Wedding on the Brain…

Posted on October 10, 2006 by Mike

This weekend, one of Chantale’s oldest friend of the family got married. Friday night, we went for cocktails at their suite at the St. Sulpice Hotel (top floor – balcony on the roof overlooking old Montreal) which also was something of a Birthday party for her. Saturday was a whirlwind of activity as we went to my parent’s in the morning, followed by a hairdresser’s appointment, followed by packing overnight bags, followed by driving to St. Hubert where Kyle and Casey would be staying with Francisco and Line, followed by getting ready for the wedding and finally heading out! 🙂 The wedding was very nice and we had a great time – staying at the reception until it closed down at 2:30am. Those of us left at that time went back to the hotel suite but by 3am Chantale had finally hit a wall and needed sleep. So, we got another cab and headed to St. Hubert to crawl into bed at 4am. We slept on the futon in the basement with Kyle in his playpen next to us. At 6am, he was up and wanting out. We pulled him into bed and I hummed and calmed him down for another hour until we all finally got up. At 7am. After only sleeping 2 hours. 🙂 We spent a few quite hours with Francisco and Line and then headed back to the hotel for a brunch and the showing off of Kyle. We hung out with the family for a few more hours until heading back to St. Hubert in the late afternoon to pick up Casey and, finally, go on home. Sunday night, we passed out for about 10 hours. I don’t remember when I did that last. Monday was spent doing a ton of yardwork followed by a great Turkey dinner at my in-laws. What a weekend! 🙂

It’s quite tiring to think of all we did, but it was also quite amazing. It was really special to be at the wedding on Saturday. Especially touching to see how much the couple – Michelle and Casey – really loved each other. I watched Casey choke up when Michelle walked in and remembered how I felt when Chantale walked onto the aisle at our wedding. I smiled when he had to hold himself back from kissing her as her father handed her over and I knew exactly what he was feeling – having gone through it myself the same way. And I had to continue smiling when he lost his composure during his vows, again, remembering me doing the same thing.

The magic of this weekend wedding and the spending of time with their family and ours, sharing stories, anecdotes, and realzing how the last time we were all together like that was at OUR Wedding over 3 years ago, really struck home. I spent the entire weekend remembering how wonderful life was during the planning and execution phase of our wedding. I found it funny that I could not remember any of the insignificant details of the time – such as where I was working or what I was doing – but could only remember how wonderful life was and all the work that went into putting that wedding together. I remember how much I loved Chantale and our time together and could not imagine loving her any less. This weekend made me realize that although you expect to love your partner more as the years go by, you can’t always measure it. But it did strike me at the level of intensity that my love has grown. The life we have now is quite different than 3 years ago – especially when you bring in all the family growth and changes – but the beauty of it is that the amount of love I feel has quadrupled and more (if I really have to quantify it).

As I spent last night looking through the thousands of photographs we took on our wedding weekend, re-reading through the wedding pamphlet we had put together with the ceremony, giggling at the various notes and plans now cobbled together in a scrapbook, I realized how truly great and special our night was. The memories are enduring, and they continue to bring a smile to many faces. And, based on the regular hits to the website still on the net, there are still some out there who continue to visit it! 🙂 It might be years gone by, but the memories are as fresh as today and the desire to continue printing up and putting up photographs of that day still amazes me. It wasn’t the climax of our courtship, it was the prologue to an amazing adventure.

If that isn’t the mark of a truly great, beautiful, amazing, and enduring relationship, I’d like to know what is. It’s not sappy at all to be as in love as I am 🙂 We are truly blessed 🙂

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A Few Things.

Posted on October 5, 2006 by Mike

Firstly, just because: I’m wearing a pair of pants I haven’t seen in about a year. How cool is that? I feel like I’ve suddenly found a new wardrobe 🙂

Second, James just called me from school! He’s on lunch and after finishing his meal, decided to call me from one of the phones in the school. How touching is that? He gave me an update on his health – yesterday afternoon he headed out with his mother to get more blood tests and that scan of his leg and now we wait for the results. He also wanted to chat with me a bit letting me know that he finished another Bobby Pendragon book and was going to be checking out the latest Artemis Fowl book from the library 🙂 It’s really great to see him so excited about reading AND the library! 🙂

But, honestly, just the fact that he called me at work has put a huge smile on my very tired face 🙂 (Kyle woke up crying at 5am this morning and after I rocked him back to sleep, I decided to stay up as I was positive it would have been worse for me to attempt to catch another 30 minutes of sleep). I’ve been looking forward to my kids being old enough to contact me whenever and however they wanted for YEARS now. To actually have it happen like it did today… very precious for me… 🙂

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Strangeness Abounds

Posted on October 4, 2006 by Mike

About a month or so ago, I was discussing with James and Melyssa all about proper eating habits and portioning, etc. We all talked about over-indulging and the good and bad about eating things you like vs. things that are good for you as well as the ever-strange “it takes 20 minutes for your brain to know your stomache is full” story. It was a good conversation, especially as it sparked off more discussions between Chantale and I afterwards.

Honestly, I think Portions are what is the most evil these days. My mom has always had a problem with portions and I always explained it away with the truth -> when she was a child and growing up in postwar Italy, the poverty level meant food was gold. When she made it over to Canada and my parents got used to life here, my mother always went out of her way to ensure there was ALWAYS food available. This meant and still means that the contents of one weekend meal could actually provide food for an entire week if portioned properly.

Now, we’re not that bad at home but there are times when I do realize that in trying to “dress-up” a plate of ensure variety, I’m just adding stuff instead of portioning. It’s the North-American mentality. Think of how ripped-off you feel if you spend a bundle on a meal and NOT get a huge plate. More is not always better. And how many fast-food places fill you up with garbage to cover the lack of food? Tell me, have you ever had a trio at McDees? If you didn’t drink that huge cola, would you feel “full” or fulfilled? Probably not.

Anyhow, it was after that weekend discussion that I made a decision to watch my portions. I had been keeping an eye on what I ate at lunch and/or during the day but never felt any better since I would pretty much be starving by the time I went home. However, with Chantale’s new schedule, the family went into a new routine. My days are much better. I still have a toast in the morning and drink a coffee on the train in. During the working hours, I will snack on one or two fruits a couple of hours apart with perhaps a meal in the middle (being either a sandwhich or a small leftover). On the train home, I’ll snack on a granola or cereal bar. But, evenings are completely mixed. Most often, we don’t get to eat until about 8pm or so because of the time we devote to Kyle. With the fact that we get up so early comes the realization that by 10pm at the latest we could be asleep. Thus, it doesn’t make sense to eat a “regular” meal at that time. We’ll usually have a small something – basically half the portions we would eat were we to be eating at 6pm. It works out well because it fills the need for food without filling us up.

The strange revelation has been that this weekend I decided to weigh myself because I was curious. I’ve been having some difficulty with my pants recently and needed to check something. Yup. Somewhere along the way I lost 10 pounds. I’m actually 15 pounds lighter than I was at my last yearly physical back in January.

Lifestyle changes. That’s the solution. And a very pleasant surprise since I was worried about my weight, especially as the “holiday” season is approaching… 🙂

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Mini-Worries

Posted on October 2, 2006 by Mike

Okay, I’ve been holding something back for a while now.

James has been complaining of a very sore leg for a few months. In fact, the first time we simply thought it was growing pains and left it at that after attempting a few of the usual remedies (massages, baths, etc). After something like 2 months, and him telling me that he keeps waking up in the middle of the night crying in pain, I started wondering why the hell no one else took action on this. So, I took him to the doctor’s and he prescribed blood tests and x-rays. We did the blood tests immediately but the results were negative. When I took him back to his mother that weekend I told him about the tests and she later saw his pediatrician and took him for the x-ray. That also did not show anything.

This week, I spoke with her on the phone and urged her to call the doctor to get an appointment for a deeper scan after her previous week’s encounter with his doctor (who still doesn’t believe there’s anything wrong). She finally did it and called me Thursday to tell me it’s scheduled… for November 21st. I picked him up Friday and that night was once again witness to the incredible amount of pain he’s under. I did what I could and had to give him tylenol for the pain. I couldn’t take the helplessness any more since it seems the pain has just gotten even worse. I immediately got him another doctor’s appointment. When I went to see him yesterday, he prescribed a Bone Scan and Garrow and told me that although the hospital’s are busy, if the wait is longer than 2 weeks I should call him so he can push them.

But, after talking a bit, and he being told about the appointment in November, he took the prescription back and said it was the same treatment and that – as much as he can call and push the hospital, it was inappropriate for him to do so. James’ pediatrician should. In the meantime, advil or midol will help with the pain (he alleviated James’ concern about taking drugs for that long a period). So, when I brought him back to his mother last night, I told her about the visit and did a bit more than simply urge her to call.

With that done, I guess what I’m trying to avoid feeling right now is fear. Fear of the big “C” word. After all, that’s one of the main reasons Bone Scans are done. I do, of course, know that there are other reasons (such as: to assess for bone trauma in situations where ordinary x-rays do not reveal trauma, to detect fractures that are difficult to locate, to determine the age of fractures, to detect and/or assess bone infections (osteomyelitis), to monitor certain degenerative bone disorders, to assess unexplained bone pain (all taken from http://www.stjohnsmercy.org/healthinfo/test/ortho/TP019.asp)) but still… The idea of being injected with a bit of radioactive material in order to test/ verify/ see how your bones are doing is a little bit scary.

And thus, I’m staying positive, but there is a side of me that is fighting down the fear of the other side. The waiting is so bloody difficult…

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Protected: Update

Posted on September 28, 2006 by Mike

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Fear

Posted on September 28, 2006 by Mike

I hate fear.

No, let me stress this.

I FUCKEN *HATE* Fear.

Especially the fear of others who feel the need to impose THEIR fear on you.

I’m the type of guy who puts his ass on the line. Who stands by his word, his honor, his job/ position or whatever you want to call it. If I feel something is amiss and I see a way of getting it fixed, then I will take it.

I will speak out.

I will stand out.

This is not a method of being bold or of causing undue waves. It is the way I live. Out loud, in your face, stop hiding from the world. And when I share my thoughts and my plan of action with you because I think of you a bit more than just an “aquaintance”, don’t suddenly hoist YOUR fears on ME. Just because you’re afraid to take a stand or afraid of what might happen should you bring up points others don’t want to, does not mean *I* have to lend any credence to them.

What have I got to lose? Face? My job? My credibility? My life? For fuck’s sake!

Thus must I “speak” the quote I’ve been saying for most of the week, taken from the ever-powerful Grey’s Anatomy, “I can’t find a way to solve the problem UNTIL there’s a problem to solve!”

Humankind is all about adapting, growing, picking up the pieces, and moving on. It’s not about cowering; worried about making ANY move, about taking ANY chances, for fear of any possible repurcussions. It’s about LIVING.

Thus endeth my morning rant. And for those of you who are wondering, YES, I told this (and more) to the person in question. That’s part of what triggered my rant – I know of too many people who dwell on the same shit in a variety of different ways. I may have concerns about possible consequences, but never fears that will prevent me from acting/ living in a method that’s untrue to myself.

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Morning Craziness… with a Smile

Posted on September 27, 2006 by Mike

You would think that three weeks into the new routine, we’d all have the hang of it. Normally, you’d be correct except for one thing: Kyle’s been fighting something of a little cold for the last couple of days. Thus, instead of rushing him up/ awake, I’ve been letting him sleep in to ensure he’s rested and that his bouts of fever were over. So this week has been a little more crazy than usual. Case in point today:

Chantale was up at 5:30am and I got up at 6:00am. She left shortly thereafter and I finished getting ready… except, Kyle woke up at 6:30am which meant my time stopped. So, I went upstairs, started the bath, and went to get him. He was in a jolly good mood and as we stepped in the tub he was all smiles. He really loves to take baths and when he gets a surprise morning bath like today (as opposed to a bath before bedtime) you can just see the happiness in his face 🙂 Anyhow, he was so well behaved he did not wiggle or fight as I washed and rinsed his hair. Normally, he’ll let us soap him up but when it comes to rinsing, it’s a struggle. Not today. After letting out the water and drying him off, I got him dressed, grabbed some items he would need at the gaurdian’s, and went into my room where I got dressed. We headed into the bathroom to brush our teeth and then I realized that I had not applied any after-shave yet from shaving at 6am!

So, I take out my bottle of after-shave and start splashing some on. Kyle, being sat on the sink in front of me, reached for the bottle but managed to only touch it as I moved it away. Then, looking up at me, he started patting his head in the same manner I was patting my face. A BIG smile came over both of us and of course lead to another great hug 🙂

Needless to say, the following 15-20 minutes or so were again a blur of activity as I packed his bag, made a lunch, fed the fish, put the dog in her cage, made toast, grabbed a juice, and hurried us into the car. But, the smile remained plastered on my face 🙂

Now I sit here, tired with no coffee in my system, counting the clock until it’s time to go home… and frowning at the meetings between now and then… But at least I’ve got this really nice memory to put that smile back on my face whenever I see his picture (and there are quite a number of them on my desk and cubicle 🙂 )

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Expozine Cometh!

Posted on September 26, 2006 by Mike

Greetings.

Expozine 2006 is now accepting registrations for tables. Head over to http://www.expozine.ca/en/index.php and click on Register. But do it soon because registrations are only accepted until November 1st!

From their home page: “This year’s fifth anniversary edition will take place on Saturday November 25, 2006 from 11 am to 6 pm, at 5035 St-Dominique, between St-Joseph and Laurier. This incredible event brings together over 200 creators of all kinds of printed matter in both English and French. In the past five years, Expozine has grown to become one of North America’s largest small press fairs, attracting thousands of visitors as well as exhibitors from as far afield as Chicago, Toronto, Ottawa, and Quebec City! It is one of the city’s cultural success stories, and this year’s edition promises to be the biggest yet! ”

Comicopia will be there (registration just completed!). Rufftoons will be there. Will you be there? SRP? 🙂

Wow. I just realized this will be the first convention Comicopia has a table at since SmallPox 1997 (or was that 98?). Crazy… but about time, too! 🙂

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Bloody Hell

Posted on September 22, 2006 by Mike

Ack!

Second nosebleed of the day!

Blah!

And in other news, my desk is too cluttered. I can’t concentrate enough to focus on the work I have to do…

And to be honest, I’m feeling a little stir crazy today… a part of me feels like I should be pogo-ing on the streets somewhere….

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Friday Meme

Posted on September 22, 2006 by Mike

I haven’t done this High School meme before although I know others have. But I’m feeling kinda-meme-ish so I thought why not? Yanked from

High School Meme

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