Here’s what happens when you mess up your French while ordering Carrot Cake in Quebec.
Chateau aux Carrotte
It is there
In the distance you can see
The long, peaked spires atop the hill
Shadowy and dark with the sun setting behind
But when we get up close
A brilliant orange
Ringed and climbing
Into the sky.
The four spires surround a large central dome
Ringed and orange but only a third the height
Atop that
A tuft of green
As a great tree
Atop a fortress
This place
Circled by a cream corn moat
And upon the highest peak in the celery forest
Is the magnificent
Carrot Castle
Dungeons lay within its grounds
Hollowed pits within the earth
Created by long ago potatoes
Each legume the size of a Volkswagen van
Broccoli and turnips
The only nourishment for those imprisoned
Ensuring long life for those tortured souls
Cursing themselves
For receiving such servings
Of their daily vegetable intake.
Pea catapults protect the fortress.
Other kingdoms hold tales of brave knights
Battling fire breathing dragons
Protecting the King
From these ravenous beasts
This kingdom has other horrors
The great pea catapults are able to rain down
Mighty green barrel sized bombardments
In order to fend off the beasts
Those that bring the threat of devastation
Those that would destroy the celeryed wood
And would lay ruin to the great castle
Wraith Rabbits
On most attacks
The pea catapults protect the land
And when the wraith rabbit hoards become too much
The stock of Tomato bombs are wheeled out
They are fired high into the sky by cabbage blasters
Pausing at their zenith as great red suns
Before dropping into the wraith rabbit throngs
Splattering the countryside red
And maintaining order in the kingdom
Yes, we’re here now
You can see the orange of the spires from this close proximity
Isn’t it a glorious sight?
Now let us cross the cream corn
Our peapod boat awaits
And the garlic gate is opening
Welcome
To Carrot Castle
WEDNESDAY…
--- Sleep through my alarm. Lucky to wake a half hour later in order to make it in on time.
--- Work is fine… some odd things going on but still fine. Weather is not nice though… rain and wind.
--- After work, I head to the airport and wait a bit while mom and dad’s flight comes in. We do supper together afterwards and have a nice evening together.
THURSDAY…
--- Busy day. House viewing with mom and dad and the agent… looking like edging towards a new townhouse that would be built in December and out of the Avalon area… a subdivision closer to the city.
--- Physio right after that and then home for supper with the parents and depressing hockey. Montreal is great for half the game but lose in overtime against Boston for the series to now be tied. Vancouver gets shelled by Chicago. I quit half way through and it’s 5-0 then. Still up 3 games to 2 but it’s nervous time.
FRIDAY…
--- Start the day checking out the location for the townhouses getting built. Nice spot… very tempting.
--- Drive to Fiddler’s Lake Resort near Saint Sauveur. Almost two hours to get there… quite the cottages.
--- Go to town for some groceries and supper… then back for a soak in the hot tub. Very relaxed after that.
SATURDAY…
--- Lounge day. Sleep late… have a sauna followed by a hot tub soak… a game of monopoly… and the hockey game. Montreal Boston is close and good but Montreal loses in double overtime. Ugh.
SUNDAY…
--- Hockey is slowly killing me as Vancouver loses to Chicago again. Now I may lose both Montreal and Vancouver on the same day… Oh Tuesday, don’t make me hate you.
--- Other than that, a walk, sauna, hot tub soak, and then supper in Saint Sauveur makes for a really good day… other than that bloody hockey.
MONDAY…
--- Breakfast in Saint Sauveur and then drive back to Ottawa after a really relaxing trip. In Ottawa by 1:00 and over to Mountain Equipment for 2:00… the mall after that and home for Chinese food to end the night. After supper we start figuring out for BC trip this summer.
TUESDAY…
--- Up early and spend some pretty quiet time with mom and dad before taking them to the airport. Hockey night is intense and good. Montreal beats Boston to force game seven… and Vancouver needs overtime to win game seven… possibly the best NHL hockey game I’ve ever watched.
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Making It Up As I Go Along #460
Strolling
I used to be a fast walker
In a rush to get to where I’m going
Or away from where I’ve been.
Walking the seawall of Vancouver
I once passed by a jogger
My strides overtaking his bounds.
Downtown St. John’s changed that.
Walking from my home on the edge
Making my way into the history of home.
Downtown St. John’s by foot
Is meant to be strolled.
Allowing ghosts to surface out from shadows.
A stroll brings hidden laneways into focus
A hunched over cat staring from within
Open greens laying beyond, a little unknown park
Night walks along Water Street and the Harbourfront
When fog lingers and drizzle dampens the stillness
A stroll engulfs you within the night.
And so strolling has overtaken speed.
Wherever I may venture
The stroll opens hidden places
A turtle basking within the wetland
A perfect spiders web upon a low shrub
A rabbit frozen upon a suburb late night lawn.
The world is best seen from a stroll.
TUESDAY…
--- First day back to work. Shoulder doesn’t hurt much but it doesn’t take too much time doing any particular repetitive task before it starts feeling tense. Got MRI scheduled yesterday too. May 25 I should get it done.
--- Leaders debate this evening. Really does little for me as far as figuring what I think of political leaders. I do wish Harper would look at something. He wouldn’t look at the person he was addressing. And didn’t look directly into the camera… just sort of looking off to the side of the camera.
WEDNESDAY…
--- Tired at work but a good lunch with Shannon and Annick comes from her new office to join us.
--- The shoulder loosens up this afternoon. I can now lift it high and basically have full range of motion again. A little stiff and tender the higher it goes but a vast improvement over the last two weeks.
--- Playoff hockey. Vancouver vs. Chicago takes all my attention. Especially with the win for Vancouver.
THURSDAY…
--- Slept long last night. Close to nine hours. Physio is good… adding exercises to the routine. Louis’ Pizza at work makes work not too bad a time.
FRIDAY…
--- Work a pretty normal night… not much else happening.
SATURDAY…
--- Physio soon after waking up. And once home, in for good as it’s rainy, snowy, windy, and cold. Nice to see Montreal win again against Boston. Still a ways to go though.
SUNDAY…
--- Some laundry and hockey on TV. Windy and some rain all day today, so a good time to be inside. And Vancouver are a game away from getting by Chicago… finally.
MONDAY…
--- Lunch with Karl is nice.
--- Hockey goes about as bad as it could for me tonight. Montreal, Buffalo and Tampa all lose and I’d have liked them all to win. Oh well.
--- Missing the beer commercials during hockey games… that’s how bad it is… Viagra, and commercials for Accountants, just painful… especially the Viagra one with the dink dancing from home to work. An add for a drug… that will take a little man… make him a big man… so he can dance around like a girl.
I used to be a fast walker
In a rush to get to where I’m going
Or away from where I’ve been.
Walking the seawall of Vancouver
I once passed by a jogger
My strides overtaking his bounds.
Downtown St. John’s changed that.
Walking from my home on the edge
Making my way into the history of home.
Downtown St. John’s by foot
Is meant to be strolled.
Allowing ghosts to surface out from shadows.
A stroll brings hidden laneways into focus
A hunched over cat staring from within
Open greens laying beyond, a little unknown park
Night walks along Water Street and the Harbourfront
When fog lingers and drizzle dampens the stillness
A stroll engulfs you within the night.
And so strolling has overtaken speed.
Wherever I may venture
The stroll opens hidden places
A turtle basking within the wetland
A perfect spiders web upon a low shrub
A rabbit frozen upon a suburb late night lawn.
The world is best seen from a stroll.
TUESDAY…
--- First day back to work. Shoulder doesn’t hurt much but it doesn’t take too much time doing any particular repetitive task before it starts feeling tense. Got MRI scheduled yesterday too. May 25 I should get it done.
--- Leaders debate this evening. Really does little for me as far as figuring what I think of political leaders. I do wish Harper would look at something. He wouldn’t look at the person he was addressing. And didn’t look directly into the camera… just sort of looking off to the side of the camera.
WEDNESDAY…
--- Tired at work but a good lunch with Shannon and Annick comes from her new office to join us.
--- The shoulder loosens up this afternoon. I can now lift it high and basically have full range of motion again. A little stiff and tender the higher it goes but a vast improvement over the last two weeks.
--- Playoff hockey. Vancouver vs. Chicago takes all my attention. Especially with the win for Vancouver.
THURSDAY…
--- Slept long last night. Close to nine hours. Physio is good… adding exercises to the routine. Louis’ Pizza at work makes work not too bad a time.
FRIDAY…
--- Work a pretty normal night… not much else happening.
SATURDAY…
--- Physio soon after waking up. And once home, in for good as it’s rainy, snowy, windy, and cold. Nice to see Montreal win again against Boston. Still a ways to go though.
SUNDAY…
--- Some laundry and hockey on TV. Windy and some rain all day today, so a good time to be inside. And Vancouver are a game away from getting by Chicago… finally.
MONDAY…
--- Lunch with Karl is nice.
--- Hockey goes about as bad as it could for me tonight. Montreal, Buffalo and Tampa all lose and I’d have liked them all to win. Oh well.
--- Missing the beer commercials during hockey games… that’s how bad it is… Viagra, and commercials for Accountants, just painful… especially the Viagra one with the dink dancing from home to work. An add for a drug… that will take a little man… make him a big man… so he can dance around like a girl.
Monday, April 11, 2011
Making It Up As I Go Along #459
The Little Things
The little things can make you smile sometimes. It’s almost cliché to speak of the little things now. People say it with seriousness as if they are sharing wisdom that has never been considered before. The elder at the head of the fire as the young gather around, circling the heat, with the light of the flames flickering over their faces… “Remember children, it’s the little things that count.” Ended with a paused silence to allow the words to wash over the others… murmurs of accepted clarity follow.
That said though, the little things do often stand out.
I remember our old dog, laying contently under a backyard tree in the summertime… watching our backyard activities with a contented air about her. That was her last summer but when I’m home I’ll often look to that spot under that tree and remember our dog.
There are favourite spots I go. Particular nooks along the Signal Hill trail where I’ll want to veer off the beaten path to just be there again. Specific rocky outcrops along Cape Spear where I’ve sat over top of the ocean. They aren’t showy places. They don’t stand out beyond any number of other spots along the same trails and shore lines… but they’re among my little things.
Card games with family at the end of a meal. Walking over the Rideau River bridge with Karl on the way to lunch at Paddy’s Pub. The calming drive along the purple tinted road which takes you from the highway to Botwood… a drive done time and time again to visit grandparents there. And quiet drives with just my sister and me in the car, be it to pick a family member up or to head over to Trail to check out souvenirs on the last day of my visit. All little things that matter.
For the last few weeks, my writing has become a little thing. But that’s been to minimize the time my arms has been held out over a keyboard… an issue I’ve had to consider since my shoulder gave out.
But today brought another little thing. An accidental one. I sat in my big living room chair, laptop… well… atop my lap… and I went to stretch as I yawned. Without thinking, both arms came up in circular fashion, going from the side, up over my head.
As I was two thirds of the way through this habit motion, I remembered my bad shoulder… but it kept going… and kept raising upwards… until it joined my good arm over my head. Both arms raised as if celebrating a goal in the big hockey game.
I sat there almost afraid to move. My arms hanging over me. I wondered if the pain would shoot through my right once my body realized where it was.
And on the slow lowering, some soreness crept in. But it had happened. Another little thing. I’m still not able to lift my bad arm so high from the front, but it was good to get it up there for the first time in weeks. One way or the other, I had my arm over my head. And just as in the hockey games, it was a type of celebration.
MONDAY…
--- Up early on a rainy day. My shoulder has been at it’s worse by around 6:00 am most days. Makes for hard times. Not too bad this evening though… still can’t lift it but the pain, just sitting, is minimal.
TUESDAY…
--- Shoulder starting to feel better in a real way. Still can’t lift it as high as I’d like and need to watch how much I stretch it out… but the general ache that’s been there since Wednesday night is faded to little. And the gear shift in the car isn’t as torturous.
--- The townhouse across the street is for sale. A tempting thing… move by walking stuff across the street and have a big bath tub, a basement, a back yard, and a garage. We’ll see… we’ll see.
WEDNESDAY…
--- Physio. Good news in that I’m progressing. Bad news in that they’re wondering if I should have an MRI because they wonder about a possible tear to go with the tendonitis. To the doctor tomorrow to have his look.
--- After that, lunch with Karl. A nice time, he gets me a CD and pays for my meal for my birthday.
--- Shoulder is feeling pretty good in the evening. Like it’s loosening up. Still quite limited in motion compared to the left. I’m hoping it’s just clearing inflammation… will really not be happy if there’s a possible tear and my summer becomes void of sports… again.
THURSDAY…
--- Looked at the townhouse across the street and spoke with my real estate agent… don’t think there’ll be on offer on this one… but I’m going to talk with the mortgage people and see what options are in the near future.
--- Doctor wants an MRI on the shoulder. Seemed pretty quick with the plan after seeing how much my range of motion is (or isn’t). Looking like a quiet summer, sports wise, is possible. Pretty bummed by it. Frustrating stuff.
FRIDAY…
--- Shoulder continues to improve but it feels like, from my dealing with the medical world, that it isn’t going to be real good again for quite a while. I’ll discuss at physio tomorrow.
--- Looking at townhouses more online. And spoke to the bank about mortgages. This looks like something that may get done this year.
SATURDAY…
--- Get the news at physio that I don’t want… don’t play any softball this summer. Go home after that, a little bummed… watch some TV and have a nap and work on playoff hockey pool.
SUNDAY…
--- Checking out townhouses with Sarah. Some nice ones. Some not so nice. Out again tomorrow with the agent to dig a little deeper. Shoulder continues to improve. Can now lift it past shoulder height for the first time in a few weeks.
The little things can make you smile sometimes. It’s almost cliché to speak of the little things now. People say it with seriousness as if they are sharing wisdom that has never been considered before. The elder at the head of the fire as the young gather around, circling the heat, with the light of the flames flickering over their faces… “Remember children, it’s the little things that count.” Ended with a paused silence to allow the words to wash over the others… murmurs of accepted clarity follow.
That said though, the little things do often stand out.
I remember our old dog, laying contently under a backyard tree in the summertime… watching our backyard activities with a contented air about her. That was her last summer but when I’m home I’ll often look to that spot under that tree and remember our dog.
There are favourite spots I go. Particular nooks along the Signal Hill trail where I’ll want to veer off the beaten path to just be there again. Specific rocky outcrops along Cape Spear where I’ve sat over top of the ocean. They aren’t showy places. They don’t stand out beyond any number of other spots along the same trails and shore lines… but they’re among my little things.
Card games with family at the end of a meal. Walking over the Rideau River bridge with Karl on the way to lunch at Paddy’s Pub. The calming drive along the purple tinted road which takes you from the highway to Botwood… a drive done time and time again to visit grandparents there. And quiet drives with just my sister and me in the car, be it to pick a family member up or to head over to Trail to check out souvenirs on the last day of my visit. All little things that matter.
For the last few weeks, my writing has become a little thing. But that’s been to minimize the time my arms has been held out over a keyboard… an issue I’ve had to consider since my shoulder gave out.
But today brought another little thing. An accidental one. I sat in my big living room chair, laptop… well… atop my lap… and I went to stretch as I yawned. Without thinking, both arms came up in circular fashion, going from the side, up over my head.
As I was two thirds of the way through this habit motion, I remembered my bad shoulder… but it kept going… and kept raising upwards… until it joined my good arm over my head. Both arms raised as if celebrating a goal in the big hockey game.
I sat there almost afraid to move. My arms hanging over me. I wondered if the pain would shoot through my right once my body realized where it was.
And on the slow lowering, some soreness crept in. But it had happened. Another little thing. I’m still not able to lift my bad arm so high from the front, but it was good to get it up there for the first time in weeks. One way or the other, I had my arm over my head. And just as in the hockey games, it was a type of celebration.
MONDAY…
--- Up early on a rainy day. My shoulder has been at it’s worse by around 6:00 am most days. Makes for hard times. Not too bad this evening though… still can’t lift it but the pain, just sitting, is minimal.
TUESDAY…
--- Shoulder starting to feel better in a real way. Still can’t lift it as high as I’d like and need to watch how much I stretch it out… but the general ache that’s been there since Wednesday night is faded to little. And the gear shift in the car isn’t as torturous.
--- The townhouse across the street is for sale. A tempting thing… move by walking stuff across the street and have a big bath tub, a basement, a back yard, and a garage. We’ll see… we’ll see.
WEDNESDAY…
--- Physio. Good news in that I’m progressing. Bad news in that they’re wondering if I should have an MRI because they wonder about a possible tear to go with the tendonitis. To the doctor tomorrow to have his look.
--- After that, lunch with Karl. A nice time, he gets me a CD and pays for my meal for my birthday.
--- Shoulder is feeling pretty good in the evening. Like it’s loosening up. Still quite limited in motion compared to the left. I’m hoping it’s just clearing inflammation… will really not be happy if there’s a possible tear and my summer becomes void of sports… again.
THURSDAY…
--- Looked at the townhouse across the street and spoke with my real estate agent… don’t think there’ll be on offer on this one… but I’m going to talk with the mortgage people and see what options are in the near future.
--- Doctor wants an MRI on the shoulder. Seemed pretty quick with the plan after seeing how much my range of motion is (or isn’t). Looking like a quiet summer, sports wise, is possible. Pretty bummed by it. Frustrating stuff.
FRIDAY…
--- Shoulder continues to improve but it feels like, from my dealing with the medical world, that it isn’t going to be real good again for quite a while. I’ll discuss at physio tomorrow.
--- Looking at townhouses more online. And spoke to the bank about mortgages. This looks like something that may get done this year.
SATURDAY…
--- Get the news at physio that I don’t want… don’t play any softball this summer. Go home after that, a little bummed… watch some TV and have a nap and work on playoff hockey pool.
SUNDAY…
--- Checking out townhouses with Sarah. Some nice ones. Some not so nice. Out again tomorrow with the agent to dig a little deeper. Shoulder continues to improve. Can now lift it past shoulder height for the first time in a few weeks.
Sunday, April 03, 2011
Making It Up As I Go Along #458
Sleeplessness
For thirty-nine years I’ve slept.
More than fourteen thousand days gone by
And only a few of those gone by without sleep
And now I’m told it’s all been wrong
The sleeping position I’ve most liked
That’s put me into dreams
It’s not good for me
As cigarettes are to lungs
My sleeping position is to shoulders
Constantly cocked and ready to throw
My arm is that way each night
As I lay upon my stomach.
And so now with shoulder afire
Abandonment of comfort begins
Laying upon my back ceiling staring in darkness
And in times when sleeping in is due
I wake earlier than normal
Snorting from my back
Or jolting with pain from a roll to my norm
Smokers have patches and gum
There to curb and ease
What is there for me?
Other than exhausted ceiling watching
As time ticks by.
SUNDAY…
--- Shoulder is killing today. Woke yesterday to it aching… it got worse through the day and left me with only about five hours sleep overnight.
--- With ice and drugs, by the end of the day it’s improving again. But still jagged pain to try to lift my arm out in front of me, or over my head. Better be back to good within the next day or two.
MONDAY…
--- Shoulder still giving trouble. Worst upon wakeup, improving as day goes… but never normal. If this doesn’t noticeably improve in the next day or two, the doc may be visited. Bleh.
TUESDAY…
--- Shoulder improving but still aches… just the sharp pain is pretty much gone now. Stomach isn’t great today though. I think it’s the Advil actually. Taking it for my shoulder upset my stomach… that’s the theory anyway.
--- Work is alright. Did minimal typing… so not too hard on the shoulder sticking out at keyboards and such.
WEDNESDAY…
--- Night shift. Shoulder gets quite bad by 12:30 tonight. Go to reposition in a chair, lifting off the arms of the chair, and something spasms with the move. Constant pain after that.
THURSDAY…
--- Home and bed for an hour before moving to the sofa for three hours of sleep with an ice pack on my shoulder.
--- Doctor’s visit… Biceps Tendinitis is the word. Physio done right away and I’m off work for about 12 days to rest things. Got to go tomorrow to deal with supervisors and paperwork.
FRIDAY…
--- To work to fill paper work and discuss my shoulder. Drive in is tricky due to the pain of shifting gears… but better than yesterday.
--- Baseball… a draft in a pool via yahoo and a game on TV tonight. Good times… good times.
--- Fell asleep on the sofa to the poetic baseball talk of Vin Scully... A sure way to dream about the game.
SATURDAY…
--- Physio day. A bit of laundry and some hockey on TV as well. Looking good for me in the keeper pool. A nice lead against Derek going into Sunday’s last day.
For thirty-nine years I’ve slept.
More than fourteen thousand days gone by
And only a few of those gone by without sleep
And now I’m told it’s all been wrong
The sleeping position I’ve most liked
That’s put me into dreams
It’s not good for me
As cigarettes are to lungs
My sleeping position is to shoulders
Constantly cocked and ready to throw
My arm is that way each night
As I lay upon my stomach.
And so now with shoulder afire
Abandonment of comfort begins
Laying upon my back ceiling staring in darkness
And in times when sleeping in is due
I wake earlier than normal
Snorting from my back
Or jolting with pain from a roll to my norm
Smokers have patches and gum
There to curb and ease
What is there for me?
Other than exhausted ceiling watching
As time ticks by.
SUNDAY…
--- Shoulder is killing today. Woke yesterday to it aching… it got worse through the day and left me with only about five hours sleep overnight.
--- With ice and drugs, by the end of the day it’s improving again. But still jagged pain to try to lift my arm out in front of me, or over my head. Better be back to good within the next day or two.
MONDAY…
--- Shoulder still giving trouble. Worst upon wakeup, improving as day goes… but never normal. If this doesn’t noticeably improve in the next day or two, the doc may be visited. Bleh.
TUESDAY…
--- Shoulder improving but still aches… just the sharp pain is pretty much gone now. Stomach isn’t great today though. I think it’s the Advil actually. Taking it for my shoulder upset my stomach… that’s the theory anyway.
--- Work is alright. Did minimal typing… so not too hard on the shoulder sticking out at keyboards and such.
WEDNESDAY…
--- Night shift. Shoulder gets quite bad by 12:30 tonight. Go to reposition in a chair, lifting off the arms of the chair, and something spasms with the move. Constant pain after that.
THURSDAY…
--- Home and bed for an hour before moving to the sofa for three hours of sleep with an ice pack on my shoulder.
--- Doctor’s visit… Biceps Tendinitis is the word. Physio done right away and I’m off work for about 12 days to rest things. Got to go tomorrow to deal with supervisors and paperwork.
FRIDAY…
--- To work to fill paper work and discuss my shoulder. Drive in is tricky due to the pain of shifting gears… but better than yesterday.
--- Baseball… a draft in a pool via yahoo and a game on TV tonight. Good times… good times.
--- Fell asleep on the sofa to the poetic baseball talk of Vin Scully... A sure way to dream about the game.
SATURDAY…
--- Physio day. A bit of laundry and some hockey on TV as well. Looking good for me in the keeper pool. A nice lead against Derek going into Sunday’s last day.
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