Fathers Day Note 2007

Today is Fathers Day, and like last year I am reflecting on the past year with Sprout. My first reaction is where does the time go? Was it really a year already? 2 years ago we learned we were expecting?

Astonishment aside, being a dad is one of the best things I have done in my life. It is incredibly rewarding in the simplest of ways. Watching Sprout learn and grow, helping shape the course of his life, teaching him new games, tricks, jokes, and skills, and participating in his triumphs and achievements. Truth be told, the difficult parts (like refusals to get into seats, or the tantrums of a tired/hungry boy) are something to learn from as well.

I spend hours watching him play (not playing with him). I love to see how he plays, and how his mind works. While horsing around with him I can get him laughing the deepest belly laugh he can muster. His smile and laughter brighten my darkest mood. When I am with Sox and Sprout, I rarely think about work. I love cuddling with him first thing in the morning, and having him curl up into me at night while I sing to him before bed. Meal time with Sprout is always fun too (except when he starts throwing food directly at me).

I love being a dad. I love my wife, my son, and my family. Fathers day is perfect for reflecting on all of this.

Espresso Idea

Sox and I splurged recently and got ourselves our first espresso machine. We actually got one as a wedding gift, but returned it since it wasn’t the right kind (we learned that after putting one on our registry).

A friend told me that Starbucks was selling their Barista machines for close to half price. Seemed like a good idea, and so far has been. I’ve been enjoying Americano’s every day now, and have made a couple latte’s as well. Mmmm. Now to figure out where to get great beans, and is convenient to get those beans. So far Serious Coffee Espresso roast isn’t cutting it.

Lost Weekend

I got an email from the Canmore organizers recently:

I just returned form a venue trip a week ago. The Canmore Nordic Centre continues its refurbishment project, with the main lodge under construction. We will again be staging the event in the biathlon area. The Food & Beverage and Washrooms, plus showers from the main lodge will be lost for this year. The good news it that the new lodge is much bigger and will add to events in the future. Good news… the Food & Beverage folks will be setting up down in the biathlon area. Additional washrooms are being brought in to off set the loss of the main lodge.

I am definitely glad I bailed. No showers at all, temporary food setup, porta-johns for the whole weekend? I’ve also heard of potential floods in the area, meaning the trails are probably pretty saturated right now.

That just doesn’t sounds like an awesome time to me.

Ambitious Difference

Yesterday was yard work day. Sox’s dad was down for a visit, so we enlisted him to help us rework the back yard. The goals were pretty ambitious. There was a lot of clean up to do, new flower beds to create, a new fence to install, and the apple tree needed a good pruning.

With a lot of hard work out in the rain, we managed to get almost everything done. The remaining things to do Sox and I can handle on our own. I am pretty amazed with how it has all turned out. The back yard is now divided with a dog side, and a people side. This is going to allow us to let Sprout roam around without fear of doggie ‘landmines’. The new/clean flower bed look great, and if we stay on top of the weeds, will look great for a long time. The trimming made such a huge difference to the look and feel of the yard. Throughout the day I made 4 trips to the municipal yard, and each time my truck was full to capacity.

My only disappointment was that we didn’t get to the ivy patch. By myself, this will take another day’s work, and probably another 3 truck loads of crap to the yard.

Read on for the before and after pics.

Before



The back bed.



The back corner.



The back side yard.



The back walkway.

After



The back bed.



Cleaned up flower bed.



The new fence.



The back walkway.

Rockland Bicycles

Bike to work week is done, and my office managed 100% participation for the whole week. I think that is pretty good for a crew of 13 people. Over the week I modified my route to and from work looking for a more optimal route. I managed to find some good ones out there. Rockland is a fun road to cycle on.

My distance totals are:
Mon: 16 Km
Tues: 17.5 Km
Weds: 18.5 Km
Thurs: 19 Km
Fri: 22 Km
Total: 93 Km

As Jen pointed out newbie cyclists can be a bit of a hazard for vehicles. I know I saw many scary scenarios out there. Things that scared me while riding this week were:

  1. People on those electric bikes that are technically bicycles, but look more like scooters. Most people I have seen drive these things erratically so that nobody knows how to deal with them. I hate these things and think they should be banned from existance.
  2. People opening car doors. This happend at least three times this week where someone was getting into their vehicle and looked down the street to check for traffic, then opened their door right in front of me. Hello? Maybe wait the extra .5 seconds for me to pass safely?
  3. motorcycles. I had at least 2 motorcycles come up right beside me then roar off from the light. Yeah, thanks! Also, to the guy who tried to peel off the line, but actually stalled instead: you rock! 🙂 I hope that your restart followed by mashing the gas and nearly hitting me made up for how inadewuate you are.
  4. 4 way stoppers not following the rules. I know people are trying to be nice to cyclists, but come one. Make eye contact and don’t sit there waiting for me to go. I won’t.
  5. pedestrians not looking for cars or cyclists when crossing side streets. I saw one lady almost get clipped by a car turning right because she didn’t look and practically stepped out in front of it.
  6. trying to overtake me on a sharp downhill corner. To the fucker this morning that tried to pass me as we were approaching the train overpass before the Johnson St bridge: you are a complete moron. The speed limit is 30 Km/H. I was doing 40 Km/H, and you were trying to pass me? What for? So you can get in line on the bridge? Use your head.