I Need a New Travel Agent...

Top of the evening to all....

I need a new travel agent.  I should have read the fine print.

My flight from Honolulu out to the luxury cruise liner was loud and the air conditioning did not work.  A small bag of pretzels would have been lovely.  Instead of an announcement stating that the captain has turned on the seatbelt light, the flight crew suddenly started waving hands wildly.  We all put our heads against the seat backs.  The plane touched down on the cruise liner and stopped in less time and space than necessary to slow a car down from highway speed.

Was there a welcome?  Noooo.  They rushed us off the plane quickly.  Everyone seemed to think that taking in the new scenery was of secondary concern.  Getting off of an operational runway was far more important.

Okay...my connection was supposed to travel to my next stop on Sunday.  Well, that did not happen.  It got put off until Monday (thank you Vladimir Putin).  Then it got put off until Wednesday.  Now I think it is Tuesday.  I would not have minded so much that it was put off, except that I had packed to travel before they passed the word.

Well, at least I have a room.  And the price was sweet.  And the travel agent made sure it was close to the airport in order to make my connection.  Now I know why it was such a great price.  It was very close to the airport.  My amazing lodging is three decks directly below an operational runway.  Planes landing on this runway come in at takeoff speed.*  The ship shakes as they come to an abrupt halt. 

-----Break-----

And now more seriously, all of those great movies cannot capture the drama and excitement of seeing an aircraft carrier flight deck in operation.  To watch a plane come in at takeoff speed and just stop was exciting every time.  On the other end, to watch the same planes go from being at rest to being launched off of the carrier deck in an instant will never get boring.

Transfer to my new duty station will be Tuesday morning.

Have a good evening everyone.

R/Chaplain

*By the way, planes always come in to the carrier at takeoff speed.  If the arresting cable snaps, or if the plane just misses one of the cables, the pilot needs to be at speed to take off again immediately.  One way or another, the plane is going off the ship.  Whether it goes back up or down into the water depends on a pilot's quick reflexes.

Open and Accountable Government

Top of the evening to all.

Tomorrow will be my last day of this COVID-19 quarantine.  This one is utterly ridiculous.  Why?

I came back from the US approximately 14 days ago.  A day or two after my return, there was an Expert Panel Report.  Canada's Minister of Health appointed this expert panel.  Amongst other things, the expert panel reported that:

1.  There is no reason to require quarantine after day 8 and three negative nasal swab tests.

2.  There is no reason to require quarantine for those who are fully vaccinated (I am in that category).

I have sent numerous e-mails to the Prime Minister and to the Minister of Health.  In those e-mails, I have asked the following questions:

1.  Why is being completely immunized not sufficient to allow a person out of quarantine?

2.  Why is the completion of eight days and three nasal swab tests not sufficient to allow a person out of quarantine?

3.  Are there lingering concerns that the Expert Panel did not address?  What are they?

4.  Do you trust the findings and recommendations of the Expert Panel?  If so, why are you not implementing policy?  If not, why is there an Expert Panel?

5.  Will the government implement policy based on the Expert Panel's recommendations?  If so, when?  If not, why not?

6.  Why will the Minister of Health not offer any communication on the decision-making process?

Mr. Trudeau spelled out his policy on Open and Accountable Government.  In section G:6, he states that "communicating with the public is an important obligation of the government.  Communications must be factual, timely, and clear."  The lack of any response to the report of the Expert Panel is a betrayal of the promise of Open and Accountable Government.  

Mr. Trudeau, Ms. Hajdu, when will you give a clear response to the report of the Expert Panel?  If there is good reason for maintaining the quarantine, we are prepared to hear it.  We also deserve to hear it.  

We are waiting.

R/SCG

Quarantine

 Good evening to all.

I am in the middle of an entirely unnecessary quarantine right now.  It is with dismay that the powers that be seem unwilling or unable to give even a single reason for maintaining it.

I wrote the lyrics below a few weeks back.  The original song is Those Canaan Days.  It is from "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat."

I humbly apologize to Sir Andrew Lloyd Weber.

Have a good evening.

R/SCG

"Those COVID Days," 

     sung to the tune of "Those Canaan Days"

 

Do you remember the good years in North York?

The summers were endlessly gold.

New condos were under construction.

The winters were always too cold.

 

We strolled down the Danforth together,

And everything 'round us was fine.

Now even though our arms are bare, we only get one shot in there,

Et maintenant, we cannot go outside.

 

Chorus:

     Those Trudeau days, we used to know, 

     Where have they gone?

     Where did they go?

     Eh bien, raise your berets, 

     To his sunny ways.

 

Do you remember those wonderful parties?

The splendour of Canada's cuisine.

Poutine, beaver tails, and IPAs, 

The most amazing we have ever seen.

 

It's funny, but since we've had COVID, 

We've gone to the other extreme.

No one comes to dinner now, 

We'd only mask-shame them anyhow,

I even find I'm missing Trudeau's dreams.

 

Chorus:

 

D.S. 

It's funny, but since we've had Justin,

We've fired an abusive GG.

It seems we all misjudged the lad.

He's clearly nothing like his dad.

And how we miss that charity called WE.  (To Coda)

 

Coda:

 

     Those Trudeau days, we used to know, 

     Where have they gone?

     Where did they go?

     Eh bien, raise your berets, 

     To his sunny ways.

 

     Eh bien, raise. your berets, 

     To his sunny ways.