W is for...

Winter. It finally decided to arrive in our part of the world. A little late and with some mixed signals about its intentions, but its definitely here. Despite growing up in north-eastern Ontario I loathe winter. Especially in the city. All the prettiness of a northern winter with its snow-covered trees and unspoiled white vistas is pretty much shot to hell with the slushy, dirty mass that an urban winter becomes. Add bonehead drivers to the mix and the aesthetic appeal is rapidly lost. I'm one of these Canadian weirdos who actually likes playing hockey in the summertime. I like going to the rink in shorts & sandals.

W is also for WOW. There was a news article recently out of that little quagmire known as Afghanistan. In any conflict there are tales of bravery and heroism which stagger the imagination (e.g. Robert Lawrence MC, late of the Scots Guards and his actions at Tumbledown Mountain in the Falkland Islands in 1982). I'm not under any illusions about the brutality of warfare, but the stories that emerge are aften uplifting. I cannot do justice to this tale, suffice it to say my admiration for these 4 Royal Marines knows no bounds. Wow, indeed.

Finally, and most importantly,

W is for Wife. My amazing one, to be specific. (Yeah I know...I talk about her lots in this alphabet series, but she deserves it.) I love her to bits and I can't imagine life without her. 'juff said. We've known each other for almost 5 yrs now and been married for nearly 2. Most amazing time of my life. :)

V is for Various

Yes, this is a belated and somewhat eclectic post, but it will have to
suffice.

V is for Victory...something my hockey teams and the Maple Leafs have been
lacking of late. No, I still don't want to talk about Monday night's
game. ;-)

V is for Vengeance, referring to the recent execution of the favourite son
of Tikrit. Although...I have to say I'm a little surprised they didn't
keep him around for his subsequent trials. Yes, I know he was guilty as
all hell, but due process is due process.

V is for Voluntary...Penny and I have finally bitten the bullet and
decided to do the gym thing. Neither one of us can really say, "oh, its
just happy fat" anymore and with the big 4-oh looming for me in '08, I
know that hockey just won't do the trick for me. So we started a little
while ago with a realistic plan for increased activity and a little
culinary/dietary balance.

V is for Victim...a while back, Toronto Police took the unprecedented step
of publishing a highly sanitized photo of a child sex abuse victim in
order to identify the location and eventual identity of her abuser.
Amazingly enough, they accomplished both ends (with the cooperation of
thise FBI folks down south). The victim, now 14, has since willingly
abandoned her anonymity and has made victim impact statements available to
courts where the accused possess pictures or movies of her. While her
abuse took place in the US, this kind of sickness truly knows no
borders...and a former Air Canada flight attendant here in The Big Smoke
is at the end of her trial. Victim she may be, but she's one brave little
girl.

Finally, I know it has been a while. School and work have chewed up a lot
of my time, so my posting frequency is likely to be somewhat diminished.
Sadly it looks as though a number of my favourite reads are slowly falling
away.

So, for all of my delays....V is for apology. Did you know that?

Vi vapologise. ;-)