april 22, 2001. This has been a hell of a weekend. I don't think I have time to talk about it right now...I'm still missing a lesson plan for tomorrow morning, and the Sunday night ritual teevee coma will begin in a half-hour. I think my back is against the wall here. Suffice it say that we were very busy kiddies. Friday we went over to the Anti-Stephen's & taped a cassette of Leonard Cohen songs to use in my classes this week. Saturday was absolutely gorgeous, and we took part in a tiny sympathetic march in downtown Wolfville that included chanting, speeches and a neat little filksong called "FTAA" set to the tune of "YMCA." Today we travelled through the heavy fog & light rain down to Terrance Bay to visit my favourite education professor. The Boy came home with a ukulele, something I'm still having trouble understanding (although his "Sunday Morning" arrangement is really neat). We travelled in Jerry G.'s big blue oasis of a car, listening to Phish and making plans for summer festivals. I still smell like patcholi. From Friday morning onward I've been having a good time. I just wish I had more time to talk about it. Chew on this instead: M   The FTAA. Oh God, am I disgusted with my country. Before everything was signed, the North American leaders made a point of insisting on something they speciously referred to as a 'democracy clause.' Do you think that a country that practises unreasonable search & seizure deserves to lay down the rules? 'Coz I sure as fuck don't. 8. Everyone has the right to be secure against unreasonable search or seizure. 9. Everyone has the right not to be arbitrarily detained or imprisoned. - canadian charter of rights & freedoms M   Both Dirk and Nic are in Quebec City this week. Lo & behold, in a sea of protest my baby brother made the summit coverage. I don't know whether to laugh or wince. Outside the fence, people covered their faces with goggles and handkerchiefs as canisters of tear gas were fired into the crowd. At first, police lofted the gas, but as night settled over the city the canisters were fired almost directly at demonstrators. Protesters wearing gas masks tossed many of the canisters back at police, drawing loud cheers of approval from the crowd. "I think it's fair; if they're throwing it we can throw it back," said Nick, 23, from Brampton, Ont., who burned his glove when he lobbed a gas canister back at police. He said he had graduated from university the previous day. protesters lob canister back at the stormtroopers (definately not dirk; probably not nic)