You know it MUST be bad when the local ski slopes close because of snow and cold. The Boy gets a reprieve from this afternoon's ski lesson :)

It's -18 C right now (just below 0 F) with windchill of -30 C (-22 F). Low of -29 C tonight. I am VERY thankful for natural gas and insulated windows right now.

The Boy just got finished shoveling the front walk. He refused to wear a hat and coat. Silly boy. He's quite invigorated now.

We're flying to Houston tomorrow in preparation for closing on the new house Monday. The Boy and I are planning, Lord willing, to move back to Sugar Land on December 20, three weeks from now. We're looking forward to being back "home" among family and friends, but there are things I will definitely miss about Calgary:

- New friends we have made among the Canucks.

- Seeing the Rocky Mountains on the horizon unexpectedly once or twice a day. The sight never fails to take my breath away.

- COLD WEATHER. Tonight I walked in a forest full of spruces at the Scout camp on the outskirts of town. The air was just below freezing, and with the full moon and the snow on the ground, I didn't even need a flashlight to see the trails. No bugs, no snakes, just the crisp cold and the smell of evergreens. Winter camping is marvelous.

- Living alongside a beautiful park that follows a glen between two ridges and watching the children sledding from our family room windows.

- Driving down Memorial Drive next to the Bow River and admiring the view of downtown.

- Playing D&D at Myth Games every other Saturday.

- Walking a mile without breaking a sweat because it's so dry and cool.

- Tim Horton's.

- Blackberry. Yes, it looks as if we might have to leave the hamster here, if we can find someone to adopt him. It would cost us more than $500 to ship him to Texas, and there's every likelihood the trip would kill him anyway. Our only alternative would be to smuggle him aboard a plane somehow, and that could end disastrously. So ... it will be very, very sad to have to say goodbye to the critter.

It's interesting to me to see the different ways in which Americans and Canadians honor this day. This morning, we went to the military museum in Calgary, where I would guess at least 5,000 people gathered, most of whom could not see and barely heard what was going on. Yet the crowd was reverent, and stood silently as veterans and families came one by one to lay tributes at the cenotaph. This was only one gathering among many all across the city. Almost everyone here wears bright red poppies for days before and after. People stop what they're doing at 11:00 on 11/11 for two minutes of silence. I don't recall that level of participation in America; we do have parades, but the sales get far more publicity.

In Canada, each military death receives a great deal of attention, partly because they have far fewer (133 as of today for Afghanistan) and partly because the media here do a better job in allocating space to write about them as individuals: their accomplishments, their families, their service. Perhaps if we did this in America, we would become overwhelmed. I don't know. It sometimes seems as if the casualties of war are mere numbers -- more than 50 American soldiers killed last month -- and not individuals who leave behind loved ones and shattered dreams.

On this day of all days, it must be difficult for the troops, whose lives are already fraught with difficulty, to have a commander in chief who seems not to value them. Dubya and Laura were on the ground Friday in Fort Hood talking with and comforting the wounded and distressed, asking for no publicity. That day, Obama barely acknowledged the tragedy, then went off to Camp David for a vacation weekend with the family. Finally on Tuesday, Barry and Michelle jetted in for a couple of hours, a few photo ops, and a speech. Say what you want about Bush, but at least he has class, and a servant's heart. I fear our current president has neither.

The troops know who really cares about them. This video really sums it up:


I got the video from a blog post somebody sent to me today. I was encouraged by the sentiment, but I was blown away by the gracious, thoughtful comments. If there are any of you out there with any connection at all to the Bushes, we implore you to give them our thanks…you tell them that a bunch of gay Hillary guys in Boystown, Chicago were wrong about the Bushes ... and are deeply, deeply sorry for any jokes we told about them in the past, any bad thoughts we had about these good, good people. An amazing outpouring of admiration and respect for the Bushes flowed forth, with very few dissenters. I guess it's true you don't value what you have until it's gone. I wasn't a big fan of Bush, but I was always disgusted at the widespread bashing. He never deserved that.

I hope one day soon we will once again have a president worthy to lead our troops and our country. Today is sadly not that day.

I haven't posted anything here in a month, mostly because everything's up in the air again and there's not much to say.

- We're all doing fine, trying to avoid catching the flu since Alberta's plan for dealing with H1N1 is apparently being designed by insane monkeys.

- We're still waiting to close on the new house, which is supposed to happen November 30, Lord willing and the creek don't rise.

- Jeff is looking for US jobs to post for in this latest round, but the pickings are slim. We have faith it will all work out, but not knowing is a pain.

- The Boy is in two drama classes and drama club, which means he's in six plays this season. I'm trying to make costumes but both my sewing machines are malfunctioning. I'm sewing garments by hand, people! He's also in band, but luckily their uniform is a polo shirt and black pants. Easy-peasy.

- The Boy is also still doing Scouts (we finished a BSA merit badge yesterday when he was home sick with mild intestinal problems), and he's got three downhill ski lessons coming up soon at Canada Olypic Park. I'm hopeful he'll be able to take on the intermediate slope before he's done.

- The folks are doing good. Jeff's dad seems to have beat his lung cancer like the trouper he is. My dad has a herniated disk but is otherwise fine; he'll probably have surgery for that, soon. I'm so grateful both dads (and wives) are still around!

- We aren't going home for Thanksgiving because of course we don't get time off up here in Canada, and Luke has many hours of rehearsal including that weekend. Lord willing, we'll try to be in Texas and Virginia for Christmas, which means we won't get to see my folks for the holidays at all. We had them for two weeks in July, though, which was awesome.

So that's it. We're in a holding pattern at the moment. The Boy and I are planning to move back to Sugar Land over the holidays so he can start school in January back at SLMS. Jeff will follow whenever his new job starts, which might be either January or March. At any rate, immigration kicks us out of the country in April.

The birthday was excellent. The Boy was away with the Scouts an hour north of us, so we had the weekend to ourselves. We got to sleep late, eat brekkers at Smitty's, and smite evil for a few hours with some D&D buddies. I received a dozen yellow roses (my faves) for my birthday, then got treated to a filet mignon to die for at The Keg downtown. Marvelous!

Small, wet snowflakes were falling intermittently all day, and this was the view out my window the next morning:

The Boy is camping with the Scouts this weekend. They're re-enacting the Great Escape. The Scouts pretend to be POWs and the Venturers chase them down -- at night, in the dark, in a canyon in the middle of nowhere:



Oh, and it's supposed to rain and snow this weekend -- for my birthday! I am pretty glad not to be going. Guess it's time to put the winter tires on.

I posted this in a discussion elsewhere, but wanted to put it here as well.

I once had this conversation with an atheist who was on a SF panel with me at a convention. The topic had been science fiction vs. fantasy as a metaphor for reason vs. faith. Quite a fascinating discussion. Afterwards, an atheist from the audience came to me and we talked cordially about our differences -- I am a devout Christian. She admitted to hating religion with an irrational fervor. It had to do partly with being a non-Mormon growing up in Utah. She was surprised to find a religious person who seemed reasonable intelligent and non-fanatical (go figure), and wanted to thank me for my contributions to the discussion.

It was a friendly conversation, and towards the end, it went something like this:

Me - Let me give you something to consider. If someone told you he worshiped Zeus, would you feel contempt and hatred for him the same way you do for Christians or Mormons?

Her - [laughing] Probably not.

Me - In fact, you'd probably just think the person was a nut, right? It wouldn't bother you or make you feel pressured to agree with his beliefs? You wouldn't want to shut him up or shout him down?

Her - No. Not really.

Me - Then you have to ask yourself, what is it about the God of the Bible that makes you so angry and afraid? If God really does not exist, why does it bother you so much to listen to people who believe the opposite?

Her - I don't know. I've never really thought about it like that.

Me - Well, I would encourage you to search yourself and try to understand this. Because I will tell you what I think, if you don't mind hearing my opinion.

Her - Go on. This is intriguing.

Me - I believe that deep down, there is something inside every person that knows God is real. In fact, I think God created us this way, so we'd seek Him out. In Ecclesiastes we're told that God has set the awareness of eternity in the hearts of mankind. I believe it's the reason every human society worships God in some form.

Her - That's an interesting idea. I hadn't heard it put that way before.

Me - I think the idea of somebody worshiping Zeus doesn't bother you because you're certain Zeus is not real. But deep down, perhaps your subconscious mind at least suspects that the Creator God is very real indeed, and it makes you nervous. Because if you *do* admit He exists, the logical next step is to seek out knowledge of Him, and discover if there is something He wants of you.

Her - Wow. I want to reject that, but I will have to think about it. There may be something to what you say.

Me - I think it's great that you are willing to keep an open mind. I hope it doesn't insult you for me to say I will pray for you.

Her - Not at all. I really appreciate being able to have a rational discussion about this.

Me - Having been agnostic for many years, I think I can see both sides of the argument. I've just come to the conclusion that it's more rational to believe in God than not. But everyone has to make up his or her own mind. Good luck to you.

We parted on friendly terms, and I'd like to think she was able to come to a conclusion that made sense to her. So many people on both sides of this argument get defensive, and then ugliness rears its head. We need to stop being threatened by other people's beliefs, and allow room for every person to choose his or her path free of coercion and ridicule. Truth is truth, and all our bluster won't change it, nor will insults and threats convince the doubting.

I flew home last weekend to look at houses in anticipation of moving back to TX over the holidays. I found a house that I really liked on Friday and put an offer on it Monday. I just got an email to say the bank accepted our offer. Closing is Nov 30, which is perfect as far as I am concerned. I was hoping it would be a few weeks down the road so the Canadian funds I deposited last weekend will actually be available. So yeah -- awesome!

I'm a little jittery. Not exactly buyer's remorse, but rather buyer fretfulness, I guess. Everything's happened so quickly! Then again ... I've been praying for things to go smoothly if it's meant to be. Roadblocks would have been a sign that this was the wrong path for us. Instead, we already have a loan approved, we have the down payment in hand, the house was exactly what I was looking for, it was in one of the neighborhoods I wanted (right next to our new church building and all our old neighbors/friends), it was selling for about $40,000 cheaper than it's worth ... is this all too easy, or is it simply God's providence? I choose to believe it's the latter.

Now all we need is for Jeff to find a job in Houston once his project is finished here. Keep praying for us!

Today in Calgary it was 77 degrees, low humidity, sunny, with a slight breeze. School was off, so Jeff took a day of vacation. We played 9 holes of golf at Shaganappi Point, which sits on a cliff overlooking the river and downtown skyline. Fall leaves littered the course, and blue spruces towered over everything. We could not have asked for a more perfect day.

Except, of course, that I shot a 56. *FACEPALM*

At least I can still out-drive The Boy. Barely.

We got a call from Jeff's dad this afternoon. His scans came up clean. They can find no trace of his lung cancer. Praise God!

Thanks for all your prayers on his behalf. We're very grateful for all the concern. Bill may end up going through two more specialized chemo sessions just to make sure no cells are lingering in his brain, but that would be a prophylactic measure.

Somebody just sent me a link to a piece in Newsweek called The Case for Killing Granny. Here is my response:

It's a fallacy that health care is a finite resource that must be rationed. Yes, the last months of an elderly person's life may be more expensive, but so what? The cost is still finite. As a percentage of the whole, these expenses are still not that great. My father-in-law is 81. He just went through expensive chemotherapy for lung cancer. Before the treatments, he was near death, and we visited thinking it would be the last time. Today he was declared cancer-free, and he is planning a trip to see his fellow WWII Marines next month. If it had been up to the people who advocate palliative care for old folks who, in their estimation, don't have long to live, he might be dead by now. Instead, we have every expectation he will continue to enjoy life well into his 90s, as most of his brothers and sisters did.

Health care isn't like oil. It's more like Doritos. Consume all you want, we'll make more! If the free market is allowed to work properly, rising demand will result in a greater supply. If instead, governments continue to hamper the free market, rising demand will continue to result in rising prices. If an elderly person needs expensive care, that doesn't mean there's less available for me -- at least it shouldn't. Government has created artificial scarcity by a variety of means. True reform will remove these barriers.

Woo-hoo!

http://www.starwarsinconcert.com/

I've been having some lively discussions on Facebook about health care reform and how to pay for it. Obama, of course, says the middle class is off the hook, and only the rich need pay.

I ask you, is it social justice to expect only a very few to pay for health care reform for the entire nation? If something is worth doing, we should ALL pay, commensurate with our ability. ( Read more... )

I flew home over the weekend and looked at houses in my neighborhood in Sugar Land, Texas. Found something I absolutely fell in love with and put a bid on it. We can always move back into our old house as Plan B, but Lord willing, we'll get this one at far below market value, because the sellers are trying to get rid of it quickly.

It was awesome to get together with a bunch of old friend and eat Tex-Mex that was both a) palatable and b) relatively inexpensive. And sitting in church this morning, it struck me how very many people I know there, and have known for 20 years or more. I miss my old life!

I do NOT, however, miss the humidity. Urgh.

I haven't written about Jeff's dad lately. Thanks for all of you who are still remembering him in your prayers and asking about him!

Bill has finished the last of his chemo treatments, and Grammy tells us he is feeling very energetic, enough so that they've planned a couple of trips they'd thought they wouldn't be able to do. He's even been doing yardwork!

He's going to get a scan next week, so we should know more details about his long-term prognosis by Friday. Until then, keep those happy vibes coming!

The Boy has been wanting a hamster for YEARS, but the condition was that he had to write a research report on care, feeding, and habitat first. Well, over the summer, I was homeschooling him in the Texas curriculum he missed last year (yes, I am that cruel), and one of the assignments was a research paper. He did a good job, so I looked on Craigslist and found a rescued hamster to adopt.

His name is Blackberry. He's a Syrian, of the subset called "black bear" for obvious reasons. He's very cute and cuddly, doesn't bite, and is just the sweetest thing EVER.

I'm putting this here so I can reference it later. It's a response to a video put on by some physicians called Mad As Hell Doctors who advocate single-payer health care. Unless you're keenly interested in the subject, ( move along, nothing new to see here. )

My folks flew up from Alabama to visit, and we set out on a 10-day road trip from Calgary across British Columbia to the capital, Victoria, and back. It was a great trip -- good weather, no major crises, and lots of time to play Rook in the evenings. Jeff was a trooper, doing almost all the driving, but I tried to plan the trip so there was less than five hours on the road each day, not counting stops.

Our itinerary, for those who care:

Day 1 - south on the Cowboy Trail, Hhighway 22, to Pincher Creek, with a side trip to Fort MacCleod and the Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump. Spent the night in Blairmore, AB.

Day 2 - visited Frank Slide, then took Highway 3 through Crowsnest Pass to Castlegar. We stayed at the Super 8 which has themed rooms like Harry Potter and Spiderman, plus a pool with a waterslide. I loved this hotel.

Day 3 - passed through Osoyoos and drove up the valley to Okanagan Falls where we had lunch at a beachside park. I had no idea there was a desert in the middle of BC! Spent the night in Hope, whose claim to fame is a bend in the Mighty Fraser River and an annual chainsaw carving competition.

Days 4-5 - took a side trip to Hell's Gate, then stayed in North Vancouver and explored the city, including a harbor cruise, a hop-on-hop-off bus tour, a fruitless search for an IMAX film worth seeing, a view from The Lookout, and the Capilano Suspension Bridge.

Day 6 - ferried over to Vancouver Island and explored Victoria via the hop-on-hop-off bus tour. Took a cruise down the Juan de Fuca straight to see some whales -- we got to see a baby Orca plus a bunch of others in two pods! Spent the night in Sidney.

Day 7 - spent all morning exploring amazing Butchart Gardens, did some laundry, checked out the Sydney street fair.

Day 8 - drove up the coast to Nanaimo, stopping to check out the murals in Chemainous. Missed our ferry, so ate lunch in the terminal and got on the next one. Hit Vancouver at rush hour (lovely) and didn't make it to Kamloops until quite late. Rooms at the Thompson Rivers University student residence were nice, though.

Day 9 - followed Highway 1 through Revelstoke and Glacier National Parks, stopping at Rogers Pass. Spent the night in Golden, arriving just ahead of a wicked windstorm that was knocking down trees all around us.

Day 10 - explored a lot of cool stuff in Yoho National Park including Emerald Lake, Natural Bridge, and Takakkaw Falls. Checked out Lake Louise, but it was too crowded to stay. Saw Cave and Basin National Historic Site in Banff, then decided to carry on to Calgary for supper because of the holiday-weekend crowds. Supper at Chili's. Yum.

Click on the picture of Butchart Gardens to go to my Snapfish album of the trip if you are interested (you'll have to sign in, but accounts are free):

I went to the clinic again today and waited a mere hour to see the random walk-in doctor in order to get my blood test results.

GOOD NEWS:
I've been quite good on my strict low-carb (< 50 g/day) diet and supplements, over the last few months, and it's paid off. I'm not where I want to be yet, but at least I'm moving in the right direction. Here are the numbers in metric and [USA] units, with the targets in metric for reference.

13 May 2009
hA1c: 9.0 [162]
fasting glucose: 13.0 [234]
ALT (liver function): 129
cholesterol 4.47 [173]
triglycerides 2.37 [210]
HDL 0.94 [36]
LDL 2.44 [94]

17 July 2009
hA1c: 8.0 [144] (target < 6.0)
fasting glucose: 7.5 [135] (target < 6.0)
ALT (liver function): 77 (target < 40)
cholesterol 4.31 [167] (target 3.80-5.20)
triglycerides 1.99 [176] (target 0.60-2.30)
HDL 1.26 [49] (target > 1.30)
LDL 2.13 [82] (target 2.00-3.40)

So, with my "dangerous" high-fat, high-protein diet, my cholesterol and triglycerides improved! Maybe Dr. Atkins was right after all, eh?

What's really interesting is, although the doctor was HIGHLY impressed with my results, she had absolutely no interest in hearing how I'd done it. I mentioned that I take a capsule of cinnamon every day, which has the effect of lowering my blood sugar 20-30 points, VERY significant. She said, condescendingly, "Well, if you think it works, that's the important thing." Because of course, if it's not a pharmaceutical, it's rubbish! GRR. I guess she wasn't interested in the sylvestre and milk thistle, either.

Afterwards, I mentioned how I am spoiled because in the USA I get my blood work done at the doctor's and come pick it up the next day, whereas in Canada I have to get a "permission slip" ordering the test, go wait hours to get blood drawn at another facility, wait days for the results, and then wait to see the doctor again for the privilege of finding out the results. (Then, of course, I must pay $1 per page if I want copies of the results for my personal files. All this waiting is "free," of course, if you don't count the 50-odd percent of my income I pay in taxes here.)

Anyway, the doctor smirked and said, "Obama's going to change your health care system, you know." I said, "Not if I can help it. I'm getting the word out to everyone that we don't want single-payer." And she said, smirking, "Just wait. It's going to be a disaster."

I'm not sure why she was smiling. I certainly wasn't.

Happy 232nd birthday, USA!

This week we got to play golf twice! Calgary is so awesome in the summer -- 70-ish degrees, light breeze, a few clouds ... and the course we played yesterday is on a high bluff overlooking the downtown skyline and the Bow River. Amazing scenery. We also enjoyed the baby ducklings on the lake and the prairie dogs popping out of their holes at random times. I'm sure the groundskeepers are going nuts, but I think the little varmints are cute.

We walked both courses. I am pleased to say I have lost more than 20 pounds, and I am now full of energy. YAY! And The Boy still isn't quite good enough to beat me, though he's getting close!

Of course, the devil is in the details, but I am feeling hopeful. Under Senate health care plan, either way you pay