Making It Up As I Go Along #358

FRIDAY...
— Should be at work but I’m taking a couple of extra days off before Phil hits Florida.
— Off to the movies with Melissa. Got to drive all the way to Kanata to see The Wrestler. Good movie though, I liked it.
— Went to the mall before the movie. I buy a few things. The Grindhouse double bill is on sale. That’s Planet Terror and Death Proof on DVD... too really good movies done in the style of 1970s drive ins. Also get the Who’s Greatest Hits. So it’ll be like CSI opening credits whenever I put that CD in.
— Still on DVD news. Got Gangs of New York in the mail from Columbia House. Only about eight weeks after the order... but cool to have.

SATURDAY...
— Feel pretty grosse today. I don’t know if it was the popcorn at the movies yesterday or the stew for supper that night, but I woke up at 5:30 this morning feeling pretty horrid. The stomach stayed touchy pretty much right through to 8:00 tonight.
— So watched some movies and snoozed some today trying to feel better.
— Called Bell and made a decision to keep the home phone at a reduced rate. I still want to use the cell as the main phone now and it will be my only phone for long distance, but for now, I’ll also keep the home phone for local calling options. Maybe it’ll go altogether in the coming months, but at the reduced rate, I decide to try keeping both for a while.

SUNDAY...
— Don’t get a very good afternoon nap today. Hope it doesn’t hurt work.
— We lose in softball again. 14-12. Blah.
— Get a pizza at work and I’m all alone as partner Phil is off to Florida. Not a bad night... pretty quiet most of the way through with a few busy times. I’m struggling from about 9:30 to 11:30 but then perk up and get through to the morning alright.

MONDAY...
— Not much other than work and sleep today. I’m in bed shortly after 7:00 AM... up around noon... back in bed for the afternoon nap at 2:00... up at 3:30... to work for 5:30... work is steady tonight. A few down times but mostly, there was always something to do. I’m zonked by the end of it and am zombie like going home Tuesday morning.

TUESDAY...
— Sleep until noon and could have kept going. Felt drugged on getting up.
— Wake a bit as I get going in the day... but don’t do much beyond a trip to the grocery store.
— Up late thanks to finding my yahoo baseball team picked just before bed. Tinkering with the lineup, even months before the start of the season, is a must.

WEDNESDAY...
— Obama-mania in Ottawa. Manhole covers welded down, mail boxes removed, promises of no driving downtown after 7:30 tomorrow... traffic web cameras in the downtown area to be shut down... air traffic to be delayed for most of the day (as if air travel isn’t frustrating enough with regular daily activity). And CBC Newsworld promises fourteen hours of coverage. The guy will be here for six hours and we’re getting fourteen hours of coverage? COME ON!
— Supper with Karl at Patty’s Pub. Nice lasagna and a good walk to and from the place from Karl’s.

THURSDAY...
— More info on the Obama visit... they’re on the news telling people who may live along the route he takes going from the airport to Parliament... “don’t go on your balcony or open your windows, Secret Service snipers won’t be pleased.” This is supposed to be some great event? People are told to remain barred in their homes or risk getting shot? This with the visit of the leader of the free world? Yet the irony appears to be lost on the news media who seem all to giddy with the visit.
— Tourism advertising is picking up on the TV. And the most advertised province is Newfoundland. They get it right too. They make the place seem like a mystical land where you would find experiences like no other place on earth. It’s the land at the edge of the world where even a simple house comes across as a tourist trap. The worst of the bunch, is Ontario. For a Province that offers so much diversity of things, their advertising comes off more as a commercial for the Keg Steak House and Bar.


Free World Leader Lockdown
Barack Obama was here. It was less the arrival of a politician and more a return from the dead of Elvis. It went crazy!

I like Barack Obama. I think he’ll be good for America and a world stage leader that’s sorely needed at this point in history. But I’m nervous of the mania surrounding him. Even those that are supposed to remain impartial (the news media) are fawning over the man. They swoon. They giggle like school girls when he looks at them and smiles.

Fact is, if Barack Obama doesn’t stay grounded. If he’s like many in this world and prone to getting a swelled head as a result of excessive love, than the legacy of greatness is in jeopardy. Barack Obama could become the political equivalent of Celine Dion, Michael Jackson, or John Lennon. Getting to a point where he believes his own hype. Could the White House become Neverland II? Could Obama’s Beatle’s be cast aside for more experimental “music”.

Hopefully Obama remains strong and grounded. And hopefully the world just lets this guy become a great leader rather than worship him endlessly.

This week, Barack Obama came to Ottawa. And it was ironic that the leader of the free world came to visit a free country... and the freedom was torn from our grasp.

Main roads... six lane divided roads... are closed for hours at a time in order for Obama’s crew to drive the streets alone. Okay, this is a hindrance but it’s understandable.

This procession of tank like cars have a cell phone jammer included in the entourage. So for those business people in the middle of big business calls... hopefully you weren’t too close to Obama or your Blackberry would go on the fritz.

Air travel grinds to a halt. Air Canada is bad enough at delaying flights for no apparent reason. The arrival of the President shouldn’t force a flight to Halifax to sit on the tarmac for an extra two hours. How many travelers missed connections simply because Obama came? And what was with the Secret Service driving SUVs after Air Force One when it lands? Do they really think a jumbo jet is in danger as soon as it hits Canadian soil? And if so, do they think a couple of supped up Yukons speeding down the runway is going to protect said jumbo jet?

Traffic cameras are an aid for the commuter. You can check the internet before heading out on your trip and see what’s blocked up and what’s free wheeling. Not on Obama Day though. The downtown Ottawa traffic cams are all disabled in order to keep his route to parliament a secret. In the grand scheme of things, this isn’t all that big a deal. But it’s still overboard in it’s planning.

Why was the traffic cam disruption not too big a deal? Well because you weren’t going to be driving downtown anyway. Most, if not all of the downtown roads were closed to traffic after 7:30 on the morning of Obama’s arrival. The leader of the most capitalistic society on earth causes the business district of a city to basically shut down.

Manhole covers are welded down and mail boxes are dragged away. Not rain nor snow will disrupt the mail, but a visit from a nation’s leader will.

The most popular part of Obama’s visit was his impromptu visit to the Byward Market. And although this does come off as good, how much more headache did it cause others? Did Bronson Avenue remain closed for an extra half hour while we all waited for Barack to get maple leaf cookies? How many trips were stalled at the airport while Air Force One sat getting de-iced while waiting for it’s passenger to get back?

But the worst part of it all was the warnings given to residents who happen to live along the route Obama’s motorcade took between the airport and downtown. “Don’t open your window or step out onto balconies... sharp shooters will not appreciate it.”

So not only are freedoms within the city put on hold while Obama comes, but for those living in a particular area, freedoms are taken away within your own home?

The most disturbing part of this is how matter of factly the media announced these things. Threat of being shot if you go out onto your balcony was announced with a smile just before throwing to the weather.

No, there were no complaints or concerns at all from a media point of view. Fourteen hours of coverage for a seven hour trip bombarded us with giddy street reporters proclaiming that they spotted him as his car speed by (we got several replays of that moment to help fill out the fourteen hours). Replays were also needed for Obama’s joke regarding his left handedness. Analysis of snippets made nothing into stories. Michaelle Jean is overheard talking about “the new Prime Minister.” Does she know something? No... a half hour later the media inform us that she was talking about the Prime Minister of Haiti.

And then there were the public interviews. Obama is inspirational because “He’s black, and I’m black, and now I believe I can do anything.” But he’s also “Mixed race, and I’m mixed race, so now I believe I can do anything.” A German man who was in the country visiting friends is said to be here from Germany to see Obama! And a couple that are originally from Chicago but now living in Ottawa... when asked by Heather Hiscocks “what brought you here?” She didn’t get the answer she was hopping for. Surly she wanted something along the lines of “he’s black...” or “we both came from Chicago, so he’s like us...” Instead, the answer she got to “what brought you here?”... “We drove”.

Yes Obama is a special type of leader. He brings excitement with him and inspires those around him. But my wish is that we can get a hold of ourselves. Look beyond the idea that because he’s black, or mixed race, he’s special. Our society will never be inspired to be anything more than we are if we remain focused on such superficial issues. And, for the love of God, let’s stop accepting locking residents in their own homes the next time the leader of the free world comes for a friendly visit.