In Ottawa with Samantha and Chris (acting himself) 

Lovers under the blossoms 

Blossoms along a Montreal boulevard 

Sami's new space in downtown Montreal 

Spring in Montreal 

The Cat Lady 

The Politics of Spring Rain, and Soccer

I took a quick trip up to Montreal a couple of weeks ago. It was looking pretty good given the spring weather and bursting blossoms. Spent some quality time with Maury and her cats. Son Sami is getting a new business underway and felt he needed his hand held a bit. Maury and I helped him get his space in shape. He has a large office/showroom close to central Montreal and has his vinyl collection there now and hopes it will eventually serve as a showroom for his “products” which will eventually lean towards the alternative energy sector including wind and solar. You can see more at his shop on

www.GaeaEarth.com

and I will post a picture of his space. Got a chance to go to Ottawa as well and saw Samantha and Chris briefly. We had a good feed of sushi which I really enjoyed as I don't trust it in SMA. Also saw brothers Lang and Black for lunch and a few good giggles.

There is speculation that how the Mexican soccer team does in Germany will affect the fate of the Presidential race to be decided July 2. Some say it will be good for the PAN (Fox’s party candidate Sr. Calderon) if the “Tri” make it through at least to the quarterfinals because it will indicate that Mexico is on the right track. An earlier exit will indicate a need for change and that will favour the upstart leftist populist and ex-mayor of Mexico, Sr. Obrador. That appears to be all that differentiates the two main contenders in the polls. It will be very close. Strangely, Mexico’s richest man, (and 3rd on Forbes world’s richest after Bill Gates and Waren Buffet), Carlos Slim (Telmex among other biz) is supporting Obrador. After charging Mexicans 30% more for their telephone services for the past 40 years I guess he feels guilty and wants to see some given back?

As for the Cup, only 6 days remain and it is hard to go anywhere in Mexico without being reminded how much hope Mexicans have for their team. Shirts, hats, balls and scarves in the red, white and green colors are on sale everywhere. The team’s every move is tracked by the sports press, from their send off by President Fox, to their arrival in France aboard a Mexican charter, their accommodations and training schedule. Their first couple of “friendly” matches against France and Holland did not turn out very well. This has led to calls for the coach’s head. Reminds one of Team Canada’s experiences at World Hockey Tournaments. In any case I have my own views on the cup and have put up five dollars in a local pool to test them. The final will be between Brasil and Germany --- and remember you heard it here fist.

Rain has arrived here with some conviction – at least compared to last year, which was considered a complete bust as far as the rainy season goes. We have already had more rain than all of last year and I am told it is just getting started, as June is the usual period. So far it has mostly been in the evenings and at night so has not disrupted the routine to speak of.