, and to marvel at Mattrix's lovely couch set and huge TV.

The new museum building is very nice and they have a considerable array of artifacts and historical items. My lovely wife and my father agreed that the new building is much nicer than the old one, but there was a considerably better amount of historical items and information on display in the old museum. The new one spends far more time on video displays, pictures and so forth. The displayed information on the Hong Kong vets, in particular, was all but absent.

Still, they have some very cool stuff. The flag borne on the Plains of Abraham; Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae's pistol; the nosecone from an Avro Arrow; numerous vehicles including a Centurion, a Sherman, a toasted StuG III, and a T-72, and that's not even getting into the LeBreton Gallery, the massive hall filled with vehicles and guns. I was a little surprised to see a Leopard C2 in said vehicle hall. An interesting comment on the abrupt about-face on the subject of armour and its role in the future of the Canadian Forces, that.

The LeBreton Gallery.
The plane is a Voodoo. Left side, front to back: CV33, German PzII
(moved since they took this picture), T-34/85. Right side, front to back:
BMP-1, M-577, Chieftain Stillbrew, Leo C2, M109A4.

After the tour we raided the gift shop. I took home a Support Our Troops T-shirt (red, very swanky), a poppy keychain, a War Museum coffee mug, a patch for my campfire blanket (War Museum again) and a poster of the painting Ghosts of Vimy Ridge, which is on display en route to the LeBreton Gallery. The small picture I was able to find, below, doesn't do it justice. It's a breathtaking piece of art.

Not even one percent as awesome as the original.

KGB and I got to talking and the idea of a visit to Europe to see Juno Beach, Vimy Ridge, Ortona and other places of particular historical importance to this country was floated. I find the idea extremely appealing.

Evening

After we got back, off to kung fu. Good class. Mostly takedown 7 (breaking the wrist with a strike-reaction variation on a wrist lock and throw that also works quite well on its own) and reverse-side Chi Sao, and partner exercises (mixed rank).

After kung fu my lovely wife made Southwest Sauce Ribs and scalloped potatoes for dinner, while simultaneously making a double batch of Butter Pecan Fudge which looks and smells amazing. She's that awesome.

Unfortunately the fudge does have nuts so I can't give any to Serdic :(

BSG

We finished season 2 of BSG.

You have got to be shitting me.

Frak.