Can't think of a title.

I have been neglecting my blog, with all of the house repairs, slo-pitch season starting, budget stuff at work, etc... I am also seriously considering sinus removal surgery at the moment too, but I won't get into that. However, I will make a best effort at keeping this thing going throughout the gin & tonic swilling days of summer.

A couple of things ...

First, I wanted to share something that Sputnik dug up from skyscraperpage.com and posted on the on the NewWinnipeg forum. It's a quote supposedly from an architect from the building that was to have gone up behind 100 Main St, but which the Friends of Upper Fort Garry successfully fought to save a parking lot (and their view from the Winnipeg Club). Anyhow, this is the quote, for those of you who aren't NewWinnipeg junkies:

100 main didn't work out, the City hired a real estate agent to run PP&D, the mayor yells at Councillors who care about historic buildings and the state of the City ... seems like a good time to leave the City for a while and see if it's any better when we have a new Mayor.

I'm off too Calgary this next week to look for a house ... I'll be back, but our current state is partly to blame for my future time away. I really hope this changes.

I do a lot of work in Calgary, and hope to do more ... that's the main reason for the move. As for commute time; my commute time to Calgary and time away from family is much greater while I'm in Winnipeg, so as much as I'll miss the 15min Wolesley commute by bus to downtown, things will be better for me in the short term if my family is located there.

Don't get me wrong though ... I hate driving in Calgary and will never grow to love that City ... these are just stepping stone days.

Had lunch with a councillor today and spoke about our new PP&D director ... sounds like not too many of them are in support of the Mayor right now ... sure hope we have a different one of each when I return (I fear this will not be the case).

This is just one person of course, but it is also an example. Not just of a professional leaving for greener pastures (and I know several more personally), but of the effects of a disfunctional city hall and a lack of vision around here. Just thought I should share it.

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Second, I left work earlier than normal today and caught a little bit of the Great Canadian Talk Show. One thing that caught my ear was something about all constituency mail-outs having to be approved by an NDP-dominated board of some kind. Maybe I heard wrong, but this sounds very alarming to me. Like something that Robert Mugabe might do.

They also spoke about the recent changes to the electoral rules. Curtis Brown had his take on these a few days ago. My take: if it means an end to the tax-funded pre-election ads and ridiculous advertising from the nurses union I'm all for it. I don't care why he did it. I am just happy he's showing signs of giving up control.

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Time for me to medicate myself and get some sleep so I can shovel gravel tomorrow. Night y'all.