Politics! There’s something that will either bore or irritate the readers, especially my lone non-Canadian reader. But, if I don’t get it out my system here, I’ll be harassing people from a bench in the mall, along with the other old coots. I was initially going to be full of fire and rage, but I’ve thought better of it and I’ll try to keep it cool.

I am probably in the minority of Canadians since I’m in favour of the election happening. I have been able to tolerate the minority government up until the last few weeks, and in fact, I prefer minorities to any majority. It leads (in theory) to cooperation and reasonable compromise. My desire for an election has nothing to do with party ideology or beliefs, but instead it goes all the way down to the principles of government.

First, I think government needs to talk to reporters. They don’t get to control the message being put out, or deny access to the media. Early on ol’ Steve closed ranks and started to restrict what people could know. That is a good sign of bad government.

Next, the ruling party is under an unbreakable obligation to represent the interests of the entire country, including the people who voted against them. When the party takes control, they become the Government of Canada. Over the last few weeks, Harper’s inner circle has insisted that all official missives from Ottawa get labelled as coming from ‘The Harper Government’. Nope. No Sir. I do not like that. That’s a small issue, trivial on the face of things, but it bothers me. It’s an attempt to take credit for everything the government achieves, as if the rest of parliament had no hand in things.

The biggest slap in the face to our democratic system has to be the Harper refusal to fully disclose the cost of their plans to Parliament. What? WHAT??? Would you trust a mechanic who answered your question ‘so how much is this gonna cost?’ with a surly ‘shut up, that’s how much’? If your plans are expensive, detail the expenses and make a case for them to the rest of parliament. You don’t get to play hide the weenie with the facts, Steve. When these facts are kept from the duly elected representatives, our rights as Canadians are being assaulted. There are more examples I could list, but this ain’t no essay.

Sadly, I fear that Canadians are going to vote for the guy trying to change the rules to suit his own ends. The news channels and the pundits are already saying that “average Canadians” see Harper as the economic safe choice. Evidently, these pundits think that these Canadians will happily put the autocrat in full control because he looks like he’s good with a buck. Maybe a majority Harper cartel will make a big enough mess that Canadians will be able to banish the Conservatives again afterwards. That is, if there is anything left by that point.

Once again, I want to say that this isn’t about ideology. I know there are decent, honest, scrupulous people within the Conservative party. Our local MP Ed Holder seems to be a good guy. There are Conservatives who sit on the various committees and work with their peers to come to a non-partisan result. Unfortunately, the party is being run by a small group of amoral big business jerks who are trying to game the system. The inner circle does not care about Canada, and they hate the democratic process. And the only way to remove them from their position is to punish the entire party.

Okay, that will do for now. Whew. Remember that I love all of you, you nutty bunch of kooks, and go enjoy your weekend!

 

I was going to rattle off about politics and some other dreary topics, but I have had a change of heart, thanks to local Chinese/Thai food restaurant Little Panda. The restaurant specifics will have no value for the non-local readers, but keep reading anyway. Trust me, this is going somewhere more universal.

The meal was above average quality and flavour, for the most part. The pad thai was passable, but nothing to run out in the streets and yell about. No, the yelling and delight came from the deep-fried items. I don’t know if they paid a premium to hire a master of the fryer, or if this attentive cook was just channeling the spirit of greasy deliciousness. Whatever the case may be, the outcome was the best chicken balls that I have eaten in decades (stop snickering).

For years, I have dutifully eaten chicken balls whenever they have been presented, but they have routinely been overcooked, left to fry so long that the meat within is dry and tasteless and the surrounding batter is brittle and unpleasant. Tonight’s delightful treasures were a case study in perfect timing. They were a light golden brown in colour, cooked just long enough to make the coating crispy but pliant, and the chicken within was moist and flavourful. To top it off, they had somehow improved the sweet’n’sour sauce that I assume comes in industrial vats. It was less sweet, and the more subtle flavour worked with the chicken to make my dinner fantastic. Yes, the sauce was still coloured bright orange-red with unnatural dyes, but in the context it was just right.

Was I in the mood for deep-fried stuff today? You bet, and I know that influences my enjoyment of dinner, but there’s another more esoteric element to my dining experience: contentment. For the first time in, oh lets just say forever, I have a calm sense of contentment. I’m able to lean back after a good meal and appreciate that I ate a nice meal with my lovely family and that is pretty great.

The best part of about feeling calm and content is that I’m more aware of the situation happening around me and the needs of other people. I’m reacting more deliberately and more thoughtfully, instead of flailing about in a panic. It’s a nice feeling.

That is not to say that I’m living a life of non-stop zen. I still have my freakouts and my weird hangups and all of the kooky things that make my mental landscape so…interesting. A few days ago I was frightened at the prospect of putting my novel up for sale as an e-book and not selling any copies save for pity purchases.With every new step I take with my writing, there’s a momentary fear storm that will blow in, an ill wind of doubt that shakes the foundation of the creative house. (That sentence was overly elaborate and a touch melodramatic. I was indulging the bad poet inside of me. Moving on.) But the reason I can have these bursts of self-doubt is that I’m actually making progress in my writing career. I see my writing getting better, my process becoming more streamlines and refined. The world is full of people trying to find their passion and follow it, and I’m already there.

And how can I manage to follow my creative desires? A fantastic wife who works hard and pays the bills and is a great mom to the little dude. And that doesn’t even cover the direct support, feedback, and plain old listening she gives me. Now that I think about all of the ways she helps me out, I might go offer her a massage.