Daddy-O

R.E.M.

Office Blinds … captured on February 26, 2009

I walked around the house whistling yesterday morning. Really. It's truly remarkable what a good night's sleep will do for you. I was up once, at 5:00, when the wind pelted the rain noisily against our window. I guess the sound was enough of a suggestion to…erm…go to the washroom. Otherwise…out. Like. A. Light.

• I dreamt I met Zinedine Zidane, one of my favourite footballers.
• I dreamt I was in a Harry Potter movie.
• I dreamt both Brad Pitt and I were doing a press junket tour.
• Sadly, I did not dream of Angelina Jolie.  

Both Jennifer and I have come to realize that we haven't had REM sleep in what seems like years. Make no mistake, the cat will continue to sleep in the basement. We've even got around the whole barricade issue which, frankly, was getting out of hand.

Originally, we set up a baby gate then closed the door. But the cat managed to jump up on top of the gate—from a step below—nudged open the door with his head and wiggled his way out. I realize cats can jump high but Cato is getting on in years and, well, he is overweight. So we added his food bag as a counterweight and that worked until we'd fed him enough that the bag was too light. On Wednesday night, Jennifer propped up her Kitchen Aid mixer against the door. It worked, but let's face it, it's a little unwieldy; even I have a hard time moving it. So I stopped by Zellers and picked up a wedge-shaped doorstop; excuse me, a designer doorstop, with authentic fake woodgrain. Hey, it was the cheapest one there and best of all, it works. Good night, sweet Cato. I'll be dreaming of you.

Appreciative

Hazy Morning … captured on February 26, 2009

Yesterday I received another lesson in humility. This time, thanks to Facebook.

Facebook is one of those things that can be quite annoying and at other times, quite surprising. I typically use it to update The Revue's group page every day but I also enjoy the opportunity it offers for dialoguing with friends. Over the last few years I've been approached by past workmates, college chums and other friends. But back in the Fall, someone from primary school contacted me.

I hadn't thought of her—or any of these classmates—in probably 30 years. Needless to say it brought back a lot of memories. More recently, one of the guys I used to hang around with got into the network and we've been talking with each other. I'm ashamed to say I hadn't thought of him—I'll call him R—in a long time either. It seems I've spent my life trying to leave my school years behind; this is in sharp contrast with Jennifer, who's kept in touch with her school friends throughout her life. The only defense I can offer is that I was never comfortable in school, never keen, nor proud of myself. That all changed when I "started" my life after splitting with Su; but that's another story for another time.

Anyway, back to R. I wrote him, recounting my life after high school. It was an optimistic and accomplished note because I'm proud of where I am and what I've done since then. I fired it off asking what he'd been up to for the last 30 years. After a week, when he didn't write back, I sent him another note to which he finally replied. He's had plenty of difficulty, with 2 failed marriages and a bout of cancer which he has since beaten. I can't tell you how awful this news made me feel. But it did make me take stock and appreciate what I have.

In the end, R is back on track. He's just started a new job and has his health back. I wish him nothing but the best and hope his darkest days are behind him. I, for one, will endeavour to be conscious of how lucky I am. I realize it'll be difficult to sustain, but you've got to keep trying.

Making the Time to See Again

LX3 Construction at 25 Ritchie … captured on February 25, 2009

It's a new day. And thus, a new opportunity. As some of you know I've been struggling to get more pictures up on the blog. Actually, it's not just for the blog; I've been struggling to take more pictures. Period. There's a variety of few reasons, not the least of which is a lack of inspiration. But is seems I'm not alone. I urge you to take 10 minutes and visit this link; it's a short film called Transform by photographer Zack Arias. The first couple of minutes are pretty funny (in a geeky sort of way) but then the film manages to encapsulate exactly how I (and apparently other photographers) feel. For me, the film was a revelation and a breath of fresh air. Honestly, if you want to know how I feel, check it out. 

One of the other barriers to increased photography has been the sheer size and weight of my DSLR. Lugging that puppy to and from work is not something I've been inclined to do. And so, I decided to buy myself a small point-and-shoot; something I could keep in my bag and have with me most of the time. And so began the search for the perfect P & S. My choices were narrowed down to a Canon G10 and a Panasonic LX3. I've had good luck with Canon and Jennifer's had less-than-stellar pictures from her little Panasonic. Despite this, I decided to go with the LX3. And other than having to wait for a RAW compatibility issue with Aperture, I absolutely love it. It has a full metal body, a wide angle 24mm, F2.0 Leica lens, and offers so many manual overrides that it suggests the familiarity of a DSLR; at least in features.

And so the hope is that I take more pictures. For the blog and for myself. I put forward the latter because at the end of the day, I simply love to take photographs. I've missed life through the viewfinder. And now I'm beginning to look at everything again with an eye towards composition and balance. It's something I haven't done in a while.

(Almost) Over and (Almost) Beginning

Last night was team Green's final game of the season. To advance to the finals, we needed to beat our opponents by at 6 goals and judging by the way they came at us in the last game, we weren't too hopeful. In the end, our boys played very well and we finished the game with a 6-5 win. Matthew minded the net for the entire game and managed to stop some cracker shots; I was very proud of him. In addition, he finally started calling out his players to get them in position to help out. The Lad still needs some practice but in general, he's getting the idea. Next week we'll attend the final game and I think the boys will get medals for participating.

We've already signed up Matthew for the summer session and I for one am looking forward to them playing outside. I've opted to forego the coaching duties this time around, but I have a feeling I might volunteer my services as an assistant coach; it's much less stressful. We've also sent an e-mail to inquire about Micro soccer for Marina.

Finally, Matthew's club has just merged with another West end soccer club. Together, they've come up with a new name which, sadly, doesn't sound as nice as the original name. Still, I had a go at designing a new logo for the club. Now I have to wait and see if they like it or not.

Progress

Walking with Marc … captured on February 16, 2009

We've finally resolved the source of Marina's mysterious fevers: another case of strep throat. Alternating days off from work, Jennifer landed the Friday slot. The Wee-One woke up complaining that her legs hurt and that she couldn't put any weight on them. She carried on for the rest of the morning, hobbling along instead of walking properly and this made us both nervous. Jennifer called the Tele-Health number who, of course, told us to take her to the doctor's office. We decided to call our own clinic at the Women's College Hospital instead of the kids' clinic that I took Marina to on Monday. As soon as the receptionist heard fever and sore legs, we were booked for one o'clock.

Jennifer picked me up from work and we drove to Women's College. By this time, Wee-Mina's walking was almost normal, if not a bit stiff. We met a nice resident who checked Marina thoroughly, took a throat swab and determined that her legs and motor skills were fine. She then likened Marina's fever to one of our own; comparing how our body can ache from fevers. With children, it's difficult for them to explain how that feels and generally, we don't understand what they're trying to tell us.

Marina's last fever was peaked on Saturday, at 3:00pm. It's been over 24 hours since then and it has not returned. As such, this coupled with locking the cat up in the basement, offered the best night's sleep in months. I also likely slept well after having walked for over 4 hours at the AutoShow; this following another 3 hours on Friday. Thankfully, the Show is done for another year. Now we can settle down again until May or June, when the process starts all over again.

So we took it easy this weekend. I was away for most of the day yesterday, taking pictures of cars and such and later in the evening I headed to The Revue to update the computer and to catch a movie. I saw Frost/Nixon which was fantastic. As an added bonus, the theatre was full of people and as I left, there was a lineup for the next film. I felt very elated.

Today was another quiet day. We did take the kids out to play in the park a little this afternoon, but otherwise we just relaxed. Oh, we did make a trip to Costco to pick up a few food items and to replace a lost travel book on Paris. But more on that later.

Banished!

Outcast … captured on February 19, 2009

Let's set the record straight: it wasn't my idea. True, I whole-heartedly supported and enforced the plan, but it wasn't my idea. A few nights ago, Jennifer had had enough with the cat. Spurred on by our frequent risings to tend to Marina, Cato took this activity as a sign to start playing. It got so distracting that Jennifer threw back the sheets and marched the cat off to the basement where she then spent 15 minutes making all sorts of ruckus as she tried to jimmy a child gate. Five minutes after putting up the barricade, the cat was back in our bed, purring. This sent me to the basement and I rigged it so he couldn't get out (I can hear the complaints already). 

This worked well for a couple of nights and when either of us weren't up to take care of Marina, we slept well, sans chat. Last night I found him by the basement door, resigned to a boring—albeit peaceful—night by himself. I set up the gate, closed the basement door and then propped up Cato's 10 kg bag to prevent the door from swinging open. Twenty minutes later, the rascal was up in our room, purring like mad. We decided to give him a chance to prove himself and, other than the fridge-like purring, he stayed in bed the night.

The Health Report

Between Fevers … captured on February 19, 2009

Today was my turn to watch the Wee-One. Her fevers persist, every four hours, although I thought we had it licked this morning. Jennifer gave her Motrin at 3:45 this morning and by 9:30 this morning, her forehead was as cool as a cucumber. But, by 10:15, she was warming up again.

So, we continue to alternate medication: Motrin, Tylenol, Motrin,… I'm guessing the doctor's prediction that this will last four or five was correct. Tomorrow, Jennifer's up for stay-at-home duties but I'm optimistic that tonight is the night that the fever will break and our Wee-Mina is back to her old self.

You Give Me Fever

Swan Lake … captured on February 16, 2009

On Tuesday morning, at 3:00 am (of course), right before work and after a long weekend, Marina woke up with a pretty high fever. It took 90 minutes to get her back to sleep and then the cat decided that this was the best time to play in the hallway. Needless to say, Jennifer and I woke up a little tired. Now that the AutoShow is in full swing, I decided to take the day off and watch over the Wee-One. By mid-morning, her fever had returned. This time, however, the fever kept rising despite the medicine I'd given her over an hour earlier. I decided to take her to the kids' clinic at St Joe's.

This afforded us two hours of waiting in a room full of sick kids. Yay! We had arrived at 11:15 and as best as I could tell, there were 6 or 7 other kids ahead of us. By 1:05, I walked to the reception desk and asked if we'd be seen before they closed down for lunch. She told me she doubted it. I shook my head and told her that we'd been waiting for close to two hours at which point she told us to go ahead and sit in the examination room. The squeaky wheel indeed.

The doctor made a quick check up of Marina while I apologized for even being there. I offered that I wouldn't have come if it hadn't been for the increased fever an hour after receiving medication (of course, by now, Marina was fine and the fever was gone). The doctor told me it was quite alright and that she'd seen many a flu with similar symptoms in the last little while. She told us to expect the fevers to continue for another four or five days. Four or five days?! So here we are, with day 2 under our belts. Jennifer took today off while I don't expect to go in tomorrow. It's surprising parents get to keep their jobs.

As for the Wee-One, her fevers keep coming back every 4 hours and while her spirits are generally good, she does suffer from a sore head and "sore eyes" while she waits for the drugs to take affect. Poor little Mina.

25 Random Things

Winter Sky … captured on February 16, 2009

Ah, the internet. I was recently tagged by both Jennifer and Suzy, on facebook, to complete a list of 25 random things about me. I typically ignore chain-type invitations but thought it would be cool to add it here. So, here we go…:

1. I'm a sucker for these lists.

2. Sometimes, I'm still scared of the dark.

3. I miss the kids when they go to bed.

4. I love what I'm doing for The Revue (no matter how much I bitch about it).

5. Sometime in the last 8 years, I went from wanting gifts to wanting to give gifts.

6. I would have loved living in Paris for 10 years.

7. I believe you have to continue learning.

8. I believe we should all eat with chopsticks.

9. I still get giddy when a new season of The Amazing Race begins. I also love that Jennifer forgets that it's on every Sunday night.

10. I am forever indebted to my wife for having introduced me to travel.

11. Every year, my love for soccer grows deeper.

12. In the last 5 years, I began to appreciate modern art.

13. And opera.

14. I would love to write a novel someday.

15. I still want to travel to the Northwest Territories and photograph wolves in the wild.

16. In high school, I wanted to travel to Australia to swim with great white sharks.

17. I don't miss smoking. At all.

18. I want to spend time in Japan.

19. I shed a tear every time I hear Louis Armstrong sing: "I hear babies crying; I watch them grow; They'll learn much more, than I'll ever know."

20. I love order and as such, love my iPhone.

21. I truly believe that Obama can change the world.

22. My favourite thing for lunch is cheese, Spanish olives, a baguette and a pint of Guinness.

23. I believe in soul mates.

24. I don't know 25 people on facebook who would appreciate getting tagged for this. So I'll tag just a few.

25. I could write another 25 random things.

Family Day

Everyone's Looking for Something … captured on February 16, 2009

I've said it before and by golly, I'll say it again. Weekends should always be three days long. We enjoyed a nice, relatively quiet weekend which included a brunch yesterday with R, D and Chloe. It was such a leisurely affair that we were going to stay the day, but relented after noticing the crowd waiting for a seat. Today—Family Day—we picked up Marc and Inara and drove down to the Humber Bay park for a walk. The kids spent the bulk of their time looking for sea glass, Inara spent most of her time looking for a frisbee, the swans were looking for food and I kept watching the loons dive under the surface, only to pop up a dozen or so metres away after 30 seconds. The sun was gloriously warm but a cool breeze off the lake reminded you that Spring is still a good ways away.

Sheepsitting

The Adventures of Priscilla … captured on February 14, 2009

Happy Valentine's Day everyone! I thought it would be nice to share a love story today. As some of you know, Moppy and Poppy are down in Barbados, enjoying the fruits of their retirement; or, at the very least, the fruits of the island. Before leaving, Moppy entrusted Marina with the care of Priscilla, her plush sheep. And so for Moppy, here is the status report: the Wee-One has taken the task to heart and kept watch over Priscilla every day since she left. Priscilla's place is on Marina's nightstand, right by the bed and she has Tiger, Kangaroo and Fox to keep her company.

Sugartine's Day

Chocolated … captured on August 20, 2005

I remember the days when you nervously filled out your Valentine's Day cards and hoped against hope that the cute girl in class would not forget to include you. In fact, I seem to remember that not everyone received a Valentine's Day card; you just made 'em up for your closest friends. 

Not so anymore. Now, the kids come home with a list—each. Then they come home with a list for the daycare kids—each. And these days, more than half of them tape a candy or lollipop to their cards. It's amazing; Valentine's Day has become yet another holiday where you're expected to buy candy. Of course, we're cheap old farts so we didn't do that. Lucky for us, throwing eggs at your house is a Halloween thing. I should keep an eye out for arrows though.

Last night, while the kids ruffled excitedly through their bags of goodies, Jennifer and I read the cards. I found a box of Valentine's-theme Smarties. "Wow, look at these." I pointed to Marina. "You got special Smarties from a boy named Charles."

And with the cutest little lilt in her voice, she replied: "Oh, Charles! I li-i-ike him."

The Snowman in Outspace

(this is the story Matthew has been working on for the last month)

By Matthew Charbonneau

Once upon a time there was a alien who made a snowman. This aliens name was Alferd. Alferd was fat and hary and he was green and he had three hundred eyes and he had thre legs. The planit they live on is Plowto. Plowto is very  small. It is SNOWY on Plowto because it is farthis away from the sun. Alferd has to ware WARM close!

It takes place in the past one thousand years ago in outerspace. The snowmans name is Bob, he is hansom and he has a hat on him and he has a shert and boots on him.

One warm day Alferd said to Bob while Bob was playing Rockband on Xbox 360, you hafe to go to Uranus because the sun is comeing closer to Plowto and globel warnig and all that stuf. Yicks! I better ge moveing said Bob!

So Bob got his snowballs and sootcasis. Bob saw a pome tree and Bob climed up the tree.

Alferd can you bend the tree pleese? said Bob.

Why? asked Alferd putting on his thinking cap.

Because I need you to bend the tree like a spring so the tree can lanch me into outerspace.

OK. Be safe and make shur you have avrything. And Bob gets lanched into outerspace.

As Bob is flying throw outsterspace at one oclok in the afternoon he feels it's geting colder. This makes Bob happy! he looks in front of him and sees a astroid belt!

Bob tries to stop but he can't. As Bob enters the fast moveing astroid belt he magically dodges the big astroids. Huh? he said to himself. How did I get past those?

What is a snowman doing in outerspace said Joe.

The snowman tursn arond and he sees an astrenaut and Bob is scared. Joe steps toward Bob and Bob thinks Joe is going to crush him! Joe starts running after the snowman. Avenchaly the cord snaps and Joe can't breth! Joes frinds come out with a lasew and they save Joes life. Bob comes back to help rescue the astronaut and pushes him back to the spaceship.

Thanks for saveing me said Joe. How can I help you?

I need a ride to Uranus before I melt.

Shure, we can do that for you. But you have to stay in the cold room.

The ship blast off to Uranus. They take 24 hours to get there. Bob thanks Joe for takeing him to his new home. Bye Joe!

See you Bob! And he takes off back to Earth.

Now Bob is safe on URANUS because hes not going to melt.

THE

END

Beast Begone!

Surely You've Finished … captured on February 1, 2009

It's ironic that I've deemed February the month of kitty cats because Cato has been driving me mad for the last couple of weeks. He always come to Jennifer's side of the bed and scratches at it for attention but typically it's in the morning, in time to wake us up. Lately however, he's taken to doing this two or three times a night. Like 3:00 and 5:00 am kind of night. Not kosher! It's that it's not like he ever gets praise for doing it; quite the contrary, we get angry. I realize it's attention but come on!

Cats...I just don't get them.

First Timer

Focusing on Homework … captured on February 5, 2009

Really; who invented the 2-day weekend? Someone who didn't have kids, that's for sure. As I'm sure you've gathered, it was another busy weekend. Frankly, our mornings are nice and relaxed but the afternoons tend to fill up a fair bit. Jennifer spent the bulk of Saturday cleaning up and preparing dinner for a get-together with René and Danielle that evening. After the kids had dinner, both Matthew and Chloe were dropped off at another friend's for a late evening gathering.

On Sunday, Marina had her first solo play date with Ruby. While she's had play dates before, Jennifer has always been around; but not so today. After being dropped off, Marina escorted Jennifer to the door and said: "That's okay, Mommy. You can go now." She then took off to play with her friend. They grow up so fast.

Meanwhile, we had Matthew with us and needed to run a few errands. First stop: Ikea, to replace a kitchen light, some magazine boxes and to find something to organize the Wee-One's drawers. Next, a stop at Sportchek to replace Matthew's shin guards (he's grown in the last year) and finally, a quick tour of Zellers to pick up some more, um…trunks, and a new kitchen clock to replace the one that had stopped working.

At the end of our expensive afternoon we made our way back to Greg and Laura's and sat with them while the girls played some more. Matthew felt like a bit of a fifth wheel but eventually he managed to entertain himself while the grown ups caught up. We haven't seen Greg and Laura since New Year's and it had been more than several months before that. They're now expecting their second child.

The weekend is winding down quietly. The Lad is currently in his room, working on a story which he needs to hand in this Thursday. Unfortunately, he has a soccer game tomorrow and a soccer skills session on Wednesday night so that doesn't leave him a lot of time to finish up. While he wholeheartedly agreed to participate in both programs, they overlap for the next few weeks, so he's a little busier than we'd like. Luckily for everyone though, this should all settle down by the end of February.