Procrastination

Struggling with the idea of filling out the legal financial forms for my separation yet again.

I just don't believe that my ex is going to do the paperwork this time, either. He keeps making demands that I jump through the hoops, but he is never forthcoming with his paperwork!

Y'know, I think what annoys me the most is that I have to pay over $60 every time I do it ... $30 plus tax for the documents to be notarised; pay to have them faxed to my lawyer; and then pay for the documents to be tracked in the mail or by courier.

Rev. Eugene (Jeep) Green is dead

I remember Rev. Green vividly from my high school days in Ottawa. He was the Anglican priest who led the ecumenical services, known as Prayers at my school, most mornings. We shared him with a boys' school a few blocks away.

His wife worked in the office at the school and his daughter was in junior school when I was a senior.

When I was in university, my friend's kid brother (who went to the boys' school) was grumbling about how no one ever showed up to cheer them on at their curling matches. My friend and I started going to them, and then it became a habit ... made all the more pleasant because Rev. Green was the coach. I asked him how he got the nickname Jeep. He told me that, when he was a kid, there was a cartoon called 'Eugene the Jeep'. His first name was Eugene, so he got tagged as Jeep.

Fast forward to middle age (mine) ... I was taking music composition lessons from a friend. She wouldn't accept any money for it, but I wasn't comfortable taking something for nothing. She was the organist and choir director for All Saints Westboro Anglican Church on Richmond Road, and mentioned that she could use another Second Soprano. So, I started going to that church and was delighted to discover that Rev. and Mrs. Green were living in the parish! It felt so good to see them each Sunday, as the choir processed and recessed.

When my father died in 2003, I turned to Rev. Green to perform the funeral service. I couldn't imagine asking anyone else, and I couldn't have asked for a kinder, more thoughtful person. Rev. Green may not have recalled my father from my high school days, but he didn't say so. It was a lovely service.

Jeep Green will be deeply missed and, given how many of my friends are asking for details about his funeral, I'm not the only one who will miss him.

Kim Dotcom

Well, it really was only a matter of time.

While I don't believe a whole lot of what the FBI spouts, I believe nothing at all that I read in the Toronto Sun. This means that I can read what passes for news in that tabloid ... and shake my head in disbelief.

Take, for example, the article from January 22 of this year. Apparently, the FBI were involved in apprehending Kim Schmitz, aka Kim Dotcom, in New Zealand, for his alleged ownership of Megaupload.com -- a site that was actively involved in selling pirated items.

The article claimed that this site had generated $175 million from subscriptions and advertising. It also quoted the FBI as saying that Schmitz had garnered $42 million personally in 2010.

First, the last time I checked, the Federal Bureau of Investigation was not allowed to operate outside the U.S.A., just like the Central Intelligence Agengy is not allowed to operate within the U.S. Agencies in the United States seem to be very jealous of their jurisdictions / territories. I just can't see the FBI operating in New Zealand. The CIA, maybe.

Second, I think these figures may be on the conservative side. $175 million? How many years has it been in operation? And Kim Dotcom / Schmitz received a quarter of that in one year alone? Something's funny here. Of course, that could be bad reporting.

Kim is being hailed as a hero of the little guy, a kind of modern day Robin Hood, if you will. But, given the size of the mansion he was living in (picture in paper, and my scanner not working) and the fleet of about 20 cars -- including, if we are to believe the report, a pink Cadillac and a Rolls Royce Phantom Coupe.

I would have a whole lot more respect for him if he had given the bulk of his money to charity. As it is, I think he's just as greedy as the big movie studios -- and no different.

Tests

I'm really not looking forward to these medical tests. This cyst is being a real pain in the back -- figuratively, not literally. Actually, if it hadn't been for the ultrasound, I wouldn't have known it was there at all.

I did it

Last year, I made a New Year's Resolution to get rid of one thing a day from my house. I did it, too.

Because I have my grandmother's stuff, plus my parents' stuff, plus my stuff -- all in my modest bungalow -- it has felt horribly crowded. So, this year, I decided to do the same resolution again. It's helping me be more vicious when it comes to turfing things that might come handy (mch).

I know it will be a while before I am actually in control of the mess, but I'm finally starting to feel better about things. It helps that a former co-worker's sister is going off to university next fall, and has nothing in the way of furnishings -- absolutely nothing.

I felt great getting rid of some of my mugs and tea towels this week. Have you ever realised just how long linen tea towels last? I gave her one that had been a calendar for 1985 because still it looked pretty good. The one from 1976 was a little too faded to give, I thought, even though the fabric was in excellent condition.

Today, I started cleaning out under the bathroom sink. I think I had nail polish and bags of make up in there from the seventies! The worst of it is, I didn't have time to sort that stuff before I moved in 2008, so I need to do it now.