Aptenobytes

Guess I should comment on Dick shoots Harry

What a dick! The guy broke rule #1. You never point a gun at anything you aren't willing to destroy.

Folks, gun safety is drilled into anyone who uses guns regularly. Whenever I teach someone how to shoot a gun, the first thing I tell them is that "guns are always loaded, and the safety is not on". Don't 'act' like they are loaded. Treat them exactly as if they are loaded. The second thing I teach them is that you don't put your finger on the trigger until you are looking through the sights, and know that whatever you shoot when you pull the trigger is something that you are prepared to destroy. I do a lot of trap shooting, and I understand exactly what happens as you swing your gun, and I can see how the shooting could have occurred. The fact is that what had to have happened is that the Vice President of the United States pulled the trigger without knowing what was in the path of his swing. That shows excruciatingly bad judgement

This shooting is not excusable for someone who is one heartbeat away from the Presidency. I could excuse it for someone whose judgement isn't so critical. From this man, it is not excusable. Not one little bit.

The man should resign. His judgement is flawed, and it is perhaps quite literally fatally flawed.

Off to Edmonton

I'm off to Edmonton in the morning. I guess this is the start of a new chapter in my life. Lara and I now own the building in Edmonton, and we're working our way through getting all the various licenses and accounts set up. For the next couple of weeks I get to finalize those details, and also get started on the renovations. The showcases are ordered, We're doing good!

I really like Edmonton. It's an exciting city. I love our new building... here's some pics:

There is a lot of work to do to turn it into a little jewel, which it will have to be. Setting up a new business is a huge challenge. I've been swamped by it, but excited at the same time.

On the flip side, there are some parts that aren't making me overly happy. I'm going to have to spend a lot of time away from Lara. That will be hard. We spend virtually every day together, and have for ten years now. Suddenly we'll be spending a lot of time apart. Not fun.

There's also my personal political ambivalence towards expanding the business. From a pure political stance, expanding the business doesn't square with everything I believe. I'd prefer to stay small. The unfortunate part of it is that we really don't have a choice. Like every small business, we are facing price competition from companies like Wal-Mart and CostCo. While they aren't in the same league as us in terms of quality, it does affect the perception of price. At some point we have to expand, merely to get our costs down, creating a larger market for our workshop, making larger purchases with the price breaks that come with that. If we want to keep paying our workers and ourselves a living wage, we have to do this. Sometimes you have to compromise with yourself. Still sucks. I don't want to become a chain, but I think we need to become one to a certain extent. I guess what I have to make sure of is that we don't become what I hate.

Cartoons, Muslims, and a complete lack of sense or proportion.

OK, so let's see what the arab street is getting so worked up about:

Hunh. Not too provocative. Sometimes I just don't get religious fanaticism. Make that always. I don't get it.