Danger: Political Material Enclosed! Extremely Volatile!

Hopefully, the title should be enough warning to those people who don't like these. Anyways, yesterday I finally got to take part in the democratic process. Sure, it's only one vote, but for someone like me who has always been interested in politics, it's a big deal: that one vote means I have some say in how the government chooses to run my country. I know there's a lot of people who really don't care, and thus don't use their vote, but there's so many people around the world who have no control at all over what their government does to them: look at China, or Iran, or North Korea. Additionally, in Canada, we can be reasonably confident that the election results are actually what people really voted for: that definitely isn't always the case, as evidenced by the election (and subsequent "Orange Revolution") in the Ukraine last year (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orange_Revolution) .

Anyways, so to my thoughts on our new government. Firstly, I'm tremendously happy that the Liberals have been kicked out: their colossal wastes of money in the sponsorship and gun registry scandals, among the myriads of others, mean to me that they definitely don't deserve another chance to govern. Secondly, I'm also happy that the Conservatives will form the nucleus of the next government: I've been a strong supporter of their various incarnations over the years (Reform, Alliance (come on, all they had to do was put "Rebel" in front of their name and they would have been a shoo-in to win) , and now the current party), and definitely like this one the most: fiscal responsibility, with less emphasis on the social stuff. I'm especially happy with their plan to revitalize the Canadian military, and particularly Northern defense: maybe now we can go take back Hans Island, and we might be able to send troops overseas without sticking our thumbs out and asking for a lift! Thirdly, I like what they've promised to do that directly impacts my life. The GST cut will be awesome for me and all other students: we spend a lot on consumer stuff such as groceries and school supplies, and the tax really adds up over time. Also, I love how they are planning to make scholarships and bursaries non-taxable income. The change may only come into effect after I've used up mine, but it will help others down the road, and possibly me too. It's stupid to have to pay tax on those at the moment: you get money to help you get an education, so the government taxes you on it to help pay for (among other things) education scholarships and bursaries? Doesn't seem too logical to me...

The only bad side I see in the new Parliament is that the Conservatives will have to team up with the NDP (otherwise known as the new version of Soviet Russian communism!) to get most legislation passed: they can't ally with the Liberals most of the time, because they'll want to play obstructionist, and an alliance with the Bloc doesn't work too well, seeing as their mandate is basically to separate from Canada. Sure, there will be occasional deals with the Liberals and Bloc (hey, Bloc party!), but the Conservatives will mostly have to stick with the "Not Democracy! Party" , which means that they may not be able to pull off all of their promises.

Research and Development(s)

So, my life has had some interesting twists lately. I just finished applying for a couple of summer research jobs in the Queen's Chemistry department: they look fascinating, and would certainly jump-start my long-hoped for Chemistry career plans. I'm not sure if I'll be successful in these applications, as they usually prefer upper-year students, but it's definitely worth a try. However, the one downside is that if I do get one of the positions, it will take my entire summer, and I likely won't be able to visit B.C.
That brings up another interesting point. I definitely enjoyed being home for Christmas, but at the same time, I felt partly out of place there. As you may have guessed from my last post and its endless Lord of the Rings references, I'm currently re-reading Tolkien (the series is my favorite books of all time, so it's definitely worth reading over and over again), and I think that this peculiar sense of displacement is one of the most valuable points he makes in those novels. For example, in The Hobbit, when Bilbo returns from his great adventure, he finds his belongings being sold at auction, and his relatives about to take over his house. That hasn't happened to me so far, fortunately, but the next part is more familiar: the people who used to know him well now think of him as odd for leaving his home and going off with wizards and dwarves. At the start of Lord of the Rings, most of the village has always considered Bilbo a bit strange as a result. My old friends were great, and it was good to see them again, but things have definitely changed: I know I'm a lot different than the person I used to be in high school, and most of them seem different as well (to a degree).
In The Return Of The King, the hobbits eventually return to the Shire. After they scour it of Saruman and his henchmen, they settle down and try to relive the good times they formerly had. However, their adventures have changed them all, for better or for worse. Sam now has the courage to marry Rosie, and Merry and Pippin have gained a great deal of responsibility as well as a sense of adventure. They have seen that there is a wider world out there, and they can't just turn their backs on it (as evidenced by the post-book journeys of Merry and Pippin that are referenced). Yet, Frodo can't relive the days that were, and must pass over the Sea, as he is no longer a creature of his environment. I feel somewhat similar: Surrey, to me, still feels like a great place, and it's definitely fun to visit, but I'm not sure if it's really my home anymore. Like Frodo, I've been changed by my experiences, and I no longer fit into the neat little box of life there...
Anyways, nothing's decided yet. If the job here doesn't work out, I may very well wind up coming back to B.C. for the summer, or I may go somewhere entirely different. Even if I do return, though, I know things won't be as they were. However, I think it really is for the best: change comes to us all, and there's no real point in trying to fight it. I don't want to abandon the past, and I definitely don't want to abandon the friends I have from it, but I also know that it can't be exactly as it was...

There And Back Again... A Student's Holiday

Well, I've finished my three-week stay in the tropical climate of B.C., and am currently on a day-long journey back across Canada to the bitter cold of Kingston, Ontario, where it is always winter and never Christmas (I wasn't around there for Christmas, so theoretically at least, it never came: as I learned in quantum chemistry, the act of observing changes that which is observed, so logically, Christmas couldn't have come to Kingston without me observing it...) Haven't run into any trolls, goblins, wargs, dragons, or Nazgul yet, but I am currently dueling the hideous monster known only as "Flight Delayed"... oh well, at least I can get free wireless internet from here (Calgary airport)! I still have 3.5-4ish more hours of flying (to Toronto), and then some more lovely time (almost 4 more hours) on a bus to Kingston... getting in at 11, so hopefully I'll be able to catch the end of the Canucks' game. Tonight will be an important test for the 'Nucks: a climatic duel against the Flames, who are currently leading the division as well. So far, we've sucked against Alberta teams, but I'm hopeful that things will change... if I can slay the flight delay monster, maybe they can beat the hideous Dark Lords of Calgary (they are the Flames, after all, so maybe it's only their magically forged rings that allow them to beat us... oh right, they don't have any Cup rings, because they lost to the Lightning last season!)