Last week I was on a day shift taking the very enlightening Alternate Dispute Resolution course. It's Canada Post's mandate to have all the front line supervisors schooled in these skills so they can deal with events on the work floor as they happen and restore order and peace as quickly as possible. Basically getting people to talk their problems out rather than go crazy and attack people. I'm interested in seeing how this is going to work.
So while I was going to this course I was going to the gym every morning before heading down. Yes, 5.00 AM each day last week I was stood outside of Extreme Fitness in the cold with other devoted morning peoples, and I worked out. And I felt good doing it. So good, in fact, that it made me want to get to a day shift faster. I remember back when I worked at Penguin Books / Canbook / Pearson Canada I was at the gym almost every morning before I came to work and I loved it. LOVED IT. Midnight shifts obviously pose a bit more of a challenge because with being tired all the time who has the energy to work out.
But I am going to try.
Today is a Sunday. I am working at 10.00 AM today on an overtime shift because 'tis the season and all that, so I am going to the gym before I go in. And then this week I am going to go a few times before my midnight shifts, since the gym is open until 11.00 PM. And then I am going to stick to it. And I'm going to be going for longer workouts too. I have a week off coming up in December so I'll translate it back to daytime workouts during that time, but for now this is How It Will Be, cause I like being able to wear 33 and 32 waist pants again.
That is all.
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
i should just stay in bed
I woke up from a fantastic sleep just now - I was out of it for over 7 hours, which is something new to me lately as I have been having trouble sleeping by day. But with new earplugs and all my domestics in order, maybe I was just ready to sleep for a long spell.
And then, as they say, I woke up.
I made the mistake of looking at the website for The Toronto Star and seeing all the dismal financial news. So oil is really cheap now because no-one wants it to drive cars they can't afford. So we're supposed to bail out the auto industry - we're supposed to hand over tax money to save the most ignorant industry there is, run by people who never listened when everyone said "Yeah when oil starts to tank, there won't be a market for your product anymore,". And across town at a school where someone was stabbed there is now going to be a full time police officer stationed there? A pair of lesbian mothers attacked in front of their child by some raging maniac father?
Yeah. I should just go back to bed and call in sick or something, cause all that energy I felt for having slept properly has just gone *pffft* after reading all this crap.
That is all.
And then, as they say, I woke up.
I made the mistake of looking at the website for The Toronto Star and seeing all the dismal financial news. So oil is really cheap now because no-one wants it to drive cars they can't afford. So we're supposed to bail out the auto industry - we're supposed to hand over tax money to save the most ignorant industry there is, run by people who never listened when everyone said "Yeah when oil starts to tank, there won't be a market for your product anymore,". And across town at a school where someone was stabbed there is now going to be a full time police officer stationed there? A pair of lesbian mothers attacked in front of their child by some raging maniac father?
Yeah. I should just go back to bed and call in sick or something, cause all that energy I felt for having slept properly has just gone *pffft* after reading all this crap.
That is all.
Saturday, November 8, 2008
fine dining
I had my mom and my sister round for dinner last night. It was a good time and I managed to comfortably seat everyone in my living room once I brought the table and chairs back in from out on the balcony. Seems a summer out there didn't hurt them at all, once I got all the soot wiped off that was left behind by the roof tarring people in July.
So I'm awake now. And this sucks.If I had something to look forard to and anticipate like, say, Christmas, I'd be okay with being awake at this hour (I went to bed at 10 PM because I was exhuasted and here it is 3 AM and I'm up) but there's nothing big planned for today that should cause this waking anxiety. It's not even nice out - it's raining a bit. And the building is quiet for a change so I should be able to sleep and be all "ah what a great night", but no. Dammit.
No-one on my MSN buddy list is awake right now, so my idle chatting options are not there like they usually are. The gym doesn't open for a bit, nor does the St Lawrence Market (and I don't even need anything from there this weekend ... except maybe some onions. And lettuce. Oh bugger.) and I have neither the mindlessness of television or prattling of gay.com to kill time. And I have nothing to read. I finished another of the Star Wars novels the other day, Star by Star and forgot to budget for something new to read so I'm without that option until Thursday this week on pay day. Wait - did I put a new book in the entertainment budget? Oh I think I did, along with a DVD (Sex and the City The Movie or Sleeping Beauty - I'm not sure which).
Oh - life on MSN. Wonderful. Someone from Alberta. Hey, we clutch at straws when we drown.
That is all.
So I'm awake now. And this sucks.If I had something to look forard to and anticipate like, say, Christmas, I'd be okay with being awake at this hour (I went to bed at 10 PM because I was exhuasted and here it is 3 AM and I'm up) but there's nothing big planned for today that should cause this waking anxiety. It's not even nice out - it's raining a bit. And the building is quiet for a change so I should be able to sleep and be all "ah what a great night", but no. Dammit.
No-one on my MSN buddy list is awake right now, so my idle chatting options are not there like they usually are. The gym doesn't open for a bit, nor does the St Lawrence Market (and I don't even need anything from there this weekend ... except maybe some onions. And lettuce. Oh bugger.) and I have neither the mindlessness of television or prattling of gay.com to kill time. And I have nothing to read. I finished another of the Star Wars novels the other day, Star by Star and forgot to budget for something new to read so I'm without that option until Thursday this week on pay day. Wait - did I put a new book in the entertainment budget? Oh I think I did, along with a DVD (Sex and the City The Movie or Sleeping Beauty - I'm not sure which).
Oh - life on MSN. Wonderful. Someone from Alberta. Hey, we clutch at straws when we drown.
That is all.
Saturday, November 1, 2008
it's a good day
I have just come in from a whole day of me-time, and I feel so good right now I can almost ignore the slight twinge in my lower back. And then I try to sit up and things change a bit.
This morning I was up and out the door by 6 AM to hit the St Lawrence Market, then I came home to drop off my purchases before heading back out to Wal Mart at the Dufferin Mall. I came home via the Bay and Dundas Canadian Tire and the Yonge-Eglinton Centre, then I was back out again to do Queen Street West (well, Silver Snail) and parts of Yonge Street (I bought The Howling on DVD at Sunrise). All this and I stayed on budget! Feeling amused and optimistic, I even bought me a Lotto 6/49 ticket for tonight's $39 million jackpot. Yes, I dare to dream. And then I read my horoscope in Eye Weekly, which made me guffaw on the subway:
A nice thing about Pisces is how much appears
to be brewing deeply inside your sensitive soul.
That the majority of your thoughts are about nap
time and cheese sandwiches is information not
everybody needs to know.
I think that's just plain brilliant. Not that I eat cheese sandwiches. I've actually been very good today, seeing as I weighed in at 187 lbs yesterday. Here, I'll share:
1 large double-double at Tim Horton's (6.10 AM)
1 apple danish from the Market (6.55 AM on the subway coming home)
1 cup of tea (10 AM or so, home at last)
1 banana with strawberry yogurt (10.30 AM, still at home)
1 meuslix bagel with butter (10.40 AM, still at home)
1 more large double-double at Time Horton's (2.00 PM)
That's it so far. Maybe some cottage cheese with red pepper hummous on flatbreads for a snack in a bit, for it's pizza with friends in an hour or so and Blakes 7 and beer with Jay later on.
Simple pleasures all around for me today. And why not. Thoughts for improvement? Well it could be a bit cooler in here. My apartment thinks its the tropics and I don't even have any of my radiators on. Hot water heating be damned. The autumn air is starting to dry me out as well so on with the humidifier soon and on with more moisturizer as well. Oh and I need new cologne.
Professionally I feel good things going on around me. I'm at Canada Post still and I actually feel as if I am making a material difference to what goes on around my depots. There are changes happening all around in the Corporation and I am getting a lot of experience. So far I've worked on restructures, I've helped move locations, I've had intensive supervisor training, I've worked a unique and challenging position, I've met with the legal department as lead-up to an arbitration hearing next week ... yes, I've seen a lot. And there's more to do still. And it gets noticed, let me tell you. Looks like an interesting future ahead of me there.
And to close. Heidi and I were out last weekend all day on Saturday doing photos for her digital photography course, and I was her model. Today I bumped into her on the street and she had a complete CD ROM of all the shots we took, and I am really impressed with them. I've cycled a few through on my MSN profile today and gotten good response, so I'll share some here.
.jpg)
That is all.
This morning I was up and out the door by 6 AM to hit the St Lawrence Market, then I came home to drop off my purchases before heading back out to Wal Mart at the Dufferin Mall. I came home via the Bay and Dundas Canadian Tire and the Yonge-Eglinton Centre, then I was back out again to do Queen Street West (well, Silver Snail) and parts of Yonge Street (I bought The Howling on DVD at Sunrise). All this and I stayed on budget! Feeling amused and optimistic, I even bought me a Lotto 6/49 ticket for tonight's $39 million jackpot. Yes, I dare to dream. And then I read my horoscope in Eye Weekly, which made me guffaw on the subway:
A nice thing about Pisces is how much appears
to be brewing deeply inside your sensitive soul.
That the majority of your thoughts are about nap
time and cheese sandwiches is information not
everybody needs to know.
I think that's just plain brilliant. Not that I eat cheese sandwiches. I've actually been very good today, seeing as I weighed in at 187 lbs yesterday. Here, I'll share:
1 large double-double at Tim Horton's (6.10 AM)
1 apple danish from the Market (6.55 AM on the subway coming home)
1 cup of tea (10 AM or so, home at last)
1 banana with strawberry yogurt (10.30 AM, still at home)
1 meuslix bagel with butter (10.40 AM, still at home)
1 more large double-double at Time Horton's (2.00 PM)
That's it so far. Maybe some cottage cheese with red pepper hummous on flatbreads for a snack in a bit, for it's pizza with friends in an hour or so and Blakes 7 and beer with Jay later on.
Simple pleasures all around for me today. And why not. Thoughts for improvement? Well it could be a bit cooler in here. My apartment thinks its the tropics and I don't even have any of my radiators on. Hot water heating be damned. The autumn air is starting to dry me out as well so on with the humidifier soon and on with more moisturizer as well. Oh and I need new cologne.
Professionally I feel good things going on around me. I'm at Canada Post still and I actually feel as if I am making a material difference to what goes on around my depots. There are changes happening all around in the Corporation and I am getting a lot of experience. So far I've worked on restructures, I've helped move locations, I've had intensive supervisor training, I've worked a unique and challenging position, I've met with the legal department as lead-up to an arbitration hearing next week ... yes, I've seen a lot. And there's more to do still. And it gets noticed, let me tell you. Looks like an interesting future ahead of me there.
And to close. Heidi and I were out last weekend all day on Saturday doing photos for her digital photography course, and I was her model. Today I bumped into her on the street and she had a complete CD ROM of all the shots we took, and I am really impressed with them. I've cycled a few through on my MSN profile today and gotten good response, so I'll share some here.
.jpg)
That is all.
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