Baby it’s cold outside, but it’s warm in here. We all slept in ’til 10 or so, then had a delicious breakfast (bacon, fruit, C’s awesome banana pancakes). After a morning of laying about, reading, playing C64 games on G’s laptop and watching the girls snowshoe around, we had a quick lunch and set to work: napping and playing more C64 games while scarfing Doritos.

A few minutes ago we spotted 4 deer outside the window, just beyond the pond, munching away.

It’s almost dinnertime, but it doesn’t feel like it. C’s making a cake. I’m thinking about asking these two to be our personal chefs in return for unlimited DVD access and music snobbery advice. I’m not sure they’ll go for it.

Made it.

We loaded up the minivan last night, including the cat, and started up north toward G+Cs farm option (it’s not theirs, but they get to use it sometimes). We had a few issues while searching for a Wendy’s, not the least of which was that we hadn’t turned the headlights on, so we’d driven down the 401 with just running lights. That must’ve freaked people out.

Speaking of freaked out, we stopped at some kind of highway feeding trough in Vaughn that was ripped from some unfinished Milton work. It was lousy with suburban kids and greasy food. We survived only to get slightly lost in the parking lot (SO not kidding) and then got back on the road.

C picked a new nickname based on a nearby region: GOMA. Don’t ask. Ash (the cat) crawled up on my lap and stayed there for the remainder of the trip, which apparently is a rare event, as she’s usually a cranky old thing.

After some extended driving stretches in snow squalls and blowing wind we found the farm and unpacked. It was after 11 so we didn’t have enough energy to do much more than unpack, pour some drinks, make a fire, and talk until 2:30 in the morning.

Having been citi-fied for so long, I almost forgot that in the country it gets incredibly dark at night, enough so that I had to put down an urgent bladder insurgency until the dawn came so that I didn’t break my neck locating the bathroom.

We’re off to Collingwood for a few days with G&C. Clean country air, a good book, some shoes fit for hiking and some Cardhu.

Get in.

I watched Dog Day Afternoon (imdb | rotten tomatoes | amazon) earlier this week. I shouldn’t have waited so long; it was such a good movie. Pacino’s just…so on for the whole thing. I gotta say, it was weird to see he and John Cazale on the screen together in a non-Corleone way. Also weird: just as I turned off the DVD player, the TV channel that came up was showing The Princess Bride, just as Chris Sarandon was on the screen. Anyway, highly recommended, if only to understand why people occasionally yell, “Attica! Attica!”.

By the way, should I ever quit my job and be escorted from the office, that’s how I plan to leave the building.

1. She doesn’t own a computer
2. She’s dead

from The Globe and Mail

WHO FUCKING CARES?!!!?!?!!?!

Happy birthday Nellie!!!

• Last night on The Amazing Race (the lone reality TV show I enjoy) the team that deserved to win didn’t, the princess won the million bucks, and poor Aaron had what I can only assume was a brain defect brought on by oxygen deprivation and proposed to the shrieking harpy.
• The top ten movies this past weekend were as follows:
  1. Boogeyman
  2. The Wedding Date
  3. Are We There Yet?
  4. Hide and Seek
  5. Million Dollar Baby
  6. The Aviator
  7. Meet the Fockers
  8. Sideways
  9. Racing Stripes
  10. Coach Carter

  I shall say no more.

The whole Gomery inquiry just feels…I don’t know, unseemly. It smacks of desperation. A fuss was made over alleged overspending (The Canadian government wastes money? Good LORD!! Why wasn’t I informed!?!!?) because there was no other scandal to complain about, and political opponents (especially desperate parties like the Conservatives) feel they’re not doing their job unless they’re crying foul about some scandal or another. Rather than actually debate an issue, or implement their own policy, they search frantically for any sign of a mistake or inconsistency and attack that. See Clinton, Bill.

Wow…their music sucks even more than their name.