Saturday, January 27, 2007

Current desktop backdrop


It's been awhile since I posted any pix. I figured this one was as good as any. This is what I see when I boot up every morning. This is precious because we hardly see ever catch him unawares. He was busy sniffing out the summer breeze. We usually never see a hint of teeth... I swear I can see his nostrils flaring.
You can see a hint of gray on his beard and a few petals on his blue-black coat.

Testing, 1, 2, 3

Suite française

The novel Suite Francaise is available in English. It talks of the period of WWII when the German troops defeated France and invaded the country. It was written by an incredible writer, as the events were unfolding. The French novel is so well written! I just hope the translation is up to the task.

Je lis ces jours-ci "Suite française" d'Irène Némirovski. Ça se passe aux premiers jours de la capitulation de la France aux mains des Allemands et aux sentiments qu'éveillent de part et d'autre l'avènement de ce nouveau ménage. On voit la fuite de Paris, la coexistence pacifique des Français avec les conquérants et les sentiments confus et contradictoires qui les habitent. L'écriture est délicate et nuancée. On s'y croirait. D'ailleurs, les deux romans (parus ensemble sous une même couverture) ont été écrits à l'époque et publiés tout récemment par les filles âgées de cette écrivaine qui a péri à Auschwitz en août 1942. Le manuscrit était écrit très serré, à la mine, pour ^pargner le papier qui était si rare et ses filles avaient crû y trouver des notes personnelles, un journal peut-être. L'une d'elle s'est enfin résolue à les lire, car elle remettait les manuscrits à un musée et voulait vérifier le contenu de ces pages.

J'aurais voulu citer des extraits. Malheureusement, je n'ai pas pris de notes pendant ma lecture, de ce qui était particulièrement émouvant ou enlevant. Je ne voulais pas me priver du plaisir de la lecture et briser le rythme. Et je croyais qu'en feuilletant au hasard, je retrouverais bien assez vite ces passages. Alors je feuillette, et me sens de nouveau transporté dans cet univers. Mais jene peux me décider à choisir un passage plutôt qu'un autre. Je trouve qu'ils forment un tout...

Bonne lecture!

Sunday, January 21, 2007

Strees Relief Update

We bought a new box of Melba toast - in Ottawa, this time. They were all intact. Yay to Dare Foods Customer Service for their help! I emailed the girl to tell her the good news and she was politely happy for me.

All is well that ends well. : )

Thursday, January 18, 2007

It's a Dog-Bite-Dog World

We rescued a dog that had wandered onto our property. He was desperately trying to get inside the fenced yard. We checked his collar and called the owner who was beside herself with joy. We fed him a bit while we he waited, but he was not very hungry. She had lost her chocolate lab in the morning (it was noonish). She was afraid he would be cold (it was a -20 kinda day). We took him in - she had promised to come shortly - and Minuit and him were running around the house.

The owner came and we chatted. She got her dog into the back of her car and Paul noticed there was blood on his hand. Minuit was missing a sliver of his ear. There had been a skirmish in the stairs after the guest tried to hump Minuit (not a good idea) but nothing unusual.

Anyway, we headed off to the vet who shaved the affected area, put a blood clotting agent on the ear, gave him a shot of painkiller and sent us off home with antibiotics and reassurances. Oh, and a bill the owner of the guest promptly agreed to pay.

Minuit's was groggy from the painkiller but otherwise fine. We are somewhat sad at his crooked ear but ok too.

Thursday, January 04, 2007

Stress relief

Today was a bloody busy day as I was scheduled to deliver a small contract.
I ended up nibbling on some crumbly Melba toast and that was just too much for me. It's not the first time that these wonderful crackers come broken to my table. Other times, I have suffered in silence. Not this time. My cup overfloweth! I seized the box and punched in the offending URL, found the offending product and wrote an offending email (no no, I wouldn't do that. I was very polite, very... Canadian?). Anyway, I stated my problem and waited. Very soon, a nice lady answered back with concern for my welfare, expressing regret and asking for more details, which I gladly provided.
More exchanges followed in which she explained that though they create a superior product, the delivery guys that take it from the warehouse might just be brutes. Actually, that was a good answer. I will try a different grocery store if the supplier is the issue.
That was a nice stress reliever.
The people handling complaints are bound to be compassionate, nice, polite people. I think I will keep a list of grudges handy so that when I am in a foul mood, I will get somebody nice to talk to me and put me back in a good mood. Yeah - instant friend! Forget yoga or deep breathing for quick stress relief...

More thoughts on global warming

The preceeding blog on global warming has generated the most comments ever. Thank you for your reading suggestions (which I will take on).
I am watching the weather with dread these days as it only confirms what was said in the DVD. I can't rejoice on the warm weather - I see flooding everywhere... I guess it's good for people biking to work - the season is longer.
I didn't realize that I should be unplugging the appliances I am not using - I guess I need to turn off my computer when I stop using it. I usually leave it on all day as a way of keeping in touch with friends through IM or emails (a bad habit from the days at the office). I am sure I would be a little more efficient if I were able to severe that link. For example, I got up at 7:00 am to work today and haven't started yet...
I liked the minimal packaging on Gore's DVD, as well as his very plain, no-nonsense approach.
I wonder what habits could be changed in the workplace, where it affects tons of people? Any suggestions?