Balmy Paris...

Ahem! NOT Paris... Hilton. :)

In my book, neither she's hot, and balmy isn't a word that would come to my mind, about describing her. :)

No, I mean Paris... La Ville-Lumière, the City of Lights. You know, that unknown place in France with that big utility pole in the center? That's the place!

(Gee whiz, I speak like a Republican. I should stop watching FOX News. :) ).

In preparation for the trip to France, earlier this morning I was on an IM chat session with one of my cousins, and along the conversation, questions were flying back and forth about the trip.

So I innocently asked... how I should get dressed?

There are those innocent questions which... the minute you asked... you should bite your fingernails from ever asking that question!!!

(Translating in English...)

-It's cooooooooooooold in Paris, right now! Dress warmly!

Somehow, I had some suspicions. You know, I'm back from Seattle... and I've heard a similar complaint from Seattlelites.

Heck, they had no snow on the ground, and I had to unzip my jacket while I was there. That tells you how "cold" it was in Seattle!

Here in Montréal, I'm drowned in a sea of snow and I better cover up and wear *winter* boots!

So, I bite...

-Ok, I said. How cold it is in Paris, right now ?

- +7ºC That's coooooold!

(For my fellow Americans: +7ºC = about 45ºF ). In other words, just as "cold" as Seattle. :)

Ooooookay...

Balmy Paris!

PS: I think that I said something similar about Seattle. I think. :)

Nor I was fully understood, both in Seattle and now in Paris.

Must be my Eskimo accent. :)

Cheers!!!

-E

------

PPS: While in France, I may not blog often... for one good reason: Not all my cousins and uncles have internet access, so there will be long lapses. Please, do not panic! I'll probably be just fine... just enjoying (perhaps a little bit too much) the French gastronomy... and French wine. ;)

IF I disobey the law of gravity...

Does the law of the land still apply ?

(Originally posted on Dec 13rd, on my arrival on the west coast. A blog repost from FC. I realized later that they censor my blog entry. Sheesh!)

Air Canada has decided to do a festival of Canadian student movies on board of their west-bound planes, instead of showing the usual brain-dead movies from Hollywood. I approve wholeheartedly the move! Besides, our own cinemas, that's a welcome change from always seeing foreign movies, especially on *Canadian* planes. :)

Enter the "Upside-Down Girl" (photo above) The movie was done by grad student James Vandewater at Ryerson University (a well known university located in Toronto).

There are days, you know... *those* days... when you wake up, you feel being upside-down. Those hangover days, you know...

Well this is what happened... literally to a young woman. One morning, she woke up... stuck to the ceiling. Walking on the ceiling certainly feels like being upside down... with the rest of the world... not to mention a certain weird feeling about disobeying the law of gravity.

To make matters worse, she has just begun to date a guy (the story doesn't mention FC, I've checked! ), and of course today was the day which the guy would show up at her apartment, just to make matters worse.

So there are some hilarious moments.

For instance, she tried valiantly to appear... normal to her date, therefore trying to appear upright like everyone else. However for her, it means being upside down in an upside-down world.

Think about it... it will eventually make sense to you. :)

Also rare for a movie shown in airplanes, there was a brief sex scene. Ohhhhhhhh... nothing unmentionable really showing up. Or rather, we didn't have time to see much, so our imagination had to kick in. :)

The poor guy is stuck on the floor and her on the ceiling, so they had to be creative. Even kissing proved to be mhhh... somewhat cumbersome.

PS: Finally a good use of the missionary position, to use the weight of the guy to bring her down, and for him to go ahem... up. Weightless sex on earth, a fantasy that tickles the brain, if you ask me. This was a waaaay too brief scene, but the imagination can fill out the dots. :)

All along the movies, there were those amusing lines.

As a photographer, it's also a devil of fun to build a set upside down with the intent to make it look upright, and to make people seemingly defy gravity.

If you have studied photography, it's a fun project to do... but rarely we can do that, to such a large scale, like they did with Upside-Down Girl.

The dialogs were somewhat uneven, but there are some gems, worth saving.

Cheers,

-E

(Addendum: Since I'm not on FC, I can post links. Heh. :) You can read a review of Upside-Down Girl here... and about the hurdles they had to overcome.)

Bhutto and Pakistan...

View Larger Map

I don't know what to think...

It's funny how in the media, the announcement of her death was presented... as if this has caught everyone by surprise.

Hello ?!?

Wasn't something... glaring obvious? It's not a matter of if, but a matter of when... and most likely *BEFORE* the elections?

What has been an enigma is why Benazir Bhutto decided to return to Pakistan. Besides, she saw her dad and a couple of relatives leaving this world a bit prematurely.

She's savvy, she's smart, got a good education in the best schools in the west, and she knows politics since she's been at the helm of the country.

I don't believe a minute it is by patriotism and on high and noble principles she went back. She isn't suicidal, nor _that_ stupid. What's the whole point of being killed before even having a chance to have a taste at power? There is that.

She must have been fooled by someone whose words usually are trusted... and my hunch is once you have answered that question... the murderer(s) aren't that far.

Sometimes maps speak a lot (hence why I posted a GoogleMap here). Pakistan isn't just the proverbial quirky neighbour to India. There's a heck of mighty neighbours, from Iran to China, not to mention Afghanistan. Even some neighbors are within shooting distance, such as Saudi Arabia.

Besides, sitting on top of the many "'stan" is... Russia. I'm also thinking of certain trades, licit such as oil (in pipelines), and illicit, such as certain drugs (derived from certain cultures)...

And it must make some people nervous for a country that has a nuclear bomb... is going out of control. Mhhhh...

Sometimes, I wish that our media, instead of just merely reporting the news... without even understanding what they were reporting... they would sit down... and start analysing.

Heck, we have people getting diplomas out of universities in geopolitics. Might be time to hire them? They know what they're talking about... (or should know! ;) )

Nor that I believe one second that Bhutto was suicidal, nor she would make consciously a fatal mistake by returning to her country... while it was a sure thing she wouldn't see the elections alive.

In the meantime, you should see the silliness FOXNews and CNN are uttering. And they call that... "news channels". Wow...

Cheers,

-E

12 days of Christmas!

To all my friends, online friends and fellow bloggers,

I wish you happiness, I wish you health,

May your dreams, even the wackiest ones come true!

Now... if you are partying merrily... go easy on booze, ok?



Remember... This is the time to ahem... celebrate? If this becomes a chore, something is probably wrong. :)



And what the heck, a "twofer". Hint: Check their pile of bills! :)



Merry Christmas !

Huh ?!?

:)

-E

A year of "Special Comments"...

It's the time of the year that TV channels switch in neutral... with reruns.

It was true for MSNBC and for Keith Olberman's Countdown...

A year's worth of "Special Comments".

Critical of the Bush administration,

Critical of the Democrats, who were lacking balls to stand up. They still are, today...

Going back a year, and following the time line...

Whew!

Olberman was right on all counts, then and now. What pains me... in the media, he's the only one standing up.

Sigh...

-E

Everything is relative!

<--- Photo taken from my bedroom window, yesterday. Gee whiz, it looks just like Seattle, n'est-ce pas? ;)

To give you an idea, the fence that is almost disappearing in the snow... is 4-feet tall!

I don't recall ever seeing this much snow on the ground so early in the season.

That being said, since my return in Montréal, I've been shoveling snow (and clearing out my windows too. :)

<--- Did someone say... snow?

I _think_ it isn't a stretch in any way...

But we're going to have a white Christmas.

I think...

But who am I to say that?

Ah... Balmy Seattle, where are you? I miss it!

It was just a few days ago...
<--- Photo of my street.

Gee whiz, just like Seattle, isn't it? ;)

Snowboots, hat, scarf, glove, real winter clothes...

Exactly what I was wearing in Seattle!

Well, sort of... ;)

Cheers,

-E

Seattle by night...

These photos were taken on my last night in Seatte...

<--- 4th Avenue and Pine Street. The big Macy store.

The big shiny star is impressive!

Weather: About 45F, at 9PM, overcast.

It felt good, VERY good to have a walk in downtown Seattle. I can't imagine that I'll be in 3ft of snow very soon, back home!




<--- Lighted trees on Union street and 6th Avenue, just next to the Sheraton hotel, where I was staying.

Actually, I should be packing my stuff for my return trip tomorrow, but it was good to be outside...

PS: Do notice the tremendous amount on snow on the ground. ;)

<--- Union Street, next to 3rd Avenue.

In a distance, a life saving to any traveler: the US Post Office.

Again, have you noticed the amount of snow on the ground? ;)



<--- Carousel, on Pine Street, between 5th and 6th Avenue, sponsored by Qwest (the big telco here) and King 5, a local television station.

Those things are now rare.

<--- Just across the street, the Westlake Center, a big shopping mall and their Christmas tree.

In the far right, the Nordstrom store, a landmark in downtown Seattle.


<--- A little while later on Pine Street, heading toward Capitol Hill, trees are lighted in different colors.

PS: I hate to _really_ insist, but have you noticed the huge amount of snow on the ground, and how people are dressed? Exactly like in Montréal, right? ;)

So long... from *BALMY* Seattle!

-E

More Seattle birthday / blogfest...

Sometimes, it's tough to take a group photo. Sometimes, there are technical glitches... and sometimes *we* are the glitches who ruin a group photo. :)

In the forefront, Gird, Illjay64 and me. In the background, Illjay's beau, Dae314, Tarnaargh, Tantrika, Crowfriend, and Congueroseattle.

It appears that Tantrika had something to say to Crowfriend... for some reasons!!!

Dae314, Tarnaagh and Illjay64 saw what happened and they were laughing big time! Of course, I'm the guy who tries to be serious and who strives to elevate this photo session to a certain level of ahem... nevermind!!

I have to say on the last two photos, I was struggling to keep a straight face. :)

Behind me, the party was going on!!!

(On the table, we had Washington port, some French white wine, and California red wine. In the "peace" box, some... brownies). The curry was excellent and the birthday cake... yummy!

I think that Tantrika enjoyed her party... and I think the feeling is mutual. We were just too busy giggling and laughing! :)

Cheers!

-E

The Seattle blogfest report!

(Due to FC's inability to handle more than one photo per blog entry, I've sent to my fellow bloggers the URL of this blog)

Crowfriend and Tantrika, extremely elegant in black. They were radiating love and happiness. So beautiful to see!

Such a joy for me to see Tantrika again, and after near misses to finally see Crowfriend

So in photos, here's the report:


From left to right, Tarnaagh, Dae314, Crowfriend, and I _think_ Tantrika's hands. :)

Dae has been ahem... quite a phenomeon. We kept giggling and laughing... and it's a wise crack one after the other. (I think it's visible on the photo!)

And all this, even while being sober! If Montréal wasn't so far away from Washington State, she would do a killer job at our aptly named "Juste pour Rire / Just for laughs festival!". :)

(On the table, we had red wine, white wine, and Washington Port. The content of these bottles quickly ahem... "evaporated" in our glasses! ;) )
Time for a toast!

From left to right, Taarnagh, a laughing Dae (she's been like that all night long. I never laughed so much in an evening!), Crowfriend and Tantrika going for a toast and Gird.


Again from left to right, humble moi (!), Illjay64 and her boyfriend, Taarnagh, Dae, and the hands belonging to Crowfriend and Tantrika. :)

I was the only one who has brought a digicam. So I lent my digicam to Gird who took a couple of pictures, including this one.

This picture speaks for itself, I think.

Cheers!!!!!

-E

The joy of the Slingbox: Being in Montréal by proxy !

Greetings from Seattle! It's about 9AM Pacific time when I'm typing these lines. We're having a mix of sun and clouds (not bad, considering they usually have lots of rain!)

For about a month, I have a Slingbox. What it is? well you can watch TV... on your computer. Any computer that is plugged to your internet router. A router with Wi-FI, it will make a laptop shine.

To keep an ear on Keith Olberman's Countdown when I'm doing my dishes, it's kind of cool. :)

But it can also work... over the internet. I had to fumble a little bit, as it was the first attempt to do so... 5000km away from home... and Bingo! Of course, the images aren't as sharp as at home, but who cares! I'm in my hotel room in Seattle, and I had Montréal on my laptop!

(I think that I'll repeat that stunt in January when I'll be in Paris with my family. I'm the computer geek, so a computer geek has to impress his host with geeky stuff. Right? Right. :)

Here are some computer screen snapshots, as they appeared on my laptop. I'm watching MétéoMédia (The French-speaking side of the Weather Network).

I was there, watching their images in complete disbeliefs. 40cm up to 50cm of snow for today, Sunday (that's 14 inches to a 16 inches of new snow on top of what we already have!).

One word:

WHAT ?!?!??!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?

(Sound of jaws being dropped here!)

Gee whiz, great timing for leaving Montréal! Supposedly, Seattle is extremely rainy at this time of the year. So far, it has rained a bit, but we had a bit of sunshine too!

Temps are in the mid 40s, (between 6 and 8 Celsius) and of course no snow on the ground. Heh!

Look at the screen shot on the left. Hint: -12 Celsius is in mid 10s Fahrenheit.

All in all... I maintain my words:

Ahhhh!!!! Balmy Seattle!!! :)

(At the blogfest, one asked me: You must had quite a dose of special brownies to utter Balmy Seattle. Gee whiz, our winter has been so crazy so far, I wish I had those brownies!!! That's the point!)

Cheers!

-E

Balmy Seattle!

I'm in Seattle!

And I took some pictures, just for you guys, stuck in the snow, and shivering in the cold.

I'm thinking a lot about you guys. Really! :)

Here, it was cloudy most of the day, with temps around 45F. About 7 or 8 Celsius.

Sweet o sweet, if you ask me. :)


The first two photos are taken on 4th Avenue, near Columbia Street. Notice how the trees look like and the absence of snow on the ground.

(In case you haven't noticed. ;) )



The 3rd photo is the famous Utilikilts store, 1st Ave and Cherry Street, in Pioneer Square (further south, from the downtown core).

See? There are some "landmarks" that are MUST see in Seattle. Such as the kilt store. :)



Finally some Christmas lights that seem very lonely. No snow on the ground. Heh!

I can say that I had just my spring/fall jacket, and I had to partly unzip it. That gives you an idea how warm it was in Seattle.

Do I regret winter? The cold stuff and the snow you're all having...

You really want the true, or you want me to be polite, nice... and not being *too* ahem... cruel? ;)

You know what I'm going to say!!!!

So, I'm enjoying my stay in Seattle. Every minute, of it, heh! :)

Cheers,

-E

Ciao Darwin ?!?

Sometimes, you see strange things on late night shows on TV... and TV that comes from abroad.

Once in a while, my cable provider gives "free preview" of various TV channels they carry. Last night, it seems that all international channels were unlocked.

TV from Italy (several channels, including the RAI), Greece, Germany, Hungary, Spain, and on this side of the Atlantic, Central and South America. I saw also something in Japanese. (No, I haven't seen Al Jazeera either in Arabic nor in English, nor France 24).

I was watching an Italian TV channel... and there was a really really weird TV game show. A cross of Jeopardy and the Gong Show. :)

Two contestants in ordinary clothes, each of them is sitting in a tube tank. Every time a contestant missed a question... the tank is filled with water.

Oopsie!

In the show I saw, there was a guy in ordinary t-shirt and jeans, the lady with long hair wearing a very nice dress. (but nothing revealing being shown. :) ).

The questions weren't that hard either. (Well, my Italian is rusty, but since it's so close to French, I could get the gist of these questions. I think I would have just my feet wet. :)

In the Italian show, there seems to be a "sprint", when the contestant becomes entirely submerged and holding his breathe, the other contestant must answer a bunch of questions as quickly as possible. Dunno, I think I would take my time, just to see how long the other guy is going to hold. ;)

International TV... and the crazy thing you see. Imagine when our TV stations will get fed up of "Big Brother", or they'll convince Alex Trebek to wear his swimsuit.

That being said, what's all that fuss about taking a dip in a water tank with all your clothes on? With boys and girlfriends, we did that many times in the summer time in the pool and we had a devil of fun. :) That's also how I learn underwater photography, each of us "modeling" underwater for the camera and I'm not kidding. And that was in the '70s, when I was young and sexy. Sigh. :)

So if you're curious about "Ciao Darwin", here is what Wikipedia is saying. Apparently, they sold the rights to several European countries. Since seeing is believing, I did some researches on YouTube. I've found a short 3-minute video, I _think_ it's in Hungarian or Polish, but this show is quite similar to the one I saw last night in Italian, minus the sprint when the other guy is completely submerged.

PS: The effect of curved glass and water... suddenly, you are at peace with your waist line. :)

PPS: Wanna bet that this show will appear in North America in a few years?

Cheers,

-E

I need a blow job! :-)

Hehehe...

Be honest, you were thinking of THAT blow job, right? The job that sucks, right? ;)

You have a dirty mind... well... as dirty as mine and a lot of people. That's not all that bad, come to think of it.

No, I haven't posted that blog entry at FC... yet. I'm still giggling!

Sooooo.... of course, I'm thinking of a blow job of another kind.

To blow... the snow away from my little street. *That* kind of job. By the way, where are the snowblowers?

We got the storm on Monday, and it's now Sunday... and we (the residents of that street), men and women alike, we're all collectively waiting for our collective blow job to occur. :)

(You know, there are certain things that are done in groups, and you can bet that in this case, we'll all rapidly climax of joy when it's going to happen. We've been waiting for soooo long, you know! ;) )

I also wonder whether next Monday, I should call City Hall. I can imagine the conversation on the phone.

Sir, I need a blow job, and it's an emergency!

Ok, it's Sunday morning, the week has been though...

Am I allowed... to record some moments of silliness?

Thanks. :)

PS: Credits for my immediate neighbour about the word play on blow jobs... and for contaminating my mind since then!!!

There are lights... and there are lights.

This is the time of the year that you see Christmas lights everywhere.

Personally, those lights are a downer in shopping malls. The mercantile aspect of Christmas is so glaring obvious.

However, those same Christmas lights... when they are decorating homes and trees, that's something else.

They are there... for the sheer pleasure of its owners. There's nothing to buy. They are there, free, to be enjoyed.

With the foot of snow that we just had... those lights give a great festive look to our streets.

I like that!

Cheers from North Pole, Canada!

Poor America, a special comment...

Sometimes I wonder whether 1 + 1 = 2. Sometimes I wonder, period.

It's not my intent to do a political blog, and certainly not about a country that I am not currently living in. So consider that blog entry as the exception that confirms the rule, (that's what we say in French. :) ).

What happens elsewhere... can happen here. To some extents, it has already happened (ie, Stephen Harper).

Also when that very elsewhere is our closest neighbour, also the country that self-portrayed as the watchdog of democracy... Ooch.

When it is a country you admire, and a country you'd love to live in, to see the country so rapidly dropping their principles, on the aftermath of 9/11... rapidly turning as a police state, when individual liberties have been ditched in the name of "security", and there was very little protest, one wonders...

But there is more.

I was watching Keith Olberman the other night, and listening intently to his "Special Comment" (transcripts: The Neocon job . By all means, do read it).

This was on days after the NIE report was leaked to the media, stating that Iran's nuclear plans have been put on-hold since 2003, and Bush got that report last August.

You certainly remember Bush's recent statements about WW3, nuclear holocaust and other similar niceties, at the time he knew that none of that could possibly happened. With the NIE report now leaked into the media, Bush was caught again pants down, openly lying to his population. It is blatant, it is as obvious as a nose on one's face. And so far... not much is happening.

I'm a fan of Olberman, and whenever it happens that I'm home, I watch his broadcast. Of all of his Special Comments", it is probably the harshest of all. His ending words? "You, sir (Bush), have no business... being president." Loud and clear, and to the point.

And that could be said back then in 2004 when the 9/11 commission published its report (more on that later).

But... where's everyone? Why Olberman is the only one openly stating what many people think?

And there's one word missing. Even from someone as verbose as Olberman... and I always wondered why on many of his "Special Comments" he didn't use it, because it was the logical conclusion to everything he said. Even more so now.

I'm also thinking that in 2004... when the 9/11 commission published its report, and when it stated, that *NONE* of the reasons invoked by Bush for the war in Iraq were true... NONE of them, not a single one of them...

So what it says about the capacity of the man, being at the helm of an extremely powerful country... and with the job, as commander in chief of the army, when it got stated blatantly that he has sent the army on a war... for *NO* valid reasons?

There's only one word for that... and that very word was also missing in everyone's comments, back then.

Not only that, but Bush got re-elected, defeating the purpose of that word.

Oh, it's too easy to blame the media, printed and electronic.

Also, it is true that we deserved and we should be held responsible for the politicians we elect. For instance, I blush when I see Harper making a fool of himself on every international tribune (these days, on how he torpedoes the Kyoto accord. It's just one humilation among many others).

One wonders: we have elected... THAT ? Ooch...

So I wouldn't blame the Americans for electing and re-electing Bush. We're just as bad, and the way it's going, we're going to re-elect Harper. So much for learning from our mistakes, even collective ones.

So there has to be something else.

And I wonder what is that very "else". I've no idea.

In the meantime for my fellow American friends, here's the missing word. Cut and paste it, use it, everywhere. Freely. Oh my, even... liberally? ;)

Impeachment.

And that concludes my "Special Comment". We shall resume our more or less normal programming. :)

Cheers,

-E

Alzheimer... a new treatment? Mhhhh....

I heard this news yesterday on Radio-Canada: Industrie pharmaceutique: Péripétie d'un médicament.

In a few words, a Laval-based pharmaceutical, unhappy with the decision of the US' Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to not approve a new drug used as a treatment against Alzheimer, will now market its drug... as food.

Woah.

Months ago, I've blogged this: Sometimes, I want to scream. You should see the mailbox of my parents (photo on the left). Weeks after weeks, it's an avalanche of miracle cures, for various ailments, from Diabetes to... of course Alzheimer.

(Of course, not mentioning "spiritual help", all offering trips to various places. From bucolic Berkshires in a Massachusetts retreat to the Joshuah trees in California, to the French Alps and a meet with the shamans living in the mountains in Peru. It would have been neat if they weren't so heavily into... money. Visa and MasterCard, our new spiritual gurus. :) ).

All these guys follow the same pattern: "They" don't want you to know. "They" don't want you to have access to that miracle cure.

Who are "they" ? Of course, the US' FDA is one such bad villain.

Yesterday, I was floored to see that a locally known pharmaceutical. -with a *good* reputation -, is using the very same argument as these bad guys.

What to think of all that? I don't know...

Sure, a lot can be said about the US' FDA, or here Health Canada / Santé Canada. Somehow, they have been batting well above .500 , so they aren't all _that_ bad.

Rather, in the light of various lawsuits going on against some big pharmaceuticals for some very popular drugs, I think that "they" have let drugs they shouldn't have. So the approval process of a new drug doesn't seem such a formidable hurdle, at first glance.

So, when the FDA turns down a drug on a basis that it's ineffective (which is the case here)... It _really_ has to be ineffective, otherwise they would have approved that drug. That's what I'm thinking.

Bottom line?

It's no party time, having to take care of someone who is Alzheimer. It's a daily pain to see a beloved person slowly fading away, and Alzheimer is one ugly disease, because it affects the very identity of that person.

Have you noticed that it's always against people who are vulnerable... that there are people around, telling you exactly what you want to hear? Even impossible dreams?

So, I'm thinking of... decency? How obscene it is, to fill us with false promises of a better world, in exchange of big lumps of money?

By all means, spare us of all this bullsh*t, good grief. But there isn't a law against that, sadly...

Cheers,

-E

Deafness is hitting home...

No, not me. (Although I may appear to you as hard of hearing. I wrote a long blog entry, a few months ago).

No, it's about... my dad.

Since he has Alzheimer, getting to know with the disease, one of the things it does, it affects the mood. It isn't just all about memory recollections. Far from it, in fact.

So when we saw the first signs, we all thought, me first, that he was playing games on us. "Don't want to listen, don't want to talk, I'm in my bubble, and that's that." Okay dokay...

I had some suspicions. But I had to battle. "Oh, you know, your dad isn't young, it's kind of normal to be a bit deaf". I've heard that many times.

Mhhhh... I had a hunch there has to be something else. My mom too it isn't buying that argument.

Well, today the results are in. Left ear: Completely deaf, and there's serious hearing loss for his right ear.

Sigh...

When you see someone slowly fading away... and that someone is 50% of you... There's _that_ shock.

Then... it comes quickly obvious that there's a very something that becomes paramount as times go by: Communication. When he's with us...

To the point you look forward, for *those* times that he's with us.

Tonight, it seems that I've been robbed.

A wall of silence is getting established between us.

Sure, a lot can be conveyed with touch. We're warm blood creatures, with feelings... touches and feelings...

Visually too. From body language to sign language, yeah I know all that...

So, there are ways to side-step silence.

But nonetheless...

Sigh...

-E

Dial S... for Stupidity?

While the east coast got lots of snow... on the west coast... they were coping with lots of rain, and unusually warm temperatures.

So there have been massive floods in British-Columbia, as well in Washington State and in Oregon

Thanks to my cable provider, they have their "western feed", so I can watch local Vancouver and Seattle TV stations, as if I were living there!

So I was watching a Vancouver station tonight. I saw on national news how British-Columbia got hard hit, so I was curious to see what's on their local TV stations.

The lady you see was complaining that for days that her house was surrounded by deep water. So she asked repeatedly to all government agencies she could think of for... help.

"Yeah, I've asked for... help, and I got... help today. They give me a help sign. "

It's hilarous... in a movie! However, when it's happening for real...

It's screaming obvious that this is not the kind of "help" she was thinking of...

-E

PS: I'll be in Vancouver and then in Seattle by the end of next week. It seems the absolutely wacky weather they had last year... is back again this year. I'm crossing my fingers... -E

Sweet time. :)

After a hard day shoveling...

How's about a hot bath?

For all those aching muscles...

The feeling being so good,

It's been such an open invitation... for a nap.

So...

There are some good things to say about snowstorms, and having to shovel snow. :)

Cheers!

-E

Snow! 14 inches later. :)

<--- Front page of today's La Presse. "The most important storm in 60 years to strike Montréal in early December, shutting down all schools".

(THe kid in me says: YAY! :) )

The cost of snow removal? $17 millions. The adult in me says: Ouch!!!

<--- snow covered trees and a mess on my street. :)

I figure that I needed a break. so I went inside, grabbed my digicam, and I snapped those pictures.

It's beautiful, nonetheless. A beautiful mess, heh. :)

<--- Backyard of my neighbor. Look at the thickness of the "snow pie" on their table. :)

My arms and my legs are still screaming from all this intense shoveling. I guess I'll be able to appreciate all this beauty, when I'll get some rests. :)

Cheers!

-E

SNOW !

Snow is a 4-letter word. :)

It is also 30 cm perhaps up to 45cm of white fluffy stuff.

Where's my shovel? I'm just an eskimo lost in the blizzard. Heeeelllpppp!!!!!!

:)

Cheers,

-E

Did someone say... SNOW ?

<--- Don't fret, this is a "file photo" of my backyard. This photo was taken some years ago.

At the time I'm typing these lines, it's -16 Celsius. Brrrrrr!!!!

Bitterly cold temperatures so early in the season. Where's Global Warming when we need it?

However, clashing with this bitter cold air from Arctic... there will be warm air from the Americans.

Results?

30cm of snow... a FOOT of snow is forecasted for tomorrow.

Welcome to Canada. Bienvenue au Canada! :)

I think we'll get a white Christmas this year. Nous allons avoir un Noël blanc cette année!

Citoyens, citoyennes.... à vos pelles!
Citizen... at your shovels!

:)

-E

World AIDS Day... food for thoughts...

<--- AIDS Day in downtown Vancouver, on a bitterly cold day of December 2006. Photo taken on Howe Street near the very chic Robson Street.

This is one of those days, which the time has come to pause and ponder.

To think of brothers and sisters who have already fallen...

To think of those who are infected...

To think.

Of the past, the present and the future.

A friend of mine who is HIV+ once told me: "It's like sleeping at the top of a giant volcano that you know to be active. You never know when the eruption is going to happen and to take you away. This is my life."

And he's right. For instance, if you skip meals and have to skip medications, whether you don't feel ok, whether you were traveling and fighting jetlag, you can skip so many times without problems. But it can happen that the next time... this will be one time *too* many. As science has discovered, as a result, the virus can become resistant and your treatment is now ineffective.

Disaster.

It is only recently that there are have been a handful of alternate treatments and you have to count your blessing that one of these alternate treatments will take. You dearly hope of being given another chance at life. If not... it's AIDS and its slow spiral...

Even having your twice a day cocktail of pills isn't fun. There are good days and bad days, and some really bad days. To some people, there can be some very crippling nasty side-effects.

Besides, all sorts of minor ailments have been popping up here and there. None are life threatening, but it isn't the "business as usual" type of lifestyle as you may think it is, from taking these medications.

This comes as a result of the cumulative use of these medications for years. As people live longer with HIV, it is only by now that science has begun to discover these long term effects... and of course have little answers to that, at the present time.

HIV still kills people. As simple as that.

And it doesn't happen to... others.

It can happen to people who are dear to you.

It can happen to... you.

Can one do something? Sure...

Whether to support financially research,

whether to donate time and money to organizations who are helping people coping with HIV.

Also, medications cost a bundle, and some organizations will subsidize its cost. They will pick up where insurance won't. But to do so, they need your money.

I'm also thinking of illiteracy. I'm also thinking of moral and religious rules. HIV isn't a sex disease, nor a gay disease, nor that it reflects anything about your morality. It's been said ad nauseam for so many times...

And yet...

I'm also thinking that perhaps the most important thing you can do...

is to take steps to avoid getting it.

Have fun, but play safe. :)

Cheers,

-E

Is it bad, is it good? A matter of opportunities...

At the workplace, some colleagues were teasing me today.

A year ago, about on this day... this was the scene on my arrival in Vancouver. A big snowstorm, followed the next day by bitterly cold temperatures followed by the next day by 100 km/h winds and followed by another snowstorm. Whoopy!

A place not used to see a real "Canadian-strength" winter... and a guy from the east coast (moi!) who said foolishly: "I wonder how Vancouver looks like in winter time".

Well... I came, I saw... I froze. :)

And back home, I got plenty of "friends" and colleagues giggling. Today, they were reminding of that. OK, I'm sport. :)

Beyond the giggles, people were really sorry for me, as if my trip was completely ruined. To them, this was sheer... bad luck.

To me, this has been a good thing. This has been sheer LUCK.

Sure, my plans were trashed by this incredible weather. (but not completely trashed. I could make it to Victoria, as planned) .

However... have you ever seen Vancouver under the snow? It's rather rare. I was there. :)

A walk in Stanley Park?

It felt like a walk in winter's wonderland.

Photos don't do justice.

Snow covered trees. Big big BIG trees, all dwarfing you. I really felt like a kid.

The seawall anyone who has taken a walk... The Pacific Ocean on side, Stanley Park on the other side, and in a distance the mountains, and as always, stunning sunsets.

It inspires serenity, it inspires peace.

Add snow... it's even better.

So... is this really bad luck? is this all that bad? Of course not!

This trip to the west coast last year was memorable... and I enjoyed it thoroughly.

I'm thinking of several things that happened in my life which obviously bad things turned out otherwise.

It was up to me to adapt, up to me to seize opportunity...

However, if I kept complaining and sat idle, none of that would happen.

Cheers,

-E

-----
Photos
1) Downtown Vancouver, from the Metropolitan Hotel, where I stayed last year. In the forefront, Howe & Georgia streets. On the left, the entrance to the Pacific Centre Mall.

2) One of my favourite photos! Snow covered benches at English Bay Beach, near the end of Davie Street.

3) A walk in Stanley Park

4) Seawall, somethere near the Lions Gate bridge

Giggles: Get a raise, and go to vote! :)

The wonder of internet newsfeeds. :)

If you have a working knowledge of French, by all means, do check this story from the Agence France Presse (AFP) : Une pilule de Viagra pour aller voter en Thaïlande.

Yup, it means what it means. Literally: "A Viagra pill in order to go to vote in Thailand".

Thailand is slowly returning to democracy, on the aftermath of a short lived military coup in 2006. This is going to be their first legislative elections, to be held on December 23rd.

Politicians being... politicians, you know that some of them have been trying to buy votes. With money. Other politicians have found mhhh... some rather creative ways to buy votes.

Citizen of Prathumthani, a suburb north of Bangkok have reported that some candidates are distributing free pills of ... Viagra. Yup, _that_ blue pill.

In order to buy votes? Mhhhh... Nawwww. Of course not! ;)

According to electoral laws, a candidate, if found guilty of buying votes, could face a 5-year jail sentence.

Here is where it gets hilarious:

Charungwit Phumma, an investigator for the electoral commission said: "So far, we haven't received a single complaint about those free Viagra pills. This is rather unusual", he said.

Tee hee!!! Who is going to complain, really ?!? :)

You know what I'm thinking? Our politicians should learn from their colleagues in Thailand.

Finally, politicians who start REALLY doing something for the ahem... "wel being" of the people they pretend to represent.

Who would complain? :)

Hehehe...

-E