at home sick

I have been home for the past three days with nasty cold and have today (Friday) returned to work. The one positive of being sick is that I have had more time than usual to read, think, process, listen to music, etc. As usual, I have had a ton of seemingly random and scattershot things pervading my thoughts and I am attempting to sort through them all and get them down "on paper" for you, my (seven) loyal readers.


One thing that has been on my mind a lot is the Olympics. I love the idea of the Olympics, the spirit of them, and I love it when Canadian athletes do well, but I have a real struggle when I hear about the obscene amounts of money and other resources that are poured into making them happen. And this is happening in my own backyard as the BC government prepares to host the 2010 Winter Games, pouring millions of dollars of our tax money into funding in order to "host the world". The sad thing is, there are people right here in BC who do not have enough food to eat, who are homeless, mentally ill, struggling with addictions, and a host of other social/emotional/psychological problems. My question is: would that money not be better spent elsewhere? I realize I will take a great deal of flack for my opinions on this, but I don't mind. I think it's a matter of where our priorities lie and our government (provincial and federal) has made it abundantly clear that the Winter Olympic Games, rather than the well-being of citizens, is the priority.

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Related to what I just opined on is this article from The Tyee about the number of British Columbians working below the poverty line, which has been further highlighted by the fact that BC bureaucrats are getting another significant pay hike. It sounds cliche, but the rich get richer and the poor continue to get completely screwed over. Good times, good times.

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Do you really think those Chinese female gymnasts are 16 years old? I don't. Neither does the author of this article in the Globe and Mail.

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It appears that the Old Dutch company discontinued my favourite taco chips, the baked ones, that have only 2% of your daily fat per (blank) number of chips, rather than the 18% to 22% that regular taco chips have. I am very unimpressed as I have had to totally cut down on my favourite snack, taco chips and salsa. I am not a patient man...

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Caitlin and I finally sprung for Seasons 1-3 of The Office (we have pre-ordered Season 4) and watching them the second time around is just as funny. We both just think that the show is sheer genius and a real balance of wit and heart. Steve Carrell makes me cringe and Rainn Wilson is really just beyond compare as Dwight K. Schrute, Assistant (to the) Regional Manager. The two characters really do exist in their own universe...and it's awesome.


I have been reading some good stuff lately, so look for some commentary on that soon. Also, there are lots of thoughts stewing--hopefully I will get them organized enough to share sometime. For now, that's all.

P.S. Happy birthday, Mom!!