Boots!

All I wanted was a pair of snow boots that satisfied the following conditions:

1. Warm
2. Dry
3. Rubber or rubberized sole to avoid slipping
4. With at least a one inch heel
5. Somewhat fashionable

I searched through two malls in Edmonton (including the Big One), wearing, incidentally, the damaged boots that had a hole in the right sole (thus, with a damp right foot). Finally, in another city, in a store where I'd never had much luck, I found:

YAY!

And it only took two weeks, lots of frustration, and many pretty pennies. But at least my feet will be warm and dry this winter.

P.S. Did you know there are thermal in-soles now? Technology is a marvelous thing.

It's a deep freeze—let's make them go outside

Western Canada experiences an unseasonably early cold snap and what happens? News channels send their meteorologists and reporters outside to somehow prove how cold is it. At the least the Saskatoon guy on the right is wearing a hat, but the poor woman in Winnipeg (who moved there from Vancouver last year) is visibly shivering!

As she noted, "minus 39 on exposed skin, like my face? It's numb."

Yes, it would be numb. So why don't you go inside!? Do Canadians not think it gets cold in Winnipeg? Will we doubt reporters unless we can see their breath on air? GAH!

Lament to size five; in which I curse my small feet.

I love footwear. Shoes. Boots. Shoe stores. Wedges. Heels. Pointy toes (do not get me started on rounded toes). I've even come around to the ballet flat (semi-square toe), though you'll never catch me in a pair of Crocs.

I hate my feet. They are a difficult-to-find size five (US). It took me three years to find strappy black dress shoes that fit properly and rather than look for new pair of black knee boots I'm getting mine resoled for the second time. I also hate my calves, which are unproportionally fat for size five feet and therefore are sometimes too big for boots that fit otherwise.

Today I went shopping for snow boots because my current pair, having undergone two long Edmonton winters, are dying (there is a hole in the bottom of the right sole). I tried on many pairs, including some lovely ones from La Canadienne (warm and grippy!), but alas. Only one store had anything smaller than a 6 (a 5 and 1/2), and even when I tried these on in a six with insoles, there was still too much space in the ankle.

I'm contemplating going back to Gravity Pope and getting these (even if they are Uggs), but the heel doesn't really inspire confidence for icy Edmonton sidewalks.

I suppose it's too much to ask for a size 5–5.5 black fashion snow boot with a moderate 2" heel (or wedge) that's warm, waterproof, and has good grip.

Le sigh.

Onion's long form joke?

Is there something going on at The Onion? Ever since Obama was elected, it's run a series of short articles about terrible, painful, violent things that have happened to President Bush, including:

Tumbling down the entire staircase of the Washington Monument
Having his arm bitten off by a crocodile
Passing a three-pound kidney stone
Getting dragged behind the presidential motorcade

It's a dark turn for the satirical website, and I wonder if it's leading up to something, or just a way for writers to take out their frustrations over a long, dubious eight-year rule.

Edited Dec. 10 to add:
.... and another particularly gross one.

List: Parliament meltdown firsts

In times of "crisis", historic firsts on a personal level:

1. Visiting the C-PAC website, delighting in the fact that there is one and that it plays video on demand! (though not on my computer!)

2. Reading the third joke about proroguing in 2 days, two of which involved perogies.

3. Learning something about the current Canadian parliamentary meltdown from a knitting blog. And a darn good one at that. (It was the fact that though the Bloc support the coalition, they are not official members, which is why they don't get any cabinet positions.)

4. Reading a blog post in which the Governor General is referred to as a "local distributed queenship node".

5. Being informed that despite the media silence in the States, the story is getting some attention in Israel.

I support public subsidies for political parties

Okay, in the midst of all the machinations and coalitions and about-faces going on in Parliament Hill right now, I feel that someone needs to stand up for the public subsidies whose proposed (and retracted) elimination seem to have set off the situation.

I like the subsidy because it makes me feel that my vote counts for something.

Whenever I vote federally, I like knowing that my vote translates to $1.95 (of government money, adjusted for inflation) going to the party of the candidate I voted for. The subsidy adds value to a right and responsibility that I already take seriously because it feels like my vote still means something even if my chosen candidate does not win.

This point is especially salient for dissenting voters in regions that tend to favour one party strongly. I am a leftist-centrist voter who votes in the Conservative stronghold of Alberta. It is, to be frank, a thankless, shitty task. Time and time again, I have watched my home province go entirely blue, wondering how 100% of the ridings can be Conservative when only 65% of the voters supported them. It was depressing. I felt like I was throwing my vote into a dark blue ether.

But with the introduction of the public subsidy, my vote could never be discounted. Never again would it amount to nothing; in fact, it would amount to exactly $1.95. The public subsidy suddenly made my vote count in a way that it had not counted before.

I want my vote to count. I want everyone's vote to count. Keep the subsidy.

P.S. It's not a coup if there is a provision for it in the Constitution.