great expectations

This is truly blogging on the run, well blogging on the rails anyways. I'm currently riding viarail from Toronto to Ottawa to see a friend from up north who moved to the nation's capital.

I'm a little less than impressed with my train voyage so far. I started this morning in my hometown in the suburbs outside of Toronto. The plan was to catch via in the hometown, switch trains in Toronto and then off to Ottawa. With all of the advertising via has done about how taking the train is the human(e) way to travel, I think my expectations had been raised beyond via's ability to meet them.

I expected something different than you typical voyage on Canada's national airline or that other perky airline. First off, via is "arrive 30 minutes before" or "one hour before" if you want to check baggage. Ok this is a little better than the airlines, but not much.

As I arrived the requisite amount of time in advance, I'm then told the train is running 20 minutes late. It ended up being 30 minutes late. The reason for these delays, "A large number of passengers and bags". Maybe via's advertising has been too successful and they can't meet the demand they have created.

Unfortunately, although I was continuing on to Ottawa on the same train we had to get off and reboard the train (although we were allowed to leave our luggage). I took a short stroll around union station only to find that the lineup to board my train ran the full length of the departure area, up the ramp and into the main part of the station. Some of these people had to be lined up at least an hour before the train was scheduled to leave. It's beginning to seem a lot like an airport.

I can't understand the rush, people have assigned seats, there's no advantage to standing in line. Speaking of seats, my window seats selected in advance were changed with no notice by via when I picked up my tickets.

Finally, all those annoying people who I thought only flew, appear also to take the train. Such as the a-hole in 11C who has his chair reclined to the point where his head is in my lap, or the person who broke out a harvey's meal right beside. Both were victims of the withering look of disapproval(tm).

Maybe via is a more human way to travel, but the problem is that it still includes other humans. I don't think I'm cut out for mass transit.

separating the wheat from the chaff

Well they've only been in power for a couple of weeks now, and the Sask Party is not off to a great start. When they should be focusing on their key campaign promises and the big issues, Saskatchewan's New Government (sound familiar?) decided to turf the province's 30 year old logo, a stylized wheat sheaf.

Now, in their own defence, I wasn't able to write about this quick enough, as the Saskatchewan's New Government has, with tail between their legs, turned around from this position already. Public outrage over changing the logo, their lack of any sense of priority, and the cost of such of a move has made them change their mind. Not only did they change their mind, they announced it twice, releasing two news releases only hours apart changing the wording between the first and the second.

None of the current SaskParty Cabinet members have any experience in government and it is already beginning to show. I know it will take some time for them to get up to speed, but their lack of political savvy is alarming. The SaskParty railed against the NDP's decision to rebrand the Saskatchewan wordmark as Saskatchewan!. They argued it wasn't necessary, it was too much money, government should be spending money on more important things. However, as soon as they are in power they arbitrarily declare the wheat sheaf persona non grata and replace it with the Government crest, announcing they will go through a costly process of developing a new logo.

Speculation is that they are not happy having a logo created by an NDP government, that has been in use during a period dominated by NDP politics. However, there were conservative governments during that period.

Sending out two press releases changing the words in a quote from one to the other is not acceptable. The story as it was in today's local paper was about the retreat and the fact that they sent out two press releases saying two different things.

This is bad public relations skills. You can one shot at trying to explain a mistake or backpedal so you better get it right. Make sure that you can live with every word in your news release. If you can't don't send it out until you get it right. If you get it wrong, own up to it, don't try to pass it off in another news release. The Deputy Premier should have got on the phones and worked new quotes directly with the press rather than try to pass off another news release.

Hopefully the SaskParty is staffing up with some skilled politically savvy people otherwise they could be in for a long and bumpy ride.

may the curve be with you

Well, it's done. All my exams are over for this term and I am officially done half of law school. 3 semesters to go. At this point for this term I've done all I can do and my fate is in the hands of my profs and the curve.

The little law school on the prairie marks using a curve. This means only some many of each mark is available. If a prof wants to deviate from the curve they have to go and argue their case before the entire faculty, so I doubt this happens too often except for the moots, law review and seminars.

In first year the curve worked both ways for me. In one or two classes I rode the curve up, and in one class for certain, I rode the curve down. This term it will be interesting to see what happens. I had one seminar, where a paper I wrote was worth 60%, and participation and presenting my paper were the other 40%. I think I should do okay, plus it's a seminar so I'm not sure how the curve works. To avoid having three exams in four days, I wrote a major paper (worth 100%) in one class.

That left me with three exams. So how did they go. I would characterize them, with my apologies to Clint, as the good, the okay and the ugly. Today's exam I think I rocked so we'll call it the good. It was public international law. I had five days to prepare, I knew my stuff, and I had time to plan and review my answers.

The okay, was Indian and Aboriginal Law. I say okay because I have had this prof before for a number of assignments and a class. I have never gotten anything other than a B+ from this prof, no matter how much work I do or don't put in, and regardless of whether I thought I did good or bad. It's anonymous marking, but 3 out of the 5 things I have done for this prof have been anonymous and it still hasn't made a difference.

The ugly, well that was Evidence. It was the day after my Indian and Aboriginal law class and it was well just plain ugly. The exam looked nothing like any other exam we have had, and looked nothing like the tutorial problems we were given. Nice. I just didn't get evidence, and what little I did get didn't make it onto the page. It is for this reason that I pray the curve is with me.

A short break is now allowed, and new classes start in January. However, over the holidays I have to prepare for my moot. When I'm back in January, it's before a three-member panel of QB judges to rake me over the coals, over an evidence problem no less. GAH!

you're always on my mind

The thing that I hate most about exam time here at the little law school on the prairie is the fact that you can never get away from exams. They are always on your mind.

Monday's exam went well, but Tuesday's was a disaster. I decided to take the rest of Tuesday off, and start fresh on Wednesday. My next exam is not until Monday and I decided I would just work everyday between now and then to get ready for it. My next exam is international law.

After two days of solid work, I thought a reward was in order, and nothing says reward like Matt Damon. I sat down with the Saskatoon Uncles to watch the Bourne Ultimatum. Instead of a nice relaxing evening, the following was constantly running through my head, and occasionally out of my mouth:

"Hey, that was a violation of international law!"

"Rendition is illegal, that's a violation of Morracco's sovereingty!"

"The UK can file a claim over the killing of it's citizen, they have enforcement juridiction because the objective element of the offence occurred on their territory!"

"The US could be held responsible for that internationally wrongful act!"

So what does this show us, well two things. One, I may actually have learned something in international law. Second, you can never get a relaxing break away from exams, movies are ruined for me forever, or at least until Tuesday.

Here's hoping Question 3 on Monday's exam will be:

"Identify the various violations of international law that occurred in the Bourne Ultimatum, the state responsible, which states would be able to invoke state responsibility and whether there were any circumstances which would preclude the wrongfulness of any of these acts."

If not, maybe it will make a good minor paper topic next year.

polkaroo, polkaroo, polkaroo

Those of you in Ontario will be familiar with Polkaroo, the mysterious creature who appeared on the TVO show Polka Dot Door. On the show, live hosts, a male and a female would interact with stuffed toys like Marigold and Humpty. These were not the highest quality stuffed todays, very round, exaggerated and childish. Perfect for the audience, and we were talking about a show that aired on Ontario's public broadcaster. The male host would disappear at times, and the mysterious Polkaroo would appear and exclaim his name over and over again.


I've been thinking about Polkaroo and the Polka Dot Door a lot lately after seeing the new mascots for the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. They were announced several weeks ago and I meant to blog about them at the time, but never did. However, they've been bouncing around in my head ever since. Here's a photo of them:



The photo, was part of a story the Globe and Mail did on the mascots. The three mascots, representing a sea bear (Miga), a legendary Sasquatch (Quatchi) and an animal spirit hybrid (Sumi), are inspired by aboriginal myths and the province's wildlife.

I don't know about you, but mascots that need a lot of interpretation and explanation just don't work for me. Sumi (insert law school joke here), is part bear, whale and bird. I applaud the VANOC for finally incorporating some local aboriginal traditions, considering the image of the 2010 Vancouver Olympics is an Inukshuk, which is a symbol of the Inuit of the Eastern and Western Arctic, not the pacific coast.

However, mascots directed at kids should be simple and easy to understand. As much as the Polka Dot Door toys were not fancy, as a kid I could understand them. You had Humpty, Dumpty, Bear and Marigold. I bet you can pick them all out. Polkaroo appeared on imagination day and was supposed to be part of your imagination. These are all easy concepts to understand.

In fact, looking at the picture above, I'm a little embarrassed by the mascots. However, when drawn, rather than as 3D character costumes they are better:

law school musical

I know that as I post more of these videos, you're going to think that we don't actually do any work at law school. The fact is we do so much work that rather than face the reality of it, we spend our time finding ways of not dealing with it. Like making or searching out these videos.

snail in a bottle

Blogging may be a little hit or miss, or video heavy the next week or so as I'm into final exams. Yesterday I was studying Evidence and the Lego Men straightened hearsay out for me. Today I'll be studying Evidence and Indian and Aboriginal. However, I don't have a video for either.

This video though is a nice summation of the modern tort of negligence. This tort began with a snail found in a bottle of ginger beer. It's no "Tort Law Back" but the makers of this video get bonus points for the use of a Police song, and the little A-Ha interlude.

proving the truth of its contents

I'm studying for evidence today and am wondering why my evidence prof couldn't have taught the class this way:

she's at it again

I guess maybe Ms. Hampson has realized her pieces have been a little one-sided and has decided to write her current piece on what women of a certain age want in men. However, not to fear, this does not mean she has reduced her dependence on ego stroking, cliches and stereotypes. Alright, you know the routine, go read it, you know you want to, then use the back button to come on back.

First off, Ms. Hampson works in a coy little story to show that despite her recent divorce she's still 'got-it'. Why else for the story about being hit on by a creepy, old married man. Ms. Hampson, I think it's time you got the "old creep-o-meter" re-tuned, because if it didn't flicker on the dying man saying he didn't have to be 'married' that night, then it's broken.

Later in the article, it's said that men "...should feel like your favourite pair of sweatpants." Nice, maybe Ms. Hampson was feeling guilty for last week's comparison of women to car seats and old leather and tried to balance the analogy scale.

What intrigues me is how although being a piece on what women want, it really seems to be tips on how women should compromise, balding, that's ok, a little paunch, that's ok too, things like career and success aren't too important. It's fascinating to see this.

Last week's piece was positioned as rules for women about what men want in women of a certain age, so why she didn't write this piece as rules for men is beyond me. It would seem more fair, rather than this piece which puts the emphasis on women looking past things in men that men may not be prepared to look past in women.

For example, women of a certain age, according to last week shouldn't talk too much about their children. It's against the rules. However, women should "pay attention to a man's relationship with his children from a previous marriage." It's important for women to know he plays a meaningful role with his children, but she's not supposed to talk about hers. If he does have a meaningful relationship with his children, I imagine he'll want to know that a woman he's interested in has good relationships with her children. But no, she can't talk about that, it's "against the rules".

You may also note that everything a woman should be looking for in a man, how he talks about his ex, his relationship with his children are predicated on a previous relationship. What about the single older man, oh wait, that's right, we're talking about Ms. Hampson, and she's the founding memberof the "if they're over 40 and never been married than they are not dating material" club. ARGH!

I mean really, once we all reach a certain age, male or female, aren't we looking for something other than the rules and games of our youth when we didn't know any better. Ms. Hampson is doing nothing other than trying to bring back those silly days of youthful relationships and trying to plant them on a completely different point of our lives, where we want to be and in fact are past them.

this kind of stuff still shouldn't happen

From the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission:

New York, Wednesday December 5, 2007) - The International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC) has learned today that despite an order by the Iranian Chief Justice to nullify his death sentence, Mr. Makvan Mouloodzadeh was executed in Kermanshah Central Prison at 5 a.m. this morning, Iranian time. Neither Mr. Mouloodzadeh's family or his lawyer were told about the execution until after it occurred. IGLHRC is still investigating the facts in this case.

"This is a shameful and outrageous travesty of justice and international human rights law," said Paula Ettelbrick, IGLHRC's executive director. "How many more young Iranians have to die before the international community takes action?"

Mr. Mouloodzadeh was a 21-year-old Iranian citizen who was accused of committing anal rape (ighab) with other young boys when he was 13 years old. However, at Mr. Mouloodzadeh's trial, all the witnesses retracted their pre-trial testimonies, claiming to have lied to the authorities under duress. Makvan also told the court that his confession was made under coercion and pleaded not guilty. On June 7, 2007, the Seventh District Criminal Court of Kermanshah in Western Iran found him guilty and sentenced him to death. Despite his lawyer's appeal, the Supreme Court upheld his death sentence on August 1, 2007. The case caused an international uproar, and prompted a letter writing campaign by IGLHRC and similar actions by Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Outrage! and Everyone Group.

In response to mounting public pressure, and following a detailed petition submitted to the Iranian Chief Justice by Mr. Mouloodzadeh's lawyer, the Iranian Chief Justice, Ayatollah Seyed Mahmoud Hashemi Shahrudi, nullified the impending death sentence of Mr. Mouloodzadeh. In his November 10, 2007 opinion (1/86/8607), the Iranian Chief Justice described the death sentence to be in violation of Islamic teachings, the religious decrees of high-ranking Shiite clerics, and the law of the land.

In accordance with Iranian legal procedure, Mr. Mouloodzadeh's case was sent to the Special Supervision Bureau of the Iranian Justice Department, a designated group of judges who are responsible for reviewing and ordering retrials of flawed cases flagged by the Iranian Chief Justice. However, in defiance of the Chief Justice, the judges decided to ratify the original court's ruling and ordered the local authorities to carry out the execution.

Mr. Mouloodzadeh's execution came days after a panel at the UN General Assembly passed a resolution calling for a moratorium on the death penalty.

You can read IGLHRC's action alert on our website: http://www.iglhrc.org/site/iglhrc/section.php?id=5&detail=797

Our Letter to the Iranian authorities is also posted on our website in both English and Persian: http://www.iglhrc.org/site/iglhrc/section.php?id=5&detail=798

singing in the shower

The following youtuber takes it out of the shower but stays in the bathroom for this recording. He says that his bathroom has the best acoustics. He has quite the voice, and it's an impressive rendition of the song.

A warning for the Grinches among my readers, it's a Christmas song:



Anyways, this will make a good story for if he makes it big. How were you discovered, "singing in my bathroom on youtube".

one size fits all is a lie

I have a very large head, there's no denying. Even other people with big noggins have commented on the sheer size of my scalp. I've blogged before about my love for the movie "So I Married an Axe-Murder!" In it is a hilarious scene where Mike Myers, playing his character's father does a bit of routine on his brother's head. This was me growing up. You can catch a bit of it here:

How all this head talk has come about is that old man winter has blown onto the prairie for good this time and I've decided to sport an old man hat for the season. But this isn't any ordinary old man hat; it's harris tweed, but it's got gor-tex. 

One of the reasons for this specific hat is that one size fits all hats are a lie! Don't believe them. They may fit most, but they won't fit all. My noggin is not going into a one size fits all hat. When I find some who makes an XXL hat I feel compelled to buy it out of gratitude alone, regardless of what I may think of the hat.  

As for those shocked and appalled by the thought of an XXL hat, my ski-doo helmet is an XXXL and has that conveniently printed across the back for the world to see. I'm surprised I can stand upright when I have it on. It's probably about forty pounds of plastic and padding. I don't resent the helmet though, as my head is how I make my living and it needs to be safe.

Anyways, back to the old man hat. I bought this because the XXL actually included my size, 7 and 7/8 inches, yes I pretty much have eight inches (insert innuendo here). I like the style but I'm not sure I'm loving it yet. Here's me in my old man hat:

I think Russell would approve, but do you?

talk among yourselves

Okay I am really busy cranking out the last couple of sections for my environmental law major paper today (that is due tomorrow - never again, never again).

Today you'll have to talk among yourselves, here's a topic:

• Canada's arctic waters: is sovereignty the key to environmental protection or is the focus on sovereignty putting the environment at a greater risk?

world aids day

hold on to your undies

Well before I went offline last weekend, I did promise a Tom Jones post. It came up when I termed Shirley Bassey as a female Tom Jones. They're both Welsh (like me) and have distinctive voices and sounds. And they're both still going strong today despite decades in the business. I blame my parents for my knowledge of things like this. I remember Tom being played throughout my youth.

I've got two clips. One a classic Tom Jones song full of innuendo and trumpets. The second is a more recent effort where he paired up a number of other acts, including the Stereophonics, a Welsh band.

oops, she did it again

Now calm down everybody, not to worry. This is not a Britney Spears post. You may recall I declared this blog a britney-free zone ages ago. No, the she I am referring to is Sarah Hampson. Oh yes, the columnist of the Tim Horton's relationship, and the if you're 40 with no failed marriage behind you you're doomed on the modern dating scence has struck again. How many times am I going to have to give her the withering look of disapproval(tm)?

It appears Thursdays are Ms. Hampson's days to work out her being single issues and wax pathetically, not poetically on the modern dating scene. To begin with, go read her latest column "The Rules (for Women of a Certain Age)". Go on, I know you want to, it's like a car wreck, you know you shouldn't but you can't look away.

Now, maybe Ms. Hampson is trying to be ironic and poke fun at the original authors of The Rules, but if so well she missed the mark. Given her recent set of articles this all seems quite serious.

Not happy with the "single-single" label she set for single people several weeks ago, Ms. Hampson introduces a new term, the recycled singleton. Maybe this term belongs to those in the 40 and over with a failed marriage club. The fact that you are a recycled singleton indicates that you're not "single-single", but that yes you have taken Ms. Hampson's so-called leap of faith and have a failed marriage behind you. Recycled singleton is like code, sending a signal that you haven't always been single so you're more desirable than the single-single.

So what advice did Ms. Hampson receive that she felt was so important to share with her readers, how about this golden tip "Do not embrace the muu muu." Wow, that's earth shattering, who would have known. You're like a Russell Smith for women, providing valuable fashion advice. Nice to see you're not playing into cliches and stereotypes at all Ms. Hampson.

Ms. Hampson goes on to quote a certain older gentlemen who provides this nugget about dating older women:

To meet an older woman with those attributes is like sitting in a broken-in seat in a car. New leather is slippery. But a broken-in seat, well, there's nothing more comfortable and nothing more personal.

Now, I wonder if Ms. Hampson included this to drive women out of the dating scene, because who isn't going to be turned off dating if there are men like this out there. Maybe Ms. Hampson is looking to get rid of some of her competition by keeping them out of the 'pool' all together.

Other nuggets from Ms. Hampson, lost the bitterness, dating isn't therapy and don't talk too much about your kids. Don't be a drama queen. Also, you may be a powerful, successful business women, but don't be any of those when you're dating. Are we still at this level in our society? If so, then I truly do feel sad, but I find it had to believe that Ms. Hampson's singular view of the world reflects reality.

I think it's only fair that at some point there should be The Rules: For Men of A Certain Age. In my view there's only one, men of a certain age or weight should not wear a speedo, and I think we can all agree on that.

a cartoon from the siblings

The non-blood siblings from work up north forwarded on this comic to me. I think they may be trying to send a message. We of course all find it humourous given our close connection to the jail. It really is a fine line between the guards (and those of us who work with them) and the inmates.

ten questions

One of the things I most enjoyed about watching Inside the Actor's Studio was the 1o questions asked at the end of each interview. The same questions are asked of each actor and the answers range from the serious to the sublime.

The questionnaire was originally developed by a French broadcaster Bernard Pivot. I always wanted to use this questionnaire when interviewing people for jobs but unfortunately it's never been allowed or is was never really appropriate.

The questionnaire follows with my answers. The answers are supposed to be gut reaction, spur of the moment answers so I've tried my best to do that in answering the questions:

1. What is your favorite word?
Petulant

2. What is your least favorite word?
Utilize

3. What turns you on?
Confidence

4. What turns you off?
Ignorance

5. What sound or noise do you love?
The call of a loon echoing over a lake

6. What sound or noise do you hate?
The sound a car makes when it crashes

7. What is your favorite curse word?
F*ck

8. What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?
Lounge Singer

9. What profession would you not like to do?
Doctor

10. If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?
"It was Adam and Steve, Eve was a typo!"

maybe 40 is not the new 20

Months ago I speculated about 40 being the new 20, but as part of its recent holy-way on singles, the Globe and Mail seems to think otherwise. Go on and read this piece, it's called "Still Single after 40? Sounds suspicous.

The basic premise of the article is that its better to have married and split then never to have married at all once you are in your 40s. That's ridiculous. I'm not sure where this whole single-bashing trend at the Globe comes from but I'm surprised.

I find it surprising that the writer so easily dismisses common-law living arrangements as not being the same as a marriage. Is not living with someone in a relationship for several years signs of an ability to commit? Just because someone doesn't believe that they need the state or a church to record their relationship doesn't mean they aren't prepared to take the leap of faith. Nope, unless you got married, and in the process likely ended up messing up your life and someone else's (I am talking about now divorced people) you're just not dating material in your 40s.

Everyone has baggage, whether its' from a failed marriage or from reasons for not having been married, I'm not sure what the difference is. Either way I imagine a relationship at that point in your life is going to be complicated regardless of your marriage background. If you've been single, you've become well adjusted to living alone and enjoy your routines, bringing another person in is just difficult. If you've been common-law or married, your dealing with possibly shared parenting, or even if there are no kids, your're trying not to make the same mistakes with your new partner as you did with your last.

We shouldn't be limiting the pool of potential daters and connections with silly rules like these. It's hard enough to meet someone you have a connection with. If you do, don't worry about their past relationships or lack thereof, focus on the one you are having. There's enough baggage to go around, you'll both have it, so check it at the door whatever it is, and start fresh.

As for Sarah Hampson, the author, she gets a withering look of disapproval(tm).

fade to black

This is a nose to the grindstone weekend to finish writing a few papers so I'll be off-line this weekend and not blogging, but will be back on Monday for a week of blogging, where I will be

• taking new aim at the Globe and Mail and their article about being 40, single and having no chance
• answering the questionnaire from the Actors' Studio
• and talking about the male counterpart of Shirley Bassey, the greatness that is Tom Jones.

Talk to you next week.

PS if you find me online on msn or facebook this weekend, yell at me to get off.

guilty pleasure #15: only in england you say, a pity

I've been a fan of John Barrowman for some time. He is the openly gay actor who stars in Doctor Who and the Doctor Who spin-off Torchwood (currently airing on CBC). I rarely get worked up about a personality, but he is a guilty pleasure for his campy performances, and admirable for living his politics.

I have to speculate that based on youTube, he has never said no to a tv appearance on any show. John's background is in musical theatre, starring in a number of West End shows. Although born in Scotland, he grew up in the United States, but his success has really only been in England.

I love the fact that despite being a relatively big star, he's not afraid to gay it up, even on national TV. Here's two clips from the music trivia show "Never Mind the Buzzcocks" which he appeared on. The first is safe for work, the second is not.





In addition to his TV success, he just released a new album last week. I'm not quite sure what to make of the new album, it's easy listening and influenced by his musical theatre past, but I'm not sure whether I'm loving the arrangements. Given my love of the Police it's no surprise I'm not 100% sold on this cover version. It was performed on the UK (and original) version of "Dancing with the Stars" called "Strictly Come Dancing".



I think one of his best musical performances was this classic from La Cage:

navel gazing

Well this is post #200 here at granted null. I'm surprised I've made it this far.

Blogging at first was very much school driven and focused on the radical change I had made to my life. Once school was done for the year and I was back up north, the blog drifted off and really hadn't made a comeback until the past week or two. I'm sure this current round of blogging is driven by procrastination, given I have a major paper and a minor paper to finish as well as three exams to prep for. Hopefully the current trend will continue past these rapidly approaching deadlines.

As for the navel gazing, I've been spending some time looking at my statcounter program to check out what's bringing people here to to the blog. Now I've lost a lot of people with all the inactivity but I'm not inviting a lot of people back until I know I'm posting consistently again. However, during this most recent spate of blogging it's been quite interesting and quite international.

Since the beginning of November, Dame Shirley Bassey has been the big drawing card. See Britney Spears, you don't have to flash your (rhymes with the capital of Saskatchewan) just to be popular on the internet. You can be classy, brassy and wise and still be a hit online!

Other searches that have brought people to the site, and boy I'm sure people have been disappointed, have been for bjorn again, pictures of Lord Denning, the suffragette movement in Saskatchewan, '40 is the new 20', and 'money can buy love' (wonder what they were looking for!).

As for some of the places, I'm big in the UK, but that's the Dame's crowd. I've also had visitors from Thailand, Belgium, Australia, Bulgaria, Netherlands, Sweden, and Italy. I've also had visitors from the following states: California, Utah, Colorado, New York, Florida, Pennsylvania, Maine, District of Columbia, Virginia, West Virginia, and New Jersey.

So whoever you are, and whether you are here on purpose or by accident, thanks for stopping in.

green and white all over

Here in Saskatchewan! everything is going green and white. Now I understand if you're mistakenly thinking I'm back talking about the green party or st. paddy's day, but no. This is about football. However, at this point I'm pretty sure Kent Austin could be elected King of the Land.

The Saskatchewan Rough Riders have made it to the Grey Cup, and it's like anything else in Saskatchewan has come to a complete halt. I must admit I'm a little baffled. First off, I live in Saskatoon, the Rough Riders play in Regina. What's the big fuss in Saskatoon about Rough Riders? Also, the lead story on every newscast is about the riders, is nothing else happened? Has the province stopped while some guys play football? I guess really it comes down to what you are used to.

I grew up in a Hockey town, and I mean a capital-H hockey town. The hockey team runs that town, even when they suck, which has been the majority of my life. Yes, there is a CFL team, a NBA team, a MLB team and a MLS team, but don't get us wrong, these other sports are okay, but they're no hockey. And the team, they represent the town, not the province.

I've come to realize in Saskatchewan, all they have is the Rough Riders. There's some minor league teams, but the Riders are really the only game in town, no strike that, the only game in the province. I guess that's why Saskatoon/Regina rivalries disappear when it comes to the Riders, well except for maybe which city has the better fans. I guess the Riders are bred into the people here, like hockey was bred into me.

So although I wrap myself in the blue and white forever, I guess this week I'm donning the green and white, at least for a little while.

and the money kept rolling in

Well, my first loan through Kiva has been repaid. Although Natik, the cattle turned sheep breeder in Azerbaijan has received most of the attention, it was in fact the fuel seller in Afghanistan who was the first to repay his loan fully. Although I wasn't getting updates on how the business was doing, payments were being made regularly.

Once a loan is paid, you can withdraw it, donate it to Kiva to help cover operating expenses or reinvest, so it's back into the world of high finance for me. I'm switching continents this time, and heading to Africa, specifically Nigeria. I know the online scams usually start in Nigeria, but so far Kiva and their partners have been dead on, so I'm giving it a shot.

This is Gbemisola Adeshkor:


Gbemisola Adeshokor is 48 years old, married, and has 6 children. She hails from Ibgolerin, in Lagos State, Nigera. Gbemisola sells foods in her local market to support her family, and has been doing so since 1992. Gbemisola would like a loan of $400 to purchase a wider variety of foods to sell.

As of the time I write this blog, Gbemisola is only 56% funded for her $400 so there's still time to jump in if you want to give Kiva a try.

enough with the double-doubles

Okay, this latest Globe and Mail story has me not knowing what to think. Go read it.

At times I want to laugh because it seems silly and sad, but other times it has me seething and shooting the withering look of disapproval(tm) at society for its focus on coupling and the need to label everything.

First the seething: Our society has this constant need to label everyone and everything into little boxes to make it easier for someone else. People who choose or are forced to live outside the little labels just get ostracized, or crammed into some little box where people will judge them.

We have labels for careers, sexuality, relationship status, moods, hobbies, everything. You can't escape them, and for a lot of the time I can't even keep how I'm labeled straight, (no pun intended) let alone anyone else. The worst part is, I know I label other people, either for ease or out of expectations, but I do it.

Now, you can't just be single, you're single-single. Yes, the hordes of coupledom are once again foricing people's singleness down their own throats. Why are we forcing people to label the kind of relationships that they have? Each person's relationship is different, but we keep wanting to force it into little categories or labels.

Now laughter: I find this need to distinguish between different types of singles silly, and almost pathetic. For some reason certain people who choose to live alone need some sort of label to try to fit themselves in the 'couples' club. It's like they are saying: "It's okay, you can talk to me, I'm not single, I'm single-double, somebody loves me; we don't live together, but I'm not like those other ones!"

I can't be the only one finding this laughable. As the article points out, our relationships are beginning to sound like Tim Horton's orders, not mature aspects of our lives.

I think it's great when someone does find someone that they can have a relationship with, but I also respect those people who may choose to remain single. Most of all, we should show some respect to those people who are single, but would rather be in a relationship.

These labels will only make it worse for them, "Oh, you're single-single? How sad, just haven't met the right person yet." Nothing like reinforcing their single status by saying it twice.

As for my label, I'm not going to be drawn into that game.

is that like the swinger's case?

I was chatting online with the little sister (my non-biological sibling) and she mentioned a blog swap. My first reaction was thinking it was like the wife swapping swinger's case the Supreme Court of Canada, but then I realized I have just been thinking of law school way too much.

A fellow blogger organized the blog swap. Bloggers would write a post for someone else's blog anonymously and it had to be confessional in nature. No one would know who wrote what.

It's a neat idea and another example of how interesting links and relationships form online.

For information on the blog swap or to ready the entries head over to the little sister's blog.

nine to five, what a way to make a living

I have been described, and it appears have described myself as a type-A person. You know what I mean; intense, competitive and ambitious. But it appears when it comes to genetics, sleep and work style I'm firmly in the type-B camp.

According to this article from the Globe and Mail, there is a growing movement to recognize the differences between early- and late-risers. Some people it appears, are genetically different and are night owls.

When I was employed as a spin doctor and lobbyist to make the world a better place for lawyers (and people wonder how I ended up in law school), this was completely the case. I've always tended to be a night owl and this was one place that could accommodate my tendencies. Thankfully our member lawyers preferred to meet at night, outside of their normal billable hours. I immediately seized on all these late night meetings as an excuse to come in late each day.

Unfortunately, I was not able to wander in at 11 am each day, but generally my bosses and I had an agreement. I would not be in the office at 8:30 am when the rest of the staff would all be in place, but I would always be there by 9:30 am. In return they knew I would be there to six or seven at night, and later if we had an evening meeting.

I thrived in that environment. In particular I enjoyed that last hour of the day between six and seven when I would be one of the only ones in the office. It was quiet, I had time to think, the phone wouldn't ring and I could organize myself for the next day. Some of my best writing and ideas would happen in these late-night hours. In return for some flexibility on start times, my employer received the benefit of better work.

One day, I hope to work for myself where I can control my hours, and if I need to write memos at nine at night, I'll be free to do it.

mr. big stuff, who do you think you are?

I was at the grocery store today picking up a few items and one of my biggest pet peeves happened again. No, it wasn't someone who was surprised at the idea they have to pay; it was a person who insisted on shopping from the check-out line.

Now, when I say shopping from the check-out line, I don't mean this person was humming and hawing over which magazine or candy to buy in the tantrum inducing parent trap that is the check-out display. I mean this person had their basket of goods on the conveyor belt but was proceeding to run around the store and pick up those items she so "conveniently forgot". Seriously, who forgets to grab hot dog buns when you've picked up hot dogs?

If it was one item, maybe I'd be prepared to cut a person some slack, but when you're going up and down aisles, come on! Proper shopping etiquette means lifting your basket off the conveyor belt, putting it aside, giving a little wave to the next person in line, and THEN dashing madly around the store to get your items.

This grocery store is not a large one, and is never overly busy so it's not like a spot near the front of the check-out line is a precious commodity. Particularly in this case where all the woman's items were still in a basket, there was no reason to hold a spot.

I can understand if you have all your items laid out on the conveyor; but even in that case at least acknowledge the inconvenience you are causing to the people behind you. A knowing look, a 'slap-stick style' hand to the head pronouncing what you've forgotten will garner some good will, or at least neutral feelings. Do you think I like whipping out my 'withering look of disapproval'(tm)?

Maybe I'll follow in the footsteps of Mr. Smith and pen a book on etiquette for the modern man and woman: how to navigate your way through society without invoking the withering look of disapproval(tm) from those of us in the know.

free rice

Although not as exciting a headline as free drugs, I still hope that I can draw your attention to Freerice.com.

This web site is a sister site to Poverty.com and has two main goals.

1. Provide English vocabulary to everyone for free.
2. Help end world hunger by providing rice to hungry people for free.

The site gives you a word, and four possible meanings. For each right answer advertisers on the site will purchase 10 grains of rice to be distributed through the United Nations Food Program. Just a few minutes of play can really add up the grains of rice.

Plus the more you play the more you learn. The vocabulary level goes up and down based on the number of correct or incorrect answers. If you get one wrong, keep playing as your rice total will contine to go up.

a time to remember

gulity pleasure 14: there's nothing like a dame

It's been a long time since I've delved into the world of my guilty pleasures so I figured it was time. I know many of you are fearful of my indulgences in britpop, but this one is a more classic take on britpop - Dame Shirley Bassey.

I don't think any other singer is more frequently associated with James Bond, then Dame Bassey. She is the only singer to have recorded more than one James Bond theme song, having done sung the themese to Goldfinger, Diamonds are Forever, and Moonraker.

I'm a big fan of cover versions as it's always interesting to see what another artist does with a song. I'm also a fan of Dames, not just members of the Order of the British Empire, but those brassy, big-voiced female singers who can own a song with their voice and stylings. In either definition, Dame Shirley Bassey fits the bill.

This cover version has a nice lounge, James Bond vibe fitting Bassey's signature style.

waiting for angelina...

Well, this first term of second year here at the little law school on the prairie has certainly been an interesting one. The law students have practically been refugees, between the crazy housing market and the absence of a law school, we've been bouncing from one refugee camp (Kirk Hall) to another (Albert Community Centre). At this point, the highlight is an expected visit from Angelina Jolie. Isn't she due for another tour of refugee camps, and another possible adoption (just think I could call Brad Pitt "daddy").

This term, we have been refugees on the main campus. I have classes in five different buildings across campus, when they are back to back it's particularly challenging to make it. Classes, normally taught in two 90 minute groups are now being taught in one hour blocks three times a week in whatever available space we could eke it.

The reason we're refugees is the construction of the new home of the LLSOP. Originally promised for September, then October, and then November things we're finally looking up for a home of our own. Just as they were slowly letting us into the new building, the university support staff went on strike.

Naturally being Saskatchewan, there is a lot of support for unions (despite this week's election results) and many of our professors and some students didn't want to have to cross a picket line. Now, it's important to note CUPE did not ask us not to cross, but faster than Angelina adopts a child, we were refugees once more.

Teased with only a small taste of our new home, we were forced off campus to the Albert Community Centre. Now, true we are back to being in one building, but the building is shared with several dance schools, the pottery guild and all sorts of arts classes. It's interesting to walk around and see signs like "no tap shoes in the hallway". Being in classrooms with ballet bars and walls of mirrors can be quite distracting (and yes I can still get my leg up that high).

We're being told that we're benefiting from the exposure to real life that this gives us, but that's fine for the young kids who have never been out of school. However, the school forgets many of us have already been in the real world, know what it's like, and went back to school to get away from it for a while.

first, a jump to the left, then a step to the right

Well, the election results are in and what was once the great socialist state of Saskatchewan, is now conservative country.

Putting my dramatic introduction aside, the results of the Saskatchewan election probably aren't very surprising or particularly important. Despite fear-mongering and concern over the Sask Party's conservative roots, this was not a major shift in Saskatchewan.

Almost 17 years ago, Saskatchewan took a step to the left, electing an NDP majority and defeating a scandal-ridden conservative government. Recognizing that they could not get past their scandalous past, several conservative MLAs and some Liberals MLAs formed the right-wing Saskatchewan Party. Despite their best efforts, the NDP continued to be elected as government (albeit with small majorities and one minority).

After several defeats, and the election of a new leader roughly four years ago, the Sask Party did what all right-wing parties need to do to get elected; they ran to the centre.

In fact, the result of this election, is simply a small step to the right. Brad Wall, our new Premier will be well served to remember that he ran in the centre and he needs to govern from the centre. A quick return to the party's right-wing conservative roots will simply result in a defeat in four years.

What is interesting in this election, is that the NDP which has governed from the centre for the last several years, were pushed out of the centre by the Sask Party during the campaign. In the first few days of the campaign, the NDP took a bold jump to the left with a universal drug plan promise, that some say cost them the election.

I think it just goes to show you, that despite labels of right and left, the majority of Canadians want a government that sits squarely in the mushy middle.

he-man goes butch...

Some of you may remember this earlier post full of rampant speculation about He-Man. The youtube video took the butch out of He-man and injected a full load of camp.

Well it appears times are changing, and one of He-man's more influential fans has it in his mind to butch He-man back up through a feature film. Comic book writer and filmmaker Kaare Andrews wants to do a He-man feature film. He is so committed that he has produced a teaser video to pitch the film. The full story and video can be found here.

money can buy you love

Long-time readers of the blog may remember my dalliance into the world of international finance through Kiva. My first project was to support a young, single cattle breeder in Azerbaijan named Natik.

It's been a while since I wrote about Natik but I got an update today and things are progressing well. The loan was for $800 and Natik has repaid 75% of the loan and appears to be ahead of schedule on his loan repayment. However things are looking up for Natik generally.

I recieved the following journal update by email today:

This young man before was single. He is very thankful to Kiva for the loan. He improved his business. Before he raised the calves but now he raises the sheep. Now he has a lot of sheep. Having improved his business he married. He is very happy and is very thankful for all his success to Kiva.

Yes Natik has gotten married now that his business has improved - it appears money can buy you love, in Azerbaijan at least. I'm sure this is just the result of translation or poor English, but all kidding aside, I'm quite proud of Natik. I'm not sure what happened to the cows, but he now has a thriving sheep business and the start of a family. It all started with a group of people donating $25 online, it's pretty amazing.

Here's the most recent photo from his operation:

the face of an organization

Okay, for today's entry you will need to read a couple of posts from the little sister's blog. I know most of you are regular readers of her blog, but just in place, read these posts:

Post One
Post Two

Alright, you've read them, good. Now here's my two cents.

I would agree that a broad sweeping policy that would apply to all employees of the CBC was ridiculous and I'm glad they changed it. I'm still not sure that they have it right, but it's getting closer. However, from my background in PR, I will fully defend CBC's decision to try to bring in some control.

The CBC like all other media has moved from simply a team of reporters to a mix of reporters, columnists, and personalities. It used to be reporters would report the news and hosts would read the news. Now, reporters interview other reporters, opinions are regularly given, and reporters (and I know many will disagree) put their own 'spin' on the story. The CBC heavily markets their lead reporters and columnists. We constantly see their faces in commercials, and have come to associate them with the CBC.

Now if some of these "stars" of the CBC were to have their own blogs, people would not make the distinction between the views and opinions they hold as individuals, and the views and opinions they offer on the CBC. It's fair for the CBC to want to protect their reputation from comments made by employees that people won't distinguish as not being from the CBC.

I would hold official "spokespeople" to the same standard. For several organizations, I was the main spokesperson as the face of the organization. I was always very cautious when I was "out and about" not to throw around my views recognizing that people may not make the distinction between my view and the organization's view.

The joy right now is that I don't represent any one organization, so I'm free to say what I want on my blog without a disclaimer.

bjorn again?

Recently I've had two visits from Stockholm, Sweden here to the blog. After the first visit, I figured it was a bit of a fluke, they found the blog by mistake, or by hitting the "next blog" function on the site. After a return visit a week later, I realize it may not have been an accident.

Although there are any number of rational explanations for this, I am convinced that Bjorn from ABBA visited the blog. It's only natural, given the genius that is ABBA has often been a focus of conversation here at grantednull.

So, just in case Bjorn returns again, I wanted to find a way to express how I feel, but in their genius, he and Benny had already taken the words right out of my mouth.

me and the suffragettes

For the second fall in a row there's an election going on and I don't get to vote. Unfortunately, to most people this wouldn't really be a matter of great concern, but to a political junkie like me it's just wrong.

After months of speculation, and to no one's surprise, the Saskatchewan Premier called a provincial election this week. Coming quick on the heels of Ontario and Newfoundland and Labrador, this fall has been a robust election year, let alone speculation of a pending federal election ($10 it won't happen this fall).

It kills me not to be able to vote, and the usual response from most people, is "you've been here long enough, you can vote". That's true, but I (and Revenue Canada) don't consider me a resident of Saskatchewan. I like to think I'm here in the prairies for a good time, but not a long time.

If it was just these things, maybe I could vote, but its hard to justify voting here in Saskatchewan next month, when earlier this month I voted in the general election in the Northwest Territories.

It was a tough choice, considering at the moment Saskatchewan probably has more direct control over my life, but I felt it was important to vote in the NWT. In what is the quintessential act of Canadian politics, sometimes it's not as important as who you vote for, as the satisfaction of voting against somebody else.

So while a provincial election rages on around me, I will sit back, relax and have some tea with the other modern day, vote-deprived mobile suffragettes.

my memory eludes me

Recently, it was prom here at the little law school on the prairie. "Prom" as we like to call it was the first year formal. Traditionally the first years had to throw a banquet in honour of the upper years in return for not being subject to initiation. Now, the LSA runs it and it's just a big dress-up, booze-up right before the thanksgiving long weekend. Prom is known (much like St. Paddy's Day and the end of the year) as one of the big scandalous evenings of the year.

Last year, my personal scandalous behaviour was grabbing a male classmate's ass. In my own defence, it was in context. He was asking for a recommended line of action, I offered my suggestion and gave an example. True, this proved to be mild by the standards I set later in the year, but at the time, one month in, it was scandalous. The next day, on the phone we all compared our scandals and sagas from the night before.

A year later, prom has occurred and we meet for mid-day breakfast the next day to debrief the scandals and the sagas of the night before. After revelations from a classmate of their scandal, I proudly proclaim how I was not too drunk and was scandal free. It's funny how the human brain works.

Over the next week bits and pieces come out from formal, and I learn of other's scandalous behaviour and continue to look down from the moral high ground. I first became concerned when I didn't remember scandalous behaviour done "to me" rather than "by me" - such as a cowboy-style lap dance on a park bench by the guy belonging to the aforementioned ass. The fact that I didn't remember this was concerning in that maybe I was drunker than I thought.

However, if that was the worst that happened, I was still safely standing on firm ground, despite a few blank spots in my memory of the evening. That all ended last night. A week of feeling proud of myself, of proclamations of good behaviour beyond reproach all came crashing down around me.

After class last night, a number of us went out for drinks. Somehow the conversation turned to inappropriate behaviour and the importance of context. I jumped in and said at least when I grabbed [Name withheld to protect the innocent]'s ass, it was in context. The cowboy-lap dancer whose name is being withheld pipes up and says "It was last year, but not this year." My heart sank at these words.

"What do you mean this year?" It appears late in the evening (however pre-lap dance) I am told I grabbed the same ass again this year under the excuse of "It's not formal until I grab your ass". I say I am "told" because I really don't remember this happening (although it's starting to come back to me I think), but it does sound like something I would say.

Maybe our brains wipe these things out in an attempt to protect ourselves, however it's of no use unless we can block it out of other people's heads as well.

hitting my stride

Well it's almost one month into my second year here at the LLSOP, and I really feel like I'm beginning to hit my stride. Second year is a completely different beast. One of the things that I like is that I get to take the classes that I want (well subject to balloting). It's one thing to have read 50-60 pages a night, but it's a whole other thing to read 50-60 pages a night of stuff you are interested in.

My courses this term include Evidence, Environmental Law, International Law, Indian and Aboriginal Law, Law Reform and Law Review. Yes six courses. Law Review really isn't a full course, but one I'll do all year. Next term I get to drop one course in lieu of the work I do in Law Review.

For those non-lawyers out there, the law review is a scholarly journal published by the LLSOP. 18 students (9 3rd yr and 9 2nd year) form an editorial board which makes decisions on what articles are published, and other editorial (and editing) tasks.

Also, this year, all of my marks don't rest on one 3-hour final exam. In two of my courses, I get to do papers. One major paper (worth 100%) is on environmental protection of arctic waters, while another (worth 60%) is likely going to be on reforming Saskatchewan's Human Rights Code. I know these may sound dry to many of you, but for me it's like a kid in a candy store. Somewhere along the way, I became a law school nerd, I'm not sure when it happened but I'm coming to terms with it.

room to breathe

Yes I am back at the little law school on the prairie for my second year of law school, but more on school later. Today, it's time to talk about the prairies.

Over the last week, I've had the opportunity to get out of Saskatoon and onto the prairie proper twice. Once a morning trip to Delisle, Saskatchewan for breakfast, and then a weekend trip to Edmonton.

On the trip to Delisle, I had a person from Toronto, who now lives in London, England along who had never seen the prairies. The sense of wonder shown by this person got me thinking about the prairies.

On the drive back to the LLSOP I went through canadian shield, boreal forest, massive mountains, and towering cedars. Although the mountains make you feel small, the prairie sky can have the same effect. Nothing can make you feel as small or as insignificant as a clear, vast prairie sky.

As a kid, I always considered the prairie's dull and boring, and slept through that part of the cross-country car ride, but I now realize that the prairies can give you something that I think we all want these days, which is a little room to breathe.

this one's for sally

Sally, aka seriously frivolous just a short little video to offer my congratulations on the big news!



PS - you'd totally rock the white gogo boots on your wedding day!

holding out for a hero

It's been a while since I've written about my brother. Recently however I've found myself talking about him more in various different conversations. Everyone always seems impressed when I say my brother's a firefighter.

I don't have the same sense of awe, as I prefer to have a healthy sense of denial about what my brother does. In my world, he doesn't run into burning buildings, he drives the truck at best. Big fires happen when my brother is off shift (which is statistically valid, considering he works seven out of 28 days).

Every now and then something comes along to shatter these illusions, both on a large and small scale.

I remember watching the live coverage of 9/11 and seeing the World Trade Centres collapse, knowing there were firefighters who were other people's brothers in there. Whenever there are accidents involving firefighters, I head straight to the phone and call my brother. I don't have much to say but just have to call.

A few months ago my mother sent me a photo of my brother that appeared in the Toronto Star. It was the back of him and another firefighter (their names are on the backs of the jackets like athletes so it was clear it was him). First my brother who is shorter than I am looked like a kid compared to the other firefighter. He was responding to a gas explosion. This photo not helpful for the denial.

However, my brother sent me the following photo of himself today. I don't know who took it or where it came from but the photo does much to reassure me.


See, after finishing driving the truck my brother stands and drinks coffee while other people run into burning buildings. My brother said to crop out the coffee cup but I'm holding on to that cup of coffee harder than he is.

what would russell do: "look twins"

In a small town, what do you do when someone else is wearing the same clothes?

The other day I passed a guy on the street wearing pretty much the same outfit as me. Our shirts were identical and we were both in jeans. I smiled, silently congratulating him on his style choices, walked on and didn’t look back. Thankfully this was a simple run-in on the street, but at times it’s been someone in the same meeting where there is no escape.

In any other town this may be a fashion faux pas, but I’ve come to accept it as a fact of life here in the ‘knife. There are very few places for men to shop in this town, one high-end (and I use the term loosely) shop, one practical store and two low-end chain stores. One of these stores is off-limit as a friend of mine once said to his niece, “Honey, we don’t buy shoes at Wal-Mart!”

Unfortunately the numbers are against us; someone in town is going to have bought the same clothes as you. Sooner or later they will be wearing the same outfit on the same day and your paths will cross.

I think my reaction above is the appropriate response, but what if the clothes look better on the other person? Is a simple acknowledgment enough, should you go home and change?

Also, if you are a co-worker of people in this situation, don’t go around clapping your hands together and saying “look twins” or making proclamations like “wow, you guys are dressed alike”. We know already and don’t need it pointed out.

i'm a trailer park boy

This summer I bought a 1976 Boler that had been completely refinished. It's a small fibreglass travel trailer, about 10' from front to back, 13' including the hitch. It sleeps three, and has two areas that convert between beds and dinette, a dinette that sits 3-4 that converts to sleep two, and a dinette that seats 2 that converts to sleep one. It also includes a sink, built-in cooler and lots of storage.

True it's not the trailer home envisioned below, but it's something easy that I can take on the road. It's also the same idea, small and minimal. What's funny is how much interest it draws. As one of the 'knife moms pointed out, in a time when camping rigs are getting bigger and bigger it's amazing how many people want a look inside in my wee trailer.

It's been out to a local campground twice so far this year, and I have to say that it makes camping pretty comfortable. A nice foam bed and solid walls mean a dry, comfortable place to sleep.

It's a luxury item considering I'm in school, but it will be helpful for the trips back and forth from the 'knife to the 'toon. This year one of the law school BFs will be coming up to the 'knife and we're going to take a two week trip down with the camper.

Long-term I think when I'm done law school I hope to take a month or two off and do a North American road trip with the trailer. From toon to the Grand Canyon then out to the pacific coast and all the way up to Alaska and then down and over to the NWT.

a home of my own

When I first moved to the ‘knife five years ago (this week actually), the housing market was going strong. I was fortunate to time my arrival for a condo conversion project that was still reasonably priced. This was my first foray into the housing market and it went well, seeing a healthy return in only a few years.

However, the housing market in the ‘knife has still been going strong all these years later, although some think it may be maxing out. A similar boom is going on in toon town and is responsible for the rent increase discussed below.

I have serious concerns about what I’ll be able to buy when I come back after law school. I remember when I first moved north my Toronto friends threatened an intervention if I ended up living in a trailer park. Some swore they would fly north, kidnap me and return me to downtown. Realistically though, a trailer may be my only option.

I’ve been in enough trailers now to know that they can actually be quite nice, and they are a good alternative in a land where it is so expensive to build. I’ve housesat in quite a few and visited many more, but there’s always a little part of me that thinks of those poor people living in trailers in the southern United States who seem to be magnets for tornados. Until now that is. I’ve found the trailer of my dreams.

It was the smallest thumbnail of a photo on the Globe and Mail web site that led to the discovery of my dream trailer. An article about small space eco-living. An architect has designed a trailer that can operate off-grid, but still look fabulous.


The entire trailer is 273 sq feet but brilliantly laid out. With solar panels, wind power and a large water reservoir you can put the trailer down anywhere and just start living. You can even order it furnished. With one or two add-on rooms, it can be modified or changed. As much care has been put into designing the interior as the exterior to create what could be considered a stunning home in any setting. For more info, visit www.sustain.ca.

If I’m going to be trailer trash, I’m gonna be designer trailer trash.

fill up the bowl, sugar daddy

In an earlier post I talked about the sugar daddy relationship. Today, the Globe and Mail took a rather different look at the subject. In the technology section there was a story on a web site called seekingarrangement.com. Yes it is exactly what it sounds like, boy toys and young women can advertise their desire for a sugar daddy, while daddies and I’m sure some sugar mommas can advertise their desire for a younger companion.

I remember a song lyric that said “pimpin’ ain’t easy”, but this new web site makes it appear easy. Looking to pimp yourself out for $5,000 a month, sign up now. Willing to spend your fortune on a young coed’s tuition, start surfing.

Hmm, tuition, I wonder if I could find someone to cover my recent rent increases… excuse me I have some self-marketing to do.

is the winged red gopher dead?

I recently got this card in the mail from one of the Saskatoon Uncles and it has now taken on a whole new meaning. Many of you will know that I'm not a big fan of socialism, my views lean more towards conservatism. However, having to live in the great socialist state of Sasktachewan! I thought I would at least receive some benefits living under NDP rule, but no.

It seems like the only thing charging forward with boundless enthusiasm in Saskatchewan is rent.The Uncles were checking my mail and apartment the other day and found a notice saying my rent is going up 12 per cent on October 1. This is the new apartment that I moved in to on April 1 paying the market rate.

How is it that in such a socialist state, there is no rent control. I've looked at the Residential Tenancies Act and there are no limits whatsoever. As long as three months notice is given, rent can be increased. There's not even a limit on the number of times rent can be increased. I am not a fan of rent controls and recognize the problems with them, but there at least should be a limit on how often rent can be increased.

What amazes me is that there appears to be no big outcry. There are stories of people in Saskatoon being forced out of apartments because of rent increases but no outcry. I think the government is so excited that the economy is booming and an election likely this fall, that they are afraid to say and do anything to mess it up.

Now that many former socialist leaders sit on boards of booming Saskactewan resource companies, they are too busy watching their stocks rapidly rise in value to notice that prairie socialism is dying.

you can't always get what you want

As summer begins to wind its way towards fall, thoughts turn back to school. This process is being moved along by what the little law school on the prairie likes to call "balloting".

Balloting is a complicated and onerous process to choose our classes. You start with a list of classes being offered, and full descriptions of each class, including who will be teaching. From that you develop a wish list of 10 to 16 classes that you would like to take. I unfortunately have a list of around 30.

Then you take these classes and look at the course schedule and start crossing off courses that conflict with each other. You then review the exam schedule and once again cross courses off that conflict, or that you don't like how the exam is scheduled compared to others. For example, back to back exams. Some people do course selection based on the exam schedule alone (all early to make for a longer christmas break, or evenly spaced to avoid stress).

You then need to look at mark distribution from previous years for those courses still on your list to see if they are overly hard or easy. This is also a factor when determining which prof you want teaching.

Still with me, good, cause we're not quite done. Finally, you have to review enrollment numbers for previous years. Because we ballot for classes, you need to rank those classes that fill up quickly (i.e. Evidence) higher than those that don't (Jurisprudence). Really, you need a degree in logistics to figure this all out.

I've been working on course selection for a while only to come to the same conclusion as the Rolling Stones, "you can't always get what you want". First, too many of my choices conflict. I can't take Family Law and Current Issue in Law Reform because they happen at the same time. You then need to start projecting course selection over the next two years.

Second, I need to find a balance between the courses I want to take and the courses I should take. I realize that if I take all the courses I want, I'll graduate with no marketable skills and be completely unprepared for articling. I'm drawn to the law school equivalents of "basketweaving", such as "Canadian Legal History" and "Law and Culture" while completely disinterested in useful course like "Tax 1" and "Civil Procedure".

So I will continue to plug away at balloting, probably right up to the deadline of July 30, when my selection becomes "locked in". Becuase if I really try, I might just find that I'll get what I need.

the blog is back

Willkommen, bienvenue, welcome. It appears there have been some new visitors to the blog lately. As the little sister’s notoriety grows, it appears a few more people are finding their way to my blog. As you may note, there has been a long dry spell on the blog, but hopefully it will be back and full of life over the next couple of weeks.

blogus interruptus

As many of you have noticed, blogging has slowed to a glacial pace since I've moved back closer to the Arctic. Given how infrequent the blog entries have become I've decided to put the blog on hiatus for the next few months. I'll be leaving the blog up, but probably won't be posting again for a while, possibly as late as September when I return to school. If events change and I start blogging again regularly before then, I'll let those regular readers I know about know.

Thanks for all your comments, feedback, visits and support since this blogging experiment began.

Glen

a few simple rules...

I think Russell Smith has been too busy with his various other projects to be out and about this spring advocating the better rules of fashion. Whether it is his Globe column, his CBC radio show, or hiding from the jihad the little sister has launched against him on her blog, something has been keeping him quiet on the topic of clothing.

Whatever the reason, I have decided that he hasn't been out and about, and I offer the following guidelines for the fashionably challenged I have seen or discussed in the last few days.

First, it was scorching hot in Edmonton this weekend, where I was for the Police concert (more on this later). I understand it was the first nice weekend in spring and people would want to enjoy it. But guys, if you're skin is pasty white and you're boney, keep a shirt on. I'm willing to accept shorts, but your white pasty ribs in my face, NO.

I'm sure some of you pasty white boney people are saying "oi - how am I supposed to get dark if I can't reveal my pasty white skin". TAN IN YOUR BACKYARDS! Once you have some meat and colour on your body, come on out. Until then - keep it under wraps.

Next, for the girls - it's a night out, you want to have a good time, show off some assets. Hoochie it up a little, I understand. However, those tarty clothes don't fit anymore, put them away. Don't pry yourself into those old jeans, with boobs, butts and rolls falling out all over. Really, keep it away. Pick up some new clothes, you'll look even sexier.

At spin class the other day, the subject of bike shorts came up. Do you wear anything under your bike shorts. The answer from the instructor was if the short's padded, nothing goes under. My advice if you're not crazy about bike shorts, the double short is a solution, bike shorts, with an outer short attached.

Finally at lunch today, office attire came up. Tank tops, cut-offs and flip flops are not appropriate for the workplace, particularly if you work in a jail. First, practical reasons, if I'm working in a jail, I want to be able to run, which is not going to happen in flip flops. As the little sister sarcstically said, "Why not? I like to walk around with a t-shirt that says slut across my breasts when I go to the jail". People, remember where you are.

I know I seem very uptight and strict about these things (possibly prudish?) but really if we all follow these rules, the world could be a better place.

has it really come down to this...

I was out for lunch last week at a restaurant here in the 'knife, one of the nicer places in town. Not fancy, but nice and clean with a fairly professional clientele.

I went to the bathroom and saw the following sign posted over the toilet:

PLEASE FLUSH TOILET AFTER YOU USE IT

As a society have we become so completely programmed that we can no longer think for ourselves? Is this something we really need to be told. Don't we learn this at a young age? Has a whole generation grown up who can't think for themselves or take any initiative?

I can understand the signs in bathrooms asking people to was their hands, there are valid public health issues, particularly when the sign reminds staff to do it, but to flush? Come On!

Maybe I just don't get this world today.

is 40 the new 20?

This was something a friend of mine asked the other day. He's found now that he's 40 there's all these twenty-somethings pouring attention on to him. I had a similar experience myself the other day with some serious facebook flirting from a 20 year old.

Are older men what younger men are into? There's a long tradition of younger/older men, so-called "sugar daddies" and "boy toys". I always thought you needed to be older than 40 to be a sugar daddy. I consider myself in my 'tween' years; too young to be sugar daddy, too old to be a boy toy. But is 40 now sugar daddy territory? At 40 I'll be barely a lawyer, so I won't be in any position to play sugar daddy.

But what is driving this interest in older men? Are these young men looking to these older men as a role model, as a teacher or as a conquest? I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

In honour of today's post, I offer you some Patsy Gallant: