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Tuesday, November 17, 2020

I Deserve a Medal


 

We know that this pandemic requires us to limit our activity, limit our contact with people, wash our hands, and wear a mask.

I am a lazy introverted retired person who has followed these instructions to the letter and I deserve a medal for my efforts.

I try not to do anything other than watch TV, play around on the computer, eat and sleep.  Today, I watched the live feeds of the Northern Ireland Snooker championship and a Darts tournament on DAZN.  Other heroic deeds are my subscriptions to many paid streaming channels and watching the complete Borat 2 movie on Amazon Prime.  I  can also verify that the firmware is up to date on every electronic device that I own.

As an introvert, my interactions with people are usually brief.  I was never one for the hugs, small talk, and hanging around chatting.  In the last week, the only person in close proximity to me is my wife.  However, due to my regular intake of Metamucil and its gaseous effects, she may move out soon leaving me totally alone.

My new Apple Watch times my hand washings, which are frequent and at least 20 seconds long.  It does bug me a bit that my watch knows what I am doing with my hands at all times.

I wear a mask when indoors with people other than my wife.  I also contribute to mask wearing by glaring viciously at anyone not wearing a mask properly.  

I will be writing to the Governor General proposing a medal for all of us couch potatoes who are sacrificing during this pandemic.  Something like the "Award in Recognition of Heroic Feats of Laziness and Inactivity During the Pandemic".  The medal should feature a couch, a TV, a bag of chips, and a remote control along with the requisite Canadian symbols like the Maple Leaf.  No beavers allowed on this medal as it sends the wrong message.

Wednesday, November 4, 2020

America What Happened?



In the '60s, growing up in Montreal Canada, I thought the US was a great place.  They had the best TV, bicycles, toys, food, and music.  We had 5 channels, and three were from the USA (ABC, NBC, CBS).  I would watch Captain Kangaroo and Walt Disney with envy as they advertised a kid's American dream (a Schwinn bike).  I thought "wouldn't it be great to live in America?"

In the '70s and '80s, going to Canadian universities, I continued to think the US was great.  Look at those universities with their campuses, football teams, parties, and academic credentials.  Same thoughts as before.

In the '80s and '90s, working in Canada, I longed to go to the US to advance my career.  The US had world-leading companies in computers, telecom, aerospace.  I was stuck in Canada, doing my best but not getting far up the corporate ladder and certainly not feeling fulfilled.

So in the '90s, I had a chance to move to the USA and work, and boy, was it great.  Promotions, competing on a worldwide scale, high pay, low taxes, nice cars, a big house with a pool.  For 20 years I worked in the USA and it was exciting and financially rewarding.

But towards the end of my time there, I realized that the poor were badly treated and had no way to escape poverty due to the lousy public schools, low wages, and lack of health care.  I started seeing people openly carry handguns in restaurants.  We saw illegal immigrants scraping by and afraid of the border patrol.  I heard Obama called by the N-word.   I saw the justice system for what it was: a guaranteed conviction if you were charged due to the laws and scant legal aid.  I saw how I could get out of traffic tickets by just being a white male (stopped three times, no tickets).  I guess these things were always there but I was blind to them.  I hoped things would get better but we had to return to Canada for family reasons.

Now, after two presidential elections, I have lost faith in the USA.  The greed, lack of compassion, racism, divisiveness, lies, and contempt for democracy are clearly on display.  Biden may end up winning, but it is clear that about half of the USA believes that a man like Trump, doing what he does, is a good leader.  That means America is lost and probably gone forever in my opinion.