Numerology

Final tallies, for those who are interested in that kind of thing:

Nationwide (308 seats)

Party	Elected	Vote Share
CON	124	36.25%
LIB	103	30.22%
BQ	51	10.48%
NDP	29	17.49%
IND	1	.52%
OTH	0	5.05%

Ontario (106 seats)

Party	Elected	Vote Share
CON	54	39.93%
LIB	40	35.08%
NDP	12	19.44%

My home riding

Party	Number of Votes	Vote Share
John Baird (CON)	25607	43.13%
Lee Farnsworth (LIB)	20244	34.09%
Marlene Rivier (NDP)	9569	16.12%
Neil Adair (GRN)	2932	4.94%
John Pacheco (IND)	905	1.52%
Randy Bens (CAP)	121	0.2%

And, for non-Canadians who are a little lost as to what all of this means, here's a brief summary of our political system: ( Whaddup with this majority/minority stuff, and why is our new leader a guy who only got 36.25% of the vote? )

And yeah, my home riding elected a Conservative. Who is apparently a really decent guy, very principled, honest and hard-working, says a friend of mine who knows him but did not vote for him because she was voting Green.

Oh, and: Prime Minister Paul Martin is resigning.

Figures...

Copied from bast2:

1. Grab the nearest book.
2. Open the book to page 123.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the text of the sentence in your journal along with these instructions.
5. Don't search around and look for the coolest book you can find. Do what's actually next to you.

Neurological examination includes mental status, cranial nerves, motor system, coordination, sensory system, and reflex components.
- Kaplan and Sadock's Synopsis of Psychiatry, Harold I. Kaplan, M.D. Benjamin Sadock, M.D.

Picspam

Museum outing with Marie and the boys was a little different today because Marie wasn't there. The boys were there with her mother-in-law, as Marie's mother took a turn for the worse and was hospitalized. Liver cancer; diagnosed in November, given 6-12 months, but doesn't look like she'll make it that far.

It's so strange, seeing somebody else lose their parent after having gone through it myself. Having a better understanding of what they may be going through, but knowing that the details are probably completely different.

Well. The Museum was actually kind of neat, despite Marie's absence, in that I spotted a couple of things I'd never spotted before and got all excited about it. There's a whole new exhibit there, about light. I anticipate many a lovely Wednesday afternoon spent learning all about wave-particle theory and Einstein and astronomy and fire and kerosene lamps and electricity. For me, that is. All right, I'll try to teach the boys some of that too.

Semi-gratuitous picspam below: Justin wasn't feeling well over the weekend, ended up with a huge headache one day, and had to spend the day lying down, mostly impromptu napping and/or watching TV. Daniel was appointed cold-cloth-holder, and took his duties very seriously.

( Sickie Boy & Nurse Big Brother )

***
Tuesday morning is supposed to be French Day, but today Daniel wheedled his way into being allowed to do English instead, so he could finish Harry Potter & The Philosopher's Stone. How could I say no?

At one point, Chris and I were in the kitchen and he noticed how engrossed Daniel was, reaching the end of the book. We watched him for a while, wondering if our parents ever watched us read with the same deep satisfaction we feel, watching him. Like we've done something right, to have produced a kid who loves the written word as much as he does.

Both of us figured our moms probably watched us too. My mom always had a sort of sense of wonder with respect to my accomplishments, large and small. She did with most kids, because it is kind of incredible just how much kids learn and accomplish, so quickly. But it was especially keen with me and the boys, because she'd had a hand in nurturing those accomplishments. It was a kind of "Wow! I helped make that?! COOL!"

Man, I missed her this morning.

( Daniel reading )