-After temperatures just above zero, we've now dropped into the -20 zone. As surprising as some of you might find it, I actually prefer this temperature because it's much drier and easier to content with while walking.
-I seems that between Friday night and Saturday morning we had a bit of a secret snowfall. Because it was just a few centimetres and because it was almost -40 (with wind chill) I opted to leave it on the ground yesterday. Of course, this means that at some point today I'll have to head out and deal with it. Yum.
-In a rare roll reversal, this morning Jeannette suggested a trip to the grocery store and I suggested that such a trip wasn't necessary. I wonder when this will happen again?
-After nine days off, I'll finally have to head back to work tomorrow. Hopefully my sleep schedule hasn't been too contorted by this break.
-Thanks to our turkey-free lifestyle this holiday season hasn't been too bad for our diets. Aside from an overconsumption of holiday breads, we've managed to eat pretty normally over the past few weeks. I guess this means we won't need to make any sure-not-to-be-followed dieting resolutions for New Year's?
Sunday, December 29, 2013
Thursday, December 26, 2013
A Christmas Miracle for Jeannette
Not surprisingly, Marie wasn't particularly pleased with Pierre's arrival. For the next few days every time Marie saw Pierre she hissed in his direction or at anyone she associated with Pierre.
Fortunately, with more exposure to Pierre the frequency and intensity of the hissing diminished. Sadly, at first it didn't seem that the absence of hissing necessarily implied a fondness for Pierre on Marie's part.
Then, after a little coaxing on my part, I managed to get both Pierre and Marie on my lap yesterday afternoon. After a little aloofness from Marie she started grooming Pierre, eventually rather furiously.
[Embedded video]
Since this display of affection things have definitely been better between the two cats. Though I haven't much outright inter-cat cuddling, I'm confident that it will be a common occurrence before long.
Fortunately, with more exposure to Pierre the frequency and intensity of the hissing diminished. Sadly, at first it didn't seem that the absence of hissing necessarily implied a fondness for Pierre on Marie's part.
Then, after a little coaxing on my part, I managed to get both Pierre and Marie on my lap yesterday afternoon. After a little aloofness from Marie she started grooming Pierre, eventually rather furiously.
[Embedded video]
Since this display of affection things have definitely been better between the two cats. Though I haven't much outright inter-cat cuddling, I'm confident that it will be a common occurrence before long.
Tuesday, December 24, 2013
That time of the year
[Embedded video]
Not only is it time-lapse season, it's also baking season.
After this batch I decided to make a special, vegan version for Jeannette. Hopefully the vegan version's as tasty and sought after as the original.
A Small Victory
It seems that I was able to convince (the assist goes to Neil) Jeannette to change the cat's name from Tiberius to Pierre (with Marie there's a Curie theme).
After a few days of hissing and bad behaviour they seem to be, if not getting along, not bothered by the presence of the other. We keep hoping that we'll have a 'Christmas Miracle' and that they'll be snuggling with one another soon.
Saturday, December 21, 2013
A Few Quick Notes 604
-It has been between about -24 and -21 for the past 24 hours. Of course, the windchill's been dipping into the -33 range, meaning that we've been feeling it a little more than we might have. Amazingly, it doesn't take long for -20 with no windchill to not feel particularly cold - but as soon as you drop that by -10 (either with windchill or pure chilliness) it has a much more effective bite.
-Though we did have a little snow today it wasn't enough to motivate me to head out to shovel. If I had to guess it looks as though maybe less than a centimetre.
-At about lunch today I started to prepare some pea soup in our slow cooker. Unfortunately, I'm now a little nervous that the soup won't be ready for our normal dinner time. I guess it's good that we don't have a strict schedule today and that a delayed dinner shouldn't be much of a problem.
-We're shockingly close to Christmas. I guess because we didn't do much shopping this year, and the shopping we did do had to be done early enough to be mailed across the country, it hasn't really hit me that we're only a few days away from Christmas until now.
-I've really been doing a bad job at blogging this year. Maybe 2014 will be different?
-Though we did have a little snow today it wasn't enough to motivate me to head out to shovel. If I had to guess it looks as though maybe less than a centimetre.
-At about lunch today I started to prepare some pea soup in our slow cooker. Unfortunately, I'm now a little nervous that the soup won't be ready for our normal dinner time. I guess it's good that we don't have a strict schedule today and that a delayed dinner shouldn't be much of a problem.
-We're shockingly close to Christmas. I guess because we didn't do much shopping this year, and the shopping we did do had to be done early enough to be mailed across the country, it hasn't really hit me that we're only a few days away from Christmas until now.
-I've really been doing a bad job at blogging this year. Maybe 2014 will be different?
How Will This Work? or Did the Supreme Court Pull a Fast One?
Yesterday the Supreme Court of Canada found (ruling is here) that a number of provisions criminalizing aspects of prostitution trade (apparently selling sex for money itself isn't illegal in Canada) were contrary to provisions in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Instead of immediately declaring the offending provisions illegal the court gave parliament a year to enact new provisions before the current provisions will become inactive.
I can't help but wonder if suspending the declaration that these provisions are unconstitutional for a year isn't something of a fiction? Are these provisions not basically already dead?
Even if the laws are still theoretically in force has the highest court in the land not just provided a perfect defense for anyone for anyone charged under these rules? Maybe more to the point, would a prosecutor ever consider bringing charges once the Supreme Court of Canada guaranteed there to be no chance of a successful conviction?
And maybe this part is a stretch, but are the police going to be inclined to even arrest people using these provisions if the chance of prosecution is slim? Might many police forces decide to use their resources on more promising endeavours until this matter has been clarified with either new law or a clear lapsing of these provisions?
And as laws tend not to apply retroactively, might the period of time from yesterday until a new law is passed or the provisions clearly lapse be something of a Wild West/Renaissance for prostitution in Canada?
I'd be really curious to know if there's something about this ruling that I've missed or if some part of my analysis is way off because as it is I can't yesterday's ruling isn't much more significant than has been previously suggested.
And I should also note that it would seem to me that a similar situation might arise every time the Supreme Court finds a provision unconstitutional but suspends the implementation of their order. Is the suggestion that the law is still in effect (despite zero chance of a successful conviction) so powerful to continue to discourage the behaviour in question, whatever that behaviour might be, or is the delay really as much of a fiction as it seems?
I can't help but wonder if suspending the declaration that these provisions are unconstitutional for a year isn't something of a fiction? Are these provisions not basically already dead?
Even if the laws are still theoretically in force has the highest court in the land not just provided a perfect defense for anyone for anyone charged under these rules? Maybe more to the point, would a prosecutor ever consider bringing charges once the Supreme Court of Canada guaranteed there to be no chance of a successful conviction?
And maybe this part is a stretch, but are the police going to be inclined to even arrest people using these provisions if the chance of prosecution is slim? Might many police forces decide to use their resources on more promising endeavours until this matter has been clarified with either new law or a clear lapsing of these provisions?
And as laws tend not to apply retroactively, might the period of time from yesterday until a new law is passed or the provisions clearly lapse be something of a Wild West/Renaissance for prostitution in Canada?
I'd be really curious to know if there's something about this ruling that I've missed or if some part of my analysis is way off because as it is I can't yesterday's ruling isn't much more significant than has been previously suggested.
And I should also note that it would seem to me that a similar situation might arise every time the Supreme Court finds a provision unconstitutional but suspends the implementation of their order. Is the suggestion that the law is still in effect (despite zero chance of a successful conviction) so powerful to continue to discourage the behaviour in question, whatever that behaviour might be, or is the delay really as much of a fiction as it seems?
Being relentless finally paid off
[Embedded video]
For months, maybe even just days after we picked Marie up, Jeannette's been insistent that we need another kitty.
Despite my best efforts to drown her requests out, yesterday morning I finally relented and agreed to the acquisition of a second cat. Of course, having a second cat (or even a single cat) goes against almost every grain in my soul - fortunately this time I made sure to obtain a promise that no matter what two cats is the maximum number of cats that we will ever have (and I have a previous promise that agreeing to a particular cat is not a perpetual agreement to have a cat).
Ugh, at least they're cute(ish).
P.S. This guy has the unfortunate name Tiberius.
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