Silent Lucidity

Songs are a funny thing. While music oftentimes has a way of becoming a diary for your life, sometimes a song will mean different things to you as your circumstances in life change. Case in point – Silent Lucidity by Queensryche. Back in the early 90’s, I thought it was merely a Pink Floyd-esque treatise on the whole notion of dreams and the subconscious.

Now that I am a parent, Silent Lucidity takes on a whole new meaning (it also helps that Geoff Tate elaborated on the inspiration for the song the last time he was in The ‘Peg). How many times have I personally looked over my little ones and made the silent vow that I will be the one watching over them? As they sleep, one can’t help but wonder what dreamscapes they are exploring. And when those dreams turn restless, Mama and Dada are the ones that do their best to protect them in the night.

Is there a better role in the entire universe? Not a chance. I just wish time wasn’t going by so quickly. Which brings me to Time Stand Still by Rush and how THAT song has taken on a whole new meaning since high school…

The Home Stretch, Part 2

On this, the eve of the provincial election, I thought I would share some of my thoughts going into tomorrow’s festivities. I will keep the format of my pre-nomination post, because I am a bit superstitious:

1) You can move mountains in relatively short order. Seine River was a late bloomer for the Tory camp. The nomination meeting was held a mere two days prior to Gary Doer’s election call. Regardless of all of the bravado that is coming from some people posting anonymous comments, they know just as well as we do how close this race will be. This speaks volumes about our volunteers that have managed to make Seine River a riding to watch.

2) A wise person told us that Mrs. P&UW and I would be amazed how many people step up to the plate once you win a nomination race. Were they ever right. The realization that so many individuals were helping out when they could be doing a plethora of other things put wind into my sails. They were out pounding signs and walking with me in the hottest (and sometimes cold & wet) weather. I owed it to each and every one of them to give 120% each and every day. Words alone cannot express my gratitude for the chance to meet some of the most fantastic and inspirational people around.

3) My respect for Hugh has increased exponentially. Even the MSM themselves have admitted Hugh got the roughest ride over the course of this campaign. While Mia Rabson indicated Hugh “muddled” through CFS taunts at the U of M, my impression was that he soldiered through it - I challenge anyone to maintain their composure the way Hugh did during that press release. I personally saw him field many tough questions at the door deftly and expertly. Heck, I was oftentimes the one asking some of the tough questions. As an ex-banker, rest assured I had many people fake their way through a barrage of my questioning. Not Hugh. He was articulate and well versed in every issue & concern I raised with him. There is no doubt in my mind we need a leader like him if we really hope to restore our province to its former glory.

How do I feel right now? Eerily calm, all things considered. The closest comparable I can come up with is the feeling you have just before a final exam. You have done everything you can to prepare and it all comes down to what happens the next day. Instead of making sure I am using the same type of pen and having my trusty HP financial calculator that successfully got me through many prior exams, I am blogging the night before. After all, it did work the last time I faced an electoral race…

Chinese Democracy?

One of the great joys of living in our magnificent country is having the ability to articulate our political beliefs without the threat of recrimination or reprisal from parties with differing views. Unfortunately, there are some voters that feel the need to belligerently impose their views on others without using tact or decorum. One of my volunteers wound up meeting one of these unfortunate individuals yesterday.

I would like to congratulate this individual for their effective use of bully tactics. Instead of simply letting this volunteer know you support another candidate and sending her on her merry way, you saw fit to use her as a verbal punching bag. It may interest you to know that this individual comes from a country that had an oppressive regime that used violence during the electoral process. Just as we were in the midst of convincing her that our democracy was predicated on mutual respect, you saw fit to show her otherwise.

I’m just glad you are rooting for the other team….

Gary, Gary, Quite Contrary

Today’s headlines declare that the Winnipeg Blue Bombers are supporting the Asper proposal for the stadium. A few days ago, we heard that Gary Doer was in support of the Polo Park location. Eugene Kostyra, one of Doer’s closest confidantes also sits on the Bomber’s board.

To be honest, I have not evaluated the stadium proposals enough to decide which of the two would be better for all of us. My sole question on this matter is why Gary Doer continues to talk about the privatization of MTS as evil while he simultaneously champions selling off an institution that has been a venerated public holding for almost 80 years. The NDP path of logic seems to have a curious fork in the road…