I’ve been wanting to upload this picture of James ever since I took it a few weeks ago but haven’t really been able to get to the computer since then. However, as I managed to steal away a few minutes of time tonight, I took my opportunity to do just that 🙂 As always, make with the clicky for a bigger picture.
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James in his Laval-North Cubs outfit ready for the 2005 season (Mosquito-B) |
I was just replying to budgie_uk when I decided it would be interesting to find out when/ where/ and how you folks out there got introduced to coffee 🙂 As I explained to him: “I didn’t really drink coffee until I was about 27 or so. After two occasions of almost falling asleep at the wheel by 5pm (it was a one-hour drive home from work) I realized I needed the energy. Thus, I would take a break at about 3pm to have a coffee. The caffeine kick at 4pm ensured I got home in one piece.”
Caffeine. The quicker-picker-upper. And quite often a nice break away from the office during the working week. These days I won’t go more than 2 large cups a day during the week (although it depends on the kind of day I’m having) and I barely have 1 on weekends… except when I’m writing… 🙂
What about the rest of you?
A number of meetings were cancelled, thus freeing me up to give me a chance to try to get my head back above water. Been difficult.
Rainy day post coming up, feel free to move along…
1- Work is wiping me out. I’m feeling discouraged, depressed, and lost. Stuff’s just a little overwhelming right now. Not a fun feeling.
2- My father suffered a detached retina on Friday… he can’t see out of his right eye. He was able to get a meeting with a doctor yesterday who confirmed it. He’s going to see a specialist tomorrow who might be able to help. I’m hoping some laser surgery will give him his eyesight back… He had a really rough day yesterday when he heard the news that it could be permanent and I hate thinking of my dad hurting…
On top of those gloomy emotional things, comes the usual rollercoaster of finding out on Friday that my daughter had to be taken to the hospital the previous Tuesday due to an asthma attack triggered the previous Monday at her grandparents place. Said grandparents have “adopted” a “wild cat” who supposedly lives “outside” and never in the house… except, oh, sorry Melyssa, the chair you sat on Monday -in the house- was actually used by the cat once when it ran into the house. Everyone knows this and my daughter is still brought there. Yet, when my parents got a kitten a few years ago, the ex practically had an injunction placed on them so my kids could not go into the house – and we were living right upstairs! It’s bloody hysterical how the “rules” just don’t apply the same for her as they do for me…
So, tomorrow morning Chantale has her regular checkup. Tomorrow afternoon my dad sees his specialist and I am definitely going to go see him. And Thursday, I’m at the hospital as well running tests. Sadly, instead of thinking about all these health issues, what’s on MY mind is how insane work is going to be when I get back on Friday…
Okay, gloomy post over. I’ll disappear again now… and the beat goes on…
Worked hard all weekend. Sunday night – very satisfied with results.
Working so very hard at work. End results? Headache. I feel like I’m drowning…
In a good news piece, here’s something most would not have seen. One of my employees has been tapped as being the stadium announcer for the ice hockey games at the 2006 Olympics in Turin 🙂 He currently holds that job at the Bell Center for the Canadiens (when Hockey is actually being played there, that is…)
Anyhow, here’s the link to the CyberPresse Article. Warning, it is in French.
I had more to say but am too exhausted to think beyond this so it’ll have to wait.
So. It’s Wednesday. Where are you at?
Again, I’m in the dilemma of not knowing where I’m at. Not remembering what I last wrote. Not remembering what it is I wanted to post. Realizing I haven’t been active only after the evening has worn down and I couldn’t for the life of me figure out what happened. But that, it seems, is the life I’m currently leading.
Huh. Leading. More like following around. If I could lead life… where would I take it? heh heh…
Have you local folks seen the news or the papers with the stunts pulled on Sunday and Monday by the Fathers 4 Justice group? Since last year, they’ve taken to dressing up as super heroes and planned coups of civil disobedience in order to get their point out to the “public” about how UNFAIR fathers are treated in divorce cases. Some of these poor bastards are completely locked out from having any and all contact with their kids – all because the courts declare that “Mothers know best” in raising kids. All we become is a wallet. Regardless of how much we want to be involved, they have the final word. And, unfortunately, no matter how much we “succeed” in the working world, it’s never worth it when you see your pay cut in half to go somewhere you have no control over.
You have to love a system that decides what percentage of cash is going to be forked over in Child Support based on your Gross income and then takes that sum out of your NET. And, of course, the clincher is that you get to the end of the year, file your taxes, and the Govment says “hey, you made that much! give us more!” all the while being completely blind to the fact that you may have made that much, but you NEVER got a chance to use it/ spend it. Do you get paid twice a month? Take one of those pays and throw it away. Now try to live on that one pay. Welcome to my world, fuck you very much.
Anyhow, didn’t want to put up an anger post, just got carried away. What I really wanted to do was post up the news about those stunts. Basically, one man dressed up as Robin and climbed the Jacques Cartier Bridge here on Monday. Sunday, another man dressed up as Spider-Man and climbed the giant cross on Mount Royal. The charges against them aren’t important. The sad part is that we’ve come to a point where stupid stunts like this have to take place because the Govment is ignoring the truth about what goes on in the real world. Fathers don’t and shouldn’t fit into cookie-cutter molds. Each case should be treated accordingly. There’s no reason to punish the whole class for one fuckup who decides to play the fool.
Bah. enough. See you next week.
Just got the news that Disney will be releasing The Muppets Season 1 on DVD on August 9th!
Feel free to party 🙂
I don’t know where to start. I’ve been offline for too long and it just feels like too much has happened to keep track of it all. I’ll try a brain dump and see if it helps:
Okay, no more. Gotta get back and focus…
Taking a chapter from Dean Haspiel, I decided to post up a picture of “me today” to capture my 38th birthday. However, considering I tend to be somewhat introspective, I wanted to post up a picture of what I was 5 years ago versus what I am today. The darkness in the today picture is not intentional – it was just the best shot I had available at the time 🙂
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| Mike @ 33 A serious-looking Mike contemplating life at 33, wondering what the future would bring… |
Mike @ 38 An older Mike. A little softer around the edges, but better cushioned to hold his newborn baby… 🙂 |
My buddy Marc-Andre took me to lunch at Dundees today to celebrate my birthday tomorrow 🙂 Yesterday, my main Team (plus my buddy M.A.) took me to lunch at Toyo as well! I’ve been stuffed for two lunches in a row! 🙂
Last night Chantale and I headed out looking for cribs. I told her last weekend that Thursday would be the night and so it was! Relaxing and lots of fun, we ended up purchasing a really nice oak-colored crib from Babies R US as well as ordering a commode. Sometime this week we’ll go pick up a mattress for the crib and since we also got the bedding yesterday, we’ll have a place for the baby to sleep when he arrives 🙂
So now the commode will come in 4 to 8 weeks and the stroller is due early July. I don’t care when the commode arrives, but I sure hope the stroller comes in before the baby does! Otherwise taking the baby home from the hospital will be a minor challenge 🙂
In other news… work has been nuts this week. Just nuts. Being thrown into a new project and managing a new team without impacting your previous work and team takes a lot of paddling…
I’m going nuts. I’m getting about 5 emails every 10 minutes and I just can’t keep up. I haven’t been THIS busy in I don’t know when. The technical upgrade projects and support needs are getting wilder and more urgent all the time. And on top of that, something else happened (what I hinted at before the Toronto con).
I have been given another 2 Teams to manage.
In a way, it’s one Team, but in a big way it isn’t. Basically, there is one team of 3 who are involved in evolution and support of a major company-wide system. Those same three are also putting in some time to a Project involved in a big cross-platform upgrade of said major system. Each is distinct with its own needs and priorities. The project has 7 full-time people on it. That makes 10. Plus my current team of 6 (of whom one has just joined) brings me to 16 people to manage.
Yes, it’s a lot more responsibilities, but no it’s not really a promotion. At least, not yet (i hope).
Of course, on top of all this is the fact that my brain is quite often swimming around the truth that Chantale is due very soon. I need to ensure I have enough energy at the end of the day to give to her as well! So far I’m doing okay, but some days… woah…
Speaking of baby, we’re going to visit the JGH birthing center tonight for a tour. It’ll definitely help with the plans of “when it happens” 🙂
And speaking of other things… I can’t. I’ve run out of time.
