Sunday, March 13, 2005

Ann Coulter: "Canada used to be one of our most loyal friends and vice-versa. I mean Canada sent troops to Vietnam - was Vietnam less containable and more of a threat than Saddam Hussein?"
Bob McKeown: "Canada didn't send troops to Vietnam."
Coulter: "I don't think that's right."
McKeown: "Canada did not send troops to Vietnam."
Coulter: "Indochina?"
McKeown: "Uh no. Canada ...second World War of course. Korea. Yes. Vietnam No."
Coulter: "I think you're wrong."
McKeown: "No, took a pass on Vietnam."
Coulter: "I think you're wrong."
McKeown: "No, Australia was there, not Canada."
Coulter: "I think Canada sent troops."
McKeown: "No."
Coulter: "Well. I'll get back to you on that."
McKeown (in voice-over): "Coulter never got back to us -- but for the record, like Iraq, Canada sent no troops to Vietnam."
- from "The Fifth Estate," Canadian Broadcasting Company, January 26, 2005

L. and I had a great day together. After brunch at Cafe Intermezzo, she helped me pick out an oriental (Chinese) carpet for the living room, and we looked at fabrics for the living-room window treatment.

But the real domestic responsibility is going to be the Unsellable Condo in Vinings. The realtor went over to the UCV to hang a "For Sale" sign, and came back with good news and bad news. The good news is that the asking price for the identical unit next door to me is $20,000 more than I'm asking. The bad news is that before we can show the now-empty UCV, I need to re-clean the bathrooms, the kitchen, the refrigerator and the freezer. The carpets need to be steam cleaned, and the living room walls, mantlepiece and built-in shelves need to be painted. She didn't notice, apparently, that the toilet in the master bath leaked, the repair of which was one of the tasks on my winter holiday "to-do" list that never got done.

Now that it's almost two-and-a-half months since the holiday, let's review the list once again and see how much I've got done:

1. Fix computer. Not done. It's still running like shit (but it is still running). I'm leaning now more towards just getting a new computer.

2. Change address on driver's license/tag registration. Not done. According to Georgia law, you have 30 days after you move to change the address on your driver's license and to change the county sticker on your tag. I'm still driving around with the UCV address on my license and with Cobb County tags, even though I moved last August.

3. Fix toilet in condo. Not done.

4. Get duct tape marks off car. Done!!! Score one for the team . . .

5. Join a gym. Nope. My idea was to focus on running and karate, and join a gym this spring, so I guess that now is the time.

6. Buy living room furniture. Well, I'm getting there. The sofa arrived in February, and I got the carpet today, and made at least a start toward window treatments.

7. Buy mirror and sconces for bathroom. Not done. Wires are still sticking out of open holes in the wall.

8. Yard work. I made some progress on this task over the holiday, but very little since then, other than moving some downed branches following the ice storm. I'll probably hire some professional landscapers to remove last autumn's leaves.

Now, I have to add the following tasks to the list:

9. Fix up the UCV. Re-clean the bathrooms, the kitchen, the refrigerator and the freezer, steam clean the carpets, and paint the living room walls, mantlepiece and shelves as the realtor suggested.

10. Body work. The doctor says that now that I'm 50, I need to get a colonoscopy (oh, boy!). While I'm at it, I need to get a dermatologist to look at some moles and other "interesting" things growing on me. And finally get a dentist to fix my teeth.

11. Reading. Knock off all those books that I bought on January 30 and stay up to date on The New Yorker and The Economist.

12. Writing. Write more than just this blog. Publish a few technical papers for work, and maybe even a few articles for the Buddhist press.

13. Arithmetic. Do my income taxes. Straighten out some of my finances. Collect monies owed me.

Actually, I'm exhausted just thinking about it all. Now I need a nap. I'll start on these tasks tomorrow.

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