Odds & ends (the downbeat edition)

• I had almost forgotten that -- in addition to every single woman's favourite (not) holiday, Valentine's Day -- it's Family Day this weekend in Ontario (& several other Canadian provinces). (Past Family Day-related posts/rants here.) I received an unwelcome reminder by way of a sappy radio ad that was sponsored by a union (!). Bah, humbug. :p 
• An older, distant (female, American, conservative) relative rarely posts on Facebook -- but recently, she posted a faux Peanuts cartoon in which Lucy says, "Women have the right to control their own bodies!" and Linus retorts, "If you controlled them, you wouldn't need abortions!" I promptly unfollowed her. I put up with a LOT of political crap I don't agree with from some of my relatives on social media -- but when you put lines like that in the mouths of beloved Peanuts characters (who would NEVER have said anything like that...!!), I really have to draw the line. :p  (Especially with an election coming up in the States later this year...!) 
• I had some sad/shocking news over the weekend when I talked to my mother:  she told me she'd seen an obituary in the city paper... for my sister's first high school boyfriend.  They didn't go together very long, maybe a few months (some 40+ (!!) years ago now), but of course I remember him vividly.  My sister is a bit of a tough cookie -- or at least she likes to present herself that way ;) -- but my mom told me she burst into tears when she heard the news.  He was a live wire, kind of a hyper kid, a bit of a chatterbox -- so it's hard to believe he's gone. He was only 57 (same age as my sister), and had been ill for almost a year. Way too young. :( 
• I had my own little side romance going on with his best friend at the same time -- we all hung out together. He was my one and only high school "boyfriend" -- and I'm not even  really sure I can or should call him that. I think we had just one "official" date -- the four of us went to a dance together at the other high school in town (there were two!), and he paid my way in. We danced together there, and at a few house parties, and made out a few times, and I think he called me a few times, but that was it. I knew our relationship would fizzle out after my sister & his friend broke up -- and it did -- but we stayed friends (cordial but awkward in the school halls...)(I was friends with his two younger brothers as well, and our moms also knew each other), and I still have fond memories of him and of that time in my life.
• After writing the above, I started Googling -- & ran across a blog written by my old boyfriend's younger brother. 
• He has stage 4 cancer and expects to be gone within the year. :(  
• I think it's time for me to get offline for a while...!