Sometimes the news makes me nuts.

I realize that some news that I get crazed about old news that I'm just now revisiting. (or having the time to think about and research)

This for instance. Robert Latimer isn't exactly a household name to many. But to some he's become a rallying point for two very extreme sides of an issue that by it's very nature is one that most people don't even want to think about, let alone define in terms of legality, moral right and wrong and last but not least religion. Forget about compassion or intelligent, logical thought; they aren't on the table with this issue.

The short version is, Mr. Latimer was convicted of 2nd degree murder for putting his severely disabled daughter in a truck and connecting a hose from the exhaust, thereby exposing her to carbon monoxide which caused her death.

I've had several conversations about this case over the years, dating from when he was originally convicted and on through the years (12) when he's been denied parole, over and over. Disregarding the reccommendations of the jury and the ruling of the judge in his case, I might add.

Recently, I had an online conversation, and saved a few of my comments.

First of all, let me point out that my mother was a polio survivor, whose body was stunted on one side, leaving her a hunchback from age 7. Second of all, you don't know me so don't bother with the hate mail. I have my opinions, you're welcome to yours. I have a blog to air mine, get your own, if all you plan on doing is bitching at me for thinking and believing as I do. That said, if you've got an opinion that doesn't smack of raw hate for me because I have an opinion and are willing to keep the name calling and other silliness to nil, then by all means, feel free to comment. I freely admit that my beliefs about certain aspects of this are rather broad and based solely on news media reporting; but they are no less my own despite that.

I really am not sure what my biggest confusion with all of this is. I understand that Mr. Latimer broke the law, and that he was convicted of it in a court of law and must serve time as a result. Fine, yes. I believe in the law and that when a law is unjust or unfair that there are ways, legal ways, to change the law and that breaking it just because it is unfair or unjust is still an illegal act.

However.

We're past all that. He's been convicted. He did what he did for his own reasons and has refused to admit remorse. There in, appears, to lie the rub. The parole board has repeatedly refused this man parole. Citing his lack of remorse. It is my understanding (and I could well be wrong) that the parole board here in Canada is not allowed by its mandate to require admission of guilt. Now correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't requiring someone to admit to remorse regarding an act they are imprisioned for, an admission of guilt?

The crux of all this, is the special interest group that has taken it upon themselves to make sure this 'monster' stays incarcerated. They want to make sure that all special needs / severely disabled people are safe, you see.

Not really pertinent if you ask me. This wasn't a random act of murder. This wasn't a hate crime against a race, creed, religion or anything else. This was, and I really believe this, an act of compassion.

So yes, of course, Mr. Latimer is going to rush out the very moment he's free on parole and murder the very next handicapped person he sees. Sure.. right... He's probably sitting in his cell jonesing for his next *thrill kill*

Give me a freakin' break.

How incredibly rude of these people with their special interest groups to intrude upon his very personal decision and journey.

We vilify people daily who 'mistreat' an animal they have lived with and loved in their home for years and years and who find it difficult to do the 'right thing' and let this animal go with dignity. It's RIGHT to kill off an animal that is experiencing pain and has outlived its usefulness. It's WRONG to let them continue to suffer and how horrible these people are to put their own selfish feelings above the wellbeing of their animals.

And yet, every day, these very same people INSIST that maintaining a human being in similar circumstances is THE RIGHT THING TO DO. Even when they can't speak and their eyes are pleading with you to let them go, we have to do it. It's right and it's the law.

I'm not stupid enough to think that we should just have a carte blanche on euthenasia. Not by any stretch of the imagination. Don't like your Aunt Edna and the way she smells? Off to the "doctor" she goes. Yea, not gonna happen and shouldn't happen.

I'm also not proposing that we need a law that allows for euthenasia. I'm simply saying that Robert Latimer has served his time. Let him be. He was convicted and has and is serving his time. More time by the way than most do for the same level of crime. It'll be interesting to see how much time the First Nations woman (and I mention that she's First Nations because eventually someone will so I thought I'd get there first) who shoved a young man under the C-train will serve. I'm betting maybe 5 years? I'm sure the special interest groups are already aligning.

I believe we need to stop letting special interest groups with no real connection to the situation use such very personal things as spring boards for their own agendas.

These days it seems that if you haven't got a special interest or belong to a particular minority of some sort or another, you don't really stand much of a chance.

If everyone wants so very desperately to be treated equally, perhaps the solution isn't lobbying for the right 'to be who are but still considered equal'. That by it's very definition isn't. Maybe it's time to really look at what being equal means and stop being so determined to be treated 'special'.

My Personal Blog History.

Since I discovered blogging as a verb ;) I've had 4 actual blogs and 4 misfires. But even before that I was intrigued by a neat little feature called News Flash on my cool HTML editor program (On a side note, I still use Coffeecup for webpages that I've thrown together for friends here and there along the way but I'm so behind in the bells and whistles of HTML that I consider myself an non entry. I do keep my CC uptodate and pull it out to play around with now and again, though) The whole idea was a remote entry posting system for your site. Everything around it was static but you could update this one area everyday if you so chose. All without rewriting the whole site.

I never did get it to work properly and probably drove my friends crazy with 'test this for me' messages but it still intrigued me.

Once I decided that I did, indeed, have something to say, I set up shop on CrimsonBlog (I'm not going to link to it because I'm annoyed that they tore down my archives) (heh, update, can't seem to find their main site even..guess everyone's archives are gone). I've always had opinions and type pretty fast :) so it wasn't tough to put down my thoughts.

Organizing them was something entirely different. My posts ranged from rants about Starbucks vs Haidabucks to nothing blips about my mood at the moment. Back to knitting, and Spiritwars. Hmm...pretty much what I do now.

But I wasn't satisfied with CrimsonBlog's interface (la don't I sound like I know what I'm talking about) so off I went to TBlog. Somehow the same thing happened there. The interface was annoying, and my archives have disappeared. That'll teach me to be cheap.

My next attempt was at LiveJournal and I've kept that one. It's separate from here for a few reasons. The main one being a subculture I consider myself a part of that I don't want to mix into here. Some will call me a coward for that, and a hypocrite and I probably am but that's me.

In between these, there were a couple of failed attempts on Wordpress. I love wordpress. The blog theme/feel/ideology was just -wrong-.

I see a lot of blogs where the posts are categorized and I've attempted to do that here. I'm not succeeding very well. I hate that I have to compartmentalize my life so. Everything I'm interested in or write about, is all of me. I'm not totally out there for everyone to see like so many others...many others that I enjoy reading by the way. I wish I could just say what I think at times but I do as I've mentioned before, self censor.

I've thought about blogging anonymously, and for the most part I do. But then, I can't claim my patterns that I post on Ravelry on my blog. I can't identify with my email posts on KnitTalk. Because I'm breaking the anonymity myself. I do know folks who blog anonymously. An online persona that has nothing to do with who they are in real life. But they've revealed themselves to friends or family themselves. And sooner or later, someone talks to the wrong person and the *secret* is out.

What's this all leading up to you, you ask? Absolutely nothing :) this would be some of the frivolity that I warned you about as I *force* myself to write, something...anything.


***** Mini RANT MOMENT ******

Today on the talk radio station they were asking 'what bugs you' and this woman called in (not me :)) and went off on a rant about the memorial sites where fatality accidents have occurred. I happen to agree with this woman but not for the same reasons she cited about them not being a good thing. She was offended that when she went for a drive she had to see where people had died. That the grief of the people maintaining (and often not maintaining) the memorials were forcing others to bear their pain.

Me, not so much, but somewhat. More to the point for me, is that they are a distraction, often at a place where due to traffic congestion, poor signage or chronically bad road conditions, one should be.. oh, PAYING ATTENTION TO THEIR DRIVING? Not gawking at some teddy bear or flower covered white cross. I mean, wow someone died here, because of inattention or bad weather or whatever... doesn't it behoove me to pay attention and drive? Not be wondering or woolgathering about the accident?

What do you think?

2nd best boss ever

I generally make it a rule to keep my work life very much away from here. There’s really no reason for anyone to know where I work, who I work with or what I happen to think about my coworkers or employer on any given day.

This isn’t any given day. Although there still isn’t any real reason (and lots of good ones why not) so we’ll just keep it pretty much general.

I’ve had a lot of bosses over the years. I’ve worked with a goodly number of people. On the people side, some I’ve liked; some I’ve not and many left no real impression whatsoever. I don’t go to work to make friends. There is exactly one person in my life that I count as a friend with whom I worked.

It’s certainly nice and comfortable to work with people who aren’t my mortal enemies but I’ve survived situations like that before. I’ve even had a couple of coworkers who took their dislike of me to the point of sabotage…shrug. At the time I thought it the height of stupidity and immaturity but now, looking back it’s more of ‘shake my head and forget about trying to understand the reasoning involved and move on’. Ah…maturity… I welcome you… I think ;).

On to the reason for my sharing moment. The ‘best boss ever’ knows who she is and why I consider her so. However, I currently work for (sadly not for too much longer…stupid company rewarding great people with promotions and all that) the ‘second best boss ever’. And only by a wee tiny little margin too… cause she is awesome and the following is only a teensy bit of why.

Last night I joined my coworkers for dinner in the city. Ah, I bet you’re saying, so what, her boss took the staff out for dinner, big whoop. Well no, actually she didn’t. In fact we paid for her dinner.

After dinner we made our way to a lovely auditorium where we were treated to a performance of Riverdance. On her $$$. Seventeen of us took up most of a row and enjoyed the show to our utmost. Still not that extraordinary you say? Well no, perhaps not. But afterwards, when we crowded around her for one last group photo it was patently obvious that she isn't just a boss to many of us. There is, looking at that picture, a loyalty, a sense of belonging to something that is ever so etheral that most don't even see it or know of its existence. But to those of us, there, in that moment...it's very real and as close to perfect that working with someone can be.

Personally she's much much more. She and I have the beginnings of what I believe is a great friendship. One that I hope will last beyond the constraints of working together and being the one for sure person either of us could tag for a chinese lunch on any given day; even if we both had it for lunch yesterday.

I'd like to make it clear that this is not a paid for spot :) She could have never taken us out to this event and I'd still feel the same. Her last day with us is approaching and the sadness is palpable.

This woman -knows- that the true definition of manager is one who manages... not bosses. One who gives others the freedom to fly, while holding the tether that keeps you on course lightly in her hand. She gives and gives of herself, her knowledge and her presence and asks only that you trust yourself, be confident in yourself as she already is and that you do your best...not for her, but for yourself. She does this so well, so seamlessly that it appears she's just a really friendly, outgoing and pleasant person when really...she's manipulating you for all she's worth. MANipulating, MANaging... hmmm.... go figure?

Truly, if I thought I could get away with naming her, I'd blaze her name across this blog in flaming letters that would leap at you from your monitor. Me knowing her and assuring you that someone like her exists is going to have to suffice for you.

I've said goodbye and whispered good riddance under my breath to more than one boss along the way. This is the first time I've dreaded someone's last day so.

Oh, and the 'best boss ever'? I'm keeping her all to myself. But isn't it cool that there's two of them and I was so very lucky to have both of them touch my life?

So much to say, so little enthusiasm to type it in...

DISCLAIMER: *****NOTE: THIS IS NOT A WHINE NOR A PLEA FOR COMMENTS*****

If there were some way I could link up my brain to a word processor while driving/working you all would have so many interesting and varied things to read about here.

I listen to talk radio while at work QR77 to be exact. Rutherford is ...okay... Sometimes I even agree with him. Now and then. Not that our views are so diametrically opposite...just that I'm all about the method of delivering the message as much as the message.

I particularly enjoy Charles Adler and he even has a blog :) AdlerOnline. Again, I don't agree totally and 100% with all of Adler's views, but he's an entertaining host, who takes a moment to insert a lightness to topics that sometimes would become very bogged down by the 'importance (or lack thereof)of the moment'.

The point is, despite all this stimulation, I've been feeling pretty dull lately. Like I have no opinion worth discussing or even hearing by others. A touch of depression or winter blues, perhaps... who knows. However it's hard to write here when I think that no one wants to know what I say.

I'm just trying to come to terms with my lack of verbal/text opinions when my brain has any number of them flying through it at any given moment.

I think it's because I'm censoring myself. I'm reluctant to say what I 'really' think lately. Lest it offend, upset, annoy or otherwise unsettle people I know, careabout, work for (not stupid enough to air my work related issues here...no worries on that one) or with.

Here hoping that I get out of this funk...writing has always taken me from it before...let's see if making myself write works.

Look forward to a fair bit of inanity while I refind my voice.

Ravelry... *YAH*

It's official. I am now a member of RAVELRY It's a cool feeling. :) Sort of like hanging with the cool kids in school and not feeling like they're going to set you up for a laugh at your expense.

Ravelry is cool. It's a place to set up shop, almost like an ongoing trade show online. And if I ever get my Flickr account working over there.. a place to show off. There's wool, and knitters, there's designers, and knitters. There's instructors, and knitters. There's pictures of yarn, and knitters. There's pictures of FO's, WIP's, PIGs and the like. A world of our own, right here on the little old 'net. A place to belong.

Lest I sound like a complete dork :) I'm a knitter...and I've never had any problem knitting anywhere in public. I really don't care if it's 'uncool to knit in public', or that it's 'an old lady's hobby', although I do give a little inward snarl at the 'oh, how quaint' remarks. I've teased my teens into utter silent quivering in the backseat (ducking low so no one will see me with them) on more than one occasion by threatening to knit at their school function. And you know what? When they were onstage, or playing I was there, in the audience, sometimes knitting, sometimes not and they 'always' waved or used our version of the 'I love you' sign language from the old Sharon, Lois and Bram show... dang, with the elephant??? *googles*

I've knitted in court (in the audience mind you and only with the nodded approval of the judge), on planes, waiting in airports, waiting in line, waiting at the dr's office and even in traffic jams. I knit in front of the tv, during my lunch hour and even walking the dog. To the annoyance of my partner, I also knit in the dark at movie theatres. But only with plastic needles on socks.

Knitting has never been something I've hid or felt askance about admitting to. I'm surprised at the knitters I've found, simply by pulling out my needles in public. I've done the same thing with tatting and crochet over the years, but knitting seems to be ever so much more universal.

Like this one for instance... How to Knit a Life

I sure hope she'll pardon me for jumping onto her train but here goes:

Bust: 49.5"
Waist: 46"
Hips: 51.75"
Thigh: 30"
Upper Arm: 16"
Calf: 18.5"

Bathroom scale: 255 lbs.

It's funny how things work sometimes...

I received an email in my inbox today when I signed on. The subject line read: FWD: Christmas Virus (verified by snopes). Hmm, I said to myself, being the suspicious sort, that's just what I'd put into the subject line if I wanted to lull unsuspecting people into a false sense of safety so they'd open my little time bomb...were I one of those hacker types that think making little email bombs is amusing or fun or whatever (still don't understand the reasoning behind that, but that's another post).

So, being suspicious as I said and also in self defense of the few buddies that still think I actually know something about the net who are likely to get tagged by this very virus (should it actually exist) off I went to Snopes aka Urban Legends to find out if there was a Christmas virus that was indeed verified by Snopes.

The page isn't terribly userfriendly in my humble opinion, but hey they've been around for a very long time so who am I to judge. Regardless, in I went, thinking that the "what's new" link was a likely place to start. Scrolling down I found this.

Way back in the 'olden days' when I watched music videos for other than country music I recall seeing the video for Pipes of Peace. (Yay! for Wikipedia)

I'm not much of a PAUL fan. Ringo is and always has been my favourite Beatle. Paul's stuff has always been a bit too preachy for me :) and this video is a case in point really, :) but it still struck a chord deep within me somewhere.

Even back then, I believed that some wars are necessary. So while it's a lovely thing to know that there was a time in the history of war where men put aside their differences of right and wrong and simply met each other across a field of battle to see the similarities; I still believe that wars need to be fought, for any number of reasons, too many to enumerate here.

I have every respect for the soldiers who fight my battles for me and mine and all I can offer to their families who miss them at times like this is Thank You for giving me the gift of freedom and family on this day and every other day of the year.

Oh, and the 'Christmas Virus' thing? Go here, to see for yourself.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

I'll trade ya?

Along about this time of year, I start to become aware of the whole 'Happy Holidays' vs 'Merry Christmas' vs 'I don't celebrate this time of year and can't you RESPECT that? Have you no compassion? Do you not care that you are being POLITICALLY INCORRECT? How dare you make me, this child or that man uncomfortable by pushing your CHRISTIANITY DOWN MY THROAT?'

I am not politically correct, suck it up and get over it already. IF I INTEND to offend you it won't be in some innocuous way like oh... you know, celebrating my favorite time of year and my own religious beliefs. If for some reason that frankly is bad enough behaviour that I feel compelled to give you my opinion of you in public I'm going to tell you exactly what I think of you and none of it will be about the colour of your skin, your religious practices, how your culture treats women or where you were originally born. I might, however, ask you why you came here in the first place if where you're from, or what you believe and live there is so much better than how I live here, where I was born and enjoy my right to celebrate and live my religion and lifestyle.

Years ago, I used to be a door to door salesman (yes, salesman, that's what it's called, I wasn't a salesperson, saleswoman or representative). One of my customers had traveled to Europe to trace the trail of her great grandparents who fled Germany in the face of WW2 and all the atrocities that accompanied that time. She shared some of the story with me, and it came to light that our ancestors were from the same region. We never found out if they knew each other but in the kinship of the situation she presented me with a gift. A Star of David. A symbol of the Jewish religion. I am Greek Orthodox by baptism. I didn't care. That she would share that with me honored me. I wore the necklace. I treasured what it represented, not the divisiveness of the item, you see. Not the 'I am a Jew and you are a Christian and we must hate each other', not 'don't force me to look at your symbols'. I treasured that it meant that a world away two men may have passed each other in the street and lifted their hand in greeting to one another and that here, 50 years later, she and I could care about that fact.

So, to all those folks who insist on their way? I'll trade ya. I'll leave it be when you insist on changing the uniform of my national police force to suit your religious beliefs or ethnic customs. I'll turn away and shrug when you refuse to learn the languages (or at least like most of us born here, one of our languages) and make it difficult to not appear condescending as I try to make myself understood when I have to deal with you across a counter of some sort. I'll smile and encourage it when my children study your ways in school, because when it's all said and done, we're all in this together, even if your child can carry what no matter how you slice it (pun intended) is a concealed weapon and mine can't have a $2 pocket knife their grandfather gave them.

And you? All you have to do is one of the following. When I pay my bill, or talk to you on the phone or pass you in the street, and in the course of it, wish you Merry Christmas. Wish it back to me. And if you really, truly, no matter how you slice it, can not; just say nothing at all.

That'll be a fair trade to me.

Warning! Grumpy times ahead

Superficial people piss me off.

Check that, superficial people don't even sketch on my radar. Oh so cool people, particularly those with the proven ability of not being superficial; who strike a pose of superficiality to appear cool, in or cool by reason of a holier than thou I'm smarter than you are or better than you are because attitude PISS ME OFF.

I wish that tv shows that show these guys as the 'cool kids' would get the fuck over it already. Because I'm tired of telling my kids that they aren't really cool for being snotty to others. Because I'm sick of people who *get the fashionistas* ...frankly, how dumb are you all that because some pink haired androgynous type tells you that you aren't in anymore you run off and buy what they say is?

So for all you "challenged" types out there, here's a quick check list.

It's COOL to be compassionate.

It's IN to be helpful, courteous and pleasant.

It is COOL to understand that others have fears to face, insecurities to overcome, and little moments of triumph pertinent only to themselves. They don't need you to come round and tell them how lame they are. Frankly, the lame person in that situation is you.

It might not be cool but it certainly shows character to get a little teary eyed (or some semblance there of) when faced with an 'awwww' moment involving human spirit and said compassion.

It is NOT COOL to look down your nose at others for not being exactly like you. (note: don't you all want to be unique instead of ubiquitous?)

It is NOT COOL to be rude, pushy, snotty or impatient.

And it is particularly NOT COOL to hold others up for ridicule to make yourself look all that more cool.

It sums up into an old gem with a few added facets.

IF you do not want it said to, done to or felt by you, don't say it, do it or make anyone else feel it.

GROW UP already.

The Cutest line...ever...

And so it begins. DD#3 aka B is 11. She rides with a 4H club and can’t wait to start sorting cows with the riding club we belong to. She plays Call of Duty 2 with her buddies at the Youth Centre, her nickname is Sgt Slaughter. Most of her buds in that game are boys. She got the nickname for picking them all off one by one before they asked her to join their clan. She is quite adept at Age of Mythology, and is teaching me some cool tricks. She reads more than I do these days (I think maybe even more than I did as a kid) and has a vocabulary that blows many adults out of the water.

She attends the Catholic school in the town we used to live in. She and her little sister commute with me, getting off at the bus stop 3 mornings out of five. It’s a good time for catching up, talking about our day on the way home and what’s going on, on the way in.

She complains about how all the boys want to talk about is hockey at school and hangs with the girls, only to complain about how boring the girls are and how she wishes hockey season was over already and what was wrong with boys anyway, mom?

My friend has two boys who live in another province; they join her for the summer holidays and Christmas. Her oldest, R is a great kid, not that O isn’t but R and I became fast friends when he found out that D & I had worked on a Japanese war film and been dressed as samurai. I have great drawings he did for me on my fridge and he drives his mom crazy asking when we’ll get together when he comes out to visit. It’s awfully cool to have that sort of connection with him and I hope it continues into his teen years.

He’s 12 and she’s 11. She’s a tomboy who cries while reading Chicken Soup for the Soul stories and he’s a sensitive soul who emulates samurai warriors and plays electric guitar. An articulate young man, one that were they 17 and 16 I’d have no problem trusting my daughter with. He’s a dreamer, full of the sense of ‘moments in time’. His brother is the flashy sort, the cute kid, with a touch of the devil in his eyes. I’ve told their mom that R will be the one with the girl friends, reading them poetry, taking them on picnics and O will roar up on his flashy bike and steal them away on his brother. 

R took quite a shine to B and very much wanted to ‘make an arrangement’ as it were. She came to me and told me that he wanted her to say she was his girlfriend, even though he was leaving for home and they wouldn’t see each other till next summer at the earliest. They were expecting to maintain contact through emails and letters and instant messaging online.

No. Sorry, but no one on one boyfriend/girlfriend dating till you’re 16. This was echoed somewhat vehemently by her eldest sister and brother. Dad just gave her ‘the look’, ‘nuff said there. She wasn’t really too bothered, maybe even a little relieved. You can be friends, I told her, there’s nothing wrong with that. But no way on the boy/girl friend thing, what was the point anyway? Keep in touch, a pen-pal friend is always great and since they are both fairly academic in nature, I thought maybe there’d even be a bit of cultural exchange as it were.

He said he understood but he kept trying, sending her emails about how much he liked her and how long they’d have to wait. A whole 5 years… oh my… 

He had read in a book or magazine (I’m not sure which) about how the world would be ending 2012. Coincidentally this is the same year B will turn 16, in July. The world, according to his reading, will be ending in Dec of that year. He told her that if they couldn’t date till she was 16, then they’d only have 5 months together as boyfriend/girlfriend.

Is that the cutest line ever, or what?

(thanks kiddo, for giving me permission to embarrass you this way.)

As I was saying...

It was bound to happen.

I had it in my head, given all the good signs we'd had recently that I would be able to get up on Mikey. He'd shown no aggression or even antsiness the last while and seemed eager to have me do things with him.

Even on Sunday, when we arrived and the boys came up to the gate for pets and cuddles, when I whispered to him that I was going to ride him, he took himself off to where we usually saddle up. I laughed and pointed it out to D. "I think he really understood me." D agreed and we unloaded the saddles and other tack and the girls and I ran off to do an errand before riding.

Darling Son and his g/f had come out to do some riding. She claims a lot of riding experience and since MY experience with horses makes me wary of anyone that goes around claiming they are 'an experienced rider', I limited her to Jack to avoid any drastic proof to the contrary. Son got up on Mel and it was comical as Mel put on his 'I'm stubborn I can't hear you' ears and stood around a lot.

Son hadn't seen the horses yet, and thought Mikey was the nicest looking of the bunch. :) His tastes (in horses and MOST other things (with a couple of notable exceptions) usually jibes with mine so I wasn't too surprised. DD#1 has it bad for palaminos, and DD#2 isn't into horses anymore after getting dumped rather soundly by Cricket. B and L are into the sorrels and chestnuts, although L has shown interest in a lovely blood bay filly that Carol has bred. A full sister to Jack, by the way, so maybe her taste will change. B's interest in sorrels might well be because Jack is such a sweetheart of a horse.

L was all cute on the phone, talking to her big brother. "You can use my horse," she intoned in that matter of fact, yes I do own the world voice of a 6 year old, "but you can't be rough with him. He's a good boy and if you ride him right he'll behave." Mel's take though, is the harder you work at making him GO, the less likely he will be to do so.

Anyhow, back to the Mikey incident. I got Jack and Mel saddled and Son and G/F up. Turns out she's not too bad on a horse. A little rusty and no idea of schooling or how to train, but would make a decent miler. Son had fun with Mel, although eventually he did get a trot out of him.

Mikey seemed a bit on edge when I saddled him, but I put that down to the green grass they'd been turned out on. (Nice, that it was done, but I do wish they'd ask us first. We sort of wanted to keep him on the low side of energetic :P and he's an easy keeper so really wasn't in need of the greenery.) Still, I was visualizing and all confident as I saddled and bridled him. He took the bit with his usual gentleman attitude and although he twitched a bit with the pad I really didn't think too much of it. Till later of course. Hindsight, thy name is truth.

I led him around and he seemed okay. I shifted the saddle back, making sure nothing was pinching and yet there was a tenseness about him. Still, nothing I can't deal with I thought. Off we went to the small corral. You know, the one with the slab fence. The slab fence just like the ones they use at feedlots. You know, where he'd been injured, and had that whole 'we'll ride him till we buck him out' episode where he went through one of those slab fences? However, that's where I'd tried to mount him before and he'd seemed ready to take me, so it didn't cross my mind. Until later. See above note regarding hindsight.

I discouraged son from leaning on the gate and watching me. Mikey had been bucked out and 'watched' a few times so I was trying to avoid any of the 'tells' that he'd dealt with before. I guess I forgot about the slab fences at feedlots. Sigh.

I placed my stool and he stood, as always, but as I put my foot in the stirrup and started to shift my weight to his back he trembled and bunched. I stepped off, but the stool wasn't solid in the ground and I overbalanced, falling back on my ass.

I had him facing into a chute and that's probably what spooked him as well as the slab fence. He hunched and popped, reared up and pivoted and there I was sprawled out on the ground pretty much under him. It's an awesome sight, let me tell you. But one I'll gladly not repeat. He pivoted as far as he could, I could see the muscles in his hind legs straining and the twist of his fetlocks. I'm not sure that he looked down at me, but I know he knew I was there.

I rolled, it probably all happened in an instant, he came down, despite seeming to have hung suspended in mid air till I could get around to moving, and his front hoof caught my thigh as he came down. Pinching it rather than slamming down on it, which probably saved me from a broken femur, but leaving a very good simulation of the old charlie horse, not to mention the flower bloom of a bruise that is just now starting to green and yellow at the edges. He bucked away past me. I think I felt the wind of his hooves on my cheek as I continued to roll up against the fence, but that could be the drama quee... er storyteller in me.

By the time I scrambled to my feet he'd bucked across the corral, reared and hung again, trembling then bucked again. D was on the other side of the gate, hands up, calling out to him to Whoa! Even though he respects that I need to do this myself he's always watchful and he was soothing him by voice already as I got to my feet. I threw up my arm, as I really had no wish to be trampled by him darting across the corral after that narrow escape and he came to a halt, head down, blowing, then off he went again. He bucked past me, banging up against the fence and finally stood blowing and snorting, trembling from hoof to ears. Slowly we approached him and managed to get the reins over his ears.

He stood there, trembling and all I could think was 'he thinks he's going to be beaten and he's going to hurt anyone who tries.' That is probably the saddest thing I've ever seen a horse doing. Even a cast horse, or one down with colic isn't quite so shorn of its dignity as one trembling with the anticipation of a beating. *sigh*

My heart cried for him. I stroked his poll softly, slow, easy strokes till his snorting softened and the tenseness eased ever so little. I leaned down and blew in his nostrils and he almost ducked his head, but then sniffed at my scent and the trembling eased a little more. "I still trust you," I told him, stroking the outline of his blaze with my fingers and his ears twitched, head lowering into the caress.

He was still quite spooked, and never really calmed down the rest of the time we were there. D was going to try to mount him but he was still too nervous, trembling and shifting his weight when he tugged on the saddle. He did rest his knee in the stirrup and lean his weight and although that went alright, we're still back to word go, again.

More ponying, more lounging, maybe some driving from the ground, and hopefully a deep snowfall at some point where I can wear him out enough to ride the buck out of him. He's still an eloquent equine, I'm just having a little trouble with the dialect but I'm confident we'll find a common language soon enough.

Eeek! Two for One. A Mikey update.

Just in case the previous post is a little too weird for some :) I'll update you on Mikey and Me.

The other evening after work we ditched the kids and took off for a ride. We've been saddling Mikey here and there over the last while. Although sometimes we don't do anything with him to get him wanting to be saddled. The last time, D got up on him and rode (read nudged him gently into following the rest of us on Jack and Mel (the girls took turns on Jack bareback) till Mikey stopped, waited till I came and led him back and got off) him a bit.

Note, at this point in our assessing of him and reconditioning him back into a usable trustworthy horse any ride that ends with D's feet hitting the ground of his own accord is considered a success.

To be fair to ole Mikey though, he's not offering any indication of being MR.BIG BAD BRONCO HORSE , but his reputation precedes him and we're not inclined to take any chances. He is a big, strong boy and should he decide to launch anyone off his back they're gonna go, so better safe than sorry even though it's unfair to the sweetheart I see in his eyes.

Anyway, back to the other evening. I was up on Mel and D got on Jack. I'd saddled Mikey with an older Eamor we've been lent and put on a bridle over his halter. I'd left the shank lightly looped over the rail while I saddled Mel. Without thinking I mounted Mel, rode up to the rail where Mikey's shank was looped and pulled it off. Really, for all the precautions and carefulness, I instinctively trust him to be a good boy. He came along with no problem (no surprise to me, of course, but D made mention of it) and off down the road we went for a ride. Jack was getting a lesson in how that long grass was tasty and so long as he didn't stop to graze he could snatch a mouthful here and there. Mikey came up on my left side, easy as you please. Mel was a little put out that he had to walk on the road instead of the grass but there you go, Mikey's heftier and sort of shoved him over. This trapped my leg between the two of them.

Never one to waste an opportunity to take a chance :) I rubbed and tickled, nudged and poked my boot into Mikey's side. He didn't even flick an ear. He was just glad to get out of that paddock and go with us for a change I think. The ride down to the next road went without a hitch and we even trotted a bit.

As an aside, I find this a little bit funny as Mel is the boy that pulled me out of the saddle while being ponied off Blaze. Ironic even? But he was good, and Mikey was excellent, staying right in place and giving no indication of MR.BBB at all.

Turning Mel out I saddled Jack and rode him (for the first time... another strange realization as we've had Jack for a while now, and even before that became official we treated him as though he were ours. I guess in all of it, I just left him for the girls to ride. He's a great little horse, a type of which I'm fond and could ride his jog for hours. B was a little annoyed that he'd jogged for me, as she gets trot and trot faster mostly :)) while leading D on Mikey.

Honestly it all went so smoothly that I do sometimes wonder what all the fuss is about. I really think that were I not being such a weiner about mounting horses (still left over anxiety from a while ago... if you ever fall off, get back ON NOW...) I could just throw a leg over and away we'd ride, Mikey and Me, without a problem. He nudges me and gets between me and the horse I'm trying to mount and gives me such looks that say it all. "Quit being such a chicken and let's go, let's go ride for hours like we both want to, find our quiet places within ourselves and let my back be the salve for your soul." (what can I say, he's an eloquent horse at times :))

Stay tuned, he's bound to buck me off eventually :P

Strange....

how there's so many of 'us' and so very few of 'them' and yet, they rule the worlds we walk in, talk in and live in.

I didn't move around as a child. Actually had I not skipped a grade (cruel, unusual punishment that I hope the teachers involved spin in hell for)in elementary school I would have graduated with 7 of the 11 children I began kindergarten with. Not that I fit in terribly well before that happened but that was pretty much the kiss of death as far as my ability to find any peer group acceptance for the next 3-5 years. You know, jr and much of sr high? Definitions were drawn early on. I am a social pariah. People meet me and pretty much ignore me immediately. It's not something I'm seeking sympathy for, or whining about either, for the record, just stating a fact I've come to believe.

I've gone to any number of work related banquets, get togethers, birthday parties, even family reunions, weddings and funerals, pretty much any place where people congregate and sat alone. Time after time. Oh there's usually some kind soul who will attempt to engage me in conversation, but when I notice the tightening around their eyes and body language that screams 'let me go now' I make some excuse and allow them to have done with their good deed.

The odd part is, I believe I'm a gregarious person. I strike up conversations in elevators and standing in line at the store all the time. Pleasant, leave 'em chuckling or smiling conversations, that pass the time but do little more. Fact is, I'm not shy. The other fact is, I don't much like people, in general. Guess it's only fair they don't like me back, much. :)

This doesn't mean I don't have friends. I do. Very good ones, now that I've grown up enough to realize what really makes a friend a good one. Most of them are online. The odd few that aren't, worry about me for all the time I do spend on here.

I'm not whining. I am who I am. Online, when I don't have to 'look' a certain way, 'act' a certain way, 'dress' a certain way I fit in. I shine in fact :). I am a cerebral person. Like many of my online REAL friends, I don't care what people look like (mostly :)) how they eat, or what they wear. I care about what they think and how they articulate that...essence of themselves.

Sure, sometimes I crave human contact, but I don't live alone. I'm not an "untouchable" or afraid of being touched. I did have a touch of agoraphobia at one point but the meds are good (KIDDING!) (well mostly anyways). I work with the public, albeit mostly on the telephone, and I'm not bad at my job. I handle their issues, leave them smiling when I can and hopefully with a good impression of the business I work for. But it's all very superficial.

Maybe that's my problem. I dislike superficial people. I want to know what you REALLY think, not what's considered socially acceptable. When I get to liking someone I probe. I ask questions that socially one does not ask. I make assumptions but not based on just little whims of mine, assumptions based on body language, and syntax and expression. I catch little things like a hesitation before a word or a turning of the body and I interpret them into my assumptions, constantly processing and tossing out malformed assumptions to replace them with new ones. That probably makes people uncomfortable.

Me and Mandy Patinkin are through.*

He's done it again, damnit. Got me all hooked and excited about his characterization of Jason Gideon on CBS' Criminal Minds.

And now, this wonderful character is gone from the show. His every emotion, nuance, expression conveys more than most actors do during an entire movie. And it's over.

SIGH.

I first 'discovered' his career after seeing The Princess Bride (1987)and doing some research into the cast. That's when I realized that I'd already discovered and overlooked this treasure in Alien Nation (1988) and yes, I know that Princess was filmed and released first, but I saw them in reverse order. I was intrigued by this talent. This ability of his to pour everything out without it becoming maudlin. So rare. The only thing that gets to me more than his deadpan monotone repeat of "Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father prepare to die." is to hear him discuss his preparation for the scene, in which he tells of how he decided that instead of the 6 fingered man he would be killing the cancer that killed his father. Of course, the other actor (Guest?) was rather convinced that Mandy was going to kill HIM. ;P

Oh my.

I was hooked. I was greedy and I wanted more. My joy was loud when I found him on Chicago Hope, another incredible character, Dr. Jeffery Geiger. The talented, eccentric, slightly crazy neurosurgeon with the sad, sad fate he carried with him every day.

And then he was gone.

Just like Gideon on Criminal Minds. I settle down to watch the season opener and a disturbing truth begins to percolate. He's leaving the show. I've learned not to read anything about the shows I like, (what is it with these idiot writers who have to OUT everything...how incredibly annoying) so I had no idea that he was leaving the show.

I listened to the 'letter' narration and watched the last scene with the gun in his hand. The sadness in his voice so achingly accurate as he wrote to whoever he expected to arrive at the cabin to find the letter and I knew it had to be Reid. Who else would it be? The others don't have the dependency on Gideon the way Reid does.

I swear off him during the week between the first and second shows of the season. I'm disturbed and annoyed that he will allow his character to commit suicide. I feel he's got more 'credit' than that. I'm all but petulant as I watch and becoming ever more intense as I lean towards the screen. "I knew it," I yell, disturbing my family more than you might expect :) when Reid reads the letter and the show brightens, cutting to the diner scene.

How will you know indeed, Mr. Patinkin?

You'll be back. An actor/performer such as yourself can't just walk away. Or so I believe.

*And so will I.

As for the other 9%... it's anyone's guess...

91% Geek
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Alive and Well and living in exile

That’s what dialup feels like after a steady diet of ADSL for 4 years. I’ve always prided myself (yeah yeah, pride goeth before a fall etc) on being quite able to survive in the wild aka the country. Funny tasting water, septic fields and tanks (even … outhouses), limited channels on the TV, towns that roll up their sidewalks at 5 pm on a Saturday leaving only the local beer parlour open. Bugs, dirt roads, no air conditioning and a fireplace that you lit because there was a chill in the air, not because it was aesthetically pleasing; a fireplace that burns real wood from real trees (suck it up treehuggers, it’s a renewable resource and my family has been consuming and conserving for years before you came along) not some plastic monstrosity of an approximation of glowing logs that you plug in.

That was me, the country mouse. These were my norm and when I got my first (windows) computer and dial up came along all I could get was 33.6 while my city friends were getting ADSL and cable and raving about the lightning speed. I just grinned and patted my old P1 with its 512 mb of ram and was happy. I could play all the games (Spiritwars)I enjoyed. I talked to folks all over the world, often 4 or 5 of them at once with ICQ, I read my email including the MELFans list and I surfed the net. I didn’t care that it took 3 – 8 minutes for certain pages to come up. I had time. I was from the country. I was used to waiting for clouds to pass or the rain to stop, or start or for someone to come in from the fields to drive to town. Everything was worth waiting for and therefore waiting wasn’t a hardship.

Only now? I’m spoiled rotten. I’ve gasp turned into a city mouse. I like my quick as lightning webpages showing up, pictures and all as quickly as I can turn on the tabs on my firefox browser. I like it when my email downloads the 359 spam messages and the 30 real ones for me in 50 seconds or less. I like it …damnit… and I miss it

What do you remember?

Hockeyman asks this question on his blog.

Like him, although more like age 2 than 4, I recall JFK being shot. For years I've wondered about this memory, was it a real one? Or one that I'd 'acquired' through the repeated rehashes of this assassination by the press and media through the years. It's taken me a while to be certain, but I believe I really remember watching JohnJohn saluting the coffin as it passed. We had a black and white tv of the old circle in a square variety up till 1965 and that's what I recall seeing it on. I vividly remember my mom crying and believe that's why the incident is so set in my mind. At 2 your world is you. Your mom provides for your needs and makes you feel safe; seeing her cry so has stuck in my mind all these years. I don't honestly recall her crying at anything else, although I'm sure she did at some point or another.

I do not recall Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination at all but I have a vague memory of RFK's. Neither evoked the emotion that JFK's did in my home.

I do, however, remember where I was when I heard about Elvis' death. I was traveling through the mountains of eastern BC with my then fiance and my mom and dad. I recall staring at the Three Sisters for as long as the twisting #1 highway through there allowed, listening to song after song of his. A certain quiet had entered the car and when the radio reception failed no one urged for another station. I am an Elvis fan. Have always been. Of his music, of his movies (laugh all you want, read some of the accounts by respected actors who worked with him, of his abilities and how they were under utilized. There was a lot of lost potential there, sadly) and later as I grew up and read many many versions of his life, of the man. One's life is what one makes of it, or allows to be made of it. (I think maybe that's a topic for another post.)

Another 'moment' in time that I recall is John Lennon's death. The poignancy of his re-entry into the mainstream music scene (so to speak) with Double Fantasy, made even more so by "(Just like)Starting Over" and ended so abruptly is not lost on me, even though I've never been more than a casual fan of the Beatles and a very uninformed one about John Lennon in particular. In fact, my favourite Beatle has always and remains, Ringo Starr. I was working as a security guard on the midnight shift, and recall sitting at the desk, greeting the workers as they arrived for work. Many of them wore sad expressions, nodding to the small radio I was listening to his songs on.

There are other, more...well, personal... incidences in time that I recall. Moments that a picture or a sound, sometimes even a smell can take me back to the emotions thereof in a heartbeat.

We have, in the past forty or so years, as the Chinese? curse is said to say, "...lived in interesting times" I'm sure many will never view the world the same after some of the more momentous moments of our time. I know I certainly don't. I don't really know if I regret that as much as I'd like to wish that I did. I'm not sure that having an eyeopening moment in your life is as bad a thing as one would normally assume. I know a lot of parents try very hard to shield their children from such moments as do I, myself. But there also comes a time when letting them see and feel and understand said feelings is more important that preserving their innocence.

Stolen quotes

"Knitting socks is like sex - if I love you I will knit socks for you, and if I don't love you, you CANNOT pay me enough for a pair of hand-knit socks!"

"Been there, done that, worn out the souvenir tee shirt."

"A true friend is someone who not only knows the song in your heart, but can sing it back to you when you've forgotten the words."

I hate Passwords

The chip card is coming! The chip card is coming!

Okay, sure, after my first reaction, it's not a bad idea. Probably will slow down the phishers and whatnot idiots that abound in this world for a time or a while, but they'll find a way around it. I'm sure.

But passwords in general, just offend me. One, I really dislike remembering important stuff. I'd much rather use my brain space remembering trivia about trivial things that no one else seems to give a shit about. I dun wanna have to think of a novel and unique way of spelling out easy to remember (for me) words and phrases. And L33Tspeak? Bah, that shit gives me hives. Mutter.

I hate the concept of passwords even when being used to protect crucial data. I realize thanks, that my personal data is crucial to me, but there's still a part of my reasoning that just doesn't see what I have that anyone else might want badly enough to spend the time cracking (about 30 secs I'm told by friends who despair of me ever using a password that doesn't suck) the ones I do use. To protect my very mundane information. (I'm still struggling with the idea that someone once actually actively worked on stealing my life by cultivating my friends, adopting my hobbies and personality, even my appearance, but that's another post.)

I'm not talking about banking info or insurance/life policies or other such. For one, I don't keep that stuff online. Nor for that matter, even on my computer.

I'm talking about why I have to have a *strong* password for my gmail account, or hotmail or for that matter even here. What really, do such people get out of this? What is the point of doing stuff like cracking into a blogger account just to piss someone off? Just messing with someone because they can? Frankly, my defenses are so minuscule that it's no big whoop to get through them, so I don't see the point as being the challenge of accomplishing it.

This goes further than mischief like tp'ing the crotchety neighbour's yard. It's malicious and rude. I see little value in being considered rude. Maybe that's just me but even among the teens I work with, rude only goes so far. They trade quips and smart mouth remarks with ease but there's a line they seldom cross, and quickly acknowledge and retreat to the other side of as well. Sure, there's the odd one that doesn't care but they are often and quickly ostracized until they get that glitch under control.

There's so many other things one could spend that sort of brain ability or time on. I do understand 'reverse engineering' and 'hacking' when done for the sheer fact of just 'knowing' how something works. I've taken more than one knitted or crocheted item and examined it, poked and prodded it, even unravelled parts of it just to figure out the pattern, so I could reproduce it. That's how many people, myself included, learn. (note to anyone reading who's ever tried to help me learn coding, just...shush...)

Time to put away the easter bunny...

Remember how when I was ranting about how JKR shouldn't be vilified for writing her story the way she wanted to? Damn straight, and she did too. Good for her. Anyways, I promised more on belief in that post and this would be it.

I have always believed that the act of believing in something was far more important than the something actually being true. The ability to believe is a beautiful thing.

Watch any group of 3-8 year olds and if they're lucky and their parents get *it*, even older than that. They'll meet at a playground and play with abandon. For hours they'll whoop and run and tag each other, slide down the slide in more and more intricacy. Ask the the name of their new best friend however, and they'll stare at you blankly. They're busy believing that's their new best friend. It doesn't actually have to be. In fact, in large cities perhaps they won't even see that person again but for that brief moment, their belief makes it real.

Oh sure, I get the whole self delusional thing and how dangerous that can be. I'm not talking about believing you can walk off a roof and live because you have superpowers.

I mean the so called little things like looking for the good in people. Things like 'smile and people will smile back', or 'always do your best' or 'winning isn't everything'. Homilies like those and dozens others have coloured my life.

I've always believed that just around the corner... No matter what's happening now, that something good is going to happen.

I always want to believe that the people I love are really who I see them to be, not who they tell me they are or who they act like they are at times.

And I hang on to that belief with all my heart, even when faced with incontrovertible truth to the contrary.

There comes a time, however, when one must face the truth, hear the reality and start accepting people as to who or what you want or wish or need them to be. It's difficult and unfair and frankly sucks but it's still something that has to be done.

Hang on to your dreams as long as you can. Letting them go before their time is wrong ... so is holding onto them past their expiry date. Learning when to stop believing is as important as believing, probably. But damn it, I sure wish I was wrong.

Will she kill off the One Who Lived?

There's a lot of speculation and a bit of nasty teasing :) about whether JK Rowling will kill off Harry in the 7th book. We'll all know within two weeks, because even those who haven't read the book will stumble across some bullshit teeshirt or website or news item that gives away the ending. Not that I'm bitter, or annoyed at that very thing happening to me twice now.

That's why my 11 year old and I will stand in line at midnight and have the damn thing read by the end of the weekend.

But that's just me.

If you read the comments on the above noted post you'll find some rather opinionated remarks about what a "bitch" JK will be for doing so. (I refuse to use the other word so deal).

This gave me pause.

I mean I get that people get attached to a character. No matter how many times I read Little Women I still cry when Beth dies. I could insert many examples of favourite books where something happens to a character that I didn't want to happen but gee, I learned a long time ago that if I want the story to go exactly how I want it to, I better write it myself. 'Cause, that was the author's choice in the story THEY WERE TELLING.

Where does it say, "write a book, make your characters breath and live beyond your story, endear them to an entire generation and thereby give up all right to their destiny in your story?" I totally and wholeheartedly understand what Ms. Rowling meant when she said she didn't want Harry to live on to be written about by other authors. The fact is, she created him. It's her story and just because so many people have embraced him and taken them into their hearts it's still not anyone's place to call her down or bitch her out or hate her or call her greedy for telling the story she's been writing, (living eating breathing) for what is it? about 10 years now? Maybe more. (Note: However with the prevalence of fanfiction, I kinda think that's happened already)

Not to mention the fact that she's repeatedly said that the ending of the book was written long before the phenomenon that is HP came about. I was somewhat saddened to hear about the reprieve she's given one of the characters. I certainly hope that was a necessary reprieve as per the dictates of how the story evolved and not as a salve to the cranky people (who, by the way, were not forced to plunk down their money or their library cards to read her books. And most of you, be honest now, most of you bought your copies at the larger book stores where they discounted it so much you couldn't pass it up, didn't you, now?) who somehow think she bloody well owes them a happy ending.

I've speculated here and there about whether the books we're now reading in their published form would have been the books she'd have written had the movies not come about.

Note...speculated, not bitched, whined or threw temper tantrums.

Do I, like so many, hope that Harry gets to live out his days in happiness, in a world without evil? Sure. I also like to believe that Elvis faked his death and went off to live on an island, probably somewhere near Hawaii instead of being hounded and pulled apart by all the people who owned pieces of him and his fans. Note, like to not do. (more on belief another day)

This article raises an interesting point. Is Harry too big to live? Could he ever live a normal life? Or is it as someone comments there, that he really will only be happy when he joins the people who loved him enough to die for him? His father and mother, Sirius and Dumbledore.

I guess we'll see.

I'm hoping that the first chapter's title is foretelling at its finest.

My hat is off to Ms Rowling for her creativity, her diligence and her willingness to share so much with those of us who could not get enough.