Sharkboy

Anyone who has a job dealing with the public will know that it’s not always easy. Be it at a restaurant, a store or a service counter, the public will be either polite, indifferent, happy or angry, you never know what the next person you serve will bring up. I feel we are always on our guard, but, like I always say, they pay me very well to do my job, so I do my job well and keep going in everyday.

Sometimes though, it’s nice to get away from it, even if it means just a little washroom break.

Today, I went to the main washroom on our floor, the same one used by the members of the public. I got in and the place was empty. There are 2 stalls, 1 urinal, 4 sinks and 2 paper towel dispenser. It’s not very big but it’s clean. I take my spot at the urinal and do my “bidness”. Suddenly the door flew open behind me and this guy waltzed in. I couldn’t see him but could tell that he was walking fairly fast. All of a sudden, he cleared his throat something fierce, this deep gargling sound coming from his stomach all the way to his tongue. I heard one of the stall door swing open and he spat. Ptewww! And again. Ptewww! AAAAAnd again. Ptewww! And fluuuuuuuuusssshhhhhh.

I was zipping up my shorts when he left just as fast as he came in without even washing his hands. He didn’t do anything else but storm in and spit, but still… I’d expect him to wash his hands… On my way out, I sneaked a peak as the stall’s door was wide open and noticed he had also left a gift after flushing… and at closer look… two gifties.

Please don’t elect R. Ford as he keeps promising to cut taxes. With less money coming in, they might start cutting programmes. And one programme I won’t be able to live without is our great janitors…

Last Saturday, DR and I got up early, had breakfast, took our vitamins, grabbed tea for him and coffee for me and then made our way to the Sci-Fi Fan Expo at the Convention Centre downtown. We really needed a strong kick of geeky-freaky-sci-fi-y-horrory-gamy to make up for the last 3 weeks. See, 7 years ago DR took me for the first time to the Fan Expo and I immediately loved it… The content was nothing like it is now, it was a lot more intimate in its setting and space and the crowd was decent, not over-crammed with selfish freeloaders who’ll step on your feet, push you out of the way with their fat bums, cut lines, grab any freebies regardless of what they are like it’s a fucking fortune hunt, complain about everything, LOUDLY complain about everything, without any consideration for anyone else.

This picture was taken at 10:15, these many people in front of us to buy tickets (same amount behind us)

This said, I still had an amazing fucking good time again this year. It is our favourite “end of Summer” outting. It was busy. It was crowded. But it was full of fun costumes, great displays, tons of merchandise I wanted to take home. But most importantly: Stormtroopers of all kind: Imperial Stormtroopers, Snowtroopers, Scout Troopers, Sand Troopers and Clone Troopers. Even a Shadow Stormtrooper… YEH.

I owe this sudden love of everything Stormtrooper to DR and to Disney as I love both and both seem to have an awful lot of love for everything Star Wars. On our last trip to Disney together, we were lucky to have timed it again with Disney Star Wars weekends and I really loved watching all those Stormtroopers. They are fearless and disciplined and shiny and gorgeous… So it was my greatest pleasure to hang around some of them during this last Sci Fi Fan Expo…

Here I am with my boys

A friend

Two friends

How can you not love this face?

A fan carrying a friend

The infamous Shadow Stormtrooper

I found Waldo, now can you find the Stormtrooper?

I want all these toys.

In fact, I might even seriously want to get outfitted to join Vader’s First 501st Legion… Yeah, I’m that crazy right now.

No, it’s not the Canadian National Exhibition.
No, it’s not Busker Fest either…

It’s time for:

YEH! THE SCI FI FAN EXPO IS IN BACK IN TORONTO

I’m bringing my camera, some cash, and tons of patience… It’s going to to fucking rock.

In early June, I bought these shoes at the The Shoe Company at Yonge / Charles St:

They were perfect for my Summer days at work, while matching my Summer wardrobe which is a little bit more sporty than my formal Winter one, they would also be perfect for all the running around I do in a day.

It has become a custom for us to buy our shoes at that particular store, we go in the Spring and again in the Fall… and also before going on a trip. Our rule is one pair in, one pair out. For sporty wear, not gym wear, I prefer Skechers, they’re comfy and have the look I’m usually searching for. This store carries the whole line.

Last Thursday, while getting dressed for work, DR noticed that my fairly new Skechers were looking a bit sketchy… one seam on the left foot had totally disintegrated and was ripping open… I know I’m a bit rough on my shoes, I walk everyday to and from work, 25 min each way. I also walk a lot while at work, but not enough to ruin a pair of shoes in only 2 months. Regardless of all this, I needed a new pair of shoes pronto.

On Sunday, after meeting DR’s brother for brunch, we decided to go to our shoe store and look for a replacement pair. I spotted these right away:

Same sort of general look I needed, but this time no laces and no seams on the side where the other ones had split. As I get to the cashier, I ask if she can check exactly what date I was there last (they have a point system where you have to give a phone number everytime you purchase items), she explains that their system doesn’t record that type of information, just the purchase themselves to convert into points. I tell her that a couple of months ago, I bought these Skechers and they are now ruined and could she maybe see if a discount is possible. She calls the manager who’s now gone for lunch, so another person comes in and hears the story, takes a look at the ripped shoes (I was wearing them to show and also just to leave behind after purchasing the new ones). He goes into some mumbo-jumbo shoe talk and she starts tapping on the key board, a box of shoes gets scanned, a gift card comes out of the drawer, it gets scanned as well, more tapping on the keyboard, another box gets scanned and boom, the total on the cash registers shoes $5.80…

I’m a bit stunned, I’m happy, but I have no clue what the hell just happened. All I know is I have a new pair of shoes, I had to pay $5.80 for and I have to leave my old ones there. They apologize for the inconvenience and give me a $10 coupon I can use on my next purchase. DR and I look at each other, incredulous, but both smiling.

As we leave the store, I’m looking around to see if we were somehow being filmed for a Candid Camera type show.

Oh and just in case you haven’t seen it in a long time, here is that Shoes video:

This week, I tweeted about how a fucktard in my office said I dressed in a constant state of grunge because I wear shorts to work. I’m so tired of that battle, I’m not doing anything that outrageous, shorts are part of our dress code, but for some fucktards I guess it’s an abomination. This is what I wore the day pointed me out:

See, nothing bad there. No cut-offs, no fringes, no cargo pockets (these ARE not permitted at work).

After telling him to basically grow up, I referred to him as a fucktard with a coworker who was there when the exchange happened and he started telling me some stories about how much of one he really was. My favourite is one I will call: The Milk Man.

A few years back, before my time in that office, an employee who wasn’t liked much decided to move on to another job and threw herself a goodbye party. She booked the conference room, brought in some snacks and alcoholic drinks for the after office hour shindig. Well, like I said, she wasn’t well-liked and no one showed up except for that fucktard mentioned earlier… And when she asked what he wanted to drink, he replied that he only drank milk, which of course she didn’t have at the party, but found some in the kitchen. About an hour after the “party” started, a very polite coworker came in the room to say goodbye to the departing one and saw, a semi drunkish girl sitting on the conference table with a doofus drinking milk standing by the snack table. She only stayed long enough to figure out what was going on and left…

I don’t think that anyone who goes to a party, as sad as it is, and only drink milk has any right to criticize me at all…

Milk… huh!

Cute and clever and a great song to boot.
Some scenes are reused, still fun.

Going through an experience such as losing a close relative that you love is very difficult. Support from family and friends is very much needed and so welcomed.

DR and I received many loving notes from our family and friends that were very touching, they were very much needed and appreciated. Thank you also to all our online friends who have shared on their messages, their feelings and their thoughts.

Who surprised me the most though were the younger family members DR and I know and how well versed they communicated with us, how eloquent they were for such “young” people, who are unfortunately very often more identified with parties and their own young lives.

The day after DR passed, we received this email from my niece Max (20 yr) who lives in Vermont:
Dear Ted and Michel,
I am so so sorry to hear about your loss. My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family. If there is anything we can do, you know we are here for you.
Stay strong. Love you guys!!
~Max

Then yesterday, Ted’s nephew, also named Max (12 yr) came to me with a copy of the Toronto Star that contained DR’s dad’s obituary. He asked if I had read it, I said yes and then he said:
This is a very nice article about him. I’m very sorry that he died

And then this morning, after returning from a camping trip, my nephew Shaun (18 yr) sent this email:
Hey Guys,
Hope you’re doing well. I heard the bad news and I just wanted to say how sorry I am about your dad Ted. I know he was like a second dad to you Michel. You must be going through a lot at this time. Just stay strong! my thoughts and prayers are with you guys and your family Ted.
Talk to you soon,
Love,
Shaun

I can’t totally remember how I wrote and spoke when I was 12 or 18 or 20, but I’m fucking impressed by these 3 guys today. They have given me another proud reason to call them family.

Also, a friend who really knows me well sent me this, following a much longer email of condolences and thoughts:
I know things are really difficult right now but I just wanted to send a little something that I think might make you smile.

And it worked… Nothing makes me laugh harder than someone falling down… well, ok, maybe farts are just one notch funnier.

Shortly after meeting DR, 8 years ago, on one night before I was to leave for Montreal to spend Christmas with my family, we found ourselves spending an unofficial date night at his place. Before I left, he wanted to show me this video he had found online… I remember laughing so hard, I was literally rolling on the floor, I had tears in my eyes as we went from one funny video to a funnier and funnier one. That night I was just a bit sad that DR wouldn’t be coming with me, even after a few months of hanging out, I was getting quite fond of him, our time together felt great. The laughter we both shared that night really made me feel good and even though I was very much looking forward to seeing my family, I was also looking forward to coming back and be with him some more…

This week has been really tough already with Da’s passing and we both need a laugh as the next 2 days will also be quite hard to get through with the viewing and gathering. So join us in some good hearty laughs… and then let me know which one is your favourite. Personally I cannot decide which of the first four videos is my favourite…

DR’s father passed away yesterday at 7:32am. Da has left us.

We spent the entire night at his bedside while a respirator and way too many IV tubes kept him without pain as his tired body was shutting down, and I couldn’t help to be absolutely reminded of the same events 3 years ago when my own dad passed, sitting in a dark room, looking at a monitor flashing heart rate numbers, blood pressure rate numbers, trying to make sense of it, what could be considered good, what could be considered bad… I had my own dad in mind, and this was doubly painful as I’ve come to consider Da my second father. He was that loving.

Da and I shared a very sarcastic sense of humour and he often made me laugh. This is a recount of our very last conversation:

At 4:20, after having left my office after work, I had made plans to go see Da at the hospital. DR was working late and couldn’t come. Everything was good as we had seen him at 7am that morning and were very hopeful that he’d be going home that same day anyway. I walked into his room only to find an empty bed, newly changed and made. I took a look at the name board, his was gone. I thought to myself that it was a good thing, he had probably been released since he had been eating for 2 days and hadn’t had the need for an IV drip for the same amount of time. Usually he was in the hospital for 4 days when he had pancreatic episodes, this time was 9 days, so he was probably fine. I turned and walked to the nurse station to ask if Da had been released. She looked at her book and said he had been transferred to a room on the 9th floor, that I could go inquire there.

A bit surprised, I made my way to the 9th floor and remembered that the doctor who had been visiting him regularly had mention that he’d prefer seeing him on the 9th as it was where his office and other patients were… I felt a bit of a relief as I walked towards that nurse station, but still anxious. After a few minutes of listening to nurses chat about their lives, I finally cleared my throat and one of them begrudgingly asked if she could help. I told her who I was looking for and she gave me the info. I walked into the room and was shocked to find 3 doctors and 1 nurse fussing about Da on his bed… A heart monitor had been reconnected and it was beeping like crazy. One doctor said: “ok, the best thing for you to do right now is to just relax. You’re heart is going way too fast and we need to quiet it down a bit”. I turned to the nurse and asked if it was ok for him to read and she replied that she really only wanted him to clear his mind of everything and simply relax. I asked if I should leave and she said that I was welcomed to stay.

I looked at Da and he mouthed the word FUCK! with a face that said how annoyed and tired he was of this situation. We started chatting about what had happened and he explained that a technician had pressed on his chest during some test and he had had problems breathing since. We were interrupted several time during our talk by people fussing about, asking him about pain, discomfort, how he felt… Then one nurse came in and told him she was giving him nitro and would be spraying it under his tongue. After that was done, he looked at me and rolled his eyes in annoyance.

I wasn’t sure what to do, I didn’t know if I should call DR or stay to see what the Doctors had to say… That’s when Da turned to me and asked me to look inside his shoe to find his watch so I could put it on his wrist for him, explaining they had taken it off before the last test he had gone through earlier. I reached down for the shoe, found the watch as my eyes filled up with tears. I don’t know what came over me, I suck at these situations sometimes. With my vision blurred, I started fooling around with the watch band, trying to fasten it around his wrist. After I finished, I stepped back and leaned against the window sill as he took a look at his wrist to see the time. Approximately 10 seconds later, he looked at me and said: “When you have a chance, it’s no rush, can you put it on the right way so I can tell what time it is?”

I had no choice, I started to laugh as two tears rolled down my cheeks.

After that, the heart monitor wouldn’t stop beeping like a banshee and a second nitro dose was sprayed under his tongue. I asked one doctor if I should be leaving and he said that it would probably best as they were going to take him down for a scanner in a few seconds to make sure it wasn’t a blood clot near his lungs that was making all this happen. Da heard too. I looked at him, and for some reason unknown to me since I’ve never done that in my entire adult life, I smiled and blew him a kiss and waved goodbye. He nodded and I could see some fear in his eyes. I left the room and went straight for the elevator. I stopped midway, leaned against the wall and let it all out.

I’m glad I’ve had the chance to know him well and share a lot of our lives together in the last 8 years. I’m glad I had the chance to be by his side last night letting him know he was surrounded by people who really loved him.

This man will be missed so much, not only by his family but by an amazing amount of friends in this community. What a lovely legacy to leave behind.

Da and the DR’s Werewolf, last Halloween

After being gone for four days and not checking my blog at all, I realized that I didn’t have much to say… I mean, I had a great time in Vermont, had a lot of fun seeing my mom and sister and her family as well. They hosted a hell of a party for my sis’s 50th birthday and it’s always a treat to chat with her friends as they are all sweethearts…

I realize also how addictive using Twitter is and how easy it is to say all the stupid things I want to say quickly on it.

But still, I’m very proud of my blog, there are posts I have re-read that made me cry, some that made me laugh, some that had typos, some that were clever, some that were entertaining… So I don’t want to stop…

What saddens me though is that going through my blogroll, which I do regularly, I found 4 blogs that have gone away recently, blogs I enjoyed reading and will miss… Have they stopped because they ran out of things to say? Are they strickly tweeting now? Facebooking (blargh!). Whatever the reasons, I hate to see good things go away.

Also, one of those blogs went “private”, which I don’t understand. When I started to blog, I knew it would be out there for anyone / everyone to read and spy on me… I wasn’t going to hold any secrets… it’s the fucking internet… it’s world wide based and pretty much free. In the past, I have stopped following blogs when people would post a “private” posts… If I’m not special enough to know about your secrets, I don’t want to know anything about you, right?

Anyway, that’s my rant for tonight… No secrets… and I hope people can manage to continue to blog, and tweet, and flick’r… I still don’t give a shit about facebook. Still.