Christmas and the Spirit

I have much to be thankful for this holiday season. And so I will give thanks for the many bounties in my life.

The simplest are the ones taken for granted: Shelter over my head, warmth, and good food to eat. So many in the world lack these essentials, it is good to remember how fortunate we are to have them.

Following closely on the heels of the basic necessities, I give thanks for my country and my fellow countrymen and countrywomen (and whatever other divisions of gender may exist). They and those before them have helped build a Strong, Free, and Brave land. They have given me streets that are mostly safe (avoiding Toronto...), a place where hard work is rewarded (mostly), and where having a free voice is still possible. That precious combination is rare in the history of the world and so this too is something to be thankful for.

I give thanks to have been gainfully employed, Alcea and bitHeads have both been good to me and I hope that I have repaid them in kind. My clients for this year have included Innovapost and Organization Metrics and I wish both of them well. I also want to extend a special wish of success to my friend JP's company, Class One Technologies. I hope all of them are successful in the times to come.

And now we come to the nearest and dearest - the people in my life.

My parents get first billing - Mary and Robert. You are always in my heart and without you, I would never have grown into the person I have become. All my virtues were built from the foundations you laid, all my vices are uniquely my own.

Let me start with the angelic souls who look after my parents directly - Angelica and Louise. 'Salt of the Earth' wouldn't come close - you allow my parents to function and retain most of their independence and that's no small miracle. I'd also like to thank Marylin for being a good and kind lady and great personal assistant for my mother.

And no thanks would be complete without mentioning the new polish M.D. (Dr. Gruder?) who has taken over the formidable cases of my two disabled parents and handled them with care and professional concern. I similarly cannot avoid being thankful for Dr. Pierzanowksi (sp?), the skin specialist who has made it a life-work to care for my father's bad leg ulcers. Dr. P has gone well beyond the role of a specialist and has really proven himself a kind and caring spirit as well as being an expert in his field.

And then we come to my friends. The list is long, but each is near and dear.

David and Vince, my oldest friends from High School - I wish them and their families a Merry Christmas and encourage everyone to visit the Solstice Cafe on Pandora Street in Victoria, B.C. if you are ever out there. Dave will take care of you.

From my times in Kingston, I want to wish the best of the season to Derek, Rhonda, Marion, Kevin, Myriam, Aaron, Ken, Leslie, Iain, Robert, Erica, Jack, Gary, Shelley, Charles, Mr. Kett, Doug, Cathy, James, Jim, Susan, Macgregor, Paul, Susan II, Alison, Sarah, and Mary-Jo and her family. You are all part of my life now and always.

From my St. Lawrence College days, a warm and safe holiday I wish to David, Lisa and the Brown clan, Deane and his family, Murray and his family, Mark, Laurie and the Grice Clan, Henry, Jason and Melanie and the Matheson Clan, Peter and Helen in Merry Ole' England, Edward in Den Hague (and to the Morrell Clan), Phil Brown and the soon to be Mrs. Brown, Frank and Lisa and Nathan and Claire of the Bechard clan, Daniel and Jennifer Lanfranconi, Craig Timmerman and his lovely wife, Adam King and Cheryl with her pleasant young ones, Jon Debruin and his undoubtedly growing horde of girls, and wherever they may be, to Prasetyo, Don, Jackie, Dave J, Dave D (Tooli), and undoubtedly whomever I have thoughtlessly forgotten.

For my Ottawa bitheads gaming buddies, nothing but the best of the new year and a great holiday is wished: Lorry and Louise, Ax and his far better half, Phil and April, "Tweed" and his saintly wife, Jason and his family including the lovely youngun, Chris Whitaker and Wendy and the three loveliest girls, Slobodan 'the mad Serbian' and Tatyana and his pair of fiesty boys, Chris Winstanley and his wonderful wife Stephanie and the savages (Carter, Curtis and Briana...err...Rhiannon), Shane and the lady I've yet to meet who has made him so happy, Jeremy (wherever he is) and his wife, John A and his lovely wife and children, and Mark Rhodenizer and his wife whom I think is an absolute riot.

For my Ottawa gaming buddies from the xwave/Software Kinetics connection: Paul and Alison and the family, JP, Val, Eliane and Lois, Tom, Dana, Ewan and Cameron, Jim, Christine, Stephanie, Dean, Lori, Daphne, Edward, Joe, Ian and his family - you've invited me into your homes and your lives and have given me so many hours of warm companionship (and a few good lessons in humility along the way).

For the LHI crew out of the USA who have made me their Canadian chapter: Magic, Julie, Talia, Noah, Natalie, Miles, Dexter, Los, Tony, Papa Jim, Shannon, Mike, Greg, Weasel, Jack-Jack, and Amanda plus anyone my scattered wits have forgotten. These wonderful folks have repeatedly made me feel like a member of their family and have invited me into their homes and treated me wonderfully. I'm lucky to have met you all.

For my friends from mailing lists and gaming conventions: Zoe Brain, Chris Deboe, Josh Deboe, Lorna Toolis, Allan Goodall, Adrian Johnson, Mark Kochte, Jon Tuffley, Jon Davis, Jerry Han, Stewart Murray, Mark Kinsey, and all the others of ECC, GZG-list and a fair few from the TML and Citizens of the Imperium - you've been good friends and shared in the creation of many a memory and I hope the new year brings you nothing but the best. Particularly I expect to hear an announcement from Adrian about the next generation of the Johnson-Sinatra cartel....

For some other very special friends: Linda, Susan, Lynda, Kevin, Daniel and Michelle, Dawg-D (Ricki), Djinni, Tam-Tam, Suni, Jesse, Winnie, Peter K, Tess, Marie and her husband, Mike T, Greg and Mary and the incoming Moulds member, Sherri, Jordan, Big Logan, hard-hard-hard-workin' Lee and Sandy, Robert C - may the season find you well and warm and 2009 be a great year.

Lastly, to my adoptive families over the years: The Cardinals, The Steins, the Forsythe clan especially (Toni, Alan, Esme, Rikard, Max, Jon, Peter, Helen), the Murphys (Kristi, Ken, Mike and Carol, Iain, and Lesley), the Brunners (Eric, Rob, Erica, Jack), and all the others who have made me a part of their homes beyond anything I have done to deserve it - a big Christmas hug (that's a very Scottish way of saying don't wait for the presents... *grin*).

All the best of the season. My blessings abound and I wish they return a hundred fold to each and every one of you. Stay safe, happy and may 2009 be a good year - God bless you all and a Merry Christmas to one and all.

Your friend, Thomas B.

Neat Teapot

Something else I need - a full fledged teapot!

Soho 30 Teapot

This one includes its own integral, non-crocheted cozy and an infuser cage for loose leaf tea. Pretty slick little unit. There's a two cup and six cup version. (16/40 oz)

Nice!

Things My Kitchen Should Have

Things I my kitchen needs for completeness:

• Salad fork and knife (I have a glass bowl, so something nice to go with that theme)
  
• Butter Dish, Milk/Cream Jug, Sugar Bowl - either French white or some nice shade of mocca or bay leaf green
  
• Larger pairing knife - 5 - 6"
  
• Vegetable chopper (ideally with a cresent blade that you can rock back and forth)
  
• A good blender (capable of dealing with ice with equanimity, all stainless or stainless + ceramic parts, dishwasher-able)
  
• Slush machine (you can now get small ones)
  
• Nice pot rests (at least 4) for serving onto table
  
• Another 4 setting Corelle-wear set in bay leaf green and black (not the best stuff ever, but I now have 4 settings)
  
• Rack(s) for cakes/etc to cool on
  
• Rack for doing bacon in the oven
  
• Three roughly 4" pyrex bowls with about 45 degree sides (a standard shape, I just seem to lack this critical size)
  
• Roasting pan that will fit my oven (24")
  
• Instant Read Food Thermometer
  

A birthday and another Christmas Dinner

Tonight, I had the pleasure of hosting three co-workers and good friends of mine - Pika, Dawg-D, and Tam-Tam. The Djinni wasn't available due to a travelling commitment.

The arrivals were late, but that was fortuitous as final preparation took longer than expected. By the time everyone arrived, the main course was ready and the sides were only minutes off, and the desert was going into the oven.

Today's menu:

5 pound sirloin tip roast, done in the slow cooker with 2 onions, some celery, some shredded carrots, a couple of garlic cloves, rosemary, 2 cups of beef broth, a can and a half of Guinness stout (16 oz cans), some pepper, a litle browning liquid, some salt, and some Otima Port (note to self - get some cooking port!). The whole was slow cooked for 8-9 hours after being quickly seared in a pan beforehand.

Fresh Asparagus, steamed (a bit too much, but there was a lot going on at the time) with a hint of lemon.

French bread and butter. Didn't have time to make Irish Soda bread.

Roast potatoes done in olive oil, rosemary, 4 garlic cloves plus some garlic powder, thyme, a wee bit of salt, and some chopped onions (both green and yellow). The potatos themselves were a mix of red and yellow skinned with white flesh. Peel them, chop them into fair sized chunks, throw them in a bag with the seasoning, shake vigorously, lay out on a cookie tray, bake for 40 minutes at 400 F, though I should have done it at 375 as the bottom got a bit done. I should probably have turned at the 20m mark, but I didn't have a lot of spare cycles.

Salad made with mixed spinach and field greens, chopped celery, cherry tomatos, chopped red pepper, alfalfa and radish sprouts, and shredded carrots. I forgot the raisins. The dressing consisted of some olive oil, some guiness, a bit of mustard, some salt and pepper, a bit of garlic, and a hit of balsamic vinegar for some zing.

Desert was a white cake (from a mix) with coconut flakes added, as well as with a couple of good glugs of #1 maple syrup and a bit of pure almond extract baked in the fluted tube pan. This time I think I either didn't put enough non-stick starch on the pan (particularly on the middle pillar) or I put too much (I forget if I did the first one with or without). I also probably didn't let the cake sit long enough after coming out of the oven due to time constraints. So when I flipped it, it came in two parts. Repairs were very much jury rig, but I didn't feel duct tape or pop rivets would be a good plan. The cake was iced with french chocolate premade Betty Crocker icing. The still hot cake turned the icing into a kind of warm, gooey goodness. Add some French Vanilla ice cream and you have the makings of a portion of heaven.

For drinks, there was Westmalle Trappist ale, Sir Percy Perry (Pear Cider), Strongbow Apple Cider, and later I broke out the new fun - 70% ginger beer, 30% ginger ale, with an additional 15% dark rum. Spicy, with the gingery warmth, fizzy, and good. A big shout-out to my friend Kevin for that one!

Everyone left stuffed (although trying to avoid the confessions, each and every one eventually confessed to going off to a date, although one called it 'a group of friends at a South African musical event (including the girl who gave him the ticket)', another called it 'meeting my study partner', and a third was very evasive until he admitted hooking up with his ex. I hauled out the old "sour milk put back in the fridge to see if it got better the following week" joke, but it was in jest. I'm happy for all of them.

Everyone agreed I could cook. Happy birthday was sung to Dawg-D, and Djinni was missed. Missed among other reasons by me because the conversation devolved into topics I'm sure would never have come up with a lovely young lady present. *grin*

I did discover that Pika and Tam-Tam like Kate Beckinsale and that Dawg-D like Brigitte Fonda. My admitted preference was a classy (as acknowledged by all) Aishwarya Rai. I later admitted to liking Tea Leoni as well, although unlike the others who all appear to have characteristic tastes, I like the variety of beauty in humans. I compared their tastes to people who only ever drink their beer - Budweiser for instance - whereas I prefer to sample the world's many great brews.

And in case you are dead and buried and don't know Aishwarya Rai, let me help you:



I'm blessed to have such good friends. We toasted the birthday boy and the Queen (though being an Acadian that was a stretch for him - family history is not forgotten so easily).

I'm working all weekend, but I'm feeling properly seasonal after 3 good hosted dinners and 3 successful productions of food. Apparently, I can cook. I just need to find a girl who likes to eat well. :)

Christmas for the Psychologically Challenged

1. SCHIZOPHRENIA : -- Do You Hear What We Hear?

2. AMNESIA -- I Don't Know If I'll Be Home for Christmas.

3. NARCISSIST - - Hark the Herald Angels Sing-All About Me .

4. MANIC -- Deck the Halls and Walls and House and Lawn and Streets and Stores and Office and Town and Cars and Buses and Trucks and Trees and Fire Hydrants, and.....

5. MULTIPLE PERSONALITY DISORDER -- We Three Queens Disoriented Are.

6. PARANOID --- Santa Claus Is Coming To Get Me.

7. BORDERLINE PERSONALITY DISORDER -- Thoughts of Roasting on an Open Fire.

8. FULL PERSONALITY DISORDER -- You Better Watch Out! I'm Goona cry; I'm Gonna Pout! -- Maybe I'll Tell You Why .

9. OBSESSIVE COMPULSIVE DISORDER -- Jingle Bells,Jingle Bells Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells.....

10. AGORAPHOBIA -- I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day, but Wouldn't Leave My House.

11. SENILE DEMENTIA -- Walking in a Winter Wonderland--Miles from My House in My Slippers and Robe

12. OPPOSITIONAL DEFIANCE DISORDER -- I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus-so I Burned Down the House.

13. SOCIAL ANXIETY DISORDER -- Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, While I Sit Here and Hyperventilate

14. ATTENTION DEFICIT DISORDER -- We Wish You.. . .Hey Look!!! It's Snowing!!!

Rest In Peace, Nurse Chapel

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http://www.latimes.com/news/obituaries/la-me-roddenberry19-2008dec19,0,1017655.story
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Majel Barrett Roddenberry, the widow of "Star Trek" creator Gene Roddenberry and an actress whose longtime association with the "Star Trek" franchise included playing Nurse Christine Chapel in the original series, died early Thursday morning. She was 76.

Roddenberry died at her home in Bel-Air after a battle with leukemia, said family spokesman Sean Rossall.

"She was a valiant lady," Leonard Nimoy, who played Mr. Spock on "Star Trek," told The Times. "She worked hard, she was straightforward, she was dedicated to 'Star Trek' and Gene, and a lot of people thought very highly of her."

Once dubbed "The First Lady of 'Trek' " by the Chicago Tribune, Majel (sounds like Mabel) Barrett Roddenberry was associated with "Star Trek" from the beginning.

In the first TV pilot, she played a leading role as Number One, the first officer who was second in command.

But at the request of various executives, changes were made, and she did not reprise her role in the second TV pilot. Instead, she played the minor role of Nurse Chapel when the series began airing on NBC in September 1966. Roddenberry had another distinction: Beginning with the original series, she supplied the coolly detached voice of the USS Enterprise's computer -- something she did on the various "Star Trek" series.

She also was the voice of the Starship Enterprise for six of the 10 "Star Trek" movies that have been released, as well as the 11th, which is due out next year.

Roddenberry also played Dr. Christina Chapel in two of the "Star Trek" movies, "Star Trek: The Motion Picture" and "Star Trek: The Voyage Home."

And she played the recurring role of the flamboyant Lwaxana Troi on "Star Trek: The Next Generation" and "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine."

Roddenberry, whose pre-"Star Trek" acting career included guest appearances on series such as "The Untouchables" and "The Lucy Show," had no idea she was establishing a career path in science fiction when she took her first "Star Trek" role.

"Not at all," she said in a 2002 interview with the Tulsa World. "I certainly didn't have any idea that I'd be doing it this long, for so many different shows and films -- especially as a product of a series that was a flop. The original was only on for three years. It wasn't considered a success by anyone's standards."

The show took off as a pop-culture phenomenon after it went into syndication, however, and Roddenberry, who was married to Gene Roddenberry from 1969 until his death in 1991, attended her first "Star Trek" convention in 1972.

"You know, when the conventions started out, I'd attend four or five a month," she said in the 2002 interview. "But after a while, it got where there was no time for anything else. You'd just travel from city to city, making the same speech, answering the same questions."

Rossall said both Gene and Majel Roddenberry maintained warm relationships with "Star Trek" fans. And as late as August, he said, Majel Roddenberry attended a "Star Trek" convention in Las Vegas.

As she told the Buffalo City News in 1998, "It's been a hell of a ride."

Born Majel Hudec in Columbus, Ohio, on Feb. 23, 1932, she attended the University of Miami and acted in regional theater before heading to Hollywood in the late '50s.

Several years after her husband's death, Roddenberry discovered a pilot script and notes he had written for a series in the '70s.

And in 1997, with Majel Barrett Roddenberry as an executive producer and playing a recurring role, "Gene Roddenberry's Earth: Final Conflict" began airing in syndication. She later was an executive producer of the syndicated "Gene Roddenberry's Andromeda."

She is survived by her son, Eugene "Rod" Roddenberry Jr.

Roddenberry had a love of animals and was dedicated to animal rescue. Instead of flowers, the family suggests donations in her name to Precious Paws, www.preciouspaws.org, or CARE (Cat & Canine Assistance, Referral and Education), www.care4pets.org.

Funeral and memorial service details are pending.

Free To Good Home: 3 Space Shuttles (very high mileage)

CBC Story on the Space Shuttles' dispositions

All you need is upwards of $42 million, a big, climate-controlled indoor storage space near a major airport, and a few extra million if you want to buy some engines.

The Smithsonian is a good home for one of these. They should find good museums for the others. Patterson AFB near Columbus has a good Museum that would benefit from an orbiter. The other one would make the ultimate fantasy hotel conversion - "Sleeping in space" or some such.

Signs of Humanity in a War Zone

After a half dozen rocket attacks, you get to know the people around you.

There is even a small kittie that comes to one of the bunkers to join her friends. The rough, tough soldiers have adopted her. Apprently she loves a good game of poker. And by love I mean she likes to chase the chips. She sleeps on the grizzled WO bed at night :)

The cans of tuna in the care packages are widely known as for the kitties that live with the troops :)

'Little Bob' as they call her is a good mouser too. She keeps the line clear. No slacking off in that company!

Pre-Christmas Dinner

Tonight saw a pre-Christmas dinner with my parents and with the Forsythes, my second family in Ottawa. Toni Forsythe brought some lovely Irish Soda Bread (great stuff) and a lovely bottle of Inniskillin Riesling. I already had a bottle of Inniskillin Pinot Grigio open (man, is that ever a nice wine!), so the Riesling will be for the next event.

Appetizers were light this time as everyone had to get moving. I got them started off with a nice drink (some Black Bush, an egg-nog with spiced rum, some of the wine, or a lovely Winter Ale from Great Lakes Brewery that included hints of orange and cinnamon) and then some melba toast with brie (either pepper brie or brie with a cranberry-pine nut compote), warned up to melt the brie slightly in the microwave.

Then I worked on preparing and serving the main course: A 3.75 pound slow cooked pork loin roast, done in a sauce consisting of two cans of whole-cranberry sauce, 1 sliced apple, 1 cup chopped dried apricots, 1 chopped onion, 1/2 cup sugar (and we could have omitted that) and 8 ounces of apricot nectar, plus I think a pinch of salt, garlic, pepper, and a wee bit of crushed red pepper. The recipe called for less, but it was also for a small crock pot and a 2.5 pound roast. It cooked on low in the cooker from 8:00 am until 4:15 pm and then let sit for a few minutes (very important, you should always let meat, even BBQ'd steak, cool for 5-10 mins before cutting as the fat re-disburses and makes the meat much easier to cut and much better tasting) before carving.

We a couple of cups of the warm liquid (and the bits of fruit), put it in a small saucepan with some Knorr Veloutine (non-clumping thickener) and boiled it for a minute or two until it thickened up into an excellent gravy/fruit topping.

That was accompanied by steamed asparagus (steamed with lemon juice in the water and drizzled with more lemon before serving), the aforementioned Irish Soda Bread, some Bombay Chicken Salad from Loeb (pasta, chicken, raisins, maybe some broccoli, a curry-mayo type sauce), and a Caesar salad with extra bacon.

Dessert was another creation of mine: A raisin-date-coconut rum cake. The constituents were 2/3 cup chopped honey dates, 2/3 cup chopped raisins, about 1/3 to 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut shredded, 1 package of yellow cake mix, 1/2 cup canola oil, 1/2 cup coconut rum, 1/2 cup spiced rum, some cinnamon, a wee pinch of salt, and 3 eggs. Into the ring-pan, cook for 43 minutes at 325. The glaze was made of 2 tbsp spiced rum (probably dark would have been good), 2 tbsp pineapple juice, 2 tbsp butter, 2 cups of fine/confectioner's sugar, and I added some coconut. The glaze you beat until it is sort of homogenous, but I think you should probably warm it up too (recipe didn't say to, but it would have decrystalized the sugar).

Made some Irish Breakfast tea to wash it down and everyone left well fed and well stuffed. Some Christmas music was enjoyed, good companions shared their stories and their warm regards, and the cleanup will only be a small scale emergency. :)

A job well done, even when I did forget to peel potatos to roast (discovered too late to address, but we had enough food otherwise).

It is moments like this eveing that remind me why I put up with some of the other moments life throws at me.

Warmth of the season to one and all!

Three More Good Lads Taken From Us

Full Text CBC Story

Comrades of Cpl. Thomas James Hamilton, Pte. John Michael Roy Curwin and Pte. Justin Peter Jones gathered at Kandahar Airfield on Sunday as the bodies were loaded onto a plane for the journey home to Canada. Fewer soldiers attended the ramp ceremony because of several rocket attacks near the base, the CBC's David Common reported.

Thompson said the three served as members of the Provincial Reconstruction Team and their job was to conduct regular security patrols.

On the day they were killed, the members of Golf Company, 2nd Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment, were sent out to investigate a report that someone may have been trying to plant a bomb along the road, Common said.

Saturday's explosion was so powerful it flipped over their armoured vehicle, witnesses said.

"This tragic incident demonstrates the considerable risk faced by the exceptional men and women of the Canadian Forces as they work to promote freedom, security and democracy in Afghanistan," Harper said in a statement from Ottawa.

---

Let me just add that I'll say a prayer for their families and loved ones and be sure to donate to the charity to support military families. As much as the new year seems uncertain for me with the economy in turmoil, that's nothing like what the wives and children of these fallen heroes will have to face. My heart goes out to them.

The Brits just lost 5 Royal Marines over the course of the last week as well in Helmland. God rest their souls as well.

A challenge well met, a life given to duty, honour, and in the service of the nation.

Weather Report from Kandahar

From our on the spot correspondent: Lt.(N) R. A. Brunner, intrepid reporter

It's been fairly cool here actually. Need a coat in the morning and afternoon. At night it goes down to around 2C and during the day up to around 18C

Not the over 60C it was a couple of months ago. They don't really know what it was since all the thermometers only go to 60...

It's starting the rainy season now too. So the talc-like sand turns into concrete. Everything has a fine coating of dust. It just gets everywhere.

Messages to our Soldiers, Sailors, and Airmen

If you have time, consider sending a warm Christmas wish to our troops. At home or abroad, they're acting on behalf of the Canadian government and by extension the Canadian people, doing tough jobs with sometimes dire risks and with personal sacrifices required from the members and from their families. This just seems like the season to honour that and wish them all the best.

Message To Our Troops

From Robert, now in Kandahar

Thank you Tom for your kind words.

Each time it gets harder and harder to leave home, especially now that little Jack is now part of the crew. I just got an email from Erica saying that today he started to focus on people and items. He is far happier, probably no longer bored. This will be the first of several things I will miss in the 7months I will be gone.

I arrived in time for the ramp ceremony. A sobering welcome to a real dangerous place. It is impressive to see every solder lining the tarmac and heart wrenching to hear the bagpipes playing their soft lament (and I'm not the biggest fan of the pipes)

After the ceremony I ran into a fellow MARS officer from my unit in Kingston on his way home. We sat over coffee and talked about life in Afghanistan. There is little doubt this will be a life changing experience.

I will keep hearth and home in my heart, keeping memories of loved ones and friends (some the same) always in my mind, to keep the shadows at bay.

Rob (Over the hills and far away)

Vintage Warbirds

Some excellent photos of vintage warbirds (lots of them) and a ground-forces re-enactment with some working vehicles. Planes include Spitfire, Corsair, Mustang, Liberator, Flying Fortress, Zero, Val, Hellcat, Helldiver, Sea Fury, Sabre, Mig-15, F-16, Bearcat and others. Ground forces include 101 Airborne, Germans of sundry sorts, working vehicles including Hetzer, Sdkfz 251, Sdkfz 251/17 with 20mm cannon, M4 Sherman, M3, and others. Some good shots in here, very picture heavy link.

Planes of Fame air-ground show

Rest in Peace, Boys.

Three members of the Canadian Forces who work with the Afghan National Army were killed by a massive roadside bomb, presumably placed by the Taliban. The Taliban aren't freedom fighters, they're opium traffickers and murderers. Anyone whose honour is flexible enough to allow cowardly bombings deserves to be put down like a rabid dog.

God rest the souls of our soldiers, hold their families close, and give the remaining comrades over there the courage to persevere in the face of such threats.

3 Brave Canadians Die Making A Difference

No one can beat our boys in a straight up fight and the murderous Taliban know that. Whatever place those Taliban scumbags go after dying, I hope it is eternally agonizing.

To anyone who wants to criticize our equipment: Anything that will blast a crater 9 meters (28') deep into Afghan soil and will hurl a vehicle (of whatever type and mass) 80 meters (260') isn't going to be survivable in any sort of equipment I'm familiar with. That's a ludicrously powerful explosion.

My friend Robert, a MARS Officer from HMCS Cataraqui in Kingston, just left this weekend for Kandahar for a posting to KAF coordinating the guys who coordinate various efforts to help rebuild Afghanistan and give it the robustness and the integrity to stand with less assistance from NATO and the UN as time goes by. Robert just left his newborn son Jack behind with his wife and I know that was not easy.

Robert earns my respect every time he separates himself from his normal life and goes off on a posting in the service of the Canadian public, helping to secure them from terrorism or now going off to a foreign land to help provide security and facilitate rebuilding.

I hope he comes home safe and sound to his little boy. But I know, one way or another, he knows he and his comrades are doing a job worth doing. And I think everyone in the Canadian public should understand. Soldiers don't pick their missions, they go where our Government, acting in Canadian interests and with a mandate from the Canadian public, sends them. Most of us won't do as much for our fellow Canadians in our lifetimes.

Xmas Gaming Dinner

Well, last night I had over six of my ottawa gaming buddies (or maybe they are my bitheads buddies... there is a fair intersection of sets). The list included Lorry Moller of the oversized White Russian and other booze, Chris Whitaker with game presents in hand (win!), Chris Winstanley with the awesome and almost timely bread-maker bread and a lovely book for me, Alex Bates and the lovely Melanie with a fantastic plum pudding (with whole plums), Shane "Cochrane's Eggnog" Richer, and me.

Too much food, good times, and a gaming reminder of how slow and boring Star Fleet Battles seems by modern game standards. I think this reminder has reminded us why we don't play it anymore.

The company was superlative, the food was amazing, a good time was had by all as far as I can tell.

Menu:

Appetizers and Drinks - Celery and chips plus a black bean and sour cream dip, crackers and brie with cranberry nut compote, drinks of various natures - beer and wine to get things started mostly although the white russian in a beer mug may have appeared here.

Main course - 7 pounds of AAA sirloin slow cooked in a guiness/beef broth rubbed with various spices, carrots (a bit too al dente for anyone's taste), salad with cheddar, iceberg lettuce, small cherry tomatos, garlic parmesan roasted potatos, potato salad, macaroni salad, red wine, asparagus boiled in a lemony solution, fresh breadmaker bread with margarine, and a great gravy made with the au jus from the slow cooker and some new non-clumping thickener I found.

Dessert: Plum pudding complete with real plums! We forgot the ice cream. This is where the super good egg-nog appeared, as did some nice 10 year old Tobermory single malt scotch, or in my case a 10 year old Otima port, and some brownies, micro-butter tarts, and other pastry goodness.

Overall, a wonderful dinner. The company and the meal were both wonderful and I thank all the attendants and contributors! The roast was a bit more well done than I prefer, but it was good. The cleanup is into dishwasher load 3 of probably 5, but the kitchen is starting to look sane again - after using just about every pan, serving or mixing bown, glass, mug, wine glass, knife, fork, spoon, carving knife, etc. in the place.

Good friends, good times - Christmas is feeling seasonal already!

Funky Clouds

Look at these crazy clouds of Mt. Rainier in Washington! They are called Lenticular Clouds and have shapes like I've never seen before - well worth the link trip.

Clouds

My reaction to Canadian Politics of late

Interesting Times, by the Chinese Standard

Canada is going... a bit crazy. A stupid move by the strengthened minority goverment of Stephen Harper plus a hefty ration of treacherous, pork-barreling corruption on behalf of "Taliban Jack", Stephane "Green Shaft" Dione, and Giles "I own these other two and I'm the separatist" Duceppe, has led to the likelyhood of a Liberal/NDP(/not mentioned loudly but present separatist BQ) coalition over whom the separatist Sword of Damocles will hang.

http://corner.nationalreview.com/post/?q=ODFiNWRkOTdiMjMxMzM0YmExZmIyNDZmNjI5ZmM2ZWQ=
http://corner.nationalreview.com/post/?q=ZDQ2NzVkZTkxY2M4YWJmY2Q5YzAyNzJmNGU5YWQ0ZTI=
http://ezralevant.com/

Apparently this is partly funded by the taxpayer - $1Bn Cdn to Quebec plus senate appointments galore for one and all, including the failed Green Party leader Elizabeth May.

I can barely breathe for the stench of corruption and the noxious cloud of stupidity. We have economic issues of great import going on and the failures from the last election are trying a power grab to be paid off by the Canadian taxpayer because the winner of last election confused the term MINORITY government with MAJORITY government and tried to ram a funding cut that would gut all the other parties down their throats.

I'm giving the brain-dead government a D- for their lack of wit and the power-desparate leaders of the Liberal and NDP parties an A+ in corruption. The only man in the lot who gets good marks is the separatist - if that doesn't just stick in your craw - Giles Duceppe who is getting his baton polished by the others and is going to get senate seats, big payoffs for Quebec, massive Western alienation, and a disfunctional and broke Canada (which is fine for a separatist). I'd give him an A+ but one of his provincial cronies leaked the cash transfer details before the deal is done, so I'm giving him an A- (not entirely his fault he can't find good help).

"Taliban Jack" once compared the Canadian Forces to the Taliban. And now he'll be in a government giving them orders (probably). Stephane Dione campaigned with the pledge that he would not be involved in a coalition government. Good thing he has fast-acting Alzheimers. Giles Duceppe is a separatist ideolog and p0wn3s everyone on both sides to his great amusement. The new likely government can't stand or function without his Royal Assent...

I'm ashamed to be a Canadian. We should fire them all and start again. And when I say fire, I'm talking of the open-pit variety.