Making It Up As I Go Along #388

A bit of a ramble this week.

Twelve Days Off
Twelve days off. Since my move to Ottawa I haven’t taken twelve days off and not flown somewhere.

The original plan was four days of nothing followed by eight of writing and research. Then I was given crumby work news, just prior to my time away, and it changed to a time of decompression and settling down.

Writing happened... but not as much. Two or three days of the twelve went towards the project.

Twelve days can be a lifetime. Two and a half days under the weather... three work related e-mails... two work related phone calls... one trip to (you guessed it) work... and, for anyone who knows my work, zero work related official decisions. And management wonders why staff complains.

Sleep came and went. Thursday night I went to bed with a headache... lights off at about twenty to one. Wake for the first time around 9:00. Sleep more off and on until about twenty after twelve. Almost twelve hours in the bed means I’m not up to par. For the next few days after that, sleep amounts to a little less than half of that day. Tonight is likely to be an adventure with a 4:30 wake up call coming up.

Twelve days came with a Hitchcock moment. On day eleven, after the first victory of the indoor ball season, I stand in the parking lot talking with Trevor... about a hundred Canada Geese lift off a block away and drift atop us, honking from a hundred feet up. A flight slow... almost a hover with the wind against their beaks.

Our talking stopped and we stood looking up at the mass of birds. I thought of a dive into the car, with geese wings slapping against the windshield as geese beaks crack the glass in waves. It didn’t happen.

Three big purchases in twelve days. A plane ticket home for Christmas... the one bit of good that comes from the toss from CPSIC... Ho Ho Ho! A pair of miniature goalie masks online from the Hockey Hall of Fame... cause I’m a goalie mask geek. And a down jacket for the winter from Eddie Bauer... all set for the inevitable brrrr.

Lots of baseball over the twelve days. Playoff baseball can only be matched by playoff hockey in my books. I just wish it would be decreed that only Vin Scully, Jon Miller (without sidekick Joe Morgan... twit) or Dan Shulman will call all baseball games. TBS is nasty in their coverage. Scully and Shulman make me wish I had satellite radio. It would almost be worth it to turn off the TV and only listen to a ball game on the radio if it meant hearing Scully or Shulman call it.

Speaking previously of my goalie mask obsession... I took a TSN online poll where they give a choice of one goalie per NHL team and you are to pick the best mask in the NHL accordingly. I’ve decided that the great majority of today’s goalie masks are too busy in their design. It is so cram packed full of details that, on TV, the mask looks like a great big scribbled blob. My pick for winner... Roberto Luongo. Very plain but something really good about it... it draws me in.



What I know is that twelve days off could be extended twelve more. I love being on my own schedule and staying away from the politics and drama that is the work place.


MONDAY...
— Home day. Some baseball... a walk... pizza delivered.

TUESDAY...
— Get some groceries... review some old writing to prepare to work on it... watch baseball and hockey. Relaxing day.

WEDNESDAY...
— Some writing research. Trying to get a good background to go with a story I’m getting into.
— Movie on TV and supper out with Riggs.
— Christmas is booked. My getting shifted out of my section at work means Christmas is a go. Porter Airlines doing it this time... should be interesting.

THURSDAY...
— Tired day. That’s what happens when it’s dark and rainy all day. Watch a movie and some hockey and do some napping.

FRIDAY...
— Got out of bed shortly after noon. I was in bed for about twelve hours and slept about nine of that. Not feeling good today.
— Cancel supper plans tonight and Port Perry party night tomorrow is in jeopardy. Headaches, tired, cough, hot/cold... all on the docket for today.

SATURDAY...
— Best hockey game in years on TV... Montreal beat the Rangers in overtime and it was quite exciting.
— Stays home rather than go to Nick’s birthday party in Port Perry. Still under the weather. Feel a bit better by the night but still not totally right.

SUNDAY...
— Snoozy day, trying to get some strength. Ball in the evening. We win our first game out of three in the fall league and I don’t play like a total duffus. A shwarma for supper and TV night.