and the faculty poaching wars continue. news came today that two of Waterloo's best political science professors have been poached by queen's university. i guess it was only a matter of time but the hole they leave in the Waterloo program is gaping. professor mcgarry is the world leading thinker on nationalism and ethnic conflict, having won a carnegie foundation grant to study ethnic conflict all over the world this past spring. his wife margaret is a powerful motivator of young minds and has been able to excite the political theory area within the waterloo department. together they created a niche at waterloo in secessation theory, nationalism and ethnic conflict that made the department really interesting.

however, at queens they will join will kymlicka, potentially the most potent academic on multicultural citizenship and rights- in a class that would include someone like michael ignatieff. anyway, i won't blab on about people most of you who read this probably don't know, only to say that these were great professors and the waterloo poli sci department has big shoes to fill...

so, i fly off to toronto tomorrow morning and get there for the afternoon. the trip has been a wee bit crazy to organize (because Air Canada had basically no Rewards seats left) but i've made it work. I get in at 2 and then it's Pride all weekend long. I'm staying at my friend Bryce's and I think it's going to be a party weekend of great proportions. Monday I leave to head to the Muskokas for a few days of R 'n R with my friend John from New York. He's booked a gorgeous little chalet at a resort which I think is going to be out of this world. Wednesday night I fly from Toronto to Thunder Bay. Then I sleep in the Thunder Bay airport until my flight to Winnipeg then next morning. I'm flying first class to Thunder Bay so I think the irony of being waited on to sleeping on a bench will definitely have its moments...

in other news, uwstudent is having a big-ass discussion on israel/palestine because of a lecture on campus. I've often waded into these debates before but with comments suggesting that we should nuke Iraq and kick that Arab's ass one more time, I've decided I'll stay out of the fray. Needless to say my opinion that anti-Israeli or anti-Israeli occupation sentiment is not equivelent to anti-Semitism has been well documented here. So, in fact, are my thoughts on the evil enemy of Saddam Hussein - a dictator, yes, but one installed and funded by the US until 1988. Anyway, political conversations just make me angry and sad... and it's 36 degrees here so I should be happy :)

ciao for now!

it has been a day for enormous contemplation. i have found, in my friend bill, a confidante and soul-mate who i can share so honestly with that i often discover new parts of me i couldn't articulate before. parts of them scare me and parts of them are refreshing. at the core of it, is a genuine search for self-love that is not dependent on others but is within me. i'm not sure i'll ever get there. along the way, however, i have come face to face with so many of my flaws and also a much wider picture of my motivations. human existence is so complicated but yet so exciting...

i leave for pride on saturday but i'll post more on that later.