TubaOrNotTuba

An out of the ordinary evening for me; I went to school. Not in the traditional sense, though. Instead, I returned to a classroom for one of those dreaded “information for parents” sessions, where you pick up five minutes worth of information in fifty-five minutes. On second thought, not that different from the way I remember school when I had a legal requirement to show up five days a week.

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The self-directed learner doesn’t require much in the way of stimulus. Throw out a question, leave some reference materials within range and step back. Too bad we couldn’t bottle it and provide the school system with a reliable source.

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Why can’t every day be ECMA Day? I mean, other than the need to go to work without a set of headphone tying me to a webcast that lasted just short of four point five hours. Count them: 270 minutes, thanks to Bell Aliant. The times are changing.

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Patty just asked me to send money. Or was it her identical cousin Cathy? To be fair, I hadn’t seen her in years, and I wouldn’t have recognized her except for that distinctive voice. Yes, it’s fund raising time again at my local PBS station, and there’s always a reason to become a member.

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Feeling little cramped for space? I’ve found the solution: change your floor covering. By deciding to replace the carpeting with a simili-wood product, the room in question has gone from a “five bundle job” to an “eight bundle job” without my having to drive a single nail. Unfortunately, my budget didn’t find the same elasticity, so the hallway will wait.

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How much smoother things are going to be around here, now that I have a new sander!  And in a world that seems to favour inflation, my thanks to Sabrina (the associate at the hardware emporium), who listened to our needs and then recommended the cheapest model on the rack. How often does that happen?

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For someone that wants a guide to life (as if the Douglas Adams library isn’t already enough), here’s a thought. Why not collect the various pieces of advice sent down from “on high” by the judges of American Idol.

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Somewhere along the road, our current government has taken a fork, or a right turn, or maybe they are caught in their own version of a deep rut. Although the people of Canada, the supposed employers of a government, have a certain historic and cultural baggage, we’re now at the point where ministers of the Crown are able to project their personal beliefs on the workings of the state.

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You didn’t hear it from me, but Microsoft still attracts unwanted software, like a nice pair of pants around a shedding cat. Despite my efforts to avoid the occasions of infection, my computer is singing to itself.

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Time to put the cynic’s cap aside and join in a salute of Olympic proportions. After all, there’s more gold here than anywhere.

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