Category Archives: Narrative

I just got a stupid-huge 12 square-foot self-promo poster from veer in the mail. Other items they’ve sent include an ‘activity book for creatives’, and a 500 (I think it was) piece jigsaw puzzle. None of which I’ve used/kept and none have induced me to either spontaneously or pre-meditatively run over and buy fonts or typography inspired home decor.

I’ve only bought like 2 things from them, ever.

Those in “the ‘biz” know how much printing/production of this stuff costs. Frankly, I don’t understand how they can afford it. Even if they can, here’s an idea: Quit sending me this crap, save some paper and just make your stuff more affordable.

How about that?

That’s something I could really use.

You can keep your goofy pillows, thanks.

I miss you, my friends.

All those incredibly personal moments we shared. Many of the pieces that make us who we are.

I wonder where you are now?

Are you still playing hockey? Do you still collect those same stuffed animals? Does that spot still tickle? Did you ever finish that song?

Did you ever do any of that shit we talked so passionately about doing? Does it even interest you anymore? Are you ashamed it ever did?

Some of you I’ve never lost – but we’re in very different places now. Hard to believe how we’ve turned out. The choices we’ve made – sometimes confounding even those closest to us. Confounding each other.

It came at a different point for each of us – that moment we ‘moved on’. We’re still in touch, but no longer ‘sharing the same space’ – as we once did. We talk about ‘the old days’ now and it’s like reliving an old movie. Everyday forward now, we’re creating new memories that don’t include each other and there’s less space for those that do. They get fuzzy. Fade. We each remember them differently now. Independently. We’ve got new players in the old roles now. A new straight man. A new muse. A new foil. A different lover. A new confidant. The production of our lives continues, but some of the cast members have changed.

Some of you I’ve reconnected with. The reconnection always strange. Each of us wondering how the other came to such a point. The choices.

I can’t believe he did that. Is that really what she wanted all along? I never would have thought…Did we know each other at all?

Indeed we did. And and we as friends were an integral part in shaping who we’ve each become – good or bad. Forever linked, even if way back on the chain.

‘You can never go home again.’ And if we could, we both remember it differently now. Different emotions – hurts – laughs – have benchmarked themselves inside each of us. But it was still us that shared them.

Sometimes – usually in the quiet moments – I wonder where you are.

Are you ok? Are you hurting? Did you get that job you wanted? Did you ever work it out with your Dad? Does he make you happy? Are those same demons still hounding you now, like they did back then? Have you found contentment?

I hope you are well. Are you still pissed about that time I wouldn’t come pick you up? Embarrassed about what you said and the awkward silence after? Steamed about that time I threw up in your car?

It’s ok. I understand. Maybe you’ve moved on and it’s not important to you now. We’ve all got new friends – me included. Most of the time it’s that way for me. I get caught up with the now. The moving forward. It seems our lives have gotten so much more complicated.

Sometimes though, when the din of the world fades away for a few moments, and my thoughts grow quiet, I miss you, my friends.

So I’ve put in for my parental leave at work. I’ll be taking from when the baby’s born until Jan 5th. For you ‘Mericans, up here in Canada the Federal Gov’t mandates that employees must be granted paternal leave if requested and get their jobs back on their return. There’s various stipulations on the time and such depending on the parents and if they both work and yadda yadda. The clincher is, that you’re essentially going on unemployment – i.e. the Gov’t pays your salary, but only to the tune of about 55% of what you were making, so you take a hit.

So really, 55% of not really enough is even less.

Lyn and I decided to suck it up and do it anyway. Well really, I don’t think she could do all 4 kids on her own out of the gate, and even if she were to try, I wouldn’t want to come home from work to THAT scene every day. So we bit the bullet. I’ll probably come out in the hole on the other side but that’s the long and the short of it I guess.

The good is that I will get to spend lots of ‘family’ time and it will really be the last time an opportunity for this much time off presents itself. I – uh – had a ‘procedure’ that will inhibit any further bukit offspring. I’ve caught my limit.

So we’ll see how it goes.

I’ve spent all evening filing paperwork (why do I have to save 2 years back worth of phone bills?), paying bills, and trying to get a handle on the whirlwind that is the to-do list.

Unfortunately, the Surly’s in the shop after only two rides. I couldn’t get the drivetrain quite dialed and today on the way to work, I snapped the chain. I conceded and took it to the shop. They tell me I’m missing a spacer in my cassette for one thing. I’ve got no idea how the hell I managed that. I’ve got to go turn the garage upside down in a few minutes and see if I can find it. Ugh.

After that I think it’s chocolate chip cookies and milk time.