It's Been A While!

  It's been a few days since I've written...again I need to buy another laptop. The kids scramble for every free second during the weekend. Oh well, I'm back and have several things I need to get off my chest.

  Let's start with Kathy Griffin, who I love, and her joke with the bloody, severed head of Donald Trump. First off...it wasn't funny. There was no real "joke".  Had it been at least funny she might have gotten a little less flack. At least from her peers. Secondly....no one deserves it. Not even Trump. End of conversation. If this visual would have bothered you with any other face on it then it should bother you now. And if nothing else think about his 10 year old.

  Another thing I take issue with is Andrew Scheer, the new leader of the federal Conservative Party. Why are you so scared of PM Trudeau? And I ask this without sarcasm. In your acceptance speech over the weekend, you chose to insult and mock the PM rather than state the direction you want to take your party in. The election is 2 and 1/2 years away and on day one of your new job you chose to campaign rather than inform. It says to me that you have no platform. You lost me before you began.

  Leaving politics behind, we are still waiting for the pool to be installed. If the rain doesn't end soon this season will be a write-off. The yard is ready. The fence is ready. The kids are more than ready. Hell, we even have the money ready. Come on Mother Nature throw us a bone.

  Alex is home from school now. That means the peace and quiet of the day has disappeared. The house is alive with his laughter and yells of "Mom what is there to eat?" and  "Mom we have no food!". His voice is one of my favorite sounds....some of the time.

  Time to see what madness the world has gotten into today.

  Ang
  

Canada Proud

  I know I say this often but I am SO glad to be Canadian. For SO many reasons. The list of reasons grows every year. Our universal healthcare. Our humanity. Kindness and compassion. Security. Stability. Our freedom and sense of right and wrong. All traits I am proud of. 

  We embrace diversity. In all areas of our life. Protecting the rights of the most vulnerable because it is the right thing to do. Taking care of our seniors and providing a high-quality education to our youth. Holding our politicians accountable for their actions. Supporting our troops. 

  Are we perfect? Absolutely not. Could we do better? Absolutely. But overall we are doing things right. Not perfect but right.

  Today I'm even prouder. Our leader, PM Trudeau, knows how to button a suit jacket!

  Ang

Sportsmanship

  Last night the whole family went to a hockey game. Riley, who plays, could barely contain himself. The game was exciting and even though my team lost...we are Pittsburgh Penguin fans which is tough when they are playing Ottawa.....it was a great night. Til we got outside and started walking through the parking lot.

  I was embarrassed by the behavior of too many Ottawa residents who were trying to incite fighting with Pens fans on their walk to their cars. The comments were reprehensible. Meant to start fist fights not celebrate the victory. "Fans" beating on the windows of cars where the occupants had opposing jerseys. Pounding on their hoods. 

  But one act really made me angry. Two rather large Pittsburg fans were in front of us walking to their car. Saying nothing to anyone. Checking their phones. A group of maybe six Ottawa supporters started yelling at them and saying the vilest things imaginable to them. Vulgar. Crude. I can't even say the words here. And the body actions. You can figure out quite easily what was said and done.

  The two men stopped. They went back and spoke to the idiots screaming abuse at them.  Had they wanted to I'm positive they could have hurt all six of them. Without breaking a sweat. However, they laughed and said they would let Thursday night's game speak for them. And then walked on. Very adult behavior I thought. Not sure I would, or could, have been so grown up about it.

  This is not sports. This is not supporting your team. This isn't pride or exuberance over a win. This was mean and rude to a degree that has no place in sports ever. So while we waited to get out of the parking lot I tried to explain to Riley, who was quite upset about the behavior, why some people do it.

  It would be easy to blame it on alcohol but I'm not sure these men were even drinking. They certainly didn't look drunk or sound it either. Besides drink sometimes makes people's "real" selves come out. The truth is I don't know why. How can someone's idea of celebration be to insult and incite anger? What does that say about you? 

  I also don't know why the man sitting beside me kept hollering at the Ottawa players to hit Sidney Crosby in the head and take him out permanently. Crosby has a history of concussions and a hit to the head could end his career not to mention change his life forever. He continually said this with, and I know it's a strange word to use but, glee. As if he wanted to see him severely hurt. That's not sportsmanship. That's nastiness. And the type of person who you don't want to be around.

  It was quite embarrassing to me to be from Ottawa last night. While as a city our team won the game, we definitely didn't leave a good impression on those who came from away. 

  Something I thought we always did.

  Ang

History

  "No politician in history and I say this with great surety, has been treated worse or more unfairly." - Donald Trump

  Yes, you read it right. Donald Trump thinks that after only 118 days he is the most hard-done-by politician EVER. Anywhere! Shame on you the people of the United States. What are you thinking?? Who does he think he is?  

  Does the name Nelson Mandela mean anything to you Donald? You know the guy who spent 27 years in prison. In a small cell with his bed on the floor. Ring any bells for you? 

  What about Barack Obama? Surely his name is familiar. He's the one you said wasn't born in the U.S. Remember.... the Muslim President. The guy who had you bugged. 

  Oh, and we can't forget those pioneering women who were the first female politicians. They had it easy didn't they? Everyone was super nice to them. You have it sooooo much harder than they did.

  Let me give you some advice Mr. Trump. Stop whining. Stop talking about the election. Forget the name Hilary. Don't try to make yourself a martyr. Do your job. Just do your damn job.

  I thought he was supposed to be the oldest President ever. So why is he whining like a six-year-old?

  Ang
  

  

It's Hot

  It was 30+ degrees yesterday. Our first absolutely beautiful day. Blue skies. Warm breezes. Glorious sunshine. You couldn't ask for anything more, weather wise. That is until it was time to sleep.

  We have a two storey house. And heat rises. Boy did it rise yesterday. When I finally left my 24 degree living room and walked up the stairs, I knew I was in trouble. When I say it was at least 30 degrees I'm not exaggerating. The air was heavy. No movement at all because of course the windows were closed.

  It's hard to sleep in that extreme heat. Almost impossible for me. Of course it didn't help that John kept throwing his half of the duvet on top of me. At least the boys rooms have ceiling fans. Thankfully they slept well.

  Our new air conditioner isn't installed til next week. The old one isn't connected to the electrical panel anymore. Even though it is an electricity bill nightmare I would have gladly taken it over the tiny fan in my large bedroom.

  I'm embarassed to complain about the heat. After the contstant rain for over a week I should be ecstatic about the sun. And I promise I will be. 

  Next week once the central air kicks in!

  Ang

Morning News

  At 6:15 I go downstairs, turn on the coffee maker then turn on the news. See what happened over night in the world. This is how I start every weekday morning. Since January 20 it starts the same way....Trump. And never in a good way.

  Seriously what the hell is this man thinking? Not a day goes by, except Saturday and Sunday because after all, he is a weekday leader, where he hasn't said or done something that is ridiculous. On the weekends, he just tweets something that is totally out to lunch. 

  Here at home, we are still talking about PM Trudeau's Christmas vacation. Almost 5 months ago! Nothing scandalous really has happened since...and I honestly don't think it's that scandalous either. When you compare the two countries it really shines a halo over our government. 

  A few things have totally left the news though like healthcare, tax reform, and Ivanka & Jared.  Not a word about issues that everyday Americans need help with. Where did "the wall" go? Or jobs? No news broadcast has time to cover the real issues.

  Say what you like it's a car wreck. And the world has stopped to take a look. At least as Canadians, we can say.....

  Not my circus. Not my monkeys!

  Ang

What A Weekend

  Yesterday was Mother's Day here in Canada. A day to celebrate those who take care of us no matter how old we are. And as is my own Mother's Day tradition, I didn't send my Mom or my Mom-in-law, a card let alone a gift. Actually, Mom's gift is on the kitchen table. It was supposed to be her bday gift last month but it never made it to the post office then either. I'm such an ungrateful daughter.

  However, it was also John's birthday. So while I did give birth to two children it really was his day as well. Not that it was celebrated by either of us completely. It's been a weird few days. 

  The van has completely taken over John's mind as he tries to fix it....enough to get the emissions test passed for another year. We only have a few more payments on my car but really don't want to buy another vehicle just yet. The idea of putting aside a few months payments is very appealing to both of us. But after an entire week of working on it, he is still not ready for the test. 

  I picked up my "old lady" glasses on Friday. While I had been warned by many friends, not to mention the service people at the store, I was ill-prepared for the effects of progressive lens. Friday night and all day Saturday were write-offs. I was dizzy and nauseous. The concept of moving my face in the proper direction seems simple enough but years of just moving my eyes to focus on something was hard to overcome. Today is better. Not much but better. Besides at $900 for new glasses I'm damn well going to adjust. 

  In fact, my out-of-sorts was so bad we canceled John's birthday dinner. John wanted to be working on the van then watching the hockey game anyway so he wasn't too disappointed. He is an easy person who doesn't stand on ceremony. Thankfully because we totally dropped the ball this year!

  Another week has started. This will be better than the last. A more organized, less scrambled week. No matter how busy we are we won't forget anything or anyone. Guaranteed.

  A girl can dream right?

  Ang