I had a few mystery authors who I used as standard recommendations, generally the series (and not the far less common standalones). Later books in the series have annoyed me so much that I have stopped recommending the authors at all, even when they have 4 or 8 or 10 very good books already. I am undecided about whether this is sane or not.
Last night, I was freezing cold, so I decided to turn the heat on overnight. (I woke up too warm, of course.)
I felt tired all day, but I always feel tired all day, though this was worse than usual. And then tonight I couldn’t follow stupid tv shows. So I thought, oh, I’ll take my temperature, and it’s 37, which is very slightly high for me, but nothing significant. I get orange juice and continue watching. Half an hour later, my mother picks up the thermometer that she saw me using beforehand and says, “Oh, this is the thermometer that doesn’t work, probably you have a fever. Let me get you the real thermometer.” But of course by then I’d had lots of cold orange juice, and my temperature is a bit above normal, so I suppose I do have a fever. But now that it’s been long enough for my mouth to get back to whatever feverish temperature it would be at, I have taken tylenol, so again, my temperature is right around normal.
If I weren’t all addled by being sick, of course I wouldn’t care exactly what my temperature is. But I am sick and I want some number to quantify precisely how sick I am and it’s bothering me enough that I am having trouble falling asleep.
What’s amazing is how quickly a clean place can turn not clean. It’s the newspapers that really kill me, but my exceptionally small kitchen doesn’t help. I am almost through with the laundry, mostly now it’s just the delicates (waiting for a warmer day to air-dry) and then a few pieces. I recall thinking how after things were clean I’d organise, but now I am not, because follow-through is really not my strong point. All I need to do is turn on my ipod and work for a bit, but there always seems to be something lazier to do. I haven’t even brought up my new balcony chair (I do have the Ikea ones, which don’t fit together quite right, but mostly do, and I’m undecided what I should do with them), but it’s too cold to use it for a bit anyhow.
You are finally chasing out the squirrels who like to come inside. Not, perhaps, as assiduously as you chase the other cats who venture onto the balcony, but still: I am so proud, cat, and so please. I beg you to continue chasing the squirrels away. They’re really not visitors I want.
It is almost my birthday.
What do I want as a gift?
They are predicting a minority government. I don’t know why they didn’t predict this half an hour ago — they say they cannot say who will form the government yet (reasonably enough, Lib and ADQ are very close in number of ridings, and them with PQ are also just about equal in vote share). And I like the surprising changeable numbers here and all — much more interesting than other elections — but you could have predicted this earlier.
OTOH, if I switch the numbers for PQ and ADQ, my estimates were pretty good.
Dear CBC,
Do we really need to hear about how someone is in trouble because the single poll reporting has the votes split 4-3-1? Eight people in a riding of many thousands is not all that meaningful. I’m not a statistician, true, but I am convinced of this fact.
I am pleased to see that the Green party is ahead in one riding — but wait! It’s ahead based on one poll reporting (again): 8-4-3-1. Could you split up “leading” and “leading in any statistically significant fashion”? In the same way, some of the ridings are within 10 votes: if it’s based on one or even two polls this is not so much meaningful. (For one riding, they said “But this is only on 5 [miscalculation, there were 6 votes counted] votes, so maybe we should wait”, but this is only because the person they think will win is behind.
Sincerely,
Me
John F. from Edmonton, Canada writes: Has anyone every conceived of the idea that an English or minority person could every be Premier of Quebec? No way, unless you want to be taken to the back room and shot.
Well, let’s look at the history of premiers in the country:
BC: one Indian (India), no francophones or other minorities.
Alberta: all white anglophones!
Saskatchewan: same!
Manitoba: same!
Ontario: same!
Quebec: a number of bilingual (one parent each) premiers, but no anglophones or other minorities.
NB: back to the white anglophones.
PEI: nope.
NS: nuh uh.
Nfld/Labrador: white and anglo again.
Yukon: possibly a few Inuit, hard to tell.
NWT: primarily Inuit.
Nunavut: just one, Inuit.
So, you know, no Canada doesn’t seem to be great at premiers who differ from “white anglo male”, except in the areas where people are mostly francophone (then we move to white francophone male, or occasionally white bilingual male) or Inuit (Inuit multilingual male). And this is absolutely a problem, but not so much a problem here in particular as a problem everywhere.
Crusty Curmudgeon from Ottawa, Canada writes: I have heard in several of the posts that Quebecers vote strategically. [ . . . ] All work in the rest of Canada will require work permits — and oh, by the way, don’t assume that we need your skills and that a work permit will be rubber stamped.
Except we’re all Canadians and won’t have our citizenship stripped, so no one will actually need a work permit. And like all Canadians, we vote strategically. Everyone does, something which is often noted as a problem in elections.
Also, people, separatist government doesn’t really mean there will be another referedum (please please).
Though actually I do not hate anyone involved in voting this morning.
Come, complain with me.
Sometimes you’re on a main road and there’s another road cutting in to join you, where they have the stop/yield sign.
Yesterday it was poor driving conditions, and I was on the main road. And on the side road there was a car. It waited for the cars in front of me, and it didn’t have time to go out before me. And yet.
Luckily I anticipated that this car was coming out and slowed down, because poof, there it came, and we would have been in quite the accident. Of course, it came because he hadn’t cleared off any of the windows (back, side), so the driver couldn’t see anything. Who needs vision when it’s dark and snowy and the roads are slippery, right?
On the plus side, I was so relaxed already that it didn’t bother me for long. We particularly liked the woman who, after being told the cold water was around freezing (disturbing to watch the snow melt into water you’re about to enter), asked how long she should stay in it. Like she’s going to accidentally want to stay in it too long? Also the guy who was clearly trying to prove something by staying in the cold water longer than normal. But not that he had a big penis, not anymore.