Christmas Time
Christmas time is here again.
And home again am I.
The lumpiness of my hometown
Is as a mighty sigh.
Hills add texture to the land.
Compared, Ottawa is two demensions
Back home I walk all day long
With no fear or apprehensions.
In the distance is Signal Hill.
A beacon for downtown.
It’s seen from anywhere you stand
Unless the fog comes down.
The fog it made our flight a fright
We landed here quite blind.
Only seconds stood between breakout
Until on hard earth ourselves we did find.
Rain and wind did greet us here.
We left the frozen snow.
It’s nice to find the green green land.
Back there I won’t want to go.
TUESDAY…
--- Had one of those nights when I dream about not being able to sleep. So I have no idea how much sleep I actually got last night… but make it through the day at work alright either way.
WEDNESDAY…
--- Work is a fairly ordinary yet long event.
--- Some evening TV. Up until 3ish.
THURSDAY…
--- Up at 11:00. Last full night’s sleep in a while I think.
--- Work through the night then home for a shower….
FRIDAY…
--- After shower, it’s back to work to meet Paula and Eddie and hit the airport. Fly home… my eyes close as much as remain open but sleep is flighting. In by 4:00 NF time and have been up more than 24 hours.
--- By 8:30, I’m pretty much done. Gone to bed after 28 hours straight up… and 31 of 32 hours.
SATURDAY…
--- Merry Christmas.
--- I do way to well on the gift front, considering I’m typing this on my main gift.
--- Rain and fog and wind means it’s Christmas indoors. Food, drink, food, and people. Wayne, Sylvia, Wince, Brenda, Christine, Rick and family, Marlene and her man… a fine day indeed. Only downside is my inability to figure out hooking mom and dad’s Playstation to their TV. I’m useless.
SUNDAY…
--- A quiet Boxing Day. Up late, brunch with the folks, a visit from cousin Peter and wife Kelly, supper is leftovers, and end the night with A Christmas Carol on DVD. Got the Playstation set up. I almost had it yesterday, just messed up what cable port to use on the TV and Peter figured it out. A second set of eyes can make all the difference.
MONDAY…
--- Lunch and Fred’s Records with Craig. The Ship is good food and good character, Fred’s is Fred’s.
--- Supper at Wayne and Sylvia’s and then a movie on Netflix with mom and dad.
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Monday, December 20, 2010
Making It Up As I Go Along #445
So Close Vancouver, So Close
I had a chance at Vancouver a few weeks ago. A job at the BC office that works in tandem with ours. And I didn’t apply for it. To the best of my knowledge, nobody did… but the surprise around the office is that I didn’t.
It’s been well known by most that I have a real fondness for BC. And even though I didn’t apply, I’d say I like Vancouver as a city better than Ottawa still. So it even surprised myself that, with work prepared to pay for the move, I decided to let the opportunity pass me by.
I guess Ottawa is becoming home after all.
Yes I hate the Ottawa winter. The older I get, the more snow means nothing to me… not in a positive light anyway. Sure, there’s the picturesque aspects of it. The quiet, snow covered, Christmas morning. The Winter Wonderland of a fresh coat of snow atop a forest of pine. But more and more, for me, it’s become an annoyance upon my car… and a trail of slushy dirt upon my boots at work.
And the Ottawa cold has never been something I’ve warmed to. St. John’s gets it’s share of snow… and the wet winds off the sea can chill you to the bone… but the -30s or worse that can be found in Ottawa leaves me considering vacation days, simply so I don’t need to venture out. So the idea of a Vancouver winter is appealing to me.
Another consideration for Vancouver, one I actually did think about, is the hockey factor. I find the Ottawa Senators to be one of the least likable hockey teams in the entire NHL. The organization just doesn’t get it. And I’ve said it before, and continue to stand by it… if the NHL was people, instead of hockey teams, the Ottawa Senators would be the annoying geek that tries to build himself up by creating tall tales… but everyone else knows it’s all a lie. The local crew that cover Senator games whine about referees who miss calls. Opposing goalies were lucky to have beaten the Sens… the Sen players played amazingly, despite the loss… and on and on. The idea of moving to a city with a hockey team to be proud of was appealing to say the least.
And the sea and mountains. I’ve always missed the sea in Ottawa. Rivers and lakes just don’t measure up to the smell of the ocean and the mystic that great creatures may be lurking beneath the surface. While the mountains bring me a similar feeling of wonder. To be able to gaze upon the folds of rock and rising forests. When I’m in a plane, I can look down upon the land, wondering about the world below. Being able to see cars move about, the lights of homes, and the layout of cities. Knowing that people are living regular lives below but not being able to see the finite details of those lives from 35,000 feet above. It leaves the imagination to run.
For me, the same holds true for mountains. Except, instead of being in a plane looking down upon the world, you’re on the ground looking up at the landscape towering above you, or across at the land on the other side of the valley. To be able to look at crevasses from a distance and wonder if there are nesting eagles sitting there. To be able to see a distant meadow just above the tree line, and to wonder if you watched it long enough, if you’d be able to see a bear wander out into the open space. I peer up towards the great mountain forests and wonder if the wondrous Sasquatch could be trudging through there. Hidden from view yet so close.
Yet when it came to deciding where to live my life, for now, Ottawa won out. Many factors played a role.
The roots of the place have begun to take hold. I don’t have a great number of Ottawa friends, but I do have a group now that fill my week. Be it those I play ball with… or those I meet for UFC or movie nights with. There are burger trips across town and lunch buddies at the office. And yes, I’m sure that friends would eventually be made in Vancouver, but the idea of starting fresh in that regard was not an appealing one.
There is also the comfort of knowing your way around a city. It’s taken a while to get that in Ottawa. Only in recent years have people been able to describe a place to me and have me figure out where they’re talking about. To finally feel that comfort and then start over in a new city… again this was not an appealing idea, despite me already knowing parts of Vancouver.
Closeness to home was another big factor. Knowing I can hop a plane to Newfoundland in under three hours. Knowing I now head back there two, sometimes three times a year. And knowing that my parents can make their way here two, sometimes three times a year… it’s nice knowing I’m that close to home.
And then there is my Ottawa home. A few years ago, I was trying to find a new place to call home in Ottawa. And I still don’t expect to stay in my Terrace Home for the rest of my days in this city. But it’s grown on me. Just the perfect size for my needs with the things I need nearby… and a small lake to walk around virtually at my doorstep. The idea of going to Vancouver and having half (or less) of what I have now was a major drawback.
So in Ottawa I stay, working with friends and about to venture home for my Christmas vacation. While praying that global warming, if it must occur, will at least rid me of those -30 degree days in the dead of Ottawa winter.
MONDAY...
--- day shift. It's cold and the car is half full of ice before I can head to work. Work is fine with a nice lunch with Annick and Shannon.
TUESDAY...
--- messy day. Lots of snow makes the drive in not so nice.
--- downtown after work to get the computers synced. Groceries after that, I'm not home and settled until about 8:30.
WEDNESDAY…
--- Back downtown today as the computers are ready. Play around about after that and then get ready for night shift at work. Thai food makes it good.
THURSDAY…
--- Work is slow tonight. And not much going on beforehand.
FRIDAY…
--- Up around noon… some computer organizing until the dentist… to Shannon’s after that for burgers at Dick’s… a bit of TV once I get home.
SATURDAY…
--- Around the house… talk to sis on the phone, hockey and some movies and TV shows… computer time. Spaghetti makes for a fine Saturday supper.
SUNDAY…
--- Win our last game of the fall ball season. So we are the “B” Champions. Get t-shirts for the effort. A fine season under the dome.
--- Final of Survivor tonight is accompanied by pizza. Good stuff.
I had a chance at Vancouver a few weeks ago. A job at the BC office that works in tandem with ours. And I didn’t apply for it. To the best of my knowledge, nobody did… but the surprise around the office is that I didn’t.
It’s been well known by most that I have a real fondness for BC. And even though I didn’t apply, I’d say I like Vancouver as a city better than Ottawa still. So it even surprised myself that, with work prepared to pay for the move, I decided to let the opportunity pass me by.
I guess Ottawa is becoming home after all.
Yes I hate the Ottawa winter. The older I get, the more snow means nothing to me… not in a positive light anyway. Sure, there’s the picturesque aspects of it. The quiet, snow covered, Christmas morning. The Winter Wonderland of a fresh coat of snow atop a forest of pine. But more and more, for me, it’s become an annoyance upon my car… and a trail of slushy dirt upon my boots at work.
And the Ottawa cold has never been something I’ve warmed to. St. John’s gets it’s share of snow… and the wet winds off the sea can chill you to the bone… but the -30s or worse that can be found in Ottawa leaves me considering vacation days, simply so I don’t need to venture out. So the idea of a Vancouver winter is appealing to me.
Another consideration for Vancouver, one I actually did think about, is the hockey factor. I find the Ottawa Senators to be one of the least likable hockey teams in the entire NHL. The organization just doesn’t get it. And I’ve said it before, and continue to stand by it… if the NHL was people, instead of hockey teams, the Ottawa Senators would be the annoying geek that tries to build himself up by creating tall tales… but everyone else knows it’s all a lie. The local crew that cover Senator games whine about referees who miss calls. Opposing goalies were lucky to have beaten the Sens… the Sen players played amazingly, despite the loss… and on and on. The idea of moving to a city with a hockey team to be proud of was appealing to say the least.
And the sea and mountains. I’ve always missed the sea in Ottawa. Rivers and lakes just don’t measure up to the smell of the ocean and the mystic that great creatures may be lurking beneath the surface. While the mountains bring me a similar feeling of wonder. To be able to gaze upon the folds of rock and rising forests. When I’m in a plane, I can look down upon the land, wondering about the world below. Being able to see cars move about, the lights of homes, and the layout of cities. Knowing that people are living regular lives below but not being able to see the finite details of those lives from 35,000 feet above. It leaves the imagination to run.
For me, the same holds true for mountains. Except, instead of being in a plane looking down upon the world, you’re on the ground looking up at the landscape towering above you, or across at the land on the other side of the valley. To be able to look at crevasses from a distance and wonder if there are nesting eagles sitting there. To be able to see a distant meadow just above the tree line, and to wonder if you watched it long enough, if you’d be able to see a bear wander out into the open space. I peer up towards the great mountain forests and wonder if the wondrous Sasquatch could be trudging through there. Hidden from view yet so close.
Yet when it came to deciding where to live my life, for now, Ottawa won out. Many factors played a role.
The roots of the place have begun to take hold. I don’t have a great number of Ottawa friends, but I do have a group now that fill my week. Be it those I play ball with… or those I meet for UFC or movie nights with. There are burger trips across town and lunch buddies at the office. And yes, I’m sure that friends would eventually be made in Vancouver, but the idea of starting fresh in that regard was not an appealing one.
There is also the comfort of knowing your way around a city. It’s taken a while to get that in Ottawa. Only in recent years have people been able to describe a place to me and have me figure out where they’re talking about. To finally feel that comfort and then start over in a new city… again this was not an appealing idea, despite me already knowing parts of Vancouver.
Closeness to home was another big factor. Knowing I can hop a plane to Newfoundland in under three hours. Knowing I now head back there two, sometimes three times a year. And knowing that my parents can make their way here two, sometimes three times a year… it’s nice knowing I’m that close to home.
And then there is my Ottawa home. A few years ago, I was trying to find a new place to call home in Ottawa. And I still don’t expect to stay in my Terrace Home for the rest of my days in this city. But it’s grown on me. Just the perfect size for my needs with the things I need nearby… and a small lake to walk around virtually at my doorstep. The idea of going to Vancouver and having half (or less) of what I have now was a major drawback.
So in Ottawa I stay, working with friends and about to venture home for my Christmas vacation. While praying that global warming, if it must occur, will at least rid me of those -30 degree days in the dead of Ottawa winter.
MONDAY...
--- day shift. It's cold and the car is half full of ice before I can head to work. Work is fine with a nice lunch with Annick and Shannon.
TUESDAY...
--- messy day. Lots of snow makes the drive in not so nice.
--- downtown after work to get the computers synced. Groceries after that, I'm not home and settled until about 8:30.
WEDNESDAY…
--- Back downtown today as the computers are ready. Play around about after that and then get ready for night shift at work. Thai food makes it good.
THURSDAY…
--- Work is slow tonight. And not much going on beforehand.
FRIDAY…
--- Up around noon… some computer organizing until the dentist… to Shannon’s after that for burgers at Dick’s… a bit of TV once I get home.
SATURDAY…
--- Around the house… talk to sis on the phone, hockey and some movies and TV shows… computer time. Spaghetti makes for a fine Saturday supper.
SUNDAY…
--- Win our last game of the fall ball season. So we are the “B” Champions. Get t-shirts for the effort. A fine season under the dome.
--- Final of Survivor tonight is accompanied by pizza. Good stuff.
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Making It Up As I Go Along #444
Dinkie Mountain
Dinkie Mountain lays there still
A land of rock smaller than a hill
In among the back yard grass
There I played in days gone past.
My Grandmother’s house standing there
I’d crouch in the grass, the wind gusting my hair
The rocky folds as driving lanes
I’d stay for hours, until the rains.
Beyond the mountain lay meadows for sheep
I’d dream about them in my sleep
And further still a water pump
Yet my interest lay with this rocky lump.
My grandmother stood near indoors making bread
Yet I could barely be made to lift my head
Cars, trucks and a double decker bus
The first one in Joe Batt’s, but here without fuss.
And now in real car I drive
Imagining the rock, not seeing it live
Perhaps the grass has grown it over
Invisible rock, shrouded in clover.
But I know it’s there upon the land
I remember it’s rough beneath my hand
Just as I remember the bread baking kitchen beyond
With memories of my grandmother so clear and fond.
Sunday...
--- stay home from work due to lack of sleep. I sleep from 11 Sat night to midnight. Up from midnight to 3:30. Would have been work with 2 hours sleep.
--- ball team is crushed. We're tight now.
Monday...
--- slept better last night but not great. Up all but twenty minutes of the 2:30 to 4:30 time frame.
--- lunch with Shannon and Annick.
--- downtown after work to bring computers in for file transfer. Can't do it due to external drive. Home with nothing done.
--- lots of time thinking of the Vancouver job. To apply to go? Or stay? A tougher decision than I'd guess.
TUESDAY...
--- sleep better, some TV and afternoon nap before night shift at work. Pretty quiet night.
--- make my decision... I won't apply for the Vancouver AFIS job. Starting to feel like Ottawa is home, and starting over at this point, in a new city, seems like the wrong thing to do right now.
WEDNESDAY...
--- BC AFIS job deadline goes by without me. It's weird not to apply but I think, with all the factors to consider, I made the right decision. --- Louis' Pizza at work. Good stuff.
--- Cold night. -10 without the wind. Oh dear.
THURSDAY...
--- awaken to Karl's phone call. I'm late for lunch. Go eat with him and head home after for baseball vids. In the 2019 season, I win the World Series!
FRIDAY...
--- quiet day around the house. Movies, computer, hockey on the tube.
SATURDAY...
--- some movies, computer, then out in the evening with Sarah and Phil for UFC and food.
Dinkie Mountain lays there still
A land of rock smaller than a hill
In among the back yard grass
There I played in days gone past.
My Grandmother’s house standing there
I’d crouch in the grass, the wind gusting my hair
The rocky folds as driving lanes
I’d stay for hours, until the rains.
Beyond the mountain lay meadows for sheep
I’d dream about them in my sleep
And further still a water pump
Yet my interest lay with this rocky lump.
My grandmother stood near indoors making bread
Yet I could barely be made to lift my head
Cars, trucks and a double decker bus
The first one in Joe Batt’s, but here without fuss.
And now in real car I drive
Imagining the rock, not seeing it live
Perhaps the grass has grown it over
Invisible rock, shrouded in clover.
But I know it’s there upon the land
I remember it’s rough beneath my hand
Just as I remember the bread baking kitchen beyond
With memories of my grandmother so clear and fond.
Sunday...
--- stay home from work due to lack of sleep. I sleep from 11 Sat night to midnight. Up from midnight to 3:30. Would have been work with 2 hours sleep.
--- ball team is crushed. We're tight now.
Monday...
--- slept better last night but not great. Up all but twenty minutes of the 2:30 to 4:30 time frame.
--- lunch with Shannon and Annick.
--- downtown after work to bring computers in for file transfer. Can't do it due to external drive. Home with nothing done.
--- lots of time thinking of the Vancouver job. To apply to go? Or stay? A tougher decision than I'd guess.
TUESDAY...
--- sleep better, some TV and afternoon nap before night shift at work. Pretty quiet night.
--- make my decision... I won't apply for the Vancouver AFIS job. Starting to feel like Ottawa is home, and starting over at this point, in a new city, seems like the wrong thing to do right now.
WEDNESDAY...
--- BC AFIS job deadline goes by without me. It's weird not to apply but I think, with all the factors to consider, I made the right decision. --- Louis' Pizza at work. Good stuff.
--- Cold night. -10 without the wind. Oh dear.
THURSDAY...
--- awaken to Karl's phone call. I'm late for lunch. Go eat with him and head home after for baseball vids. In the 2019 season, I win the World Series!
FRIDAY...
--- quiet day around the house. Movies, computer, hockey on the tube.
SATURDAY...
--- some movies, computer, then out in the evening with Sarah and Phil for UFC and food.
Saturday, December 04, 2010
Making It Up As I Go Along #443
Kentucky Fried Chicken
Kentucky Fried Chicken. The low end cousin in the world of fast food chains.
McDonald’s is where the cool kids go get first summer jobs. Free Big Macs and Mcnuggets are spoken of with near reverence.
Burger King has those that don’t quite have the social chops to be seen as McDonald’s kids, but they’re in the game. They are the Beta to McDonald’s VHS back when both came about. Cool that you can watch a movie in the comfort of your own home... but... well... not quite there.
Wendy’s is the land of the down to earth teens. They aren’t all caught up in the image of the Big Mac. If I had a teen going to work the fast food chain, I’d hope they’d be at Wendy’s.
A & W is a step below. Let’s face it. The food is fine. Onion rings and root beer that can’t be beat. But the uniform worn by those behind the counter... just not cool.
And below all these fast food joints sit the employees of KFC. If Cleatus, the Slack Jawed Yokel, of Simpson’s fame, were to work a fast food joint... he’d be in the KFC kitchen. This is the last straw of employment for those low on the social list. Yes, there are always some exceptions. Perhaps you’re to be more respected as a manager at KFC than a cashier at Wendy’s. But by in large, KFC is not the place to be.
Greasy teens pedaling greasy chicken. I don’t know if the employees don’t bathe before work... or if it’s that if you spend eight hours in that kitchen, the atmosphere of the place is grease. The rest of the world has an atmosphere of oxygen... KFC kitchens have a grease/oxygen mix.
Still, there’s something about KFC that warms the heart... perhaps it’s the grease coursing through the veins... causing once fluid blood to coagulate... running the human body on a bloodish gravy. But there are KFC memories beyond those of other fast foods.
Where you unwrap and eat a burger in the front seat of the car, sitting there in a parking lot with a cup of fries held between your legs... KFC is a family meal. A summer outing in the park, or a Friday night treat after parents are home from work, and kids have a coming weekend without school.
Buckets are opened with aromas of chicken sifting through every corner of the house. A box of fries is opened on the kitchen counter, left open for the buffet line of family to help themselves... but the opener of the box can’t help but sneak one... as payment... for making ready the family meal.
Then there’s KFC coleslaw. Never a treat to me... neon green and tangy. But my mother would dive in... a little smile upon her face as she scoops out a few spoonfuls onto her plate.
In my own mind, there is a legendary time I think back to where I ate a dozen pieces of KFC chicken while still not into my teenage years. I distinctly remember our family lunch in Gander, where my belly just wouldn’t fill. I’d return to the bucket, scooping out another leg. By piece number six, I was sheepish about it. By number ten, I felt as though I was stealing... asking my father if I can have another and feeling as though I’ve gotten away with something when he allowed it. Surly he mustn’t know the quantity that’s past my lips... or he would put a stop to this madness. It’s the price parents pay, when they don’t pay attention to the quiet one.
In reality, I likely never ate those dozen pieces of chicken. Perhaps it was five... making me on par with a hungry adult for the first time in my young life. Or perhaps I did pick up and bring a dozen pieces to my lips... but ate only the spicy batter, leaving the chicken meat on the bone... there for my parents to pick through my “finished pieces”, having a meal from my left overs.
Either way, the memory of a dozen pieces eaten... so many years ago... remains with me.
Today, I’m more careful about the grease levels within my bloodstream. Kentucky Fried memories bring me back for the occasional meal still... but two, maybe three, per year is all I allow.
Last weekend was one of those times. Grey Cup football brings on the KFC tradition. And so it was last Sunday, coming home from softball, making a pit stop at the local outlet.
The couple of men in front of me at the line felt themselves as stars. At least one of them did. We were all left waiting for a new batch of chicken to cook up, so there was time to overhear the commentary of stranger’s lives. At the counter, the fatter of the two men came straight out and told the clerk that they’re on TV. “Do you recognize us? We’re on Canada’s Worst Driver”.
Shot down by a KFC employee... remember, those at KFC are the lowest end of fast food society, “Oh, no... I don’t watch that show.”
Chubs goes on about the show... hoping to impress his celebrity upon the youth. He thumbs towards his companion. “He’s the driver on the show. He’s an awful driver... the worst!”
His friend, seemingly not thrilled about this conversation, pipes up... “But I’m the one who drove us here!”
Unfazed, the fat man continues. “Hey, we’re going to a staff party after this, when do you get off work? Wanna come?”
Such offers seem strange... and a touch creepy. Is this chubby man trying to pick up the teenage boy, here while ordering supper? The employee chuckles and gives a dismissive “I don’t think so.”
After our wait, I finally get home with my meal. Pulling containers out from the paper bag and filling my kitchen counter with them... the scent of chicken, slowly penetrating my house.
No longer in the bucket... I pull the chicken out of a box much like, only a little larger, than the French fry box. I actually wish it was still in the big round bucket. It’s meant to be there. Not in a fry box.
After digging into three pieces, some fries, potato salad, and maccaroni salad (no need of coleslaw with mom not here) I head back to the kitchen to put away the left overs. Once done, a great splotch of grease glistens upon my counter where the chicken and fry box used to be. It takes several goes with a wet dish rag to remove the evidence of what took place here. I’m as a criminal, cleaning a murder scene.
But despite the grease, and wait in line at the restaurant... and gravy blood. It was an enjoyable reminder of days gone by. Gnawing at chicken bones, licking fingers of seven herbs and spices, and thinking back to pre-teen feats of eating... as modern day football played before me.
SATURDAY...
— Up early for work. The sound of the scraper on the windshield echoed through the neighbourhood at 5:15 in the morning.
— Bit of a sore neck by the end of work... some heat on the neck and hockey on TV to end the day.
SUNDAY...
— Work is alright... ball after that. Lose our first of the fall league but still win the regular season title. Doesn’t mean much but nice all the same. Still, we’re pretty sloppy in the field as a team, and I boot a few that really shouldn’t be booted. Oh well, get it out of the way now... playoffs begin.
— KFC after ball. This means it’s Grey Cup time. My only time for KFC. The chicken’s a bit greasier than last year... but tradition is tradition.
MONDAY...
— Made a big trade in the hockey pool. Within the trade, I get rid of two Habs, including Price, and take back a Senator. Such actions makes me feel dirty. But the overall should make it a good trade... I hope.
— Work is tedious... part of the night. But then ok for the rest. Checking into a job possibility. Could I be on the move again? Hmm.
TUESDAY/WEDNESDAY...
— Work Tuesday night. Goes oddly as systems and computers are mucked up. Oddly, my computer is the only one in the section working fairly normally.
— Tonnes of rain through Tuesday night to Wednesday night.
THURSDAY...
— Go downtown and get a new computer today. Some may be willing to kill me... but I now own a Mac. Did lots of reading on it all and have been saving money pretty good for a while now... and with part of it being an early Christmas gift from the parents... it seems like a reasonable time to give Mac a go. Probably won’t have it fully up, with all my files from the old laptop until the middle of next week. But it’s looking good so far. Also got a new wireless router. The old one is just too old.
FRIDAY...
— Set up a new wireless network. Got rid of the old router and the new one has things running smooth and steady. No dropped signals. Some video games... groceries... and a trip to Staples for a chord for the printer.
Kentucky Fried Chicken. The low end cousin in the world of fast food chains.
McDonald’s is where the cool kids go get first summer jobs. Free Big Macs and Mcnuggets are spoken of with near reverence.
Burger King has those that don’t quite have the social chops to be seen as McDonald’s kids, but they’re in the game. They are the Beta to McDonald’s VHS back when both came about. Cool that you can watch a movie in the comfort of your own home... but... well... not quite there.
Wendy’s is the land of the down to earth teens. They aren’t all caught up in the image of the Big Mac. If I had a teen going to work the fast food chain, I’d hope they’d be at Wendy’s.
A & W is a step below. Let’s face it. The food is fine. Onion rings and root beer that can’t be beat. But the uniform worn by those behind the counter... just not cool.
And below all these fast food joints sit the employees of KFC. If Cleatus, the Slack Jawed Yokel, of Simpson’s fame, were to work a fast food joint... he’d be in the KFC kitchen. This is the last straw of employment for those low on the social list. Yes, there are always some exceptions. Perhaps you’re to be more respected as a manager at KFC than a cashier at Wendy’s. But by in large, KFC is not the place to be.
Greasy teens pedaling greasy chicken. I don’t know if the employees don’t bathe before work... or if it’s that if you spend eight hours in that kitchen, the atmosphere of the place is grease. The rest of the world has an atmosphere of oxygen... KFC kitchens have a grease/oxygen mix.
Still, there’s something about KFC that warms the heart... perhaps it’s the grease coursing through the veins... causing once fluid blood to coagulate... running the human body on a bloodish gravy. But there are KFC memories beyond those of other fast foods.
Where you unwrap and eat a burger in the front seat of the car, sitting there in a parking lot with a cup of fries held between your legs... KFC is a family meal. A summer outing in the park, or a Friday night treat after parents are home from work, and kids have a coming weekend without school.
Buckets are opened with aromas of chicken sifting through every corner of the house. A box of fries is opened on the kitchen counter, left open for the buffet line of family to help themselves... but the opener of the box can’t help but sneak one... as payment... for making ready the family meal.
Then there’s KFC coleslaw. Never a treat to me... neon green and tangy. But my mother would dive in... a little smile upon her face as she scoops out a few spoonfuls onto her plate.
In my own mind, there is a legendary time I think back to where I ate a dozen pieces of KFC chicken while still not into my teenage years. I distinctly remember our family lunch in Gander, where my belly just wouldn’t fill. I’d return to the bucket, scooping out another leg. By piece number six, I was sheepish about it. By number ten, I felt as though I was stealing... asking my father if I can have another and feeling as though I’ve gotten away with something when he allowed it. Surly he mustn’t know the quantity that’s past my lips... or he would put a stop to this madness. It’s the price parents pay, when they don’t pay attention to the quiet one.
In reality, I likely never ate those dozen pieces of chicken. Perhaps it was five... making me on par with a hungry adult for the first time in my young life. Or perhaps I did pick up and bring a dozen pieces to my lips... but ate only the spicy batter, leaving the chicken meat on the bone... there for my parents to pick through my “finished pieces”, having a meal from my left overs.
Either way, the memory of a dozen pieces eaten... so many years ago... remains with me.
Today, I’m more careful about the grease levels within my bloodstream. Kentucky Fried memories bring me back for the occasional meal still... but two, maybe three, per year is all I allow.
Last weekend was one of those times. Grey Cup football brings on the KFC tradition. And so it was last Sunday, coming home from softball, making a pit stop at the local outlet.
The couple of men in front of me at the line felt themselves as stars. At least one of them did. We were all left waiting for a new batch of chicken to cook up, so there was time to overhear the commentary of stranger’s lives. At the counter, the fatter of the two men came straight out and told the clerk that they’re on TV. “Do you recognize us? We’re on Canada’s Worst Driver”.
Shot down by a KFC employee... remember, those at KFC are the lowest end of fast food society, “Oh, no... I don’t watch that show.”
Chubs goes on about the show... hoping to impress his celebrity upon the youth. He thumbs towards his companion. “He’s the driver on the show. He’s an awful driver... the worst!”
His friend, seemingly not thrilled about this conversation, pipes up... “But I’m the one who drove us here!”
Unfazed, the fat man continues. “Hey, we’re going to a staff party after this, when do you get off work? Wanna come?”
Such offers seem strange... and a touch creepy. Is this chubby man trying to pick up the teenage boy, here while ordering supper? The employee chuckles and gives a dismissive “I don’t think so.”
After our wait, I finally get home with my meal. Pulling containers out from the paper bag and filling my kitchen counter with them... the scent of chicken, slowly penetrating my house.
No longer in the bucket... I pull the chicken out of a box much like, only a little larger, than the French fry box. I actually wish it was still in the big round bucket. It’s meant to be there. Not in a fry box.
After digging into three pieces, some fries, potato salad, and maccaroni salad (no need of coleslaw with mom not here) I head back to the kitchen to put away the left overs. Once done, a great splotch of grease glistens upon my counter where the chicken and fry box used to be. It takes several goes with a wet dish rag to remove the evidence of what took place here. I’m as a criminal, cleaning a murder scene.
But despite the grease, and wait in line at the restaurant... and gravy blood. It was an enjoyable reminder of days gone by. Gnawing at chicken bones, licking fingers of seven herbs and spices, and thinking back to pre-teen feats of eating... as modern day football played before me.
SATURDAY...
— Up early for work. The sound of the scraper on the windshield echoed through the neighbourhood at 5:15 in the morning.
— Bit of a sore neck by the end of work... some heat on the neck and hockey on TV to end the day.
SUNDAY...
— Work is alright... ball after that. Lose our first of the fall league but still win the regular season title. Doesn’t mean much but nice all the same. Still, we’re pretty sloppy in the field as a team, and I boot a few that really shouldn’t be booted. Oh well, get it out of the way now... playoffs begin.
— KFC after ball. This means it’s Grey Cup time. My only time for KFC. The chicken’s a bit greasier than last year... but tradition is tradition.
MONDAY...
— Made a big trade in the hockey pool. Within the trade, I get rid of two Habs, including Price, and take back a Senator. Such actions makes me feel dirty. But the overall should make it a good trade... I hope.
— Work is tedious... part of the night. But then ok for the rest. Checking into a job possibility. Could I be on the move again? Hmm.
TUESDAY/WEDNESDAY...
— Work Tuesday night. Goes oddly as systems and computers are mucked up. Oddly, my computer is the only one in the section working fairly normally.
— Tonnes of rain through Tuesday night to Wednesday night.
THURSDAY...
— Go downtown and get a new computer today. Some may be willing to kill me... but I now own a Mac. Did lots of reading on it all and have been saving money pretty good for a while now... and with part of it being an early Christmas gift from the parents... it seems like a reasonable time to give Mac a go. Probably won’t have it fully up, with all my files from the old laptop until the middle of next week. But it’s looking good so far. Also got a new wireless router. The old one is just too old.
FRIDAY...
— Set up a new wireless network. Got rid of the old router and the new one has things running smooth and steady. No dropped signals. Some video games... groceries... and a trip to Staples for a chord for the printer.
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