Okay, now it is over (kind of)

The union and city decided at the last minute that they would go to binding arbitration instead of risking having the federal government enforce back to work legislation.

About an hour before the scheduled emergency meeting in the House they both called it off. It means they are, as of now, not on strike. The kinks have not been worked out and it will be a week before we see buses on the road but oh boy it's going to be good to use public transit again (or at least have that option in my case).

And it couldn't be soon enough

Hooray! History has been made! People are returning to their senses! No I am not talking about Obama. This is bigger than that. After 50 days of the idiotic transit strike here in Ottawa - It Is Over! (kind of).

Earlier today some tool at the city declared that the strikers would not be forced back to work since it was not an essential service. But in a stroke of brilliance a bunch of MPs called a emergency meeting in the House of Commons and it ended with Rona Ambrose, the Transportation Minister, forcing them back to work.

This is special because every other transit system in Canada is under provincial or municipal control. OC Transpo falls under federal control when it comes to these things apparently. I guess the MPs were getting annoyed with the traffic problems.

It'll probably take a month before its back up and running but it's better than nothing. I hope they get their act together before Winterlude. But I do wonder what will be the result of the scheduling conflict the union had better not win that fight.

Update #1
Apparently my breaking news source was wrong. The MPs have called a meeting, Rona Ambrose said she would be willing to force them back to work, and several other MPs said they would consider it.

Family Stuff aka Awwwww

Every once in a while I feel I must bow to the pressures of the competitive family oriented blogosphere and do some touchy-feely nice post about family stuff instead of my regular cold-hearted useless drivel.

Now is one of those times:

So we went on a little road trip to Fergus (pronounced with a scottish accent) to see our niece and nephew (and their parents).  The trip was quick and uneventful, the kids were cute and we had a splendid time.

Here is Nethaneil chillen.  He does that a lot.

Here is Hadassah and me watching The Simpsons and a skiing competition in Austria.

And here is Irene and Hadassah taking pictures of themselves.

So that pretty much sums up our weekend.

Well that wasn't so bad was it?  I may have lost all 3 of my readers who actually enjoy the uselessness of this blog but perhaps I have gained 3 readers who usually would not let themselves get caught dead reading such a trivial waste of gigahertz.

2nd Annual Enjoyment Awards

It is the new year and I figure that I should continue my annual tradition which was started last year. This are my most enjoyed random stuff of the 2008 year.
Once again, I am not confining my list to music and it is not necessarily only from this year. My list is all about the stuff I got the most enjoyment out of in 2008.
Anyways, here it is:

My most enjoyed artist of 2008 was:
Justin Rutledge because he seems like a real cool guy who happens to make fantastic indie folk/country tunes. I even got to meet him.

Some runners up were Sufjan Stevens (he will probably always be close to winning in this section), Stars and Fleet Foxes.

My most enjoyed album of 2008 was:
It is a tie between Swift Feet for Troubling Times by Ohbijou and Asking for Flowers by Kathleen Edwards.

Some runners up:
Man Descending by Justin Rutledge
Cease to Begin by Band of Horses
Oh, My Darling by Basia Bulat
Where the Bungalows Roam by Jim Bryson
Fleet Foxes by Fleet Foxes (I am still really into that one)

It's just so hard to pick.

My most enjoyed song of 2008 was:
Nothing really is catching my attention here. Apparently my enjoyment was spread over so many songs this year. If I had to pick (and I don't have to because this is my blog and nobody is forcing me) it would be between Royal Wood's Julia or Gonzalez, Working Together.

Runners up:
The Other Side by Ohbijou
Scared at Night by Kathleen Edwards
In the Night by Basia Bulat
Clear the Crowds by Jim Bryson

My most enjoyed live performance of 2008 was probably Radiohead in Montreal because we were so incredibly close to the stage and the after party, jumping out of windows from bar to bar until 5:00 in the morning with a great bunch of people was so fun.

The runners up would have to be Kate Maki at the Black Sheep (with Nathan Lawr and Jim Bryson) or even Royal Wood also at the Black Sheep. Basia Bulat also put on a great show on Canada Day at Jazzfest but it wasn't quite intimate enough as the last time I saw her open for Great Lake Swimmers.

My most enjoyed Local Band (Greater Ottawa Area) of 2008 was:
Kathleen Edwards and her bandmate Jim Bryson.

Runner Up:
Ohbijou and their album compilation with Ottawa band The Acorn.
If I moved out of the Ottawa area I wish I could pick Library Voices (who won a Bucky Award for their band name) but I haven't listened to them enough to really pick them.
Also, I wish Forest City Lovers were from Ottawa so I could pick them too.

My most enjoyed music venue of 2008 was:
Black Sheep Inn, Wakefield QC hands down. I have a feeling it will win every year. It is just too perfect if you get there early enough to snag a seat in front of the stage.

I also nominated it for CBC's Searchlight contest (as did many other people) for best small club for seeing music. I hope it wins and I really think it has a good chance.

My most enjoyed beer of 2008 was:
This is so hard to pick. Probably that smoked beer that I had at Pub Italia in Ottawa’s little Italy or that McAuslan Cream Ale that you can only get on tap in a few places (including the Black Sheep).

Runners up would be the Danish strong beer Faxe or the white beer Hoegarden or the many cervezas we had in Spain (many because of location though, not the distinctness beer). Spain did have the best sangria though as I am sure it always will.

My most enjoyed TV show of 2008 was:
Fringe. I know maybe it's a bit cliche but I still really love the sci-fi craziness. It also has a healthy dose of conspiracy. It is made by the same guys as Lost but unlike that show it is actually understandable.

Pushing Daisies is also a great show but there just wasn’t enough new episodes.

My most enjoyed movie of 2008 was:
I just can't think of anything....I don't watch enough movies I guess. Nothing really stands out. Maybe I could pick the Wallace & Grommet shorts that we re-watched during the Christmas holidays.

My most enjoyed technology of 2008 was:
Linux Ubuntu because it has changed my computer expectations forever. I will never use Windows Vista.

My most enjoyed purchase of 2008:
Without a doubt it was the Vespa.

My most enjoyed city of 2008 was:
San Sebastien, Spain.

Madrid and it's sourrounding towns are close runners up though.

My most enjoyed sport of 2008:
Definitely snowboarding since I went once a week in the winter. This year we aren’t going quite as often it seems but I don’t have any other sports.

And last but not least my most enjoyed person of 2008 was:
Irene - she wins again!?! amazing!!!!

And the speech was...

Typical Obama rhetoric.

I did like how he is trying to inspire Americans to quit whining and get off their ass. I hope it does change the attitude from 'I deserve' to 'I can do it'. I hope it gives motivation and inspiration to the lower classes to get up and make their country a better place. Listening to the interviews with people on the street you get this sense that they are inspired which really is a good thing in this economic time.

Oh Obama

I am currently listening to the inaugeration of Obama streaming live.

My first impression is that it sounds like the Super Bowl. All the trumpets and cheering and the announcements.
The announcer sounds like he belongs at a monster truck show.

Americans are crazy.

Yes it is very cold today.
This was our thermometer when I woke up this morning.
It's almost too cold for snowboarding.