MONDAY…
--- Quiet day around the house on a cold and windy day. So I watch some movies, do some e-mailing, and talk to Edena on the phone. Plus laundry.
TUESDAY…
--- Bad computer day. I’m on the phone with Microsoft for two hours… and then digging through stuff on the computer for most of the night. By the end of the night, msn and messenger capabilities are still down.
--- Lunch with Mike and Kiyomi is nice today… everything else is pretty much a normal day.
WEDNESDAY…
--- Very busy day. Meetings and writing and helping others. Lunch at HQ with Shannon. And a long walk tonight. Plus the computer is back to good thanks to advice from the other Shannon.
THURSDAY…
--- Busy day at work again. And the movies tonight. Off to see DaVinci Code with Melissa and her friend, Ginette. I’d give it a three and a half out of five. Fine enough but nothing to blow your mind and not deserving of any Academy Awards. And DaVinci Code as a threat to traditional beliefs of Catholic Religion is like Homer Simpson being a threat to the traditional view of nuclear power technicians. It’s just too much to be taken seriously.
FRIDAY…
--- Busy busy day. I spent most of the day thinking I should just take some time off and leave early… but, in the end, I stay through it all.
SATURDAY…
--- The afternoon with cousin Jenny, little Jake, and aunt Elaine. We go to Mer Bleue (the boardwalk) and have lunch at Casey’s. Really nice day for that kind of thing. Sunny and not too hot.
--- Edmonton is through to the Stanley Cup final. Not that I saw them do it very well. Digital Cable giving trouble tonight… sun spots or lightning or some such silliness causing my connection to lock and pixelate and all that good stuff. Same thing happens again half way through a movie before bed.
The Magic of the Eight Ball
Saying “I made a mistake” is seen as weakness. Saying “I’m human” makes the mistake acceptable. People shrug it off and turn to each other with knowing nods… “Well he’s only human after all.”
Somewhere along the way, society got to a point where passing the buck, no matter if it’s to another person or to a statement of the obvious, is the honourable way to go. Flat out, to the point honesty only leads to trouble.
It’s a con, intentional or not. How can anyone who is also human be too righteous when pointing the finger?
There is so much stating of the obvious. It has been going on for years and it keeps dodging real issues of a current situation is question.
“Did you do it?”
“Hey, I put my pants on one leg at a time.”
“What?!?!” What does that have to do with anything?”
“We all make mistakes.”
“Yes, we do… and did you make this mistake in question?”
“I’m not going to lie to you.”
“Okay… so what have you got to say?”
“The grass is always greener on the other side.”
“What?”
“I don’t want to say something I may regret”
“So does that mean you’re guilty?”
“Don’t quote me on that.”
“It seems like you’re avoiding the question.”
“I’m only human.”
People work so hard to answer each other with standard quips rather than actual discussion that we’re all turning into those Magic Eight Ball contraptions that you shake and look at the little window in the bottom for the answer to your question.
I’ve done a search on the internet and now see where it is political leaders and public relations personnel get their ability to so smoothly answer any question. Parents, if you want your child to grow up to be the Prime Minister, I implore you to go out and buy him or her a Magic Eight Ball… right now. Listen to the responses the Ball is equipped with and think of where you’ve heard such responses before…
The 20 standard answers on a Magic 8-Ball are:
• Signs point to yes.
• Yes.
• Reply hazy, try again.
• Without a doubt.
• My sources say no.
• As I see it, yes.
• You may rely on it.
• Concentrate and ask again.
• Outlook not so good.
• It is decidedly so.
• Better not tell you now.
• Very doubtful.
• Yes – definitely.
• It is certain.
• Cannot predict now.
• Most likely.
• Ask again later.
• My reply is no.
• Outlook good.
• Don’t count on it.
The twenty Magic Eight Ball responses do seem very George Bush like in their to the point haziness. Here is a mock interview with Bush in which he prepped for it with his trusty billiard predicting toy.
“Will the people of Iraq be able to live in a democracy?”
“Signs point to yes.”
“Do you really believe that?”
“Yes”
“But uprisings continue on a daily basis. There is still not enough clean water. American forces have been stretched so thin as they’ve been asked to stay in Iraq longer than anyone ever predicted…”
“I’m sorry, I couldn’t hear you, let’s try again. Next question”
“fine… can we possibly win the War on Terror?”
“Without a doubt.”
“Don’t you think this war is too costly for the American people?”
“My sources say no.”
“Do you think Donald Rumsfeld has enough credibility to be effective in his job?”
“As I see it, yes”
“So does that mean he’ll remain as your Secretary of Defence?”
“You may rely on it.”
“Mr. President, I’m confused.”
“Concentrate and ask again… we all get confused sometimes. After all, we’re only human… hehehe.”
“The UN didn’t want a rush to war in Iraq, they wanted more time for diplomatic solutions to take place...”
“Let me stop you there. When I saw how the UN were dragging their feet, I decided that the outlook was not so good.”
“Alright, well moving on to defence at home, do you feel that the American people are safer today than before September 11th?”
“It is decidedly so.”
“Could you give me an example of this?”
“I better not tell you now.”
“Do you see a day in the near future when it wouldn’t be a breach of security to be open about your methods in Homeland Security?”
“It’s very doubtful.”
“But your efforts in Homeland Security are working?”
“Yes – definitely.”
“And the problems at the Mexican border. Do you see getting them resolved soon?”
“It is certain.”
“And if you deport the illegal immigrants of America, what will that mean for the national economy?”
“That’s something I cannot predict right now.”
“But some amount of deportation will have to occur, is that right?”
“Most likely.”
“But if you can’t deport every illegal immigrant, how will you choose which ones will go and which ones will stay?”
“Ask me again later.”
“Between the war in Iraq, securing America’s borders, and preparing cities for emergencies such as hurricanes, it seems as though there aren’t enough resources to go around. Would you agree with this?”
“My reply is no.”
“So you think America will get through this trying time in our history?”
“The outlook is good.”
“And with rumours of torture and crimes against human rights in Guantanamo Bay, could we see that military facility close?”
“Don’t count on it.”
“Thank you Mr. President, you’ve been quite open and precise with us today.”
“You’re welcome, you know I put my pants on one leg at a time just like everybody else. I’m only human too.”
“Facinating.”
It would really be good if the North American public expected more substance from our leaders than that given by a Magic Eight Ball.
Sunday, May 28, 2006
Sunday, May 21, 2006
Making It Up As I Go Along #219
MONDAY…
--- Fairly normal day at work. Just enough work to keep going but not feel swamped.
TUESDAY…
--- A year and a half away from my lease on the car running out and I’m starting to think about the Mini again. Nice little car.
--- Lunch is excruciating. It’s the going away luncheon for Pam and bad service means the whole thing goes for two and a half hours! So I go home afterwards and will go back to start my day in the office at 5:00 instead of 3:00.
--- Work is alright. I’m alone in CNI after 7:30 and have computer problems for about forty-five minutes at the tail end of it all… but it’s over all, not too bad.
WEDNESDAY…
--- Quiet morning.
--- Work is fine with a small team (Dave, Grace, Louis and me). Greek for supper tonight and that’s about it.
--- Edmonton beat San Jose and move on to the semi-finals! I don’t see the game due to work, but it’s good to have them there.
THURSDAY…
--- Work is fine, supper with Melissa and Shannon at the mall is nice.
FRIDAY…
--- In at 2:00 for a meeting. I was going to go in earlier than that but was tired this morning and didn’t really wake up until close to 11:00.
--- Work is quiet. Many people took the evening off for the long weekend. Four in CNI and four more in AFIS… that’s it.
SATURDAY…
--- Cool and wet day. I planned on hanging out around the house but Karl calls and invites me to Gatineau Park (in Quebec). So we hike around there for little more than an hour.
--- Quiet evening around the house.
Pete’s Joe Batt’s
In 1980 it’s 1950.
This mossy rock where people perched.
For generations, lives here grow, come together, and end.
Barely the soil for potatoes. Existence maintained by the fruits of the sea.
The view out the window is the same.
Hills unchanged from childhood to old age.
Points and partially submerged rocks
Where waves break and foam since before my grandfather’s birth.
Doors unlocked, now as before.
Neighbours enter a house without hesitation.
And in the kitchen, they are greeted without surprise
Such visits are a way of life.
Stores are shops.
It is the shop where youngsters go for candy and drinks.
Go to the store and find tools, nets and parts of machinery,
All in musty warm darkness, waiting to be used again.
In shacks of wood hanging over the sea.
Fish and salt await.
These stages are little man-made peninsulas
Jutting out over where land and sea meet.
Below the floorboards, lops and gollops.
The sound of the tide filling and emptying the foundations
Old rock and wood rising from the sea.
Fishermen working above, crabs and sculplins feeding below.
Paved roads are the minority.
Gravel still guides old and dusty cars
Over winding dusty hills
And along rugged barren shores.
And before the cars
Dirt paths for walking and horses.
Communities connected for long walks
Or trips in a cart.
More often, you visit other bays and coves by way of boat.
The family all gathered at the stage.
Women helped down by men
The putting motor bobbing the family over the waves and to friends.
Sheets and shirts flutter in breezes.
The sea and gardens blown into them
A smell that will be there for days
Making you one with this land, even as you sleep.
Bread and lassy jam tart baking.
The smells from the kitchen wafting through the house
Smells that leak out through open windows
Giving a hint of lunch before you ever enter.
In this place, your house is but your room
One room of dozens like yours.
The community is your home.
Many houses together and lived in by all.
An afternoon of yarns at the stage.
A bit of supper at Joan’s
And off for a few hands of cards to end the night.
Cards and a lunch at Pete’s.
And then, when the tea and tart are gone
It’s a stroll along the road.
Making way by moonlight
Soon to be under sea-breezed sheets.
--- Fairly normal day at work. Just enough work to keep going but not feel swamped.
TUESDAY…
--- A year and a half away from my lease on the car running out and I’m starting to think about the Mini again. Nice little car.
--- Lunch is excruciating. It’s the going away luncheon for Pam and bad service means the whole thing goes for two and a half hours! So I go home afterwards and will go back to start my day in the office at 5:00 instead of 3:00.
--- Work is alright. I’m alone in CNI after 7:30 and have computer problems for about forty-five minutes at the tail end of it all… but it’s over all, not too bad.
WEDNESDAY…
--- Quiet morning.
--- Work is fine with a small team (Dave, Grace, Louis and me). Greek for supper tonight and that’s about it.
--- Edmonton beat San Jose and move on to the semi-finals! I don’t see the game due to work, but it’s good to have them there.
THURSDAY…
--- Work is fine, supper with Melissa and Shannon at the mall is nice.
FRIDAY…
--- In at 2:00 for a meeting. I was going to go in earlier than that but was tired this morning and didn’t really wake up until close to 11:00.
--- Work is quiet. Many people took the evening off for the long weekend. Four in CNI and four more in AFIS… that’s it.
SATURDAY…
--- Cool and wet day. I planned on hanging out around the house but Karl calls and invites me to Gatineau Park (in Quebec). So we hike around there for little more than an hour.
--- Quiet evening around the house.
Pete’s Joe Batt’s
In 1980 it’s 1950.
This mossy rock where people perched.
For generations, lives here grow, come together, and end.
Barely the soil for potatoes. Existence maintained by the fruits of the sea.
The view out the window is the same.
Hills unchanged from childhood to old age.
Points and partially submerged rocks
Where waves break and foam since before my grandfather’s birth.
Doors unlocked, now as before.
Neighbours enter a house without hesitation.
And in the kitchen, they are greeted without surprise
Such visits are a way of life.
Stores are shops.
It is the shop where youngsters go for candy and drinks.
Go to the store and find tools, nets and parts of machinery,
All in musty warm darkness, waiting to be used again.
In shacks of wood hanging over the sea.
Fish and salt await.
These stages are little man-made peninsulas
Jutting out over where land and sea meet.
Below the floorboards, lops and gollops.
The sound of the tide filling and emptying the foundations
Old rock and wood rising from the sea.
Fishermen working above, crabs and sculplins feeding below.
Paved roads are the minority.
Gravel still guides old and dusty cars
Over winding dusty hills
And along rugged barren shores.
And before the cars
Dirt paths for walking and horses.
Communities connected for long walks
Or trips in a cart.
More often, you visit other bays and coves by way of boat.
The family all gathered at the stage.
Women helped down by men
The putting motor bobbing the family over the waves and to friends.
Sheets and shirts flutter in breezes.
The sea and gardens blown into them
A smell that will be there for days
Making you one with this land, even as you sleep.
Bread and lassy jam tart baking.
The smells from the kitchen wafting through the house
Smells that leak out through open windows
Giving a hint of lunch before you ever enter.
In this place, your house is but your room
One room of dozens like yours.
The community is your home.
Many houses together and lived in by all.
An afternoon of yarns at the stage.
A bit of supper at Joan’s
And off for a few hands of cards to end the night.
Cards and a lunch at Pete’s.
And then, when the tea and tart are gone
It’s a stroll along the road.
Making way by moonlight
Soon to be under sea-breezed sheets.
Saturday, May 20, 2006
Mer Bleue boardwalk and Gatineau Park
Three pictures from two places. A week or so ago, I went to Mer Bleue with Melissa to walk around the boardwalk trail. A watery canal splits the reeds. We wonder if beavers did it? The other two pictures were taken today when Karl and I went to Gatineau Park. It was a cool and rainy day but the green of the forest and the waterfalls were quite a treat. There's something about any kind of water running through a forest that makes you just want to sit, watch and listen.
Sunday, May 14, 2006
Making It Up As I Go Along #218
MONDAY…
--- Work is busy and I go for an hour and a half walk afterwards. Sunny and 23 this afternoon so it’s good for the walk.
--- Some hockey on TV after I get back. Ottawa deserved to win tonight… I even feel sorry for them. And Carolina had a miracle game… I just don’t want a team from that place winning. Learn what hockey is before getting the Stanley Cup.
TUESDAY…
--- Work is alright. I brought a key to a filing cabinet home by accident Monday so it’s locked all day today with me wanting in!
--- Did some hanging out at lunch with Mike and Kiyomi. Been a while since seeing her around (thanks to opposite shifts).
--- Drinks and supper at Leslie’s tonight. It was too nice out so she invited me over to hang on her patio.
WEDNESDAY…
--- Work is fine. Fairly busy day.
--- Lunch with Shannon.
--- After work I meet up with Melissa and we head to Mer Bleue (I finally get the spelling right!). We do the little boardwalk trail and see a snake, a chipmunk, and a couple of turtles. Nice time.
--- Watch the Buffalo vs. Ottawa hockey game and it was really good. Buffalo fans are great and, for the first time since their lovable loser days as an expansion team… I found myself cheering for Ottawa. But Buffalo wins in overtime and it looks like the series is about done.
THURSDAY…
--- A BBQ mess at work. Half the BBQ breaks down and so there are people out there lined up for four hours! I was lucky enough to get mine early but office productivity isn’t at an all time high today.
--- Hockey and Survivor watched in the evening.
FRIDAY…
--- Not a bad day at work but the typical busy Friday with extra people in on the day shift. Lunch with Tina, Mike and Read is a pretty good time.
--- On the phone with Jim this evening and Edmonton looks good beating San Jose in the hockey playoffs.
SATURDAY…
--- Quiet day around the house. The weather is bad so I do some cleaning… some napping… some DVD watching… some hockey watching… and some work on the computer. I even do a little furniture rearranging. And I’m feeling bad for Ottawa being eliminated from the NHL playoffs. Not that I’m a big fan of the team (fans and media here are mostly fools). But I feel bad for the fans I know and like.
SUNDAY…
--- Happy Mother’s Day… for real this time!
BBQ with a Match
Cops for Cancer is a day when people at the RCMP shave their heads in order to raise money for cancer. It’s coupled with a staff BBQ and it’s all done with plenty of good intentions. It still doesn’t mean things won’t be weird.
First bump along the way is the BBQ itself. Several hundred people all coming out from the office to be fed at approximately the same time. The line is bad at the best of times. But when half of the one working grill is shut down, trouble isn’t far behind.
The result is a line that goes all the way to Hudson Bay. And in order to appease the throngs, volunteering co-workers in oversized ‘Cops for Cancer’ t-shirts, that make them all look like a ten year old in daddy’s shirt, come around offering cancer bracelets for a dollar each. These are those rubber band bracelets that are such a rage for anything today. I suppose I can be thankful that the ribbons seem to have been retired for a little while, but still… where did the power of the rubber band come from?
My original plan was to meet Kiyomi and Carole prior to lining up for the food and the three of us would wait and then eat together. But with the line already growing at 11:15 and neither of the ladies in for their modified evening shift yet, I abandon the idea and go with Shannon instead. Some five to ten minutes later, I see the late arriving girls. They give a wave as they head to the back of the line. I consider stepping out from my place so that I can live up to my end of the agreement. But with some hundred people between me and them and the line already moving at a snail’s pace… I leave them on their own.
A half hour lined up is enough for Shannon and me to get our grub and go sit to eat. We sit at a table, layer our stuff with the light bag of potato chips on bottom, napkins above that, and can of coke on top as a weight so that nothing blows away (a trick one from Newfoundland must learn early in life or risk starvation). And we chow down.
I’m completely done both burger and hotdog when there is still no sign of Kiyomi and Carole. Feeling guilty, I give up my seat to another starving soul looking for a place to perch, I take my half can of drink and bag of chips and head up the line to see how far along the girls are. I’m shocked to see that in the hour since I saw them go to the back of the line, they have probably moved about fifty feet closer to the meat.
I stand with them for close to a half hour, chatting a little and gloating about my full belly. In that half hour, the line moves an extra ten feet. At this rate, they’ll be fed in two days.
But a total of an hour in line is all I can endure… so I leave the girls to it, never to see them again.
I go inside and walk around to the big set of windows at the main lobby. Outside there is where the action is. The RCMP garage band (that is to say a group of five employees who usually play for themselves in the office basement on Thursday nights and, to put it kindly, should continue that practice) have stopped and hair chopping has captured everybody’s attention.
It’s quite bizarre actually. To stand there and see how several hundred people are captivated by the spectacle that is an electric razor pealing layers of hair off of the tops and sides of heads. Pale stubbleness is left where hair once stood and people are entertained by this. I realize it’s all done for a good cause and it takes some guts for someone with a full head of healthy hair to part ways with it… but still, it’s odd to see how such an event hypnotizes bystanders.
Once I think of this, I just can’t remain as one of the crowd, so I return to the office and check on the work. I even do a few urgent forms that come but, after twenty minutes, I feel a little guilty and return to the big windows to see what’s happening.
More people parting ways with manes to laughter and applause. And a line for food that remains infinitely long. I go back to the office for good. I just don’t want to hear that band start up again. I mean these guys are now the guaranteed entertainment for every office outside event… and it makes me want to use up some of my leave whenever these events occur. Staff appreciation days and charitable causes are no excuse to torture the workers with bad music.
Finally, people start trickling back to their desks. The most common reason for their departure from the outdoors is the fact that windswept, freshly cut hair is attacking the bystanders with monster like ferocity. Thank goodness I ate early… otherwise, my burger and dog may have gotten some much unwanted garnishes.
And with the end of the day, I walk out with Isabelle and we look towards the BBQ line-up. And yes, four hours after it began, people remain lined. They are defeated and weak with hunger but they can’t think of anything else… they must get fed.
And even though Isabelle and I grew up speaking different languages, we look at each other with wide eyes and complete understanding.
No hot dog is worth four hours of your life.
--- Work is busy and I go for an hour and a half walk afterwards. Sunny and 23 this afternoon so it’s good for the walk.
--- Some hockey on TV after I get back. Ottawa deserved to win tonight… I even feel sorry for them. And Carolina had a miracle game… I just don’t want a team from that place winning. Learn what hockey is before getting the Stanley Cup.
TUESDAY…
--- Work is alright. I brought a key to a filing cabinet home by accident Monday so it’s locked all day today with me wanting in!
--- Did some hanging out at lunch with Mike and Kiyomi. Been a while since seeing her around (thanks to opposite shifts).
--- Drinks and supper at Leslie’s tonight. It was too nice out so she invited me over to hang on her patio.
WEDNESDAY…
--- Work is fine. Fairly busy day.
--- Lunch with Shannon.
--- After work I meet up with Melissa and we head to Mer Bleue (I finally get the spelling right!). We do the little boardwalk trail and see a snake, a chipmunk, and a couple of turtles. Nice time.
--- Watch the Buffalo vs. Ottawa hockey game and it was really good. Buffalo fans are great and, for the first time since their lovable loser days as an expansion team… I found myself cheering for Ottawa. But Buffalo wins in overtime and it looks like the series is about done.
THURSDAY…
--- A BBQ mess at work. Half the BBQ breaks down and so there are people out there lined up for four hours! I was lucky enough to get mine early but office productivity isn’t at an all time high today.
--- Hockey and Survivor watched in the evening.
FRIDAY…
--- Not a bad day at work but the typical busy Friday with extra people in on the day shift. Lunch with Tina, Mike and Read is a pretty good time.
--- On the phone with Jim this evening and Edmonton looks good beating San Jose in the hockey playoffs.
SATURDAY…
--- Quiet day around the house. The weather is bad so I do some cleaning… some napping… some DVD watching… some hockey watching… and some work on the computer. I even do a little furniture rearranging. And I’m feeling bad for Ottawa being eliminated from the NHL playoffs. Not that I’m a big fan of the team (fans and media here are mostly fools). But I feel bad for the fans I know and like.
SUNDAY…
--- Happy Mother’s Day… for real this time!
BBQ with a Match
Cops for Cancer is a day when people at the RCMP shave their heads in order to raise money for cancer. It’s coupled with a staff BBQ and it’s all done with plenty of good intentions. It still doesn’t mean things won’t be weird.
First bump along the way is the BBQ itself. Several hundred people all coming out from the office to be fed at approximately the same time. The line is bad at the best of times. But when half of the one working grill is shut down, trouble isn’t far behind.
The result is a line that goes all the way to Hudson Bay. And in order to appease the throngs, volunteering co-workers in oversized ‘Cops for Cancer’ t-shirts, that make them all look like a ten year old in daddy’s shirt, come around offering cancer bracelets for a dollar each. These are those rubber band bracelets that are such a rage for anything today. I suppose I can be thankful that the ribbons seem to have been retired for a little while, but still… where did the power of the rubber band come from?
My original plan was to meet Kiyomi and Carole prior to lining up for the food and the three of us would wait and then eat together. But with the line already growing at 11:15 and neither of the ladies in for their modified evening shift yet, I abandon the idea and go with Shannon instead. Some five to ten minutes later, I see the late arriving girls. They give a wave as they head to the back of the line. I consider stepping out from my place so that I can live up to my end of the agreement. But with some hundred people between me and them and the line already moving at a snail’s pace… I leave them on their own.
A half hour lined up is enough for Shannon and me to get our grub and go sit to eat. We sit at a table, layer our stuff with the light bag of potato chips on bottom, napkins above that, and can of coke on top as a weight so that nothing blows away (a trick one from Newfoundland must learn early in life or risk starvation). And we chow down.
I’m completely done both burger and hotdog when there is still no sign of Kiyomi and Carole. Feeling guilty, I give up my seat to another starving soul looking for a place to perch, I take my half can of drink and bag of chips and head up the line to see how far along the girls are. I’m shocked to see that in the hour since I saw them go to the back of the line, they have probably moved about fifty feet closer to the meat.
I stand with them for close to a half hour, chatting a little and gloating about my full belly. In that half hour, the line moves an extra ten feet. At this rate, they’ll be fed in two days.
But a total of an hour in line is all I can endure… so I leave the girls to it, never to see them again.
I go inside and walk around to the big set of windows at the main lobby. Outside there is where the action is. The RCMP garage band (that is to say a group of five employees who usually play for themselves in the office basement on Thursday nights and, to put it kindly, should continue that practice) have stopped and hair chopping has captured everybody’s attention.
It’s quite bizarre actually. To stand there and see how several hundred people are captivated by the spectacle that is an electric razor pealing layers of hair off of the tops and sides of heads. Pale stubbleness is left where hair once stood and people are entertained by this. I realize it’s all done for a good cause and it takes some guts for someone with a full head of healthy hair to part ways with it… but still, it’s odd to see how such an event hypnotizes bystanders.
Once I think of this, I just can’t remain as one of the crowd, so I return to the office and check on the work. I even do a few urgent forms that come but, after twenty minutes, I feel a little guilty and return to the big windows to see what’s happening.
More people parting ways with manes to laughter and applause. And a line for food that remains infinitely long. I go back to the office for good. I just don’t want to hear that band start up again. I mean these guys are now the guaranteed entertainment for every office outside event… and it makes me want to use up some of my leave whenever these events occur. Staff appreciation days and charitable causes are no excuse to torture the workers with bad music.
Finally, people start trickling back to their desks. The most common reason for their departure from the outdoors is the fact that windswept, freshly cut hair is attacking the bystanders with monster like ferocity. Thank goodness I ate early… otherwise, my burger and dog may have gotten some much unwanted garnishes.
And with the end of the day, I walk out with Isabelle and we look towards the BBQ line-up. And yes, four hours after it began, people remain lined. They are defeated and weak with hunger but they can’t think of anything else… they must get fed.
And even though Isabelle and I grew up speaking different languages, we look at each other with wide eyes and complete understanding.
No hot dog is worth four hours of your life.
Sunday, May 07, 2006
Making It Up As I Go Along #217
MONDAY…
--- Some e-mails and laundry to start the day.
--- Work is alright but strange. My old team is gone with only two members remaining. It’s strange not to see Laura, Karen, Michelle and Jaymie here tonight. I spend much of the evening training Louis to be my second in charge. It goes well.
TUESDAY…
--- Not a bad time at work… pretty uneventful. Montreal loses and is out of the hockey playoffs now. Seeing the score on the internet at work doesn’t seem like the right way to see how it happens but that’s it.
WEDNESDAY…
--- Work is fine. Chip Wagon for supper with Mike, Phil and Shannon… Bill, Mark and Dave are there too.
--- Two walks at breaks… one with Linda and the other with Joe.
THURSDAY…
--- Greek day at work for Louis and me. The AFIS crew had a potluck so not many more to go for supper. Walked at second break with Louis and Joe. And chatted at first break with Isabelle.
--- Looks like I’m getting published. No money involved and it’s hardly going out to millions but it’s looking like I’ll be a guest columnist for St. John’s local newspaper, The Independent. So that’ll be strange to see something I’ve done in a publication.
FRIDAY…
--- Work is fine… supper with Mike.
--- Not much sleep thanks to a phone call at 8:30 this morning followed immediately by fools out in the parking lot blowing dust around with leaf blowers. It hardly seems necessary to me but it’s enough to make me stay up.
SATURDAY…
--- Sleep until 10:30. Not a good thing going in to day shift at work. I likely won’t sleep too well Sunday night.
--- Talk to Edena on the phone… go to the Neil Young movie again (this time with Shannon) and we do Dick’s Diner and watch some baseball after that.
--- I’m published for the first time. The Independent (a weekly paper back home) pays me no money as a guest columnist… but I’m in there. It’s strange to know something I wrote is in a real paper.
SUNDAY…
--- Lazy morning delays my writing.
--- HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY.... or not. After originally posting I realize that I'm a week early. I'm just not that bright.
A week after the walk it’s time to get into it. First of all, I originally called the place Mere Bleu (Blue Mother). That’s my Sesame Street French kicking in… it is actually Mer Blue (Blue Sea). Thanks to Melissa for pointing out my lack of bilingualism.
Mer Bleu
Karl comes by the house at 8:00 in the morning. Had I been coming off evening shift that previous week and getting up so early, I’d be in trouble. But with day shift behind me, it’s actually me sleeping in for a couple of hours, so I’m good to go.
Back home, Pippy Park is one of my favourite places to go and hike. You get away from people. You have spectacular views of the city. You have bits of civilization from past years being grown over by nature. You enter the wilderness while remaining in the city.
Mer Bleu is much the same. Fifteen minutes from my house to the parking lot. We hop out of the car with only three other vehicles in the lot. Seconds later, we’re within the woods with a dirt path and occasional boardwalks to guide us.
Where Pippy Park has mostly evergreen trees and low brush, Mer Bleu is more of a deciduous forested area. I find this makes for a spookier experience. I mean back home, you hear an animal scurry in the woods but there’s no chance of seeing anything through the wall of pine trees. Here, you get the same noises but you can look for the culprit. A deciduous forest allows you to peek in around the trunks and limbs. You can see a good hundred feet or so away from you.
So it’s a tad unnerving to hear something, look towards where the sound came from, and still see nothing. The genius of animal camouflage allows the mind to run wild. No wonder the Blair Witch Project movie was set in such a forest.
Regardless, I suspect my life is rather safe at 8:30 on a Saturday morning in Ottawa. And I do happen to catch a glimpse of a few little birds, as well as one that could have been a bigger partridge. So any unseen noise makers were assumed to be more of the same rather than centuries old witches.
Karl tells me of the brave birds of this area. He once had a muffin as he walked through these woods and a darting motion in front of him caused him to freeze in his footsteps. Then it happened again… and again. He looked down to see pieces of his muffin missing! Birds, in Hitchcock fashion, attacking him. Karl continued on that day with muffin drawn in to his body close, protecting it with both hands.
We come to some areas where Spring melt water remains pooled on top of spongy ground. It actually reminds me of walking along the shores of Newfoundland. For even though we are here in the woods of Ottawa, the standing water remains much like tidal pools of home. And like those tidal pools, a closer look at the standing water here reveals little creatures swimming about. I like to imagine that I saw small tadpoles at the early stages of life before entering froghood. But I probably was looking at bug larvae… the youth of disease carrying mosquitoes.
And also like the shores of home, where one would have to hop from rock to rock, trying to keep feet dry while traversing the obstacle, her in Mer Bleu, we pick our way through the maze of fallen logs and elevated mounds… looking for a dry path through the wet.
The woods give way to a wide open field. And here, signs of the past. Bits of concrete and asphalt poke out of the ground. Signs of an old farm house? Were these paths once the route to town back in the days of horse and cart? I have no idea but it makes the mind wander along the possibilities.
From open hilltops, Karl and I look out at parts of the city. Open farmers fields are in the foreground, the buildings of downtown can be seen miles away. And off in the distance, the Gatineau Hills of Quebec.
On the way out, a tame squirrel stands a few feet from us, nibbling on bits of food. It stays, watching as I pull out my camera. It poses for me and keeps at it’s munching as we leave.
New leaves with the morning sun behind them make the trees look electric. Karl and I both comment on this light. It’s as deciduous Christmas lights of summer. The forest is festive.
Just prior to leaving, we come across a woman and her two children. She’s teaching the kids how to hold out their hands in order for birds to land on their fingers and eat out of their palms. I’m sure the woman has been here doing this a million times before but she has such a look of joy and amazement that you can’t help but appreciate the affect nature has over us.
This family of three are the last of some ten people we see the entire time we’re out here. It’s a terrific change from the bustle of the city and anyone we see is quick to give a smile and a hello. Sometimes it takes the wonder of the wilderness to make people civilized.
--- Some e-mails and laundry to start the day.
--- Work is alright but strange. My old team is gone with only two members remaining. It’s strange not to see Laura, Karen, Michelle and Jaymie here tonight. I spend much of the evening training Louis to be my second in charge. It goes well.
TUESDAY…
--- Not a bad time at work… pretty uneventful. Montreal loses and is out of the hockey playoffs now. Seeing the score on the internet at work doesn’t seem like the right way to see how it happens but that’s it.
WEDNESDAY…
--- Work is fine. Chip Wagon for supper with Mike, Phil and Shannon… Bill, Mark and Dave are there too.
--- Two walks at breaks… one with Linda and the other with Joe.
THURSDAY…
--- Greek day at work for Louis and me. The AFIS crew had a potluck so not many more to go for supper. Walked at second break with Louis and Joe. And chatted at first break with Isabelle.
--- Looks like I’m getting published. No money involved and it’s hardly going out to millions but it’s looking like I’ll be a guest columnist for St. John’s local newspaper, The Independent. So that’ll be strange to see something I’ve done in a publication.
FRIDAY…
--- Work is fine… supper with Mike.
--- Not much sleep thanks to a phone call at 8:30 this morning followed immediately by fools out in the parking lot blowing dust around with leaf blowers. It hardly seems necessary to me but it’s enough to make me stay up.
SATURDAY…
--- Sleep until 10:30. Not a good thing going in to day shift at work. I likely won’t sleep too well Sunday night.
--- Talk to Edena on the phone… go to the Neil Young movie again (this time with Shannon) and we do Dick’s Diner and watch some baseball after that.
--- I’m published for the first time. The Independent (a weekly paper back home) pays me no money as a guest columnist… but I’m in there. It’s strange to know something I wrote is in a real paper.
SUNDAY…
--- Lazy morning delays my writing.
--- HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY.... or not. After originally posting I realize that I'm a week early. I'm just not that bright.
A week after the walk it’s time to get into it. First of all, I originally called the place Mere Bleu (Blue Mother). That’s my Sesame Street French kicking in… it is actually Mer Blue (Blue Sea). Thanks to Melissa for pointing out my lack of bilingualism.
Mer Bleu
Karl comes by the house at 8:00 in the morning. Had I been coming off evening shift that previous week and getting up so early, I’d be in trouble. But with day shift behind me, it’s actually me sleeping in for a couple of hours, so I’m good to go.
Back home, Pippy Park is one of my favourite places to go and hike. You get away from people. You have spectacular views of the city. You have bits of civilization from past years being grown over by nature. You enter the wilderness while remaining in the city.
Mer Bleu is much the same. Fifteen minutes from my house to the parking lot. We hop out of the car with only three other vehicles in the lot. Seconds later, we’re within the woods with a dirt path and occasional boardwalks to guide us.
Where Pippy Park has mostly evergreen trees and low brush, Mer Bleu is more of a deciduous forested area. I find this makes for a spookier experience. I mean back home, you hear an animal scurry in the woods but there’s no chance of seeing anything through the wall of pine trees. Here, you get the same noises but you can look for the culprit. A deciduous forest allows you to peek in around the trunks and limbs. You can see a good hundred feet or so away from you.
So it’s a tad unnerving to hear something, look towards where the sound came from, and still see nothing. The genius of animal camouflage allows the mind to run wild. No wonder the Blair Witch Project movie was set in such a forest.
Regardless, I suspect my life is rather safe at 8:30 on a Saturday morning in Ottawa. And I do happen to catch a glimpse of a few little birds, as well as one that could have been a bigger partridge. So any unseen noise makers were assumed to be more of the same rather than centuries old witches.
Karl tells me of the brave birds of this area. He once had a muffin as he walked through these woods and a darting motion in front of him caused him to freeze in his footsteps. Then it happened again… and again. He looked down to see pieces of his muffin missing! Birds, in Hitchcock fashion, attacking him. Karl continued on that day with muffin drawn in to his body close, protecting it with both hands.
We come to some areas where Spring melt water remains pooled on top of spongy ground. It actually reminds me of walking along the shores of Newfoundland. For even though we are here in the woods of Ottawa, the standing water remains much like tidal pools of home. And like those tidal pools, a closer look at the standing water here reveals little creatures swimming about. I like to imagine that I saw small tadpoles at the early stages of life before entering froghood. But I probably was looking at bug larvae… the youth of disease carrying mosquitoes.
And also like the shores of home, where one would have to hop from rock to rock, trying to keep feet dry while traversing the obstacle, her in Mer Bleu, we pick our way through the maze of fallen logs and elevated mounds… looking for a dry path through the wet.
The woods give way to a wide open field. And here, signs of the past. Bits of concrete and asphalt poke out of the ground. Signs of an old farm house? Were these paths once the route to town back in the days of horse and cart? I have no idea but it makes the mind wander along the possibilities.
From open hilltops, Karl and I look out at parts of the city. Open farmers fields are in the foreground, the buildings of downtown can be seen miles away. And off in the distance, the Gatineau Hills of Quebec.
On the way out, a tame squirrel stands a few feet from us, nibbling on bits of food. It stays, watching as I pull out my camera. It poses for me and keeps at it’s munching as we leave.
New leaves with the morning sun behind them make the trees look electric. Karl and I both comment on this light. It’s as deciduous Christmas lights of summer. The forest is festive.
Just prior to leaving, we come across a woman and her two children. She’s teaching the kids how to hold out their hands in order for birds to land on their fingers and eat out of their palms. I’m sure the woman has been here doing this a million times before but she has such a look of joy and amazement that you can’t help but appreciate the affect nature has over us.
This family of three are the last of some ten people we see the entire time we’re out here. It’s a terrific change from the bustle of the city and anyone we see is quick to give a smile and a hello. Sometimes it takes the wonder of the wilderness to make people civilized.
Mer Bleu
Some pictures from my hike at Mer Bleu last week. A fine hour or so with nature within a city of a million people.
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