Checkered Lounge Pants

So like I am on the phone with Gramma Marceniuk (my boyz maternal grandparent) to tell her I put Kevin on the airplane in London, when she said Cam got a job. Yahooooo! He had gone through some training supplied by a security firm and had told me he was applying for work (I always told him to go to actors school and head to New York, be cause, you know, he’s Cam, eh…). He works at the MTS Centre. Amanda, after some health concerns, is back working on the yachts and spending port time between her home in Vancouver and the Caribbean islands. Kevin has used some down time (the grow cycles in greenhouses) to go visit the grammas and grandpas back home. Did I mention he got married earlie r this month?? Yup, he and Audra whipped up a whirlwind wedding on her last visit. They have been wrestling with US immigration since last May to get him a US visa so they can set up a home in Boston. I hope that comes soon and this love story will have a happy ending. We are under snowfall warnings in th...

I was listening to The Current on CBC radio this morning in the car and there was an interview concerning a new by-law in a major city in Canada. The by-law restricts demonstrators by making it unlawful to protest with anything that obstructs police from establishing a protesters identity. At first blush, the cop being interviewed seemed to make sense that authorities need to be able to confirm the identities of "hooligans" (circa I was talking to a football/soccer fan of West Ham and their Inter City Firm, in Montreal last week, but that's another story). The CBC announcer asked, "well, what if I was peacefully demonstrating outside CBC and I didn't want to be recognized by my boss and fired, and its against the law to wear a balaclava or a gas mask?" It was at this point that the cop began to leave the realm of common sense. "Peaceful demonstrators would not have to be worried about any confrontation UNLESS THEY ARE CONTEMPLATING CONFRONTATION" ...

My legatee, John Burns, (an experienced Union activist long before I cut my teeth on social justice and the labour movement) called the other day and invited me to visit my old office and staff, followed b y lunch. When I arrived I soon discovered we had been joined by my predecessor and links partner John( or as his sister coined him the "Aged One") as well. John has blessed us with a visit or two on CLP over the years. (photo: l-r, John Burns, John Moore-Gough, alias the Aged One) The 3 local union presidents reunional afternoon was very enjoyable, in spite of , or perhaps due to, the interuptions of periodic industrial crisis of one sort or another, as is the nature of the vocation of a Local Union President. The admin assistant, Barb, had been very busy, inspite of a horrific car accident, since my retirement. Barb (see her blog Lakeside Lair link on CLP) and her partner built a chicken coop at their home to supplement the worm farm they started a couple years ago. She g...

Its been a busy couple weeks. I really haven't had much time to keep abreast of current events and I don't seem to be worse for it. I have been visiting blog commentaries regarding the Gaza strip invasion? offensive? shock and awe? whadda ya call it? Nevertheless, Bush's war machine seems to have left some residuals on how to murder what... rebels? insurgents? Hamas? and their families and communities. Israel seems to have learned the lesson well. Not to over-simplify but, notwithstanding the decades of rhetoric, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to conclude that war profiteers are the biggest promoters behind the Zion and Arab weaponry, followed closely by the absurdity of political interests. WTF, how can we forget the politics behind the Iran-Contra Affair when US squirreled deals to Israel to provide arms for Iranian ...what? insurgents? terrorists? rebels? that opposed the Ayatollah, until, the US had to authorize payment directly to the Ayatollah... what? terrori...

I have to apologize to our New Years Eve host. To make a short story shorter....we never made midnight. Ouch!! Cocktails were in abundance and dinner was nothing less than haute gourmet, but the old peepers just could not stay open to see the ball drop or pop the cork on the Champagne. Sorry Tim and Alexis and Austen (I do take some comfort in outlasting SweetPea and Kevin. LOL). Checked out a book on modern folklore from the library and chuckled when I came across the story about Neil Armstrong dedicating his first step on the moon and then whispering "Good luck Mr. Gorsky". Mr. Gorsky was allegedly Neil's next door neighbour when he grew up. In the spirit of Neil Armstrong's fairy tale (appears to be a myth) to bring his neighbours wishes to fruition (google "Good luck Mr. Gorsky" if you require details), may all your New Years resolutions be realized. Speaking of resolutions, I read a popular blog commenting on New Years resolutions and the futility of pr...