11:22 a.m. - 2004-02-14
Timing
Well, dear diary, I had booked an appointment with my doctor for yesterday morning just to renew my prescription. Because of the discomfort I felt after flying both times I actually ran out of meds before I was able to see him, because I upped the dosage a bit. As I was recounting the symptoms I experienced - especially in the last half hour on the way to Ottawa - he started to frown and the stethoscope started travelling over my ribs. Conclusion? Possible partially collapsed lung. Peachy.
Truth was I did consider checking in with a doctor the first night there, but then thought about what that might mean. I was uncomfortable, but I weighed that against the stress of dealing with an unknown hospital system far away from home - one that has had some very disturbing incidents the past few months. Add in dealing with a doctor who one doesn't know and it just didn't seem worth the trouble. Good choice I think. I went home after my doctor gave me a new prescription and an order for an x-ray. Checked up the syndrome on the internet - a lot of good sites and some interesting information. Yes, pneumothorax (collapsed lung) can be caused by travelling in pressurized air craft. Symptoms:what, was someone sitting beside me recording them as they happened. Treatment? Oxygen and then a needle into lung to .... - wait a minute is that really necessary? Well no, according to the sites, minor occurrences can often self-heal in 48 to 72 hours. Total time for recovery? One or two weeks. I felt fine the Monday and better each day after. The trip home was much better but it likely re-irritated the lung. Suggested course of action - rest, no coughing, laughing, or other strenuous action involving breathing. Well I hadn't been able to keep up my exercises while I was on course, but now I can justify it - right? I'll go have the x-ray on Tuesday to see if things have settled down enough then. I would go on Monday, but that is a Provincial holiday - Family Day - and the services are all closed.
The training sessions we had - about 30 modules I think - were pretty good. Of course theory and reality can be quite different, so we'll really only be able to test things out when the election is called. Add in several new software applications that have the promise to make our work considerably more under our control instead of having to rely on people located four hours away by direct flight and it may improve the level of efficiency that we are able to achieve. As long as the software works properly and the linking human chain is all that is promised. We'll see. A lot of good training material was developed for our staff as well, and we will have it in our hands before the event begins instead of midway through, like last time. We weren't allowed to hire anyone until the day the election was called in the past and we were supposed to train them in addition to meeting all the other requirements the job. I enjoy teaching, and I have been told that I do good job, but it is difficult to ensure consistency and thoroughness when one is already under the gun - especially when one is talking about 60 core staff and 700 to 800 field staff. Each individual worker matters a lot in the process of the election. Some people don't absorb information as quickly as others when the pace has to be rapid and the lessons generic instead of individualized. The videos and workbooks will allow them to learn at their own pace.
Food. Great for the most part. The hotel we stayed in - the Marriott - was providing breakfast and lunch each day. I don't bother with breakfast, but their lunches were fabulous. Before dinner on Monday, my Automation Co-ordinator and I first went out walking for about an hour and a half after our classes ended. It was bitterly cold and blustery. We headed over to the Byward Market hoping to see some of the Mardi Gras activities. Needless to say the cold meant that most of the celebrations had already closed down. So were most of the shops as a result. Oh well. We headed north and west past the US embassy - built to resemble a battleship I think - and then over to the National Gallery. It was closed, as was the Basilica of Notre Dame. Walked back to the hotel and met my assistant in the restaurant on the main level for dinner. Very good, but way too expensive.
Next night my AC's sister had flown into town, so her evening was dictated by what her sister had in mind. My assistant and I went out to an East Indian restaurant - India Palace - with the Returning Officer and assistant from the riding south of ours. I had butter chicken, nan bread, rice, and dal - yummy and not too pricey. The guys had chosen dishes that were a little on the spicy side, so I don't think they felt the cold on the walk back to our hotel. The conversation was somewhat tense since a lot of political undertones were obviously driving the interaction between the other three. I really don't know a lot about their past affiliations or relationships, but I tend to just keep my mouth shut when I'm not certain why some dynamics are playing out.
The last evening we were ordered to attend a working dinner with the senior members of staff in Ottawa and the other Returning Officers and assistants - AC's were let off the hook. It actually turned out to be a lot of fun. I sat at the same table as about half the other staff from Calgary. We swapped stories of our travels and experiences with elections the whole evening - a lot of laughter and good information too. I'm not certain what the "working" part of the evening was supposed to be - we listened to the CEO for about 40 minutes as he articulated his goals and concerns for the upcoming event. That was actually informative and brief enough to be painless anyway.
One of the most interesting bits in the training sessions came when we were looking at the website modifications for Elections Canada - Elections. A lot of really interesting features. Being that everyone in class is very politically savvy the finance section got the most attention. By law, all candidates must file a return with EC, listing every contributor of funds or goods over the value of $200. That is all posted on the site and can be searched in a number of ways. There is one candidate that is unknown, but who has generated a lot of interest with their appearance on the election trail, so their company was the one requested as a demonstration model by members of the group. A collective "uh huh" was heard as the results filled the screen. Transparency in the electoral process - who is aligned with or owes allegiance to the other players in the game. It's important to know. Other features were the mapping and stats of the constituencies. Because a lot of the boundaries have shifted, maps showing the evolution over the year of development were supplied, with accompanying commentary, and access to the presentations of people who wanted to influence those decisions. Also very revealing at times.
A lot of speculation as to when the vote might be called. Early on, it appeared that the timing was already determined, but two major league scandals blew up while we were in Ottawa. The one won't likely influence the decision too much, because it occurred in a less populous province. The second one - fraud and misappropriation of $100 million in Ontario and Quebec - may delay things depending on the public reaction there. Those two provinces can determine the outcome of the vote because they have the most seats in the House of Commons. Seats are distributed solely by population - that's where about 60 - 70% is in Canada. Hard to say. We were all sent home with an assignment starting immediately, so that is what we focus on while the politicians try to do damage control. Whether they decide to call an election or not, we will have as much of the preparations ready as we can.
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