We had our last prenatal class today, which included a sort of a graduation ceremony. All the expectant moms got a little bit of face paint, which I thought was cool but my wife thought was hokey.

I really need to get better about not guessing people's politics from their political positions. Not too long ago at Sunday dinner with my in-laws, we were all talking about Alberta's position in the confederation. As usual, the conversation degenerated into griping about how Alberta would be better off financially if the Federal government went away and Alberta paid for its own health care and social services. Then my mother-in-law, who I had thought was a Federalist Liberal, said (without cracking a smile) "Don't forget that the Federal government funds our national airline... and defense!" at which point the conversation ended, since everyone was laughing.

(I can't give the whole history of my wife's family's troubles with Air Canada here -- for both space and privacy reasons -- but it's a good tale. But anyone who lives in the prairie provinces can pour you out a tale of woe regarding Air Canada's crappy schedules, lack of customer service and outright hostility to Western Canada. The Canadian military, of course, is a joke that needs no explanation.)