The End of September

September is over already. Teaching is going OK; I have a very good class. Masters courses are very interesting, but it is going to get heavy over the next two weeks as I have 2 papers due.

So I must ignore Facebook. (!)

Provincial election is underwhelming. Daily paper full of articles on how Businessman Dan is loved and Grumpy Gerry is on his last legs. I am not a PC, but how can Gerry blame 'Danny's Team' for rural neglect after 4 years of rule (hehe) after the Liberals were in power for over a decade? My my, how quickly one can forget.

I read the anonymous letter sent in by an ER nurse to Meeker's Media blog. Very nasty indeed. But being married to an ER nurse (no, she didn't write the letter) I can tell you there is much truth in what was written. But I doubt anything will change....!

Finally got some pictures developed, taken in August and September. Here is the most recent family photo, sans wife and pet:

Here is another wedding picture - Chris with his beautiful wife, purple shirt, and double chin:

Giving in...

I have joined FaceBook. People are shocked.

But I DO have an excuse - I am doing a Popular Culture course and may use my FaceBook experience to write a personal narrative on society, culture, learning, yada yada yada

Or I may just use my blogging experience. Prefer that at the moment. Must go check out all my 'friends' on Facebook that I have not seen in years!

Da Election

Is there any point?

Coming home from one of my Masters courses, I listened to Danny and Gerry duke it out, while Lorraine was booing from the sidelines. Managed to turn on the telly to see the last few minutes..........poor Gerry looked flustered while Danny was as cool as a Sprung cucumber.

If the Liberals get 4 seats on Oct 9th I will be shocked. Danny came along at the right time (oil $$) and is running the government like a business. Sure, he is stepping on many toes as he streamlines decisions (what I say goes) but is gaining popularity with each new section of road paved.

Our province will need a strong opposition to keep Danny in check. By that, I mean nipping at his heels with questions as he stomps nay-sayers in his shiny black shoes (with possible lifts?).

I will vote on the 9th. If I don't I do not have the right to complain. Or blog.

Getting Back Into Her Good Graces

My (lovely) wife worked Friday. When she got home about 8ish, I told her I was going out to play cards.

Strike one.

She didn't want me to go, because she knew the dog was going to fret, waiting for me to come home. But she also knew I wanted to go, so I went.

The cards went well, so I didn't get home till 12:40.

Strike two.

Apparently the dog did not settle down till 12:30, so my wife couldn't sleep. When I slid into bed, wife declared, "no need to be quiet, I'm awake" in a cold tone. Being the sweet guy that I am, I began to caress her back. That was short lived, as my (lovely) wife said (in a firm voice), "Don't...touch...me. I'm crook'ed."

No shit.

To make matters worse, the dog had the shits and I had to get up repeatedly to let her out, or endure more stains on the carpet.

So on Saturday I a)brought wife a fancy coffee and treat from Starbucks; b)bought grub; c)cleaned up the house; and d)bought flowers, arranged them, and displayed them on the table. (I totally ignored the newspaper AND my masters readings)

Safe at home!! I got a smile, a kiss, and maybe even a cooked meal on Monday! ha

Now I just have to suffer through HER choice of movie. We watched 'Hot Fuzz' Thursday night. I enjoyed it. She hated it. Wife said we are going to watch 'Because I Said So' next. How fitting.........!

6 Years Later...

Each generation can recall an event in their life and tell where they were and what they were doing. For my father, it was hearing that JFK was killed in 1963. For me, it was learning of the horror of 9/11.

I was subbing at a school just outside of Gander. I just finished my lunch duty and walked into the staff room and a bunch of shocked faces and asked what had happened. When I was told, my first response was, "Gander is going to be nuts."

By, was I ever right. For several days people just walked the streets of Gander or sat in front of TVs, waiting to learn when they were going to get home and see their loved ones.

I did a little bit, buying some grub and taking to a church. I have NEVER seen so much food in my life. But I think the 'plane people' were more shocked than hungry.

6 years later our little province has gained a little fame and tourist fortune from that terrible day. But the cost was too much.

As for the 'hunt on terror' by GWB, I'll leave that for another post.

A Busy September

The Combden clan is busy: Younger sister is about to start school (again! just like me :)) in the LPN program, dad and mom are settling in at Beren's River in Manitoba, where dad is back at being a principal after a two year break, and I am starting a new job and my Masters courses on Tuesday.

I dropped by my new place of work yesterday, looking for teacher resources and chatting to fellow co-workers. I subbed at the school a lot last year, so I am quite comfortable there.

Since I am only half time, I am sharing the class with two other teachers and they are teaching Math, Science, etc. We need to get together to organize the class. They have been doing this quite a bit longer than me, so I'll be taking their advice.

It is an early Sunday morning. Already I my second cup of java as I prep my brain for teaching grade 5. Oh my.