Show Notes - Week of September 23, 2019

Greetings from 53.5° north latitude. Fall has definitely arrived and with it, the first crash of the season. Too many leaves on the ground and if you ever ride in the fall, you will know how slippery a pile of wet leaves can be. Landing on the handlebar is apparently a good way to make it bend.

Still lots of time spent at work, so still not a lot going on beyond that. One book, a remarkable political scandal with a remarkable lack of impact, two new beers, and a handful of words.

​To infinity and beyond!​

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Reading Pile:
I commented back in April and May about the first Cormoran Strike novel and how it was really quite enjoyable. In the last week, I picked up and read "The Silkworm" which is the second book in the series. 

There are lots of comments online stating that the only reason this series is popular is because Rowling wrote it. However, in the acknowledgements for "The Silkworm", Rowling states that the audiobook version of "Cuckoo's Calling" went to number one before anyone knew Galbraith was actually Rowling. My personal feeling is that the books are good enough to read, and if I personally only know about them because of the identity of the author, so be it. I would rather read a good book by any author than not know of that book.

Good book, crappy cover because of the TV show.

Finishing that book brings my annual total to 41, and sets me on pace to read 55 books this year. My tally for 2018 was 34 books, and 40 books for 2017. So sitting here at the end of September, I have already read more books than I have in any other year. 

Federal Election:
​As I type this, Canada is 22 days from the Federal Election. A couple weeks ago, I commented how the polls were shaping up to disappoint all parties, with the likely answer a minority government. The Liberals had the most to lose, I said, due to "Trudeau's inability to deliver and likely highlights his constant parade of gaffes". Well, they kept on coming. 

Four weeks ago, the Liberals might not have had a clear road to majority, but surely the latest Liberal scandal must have erased even their hopes of a minority government, right? Maybe not, according to 338Canada and their article in Maclean's this week. Here is a side-by-side comparison of the 338Canada analysis from four weeks ago and this week.

Week of August 26

Week of September 23

Looking at that comparison, people that are going to vote for the Conservatives have already self-identified. The Liberals and even the Bloc are gaining ground at the expense of the NDP, and the Greens will still get their four seats, assuming we let them round up instead of down. 

Twenty-two days to go. Lots could happen of course, but if the blackface / brownface issue is not big enough to sway the polls, I can only be very afraid of what it would take to actually make a difference. 

New Beers:
​Two new beers this week. The first was Baldwin Steam from Alley Kat. If you read this site at all, you know I drink a lot of different beers from Alley Kat. That is partly because they do good work, and partly because they are the closest brewery from my house. I like Alley Kat's regular beers, but I particularly like the variety they bring with their Dragon series of DIPAs, and the small batch Back Alley Brew series. My latest BAB was the Baldwin Steam, Lots of pine and a flavor that I couldn't place. The label talks about earthiness, so maybe that is it. If I am being honest, this one didn't do as much for me as some of their others, but it was still well put together. 

The second was the Farm to Table Imperial from Russell Brewing. I don't have a lot of experience with Russell, but they seem to produce a solid line up. The Farm to Table had a lot of citrus from the hops, and was a high ABV beer, but there wasn't too much booziness so it was easy to drink. Good stuff. This one earned me Middle of the Road (Level 58) and The Great White North (Level 87) on Untappd.

New Words:
Nine words this week, with one I know that I looked up before, and two that I really should have known. I will leave it to the reader to determine which words fit which category.

piste
[pēst]
NOUN

1. a ski run of compacted snow.

soi-disant
[ˌswädēˈzäN, ˌswädēˈzän(t)]
ADJECTIVE

1. self-styled; so-called.

palpate
[ˈpalˌpāt]
VERB

1. examine (a part of the body) by touch, especially for medical purposes.

tulle
[to͞ol]
NOUN

1. a soft, fine silk, cotton, or nylon material like net, used for making veils and dresses.

dissolute
[ˈdisəˌlo͞ot]
ADJECTIVE

1. lax in morals; licentious.

doss
[däs]
VERB
dossing (present participle)

1. sleep (in rough or inexpensive accommodations).

mythomania
[ˌmiTHəˈmānēə]
NOUN

1. an abnormal or pathological tendency to exaggerate or tell lies.

excrescence
[ˌikˈskresəns]
NOUN

1. a distinct outgrowth on a human or animal body or on a plant, especially one that is the result of disease or abnormality.

pugnacious
[pəɡˈnāSHəs]
ADJECTIVE

1. eager or quick to argue, quarrel, or fight