what about the children?

just came back from a day-long meeting to talk "election strategy" with the inner circle of the child care movement. ay-carumba. highlight of the day was the delictable lunch spread catered by scone witch, particularly the smoked turkey with stilton. mmm mmm good. lowlights were several:

• no gripping analysis on how to approach the parties during this election
• no thinking beyond the elitist ottawacentric approach to influencing party platforms (in fact, it was alarming to me that anyone thinks we still could, as if the platforms are still in early draft stages? hellooo!! sweet jesus am i ever tired of some of the VIPness that so many movement types feel about themselves, as if having a couple of ottawa players on speed dial makes you a player too)
• no strategy for activating the grassroots of this tightly-networked movement

by the afternoon, i was stunned into silence by suggestions that we should shy away from what i considered to be non-negotiable movement vocabulary like "universal" and "not-for-profit" child care. being that my presence was only as a labour movement lackey, and a temporary one at that, i bit my tongue through lots of it. but it has never been more clear to me that i am doing the right thing by exploring other means by which i might do my part to change the world.

so obviously i need to call this amazing woman who will hopefully tell me that i misheard EVERYTHING today. but it'll have to be after the tele-meeting of the quebec ndp election planning committee. tonight, we shall decide which campaigns get funding for campaign managers, and how much. another reason to love my life.

on a completely unrelated note, is there a more aggressive reminder of how badly one needs a pedicure than winter itself? i say this as someone who believes quite deeply in the freedom of feet. not only do i extend the appropriate period of foot nudity to as long as possible (usually until after at least the first snowfall), i require my feet to be unconstrained as much as possible, ie: sticking out of the bed covers. socks, as a seasonal requirement, are like a gauge for me as to the dreaded state of my toe nails and cracked heels, all squished and friction-y inside suffocating footwear. socks tell me when to pumice and whatnot. like today.