Friday, December 29, 2006

Saddam executed?

It's 10:13 pm ET. Saddam was to have been executed about 15 minutes ago. CNN is saying that 2 TV stations in Iraq are confirm his hanging has taken place. Until I see a body, I have my doubts.

While they were looking for him I seem to recall several doubles having been found/killed. At this point I wouldn't be surprised to learn that he is still alive. Maybe I'm a bit cynical on this but something just doesn't feel right about this.

I'm only 35 but I've seen some interesting things happen in history: The fall of the Berlin wall, the explosion of 2 space shuttles, fall of the World Trade Center, various assassinations/attempts, the fall of communism in Russia, massive devastation caused by natural events. I saw the capture of Saddam Hussein and knew that I was seeing more history unfolding in front of my eyes. This should be the continuation of that.

I don't think I can really explain what I'm feeling, or more precisely what I'm not feeling. I think the closest comparison I can give is like when I was a kid and I was told Santa wasn't real.

Saddam was captured 3 years ago. They say his influence in Iraq has diminished significantly. I guess now is the real test. All we can do is pray for whatever troops are over there, be they US, British or anywhere else that they remain safe. May the new year and Saddam's death bring them home.

As I've been typing this out I've been listening to CNN about this. They just reported that on Iraq station pegged Saddam's death at 10:05 pm ET the other one is saying that it was before 10:00... But news is starting to spread through the streets of Iraq.

Thursday, December 21, 2006

Why I Hate Christmas

I love my family. I love my friends and I appreciate the message of unity and peace that this time of year is supposed to represent. But I still hate Christmas.

I hate it because of the week before and the 2 weeks after.

I despise shopping under the best of circumstances but you add the sheer insanity of a thousand people screaming, "OH MY GOD! 5 days until Christmas and I haven't bought anything for anyone!" Jam them into a mall of any size where things are on "sale"(I have my doubts about some items). I'd rather swallow a live block of Semtex and detonate it in my colon. It's a lot less painful.

Last night was, thankfully, the last of my Christmas shopping. The only reason I need to go back to the mall between now and the 25th is if I'm being paid a shit load of cash to kill someone or if zombies attack. Frankly I'd rather take my chances with the zombies.

This morning I took Logan to school. On my way back home I ran into the mother of a friend of Logan's. Niceties demanded I ask if she had finished her shopping yet and she replied with a, "No, I still haven't figured out what to get my husband."

Since we had seen her husband and son at the mall last night I asked if they were finished theirs. They were but her son was wanting to get his mom a special present. It seems he wants to get her a "Cemetery. That way you can see grandpa." That's a hell of a thought and a wish that can only come form a child.

Saturday, December 16, 2006

I need a caffeine fix...

So I quit at Startek. I'm happy about that. Less stress. On the down side I'm unemployed again.
That's not all that bad. I'm looking into some of those work at home things. Maybe one of them will pan out. If it does I'll be sure to let people know.

Since I quit ODSP requires that I apply for Employment Insurance. Frankly I didn't want to because I knew I didn't have enough hours for it. But since they "require" that I do it, I did. The woman behind the counter thought I was nuts. Oh well. Lots of people think I'm nuts.

Logan got his report card the other day.
English: Read - B
Write - B
Oral - B


Math: Number sense and Numeration - B+
Measurement - B+
Patterning and algebra - B
Data Management and Probability - B


Science and Technology: B

Social Studies: B+

Health and P.E.: B

The Arts Music: B+

Visual Arts: C+

For his learning skills he got 6 Goods, 2 Excellents and 1 Satisfactory. The Satisfactory is for his conflict resolution. I guess drop kicking a kid doesn't work. Overall we're very happy with him. Hopefully he continues with his B average and quits drop kicking kids.

Santa comes in little more than a week. We got all of Logan's gifts, even if it means Carrie and I can't get anything for each other. We'll do what we can, but I'm not expecting much.

ODSP says they overpaid us because I was working even though all my pay stubs were submitted WELL BEFORE THEY WERE DUE. Fucking government. Two months in a row. First time was an overpayment of over $300.00, the second was over $400.00. Thankfully our rent is still getting paid.