We've been in the lower mainland for two days and a bit, now... and I continue to be surprised by the amount of snow that lingers... huge drifts of wet, heavy stuff. It rains a bit, then it freezes a bit, then it snows a bit... nothing out of the ordinary for Ontario, and not that uncommon for parts of Alberta. But to the greater Vancouver area, this is causing major consternation! There just aren't enough snowplows. Heck, there aren't enough snow shovels! The sidewalks are not being shovelled. Driveways are not being shovelled. People have simply dropped their vehicles on clear patches of the road in front of their homes, making it very difficult to get around on the side streets. And the secondary roads that have been plowed have been done with such caution for the curbing and property frontages that the passable portions are very narrow... a lane-and-a-half in way too many places. The municipalities really haven't got the infrastructure to delivery ice melt/sand in the proper mix for the climate. I must note, however, that I haven't seen a huge number of traffic accidents... people are very wary of the conditions. If this was Edmonton, they'd simply ignore the potential and become the disasters...

Currently we are staying with friends in Langley; they've got the right vehicle for travel with these road conditions, and they live in a townhouse complex that has good drainage for dealing with the bulk of the snow and rain... but tonight we are transferring over to friends in West Vancouver who are not set up for this quite so well. The West Vancouverites have had their two vehicles (a vintage Ford Mustang and a late model Jaguar) trapped in their respective garages by the snow build up in the access alley, or lane. The lane rolls down into a bit of a depression, a step on the way down to the sea, and the snow has been collecting there making things a bit of a challenge... when we spoke with them on Sunday, they had been housebound for two days and were about to try their escape.

The kid and her air travel woes...

Our eldest daughter finally made it to Toronto yesterday, and hopefully will be finding her way to Pittsburgh today... but, in her parlance, "What a gong show!"

J started out for Harrisburg, Pennsylvania on Christmas Day... routing from Edmonton to Vancouver to Seattle to Harrisburg. Her flight into Vancouver was cancelled. So, she was re-scheduled and re-routed to fly Edmonton to Toronto to Cleveland to Harrisburg yesterday, which she did, but only part way. She managed to get as far as Toronto before ice fogs cancelled her flight into Cleveland.

While standing in line for three and a half hours to get her flights juggled, yet again, she passed out, falling and smacking her head with some force on the simulated marble floors of Toronto International. EMTs were called...

She passed out because she had nothing to eat or drink for over three and a half hours... she was afraid to leave her place in line, and of course there are rules about abandoning luggage et.al. in an airport, or in asking for others to look after it while you seek out refreshment.

Aside from the goose egg sized bump on her head, she appears to be okay.

When she did come to... and she was already out of line, she made an emergency phone call to her roommate in Edmonton, who then called me asking if I could make a booking for J at the Travelodge near the airport just in case she didn't get a flight out that night. I was, unfortunately, sitting in the middle of the Edmonton airport fearing the worse for my own flight to Vancouver. Oh, and J doesn't have a cell phone... she cancelled it to save money. J was phoning Edmonton from a payphone using spare change; there was no way to phone her back. And did I tell you that she also recently cancelled all her credit cards? The girl is just dreadful with money management...

Okay, so I called the national reservation line for Travelodge and was told that they would be more than happy to reserve a room for her, but needed my credit card number to hold the room, given that it was already after 4 pm local time... I asked the obvious question; what happens if she gets a flight out and doesn't use the room? "Oh, well, we'll just have to charge the 'no show' to your credit card, sir!"

I decided not to make the reservation... instead I phoned the Travelodge directly and spoke with a lovely woman who was really quite helpful, up to a point. First of all she assured me that there were plenty of rooms available, and that if J did show up, they would be able to give her one without an 'official' reservation. Secondly, she would be sure to give J a message to call me immediately. So far so good, eh? Now it gets just plain stupid. She also told me that she could not accept my credit card as payment for the room, should J show up on their doorstep, unless I could fax her my signature, and an image of both sides of the card.

Travelodge will take your 'third party' credit card for a reservation, and 'hit' it if your party doesn't show, but their company policy is not to take a third party credit card for payment on a room actually occupied.

J did show up at the Travelodge while we were in the air on our way to Vancouver. The Travelodge had a real problem with her wanting to pay cash... and only gave her a room when she assured them that she would get in touch with me, and I would be providing a credit card number, as soon as I landed. The hotel manager, Brendan, was gracious enough to break the rules to allow me to do the 'third party' thing for her room...

Damn, but this is turning into a very expensive December!

Its our understanding that J will be on a flight to Pittsburgh later this afternoon... her friend in Harrisburg will be driving the 3 hours to pick her up there. I just wonder how long its going to take for her to get back to Edmonton...

Delayed...

We are supposed to be in BC with friends at this point. We aren't. Vancouver airport just doesn't seem to be able to deal with snow and freezing rain. We had arrived at the Edmonton airport on time yesterday afternoon, having checked before we left home that the flight was posted as being 'on time', when all of a sudden the gentleman at the gate announced that we would be delayed leaving for a minimum of two hours because Vancouver (YVR) had shut down to deal with the snow and rain. After an hour of waiting, the airline (Westjet) just gave up and cancelled the flight. We were sent home... and we try again this afternoon at 5:15 pm.

I do worry about both Vancouver's and Victoria's ability to deal with snow and crappy weather; what the heck are they going to do if the weather turns foul during the 2010 Olympics? Hopefully this botched Christmas season was a wake up call to the airport authorities, and the airlines!

Westjet was very good... very helpful, and very cheerful throughout the process. Avis, on the hand, was less than accommodating. I phoned the Vancouver outfit that we were supposed to rent a vehicle from to let them know that we wouldn't be arriving until the next day. But they informed me that they didn't have a car to rent me the next day! I offered to pay the extra day for the car that they were going to give me if we had arrived on time, but they are unable to process payments over the phone! So, we end up loosing a day's vehicle rental... but they end up loosing a customer. I've booked a car with another renter, to be picked up on Sunday.

The other thing that annoyed me was the cost of the cab to get home to St. Albert... I've done the math over and over, and can't believe that it is cheaper to drive my own vehicle to the airport and pay for parking there for the week than it is to take a cab both ways. It really is no wonder that the airport authority has had to expand its parking facilities, and that the taxi queue at the airport is always very long and never seems to move... I suspect that a lot of the greater Edmonton residents using the airport have figured out that it is cheaper to 'park and fly'.

I just keep muttering to myself; we could have driven the jeep to Vancouver...

In the meantime, I figured that I would just post a couple of pictures; me, my father, and G., and my father and G. These were taken last week when we attended the memorial of one of Dad's sisters in Victoria...

Merry Christmas... Ho Ho Ho... Damn!

Its 10:30 pm on Christmas Day evening... G. and my younger sister have retired for the day, leaving me with time to update this blog. And yes, I do know that I haven't touched it for a couple of weeks... and a few things have happened, not all of which I'll go into tonight, but I will get to them eventually... like the trip to my aunt's memorial service in Victoria, with snow (wierd damned weather this year!) and the rental car that I banged up (damn! but I wish there was someone/something to blame that on), visits with my Dad, and the other two aunts, cousins and staying at a fabulous little boutique hotel, The Magnolia... and then there is the latest round of visits to the heath care support team; iRSM for the swallows (expect a new floroscope in the new year) and the Cross Cancer Institute physio team about my shoulder. But for tonight we stick to the last couple of days.

By the way, the weather in Canada sucks. Why the hell do people live here? For the first time in nearly twenty years, the entire country, including Victoria and Vancouver, is having a white Christmas. The normal average temperature for Christmas Day in Edmonton is -7.5 degrees C. Today it was -22 C. (Throw in an expletive wherever it makes more dramatic sense.) I tell ya, its @#$%^&* cold out there... and I'm not enjoying it this year. My hands have never been colder... and it feels like its all the damn time. I once enjoyed the cold, and the snow. Really. Not this year. It just feels like an imposition. And this bloody weather may compromise our attempt to get to Vancouver to see friends. We're supposed to fly out tomorrow afternoon, but it may not happen... the snow in Vancouver has caused more than one flight to be cancelled today, and yesterday, and the day before...

In fact eldest daughter J's flights routing her through Vancouver>Seattle>Harrisburg got pulled today. She's back home trying to figure out how to get into New York to be with her good buddy to plan a wedding; J gets to be 'Maid of Honour'.

And that flight was one of the reasons that we did something a wee bit different for Christmas. Well, that and the need for our youngest, K, to spend the day with her in-laws and out-laws. There's some awkwardness there that needed to be addressed, so we (her mother and I) graciously agreed to give the Christmas Day dinner a pass, and instead we did a Christmas Eve dinner... with fifteen. Add the appropriate expletives as you see fit.

We decided that a roast of beef was fit Christmas Eve fare; we selected a 15 lb sirloin roast. Do you know how BIG a 15 pound roast of beef is? Add another expletive.

The dinner guests included K and husband, J and a posse of 3 (all good, lovely, single young women who seem to take a real interest in our world), good friends Nancy and John, with their son and his girl friend, and then John's parents, Don and Terri. And don't forget my younger sister, who drove up from Calgary. Quite honestly, our place is just a wee bit small for fourteen and the obligatory dogs... the dinner table really only handles 12 with any level of comfort. And I was 'forbidden' to set up a kid's table...

Dinner went off without a hitch. Well, mostly, anyway... timing on the Yorkshire puddings was a bit off, and one of J's posse had a momentary breakdown as the weight of her world came crashing in on her. (It is so tough to be a witness to a young woman's pain... an ugly breakup with a lover, the schizophrenic mother that she has had to invoke power-of-attorney over, the questionable support from her siblings, and having to work on Christmas Day...)

Good booze, though. Have you tried any of the "Dan Akroyd" wines? Surprisingly good...

After dinner, we managed to squeeze the electronic piano into the dining room so that Daniel, son of Nancy, could play for us... and that's when the phone rang. A good friend who has recently moved into the condominium complex returned home to a cracked toilet tank and flooded home. (This is the same newly divorced woman who has threatened to have the sentence "If you can see this there had better be significant jewellery involved!" tattooed in a rather intimate location.)

So I go running off, with ladder over one shoulder, carrying a drill and extension cord (got to drain the water out of the dry wall ceilings before they collapse; the offending toilet was on the second floor), and buckets and towels to staunch the flow, while younger sister is regaled with stories of flying Phantoms in Europe by Nancy's father (ex-fighter pilot, of all things), Daniel is trying desperately to remember suitably Christmassy tunes but ending up with Billy Joelish stuff, G is trying to convince our guests to eat dessert, and J's friends start nodding off. K's husband snuck upstairs to the big screen to watch the end of the Hawaii/Notre Dame game and wasn't even missed.

By the time I got back, we were down to just the girls, the husband and the posse... and gifts were being exchanged.

G. had insisted that we give the youngest daughter a book on pregnancy, over my objections. I didn't feel that we should be applying that sort of pressure... and I'm not ready to be a grandfather, damn it. The timing couldn't have been more perfect... K quietly announced that we would see the rest of our present in about eight months....

So much for the mythos of 'Silent Night'.

End of the Week

I have spent my last work week sequestered with 14 mid level/senior level IT managers from our current client reviewing the results of a significant RFP (Request for Proposal). The ‘winner’ of this RFP will be awarded a multi-million dollar contract to provide services province-wide. The participants have all analyzed the responses from the qualified Vendors in detail, and we’re now meeting to establish consensus. My role is to monitor the ‘fairness’ of the process, and not really to provide opinions. This stuff is really interesting… seriously. I’m listening to this group rationalize their scoring for questions such as “Supplier should describe its approach to disentangling the Services from other service providers without interrupting any services to End Users.” Huh? You’d have to have been involved in the entire process to get it… My assignment to monitor the fairness of the evaluation of the RFP responses is a continuation of the work I was doing before my ‘hiatus’. It is actually quite interesting to see what they did with the strategy that I helped define when they finalized the RFP.

This evaluation process is not something that you would normally find in the private sector. Yes, this is public sector stuff… This evaluation process has been going on since September 24th… and will continue on into January. The level of detail they are going into is gratifying… at least we know that at least the public sector IT teams are being very careful with how they spend tax dollars. I’m not convinced that the private sector would expend this kind of energy analyzing the RFP bids. But by the same token, I’m also not sure that the private sector would write such detailed RFPs…

***

I did take some time out of the evaluation process to get a cracked filling fixed; the filling was cracked as part of the surgery last year.

***

And I was supposed to meet with my speech/swallow therapist; the receptionist at iRSM screwed up the appointment, however. It was clearly marked on my chart, but the digital appointment system showed other people in my time slot. I was very annoyed, mostly 'cause I couldn't justify not going back to work...

***

Today is our 20th wedding anniversary.

Overheard...

Apparently Ed Schreyer, Governor General from 1979 to 1984 said something like the following today in an interview on CBC:

"The People choose a Parliament; the Parliament chooses a Government." And he should know the Constitution... he's been there, with the Joe Clark minority government that lost a confidence vote.

That being said, if Parliament (the elected representatives) choose a coalition government by majority vote of the House of Commons, then democracy has been served.

Federal Coalitions and Municipal Absurdities

I spent the early part of last evening watching television… bouncing back and forth from the news channels that are reporting on the state of affairs in Ottawa to the local station that broadcasts the budget deliberations of the St. Albert City Council. What a mess, on both counts.

Federal Politics
Astounding! I am absolutely astounded by the way the media is portraying how the Canadian people are reacting to the thought of a Coalition Government! If you were to listen to the media, it’s the one issue that is ‘top of mind’ for all Canadians. Wow. If we could only get that kind of interest in an election…

I really doubt that there are that many people who are that concerned. In the client workplace that I am currently working from it is rarely mentioned… and I am working from Provincial Government offices. In fact, I think that the only person who raises the topic is me!

This silliness over the undemocratic nature of a Coalition is just that; silliness. I’ve been told that a number of European countries function with coalition governments. In fact, Switzerland has had a coalition government since 1959, or some such date. As I’ve mentioned before, Israel has a coalition government.

I’m hearing, again through media filtering, that business owners/leaders of all stripes are angry that the Conservatives presented the economic update that they did. I’m hearing that business is angry with Harper for being so bloody petty. I’m hearing that business is starting to question whether Harper should be PM… lack of leadership issues. And I’m getting mixed signals on the nature of the Coalition. Some damn the Liberals and NDP for getting into bed with the Bloc, while others are pleased that Mr. Duceppe is involved because he’s the only one with any real integrity.

I am pleased to see that the media commentators, even the talk show moderators, are finally laying the blame for the current Federal political situation at Stephen Harper’s doorstep. There are acknowledgements that Mr. Harper has been acting mean-spiritedly. There have even been comments made, out loud, in the print media and on the air, that Mr. Harper should be replaced by someone like Mr. Prentice.

Municipal Politics
Now, before you read the next bit, just be aware that I do have a close personal relationship with one of the players…my comments, observations are not entirely dispassionate.

One of the most interesting experiences for a novice to the municipal political world is to just sit back and watch how it works, or doesn’t, as the case may be. The St. Albert City Council Budget Deliberations, currently being broadcast on the local cable provider’s community channel (channel 10 in St. Albert/Edmonton) are a brilliant way to observe. These Budget Deliberations are conducted in a format referred to as ‘Committee of the Whole’; it is not a City Council meeting, per se, but it is the entire City Council confronting representatives from the City Administration, and they follow a good chunk of the rules of order used in a regular Council Meeting, with the occasional deviation, and a slightly ‘informal’ air.

One of the challenges about this formalized approach to budget deliberation is that it fosters the perception that the various Administration Teams are not allowed to defend their budget submissions unless specifically asked to. It has the appearance of a lopsided ‘don’t speak unless spoken to’ environment, similar to regular Council Meetings. What the optics seem to reveal is that the Administration has submitted a budget for the next year, City Council has gone through the budget line by line and has made a series of motions challenging specific line items, usually by changing the scope or reducing the monies. Each motion is voted on. In some cases there is a defense of the line item offered by a representative of Administration, if they are given an opportunity to defend the line item. In very rare cases, a member of the Council will champion the line item. In even rarer occasions, a member of the Administration Team is called to speak for the defense of the line item who has some passion for what that item means to the provision of services to the public.

These cost cutting motions range from quashing of the acquisition of new goods and services, stifling the improvement/development of existing goods and services, reduction/removal of budget items that support the basic tools needed to provide service to the public, to defeating new staffing initiatives. An example that resonated with me was the emasculation of a Capital Projects Project Management Team.

Unfortunately the public viewing these deliberations are not getting a true sense of the impact of this sort of decision making process. The real implications of the cuts are not necessarily being adequately discussed on camera, again, presenting a very lopsided view.

What also seems to be happening in the background is quite interesting and a little disconcerting. The Mayor himself is admitting on a fairly regular basis that if a member of an Administration Team manages to get the Mayor aside and have a private chat with him about a specific motion (the bulk of the motions are recorded in advance, and the bulk of the cost reduction motions seem to be coming from the Mayor), pitching their case personally, he tends to withdraw the punitive motion during the Budget meetings. If the Administration Team that is affected by one of his cost cutting initiatives plays by the rules and works hard to prepare Information Requests that substantiate their case, they do not get the same level of hearing in the Budget Meeting as they would through a meeting in an office or a ‘chance’ exchange in a corridor, and for the most part, lose their case, and the corresponding line item.

I do wonder how a City like St. Albert is going to maintain current levels of service to the public with such cuts. If memory serves, there was another Mayor some years ago who got the shock of his life when he discovered that the majority of the public was more interested in the quality of services provided rather than in the tax increase. There was a vocal minority who did not truly represent the interests of the majority with their complaints about taxes.

And again this time there does not seem to be any attempt at managing the public’s expectations.

My biggest concern, aside from the impact to my ‘internal contacts’, is the effect it will have on staff moral, and then on the delivery of services.

One of the good things of broadcasting these ‘Committee of the Whole’ sessions, is that the public can see the behaviour and effectiveness of each member of Council; which Councilors are prepared for the meetings, having read the submissions from Administration, and which haven’t bothered to do their homework. And they can see the behaviour of the Mayor.

Elected officials at this level, in this size of municipality are there to provide governance. In most cases they are amateurs when it comes to administering a city of the size of St. Albert. Governance is turning to City Administration and saying “Cut $2 Million from the Operating Budget.” Leave the actual cuts up to the professionals who actually run the City. Unfortunately what is happening in St. Albert is that the City Council, led by the Mayor, is attempting to manage in areas which it is not qualified to manage. There is a reason why you hire professional municipal managers, just like there is a reason why you hire lawyers and accountants, and plumbers. Some jobs are just too big and complex for the average resident. And this Council is not just ‘managing’, it is micro-managing.

More Political Duplicity

My gawd... they're all behaving badly.

The Conservatives wiretapped a NDP conference call, and have released only parts of it to the media.

The NDP appear to have been negotiating with the Bloc to form a coalition for some time now... and the first time they had discussions on a coalition government was with Stephen Harper and the Bloc when Martin had his minority Liberal government.

Holy cow... the 'undemocratic' formation of a coalition government is a page right of out Harper's own playbook. No wonder he's so upset!

I think that the Conservatives should really rethink whether or not Harper should stay or go. Personally, I think that I'd get behind Jim Prentice...

More thoughts on the Political...

I would just like to share some thoughts...

Mr. Flaherty's 'economic update' was a piece of flummery delivered and defended with arrogance. There is an emerging climate of fear out there... yes, it is largely unwarranted, but we all know what the mind of the 'mob' can do with the smallest goading. Generally, the 'mob' had no expectations. Unfortunately, Mr. Flaherty delivered to those expectations.

John Baird's attitude on 'As It Happens' last evening was equally arrogant, and a wee bit revisionist. He is generally such a well spoken man, I was a bit surprised at points. I listened to the program and was alternately galled and incensed.

Most of the people I have spoken to/emailed have the perception that the tax incentives offered as 'lasting initiatives for stimuli rather than following the American approach of cash injections' is based on tax cuts that happened or were promised long before a crisis was announced. Most people I spoke with were hard pressed to identify anything new.

The 25% change in the redemption of RIFFs is not enough to make seniors comfortable with the fate of their investments.

Cutting the discretionary spending of MPs constricts a source of revenue for some Canadians and the companies they work for. Not very stimulating.

The spectre of another $300 million election should not be viewed with such revulsion. What an interesting way to inject $300 million back into the economy. And isn't that what people want: some sort of stimuli? Maybe an election this time will get more voter participation and a clearly mandated government will emerge.

There needs to something concrete for the manufacturing sector as soon as possible.

The auto industry needs to be spanked for inefficiencies, and then given an incentive to do better. The Conservative Party and the bureaucratic spin doctors and publicists need to better publicize the letter that was sent to the Detroit automakers... very few people seem to know that its out there.

Telling a unionized workforce that one of the intrinsic rights of collective bargaining has been suspended was kinda dumb. Organized Labour nationally will get behind the NDP again, or maybe even the Liberals to protect against a domino effect that might further erode workers' rights.

Coming off an election where the mobilized Arts Community was at least partially responsible for the Conservative Party not gaining a majority, it seems a little vindictive, and short sighted to have slapped them by wiping out international travel/shipping subsidies administered by External Affairs, shutting down the Portrait Gallery bidding process, to name just a couple of the programs that have been quietly dismantled since the election.

Mr. Harper did promise to work more closely with the Opposition Parties. That could not possibly have happened given the week's events. The media (and those who didn't vote Conservative) are having a field day with what's been going on this week.

The Opposition Parties are starting to prove that they are able to 'play nice' together. The media (and those who didn't vote Conservative) are having a field day with what's been going on since Thursday.

The media (and those who didn't vote Conservative) have been able to interpret Mr. Harper's comment "The opposition has every right to defeat the government, but Stephane Dion does not have the right to take power without an election." as a narcissistic response. The misguided retort that I have heard most is; "...but does Stephen Harper have the right to hold on to power without owning the popular vote?". Slightly over 165,000 less people voted for the Conservative Party overall, than they did in 2006. Yes, less people voted this time, which may account for part of the discrepancy, so that may be a bit of a 'red herring'. But the Conservative Party only achieved 38% of the popular vote. That means that 62% of the voting public question whether the Conservative Party should govern.

Mr. Harper was seen to be 'playing politics' when he broke the Conservative Party brokered law on election timing. Not very 'democratic'.

How can anyone really call the formation of a coalition government 'undemocratic' in light of the way so many parliaments work around the world? Think particularly of Israel's Knesset as a prime example. It gets done all the time... with varying degrees of success. In Canada's case, a coalition government would represent 62% of the popular vote. I believe that to be a majority.

Poking the Opposition Parties with a sharp stick by removing the subsidy was inappropriate, especially after having passed other measures to restrict political party fundraising during the last parliament. Mixed messaging from Mr. Flaherty and 'government sources' about whether the subsidies to the political parties would be part of the ways and means vote doesn't help.

All parties should be aware of and use Ms. May's popularity; her party could be a valuable grass roots ally going forward. A fourth viable party can work to the advantage of the Conservative Party, or the Liberals, or the NDP. It kinda depends who taps into their energy and growing power base first.

My advice to Mr. Harper and to the rest of the Conservative caucus; for the short term, stop overtly playing politics and govern appropriate to the needs of the country. The Conservative Party stands to lose the privilege.

Reflect, reconcile, consult and then act. But do it quickly.

J.'s Surgery

J. had her surgery yesterday. Everything seems to be just fine... she's as annoyed about everything as she ever was. The real challenge with J. and the surgery is that, as a nurse, she knows too much... it contributed to the anxiety. We don't have the final results, or a statement from the doctors yet, but are expecting a phone call today with details.

Certainty...

We've had a death in the family... one of my father's sisters passed away during heart surgery. It leaves a huge hole in my father's family. And it has made me realize that that entire generation of my family is heading for the threshold... its an odd thing to contemplate. I suppose I've been in denial about all of this, in spite of my father's cancer (hell, I've been in denial about my own!) and the loss of my mother's oldest brother (one of the younger boys passed some time ago). Somehow, one just assumes that they will always be there, an assumption that is so easy given how infrequently I see them.

Politics...

I am solidly behind the effort of the NDP and the Liberals to cobble together a coalition government... it certainly made the Conservatives sit up and take notice! They have reversed their position on hobbling the other parties through the removal of subsidies. Yay! Maybe the Greens will live to fight another day.

And just maybe the Conservatives will get off their ideological hobby horse and come up with some real stimulus ideas for the economy.

In the event that the NDP and Liberals do put together a coalition government, I would nominate Ed Broadbent to act as the interim PM... but he'd have to have a seat to do that, wouldn't he? Well, then, failing that, what about giving it to one of the two independents? No? Then who? And that will be the toughest challenge facing the creation of a coalition government...

Its been a year...

It was one year ago today that I underwent surgery for an oropharyngeal carcinoma that was located in my right tonsil.

What they did:
The surgery was one of the ugliest, most invasive procedures that I could have imagined being performed on me. It involved removal of the tumor and a clearance margin of 4 centimeters (or was it 8 centimeters?) around the tumor site, and the reconstruction of that area.

There were at least two teams working on me, and the operation lasted almost eight hours. You know, I just realized that I’ve forgotten how much time they actually took. They had given us estimates that ranged from 8 to 14 hours… I need to look that up again.

Okay, so I can’t give you a sequence to the surgery because of the two teams, but here’s a summary of what they did;
· They popped out a tooth at the front centerline of my jaw. Then they split/broke the jaw at that point. They cut down through the lip and through the floor of the mouth so that the jaw swung open sideways; the technique is called a mandibular swing.
· They then pulled the tongue forward and removed the tumor and the tonsil. They took, as part of the clear margin, the right lingual tonsil and a portion of the base of the tongue.
· It’s not good to leave huge gaps in the structure of the mouth and throat, so they filled in the area with a piece of muscle taken out of my left forearm. Why the forearm muscle? Apparently it’s been proven to ‘learn’ the functions of the tongue segment that it’s replacing.
· They also took a chunk of the radial artery in my left forearm to rebuild the vascular structure at the back of the throat/tongue to ensure blood flow.
· A skim of the left thigh skin was taken to replace what was taken from the forearm.
· They transplanted at least one saliva gland to a position on the lower jaw to save it from the radiation treatments. Radiation will incapacitate saliva glands. A platinum wire was placed in the jaw to mark its spot; basically a ‘do not radiate’ sign for the radiology oncologist.
· They did a neck dissection and removed all the lymph nodes from both sides of my neck. When they did the dissection, they had to 'manipulate' the spinal accessory nerve.
· They put it all back together again. And yes, they put a plate into my jaw to hold it together. And no, it doesn’t trigger airport metal detectors.

Compared to last year;
On the morning of the surgery, I weighed in at 208 lbs. This morning I weigh 161.2 lbs. For reference, I weighed 165 lbs. on my wedding day twenty years ago. So, in a year, I have a net loss of 46.8 lbs. Not a weight loss program that I’d suggest. It took me twenty years to amass that much weight; its not going back on quickly.

In theory, I’m still the same height. The challenge is that I slouch dreadfully. The damage to the spinal accessory nerve has caused the right shoulder to pull forward. I still tend to let my head droop. Working at a desk all day is contributing to the droop and the slouch.

My hair has returned, sort of. It seems really thin at the forehead hairline. Well, maybe it was that thin prior to the surgery/chemo… I had a quick look at a bad photo of me at K.’s wedding, and it did look a little thin. But, what hair has come back is darker, and the hair on the back of my head is really wavy. Too bad it wasn’t that wavy when I had long hair twenty years ago. And the less grey is good!

My beard, on the other hand, is really causing me some consternation. The beard is thinner on the right side of my face than it is on the left side. Both sides are thinner than it used to be. My mustache is fine. I have grown a goatee to hide the chin scar, which doesn’t look too terrible, if you don’t get too close. The beard that I can grow is almost entirely white. I mostly stay clean shaven, with the exception of the mustache and goatee. I do miss my beard.

The skin on my face and neck tends to be dry, much drier that it ever was before. The area of my eyebrows has become seriously dry to the point that I spend extra time rubbing moisturizer into the brows to stop the flaking.

Inside the head, things are definitely different, and weirder, and I’m not talking about how my mind now works. My teeth are migrating, compensating for the single tooth that was taken out of the centre of my lower jaw. In fact the gap has closed considerably. The bone break no longer ‘hurts’, but I can still notice it when I bite down hard. Chewing is so much easier now, although when I open wide, it still is not as wide as pre-surgery. Apparently that is because of the radiation rebound effect on the musculature. So I try to remember to stretch regularly, usually while driving which is probably very disconcerting for the drivers in opposing traffic.

There is some sort of muscle/tissue problem inside the mouth, along the right side. The area of the mouth floor is tight and not as flexible as the left side. But, remember, the surgery took a chunk of the back, right side of the tongue, and they did actually split the jaw and slice through the tissues in the floor of my mouth somewhere.

And mentioning the tongue… it has about 80% of the flexibility it did a year ago. It also feels a bit shorter, in that I can’t quite reach the areas on my teeth and gums that I used to be able to. It’s pretty scary how much you use the tongue, and for what. It’s not just to speak. The tongue plays a huge part in how you chew and swallow. And it autonomically (no, not automatically) wipes debris form your teeth and gums. The continued lack of flexibility prevents me from reaching all the way back to swipe my back teeth to clean them. And it feels weird all down the right edge of the tongue to the tip, sorta like the electrical charge that one feels when touching a 9 volt battery to your tongue to test it, only much less intense. But all in all, the tongue is so much better than even two months ago. I have high hopes for its near total recovery. There’s just the issue of the dryness.

The dryness of the tongue, which does begin to affect my speech after a time, is the direct result of the dry mouth syndrome brought on by the radiation damage to the saliva glands. They will never repair themselves, so I’m resigned to working with the one that was transplanted. I am experimenting with the drug pilocarpine to stimulate the last gland to Herculean effort. It will never be enough, but hey, every little bit will help.

Without the saliva, eating is a chore. I take a sip of liquid with each bite that needs to be chewed. And then I can swallow. Yes, the swallowing is pretty darned good, at about 85% of the original capability. Take a look, if you can find it, at the blog entry with the fluoroscopes of the swallowing reflex. It really isn’t as bad as I complain about… if I am diligent about the liquids. I eat with water and milk. Fruit juices tend to dry things out dramatically. Wine, well, it depends, but wine tends to have the same effect as fruit juice. Scotch, for some reason, is just fine. Thank goodness. But you don’t drink that stuff a tumbler at a time, unfortunately, which might help to give me the confidence to sing in public. At the moment I don’t sing as much as I croak. I don’t see that changing. But I can speak, and so long as I keep the tongue, and therefore the mouth hydrated I can speak for a long time.

The only other internal effect is my hearing. Now the change to my hearing was not as a result of the surgery, which in theory is what today’s lengthy note is about, but was a casualty of the chemotherapy. Cisplatin, the chemo drug, wiped out my ability to hear a particular frequency range, and gave me tinnitus, most pronounced in my left ear. I have hopes that the range will return; it’s already started coming back. But I suspect that I am stuck with the tiny glockenspiel and the constant low level white noise.

Back to the exterior: Complete range of motion in my neck has returned, although radiation rebounding continues to tighten up the tissues. I am numb in a band that extends from a point the size of a finger tip just under the left ear, forward under the chin at about three fingers width and around the neck under the right ear where the numbest flares up into my scalp to about three fingers width above, and including the right ear. It also covers an area out onto my right shoulder to the top of my arm at about a hands width. This is a major improvement! And mobility of the shoulder/arm is good and getting better.

Scarring will always be an issue. Vanity will determine how much of an issue at various points in my life. The doctors have said that the radiation and chemo therapies have effectively aged me by ten years. And yet I’ve been told that I actually look like I’m ten years younger. Okay, so we like that kind of stroking and we work with moisturizer to keep the skin looking its best and try other strategies to cope with the scars. The centre-of-the-jaw scar is covered by my goatee. The scars on my neck from the dissection will eventually get lost in an old man’s neck, but for now they’re really not that noticeable. The asymmetrical bulge of the transplanted saliva gland is the most annoying thing. I must admit that I have started wearing ties a lot, so my shirts are buttoned at the collar, saving our clients from discomfort.

My right forearm has the ugliest scar. It’s a three inch by six inch rectangle of tissue missing from the area where one wears their watch. Its just plain ugly. And the long thin scar that runs up to my elbow joint pointing out where they borrowed the vein from is almost as bad. I never did like short sleeved shirts…

But I almost always forget the scar on my thigh where they skimmed the skin to rebuild the forearm with ‘cause its virtually non-existent at this point.

And I’m thin. Really thin. Did I mention that?

Results

The meeting with our GP went very well yesterday. The radiologist's report basically says that the 'mass' on the right kidney hasn't changed since we started monitoring it last April/May and therefore it is likely a cyst, or something else quite innocuous. But of course the radiologist covered their butt by adding an oddly worded disclaimer suggesting that there was a very remote possibility that it could be some sort of carcinoma. Our GP pointed out that I would know if there was a real problem... there would be a change in my body chemistry that I would notice. Kidney related 'stuff' is not subtle. He'll schedule another CT for a year from now.

Alright! Take a deep breath, and on we go.

I did ask for something to offset the nose drip... I also asked for something for the tongue fungus. He came through with a couple of things that should help. I tell ya, its a good thing to have a drug plan.

Its starting to look like I do have something 'extra' growing on the tip of my nose. He was very concerned, at first, when I brought it to his attention... then broke out laughing upon closer examination. He thinks I've got a wart... Well, as funny as it seems to have a wart on the end of my nose, he's not taking any chances. He has referred me to a dermatologist to have it excised and analyzed. If its not a wart, it'll probably be a basil cell carcinoma, one of the least problematic of the skin cancers.
Tomorrow is the one year anniversary of the original surgery... time for an inventory.

...and then there's today.

Its November in Edmonton... but you'd never know it. Today is predicted to be +7 degrees C. We have no snow. It was bright and sunny for a couple of hours earlier, but a pleasant cloud cover is settling in... and yes, cloud cover can be pleasant... thin, bright, and thick in places to give it some texture, and darker bits, letting sunshine slip through the gaps... pleasant. The quality of light is so much better than it was a week or so ago. I gotta start carrying a camera with me so I can post timely photos...

The experiment with salagen/pilocarpine is progressing nicely. I think that I'm starting to feel some of the side effects which means that it is building up in my system and we should know soon if it's doing me any good. Side effects? I get a light layer of perspiration on my back within an hour of taking a pill; my nose drips; my bladder sudden fills up. Just minor physical 'discomforts', but I can cope with this if it means more saliva. And I have observed that I am using less of the artificial saliva.

This afternoon I have an appointment with my GP (Dr. Naiker) to discuss the results of the CT scan we did a couple of weeks ago. I've got a whole list of stuff to ask him about which includes the nose drip, the nose tip (there's something new there that shouldn't be), thighs, knees and hip pain, and bring him up to date on the pilocarpine.

I did check the 'visitor' log earlier this morning and discovered that someone from Michaels visited twice (I got the ip address, not their business card). I haven't heard a word from them, but I'm pleased to know that they appear to be following up on my complaint. Now it is totally possible that what hit the blog was an automated search engine... I know that some smart IT guys out there do that for their employers; they run an deep dive Internet search against their corporate names to pull up any new references. Its not unlike a 'clipping service' where you can pay an organization to scan newspapers, magazines and then all the online sources for articles about you or your product, and basically build you a scrapbook of the results. I believe that it was an internal Michaels' search because most of the commercial clipping services use their own names, or no names, in an attempt to offer their clients some level of anonymity.

Just say NO! to Michaels custom framing...

Just a bit of a rant for you today... do NOT use Michaels--The Arts and Crafts Store custom framing department.

Towards the end of August we took a beautiful print of Klimt's 'The Kiss', which we had picked up at the Tate Gallery, Albert Dock, in Liverpool, to Michaels--The Arts and Crafts Store in north Edmonton to have it properly framed. We had a discount coupon in hand. Even after the discount, the pricing on the framing job was, in my mind, exorbitant. However, G. really, really wanted it done so I gave in, and we placed the order.

I wandered into an independent framing shop some weeks later, and just for the hell of it, asked for a quote. Even without the discount, and with a slightly better quality matte, the job would have been $100.00 cheaper... Okay. I shrugged it off by rationalizing that the guy was probably trying to impress me and get me to bring in loads of stuff to be done.

About a week later, we got a call from Michaels asking if it was okay to trim the edge of the print to make it fit. Well, yes. We remembered the original conversation where we had expressly said to trim the white border. In fact, we gave very clear instructions about all of that sort of thing, which was written on the work order...

Several weeks later, we called at Michaels to ask about the framing job. After the counter clerk pulled out the work order and rushed about for a few minutes, she came back to us empty handed. Oh, dear... the matte that had arrived was cut wrong, so they had to re-order. "Didn't anyone call you?" Uh, no. And we didn't have any idea that they needed to send out for the matte to be cut in the first place. There is a sizable assembly shop in the back, which can be seen from the counter. One would expect that the work was being done on site... especially given that we could see a worker fitting a canvas to a frame as we waited. However, it appears that matte cutting is not done on site. Odd. I shrugged.

Weeks went by. We called Michaels. Oh, yes, the matte was in and the job would be done really soon.

Wednesday we got a call asking if they could trim the print. Uh, yes. I just shake my head.

And then Friday we got the call that the finished job was ready. Our lives being as chaotic as they are, we didn't get to the store until after 3:00 pm yesterday. There was no one at the custom framing counter. Wait a minute. Saturday, and there's no one on the counter? There's got to be someone in the area. We could see a young woman working away in the shop area, assembling frames... so we got her attention. But she was not 'empowered' (my word, not hers) to find and give us our order. We needed to wait until counter staff came back. We waited for fifteen minutes while she checked the lunchroom, paged over the intercom, and finally put us on ignore and went back to work... There were two other customers who showed up, who also told of their three month delivery time horrors on simple jobs...

Eventually, the senior member of the counter staff did show up and without any fuss, walked directly to the wrapped, framed print and presented it to us, commenting on how lovely it was, and wanting to know how we got it from England without any creases... It does look lovely.

I went to hang it this morning and discovered that they attached the hanging wire (on the back of the frame) so that the print hangs SIDEWAYS! I couldn't believe it! I moved the wire myself. Maybe I should bill them for that.

And yes, I have sent an email to corporate head office complaining... not that that's going to do a lot of good. Head office is in Texas.

I normally don't have a problem with Michaels--The Arts and Crafts Store... G. and I use them a lot for different things, but I definitely have a problem with their custom framing department. This is the second time that I've used that service. They are slow, expensive (in spite of their 50 and 60 percent off coupons!) and their understanding of customer service is non-existent. Please, consider using an independent! At least an independent is interested in you as a customer, and might have a passing familiarity with famous art!

As a sidebar, I noticed yesterday that almost all of the cashiers at the Michaels in north Edmonton (137 Avenue) seemed to be lethargic and morose. I got the impression that Michaels is not a happy place to work.

Yesterday's Physio

Yesterday's appointment with the physio therapist at the Cross was very positive... I'm definitely making progress. My range of motion is within mere degrees of being back to what it was a year ago... which is not to say that it was 'normal' to begin with. Apparently I wasn't as flexible as I could have been. Too many years spent hunched over a keyboard, I guess. But, as I said, the range of motion is back, and with negligible pain at the extremes.

Strength is coming back into the all the right areas. We have adjusted my exercise list to include strength building moves with the stretch/mobility activities.

Thank goodness... that means that the majority of the impact to the spinal accessory nerve has largely been mitigated. I still have some numbness across the top of my shoulder, but control over the major groups is back. Now I just have to remember to stand up straight, and not slip into the more comfortable slouch. Breathing more deeply will help to support the more open chest and upright posture. I guess I need to seriously think about yoga and/or tai chi...

And just think how good things would be if I actually did the exercises as regularly as I should!

The blonde, the brunette and the vengeful redhead

Fiona Reid remains one of my favourite actors. She is currently playing in a production of Robert Hewett's 'The Blonde, The Brunette and the Vengeful Redhead' at the Citadel. We saw it last night and it was wonderful! The script is good. Fiona was brilliant... its a one-woman show where she plays seven different characters, ranging from a little boy to an old woman, with stops in-between at a misogynist, a lesbian doctor, a Russian immigrant tart, a middle aged meddler and an inadvertent murderer.

The idea behind the set was very good, but I question the execution of the final design. The 'shape' was awkward, but I can see what the designer was trying to do... The projections were only interesting. The idea, the concept was great, but the images projected seemed to feel like an afterthought, rather than an integrated part of the design and direction.. well, okay, in some cases the projections did advance the plot or complimented the script in some manner, but too many of them didn't seem to have enough thought. And definitely not enough effort put into the execution of the images. But the technology was well handled.

And, I didn't like the lighting design. There were one or two points where the lighting was good, but for the most part it was too much about making pretty patterns on the stage, and not enough about lighting Fiona properly. I really felt for Fiona as she tried to find her 'light', a hot spot for her face to be properly lit. I was also quite surprised by how badly the lighting changes flowed... I can't imagine that Fiona's timing was that different from when the cues were set. The set was essentially put together into a recognizable picket fence and a distorted house silhouette from the shards of a broken mirror; the mirrored surfaces could have been used to much greater effect. Generally, I was very disappointed in the lighting.

It was a great show, nevertheless, and one that I would recommend to anyone. Go ahead, spend the money!

On a more social note, we ran into Marilyn Ryan; nice lady. We also spent a few minutes speaking with Lorraine and John Price. Now that was fun. They look great, and project the old energy that I used to enjoy from both of them. John is at the University and really seems to enjoy being a 'mentor'; Lorraine has found a comfortable, and eminently workable rhythm for her department at the Citadel. They seem quite happy and content with themselves... rare, isn't it?

We also met up with Bill Heron for a few, brief moments. I really would like to sit and talk with him at great lengths, rather than these careening visits. I'm full of questions for him, and I know that he has a lot of questions for me. Trying to package our conversations into 5 minutes bursts isn't very satisfying for either of us... I'm still not comfortable 'hanging out' at the theatre, so I'm always trying to get away. We need to get together on neutral territory.

I am absolutely fascinated by the number of people out there who have no channel to reach their spouse/significant other during the day to do the mundane things, like plan their lives as a couple. I am trying to set up an evening at the Oilers hockey game, in the company box. I have invited members of the client team that we are currently working with... and it is astounding how few of them are able to get a yes/no commitment during the working day. What's even more astounding is discovering how many of them actually don't know how to reach the spouse except if its an emergency... very odd, from my perspective. I almost always know how and when I can reach G. for that sort of consultation...

And no, I'm not actually going to the game... we've got tickets for a play at The Citadel.

I'm about two weeks into using Salagen/pilocarpine in an attempt to stimulate saliva production. I can't tell yet whether or not its actually working. The doctor did warn me that I might not reap the benefits for up to two months... and then I may not find any real benefit at all. I do know that I am much more aware of my saliva production. I think that I am noticing a very slight difference, but then again, it could simply be the awareness that enhances the perception... I may be stimulating production just by being focused on it. Unfortunately, the level of production is still not enough to eat without constant sipping of liquid. And worse still, the sipping of wine while eating just compounds the problem! Water and milk... boring!

I finally gave in and phoned the doctor for an appointment to discuss last week's CT Scan... there can't be anything too terribly wrong or he would have been on it immediately after getting the radiologist's report...

Another bleak autumn day. The quality of light is disconcerting, giving everything a grayish feeling to it, quite appropriate as the plants and animals start to hunker down for another winter. Its one of those days that make me wish for snow to bring some brightness to it all. All the browns and greys out there with the now bare trees, in this quality of light, is depressing!

I've been hiding in the basement office, supposedly studying for yet another exam. It seems like there's always another exam... Instead of spending all the time studying Service Strategy, I've been tinkering with the website, and researching different web hosting organizations. I need to come up with a decent domain name before moving the website, however... and I just haven't been able to settle on anything clever, yet appropriate.

And, I've been re-reading this blog to remind myself of what's gone on in the last year. Wow. We're coming up to the one year anniversary of the cancer surgery. Wow.

I've also been reviewing how people have been finding this blog. I use a web-based tracker, SiteManager, to keep track of where readers are from (can't see who, just the where and when) and how they got to this blog. Of course its mostly family and friends who were given the address, with a very few who linked in from the website. Not enough from the website, though, which is one reason to move it. At the moment its tucked too far behind the Shaw Internet DMZ, and doesn't get crawled by the Internet search engines, so its time to move it to somewhere that the search bots can get at it. But the other way people have been finding the blog is through google searches.

The most popular google searches that point eventually to this blog are, in no particular order:

• Dr. Akubutu's Mouthwash
• forearm flap (its the photos, apparently)
• quadroscopy
• portrait and Victoria, in combination... can't quite figure that one out

Lately I've found it rather odd knowing who is actually reading this drek... which is partially why I haven't written for the past couple of weeks. I've found it kinda disconcerting that certain family members are quoting from it... I find myself editing because of that... and waiting to write until I've got something to say that is totally innocuous.

Dumb, eh?

I do, however, enjoy the thought that friends who I don't speak with enough, in some cases not for years, check in occasionally. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I believe that the expectations of me (and this blog) are different...

Oh, well... ... on we go.

So, on Monday of this week I had another CT Scan of my kidneys, looking to ensure that that little bit of scar tissue hasn't grown, moved, or done anything else awkward. Its interesting to note that the radiologist has determined that the contrast dyes aren't needed; it was a really fast appointment this time. I expect to get the 'summons' from the doctor's office any day now to discuss the scan results. The simple fact that we've gone five days without the call is a good thing... no pressing need to tell me bad news. The flip side of the coin may be that the radiologists are too darned busy to read the scan and write up the results...

Oh, and I'm up three pounds. G. has been practicing her gluten-free baking and has found several really good recipes for breads, muffins, cinnamon buns that not only worked, but taste good. It helps that my swallow is much better, and that I've figured out a chew-drink-swallow-chew rhythm that feels okay. I'm less self conscious about eating in front of people...

G. is so much happier, bordering on content, since she re-organized her work life. Much less stress, more job satisfaction.

We did get notification just the other day that my Dad's PSAs (a blood test that tells you all sorts of things about the status of prostate health) have reached zero... which means that his prostate cancer is completely under control and he can stop with the hormone treatments. Yay! It certainly should make Mom's life easier...

On a political note; what the hell are the federal Conservatives thinking? They lost their shot at a majority (partly) because of the artists in this country who were angry at the cavalier attitude to the contribution of the arts to this country, only to turn around and blow off the same community with their bizarre announcement about the National Portrait Gallery. Idiots. The Alberta bids required no financial contribution from the federal coffers; all private money. It would have been a fabulous publicity angle to leverage downloading support for the arts onto the private sector! Idiots. And, they've pulled other funding for other projects in their electoral heartland that have angered the provincial Conservatives... Idiots. Is it any wonder that Premier Stelmach chose to go on his previously scheduled trade mission to Europe (huge trading partner; important initiative; billions of dollars at stake) and sent the Education Minister to the First Ministers' meeting? He didn't even think the meeting was worth diverting the Finance Minister for a day or two... And guess what? The outputs of that meeting were insubstantial... the bunch of them could have phoned it in. Makes Harper look silly, again. Idiots. Even George Bush is getting more traction with his inspired disasters. Idiots.

G. is upstairs, trying to sort out the house now that the painters have left... while I'm in the basement office, supposedly studying for the next ITIL V3 exam in the series. Randy, the painter, and his assistant really did do a lovely job; Top Notch Painters in Edmonton, if you ever need someone. They did finish, finally, on Thursday... the wallpaper removal caused them huge problems which delayed them by a full day. Now G. is putting back the switchplates and rehanging some pictures. Why this evening? Well, Thursday night was at the theatre, Friday night was at dinner with friends, Saturday was spent buying stuff, including a very chic storage unit for the kitchen nook from IKEA, followed by me trying to quietly assemble it while G. napped, and today was spent at the Citadel, again, this time watching Marty Chan's The Forbidden Phoenix.

This incarnation of The Forbidden Phoenix is really quite good, and should be seen... the story itself has matured some since Ben Henderson and Running With Scissors Theatre first worked with Mr. Chan on it, a few years ago. It has become more comfortable in the wrapper of traditional Chinese opera in its music and lyrical content, but has traded in a bit of the theatrical tricks and magic that does help to define Chinese opera... Robert Walsh, as musical director, has done some really nice things to support Ron Jenkin's direction in the way he has handled the 'westernization' of the Chinese operatic musical form. And John Ullyatt as the Monkey King was very good... I must say, and G. was quite annoyed that I threatened to say it out loud, that during one of his first moments on stage, and at various other places throughout, Mr. Ullyatt reminded me of a young Bob Hope in some of his 'Road' movies. There are mannerisms, affectations, little quirks to his performance that immediately made me think of Hope...

I have to admit that I missed some of the 'subtleties' that were woven into the story, regarding the move to the industrialized west (read 'Canada and the building of the railroad'), the growing Maoist influences in the China that the Monkey King left behind. I suppose that if Leslie Frankish, the set and costume designer, had sacrificed some of those elegantly clean lines, she might have been able to beat us over the head with the symbolism. Thank goodness, she doesn't. Well, she does... in the rendering of the Iron Dragon... and then it all tumbles into place.

And I would have liked to see what she would have come up with if she were told that the waterfall/river and the journey were her challenge, and not the lighting designer's. She does so well with fabic... I sure that she could make something pretty special out of the traditional Chinese opera forms for water and movement...

It is my understanding that this show will eventually move to the Lorraine Kimsa Theatre for Young People, in the early spring of 2009. Take a kid to see it...

By the way, Marty and The Edmonton Journal serialized the story... http://www.canada.com/edmontonjournal/nie/serialstory_pdfs/00370995%20week3.pdf

Hopefully the link will work so you can pull it up to read...

Hey! I pushed through yet another barrier last night; I attended a show at the Citadel for the first time in 11 years… and I managed to fly in under the radar. Now, I’m not entirely sure that this is a good thing… only one person in the place who wasn’t expecting me to be there actually recognized me. There were a fair number of the crew that I used to work with on hand, plus board members, with artists and folks from other arts organizations… and I managed to move through them undetected. My shyness over rode and took control of the situation; I did not try to make myself known. It should be noted that I did agree to go to the reception afterwards. Until last night, I really had no idea how much my physical appearance has changed… and not just in the last year. I also mean in the last 10 years. This was an opening night with a full house; the attendance at the post show reception was significantly under attended. This was something I found very surprising… until we discovered that the Citadel management has recently changed policy and charge for drinks at the reception. The finger food is still free, and seems to be quite good (not that I had any!), but they no longer provide that free glass of questionable quality wine post performance. Why would anyone pay the premium to attend opening night, now? As a cost cutting measure, I question its validity. As a way to address the liability question (serving drinks without any sort of restriction and therefore, as the host, being culpable for audience drunkenness), well, okay, I’ll accept that. I’d be curious to know what the reason for the change is.

The show we were treated to was Ronnie Burkett’s new piece, ‘Billy Twinkle; Requiem for a Golden Boy’.

It will get better. Won’t it?

I was disappointed. Last evening’s performance was not his best work. The script doesn’t live up to Ronnie’s previous works, although the storyline and the concept seem solid enough. His work with the hand puppet (vs. his masterful manipulation of the marionettes) leaves a great deal to be desired. And his voices… the range, the tonal quality, the timbre all seemed too close to each other, with sporadic, unsustained exceptions. There was a frenetic quality to the interactions with the hand puppet that just didn’t feel right… a great deal of the significance of the language and the interaction was lost. I’m sure that now that opening night is over, he will slow it down, find the best pacing for those very intense scenes, and settle into his normal, seemingly casual rhythms of presentation. We saw a glimpse of that usual Ronnie when he missed a prop clearance, and wove the error back into his banter… now that was some of the Burkett magic that I was looking for.

From a scripting point of view, there are some things that need rewriting… which I’m sure he’ll find as he goes along. There are a lot of sexuality references which advance the story; there are too many overtly sexual references which don’t. He either needs more of the puppet show-within-the-puppet show (he does a brilliant stripper, a drunken socialite, a moment with a bear on roller-skates and a bitter-sweet bit with an old man and balloon) or he needs less. The Juliet needs more work… it seems confused, unfocused, and the presentation, the delivery of Shakespeare’s language was totally inadequate for that moment, and those rants at the beginning of the piece... which brings me to my final point. Ronnie Burkett is an exceptional puppeteer, and a wonderful raconteur, which, when put together with a well deployed script, make for an astonishing evening of theatre. Unfortunately, Ronnie Burkett is not an actor.

Well, its been over a week since last I posted anything here, and a lot has happened. An interesting election result, a very ugly financial picture emerging, the price of oil sliding dramatically, the looney taking a beating...

I strongly suspect that everything else that has happened/is happening in my little world is pretty trivial stuff to anyone but me.

My mother and father, younger sister and younger brother all made it to St. Albert for Thanksgiving... did I mention that? It made for a really warm and fuzzy weekend.

Mom brought her copy of a 'slow cooker' cookbook. We had purchased a really nice crock pot just before they got here, so it was very timely... We tried out a recipe this past Sunday with what should have been a nice sirloin tip roast, however, it just didn't work. Its seems that what we've heard is true; the poorer the cut of meat, the better the result in a slow cooker. The roast we did was very tasty, but dry and overcooked... the vegetables (baby potatoes, carrots, onions) were nearly perfect. Oh well, live and learn... I'll try again this weekend.

While the meat was being murdered, I spent most of the day in the garage. I found a great system to hoist and store our bicycles at Mountain Equipment Co-op. It was fairly easy to install. It would have been really easy if my shoulder were a bit more cooperative... but it works, and works well. And with the bicycles up out of the way, I managed to fit the motorcycle in, with the jeep and G.'s convertible. Does that mean that the motorcycle is 'put away' for the winter? Well, I suppose so... although I should probably change the oil...

And we spent the rest of the day finishing what we started on Saturday; moving furniture, removing pictures, and generally creating havoc in the townhouse.

We're finally getting a start on getting the townhouse updated. To that end, we have contracted a painting company to give a fresh coat of paint to most of the place, excluding the living/dining room, the big bathroom and the basement. We got a fabulous price quote; a quote, mind you and not an estimate subject to escalation! And they started yesterday! Whoo hoo! This is great! They have run into one snag, however, and that's the removal of the wallpaper in the kitchen/breakfast nook area. It just will NOT come off! They're back today, and I suspect that they'll be in tomorrow as well...

This morning I lept out of bed at 5:30 am (lept? Ya, right...) to make it to a fundraising breakfast event for the Kid's Kottage way out in Sherwood Park that started at 7:00 am. Premiere Ed Stelmach spoke, and did so quite eloquently... and with a nice sense of humour. Danny Hooper MC'd... darn, but he's a funny guy. And Dr. Bob Westbury was there, but, even after G.'s time spent with him yesterday, part of which was spent briefing him on my little challenges over the last year, he didn't recognize me. I didn't push it... just let it go. We'll probably see him on Thursday evening...

The Deloitte table was hosted by partner Ken Sklar, with Dalibor and Dejan (the Brothers-in-law Karamozov), and Ms. Mucha representing the rest of Deloitte. We were hosting the provincial Minister of the Environment, Rob Renner, and another MLA who I didn't recognize, nor did I catch her name. (Unfortunately, I suspect that this was more due to my hearing than the noise in the room... I felt a bit uncomfortable at various points during the event because the ambient noise seemed to really get in the way.) I sat beside the CIO for the ministry of Employment and Immigration, and across from the CIO for Finance.

You know, these things are touted as great opportunities for networking, but they're not really working for me at this point. Sure, the right folks at the GoA are getting to know my face, and who I am on the Deloitte team, but I just can't seem to sustain a decent level of conversation right now... the hearing issue is really plaguing me in noisy environments. Maybe I will have to get those damned hearing aids just for those events. In terms of frequencies, and subtleties, I can hear quite well now, and it seems to be getting better... except in these sorts of circumstances. Damn.

Tonight is an itSMF dinner at the Royal Glenora Club... and its starting to look like I get to be the MC 'cause the Prez can't make it. That just makes it tougher to sneak out earlier if the speaker is a dud.

Wednesday evening, we get to put all the furniture back that had to be moved for the painters.

Thursday evening we're slated to be at the opening of Ronnie Burkett's new piece, 'Billy Twinkle' at The Citadel's Maclab Theatre.

Sunday afternoon, we're going to catch 'The Forbidden Phoenix' at The Citadel's Shoctor.

Busy, busy, busy...

Voting Day in Canada

Go VOTE. No excuses. VOTE. I don't care who you vote for (which is not entirely true, but...) so long as you exercise your right to VOTE.

I voted. Have you?

Dentists and Financial Meltdown

Yesterday afternoon I braved the dentist's chair for the first time in over a year. My dentist is Dr. David Scott, a professor at the University of Alberta, Faculty of Dentistry, who has a small private practice that he is encouraged to run out of the Faculty. He is also an old family friend, having been one of G.'s first employers (as a nanny, I think) when she first came to Canada... I've never been really clear on the history there... but he has looked after me for over twenty years.

The hygienist, Cheryl, was complaining that now that she's hit 50, her sight is failing. The receptionist, Pat, was whining about 'the change'. Both were quite astounded at how good I look. They've seen some really ugly stuff come through the doors there; I am not one of the ugly ones. Woohoo!

Apparently my teeth are in good shape, with the exception of a broken/cracked filling that is probably the byproduct of the cancer surgery rather than my eating habits of late. My gums are in good shape, with only one area of concern to the hygienist. And that concern is minimal. David and company did warn me that I must continue to rinse my mouth regularly, because of the diminished saliva production. David phoned a periodontist friend while I was there and asked him about the salagen/pilocarpine which I mentioned in a previous post. Because I have asked my surgeon to look into it, David won't write the prescription, but the periodontist friend advised asking the pharmacist for artificial saliva, and Prevident (I hope I got that right... I left the note on my dresser). And Cheryl, the hygienist, suggested that I start using something like Plax twice a day, carry a Sulcabrush with me, and gave me new Sulcabrush heads with the obligatory toothbrush

They are such nice people!

Now, on to the Financial Meltdown;

I'm really not sure what the hell the politicians are up to with regards to the stock market meltdowns! All we're really getting is baffle gab from all of them! Harper sounds like he's on a double dose of anti-depressants (he almost giggled at one point!), and the other two majors are alternating between the good 'ol Uncle with the well-if-I-had-my-way speech and the slightly frenetic why-doesn't-someone-do-something lament.

My take on the subject is really quite simple: the majority of pension/rrsp money is tied up in mutual funds which is under the control of fund managers, or the mythical 'institutional investor'. Their job is to manage those funds. They get paid for doing it. They get bonused for doing it well. They get promoted for doing it really well (although somewhere in that part of the equation the Peter Principle does play a role). If your pension/rrsp has been doing reasonably well until these past couple of weeks, just try to relax... the players (fund managers) are just as concerned as you and will work hard to bring the value of your investment back up as fast as they can, according to the mandate of the fund (aggressive vs. conservative). Now, you may (which translates to "I may", dammit!) have to shift that retirement window by a couple of years, and it may be chromed rather than gold leaf, but you will be able to retire comfortably.

I heard on a panel discussion this morning that a number of the institutional investors had already started to shift the composition of their funds before this mess started because of the indicators in the market that something was about to happen. Some of the players have 40 to 55% of the funds they manage in cash or cash-equivalent instruments (bonds, T-bills, debentures, piggy banks). This should give them a head start in building back the funds as the market begins its recovery.

All is not lost.

And from a completely selfish point of view, I'm kinda hoping that a short term 'fraidy cat tightening of spending will free up a couple of windows of opportunity to get our kitchen renovated!!!