Bringing down Somerset House

Demolition crews crunched down about ten per cent of Somerset House today. CBC says it's an attempt to gain engineers and repair crews access. Depending on provincial and city officials' assessments, they could soon begin foundation repairs that may save the rest of the building. Or not.

Unfortunately, for the street vista, work centred on the building's easternmost wall, decorated with an iconic mural depicting what street life in Ottawa may have been like around the time it was built. The old gal didn't give up easily -- one bystander said the big shovel 'could only break off about seven bricks at a grab'. After the first shots were done, the engineer went up in a manlift to take a look at the situation, then ordered a little more crunching. Being suspended by crane was the only safe way for him to check the building, apparently. There was a lot of 'hurry up and wait' while it happened.

Nevertheless, there were a buncha rubberneckers, watching a fair storm of brick and masonry dust flying around at times. And one coyote. Who still has a lot of antique brick dust in his coat...

Presenting..... Tiana's Prize

Tiana's prize is ready. Remember that confusing metacontest when contest participants could win the prize he or she requested? Tiana requested a handmade ornament, and she won!
This ornament is a miniature log-cabin quilt square. I thought this seemed appropriate for Tiana right now as she settles into the holidays. I like the symbolism of the log-cabin motif. The red in the centre symbolizes hearth and home. I used red and green because of the Christmas thing, but I like the tropical feel of this piece. The lighter colours represent the lighter things of life (the sunny side of the cabin!) The darker colours represent the darker and deeper sides of life. I hope you like it, Tiana. It is ready for delivery!

Where is the Urban Pedestrian?

Over on my blog, it was brought to my attention that our runner-up has gone missing. Does anyone out there have any information on this strange turn of events?

Lite Rite Nite

AndrewZRX: Motorcycles, Birth Classes and Roundabouts

This is a guest posting from AndrewZRX:

I recently blew up my motorcycle. I wouldn’t do this every day, but I’d highly recommend you try it at least once.

Wait - how does pre-natal classes at 7:30 am on a fucking Saturday morning sound? With my tongue still pickled, too, from the scotch the night before. Soften that cervix, baby.

No, the motorcycle sounds better. Or it did, anyways, before it blew up. Have you ever seen piston rods blasting out the front-end of a high-revving four-cylinder 1100cc motorcycle engine?

The midwife droned on for three full hours, using stained, filthy props and plastic posters of a graphical nature. The most interesting bit was the bit about the placenta -- or, more precisely, what people do with it afterwards. Some bury it in the garden during the full moon. Incantations are involved. Some people take them home and eat them. Apparently they’re quite tasty with garlic.

Actually, neither have I. (Seen the piston rods etc.). But as it was happening I was worried about grievous bodily harm, if you follow. Luckily all is well. So says my wife at least.

Do Canadians eat their babies’ placentas? I don’t know. But I sure miss Canada. I have a soft spot for those Canadian government screw-ups. Scandals in Canada rarely involve 25 million lost records, or illegal wars, or the shooting of innocents in the back. Canadian screw-ups are generally benign, and I miss them.

I miss the seasons, too, but at least over here I can ride my bike year round. It gets slippy in the roundabouts sometimes, but you can still do it. Roundabouts are a good thing. We should have them in Canada.

Here a few things you should know about roundabouts:

• If you like, you can go round and round. Just keep going. Beware of dizziness.

• There can be several lanes in a roundabout. Incorrect use of roundabout lanes can result in permanent disfigurement and embarrassment. Utilize with caution.

• It’s usually best to figure out where you’re going before you enter the roundabout. Otherwise you may get herded and end up in East Kilbride.

• Roundabouts can creep on a man. You can prepare yourself for this irritating tendency by driving faster than everyone else. When the roundabout materializes out of the Scottish mist, just claim it as your own.

• Roundabouts are not the place to be gentle and kind. Be assertive. Exercise your roundabout rights.

• When you start seeing signs for East Kilbride, you are lost. Do not head for East Kilbride. Circle back and try again.

• Drive on the left. This can take some time to master. But it’s fairly important. Watch for roundabout combatants coming from the right.

• Roundabouts are a serious business. Remember this and you’ll do fine.

It seems there are a few things you should know about labour as well. But I can’t seem to remember. She kept heading off on these strange tangents, telling fragmented stories. My mind wandered. Once in awhile my ears would perk up, expecting to finally hear something useful. But then she’d backtrack again, and I’d drone out. I was thinking about a bass riff in a John Scofield song called Over Big Top. The bass gets right in there and opens up doors.

We’re due at the end of January, so I just bought a new motorcycle. It’s black and shiny and pulls wheelies without much effort. Maybe I’ll get a sidecar for the wean. Hopefully I won’t blow this one up too.

AndrewZRX lives in Scotland and bought the opportunity to post here from Zoom in an auction on eBay. If you are wondering what placenta looks like, he offers this link.