living out loud

Oh, the good news from Washington! The health care vote is a miracle. Hats off to the incredible flying Obama and his team. And oh, the Republican tantrums, all of them lying on the floor howling and beating their tiny fists and feet. They deserve to be sent to their rooms with no supper. For the next decade. I'm sorry Jon Stewart is off this week - he would be having fun with all this. We'll have to wait.

I note that our own David Frum seems to have become the relatively sane voice of the moderate American right, if such a thing is not an oxymoron. Welcome back to relative sanity, Mr. Axis of Evil. It was incomprehensible that someone connected with the marvellous, open Barbara Frum could be as shrill and small-minded as you became in your Bush years.

And that's it for the searing political commentary of the day. Except to mention a heartening ad taken out in the Star on Saturday, entitled "Can you trust Stephen Harper?" put out by "thousands of ordinary Canadians just like you who are deeply concerned about the future of Canada" at www.unseatharper.ca. Wonderful; I'll join. The trouble is, who is on the other side?

I was in the Epicure deli on Parliament Street this afternoon when David, a neighbour I don't see very often, came in. "So you're going to Prague," he said. It's the oddest thing to have your life be common knowledge. I know, I'm the one broadcasting, it's not as if this is being done to me. It's just odd. Today my son was over, and I mentioned that I'd blogged about his terrible experience last year, when his friend died. "I'd like to read that," he said, so I found it for him. My children avoid my blog at all costs - yet more maternal blathering. He liked what was there about Devon, about his own grief. My kids too, friends and neighbours, all living out loud here along with me.

Just finished teaching, coaching and editing until the first week of May; now to focus on the upcoming mad journey. But this time will be so different, as I keep saying, away only one month with one small-ish, well, not too big suitcase. In fact, I'm not sure how I managed last year's gruelling trek at all; I must have been out of my mind. This time, when I land in Paris and London, I'll know my way around, the busses, shops, routine - an old hand. My new test will be Prague.

Happily, as I fumble my way along, I'll have all of you out there to keep me company.

PS. Those of you following from last year will know what this means: today the brand new sump pump in the basement stopped working, and the basement almost flooded again. This house knows I am planning to leave and is trying to stop me! Help!!!

It got fixed. For now.

Just read an article in Businessweek listing the countries in the world whose citizens are happiest. Natch, the northern Europeans came out on top, Denmark #1, then Finland, Sweden, Iceland, followed, strangely, by Bhutan. The U.S. was at 23, Britain at 41, Zimbabwe and Burundi tied for last. Canada was #10. We are the tenth happiest citizens in the world.

If my basement floods or Harper wins a majority, I'm moving to Copenhagen.