Partly right

I said a while ago the next governor general would be a native woman.  Got the native part wrong, but the woman part right.  Nevermind, she is a francophone, so Trudeau's on track with two out of a number of boxes ticked.  What really would have been in keeping with Justy's philosophy would have be to have appointed a:

• LGBTQ
• Female
• Native / Metis (to get the francophone part in there)
• Handicapped

What we have is Julie Payette, who will be named GG tomorrow.  All she has to do is deal with that ridiculous hair.  Waaaay too distracting, unkempt, dated and unprofessional.  I think that look went out with flashdance in the eighties. 

I've said it before

When you put inexperience and feelings ahead of efficiency and diligence, you get disaster.  That's the fate the incompetent Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women's Inquiry has brought upon itself.  Now, a fifth top official has quit.  Obviously, chair Marion Buller is the problem -- regardless of how many times Minister Carolyn Bennett steps up to a microphone to bs her way through this mess.

It doesn't matter how many condescending native outfits the minister sports -- stupid looking in my view -- nothing's happening!  The problem is it's not an inquiry.  It's about families wanting to vent and have their personal stories heard -- not about an efficient investigation into the facts.  That would take experts with well, actual expertise.  The RCMP has done all that can be done; now all people want to do is cry in public. 

I predict another Murray Sinclair, multi-million-dollar, seven-year fiasco. 

Navratilova was the last

After her brilliance, it's been all downhill for the women's game.  No more serve and volley, no more out and out winners, just unforced errors, as they call them.  Frankly, there's no such thing as an "unforced" error in my view because your opponent forces you to make one.  (Remind me to tell you about the time I was dinked to death by an inferior player, who annoyed me so much I kept pounding it out.)

But I digress.

It all began with Chris Evert when she started that relentless baseline pounding in the seventies.  She also introduced the two-fisted backhand -- something hitherto illegal.  At least she didn't start the grunting and screaming, now seemingly a must in the women's game.  That special honour goes to Monica Selles.  (Is that the reason someone stabbed her?  Sorry, cruel even for me.)  Steffi Graf brought some class and skill back to the game a few years later, but now it's all pound, pound, pound and scream, scream, scream until someone hits it out, or into the net.  A number of years ago, Wimbledon attempted unsuccessfully to ban screaming, but that valiant effort to bring back a little politesse to the game was blocked by money.  At least you still have to wear white. 

I miss the old game of skill and finesse the way Stephan Edberg, Pat Cash and even John McEnroe played it.  Raonic used to be a serve-and-pounder, but many of his winners in the last game I saw were won with angle shots and tap-in's at the net.  Too bad he's so boring and dull, an attitude Bjorn Borg perfected.  Where are the Connors and McEnroe's of this sport when we need them?  And the player who perfected 'rude' was Pete Sampras, a guy who blamed a tummy ache or the weather whenever he lost.  Never gave any credit to the poor slob across the net who had just beaten him.

Don't assume I play well, because I no longer play at all -- my hips having decided against it a number of years ago.  But I still love it.  The best tennis moment for me?  2004, centre court, Wimbledon, watching Federer beat Roddick for the title.  Doesn't get any better than that.               

Another place....

....I have yet to visit in the six years we have lived here is Stampede.  Hate crowds and they're huge there.  I would go to the rodeo events, but the tickets are $200-$300, which is ridiculous, so the closest I get to cowboy season is the wearing of one of my beautiful cowboy hats and a pair of my gorgeous boots.  Even then, people look at you as if you're a tad touched because no one outside Stampede Park dresses in Western wear for the 10-day event. 

It's not just Stampede, when we lived in Ottawa I avoided the Ex, the Tulip Festival and Winterlude like the plague.  In addition to the crowds, the porta-potties are another HUGE no-no.  And lineups!  People here actually queued for five hours to have a pancake!!!!  In 31 degree heat!!  Are they insane??!!  I mean, there's nothing cheaper and easier to make than pancakes so stay home and fire up the griddle.  Who wants to stand in a marathon line with screaming kids, behind and in front of strangers.

Must be showing my age, but not me.   

Some people think....

...if it's not on facebook, it didn't happen.  These insecure types have to plaster every place they go and everything they do, eat or drink all over the internet.

I'm sick of it.

We just spent three days on vacation with our brood and I think I took four pictures -- none of me, by the way.  I know people who would have stuck 50 on fb and written inane descriptions of each obvious moment.  "Here's a muffin I ate....Look at my kids in the pool....we took a walk and saw a dead bird....look at my coffee!....This is the dinner I made."  Frankly, I'd find a photo of what came out of them after the dinner more biologically interesting. 

But no one ever posts a picture of that. 

And secret smokers would never post shots of themselves furtively sneaking a fag behind the garage.  Similarly, ever seen a drunk selfie?  Me neither.  Facebook is a useful tool to keep up with far flung friends, but it can be carried to extremes.  My philosophy is, if stopping everything to pose for a selfie is going to ruin the moment, don't.

   

Won't change anything

The Trudeauites have decided to give the Democratic Republic of Congo (an oxymoron right there) $100 million to combat violence against women.  Won't do any good whatsoever because violence against women is a culturally-accepted practice in most African countries.  Men beat their wives and daughters all the time and men rape women and children all the time. 

Guess where that money will end up?  Right in the pockets and Swiss bank accounts of corrupt politicians and government officials, where most aid money given Africa ends up, which is why I never give a cent to any country in that continent.  I give to the SallyAnn, period. 

Speaking of Trudeau, his international "cool" as landed him number three in the G 7.  Three!  Apparently, only one in a hundred politicians has the "cool" factor and our dunce has it in spades.  Must be genetic because his father also had the "cool" gene -- in spite of the mess he made of the Canadian economy.  His son is following in his father's incompetent footsteps and all I can hope is that Canada is rich enough to survive three terms because I predict that's what Canadians will give him.  Sadly, the Conservatives chose a decidedly uncool leader who hasn't a hope in hell of beating him. 

We're effed for the moment. 

Out of the teepee....

....and into a drum dance.  Trudeau Lite (TL) is a very confused scatterbrain.  Couldn't even watch Canada Day celebrations on The Hill, that's how cringe-inducing it was.  Poor Charles and Camilla, gamely greeting every native/metis leader TL threw at them in an over-the-top Indian extravaganza. 

It was all-Indians-all-the-time.  As did Kate and William, HRH and the Duchess must also have thought Canada is compromised of nothing but natives.  Everywhere.  I know we are trying to redress everything and anything, but methinks the pendulum has swung a tad too far.  And it won't do any good as far as native goodwill is concerned.  The demands will simply grow and grow and grow, as leaders abandon merely dining out on their grievances and throw themselves into serious gourmandizing.

What about our vets, the people who made Canada what it is?  Where were they?  Who was celebrating and thanking them?  No one. 

But the topper had to be Bono and The Edge -- a couple of Irish lads who have absolutely nothing to do with Canada.  What the eff was that all about!!??  Following on the heels of Gord Downey and his Order of Canada, just another case of TL inviting his favourite rock stars to entertain him.  Not only is he selfi-mad, he's also an unstatesman-like, common groupie.

All so sad.