OOF!

(Courtesy of fellahz_7 in Photobucket)
Last weekend was full of sun and beautiful, warm weather. Unfortunately, it also being the last days before income tax remittance, I didn’t have time to be outside. A small business owner showed up late at our offices with 3 months of paperwork to be completed so that he could remit his tri-monthly sales taxes. The due date was the same – Monday, May 2nd. GRRRR!

I started in his file on Sunday morning at 8 AM, and worked through until 5 PM. When the numbers started flashing blue and yellow, I took a stroll on the gallery, then popped into the living room to watch some hockey. The couch was much more accommodating than my computer chair….I woke up 2 hours later, checked the hockey scores I had missed, then continued work to complete the file. I finished at 6:30 PM on Monday night, the only break being the drive to the city office. By the time I drove home that night, I had been awake for 25 hours straight. Needless to say I stopped the courtesy car (my truck was in the garage) 3 times on the way home, getting out to walk around to keep myself awake. And I’ll NEVER do that again!

I can remember going 10 days without much sleep during our Carnival years (I was the organizer), and it taking a week to get back on my feet. This was just one day and I’m still in recovery mode. The old mare ain’t what she used to be.

On Wednesday I received a message on Facebook telling me that an old and good friend’s Dad had passed away (Thanks Dee!), and the wake was Wednesday night only. I wasn’t looking forward to attending, although I knew I needed to go. It turned out to be most agreeable – my friend was happy to see me, and I met many others who I haven’t seen for ages, most of them since high school. Pleasant though it be, I was still in a half-zombie state, so didn’t stick around too long. Finally I made it back home, where I watched the end of the hockey game (the Wing’s team taking another beating sigh) before stumbling into bed.

My youngest son’s birthday (May 1st), the surprise outcome of Federal elections, Bin Laden’s assassination…all of this and more went flying over my head with only the briefest and an abstract recognition on my part. It’s that time of the year where only numbers count. Tax season, UGH! It does help fill the coffers…whenever we can collect the dues….but it is then I fervently wish that I had chosen some other way to make a living. Grump-puppy agrees, I’m sure, because he has to forego his walks, and often his cuddling too. Even when the mistress is physically there, her attention span, unless you are a column to be balanced, is definite lacking.

It’s nearly over. We need to work now on the stuff put aside in order to keep up during the period, and then we’ll get back to the same ‘ole, same ‘ole. I’m off to the hospital with my brother this morning, which I HOPE is not another waste of time, then will come home and take the rest of the day to hug my doggie and continue catching up on snooze time. I’m working tomorrow and Sunday, but the end is in sight, so I’m SMILING! It’s been awhile, hasn’t it? So I’m sending out an extra huge SMILE to make up for the missing ones.

A tickle with that??

Luv from the Bush in Quebec.

...MIGHTIER THAN THE SWORD.

A few years ago, I wrote an article for our regional English newspaper. The Federal election campaigns were in full swing, and I had attended the press conferences of both the Liberals, the favoured party in our county, and that of the controversial, pro-separatist Parti Quebecois, or P.Q.. I wrote the piece describing what I had experienced, what I had seen and felt at each of those events. I mentioned how I had noticed that it was mostly “suits” – the ‘white-collar’ business faction, doctors, lawyers, etc., those who were relatively well-to-do, participating in the Liberal activity; whereas the majority of the P.Q.’s group were what is termed blue-collar workers – farmers, those from the service industry, mechanics and industrial labourers, etc.. I ended the piece by wondering if this could mean that people thought the P.Q. was more attuned than the Liberal Party to the needs of the ordinary citizen.

When the newspaper hit the streets, there was some heavy reaction. The editor found himself having to field anonymous calls (some in the middle of the night) from irate readers. The paper was accused of being a separatist rag; the writer was a traitor to Canada; there were even veiled threats that the story should be retracted or else…. The editor, like any good editor, responded by telling the callers they were welcome to send us their views in writing; he would make sure they’d be published. He also added that they should maybe read the article again with the purpose of quoting any statement that would support their accusations. No letters were received. One fellow did call back, saying he had heeded the advice and now found he was mistaken, but we are still not certain if it wasn’t because the editor, in spite of this fellow’s first call happening at 1:00 AM, had recognized the voice and inadvertently said “You have a good night now, Robert.” at the end of their conversation, LOL.

It seems that I have once again ruffled some feathers with one of my latest posts. Although I find it unfortunate, I feel no need to apologize. Anything I write in my blog, unless it is fiction, reflects, as in the former case, what I experience, what I see, and what I feel. It doesn’t mean I’m right, nor does it mean I won’t view if another way at a different time but, at that precise moment when I put ‘pen to paper’, it is my present and personal description of events. Like any aspiring writer, I won’t ever insist that everyone agree with me either. We live in Canada, a great country where there still is freedom of speech. Written comments, for or against, are welcome. I would, however, make the same suggestion as the editor did so long ago – read it again to make sure what is really written there can support your censure.

With that said and done, Shan has advised me that nearly all her packing is completed in preparation for her move. It looks like the vacation I have planned for next week will be mostly real vacation!!! Ain’t that something?

Another footnote – I am making one of my rare visits to the doctor tomorrow morning. I couldn’t believe there was only a 10 day waiting period! I’ve found a lump on the side of my leg, just below my hip, and it’s bugging me, and just painful enough to make the hours I do sleep even less. It’s the side I curl up on while waiting for Murphy to do his stuff. Bird (my bro) is thinking maybe bursitis, but I suspect it will be wiser to get the doc’s opinion, LOL.
And that’s it for tonight, folks. Sweet dreams to you, and a great day tomorrow. I’m counting down to vacation, so of course I’ll be SMILING! Hope you’re all SMILING back!

Luv from the Bush in Quebec.