Bye Bye Jack

As if we needed any more proof that life is blatantly unfair, Jack Layton, leader of the NDP, died early this morning of cancer. He was just 61. Now this was a man who did everything right. He exercised religiously, ate very healthfully, and despite a busy schedule wasn't the sort of guy to stress out. He was pretty mellow and laid-back actually. He was a genuine person, loved and respected by people of all political persuasions. To be taken at the height of success, after leading the NDP to the role of Official Opposition and essentially annihilating the Bloc Quebecois only months ago, is just so wrong.

And so sudden. When he temporarily stepped aside as leader at the end of July to undergo cancer treatments he confidently - albeit weakly - spoke of returning for the opening of Parliament in early September. That might have been a bit optimistic; I felt maybe the beginning of 2012 would be more realistic. But somehow, though you worried, you didn't doubt him. He'd already overcome prostate cancer and campaigned right through hip replacement recovery this spring. He was a fighter and so so positive. How could he lose this skirmish? Except that he did. You sort of wonder if even a guy who kept in such good shape could succumb, what chance would an ordinary person have?

Anyway, my thoughts and prayers today are with his family and friends. All of Canada has suffered a loss and is the poorer for it. I fervently hope his successors will be able to carry on his legacy in the way it deserves. I hope they stay true to his values and ideals and continue to be a real party for the ordinary person. And I hope Jack does attend the opening of Parliament in spirit since he sadly won't be there in body.

I'm Making a List and Checking it Twice

August is a lazy time of year for me typically. I'm usually dopey from heat and a little bit at loose ends about how to fill each day. It's easy to putter around doing nothing in particular until I suddenly notice another whole day is gone and I haven't really accomplished much of anything. Not that there is so much that absolutely has to be done on any given day. Mainly it's lots of odd jobs where it really doesn't matter which day they get done. Still, they do need to be done sometime, and the good old-fashioned paper checklist is my current miracle tool.

There is something so fulfilling about writing stuff down, no matter how trivial, and then checking it off when it's finished. Sometimes I even add an item to my list after I've finished it, just to have the pleasure of checking it off! Pathetic? Perhaps. But it works.

Naturally "there's an app for that". I've downloaded several to-do list apps. They're good too. Still, at least for me, a paper list I can scrawl onto absolutely anytime is the number one choice. The act of physically crossing something off is so satisfying. And as fast as the iPad is to launch, my paper list is even more instantaneous. And when the day is over and everything is done (or moved to the next list) I can just scrunch it up and toss it away.

For a procrastinator like me, the list is a godsend. My biggest trouble is that I sometimes have difficulty estimating how long a task will take. Electronic tasks in particular are notoriously hard to predict. Yesterday I had to reinstall Dan's baseball game. I thought fifteen minutes would suffice, but it was more like forty five ... without letting myself get distracted or off task either. It was just plain slow. But I can tell you that checking it off felt awfully good.

Today I've come up with another dilemma. What happens when everything is done? Except for a concert I may or may not go to tonight (and very basic things like walking the dogs and making supper which I don't put on the list at all), I really have finished all I'd earmarked for today. Guess what I need to do is make sure I either have a list of any-day odd jobs saved up, or start scheduling in a few fun things too. "You must read for at least an hour today. You must eat a Popsicle!" That could be kind of fun. And now I absolutely must go and have a cup of tea and do a few puzzles - it's not on the list yet, but it could be soon!

"Montreal is falling down, falling down, falling down ... "

The Mercier is dubious. The Champlain is suspicious. Turcot is troubling. And now you can add the Ville-Marie tunnel to the (increasingly lengthy) list of places I'd really rather not drive in Montreal.
Yesterday morning a 15-metre by about 1-metre thick slab of concrete (25 tons worth!) crashed down across all three lanes of the eastbound tunnel. It was a Sunday morning miracle that nobody was killed. But it certainly doesn't inspire confidence in the state of the city's infrastructure.
Of course investigations are still ongoing and a large part of the tunnel is closed indefinitely as we ponder what exactly is going on here. One theory in yesterday's collapse is that people working on the tunnel walls somehow jarred the section loose with their vibrations. But it obviously wasn't a concern at the time because the tunnel was wide open to traffic. And if it's really that fragile, what about the vibrations from the hundred thousand plus vehicles that use the tunnel every single day?
This province has a sad history with our roadways and bridges. The du Souvenir and de la Concorde overpass collapses are still all too fresh in people's minds, and we certainly don't want any repeats. A combination of age, extreme weather, excessive traffic, questionable construction quality and inadequate maintenance can be deadly. Hopefully this very narrow escape from tragedy will wake up the province to the realization that we have to be far more diligent with our roadways. I know Quebec City is the jewel in the province's crown, but Montreal is its driving engine and if people don't want to drive here - or live or work here - the whole province will suffer. It's high time our biggest city gets some big investments. Next time we might not be so lucky.