This past weekend was incredible.  My family visited from out-of-town.  We had eight of us cramped in our apartment.  Not ideal conditions, but it was great to see how we can all get together and get along.  There aren’t many opportunities like this anymore and we need to cherish them.  This weekend, I began to appreciate my family in a whole new way.  I’m not sure I can put it into words or, for that matter, whether I really should.  All I know is that I believe I have the best family in the world.  Over the last two years, we’ve watched our family of five grow to become a family of eight.  My wife and I are just a few weeks away from our second anniversary.  My brother got married exactly seven months ago and my sister has now been married just over a month.  We all get along really well.  Each person has their distinct personality and voice, but we all enjoy being around each other.  So often you hear grumble about the in-laws coming, but in our case this isn’t an issue.  Everyone pitches in and contributes.

This brings me to the matter of time.  It goes by so quickly and we need to make the most of every moment, especially when it comes to family.  That’s another reason I loved this weekend.  As each of us have children and our family grows, I hope that we will continue to spend time together and teach our children the importance of spending quality time with family.  This weekend we spent a lot of time together.  My brother-in-law and I went golfing (as noted in my previous blog entry).  It was good to laugh together and enjoy time having fun.  On Monday, we spent the entire day together.  It was also my dad’s birthday (more on that in my next blog entry).  We toured Parliament, went on an Ottawa River Cruise and ate copious amounts of food together.  This was valuable time.  Life’s too short for us not to get along or to fight or argue.  I’m thankful that not only do we not fight or argue, we actually seek out opportunities to get together.  Both my brother and sister were suggesting ways we could look to get together next year and the year after that.  How cool is that?  I’m truly blessed to have such an amazing family!

So, my family is visiting from out of town – eight people in our apartment!  Packed out, but loads of fun.  And, no, this is not what has brought out these tendencies.

Last night, my brother-in-law and I went to a local golf course (lit, so you can actually have evening tee-off times).  Pretty cool, actually.  It seems I’ve developed a slight hook with my irons, and this course being a par-three led several balls being hooked into the rough to the left of the green.  The people in front of us were a foursome, so instead of playing through, we played two balls each.  Finally, on the fourth hole, I got my second shot straight and on the green.  I thought I had figured out what I was doing wrong – on to the next hole.  This is where my adventures began.

The tee-box for the next hole was to the right of the green.  As I noted before this is a par three course, and thefore, this is well within range of a pitching wedge or nine-iron.  I clearly proved this with my first shot (and first slice of the evening) sailing over their heads, confronting the foursome in front of us with their first brush with death.  Of course my second shot (and second slice of the evening), landed right next to the tee-box.  Likely not as life threatening, although clearly a second attempt.  I actually recovered to score a bogey for each ball on that hole.  On to the next hole…

The next hole involved their tee-box being to the left of our green and, predictably, I returned to the hook on this hole.  I was apparently wrong about what I thought I corrected.  The first shot I took was headed their way when a tree, clearly experienced in the art of defence of the unsuspecting golfer, protected them, thus averting my third attempt on their lives.  The next shot, the tree could not stop my efforts.  The ball went sailing through their tee-box as they dove for their lives covering their heads with their arms. It narrowly missed them, sparing their lives.

From that point, I was able to gain control of these tendencies and played my last couple of holes pretty well.  In reality, the group ahead of us had some fun with it.  In hindsight, I should’ve shot while they were on the green still.  I might have actually landed a couple more tee-shots there.  In all, it was a fun evening golfing with my brother-in-law and my attempted homicides added humour to the enjoyment.

I recommend getting out golfing, but clearly not in front of me on a par-three course!

I get to ride the bus to work every day.  Because I do this, I get various opportunities to do things I wouldn’t if I drove to work.

First, I get to read.  I like non-fiction.  I’m not into novels at all.  I prefer autobiographies, biographies, books about social issues or about following Christ.  Usually, I like to find the obscure book that hides on the bottom shelves of a book-store.  Chances are, if it’s in the front window or a best seller, I haven’t read it.  I like to read authors who I don’t necessarily agree with.  They make me think and challenge my perspectives on life.  I don’t have to grow my list of books to read.  Instead, I can have a list of books I’ve read.  This is something you can’t do driving to work.

Second, I get to learn about people.  The good, the bad and the ugly.  When driving, interactions usually involve road rage or watching the driver next to you picking their nose.  On the bus, you get to observe the best and worst about people.  I watch as people routinely and courteously give up their seats to someone who needs it more.  I see complete strangers getting to know each other, solely because they wind up near each other on the bus.  I’ve learned that, for the most part, people are generally pretty accomodating to one another.  There is the other side, where a few people take up too much room with a large bag or are largely inconsiderate, but these people are the exception rather than the rule.  This opportunity to learn about people is missed on the drive, unless you count receiving (or giving) hand gestures that rarely need explanation or watching the excavation of a lifetime in mount proboscis.

Third, I get that extra half-hour of sleep.  Broken though it is, it’s a chance to catch up on some z’s.  As long as I don’t miss my stop, it’s a great way to pass the time.  This is something I definitely cannot do in on the drive in.

Fourth, and finally, I save money on gas and parking, while doing my part to help the environment.

These are just a few of the opportunities I have riding the bus.  I would encourage people to consider it.  While slightly less convenient than driving, it’s a good experience if you make the most of it.  Consider the reading you might be able to do, the people you will see, the sleep you can catch up on and the money you will save.  Public transit gets a bad rap at times, but it’s not nearly as bad it seems.  Buy some tickets or get a pass – give it a shot.  You might be pleasantly surprised.

So I hear on the news today that we might have an election before the US does.  Why?  What difference will this make?  We’re likely to have another minority government with either Harper or Dion at the helm.  Every time the Conservatives have dared the Liberals to bring them down, the Liberals under Dion’s leadership run away.  This is effectively giving the Conservatives a majority government, anyway.

So again, why call an election now?  Signs seem to indicate that Harper is going to go to the Governor Gerneral on Sept 5.  Why not wait to see what happens in the by-elections three days later?  Maybe the Liberals do extraordinarily well and this emboldens them.  Wouldn’t this play into the Conservative’s hands?  Wouldn’t this allow the Conservatives to accuse the Liberals of being opportunistic?  Couldn’t they portray Dion as the one who finally saw his chance to bring down the government and took it, thereby wasting the expense of the three by-elections, instead of allowing the government to go to its fixed election date?

As for the Liberals, Dion stated recently that he thinks Canadians might be ready for a fall election.  Really?  Which ones is he talking to?  Of course, I’d be happy to see an election if it means we no longer see the Liberals running for the exits with every confidence motion put on the floor of the house.  But rather than an election, why not try working with the government on ammendments to legislation?  It worked in the past.  Jack Layton and the NDP have worked with the prior minority government to bring forward their agenda.  It seems the Liberals have two alternatives when it comes to confidence motions – allow it to pass or bring down the government.  They don’t seem to be able to find a middle ground.  If they introduced constructive ammendments that made sense and they got rejected, then they could point at the Conservatives and say they were impossible to work with.  Dion has also said that he thinks parliament is working.  It is, if by working, he means every time there’s an important vote, the other three parties are working and his MPs are hiding in their offices.  We haven’t really had a chance to see where Dion is taking the Liberals, except for with his “Green Shift,”  which the provincial governments don’t like.  I can see why the Bloc and NDP are frustrated.  They would love the chance to bring down the government or make parliament work, but with a weak opposition, they can’t do a thing.  They can only sit and watch as Conservative bill after Conservative bill is passed through the house with a “virtual majority.”

I don’t get why the Conservatives would want an election – I really do think it’s a bluff.  I would be surprised if it actually happened.  Harper seems to be a brilliant strategist and I think he’s once again daring Dion to make the move.  The Harper Conservatives should never underestimate Stephane Dion, though.  Several people have made that mistake and look where he stands now.  In the end, if there is an election, I expect more of the same.  Hopefully whoever is in power understands that Canadians want their government to work and that the parties NEED to work together to come up with effective legislation that works for the country.

Recently I was in line for a ride at Wonderland and saw this on a t-shirt.  It’s funny because it’s partially true.  For the most part, no one cares about your blog, my blog or Joe Schmo’s daily update.  It got me thinking about my own blogging experience.  About six months ago, I started, diligently, at first.  It was mainly sports predictions (gone horribly wrong), with a couple other meaningful musings thrown in there.  For the most part, I think it was therapeutic.  Writing helps me wind down, process my life and organize my thoughts.  I would also like to think that if someone read it (that is a big “if”), it had some meaning for them.  Maybe it made them laugh or cry, maybe it made them think or reflect.  All I know is that if I didn’t write, it wouldn’t have done that.

Then I stopped because I got busy.

Lately I’ve been doing a lot of thinking, and so I embark on a new journey in the giant world of blogging.  Where it takes me, I don’t know.  I really don’t care that “No one cares about my blog.”  That’s fine with me.  I may update daily, weekly or monthly, but I’ll be here, providing therapy for myself and entertainment, amusement or evoking some other emotional response for anyone who drops by and takes the time to read my ramblings.

By the way, I looked up Joe Schmo’s daily update, because I figured, if there really was a Joe Schmo who had a daily update, I should probably link it.  There were several references to the Joe Schmo show, which I actually watched for a season.  It was actually pretty funny… the poor sap thought he was on a reality show, when everyone else was only acting!  Great premise at the height of reality TV!

And so I blog, though no one cares.