Wednesday Like a Monday

So after a five-day weekend (thank you, whoever infected me with this persistent thing), I have:

1) Another minori-Tory government.
I fully expect the Right Honourable Stephen Harper to stick by his promise of fixed election dates and take the country to the polls on October 19th, 2009. Assuming he has any intention of keeping his word this time.

As far as I can tell, having triggered an election in violation of his own law, Harper campaigned six weeks and cost the Canadian taxpayer $260 million in order to win four seats. At $65 mil per seat they'd best be pretty comfortable, eh?

In the meantime it'll be another year of muzzled ministers, twelve more months of the triumph of ideology over either science or compassion, and another 365 days of creeping privatization of the fundamental services government must provide. Assuming Harper sticks with that fixed-date promise.

But let me state for the record a) thank the FSM that's over with, and b) thank the FSM it's only a minority. If Stephane Dion (or whoever replaces him) can manage not to simply recuse his entire party every time a stupid vote comes out, that is, if he dares to topple the government whenever they bring in more legislation that attacks basic Canadian principles, then at least it'll force Harper to c- ... c-c- ... (C'mon Steve, you can say it!) COMPROMISE from time to time.

2) A bacterial lung infection and a bottle of antibiotics. I don't fully trust my doctor--he's too eager to sign me up for a handful of whatever's going sometimes, but I have to admit that since I took the first few my lungs no longer feel like I'm inhaling roofing tar. Which is kinda good. I enjoy breathing. I got hooked on oxygen at a very young age (to all those young conservative supporters: Just Say No).

3) An urgent-ish need for money. It's been an expensive coupla months. Have you got any?

4) Low virtual memory--at least that's what the popup here on the screen says--can't you read it?

5) A thumping headache and a loose filling, which helps me hang onto

6) A filthy mood.

It doesn't help that IT is up to its usual tricks here at work. We have a collection of article on legal compliance and regulation at our membership site. In the migration to the new site, they all disappeared. We asked if IT could possibly kindly bestir its collective ass and find the damn things (fair go, they lost 'em, right?). We were answered, in essence:

"We have no resources to dedicate to that project at this time. However, if one of your editorial staff could come up with a list of the missing pieces, find them and record the URL from the old site, and match those pieces to the newsletter edition they came from, you can send us a list and we'll make the corrections if we ever do have time."

The old site no longer exists. IT knows this because they were the ones who destroyed it. Which is a measure of the co-operation we're getting. And WE, goddam it, aren't the ones who screwed it all up!

All in all it is not a shiny, happy kind of day. However, I have a cure. Several of them, actually. One is Pink Floyd: The Wall. However, I also do very well with Alice Cooper's "Welcome to My Nightmare" album, and a dose of the Muppets is always welcome.

Therefore:


I feel a little happier now. How about you?