Welcome 2022!

It's a bit late, I know.  But hey, better late than never, eh?  So here's a Happy New Year wish to all you faithful readers who miraculously have stayed with the blog for so long!  Thank you, and I hope 2022 will be a much better year than the one prior.

I am writing this in the morning, when it's so frigid cold outside that I am in hurry to dash out for my walk.   Not that it's unusually cold for Ottawa.  Just the typical -20 Winter day in the capital.  Haha.  There IS a reason why people invented thermal underwear.  Sunny skies today, which usually means fucking cold.  And at least today this holds up.  Think I will just go for a short little walk today, like an hour and a half maybe, lest I turn into an icicle.

A new year also brings a new semester, my second in the MA program.  This semester looks worse than the previous one due to a paucity of appealing courses to take.  I am officially enrolled in five, but due to various reasons (e.g.  I don't like the prof, I don't like the contents, I don't like the timing, etc. etc.) there is only ONE that I actually am semi-interested to take.  Bummer, eh?  To make things worse, this semester there are only 6 English MA level sociology courses available (I am registered in five of them), two of which still list "staff" as the instructor.  So likely adjuncts who get dragged into it last minute.  AKA gonna suck.

The way it looks, I might end up dropping all but one.  Yeah, this puts me way behind schedule, but I don't think I will finish this degree.  As it turns out, uOttawa sociology is (1) very theoretical, (2) very radical and revisionist, and (3) very French.  This latter point means there are lots of courses in French, and not as many in English.  I think I will be hard pressed to only take courses I am interested in and still have enough credits to graduate.  Just won't happen.

And that brings to mind why I am doing this.  To have fun.  Well, I won't have fun taking courses I don't enjoy, right?  Not like I need the degree.  Already have four, thank you very much.  So, once my full-ride is over after the three semesters, I will just withdraw from the program and begin something else in the fall.  We shall see.

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Ontario is under a semi-lockdown again.  Indoor dining is closed.  Gyms are closed.  But it's not a full lockdown like we had before.  So it's still not too bad.  This omicron shit is pretty wild.  You know, though, that as long as the First World countries keep all the vaccines to themselves, leaving Third World countries to their own devices (or to use stupid Russian and Chinese vaccines) there will continue to be variants and shit like that.  And we will all end up getting "boosters" every other month till we all become addicts.

And when I say First World and Third World, I am using the terms as they were originally coined, not the bastardized version to mean rich and poor etc.  So don't start cursing me for not being politically correct.  And no, don't get me started on that either.

And on the subject of Covid, what do you make of that tennis player who is being kicked out of Australia?  I know celebrities have egos the size of Texas, but this to me is a case of just being tone deaf.   You may be able to get around the law, but at least have the common sense not to flaunt it.  Prima Donnas will be prima donnas though.

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School starts Monday.  I will let you know how things go, and how many of the five courses I end up keeping (maybe none, haha).  Meanwhile, stay safe.  Live long and prosper!  And Happy New Year!