That’s right folks, it’s that time of the year again here in the National Capitol Region. Time to break out the toques, mitts, shovels and Tylenol Back pills. I’ve just shoveled my drive for the first time this year. Yay!
Don’t get me wrong, I love the s**w. I just love it a lot more when it’s somewhere else. It’s beautiful. It’s just a lot more beautiful when seen on a nature documentary. There’s some absolutely gorgeous shots of it in the Planet Earth series from the BBC. Also their Wild China series has some beautiful s**w in it as well.
When I was a kid, I went sliding, and skiing and such. I built s**w forts and had s**wball fights with my siblings. I also didn’t have to shovel a driveway either. Or clean off a car before going to work.
On the other hand, I did have to tramp through the s**w carrying firewood or water. I did have to drag wood out of the bush through thigh-deep s**w. Hmmmmm…… maybe that starts to explain why this is not my most favorite time of the year.
Did I mention our house was poorly insulated so I routinely woke up with white frost on every exposed piece of metal in my bedroom? No? How remiss of me. Did I mention that once we started high school, we were expected to walk just under a mile to the highway to catch our bus… regardless of the weather? No? Perhaps now you begin top understand my antipathy towards s**w?
Yes, it’s decided. I shall blame it entirely on my childhood. Unfortunately, that still doesn’t get the s**w out of my driveway. Nor does it keep my little tosies warm while I do it. On the brighter side, it’s done for today. So far, no Tylenol, but I think I’ll take it to work….. just in case.
My day started off with a lost wallet. I also needed to get a blank cheque for payroll at my new job, and I had stuff to clean up in the back yard before the snow flies.
I went online to order cheques the other day and discovered I didn’t have enough in my account to pay for them. So I went to the bank to get a printout as a substitute so I can get paid. Of course, the bank can’t give me that information without the ID in my lost wallet. Of course they can’t give my banking information to just anyone.
So I walked back home empty handed. But not before I found out when a staffer know at the bank would be working. Once home, I did the stuff I needed to get done in the yard. Good news #1. Then I had lunch and walked back to the bank . By that time, my friend had gone for supper.
So I walked back home empty handed. I read for a while, did some writing and watched some TV with Lynn. I had a nap and then then went back to the bank. This time, I caught up to the person I needed to talk to. Because I’ve been banking with her for years, she was able to make the cheque for me. Good news #2
So that time I didn’t go home empty handed. I took my new cheque and went to drop it off at work. My boss wasn’t there to give the cheque to, but a co-worker informed me that my wallet was in the washroom in the back. Good new #3. Apparently it had fallen out of my pocket at work the night before.
Overall, what started out as an incredibly stressful day ended really well. Just a quick reminder to myself to have a little more faith, and a little less stress. I often stress over things I have no control over such as a lost wallet only to have them sort themselves out. The truth is, it’s only when I stop stressing and accept things that I can start to see ways of resolving them.
It’s something I’m working on. It’s taking me a while to get the hang of it, but it’s worth the effort. I still get stressed, but I’m getting better at not letting it cripple me. That’s good news #4.
Anyone who knows me can tell you I’m not the most mechanically inclined person. If my family would please stop laughing, we can continue.
My washing machine has been leaking for a while now. It’s been getting worse as time goes by. Now so much time has gone by that it’s starting to erode a river channel in the concrete floor of my laundry room. A small but thriving ecosystem has grown up around the drain in the floor. Despite the potential environment disaster, I decided it might be a good time to think about considering the possibility of looking at it.
Yeah, sometimes I too am amazed at how committed I get to these little projects.
So I tipped it back and looked to see where it was leaking. Then I found the model number (cleverly hidden on a sticker right on the front of the machine), and went to ask Google about it. According to an overwhelming percentage of answers, it is a pump. The same piece coincidentally that had water running out of it when I tipped the machine up to check.
More Googling gave me a manufacturers part number. Another search gave the phone number of the local appliance repair place where I had bought a part for my dryer a couple of months ago. A quick call confirmed that they had a pump in stock and available for immediate pick up. The manufacturer had just bumped the price up to eighty-five dollars, but they could let me have it for the old price of seventy.
Darn. Now I don’t have any excuse to delay this project. I’ll have to find something else to put off.
After picking up the new pump, I prepared an awesome stir-fry for supper for Lynn and I. Most yummy grilled, cubed chicken thighs. ;^D
After supper, I removed the old pump, put on the new one. Slightly bent a clip putting the body back on and bolted everything back together.
It is currently slaving away while I type this. The former wetlands are drying out and some very vexed wildlife is looking to relocate. Not bad for someone who’s mechanical skills usually involve looking up the repair guy’s number for Lynn to call.
So yeah, I think I’m entitled to a little celebration.
To anyone not offended by it, I hope you’ve had a pleasant Halloween. I have to be honest, this has been my best in years. Mostly because I don’t have hordes of fifteen year olds asking for the “scariest” movie at Blockbuster. It’s a trick question. The answer usually isn’t the same from one person to the next. Suffice to say, what they really wanted was plausible deniability. When their friends complain the movie isn’t scary, they can lay the blame off on the lame dude at the video store. But let’s move on now.
The other item contributing to the awesomeness of this Halloween was my experiment in pumpkin carving. I planned ahead, took my time and created my best pumpkin ever.
Is it the best pumpkin ever carved? Of course not. But it’s the best one I’ve ever done, and I’m really proud of it. It’s about three and half hours work. The eyes aren’t exactly what I was hoping for, but it’s something to work on for next year.
Lynn took care of the rest of the entrance while I was busy carving.
She does nice pathway doesn’t she?
We didn’t get a huge number of trick or treaters this year, but the ones we did get liked the setup. The perk to less visitors, is more candy left for me. Not that I would eat it. That would be bad. Wouldn’t it?
Since losing my job with Blockbuster, I’m always on the lookout for new ways to save money. With the help of the fine people at Occupy Whatever, I’ve come up with a great new plan.
Normally, my family and I would drive very long distances to set up our campsite and then later tear it down and drive to the next one etc. Not having a lot of money for gas would have put a definite damper on our plans. Not anymore!
Now that I understand that it’s not actually illegal to camp in municipal parks, we barely have to drive at all. In fact, there’s a really nice park right across the street. It’s within easy walking distance of Harvey’s and Starbucks. That’s important because I don’t think I’ll be allowed a campfire, so access to food and coffee is important. Not to mention the sanitation side of things.
If Lynn wants something a bit more exotic, the National Capital Region is lousy with parks and greenspaces. I’m certain we can agree on one that suits our tastes and needs. There’s a really nice one at Major’s Hill. It is next to a lovely set of rapids that should drown out the traffic noises nicely. Should make a nice first stop.
I had always thought that we weren’t allowed to camp on just any bit of public grass we like. Boy was I wrong. Apparently all we needed to do was paint up a bunch of “We are the 99%” signs to carry around and set up a few at the campsite. Just like that we’re bulletproof. Some people might feel that I’m not genuinely supporting the messages of my more dedicated brethren and sisteren. That may be true, but no one says I have to. I am almost certain that we sku onto some list somewhere as having something in common with 99% of some group. Such as the 99% of people who would like to go camping if only it was more affordable.
On the other hand, if I do come up with gainful employment before then, it also opens up a whole range of travel options. No more calling at the last minute trying to get a spot at a crowded and overpriced campground. As long as we have our protest signs, every public lawn is our campground. Viva la protesta!
I’d like to thank the nice folks at Occupy Anywhere But A Polling Booth. Without their leadership, I’m not sure I would have hit on this bit of genius on my own. Also, a nice shout out to the various municipal authorities who helped them to establish this precedent. We’ll be sure to think of you during our public tour next year.
With no idea what to write tonight, I went and visited TED.com to surf for inspiration. I didn’t come away with the killer idea for my blog. That’s okay. I found lots of things to make me think, and they might lead to tomorrow’s post, or the one after that.
No. Tonight I want to write about something else. I want to write about interpretive reality. Which is to say, the way our brains process new information based on our existing experiences. I know it sounds fancy, but really it’s quite simple. What you see, isn’t always what I get.
Three people see a man dressed in brightly colored, flamboyant clothing. One might assume he’s homosexual and be disgusted, another might compliment him on his sense of style, while the third might be indifferent. All experienced the same thing, but react differently based on their past experiences. That is the core of interpretive reality.
I believe that our cultural passion for conformity stems from a subconscious realization that we are truly alone. Our instinct to reach out and seek acceptance is an outward manifestation of that understanding. The idea of the “soul mate” defines this urge. We seek that one person who gets us. The one who can totally understand us because they share our reality.
No matter how similar someone’s reaction may be to the same stimulus, it will never be identical to yours. But that’s what we’ve been taught to expect. That expectation is the basis of standing ovations, the wave at a ball game, or the phenomenon of social networking in general and Facebook in particular. It’s the quest for the hive-mind. We value our individuality, but we’d value it more if other people weren’t so different.
When we see that funny picture and post it on Facebook, we’re hoping that other people will find it as funny as we do. On one hand, we want to share this thing we enjoyed with other people. On the other, we want them to like it as much as we do. We are searching for that common binding response.
As I said earlier, we are a society that places an immense value on conformity. Anyone who has ever been made to feel less valued because they are different can vouch for that. We talk about individuality, but if anyone starts to be too individualized, they are made to pay. If we allow cracks in our cultural facade, it is only a matter of time until it crumbles and we have to face the truth.
That truth is simple and for many, it is horrible. We are all alone. No one can truly understand your experience because they will never have your background. What we need to do is to stop mythologizing our sameness. We need to celebrate our true diversity instead of just paying lip service to it. That is how to stop people from being singled out for their differences.
Understand that we are all different. We have all been singled out. It is our nature, and it is immutable. Now to understand that it is not a bad thing. We can still come together into a society because this doesn’t change who we are, only our understanding of it. Instead of striving to be a uniform crowd, we need to accept the idea of a crowd of individuals. When we stop trying to be the same, maybe we can start to celebrate our actual commonalities.
It’s eleven p.m and I sit before my keyboard bereft of inspiration. This is not as uncommon as I might prefer. Tonight I may actually have an excuse.
You see, last night, I didn’t sleep. Not at all. Lately that’s been happening a fair bit. I lie in bed and toss and turn. I do breathing exercises to relax. I count sheep. I count goats. I count ibexes. Then morning comes and I get up and get on with my day. Within a couple of days, I sleep for six or seven hours to catch it up and all is well.
Today, it was a bit more of an issue. Today I was getting up early because today we had to close our trailer for the season. Technically, yesterday was the last day, but hey, who’s perfect. The amount we pay, I don’t feel we’re abusing them with one extra day.
Long story short: No sleep. Pack up the trailer. Pack everything into the car. Put the dog in the car. Drive home. Unpack the car. Rearrange the kitchen cupboard to accommodate all the food from the trailer. Shave, shower, go to in-laws for belated Thanksgiving Dinner.
So now I’m a little over-tired. I’m full as a tick. Finally, I’m actually sleepy. So, what to write about? Oh wait, I know. I’ll write about not being able to decide what to write about.
Maybe a nap first.
Nah. Just wing it. Who’s going to notice?
Good point.
So yeah. We’ve closed our trailer for the season. It’s always kind of sad. No more dodging the stuff that needs doing at home. No more excuses to sit with my feet up and read or watch movies when I know there’s a ton of things I should be doing. I’ll miss the chipmunks rushing through the autumn leaves. Those tiny little things make more noise than my dog. And I don’t have a small dog.
I’ll miss sitting on my deck dozing through the heat of the day under the awning. Listening to some soft jazz saxophone and letting my mind drift. Which is what it’s doing now without the heat or the jazz.
I’ve learned that everything is a question of perspective. In July I had surgery. That was painful and scary and unpleasant to say the least. On the other hand, it gave me two and half months at my trailer while I recovered. Oh and it led me to start this blog to pass the time.
In September, Blockbuster Canada closed it’s doors and I found myself without a job. That is seriously not cool and if you want to know more, read some of my earlier posts. On the other hand, I worked my last shift on the 27th, and got to spend the next week and a half at my trailer in time for one of the nicest Thanksgiving weekends on the books.
A lot of things are like that. Kind of a good news/bad news thing. Or, the way I usually look at things, it’s more of a bad news/good news thing. I tend to look at the bad news first. It used to be that’s pretty much where I’d stop looking. Now I work to see past the bad thing in my face and look for the good things hiding in it’s shadow. Makes the world a nicer place, and me a nicer person.
Well, I can’t think of anything else to ramble about at the moment. Except this. Because I just had Thanksgiving Dinner, I’d like to take a moment to be really thankful for a few things. I’m thankful for my blood family. They have always been there for me and have given me the space to be who I wanted to be. I’m thankful for my extended family and friends because they help to define me. Take a look at a person’s friends and you can tell a lot about them. I’m fortunate to have some incredible people in my life. I’m thankful for my personal family. For Lynn who sees more in me than I ever will and never stops trying to help me to be the person she believes in. For Cynthia who at eighteen still sometimes asks me to tuck her in and kiss her goodnight. For Chester who happens to be the best dog in the world and the best friend anyone ever had.
With all the negatives in the world, it’s important for me to remember just how blessed and lucky I really am. If anyone out there is listening……. I owe you one.
Connectedness. That one word best sums up my enjoyment of technology. I’ve got friends scattered all over the place.
Today’s technology means I can chat with my buddy in California. Or I can tell my father in Sudbury about my new job. I complimented a friend in Montreal for getting some pro-level exposure for his photography. All while sitting at my trailer by the lake watching the chipmunks and squirrels preparing for the winter.
It’s also handy for doing real-time tech support for my daughter who is at home. We are texting on our smart phones while I use my netbook to look up how to install a wireless printer on her new Windows 7 laptop.
That’s connectedness. That’s what I enjoy most about technology.
Yes, that is part of what made my day glorious. Followed two of these through the bush of about twenty minutes. Took a ton of pictures. Really low light on the edge of dusk under the trees, so jacked up the ISO. Made things a little grainy, but hey, it’s not a shot I get every day.
Other than that, spent the day with Lynn and Chester. Sat by the lake on our campground and took pictures of my dog. Went into Perth and took pictures of the park with the fall colors, people napping in the sun, etc.
I don’t have time to convert them to .jpg, so I’ll post more of them tomorrow. Suffice to say, another wonderful fall day.
I know this picture doesn’t look like, but it’s getting close to the end of the season at my trailer. I’m going to miss it. It’s peaceful, quiet and incredibly relaxing. As you can see, it’s just plain beautiful. Today was a gorgeous, sunny day. The first after several days of rain. So Lynn and I took out our cameras when we walked our dog.
We took our time. Shot some photos, chatted with our neighbors, and sat in the sun and just enjoyed the day. It doesn’t get any better than this.
In case anyone is curious I love chipmunks. I think they are probably the cutest rodents on the planet. So I try to get pictures of them every chance I get. Today, Lynn and I lucked out and got some excellent of shots of these two. Apparently, a mother and a not yet independent offspring. They were very cute together. With Lynn’s permission, I will see if I can post a couple of her shots next time. She got some incredible ones as well.
Did I mention I LOVE chipmunks? Seeing these two made a great day even better! Nothing like spending a day with my wife, my dog and beauty of nature. A perfect day:-)
Brain Bits To Go 