toes and twine
People are doing stuff – I can hear ‘em, driving on highway thirteen, headed to get gas at the Irving station, maybe a newspaper, maybe lunch.
Our routine, however, has been staunchly anti-doing stuff, at least in the morningtime. An important reason for this is the hammock, a new addition to the cabin this year and, frankly, awesome. Perfectly comfortable and well suited to authoring a blog post, then maybe eyes closed for a bit.
We’ve been a little busier in the afternoons. Plenty of nice meals in Charlottetown, light tourism activity, feet in the ocean, some driving around. Went northwest on Tuesday, exploring a part of the Island we’d not visited previously, through impossibly small towns and deserted roads, expecting to find some sort of commerce, but short of a nice little downtown in Alberton, well. Not much going on out that way.
I always wonder about the people living in remote places like these, trying to sneak a glimpse into who they are and what they do as we drive by their houses on country highways, some properties beautifully maintained, others having seen much better days, years and years ago most likely. What is this life like? How does it feel to be hours from convenience, from emergency response, and presumably from other people who know you well?
My wife and I choose to live in Ottawa because of its proximity – to viable job options, to parents and siblings and cousins and nieces and nephews, to medical services our family unfortunately couldn’t carry on without. So while Prince Edward Island is always tempting us to make a leap, it remains a beautiful dream, a vacation destination only.
But it’d be interesting to get to know a life of distance. I’ve heard that challenge and discomfort can promote and prompt a person to great things sometimes. Then again, maybe you’d just spend most of your days riding a lawnmower and obsessing about not forgetting to pick up milk next time you spend the day in town, because forgetting would mean a week with no milk. And that’s no life to live, either.
Maybe another time. Another lifetime.
sing at sunday service
Due to the miracle that is modern technology, I am able to contribute to the mighty A1 Great from about 35,000 feet above the planet. WordPress and Android, a match made in the middle atmosphere.
Yes, I am on a plane. Achieved liftoff from Ottawa about an hour ago to embark on our nearly-annual summer vacation, destination Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, and eventually Walden Cabin.
I’m probably supposed to forego the supposed tether that this internet-enabled device represents, but I plan to tweet my way around the Island nonetheless. As far as I’m concerned the real tether is the worry as to whether Everyone Is Fine, and a connection to the people who are keeping an eye on things on my behalf offers comfort, not concern.
Plus, I get to tell you about my neighbors on board this flight, like the chicks in the row behind me who are holding forth, loudly, about their recent relationship history and, of course, the role of Jesus in it all. Or the two persons in the adjacent row, apparantly travelling separately and unrelated to one another, who BOTH ordered tomato juice with their in-flight snack (six percent of my daily fat intake, for those of you keeping track).
I don’t know which pair I find more repugnant. Religious beliefs are creepy, particularly in public. But tomato juice? That’s fucked up.
here i am, here we are
Five years and a day ago, the mighty A1 Great dot com was launched, with dignity and aplomb, the same traits you have come to know and love around these parts. Happy birthday!
Having just left my best-paying job, to that point, managing a dealership for TELUS Mobility in a most excellent fashion (more lucrative than you might expect due to commissions and raises every six months, and if TELUS wasn’t fucking their dealers – and clients – left and right these days, ownership of such a franchise might still be a career path to consider), I was embarking on my first real attempt at ‘working from home’, though the stay-at-home-dad role was pretty intense at that time. We were still about a year away from any real sleep, though we had recently found out that the kid was suffering from reflux, so hey, we’ll just prescribe some prevacid and that’ll be that! We were so ready to believe…
There’s a book waiting to be written around this topic, no doubt. How To Make Your Special Needs Child Just Fucking Sleep For More Than An Hour So You Can Feel Like Not Driving Off A Bridge Into A River Every Day. I have come to know a couple of people who would be looking for signed copies, bless them. Perhaps only a pamphlet, though, because here’s the full text: drugs, surgery. Better drugs than prevacid, that is. Better surgery than eardrum removal, even if you can’t wash for a month.
What were we talking about? Five years ago, right – then I met Stuart while testing out electric bikes in Vanier, and I offered to do some stuff for his little NGO startup, and made a button – two, actually. See?
Not much more happened after that.
Here’s a few of my favorite posts:
- Hello green water. I have seen no evidence of four and a half year old mutant me-s around this area, though they just knocked a bunch of trees down around there, so there may yet be time to make some freakish discoveries.
- Listen to your BOB FM. I found Jon on Facebook! Still no Randy.
- Adventures in Ottawa South. Stuart claims not to remember this meeting. I don’t remember the names of the people who owned the house. I do remember the overdone hamburger off the grill, but it was my fault, I was late. Oh well.
- No cancer, no glory. I am still pissed off that I came second in that contest.
- Always ready to help. I remain unable to understand why some of my most longstanding and trusted friends, who I hold in high esteem and whose intelligence and good taste cannot be called into question, continue to choose to live in the United States.
- Just like that. Marking my father-in-law’s sudden passing, and holding forth on my own family experience at the time. We’re better, I think, though some are still very insecure about the family dynamic. What can you do? Only so much time to go around, both on the calendar and cosmically speaking.
- The luxury. Resolutions for 2007! Learn to drive: well, maybe one day, but it’s not looking good. Tattoo: birthday gift, 2009, so that was only two and a half years late. Ice skates: 2010, three years later. Sounds about right.
- Press one for inglesh. This was really just a dig at someone annoying who I used to work with. Feels good!
- Hold up. More vitriol. I really hate the whole “Earth Hour” idea.
Of course, one must consider one’s audience. Turns out that my favorites are not your favorites: since 2008, the most popular posts here are about setting your own player images in Pokerstars, being thankful at Christmastime, that sublime combination of a good buzz and good music, something I posted only two weeks ago, and the time I met the Barenaked Ladies and got them to hold lightbulbs. Whatever, people!
Thanks for reading, eh?
promising volcanic change of thought
I guess my last thing was a little down. Here’s better news: Stuart is taking a real stab at bringing the Walden Cabin blog back to life, and it’s looking good. I fixed his archive stuff and imported old posts – you can go back to 2002 in there now, if you want. Give yourself some time, it’s going to suck you in.
Listen: Guns N’ Roses, “Attitude”
My business card (with rounded corners) says Systems Administrator. On the weekends, I get in touch with my Blogger-y side.
enjoy yourself
Stuart reminded me today that I have a website. Not just a website, but the motherfucking awesome A1 Great! So, like, where am I?
Listen: C’mon, “Waste My Time”
Monday night was a party at my house. Weird, right? Thirtysomething family-types are usually in bed early (well, these types are, at least), but I had the old gang from 135 Bank at my place for a few drinks, which was a great deal of fun. (And we even stayed up late – ’til 11PM!) I think it’s kind of rare to work with people in retail and end up happy to have done so, but Sophie, Ruban and Mark are all quality people. And not a single one of them reads this website, so I’m not even trying to score points by saying that. Not that you know these people. Well, maybe some of you do. Anyway!
Tuesday was karate. My jab-reverse combination is rapidly becoming wicked awesome. Side kicks need some practice.
Wednesday was work, work, work. I find two hours at the computer punishing these days, I don’t know how I’m ever going to actually have a full-time job doing the sorts of things I’m known to do. Maybe there are jobs out there that don’t involve ergonomic keyboarding and proper posture. If only I could play guitar. Or weld! I’m pretty sure you don’t weld with a computer.
Thursday was karate. My katawaza is rapidly becoming wicked awesome. Heian shodan needs some practice.
And that leaves us with today, unremarkable in most respects, so let’s talk about music because that’s what I do: did you see the new video for Supernatural Superserious? The track used to be called Disguised, which was probably better than it is now, but the music is catchy and praise jebus, R.E.M. might just come back with a real rock and roll disc, which is so necessary right now. Also: I’m considering buying Police tix for their upcoming show in Ottawa to scalp eBay, but they’re $225 each as-is… is there room for markup there? Rich public servant types might be willing to pony up the dough, I think it may be worth a try. And speaking of live shows that will be 82934987234 times better than anything the old men in Police can muster: C’mon, coming back on March 22 for some heavy metal mayhem. PUMPT.