36. Santa is on the way!

This week I learned, when it comes to choosing a festive playlist, Classical Christmas music is not at all the same as Christmas Classics.

https://www.noradsanta.org/. The US is keeping the Santa Tracker running even though the US government has shut down. The DTJ reality show; there are no words.

In other news, I bought my son a lump of coal for Christmas. I have one more night to sleep on whether it is a very very funny gift (my intention. there are many more gifts). Or is it passive aggressive mean spirited bullying? Sigh

Later. Jan 5, 2019. I have kept the coal. I will be on the lookout for a non-family member deserving of the gift for next year. And it is actually a coal lump bar of soap. Double insult? Doubly funny!

35. Pretty as a Christmas Card

We don’t often see the moon from this side of the building. And it’s daytime!

3 Days until Santa arrives

I am taking time off and looking forward to a good full unwind at the end of the year while doing a full mental rewind to reflect on 2018 while hoping 2019 will be just as satisfying!

34. Something the same is going on here!

Below, looking skyward from National Gallery of Canada. Right (if you are not on a mobile, otherwise, below below), looking skyward from the newly (finally!) renovated National Arts Centre (NAC). They are blocks apart. They seem drawn by the same inspiration.

Through my job I recently had the chance to work in the back offices of the NAC. It was fun. Not as swanky as the public areas. A secret labyrinth of offices and meeting rooms. A staff cafeteria called the Green Room. Low ceilinged corridors lined with endless black with white lettering chalkboard reminiscent upright trunks of the Alberta Ballet.

Also in the back, staff desensitized to the excitement of what goes on on the other side of their walls - for example Christine Girard receiving her Olympic medals, of interest nationally and internationally, but not so much for the folks steps away.

32. Blessed

I have a spot to do Skype video calls. Logically, it is the only spot where the mess of my home is out of sight. I am usually focused on my computer screen.

I just looked up to my left, and check out the view! That is the top of Canada’s parliament buildings. People come from all over the world to see them. Magical.

The main building, the Centre Block, is about to close for 10 years of renovations!

P.S. I still listen to CBC radio but have been ruthless about switching off all gory depressing stories.

Later. Jan 5, 2019. I am compiling a list of the gory CBC stories (while not listening to them). Stay tuned.

It is dark, but yes, that is a flying pig on my windowsill. In my world, pigs can fly.

31. As darkness descends, I bid a sad goodbye to CBC Radio One

I have been listening to CBC Radio One Ottawa since forever. I heard it turns 50 this Friday. Well done.

It has been hard to be loyal.

While I am in love with many of the talented hosts, they are under fire.

CBC made massive cuts many moons ago and now replay the same story over and over. In the same day. And then in the same week. And I suffer.

When CBC management turned a blind eye to Jain Ghomeschi’s reprehensible behaviour, I suffered.

And now the news content is depressing and irrelevant.

As darkness descends during mid-afternoon, and people become surly and depressed, CBC is on rotation 1-2-3. Topic 1: Forced sterilization of First Nations women. Topic 2: Discrimination of black ballet dancers. Topic 3: The fight against female genital mutilation. Really? They have the entire world and universe of news and this is the best they can do?

I ask myself, to what end? This news does not entertain. This may inform, but we, the CBC listeners are not equipped to right any of these wrongs. And consequently, I hate to say this - we don’t care.

I mean we care. Of course we do. But we don’t care for the all day 1-2-3 rotational immersion into the world of discrimination and harm against women.

And what about men? Why don’t we talk about them? Oh right, there was the piece tonight about the male lawyer who brought his ass to court. It was funny. And then they reverted to rotation 1-2-3.

That’s it. I am going to find a radio station that airs more stories about barnyard animals.

With Apps, podcasts, Twitter, Reddit, etc., I will know everything I need to know. And the truth is, everything I really need to know is on Netflix.

I can’t post a picture of the sky right now. I am too mad. Or maybe I am just too old, wanting radio to be my lifeline to the rest of Canada.

On the bright side, I will be able to choose my stories, I will choose interesting and happy stories, and I will be happier.

Maybe even ecstatic.