Monday, Monday...

NewWeekDawning
HereWeGoAgainVille


E. climbed into the cigar tube and headed back to the East, the French, and the Snow once again on Saturday night.

But not before we first stopped off in Ladner at our niece's 25th birthday party and played her a partially (and nicely) Yankovicked version of our cover of Lisa Hannigan's 'I Don't Know'.

Which was actually a good thing, schedule-wise, because it meant that the packing and the scrambling were all done earlier rather than later.

But...

When we got to YVR I was a little worried that we might tip the 50lb/23kg scale and set off that damnable luggage alarm behind the Air Canada desks.

Why?

Well, mostly because I gave E. a massive tome of Yeats poems for Christmas.

But, luckily, unlike last January when a small banjo from our friend across the water Geo (and maybe a small amplifier?) was/were stuffed into the big bag, this time around we were actually a couple of kilos under the wire.

Anyway...

It was a red-eye with a stop-over at Pearson so she didn't get home to her flat in The Plateau until mid-morning.

But that didn't stop her from heading down to The Metro for a busking session yesterday afternoon.

And the good news is that they've turned up the heat in the Sherbrooke Station.

****

About this Lotuslandian John Doyle/Auditor General thing....

Over the weekend the proMedia played it pretty much straight-up, although Dipper Shane Simpson appeared to have been involved in sounding the original clarion call.

There are varying POV's on the thing from Ian Reid's opinion, likely based, I would imagine, on inside Dipper info, that this is purely and simply a LINO thing. On the other hand, Alex Tsakumis and Keith Baldrey appear to think a wee bit differently.

The thing is, it is impossible to really know what's going on at this point given the fact that, as Laila Yuile and Bob Mackin have made clear via the Twittmobile, the work of the 'Special Committee To Appoint An Auditor General' has all been done under a double-secret probation dunce cap-like cone-of-silence.

Which means that the public needs to make a big, stinkety, stink, stink, stink if they think that Mr. Doyle has done (and is still doing) a good job of looking out for all of our collective best interests.

Personally, I think he has and is.

In spades.

****

Really interesting piece in the Montreal Gazette by Jack Todd on the hockey thing.

Essentially, Mr. Todd is of the opinion that, with the 50/50 thing agreed to long ago, the last 4 months of acrimony and stupidity is all Gary Bettman's fault.

Why?

Because his real goal was to break the union.

And, despite his best/worst efforts Mr. Bettman failed spectacularly.

Here's an excerpt from Todd's column (but it is well worth reading in its entirety except, of course, for the 'Habs Talk' at the end):

....For a few moments very early Sunday morning, Bettman appeared almost human. The rage was gone: the bulging eyes, the hands flailing at the air, as though he wanted to karate-chop the lectern to smithereens.

Why was he suddenly trying to make nice? Because Bettman was beaten. That much was plain. He had set out to destroy the NHLPA — and instead the union today is far stronger than it has ever been. He had sought to divide and conquer — and instead, the players closed ranks behind Donald Fehr as never before...

****

Finally....

It's a big day for righteous Lotuslandian blogger Laila Yuile.

Because her inaugural regular Monday column in 24 Hours is out.

Go have a look.

And go wish her luck at her blog, which she plans to keep on going on with as well.

Both of which are a good thing.

OK?


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