Playoffs, election, royal wedding. Canucks, NDP uprising, pomp and ceremony.
Man, there’s a lot going on this week, and with it comes much media types like myself throwing out their opinions. Why? Because we can.
Don’t worry. I’m not going to put in all of my two cents worth about what are the most talked about subjects of the week, make that the year. I think I’ll leave that to those who are in the “know”; those pundits on the CBC, SportsCentre and Entertainment Tonight who are scrutinizing every move Stephen Harper, Alex Burrows and Wills and Kate make.
Me? I’m just an innocent bystander; one of the many who will watch, with slight amusement, while the chaos unfolds.
But then again, there are a lot of decisions to make this week, aren’t there?
As I write this Thursday, I have to decide whether to stay up late tonight to watch the Canucks mow down the Nashville Predators in what will probably be another nail-biting overtime sudden-death goal (wagers anyone?) or do I sleep through it to get up at the ungodly hour of 1 a.m. this morning to witness what hat Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth will wear. Oh, and the dress.
Then there’s the immediate aftermath that will be even more entertaining, as long as your tongue is firmly tucked inside cheek.
What will Vancouver do if the Canucks –– don’t hurt me –– lose the series? (I was in the city the last time it happened, and it wasn’t pretty.) There is something about a sporting tournament that brings out the best and worst in us. Forget the military, just send a rabid hockey fan wielding a stick over to Libya to whip some Gadhafi butt.
And what if William passes out from all that media scrutiny, or trips on his sword? What if –– OMG –– it rains?? I mean I can’t miss that. It would be as big as when his great, great uncle Edward VIII abdicated the throne so he could marry that American divorcée, Nazi sympathizer woman. Tut-tut.
I’ve watched all the aftermaths, and the divorces, of the Royal Family the past three decades. Why stop now?
And if you’re wondering why I haven’t mentioned one of the hardest decisions of them all, with an even bigger aftermath than all the other utter nonsense, don’t worry I’m getting to that….
Who the heck do I vote for on Monday??
I’m usually pretty apt at knowing where my politics lie, and I usually have no problem checking off my ballot, after all, I’ve had a lot of practice the past few years. But this election seems more like doomsday than the start of anything fresh.
And if I hear the word democracy one more time (I’m talking to you Iggy), I’m gonna scream. A real democracy would be one person, one vote, not letting more than half the country’s ridings in Ontario and Quebec make the decision of who will lead us for us. Oops, just a little rant there. Call me Mercer.
I’ve even gone on that Grit-supporting misnomer known as CBC’s vote compass to help me. After answering all the questions, it left me more confused than ever. (And no it did not point me in the red direction as it has been accused of doing.)
I think I’m going to have to wing it this time around. Go with my gut. Maybe watch the hockey game, or Entertainment Tonight as those votes start pouring in from the eastern ridings (and good luck blocking them out in this age of immediate information technology.)
Then I’ll wake up the next morning, as if nothing has happened, go to work, and sit back in amusement as the game, the dress, and the leader are dissected.
It’s the least I can do.
– Kristin Froneman is Arts editor at The Morning Star.
