Carnation brand hot chocolate’s catchphrase is “A Warm Hug on a Cold Day”. Isn’t that a lovely sentiment? Wouldn’t the world be a better place if we could all get our allotted warm hugs on cold days?

And it is COLD in the A-1 Pallet office this morning. I had frost on my car for the first time this season this morning. I’m wearing my A-1 toque, a giant grey hoodie of Nate’s, and my wooly ski-socks, as I sit here typing away. And I’m drinking a ‘poor man’s mocha’ (recipe: add one package of Carnation brand hot chocolate to one cup of crappy coffee.)

The election fast approacheth. I’m voting Green because
a) they don’t use dirty attack ads maligning the other party leaders
b) they want to make Canada a more ecologically happenin’ nation
c) they want to find a balance between ecology and economy…

I don’t know why people get so freaked out when world-saving measures like the Kyoto accord are hashed out. It’s as though if we all suddenly started being kinder to the earth, the global economy would collapse, and… hey, guess what? It’s collapsing anyway!

Bpppplllt. I don’t believe in money. It’s just an abstract concept. And economics is just a bunch of theories made up by frantic guys in gray suits. In times like these, the main thing to do is buy a bunch of veggie seeds, and plow a bunch of compost into your backyard for the winter. That way, by next spring you can plant your garden, the world can collapse, and you can still eat. But seriously… why can’t we have a resurgence of craftsmanship, bartering, and fair-trade? Why can’t we slow down and fill our heads up with useful knowledge, like how to make shoes out of roadkill and how to shit in the woods? Then we can exchange goods and services. You help me prune my apple trees in the spring, I’ll give you some apples in the autumn. You bring me some eggs from your chickens twice a month, and I’ll make you some roadkill boots.

More reasonably, have a look at New Zealand. Quite a number of years ago, it dawned on the country that worldwide, there was a limited amount of fossil fuel, and thus they couldn’t depend on other countries and continents to be shipping them foods and staples forever. They had to find ways to be self-sufficient. And they have done a lot to achieve that end, in terms of food production and focusing on boosting the value of the products being produced in the country.
I’ve never figured out why Canada sells its raw lumber to the USA. The USA turns the lumber into useful items that they sell back to Canada. Is that ridiculous or what? What are we doing?

Anyway. Vote Green. Boost your skill set with useful survival skills. Get or give a Warm Hug on a Cold Day.