Thursday, September 29/16
So there are currently two TV commercials airing from competing car companies and each makes me feel a different emotion. One makes me smile and the other has me convinced I'll never buy a vehicle from that particular manufacturer ever again.
Let's start with the one that pisses me off to no end.
Opening scene shows a teenage boy at night sitting on the curb in front of a house where it is quite obvious a house party is being held. Nothing wrong with that. Scene evolves to show the father arriving in the family mini van. Still nothing wrong. Now we see a close up of the son looking worried about dads reaction and the scowl on dad's face as the son looks at him as the voice over says "It's the family chauffeur"
For me the message is quite clear, don't waste my time calling me to come get you and find your own way home. That is not the message I've ever given my children and I've gladly roused myself out of bed at 1am to go and pick them up with friends from a party. I'd rather do that than have one of them try and get a ride from a friend who might have had a few drinks or try and walk home in the dark with other people whizzing by. Now some of you might think I'm reading too much into the scene as the rest of the commercial shows fun family scenes but that one just sticks in my craw and leaves me angry at Chrysler Canada for even producing any scene where it could be misconstrued and works against our kids having the knowledge that they can call upon us at any time and we'll be there for them no matter what.
Now the one that makes me smile is from Subaru and shows 2 parents getting their kids out of the house late one night for a drive outside the city so they can experience the joy of seeing the northern lights. I've been lucky enough to see them while standing on a hill with my parents, cousins, and grandfather at his cottage outside of Regina when I was younger, it's something that will live with me forever and that commercial takes me back to some fun times when I was but a youth.
The music for the Subaru commercial is perfect and sets the tone, the scenes where the son is excited to be heading out and the teenage daughter barely tolerant of everything going on. The smiles shared by the parents when the see the reaction in each child as they climb out of the car is priceless.
I know they are just commercials but I appreciate the one and doubt my business will ever go to the other again.
Just my take on things and you are free to unbuckle and move about the cabin at will, agreeing or disagreeing with me as you choose :)
Marcus
Thursday, September 29, 2016
Wednesday, September 21, 2016
Two words that caused some laughter and anger
Wednesday, September 21/16
It has been far longer than I like since I last posted and I'd like to offer up an apology but upon further review don't know that I really owe anyone one as I was pretty clear a little while back when I said I post entries at my own pace depending on my mood and what is going on around me and with me.
Please don't take the lack of postings to mean life has been boring as it's been anything but that the last few weeks............
I'm going to start this one off with a teaser as I'm literally getting ready to walk out the door for an appointment and promise to finish it off tonight when I'm home safe and sound once more.
So two recent words I uttered at different times caused some people to laugh and one person to get extremely angry with me.
The words?
Introvert & Content
To be continued..........................................................
11:13 PM
Two weeks ago I was having lunch with A, T, and M from work and the conversation turned to how things will be different in the office come the end of September when both M & I aren't around anymore as our transitional contracts come to an end.
Now T was sitting across from me trying not to spill anything as she was dressed to the 9's like usual, swear I've never seen the woman in the same outfit yet and it's been almost 15 months, with M next to me and A across from him.
As we talked about work I smiled and said I was going to miss the team and really appreciated how they've all helped me overcome being such an introvert.
Now as those words left my mouth a couple of things happened all at once. The first was T just looking at me and laughing and the second was A spitting out his drink all over M and looking over at me like I'd suddenly started speaking in Latin.
As he wiped soda off his shirt, frowning at A as he did so, M asked me what I called myself and I smiled and said "I'm an introvert, well I'd say now more of an extroverted introvert, if that is possible"
A asked me what made me think I'm an introvert as I have to be the most extroverted person he's ever met in his life, talking to everyone and anyone who crosses my path, striking up conversations with people whenever we are out for lunch or down in the cafeteria.
I looked down at my plate and told them that dealing with people is one of the hardest things I do every day, that I have massive insecurity when it comes to other people, and I have to force myself to talk to people lest the shyness take over my life.
A asked me how that can be possible as he's seen me in action , his words, and if that's the case how the hell can I coach as well as I do if dealing with people is so hard. I smiled and said the soccer pitch is the one place I've never felt the terror of dealing with people and think it has something to do with the adrenaline that gets going once a match starts.
T reached over and put her hand on mine and asked if that is why I'm single and not even trying to date anymore. I looked at her a bit shocked that she knew that and she laughed and said she might not sit in the bullpen, what we call our quad workspace, but she can literally hear everything we say from her own area and we really do need to get me a girlfriend or at the very least laid.
I thought A was going to spit out on M again as he heard that but managed to hold it back.
I think growing up an only child had a lot to do with being an introvert, couple that with having a lazy eye as a youth and I tended to avoid talking to people as much as possible.
Don't get me wrong, I absolutely rip it speaking in public and tended to be the last presenter for each group I was in during my university and graduate school days as I could sway a room like nobody's business. But being able to do that doesn't mean I wasn't fighting the shakes at the same time and trying to fend off those inner voices trying to spread doubt inside me.
So while to this day I have some anxiety about speaking to people or working a room I make myself do them as I refuse to abdicate control of my life to an insecurity as I am the master of my own destiny, least to some extent given I'm also a father and we all know who runs my life.......
Therefore I stand by my declaration of being an extroverted introvert and am glad I've made the move to being somewhat more extroverted.
Now the anger came last week from my son and was the end result of a discussion over dinner between myself, his girlfriend and himself.
It developed when I asked how his co-op class was going and he let me know he'd managed to land a placement with one of the local sports groups but it didn't start till this week. I asked what he was doing in the meantime and he laughed and said getting his teacher a coffee from Tim Horton's.
I sat back and asked him to expand upon that and he said expand how, he drove to Tim Horton's and got his teacher a double double and an iced capp for himself as the teacher gave him $10.
I told him his teacher was lucky he hadn't been in an accident as I would have sued his ass off.
My son said that was stupid as I should sue the person who would have hit him and I told not to worry about that as our insurance company would have done that but his teacher was all my job to sue. He said that made no sense as he it wouldn't be his fault there was an accident.
That statement should have been my first reminder that I was dealing with the mind of a teenager as he couldn't put the cause and effect into place when thinking about the scenario. But me being me I tried to show him the error of his logic and to his girlfriends benefit, she did the same.
I outlined how if his teacher hadn't sent him to get the coffee he would not be in a position to possibly be in an accident but his mind could not grasp the relationship between being sent to get the coffee is what put him potentially in harms way. I explained his teacher has a legal responsibility to keep him safe and sending a student off campus on a personal matter does not lessen that position.
He responded by saying that was just the "American" in me coming out and wanting to sue, that I was no better than the person who orders coffee from McDonalds and then sues them when she spills it and says it was too hot!!.
I took a moment before replying as that was the first time one of my children has ever mentioned my being American in a disagreement and it actually stung me far more than I thought it would.
I looked at him and said "you are wrong, that is not the American in me coming out as you claim but rather the more important parent in me looking to protect my only son" I started to gather the plates from the table and looked at him and said "I don't mean to sound condescending, but I'm more willing to bet that in 20 years your position would be more like mine is today than yours"
He started to rebut my statement and I smiled at him and said "I can say that with all my heart as I also know that if our positions were reversed and I was in your spot I'd be arguing the exact same position you are right now and you'd be arguing mine"
"Why do you say that and still argue for suing the teacher"
"Because our beliefs are molded by the experiences we go through and I know the younger me would see things as you do as we are very much alike, just as I know when you are a father, you are going to everything under the sky to keep your children safe, just as I do now as an older version of you"
I don't know that he fully understood what I was trying to say but his girlfriend looked at him with a huge smile and said she got what I was saying and to not try to overthink it too much but to try and remember this conversation as she was sure it would come up many years from now and he'd likely have one of those "ah ha" moments afterwards and think about it and me with a smile.
Now that wasn't the part that really made him mad but it's late and I've got to get some sleep so I'll add that part tomorrow as I think I've done a pretty good job whetting your appetite for this entry don't you?
It has been far longer than I like since I last posted and I'd like to offer up an apology but upon further review don't know that I really owe anyone one as I was pretty clear a little while back when I said I post entries at my own pace depending on my mood and what is going on around me and with me.
Please don't take the lack of postings to mean life has been boring as it's been anything but that the last few weeks............
I'm going to start this one off with a teaser as I'm literally getting ready to walk out the door for an appointment and promise to finish it off tonight when I'm home safe and sound once more.
So two recent words I uttered at different times caused some people to laugh and one person to get extremely angry with me.
The words?
Introvert & Content
To be continued..........................................................
11:13 PM
Two weeks ago I was having lunch with A, T, and M from work and the conversation turned to how things will be different in the office come the end of September when both M & I aren't around anymore as our transitional contracts come to an end.
Now T was sitting across from me trying not to spill anything as she was dressed to the 9's like usual, swear I've never seen the woman in the same outfit yet and it's been almost 15 months, with M next to me and A across from him.
As we talked about work I smiled and said I was going to miss the team and really appreciated how they've all helped me overcome being such an introvert.
Now as those words left my mouth a couple of things happened all at once. The first was T just looking at me and laughing and the second was A spitting out his drink all over M and looking over at me like I'd suddenly started speaking in Latin.
As he wiped soda off his shirt, frowning at A as he did so, M asked me what I called myself and I smiled and said "I'm an introvert, well I'd say now more of an extroverted introvert, if that is possible"
A asked me what made me think I'm an introvert as I have to be the most extroverted person he's ever met in his life, talking to everyone and anyone who crosses my path, striking up conversations with people whenever we are out for lunch or down in the cafeteria.
I looked down at my plate and told them that dealing with people is one of the hardest things I do every day, that I have massive insecurity when it comes to other people, and I have to force myself to talk to people lest the shyness take over my life.
A asked me how that can be possible as he's seen me in action , his words, and if that's the case how the hell can I coach as well as I do if dealing with people is so hard. I smiled and said the soccer pitch is the one place I've never felt the terror of dealing with people and think it has something to do with the adrenaline that gets going once a match starts.
T reached over and put her hand on mine and asked if that is why I'm single and not even trying to date anymore. I looked at her a bit shocked that she knew that and she laughed and said she might not sit in the bullpen, what we call our quad workspace, but she can literally hear everything we say from her own area and we really do need to get me a girlfriend or at the very least laid.
I thought A was going to spit out on M again as he heard that but managed to hold it back.
I think growing up an only child had a lot to do with being an introvert, couple that with having a lazy eye as a youth and I tended to avoid talking to people as much as possible.
Don't get me wrong, I absolutely rip it speaking in public and tended to be the last presenter for each group I was in during my university and graduate school days as I could sway a room like nobody's business. But being able to do that doesn't mean I wasn't fighting the shakes at the same time and trying to fend off those inner voices trying to spread doubt inside me.
So while to this day I have some anxiety about speaking to people or working a room I make myself do them as I refuse to abdicate control of my life to an insecurity as I am the master of my own destiny, least to some extent given I'm also a father and we all know who runs my life.......
Therefore I stand by my declaration of being an extroverted introvert and am glad I've made the move to being somewhat more extroverted.
Now the anger came last week from my son and was the end result of a discussion over dinner between myself, his girlfriend and himself.
It developed when I asked how his co-op class was going and he let me know he'd managed to land a placement with one of the local sports groups but it didn't start till this week. I asked what he was doing in the meantime and he laughed and said getting his teacher a coffee from Tim Horton's.
I sat back and asked him to expand upon that and he said expand how, he drove to Tim Horton's and got his teacher a double double and an iced capp for himself as the teacher gave him $10.
I told him his teacher was lucky he hadn't been in an accident as I would have sued his ass off.
My son said that was stupid as I should sue the person who would have hit him and I told not to worry about that as our insurance company would have done that but his teacher was all my job to sue. He said that made no sense as he it wouldn't be his fault there was an accident.
That statement should have been my first reminder that I was dealing with the mind of a teenager as he couldn't put the cause and effect into place when thinking about the scenario. But me being me I tried to show him the error of his logic and to his girlfriends benefit, she did the same.
I outlined how if his teacher hadn't sent him to get the coffee he would not be in a position to possibly be in an accident but his mind could not grasp the relationship between being sent to get the coffee is what put him potentially in harms way. I explained his teacher has a legal responsibility to keep him safe and sending a student off campus on a personal matter does not lessen that position.
He responded by saying that was just the "American" in me coming out and wanting to sue, that I was no better than the person who orders coffee from McDonalds and then sues them when she spills it and says it was too hot!!.
I took a moment before replying as that was the first time one of my children has ever mentioned my being American in a disagreement and it actually stung me far more than I thought it would.
I looked at him and said "you are wrong, that is not the American in me coming out as you claim but rather the more important parent in me looking to protect my only son" I started to gather the plates from the table and looked at him and said "I don't mean to sound condescending, but I'm more willing to bet that in 20 years your position would be more like mine is today than yours"
He started to rebut my statement and I smiled at him and said "I can say that with all my heart as I also know that if our positions were reversed and I was in your spot I'd be arguing the exact same position you are right now and you'd be arguing mine"
"Why do you say that and still argue for suing the teacher"
"Because our beliefs are molded by the experiences we go through and I know the younger me would see things as you do as we are very much alike, just as I know when you are a father, you are going to everything under the sky to keep your children safe, just as I do now as an older version of you"
I don't know that he fully understood what I was trying to say but his girlfriend looked at him with a huge smile and said she got what I was saying and to not try to overthink it too much but to try and remember this conversation as she was sure it would come up many years from now and he'd likely have one of those "ah ha" moments afterwards and think about it and me with a smile.
Now that wasn't the part that really made him mad but it's late and I've got to get some sleep so I'll add that part tomorrow as I think I've done a pretty good job whetting your appetite for this entry don't you?
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