Manic Monday the Last

[ciroccoj]

'sall I can say about it. It's the last. Thank god.

Actually, it wasn't so bad, except that after I came home I suddenly got hit by a huge wave of nausea brought about by the fact that I am old, and therefore, suck. After 33 years of poor sleep habits, and 6+ years of child-related sleeplessness, my body has in its dotage apparently decided that the appropriate reaction to lack of good rest is making me feel like hurling. Most unpleasant.

I once read a book (Rite of Passage) where the heroine mused that if she were to ever design an Ultimate Weapon, it would be a gun that you point at your enemy to disrupt the workings of their inner ear. They would be unable to do anything but lie in a puddled heap and puke. All concept of battleground heroics would disappear, and war would soon become a thing of the past.

I'd pay good money to help develop that.

***
In other nausea-related news, Dubya is coming to town tomorrow. He has declined to address Parliament - I believe the quote from one of his aides was "frankly we just didn't want to be booed" - but he'll be here to have Martin tell him they're bestest friends and offer to exchange friendship bracelets or something.

Ottawa is gearing up for this fantabulous event, to wit:

• Demonstration at Confederation Park outside of City Hall, 12pm:
  There will be a number of speakers at the protest, representing several groups, including groups representing women and gay rights, peace activists such as Lawyers Against War, First Nations groups, Muslim groups and the Coalition Against the Deportation of Palestinian Refugees.
  
  
• No to Bush vigil on Parliament Hill at 5p.m:
  No to Bush is planning on lighting 100,000 candles to represent the reported 100,000 casualties in Iraq.
  In addition, they are intending to topple an 18-foot statue of Mr. Bush, made out of papier-mâché, at Parliament Hill. The statue is being made in Toronto by a group called "Artists Against War."
  No to Bush is expecting thousands of participants: 12 buses coming from Montreal, eight from Toronto and student groups coming in from universities.
  "We are expecting between 3 and 4,000 participants from out of town," Mr. Cressy told globeandmail.com. "From Moose Jaw to Flin Flon, people will be participating. It will be a national day of action."
  
  
• And last but not least, and I'm not not kidding about this: Canadian marijuana movement plans protest during US President's visit. They're going to do a smoke-in on the Hill, [CirNote: I repeat, I'm NOT KIDDING] to "show that Canadians love marijuana, and that we will no longer stand for the American war against our people, our plant and our culture." Let's hope they bring munchies.

***
And in other Canadian news, a_dawn reminded me the Greatest Canadian thingy was last night. Tommy Douglas 'father of universal health care' voted Greatest Canadian. Go him :)

And go us - I remember learning about Tommy Douglas in junior high history, but had no idea so many other Canadians would ever care enough to remember who he was, let alone vote for him as Greatest Canadian over Shania Twain and Celine Dion.

Here's the other finalists:
2. Terry Fox
3. PM Pierre Trudeau
4. Sir Frederick Banting (co-inventor of insulin)
5. David Suzuki (environmentalist and science broadcaster)
6. Lester B. Pearson (former PM, Nobel Peace Prize winner, and airport)
7. Don Cherry (CBC hockey broadcaster)
8. Sir John A. MacDonald (founding prime minister)
9. Alexander Graham Bell (to whom I owe money)
10. Wayne Gretzky (of LA Kings, St. Louis Blues, and New York Rangers fame ::ducking, running::)