Keurig kerfuffle: How to make coffee using a single-cup Keurig machine, in five easy steps: 1) Fill mug with water and empty into chamber. 2) Insert coffee pod in machine and close lid. 3) Hit “Brew” button. 4) Forget to put mug under dispensing chamber. 5) Swear.
Yes, that was how last week got underway. In my defence, I was distracted from my coffee-making by gazing out the window at the front yard of the Journal office and admiring how tidy it looked. Pride goeth before a fall, indeed.
Going gaga over gas prices: There has been a lot of chatter on social media and in the comments section of newspaper articles about the high price of gas. Some of the more frothy commenters here at home blame Trudeau and his “corrupt” government, and claim this is another instance of “tyranny” and the “takeover of our freedom”.
It’s interesting, because my Facebook friends in Britain (gas is Cdn$2.71 a litre there), Germany ($2.91), Norway ($3.56), and elsewhere are likewise complaining about the high (and ever-rising) price of gas. Is Trudeau’s reach so powerful, insidious, and widespread that he is also causing high gas prices around the world? Or could it be that the high price of gas is the result of many factors that are complex, multifaceted, and beyond the control of any one government or person?
Nah, easier just to blame Trudeau.
Failing upward: Speaking of pride going before a fall, I see that English broadcaster, journalist, writer, and television personality Piers Morgan’s new, much-heralded TV talk show Piers Morgan Uncensored is only getting 62,000 viewers per night, despite the fact that media mogul and pimple on the face of humanity Rupert Murdoch has been promoting it heavily, and it’s being broadcast on networks in the U.S., the U.K., and Australia.
Murdoch is paying Morgan US$63 million over three years to host the show, which is obscene, but also means Murdoch isn’t spending the money paying journalists to hack the phones of grieving parents. Morgan was heavily implicated in the U.K. phone-hacking scandal, and the list of newspapers and TV shows that he has been sacked from, reprimanded over, or stormed off from in a huff is impressively long. Morgan got his new show after walking out of his last one, when his weatherman called him out on air over Morgan’s continued abuse of the Duchess of Sussex. While talking about his new show, Morgan said “I feel like Nelson Mandela when he came out of prison. It’s like the long walk to free speech freedom.”
And there we have it: an embittered, self-pitying mediocrity who is being paid $63 million to spout whiny outrage comparing himself to Nelson Mandela. A lot of words spring to mind, none of them printable in this newspaper.
Fruit flavour: I am eating fresh raspberries as I write this, and they reinforce my belief that raspberries are the most delicious fruit in the entire world. That position is not up for debate or discussion.
Unexpected visitor: A marmot has taken up residence near the Journal office, and was recently munching on the lawn. I know they’re a nuisance that will decimate gardens and undermine foundations, but they’re so gosh-darn cute. The local feral cats have apparently been chasing it, which is ambitious of them, given the disparity in size. Good luck, guys!
Garden goodness: While I was covering Skip’s Run at the end of last week, I was complimented on how nice and colourful the garden at the Journal office looks: “I know you’re the one who does it all, and just wanted to tell you it’s noticed.” I am not a gardener by nature or inclination, but have been trying to make it look tidier and prettier a little bit at a time. The kind words were therefore greatly appreciated, and more than made up for the coffee fiasco earlier in the week. As long as the marmot leaves the flowers alone, all will be well.
editorial@accjournal.ca
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