It looks like the idiots in Ottawa are about to do it again. Yep, election time. It would seem that while the three opposition parties can’t agree on much, none of them want to give up their slice of the federal pork. For two years they couldn’t agree on anything well enough to bring down Mr. Harper’s government but on this they are united. It should be noted that the move to remove federal subsidies applies to all parties including the Conservatives. Yet for some reason the three losers of the last election seem to think it’s all about them. I find it amusing that the harshest critics of this government are all people who have had their funding threatened in one way or another.
First it was the artistic community who seem to think art that doesn’t sell should be paid for by the taxpayer. I have met many artists and writers over the years and one thing jumps out at me. The ones that are a commercial success very seldom got their start with government funding. Many are in fact baffled by the preoccupation so many Canadians have with filling out grant proposals and attempting to obtain government funding in order to create. When asked how he had supported himself while perfecting his craft science fiction author David Drake simply replied, “I drove a bus.” You see, the really good ones aren’t afraid to work for a living or to go without while they learn. Only in Canada do artists feel the rest of us should support them.
The same appears to be true of politicians. Those that won are perfectly willing to give up their government subsidies. Only the parties that lost the last election seem to feel the taxpayer should prop them up. Rather than give up their slice of the federal pie Larry, Curly and Moe want to cost Canadians millions of dollars and go to the polls all over again. Personally, I hope the less than fifty per cent of us that bother with this nonsense remember who brought it all about and why. If we do have another election, please get out and vote for whomever you want. As for me, I’ll be voting against the three stooges!
Friday, November 28, 2008
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Cosmic Friendship
This is our one wall not devoted to books. It features the art of Eugene Pentz’s Cosmic Friendship series. Alas, we could not afford the original paintings but they are all signed and numbered prints. The two small and two medium sized prints were purchased directly from Mr. Pentz at his studio in Invermere BC. The large central picture was a mail order. The stereo (lower right) is a Pioneer SA-6500 purchased in 1976. It still works just fine after 32 years of continuous use, proving once more that you can never go wrong paying for quality.
I remember the reaction my niece and nephew had on first seeing our living room. Cathy looked around and said, “look at all the art.” Robert, on taking in the same scene exclaimed, “look at all the books.” We would have more art if we could spare the walls to hang it on. We do what we can with curios interspersed with the books and our wall of Pentz as it were. His art struck a chord with both of us when we were on our honeymoon in Fairmont BC. We bought our first print that year and another the following year when we returned to the scene of the crime. We are still coming back to this valley today with our last visit just last June. Eugene is no longer in Invermere. He has relocated out to Gold River, BC on the west side of Vancouver Island. In addition to his painting, he is a world class wood carver.
Friendships, cosmic or not, happen for a variety of reasons. Common interests, proximity, attraction all play a role but I find in the case of men and women it’s most often one party or the other enjoying the company of the other but not finding them sexually attractive. The old “let’s just be friends” line, all too familiar to most men is a signal to move on. For the most part the other person does not actually want to be friends. They are simply using this as a gentle way to dump you. This is by no means universal. In one rather exceptional case I did manage to come out of it with a life long friend. She has stood by me and I have stood by her for over thirty years. No, she is not my wife although she did stand beside me at our wedding as my “best man. No, we never slept together though not for lack of interest on my part; she is a rather attractive woman. Somehow in her case this never really bothered me where with others it had driven me crazy.
You see what most women who use the ‘just friends’ routine to avoid having to sleep with someone don't understand is that most guys can accept that part, the not sleeping with the woman. And that would be fine if the other party were about to take a vow of chastity. Sadly that doesn’t happen. So said friend has to sit on the sidelines unable to touch the object of his desire and watch others boldly go where he cannot. Frustration builds, stupid things get said and done and the so-called friendship evaporates into the cosmos. This happens for the most part because the friendship wasn’t real in the first place. Instead, it was merely a convenience, a way of keeping the other person in their life without letting them get too close. Friendships based on a lie like this cannot and do not last.
Here it’s not so much the woman lies to the man (and to be fair I’m sure it works both ways but I only have personal experience with the one) but more to the point, the man lies to himself, convincing himself that if he’s patient and noble enough she’ll come around. Trust me, they never do. Once you’ve been slotted into the “friend” category, go look elsewhere for she most certainly will. Stop deluding yourself and move on. If she really does want to be ‘just friends,’ she will have no trouble understanding your need to have a life apart from her. If not, she was never your friend in the first place.
I remember the reaction my niece and nephew had on first seeing our living room. Cathy looked around and said, “look at all the art.” Robert, on taking in the same scene exclaimed, “look at all the books.” We would have more art if we could spare the walls to hang it on. We do what we can with curios interspersed with the books and our wall of Pentz as it were. His art struck a chord with both of us when we were on our honeymoon in Fairmont BC. We bought our first print that year and another the following year when we returned to the scene of the crime. We are still coming back to this valley today with our last visit just last June. Eugene is no longer in Invermere. He has relocated out to Gold River, BC on the west side of Vancouver Island. In addition to his painting, he is a world class wood carver.
Friendships, cosmic or not, happen for a variety of reasons. Common interests, proximity, attraction all play a role but I find in the case of men and women it’s most often one party or the other enjoying the company of the other but not finding them sexually attractive. The old “let’s just be friends” line, all too familiar to most men is a signal to move on. For the most part the other person does not actually want to be friends. They are simply using this as a gentle way to dump you. This is by no means universal. In one rather exceptional case I did manage to come out of it with a life long friend. She has stood by me and I have stood by her for over thirty years. No, she is not my wife although she did stand beside me at our wedding as my “best man. No, we never slept together though not for lack of interest on my part; she is a rather attractive woman. Somehow in her case this never really bothered me where with others it had driven me crazy.
You see what most women who use the ‘just friends’ routine to avoid having to sleep with someone don't understand is that most guys can accept that part, the not sleeping with the woman. And that would be fine if the other party were about to take a vow of chastity. Sadly that doesn’t happen. So said friend has to sit on the sidelines unable to touch the object of his desire and watch others boldly go where he cannot. Frustration builds, stupid things get said and done and the so-called friendship evaporates into the cosmos. This happens for the most part because the friendship wasn’t real in the first place. Instead, it was merely a convenience, a way of keeping the other person in their life without letting them get too close. Friendships based on a lie like this cannot and do not last.
Here it’s not so much the woman lies to the man (and to be fair I’m sure it works both ways but I only have personal experience with the one) but more to the point, the man lies to himself, convincing himself that if he’s patient and noble enough she’ll come around. Trust me, they never do. Once you’ve been slotted into the “friend” category, go look elsewhere for she most certainly will. Stop deluding yourself and move on. If she really does want to be ‘just friends,’ she will have no trouble understanding your need to have a life apart from her. If not, she was never your friend in the first place.
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Carved in stone
No doubt one of the earliest examples of graffiti—probably the equivalent of Joe not so useful was here. This is from Writing on Stone Provincial Park, an absolutely awesome place. There is a sense of timelessness as you enter the valley almost as if all the ancestors are still there, watching.
The moving finger of time writes and having writ moves on. Yet each of us strives to make our mark on the world, something to lett those who follow that we were there. The same was no doubt true of the natives who carved this at Writing on Stone Provincial Park. They simply wanted their lives, thier story to survive them. Maybe it's nothing more than graffiti but it's still there. The images saved onto a CD ROM last week might not even be readable in five years (or now if you're using Vista). Stone carvings, clay tablets and even ancient scrolls have all survived the passage of time. Todays modern digital media will not even survive an operating system change. Sic transit gloria in the extreme.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Sarek 2
Poor old Sarek probably won’t be with us much longer. He’s blind and suffers from arthritis. Still, he finds the food dish, the litter pan, any available heat vent and my lap where he now resides. Watching him navigate is comical. He puts his whiskers up against the wall and follows it along until he bumps into something. Memory plays a big role—the trailer isn’t all that big and he knows his way around it. We try not to complicate things by rearranging the furniture or leaving things in his way. All we can do at this point is love him and try to make him as comfortable as possible.
In so many ways I won the lottery back in 1992 when I ran into Maureen again. We first met back in the seventies when my roommate was driving for her first husband. She was Mrs. B then and I didn’t really pay all that much attention to her. I was just another whacked out cab driver friend of her husband’s and she barely noticed me in the crowd. A whole bunch of years and a whole lot of life went by. Suddenly we were both in the same place at the same time and both single. Checker Cabs no less! Not the most romantic of settings but it worked and the rest, as they say is history. It’s been almost sixteen years and I wouldn’t change a thing. She is still the best thing that ever happened to me.
When we first started going out together I remember telling my sister that Maureen loved cats, books and me and I didn’t even care if it was in that order. You see I love cats, books and her. The cats are of course, first and foremost since we are after all just the domestic couple our feline overseers hired to take care of them. The books are next since we are merely their custodians and then there’s each other. Us. I'd never been a part of an 'us' before. Before Maureen I spent twenty years convinced I was in love with someone who won't even speak to me today.
Unrequited lovemay make you feel all noble and such but in the end it’s really not all that satisfying. When the object of my affection remarried and left town, I took stock of my life and looked around. I was stuck in a job I hated so I quit and went back to driving. Then Maureen and I started seeing each other. She accepted me as a cab driver, something my unrequited love had not.
In so many ways I won the lottery back in 1992 when I ran into Maureen again. We first met back in the seventies when my roommate was driving for her first husband. She was Mrs. B then and I didn’t really pay all that much attention to her. I was just another whacked out cab driver friend of her husband’s and she barely noticed me in the crowd. A whole bunch of years and a whole lot of life went by. Suddenly we were both in the same place at the same time and both single. Checker Cabs no less! Not the most romantic of settings but it worked and the rest, as they say is history. It’s been almost sixteen years and I wouldn’t change a thing. She is still the best thing that ever happened to me.
When we first started going out together I remember telling my sister that Maureen loved cats, books and me and I didn’t even care if it was in that order. You see I love cats, books and her. The cats are of course, first and foremost since we are after all just the domestic couple our feline overseers hired to take care of them. The books are next since we are merely their custodians and then there’s each other. Us. I'd never been a part of an 'us' before. Before Maureen I spent twenty years convinced I was in love with someone who won't even speak to me today.
Unrequited lovemay make you feel all noble and such but in the end it’s really not all that satisfying. When the object of my affection remarried and left town, I took stock of my life and looked around. I was stuck in a job I hated so I quit and went back to driving. Then Maureen and I started seeing each other. She accepted me as a cab driver, something my unrequited love had not.
Monday, November 24, 2008
A rare and precious find
This gem was found at last year’s Conversion 24. It’s a first edition, published in 1899. H. G. Wells was the father of modern science fiction along with Jules Verne. Even today, no one has written a better invasion from space story than War of the Worlds. The original George Pal movie done in the fifties was vastly superior to the pathetic Tom Cruise remake. Why can’t people recognize a classic when they see it? Classics do not require updating; that is what the term classic means. By their very nature they are timeless. Trying to bring them into the modern era is as futile as attempting to install a nuclear reactor in your Ford. None of the various television and movie versions were even close to the original in quality. The closest perhaps was the Jeff Wayne musical version. The music is by Justin Hayward of the Moody Blues and as such is a classic itself.
Some things stand the test of time as do some relationships. When my father passed away back in 2003 I couldn’t help noticing how many of his friends that showed up for the funeral had been his friend for over half a century. I have not been so fortunate with my friendships. Most have fallen by the wayside over the years. People come into and out of our modern lives at a far greater pace than they did in my father’s time. Some move away, become involved with other things and lose touch. Others suffer some slight or get into an argument with you over something you said or they said and you part ways, never quite sure why. Life is for the most part a one way street; you can never go back. Believe me, I’ve tried! People left behind are just that--people left behind. They are an important part of your past but only as part of the journey to the present. Today is what matters for this is where we live, like it or lump it. Carpe Diem! Whatever happened yesterday is nothing more than a memory (unless of course you are on trial for what you did yesterday, in which case it’s evidence).
Tomorrow on the other hand, is open to speculation and as such far more interesting. This is what science fiction is all about; speculation. Not the future per se but possible futures. What if? If this goes on… We are in many ways living in a science fiction age—go in a Future Shop and see how many of the new devices you even understand; if you’re an old fart like me, not many. I’m holding out for a holodeck and tea, Earl Grey, hot. I must admit that while I’m not a full blown Trekkie, I do like some aspects of the utopian future they present. Beam me up Scotty.
This is why I enjoy reading the science fiction of the 1930’s. Their vision of the age we now live in was for the most part optimistic in the extreme. Some, like Wells did consider war inevitable but others saw the future as one marvelous invention after another.
Some things stand the test of time as do some relationships. When my father passed away back in 2003 I couldn’t help noticing how many of his friends that showed up for the funeral had been his friend for over half a century. I have not been so fortunate with my friendships. Most have fallen by the wayside over the years. People come into and out of our modern lives at a far greater pace than they did in my father’s time. Some move away, become involved with other things and lose touch. Others suffer some slight or get into an argument with you over something you said or they said and you part ways, never quite sure why. Life is for the most part a one way street; you can never go back. Believe me, I’ve tried! People left behind are just that--people left behind. They are an important part of your past but only as part of the journey to the present. Today is what matters for this is where we live, like it or lump it. Carpe Diem! Whatever happened yesterday is nothing more than a memory (unless of course you are on trial for what you did yesterday, in which case it’s evidence).
Tomorrow on the other hand, is open to speculation and as such far more interesting. This is what science fiction is all about; speculation. Not the future per se but possible futures. What if? If this goes on… We are in many ways living in a science fiction age—go in a Future Shop and see how many of the new devices you even understand; if you’re an old fart like me, not many. I’m holding out for a holodeck and tea, Earl Grey, hot. I must admit that while I’m not a full blown Trekkie, I do like some aspects of the utopian future they present. Beam me up Scotty.
This is why I enjoy reading the science fiction of the 1930’s. Their vision of the age we now live in was for the most part optimistic in the extreme. Some, like Wells did consider war inevitable but others saw the future as one marvelous invention after another.
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Astounding / Analog Science Fiction Magazine
I bought my first issue of Analog in the summer of 1968. I still have it along with hundreds of others dating back as far as 1931. Every year when we visit the local SF convention (www.con-version.org) I pick up a few more of the really old ones. Science fiction began as a genre when Hugo Gernsback and John W. Campbell Jr. came up with the phrase in the first place. Hugo (after whom the prestigious Hugo award is named) wanted to call it 'scientifiction.' John thought this too much of a tongue twister and suggested 'science fiction.' Thus the new genre had a name and with the new pulp magazines, a home.
Thursday, November 20, 2008
All Southern Rock
Go there and have a listen. If you're a fan of rock and roll this is the site for you. Whenever I'm online I go there first, put on the headphones and then read my mail. I used to know one of the DJ's (never actually met him but exchanged emails for almost ten years) but sadly he passed away back in 2005. It took me a while to come back but the music still has its draw.
Once, a long time ago I hit bottom and had to apply for welfare. I remember that day in every detail and how humbling it was to an arrogant prick like me to have to hold out my hand for help. You see I'm the guy who used to ignore the homeless on the street when they asked for change. I give what I can these days but in truth I'm hardly ever downtown any more.
One thing I did not do that day was show up in my best suit in a limousine. I may not have ever applied for welfare before but even I had enough sense to figure this might not be the best idea. Yet this is exactly what the auto executives are doing in Washington right now. Each arrived by limo after flying there on a private jet. All are dressed in their finest. And yes, all of them are there to apply for welfare. Strange world we live in isn't it?
Once, a long time ago I hit bottom and had to apply for welfare. I remember that day in every detail and how humbling it was to an arrogant prick like me to have to hold out my hand for help. You see I'm the guy who used to ignore the homeless on the street when they asked for change. I give what I can these days but in truth I'm hardly ever downtown any more.
One thing I did not do that day was show up in my best suit in a limousine. I may not have ever applied for welfare before but even I had enough sense to figure this might not be the best idea. Yet this is exactly what the auto executives are doing in Washington right now. Each arrived by limo after flying there on a private jet. All are dressed in their finest. And yes, all of them are there to apply for welfare. Strange world we live in isn't it?
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Paper Chase
This is a receipt for almost twenty thousand dollars in student loan money. Back in 1982 I was a cab driver right up until Mr. Fuddle duddle ended economic prosperity in western Canada with his National Energy Program. Overnight the money dried up and it simply was not possible to make a living on the streets any more. So I went back to school, university to be precise, the only place other than the taxi that I had ever felt comfortable. Neither the university campus nor taxiland have much to do with reality. They both exist on the fringes of our society.
I spent three years getting a four year degree. Then, when it was all over and I was about to graduate, a whirlwind, tsnami, whatever you want to call her, swept back into my life and tipped everything downside up. Certain women can do that to all of us. For every man there's one woman he is simply helpless in front of. Like a deer in the headlights we're trapped. The summer of '85 was like that. In the end I left the campus and went back to taxiland, my other comfort zone.
So what was the paper chase all about? Just to prove I could I guess. Not to my friends or even my family so much as myself. After six years in the taxi I came back and got a degree. Okay, it wasn't the one I started out to get back in '71 but it was a degree never-the-less. What did it mean? Not one damned thing. That's right, nothing. By October of 1985 I was back driving and while the economy had picked up a bit, things did not improve much until the '88 winter games. Still, taxiland had welcomed me back just as it always did and for several more years I was comfortable there.
I spent three years getting a four year degree. Then, when it was all over and I was about to graduate, a whirlwind, tsnami, whatever you want to call her, swept back into my life and tipped everything downside up. Certain women can do that to all of us. For every man there's one woman he is simply helpless in front of. Like a deer in the headlights we're trapped. The summer of '85 was like that. In the end I left the campus and went back to taxiland, my other comfort zone.
So what was the paper chase all about? Just to prove I could I guess. Not to my friends or even my family so much as myself. After six years in the taxi I came back and got a degree. Okay, it wasn't the one I started out to get back in '71 but it was a degree never-the-less. What did it mean? Not one damned thing. That's right, nothing. By October of 1985 I was back driving and while the economy had picked up a bit, things did not improve much until the '88 winter games. Still, taxiland had welcomed me back just as it always did and for several more years I was comfortable there.
Feeding time at the zoo
I almost forgot our feline overseers. From left to right: Odo, Max and Sarek. Each has their own spot and their own dish although they do steal from one another. Apparently stolen cat food tastes better.
Curiosity or Stalking?
When does simple curiosity cross the line and become borderline stalking? Recently I looked up an old friend on the web and began reading her blog. After a while I sent her an email and waited.
Eventually (okay, I'm slow on the uptake sometimes) it became clear she was not going to reply. Why, I have no idea. More to the point it became clear that my attempts were in fact upsetting her. Again, I have no idea why but it's enough that it did. Somehow I had crossed the line. Looking back I can see how the whole thing might appear quite different from her point of view. Oops! Didn't really mean to intrude on her or cause distress. Lesson learned--if someone does not reply to your first email, give up. And if the aforementioned lady reads this, I am indeed sorry. Any further contact will be strictly up to you.
You see a long time ago in a different life, she and I were very close friends and I guess I let my memories cloud my judgement. The years can do that. You see we all edit our memories and only remember the good parts. All the BS we went through and the mistakes that were made get glossed over. And if I could climb aboard a time machine and go back, what would I change? Nothing. Not a single butterfly. I like where I am and who I am. Every zig or zag taken that got me here was a necessary one. I may regret the unintentional pain my blundering about caused to others along the way but it's not like they knew what they were doing either.
I used to wonder why everyone else seemed to have their act together and I did not. Then one day I realized they're just better actors than me. Truth is, none of us have the answers or even most of the questions.
Recently I watched the leaders of twenty of the most powerful nations on earth (G20) gather to discuss what to do about the economy. Guess what? They didn't have a clue! Oh they all made nice speeches but when you looked into their eyes you saw fear, raw naked fear. All of them were in over their heads and they knew it. As clear a case of the Peter Principle as this planet has ever seen. All of these leaders had risen well beyond their respective levels of competency. Do I have the answers? Hell no but then, I never pretended to either.
Oh and in case anyone's wondering, the real answer is four...
Eventually (okay, I'm slow on the uptake sometimes) it became clear she was not going to reply. Why, I have no idea. More to the point it became clear that my attempts were in fact upsetting her. Again, I have no idea why but it's enough that it did. Somehow I had crossed the line. Looking back I can see how the whole thing might appear quite different from her point of view. Oops! Didn't really mean to intrude on her or cause distress. Lesson learned--if someone does not reply to your first email, give up. And if the aforementioned lady reads this, I am indeed sorry. Any further contact will be strictly up to you.
You see a long time ago in a different life, she and I were very close friends and I guess I let my memories cloud my judgement. The years can do that. You see we all edit our memories and only remember the good parts. All the BS we went through and the mistakes that were made get glossed over. And if I could climb aboard a time machine and go back, what would I change? Nothing. Not a single butterfly. I like where I am and who I am. Every zig or zag taken that got me here was a necessary one. I may regret the unintentional pain my blundering about caused to others along the way but it's not like they knew what they were doing either.
I used to wonder why everyone else seemed to have their act together and I did not. Then one day I realized they're just better actors than me. Truth is, none of us have the answers or even most of the questions.
Recently I watched the leaders of twenty of the most powerful nations on earth (G20) gather to discuss what to do about the economy. Guess what? They didn't have a clue! Oh they all made nice speeches but when you looked into their eyes you saw fear, raw naked fear. All of them were in over their heads and they knew it. As clear a case of the Peter Principle as this planet has ever seen. All of these leaders had risen well beyond their respective levels of competency. Do I have the answers? Hell no but then, I never pretended to either.
Oh and in case anyone's wondering, the real answer is four...
Something New
A Weblog--what a concept. I mean really. Me? A blogger. The word itself makes me wince. As if anyone out there gives a rat's rectum about my thoughts or what's going on in my life. Hell, even I don't most of time.
You see the problem is I'm completely ordinary. Not an artist, a writer or anything all that interesting. I'm the proud grandfather of five boys even though I never was anyone's father. Marriage can do that. I've been married now for thirteen and a half wonderful years and she's still the best thing that ever happened to me We met way back in the seventies but she was married to someone else then. In the fall of 1992 we found ourselves working in the same office. Friendship blossomed into love and we moved in together in '93. It took me a couple of years but I managed to persuade her to marry me in '95. And that as they say is that.
I'm just an old hippy who somehow survived the seventies, endured the eighties and found happiness in the nineties. I enjoy cycling, stamp collecting, old science fiction magazines and science fiction conventions. For the last ten years we have attended the local Conversion here in Calgary. (http://www.con-version.org) We have met many of our favourite authors, forcing them to sign our collection of their books. Great fun and a wonderful way to spend a weekend.
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