Hi, everybody! It’s 12 midnight, NST - welcome, and Happy New Year! Come on in, take yer skates off, and have a seat by the hotstove!
This is the place to share news*, gossip, stories, to rant about whoever or whatever needs ranting about, and to catch up on what’s going on in Canada. It’s a big enough place, it’s hard to know about the details in various corners of the country.
And for any of you non-Canadians who are curious about what life is like in the Great White North, here’s a perfect place to ask.
So how’s New Year’s Eve where you are? I’m just getting ready to play Auld Lang Syne for all my neighbours (whether they like it or not!). Pretty quiet here in Toronto - first significant snow we’ve seen this year. It’s warm enough outside that I doubt it’ll last past tomorrow afternoon.
And you? What’s up?
*The Facebook/Instagram/Meta news ban is driving me insane! I like to be able to post mainstream media articles to back up my point of view/refute other people’s. At least here, we can have a fact-based discussion.
The following news is a few days old, but it’s always fun to look over the list of appointees to the Order of Canada and see if I can spot any familiar names.
Linda Manzer is someone I’ve actually met a couple of times, and who has brought great honour to the country through her lutherie. Stephen Fearing, Pat Metheny, and Bruce Cockburn all play her guitars.
A few other names I recognized, but haven’t met - Michael de Adder, the editorial cartoonist; Susanne Craig, the journalist.
And once again, it seems that I’ve been passed over for the Order of Canada. Hm. Maybe I should do something to deserve it.
Thanks for opening this year’s thread, Le Ministre. I hope that you and all of us in Canada, and our friends elsewhere, have a very Happy New Year, and may the new year be a good one for all of us.
Le Ministre, I was thinking about you the other day because I was talking to my sister about the short story contests you used to hold. In one story I wrote I mentioned a candy dish and it was based on one my family has as an heirloom, and I now have possession of.
Sir Humphrey: But we’ve got to give the present system a fair trial.
Hacker: Ah, yes, I thought you might say that. It may interest you to know, Humphrey, that the Most Noble Order of the Garter was founded in 1348 by King Edward III. I think perhaps it may be coming towards the end of its trial period now, don’t you?
Me too! Let’s make a pact to lobby for each other next year.
I just got back from the Dominican Republic where my older daughter and I have been sick as dogs for the last 48 hours but it doesn’t appear to be Covid. My wife and younger daughter went out to the gala dinner while my older one puked repeatedly - I had done the same the previous night.
At least I am back home in Canada and miracle of miracles Air Canada was on time both ways!
There wasn’t much in terms of new year’s eve celebration here in Montreal. The usual celebrations in the Old Port didn’t happen.
I myself spent the night at home.
Oh, I fondly remember doing those! I’d love to do them again, but the big challenge for me is finding the time. I’m already struggling with my internet addiction as it is…
If you ever do please, please give me a shout out. I realize that of the three stories I saved all were done in the first person, and that character was always a woman my age. I kind of ffreaked out my sister when one story ended with my character contemplating murder.
What I found laughable was the counter-argument from Vincent Geloso, that workers have benefits that aren’t considered, such as insurance (That argument might fly in the US where medical insurance is a necessity, but not in Canada where our medicare is covered. How many pairs of glasses and dental appointments can you get in a year, anywayL) and flexible hours (?!?). He then goes on to suggest that CEOs are now better educated, with many of them having MBAs or PhDs. Uh-huh - if better education justifies a higher salary, shouldn’t university profs and school teachers be making the same as these wealthy CEOs?
Anyway, there’s another honours list I didn’t get appointed to this past year…
Last week I learned that the members of one of my favourite music groups, Buddy Wasisname and the Other Fellers, received the Order of Canada last year. Well deserved!
Me too. Those were fun. What was it, the PoeHenryParkerSaki Award that went to the winner? They were a great way to try different styles, and get feedback.
“Internet addiction?” Come to the dark side, Luke …
I still remember ‘ED’ in giant 30’ letters behind him during a post election speech years ago. Thay was a different time in politics.
Supposedly Calgary hit -38 this morning. Thermometer on the shed and the car both said -33 when I started the car this morning. Highway 1 on the way to Chestermere at about 11am, car was as reading -33 again. So I guess I believe the -38. I seem to remSber the record low beong -37, so yeay us! Several of the crew couldn’t get their vehicles started.
That’s just a little colder than the -33 I felt in January of 1976, when I was at Ft Devens in Massachusetts. Coldest temp ever for me, I nearly got frostbite as we had to march a mile to a classroom that turned out to have lost it’s heat. They sent a bus to take us back. I wonder now if that’s why my feet seem to get cold so easily.
Quite surprised to hear Calgary has a record low of ‘only’ -38 C. I looked up my home town (Brandon, MB) and was reassured to note that the record low is -46.7 C, and that the record lows for November, December, January, February, and March are all in the -40s.
I’m feeling guilty, because my current place in Toronto is one of those three storey walk-ups from the 1920s. It’s heated with radiators, and there’s nothing I can do to control the temperature at which the rads are set. So the water is turned off in all of them except the bathroom, which is still enough to bring the temperature in the apartment up to 25 C with the windows open.
At my wife and kids’ insistence, I used to keep our house at 21 C in the mornings and evenings, 18 C overnight and when I was the only one home. I could happily go for 18 C all the time, 16 C overnight. I can’t take trying to sleep at 25 C, and I dread thinking how hot it would get if I didn’t have the windows open.
I’ve tried having all the rads turned off, but the two times I’ve done it coincided with the heat being off, and it was sub-optimal…
Hoping everyone stays warm over the next few days!
friends:
