it is Raining and it is not Victoria.
I intended to keep this up but man is it a busy life back on the mainland!
Nobody reads blogs anyway - except, of course, a few devoted and dearest friends....

Labour Day is officially the end of summer for anyone connected to the Ed Biz.
(For everybody else it is the last day of Big Brother on TV. How can we keep both Erika nad Janelle on the set for a few more weeks?)
So here we all are readying for the big day.
School opens in twelve hours and we are never ready, truly ready, are we?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AvkhXy777No

"WE don't need no ED-ucation..."
A little Floyd to cap the summer?

Holy Hannah
I am going home tomorrow.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bgj1R3UM0d8
Grand Funk - "I'm Your Captain / Closer to My Home"

No video for this one, but the song is just the best song i could think of for going home.
Reminds me of driving with the boys and listening to the 8-track.
Actually the quality of this vid sounds like an old 8-track.

"I'm getting closer to my home....."

What does "finished" look like?

All done?



as happy as a dog coming home from the kennel?


That's me for sure!
Happy music
Allman Brothers - "Jessica" live
Dickie Betts is awesome
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2TqfENwYqW4&mode=related&search=

August 15
summer payday #3
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JP1LS1JcgTA
Clapton - Beck - Page
Does it get any more summer than this?
I have finished all my papers and my manuals and my journals - except for tomorrow's entry!
wow!
Off to the printer for my $500.00 printing bill.....
c-ya!
(smiling as he leaves the cell....)

August 14 - Day before Pay Day
So here I am in my room revising my entire project (see me on the left) talking on the phone to home base last night and after I hung up I suddenly realize you folks in blog land have no idea what my cohort looks like or is all about.
So this is what I did. I asked folks here to give me two words to describe the last week of school. then I snapped off a few arty pictures to give you an idea visually as well.
the first phrase was from a Volleyball coach who said. "Anxiously hopeful"
Here she is :






We're giving her a lot of room this week.

The next description was from the guys in Cohort 2 who are finishing this week but have their exams on Friday. Here's one of them in action:







the third phrase was "uneasy peace.
Two of our brighter coaches were seen with that phrase written all over them. talk about body language. You can see why they are getting top marks in Skill Acquisition. Here is a shot of them getting the nerve up to ask if they can share notes. They are so smart it's cool.















The Swim coach couldn't think of Two words. All we got out of her was "booze."
She's like that.
We try and respect her individuality.








Then there is us - the boys in Cohort 1 who do not have to write finals until Next Year.
Here we are below.
As fine a collection of leaders as you will find anywhere and a tribute to the quality of candidate selection in the Master's Program here at the "little college overseas".

Our two words are "Give 'er"
It's now our motto.
(That's me sporting the new facial hair.
Kids at school are going to really love my new look


Music in theme
Foghat - "Slow Ride"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCMkM_2auYw
possibly the worst video ever made, but that song!

Sunday - My last Sunday here this summer.

The work of the daily grind has been eased by the background sound of the Icelandic boys known as Sigur Ros.

Great mood music to work or daydream (or, in my case, a little of both)

Time again to open the mailbag.

Here is a reader who wanted to respond to the general tone of one of the earlier blogs:

"Know that things will change. One day is not like the next. You must learn to be confident and comfortable in being yourself from day to day. Unless you are an a**h*le that is the message of the day from the mind of lonely synapses"

Thanks dear reader. couldn't have said it better myself.
B-dis : thanks for the Radio Tribute - Back at ya

Sigur Ros "Saeglopur"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mdXdbUPFIjY

It is going to be hard to leave the campus this week.
I can't believe how quickly the last day approaches.
Don't misunderstand, I am excited to be going home.
But I think it is a good sign that I am leaving UVic with a tinge of sadness.
The people in the program have been the difference.

here's little distraction:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=55YYaJIrmzo


Music tonight
My Morning Jacket "Mahgeetah (It Still Moves)"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ESz_4JKqZPc

feeling more than a little melancholy... the video attached is more than a little dopey

Atta boy Buck!

A nice night to have 3 interceptions is the night your defence is in top form.

Bucky did enough to win - all you really expect from a back up QB.

I find myself delaying and procrastinating and avoiding my last two assignments. Why?

I need to Get ' er done!

I need to follow the FUBAR Filosofy and "Just Give 'er".

But for some reason here I sit typing a meaningless blog instead.

It's tragic.

Musical Inspiration is what I need.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ap0p7mhu4w0

How about some old music to make me feel young and energetic!?!?

Replacements - "Bastards of Young"

August 9
I learned a new word today. (You will, too, if you keep reading)
That should not come as a complete surprise. I am at a University and I admit I do not know everything.
But here is the word, and tell me if you've heard it before: Januform.

huh?
yeah.
What's it mean?
Here's a hint:
Here's another:







Got it yet?


no?

Here's another hint -
Did that help ? Getting Warmer?

How about this one:
Or this one?


Januform
You won't lkely find it in the dictionary and Wikipedia lists the word without a definition.

It is a word that defines the (growing) anti-social behaviour and approach modelled by high profile athletes whose values run contrary to what sports advocates purport are the highest reasons to promote sport as a societal building block and a source of community pride.
It is anti-hero, it is cheater, it is spoiled brat, it is graceless and thankless and self-centred and self-serving.
I like it.
It's a good word, only because it defines something that has yet to be labelled.
It's no "santorum" yet, but it might be one day.

How about some music?
The Thin White Duke?
Nothing januformic there.
David Bowie - "Heroes" featuring Brian May and Mick Ronson
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KiFPfWPX6Y8

night night

August 8, 2006 - late

Contrails.

This is what the skies over Victoria looked like on Saturday morning.

I can't get used to contrails, even though I know what they are, and i know how they are made. It's that tiny bit of doubt in my head about what they MIGHT be made of that bothers me. Silly hey?

Tonight I was on the roof of a downtown restaurant playing sand volleyball. the focus was fun and we remained in focus all evening. Pretty good for bunch of driven type "A" sorts.

Jocks get a bad rap from too many directions. Here is a tiny example of what most jocks are really like. Thirteen of us were there playing four on four with five waiting to sub in at a time. A young (19) man visiting from Japan stood off to the side and watched us for about ten minutes. We noticed himand on the next sub several of the people on the side offered to let him take their spot. He joined us for the evening and had a nice time - he was an okay player, nothing special. Nobody made a single fuss about him. He wanted to play - he was included. nice.

US Sailors are in town tonight - everywhere. Victoria seems to be treating them very kindly.

They truly float on...

Music anyone?

Modest mouse - "Float On"

the song completely cracks me up, and we''ll all float on in the contrails.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1t4Sp63D_cE

Here I am about to enter the final two weeks of classes and looking for the inspirational fortification we all need when we can see the finish line but we have to keep going to get there.
I googled "Race to the Finish and got two interesting images.
The first one is:

It's kind of what you would expect to see.










the other one that hit me was this one:

Hmm

Aaah the unintentional comedy.
A bold gold cross surrounded by NASCAR checkered flags and the words in bright red letters - "Finish the Race"

Now I am certain it is not a plea from the KKK but it sure Could be.

Regardless - after a weekend of family visits (unfortunately in two different locations)
I am preparing for the week ahead thusly:

hmm
love to all
10 more days....
Some musical advice for all of us in the Race to the Finish:
The Raconteurs: "Steady as She Goes"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q7aOWIFgIZQ

It's time to open the mail bag and turn the blog over to you:

b-don said...
The stated goal of the Taliban and Al Queda leadership is an Islamic Caliphate stretching from Spain to Baghdad. So next time I hear any "activist" shrieking about Imperialism, I may just throw up.Anyones response to what is going on, especially in Afghanistan, is going to be shaped by their knowledge of the realities in that region. The Pakistan/Afghan border is the seat of global terrorism. If we allow (we in the global sense) the Taliban to resurface, it will mean more attacks and more innocent deaths. Unlike Iraq, Afghanistan really is a "fight them there, or fight them here" situation. As to the effect of the Iraq war on the college-aged population in the US, I'm guessing its minimal. Unlike in Vietnam, the US now has a volunteer army, making most kids chances of getting blown up in Kirkuk pretty slim. Outside of the protest anything and everything US set (led of course by the ever diminishing Noam Chomsky), most kids are more concerned about whats going to happen on the OC.Me? I just don't like Facism and, unlike most, I can properly identify it. The US is not a Fascist, Imperialist State. Anyone making that charge should be forced to live in one for even a day.I've heard the movie is good though.

b-dis said...
terrorists are like, bad and stuff?
On the night the Lions honour the great '64 Lions led by the inimitable Joe Kapp they win big. I wonder if this is why I always like #22?


song for tonight: (staying in theme...)
Sam Cooke covers "Blowin' in the Wind"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zX7LcfDZHvY

Who You Are is What You Were When.
We all have events in our lives that cumulatively shape us.
Some of them are very local, some regional, some global. What does that have to do with ANYTHING?

I have a point that I intend to make, but the inspiration for this comes from a documentary i watched last evening that I know will not be on the Rumsfeld Christmas Stocking Stuffer list for 2006.
"Sir, No Sir" is a powerful journey into the real story behind the GI revolt of the Viet Nam War.
I was six years old when the Americans started "advising" in Indochina as the area was known back then. It meant nothing to me.
By the time I was six I had a few good memories already shaping me - swimming a Roger's Creek with my sisters, Creme Soda at Grandma's house, building my first nail gun with the older boys on the street helping me.
I had a few odd memories - watching my older brother climb through our shared bedroom window at about 4 am, finding out I could move the panel van by repeatedly pressing the starter button, watching a young man on the way home from school change records on his front porch ith his feet (he was a victim of thalidamide).
I even had a few creepy ones - seeing the man next door on Beaver Creek chop the head off a chicken just as the kids were getting off the bus in front of his house, or feeling incredibly conflicted and squeamish when a particular uncle or aunt wanted to kiss me.
We all have memories.

And we are all shaped by memories.

But i wondered while watching the movie if the fifteen year old of today will be as affected by Iraq or Afghanistan as I was by Viet Nam.
The protest movement taught me that it was okay to oppose authority and ask hard questions. (that belief has not always helped me I must admit)
The protest movement shaped our thinking, our music, our art, our politics.
Coffee Houses, so important to the GI, became the social gathering place for free thinking and (at times) tolerable music. My sister invited me to come. And no, that is not a picture of me and my friends at the New West Coffee House in 1970. (it's not Barry Maguire, either)
Hear Barry Maguire's
"Eve of Destruction."http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNuUB7qapbQ

Would I be the who I seem to have become had i not lived in Canada during the time of the Viet Nam War? Of course not.
And this is not a trippy tale about how cool the Baby boomers are or were or whatever....
It's simply a question about the effect on our teen generation of the latest war that the neighbours to the south, and to a certain extent Canada, are now involved in. Did the Russian kids who lived through their Afghanistan learn to question their leaders? How did Afghanistan affect them?

Odd to think that if the Russians couldn't bring about change to that part of the world who are we to think we can? Has Canada stopped peace keeping and started peace making?

August!
Tired but pushing on!
We will be debating "Body Checking" for 9-10 year olds in the Saskatchewan Minor Hockey Association.
I am on the "Pro" team on behalf of the SHA. i wonder if this guy would take my call. I might need a little back up and I have a pretty good idea I know where he stands, "and evrythink, boy".


Cool Breeze all day - very pleasant.
Must sleep.
Tell me the noise outside will not continue?

Tonight's music
not my favourite of their music, but appropriate for the night
"Goodnight, goodnight" - Hot Hot Heat, from Victoria, of course...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4vV0w0mkhdI&search=hot%20hot%20heat

Some person some place has written guidelines for moving day.
I know it must be out there somewhere.
But not everybody got the memo....
Today was moving day - not for me but I was one of the crew.
check that - I was the crew.
Not that it was all that bad or that I minded.
It just didn't seem to follow the "rules"
No beer and chili, no beer and chicken, no beer...



And the courses are already demanding my time - which is expected of course.
It's just a bit harder to get to work after a four day hiatus.

song of the day
"Fire Brigade" - the MOVE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcFkKZagP84&search=Moving%20day
I love watching the dude in the white pants - plays an awesome air guitar
"oooh!"

I'm not sure if it is due to cutbacks or the sinking of the one decent ship they had in the fleet, but the ferry to Swartz Bay was a little less comfortable than when I last rode it to Tsawassen.

Nevertheless it is good to be back from a four day hiatus - tell me you missed me - and back in the blogosphere whre everyone has something to say and few of us have time nor interest to read it.

Regardless, i made it back to the university despite some difficulties with the bus - it broke down part way home.

We had to hoof it the rest of the way. Scenic, but rather gruelling.

I think I shall sleep well tonight

i have 200 couches

song of the day: "PDA" - Interpol

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BlkPODk7EVk&search=PDA%20Interpol

click the link - enjoy

see you tomorrow

I'm half done and appreciative of the support!

So, dear reader, I have another movie recommendation for you tonight.

Even though he is just five years younger, Douglas Coupland seems to be from another time entirely.
Yet his highly personal "Souvenir of Canada" rings true to me and to every other generation in the movie theatre tonight.

He makes the journey to discover his country mesh with the journey to discover himself, and even if that sounds all too cliche, and it is, the movie works as a piece of witty and reflective art.

Song for the day is from the movie.
"Stars and Sons" : Broken Social Scene
click to the link
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B21XU0-QYX8&search=Stars%20and%20Sons

I travel overseas on Wednesday.
wish me luck....

btw
the little fellow at the top of the blog is Ookpik.
In 1966 some Canadian committee wanted Ookpik to become a uniquely Canadian symbol.

The underground reports of the Steve Nash charity game are trickling in. Over here in Victoria the buzz is that Kathy Shields, long time UVic coach and Canadian basketball icon, saved the night for the people watching.
She suggested the teams play the fourth quarter of an otherwise self consciously unremarkable game as if it mattered, and make the losing side do twenty pushups.
Apparently it worked. Pride was on the line.
whew.
we may see another one next year. hmm.

i hate celeb softball, all star games, fake athletic events like movie stars golfing with football players so they can all rib each other about how terrible they are. It's insulting to expect people to watch.
I, for one, am not that time rich. I'd rather have a nap or listen to good music.
And I am a sports fan.

Here is a link to a terrific article about Steve Nash:
http://thetyee.ca/Sports/2006/06/02/SteveNash/
it talks about how a kid from privilege (Oak Bay is still firmly entrenched in the 1950's behind the vaunted Tweed Curtain) was able to stay hungry.
This is no rags to riches story, as are so many NBA tales.
This is the story of a kid from Canada who chose to work just a little harder to get results.

Summer is coming to the halfway point.
Have you done what you hoped to get done yet?

Song of the day:
"Big Leagues" - Tom Cochrane with 54-40
naturally....
http://youtube.com/watch?v=GOcNuwRt6T4&search=tom%20cochrane

And since we had a photo of Iceland, here's one of Ireland, courtesy of Pogo who just got back.
Family members will note the name of this fine establishment built for social merriment - kind of like our family, eh laddybuck?


It's a little warm, hey?
I sent my executive research assistant out to locate some drinking water.
This is a shot of her returning to res.
You can see her just to the right of the bedouin tent.
She's wearing her white burkha.
If she doesn't hurry up I may have to start thinking about replacing her.

I played musical Bingo last night for the first time.
Ever done it?
it's a blast.
I recommend it highly.
speaking of music -
over to you DJ GoGo

Song of the Day:
Heat Wave - Martha and the Vandellas
click the link below
http://youtube.com/watch?v=oGBSs6sEIJM&search=Martha%20%26%20the%20Vandellas

Okay, that's one in a row. It would appear that Buono made a correct decision. Antonio Warren needed a night off and joe Smith needed to show what he can do. Can you say "halfback controversy"?
Hands up all of you who felt comfortable at any time in the second half at Calgary. I thought so.

It's back to work.
Last week of the term, and the game was my break.

Song of the day:
"C'mon and Roar You Lions roar" by Dal Richards.
cheers

Speaking of things named Bryndis....

Speaking of things named "Bryndis", can you see the name of the plane? Look under to co-pilot window. How cool is That!?

And Peter Johnsson's wife argued with my father that it was not an Icelandic name.

Nothing in the "Old Country" is ever the same, no matter what the "Old Country" is. The Old Country moves on while the émigrés keep things the way they were when they left.

Ahh, the stories we heard about the Old Country.

I once had the uncomfortable experience of being in the room with an older Portuguese man from Oporto who had, at no small expense, paid the bill for his son and daughter to visit the "Old Country". He listened in sadness and horror as his twenty-something kids recounted their time there. (And the FUN they had!) All his insistence on being good "traditional" Portuguese, of keeping the ways, of resisting the madness of the modern world in their adopted homeland crumbled away as the kids told of how things really were in Oporto, in Lisbon, in the rural areas. The modern world had found the "Old Country" and in a brief few moments I could see the recognition in his eyes; he could never go home.

I carry in my head all the West Icelander myths and sagas as told to me by my father and his generation. That "Old Country" doesn't exist any more either. I have come to terms with that. We are who we are and we are where we are. There is no getting around it, and I believe the resistence to accept the society in which one lives, and pine for the "Old Country", and the sadness and resentment that ensues from that mistaken but understandable outlook, is a contributing factor to the disconnect felt by many of the children of those transplanted families. Be in the country but not of the country. Hard advice to follow for a kid whose world is shaped every day by his surroundings.

Not that I felt the disconnect. I am a second generation Canadian. But that doesn't mean I can't see it in others or bear witness to the desperate ways new Canadians cling to the "Old Country".

Song for today: "Transatlanticism" - Death Cab for Cutie
kind of on theme of the day...
Hear the song here:

"I heard the news today, oh boy...."
A dear friend is no longer with us, and this is a hard blog entry to write.

This is not an exact photo of Sparky, I know, but i don't have a photo of Sparky.
All the pictures I have of Sparky are in my head - and in my heart.
Rare is the companion in life who ceaselessly makes you feel important every time you see him, but that was Sparky.
From the day I brought him a flat pie tin of water on a very hot day we were friends.
And every time he saw me he would rush to me, curl sideways, grunt his welcome, and rush off to share his glee with others that I was there.

Now I know there are folks out there who say dogs are not people, that they'd trade your life for a half a ham sandwich. In Sparky's case that may well have been true. But i am happy to say he never had to make that choice with me.
All he had to do in life was make people like me feel special.
And he did that very well.

He was loved.

He will be missed.

My thoughts and regards to his family whose life was enriched most of all.

http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/sparky

Song of the day has to come from Sparky the Talking Dog sub Genius
(Not one of my favourite bands, no, but hey - Sparky the Talking Dog?
Who knew.?

Cheers all

Cadboro Bay on my evening walk

This is the view I see when I go for my evening walk down the hill.
It truly makes me feel at home. This is Cadboro Bay looking out towards Bellingham Wa.

Yesterday on the CBC I listened to an interview with a "Brownie" who in the course of her Brownie career had managed to earn every single Brownie badge.
That in itself is remarkable, but even more remarkable was her attitude.
When the interviewer asked how she earned her various badges she replied every time with "You get to...." as if every task was taken as a joy.

I loved that!
It gave me a bit of inspiration, corny as it sounds.
Here I am where "I" get to ....

below is a clear day shot of the view from the bay.

song of the day:
"Crown of Love" - Arcade Fire


cheers

Crows live in the moment, the Zen of Crows

Crows are fascinating.

I know that is a mundane start to a mundane topic, but I've had the opportunity to watch my surroundings with an unhurried eye, and I keep coming back to the crows.

The baby crows are out of the nest these days and following their moms around.
They never shut up.
They are the most demanding semi-helpless brats.

I watched one follow mommy around the fountain by the library. she spent the entire time looking for something to shove in his mouth. He did nothing to feed himself. Nothing. She ate nothing herself. Every morsel and scrap went into his cawing maw.
He'd be quiet for one moment, and then it would start again.

I think we LIVE for those moments, the pauses in between the noises.
I know she did. At one point she couldn't find anything for her boy.
So she shoved a small stick in his beak. He tried eating it for a bit and then spit it out.
He was actually quiet for a longer time than if she had fed him.

I swear to god she did it on purpose.

I am looking forward to seeing you all in one of those moments, and I promise not to put sticks in your mouths when I do.

Soon....


the Black Crowes "She Talks to Angels"

july is half over

And we'll all float on okay,
And we'll all float on anyway....

I am determined to be completely finished these assignments by the time I am ready to wrap up the first half on the 26th.

My routine tends to go more or less like this:
Work for an hour and a half.
Go for a walk.

that's it.

I was thinking about the people in the Fine Arts Department creating.
There is only one way for those folks to get things done.
Time on task.
Period.

W.P. Kinsella talks about getting up every day and writing.
It is what he does so he does it.
There really is no other way to get anything accomplished. Darn it.
And as hard as I stare, my projects do not get written.

The scariest assignment awaits yet. I am charged with coming up with a poster for the 577 class.
Me. A poster.
Why not ask me to choreograph a baton twirl while you're at it?

Open for ideas, but I probably won't know how to use them. I don't even own a glue stick yet.

My first attempt at a poster looked like this:

















So I hired a new assistant to the researcher. Here she is at work producing my make or break career lynchpin. God speed young artist, and bring home the goods!

What on earth could the three photos picutred here have in common?

All three are from movies I have rewarded myself with for being a good homework boy.

All three come highly recommended - by me. All are very different, a reflection of the eclectic tastes ofyour humble servant.

I saw Eve and the Firehorse first. First Class all through and a demonstration of how good Canadian film makers can be when the subject is both Canadian and universal.

Sophie Scholl is a chilling historical. Chilling in large part becasue it was not so long ago.

And Bettie Page is a cleverly disguised morality tale about salvation and sex.

Three evenings of quality distraction.

Check them out.

there is another Og Blog - created just the other day! Two in one blogosphere!
Is the world ready?

Speaking of more than one of a kind: see if you can guess which of the above is a picture of the host of a fantastic radio show featuring the best of indie and post rock music (with a special ear open for Canadians) every Friday night?
"Music is My Boyfriend" with your host Bryndis every Friday Night 5-6pm, cfur .ca. Click the link and kick back.
What's the deal with the photos?
Every one appeared on a Google Image search under the name "Bryndis".
cool beans.

i had the pleasure of watching the football game between BC and Saskatchewan with a gentleman from Arizona who knows little of football and nothing of the CFL. From what i saw, he could be on the coaching staff of the Lions.

I keep saying it - but I can't find anyone to listen. The OC has to go. No second half offence for five straight games. Only Hamilton's Joe PaoPao is worse and can hardly communicate in English, he speaks Riddlish.
I'm off to engage in my dialectic of the week - over oysters, I hope.
I don't even know the name of the place we are going, so my internal gps/radar will have to be sharpe.
Let's see, oyster place in Victoria, shouldn't be more than about forty of those.....

tough night to write
see you tomorrow
when faculties return.....

This is me heading back to residence with my new executive research assistant.

Quiet night.
Saw a chewed off chunk of a rabbit's foot on the steps of the Bookstore today.
Didn't seem lucky to me...

Light rain earlier, clear and fresh tonight, the air punctuated by pungent tobacco from the s/s cru huddled around the front planter and the sound of a mother and father arguing in a foreign Slavic tongue while their son? pulls his luggage drearily ahead. Checking in to residence, no doubt. Big move for the family, no doubt.
Son carries the weight of his father's expectations in his shoulders, his mother's hopes on his back.

It made me wonder how much of that emotion I felt as a parent watching my spouse "allow" my children to go off to school in a far away place....
Did i argue picky stupid details? (probably) Did my spouse feel the same way? (of course)
Did my children understand the emotion involved? (probably not. It's one of those things that you just don't understand until you've been through it yourself.)

Halfway through the first set of courses and you can see the tension in the faces of the students as the homework mounts.

I need a helper like the one above.
Send names and numbers to the Blog.

Later

July 11

You had to see this one coming....

Swift had a modest proposal that rather shocked people.

This is a modest proposal that is not intended to shock. I'm serious about this idea. Every day I pass by a huge pack of rabbits, plump, well fed, "free range" style livestock.

Every day I also pass by a barbecue pit on my way back to my cell.

Everyday I am surrounded by hundreds of hungry students.

The photo on the above right is not roast chicken, it is roast rabbit in wine sauce. No word of a lie - in the Cafeteria tonight, one of the entrees was roast chicken leg. The young student in front of me wanted to know if it was rabbit. I couldn't tell if the tone in her voice was nervousness or anticipation, but it led me to believe I was on to something. Without being (or at the risk of being) xenophobic, I have wondered more than once what our many foreign visitors think of all the potential barbecue running about untended here.

My s/s cru has World Cup Fever. They have taken to playing soccer everywhere; in front of the residence, on the steps by the Cafeteria, on the sidewalk in front of the Student Union Building, in the parking lot by the Housing Office.... Everywhere, that is, except on one of the many soccer fields that border the residences. Quite a site to see as they kick the balls off the buildings carefully shielding their ubiquitous cigarettes from unexpected rebounds.

Meanwhile the volleyball nets set up for them on the front lawns go ignored, save for the three staff members hopelessly trying to find positive things for them to do.

I suggest we set them loose catching dinner. They would be busy, the rabbit population would be dented (instead of the parked cars and the pop machines under attack from miskicked soccer balls) and we could all be treated to delicious barbecue. Hey, Elmer Fudd was serious about his work!

Jason Bay got a hit in the All Star Game. Good for you , kid. On Roberto Clemente Day in Pittsburgh. go Canada.

38 to go

Cheers

For the uninitated out there, the impressive dude below is a raptor.
And not just any raptor - this is a Swainson's hawk. In Raptor World they are the guys that get to wear the coolest uniforms (not evident in this photo, way more intense close up).
Very Euro, smooth, sleek, earth tones like a Baltic Country's Army General.

My first encounter with a Swainson's hawk happened on my first memorable trip to Victoria in grade four when my class from Port Alberni got to visit the Parliament Buildings. He was sitting
on a tree branch on the grounds of the Legislature and I noticed him because he looked fierce and imperious, although those are not likely the words I might have used at age 9.
What is the point, you ask, of my inclusion of this most noble but irrelevant beast on a page not normally devoted to things better served by Audobon & co?

The point, and i will try to be brief, is that this magnificent killer was the instrument of a small epiphany for me.

As I rounded the corner of the MacKinnon Building on my nightly constitutional I encountered a Swainson's hawk, talons deep into the carcass of a juvenile rabbit. He pulled at the body, galnced around, pecked a chunk, glanced around.... He was caught between the age old "ought versus want" of knowing he ought to be careful but wanting to dig in to his meal (see earlier blog on dinner table manners).

Here was my noble Swainson's hawk acting like a crow at a dumpster sneaking bites at the back of the gym in the same furtive way my s/s cru acts when they hover over a pack of cigarettes.
And additonally, one of the arrogant rabbit clan had fallen at last.

But that wasn't when the epiphany came.

The light that shone in my head illuminated a brace of basic truths.
All I could think while watching the scene before me was, "and I thought I had a tough day."

Epiph. One - Nobody is quite as powerful as the power we give them.
and Epiph. Two- No matter how bad you think you have it....

I did mention it was a small epiphany. I'm not headed to Damascus to reshape modern religion.

Later.
39 days to go

Just in case you didn't know what a wild strawberry looks like....

40 day s to go.

(And 40 nights)