Absolute Zero (Or, Why I'm okay)

I'm sure those 3 of you still hanging about here have been keen to find out a little more about what I'm thinking going into this new Government.

Well, to answer you're question, we've now attained Absolute Zero. and by we, I mean me. I knew as soon as the Martin Government was brought down what the outcome would be: A Tory Minority. And as the campaign droned on into xmas, I saw the writing on the wall in my riding too. The circumstances this time around were too different to win.

Anne McLellan was able to carry the riding last time because she was still doing a good enough job to satisfy the Liberals here, and because the NDP challenger last time around was a Political Neophyte without basic public speaking skills, so there was no real vote splitting. Laurie Hawn came out as a moderate, sharing many of the same positions as Anne on many issues, which meant I could certainly tolerate him. This time out, the NDP ran a competent challenger, people were wanting to spank the Liberals, and Laurie Hawn revealed his true colours as a lowballing candidate by ensuring the Liberal punishement was carried through on with his Envelope scam, which you don't want to get me started on because I took that personally and I was offended.

But in spite of these "negative" outcomes, I have reason for cheer because of the "positive" outcomes of my situation. As you know already, I'm pleased to see that Paul Martin has stepped down as Leader of the party, and I can eagerly apply for my membership. I didn't bother with the last Leadership "race" because I didn't like any of my choices, and because it was evident that my vote wouldn't have made a difference as the masses were overwhelming for Martin, and I was not. I just didn't believe he was sincere. He'd tell anyone what they wanted to hear within the confines of the Liberal platform to get your vote, which is squeezy. Sure, he did show a spine every once in a while after taking office, but I'm still in doubt of his capabilities.

And, I lucked out in the Vancouver Area because those ridings went Liberal/NDP, which is where Rod and I are moving, so I only have to live in a Tory riding for 3 months. This I can do, barring any freakish missteps by Hawn and/or the Tory Minority Government which would galvanize me to act against them.

So two negatives are cancelled out by two positives, bringing me back to ZERO.

Who's Next?

Just minutes ago, Paul Martin announced in his acceptance speech that he was not going to be leading the Liberals in the next election, and suddenly, my interest is renewing my Liberal Membership is fired up. I'm cautious about the potential runners for leadership, but if they play their cards right, we could actually get back on our feet again in shorter than expected time.

The night's not a total waste after all...now, if only Stephen Harper would disappear and Jack Layton would go mute.

That Devil You Know?

Did you miss me?

It's been a busy January so far, not only at work, but at home as well. Part of the reason it's been so busy is because I've been avoiding the outside world like a hemorragic fever. I'm beyond fucking pissy about having an election in the first place, but I sure do wish that there was a Write-in portion, because I'm disgusted that the big 3 losers are my only options. Time to move to Sweden I think.

In other big news, I'm in the process of Applying to Simon Fraser University to get into the MA program for Political Science. I learned a few days ago that I can still get in to the school at least by applying to be a qualifying student, meaning I take senior-level Undergrad courses to improve my GPA, and in doing so, I can also become available for scholarships, which, let's face it, I really need in order to complete Grad School. Regardless of whether I get in or not, that is now the plan of action. Upgrade, and just keep trying. The snag I've run into in the process is that a couple of the professors I counted on to get references from have become unavailable to me. One is on sabbatical this year, and the other appears to have left the University of Alberta! So, I have to stretch a little to find 3 academic references, so wish me some serious luck.

So, by default, that means the move to Vancouver is a Go. And now I'm seriously scrambling to zero in on apartment rentals and jobs for Rod. I was thinking yesterday about my move from Yellowknife down here...man, so much simpler. I didn't have furniture. When I made the mover permanent, I had about 3 truckloads of stuff. I went to Ikea and bought cheap furniture. When I moved from campus into an apartment, things got a little dicer. Then into the house, dicier still. We've been in our current place for over 5 years now, so you can well imagine if you haven't seen our place just how much fucking stuff we have. I've been on a mission to replace most of the older "student" furnishings with more grown up furnishing, and in doing so, I've been careful to select pieces that were smaller then what has been replaced because, uh, damn...we have to get it all over a set of mountains.

So, that's where I've been. Preoccupied with my own life. This is no surprise to those who know me...I'm all about me :) Me and my insane Thinking habit, Rod and his gaming, the cats and their cuting...but really, after these confessions here, wouldn't you feel better knowing that things in the Poitras-Chudyk household are still status quo? At least for the time being? Ain't better to trust the Fancy you know than the Fancy you don't?

Welcome to the New Year

It's 2006! Hurray for the New Year.

There's always hope for the New Year. It's fresh, it's waiting, it's the promise of new memories. That's why I love it above all holidays. To me, it's the time to close the book on stuff best left in the past. It's a pessimistic point of view, I know that, but I always do everything I can to open the door in the most auspicious way, and carrying old baggage doesn't seem too auspicious to me.

We had a small gathering at our house. Jette and Ian, Lori and Rob, and for fun (and protection from games I don't like), I invited my co-worker Holly. Her dude was up in Whitehorse doing the family thing over the holidays, and I'm a firm believer that New Year's is not the time to spend alone at home working on the Hobo. We played a couple of games, we ate, drank, and were merry, and us girls pulled out a squeaker to beat the boys at Cranium, despite a rocky start. I sampled about a 1/3 of a glass of wine to ring in the new year, and I'm glad to say that I didn't die from the experience. Maybe by New Year's Eve 2006, I'll be up to tempting fate with a whole 1/2 glass!

Today was a super lazy day. Rod and Purrball both snored me out of bed around 10:00 this morning, and I knew that today was a pj's and couch day. We watched TV and did nothing, and I'm so much happier for it. My only complaint is that I have to go back to work tomorrow, and I'm not going to be a happy camper come 7 am. But I'll go because I need the money. Plans are afoot for some major changes this year. Stay tuned.