So, here I am, feeling like a turd after watching Vic haul ass through the blogging world and decide its time to get my "Feces collated" and get back on my own personal therapy. The fall is off and running and I'm not even sure how we are going to keep it all going. The monster went off and made a AAA hockey team, which involves no less the 2-3 practises a week and 2 games every weekend. The monkey on the other hand has gone off out of nowhere and made the competitive gymnastics team and man is she good. I mean, good gymnasts are saying "wow... she's good".
Now this is all well and good, but lets just put it all into perspective here. AAA hockey ain't cheap, but I will never slow my child down due to financial costs. I personally believe that after years of being told how this is "to expensive," or that is to "time consuming", or my personal favorite... "you are going to get hurt", that these are words that will never come out of my mouth when my child shows promise or raw talent. The first consideration is that after a day of work, the bombshell I get to sleep beside each night and I high-5 at the door, and I'm off in one direction to a hockey rink and she is off to the gymnastics club. I don't begrudge this time. I can actually say that my boy is my best friend, and we talk about everything in the 45 min-1 hour drive to the rinks. And on off days we will switch it up and I'll get to see the monkey wow me with feats of strength and agility that make my back hurt and my muscle's sore just watching her. The problem is that I'm leaving for the better part of a year with breaks back home of 2 weeks every 6 months. The practises and gym time are on the exact same nights at the same time. The bombshell tells me not to worry, she can handle it, but really... why should she???
Our lifestyle is such that we don't have a tonne of family support so she is literally doing it on her own ( the little trooper that she is) and she won't complain about it even once unless somebody really pisses her off. The other fact is financial.... I thought AAA hockey was expensive until we met the financial beast that is gymnastics. Lets just say there are no plans for early retirement any time soon. And again, I don't begrudge a single moment.
Today the monster's team got walloped by a very strong and very big team to the tune of 13-0. The monster ended up getting benched for a couple of shifts for under performance and that led to a very open discussion in the car about work ethic and accountability. He took it in stride and decided to make sure that he never lets the coach down and ups his work on practise ice. The monkey followed it up by saying that he is lucky that he only has to play for 1-1/2 hours and practise the same length since she is on the floor for 3 hours at a pop twice a week. She consoled him in the fact that being a "Bullivant" meant that giving up isn't in our social makeup and that he will find his wind when it comes to him. I was holding back laughter watching my daughter give the boy the "win onefor the kipper" speach but it was good to see them team up.
Long and short... You can't put a price on fun, memories, education or social skillz.... all of which I can easily say "MY CHILDREN ARE ROCK STARS".
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
State of Emergency?
On September 11, 2001 you could not find a single channel other the TSN that was showing anything but the attacks on the World Trade Centre. The world sat and watched as emergency crews ran around like chickens with their heads cut off trying to save the victims, help the people from becoming victims, and generally do the best they could. News crews sat like vultures trying to find the latest survivor.
Fast to a month ago, and a very large earthquake hits the tiny country of Haiti. We sat and watched as the same vultures reported on the victims, the hero's and the villains that tried to exploit even more victims. In both cases this was news, and you could see why this was the only major news reports. You could almost understand why the world's news would be crippled in comparison to these major events.
Fast forward to today. And I am stuck in my hotel room with nowhere to go. There is a mild storm outside with whiteouts happening and the State of Pennsylvania is shut down. I get it, they don't get the snow we do. I really do understand. What I don't get is why is this major news? Why are news crews running around, talking to busy tow truck drivers about accidents, bothering the "turnpike" association (not sure what that is, but the media asked them a lot of questions) or my personal favorite. The reports from FEMA(you remember those guys... they dropped the ball huge in that whole New Orleans disaster) on what the latest developments are.
So, let me get this straight. The entire state is cooped up in a house, nothing to do, and you can't even enjoy television and why? OH that's right, lets make mountains out of molehills. This explains the United States right down to its fiscal irresponsibility, foreign policy and international vision.
The theory is, keep your countrymen scared. And the media does its part to scare them to death. Everyday here on the multitude of news service channels, you get inundated with the latest foreign threat. "Terrorist Attack inevitable in the next (get this, cause it was a real headline) in up to 3 years"..... 3 fucking years. Who is the genius that made that prediction. Here is one that I can give about Canada. The CBC will do its best to discredit Canada's military and make our soldiers take refuge and hide in the next 12 months.
The media here doesn't just make mountains out of molehills, they then build a space program on the mountain and send the fear into space. I have had to endure lectures on "The world needs to Thank the GOOD OLE U.S. OF A.", why don't ya'all just listen to us? These are my favorites. And believe it or not, the members of the media not only mimic this statement, they promote it. And with that comes fear, lots and lots of fear. And fear, like any other virus, is catchy. The worst part is that there is no booster that can fix this kind of fear. The people here are not prepared to educate themselves enough to rise above the fear.
I have done what I do and socialized to the point to make some good friends. Not great Friends, but good friends none the less. The first question asked each time is about our national health care program. I understand, if you don't have it, you want to know. They want to hear about the reported wait times, and reported lack of facilities. I educate them as gingerly as I can so as not to offend, but I do educate. Then they have a stroke when they find out how well we are educated on North American history and not just Canadian history. They are shocked at the difference it perception of battles, economics and world relations. Then they ask about our infrastructure.
That is when they have a stroke. I even use snow storms as a reference. When I explain that the money is set aside for our snow removal and that we bank on an evaluation over the past 5 years, that we don't close schools until the day of, in order to know exactly what the weather is going to be like. That we make sure that we have all the facts before we lodge our complaint or make our decision. Trucks ready to go at all times, but not manned until snow hits the ground. Enough snow equipment to clear the entire city in one week. Civil responsibility for your own driveway and your sidewalks(they don't have to clear the walk in front of the house here, which would save the cities millions in costs) and only valuable information, not a steady stream of the same crap. But most of all? A warning not to panic, because its all under control
Long and short? A snowstorm has just summed up everything that drives me, my family and friend's nuts about our neighbor to the south. That and the fact that they don't understand that in Canada? Its not called Canadian Bacon, its called bacon. Now I can't wait to come back here in the spring and watch the news when they don't get rain for a month.... oh dear gawd I need a new outlook.
Fast to a month ago, and a very large earthquake hits the tiny country of Haiti. We sat and watched as the same vultures reported on the victims, the hero's and the villains that tried to exploit even more victims. In both cases this was news, and you could see why this was the only major news reports. You could almost understand why the world's news would be crippled in comparison to these major events.
Fast forward to today. And I am stuck in my hotel room with nowhere to go. There is a mild storm outside with whiteouts happening and the State of Pennsylvania is shut down. I get it, they don't get the snow we do. I really do understand. What I don't get is why is this major news? Why are news crews running around, talking to busy tow truck drivers about accidents, bothering the "turnpike" association (not sure what that is, but the media asked them a lot of questions) or my personal favorite. The reports from FEMA(you remember those guys... they dropped the ball huge in that whole New Orleans disaster) on what the latest developments are.
So, let me get this straight. The entire state is cooped up in a house, nothing to do, and you can't even enjoy television and why? OH that's right, lets make mountains out of molehills. This explains the United States right down to its fiscal irresponsibility, foreign policy and international vision.
The theory is, keep your countrymen scared. And the media does its part to scare them to death. Everyday here on the multitude of news service channels, you get inundated with the latest foreign threat. "Terrorist Attack inevitable in the next (get this, cause it was a real headline) in up to 3 years"..... 3 fucking years. Who is the genius that made that prediction. Here is one that I can give about Canada. The CBC will do its best to discredit Canada's military and make our soldiers take refuge and hide in the next 12 months.
The media here doesn't just make mountains out of molehills, they then build a space program on the mountain and send the fear into space. I have had to endure lectures on "The world needs to Thank the GOOD OLE U.S. OF A.", why don't ya'all just listen to us? These are my favorites. And believe it or not, the members of the media not only mimic this statement, they promote it. And with that comes fear, lots and lots of fear. And fear, like any other virus, is catchy. The worst part is that there is no booster that can fix this kind of fear. The people here are not prepared to educate themselves enough to rise above the fear.
I have done what I do and socialized to the point to make some good friends. Not great Friends, but good friends none the less. The first question asked each time is about our national health care program. I understand, if you don't have it, you want to know. They want to hear about the reported wait times, and reported lack of facilities. I educate them as gingerly as I can so as not to offend, but I do educate. Then they have a stroke when they find out how well we are educated on North American history and not just Canadian history. They are shocked at the difference it perception of battles, economics and world relations. Then they ask about our infrastructure.
That is when they have a stroke. I even use snow storms as a reference. When I explain that the money is set aside for our snow removal and that we bank on an evaluation over the past 5 years, that we don't close schools until the day of, in order to know exactly what the weather is going to be like. That we make sure that we have all the facts before we lodge our complaint or make our decision. Trucks ready to go at all times, but not manned until snow hits the ground. Enough snow equipment to clear the entire city in one week. Civil responsibility for your own driveway and your sidewalks(they don't have to clear the walk in front of the house here, which would save the cities millions in costs) and only valuable information, not a steady stream of the same crap. But most of all? A warning not to panic, because its all under control
Long and short? A snowstorm has just summed up everything that drives me, my family and friend's nuts about our neighbor to the south. That and the fact that they don't understand that in Canada? Its not called Canadian Bacon, its called bacon. Now I can't wait to come back here in the spring and watch the news when they don't get rain for a month.... oh dear gawd I need a new outlook.
Monday, February 8, 2010
Weakness is the 5th season
So, I'm stuck here in Harrisburg PA.... and I mean stuck. This is a hole, a state Capital with the most unpleasant of social structures in history. This is as interesting as it gets for a social addict like me.
First of all... drinking and driving is a sport here. I find it offensive. These people get wasted, not tipsy, wasted and then hop behind the wheel and turn the roads into a contact sport. Second, I've come close to throwing a couple of "Bows" because of the unconscionable use of the "N-Bomb". Apparently this town is just a very large trailer park
But the absolute crusher on this trip was the 12 inches of snow that because listed as a "National Emergency" by the state of Pennsylvania. I'm Canadian, I understand that shit weather is part of the gig, but it shouldn't be out of the ordinary to expect a winter nation like the Norther USA to figure out the snow shouldn't cause the rotation of the planet to stop... but that is just what happened.
I drove 1 hour to Gettysburg... THE GETTYSBURG.... to envelope myself in American Military History and drive the battlefield tours. And what happened?? Guess, you only get 2..... that's right, the City of Gettysburg was closed. Not a couple of shops, not the federal buildings for tourists.... the city was closed. You couldn't even get a beer. Or milk.... somebody explain that one to me. And when I state my discomfort???? "you aren't in Canada man..... its not the same"....
Why not?? This is supposedly the most powerful country in the world. You can murder a world leader in his sleep and you can't shovel snow????
I'm calling it right now..... global warming is almost over and global cooling will begin and when it hits??? I'll be "Grand Emperor" of Canada and invade this little "Winter Free" zone that is the united slobs of America
First of all... drinking and driving is a sport here. I find it offensive. These people get wasted, not tipsy, wasted and then hop behind the wheel and turn the roads into a contact sport. Second, I've come close to throwing a couple of "Bows" because of the unconscionable use of the "N-Bomb". Apparently this town is just a very large trailer park
But the absolute crusher on this trip was the 12 inches of snow that because listed as a "National Emergency" by the state of Pennsylvania. I'm Canadian, I understand that shit weather is part of the gig, but it shouldn't be out of the ordinary to expect a winter nation like the Norther USA to figure out the snow shouldn't cause the rotation of the planet to stop... but that is just what happened.
I drove 1 hour to Gettysburg... THE GETTYSBURG.... to envelope myself in American Military History and drive the battlefield tours. And what happened?? Guess, you only get 2..... that's right, the City of Gettysburg was closed. Not a couple of shops, not the federal buildings for tourists.... the city was closed. You couldn't even get a beer. Or milk.... somebody explain that one to me. And when I state my discomfort???? "you aren't in Canada man..... its not the same"....
Why not?? This is supposedly the most powerful country in the world. You can murder a world leader in his sleep and you can't shovel snow????
I'm calling it right now..... global warming is almost over and global cooling will begin and when it hits??? I'll be "Grand Emperor" of Canada and invade this little "Winter Free" zone that is the united slobs of America
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Who own's the night
"What did you ask him"..... I say "who ownda Chief's"....
Okay, and what did he say
"Owwwwwwwwwnnnnnnnnzzzzzzzz oooooooowwwwwnnnzzzzz"
Ownership of a night out gets tougher as your age progresses. Here I am living large in a foreign land, (I don't care if its only Pennsylvania, I'm the only only guy at the bar without an accent, or with one, depending on who you talk to) going to school, all day, and having hours such that it is possible to hang out at the bar downstairs, and still make it to work the next day.
The hotel I'm staying at is more of a convention centre then a hotel, and so far we have had a sporting goods equipment, biker, and farming convention since I have got here. What does that mean? New people, and new boozing each week.
They say that youth is wasted on the young and they aren't kidding. I'm sitting here wishing I still had the ability to wake up after a day of boozing and not have a hangover that lasts into the following week. My liver, limbs, stomach, oh who am I kidding? My entire body is taking the challenge up as well as it can, but it is out of practise.
While I'm here I'm also doing my best to get fit. I have joined a gym and hit the elliptical every morning and then work out for another 2 hours in the afternoon. This is all well and good, except that living in a hotel and boozing 3 days a week, kinda puts back your workout a fair bit.
I have also gone clubbing for the first time in a couple of years. And I'll admit it, I'm loving it. Live bands playing music that I love and music went out and got fun again. LMFAO's "Miami Bitch" has me bopping my head and getting my feet going. I've also taken to enjoying country and western music and dancing in our hotel nightclub. I have found that I'm actually pretty good at the dancing part and its wa-hey-hey-heeeeeeeeyyyyyyyyyyyyy easier to meet people when you are half cut and dancing, they you don't look like your a saucepan.
So the answer my friend is? I in fact own the night. That is until my body rejects me and tells me to give it back to the 21 year olds and thank them for letting me borrow it.
Okay, and what did he say
"Owwwwwwwwwnnnnnnnnzzzzzzzz oooooooowwwwwnnnzzzzz"
Ownership of a night out gets tougher as your age progresses. Here I am living large in a foreign land, (I don't care if its only Pennsylvania, I'm the only only guy at the bar without an accent, or with one, depending on who you talk to) going to school, all day, and having hours such that it is possible to hang out at the bar downstairs, and still make it to work the next day.
The hotel I'm staying at is more of a convention centre then a hotel, and so far we have had a sporting goods equipment, biker, and farming convention since I have got here. What does that mean? New people, and new boozing each week.
They say that youth is wasted on the young and they aren't kidding. I'm sitting here wishing I still had the ability to wake up after a day of boozing and not have a hangover that lasts into the following week. My liver, limbs, stomach, oh who am I kidding? My entire body is taking the challenge up as well as it can, but it is out of practise.
While I'm here I'm also doing my best to get fit. I have joined a gym and hit the elliptical every morning and then work out for another 2 hours in the afternoon. This is all well and good, except that living in a hotel and boozing 3 days a week, kinda puts back your workout a fair bit.
I have also gone clubbing for the first time in a couple of years. And I'll admit it, I'm loving it. Live bands playing music that I love and music went out and got fun again. LMFAO's "Miami Bitch" has me bopping my head and getting my feet going. I've also taken to enjoying country and western music and dancing in our hotel nightclub. I have found that I'm actually pretty good at the dancing part and its wa-hey-hey-heeeeeeeeyyyyyyyyyyyyy easier to meet people when you are half cut and dancing, they you don't look like your a saucepan.
So the answer my friend is? I in fact own the night. That is until my body rejects me and tells me to give it back to the 21 year olds and thank them for letting me borrow it.
Friday, January 22, 2010
Back to the Front
The world is obsessed with being first. I watched a live comedy show once and a comedian went on about being next... why not? Everyone wants to be next, if you let somebody in front??? You are still next.... well? This has been the story of my life. 2 minutes to late, right behind for second. I have spent a scholastic career in sports and managed only 2 championships trophies, but wow, the participation medals are off the chart.
Once in a while, the sun shines and I get the full effect, IE, marriage to my wife, or my 2 fantastic kids, but with the exception of the 2 monkeys... everything else has been a hard win, and even that win usually came up short.
I tell my children that anything worth winning is worth working for, and with the right tools the work becomes lighter... and it is true to a point. But once, just once, I would love nothing more then to be that guy that just coasts through a course, or in a sport and still comes out looking like a rock star. Well, apparently I do get to do that, and needed my friend Vic to remind me. I'm a coaster at friendship.
If you look at my facebook page I have about 600 posted friends, and what drives my wife nutty about it is that I can tell you exactly how I know these people and what they mean to me. They are in fact my friend's and I tend to know a fair bit about them, even when I do manage to take a break from them.
I liken it to a pro golfer that has decided to stop practising. Ya, he is still playing pro golf, but he isn't winning anymore. Well? That seams to be me with friendship as of late, and now I think its time to start practising again.
My Grandfather told me that "you only need 6 friend's when you die... to carry the box out of the building"... now, he died a very happy life and had at least 200 people at his funeral. He could drop that bullshit all he wanted. I am sure that I am a social animal specifically through his genetics. He taught me that when you shake a man's hand to introduce yourself, you look him in the eye, grasp firmly and repeat his name when he says it, and you will never forget his name, and although they may forget yours, they will never forget you. This is in fact very true, not to mention, very professional of a man to do. He also taught me to never forget.... anything. Don't hold grudges(which I'm horrible for) but don't forget either, then your chances of getting bent over the hood of a car are seriously shortened. This is also very true. Vic was kind enough to point out my "coming clean" about my feelings in the halls of Caledonia High back in the day. And I have never forgotten how it felt to see her smile at me when I was playing football, or wave at me when I was working on my math homework as a front to watch her at track practise. Now why would I never forget these things being a happily married man?
Who doesn't want to feel alive? As childish as it may seem, it gives you a little boost. It reminds you that out there, somewhere, no matter how shitty things are getting, you are in fact loved. It may be a different kind of love, but it gives me the same thrill that any heroine addict gets from shooting up, and I am therefore addicted to it. I'm a friendship junky. This costs me very little except time, and the odd emotional twitch when one of these friend's are in need, but its also an investment. You get a return on this addiction. I can go to any first world country on our planet and I have at least 2 friend's (trust me, I researched that number before making the statement) couch's to crash on. And these are people that I would be shocked if they were to be uncomfortable with the request. It also insures that my family is taken care of. People who care for me, care for my family out of proxy.
This brings me to my last point. Family. In my opinion there are many stages of family. The ones you were born into. Ironically, my brother and I are well wishers at best, in that we don't wish each other any specific harm. My dad and I are tight and my mom and I are trying to piece together a relationship that was slaughter through one of the worst divorces I have ever witnessed. My Son is by far my best friend. Now don't get me wrong, I don't lay shit on a 10 year old that most adults couldn't handle with the lifestyle and work I have, but we talk. Alot, like alot alot. And usually about nothing, but its fun, and, therapeutic. My daughter is my engine. She keeps me running. She was designed specifically to suck the money clear out of my wallet and everytime she smiles, I want to buy her a car.
If my daughter is the engine, my wife is the brakes. She keeps me centred and never condemns. She has no problem backing me up and placing me in the right seat, but with an ever gentle process that keeps me manly. That then takes me to the second tier of family, extended. This one I can give or take. Not really a fan all the time, because there are family by marriage, and usually cause more problems then money concerns in a marriage, but, you accept them out of love to your spouse. Then we get to the fun ones... the adopted family. You get to chose these ones. And you should choose them to perform specific purposes. Vic??? Well, she keeps my self-esteem rolling. Every now and then I'll catch her giggling, or blushing at something flirty I say and ziiiiiiiiiing... it takes 10 years off of my Psyche. Branko.. he reminds me of who I was... which keeps me grounded. And Kevin??? Well, he is just nuts and therefore forces me to rise to the occasion, and these are just some of my favorites.
I don't have 1 best friend. You can often hear me referring to multiple people as my best friend's. Why? Because they make me whole and therefore are as much a part of my family as my children... but after I start practising... I can get better, and be a better person for being around better people. Its a circle... a carousel if you will, and I for one can't wait to ride it.
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