2008

Xmastime

We had a fantastic xmas break, with the Game Parental Units and Red in attendance. Lots of gifts were given and received, and then there were poached eggs with hollandaise sauce.

The females of the clan spent a great deal of the day engaged in the preparation of Thomas (as the turkey is traditionally known hereabouts). This year Thomas was a fowl of monstrous proportions. He was extremely tasty and has provided us with mountains of leftover turkey and stuffing.

I got a number of very fine xmas presents which I have been enjoying.

To K-Town For the Holidays

A few days after xmas we took Red to the airport and bid her a fond farewell. It's been fantastic having her down with us; I miss her.

That done, we headed to K-Town, and the home of the other parental units. My brother Wolfgang and UnLeftyLawGirl were also visiting. More gifts were exchanged, and copious amounts of wine were consumed.

The next day was my birthday. I'm now officially old. More presents, though.

Among the highlights of a very enjoyable trip:

- No fewer than two off-key renditions of "Happy Birthday" left on my phone
- UnLeftyLawGirl being asked, during Trivial Pursuit, "What is a Portuguese Man-o-War" and answering, with a bemused expression, "Did you say Portuguese Man-Whore?"
- UnLeftyLawGirl breaking down every time this was mentioned thereafter
- Talking with my sister, unfortunately absent, when the ball dropped on New Year's Eve
- Eating a very, very fine roast with yorkshire puddings (Mmmmm!)

A Quick Book Recommendation

Right Side Up, by Paul Wells

I came to know Paul Wells' writing not through his articles in Maclean's, but via his blog on their website; he writes with wit and dry humour in a very engaging manner and displays a deep intelligence and a unique perspective on Canadian politics. So I was quite looking forward to this book, a recounting and analysis of the recent Federal elections which deposed Paul Martin and made Stephen Harper the Prime Minister of Canada.

This book surpassed my expectations; I found it hard to put it down. Wells paints a captivating portrait of the internal mechanics of the Liberal and Conservative parties, as the former is overrun from within by Martin and his coterie of supporters and the latter is created wholesale by the merger of disparate, feuding conservative groups. The election is explained as the conflict between a Liberal party crippled by the dominance, bitterness and groupthink of a powerful minority within its ranks and a Conservative party formed into being as (more or less) an instrument of the will of a determined man.

Wells doesn't play favourites, but I think that people who voted Liberal may find it an uncomfortable read. It's hard to avoid the conclusion that Canada is better off having escaped the governance of a Liberal party which was inescapably dysfunctional. Paul Martin comes off seeming like a genuinely decent person whose rise to power poisoned his party, whose inner circle were a disaster in the making once they achieved their long ambition and found themselves much less able to govern than they were to scheme to get there. Stephen Harper's temper and other failings are not glossed over, but the point is made that the man, uniquely among the candidates on offer, has both principles and the ability to turn them from plans into effected action.

I have already leant out my copy and I suspect that I will be doing so often.

2007, This Is Your Life

2007 is over; hello 2008.

2007 was an incredibly busy year for us. The list of things that happened this year, and achievements which were achieved, is a long one, both for ourselves and for our friends and family. Weddings, pregnancies, new jobs and successes, feats of mental and physical endurance and accomplishment, new relationships and realized hopes for the future have visited us in spades.

Here's hoping for all the best from 2008, for us and for all of you -- friends, family, and loved ones.