Wednesday, March 14, 2007

Anglophones for André

I don't know if this is joke or what, but except for the somewhat muffled voice it seems to be legitimate. On Cyberpresse, I came across these links to two YouTube videos put together by "Anglophones for André". I've never heard of them, but I'm sure glad to see that there are lots more anglophones out there who support the PQ in addition to me. I've met a few now and again since I'm pretty well-known in party circles for being one of the rare anglos, but I've never heard of any specific organisation that advocates for anglos to vote PQ. You can't argue with their logic though. The past four years of Liberal government led by Jean Charest have been horrendous! Here are the YouTube links:

"A New Beginning for Quebec: Vote PQ"
and
"Vote André Boisclair PQ: the Anglophone Choice"

To the Anglos for André group, whoever you are, if you read this, please write me! My nickname, là où il fait chaud, if you catch my drift.

Débat des chefs--Victoire à Boisclair

Boisclair est de loin le gagnant du débat des chefs. Il était clair, posé, et il a fait preuve d'humeur à plusieurs reprises. Half a dozen times, he totally burned Charest and Dumont who couldn't--and systematically wouldn't!--answer any of his questions. Charest et Dumont n'ont fait que du patinage artistique, mais les deux se sont tombés sur le cul! Boisclair était le seul à l'hauteur d'un chef d'état, il a marqué bien de points, il a clairement présenté son programme, et il était relaxe et a communiqué plus de personalité que par la passé. Gagnant clair!

Monday, March 12, 2007

First Day of Shoes

The first day of spring be damned. Today was a much better day--the first day of shoes! Yes, much of the snow was washed away from the sidewalks this weekend by a light rain, and temperatures have consistently been just above freezing for three days straight now, and so today was that miraculous day when it was finally safe--and sane--to wear real shoes instead of boots for the first time in a couple of months. Actually, I don't wear boots per se, I wear Clark's "Muckers", made in England, short-cut like shoes, but water-proof, and surprising warm, although perhaps not that surprising given how cold it can get in England on rainy days. Today I got to dust off--and I do mean dust off quite literally!--my good ol' Doc Martens (gee, I seem to have a thing for English shoes!) and break them in again, complete with that little spot that rubs against the back of my heel but which is nonetheless a welcome pain to bear in exchange for clear, ice-free, snow-free, and relatively slush-free sidewalks. Here in CanuckLand, it's got nothing to do with groundhogs, spring solstice, or the switch to daylight savings time (as much as that too was very much a welcome relief this weekend). Nope, what truly signals the beginning of spring and instills hope and pride at surviving yet another long, cold winter is wearing shoes again. I can't wait til tomorrow morning to dust off my sneakers too!