On the DEWLine 2.0: Dwight Williams

For the city of Ottawa, it's Colonel By Day; For the province of Ontario, a civic holiday. For the Canadian Feds, it's Emancipation Day, a federally-proclaimed observance of the anniversary of the end of slavery as proclaimed throughout what was once "the British Empire" in 1834.

(Whether it's really over and done is argued about.)

The city and province act as if it's time off. The feds, not yet, despite their own proclamation. And so the businesses of the city act in conflicting ways about the occasion.

Right now, it's...confusing.

"Holiday" or not, I'm still looking for new work leads this morning anyway.

So Doug Ford showed up for the vigil last night in London, Ontario.

There was a reaction to his attendance.

https://twitter.com/CheriDiNovo/status/1402566860684595200

He said the right things, no obvious gaffes. But I am inclined to share Rev. DiNovo's suspicions.

Naomi's funeral was held this morning.

I attended via Zoom, like some two dozen other friends and relatives. The Pandemic in Progress was certainly part of why. The travel time to and from the cemetery was also a factor. Ottawa is a very large city, so local public transit's current limitations meant a two-hour-in-each-direction travel time between where I currently live and the cemetery.

Anyway...the service was short, and I have a sense of her family and other friends being robbed of precious things by the Pandemic here too. siderea has discussed such things at some length in recent weeks and months: the loss of ritual, of community, stolen away by the need to protect one another. So have others, be they friends, family, or strangers to me, across the world. The rituals of shiva in particular, in this funeral's context, came to mind.

It's not the tradition I was raised with, but I don't much care about that. Unearned pain has been suffered here by too many already. And in order to move past my resentment, to master it and cast it out, I must first admit that it is here. In my heart.

And I miss my friend. One more among several, already gone.

Thank you, Naomi, for bringing what you could and what you did to my life.

Like it or not.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giving_Tuesday

...I hope that today is kind to you.

Take care, and I expect to be back for a visit after work tonight.

We have - among other people - Guy Lafleur to thank for Paul Gross making Hyena Road. That, in itself, is indeed surreal. (Here's a further item from back in September, which might add some context.)

(For those who don't know from Lafleur, here's some context on him. And the full Definitely Not the Opera episode.)

In a semi-related vein: If you're wondering, I will be going to the War Memorial services downtown tomorrow morning. Yes, I might actually feel comfortably uncomfortable again going this year, owing in part to the change in federal management. That is indeed an oxymoron...but there's a truth to it. The last couple of years, it's been the Peacekeepers' Monument for me.

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Not sure that I should be on either list anymore. I may still be a child in spirit, but there ought to be limits on how far that can carry me, right?

Arrived downtown at 7 AM and saw no line-up at first, and so I wandered around the neighbourhood doing a little shopping and committing a more substantial breakfast at the Presse Café in the Ottawa Broadcast Centre on Queen Street before heading back up the Hill.

After taking some pictures of the informal shrine near the Centennial Flame, I then visited the Cat Sanctuary for a few minutes. It was a surprise to learn that the donation box has been sealed up, complete with a "No donations please" message taped over the box. No idea what's happened in the last couple of months, but the notion is a sad and unpleasant one.

At least the cats, with one rather irregular-looking exception, all seem to be healthy enough.

Okay...8:15 AM, and the line's visibly forming on the other side of the Hill from the Cat Sanctuary, so I march on over to join it. The doors opened a half-hour earlier than announced and we start marching or rolling in. Paul Dewar, MP for Ottawa-Centre and current Foreign Affairs critic in the NDP shadow cabinet, was there to give everyone a "thank you" as best he could, and I do wish we could have talked further on any number of topics.

But the line had to keep moving, so onward we all went.

After a few minutes of dealing with airport-style security screening - something we didn't have to deal with when Trudeau died! - it was upstairs to the House of Commons foyer after a stop to sign one of the books of condolence awaiting us all. And if you've been watching Canadian news at all, you've seen the pictures of the foyer itself with the casket and the honour guard.

After that, it was past the hall of Prime Ministerial portraits again and out the front door.

Managed to keep the tears down until I got to Wellington Street. I wasn't sure that I'd make it that far.


Good-bye, Jack.

I'm sorry I never met you.