Making It Up As I Go Along #426

The Brown/Sutherland Olympics
Two weeks of family time is over. My wish is that family time wasn’t as much of an event each time. I see why it is. We don’t all get together much... it’s pretty well a once every two years type of scenario. My family gatherings has basically become the Olympics. It has opening celebrations... a busy schedule that lasts about two weeks... and a closing ceremony.

The family ceremonies is largely food related. And, like the Olympics, the host nation often feels the effects long after the games are done. This week I basically ate a pie on my own... finished off a tub of ice cream... and I had to throw out three bags of garbage (as opposed to my one ever two weeks that happens in normal times).

And this week, work was difficult. It was the Olympic/family vacation hangover. Thirteen days of running around, driving around, sleeping around (that one doesn’t sound right but you know what I mean) really adds up. Doing it all in high humidity makes it all the harder. And so when Monday afternoon came, and the family had all departed, I was left drained of all energy while plugging away at work.

Complaints of lack of energy... when made by a single man... fall on deaf ears. Family people throw that back in your face quicker than you can blink. Being single, I could go in to work after a four month trek through the Himalayas, and if I possibly even hint at the idea of being tired, I hear of the hardships of parenthood. But this isn’t in a let-me-share-your-pain tone. These hardships are spat in my face in a how-dare-you-complain-of tiredness tone. I hear of three hour post work marathon driving sessions all over town as parents have to drop kids at soccer... then rush to the mall for clothes... then to the other end of town to pick up a part for a vacuum cleaner... ended with a return to soccer to pick up the previously dropped kids.

These stories are told with the idea that I should thank my lucky stars that I am tired for the reasons of my tiredness... because if I had to do what they did, I’d be so tired I’d likely die.

For me, I don’t take these things too seriously. I’m tired... you’re tired... we’re all tired. It’s not a tiredness competition. I don’t care about soccer, or vacuum parts. And I’m not about to belittle the idea that raising kids can be tiring and difficult. I just get bored with the idea that, because I’m single and alone, I’ve got life easier and should stop my whining.

But back to my family and my wish that gatherings didn’t have to take on Olympic proportions. I do miss those times when I lived ten minutes from my parents. When I could pop by for a meal, hang out for a few hours, and then head back to my place to end the night. In those times, mom and dad wouldn’t worry about getting up as I enter the house. And there wasn’t the need to share every story that has occurred since the last time we saw each other.

I guess my favourite way to be with my family is when that’s it... I’m with my family. The being is not scheduled... it’s just more organic. More natural.

Bi-annual gatherings are fun, and eventful, and among the highlights of my year when they occur. But I often find myself wishing there was more time to simply be.

I know doing it that way would mean family trips would need to be a good month long. Leaving time to plan a side-trip or dinner out for every second day or so.

But the 10-13 day bi-annual event means those side-trips and dinners aren’t done every second day... but rather two or three of them are done in one day. There is so much to be done that some has to be forgotten. And others have to be done apart from each other.

This trip was very busy. Yet still we left out so much. The Museum of Nature. With dinosaurs, live bugs, and a newly renovated building that takes on the appearance of a castle. This place, that had the Queen of England receiving a private tour of only a few weeks prior to our vacation... didn’t make the cut. Imax movies were set aside as well. A trip to Upper Canada Village... to the zoo... to a new water park between Ottawa and Montreal. None of these things made the itinerary.

In Quebec City, semi-pro baseball was forgotten... and an aquarium, two minutes bus ride from our hotel, was passed by but never stopped at.

Montreal’s leg of the trip had me apart from half my family for most of the time, and the only parts of the city I experienced were within a two block radius of our hotel. Two trips to the Bell Centre, a trip to a Chapters store on St. Catherine’s Street, and a trip out to find a pizza joint around the corner.

There just wasn’t time for more than what we did. And looking through the list of what was not done, or in the case of Montreal, what was, shows that the family vacation could very easily have taken a full month of time. The Wakefield steam train, Stitsville Market, Mount Tremblant Resort, Museum of Science, and Mer Bleue Nature Reserve also could all be added to an extended itinerary.

We were so busy over the two weeks that I didn’t even have enough energy to put together last weekend’s blog/update. Dad commented that this is the first time I missed a week. Of 426 weeks, this is the first. Perhaps that’s not quite true. When we went to Greece, I skipped a week of writing. Although the difference there was that I wrote twice the week previous to the trip.

So this long weekend is my return to normalcy. I’m keeping life quiet and, for the most part, solitary. Returning to a relaxed pace. A pace I wish I could maintain more often when I’m around the favourite people in my life. Although that’s unlikely to happen any time soon. And likely won’t happen in two years, when British Columbia hosts the next Olympics that is my family reunion. But like most Olympics... when that one comes, it’ll likely be among the top highlights of the two years between now and then.

WEDNESDAY...
— Old City of Quebec is nice. Walking all over there and a bit of shopping. Good meal to end the day with family.

THURSDAY...
— Back to Old Quebec. Plains of Abraham and some walking around the streets... some sitting and cool drinks while watching the people drift by.

FRIDAY...
— Off to Montreal. Bit of a stressful drive with detours and such but once we get there we get a penthouse at the hotel and are a five minute walk from the Bell Centre (Home of the Montreal Canadiens). Duff, Dad and I go there for a look around and time in the gift store. Good stuff. Only thing missing was ability to get in the arena portion to see the banners.
— Get some work news... half good... half stupid... about normal.

SATURDAY...
— Last return to Bell Centre in the morning. Get another shirt at the gift shop. Then drive to Ottawa. Relaxing drive once out of Montreal’s traffic. Some groceries and then take Edena and family to work for a tour.
— Supper at home and a walk around the pond end things.

SUNDAY...
— Edena and family gone in the morning. Dad and I to Mer Bleue (2 turtles and three frogs seen). Boston Pizza for supper and a walk around the pond before looking at pictures from my and mom’s cameras.

MONDAY...
— Check out a framing store for some pictures... get mom and dad’s input on that. Then off to the airport with them, to work from there... and work until almost 8:00. Home for some baseball on TV and tired most of the day.

TUESDAY...
— Least productive day at work in a while... as in years. Just tired and distracted and still trying to fight off the vacation mode.
— Some evening baseball on TV and a little decompression. Was going to write tonight but mind just too tired.

WEDNESDAY...
— Tired at work again... but stats improve. Ball after work. We lose by one run in a close one. RCMP ball is fairly fun really.

THURSDAY...
— Week soon over... gas is pretty low in the tank. But some reasonable laughs at work and lasagna at lunch... so not too bad.

FRIDAY...
— Long day at work with few people there. Movie night with Sarah and Phil tonight. Inception is fairly mind blowing and quite good.

SATURDAY...
— Quiet, unwinding day. Computer baseball, movies, little else.