Tuesday, December 31st, 2019
So tonight marks the end of one decade and the start of another.
I'm not really big on reflecting back on the year just ending nor am I big on declaring resolutions for the new year opening up at midnight.
2019 saw the first real breakdown in my body I've ever really experienced. The left knee injury, followed by tendinitis in my right shoulder, and second back surgery in 3 years sort of had me questioning just what was going on with me health-wise. The bottom line is that I'm getting older and need to do a better job of exercising and eating right if I want to be around for a long time, and I do want to be around to see my grandkids graduate university.
Both the x-ray and MRI came back negative on my left knee but luckily my doctor remembered that was the same situation with my right meniscus back in 2009 and surgery did prove there was a tear that needed to be repaired as it wasn't healing on its own. Because of that, I'm now scheduled to see a sports injury doctor, the same one who recommended my meniscus surgery, on February 10th and could have surgery sometime this summer, depending on if I'm even still in Canada lol
The past year has seen me start a new job, the aforementioned health issues, lots of time with my amazing grandson, the announcement that he has a little sister coming next year, and a quiet return to the dating pool.
It has also seen me continue to try and stay on an even keel emotionally, to appreciate the life I've been afforded, to share things with my children and grandson so they know that as long as I'm around they'll never walk alone.
It's seen me think about those who have had a positive impact on my life, whether our interaction was recent or years ago, and appreciate them for it, to miss them, and to wish for nothing but the best for each person.
Things happen and we can't always control them so we better just be able to roll with the punches and try like hell to see the good even when there might have been some deep hurt at the time.
I hope 2020 finds me making new friends, whether in person or through this blog, that I grow as a person, always striving to improve my self, body, mind, and soul. That I don't lose that inner child that sees me marvel at the things around me, that maybe get lucky and meet someone who thinks I'm as imperfectly perfect for her as I think she is imperfectly perfect for me, that maybe we share our last first kiss.
My name is Marcus and I wish each of you happiness, peace, good health, and the love of family and friends. May 2020 be your most awesome year as I hope it's mine!!!!!
Happy New Year!!!!
Marcus
Tuesday, December 31, 2019
Work And Some Interesting Family Conversations
Monday, December 30/19
Over the course of the past 10-14 days, I've had a couple of chats with people at work around some opportunities that have been brought to my attention and these have translated into some conversations with my kids and ex-wife.
Maybe a little background will add some clarity to things.
I work as a Business Analyst (BA) for a large company that is the leader in its field and has operations around the world. We've pretty much been in growth mode from day one and continue to pursue business opportunities around the world through both internal and external growth. That's a fancy way of saying we undertake internal projects that we think will continue to enhance our market share and when we come across another company that could meet those needs quicker than we could do so ourselves, well we pursue an acquisition of said companies.
The description Business Analyst is now used in place of Financial Analyst these days and pretty much means I get tasked with fixing things that don't work or seeing options that might make things work better. Over the past 11 months, I've worked on everything from preparing How-To-Guides for the creation of new product SKUs and associated accounting codes to reconciling the two ERP systems we use to understanding proposed provincial sales tax changes and how we are going to implement them in our primary ERP so as to remain regulatory compliant.
I can't say I've had a dull day yet and that is pretty cool. My mandate is to support the entire finance team from Accounts Receivable to Accounts Payable to Fixed Assets to Treasury to Financial Reporting to Inventory Costing to Planning & Analysis. Along the way, I've learned quite a bit and made some great connections.
One of these connections was with the former director of International Reporting & Fixed Assets, we both started the same day and went through our orientation together and became friends in the process. Karla recently changed positions and moved into Business Integration after the International Reporting team was moved under technical accounting in order to facilitate a faster consolidation of our worldwide results.
Back before the Christmas party, I was walking past her office when she called me in and asked me to close the door so we could talk. I didn't think too much of her request as we'd been having on and off talks about the fixed assets manager and his inability to lead her old team without throwing his staff under the bus when things he presented were incorrect due to his own laziness.
As I sat down she was typing a search in the company opportunities database and asked me if I was happy in my current role. I thought about it for a moment and told her I wasn't unhappy, which made her laugh and accuse me of dodging the question.
I admitted to being a bit frustrated at the group's inability to find a 2nd BA to relieve some of the tasks I deal with and free me up for some upcoming projects, explaining that while I'm busy every day that it sort of feels like I'm not really getting anything done. The problem we are having with finding that 2nd BA is that they need a solid grounding in accounting and some exposure to ERP systems, we can find people with one side of the equation but not the other side, to make matters worse I've been flat out told that when I review the resumes I'm to try and imagine if the candidate could be another me, that's tough as I've got a tonne of experience covering everything from basic accounting to due diligence review and consolidated forecasting, not something many people are going to walk in off the street with these days, things are at the point where I think we've decided to try and find a junior analyst and just mold them into what we want, that presents problems as I'm going to be the person supervising them and I really hate that part of my job.
Karla turned her laptop around and showed me the results of her search - Senior Project Manager in the Business Integration group. She said when she saw this posting I was the first person to come to mind and she wanted to let me know about the opening. I read the description and it sounded pretty interesting. dealing with bringing recent acquisitions into the fold and making sure they were properly set up with regards to facilities, IT support, human resources, and the conversion of accounting systems to our own. But one thing caught my eye.....the position is in Germany!
She smiled and said she'd already mentioned me to her boss and was told to have me review the position and contact her directly to discuss the opportunity if I was interested.
I said I'd look things over and consider it. As I left her office I passed by the workstation where the Business Integration executive assistant sits and Rene smiled at me and asked if my passport was up to date and should she send me the package they had about living and working in Germany.
I frowned and said she was getting way ahead of herself and to please keep this on the quiet as the last thing I wanted was gossip to spread about me leaving before I'd even had a real chance to consider it and talk things over with my own Vice President and Director.
I thought about the whole situation over the next few days and decided to get my kid's thoughts on the whole opportunity. Before I even asked either of them what they thought about the possibility of me moving to Europe for at least a year I sort of had it in my mind how each would react.
My son would be supportive and see the opportunities if offered for a visit or two and maybe taking a side trip to Barcelona to see his beloved FCB (Football Club Barcelona). My daughter would be aghast that I would even be considering any move that would take me away from my grandson and soon to arrive granddaughter (Feb 2020), regardless of any opportunities it might present for travel to see me in Europe.
I broached the subject with my son first while he was hanging out with his girlfriend and here is part of how things went......
Me: So I've been approached about the possibility of taking on a new position at work.
Son: That's fantastic as I know you've been kind of frustrated lately, you don't look excited. what's wrong?
Me: I am excited about the position as it's not even in finance and would really push my boundaries but there's a catch, I'd have to move job locations.
Son: That's not too bad, I'm guessing this means you'd be working down in (left blank on purpose) since that's where you guys are headquartered right? It's only an hour or so away and I could still commute to Carleton or stay mom's during the week and see you on weekends
Me: Unfortunately, this move would be a little farther than (blank) and would actually mean I'd be moving to Frankfurt Germany for probably at least a year
At this point, the look on his face was if I'd just confessed to dropping puppies down a well and I thought for a moment he might cry.
He looked from me to his girlfriend and back to me before he responded
Son: But we'll never see each other, who is going to keep me calm during exams, we've never gone more than two weeks without seeing one another dad
I walked across the kitchen to him and gave him a big hug and told him he didn't need me around as much, that this just completed semester what his best ever and he hadn't even needed me to talk him down stress and anxiety wise during exams.
Son: Maybe not but the comfort and security of knowing I could just call you or come by is always there for me dad.
Me: I'm just exploring the option Bagoo and still have to talk to your sister about it so nothing is set in stone.
He gave me a rueful smile like he thought it was a done deal, which it totally isn't, and went to drive his girlfriend home. When he got back he told me I should do what was best for me and he was sorry for reacting the way he did, that his girlfriend had given him an earful on the drive to her house for his being so selfish and only thinking of himself given how I've always been there for him.
I hear the words he tells me but also know in my heart he's not thrilled with the thought.
I went to see my daughter on Boxing day and told her about the possibility and was prepared for an even more vehemently negative response from her when she totally shocked me by smiling, hugging me, and telling me to go for it, with real happiness for me in her voice.
She asked how long I'd be required to stay in Europe, would I be able to come home when she has her baby, and would she be able to visit me.
I laughed and told her I didn't have any specifics yet as I hadn't even formally put my name forward for consideration but there was no way in hell I wouldn't be coming back to see my little princess when she arrives, I wasn't even sure when I would make the move so I could still be here when she goes into labour.
When I got home I called my ex and asked if she had a few moments to talk and outlined what was going on and the kids' reactions, she laughed and said she wasn't really surprised by how each responded, but that if this is something I was really interested in pursuing then I absolutely should go for it and we'd work with our son to help him deal with it, maybe a trip over to visit after he graduates in May would ease his worries about losing me.
Her main comments were to make sure I got it in writing how long I would be required to stay in the position, what expenses are to be covered off, how often could I come back to Canada on the company's dime, and how this impacts my options since I'd probably be transferred to our European holding company that isn't publicly traded, maybe I'd just be intercompany invoiced from my current company to our Gmbh entity.
So now I've been doing some research on rental costs and how to get around Frankfurt since I won't have a car while I'm there. Scary and interesting rolled into one.
I'd say I'm about 75-25 for making the move depending on what I learn when I decide to formally open discussions with the BI Director and talk to my own Finance Director. I think I might get some pushback about leaving and some kind of counter offer made but that's not what I'm hoping for.
So today when I was in the office dealing with some provincial tax and bottle deposit issues that needed to be resolved before the new year started I was surprised to see a meeting request pop up in my email and calendar from none other than the BI Director, asking if I was available to sit down with her on Monday, January 6th and talk about some opportunities in her group that she's been told by several people I'd be a perfect fit to take on.
So much for Karla and Rene keeping things quiet while I considered my options lol
Now my next issue is when do I disclose my interest to my own VP and her direct boss, our Chief Accounting Officer, and group Sr. Vice President. I've had more dealing with him lately and think he's not going to be too thrilled that there's a possibility that not only do they need to find that 2nd BA but now they need to really find another me.
One funny thing is that I was on a conference call about that tax issue when I was asked to stay on the line when the call wrapped up by Corey, one of the two BA's I replaced when they moved over to the SAP Implementation team. He commented that we hadn't spoken in quite a while and that Mike, the other BA, had also mentioned how I never called them for help anymore, that it seemed like things were going good and he was really happy for me as he knew I sort of struggled grasping all the complexities of the whole manufacturing and retail aspect of our business. That made me feel good as it means I've sort of got this shit covered now, well at least until I actually pull the trigger and maybe move to the BI Group and Europe.
My name is Marcus and it's been an interesting few weeks, to say the least. These are my ongoing adventures in parenting, working, golfing, and dating. Maybe a move to another continent might just be the spark my love life needs :-)
Today's musical suggestion is "O'Fortuna" by The Spiritual Project. Love the drumbeat on this one and hope you do as well, lyrics make me think some kind of cataclysmic event is taking place.
Questions and comments are like air and water to me so don't hesitate to send them to me at ooasm2018@gmail.com
Over the course of the past 10-14 days, I've had a couple of chats with people at work around some opportunities that have been brought to my attention and these have translated into some conversations with my kids and ex-wife.
Maybe a little background will add some clarity to things.
I work as a Business Analyst (BA) for a large company that is the leader in its field and has operations around the world. We've pretty much been in growth mode from day one and continue to pursue business opportunities around the world through both internal and external growth. That's a fancy way of saying we undertake internal projects that we think will continue to enhance our market share and when we come across another company that could meet those needs quicker than we could do so ourselves, well we pursue an acquisition of said companies.
The description Business Analyst is now used in place of Financial Analyst these days and pretty much means I get tasked with fixing things that don't work or seeing options that might make things work better. Over the past 11 months, I've worked on everything from preparing How-To-Guides for the creation of new product SKUs and associated accounting codes to reconciling the two ERP systems we use to understanding proposed provincial sales tax changes and how we are going to implement them in our primary ERP so as to remain regulatory compliant.
I can't say I've had a dull day yet and that is pretty cool. My mandate is to support the entire finance team from Accounts Receivable to Accounts Payable to Fixed Assets to Treasury to Financial Reporting to Inventory Costing to Planning & Analysis. Along the way, I've learned quite a bit and made some great connections.
One of these connections was with the former director of International Reporting & Fixed Assets, we both started the same day and went through our orientation together and became friends in the process. Karla recently changed positions and moved into Business Integration after the International Reporting team was moved under technical accounting in order to facilitate a faster consolidation of our worldwide results.
Back before the Christmas party, I was walking past her office when she called me in and asked me to close the door so we could talk. I didn't think too much of her request as we'd been having on and off talks about the fixed assets manager and his inability to lead her old team without throwing his staff under the bus when things he presented were incorrect due to his own laziness.
As I sat down she was typing a search in the company opportunities database and asked me if I was happy in my current role. I thought about it for a moment and told her I wasn't unhappy, which made her laugh and accuse me of dodging the question.
I admitted to being a bit frustrated at the group's inability to find a 2nd BA to relieve some of the tasks I deal with and free me up for some upcoming projects, explaining that while I'm busy every day that it sort of feels like I'm not really getting anything done. The problem we are having with finding that 2nd BA is that they need a solid grounding in accounting and some exposure to ERP systems, we can find people with one side of the equation but not the other side, to make matters worse I've been flat out told that when I review the resumes I'm to try and imagine if the candidate could be another me, that's tough as I've got a tonne of experience covering everything from basic accounting to due diligence review and consolidated forecasting, not something many people are going to walk in off the street with these days, things are at the point where I think we've decided to try and find a junior analyst and just mold them into what we want, that presents problems as I'm going to be the person supervising them and I really hate that part of my job.
Karla turned her laptop around and showed me the results of her search - Senior Project Manager in the Business Integration group. She said when she saw this posting I was the first person to come to mind and she wanted to let me know about the opening. I read the description and it sounded pretty interesting. dealing with bringing recent acquisitions into the fold and making sure they were properly set up with regards to facilities, IT support, human resources, and the conversion of accounting systems to our own. But one thing caught my eye.....the position is in Germany!
She smiled and said she'd already mentioned me to her boss and was told to have me review the position and contact her directly to discuss the opportunity if I was interested.
I said I'd look things over and consider it. As I left her office I passed by the workstation where the Business Integration executive assistant sits and Rene smiled at me and asked if my passport was up to date and should she send me the package they had about living and working in Germany.
I frowned and said she was getting way ahead of herself and to please keep this on the quiet as the last thing I wanted was gossip to spread about me leaving before I'd even had a real chance to consider it and talk things over with my own Vice President and Director.
I thought about the whole situation over the next few days and decided to get my kid's thoughts on the whole opportunity. Before I even asked either of them what they thought about the possibility of me moving to Europe for at least a year I sort of had it in my mind how each would react.
My son would be supportive and see the opportunities if offered for a visit or two and maybe taking a side trip to Barcelona to see his beloved FCB (Football Club Barcelona). My daughter would be aghast that I would even be considering any move that would take me away from my grandson and soon to arrive granddaughter (Feb 2020), regardless of any opportunities it might present for travel to see me in Europe.
I broached the subject with my son first while he was hanging out with his girlfriend and here is part of how things went......
Me: So I've been approached about the possibility of taking on a new position at work.
Son: That's fantastic as I know you've been kind of frustrated lately, you don't look excited. what's wrong?
Me: I am excited about the position as it's not even in finance and would really push my boundaries but there's a catch, I'd have to move job locations.
Son: That's not too bad, I'm guessing this means you'd be working down in (left blank on purpose) since that's where you guys are headquartered right? It's only an hour or so away and I could still commute to Carleton or stay mom's during the week and see you on weekends
Me: Unfortunately, this move would be a little farther than (blank) and would actually mean I'd be moving to Frankfurt Germany for probably at least a year
At this point, the look on his face was if I'd just confessed to dropping puppies down a well and I thought for a moment he might cry.
He looked from me to his girlfriend and back to me before he responded
Son: But we'll never see each other, who is going to keep me calm during exams, we've never gone more than two weeks without seeing one another dad
I walked across the kitchen to him and gave him a big hug and told him he didn't need me around as much, that this just completed semester what his best ever and he hadn't even needed me to talk him down stress and anxiety wise during exams.
Son: Maybe not but the comfort and security of knowing I could just call you or come by is always there for me dad.
Me: I'm just exploring the option Bagoo and still have to talk to your sister about it so nothing is set in stone.
He gave me a rueful smile like he thought it was a done deal, which it totally isn't, and went to drive his girlfriend home. When he got back he told me I should do what was best for me and he was sorry for reacting the way he did, that his girlfriend had given him an earful on the drive to her house for his being so selfish and only thinking of himself given how I've always been there for him.
I hear the words he tells me but also know in my heart he's not thrilled with the thought.
I went to see my daughter on Boxing day and told her about the possibility and was prepared for an even more vehemently negative response from her when she totally shocked me by smiling, hugging me, and telling me to go for it, with real happiness for me in her voice.
She asked how long I'd be required to stay in Europe, would I be able to come home when she has her baby, and would she be able to visit me.
I laughed and told her I didn't have any specifics yet as I hadn't even formally put my name forward for consideration but there was no way in hell I wouldn't be coming back to see my little princess when she arrives, I wasn't even sure when I would make the move so I could still be here when she goes into labour.
When I got home I called my ex and asked if she had a few moments to talk and outlined what was going on and the kids' reactions, she laughed and said she wasn't really surprised by how each responded, but that if this is something I was really interested in pursuing then I absolutely should go for it and we'd work with our son to help him deal with it, maybe a trip over to visit after he graduates in May would ease his worries about losing me.
Her main comments were to make sure I got it in writing how long I would be required to stay in the position, what expenses are to be covered off, how often could I come back to Canada on the company's dime, and how this impacts my options since I'd probably be transferred to our European holding company that isn't publicly traded, maybe I'd just be intercompany invoiced from my current company to our Gmbh entity.
So now I've been doing some research on rental costs and how to get around Frankfurt since I won't have a car while I'm there. Scary and interesting rolled into one.
I'd say I'm about 75-25 for making the move depending on what I learn when I decide to formally open discussions with the BI Director and talk to my own Finance Director. I think I might get some pushback about leaving and some kind of counter offer made but that's not what I'm hoping for.
So today when I was in the office dealing with some provincial tax and bottle deposit issues that needed to be resolved before the new year started I was surprised to see a meeting request pop up in my email and calendar from none other than the BI Director, asking if I was available to sit down with her on Monday, January 6th and talk about some opportunities in her group that she's been told by several people I'd be a perfect fit to take on.
So much for Karla and Rene keeping things quiet while I considered my options lol
Now my next issue is when do I disclose my interest to my own VP and her direct boss, our Chief Accounting Officer, and group Sr. Vice President. I've had more dealing with him lately and think he's not going to be too thrilled that there's a possibility that not only do they need to find that 2nd BA but now they need to really find another me.
One funny thing is that I was on a conference call about that tax issue when I was asked to stay on the line when the call wrapped up by Corey, one of the two BA's I replaced when they moved over to the SAP Implementation team. He commented that we hadn't spoken in quite a while and that Mike, the other BA, had also mentioned how I never called them for help anymore, that it seemed like things were going good and he was really happy for me as he knew I sort of struggled grasping all the complexities of the whole manufacturing and retail aspect of our business. That made me feel good as it means I've sort of got this shit covered now, well at least until I actually pull the trigger and maybe move to the BI Group and Europe.
My name is Marcus and it's been an interesting few weeks, to say the least. These are my ongoing adventures in parenting, working, golfing, and dating. Maybe a move to another continent might just be the spark my love life needs :-)
Today's musical suggestion is "O'Fortuna" by The Spiritual Project. Love the drumbeat on this one and hope you do as well, lyrics make me think some kind of cataclysmic event is taking place.
Questions and comments are like air and water to me so don't hesitate to send them to me at ooasm2018@gmail.com
Sunday, December 29, 2019
The Last Sunday Of The Year
Sunday, December 29/19
So my goal for today was to get up early and hit the gym to ride the bike as part of my preventive physio on my left knee before coming home to watch the Green Bay @ Detroit game for 1 pm.
That was the plan but a somewhat severe case of food poisoning from last night saw me up most of the night and feeling a tad bit dehydrated today and put to rest my gym plans, working out the next morning after spending the night puking is never a great approach, so today was spent drinking a lot of liquids, having some oatmeal for breakfast, and soup for lunch. Now that almost 24 hours have passed my appetite is coming back and I'm wondering what solids I might be able to have for dinner.
Oddly enough, my son suffered the same fate but not to the same extent as he didn't eat as much of his meal we shared at a local restaurant, one we've been to numerous times without incident, and because this is likely just one of those one-off things I'm not naming the establishment as it's not fair to hurt the business with something like this.
The only good thing was that Green Bay somehow managed to pull its head out of its ass and win the game in the final seconds, securing a first-round bye and should Seattle manage to beat San Francisco later tonight, the Packers would have the home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs, and trust me when I say this, nobody outside of Green Bay wants to play a game at Lambeau Field in January lol
I did use the time spent recuperating on the couch to work on my 2020 budget so I can keep an eye on my expenses and maybe manage to take a trip somewhere in the fall or early next year, would only be made better if I can find someone of the opposite sex to go with......what? it could happen, couldn't it? say it could, please with no straw in my Pina Colada say it could lol
The upcoming week at work is going to be sort of strange as we work full day Monday, work a half-day on Tuesday since it is New Year's Eve, off on Wednesday for New Years Day, and back for full days on Thursday and Friday.
I'm a little ticked off with a coworker who scheduled a conference call for 12:45 pm on Tuesday knowing we are out of the office at noon, I mean just because you don't want to go home Dave doesn't mean the rest of us want to hang around and talk about system interfaces to facilitate direct vendor EFI payments, yes that is what the meeting is about and I'm sure it is going to be just as exciting in real life as it reads in that sentence.
Now it is true that I have no plans for New Year's Eve but I'd still prefer to leave at noon to start my non-existent plans right on time. Actually, my plans might be me being the designated driver for my son and a couple of his friends, if they can ever make a decision on what they are doing that is.
Last time I did something for New Year's Eve was in 2014 when I met some new people and had a rather enjoyable night filled with smiles, laughter, some excellent conversations, and a very nice kiss at the stroke of midnight.
My name is Marcus and I hope you had a better Saturday night and Sunday than I did, probably easier on your stomach than mine was on me.
Today's musical suggestion is by P.O.D in the form of "Youth Of The Nation". It had both my son and me guessing wrong on the artist when we heard it on the way home last night.
I can be reached at ooasm2018@gmail.com with any questions or comments about the blog or to even just talk if you need someone to vent with about things going on in your life.
So my goal for today was to get up early and hit the gym to ride the bike as part of my preventive physio on my left knee before coming home to watch the Green Bay @ Detroit game for 1 pm.
That was the plan but a somewhat severe case of food poisoning from last night saw me up most of the night and feeling a tad bit dehydrated today and put to rest my gym plans, working out the next morning after spending the night puking is never a great approach, so today was spent drinking a lot of liquids, having some oatmeal for breakfast, and soup for lunch. Now that almost 24 hours have passed my appetite is coming back and I'm wondering what solids I might be able to have for dinner.
Oddly enough, my son suffered the same fate but not to the same extent as he didn't eat as much of his meal we shared at a local restaurant, one we've been to numerous times without incident, and because this is likely just one of those one-off things I'm not naming the establishment as it's not fair to hurt the business with something like this.
The only good thing was that Green Bay somehow managed to pull its head out of its ass and win the game in the final seconds, securing a first-round bye and should Seattle manage to beat San Francisco later tonight, the Packers would have the home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs, and trust me when I say this, nobody outside of Green Bay wants to play a game at Lambeau Field in January lol
I did use the time spent recuperating on the couch to work on my 2020 budget so I can keep an eye on my expenses and maybe manage to take a trip somewhere in the fall or early next year, would only be made better if I can find someone of the opposite sex to go with......what? it could happen, couldn't it? say it could, please with no straw in my Pina Colada say it could lol
The upcoming week at work is going to be sort of strange as we work full day Monday, work a half-day on Tuesday since it is New Year's Eve, off on Wednesday for New Years Day, and back for full days on Thursday and Friday.
I'm a little ticked off with a coworker who scheduled a conference call for 12:45 pm on Tuesday knowing we are out of the office at noon, I mean just because you don't want to go home Dave doesn't mean the rest of us want to hang around and talk about system interfaces to facilitate direct vendor EFI payments, yes that is what the meeting is about and I'm sure it is going to be just as exciting in real life as it reads in that sentence.
Now it is true that I have no plans for New Year's Eve but I'd still prefer to leave at noon to start my non-existent plans right on time. Actually, my plans might be me being the designated driver for my son and a couple of his friends, if they can ever make a decision on what they are doing that is.
Last time I did something for New Year's Eve was in 2014 when I met some new people and had a rather enjoyable night filled with smiles, laughter, some excellent conversations, and a very nice kiss at the stroke of midnight.
My name is Marcus and I hope you had a better Saturday night and Sunday than I did, probably easier on your stomach than mine was on me.
Today's musical suggestion is by P.O.D in the form of "Youth Of The Nation". It had both my son and me guessing wrong on the artist when we heard it on the way home last night.
I can be reached at ooasm2018@gmail.com with any questions or comments about the blog or to even just talk if you need someone to vent with about things going on in your life.
Saturday, December 28, 2019
Observations of a Single Man 2020
Saturday, December 28/19
As this year slowly winds down and we begin to head into the new year I've been giving a lot of thought to the blog, where it's come from, what it means, and maybe most importantly, where I see it going in the future.
I started the blog has a way to express myself and the feelings I had about things happening around me as I navigated the waters of being a parent, re-entering the dating world, and really being on my own for the first time in my life.
I've commented numerous times that writing the blog is a lot like sitting through therapy but a hell of a lot easier on my bank account. While that is true in a lot of ways, I've also commented on my use of real therapy when I find myself in need of an emotional tune-up, so to speak, and have always taken the position that talking to someone about the things impacting myself is never going to be considered a sign of weakness by my inner self. We all need help at one time or another and if seeking it out makes me a better parent, friend, and maybe even a partner, than I'm always going to be all in 100%.
The television show One Tree Hill is really where the blog gets its roots. At the end of almost every episode, the primary character Lucas Scott is seen writing in a journal and more often than not quotes some literary figure or philosopher, so much that I used to use quotes before switching to movies that I found interesting before finally settling on my musical suggestions.
The blog actually started on a dating site on which I had a profile, a site that led me to meet some nice women and more than a few not so nice women, probably the same results most women experience but with more not so nice male encounters than nice encounters, face it, most men are trolls at the best of times and letting some of these wonderful creatures sit behind a screen without any consequences for the words they write is like giving Donald Trump access to a social media account, sure to generate some laughs at the downright asinine things they are both going to write but also fucking scary as hell when you realize they actually believe the shit they are spewing, and even worse when you know there are people out there eating it up as the truth.
But I'm not here to preach about the Donald or our very own version here in Canada called the Justin.
The blog started from a good spot, as a lot of things do in the beginning, and slowly morphed into something else. What that something else is is open to debate by people far smarter than this guy.
Over the years I like to think I've touched on topics that were both current and relevant. Again, probably best for someone else to say or confirm that but it's my blog so forgive me if I take a little liberty now and then.
I'm happy with the blog, well for the most part.
I'm happy that I get this price friendly form of therapy.
I'm more often happier than not with the responses I've received from postings, yes, I'm talking to you Maria from Seattle lol
But what I've become unhappy about is the frequency of my posts.
There are times I post daily and then there are those periods where I don't post anything for weeks on end, without any rhyme or reason for either outcome.
Except I do think there is a reason for the lack of posts over the last year or so.
I was trying to hit a home run with every single blog entry I wrote. Trying to nail it each time I put my thoughts down to share with you, trying to move the purpose away from sharing what I observed in my daily life to talking about critical events taking place around the world.
Now that isn't to say that some of those entries shouldn't have been written in my attempts to please the masses, no, the entries about gun violence, terrorist attacks, and mental health should and would have been shared regardless of where I was moving the blog, but I can do better about losing the true path I started out on when I began this little blog 10+ years ago, including that dating site in my chronology.
My goal in 2020 will be to find my way back to where things were in the beginning.
More observational posts about things that make me stop and say to myself Huh?
Of course, I'll never shy away from the big topics that might cause some controversy as that just wouldn't be who I am, and yes, that doesn't make sense given I refuse to divulge who I really am to my readers but we all have our reasons for wanting to stay anonymous, and I have mine.
So as we end this year and move into the, rest assured that while I may have gotten lost for a bit there on the way, that unlike a lot of people, I did stop to get directions and update my GPS so hopefully I stay on course.
I promise to not hold back anymore, to really share my thoughts and feeling, no matter how raw or exposed they leave me.
My name is Marcus and I a lot of things: parent, grandparent, co-worker, friend, and single looking to meet the one woman who is perfectly imperfect for me, the one who is willing to grant me my last first kiss.
Questions and comments can be sent to ooasm2018@gmail.com and odds are pretty good that I'll either reply back directly or through a blog entry if I think the message is relevant.
Today's musical suggestion is "If The World Was Ending" by JP Saxe featuring Julia Michaels. When I heard the song on the radio while driving to work last week my thoughts instantly turned to one person, Corrine and what was and what could have been.......................
As this year slowly winds down and we begin to head into the new year I've been giving a lot of thought to the blog, where it's come from, what it means, and maybe most importantly, where I see it going in the future.
I started the blog has a way to express myself and the feelings I had about things happening around me as I navigated the waters of being a parent, re-entering the dating world, and really being on my own for the first time in my life.
I've commented numerous times that writing the blog is a lot like sitting through therapy but a hell of a lot easier on my bank account. While that is true in a lot of ways, I've also commented on my use of real therapy when I find myself in need of an emotional tune-up, so to speak, and have always taken the position that talking to someone about the things impacting myself is never going to be considered a sign of weakness by my inner self. We all need help at one time or another and if seeking it out makes me a better parent, friend, and maybe even a partner, than I'm always going to be all in 100%.
The television show One Tree Hill is really where the blog gets its roots. At the end of almost every episode, the primary character Lucas Scott is seen writing in a journal and more often than not quotes some literary figure or philosopher, so much that I used to use quotes before switching to movies that I found interesting before finally settling on my musical suggestions.
The blog actually started on a dating site on which I had a profile, a site that led me to meet some nice women and more than a few not so nice women, probably the same results most women experience but with more not so nice male encounters than nice encounters, face it, most men are trolls at the best of times and letting some of these wonderful creatures sit behind a screen without any consequences for the words they write is like giving Donald Trump access to a social media account, sure to generate some laughs at the downright asinine things they are both going to write but also fucking scary as hell when you realize they actually believe the shit they are spewing, and even worse when you know there are people out there eating it up as the truth.
But I'm not here to preach about the Donald or our very own version here in Canada called the Justin.
The blog started from a good spot, as a lot of things do in the beginning, and slowly morphed into something else. What that something else is is open to debate by people far smarter than this guy.
Over the years I like to think I've touched on topics that were both current and relevant. Again, probably best for someone else to say or confirm that but it's my blog so forgive me if I take a little liberty now and then.
I'm happy with the blog, well for the most part.
I'm happy that I get this price friendly form of therapy.
I'm more often happier than not with the responses I've received from postings, yes, I'm talking to you Maria from Seattle lol
But what I've become unhappy about is the frequency of my posts.
There are times I post daily and then there are those periods where I don't post anything for weeks on end, without any rhyme or reason for either outcome.
Except I do think there is a reason for the lack of posts over the last year or so.
I was trying to hit a home run with every single blog entry I wrote. Trying to nail it each time I put my thoughts down to share with you, trying to move the purpose away from sharing what I observed in my daily life to talking about critical events taking place around the world.
Now that isn't to say that some of those entries shouldn't have been written in my attempts to please the masses, no, the entries about gun violence, terrorist attacks, and mental health should and would have been shared regardless of where I was moving the blog, but I can do better about losing the true path I started out on when I began this little blog 10+ years ago, including that dating site in my chronology.
My goal in 2020 will be to find my way back to where things were in the beginning.
More observational posts about things that make me stop and say to myself Huh?
Of course, I'll never shy away from the big topics that might cause some controversy as that just wouldn't be who I am, and yes, that doesn't make sense given I refuse to divulge who I really am to my readers but we all have our reasons for wanting to stay anonymous, and I have mine.
So as we end this year and move into the, rest assured that while I may have gotten lost for a bit there on the way, that unlike a lot of people, I did stop to get directions and update my GPS so hopefully I stay on course.
I promise to not hold back anymore, to really share my thoughts and feeling, no matter how raw or exposed they leave me.
My name is Marcus and I a lot of things: parent, grandparent, co-worker, friend, and single looking to meet the one woman who is perfectly imperfect for me, the one who is willing to grant me my last first kiss.
Questions and comments can be sent to ooasm2018@gmail.com and odds are pretty good that I'll either reply back directly or through a blog entry if I think the message is relevant.
Today's musical suggestion is "If The World Was Ending" by JP Saxe featuring Julia Michaels. When I heard the song on the radio while driving to work last week my thoughts instantly turned to one person, Corrine and what was and what could have been.......................
Tuesday, December 24, 2019
Merry Christmas & Happy Holiday's
Tuesday, December 24/19
So we've reached Christmas Eve and I'd like to take this moment to wish each and every one of you a very Merry Christmas and the Happiest of Holidays.
I hope the new year brings you peace, health, happiness, and love.
While I am nothing more than an ordinary man leading an ordinary life, I am not without my own heart and thus hope each of us can carry forward the holiday spirit so much in evidence all around us into the new year, wanting nothing more than the best for my family and yours.
Tomorrow I will celebrate with my family the birth of Jesus Christ as well as my own mother's birthdate, knowing in my heart that she is looking out for her family and hopefully smiling at the man I've become and gazing with love upon her grandchildren and her great grandson.
My name is Marcus and my eyes are wide open and my heart filled with joy and love for the world around me.
Merry Christmas to all!
So we've reached Christmas Eve and I'd like to take this moment to wish each and every one of you a very Merry Christmas and the Happiest of Holidays.
I hope the new year brings you peace, health, happiness, and love.
While I am nothing more than an ordinary man leading an ordinary life, I am not without my own heart and thus hope each of us can carry forward the holiday spirit so much in evidence all around us into the new year, wanting nothing more than the best for my family and yours.
Tomorrow I will celebrate with my family the birth of Jesus Christ as well as my own mother's birthdate, knowing in my heart that she is looking out for her family and hopefully smiling at the man I've become and gazing with love upon her grandchildren and her great grandson.
My name is Marcus and my eyes are wide open and my heart filled with joy and love for the world around me.
Merry Christmas to all!
Sunday, December 22, 2019
Dad, What Do You Want For Christmas?
Saturday, December 21/19
"Dad, what do you want for Christmas?"
That was the question I was asked at brunch with my kids yesterday by my daughter.
It was just me with my son and daughter as my grandson was doing a craft with his father for something he wanted to give his mom, I'm thinking along the lines of a picture but I could be wrong.
She had to get out of the house and stopped by her mom's place to get her brother and then called me to ask if I wanted to meet them for brunch at Milestones. Of course, that was a no brainer as I'll never turn down a chance to break bread with my children.
We ended up sitting at a nice four-top in the bar and were having a great conversation about pretty much everything, with my son sharing his shopping adventures at Bayshore on Friday with his girlfriend and my daughter telling us about how Jack has been following her around and pointing at her belly and saying his soon to be sisters name Solara and smiling. Both of these had me smiling and laughing.
As we were finishing our meal my daughter looked at me and asked me "Dad, what do you want for Christmas?"
I didn't answer her right away and she got exasperated with me and said "I've asked you several times via text and you keep ignoring my question"
I pondered how to answer and took a sip of my iced tea while looking past her out the window to buy myself some time and sensed her getting frustrated with me, but before I could say anything to her my son looked first at me and then to his sister and sort of laughed.
This seemed to make his sister angry and she snapped at him "This is so fucking easy for you, you see Dad all the time and live with him half the time so you know what he likes and needs"
My son smiled at her, leaned over and gave her a hug, which she tried to shrug out of, and said something that made me realize he pays far more attention to me than I ever imagined, understands me better than I ever gave him credit for all these years.
"Dad can't tell you what he wants for Christmas as neither of us is in a position to get it for him"
I looked at him wondering what he meant and his sister continued giving him a dirty look before she responded "Okay smartass, what can't we give him if we pooled our resources?"
My son looked at me as he answered his older sister, there are ten years between them with my daughter at 30 and my son at 20.
"What does dad not have? He's got every imaginable electronic device he needs, his perfect set of golf clubs, books, music, clothes, he's only missing one thing"
My daughter thought for a moment and looked at me and said in a whisper "A dog?)
I smiled and shook my head as my soon leaned closer to her and softly said "It's far too soon for dad to even think about another dog"
My son looked back at me as he said the following.......
"Dad wants a partner, someone to share his life with, someone to take trips with, someone who'll send him silly texts out of the blue, he wants to be loved and to love"
My daughter looked from him to me and back to her brother and asked him how did he know that was what I wanted for Christmas?
He smiled at her and said "It's what he's wanted for years and though he's good at hiding it, all you have to do is watch him when he sees a couple and it shows in his eyes as they get this brief look of sadness even as he smiles"
My daughter reached over and took my hand in hers and smiled at me as she said "I love you daddy, you are so going to find someone so don't you dare doubt it"
One of my kids seems to know me better than I thought and means I've got to get better at masking my emotions around him, the other one is now going to be after me to get out there and open myself to the possibilities, more than likely to call me more often and see what I'm doing, hoping it encourages me to go on more dates.
Honestly, I think I'd have preferred an iTunes gift card over my son expressing his observations out loud to his sister. Life is about to get very complicated thanks to my youngest.
My name is Marcus and I've been good this year so I should be on Santa's nice list. Wonder what he might leave in my stocking on Christmas Eve?
Today's musical suggestion is seasonally appropriate as it comes from Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker Ballet in the form of YouTube video for the "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy".
The link is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zV1qLYukTH8
I had the good fortune to see the Alberta Royal Ballet perform this ballet many years ago and loved every moment.
Comments and questions are always welcome, ooasm2018@gmail.com
"Dad, what do you want for Christmas?"
That was the question I was asked at brunch with my kids yesterday by my daughter.
It was just me with my son and daughter as my grandson was doing a craft with his father for something he wanted to give his mom, I'm thinking along the lines of a picture but I could be wrong.
She had to get out of the house and stopped by her mom's place to get her brother and then called me to ask if I wanted to meet them for brunch at Milestones. Of course, that was a no brainer as I'll never turn down a chance to break bread with my children.
We ended up sitting at a nice four-top in the bar and were having a great conversation about pretty much everything, with my son sharing his shopping adventures at Bayshore on Friday with his girlfriend and my daughter telling us about how Jack has been following her around and pointing at her belly and saying his soon to be sisters name Solara and smiling. Both of these had me smiling and laughing.
As we were finishing our meal my daughter looked at me and asked me "Dad, what do you want for Christmas?"
I didn't answer her right away and she got exasperated with me and said "I've asked you several times via text and you keep ignoring my question"
I pondered how to answer and took a sip of my iced tea while looking past her out the window to buy myself some time and sensed her getting frustrated with me, but before I could say anything to her my son looked first at me and then to his sister and sort of laughed.
This seemed to make his sister angry and she snapped at him "This is so fucking easy for you, you see Dad all the time and live with him half the time so you know what he likes and needs"
My son smiled at her, leaned over and gave her a hug, which she tried to shrug out of, and said something that made me realize he pays far more attention to me than I ever imagined, understands me better than I ever gave him credit for all these years.
"Dad can't tell you what he wants for Christmas as neither of us is in a position to get it for him"
I looked at him wondering what he meant and his sister continued giving him a dirty look before she responded "Okay smartass, what can't we give him if we pooled our resources?"
My son looked at me as he answered his older sister, there are ten years between them with my daughter at 30 and my son at 20.
"What does dad not have? He's got every imaginable electronic device he needs, his perfect set of golf clubs, books, music, clothes, he's only missing one thing"
My daughter thought for a moment and looked at me and said in a whisper "A dog?)
I smiled and shook my head as my soon leaned closer to her and softly said "It's far too soon for dad to even think about another dog"
My son looked back at me as he said the following.......
"Dad wants a partner, someone to share his life with, someone to take trips with, someone who'll send him silly texts out of the blue, he wants to be loved and to love"
My daughter looked from him to me and back to her brother and asked him how did he know that was what I wanted for Christmas?
He smiled at her and said "It's what he's wanted for years and though he's good at hiding it, all you have to do is watch him when he sees a couple and it shows in his eyes as they get this brief look of sadness even as he smiles"
My daughter reached over and took my hand in hers and smiled at me as she said "I love you daddy, you are so going to find someone so don't you dare doubt it"
One of my kids seems to know me better than I thought and means I've got to get better at masking my emotions around him, the other one is now going to be after me to get out there and open myself to the possibilities, more than likely to call me more often and see what I'm doing, hoping it encourages me to go on more dates.
Honestly, I think I'd have preferred an iTunes gift card over my son expressing his observations out loud to his sister. Life is about to get very complicated thanks to my youngest.
My name is Marcus and I've been good this year so I should be on Santa's nice list. Wonder what he might leave in my stocking on Christmas Eve?
Today's musical suggestion is seasonally appropriate as it comes from Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker Ballet in the form of YouTube video for the "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy".
The link is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zV1qLYukTH8
I had the good fortune to see the Alberta Royal Ballet perform this ballet many years ago and loved every moment.
Comments and questions are always welcome, ooasm2018@gmail.com
Saturday, December 21, 2019
T'was a Fine Party
Saturday, December 21/19
So last night was the company Christmas party, the one I had debated attending.
I received several messages from people who had read the entry where I expressed having some second thoughts about going to the company telling me I really should go and coupled with more than one coworker telling me the same thing did end up going last night.
My company has three locations in Ottawa and probably employes about 3200 people in the region and maybe 4100 worldwide with the number growing monthly through the combination of internal growth and acquisitions.
Of those 3200, I'd say approximately 2500 ended up going to the party!!!
I'm not going to go into too many details about the party other than to say it was just as loud and crowded as I feared but all in all T'was a Fine Party in the end.
I shared drinks with coworkers from my own office, met some from our main production site that I'd only communicated with through conference calls and Google hangouts, and managed to be seen by more senior executives than I'd normally be comfortable with.
That's it, that's all.
Thanks for the encouragement and words of support think that was what ended up being the deciding factor in the end.
My name is Marcus and as Yoda would likely say about me......wide open heart for love he does have
So last night was the company Christmas party, the one I had debated attending.
I received several messages from people who had read the entry where I expressed having some second thoughts about going to the company telling me I really should go and coupled with more than one coworker telling me the same thing did end up going last night.
My company has three locations in Ottawa and probably employes about 3200 people in the region and maybe 4100 worldwide with the number growing monthly through the combination of internal growth and acquisitions.
Of those 3200, I'd say approximately 2500 ended up going to the party!!!
I'm not going to go into too many details about the party other than to say it was just as loud and crowded as I feared but all in all T'was a Fine Party in the end.
I shared drinks with coworkers from my own office, met some from our main production site that I'd only communicated with through conference calls and Google hangouts, and managed to be seen by more senior executives than I'd normally be comfortable with.
That's it, that's all.
Thanks for the encouragement and words of support think that was what ended up being the deciding factor in the end.
My name is Marcus and as Yoda would likely say about me......wide open heart for love he does have
Tuesday, December 17, 2019
Having Some Second Thoughts
Tuesday, December 17/19
So about 3 weeks ago my company announced the details around the Christmas Party and requested employees RSVP as soon as possible whether or not you were going and if it was you and a plus one or just you.
I kind of got ahead of myself and let my inner optimist take over when I responded by putting myself down with a plus one.
Now I am three nights away from what I'm hearing is going to be a pretty damn good party and I'm no closer to having a plus one than I was three months ago.
From the sounds of things a lot of people are going as part of a couple and about a third are going single and ready to mingle lol
A few coworkers have asked me if I'm going and I've said maybe.
I was pretty pumped to go in the beginning but now the thought of going alone is kind of sad and makes me feel like I'm going to bail at the last minute, par the course for me I guess.
Going will either be a blast or totally leave me curled up in the fetal position asking myself just what the hell I was thinking when I signed up to attend.
The last Christmas party I attended was 2014 and I did have a great time, far better than I expected, and I was there with a plus one, so that made all the difference in the world, even though we'd only been dating a short while, asking her to go with me turned out to be one of my best throw of the dice ever :)
So what do you the fine readers think I should do?
Option A - attend the party
Option B - finish my Christmas shopping at Bayshore
My name is Marcus and I don't often leave decisions about my life in the readers hands but when I do I tend to go big :-)
Cast your vote at ooasm2018@gmail.com
So about 3 weeks ago my company announced the details around the Christmas Party and requested employees RSVP as soon as possible whether or not you were going and if it was you and a plus one or just you.
I kind of got ahead of myself and let my inner optimist take over when I responded by putting myself down with a plus one.
Now I am three nights away from what I'm hearing is going to be a pretty damn good party and I'm no closer to having a plus one than I was three months ago.
From the sounds of things a lot of people are going as part of a couple and about a third are going single and ready to mingle lol
A few coworkers have asked me if I'm going and I've said maybe.
I was pretty pumped to go in the beginning but now the thought of going alone is kind of sad and makes me feel like I'm going to bail at the last minute, par the course for me I guess.
Going will either be a blast or totally leave me curled up in the fetal position asking myself just what the hell I was thinking when I signed up to attend.
The last Christmas party I attended was 2014 and I did have a great time, far better than I expected, and I was there with a plus one, so that made all the difference in the world, even though we'd only been dating a short while, asking her to go with me turned out to be one of my best throw of the dice ever :)
So what do you the fine readers think I should do?
Option A - attend the party
Option B - finish my Christmas shopping at Bayshore
My name is Marcus and I don't often leave decisions about my life in the readers hands but when I do I tend to go big :-)
Cast your vote at ooasm2018@gmail.com
Thursday, December 12, 2019
Some Random One Off's
Thursday, December 12/19
Today and yesterday were those kinds of days where I'm reminded of the saying "Be careful what you wish for as you just might get it"
What do I mean by that? My last job didn't really push me at all and I found myself extremely bored most days.
The new job has been a constant whirl of activity and forces me to stay on top of a multitude of things. I think the total combined time I was actually at my workstation over the past 2 days is maybe 2.5 hours max, and I'd say about 1.25 of those were only because I had to sit somewhere to dial into a conference call or three lol
I've fallen a little behind on my Christmas shopping but hope to finish things off this weekend.
I'm going to lunch with my son on Saturday at a local craft brewery for a pint and sandwich before heading down to watch my amazing grandson for the night while his parents go out for dinner with some friends.
All that to say I've not had a chance to really post a new blog entry, though there is one percolating around my mostly empty cranium centered around how we act differently this time of year.
In the meantime please enjoy some random things I've either pondered or come across.......
People are excited about the new iPhone but no one has caught up with the awesome technology of using your turn signal when driving
Sometimes I get road rage walking behind people in the grocery store
It's a shame children these days don't know their cousins! When I was younger my cousins were the closest thing to a sibling
The trick is to not let people know how weird you really are until it's too late for them to back out
Life is difficult, more so for stupid people
I can only please one person a day. Today isn't your day. Tomorrow doesn't look good either.
I'm sorry did I roll my eyes out loud?
Never say "Oops." Always say "Ahh, interesting"
If "Plan A" didn't work, remember the alphabet has 25 more letters!. Stay cool.
My name is Marcus and I never make lemonade when life hands me lemons.
Today's musical suggestion is "Lola/Joseph" by July Talk. The male lead singer of this group has a very raspy voice but man does it ever work for them!!
ooasm2018@gmail is the place to hit the blogger up for questions, comments, and general chats
Today and yesterday were those kinds of days where I'm reminded of the saying "Be careful what you wish for as you just might get it"
What do I mean by that? My last job didn't really push me at all and I found myself extremely bored most days.
The new job has been a constant whirl of activity and forces me to stay on top of a multitude of things. I think the total combined time I was actually at my workstation over the past 2 days is maybe 2.5 hours max, and I'd say about 1.25 of those were only because I had to sit somewhere to dial into a conference call or three lol
I've fallen a little behind on my Christmas shopping but hope to finish things off this weekend.
I'm going to lunch with my son on Saturday at a local craft brewery for a pint and sandwich before heading down to watch my amazing grandson for the night while his parents go out for dinner with some friends.
All that to say I've not had a chance to really post a new blog entry, though there is one percolating around my mostly empty cranium centered around how we act differently this time of year.
In the meantime please enjoy some random things I've either pondered or come across.......
People are excited about the new iPhone but no one has caught up with the awesome technology of using your turn signal when driving
Sometimes I get road rage walking behind people in the grocery store
It's a shame children these days don't know their cousins! When I was younger my cousins were the closest thing to a sibling
The trick is to not let people know how weird you really are until it's too late for them to back out
Life is difficult, more so for stupid people
I can only please one person a day. Today isn't your day. Tomorrow doesn't look good either.
I'm sorry did I roll my eyes out loud?
Never say "Oops." Always say "Ahh, interesting"
If "Plan A" didn't work, remember the alphabet has 25 more letters!. Stay cool.
My name is Marcus and I never make lemonade when life hands me lemons.
Today's musical suggestion is "Lola/Joseph" by July Talk. The male lead singer of this group has a very raspy voice but man does it ever work for them!!
ooasm2018@gmail is the place to hit the blogger up for questions, comments, and general chats
Saturday, December 7, 2019
Friday Afternoon Funk
Saturday, December 07/19
Normally I look forward to my weekends, even if I've got nothing planned, but for some reason, I felt myself in a funk yesterday around lunchtime and as the day progressed I felt my mood getting worse and worse.
A typical Friday with my son finds me trying to determine his plans so I can figure out dinner but a single Friday, what I refer to when he starts his week with his mother, sort of can vary from doing some errands, meeting for a drink, to just crashing on the couch with a book or binging something on either Netflix or Amazon Prime.
Last night my original plan was to head to Bayshore and do some Christmas shopping and with my mood getting me down I almost cancelled and headed home but for some reason that didn't sit well with me and I went ahead and did some shopping. I got lucky and found a nice sweater and a couple of shirts for my son before hitting Sugar Mountain for a couple of 100 Grand bars, dads deserve a treat too, don't we?
Once done I did head home and felt that uneasy feeling begin all over again as I drove down Richmond Road into Kanata.
As I unlocked my door it hit me what was going on with my mood.
The deafening silence in my house.
I am used to coming home and hearing the radio on in the kitchen and seeing Moki either standing near the door with her little tail wagging with happiness to see me again or sitting on the back of the couch looking at me as if to say "Where've you been?"
I used to joke that I didn't mind being single and alone but the real truth was that I was only really single as Moki was with me and so I was not alone.
Now I am both single and alone and it honestly absolutely fucking sucks!!!
You never know how much a pet really integrates its way into your life until you have to face time alone, constantly remembering little things about how they made you smile without any effort. For me just writing this blog entry is a reminder of her, as when I wrote older entries she'd lay in the doorway of my home office and wag her tail or every now and then walk over and bump my leg with her head to remind me to give her some attention.
I'd like to say the days are getting easier but I'd be lying, well partially lying as there are some days way better than others. The holidays are sort of tough as I liked to give the kids a gift from her and this year that isn't happening, something I'm still trying to wrap my head around.
Knowing what has been causing this mental funk would lead one to think I can find ways to counter it but I'm not sure I'm quite there yet.
My name is Marcus and these are my observations on trying to be a good parent, friend, coworker, and maybe even someday partner to one who might not mind my imperfections.
I wasn't going to post a musical suggestion as I didn't think anything would come to mind given my mood and tone of the blog but in the end, one did come to mind, and while not one I'd normally suggest, I think the title says it all.....I Will Survive by Gloria Gaynor. It isn't so much about the lyrics as they don't apply here at all but more the fact that I will survive.......
Want to comment on a blog? Ask a question? Share a story? send me a message at ooasm2018@gmail.com and I'll make sure to respond, Scouts Honor!!
Normally I look forward to my weekends, even if I've got nothing planned, but for some reason, I felt myself in a funk yesterday around lunchtime and as the day progressed I felt my mood getting worse and worse.
A typical Friday with my son finds me trying to determine his plans so I can figure out dinner but a single Friday, what I refer to when he starts his week with his mother, sort of can vary from doing some errands, meeting for a drink, to just crashing on the couch with a book or binging something on either Netflix or Amazon Prime.
Last night my original plan was to head to Bayshore and do some Christmas shopping and with my mood getting me down I almost cancelled and headed home but for some reason that didn't sit well with me and I went ahead and did some shopping. I got lucky and found a nice sweater and a couple of shirts for my son before hitting Sugar Mountain for a couple of 100 Grand bars, dads deserve a treat too, don't we?
Once done I did head home and felt that uneasy feeling begin all over again as I drove down Richmond Road into Kanata.
As I unlocked my door it hit me what was going on with my mood.
The deafening silence in my house.
I am used to coming home and hearing the radio on in the kitchen and seeing Moki either standing near the door with her little tail wagging with happiness to see me again or sitting on the back of the couch looking at me as if to say "Where've you been?"
I used to joke that I didn't mind being single and alone but the real truth was that I was only really single as Moki was with me and so I was not alone.
Now I am both single and alone and it honestly absolutely fucking sucks!!!
You never know how much a pet really integrates its way into your life until you have to face time alone, constantly remembering little things about how they made you smile without any effort. For me just writing this blog entry is a reminder of her, as when I wrote older entries she'd lay in the doorway of my home office and wag her tail or every now and then walk over and bump my leg with her head to remind me to give her some attention.
I'd like to say the days are getting easier but I'd be lying, well partially lying as there are some days way better than others. The holidays are sort of tough as I liked to give the kids a gift from her and this year that isn't happening, something I'm still trying to wrap my head around.
Knowing what has been causing this mental funk would lead one to think I can find ways to counter it but I'm not sure I'm quite there yet.
My name is Marcus and these are my observations on trying to be a good parent, friend, coworker, and maybe even someday partner to one who might not mind my imperfections.
I wasn't going to post a musical suggestion as I didn't think anything would come to mind given my mood and tone of the blog but in the end, one did come to mind, and while not one I'd normally suggest, I think the title says it all.....I Will Survive by Gloria Gaynor. It isn't so much about the lyrics as they don't apply here at all but more the fact that I will survive.......
Want to comment on a blog? Ask a question? Share a story? send me a message at ooasm2018@gmail.com and I'll make sure to respond, Scouts Honor!!
Wednesday, December 4, 2019
I've Got Them, Do You?
Wednesday, December 04/19
So this morning while I was getting dressed for work I did something that caused me to stop and think about my action.
I didn't do anything bad, didn't have a horrible thought, didn't really do anything that should get me banned from saying WalMart, but it still made me stop, think, chuckle, and smile.
So what exactly did I do?
I put my socks on.
Okay, maybe that's not all of the story, but it is a good hook don't you agree?
It did start with me putting my socks on. Something I do almost every morning before I leave the house unless of course it's the summer and I'm heading out to play some golf. In that case, it's my Nike sandals for a quick change at the course :)
But it also started with me pulling my socks off as well.
I bet you are wondering if I noticed a hole in one of them? Nope, perfectly good pair of socks, actually Tommy Hilfiger if I'm being honest.
Were they not matched? Seriously, do you really think a guy as put together as moi would ever wear mismatched socks? They matched, didn't I already mention they were Tommy Hilfiger.
Did they not go with my planned outfit? I was going to be putting on a pair of Levu jeans in a moment so that couldn't have been what made me stop putting on my socks.
I can sense you gnashing your teeth in frustration and reaching to throw something across the room so I'm going to put you out of your misery and explain. Happy now?
I noticed that I was putting on my left sock first and froze in mid pull. I looked around my room as if someone might have seen me, smiled at myself, and pulled it off and proceeded to put my right sock on first and then the left.
Once my socks were on I realized that this wasn't the first time I've done this, start to put the left on first and stop to pull it off before actually putting the right on first.
This is one of just several little quirks, peccadillos, or idiosyncrasies I appear to have developed over the years.
One that drives my son nuts is turning on the car alarm exactly 3 times so it beeps. To let you in on a little secret I just do that when he's around as I like seeing him shake his head at me lol
Some others I have are always sitting on the left end of the couch when I get home from work for a minute or two before shifting ends, sleeping on the left side of the bed (left as defined if you were standing at the bottom of the bed looking towards the headboard), always cutting the lawn from side to side and then front to back, and here is one from golf, I always carry exactly 5 tees in my right pocket, if one break's I replace it right away.
I'm sure I have more but those come to mind right off the bat.
Nothing earth-shattering but I did find it amusing when the whole sock thing came about.
So give it a thought and see what are some of the things you do that done out of order would make you feel slightly uncomfortable? I'd love to know and get some reassurance that I'm not totally alone with these little quirks :)
My name is Marcus and its the season to be merry, or so I've been told :-)
For today's musical suggestions we've traveled back over 45 years to bring you "Hold Your Head Up" by Argent. I totally forgot all about this one until it was playing as some background music on a YouTube video I happened to watch yesterday. You are welcome :-)
The fool behind this blog can be reached at ooasm2018@gmail.com
So this morning while I was getting dressed for work I did something that caused me to stop and think about my action.
I didn't do anything bad, didn't have a horrible thought, didn't really do anything that should get me banned from saying WalMart, but it still made me stop, think, chuckle, and smile.
So what exactly did I do?
I put my socks on.
Okay, maybe that's not all of the story, but it is a good hook don't you agree?
It did start with me putting my socks on. Something I do almost every morning before I leave the house unless of course it's the summer and I'm heading out to play some golf. In that case, it's my Nike sandals for a quick change at the course :)
But it also started with me pulling my socks off as well.
I bet you are wondering if I noticed a hole in one of them? Nope, perfectly good pair of socks, actually Tommy Hilfiger if I'm being honest.
Were they not matched? Seriously, do you really think a guy as put together as moi would ever wear mismatched socks? They matched, didn't I already mention they were Tommy Hilfiger.
Did they not go with my planned outfit? I was going to be putting on a pair of Levu jeans in a moment so that couldn't have been what made me stop putting on my socks.
I can sense you gnashing your teeth in frustration and reaching to throw something across the room so I'm going to put you out of your misery and explain. Happy now?
I noticed that I was putting on my left sock first and froze in mid pull. I looked around my room as if someone might have seen me, smiled at myself, and pulled it off and proceeded to put my right sock on first and then the left.
Once my socks were on I realized that this wasn't the first time I've done this, start to put the left on first and stop to pull it off before actually putting the right on first.
This is one of just several little quirks, peccadillos, or idiosyncrasies I appear to have developed over the years.
One that drives my son nuts is turning on the car alarm exactly 3 times so it beeps. To let you in on a little secret I just do that when he's around as I like seeing him shake his head at me lol
Some others I have are always sitting on the left end of the couch when I get home from work for a minute or two before shifting ends, sleeping on the left side of the bed (left as defined if you were standing at the bottom of the bed looking towards the headboard), always cutting the lawn from side to side and then front to back, and here is one from golf, I always carry exactly 5 tees in my right pocket, if one break's I replace it right away.
I'm sure I have more but those come to mind right off the bat.
Nothing earth-shattering but I did find it amusing when the whole sock thing came about.
So give it a thought and see what are some of the things you do that done out of order would make you feel slightly uncomfortable? I'd love to know and get some reassurance that I'm not totally alone with these little quirks :)
My name is Marcus and its the season to be merry, or so I've been told :-)
For today's musical suggestions we've traveled back over 45 years to bring you "Hold Your Head Up" by Argent. I totally forgot all about this one until it was playing as some background music on a YouTube video I happened to watch yesterday. You are welcome :-)
The fool behind this blog can be reached at ooasm2018@gmail.com
Monday, December 2, 2019
Saturday Was More Difficult Than I imagined It Would Be....
Monday, December 02/19
So Saturday was my grandson's third birthday party and my daughter arranged a petting zoo to come to the party and entertain the kids.
Now because my daughter has a yappy little Pomeranian named Benny and my son in law has a squat and uber strong French Bulldog named Tyson they asked me if they could bring the dogs to my place for the day so they wouldn't be too much trouble at the party, I really think it's because they were worried Tysommight eat all the zoo animals, I say that jokingly but there's probably some truth to that statement.
Benny is kind of snuggly and Tyson tries his best but I've never really warmed up to either of them, not sure why but it just the way it is with me and them.
I was working in my office when Benny wandered by the door on his way to check out my son's room and I caught him out of the corner of my eye and without even thinking said: "What are you up to Moki?"
I realized my words almost as soon as they crossed my lips and just wanted to cry as once more I was reminded of how much I miss my little pupper.
Both Tyson and Benny wandered around the house snuffing the floor and furniture and I didn't understand why until Tyson looked up at me as if to ask "where is that dog we used to visit here"
I never imagined that they would miss Moki but I honestly think they did and sort of picked up on my own wavering emotions as Benny hopped into my lap and curled up in a little ball while Tyson, never known to snuggle at tall, laid down next to me and put his head on my knee and just sat there with me looking out the front window.
I had to smile as they two wonderful puppers did all they could to calm my emotions and remind me that while Moki isn't here to snuggle with me, she's still around making sure I stay on an even keel, even if it means channeling through her former buddies.
Christmas decorating was tough yesterday as I was reminded that I wouldn't be giving out gifts to the kids this year from her nor trying to find her a special gift at Petsmart.
I was asked by a friend at work last week if I'm going to get another dog and I explained about my daughter trying to set me up with Jet and it being a bit too soon, but did admit that this spring might see me reconsidering my plans........
My name is Marcus and the grieving process continues for this old man.
These are the ongoing adventures of one single, white, older man's attempts at parenting, working, golfing, and on the odd time, dating.
I'm going with Angels & Airwaves "Kiss & Tell" for today's musical suggestion. Listen and tell me who they remind you of as they do have a sound that should make you think of another artist/group :)
I love reading questions and comments, well the nice ones at least lol, so hit me up at ooasm2018@gmail.com and make an old guy smile, I dare you!
So Saturday was my grandson's third birthday party and my daughter arranged a petting zoo to come to the party and entertain the kids.
Now because my daughter has a yappy little Pomeranian named Benny and my son in law has a squat and uber strong French Bulldog named Tyson they asked me if they could bring the dogs to my place for the day so they wouldn't be too much trouble at the party, I really think it's because they were worried Tysommight eat all the zoo animals, I say that jokingly but there's probably some truth to that statement.
Benny is kind of snuggly and Tyson tries his best but I've never really warmed up to either of them, not sure why but it just the way it is with me and them.
I was working in my office when Benny wandered by the door on his way to check out my son's room and I caught him out of the corner of my eye and without even thinking said: "What are you up to Moki?"
I realized my words almost as soon as they crossed my lips and just wanted to cry as once more I was reminded of how much I miss my little pupper.
Both Tyson and Benny wandered around the house snuffing the floor and furniture and I didn't understand why until Tyson looked up at me as if to ask "where is that dog we used to visit here"
I never imagined that they would miss Moki but I honestly think they did and sort of picked up on my own wavering emotions as Benny hopped into my lap and curled up in a little ball while Tyson, never known to snuggle at tall, laid down next to me and put his head on my knee and just sat there with me looking out the front window.
I had to smile as they two wonderful puppers did all they could to calm my emotions and remind me that while Moki isn't here to snuggle with me, she's still around making sure I stay on an even keel, even if it means channeling through her former buddies.
Christmas decorating was tough yesterday as I was reminded that I wouldn't be giving out gifts to the kids this year from her nor trying to find her a special gift at Petsmart.
I was asked by a friend at work last week if I'm going to get another dog and I explained about my daughter trying to set me up with Jet and it being a bit too soon, but did admit that this spring might see me reconsidering my plans........
My name is Marcus and the grieving process continues for this old man.
These are the ongoing adventures of one single, white, older man's attempts at parenting, working, golfing, and on the odd time, dating.
I'm going with Angels & Airwaves "Kiss & Tell" for today's musical suggestion. Listen and tell me who they remind you of as they do have a sound that should make you think of another artist/group :)
I love reading questions and comments, well the nice ones at least lol, so hit me up at ooasm2018@gmail.com and make an old guy smile, I dare you!
Sunday, December 1, 2019
Happy New Month :-)
Sunday, December 01/19
We have finally hit the home stretch for 2019 with the arrival of December this morning.
What would normally have been a lazy Sunday was anything but......
Winter tires installed on the car? Check
Some Christmas shopping completed? Check
Grocery shopping completed? Check
Christmas decorations pulled from storage? Check
Additional decorations purchased for the upstairs? Check
Christmas decorations put up? Check
Now there is a story behind those decorations being done today but I'm not in the right frame of mind to tell it right now without putting something down I might come to regret later.
It's funny how you go through life thinking one thing about how decisions are made and the equality of those decisions only to realize that they've favored the other party almost 9 out of 10 times and you get told to not be upset and live with it.
It might be a very interesting holiday season for me as I've decided to put myself first for the first time in, well maybe forever.....
Sometimes it takes getting fucked over to realize how much of a pushover you've been for years and grow a spine and say enough is enough.
If people don't like it, they don't need to talk to me or see me. Seems pretty straightforward to me.
Wish I was heading off on a holiday down south right after Christmas but maybe next year, one can hope.
So my new month started off with a bang and not the fun one either, but it is what it is.
Oh, and no text today from my unknown friend either so I've got that going for me too bot.
Here's hoping the new month gets better starting tomorrow, oh shit, tomorrow is a Monday and we all know how those tend to go........I'm so screwed now.....
My name is Marcus and these are my stories about parenting, working, golfing, and dating. Well, really 3 of those 4 and I'll let you figure out which they currently encompass :)
Today's musical suggestion is "Some Sing, Some Dance" by Michael Pagliaro. Now here is the shocker, he is a Francophone musician, just goes to prove my taste in music knows no bounds lol
We have finally hit the home stretch for 2019 with the arrival of December this morning.
What would normally have been a lazy Sunday was anything but......
Winter tires installed on the car? Check
Some Christmas shopping completed? Check
Grocery shopping completed? Check
Christmas decorations pulled from storage? Check
Additional decorations purchased for the upstairs? Check
Christmas decorations put up? Check
Now there is a story behind those decorations being done today but I'm not in the right frame of mind to tell it right now without putting something down I might come to regret later.
It's funny how you go through life thinking one thing about how decisions are made and the equality of those decisions only to realize that they've favored the other party almost 9 out of 10 times and you get told to not be upset and live with it.
It might be a very interesting holiday season for me as I've decided to put myself first for the first time in, well maybe forever.....
Sometimes it takes getting fucked over to realize how much of a pushover you've been for years and grow a spine and say enough is enough.
If people don't like it, they don't need to talk to me or see me. Seems pretty straightforward to me.
Wish I was heading off on a holiday down south right after Christmas but maybe next year, one can hope.
So my new month started off with a bang and not the fun one either, but it is what it is.
Oh, and no text today from my unknown friend either so I've got that going for me too bot.
Here's hoping the new month gets better starting tomorrow, oh shit, tomorrow is a Monday and we all know how those tend to go........I'm so screwed now.....
My name is Marcus and these are my stories about parenting, working, golfing, and dating. Well, really 3 of those 4 and I'll let you figure out which they currently encompass :)
Today's musical suggestion is "Some Sing, Some Dance" by Michael Pagliaro. Now here is the shocker, he is a Francophone musician, just goes to prove my taste in music knows no bounds lol
Thursday, November 28, 2019
The Sunday Streak is Broken
Thursday, November 28/19
So my prediction that I would receive my next text from the anonymous texter on Sunday was shattered tonight when she sent me a new text.
Her: "Hi Marcus. How are you doing tonight? We may have a drink together soon"
Me: "Doing meh! I had to leave work early today as my knee flared up after walking up the stairs 8 floors this morning when the elevators were all out of order. How is my unknown texter doing?
You do realize 2 things right?
1 - I'll have to know who I'm meeting
2 - You broke the Sunday text pattern lol"
Never heard back from her after that but wasn't really expecting any response as she seems to be a one and done when it comes to her daily communications lol
This is going to bum out the lads at work as they've really gotten a kick out of the whole thing, so much that one friend told me he told his wife about it and she asked him to tell me to text them first thing Sunday when the next one came through lol
Funny how we all live vicariously through someone else at one point or another in our lives.
Not a clue how this is going to turn out but I am enjoying the smiles it brings as it does sort of give me something to look forward to these days :-)
My name is Marcus and though I be single, I remain steadfast in my desire to shed that label, hopefully, sooner rather than later..............
Today's musical suggestion is "Always" by Blink 182. Just like the riff, nothing more or less.
Want to express an opinion or ask a question? you can reach me at ooasm2018@gmail.com
So my prediction that I would receive my next text from the anonymous texter on Sunday was shattered tonight when she sent me a new text.
Her: "Hi Marcus. How are you doing tonight? We may have a drink together soon"
Me: "Doing meh! I had to leave work early today as my knee flared up after walking up the stairs 8 floors this morning when the elevators were all out of order. How is my unknown texter doing?
You do realize 2 things right?
1 - I'll have to know who I'm meeting
2 - You broke the Sunday text pattern lol"
Never heard back from her after that but wasn't really expecting any response as she seems to be a one and done when it comes to her daily communications lol
This is going to bum out the lads at work as they've really gotten a kick out of the whole thing, so much that one friend told me he told his wife about it and she asked him to tell me to text them first thing Sunday when the next one came through lol
Funny how we all live vicariously through someone else at one point or another in our lives.
Not a clue how this is going to turn out but I am enjoying the smiles it brings as it does sort of give me something to look forward to these days :-)
My name is Marcus and though I be single, I remain steadfast in my desire to shed that label, hopefully, sooner rather than later..............
Today's musical suggestion is "Always" by Blink 182. Just like the riff, nothing more or less.
Want to express an opinion or ask a question? you can reach me at ooasm2018@gmail.com
Sunday, November 24, 2019
The Sunday Text X 2
Sunday, November 24/19
So after the whole fiasco with Stephanie that I recently posted about, I sort of made a decision that should I start talking with someone we'd have to meet sooner rather than later, that was self-imposed on my part given one usually can't, nor should one, force another person to meet up.
Well, Karma must have taken pity on me or else she needed a good laugh as she brought about a mutual connection with someone and we started chatting around November 14 and seemed to hit it off quite well. So much so that I asked if she was free to meet that very weekend, I know, how bold of me right.
Well, unfortunately, Michelle already had plans with her sister for Friday and was going to a party on Saturday with some friends. I jokingly asked when she was picking me up and she said she wished but was sure her date might be as thrilled with me coming along lol. Admit that bummed me out but it was arranged before we started chatting so not much for me to do but bide my time and hope they didn't hit it off, call me mean if you want but I'm nothing if not honest. She said I could probably expect some drunk texts and was shocked when I confessed to having never once been drunk called or texted in my life, promising to take that cherry from me lol.
We texted some more and than I told her we needed to stop so that she could focus on the date and not be distracted by me and our flirty banter. Call me a gentleman or a fool for taking that position, both seem to apply equally at times.
I did end up getting a text around 4am on Sunday that said "This is tequila talking, left the date at the party and went to a friends house, so not into unemotional guys, really think should have picked you up instead"
Kind of nice to read but literally didn't hear anything else until almost 5pm that day.
Michelle texted asking what my plans were for dinner and I said I didn't really have any as my son was going out for sushi with some friends. She suggested we meet at Alice's Cafe in Carp for 6:30
Alice's Cafe is a quaint little place with a nice atmosphere, mostly populated by students drinking coffee and working on group projects from what I could tell.
I had a nice time chatting with Michelle and think there was a connection but that isn't what this entry is all about.
No, it's about what happened about an hour into our meeting.
We both had our phones out on the table, face down, as her kids are a little younger than mine and she wanted to be able to hear hers if it chirped with a text and told me she was okay if I did the same, very nice of her.
So as we were chatting my phone did chirp with a text but I made no move to look as I'd told my son to call me if he needed anything as I wasn't going to respond to any texts. Michelle looked at the phone and then me before saying it was okay to look as maybe he forgot to call versus text.
So I smiled and turned it over to see a text from an unknown number that simply said the following:
"Hi Marcus, you still alive?"
Two things stand out about this text. The person sending knows me as they addressed it to me and we haven't chatted in quite some time since they had no clue how I was doing.
I guess I had a confused look while reading it as Michelle looked down and asked me who I knew in Gatineau. I didn't understand and she said the 819 area code was for western Quebec.
Now here is the thing when it comes to my cell phone and numbers. I review the names in it every month or so and if I haven't spoken with someone in a while, especially anyone I've connected with dating wise, I tend to purge them from the contacts. So this person was at one time in my contacts but had to have been deleted quite some time ago.
Michelle asked if I was going to reply and pushed the phone towards me. I sent a response back saying "Sorry, I don't recognize this number"
Within less than a minute the unknown texters reply came back "Wow, with all the women you date I'm not surprised"
Oddly enough, that date I was on with Michelle has been my first in more months than I care to admit but for some reason, this person was pegging me as a serial dater.
I didn't hear back from them and on Monday sent a simple text that read "Still alive, you choosing to remain a mystery?" and didn't get any response.
Until this morning at 8:07 when this exchange occurred:
Her: "Good morning my friend Marcus"
Me: "Is it a good morning? I normally consider it good when I actually know the person on the other end of a text, especially a text from across the river...."
Her: "Lol. You are lovely :)"
Me: "One does try when one is given the opportunity :)"
And that was the last of our exchange..........
Two different exchanges from someone who I've obviously talked to before as they have my cell number and yet I have no clue who they are and they haven't felt the need to share that key nugget of information with me, yet........
So now I'm wondering if our 3rd communication is going to come next Sunday at some point :)
My name is Marcus and as proven with this blog entry, life is never boring for me as I try and navigate my way as a parent, employee, friend, and maybe experiencing my last first kiss.
Today's musical suggestion "Eyes on Fire" by Blue Foundation.
Got a question or comment about an entry or really anything in general? Hit me up at ooasm2018@gmail.com and the odds are pretty good you'll hear back from me :)
So after the whole fiasco with Stephanie that I recently posted about, I sort of made a decision that should I start talking with someone we'd have to meet sooner rather than later, that was self-imposed on my part given one usually can't, nor should one, force another person to meet up.
Well, Karma must have taken pity on me or else she needed a good laugh as she brought about a mutual connection with someone and we started chatting around November 14 and seemed to hit it off quite well. So much so that I asked if she was free to meet that very weekend, I know, how bold of me right.
Well, unfortunately, Michelle already had plans with her sister for Friday and was going to a party on Saturday with some friends. I jokingly asked when she was picking me up and she said she wished but was sure her date might be as thrilled with me coming along lol. Admit that bummed me out but it was arranged before we started chatting so not much for me to do but bide my time and hope they didn't hit it off, call me mean if you want but I'm nothing if not honest. She said I could probably expect some drunk texts and was shocked when I confessed to having never once been drunk called or texted in my life, promising to take that cherry from me lol.
We texted some more and than I told her we needed to stop so that she could focus on the date and not be distracted by me and our flirty banter. Call me a gentleman or a fool for taking that position, both seem to apply equally at times.
I did end up getting a text around 4am on Sunday that said "This is tequila talking, left the date at the party and went to a friends house, so not into unemotional guys, really think should have picked you up instead"
Kind of nice to read but literally didn't hear anything else until almost 5pm that day.
Michelle texted asking what my plans were for dinner and I said I didn't really have any as my son was going out for sushi with some friends. She suggested we meet at Alice's Cafe in Carp for 6:30
Alice's Cafe is a quaint little place with a nice atmosphere, mostly populated by students drinking coffee and working on group projects from what I could tell.
I had a nice time chatting with Michelle and think there was a connection but that isn't what this entry is all about.
No, it's about what happened about an hour into our meeting.
We both had our phones out on the table, face down, as her kids are a little younger than mine and she wanted to be able to hear hers if it chirped with a text and told me she was okay if I did the same, very nice of her.
So as we were chatting my phone did chirp with a text but I made no move to look as I'd told my son to call me if he needed anything as I wasn't going to respond to any texts. Michelle looked at the phone and then me before saying it was okay to look as maybe he forgot to call versus text.
So I smiled and turned it over to see a text from an unknown number that simply said the following:
"Hi Marcus, you still alive?"
Two things stand out about this text. The person sending knows me as they addressed it to me and we haven't chatted in quite some time since they had no clue how I was doing.
I guess I had a confused look while reading it as Michelle looked down and asked me who I knew in Gatineau. I didn't understand and she said the 819 area code was for western Quebec.
Now here is the thing when it comes to my cell phone and numbers. I review the names in it every month or so and if I haven't spoken with someone in a while, especially anyone I've connected with dating wise, I tend to purge them from the contacts. So this person was at one time in my contacts but had to have been deleted quite some time ago.
Michelle asked if I was going to reply and pushed the phone towards me. I sent a response back saying "Sorry, I don't recognize this number"
Within less than a minute the unknown texters reply came back "Wow, with all the women you date I'm not surprised"
Oddly enough, that date I was on with Michelle has been my first in more months than I care to admit but for some reason, this person was pegging me as a serial dater.
I didn't hear back from them and on Monday sent a simple text that read "Still alive, you choosing to remain a mystery?" and didn't get any response.
Until this morning at 8:07 when this exchange occurred:
Her: "Good morning my friend Marcus"
Me: "Is it a good morning? I normally consider it good when I actually know the person on the other end of a text, especially a text from across the river...."
Her: "Lol. You are lovely :)"
Me: "One does try when one is given the opportunity :)"
And that was the last of our exchange..........
Two different exchanges from someone who I've obviously talked to before as they have my cell number and yet I have no clue who they are and they haven't felt the need to share that key nugget of information with me, yet........
So now I'm wondering if our 3rd communication is going to come next Sunday at some point :)
My name is Marcus and as proven with this blog entry, life is never boring for me as I try and navigate my way as a parent, employee, friend, and maybe experiencing my last first kiss.
Today's musical suggestion "Eyes on Fire" by Blue Foundation.
Got a question or comment about an entry or really anything in general? Hit me up at ooasm2018@gmail.com and the odds are pretty good you'll hear back from me :)
Wednesday, November 20, 2019
One Simple Question To Ponder.....
Wednesday, November 20/19
I heard this one today and it struck a chord with me so I thought I'd put it out there for each of you to consider from your own perspective.
It is a very simple question and because of that simplicity, one might tend to overlook the depth that really hides behind the seven words that make it up.......
When I first heard it, I sort of took it in and didn't give it a second thought, didn't stop to consider what my own answer might reveal about myself.
The question is.......
What do you really want for Christmas?
Now before you respond with a pat or glib answer, really give it some thought.
What is it that you want that would really make you happy, that would make you smile, that would make you laugh, and maybe even, just possibly make you shed a tear.
I think I spent about an hour reflecting on my own answer as I did some things around the house tonight before I finally felt like I had my own answer to the question.
My answer sort of falls in line with the reason I started this blog so many years ago.
The desire to be part of something bigger than just myself. I want to be the reason someone smiles when she hears her cell phone chirp thinking, nay hoping, it's from me. I want to find that special person with whom I can act silly with while shopping at Loblaw's.
I signed up for my company Christmas party today. Not that big a deal as people do it all the time, but in this case, I signed up with a plus one. Not sure why I did so but maybe this holiday season I'll get an early gift and meet someone who just might not mind attending a party with me.
My name is Marcus and this little thing I call my blog is my attempt to bring a little sanity to being a parent, co-worker, golfer, and maybe even a partner someday to the one who is perfectly imperfect for me.
Today's musical suggestion is "Bye-Bye Darling" by the Borns. Give it a listen and let me know what you think.
Got a comment or question? Hit me up at ooasm2018@gmail.com and I promise to respond, total pinky swear.
I heard this one today and it struck a chord with me so I thought I'd put it out there for each of you to consider from your own perspective.
It is a very simple question and because of that simplicity, one might tend to overlook the depth that really hides behind the seven words that make it up.......
When I first heard it, I sort of took it in and didn't give it a second thought, didn't stop to consider what my own answer might reveal about myself.
The question is.......
What do you really want for Christmas?
Now before you respond with a pat or glib answer, really give it some thought.
What is it that you want that would really make you happy, that would make you smile, that would make you laugh, and maybe even, just possibly make you shed a tear.
I think I spent about an hour reflecting on my own answer as I did some things around the house tonight before I finally felt like I had my own answer to the question.
My answer sort of falls in line with the reason I started this blog so many years ago.
The desire to be part of something bigger than just myself. I want to be the reason someone smiles when she hears her cell phone chirp thinking, nay hoping, it's from me. I want to find that special person with whom I can act silly with while shopping at Loblaw's.
I signed up for my company Christmas party today. Not that big a deal as people do it all the time, but in this case, I signed up with a plus one. Not sure why I did so but maybe this holiday season I'll get an early gift and meet someone who just might not mind attending a party with me.
My name is Marcus and this little thing I call my blog is my attempt to bring a little sanity to being a parent, co-worker, golfer, and maybe even a partner someday to the one who is perfectly imperfect for me.
Today's musical suggestion is "Bye-Bye Darling" by the Borns. Give it a listen and let me know what you think.
Got a comment or question? Hit me up at ooasm2018@gmail.com and I promise to respond, total pinky swear.
Wednesday, November 13, 2019
So I Have A Question For The Readers......
Wednesday, November 13/19
So as I've mentioned in a prior blog entry, I've once again entered the dating pool to see if lady luck might look favorably on me and maybe, just possibly, let me bump into the one who is imperfectly perfect for me.
Now I've been chatting with someone named Steph and had some hope that things might work out for us.
Yes, you read that correctly, had some hope, purely in the past tense.
So why the past tense you ask? Good question and one that leaves me wondering just what the hell I'm doing wrong.
We started chatting at the end of September but weren't able to meet as she was leaving shortly on a business trip to Europe that was going to last slightly over a week. Not the end of the world and totally understandable, she works for a crown corporation in a high-level capacity so travel comes part and parcel with the job, something I'm completely okay as I understand the demands a position like hers might make.
The trip wasn't the reason we are past tense.
No, it seemed like there was always a reason we couldn't meet, some meeting, some social obligation, some volunteer project, her own renovation, or any number of things that seemed to always come between us actually getting together.
When she got back from her trip she came down with a wicked cold, then Thanksgiving came up, then her daughter was with her for the following week. Are you seeing a trend here, I wish I had seen it sooner than this past weekend as I might have saved myself some time.
Sunday morning rolled around and she sent me a text asking me what I was up to and I said not much, probably hit the gym, maybe a little Christmas shopping, and then be home for the Packers game against Carolina. She said that sounded like fun, she was having some friends and family over for the late games, sort of sounded like she might ask me over to join them, but I was wrong. She did send me some pictures of the gathering and said she thought of asking me over but wasn't sure how I would feel so didn't follow through.
Monday night she texted me she was rearranging things in her new place as she had new furniture being delivered on Tuesday and it was really hard doing so by herself, again making it sound like a hint to offer to help out, which I did only to be told she would love to have the help but she was sweaty and didn't want me seeing her like that. She did say she might have some free time this week or weekend to meet for a drink though.
Last night was another series of texts about her needing to go and buy a new television for her family room as her kids felt the house needed something better than she had. She asked me questions about what she should look for in a new one and I offered to meet her at the places she was going to shop but once again got a subtle brush off.
So now you can imagine how I was feeling, I mean how many times can a person hint about meeting only to shoot down any offers. It got me thinking and I did some research and realized we'd been doing this whole back and forth thing for almost 50 days. FIFTY days.......like what the fuck!!!
So this afternoon I received a message from someone asking if I'd like to meet for a drink after work and I agreed as I was tired of waiting around for Steph to either fish or cut bait once again.
As I was shutting down my laptop and getting ready to leave for drinks I got a text from Steph asking if I was busy tonight. I responded to let her know I had plans and was meeting someone for drinks.
"Are you fucking kidding me? is this some lame attempt to make me jealous?" was the reply she sent almost immediately.
"No to both questions" was my initial response followed up with "We didn't have plans for tonight and I think waiting 50 days to meet was long enough"
"I can't believe you would do this to me" was her next text
"What do you mean bu 'do this to you?', it's not like we are even dating, that sort of requires us to meet now and again".
"Steph, I get it that you lead a busy life but I'm not sure you have the time to really date someone and have it develop into a relationship. I'm at the point where I'd like to rank in the top 3 priorities in a partners life and don't see that happening with you, I wish you nothing but the best but don't see any reason to continue our text relationship any longer"
Her last response was "You are so fucking unreasonable, how could you ever expect someone to just drop everything to meet you whenever the mood strikes you!!!!"
Now that one actually made me burst out laughing as I'm the last person to expect anyone to drop plans and see me, if anything I'm actually way too understanding and almost always put myself last in a relationship and adjust my own plans to accommodate them.
I know there is a wide degree of times to work from when you first meet someone you've been chatting with on a dating site, pretty sure one doesn't run off within the first hour and I'm equally sure you shouldn't be stringing the other party along for almost two months.
I readily admit most of the fault with this situation rests with me as I willing to be put off time and time again. Something that won't happen again moving forward.
My own history tends to be a couple of days of maybe texting and a phone call before arranging to meet for drinks or dinner.
So here is my question, really questions......
What is an acceptable time frame before agreeing to meet for the first time?
Does it always have to be the guy to make the request?
I'd love to hear back what you think about this particular post and your own expectations around when is the right time to meet face to face.
My name is Marcus and these are my ongoing adventures in dating, parenting, working, and trying to master the perfect 8 iron from 135 yards. Some are funny and some are kind of sad, not sure if today's blog doesn't qualify as both funny and sad.
As always comments, questions, and complaints can be sent to ooasm2018@gmail.com and you are about 98.735% guaranteed to get a response back within 2-3 non-business days
Today's musical suggestion seems pretty appropriate given the topic of the blog "I Want You to Want Me" by Cheap Trick. Sometimes even I can hit a lob ball out of the park lol.
So as I've mentioned in a prior blog entry, I've once again entered the dating pool to see if lady luck might look favorably on me and maybe, just possibly, let me bump into the one who is imperfectly perfect for me.
Now I've been chatting with someone named Steph and had some hope that things might work out for us.
Yes, you read that correctly, had some hope, purely in the past tense.
So why the past tense you ask? Good question and one that leaves me wondering just what the hell I'm doing wrong.
We started chatting at the end of September but weren't able to meet as she was leaving shortly on a business trip to Europe that was going to last slightly over a week. Not the end of the world and totally understandable, she works for a crown corporation in a high-level capacity so travel comes part and parcel with the job, something I'm completely okay as I understand the demands a position like hers might make.
The trip wasn't the reason we are past tense.
No, it seemed like there was always a reason we couldn't meet, some meeting, some social obligation, some volunteer project, her own renovation, or any number of things that seemed to always come between us actually getting together.
When she got back from her trip she came down with a wicked cold, then Thanksgiving came up, then her daughter was with her for the following week. Are you seeing a trend here, I wish I had seen it sooner than this past weekend as I might have saved myself some time.
Sunday morning rolled around and she sent me a text asking me what I was up to and I said not much, probably hit the gym, maybe a little Christmas shopping, and then be home for the Packers game against Carolina. She said that sounded like fun, she was having some friends and family over for the late games, sort of sounded like she might ask me over to join them, but I was wrong. She did send me some pictures of the gathering and said she thought of asking me over but wasn't sure how I would feel so didn't follow through.
Monday night she texted me she was rearranging things in her new place as she had new furniture being delivered on Tuesday and it was really hard doing so by herself, again making it sound like a hint to offer to help out, which I did only to be told she would love to have the help but she was sweaty and didn't want me seeing her like that. She did say she might have some free time this week or weekend to meet for a drink though.
Last night was another series of texts about her needing to go and buy a new television for her family room as her kids felt the house needed something better than she had. She asked me questions about what she should look for in a new one and I offered to meet her at the places she was going to shop but once again got a subtle brush off.
So now you can imagine how I was feeling, I mean how many times can a person hint about meeting only to shoot down any offers. It got me thinking and I did some research and realized we'd been doing this whole back and forth thing for almost 50 days. FIFTY days.......like what the fuck!!!
So this afternoon I received a message from someone asking if I'd like to meet for a drink after work and I agreed as I was tired of waiting around for Steph to either fish or cut bait once again.
As I was shutting down my laptop and getting ready to leave for drinks I got a text from Steph asking if I was busy tonight. I responded to let her know I had plans and was meeting someone for drinks.
"Are you fucking kidding me? is this some lame attempt to make me jealous?" was the reply she sent almost immediately.
"No to both questions" was my initial response followed up with "We didn't have plans for tonight and I think waiting 50 days to meet was long enough"
"I can't believe you would do this to me" was her next text
"What do you mean bu 'do this to you?', it's not like we are even dating, that sort of requires us to meet now and again".
"Steph, I get it that you lead a busy life but I'm not sure you have the time to really date someone and have it develop into a relationship. I'm at the point where I'd like to rank in the top 3 priorities in a partners life and don't see that happening with you, I wish you nothing but the best but don't see any reason to continue our text relationship any longer"
Her last response was "You are so fucking unreasonable, how could you ever expect someone to just drop everything to meet you whenever the mood strikes you!!!!"
Now that one actually made me burst out laughing as I'm the last person to expect anyone to drop plans and see me, if anything I'm actually way too understanding and almost always put myself last in a relationship and adjust my own plans to accommodate them.
I know there is a wide degree of times to work from when you first meet someone you've been chatting with on a dating site, pretty sure one doesn't run off within the first hour and I'm equally sure you shouldn't be stringing the other party along for almost two months.
I readily admit most of the fault with this situation rests with me as I willing to be put off time and time again. Something that won't happen again moving forward.
My own history tends to be a couple of days of maybe texting and a phone call before arranging to meet for drinks or dinner.
So here is my question, really questions......
What is an acceptable time frame before agreeing to meet for the first time?
Does it always have to be the guy to make the request?
I'd love to hear back what you think about this particular post and your own expectations around when is the right time to meet face to face.
My name is Marcus and these are my ongoing adventures in dating, parenting, working, and trying to master the perfect 8 iron from 135 yards. Some are funny and some are kind of sad, not sure if today's blog doesn't qualify as both funny and sad.
As always comments, questions, and complaints can be sent to ooasm2018@gmail.com and you are about 98.735% guaranteed to get a response back within 2-3 non-business days
Today's musical suggestion seems pretty appropriate given the topic of the blog "I Want You to Want Me" by Cheap Trick. Sometimes even I can hit a lob ball out of the park lol.
Sunday, November 10, 2019
Thank You To All Who Have Served And Are Serving
Sunday, November 10/19
Tomorrow marks an important day and I wanted to blog about it as I don't think enough is done to recognize the sacrifices made on our behalf.
If you've partaken in a public demonstration lately, complained vocally about a politician, or just made a choice that impacts your life, go find a veteran or serving military and thank them for those abilities as they were earned and protected through blood, sweat, and tears.
There is absolutely nothing glorious about war. Not.One.Single.Thing
Yet among us are those made of an inner steel that gladly take up the banner, stand watch on the wall, and protect those they love as well as complete strangers, for if they weren't on that wall than the darkness that is hate, envy, intolerance, and anger would wash over civilization as surely as the sun rises in the East and sets in the West.
I wear my poppy to honour my own relatives who have made the ultimate. My great grandfather rests in Flanders Field, an uncle rests in the jungle of New Guinea in the South Pacific, and another uncle lays just outside Siena on the Italian Peninsula.
If you want to understand what courage is all about, watch the first 10 minutes of "Saving Private Ryan" or the video clips from the shooting attack on the Dallas Police Department from a few years back. Brave men and women walked forward into sure death because they knew to do otherwise would be to let evil win, something that wasn't happening if they could do anything about it.
Colonel John McCrae, from my own province of Ontario, wrote one of the most moving poems to remind us of the sacrifice made during the war to end all wars and to keep the faith with those who made it on our behalf.........
I've had talks with my daughter and son over the years about Remembrance Day and I'll have them with my grandson and granddaughter so they understand what it means and we never break faith with those who gave so much to keep us all safe.
My name is Marcus and I will never break the faith............
Thursday, November 7, 2019
First Snow of the 2019/20 Season
Thursday, November 07/19
So we had our first real snowfall of the season last night and it left all of the yards and trees looking amazing with a white coating of snow.
It was expected so none of us should have been shocked or caught off guard. I say that and yet still think it did as the number of people who seemed to have forgotten that snow requires a bit more patience and caution when driving did leave me scratching my head.
Not sure why it is so hard to understand that spacing between vehicles should get a little larger, speeds a tad slower, and stopping times longer, yet all I saw today were people driving one of two ways like nothing had changed or there was a little old woman sitting next to them in the passenger seat, wearing her Sunday best white church dress while holding a container of chili, thus resulting in a driving speed of approximately 5 km per hour....not 5 km below the stated speed, not 5 km above the stated speed.......no, I mean 5 km per hour period end of story, regardless of the road they were on, street or highway.
It was enough to make me want to pull the hair off my head, even as short as it was given last weekend's haircut.
I know things will get better as people grow more accustomed to the conditions and get winter tires installed over the next couple of weeks, but for today at least, it was beyond annoying.
Luckily, my drive into work only took me 14 minutes this morning and even less this afternoon heading home. Improvements from when I was working the job from hell last year when a good commute was 45 - 55 minutes and heavy snowfall could see that stretched out into a 2-hour drive home.
So, all in all, I guess I'm not going to complain too much, leastways with my outside voice.
The snow came earlier than I expected and I can only hope it might mean it leaves earlier too!!
It was kind of tough to look out my office window and see The Marshes golf course covered in snow, more snow when I remember I was just playing the course a little over a week ago lol
What do you like about the first snowfall? What are some things you don't like?
My name is Marcus and these are my attempts to document my trials and tribulations of being a parent, working, making new friends, mentally visualizing the perfect 8 iron from 135 yards, and trying my hand once again at dating.
Comments, questions, and complaints are always welcome, well more the first two, at ooasm2018@gmail.com
Today's musical suggestion is "Thirteen" by Big Star. Just a nice little song that makes me think of days gone by.
So we had our first real snowfall of the season last night and it left all of the yards and trees looking amazing with a white coating of snow.
It was expected so none of us should have been shocked or caught off guard. I say that and yet still think it did as the number of people who seemed to have forgotten that snow requires a bit more patience and caution when driving did leave me scratching my head.
Not sure why it is so hard to understand that spacing between vehicles should get a little larger, speeds a tad slower, and stopping times longer, yet all I saw today were people driving one of two ways like nothing had changed or there was a little old woman sitting next to them in the passenger seat, wearing her Sunday best white church dress while holding a container of chili, thus resulting in a driving speed of approximately 5 km per hour....not 5 km below the stated speed, not 5 km above the stated speed.......no, I mean 5 km per hour period end of story, regardless of the road they were on, street or highway.
It was enough to make me want to pull the hair off my head, even as short as it was given last weekend's haircut.
I know things will get better as people grow more accustomed to the conditions and get winter tires installed over the next couple of weeks, but for today at least, it was beyond annoying.
Luckily, my drive into work only took me 14 minutes this morning and even less this afternoon heading home. Improvements from when I was working the job from hell last year when a good commute was 45 - 55 minutes and heavy snowfall could see that stretched out into a 2-hour drive home.
So, all in all, I guess I'm not going to complain too much, leastways with my outside voice.
The snow came earlier than I expected and I can only hope it might mean it leaves earlier too!!
It was kind of tough to look out my office window and see The Marshes golf course covered in snow, more snow when I remember I was just playing the course a little over a week ago lol
What do you like about the first snowfall? What are some things you don't like?
My name is Marcus and these are my attempts to document my trials and tribulations of being a parent, working, making new friends, mentally visualizing the perfect 8 iron from 135 yards, and trying my hand once again at dating.
Comments, questions, and complaints are always welcome, well more the first two, at ooasm2018@gmail.com
Today's musical suggestion is "Thirteen" by Big Star. Just a nice little song that makes me think of days gone by.
Saturday, November 2, 2019
The 1st Real Fall Weekend
Saturday, November 02/19
My favorurite seasons in order are Summer, Fall, Spring, and Winter.
I sometimes think placing winter last on my list must somehow invalidate my true inner Canadian but it's just not high on my list.
Maybe if I stilled skied or did some other winter activity like cross country skiing, snowshoeing, or snowboarding it might be different, but I don't so it's not.
But that doesn't mean I don't appreciate winter at times. I mean who doesn't like Christmas and the changing of the year come January.
I love it when it does snow on a lazy Sunday afternoon, with me all bundled up inside, nice and cozy, a drink on the end table and maybe a book open or a movie playing on Netflix.
Now I know the first day of fall was listed as September 23rd but I don't consider the change in seasons complete until I can't golf anymore and that day came last Sunday, with the disaster I like to call my Marshes season-ending round from hell lol
Even though it wasn't how I wanted to end my season I still had fun with my buddies from work. We've even talked about trying out one of the indoor golf simulators this weekend, something I've never even considered prior to this year.
So here we are at my official start of fall and how is the weather? Raining, damp, and chilly.
In other words, perfect.
I dragged my son out with me for some lunch at East Side Mario's, we hit the Beer Store to return some empties, visited the LCBO to grab some Big Wave Pale Ale and Daura as well as a couple of Blackthorne ciders for this old man, and rounded it off with a walk around at Loblaws where I got all the makings for stew, something I'll be getting up early on Sunday to prep so it's ready for the 2nd half of the Green Bay Packers game in Los Angeles.
With the arrival of fall, I'll sort of start my hibernation mode as I don't do much in the way of outdoor activities, though I am planning on taking advantage of the gym membership I won for the Brookstreet Hotel and Spa at the recent company golf tournament.
I'm debating watching a movie on Amazon Prime, much bigger selection than I originally thought when I signed up, maybe reading, or even playing a video game on the old PS3, probably Ratchet & Clank as it's one of the few I can play without getting motion sickness.
Actually the watch a movie or read is pretty much how most of my nights go these days since I got rid of cable television. Probably one of the best decisions I ever made as I wasn't using it and only miss watching college football on Saturdays, and really only the big matchups.
Now I can hear some of you asking what am I going to do for golf next season when the big tournaments are played like the Masters, US & British Opens..........well I'm sure there is an app or online streaming service I can subscribe to these days to cover off that need.
So what are you up to this weekend?
Is the weather warm and dry enough to draw you outside or is it cold, wet, and dreary so you want to stay inside for other activities, get your head out of the gutter as I was thinking more along the lines of having friends over for card or board games, not that other thing.......or was I? lol
My name is Marcus and the indoor season is upon us. Follow this little adventure for my thoughts and comments on dating, parenting, and working from the viewpoint of a fifty-something male. You might just have a chuckle if you do.
Today's musical suggestion is "Underwhelmed" by Sloan.
Comments, observations, and questions always welcome at ooasm2018@gmail.com
My favorurite seasons in order are Summer, Fall, Spring, and Winter.
I sometimes think placing winter last on my list must somehow invalidate my true inner Canadian but it's just not high on my list.
Maybe if I stilled skied or did some other winter activity like cross country skiing, snowshoeing, or snowboarding it might be different, but I don't so it's not.
But that doesn't mean I don't appreciate winter at times. I mean who doesn't like Christmas and the changing of the year come January.
I love it when it does snow on a lazy Sunday afternoon, with me all bundled up inside, nice and cozy, a drink on the end table and maybe a book open or a movie playing on Netflix.
Now I know the first day of fall was listed as September 23rd but I don't consider the change in seasons complete until I can't golf anymore and that day came last Sunday, with the disaster I like to call my Marshes season-ending round from hell lol
Even though it wasn't how I wanted to end my season I still had fun with my buddies from work. We've even talked about trying out one of the indoor golf simulators this weekend, something I've never even considered prior to this year.
So here we are at my official start of fall and how is the weather? Raining, damp, and chilly.
In other words, perfect.
I dragged my son out with me for some lunch at East Side Mario's, we hit the Beer Store to return some empties, visited the LCBO to grab some Big Wave Pale Ale and Daura as well as a couple of Blackthorne ciders for this old man, and rounded it off with a walk around at Loblaws where I got all the makings for stew, something I'll be getting up early on Sunday to prep so it's ready for the 2nd half of the Green Bay Packers game in Los Angeles.
With the arrival of fall, I'll sort of start my hibernation mode as I don't do much in the way of outdoor activities, though I am planning on taking advantage of the gym membership I won for the Brookstreet Hotel and Spa at the recent company golf tournament.
I'm debating watching a movie on Amazon Prime, much bigger selection than I originally thought when I signed up, maybe reading, or even playing a video game on the old PS3, probably Ratchet & Clank as it's one of the few I can play without getting motion sickness.
Actually the watch a movie or read is pretty much how most of my nights go these days since I got rid of cable television. Probably one of the best decisions I ever made as I wasn't using it and only miss watching college football on Saturdays, and really only the big matchups.
Now I can hear some of you asking what am I going to do for golf next season when the big tournaments are played like the Masters, US & British Opens..........well I'm sure there is an app or online streaming service I can subscribe to these days to cover off that need.
So what are you up to this weekend?
Is the weather warm and dry enough to draw you outside or is it cold, wet, and dreary so you want to stay inside for other activities, get your head out of the gutter as I was thinking more along the lines of having friends over for card or board games, not that other thing.......or was I? lol
My name is Marcus and the indoor season is upon us. Follow this little adventure for my thoughts and comments on dating, parenting, and working from the viewpoint of a fifty-something male. You might just have a chuckle if you do.
Today's musical suggestion is "Underwhelmed" by Sloan.
Comments, observations, and questions always welcome at ooasm2018@gmail.com
Thursday, October 31, 2019
Happy Halloween
Thursday, October 31/19
Wishing everyone a Happy Halloween!
It's cold and windy here in Ottawa, so not sure what the turnout is going to be like tonight.
Weather forecasts have been so bad that the city of Montreal has actually postponed Halloween until the weekend in order to protect people.
Jack is going out for a short bit as the rascal loves him some chocolate but my daughter isn't thrilled with the thought and actually tried to bribe him with a trip to Toys-r-Us if he'd agree to stay in....smart little boy negotiated with him grandmother for her to buy him a toy if he came to trick or treat at her house lol
Hope everyone has a good night, remember to keep an eye on those little ghouls and goblins when you are out tonight.
Marcus
Wishing everyone a Happy Halloween!
It's cold and windy here in Ottawa, so not sure what the turnout is going to be like tonight.
Weather forecasts have been so bad that the city of Montreal has actually postponed Halloween until the weekend in order to protect people.
Jack is going out for a short bit as the rascal loves him some chocolate but my daughter isn't thrilled with the thought and actually tried to bribe him with a trip to Toys-r-Us if he'd agree to stay in....smart little boy negotiated with him grandmother for her to buy him a toy if he came to trick or treat at her house lol
Hope everyone has a good night, remember to keep an eye on those little ghouls and goblins when you are out tonight.
Marcus
Wednesday, October 30, 2019
Learned Something New Yesterday, Really Wish I Hadn't
Wednesday, October 30/19
I'm all about continually pushing myself to learn new things, to stretch my boundaries, to keep looking outwards to see what life has to offer me.
Normally the things I learn are pretty cool and interesting, at least to me that is.
Rarely do I come away thinking it was a bad experience, at the very least I can add it to the trunkful of useless trivia I've stored over the years that make me the best Trivial Pursuit partner one could ever wish for, I kid thee not my friends.
All of that came to a crashing halt yesterday when I logged into my dating profile and found a message from someone.
Seems pretty innocent enough right? You'd be right for thinking that up until I got to the end of the message and was told that though her profile lists her as single, the truth is that she is in a polyamorous relationship and wanted to meet me to see if I'd be interested in pursuing things with her.
Now to be fair, and I do try to be fair as often as possible, I knew I wasn't really too interested in meeting as she had far too many pictures of her cat and all of the pictures of herself were with sunglasses, a huge red flag for me as I know I've stated in previous posts that I think eyes are one of the first things I notice about a person, especially a woman.
Now I'd never heard this phrase polyamorous used before and she didn't provide any context of what it meant, assuming I guess that I knew what it was all about, which I didn't, until now.
Here is one definition of what it means.....
First off, it's an adjective (makes sense to me so far)
"Characterized by or involved in the practice of engaging in multiple sexual relationships with the consent of all the people involved. Intimacy and trust are essential to a successful polyamorous relationship"
My first thought? What the Fuck!
Now I may be in my mid-fifties, but I'd like to think I'm pretty damn open-minded about things and have seen a lot of changes in my life all these long years.
My take is that this is just an easy way to make one feel good about basically cheating on your partner, and I don't give a damn if it's done with their knowledge and permission, when you take a vow that vow should mean something, it is not to be put aside by mutual consent so one of you can get a taste of something, really someone, new.
Back in the day, a phrase I never thought I'd be using but here it is, this was called something entirely different......swinging
If I had to venture why there's been an evolution in the name it's probably because swinging implied a couple were there at the same time doing it together, whereas, with a polyamorous relationship, each partner seeks out someone on his or her own, just letting the other partner know what is going on, bringing everything into the light and not hiding anything. I guess this alleviates any need to feel guilty for doing the deed, also known as the beast with two backs, with someone who is not legally your partner.
Maybe it helps those who get bored easily and aren't willing to see the potential of just one partner.
I'm sure this is good for those people but I know it's certainly not my cup of tea, I'm all about the one on one and think open communications are all that is needed to keep a relationship fresh, vibrant and fulfilling.
Of course, you could ask what do I know, I've been single since late 2015 when I managed to crash and burn with Corinna. I know this, though we were in a medium distance relationship, not one moment did I ever think of being anything other than true to her, not because I feared the consequences but because that was what she deserved, that was what I deserved, and I could never hurt someone like that, I'd sooner walk away than cheat on my partner.
So you'd be on safe ground to think this guy will never be part of anything other than a true one on one relationship. I'll stay single till my last breath before I'll break that vow.
Actions have meaning and words mean something when said from the heart. I've only told three women I love them in my life, well three in a romantic manner. Maybe that number increases by one should things work out for me going forward but if it doesn't, I'll be okay as the three that did hear it meant something to me, something deep and meaningful for different periods of my life.
My name is Marcus and I think it's high time I start writing entries to my blog.
These are my continuing adventures in trying to be a good father, grandfather, friend, coworker, mastering the perfect 8 iron from 130 yards, and fan of the Oxford comma. Did you see what I just did there? lol
Comments, questions, and critiques are always welcome at ooasm2018@gmail.com
Tonight's musical suggestion is "Champion" by Bishop Briggs
I'm all about continually pushing myself to learn new things, to stretch my boundaries, to keep looking outwards to see what life has to offer me.
Normally the things I learn are pretty cool and interesting, at least to me that is.
Rarely do I come away thinking it was a bad experience, at the very least I can add it to the trunkful of useless trivia I've stored over the years that make me the best Trivial Pursuit partner one could ever wish for, I kid thee not my friends.
All of that came to a crashing halt yesterday when I logged into my dating profile and found a message from someone.
Seems pretty innocent enough right? You'd be right for thinking that up until I got to the end of the message and was told that though her profile lists her as single, the truth is that she is in a polyamorous relationship and wanted to meet me to see if I'd be interested in pursuing things with her.
Now to be fair, and I do try to be fair as often as possible, I knew I wasn't really too interested in meeting as she had far too many pictures of her cat and all of the pictures of herself were with sunglasses, a huge red flag for me as I know I've stated in previous posts that I think eyes are one of the first things I notice about a person, especially a woman.
Now I'd never heard this phrase polyamorous used before and she didn't provide any context of what it meant, assuming I guess that I knew what it was all about, which I didn't, until now.
Here is one definition of what it means.....
First off, it's an adjective (makes sense to me so far)
"Characterized by or involved in the practice of engaging in multiple sexual relationships with the consent of all the people involved. Intimacy and trust are essential to a successful polyamorous relationship"
My first thought? What the Fuck!
Now I may be in my mid-fifties, but I'd like to think I'm pretty damn open-minded about things and have seen a lot of changes in my life all these long years.
My take is that this is just an easy way to make one feel good about basically cheating on your partner, and I don't give a damn if it's done with their knowledge and permission, when you take a vow that vow should mean something, it is not to be put aside by mutual consent so one of you can get a taste of something, really someone, new.
Back in the day, a phrase I never thought I'd be using but here it is, this was called something entirely different......swinging
If I had to venture why there's been an evolution in the name it's probably because swinging implied a couple were there at the same time doing it together, whereas, with a polyamorous relationship, each partner seeks out someone on his or her own, just letting the other partner know what is going on, bringing everything into the light and not hiding anything. I guess this alleviates any need to feel guilty for doing the deed, also known as the beast with two backs, with someone who is not legally your partner.
Maybe it helps those who get bored easily and aren't willing to see the potential of just one partner.
I'm sure this is good for those people but I know it's certainly not my cup of tea, I'm all about the one on one and think open communications are all that is needed to keep a relationship fresh, vibrant and fulfilling.
Of course, you could ask what do I know, I've been single since late 2015 when I managed to crash and burn with Corinna. I know this, though we were in a medium distance relationship, not one moment did I ever think of being anything other than true to her, not because I feared the consequences but because that was what she deserved, that was what I deserved, and I could never hurt someone like that, I'd sooner walk away than cheat on my partner.
So you'd be on safe ground to think this guy will never be part of anything other than a true one on one relationship. I'll stay single till my last breath before I'll break that vow.
Actions have meaning and words mean something when said from the heart. I've only told three women I love them in my life, well three in a romantic manner. Maybe that number increases by one should things work out for me going forward but if it doesn't, I'll be okay as the three that did hear it meant something to me, something deep and meaningful for different periods of my life.
My name is Marcus and I think it's high time I start writing entries to my blog.
These are my continuing adventures in trying to be a good father, grandfather, friend, coworker, mastering the perfect 8 iron from 130 yards, and fan of the Oxford comma. Did you see what I just did there? lol
Comments, questions, and critiques are always welcome at ooasm2018@gmail.com
Tonight's musical suggestion is "Champion" by Bishop Briggs
Wednesday, October 16, 2019
A Belated Happy Thanksgiving
Wednesday, October 16/19
So last Monday was Thanksgiving in Canada and for the first time in a very long time, I did not prepare a post about the holiday.
Well to be fair, I haven't really prepared many posts in the past couple of months.
I'd like to rectify this omission and say I hope everyone had a wonderful long weekend, I know I did.
What made my weekend so wonderful you ask?
It was filled with family and friends, nothing beats that in my books.
I spent Saturday morning with my daughter and grandson at a pumpkin patch, where we took a tractor ride through corn stalks to hand-pick pumpkins, Jack chose all three and made me laugh so much I was almost in tears. Saturday afternoon was spent sitting on the dirt driveway at my daughter's place helping Jack fill imaginary pot-holes. Yes, you read that correctly, I sat in the dirt and helped my grandson move pebbles around to even out the laneway. Best couple of hours I've spent in a long time. When nap time came around I was told that only poppa could snuggle him as he fell asleep. You could have seen my smile from outer space.
Sunday was the family dinner hosted at my daughter's place. She has an open concept main floor that really works well for large gatherings, there were 15 people all told between family and friends. My ex made the turkey and ham, while my daughter did the side dishes. One added bonus was the extra sugar pie my ex made just for me :)
After dinner, we did something very Canadian and all sat around the fire pit and enjoyed each other's company. I got to talk to my son about how his classes were going and we somehow managed to discuss soccer as well, you'd almost think our family was into the sport or something.
Monday was all about cleaning up the disaster that had become my home office and getting my laptop set up with the two external monitors, my desktop system has been acting up for the past few months and I'd finally had enough.
Of course, once I finished with the office task I headed out to play some golf. It was almost perfect weather and my home course was pretty much empty.
Must have been something in the water as I played lights out for most of the round, bagging a birdie and leaving 4 others just out of reach, I was hitting both my driver and 3 wood perfectly all day. The only dark spot on the game was my putting, I just couldn't manage to read the speed of the greens and 3 putted my way into a 92, a score that easily could have been an 84 or 85!!!
All in all, one of the better weekends I've had in the last several months.
But it did offer me ample time to reflect on the things I am thankful for in my life.
I'm thankful for my health. After the cancer scare last year and this year's little left knee injury I'm happy to still be able to do most of what I like physically. I had my one-year followup last month and things were perfect so the world is my oyster :)
I'm thankful for my family and all the love and joy they bring my way. My kids are my biggest accomplishment and now I can add my grandson to the mix as well. Next year we'll be welcoming a little girl into the fold and I can't wait to lose my heart to her.
I'm thankful for my job and all the variety it brings me day in and day out. Sure there are times it can be stressful with being pulled in multiple directions at once but this same time last year I was contemplating changing jobs as I was totally bored where I was, so onward and upward.
I'm thankful for pushing myself to get out of my comfort zone when it comes to socializing. I've made new friends at work, been out to lunches, and even committed to forming a foursome for our work golf tournament last month. We didn't win, weren't even close, but oh man did we have a blast on the course and at the banquet afterwards, so much so that we are already talking about doing it again next year!!!!!
I'm thankful for eight amazing years with Moki. She gave me strength when I thought the future looked bleak, was always up for a walk or a snuggle, and loved her human with all her heart. I miss that pupper every single day.
Life doesn't always turn out the way we imagine, but that doesn't mean it won't offer ample opportunities to grow as a person and enjoy yourself along the way.
I'm thankful that I have the ability to love and be loved.
My name is Marcus and these are my continuing adventures through life as I try and master the perfect 8 iron from 130 yards, be a good father and grandfather, and just maybe, find love once more in my life.
Comments, questions, and even criticisms are welcome at ooasm2018@gmail.com
Today's musical suggestion comes from The Arkells in "Hand Me Downs"
So last Monday was Thanksgiving in Canada and for the first time in a very long time, I did not prepare a post about the holiday.
Well to be fair, I haven't really prepared many posts in the past couple of months.
I'd like to rectify this omission and say I hope everyone had a wonderful long weekend, I know I did.
What made my weekend so wonderful you ask?
It was filled with family and friends, nothing beats that in my books.
I spent Saturday morning with my daughter and grandson at a pumpkin patch, where we took a tractor ride through corn stalks to hand-pick pumpkins, Jack chose all three and made me laugh so much I was almost in tears. Saturday afternoon was spent sitting on the dirt driveway at my daughter's place helping Jack fill imaginary pot-holes. Yes, you read that correctly, I sat in the dirt and helped my grandson move pebbles around to even out the laneway. Best couple of hours I've spent in a long time. When nap time came around I was told that only poppa could snuggle him as he fell asleep. You could have seen my smile from outer space.
Sunday was the family dinner hosted at my daughter's place. She has an open concept main floor that really works well for large gatherings, there were 15 people all told between family and friends. My ex made the turkey and ham, while my daughter did the side dishes. One added bonus was the extra sugar pie my ex made just for me :)
After dinner, we did something very Canadian and all sat around the fire pit and enjoyed each other's company. I got to talk to my son about how his classes were going and we somehow managed to discuss soccer as well, you'd almost think our family was into the sport or something.
Monday was all about cleaning up the disaster that had become my home office and getting my laptop set up with the two external monitors, my desktop system has been acting up for the past few months and I'd finally had enough.
Of course, once I finished with the office task I headed out to play some golf. It was almost perfect weather and my home course was pretty much empty.
Must have been something in the water as I played lights out for most of the round, bagging a birdie and leaving 4 others just out of reach, I was hitting both my driver and 3 wood perfectly all day. The only dark spot on the game was my putting, I just couldn't manage to read the speed of the greens and 3 putted my way into a 92, a score that easily could have been an 84 or 85!!!
All in all, one of the better weekends I've had in the last several months.
But it did offer me ample time to reflect on the things I am thankful for in my life.
I'm thankful for my health. After the cancer scare last year and this year's little left knee injury I'm happy to still be able to do most of what I like physically. I had my one-year followup last month and things were perfect so the world is my oyster :)
I'm thankful for my family and all the love and joy they bring my way. My kids are my biggest accomplishment and now I can add my grandson to the mix as well. Next year we'll be welcoming a little girl into the fold and I can't wait to lose my heart to her.
I'm thankful for my job and all the variety it brings me day in and day out. Sure there are times it can be stressful with being pulled in multiple directions at once but this same time last year I was contemplating changing jobs as I was totally bored where I was, so onward and upward.
I'm thankful for pushing myself to get out of my comfort zone when it comes to socializing. I've made new friends at work, been out to lunches, and even committed to forming a foursome for our work golf tournament last month. We didn't win, weren't even close, but oh man did we have a blast on the course and at the banquet afterwards, so much so that we are already talking about doing it again next year!!!!!
I'm thankful for eight amazing years with Moki. She gave me strength when I thought the future looked bleak, was always up for a walk or a snuggle, and loved her human with all her heart. I miss that pupper every single day.
Life doesn't always turn out the way we imagine, but that doesn't mean it won't offer ample opportunities to grow as a person and enjoy yourself along the way.
I'm thankful that I have the ability to love and be loved.
My name is Marcus and these are my continuing adventures through life as I try and master the perfect 8 iron from 130 yards, be a good father and grandfather, and just maybe, find love once more in my life.
Comments, questions, and even criticisms are welcome at ooasm2018@gmail.com
Today's musical suggestion comes from The Arkells in "Hand Me Downs"
Tuesday, October 1, 2019
Moki...........
Tuesday, October 1st, 2019
I've had three really horrible days in my life.
The first came when I got the call on April 9th, 1998 that my mom had passed away.
The second happened on December 4th, 2009 and involved having a neurosurgeon advise me that the surgery he proposed to relieve cranial pressure on my son's brain due to a sinus infection had a 50/50 chance of saving his life or killing him.
The third was less than two weeks ago when I had to make the decision to let go of Moki and have her put under as she was in pain and there was no way I could let her suffer.
I've been struggling with that loss every single day, fighting back both my tears and anger at the oddest moments.
Moki had slowly been getting worse from her lymphoma but not to the extent that I thought we were even close to having to make that call, but something happened between the time I left for work on that Wednesday and the time I came home that put her over the tipping point.
We were told 2-6 months back in January and were given almost 3 months more to spend with her.
We tried to take her for as many walks in her park as we could and shared far more treats with her in these last few months than she'd ever had in the prior 7 years, including table scraps that made her tail wag with happiness.
She was the most wonderful puppy anyone could ever have asked for. She was kind, affectionate, caring, and empathetic.
Last year when I had my cancer scare and was off work for 2 months dealing with the adverse reaction to the chemo I was given post-surgery, that pupper never left my side, always snuggling with me to let me know she loved me and had my back.
Over the last two week's I've received so many reminders about her from little things around the house to memory tickler from FaceBook of a picture, I had taken of her back in 2015 curled up in Corinna's lap, both of them sleeping and looking so peaceful.
My son and I have had lots of talks about her these past days, remembering all the cute things she used to do to make us laugh and smile, we've shared a few tears along the way, and both commented that she is in a better place now, no longer in pain and hopefully running around with both Brishc and Shadow.
I miss my little puppy so much and know that over time the memories won't make me cry but will hopefully turn to smiles as I feel her within my soul, letting me know that she might not be here with us physically but will always be a part of our lives.
Love you puppy dog..................................
My name is Marcus and part of me died when I held her as she left us.
I've had three really horrible days in my life.
The first came when I got the call on April 9th, 1998 that my mom had passed away.
The second happened on December 4th, 2009 and involved having a neurosurgeon advise me that the surgery he proposed to relieve cranial pressure on my son's brain due to a sinus infection had a 50/50 chance of saving his life or killing him.
The third was less than two weeks ago when I had to make the decision to let go of Moki and have her put under as she was in pain and there was no way I could let her suffer.
I've been struggling with that loss every single day, fighting back both my tears and anger at the oddest moments.
Moki had slowly been getting worse from her lymphoma but not to the extent that I thought we were even close to having to make that call, but something happened between the time I left for work on that Wednesday and the time I came home that put her over the tipping point.
We were told 2-6 months back in January and were given almost 3 months more to spend with her.
We tried to take her for as many walks in her park as we could and shared far more treats with her in these last few months than she'd ever had in the prior 7 years, including table scraps that made her tail wag with happiness.
She was the most wonderful puppy anyone could ever have asked for. She was kind, affectionate, caring, and empathetic.
Last year when I had my cancer scare and was off work for 2 months dealing with the adverse reaction to the chemo I was given post-surgery, that pupper never left my side, always snuggling with me to let me know she loved me and had my back.
Over the last two week's I've received so many reminders about her from little things around the house to memory tickler from FaceBook of a picture, I had taken of her back in 2015 curled up in Corinna's lap, both of them sleeping and looking so peaceful.
My son and I have had lots of talks about her these past days, remembering all the cute things she used to do to make us laugh and smile, we've shared a few tears along the way, and both commented that she is in a better place now, no longer in pain and hopefully running around with both Brishc and Shadow.
I miss my little puppy so much and know that over time the memories won't make me cry but will hopefully turn to smiles as I feel her within my soul, letting me know that she might not be here with us physically but will always be a part of our lives.
Love you puppy dog..................................
My name is Marcus and part of me died when I held her as she left us.
Sunday, August 4, 2019
Salford City Football Club....am I really a traitor?
Friday, August 02/19
So while my son was getting ready for work this morning and I was being lazy given its day one of my four-day weekend, I was checking out the upcoming soccer season and pending transfers while sitting at the breakfast nook eating some oatmeal.
My son happened to see the web browser was open to the Salford City Football Club website and he commented that he couldn't believe I was actually following them.
I laughed and said my ultimate dream, soccer wise, these days was to see Salford City continue to get promoted to the Premier League and get to actually host Manchester United Football Club (MUFC) at a home game that is literally insight of Old Trafford.
Salford City has been promoted something like 4 straight seasons and now is playing in the upper echelons of English football. I learned about them from a Netflix special called "The Class of '92" that showcased the investment into the club by five, and now six, members of the group of players called the "Class of '92" who would go on to make Manchester United a dominant team, including winning a Treble in 1999.
The original group included Phil and Gary Neville, Nicky Butts, Paul Scholes, and Ryan Giggs. They increased to majority ownership with the later addition of David Beckham.
I made the comment to my son last year when MUFC was taking its sweet time in making Ole Gunnar Solskjaer the permanent replacement for Jose Mourinho that if they didn't make it happen I'd switch allegiance to Salford City. He had no clue who they were and I had the pleasure of telling him the story and see his own enjoyment in the success they've had show up in his smile.
Of course, he doubted my threat as he knows I'm a Red Devil through and through, no matter what, and he's right, but it doesn't mean there isn't room in my cold heart to support a plucky underdog like Salford City.
It dawned on me that I've actually been checking up on them to see what steps they are taking to strengthen the roster in anticipation of this coming League 2 season opener against Stevenage more than I have on MUFC's attempts to get back to the top of the Premier League.
Has my allegiance changed so much? No, I don't think so, maybe my current interest is on Salford City as the League 2 season kicks off tomorrow and it's logical that I'd be more focused on them at the moment since MUFC is still playing exhibition games for the moment.
But it might be telling that I've been contemplating buying myself a Salford City away shirt to show my support for the "Ammies", not a thought that has been front and centre where Manchester United has been concerned lately.
My name is Marcus and while most of my posts are around living my life the best I can, being the best father possible to my daughter and son, improving my golf game as much as possible, and finding the one and only imperfectly perfect woman for me, some also stray outside these lines and might involve just about any topic under the sun, like being teased by said son about being a traitor to my club lol.
Just so everyone is clear on where my allegiances lay.....Manchester United, FC Bayern Munchen, and Salford City Football Club. In that order and always in that order!
Questions and comments are always welcome and I have a very impressive response rate of almost 96.9753% as of last week. ooasm2018@gmail.com
So while my son was getting ready for work this morning and I was being lazy given its day one of my four-day weekend, I was checking out the upcoming soccer season and pending transfers while sitting at the breakfast nook eating some oatmeal.
My son happened to see the web browser was open to the Salford City Football Club website and he commented that he couldn't believe I was actually following them.
I laughed and said my ultimate dream, soccer wise, these days was to see Salford City continue to get promoted to the Premier League and get to actually host Manchester United Football Club (MUFC) at a home game that is literally insight of Old Trafford.
Salford City has been promoted something like 4 straight seasons and now is playing in the upper echelons of English football. I learned about them from a Netflix special called "The Class of '92" that showcased the investment into the club by five, and now six, members of the group of players called the "Class of '92" who would go on to make Manchester United a dominant team, including winning a Treble in 1999.
The original group included Phil and Gary Neville, Nicky Butts, Paul Scholes, and Ryan Giggs. They increased to majority ownership with the later addition of David Beckham.
I made the comment to my son last year when MUFC was taking its sweet time in making Ole Gunnar Solskjaer the permanent replacement for Jose Mourinho that if they didn't make it happen I'd switch allegiance to Salford City. He had no clue who they were and I had the pleasure of telling him the story and see his own enjoyment in the success they've had show up in his smile.
Of course, he doubted my threat as he knows I'm a Red Devil through and through, no matter what, and he's right, but it doesn't mean there isn't room in my cold heart to support a plucky underdog like Salford City.
It dawned on me that I've actually been checking up on them to see what steps they are taking to strengthen the roster in anticipation of this coming League 2 season opener against Stevenage more than I have on MUFC's attempts to get back to the top of the Premier League.
Has my allegiance changed so much? No, I don't think so, maybe my current interest is on Salford City as the League 2 season kicks off tomorrow and it's logical that I'd be more focused on them at the moment since MUFC is still playing exhibition games for the moment.
But it might be telling that I've been contemplating buying myself a Salford City away shirt to show my support for the "Ammies", not a thought that has been front and centre where Manchester United has been concerned lately.
My name is Marcus and while most of my posts are around living my life the best I can, being the best father possible to my daughter and son, improving my golf game as much as possible, and finding the one and only imperfectly perfect woman for me, some also stray outside these lines and might involve just about any topic under the sun, like being teased by said son about being a traitor to my club lol.
Just so everyone is clear on where my allegiances lay.....Manchester United, FC Bayern Munchen, and Salford City Football Club. In that order and always in that order!
Questions and comments are always welcome and I have a very impressive response rate of almost 96.9753% as of last week. ooasm2018@gmail.com
GO AMMIES!!!!
My Four Day Weekend
Thursday, August 01/19
So this coming weekend is the long Civic Weekend in Ontario so while some may be enjoying a three day weekend I've decided to one-up everyone and make mine a four day weekend by also taking off Friday :)
So what big plans are filling up my four days?
If you thought of golf right off the bat than kudos to you for having paid attention to prior blog entries.
Normally these kinds of weekends involve my kids in some way but they've both already got plans for the weekend. My son begins his week with his mom tomorrow and my daughter is going camping with her own family and her husband's brother and family down near Sandbanks Provincial Park. Can't wait to see the pictures of Jack rolling down the dunes into the lake :)
Friday will see me running a few errands before enjoying an easy round in the afternoon at Stittsville.
I've lined up a 7:07 tee time at Club de Golf Champlain over in Gatineau and will follow it up with another afternoon round at Stittsville. Me golfing in Gatineau? I know, I find it as shocking as you do given some of the comments I've made about Separatists and Quebec, but fair is fair and I'm the first to admit that does Quebec not only have some good courses but eye-catching gorgeous women as well :)
Sunday.....yes, another round of golf at my club but I'm also planning on some serious deck time with a cold beverage, a good book, and Moki.
Monday is kind of open at the moment. I'm debating playing a new course and at the same time thinking a nice walk along the canal from Dows Lake to the Byward Market and back might be something I'd enjoy just as much.
Somewhere along the way I've got to login to the network and run some reports as I've got a really busy day on Tuesday with some critical reconciliations due for review by the controller and new director of accounting so we can finish off our required quarterly SEC statements.
So my weekend is looking pretty good but it could be so much better if I had that someone special to share the moments with.....
My name is Marcus and these are my continuing adventures in being a parent, co-worker, friend, attempts to master the perfect 8 iron from 130 yards out, and finding that one imperfectly perfect woman who makes me feel butterflies and go blind to every other woman around me.
Today's musical suggestion is "Pontoon" by Little Big Town. The perfect long weekend summer song in my mind.
Questions and comments can be directed my way at ooasm2018@gmail.com and there's a 96.5% chance you'll get a response :)
So this coming weekend is the long Civic Weekend in Ontario so while some may be enjoying a three day weekend I've decided to one-up everyone and make mine a four day weekend by also taking off Friday :)
So what big plans are filling up my four days?
If you thought of golf right off the bat than kudos to you for having paid attention to prior blog entries.
Normally these kinds of weekends involve my kids in some way but they've both already got plans for the weekend. My son begins his week with his mom tomorrow and my daughter is going camping with her own family and her husband's brother and family down near Sandbanks Provincial Park. Can't wait to see the pictures of Jack rolling down the dunes into the lake :)
Friday will see me running a few errands before enjoying an easy round in the afternoon at Stittsville.
I've lined up a 7:07 tee time at Club de Golf Champlain over in Gatineau and will follow it up with another afternoon round at Stittsville. Me golfing in Gatineau? I know, I find it as shocking as you do given some of the comments I've made about Separatists and Quebec, but fair is fair and I'm the first to admit that does Quebec not only have some good courses but eye-catching gorgeous women as well :)
Sunday.....yes, another round of golf at my club but I'm also planning on some serious deck time with a cold beverage, a good book, and Moki.
Monday is kind of open at the moment. I'm debating playing a new course and at the same time thinking a nice walk along the canal from Dows Lake to the Byward Market and back might be something I'd enjoy just as much.
Somewhere along the way I've got to login to the network and run some reports as I've got a really busy day on Tuesday with some critical reconciliations due for review by the controller and new director of accounting so we can finish off our required quarterly SEC statements.
So my weekend is looking pretty good but it could be so much better if I had that someone special to share the moments with.....
My name is Marcus and these are my continuing adventures in being a parent, co-worker, friend, attempts to master the perfect 8 iron from 130 yards out, and finding that one imperfectly perfect woman who makes me feel butterflies and go blind to every other woman around me.
Today's musical suggestion is "Pontoon" by Little Big Town. The perfect long weekend summer song in my mind.
Questions and comments can be directed my way at ooasm2018@gmail.com and there's a 96.5% chance you'll get a response :)
Wednesday, July 10, 2019
Simple Rules for Life
Wednesday, July 10/19
So I follow a few people and sports teams on Instagram and saw the following this afternoon on Kate Quigley's profile and thought I'd share it with you.....
We only have one life. Keep it simple.
My name is Marcus and I'm going to start incorporating these into my daily life. Probably not going to help me find my one but probably aren't going to hurt my chances either so it's all good.
Today's musical suggestion is "No Roots" by Alice Merton
Got a question or comment? Let me know at ooasm2018@gmail.com
So I follow a few people and sports teams on Instagram and saw the following this afternoon on Kate Quigley's profile and thought I'd share it with you.....
We only have one life. Keep it simple.
- missing someone - call them
- wanna meet up - invite them
- wanna be understood - explain yourself
- have questions - ask
- don't like something - speak up
- don't like someone - don't spend time with them
- like something - share it
- want something - ask for it
- like someone - make an effort
- love someone - tell them or better yet show them
My name is Marcus and I'm going to start incorporating these into my daily life. Probably not going to help me find my one but probably aren't going to hurt my chances either so it's all good.
Today's musical suggestion is "No Roots" by Alice Merton
Got a question or comment? Let me know at ooasm2018@gmail.com
Monday, July 8, 2019
I am Broken
Monday, July 08/19
So on my way to play golf at The Mississippi Golf Club on Saturday, I heard a song on the radio that made me take pause and think about the lyrics and what they meant to me.........
The song? Broken by Lonely the Band.
It's an interesting song and I highly suggest giving it a listen to see if it resonates with you like it did, actually does, with me.
I've posted recently that I'm struggling with things and nothing has changed about that statement, I am struggling but I know that I am and that is half the battle when trying to push through to the other side and see the light once again.
I've had a few messages from followers expressing some concern and offering to meet for a drink and chat, offers I appreciate, but please rest assured there is no chance I'll ever do anything to harm myself as I know that doing so would not make me feel better and actually hurt those around me far more than I am feeling right now.
So what do I mean by broken?
We are all broken at some point or another in our lives. Maybe our spirit has been broken over time, maybe we are physically breaking down, maybe our relationship is showing some chinks, maybe we have doubts spiritually, or maybe everything is showing the normal wear and tear of time that looked at alone doesn't seem too much but when taken together feels more than a little overwhelming.
I think it is the last that epitomizes my own state these days.
My spirit took a blow a few years ago that I didn't really see coming and has only recently started to recover from enough to let me contemplate moving forward in my search for love.
Physically, I'm more broken than I've ever been and that says quite a bit given how much into sports I was in my younger years, maybe it's those earlier activities that are coming back to haunt me now.
Emotionally I'd say I was far more broken than I thought when things imploded back in 2015. I was caught off guard when a decision was made unilaterally that had a huge impact on my life, a life I saw moving in one direction that wasn't shared in the least. Part of what left me reeling from that decision was that I never saw it coming, never realized things were so tenuous between us, that I was so unaware of the situation that I was playing in left field all by myself.
That simple feeling of being so unaware did a number on my self-confidence, to such an extent that I basically shut down all external relationships and just stopped trying, living behind my false front that being single wasn't a bad thing and I didn't mind doing things on my own.
Well, I've come to realize that has to be the biggest fucking lie I've ever told myself.
I don't want to be alone nor do things by myself if I don't have to.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not going to deny myself a nice meal at Baton Rouge or go and skip seeing a movie solo just because I'm single and don't have anyone to do these with, but it would sure be nice to do them with another person.
When my marriage ended in 2007 I sort of dated someone almost right off the bat before realizing I wasn't really ready to make any commitments and ended things to start the healing process. It was about a year later that I entered the dating pool once again, confident that I was happy with myself and could actually put myself out there once again.
With Corinne, it feels like only now, almost 4 years later, that I'm in that same place where I'm starting to feel that sense of "Joie De Vivre" in regards to meeting people.
Kind of strange that it only took me a little over a year to overcome the end of a thirteen-year relationship and almost four years to get over one that really only had a one-year life span.
Wonder what that really says about the depth of my feelings for the two parties involved.
When you are broken you can do one of two things - continue on without any attempts to change things or fix the problems so you an opportunity to be happy.
I am broken......for now
I have healed my broken heart and it grows stronger every day, strong enough to risk it once more in my search for my one.
I have decided that I'm not going to stand on the sidelines anymore, my place is in the great arena we call dating.
Seeing how much I love golf I thought it appropriate to incorporate a golf term into today's post, Moving Day. It refers to the 3rd day, usually Saturday, of a 4-day tournament when players start to make a move to position themselves to challenge for the win on Sunday.
Well, guess what? It's moving day for me people in regards to finding love.
My name is Marcus and for far too long I've wallowed in self-pity over a decision I had no say in, it's time to take back control over my life and hopefully, someone will see me as the catch I think I am.
You can reach me at ooasm2018@gmail.com should the desire strike :)
So on my way to play golf at The Mississippi Golf Club on Saturday, I heard a song on the radio that made me take pause and think about the lyrics and what they meant to me.........
The song? Broken by Lonely the Band.
It's an interesting song and I highly suggest giving it a listen to see if it resonates with you like it did, actually does, with me.
I've posted recently that I'm struggling with things and nothing has changed about that statement, I am struggling but I know that I am and that is half the battle when trying to push through to the other side and see the light once again.
I've had a few messages from followers expressing some concern and offering to meet for a drink and chat, offers I appreciate, but please rest assured there is no chance I'll ever do anything to harm myself as I know that doing so would not make me feel better and actually hurt those around me far more than I am feeling right now.
So what do I mean by broken?
We are all broken at some point or another in our lives. Maybe our spirit has been broken over time, maybe we are physically breaking down, maybe our relationship is showing some chinks, maybe we have doubts spiritually, or maybe everything is showing the normal wear and tear of time that looked at alone doesn't seem too much but when taken together feels more than a little overwhelming.
I think it is the last that epitomizes my own state these days.
My spirit took a blow a few years ago that I didn't really see coming and has only recently started to recover from enough to let me contemplate moving forward in my search for love.
Physically, I'm more broken than I've ever been and that says quite a bit given how much into sports I was in my younger years, maybe it's those earlier activities that are coming back to haunt me now.
Emotionally I'd say I was far more broken than I thought when things imploded back in 2015. I was caught off guard when a decision was made unilaterally that had a huge impact on my life, a life I saw moving in one direction that wasn't shared in the least. Part of what left me reeling from that decision was that I never saw it coming, never realized things were so tenuous between us, that I was so unaware of the situation that I was playing in left field all by myself.
That simple feeling of being so unaware did a number on my self-confidence, to such an extent that I basically shut down all external relationships and just stopped trying, living behind my false front that being single wasn't a bad thing and I didn't mind doing things on my own.
Well, I've come to realize that has to be the biggest fucking lie I've ever told myself.
I don't want to be alone nor do things by myself if I don't have to.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not going to deny myself a nice meal at Baton Rouge or go and skip seeing a movie solo just because I'm single and don't have anyone to do these with, but it would sure be nice to do them with another person.
When my marriage ended in 2007 I sort of dated someone almost right off the bat before realizing I wasn't really ready to make any commitments and ended things to start the healing process. It was about a year later that I entered the dating pool once again, confident that I was happy with myself and could actually put myself out there once again.
With Corinne, it feels like only now, almost 4 years later, that I'm in that same place where I'm starting to feel that sense of "Joie De Vivre" in regards to meeting people.
Kind of strange that it only took me a little over a year to overcome the end of a thirteen-year relationship and almost four years to get over one that really only had a one-year life span.
Wonder what that really says about the depth of my feelings for the two parties involved.
When you are broken you can do one of two things - continue on without any attempts to change things or fix the problems so you an opportunity to be happy.
I am broken......for now
I have healed my broken heart and it grows stronger every day, strong enough to risk it once more in my search for my one.
I have decided that I'm not going to stand on the sidelines anymore, my place is in the great arena we call dating.
Seeing how much I love golf I thought it appropriate to incorporate a golf term into today's post, Moving Day. It refers to the 3rd day, usually Saturday, of a 4-day tournament when players start to make a move to position themselves to challenge for the win on Sunday.
Well, guess what? It's moving day for me people in regards to finding love.
My name is Marcus and for far too long I've wallowed in self-pity over a decision I had no say in, it's time to take back control over my life and hopefully, someone will see me as the catch I think I am.
You can reach me at ooasm2018@gmail.com should the desire strike :)
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