Wednesday, October 7, 2009

A Rant...

When it comes to this blog, I have generally kept the topics fairly light and easy going...talking about the kids, my recent obsession with Julia Child, discussing thirty years of living with diabetes...I have kept my opinions on certain topics (read: politics) to myself, not wanting to offend anyone with what I might happen to say here...

Well today, I have reached my breaking point and I don't flipping care if I offend anyone...

Like most people I know, I am on Facebook. A social network where I routinely read the political leanings of friends (most of whom I haven't seen in years, but who I still am interested in knowing and in hearing about their lives)...

For the past year or so, I have been very aware that my views are not shared by very many people who are listed as my "friends"...most of them (not all, but a lot of them) appear to be very left leaning when it comes to anything having to do with politics...

The following revelation will no doubt shock a few people who knew me years ago, and be a no-brainer for those who know me now...

I am a Conservative. Big f'in' C.

And frankly, I'm sick and tired of listening to the garbage that spews forth from the mouths of people who are on the left.

Our Prime Minister did a very cool thing on Saturday (October 3, 2009) and I have heard more shit about Stephen Harper playing the piano than even I thought possible. Are you jealous that you can't do it? Or are you so blinded by hatred for someone who hasn't done a thing to deserve the absolute venom spewed at him that you can't just say, hey, good one?

People on the left accuse people like me of being small minded, mean spirited, homophobic, anti-women, anti-immigrant...you name it, I'm it...because I happen to be a social and fiscal Conservative. Oh, I'm probably also against gun control and likely don't like apple pie or hummus...

Bullshit. All of it.

What I am, is fed up with this attitude that I am not entitled to hold the opinions I do because they disagree with yours. What I am, is fed up with a media that falls all over itself if Barack Obama smiles at a small child, continues to vilify George Bush, and yet somehow manages to fail to grasp the fact that Obama has left many of Bush's policies intact. (See the video below if you don't believe me)

I am fed up with the disrespect given to Canada's leader, because even if you didn't vote for Stephen Harper or his party, even if you can't stand the fact that the Conservatives are in power, you should damn well have respect for the fact that the man is leading your country.

And mostly, I am sick and tired of rude, obnoxious behaviour masquerading as political comment.

To quote Bon Jovi..."Have a nice day."

Sunday, October 4, 2009

Aack! Oink, Oink...

Friday, September 18, 2009...

The last day I felt truly well...

We had friends over for dinner that night and by the time they went home for the evening, my nose and throat had that itchy, scratchy, uh-oh I'm coming down with something feel to them...

By the next morning, I was definitely sick...

And have been for two weeks straight...

I kept hoping that I would wake up one morning and miraculously feel better, but alas, no such luck...

Brian forced me to go to the doctor on Thursday (ok, it wasn't that I was refusing to, I just hadn't been able to get in, but somehow Brian not only got through to the receptionist, he also managed to snag the last open appointment for me)...anyway, Thursday morning saw me sitting with our doctor, telling him my symptoms...low grade fever, aches, pains, chills, runny nose, stuffed up nose, cough (oh the coughing!), nausea...and guess what?

I have the flu...

The flu...

The one that everyone is afraid to say out loud because they think a hasmat team is going to come swooping down and quarantine entire neighbourhoods to try to save us all from the dreaded (ssh!) swine flu...

Now first off, I refuse to call it that bunch of numbers and letters that the media is calling it...everyone I know calls it swine flu (although I do have a nurse friend who says that at the hospital she works at, the staff is referring to it as "heiney"-which I like and have now used a few times myself)...and I know the reason for changing the name was because pig farmers were getting upset because people weren't buying as much pork (but hey, that meant cheaper meat for the rest of us who are smart enough to figure out that Canadian pigs were/are not to blame for this)...

Secondly, a few people have called up to make sure that I'm ok (I am) and wanting to discuss what it's like having swine flu...

It's like having the flu.

Brian, my husband, who is a reporter here in Ottawa, has had to cover swine flu extensively since this whole thing started up and so I believe him (over other media reports) when he tells me that the Chief Medical Officer of Canada says that swine flu killed less people than the seasonal flu last year and that it is no more severe than regular flu this year for most people...which is true every year. If you have an underlying medical condition, you are at a higher risk for getting it (which, being diabetic, means that I am in that category). The bigger problem comes if you develop pneumonia along with the flu (again, I had pneumonia last spring, so I'm more likely to get it again-but so far, my lungs are clear, something for which I am grateful) because you can go from being ok to very ill pretty quickly...but that is something that can happen with plain old flu too...

So. The moral of the story is: #1: Don't freak out if you hear the words "swine flu". Get as much rest as possible (not so easy in this house, but I'm trying) and #2: Don't listen to any other reporter but Brian Lilley. Seriously...

And now I'm going back to bed...