Saturday before Shutdown

       That's a hydro shutdown. I don't know if it's a case of pole fires, Manitoba Hydro hiring scabs who don't know their red from their black wires, or I Been Eating Weiners (IBEW) causing shenanigans, but areas in Winnipeg have been having a lot of outages lately. It happened again the other night around 1:30 and the power only came back around 4. Today Hydro's coming out between 12 and 5 to fix the problem. I am not very pleased with the situation but I am going to blame Brian Pallister because he is a worthless Tory and a bully. When in doubt, blame the Tories. That's what works for me and it will work for you too.

      Big kudos to Randall Munroe and XKCD for helping me understand quantum mechanics (sorta). First I encountered the concept of matrices, which would have wrecked me had it not been for 'Matrix Transform'. Then I encountered Alice and Bob (A system and B system in the book), but I've encountered Alice and Bob in a piece about cryptography. I feared Physics when I was in high school but books like 'Quantum mechanics' by Leonard Susskind & Art Friedman don't scare me as much as make my brain feel like a wad of soft serve that wants to slide out my ears. Not the worst experience.

     It is supposed to be a nice day out, so I'll drop off a library book (or two, depending if I finish 'Qm' today) and go for a walk. I won't get much simming done unless Hydro gets it all done early. Of course, they would need to get here early. Who's to say they'll be done by 5? They better be done by then. Anyway, as I won't get much simming done this afternoon, here are some pics to comfort me.

 

     A vampire and a fairy are my main game these days. They had a vampire son today. I'll have pics of that in a while. Stay safe, ye insomniacs.

BYE.

Mind on the Maritimes

        For snuffs and giggles, I wandered through a Lonely Planet book about the Maritimes the other day. Mom and I went to Nova Scotia back in 2017 and I know I would love to go back to the East Coast one day. Perhaps once the pandemic settles down (assuming Hell gets hit with global cooling) la Madre and I can make it back there. Mom and Dad went for a few weeks a long time ago and Mom's opinion of New Brunswick was not encouraging and her opinion of PEI is that it's too small. I found the existence of islands off N.B. and now I want to go there just to see these mysterious islands. That and work on my Français, as New Brunswick boasts a decent French-speaking population. More there than here in Manitoba? Definitely far fewer than in La Belle Province, but any chance to improve my French is worth it, right?

        I would love to go back to Sydney in N.S. and try out more forms of seafood chowder. I would also like to see Newfoundland, although you can keep the George Street pub crawl. I would also like to see PEI even though I'm not that fond of L.M. Montgomery's works. Maybe just a peek at what Canada's leaders were up to in 1864 during the Charlottetown Banquet besides tons of eating. Were the Victorians like the Romans in the way they gorged themselves? I just found out that the Roman concept of the vomitorium is not what I expected, so I won't mention it anymore. Ugh... the emetophobe in me is starting to complain, so let's MOVE ON.

      I have a personal day coming, so I'm in a pretty good mood about that. Prince Philip, royal squeeze, consort, and foot-in-mouth extraordinaire, has crossed into Elysium (like all good Greeks). He was 99 (and looked it), but this June he would have made it a full century. Rest well, Duke of Hazard. I've started reading some Philippa Gregory about the Wars of the Roses. My new fixation? Better than me talking about nukes and Threads, right? Damn that movie; ever since 2013, I've found myself filtering things through that bleak prism. Not the best mindset to have, but I'm every step a pessimist and that's that.

      On a cheerier note, Mom got the first dose of the vaccine yesterday and most of my aunt and uncles have gotten it. My memère got both doses back in March. One day (again assuming that global cooling thing), I'll get my first dose. Either PM Shirtless or our embarrassment of a cheapskate Tory premier made a few mistakes, because people are not getting the doses fast enough. That's my take on the matter, anyroad. So, sims....

 

       I like finishing entries up on summat of a happy note. BYE.

Granadaland vs. Yorkshire Television

      Wouldn't that make for a waste of celluloid? Not when one's looking at the Wars of the Roses. Lancashire is, as far as I know, part of Granadaland. Any folks from the UK here? Can you let me know if I'm right or wrong? Anyway, I've been on summat of a Wars of the Roses kick, and the book I'm looking through today is Desmond Seward's 'The Wars of the Roses'. Reminds me that I need to read the plays 'Richard III' and 'Henry VI' again. It's been a very long time since I've read them. However, I have been reading a fair bit of fiction documenting that period in history, and to be honest, I had no idea how the war got started.

       What drives the everyday gentrydude to don armour and fight for either side? Is fear the bigger motivator, or is it greed? Or is it the interest in waking sleeping vendettas? Either way, this is a very good book - rich with colour and style. Some authors would turn this momentous point in history into so much dust with embarrassingly dry writing. Seward's doing a wonderful job; though to be honest, I'm glad I read a couple of novels showcasing the various characters drawn from history. They make appearances and I love being able to point and say, 'Hey, I recognize that dude!' This book fleshes the backstory out and clothes those characters even more solidly.

       Today was Good Friday, when JC was stabbed crucified and laid to rest for a few days. Hmm, I need to watch 'Life of Brian' again. The supermarkets were open for normal business hours today, which really upset members of my family. I get it - it doesn't seem right. I'm willing to blame the pandemic for this outrage. Anyway, I might as well close up this quick bit with what matters a lot ... sorta.

 

 

 

BYE.