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The Shotgun asks us to think about the next steps the Conservative Party of Canada should take to effect change and get a Conservative government in power.

And the scale says: 200.6 lbs!

Woo… in another week I should be under 200!

Every spring, the Narcisse Snake Dens are alive with tens of thousands of red-sided garter snakes as they slither to the surface from their winter dens. These snakes are ready to begin their annual mating ritual. This spectacular ritual lasts for a one to three week period in late April or early May, depending on weather conditions.

The male snakes are usually first to surface and they wait patiently for the females to come out. As the larger females surface, the male snakes are eager to mate with them. This eagerness is displayed in the familiar “mating ball,” where one female is surrounded by up to one hundred males.

There are four active snake dens at the Narcisse WMA. The dens are connected by a three-kilometre self-guiding interpretive trail. Although the garter snakes are harmless, they are best viewed by the observation platforms built next to the dens.

And today it was off to Narcisse I went with my mother and sister. For me it was slightly anti-climactic as I am positive we should have gone a week earlier if we wanted to see thousands of snakes. However we did see a lot of snakes and a few mini “mating balls”.

For the curious, I have put photos of our trip in my gallery, but here is a teaser:

Congrats to Neil (a friend from work) and his beautiful wife Rifah on getting married yesterday!

I am a completely amateur crappy photographer, and so I took some photos of both the wedding and the reception afterwards.

Here is a teaser (one of the few that came out well – actually this is my favourite shot of all the pictures. Thanks Rifah for being spontaneous!):

I’m appalled. I don’t know how else to say it. I’m appalled that this whole situation was taken so lightly by the media. I’m appalled that the non-confidence vote was defeated. But to be honest, I am most appalled that the average Canadian is either completely apathetic about the situation, or like my mother clings to the notion that “they are all corrupt, so I’ll just stick with the Liberals”, or like my sister is complete unaware politically. I asked her last night what she thought of the vote, and she had no idea there was a vote taken. She had no idea what the Gomery inquirey was about. She had no idea of the corruption and vote buying going on. I am appalled that people care so little about their country that they would accept (with $22 billion in bribes) the corruption of their government and basically not bat an eye. I’m appalled the polls suggested the Liberals were still very popular leading into the non-confidence vote.

I’m saddened that Canadians cannot get past the notion that Harper is going to try and jam a so-con agenda down everyone’s throats if he gets into power. If there was an election tomorrow, and I could say anything to Canadians about choosing a candidate/party to vote for it would be this:

I would like you to vote Conservative, I believe they are the best party for the future of this country. Even if you don’t agree with me and won’t vote Conservative, I beg you – vote anything but Liberal. You have a right and obligation to stand up as voters and show politicians that in a Democracy they will be held accountable – if not in the courts, then most assuredly in the electorate. We as voters must not let such open and brazen corruption and vote buying go unpunished. So vote. I would prefer you vote Conservative, but just vote. Vote for anyone but a Liberal. Stand up, stand strong, be proud. You are Canadian!

A few sites to read for conservative reaction to the lost non-confidence vote last evening.

Being American in T.O.

Captain Ed ponders, “Is Harper finished?”

The Blue Maple Leaf did a live blog of the vote.

Angry in the Great White North says that in the end there were no surprises and that it could have been worse.

Conservative Life suggests Cadman has a Senate seat already reserved for him. They also question the influence of a poll leading up to the vote. And finally ask, “Where do we go from here?”

Glen Reynolds links to the Captain’s Quarters post on the vote.

M. K. Braaten weighs in with a short blurb on the post result (blame Cadman).

Right Thinking People has become numb at the lost vote.

Mark Steyn has a couple articles that preceed the vote but are still very much worth reading.

Andrew Coyne writes about the smoking audio tape of an apparent attempted bribe of a member of the CPC.

My favourite quote from the comment gallery:

These guys are so crooked they make Watergate look like a Girl Guides’ slumber party.

Right Thinking Girl has Weekend Survey 12 up and ready to be answered, so here are mine:

1. What is the best way to die?

Either after a long but very healthy life in my sleep, or when I am not so old but before I become a drooling vegetable.

2. What’s the worst way to die?

Fire.

3. What do you hope to hear God say when you reach Heaven?

I forgive you for not knowing which faith to follow, and you can come in because you did live your life with a strong sense of morals and values.

4. True or False: What goes up must come down.

True.

5. What are you wearing? (That’s got to be the cheesiest and most asked question on the net.)

Clothes!

6. What songs are you into these days?

Listening to Michael Buble, The White Stripes, John Hiatt, and some old U2 (Rattle & Hum, The Joshua Tree) this past week.

7. What are you doing this weekend?

Going on a road trip to see garter snakes mating!

8. Tell RTG readers something about yourself that you want us to know.

I have dropped 6 belt notches since I started eating better and exercising in mid-Feb!

9. Parker Grace is now 15 weeks old.

Wow… I hope to one day know what it feels like to have a family on the way…

10. Can you keep a secret?

Yes.

11. How often did you work out this week and what did you do?

Two days I did weightlifting (actually this is the first week I have added weightlifting into my workouts). Two days of 30+ minutes cardio (running/elliptical machines). That’s it this week. I normally like to workout every day, but I am nursing a hurt left quad.

12. Tell me an irrational fear that you have.

I don’t know if it is irrational, but I do fear being alone for the rest of my life! If that doesn’t count, then spiders give me the creeps…

13. What’s the most important news story this week?

The corruption in the Canadian government, and how utterly apathetic and indifferent the average Canadian is to it despite all of the information that has come out in the press.

14. If you could be another person for a day (not a real person, more like a character), who would you be? What’s the name, what does this person do and why do you want to be this person?

I have no idea… a hero who gets the girl?

15. Tell me a blatant lie.

Indifference to corruption and the undermining of democracy in Canada is just fine!

I saw a show on PBSHD about 4 or 5 months ago that was all about this. I stumbled across this article and felt it was worth spreading the news a bit more.

FuturePundit: Synthetic HDL Cholesterol Reduces Artery Clogging In 6 Weeks

Perhaps in 20 years heart attacks from clogged arteries will be a thing of the past.

A live RGD-5 Soviet-designed fragmentation grenade was tossed in the direction of George Bush while he was speaking in Georgia.

Man, I must be living in a vaccuum to not have heard about this before. I guess this is what happens from cancelling my cable TV.

Hat tip to that Right Thinking Girl for the original post.

Angry in the Great White North picked up on something I saw that Kate posted about on Small Dead Animals. At Stronach’s “coming out” press counference, he intimated that Stronach:

will help guide the implementation of the recommendations that flow from the Gomery Commission’s final report.

Or, as another person might translate it… “Election? Who said I would call an election? Here’s a broom. There’s the carpet. Now I shall sweep, sweep, sweep!”

There was one comment on the Angry in the Great White North entry that I found fairly amusing:

We are having a new sign put in at the Alberta border.

Give Us Your Tired, your weak, your Liberally Disgusted,

Welcome All Free Thinkers to an Independant Province where there is room for all those of Morality.