The Canadian women's soccer team won the bronze today and I am so proud of their efforts throughout the Olympics. Congratulations to all of the players, coaching staff and trainers!!!!! Go Canada!!!
I was watching their semi-final match on Monday and was glued to the television set. I thought they did everything possible to win that game but, unfortunately the referee had a little to much to say about its outcome. I have watched soccer/football for thirty years and have never seen a goalie called for delay of game. To make that call in such an important game with only ten minutes to go is absurd and completely unfair to the effort the Canadians put forth. And to add insult to injury, the US was awarded a penalty shot on an accidental hand ball. It was my understanding that a penalty kick was awarded when it was hand to ball, not ball to hand. This was a case of the referee dictating the outcome of a match and I was heartbroken for our ladies. Who is to say that the Americans would not have scored in the last ten minutes of the second half but, I wish they would have had to earn it. I definitely know who I will be rooting for in the gold medal match!!!
With it having been such a dry summer, it is quite surprising the amount of rain we are supposed to get in the next few days. We only worked two hours today and it was still raining with no end in site. Tomorrow, we are supposed to get 35-40 mm so looks like I will be off again. It makes for a shitty pay check but, I am not too worried. Jodi is off during the summer and we rarely get a chance to hang out during the week. Ollie is pretty happy I am home today and it will give me a chance to watch some of the finals in the Olympics. The 200 m final is in a few hours and the men's gold medal match for beach volleyball is coming up as well. I hope Usain crushes the world record, damn that guy is fast.
We actually have a full slate of activities this weekend. We are going to watch my cousin Alex's football game on Friday night. On Saturday, we are going to a birthday bash for my nephew Elias and then to my boss's place for their anniversary party. There is a plan for Sunday but, I cannot mention it yet in case Jodi actually reads this before then.
Happy Thursday. Take care, Shawn.
Hold the door open for a stranger, it might make their day.
Thursday, 9 August 2012
Saturday, 4 August 2012
The Rising Sun
I was on my way to work yesterday morning and witnessed the most amazing sun rise I have seen in quite some time. The sun was just coming over the horizon and it glistened brightly with a mix of crimson red and fiery orange. It spanned the sky line for miles on end and captured the full scope of the landscape. It was an amazing way to start the day and I am thankful that I was up early enough see such a magnificent display.
I was the lead hand the last few days at work. Smitty is a way in Chicago for a music festival, so I was in charge which turned out pretty well. I was quite nervous but, I feel it went smoothly. I probably pushed myself a bit too hard physically as I wanted to leave a good impression. I believe I experienced some heat exhaustion yesterday as I really did not feeling well towards the end of the day. I made the decision to come back to the shop a few hours early as my body could not handle the humidity anymore. Paul and I did get a fair amount done considering he does not have much experience with pruning and myself not feeling 100 per cent. I was a bit worried that I would get in shit for coming back to the shop early but, I am not going to fret about it. I worry too much as it is and I need to have faith in my ability to make good decisions. I can only push my body so far.
Track and Field is on the go at the Olympics now which means the 100 meter final is fast approaching. I anticipate that the world record will fall and it will be a close finish. I am pulling for Usain Bolt but, his team mate may have a say in the final result. The play offs for beach volleyball are underway and I am interested to see if Misty May and Kerri Walsh can pull of the three peat. They have looked solid in their pool play matches but, will be tested in the next few matches.
There is lots of good things to look forward to in August. Jodi's birthday is coming up in a week. My family will all be together a few days later in the month. My nephew turns five next Saturday and we are heading down for an afternoon birthday celebration. NFL pre-season is right around the corner. I try to make a mental not of positive things to look forward to. If I am struggling, I can look at what good things lay a head in the weeks to come. It is important for my mental health and is a strategy that has proved effective.
Ollie just came downstairs so I better end my writing for now before he starts barking. I hope you have an amazing long weekend.
Take care, Shawn.
Laughter is a key to happiness.
I was the lead hand the last few days at work. Smitty is a way in Chicago for a music festival, so I was in charge which turned out pretty well. I was quite nervous but, I feel it went smoothly. I probably pushed myself a bit too hard physically as I wanted to leave a good impression. I believe I experienced some heat exhaustion yesterday as I really did not feeling well towards the end of the day. I made the decision to come back to the shop a few hours early as my body could not handle the humidity anymore. Paul and I did get a fair amount done considering he does not have much experience with pruning and myself not feeling 100 per cent. I was a bit worried that I would get in shit for coming back to the shop early but, I am not going to fret about it. I worry too much as it is and I need to have faith in my ability to make good decisions. I can only push my body so far.
Track and Field is on the go at the Olympics now which means the 100 meter final is fast approaching. I anticipate that the world record will fall and it will be a close finish. I am pulling for Usain Bolt but, his team mate may have a say in the final result. The play offs for beach volleyball are underway and I am interested to see if Misty May and Kerri Walsh can pull of the three peat. They have looked solid in their pool play matches but, will be tested in the next few matches.
There is lots of good things to look forward to in August. Jodi's birthday is coming up in a week. My family will all be together a few days later in the month. My nephew turns five next Saturday and we are heading down for an afternoon birthday celebration. NFL pre-season is right around the corner. I try to make a mental not of positive things to look forward to. If I am struggling, I can look at what good things lay a head in the weeks to come. It is important for my mental health and is a strategy that has proved effective.
Ollie just came downstairs so I better end my writing for now before he starts barking. I hope you have an amazing long weekend.
Take care, Shawn.
Laughter is a key to happiness.
Tuesday, 31 July 2012
Rained Out
Today turned out to be a nice surprise. We got caught up in a thunder and lightning storm and Smitty made the decision to call it a day. Turns out that it cleared but, it was still awesome to have the afternoon off. Rain days do not come very often (especially this summer), so you learn to really appreciate them when they do come.
I have not written in my blog for quite sometime which may be part of the reason I have been a bit up and down of late. Writing down my thoughts in this forum really helps me to process the day or week that I have had. My mind has raced quite a bit recently and I have not used anything as an outlet to ease the tension on the old cerebral cortex. I have allowed myself to get frustrated by minor annoyances and sunk in to lapses of depression. I have to remind myself that nothing is as bad as my mind makes it out to be. That is one of the challenges with bi-polar or other mental illnesses. It seems as though I am always fighting a war within myself, a battlefield of the mind if you will. That is what I find most difficult, the challenge of forcing myself to embrace positive moments and ignore the negative bull shit. Easier said than done at times but, I certainly have more good days than bad ones at this point in my life.
Great day for Canada at the Olympics today. Three more bronze medals and our women's soccer team qualified for the next round. Our women's beach volleyball team lost a nail biter in three sets to Russia. They had their chances at the end but, could not find a way to close it out. Their play off hopes are basically dashed but, they did our country proud with their effort today. The men play Brazil tomorrow and I believe they can pull off the upset. They have an excellent shot at making the play off rounds. Go Canada!!!!
Jodi turns 37 in a few weeks, almost cougar age. Guess I better get moving on the birthday shopping. I know she wants Lulu Lemons but, I have something better in mind. I also cannot bring myself to drop a hundred bucks on fancy sweat pants.
Work is going really well these days. We are almost done summer pruning so I hope the grass starts growing or their will be some shorter hours for us. It seems as though August is going to be dry as a cactus though, so I may just start delivering papers. I always wanted a paper route.
Hope this finds you well.
Take care, Shawn.
It is easy to judge others, it is more difficult to take the time to understand them.
I have not written in my blog for quite sometime which may be part of the reason I have been a bit up and down of late. Writing down my thoughts in this forum really helps me to process the day or week that I have had. My mind has raced quite a bit recently and I have not used anything as an outlet to ease the tension on the old cerebral cortex. I have allowed myself to get frustrated by minor annoyances and sunk in to lapses of depression. I have to remind myself that nothing is as bad as my mind makes it out to be. That is one of the challenges with bi-polar or other mental illnesses. It seems as though I am always fighting a war within myself, a battlefield of the mind if you will. That is what I find most difficult, the challenge of forcing myself to embrace positive moments and ignore the negative bull shit. Easier said than done at times but, I certainly have more good days than bad ones at this point in my life.
Great day for Canada at the Olympics today. Three more bronze medals and our women's soccer team qualified for the next round. Our women's beach volleyball team lost a nail biter in three sets to Russia. They had their chances at the end but, could not find a way to close it out. Their play off hopes are basically dashed but, they did our country proud with their effort today. The men play Brazil tomorrow and I believe they can pull off the upset. They have an excellent shot at making the play off rounds. Go Canada!!!!
Jodi turns 37 in a few weeks, almost cougar age. Guess I better get moving on the birthday shopping. I know she wants Lulu Lemons but, I have something better in mind. I also cannot bring myself to drop a hundred bucks on fancy sweat pants.
Work is going really well these days. We are almost done summer pruning so I hope the grass starts growing or their will be some shorter hours for us. It seems as though August is going to be dry as a cactus though, so I may just start delivering papers. I always wanted a paper route.
Hope this finds you well.
Take care, Shawn.
It is easy to judge others, it is more difficult to take the time to understand them.
Saturday, 21 July 2012
Happy Saturday
The last few days have been amazing. The fact that Jodi got back from out east is definitely a big part of that. She had a great visit with her parents and they sent back some lobster for us which was a very nice gesture on their part.
Tuesday was not a good day for me. I let something incidental at work in the morning bother me and I struggled all day. I let it fester in my mind and I was just pissed off at the world for the entire day. I am normally pretty easy going and of good disposition. I did not like being angry and will come up with some strategies so I do not have a day like that again. Part of it was probably lack of sleep and not eating right for a few days prior to Tuesday. I really have to make sure I take care of those two aspects to continue to improve my mental well being.
The last few days have been really positive. It is remarkable what you can get accomplished if you put in a good days work. I am so proud of the jobs we did this week. We did a lot of summer pruning and tackled another hedge yesterday. I took some pictures of our work so perhaps I will post some of them on my blog when I get them on the lap top. We are going to the Jays game on Thursday for a 12:37 start time. Will be good to go as a crew and do something different than the normal grind. My boss has never been to a game since he moved here from Holland so I hope the Jays put on a good show for him.
Jodi is off to boot camp this morning. I am enjoying my morning coffee and catching up on some sports highlights. I cannot wait for the Olympics next week in London. We have qualified two beach volleyball teams so I hope they can make a good run at a medal. The one event that I have to watch is the 100m final. I love the way Usain Bolt runs and am eager to see him break his own world record. I am going to do some pruning in our front beds and then make a trip to the pet store with Ollie for some treats.
Hope you have a wonderful weekend.
Take care, Shawn.
The best advice often comes from someone who has failed at something.
Tuesday was not a good day for me. I let something incidental at work in the morning bother me and I struggled all day. I let it fester in my mind and I was just pissed off at the world for the entire day. I am normally pretty easy going and of good disposition. I did not like being angry and will come up with some strategies so I do not have a day like that again. Part of it was probably lack of sleep and not eating right for a few days prior to Tuesday. I really have to make sure I take care of those two aspects to continue to improve my mental well being.
The last few days have been really positive. It is remarkable what you can get accomplished if you put in a good days work. I am so proud of the jobs we did this week. We did a lot of summer pruning and tackled another hedge yesterday. I took some pictures of our work so perhaps I will post some of them on my blog when I get them on the lap top. We are going to the Jays game on Thursday for a 12:37 start time. Will be good to go as a crew and do something different than the normal grind. My boss has never been to a game since he moved here from Holland so I hope the Jays put on a good show for him.
Jodi is off to boot camp this morning. I am enjoying my morning coffee and catching up on some sports highlights. I cannot wait for the Olympics next week in London. We have qualified two beach volleyball teams so I hope they can make a good run at a medal. The one event that I have to watch is the 100m final. I love the way Usain Bolt runs and am eager to see him break his own world record. I am going to do some pruning in our front beds and then make a trip to the pet store with Ollie for some treats.
Hope you have a wonderful weekend.
Take care, Shawn.
The best advice often comes from someone who has failed at something.
Thursday, 12 July 2012
The Power of Sleep
Jodi left Monday night for her trip out east to visit here parents and hit up the Praught family reunion. I would have loved to go but, could not take that much time off work. Will have to make sure to make up for it at the next one with a little karaoke magic.
I miss Jodi a lot. She is such a big part of my everyday life and it does not feel quite the same without her here. Ollie and I are doing pretty well though. We have managed to get in some good plays and I even did some tidying around the house tonight. I have been a bit lax with watering Jodi's plants so I better get on that soon before they wilt a way to nothing.
The first few nights without Jodi were really hard. I have difficulty at times with transitions and I was really struggling. My head was racing quite a bit on Tuesday which I am not a big fan of. Just think of listening to a cd that skips repeatedly for hours on end. That is the best way I could describe it. Wednesday was a little better but, still not where I wanted to be. I did not sleep well for two nights and knew that was a huge part of the problem. So last night, I made Ollie sleep downstairs and I went to bed at 9:00. That eight and a half hours of sleep made a world of difference for me today. I was strong mentally and was able to control my thought process in a positive way. I have to keep that in mind for the future. Making sure I get enough rest for body, mind and soul.
Ollie and I are just relaxing tonight. I was supposed to play volleyball but, wanted to rest my back.
We are watching some CFL action which is no NFL but, is actually fairly entertaining. Looking forward to going to Port Credit tomorrow to do some summer pruning.
Happy Thursday. Take care, Shawn.
Enjoy the small victories in life.
I miss Jodi a lot. She is such a big part of my everyday life and it does not feel quite the same without her here. Ollie and I are doing pretty well though. We have managed to get in some good plays and I even did some tidying around the house tonight. I have been a bit lax with watering Jodi's plants so I better get on that soon before they wilt a way to nothing.
The first few nights without Jodi were really hard. I have difficulty at times with transitions and I was really struggling. My head was racing quite a bit on Tuesday which I am not a big fan of. Just think of listening to a cd that skips repeatedly for hours on end. That is the best way I could describe it. Wednesday was a little better but, still not where I wanted to be. I did not sleep well for two nights and knew that was a huge part of the problem. So last night, I made Ollie sleep downstairs and I went to bed at 9:00. That eight and a half hours of sleep made a world of difference for me today. I was strong mentally and was able to control my thought process in a positive way. I have to keep that in mind for the future. Making sure I get enough rest for body, mind and soul.
Ollie and I are just relaxing tonight. I was supposed to play volleyball but, wanted to rest my back.
We are watching some CFL action which is no NFL but, is actually fairly entertaining. Looking forward to going to Port Credit tomorrow to do some summer pruning.
Happy Thursday. Take care, Shawn.
Enjoy the small victories in life.
Thursday, 5 July 2012
Blistering Heat
This humidity is utterly draining. The last few days have been close to 40 degrees with the humid-ex and this heat wave will not break till Saturday. I am all for hot weather but, working in this kind of humidity takes its toll on you. I am really starting to feel my age the last few days. I have been icing my knees, rubbing ointment on my back and my right hamstring is on the verge of being pulled. That is the last of my whining for today, on to the rest of my entry.
We are watching the Jays get their asses handed to them by the Royals. Alvarez is getting rocked, think Ollie would have a better chance of getting hitters out at this point. It is 5-0 in the third, hope our bats can come alive in the bottom half of the inning. Our work is going to watch the Athletics on the 26th of July, can't wait.
My mom gets back from the west coast early tomorrow morning. Cannot wait to get the verdict on the new flower bed we put in. Jodi pulled all the weeds out of the driveway and it looks awesome. I hope my mom had a chance to really enjoy her time out there. I know she was quite excited to visit with Ryan, Deb and Rylen. She had some long time friends and family to catch up with too. It has been great few weeks with my Dad here in Fergus. He helped us a tremendous amount with the landscaping projects, could not have done it without him. We had a chance to hang out around the pool a lot and get in some nice chats. If we could just get that damn pool clear.
It is hard to believe that July is here so soon. The last few months have flown by. Work has progressed quite well this year. My head is in a much better space than last year and that has made it easier for me to cope with the occasional off day. The guys I work with are a big part of that too, makes work simpler when you truly enjoy the people you work with. I still get frustrated with some aspects but, am proud of the work we are doing thus far.
Jodi is going to visit her parents next week out east for eight days. I know they are really looking forward to seeing her and I think she will have an amazing time. I would have liked to got but, cannot afford to miss a full week of work. Ollie and I are going to miss her as she is such a big part of our daily lives.
Happy Thursday. Take care, Shawn.
Life is what you make it.
We are watching the Jays get their asses handed to them by the Royals. Alvarez is getting rocked, think Ollie would have a better chance of getting hitters out at this point. It is 5-0 in the third, hope our bats can come alive in the bottom half of the inning. Our work is going to watch the Athletics on the 26th of July, can't wait.
My mom gets back from the west coast early tomorrow morning. Cannot wait to get the verdict on the new flower bed we put in. Jodi pulled all the weeds out of the driveway and it looks awesome. I hope my mom had a chance to really enjoy her time out there. I know she was quite excited to visit with Ryan, Deb and Rylen. She had some long time friends and family to catch up with too. It has been great few weeks with my Dad here in Fergus. He helped us a tremendous amount with the landscaping projects, could not have done it without him. We had a chance to hang out around the pool a lot and get in some nice chats. If we could just get that damn pool clear.
It is hard to believe that July is here so soon. The last few months have flown by. Work has progressed quite well this year. My head is in a much better space than last year and that has made it easier for me to cope with the occasional off day. The guys I work with are a big part of that too, makes work simpler when you truly enjoy the people you work with. I still get frustrated with some aspects but, am proud of the work we are doing thus far.
Jodi is going to visit her parents next week out east for eight days. I know they are really looking forward to seeing her and I think she will have an amazing time. I would have liked to got but, cannot afford to miss a full week of work. Ollie and I are going to miss her as she is such a big part of our daily lives.
Happy Thursday. Take care, Shawn.
Life is what you make it.
Monday, 2 July 2012
Oh Canada!!!
Yesterday was Canada Day and what an amazing day it was. It is one of my favourite days of the year. I am a proud Canadian and feel quite fortunate to live in this great land. Their is such a unique diversity of cultures, landscapes and passions in our nation. Their are issues here like any other country but, I believe we live in one of the best places in the world.
Our nations birthday started with some work at my parents place. We have been over their the last three weekends doing some landscaping to surprise my mom when she gets back on Friday from the west coast. I am really satisfied with how everything turned out and hope she loves what we have done. In between working, we had a chance to swim in the pool and listen to the Jays game. Too bad the bullpen kind of blew up as it was an entertaining game. I hope we can get some of our starting pitching healthy again and make a bit of a push. Our offense is clicking on all cylinders and continues to give us a chance to win games. Matt Garza would be an awesome addition, guess we will see if Alex can pull the trigger on a deal.
We had some sausages for dinner which were cooked to perfection by my dad. We made our way to the fireworks at night and were treated to a fantastic array of explosive sound and an amazing display of colour in the sky. It seems like every year they get longer, they must have lasted close to thirty minutes last night. The townships of Fergus/Elora have done a good job of organizing a variety of Canada Day festivities.
Work is going really well these days. Two weeks a go was a bit of a struggle for me but, things have progressed in a positive direction since then. They finished the stone job in Brampton on Friday which turned out really well. Never thought it would get to that point seeing the site at the beginning of May. Their were some delays along the way but, I think the customer will be quite pleased with the finished product.
Leslie, Bart and Elias will land back in Ontario this Friday. I cannot wait to see them and have a chance to catch up. I truly hope their trip went well and their pain was eased in some way. I know the hurt will never fully go a way but, maybe the healing process is slowly starting. I have missed them a lot and look forward to giving them all a big hug.
I have the day off with the stat holiday. We plan to simply relax and enjoy the beautiful weather.
Hope this finds you well. Have a wonderful week.
Take care, Shawn.
Patience is a virtue.
Our nations birthday started with some work at my parents place. We have been over their the last three weekends doing some landscaping to surprise my mom when she gets back on Friday from the west coast. I am really satisfied with how everything turned out and hope she loves what we have done. In between working, we had a chance to swim in the pool and listen to the Jays game. Too bad the bullpen kind of blew up as it was an entertaining game. I hope we can get some of our starting pitching healthy again and make a bit of a push. Our offense is clicking on all cylinders and continues to give us a chance to win games. Matt Garza would be an awesome addition, guess we will see if Alex can pull the trigger on a deal.
We had some sausages for dinner which were cooked to perfection by my dad. We made our way to the fireworks at night and were treated to a fantastic array of explosive sound and an amazing display of colour in the sky. It seems like every year they get longer, they must have lasted close to thirty minutes last night. The townships of Fergus/Elora have done a good job of organizing a variety of Canada Day festivities.
Work is going really well these days. Two weeks a go was a bit of a struggle for me but, things have progressed in a positive direction since then. They finished the stone job in Brampton on Friday which turned out really well. Never thought it would get to that point seeing the site at the beginning of May. Their were some delays along the way but, I think the customer will be quite pleased with the finished product.
Leslie, Bart and Elias will land back in Ontario this Friday. I cannot wait to see them and have a chance to catch up. I truly hope their trip went well and their pain was eased in some way. I know the hurt will never fully go a way but, maybe the healing process is slowly starting. I have missed them a lot and look forward to giving them all a big hug.
I have the day off with the stat holiday. We plan to simply relax and enjoy the beautiful weather.
Hope this finds you well. Have a wonderful week.
Take care, Shawn.
Patience is a virtue.
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