Christmas is almost upon us. That magical time of year when we spend time with family and friends, eat too much delicious food, give and receive, watch hockey, celebrate the birth of Christ, and so on. Whatever your traditions this time of year, may they bring you joy.
In my family, we have a few of those traditions. One is opening presents Christmas morning, not Christmas eve. This just makes sense- Santa does not come after supper on the 24th. We rise at whatever time is comfortable- with no children to excitedly rise at 5AM, the adults get to set the schedule here. (We do have a 19 month old toddler who may or may not be up at 5AM, but that would be entirely unrelated to presents.) Our other long standing tradition for Christmas morning is Big Breakfast.
My wife and I are huge fans of Big Breakfast. We try to do one every weekend, or at least 3 times a month. The requisite for big breakfast is effort- the food isn't the goal, although it is always delicious. The point is that it is an endeavour we do as a family. Everyone helps, plays a part, prepares some portion of Big Breakfast, and we create a meal to share and enjoy as a family. And Christmas is where it all started.
Big Breakfast on Christmas morning pulls out all the stops. Bacon, eggs, pancakes, hash browns. Lots of coffee. Different types of syrups, whipped cream. Flavoured creamers. Fresh fruits. It is a home run of breakfasts and one of my personal highlights of the year.
Everyone is sick this Christmas in my family. My wife, daughter, mother, and mother-in-law are all suffering through a nasty winter cold/ flu. We, as a family, have decided to postpone Christmas. The gift opening, socializing, and the family meal are all on hold. We will try to get together in a day or two to share some of these traditions, if not all.
But one that we will be doing, and there is absolutely no room for discussion on it, is Big Breakfast. It has to happen; it means too much to let it slide by.
Peace this season, Merry Christmas to all.
Tuesday, December 24, 2013
Thursday, December 19, 2013
Cold
Its cold today. It is winter in my part of the world, and it often gets cold for extended periods of our winters. The Weather Network says right now in my city it is -25C, with a corresponding windchill of -32C. I don't know what that is in Fahrenheit. I don't care.
However, the point of this isn't to say its cold out. Its cold out for lots of people in lots of places around the world, so the fact that winter is cold here in the northern hemisphere is not interesting. What is interesting, however, is that it is cold in my office.
The furnace has stopped working and the mercury is plummeting at work. And for those of us who work in nice climate controlled offices, when the climate controlling equipment fails, it is a shock. Now the Air Conditioning failure in the summer is an annoyance. You get a little sticky, a little uncomfortable, you gripe a bit, then move on. The tech comes at a leisurely pace, makes his repairs, and soon all is back to normal.
It is a very different scene when the furnaces go down. EVERYTHING gets cold, and fast. Everything you use, touch, sit on to do your work becomes uncomfortable. And with that discomfort comes another phenomenon- hostility. My co workers are all losing a tiny bit of patience with each other, as none of us are used to working indoors. It is making some of us a bit snippy. Nothing major or overly- dramatic, but it is an interesting illustration of how tiny discomforts affect the collective psyche, and not for the better.
The repairman was here, and claims the heat is back on. So far, I have yet to notice any improvement.
However, the point of this isn't to say its cold out. Its cold out for lots of people in lots of places around the world, so the fact that winter is cold here in the northern hemisphere is not interesting. What is interesting, however, is that it is cold in my office.
The furnace has stopped working and the mercury is plummeting at work. And for those of us who work in nice climate controlled offices, when the climate controlling equipment fails, it is a shock. Now the Air Conditioning failure in the summer is an annoyance. You get a little sticky, a little uncomfortable, you gripe a bit, then move on. The tech comes at a leisurely pace, makes his repairs, and soon all is back to normal.
It is a very different scene when the furnaces go down. EVERYTHING gets cold, and fast. Everything you use, touch, sit on to do your work becomes uncomfortable. And with that discomfort comes another phenomenon- hostility. My co workers are all losing a tiny bit of patience with each other, as none of us are used to working indoors. It is making some of us a bit snippy. Nothing major or overly- dramatic, but it is an interesting illustration of how tiny discomforts affect the collective psyche, and not for the better.
The repairman was here, and claims the heat is back on. So far, I have yet to notice any improvement.
Wednesday, December 18, 2013
Typing
This is my first post. The topic I have chosen is typing. I know it does not seem sexy, and I find it highly unlikely it will ever be read. By anyone, anywhere. Ever. However there is reason behind it, a logic clear to me and I shall explain.
First, a bit of back story. I am not a good typer. I admit it. It is not a great skill that I possess, and I am okay with that. I learned to type on a Brother electric typewriter that my mother bought so that her children could type papers and such for school. It was a massive electric novelty, and in fact was used to create a lot of school work by my siblings and I.
From there, I moved on to using Word Perfect on a Commodore 64, 386's and 486's at school, and even a typing class in around Grade 9. From there I typed out papers and reports through the remainder of high school and 4 years of university.
From there, my typing has rapidly decreased. In my current profession as a low/middle manager, I type a few emails a day, a bit of data/ record upkeep, and very little more. Yet I have come to realize that my inability to type may become a negative in the future, so here we are. A blog for the occasional random thought- unlikely to be meaningful or significant, unlikely to be read by anyone.
Well,it will be read by my wife. Right now. I'm going to bug her until she does.
First, a bit of back story. I am not a good typer. I admit it. It is not a great skill that I possess, and I am okay with that. I learned to type on a Brother electric typewriter that my mother bought so that her children could type papers and such for school. It was a massive electric novelty, and in fact was used to create a lot of school work by my siblings and I.
From there, I moved on to using Word Perfect on a Commodore 64, 386's and 486's at school, and even a typing class in around Grade 9. From there I typed out papers and reports through the remainder of high school and 4 years of university.
From there, my typing has rapidly decreased. In my current profession as a low/middle manager, I type a few emails a day, a bit of data/ record upkeep, and very little more. Yet I have come to realize that my inability to type may become a negative in the future, so here we are. A blog for the occasional random thought- unlikely to be meaningful or significant, unlikely to be read by anyone.
Well,it will be read by my wife. Right now. I'm going to bug her until she does.
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