Thursday, January 1, 2009
January 1, 2009
The first day of 2009.
And after a year of supreme challenges (closed a business, lost a job, buried my Father), it is time to move on.
Spent some time yesterday cleaning up my other blogs. I had gone wild writing and posting to three separate blogs:
http://mykalsreport.blogspot.com/ a blog that originallybegan as a place to share the buzzwords I had heard in various business meetings over the years.
http://myfavouriteruns.blogspot.com/ another blog to share my running stories
http://carsihavedriven.blogspot.com/ the final blog where I posted stories about various cars I had driven and experiences from road trips.
Decided that they all had something in common: shared experiences and life lessons. Felt appropriate to put them all in one place.
This will be a book someday.
And after a year of supreme challenges (closed a business, lost a job, buried my Father), it is time to move on.
Spent some time yesterday cleaning up my other blogs. I had gone wild writing and posting to three separate blogs:
http://mykalsreport.blogspot.com/ a blog that originallybegan as a place to share the buzzwords I had heard in various business meetings over the years.
http://myfavouriteruns.blogspot.com/ another blog to share my running stories
http://carsihavedriven.blogspot.com/ the final blog where I posted stories about various cars I had driven and experiences from road trips.
Decided that they all had something in common: shared experiences and life lessons. Felt appropriate to put them all in one place.
This will be a book someday.
Thursday, December 25, 2008
He was supposed to live forever
My old man died this year.
Wasn’t supposed to happen. He was supposed to live forever.
At least that’s what I believed at age 12.
To me he was a superhero with larger-than-life friends. There was nothing that he could not do if he put his mind to it. He lived as if life were his personal plaything to do with as he pleased. He often treated life casually and often ignored signs of danger. I know…I argued with him often enough about the dangers of crispy pork rind well after he had been diagnosed with diabetes and was on home dialysis treatment. He did not give in then either. Dismissed my concerns with a wave of his hand, then changed the subject.
He had a sense of humour. Well, actually, he loved telling stories. He loved to laugh but he loved an audience even more. His grand kids will attest to that! At every gathering as far back as I can remember, he and his cronies held court around the bar telling new stories of conquest and re-telling the old ones that somehow never seemed to grow stale with the endless retelling. The group around them grew and changed over the years, but the basic format remained.
He was an optimist. Correct that: he was naïve and unrealistic. He did not believe that he couldn’t get what he wanted. Every time. In fact, when I look back he did get everything he ever wanted: kids, friends, grandkids…good times. And the timeless ability to pass on his wisdom in the stories. You just had to listen carefully.
He was tough and ornery. If you crossed him, he ‘wrote you off”. Never spoke to you again…gone from his consciousness. Usually lasted about a week. Month tops. Another party or get together and all was forgiven. He did not have many enemies.
He yelled at me and pushed me constantly. At 12 this sucked. Kept it bottled up for years. Only after having kids of my own did I come to terms with his behaviour: he was imperfect! Duh!
He was not perfect. Far from it. He often talked about ‘shoulda, coulda, woulda’ when it came to things that he could have accomplished in his life. “Hmmm…wonder where I get it from”? Over the years I have learned to overcome ‘shoulda, coulda, woulda’. Thanks Dad.
He was supposed to live forever.
On September 23, 2008 forever arrived.
I was there until the end. He went peacefully and with what I swear was a smile on his face. Seemed to be saying to us even then, “I had a ton of fun…sorry it had to end so soon…keep the party going for me”
I will.
Wasn’t supposed to happen. He was supposed to live forever.
At least that’s what I believed at age 12.
To me he was a superhero with larger-than-life friends. There was nothing that he could not do if he put his mind to it. He lived as if life were his personal plaything to do with as he pleased. He often treated life casually and often ignored signs of danger. I know…I argued with him often enough about the dangers of crispy pork rind well after he had been diagnosed with diabetes and was on home dialysis treatment. He did not give in then either. Dismissed my concerns with a wave of his hand, then changed the subject.
He had a sense of humour. Well, actually, he loved telling stories. He loved to laugh but he loved an audience even more. His grand kids will attest to that! At every gathering as far back as I can remember, he and his cronies held court around the bar telling new stories of conquest and re-telling the old ones that somehow never seemed to grow stale with the endless retelling. The group around them grew and changed over the years, but the basic format remained.
He was an optimist. Correct that: he was naïve and unrealistic. He did not believe that he couldn’t get what he wanted. Every time. In fact, when I look back he did get everything he ever wanted: kids, friends, grandkids…good times. And the timeless ability to pass on his wisdom in the stories. You just had to listen carefully.
He was tough and ornery. If you crossed him, he ‘wrote you off”. Never spoke to you again…gone from his consciousness. Usually lasted about a week. Month tops. Another party or get together and all was forgiven. He did not have many enemies.
He yelled at me and pushed me constantly. At 12 this sucked. Kept it bottled up for years. Only after having kids of my own did I come to terms with his behaviour: he was imperfect! Duh!
He was not perfect. Far from it. He often talked about ‘shoulda, coulda, woulda’ when it came to things that he could have accomplished in his life. “Hmmm…wonder where I get it from”? Over the years I have learned to overcome ‘shoulda, coulda, woulda’. Thanks Dad.
He was supposed to live forever.
On September 23, 2008 forever arrived.
I was there until the end. He went peacefully and with what I swear was a smile on his face. Seemed to be saying to us even then, “I had a ton of fun…sorry it had to end so soon…keep the party going for me”
I will.
Monday, December 22, 2008
When is @#$% Acceptable?
The following was submitted by MN. Thank you.
And with thanks to the original author, they are shared with you this week.
There are only eleven times in history where “@#$%” has been considered acceptable for use. They are as follows:
And with thanks to the original author, they are shared with you this week.
There are only eleven times in history where “@#$%” has been considered acceptable for use. They are as follows:
- "What the @#$% do you mean we are sinking?" -- Capt. E.J. Smith of RMS Titanic, 1912
- "What the @#$% was that?" -- Mayor Of Hiroshima, 1945
- "Where did all those @#$%ing Indians come from?" -- Custer, 1877
- "Any @#$%ing idiot could understand that." -- Einstein, 1938
- "It does so @#$%ing look like her!" -- Picasso, 1926
- "How the @#$% did you work that out?" -- Pythagoras, 126 BC
- "You want WHAT on the @#$%ing ceiling?" -- Michelangelo, 156
- "Where the @#$% are we?" -- Amelia Earhart, 1937
- "Scattered @#$%ing showers, my ass!" -- Noah, 4314 BC
- "Aw c'mon. Who the @#$% is going to find out?" -- Bill Clinton, 1998
and a drum roll please............!
11. "Geez, I didn't think they'd get this @%#*^ing mad." -- Stephen Harper, December 2008
Merry Christmas!!!
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