Making It Up As I Go Along #343

A much shorter weekly portion this time, due to the work schedule and all. The next writing, after today, will be in 8 days... Halloween.

MONDAY...
— Quiet house day. I’m off this week until Friday, when the new shift starts. Today I do a little walk of the pond and watch some movies... not much else.

TUESDAY...
— Rainy day. I clean out my closet... ditching some old clothes. Also go to the movies. See the latest Batman movie finally. Great movie. It makes you miss Heath Ledger to know that he can’t make anymore movies. It was an amazing final performance.

WEDNESDAY...
— Laundry day. And did three laps of the pond as well. A couple of dozen Canada Geese were hanging around the pond. And a bit more clothes ready to be ditched.
— Some hockey and baseball in the evening.


Time Off
Last day off. Six days away from work with no travel plans and no visitors. I think it’s the first time I’ve just been in Ottawa. That is to say, to just be.

I could get used to it. I rarely get bored with my free time. A few walks, going to a movie alone at the Mayfair, some house cleaning, movies on TV and a little reading.

And I have done it differently than usual. Usually, I’d stay up until the wee hours and sleep in until 10:00 or so each morning. Today was the latest I slept and I was out of bed by about ten to nine. Bed around midnight or one each night and up before nine... it’s been nice.

Last days off are always a little unsettling. You feel the coming schedule of life. The structure is on the horizon. Alarm clocks must be set... meals prepared the night before... bedtime must be followed as the morning will come all too soon.

Tomorrow I begin the first day of my new shift. My first twelve hour day. I’m sure it’ll feel long and I still don’t know a whole lot in the job, so I’ll probably be ready for bed pretty early tomorrow.

Ah tomorrow. Me the single guy still and rather than going out on a Friday night, looking for someone, I’ll be aiming for bed by ten o’clock. The plan is for a drop by a bar after work... to wish Nick a happy birthday and all... but when they all run off to a hockey game, I’ll be heading home preparing for another early wake up on Saturday.

Traffic will at least not be a big issue on this new shift. Being to work for 6:00 will mean a fairly quiet drive in.

So what have I seen over the last six days?

— Canada Geese make my pond a fall home. Two dozen of them just quietly bobbed about the pond yesterday. They are the kings of the pond on their arrival. The remaining ducks shoot off into the reeds and hang by the shore.

— Heath Ledger had so much more to offer. His role as Joker, in the last Batman movie, was amazing. He just drew all your attention when he was on screen.

— I miss the old style goalie masks. See the next subject below for a taste of some of my favourite masks and why I’ve been thinking about them lately. But here is the mask that brought me to hockey...

Richard Sevigny