Sunday, November 11, 2012

Remembrance Day


I have two different music videos posted today to commemorate the brave soldiers who have died for their country and for peace.

Since I first heard it in 1985, I've loved the song Brothers in Arms by Dire Straits. The lyrics are moving and so appropriate for the message they send.

This is a powerful video of the song and shows the horror, the senselessness, and stupidity of war. Who gains? A wealthy few. Who loses? Everyone.







I heard The White Cliffs of Dover by Vera Lynn on Remembrance Day several years ago on CBC public radio. 

The song was written in 1941 and recorded in 1942, when Europe was in the grip of the second world war. An immensely popular song, it's filled with hope that there will be an end, there will be an 'after.'

Can we now, seventy years later, still have that hope?






I cry when I hear both of these.

-- Cat

Saturday, November 03, 2012

Time passes

I saw a TV commercial, for toothpaste I think, that said the average person smiles fifty times a day. That's probably forty-seven times more than I smile per day.

No explanation, no excuse.

~

So, I was playing a game of Hearts on my computer. 


Playing against West, North, and East, I wasn't doing too badly. I was up to 53% games won! I did not feel guilty when I called my opponents bad names when I thought they were particularly mean to me, and I gloated shamelessly when I won a game. "Take that, North." "Serves you right, West" "East, you are a ----- [insert suitable insult].

Then I made a huge mistake. I gave my computer opponents real names

And wouldn't you know it, my winning percentage began to drop. 48, 42, 37....

Eek!

Because my opponents had come to life, in a manner of speaking, I was more careful about using, ahem, colorful language when things didn't go my way. And I didn't often have reason to gloat.

When my percentage stats hit 31, I went on hiatus.

Once my holiday is over, I will reset the counter and go back to playing West, North, and East.

My computer is used to being bludgeoned with words.

And I would like to win again.


--Cat