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Undersized jerseys, pants, sweaters, t-shirts, and even fancy socks that I no longer need,all going out by way of donations tomorrow, care of the diabetes people.  A few shorts, and other such items all ready to fly off my shelves, hangers, and drawers because most of it is stuff I have a.) never worn, or b.) have not worn in the last decade, or c.) can no longer wear because I have gained too much weight and medium shirts & sweaters are not going to fit, and there is zero chance I can wear a size 30 through 33 waist pants unless my life totally falls apart unexpectedly. My 205lb life can’t do anything less than a 34 W at best. More like 35’s and 36’s at this point. I had kept some pants as an aspirational goal, but it seems more and more unlikely given hard hard I have to work to drop 8-10 pounds over the course of a month, versus gaining it back with an over indulgent week of vacation. Going to need a lifestyle change at this point.

Getting rid of unneeded clothes is for the best. Someone else might get the benefit from it, that me hoarding stuff in the closet isn’t going to accomplish. Best of luck to you! Four bags full! Yowza. Who’d a thunk we still had that much left in our closets. I certainly didn’t think I still had that many articles left over. Turns out I collect t-shirts and sweaters like they are going out of style. Just don’t check my drawers at the cottage because you’ll find a dresser full of even more I just couldn’t bear to get rid of. I could wear a T-shirt a day and go a month before I had to wash a t-shirt up north. Ha! Now I have at least five pairs of pants, and at least three sweaters. I’m golden. Add in the frayed boxers I snuck up there along with some warm socks and I have an entire wardrobe of old, musty, cottage core clothes. If I had any old Campus Crew sweaters I’d fit right in, like I knew what I was doing!

I’m channeling Marie Kondo more and more as of late. Still have a long way to go in this basement alone! Yikes. Two steps forward, and one step back it feels like. I had a massive CD purge last year where I got rid of 75-100 universal label artists’CDs that were unopened, but the jewel case had been intentionally damaged by the label. They could go out as freebies or swag, but weren’t fit for resale. That sort of thing. I also finally broke down and got rid of some brewery branded gear I received from an old job 10-15 years ago. Has taken its sweet time to finally come around to be able to let that stuff go. Nostalgia has kept a hard hold on my shelf space, and closet. I’m looking long and hard at getting rid of the beer signage I have been holding on to since 2008. I can’t really show it in my portfolio due to the size, and some of it being die cut means it is an irregular shape. If I had made the garage a bar instead of a wood shop it would go great in there! Beer related, and all that you know.

Hope your Saturday has been as productive,or relaxing as you’d hoped it would be.

And I think that’s glorious, because nuance and understanding of complexity are good skills to have. Sure it’s great to be able to distill larger thoughts down to the barest of bones, and learn to be concise, sure, certainly, no question. But, and here’s the zinger, sometimes answers to seemingly simple questions aren’t so simple because it depends on various factors that you might be wishful thinking about, or attempting to disregard, or are hoping to overlook, with a view to applying blame when the outcome isn’t what you desire. So, yeah — complexity, it’s a thing you have to deal with. I mean I hate action paralysis due to too many options, or fear of unforeseen variables, but in a good chunk of cases you do need to think beyond your lived experiences to see what sort of obstacles might rear their ugly head when you take a plan of action. Just saying. Nuance, it’s a thing you should embrace where you can.

Saturday is here, and I’ve got work for Monday, it’s all good baby yeah. I’m happy. In this day & age, work commitments are a good thing. In other news my golf shoes arrived and brought a rain storm with them. Not a tonne of precipitation but enough to turn the cardboard box into mush. My pumpkins needed it. I have pants coming later today because one of my two pairs absolutely will not fit me, by a solid two-three inches of belly. Not my proudest moment. I’ve been exercising my grip strength, and doing push ups, and I eventually went for a 35 minute run on the elliptical, but without climbing twice a week I’ve put on 8 lbs or more since the end of June. Boo! Boo-urns I say. I snacked quite a bit this summer. I started out strong with the swimming, but the bugs up north were nasty in July and I stayed in out of the heat waves a whole lot. Sat down and ate junk. This summer body is jello moulds shaped. D’oh!

Going to set up a golf day for the week after this one coming. Maybe a good walk, and a whole lot of swinging will help me out a bunch. Stay healthy out there. Ciao Bella!

Mainly because it was terrible, and because she was a nepo baby with zero talent, and she was something like twelve years old at the time with no real reason to be making music, or music videos. We all recall the awkward back seat arm roll wave combo she did off beats 1 & 3. Too good y’all. Nice. Chef’s kiss!

I say that because, today of all days is Friday mutha fuqqa! And it’s getting hotter, and we are going beyond two weeks with no rain. It’s scorched earth out here folks. Withered leaves, dropping leaves, and tinder dry twigs for lawns. It’s a ghastly sight to behold. I fear for my over laden fruit trees. Those apples are small and dropping like malformed flies. Pity.

I had a weird dream that I was interviewing for my last job from ten years ago, and they were super proud to offer me the same wage I left at, and I was so disappointed. Killed the whole vibe. Which is weird I know. But things were really cooking, and I was all excited, and then I just stopped dead. At least I haven’t dreamt about being late to class, or sleeping through an exam in a really long time.

I also know that I am old because I no longer yearn to head back to university when September rolls around either. That desire took quite so time to get over. Longer than I’d care to admit. If I had lots of money I would go back to school, and take classes about stuff I’m interested in. Hands on with design,  ceramics, painting, sculpting, metal working, pottery, life drawing, animation, wood working. So many things I would like to brush up on, or get to the next level with. Not a reinvention of myself, but a further exploration of what I already enjoy. Maybe even an intro to manual machining, like milling and lathe work. Plus a stop off at fabrication too. Would be a tonne of fun, I think.

This short week has felt very long, extraordinarily long. Ciao Bella!

Having spent a good long while trying to suss out a fun new first micro short story for my interconnected series, I thought it was going to trigger a cascade of new ideas, or plot points that I could explore. Instead I struggled to capture what I wanted to say in any meaningful way, and that’s about it. No new material made itself apparent. Which sucks. On the upside it’s been read only once by someone other than myself, so I don’t feel all that terrible that I cannot seem to follow it up, or fill in any part of the extended universe around it. No harm, no foul I guess. I really thought that by scratching that itch, and doing the work to bring this lucid day dream to the written page that I might find a new source of inspiration to tap into. Maybe I need to find some autobiographical micro shorts to write about to really open myself up more. I am particularly more guarded now. Not sure if the Covid infections from previous years has anything to do with that. Neurological rewiring, and brain fog after effects. I don’t know. I do know that I have struggled to partake in a bunch of my old hobbies. Seems like a rich vein to explore if I feel like being more open about it.

Nevertheless it is Thursday, we are well into August, and Summer Break 2025 is more than half way done. The kids have done a fair amount of reading, running, and swimming. I am trying to organize a second round of eighteen holes of golf with my wife, and a couple friends. Given the lack of rain I think we might have the bonus of a higher than usual carry from bounces on the fairway. Not a fan of a serious run on green, but beggars can’t be choosers, right? I hope it materializes for us all. I don’t day drink, but I do like to venture out in a zig zag across a golf course every now & again. At best it’s all four of us, and second best it’s just my wife and I. I think it’ll be a lot of fun. I’m not all that serious about it. Best ball, scramble, three puts, worm burners, I’m there for it all baby!

I suppose in September I could start to explore some executive 9 hole courses nearby, as a four hour jaunt seems a little self indulgent for just me. Shank enough balls into the woods and I’ll get bored pretty quickly. I could just venture over to the driving range, and play mini putt afterwards. Samesies! Ha.

Hope you are all being safe this summer. I hope to see everyone back in the school yard come September 2nd, 2025. Ciao Bella!

I could surely solve the world’s problems, and totally not become a power mad tyrant, I swear! I could house, and clothe people, feed them even. I’d be so good to you baby. Just gimme a chance. I could do so much good with even just a Billion dollars under my belt, and at my finger tips. I could save so many of us,  it would be damn near miraculous. I believe in me, don’t you? Don’t you want to be safe, and free, and more prosperous than ever before? Come over here, get under my covers, succumb to my warm tone, and inviting charms. Give me everything and I swear to you you’ll not live to regret it. I promise.

That, and other such things take up my Wednesday morning thoughts as of late. We have seen no rain going on fourteen or fifteen days straight now, and I fear for both the state of my lawn, for wildlife, and for my trees & flowers. I can only imagine how hard packed like concrete my soul is currently. Not going to play football on there until we have a day of steady rains to soften it all up. No sense getting a concussion from hitting the ground after a tackle — ouch. Take most of the skin off a kneecap or thigh too. Road rash from our brown, crispy lawn is just as bad. Still stings when you step into the shower!

Next week I have family coming to visit for a few days so I’m sure work will get very busy then, but just for those couple of days, and no others. Ha. That’s always the way of things as a freelancer. Can’t say no, just make it work! And you know what, my not being a surgeon, or a mission critical portion of any body’s operation means I have a lot of freedom around work. That’s a good thing. Means flexibility, and a certain level of autonomy that I have grown accustomed to. Hard to beat those perks!

What’s a little bit of volatility when you have all of these perks! Freelancing isn’t for a weak stomach. Also being able to budget well, and manage your time is a must. It’s not the life for someone whom has difficulty starting things on their own. I’m lack lustre at networking, and I hate soliciting for work with new clientele, so I could step up in that arena if I’m being honest with myself. I’ve done well for myself with word of mouth, and repeat customers, and brand management team members going elsewhere and coming back to me with new work. I’m loathe to meddle with what has worked well for the last few years, but I do know I have to continue to adapt or I will fade away. Best to do something on my own terms, and own it!

Trying to keep my feet while the boat sways heavily in the waves, as I feel in the wakeboard tow rope. Coming around to pick up my eldest daughter as an interloper got too close causing massive waves which caused her to fall. She’s all good though. All smiles after her epic bail out. Not her fault. This was her first outing on the wakeboard since last October. No harm in losing your feet after a heavy wake takes you out with some humongous waves. She has managed to get up & out of the water rather effortlessly after each stop and start. Good times. I just need to center my weight to weather the bucking boat platform on all these waves, turns, and evasive maneuvers! Ha. I’m getting better at throwing the rope out farther from the boat too. To much more of that bobbing up and down and I might get seasick though.

Welcome to Tuesday everybody.

It’s playdate Sunday so we opted to hit up the Princess Sodalite mine in Bancroft to get some sun shine, fresh air, and exercise swinging hammers, and moving rocks with our hands, and feet. The kids spent seventy five minutes going ape on everything they could get their hands on. Worked up a good hunger, and a need for a brief rest. We even ran into some other friends with a cottage nearby, which was unexpected, but pleasant. Their year old Boxer Bentley was there too. He is always good for a wrestle!

Busting up quartz and anything else that they could find not nailed down! It’s a great place to go if you want to sprain an ankle on all the loose screed. Fun times! I personally find a patch of ground and then pick through all the bigger rocks to uncover smaller more precious stuff that might have gone unnoticed in-between. Some days it works, and other times it’s all effort with no pay off. Such is life!

My wife’s friend and her husband, and children were there too. They have Bentley the boxer. She was one of our bridesmaids way back when. They looked to be having a good time. It wasn’t too hot, and all their boys could swing hammers, and smash stuff for however long they could stand it. Perfect for Minecraft obsessed kids I think. Here she is picking through some finer shards of rose quartz, or selenite (I don’t recall which).

We have our guest until 5:00 pm today so we started at the mine, and then grabbed lunch, and have driven to the cottage for some water sports, swimming, paddle boarding, and tubing fun. I want them to be active more so than being indoors playing on uncle Andrew’s PS5. Not that Goat Simulator isn’t a riot to watch & play, but they are supposed to be active! Not sedentary.

So not much of a lazy Sunday, but should be a good time anyway. I know my eldest daughter is happy to see her friend during the summer. Take care out there.

I’m a little out of it. I have not slept very well as of late, and the side effect of that is my being a bit on the spacey side. Not much, just a bit off. Ha. Hard to tell really. Like operating at 98% instead of one hundred. Not much, but I feel it.

I don’t know whether I need to revisit the mattress, or the air temperature, air quality, or moisture level. Something is off, which is impacting my sleep quality, as well as my sleep quantity. Had night terrors recently too, which ruined one night’s sleep this week via stress response, and lying awake afterwards for quite a while before returning to sleep. The dog has been restless on the bed lately too. I could do without that nonsense, that’s for sure.

I do believe it is Saturday now. The temperature is going to start to climb once again. Yet another prolonged heat wave to muddle through — yay. Not to mention that it hasn’t rained in more than a week, so everything is tinder dry. I pray the fireworks tonight don’t set off a major blaze in the park, or surrounding housing. Fireworks aren’t worth a major community fire that takes out a subdivisions worth of houses.

It’s not often you get to discover something that really makes your dog’s day, but figured out it’s boat rides with the family, so now Captain Dopey here gets to tag along on the trips not headed directly to the marina, and he is all smiles, and waggy tail because of it. Happy Friday to you and yours.

Walked into the grocery store with my daughter yesterday to grab a few odds & ends while we were waiting for her session of flag football to start. And when I approached the deli counter the two employees were engaged in a friendly chat, and the younger one was sending the elderly one a text with some information. I smiled at them both upon approach and nodded politely which they both saw, and we stood quietly beside the digital weight, and ticket printer to ask for the items we wanted. And the bell was right there, within arm’s reach, but so were both employees whom we had indirectly interacted with via smile, and a partial nod. Only for the younger one (whom was working the counter) to wander away. The older woman called out to the younger one three times before the younger one came out. Now I feel as though had I walked to the counter, nodded & smiled and then rang the bell for service, right in their faces, that that would have been a “dick move”, so I did not. I could have I suppose, but I felt the smile & nod was courteous and an acknowledgement that we would like service. Perhaps I am wrong. Now if nobody had been standing out front talking I would ding the bell. No problem there. We were served, and only waited an additional fifteen seconds or possibly more, and that’s not the issue for me. My issue was the bell. It feels icky to ding the bell right in someone’s face. Like hello, I see you, I acknowledge you, I’m walking over to… DING!,  it feels both impatient, and rude to ding the bell when workers are present. I know I would hate to get dinged while present at the counter I worked at. Oblivious employee walking away or not.

But, here we are on Thursday and both of the library programs are done, but the late swimming sessions have begun. So not out of the woods yet. We had people around for a swim, lunch, and a visit yesterday. It was nice, if a bit busy of a day to have three big things going on. All of which were very physical for the kids. I broached the subject of finding more similarly married with children friends for us to golf with, but with the caveat that they must like golf (but not too much), be ok at it (but not too good) and be loosey goosey with the rules enough to keep pace of play moving forward because we are all kind of terrible! That’s my kind of golf buddy. Not a rules stickler. Not a faux PGA tour miser taking every stroke ever so seriously. Those folks can eat my ass. Not my tempo!

So far I think I have found at least three people of similar interest level whom we can golf with as a couple. These are $45.00 courses, so we aren’t flying anywhere, or doing multi day road trips to get to another province to play. Not that Quebec, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick or PEI aren’t lovely, but I don’t golf enough as it is to justify that kind of cash layout, when I have not tried 99.99% of the courses near me. Maybe if I had exhausted all public and semi private courses that would make sense, but I have not, so it doesn’t.

Today is the last of the month so I will need to send out invoices. That’s a good thing. That means work being done on the regular, and in this economy, with this much uncertainty, that’s fantastic for a freelancer like me. Do I wish my book sales had taken off (sure I do) but I wrote those books to fulfill a dream I had, not because I thought for a second that it would get me anywhere but satisfied I accomplished a childhood dream — twice! Boom! Which is why I’m making the effort to play my guitar more often, to get my fingers dirty with clay once more, to paint & draw, and to work on assembling my resin mecha kit too. I’m just a cleaning, purging, artsy fartsy machine as of late. I have parts laid out for a Taekwondo belt display for my eldest daughter. Spent a whole lot of time on the table saw, and belt sander prepping those bits and pieces. I’m in slow work, high creative energy mode. Trying to do everything I have on the go, and not rush out to spend money. Tighten the belt just a notch or two, and work on what I’ve got. I have some painting to do in order to finish my children’s book. I’d love to get that published up on here by the end of October. In all honesty I think I need to redo almost all of my illustrated pages, except for just one or two that I still like, and am happy with. But that’s alright. Self doubt will make you try a little harder, get a little more creative. I hope! Add another tick to my list of childhood dreams made real. Releasing a music album is going to be a tough one. But! He says, I do have audio tracks available here, but it’s just me talking. So kinda sorta, but not really applicable? I’m not proficient enough musically to make my own songs, as of yet. Watch my YouTube channel and you’ll see that very quickly.

My list of childhood dreams also requires me to release a comic book I created myself, and that shit will go hard, if it goes at all. I’ve sold a painting, and a sculpture or two before. It’s just that the scale of the thing is greatly reduced. I call a one off a win, rather than having to make hundreds of thousands, or millions of dollars doing any one thing on the list. The intrinsic value of accomplishment is what means something to me at this stage. Sure I’d love for any one thing to just take off or what have you, but that’s not the driving force of why I need to do them.

Wow look at me getting long in the tooth here today with this lengthy post. Have a great Thursday. Temperatures seem more reasonable. Touch grass! Ha. Ciao Bella.