Home of DJ and technophile Jonathan Puddle (aka J Puddy)
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Nobody wins
Dec 18th
Following on from my last post, a good friend sent me this article in Macleans. Here’s a snippet:
THERE IS nothing wrong with minority governments, per se. It depends what kind of minority. Do we want the kinds of minority Parliaments we have had in recent years, a clutch of hobbled regional or quasi-regional parties, fingers perpetually on the button, endlessly threatening to pitch us all into another pointless election in the vain hope that, if the swing voters can be distracted in their direction, if the splits go their way, if they can demean and belittle their opponents enough, if More >
What to do with the Canadian government
Dec 14th
If you’ve been following Canadian politics at all, you’ll know the last month has seen some very interesting headlines. I’m convinced now more than ever, that what Canada needs most is electoral reform. The current system of election is so remarkably unrepresentative of the population’s desires, that it’s no wonder we end up with back to back no-confidence votes and posturing to take over the government. No matter who you support, I believe you owe it to yourself to examine the way our government is elected, and to look at the alternatives.
Fair Vote Canada is a nonprofit, multi-partisan advocacy group for More >
Meat pasties
Nov 16th
I’m a sucker for pastry and meat. It’s simply one of the best combinations evar. Last night we took a stab at Cornish pasties. We loosely followed this recipe: New Zealand Pasties recipe.
In future, I’d use less potato (I used too much this time, admittedly), more mushrooms and spices, and roll the pastry thinner. All in all though, very easy, and very delicious.
English Hothouse Cucumbers, and other innapropriate forms of measurement
Nov 10th
Maija subscribed us to a number of pregnancy emails regarding the development of our baby. We get a couple of emails each week, updating us with how big the baby may be, and providing advice and various pieces of information. It’s all quite good and informative, except for the sometimes strange choice of fruits or vegetables used to describe the size of the fetus (or foetus, if you prefer). They range from recognizable, common fruit (which gives us a good idea the size of the baby), to ambiguous and mysterious food items, which surely isn’t helpful in letting us know More >
It’s dark outside
Oct 30th
4:30 and the sun has already set. It’s only going to get darker :)
In other words, we’re home from Canada. We had a really superb time, got to see *almost* everyone we wanted to, and returned home exhausted.
Our next project is to get out of debt. Baby’s not far off, and we’d like to clear all all our short-term debt before then, which is a very attainable goal for us at present. If you’re the praying kind, pray for wisdom for us, and provision.
Exercising
Oct 7th
I exercised my democratic right to vote today, in the Canadian Federal Election. My first time out. I would like to say that I added Keyser Söze to the ballot and voted for him, but I did not.
I’m also missing the regular exercise we get in Finland. I fear I’m gaining weight in this country already. We miss the slower pace and the long walks. But it’s nice to be here, all the same.
Memory is a fickle siren’s song
Sep 24th
We arrived in Paris on Sunday evening, and spent Monday sightseeing in the city. We hit up a number of monuments, that I will list later once I can spell them correctly. We visited a small church in Belleville where I lived for a time as a child. I remembered some parts of it, but much had changed.
We spent yesterday in Versailles, which was really lovely, and today back in Paris and travelling out the countryside where we are now. Tomorrow we’ll be exploring the country village I spent 6 months growing up in. A lot can (and has) changed More >
Off to Paris… then Toronto
Sep 20th
Maija and I and the fetus leave tomorrow for Paris. We’re quite excited. I used to live in Paris when I was a wee little lad, and have not been back since. We’ll also be going out to the Champagne region where I also lived, to visit the tiny village I spent time growing up in. It’s a bit odd to think about, but I’m excited to see all the places that are slowely drifting out of my memory.
After that, we’re in Toronto for a month. If you’re in Toronto, I insist we catch up.
it felt like Kōji Kondō was there too
Sep 13th
Maija and I went to a wedding today, for a friend of ours who has moved to Jyvaskyla. He’s the brother of one of Maija’s best friends, so it was a special day, and a really beautiful wedding. We hope to spend more time with them once we’re back from Toronto. The ceremony was held in the Lutheran church of Jyvaskyla building, and the reception in a hotel not far from here.
The highlight of the day was surely seeing how happy they were with each other, they were so gorgeous… but, in close second place was the genius pianist who More >
Anniversary 3
Sep 11th
Yesterday marked our 3 year wedding anniversary. I love my wife! It also nearly marks the fact that we’ve been living in Finland for a year now. Crazy. And it marks almost the halfway point to our child being released from manufacturing. Thrilling!
Life is grand.
We’re off to Paris in 2 weeks, and then Toronto for a month. Can’t wait :)
Building of the Lego minifigs
Sep 6th
One of things I’m most looking forward to about having a baby is the unavoidable Lego, once the baby levels-up to child.
Gizmodo have yet another exclusive Lego video. I don’t recall if I posted the last one… I can’t find it here when I search. Here’s the links. Anyway, the new video is a demo of the minifig assembly process. Quite impressive.
First, the raw plastic material is put into the molds to create all the parts: the head, the torso, the minuscule hands, the hips, and the left and right arms and legs, plus any minifig complements, like helmets or tools.
• The More >
Facebook – Too many stupid fan pages
Jul 28th
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I’ve decided there are too many fan pages for people I think it’s silly to declare yourself a fan of. The catalyst for me has been Christian leaders and teachers. These are good people we assume, maybe I would be even be a supporter of them. But I’m not a FAN of anyone of them anymore than I am a fan of my wife, or many of my friends. In fact, there are many who I agree with theologically More >