Religion and Politics

I was going to write a post about the U.S. election today, but I think I had made a vow to myself to avoid religion and politics. All I will say about it then is it should be interesting!
I had a nice run yesterday, eleven miles in 1:22 over a rather hilly course. My plan had been to run ten miles, but somewhere along the line I screwed up with my mental mathematics and found myself more than a mile from home. The extra mile didn't kill me and it was faster than walking.
The weather here in Northern Alberta has been nothing short of outstanding. Normally by Halloween we have a skiff of snow and the temperatures are in the -3 to -8 Celsius range. Yesterday it was + 15 C and very sunny. The outlook is for more of the same.
I was also going to rant a little about work in today's post, but I'm not going to do that either. Needless to say it has been extremely busy as labour negotiations are hitting a critical point and our annual operating plan is in draft #863.
Last week I was supposed to go on my annual elk hunt with my buddy Dale from Spruce Grove, but I was unable to get away from work. That choked me! We go to a great little trapper's cabin in a remote area up north and it is a very relaxing time. In the time we have went we have never got anything and to be honest, that is fine with me. We both enjoying just spending time in the woods. The bonus is that we always see a ton of wildlife, deer, moose, elk, grizzly and lots of birds of prey. The camp is comfortable and we have some great meals and a few drinks and it is all good. It was just too bad that I had to miss this year as I could really do with the break.
However, today I am going to book my tickets to go to my niece's wedding in Cancun in January. My older brother, Jim will be there so I will have a training partner for a week. That should be fun as he is now hooked on triathlon and marathon running and is doing quite well at it.
I have read a couple of good books lately. Paradise Lost was a great read about the destruction of the city of Smyrna in Turkey in 1922. This city was seemingly a virtual paradise which was isolated from all the turmoil in the area at the time between the Greeks and the Turks. However after a push by the Greeks to take over all of Turkey and a subsequent push back by the Turks, this city was the site of a horrendous scene. Very interesting book to see how the various governments of the U.S., Britain, France and Italy positioned themselves and stood by while the slaughter happened.
The other book I have read recently was called Black Mass which is about politics and religion, so I can't tell you how it was.
Have a great weekend!