Balafon

You know, life is mostly ordinary. But sometimes something shines through the veil of mere matter and energy to make you marvel.

Watch.

I like life uneventful. Probably because childhood and teen years were entirely too eventful.

I’ve had Emily to myself the last two nights, as Andrea is getting back into work via special events. The first night, she yelled continuously from after dinner until midnight. Last night, she played and had fun. Go figure.

She’s a pretty smart little cookie, too. She knows she’s not allowed to climb the stairs by herself, so last night she wandered over to them and yelled “Daddy, daddy, daddy!” to get me to come watch her climb. A first both for calling me, and for not just saying her usual “Enh! Enh!”

I’ve gotten an Android phone, and it’s nice, except for not being small enough to fit in my pants pocket. But having games and net access on the bus is cool. I haven’t gotten around to exploring development, yet, as I am trying to get my latest project to properly find all its frameworks on the Mac.

Janus: Sonnet

Sufficient time for faith and miracles
We find we cannot fit into our days;
And nothing’s left at all that joyous dwells
Inside the heart. The spark of spirit stays
Too small for dreamburst, and all earth may prove
Inadequate for art. No human is
This potent all alone, and fear kills love . . .
Love kills fear, and alone; all-potent, this.
No human is inadequate for art,
For dreamburst; and all earth may prove too small.
The spark of spirit stays inside the heart
That joyous dwells, and nothing’s left at all
We cannot fit into our days. We find
For faith and miracles, sufficient time.

– John M. Ford

The Winter Olympics start in two weeks, and there is much activity at the Vancouver airport. The sound of high-powered turbine aircraft engines fills the air.

My office is right under the approach path to runway 26L, so I see CF-18 Hornet fighter jets

CF-18

and CH-146 Griffin helicopters

CH-146

flying around several times a day.

Rumor has it that two Halifax-class frigates

HMCS Vancouver

will be anchored offshore to provide extra air defense.

So I’m on the bus this morning, not riding, because I’ve been under the weather for the past few days, when I hear the following. I figure that calling at volume on your cell phone on a crowded bus puts your conversation in the public domain.

Note that this side of the conversation is female, and in a loud and business-like tone. At first I thought that it was a business call. The tone did not vary at all, even at the end.

Hi, I’m calling for Achmed. Is he there?

…

Achmed. Is he there?

…

I know he’s there.

…

Hi! I bet you didn’t think I’d be calling you!

…

So you’re not in Morocco after all . . . you’re in Italy? Who are you staying with?

…

I miss you. Do you miss me? … Do you miss me?

…

I’m doing ok, thanks for asking. Things are looking up.

…

I have a bill here from Revenue Canada for $250.00.

…

I guess I can go myself.

…

No, I paid him some more money to stay, because I don’t know where to move.

…

He didn’t call me, I called him. But I think he has some problems of his own, I think he might have a drug problem or something.

(followed an extended discussion of the merits of the drug problem theory)

…

Listen, now that I have you on the phone, I need to ask you something. Do you still love me?

At that point I was eternally grateful that my stop had arrived, as I couldn’t bear to listen any more.