Summer News

Even though the Christmas holidays are weeks away, the stores here in Middle Earth have fully embraced the spirit and are enticing curious shoppers to do the same. As well, there have already been several Santa Claus parades. For me, it feels weird to be bombarded with Christmas carols and holiday deals when there’s no cold or snow falling outside. It does get annoying & even distracting when you don’t have a shopping list to keep you focused. Apparently, Santa Claus always has a case of Coca-Cola to keep him awake when he travels around the world delivering presents.

At least I haven’t had to suffer shopping stampedes like the ones in North America. I’ve seen some Internet videos and it’s kind of scary to see people acting like cattle, rushing into Wal-Mart and Circuit City, buying stuff they don’t really need. I wonder how Boxing Day will be like in the Commonwealth countries?

Checking overseas, it would appear that winter has really deteriorated my Canadian homeland. I just heard from a friend that the public transportation service (OC Transpo) in my hometown of Ottawa has decided to strike right when the snow really starts coming down. The last time they striked was twelve years ago.

The political situation isn’t better with Parliament being suspended until January 2009. It seems to be following the same course as the political crises in Ukraine but I doubt it would escalate to the point of riots we see in Greece right now. It’s too cold. And I’ll spare you my feelings towards the sacking of Liberal Leader Stephane Dion.

Speaking of politics, the newly elected New Zealand government is settling in and dealing with the economic problem by introducing a stimulus package. Over here, I guess politicians work during the summer months and break for the winter. Even though the credit crunch doesn’t affect me personally, I’m hoping the government’s actions will produce positive results, because Middle Earth suffered the most when the stock market crashed back in 1987.

On a personal level, the Royal Conservatory of Music (RCM) has invited me to a convocation ceremony in the New Year to congratulate me on achieving a Piano Performer’s ARCT (June 2008) and hand me my diploma. Problem – I’m half a world away. Well, I may not be able to attend the ceremony but my diploma will be mailed to me in a gold plated frame! I know. Not even Carleton University gave me that option when I achieved my BA History in June 2007.

Next up, gold plated toilet seats for my future apartment!