Coming Soon To A Vanity Blog Near You!

So there, nerds. That's what I think about the health care system, and it's every bit as incoherent as I promised.

And now, a pitch for this week's coming attractions at Shades of Gray. Sunday or Monday, I'll be explaining why exactly a pro-private health insurance, pro-military spending, Afghan War hawk who believes in the current electoral system is a New Democrat, followed by a World Baseball Classic wrap-up in the wee hours of Tuesday morning. The previously promised post about abortion may or may not come early in the week as well.

Mid-week, I'll be introducing a new (possibly) regular feature: Fortnightly Shakespeare blogging, in which I'll be writing about whichever play it is that I'll be discussing with the Official Little Brother of Shades of Gray on Wednesday night.

A word of explanation is perhaps required here. Colin, the Official Little Brother of Shades of Gray, recently came through Halifax en route to his home at Party Univeristy in Antigonish, spending a Saturday night on the Official Horrible Living Room Sofa of Shades of Gray. In the course of a fraternal conversation otherwise taken up with the far more important topics of sports, girls and pizza toppings, the OLB of SoG asked if I'd help with a 1500 word Hamlet paper he had due that Thursday, which he hadn't even read the play for yet. To which I thought, "Well, he comes by it honestly, at least."

After that, I talked him into actually reading the play, rather than relying on those horrible crib notes, and arranged to talk to him about it on the Wednesday night before it was due. So far, everything is entirely in keeping with the known characters of the Gray brothers-one geeky, one jocky, both procrastinators, etc. And this is where the story takes a funny turn.

He liked it. He had fun reading Shakespeare. Granted, what he especially liked how Hamlet was "chirping" Rosencrantz and Guildernstern, but he liked the play. So much so, that he agreed to buy a Complete Works of Shakespeare and read a play every other week to discuss with me. I feel like I'm in Bizarro World.

So we kick off the "not for class" portion of the programme this Wednesday, with Macbeth, and I will posting something about the play here prior to the tele-colloquy of intellectuals based out of Halifax and Antigonish. It will probably be even more sophomoric and confused than the health-care stuff, but if you want insightful, incisive writing, read the baseball stuff.

See you at the show!