Politics

I had resisted posting anything* about Obama or the inauguration, as it really shouldn't concern me (not my country, why should I care) except that as self-appointed rulers of the universe, US politics affects everyone, doesn't it.
But here I am catching up on reading Slog's coverage of yesterday's ceremony, and I just saw the new president on tv for the first time (for me, I mean. I'm sure there's been little else on tv lately, but I hadn't seen it, had I), and I find myself somewhat moved. I'm sure Obama will do plenty of things that piss me off while he is President, but for the moment, it seems pretty amazing to have a leader that inspires something other than scorn, derision and all the other negative feelings. And, as a bonus, he's literate! And can speak in whole sentences!
I'm so impressed.
I think what is most affecting is the feeling of hope and the promise of great things to come. And I agree a lot with this post.

I felt just like this about a year ago when Rudd replaced the midget methodist master Howard. Of course, as I've pretty much completely stopped following australian news, I have no idea how that is going these days. I'm sure I will hear lots about Obama's presidency though.

*yeah, I know. I've successfully resisted posting anything at all lately, haven't I... I'll get there sometime.

The May First March

The marching band (at least some of us) played for the May 1st March the other day. A march/protest that the police apparently don't much like...

We were just marching along, playing our music, waving our banners in support of worker's rights etc, and then suddenly there was a whole battalion of riot police behind us, banging their shields (and not in time to the music!) and saying something incomprehensible that may have been about the march being illegal. And then they were running. So the marching band also started running, somehow without stopping playing. The band made it to the sidewalk, and there was this whole tense standoff moment between the police and the protesters, with us sort of between them but on the side, looking down the no-man's land between them. So we started playing again. And somehow the situation didn't turn ugly. Well, not very ugly. There were a few scuffles, and some sort of gas from the police that we thought was going to be tear gas (shut your eyes and keep playing as long as you can) but turned out to be some sort of stinky gas that didn't affect our eyes or airways much at all. It seems the police are using stink bombs...
So we just kept playing, and the police backed off. I think we played an important part there. It seems that if the band is still playing, the mood stays more festive than tense. I think it might calm people down - both cops and protesters, and defuse the situation a bit. And then later, one of the protesters passed us and said how surreal and amazing it had been to be running from police, and hearing the music still going - and hearing it run along beside them! Our strategy of not stopping playing is a good one, I think.
Anyway, after the second time we nearly got run over by running, yelling cops, and once again used our strategy of running to the sidewalk and letting them go past (I believe that our instruments and music mean that we are not targets - it wouldn't look good if the cops beat up or arrested the band!) we got separated from the protest, which I think got uglier, so it's probably just as well we didn't go to find it again. We roamed the streets playing randomly instead, which is always fun!

Friday

Friday was busy. On my way to work in the morning, I investigated a grocery store called "La Vieille Europe" that turned out to not have the golden syrup or treacle I was looking for. I can see that my planned ANZAC biscuits are going to end up being "Australian, New Zealand And Canadian" biscuits, as maple syrup seems my best substitute at the moment!
Then I went to work, at least for a couple of hours. Then I had some errands to run all over town which meant I spent the whole afternoon on public transport.
After that, there was a lecture by a trans activist and legal professor Dean Spade, which was interesting and educational. And then I had a gig singing (and playing clarinet and spoons) our quebecois folk song "Ziguezon" with people from my choir. It was our first performance and we outnumbered the audience (we were performing at someone else's "Cabaret Canadien" which hadn't been well publicized!) but it was an excellent practice for our concert next week.
After that I went to a friend's house to drink vodka and somehow got myself adopted by the sweetest two guys ever. I now have two more dads, it seems!
Finally, I went to a slow dance prom party and spent the early hours of the morning filling up my dance card and doing the slow-dance shuffle to such songs as "Every Breath You Take" and "Total Eclipse of the Heart".
Saturday, I didn't do anything at all. But today, Sunday, I have a brunch-ish-lunch, a champagne tea party clothing-swap, Food not Bombs, a marching band rehearsal and another choir small-group rehearsal.
Better get on with it!

Last Word on the Election

The SMH reports that Howard finally conceded Bennelong yesterday. Officially. He's like a bulldog isn't he - refusing to let go of anything until the last bit of life has been shaken out. Incredible. Anyway, I find the picture that goes with the article rather interesting as well! Well done to the photographer for capturing those expressions.

And here's some more election reading from friends' blogs that I meant to post ages ago: Nick's entertaining account of Election Night, Nathaniel's take on the new state of Australian Politics.


And finally, something completely non-election related. Terry Pratchett has Alzheimer's! Argh! It's the end of the Discworld! Well, not yet, apparently, but it would seem to be the beginning of the end. And, in His words, an Embuggerance. Here I was thinking that he, his brain, and the Disc were immortal, and he would churn out books at a rate of 1.5 per annum for the rest of eternity! (Thanks to Amanda & James for the news - I think)

Election/Back on the Road/Morocco?

First: some election rejoicing: yay! And the Bennelong result (albeit as-yet-unofficial) is just utterly brilliant. We're just waiting for Howard to concede officially (again) so that McKew can claim it officially. But of course, Howard is well known for hanging on until long after he should have made a graceful exit...
Some of my favourite election opinion pieces are this one by Paul Keating, and this, slightly more vehement one.
And stay tuned

Next: I have left Winnipeg! Sadly - I was having fun there, staying with these lovely Sunday-Breakfast-Eating people:

But I have a Mission. I must get to Montreal!
I'm travelling with a guy on his way home to Toronto in a slightly dodgy dodge car. I knew it was slightly dodgy, in that he had been delayed getting to Winnipeg by a couple of days by car troubles already, but I don't mind, as I'm not in a hurry, and I much prefer the adventure to just taking the bus. Of course, we'd barely gone a hundred km (through the driving snow) when the engine started losing power and chugging a bit, intermittently.
We made it to Kenora, and decided to stop to get it fixed. There's nothing open on a Sunday afternoon, so we got a hotel room across the road from the place that will open at 7.45 in the morning, hopefully will be on the road soon after that! My current plan is to spend a day in Toronto before heading to Montreal, but I know that none of my plans are ever set in stone!

Last: Would anyone think me odd if I suddenly went to Morocco? I think I'm going to apply for that job I mentioned in a previous post. It's so very tempting. But of course, it's possible they won't give it to me, which would be one way of making me stay in Canada. I'd regret it if I didn't apply, though... The job is from January 7th to Feb 28th, and then I could either come back to Canada until June, or go live in Paris. Hmm... Decisions, decisions...

The suspense is killing me!

It's 3am, and I was supposed to go to bed hours ago. I have plans to see an art gallery and/or a museum tomorrow, but at this rate I'll be up all night listening and reading the election coverage. My mistake was reading an opinion that said it should all be settled within an hour or so of polls closing. So I thought I'd stay for that, but of course, it's not settled yet, and now I can't go until it is! At least my blog is benefiting from the extra time...

The most amazing, exciting, thrilling thing that I'm waiting on is, of course, Bennelong. I find that I'm relatively confident about an overall labour victory, but ousting Howard not only from government, but from his own seat as well, would just be too wonderful for words. Until now, I hardly dared hope, but reports like this one from SMH: "The Labor Party's Maxine McKew is ahead of Prime Minister John Howard with a swing of 6.6 per cent at this stage with 14.9% of the vote counted." leave me breathless with antici


pation.

I managed to vote, just!

I dropped my postal vote in a mail box at about 4.50 this afternoon - with 10 minutes to spare before the last scheduled pickup. If it had been postmarked later than today, it wouldn't have been accepted, which would have sucked. The reason it was so late was that I spent 2 hours trudging through the snow (ok, not a lot of snow, but snow nonetheless!) trying to find someone who would witness it for me. It had to be a minister of religion (who all seem to leave early on Fridays), an officer of the military or JP (where does one find those?), an Australian Citizen (for once, I seem the only one in town!) or a doctor. So, after trying a church or two, I was directed to a medical centre, where a doctor did agree to sign it for me - as long as I paid him $15! I was outraged at this, and refused, not surprisingly. It just seems incredibly wrong.
I finally found another medical centre, at about 5.45, and a doctor who signed it without really looking or caring, but that's ok with me. Thankfully there was a mail box right outside, as well, and I'd already bought the right stamps earlier in the day, just in case this happened.
So, phew! That's done. And with only minutes to spare. By about 4.30, I was beginning to think it wouldn't happen, and that would have been a pain.

In other election related things, I've been busy opinionating all over the triple J election blog Float Your Vote. You can see my thoughts on overseas voting here, and on whether I'll bother returning to a Liberally Governed Australia here. (At least, you will be able to when the comments are approved and appear...)

(And I know 3 posts in one day is excessive, but as I'm probably going to be travelling for the next few days, who knows when I'll get another chance! And I'll break up all this dull text with some pictures soon too, I promise.)

Election Day!

It may be only Friday here, but it's Saturday morning in Australia, and the polls will soon open for the election we've been waiting 10 years for!
I sooo hope Howard loses his own seat. That would just be wonderfully fantastic.
Meanwhile, I've just heard that my own ballot papers have arrived at the house where I was staying a few days ago, so I have to go over and get them, and post them so that they are postmarked today!
I get to vote! Yay! Although it looks like it might not matter, if the massive swing predicted happens... Still, I'm very happy to be part of this election.
Better go and trudge through the snow to get the ballot papers and send them off. You see the lengths I'm willing to go to for politics!?