The demo

Updated Oct.22: Four down. This is the remains of 160, the one closest to Yangtze restaurant, which you can see in the background.

Updated Oct.18: Here’s the second house on its way down. Two have been levelled now.

Demolition of the five derelict houses on my street has now begun. I’ll post more pictures from time to time.

It’s a sad day. They were good old houses. Want to bet they get replaced by really bad-looking condos? And a parking lot for Yangtze restaurant.

demo 1

Window. Nobody home.

One down, four to go

Maple blight

I was wondering if anyone knows what’s causing the brown spots on the maple leaves.

Updated Nov.13: The Ottawa Citizen has the answer. It’s a fungus caused by damp springs, and it’s not harmful to the trees. Here is the Citizen’s story.

The election

Ho-hum, Liberal majority, business as usual. But the Greens increased their share of the popular vote to 8%. This is good news.

Also good news: That the Conservative party’s silly bid to fund schools for every crackpot religion has been scuttled.

In my opinion they are all crackpot. Next thing is to stop funding the Catholic schools. This is part of the Green party’s platform.

The CBC

I got used to Kathleen Petty in the morning. She’s ok. I’m tired of resisting.

I don’t think Lucy Van Oldenbarneveld will last on local TV. It’s a job for a clothes horse, and she wants to be a reporter. Rita Celli dumped the TV gig and went back to radio; maybe Lucy will do the same.

I’m so glad they got rid of that awful afternoon show. I think the replacement, Jian Ghomeshi’s Q, is great radio. I love it when his guests go over to the piano and play a song live.

I’m also getting used to puffy George Stroumboulopoulos on The Hour. He’s not as insufferable as I thought he was. I think it’s funny when he says “I’m your boyfriend, George Stroumboulopoulos.” It’s sort of his trademark. And he can be self-deprecating.

I’m still not a fan, but I don’t hate him anymore. That’s progress.

Still can’t listen to Brent Bambury. He’s just too oily for me.

The Mayor

Evidence is mounting that Mayor Larry is guilty of trying to bribe Terry Kilrea to leave the mayoral race. If true it’s not only unethical, it’s a crime. I hope everyone who voted for Mayor Larry because they wanted a business guy for their mayor is happy now! I think his goose is cooked.

So I was wondering, is it too late to get that little Alex Munter back?

What else?

I don’t know, but I’ll probably think of something. Come back later for more demo pics. Bye for now!

I’m also a very discerning critic of my favourite radio station, CBC One. And the mayor too.

Since Jason Spezza and Mike Fisher went out with knee injuries, my hockey team has racked up an astonishing 1000 wins and zero losses. Some miserable fans are calling for the dashing twosome to be traded, since the team plays better without them, but I don’t go there. They can come back as long as they fit in and don’t get too cocky. They will probably have to play on a newly-created seventh line with the stick boy and the goalie coach.

As for the CBC, I’m pleased to report that that tedious afternoon program called um… I can never remember what it’s called, featuring um… I can’t remember who’s on it, is being cancelled in mid-March. Yay!

In exchange we’re getting Jian Ghomeshi. I like Jian ok but like the insufferable Brent Bambury, he’s starting to think he’s too cool for life on earth. This cannot be so because as everyone knows, only Watawa life blog is too cool for life on earth.

Thanks to the miracle of multitasking, I’m actually watching a hockey game at this very moment. You couldn’t even tell, could you?

This is a great game. My team, the Sens, are playing another really good Canadian team, the Vancouver Canucks. So far there is no score and they seem very evenly matched. Both teams are demonstrating a knowledge of puck control, responsible D, and sizzling O.

Most people think the Canucks have a better goalie in Roberto Luongo, but I don’t see how it could be true. Roberto is for hairdressers. Goalies should be named Ray like our goalie, Ray Emery.

I don’t know who will win but I think it will be well-deserved. I don’t even care who wins. Vancouver is my home town after all. I just hope they don’t crush us. Be kind Vancouver! Don’t spit in our faces when we’re down.

As for the mayor, the jury is still out. He committed another rookie gaffe by criticizing the city councillors’ work ethic when they voted to call it a day at 7 PM. This business-guy mayor doesn’t seem to get that the councillors don’t actually work for him. And he can’t fire them.

But there’s still not much to say about the mayor until we get a budget. What will he keep? What will he cut? Will you have to take your garbage to the landfill in the trunk of your car? Stay tuned.

Oh-oh, Vancouver has scored! But I’m not downhearted. Maybe we’ll come back.

Oh-oh! They scored again. Now I’m a little bit downhearted.

As for Kathleen Petty on the CBC, I’m getting used to her. At least she’s starting to sound like she’s heard of Pinecrest before. Life goes on, people move, Lucy Van Oldenbarneveld gets to be on TV. I’m sure it’s all ok. But I’m a creature of habit and I liked hearing Lucy on the radio.

Lucy

I like Hallie Cotnam too.

Alfredsson scores! What will happen?

Awww…

Music note

I also have some music on my MP3 player. Right now I have an album by Linda Ronstadt and Ann Savoy called “Adieu False Heart.” It’s very pure and folky with soft plunky banjo playing and sweet cajun harmonies. I like it a lot.

I also have Tom Russell’s “Love and Fear.” Here is my review of his recent show in Wakefield.

There is room for lots more music on my MP3 player but I like to keep it simple, and besides, I usually listen to the radio.

Turn your radio on

I think CBC radio is one of the good things in life. I like it that lots of people all over the country are listening to the same thing at the same time. Unlike commercial radio it doesn’t have any advertising or top-forty music, and it isn’t willfully stupid. Usually it’s good and sometimes it’s great. I feel proud of it as a Canadian. But I don’t like everything that’s on the CBC these days.

What I don’t like about the CBC

-Kathleen Petty on the morning show. Nasal horse voice. Laughs too much at the wrong time. Doesn’t know anything about Ottawa. Took the job that should have gone to Lucy Vanoldenbarneveld.

-Brent Bambury on Saturday morning. He is very smarmy!

-That vacuous weekday afternoon show. I can’t remember the name of the show or the names of the co-hosts – that’s how memorable it is. (I don’t mean Adrian Harewood. He’s ok and I’m able to remember his name.)

-The summer replacement “Simply Sean.” Never ever funny! Whoever put this guy on the radio owes me a personal apology.

-Shelagh Rogers. I know her heart is in the right place but I’m sorry to say she isn’t a good interviewer. She fawns over her subjects. I was embarrassed for her when she interviewed my hero, Leonard Cohen. When she interviewed k.d. lang, who I also admire, it was like eavesdropping on a pyjama party. It made me wince. She is unlistenable.

-And on TV: George Stromboloupolos! What a puffy little poser.

-That English weather girl on the National. She’s ok, but aren’t there any Canadian weather girls? I think one of the important responsibilities of any national radio service is to present the language as it is spoken in that country. Immigrants should be able to tune in to CBC and feel certain that they are hearing Canadian English. They should be able to take it as a model for their studies. That is not the case with the National’s weather girl. We need to have a Canadian weather girl on the National. Isn’t this obvious?

What I like about the CBC

-Sook-Yin Lee and DNTO.

-Quirks and Quarks.

-Ideas.

-Randy Bachman.

-The Current. (Except for that not-funny Voice guy.)

-The Fuse. Amanda Putz was better but Alan Neal will be ok eventually. Anyway the music is always good.

-Jonathan Goldstein.

-The Sunday morning show with Michael Enright. It is brilliant radio.

-Almost everything else on Sunday. The religion show and the book show “Writers & Company” with Eleanor Wachtel. I’m not really into Stuart McLean’s Vinyl Cafe but it isn’t horrible.

And in conclusion…

I’m a little surprised to find that my list of don’t-likes is as long as my list of likes. Maybe I’m only listening out of habit and to try and keep the din of the city out of my ears. But I don’t think so.

Based on the pop-oriented afternoon show and the insufferably pseudo-hip Bambury and Stromboloupolos, it would appear that CBC management is trying to expand their listening audience to include different kinds of people. What kinds of people would that be? They probably think it is young people, but I think it is dumb people of all ages with bad taste. I think those people will never listen to CBC no matter how much they dumb it down.

Don’t forget this is the same management that shut the network down for a summer-long lockout in 2005, achieving nothing. Their judgement is suspect.

Sorry for the rant. I still love my CBC. CBC Ottawa is at 91.5 on the FM dial. Turn your radio on!

Oh by the way…