had a meeting with the supervisor for two and a half hours, and he wasn't a condescending prick!

perhaps he realized that making me cry was detrimental to his karma. (could i have phrased that in any more sterile a manner?)

sure, now i have to revamp my entire set-up, but it's not like what i was doing didn't work because i was doing something retarded -- it just didn't work 'cause it didn't work. doesn't get me any closer to finishing my thesis, but at least i don't currently feel like curling up into the fetal position and whimpering under my desk.

...

i'm excited about tonight: pre-birthday dinner of peking duck with S&A and my sweetie. it was going to be tomorrow night (on my real birthday) but S&A have to go to the symphony.

...

i was going to write a diatribe about the whole situation with khadr family yesterday, but i got distracted. (says HT: 'shirk work! kill bill!'). the current on cbc radio talked to three canadian muslims about how they felt about the khadr family and people wanting to deport them or deny them medical care, etc. that program routinely has compelling topics.

anyway, i don't deny that the khadrs' views are generally pretty repugnant: the matriarch of the family, for instance, says that she'd much rather see her son in an al-qaeda training camp becoming a 'true, strong man' than have him out getting into drugs and homosexual behaviour.

but she and her family are canadian citizens, and she's allowed to have and express those opinions, as much as they might offend our sensibilities.

the pro-deportation camp is citing the fact that we're tired of having canada perceived as being soft on terrorism as one of the main thrusts behind their campaign to have the khadr family shipped off. problem is, 'not being soft on terrorism' isn't written into the constitution and the charter of rights, whereas the freedoms of thought, speech and association are.

it gives me chills that having unpopular opinions could have me booted from the country by a zealous mob. it disturbs me that popular backlash in canada could be so extreme and reactionary.

csis and the rcmp are keeping an eye on the khadrs. as well they should. and if they break the law, they should be incarcerated, not deported. but until that happens, regular citizens should leave them the hell alone.