Category - Yada, Yada, Yada

It’s April something 2020. Everyone I know is working from home. School is canceled and all non-essential services have been shut down. Parents are home-schooling and parks that we spent the last 10 years fundraising for are closed to the public. The MLCC doors remain open and busses full of people are still running. Not even white privilege will get you Lysol wipes and Giant assholes are hoarding all toilet paper! Hockey season is cut short and nothing makes sense in the world. We are all told to “stay home” and help flatten the curve as COVID-19 spreads like hives on a ginger.

But don’t worry, one of the cool things about humans is that we are made to adapt. The symbolic line in sand has been drawn except it’s tape on the supermarket floor. We make masks out of our socks so that we can we can go to the store for milk and Doritos (just the essentials). We talk to strangers through plastic windows and encourage our children to connect with their friends on devices with little plastic windows of their own. Forget everything you know about social graces.

Business has adapted as well. Restaurants converting their focus to ordering online and takeout only. Large companies operating from home thanks to VOIP systems, virtual servers, and virtual meetings.

Thank god for the internet.

Thank god for the internet? Think about the irony behind that statement. After 1 week in isolation combined with homeschooling Mother Mary herself would trade in her bible for a tablet of some kind. She’d be texting the Wise Men asking for crafty links on how to make a simple banana bread or how to turn water into wine.

At home we are adapting as well. Amidst all the chaos right now we are trying to stay focused on the positive and adapt. There is a new appreciation for teachers in the world and I hope it stays that way. Shan is still expected to work from home while homeschooling our own super-learners. I may be going mad but it seems to me like our kids are starting to get along better than ever before. They seem to be talking and playing more as they are starting to realize they have each other to depend on through all of this. Don’t get me wrong, they still fight over who gets to sit in the good movie spot but overall it’s been an improvement.

~~Thankfully~~ With regrets I am still going into the office daily. It’s just Gary and I there on any given day and we are very separated so the risk is very minimal. Very thankful to still be employed as I know many people have been hit by the closures.

I am connecting with friends a couple times a week through poker online. Toph invited me to his game and I loved it so much I started a weekly one of my own. You can read about that on SpiteClub.org

More positives…

7-11 is essential
Gas is cheap
We have cable for the first time in 10 years
Movies going right to streaming
Our favourite artists putting on live performances
We have dogs, get a dog
It’s getting nice outside

I have also been enjoying “Some Good News” with John Krasinski. If these don’t give you the feels I don’t know what can.

People are doing some good in the world right now thanks to “The Pause”. The world will never be the same but we will be OK…I think.

Still Alive?

February 13, 2020

Lexi & Ashlyn, Yada, Yada, Yada

That’s what my Mom says when I call her…”Oh you’re still alive…”! Looking back at the last time I updated this website and you might wonder. It made me think that I need to give my login credentials to Nolan so that if something ever did happen to me he could add some content for me even when I am gone. That would freak some people out but at the same time I could see him getting a kick out of that.

Ever since the leaves fell off the trees and the girls went back to school we have been officially in “Winter Mode”. We seem to just put our heads down and plug away at work, school, kids activities, eat, sleep, and repeat.

Lexi is still going hard at gymnastics and has recently started indoor soccer. She works hard and you can see her improve each time she goes out. Ashlyn is now taking skating lessons at Southdale in a program that is run by our old neighbour from Stranmillis. I love it because she is learning to skate and at the lessons she listens to the instructor and tries new things that she will never try with me during a public skate.

Over the summer I accepted a new job with GB Agencies Ltd. I have been doing some website work with them over the years and an opportunity arose to join their team on a full time basis. It’s a great opportunity for us as a family and I love the job and the people I work with.

The kids don’t love the idea of not having me around in the summer but I think we can make it work. Strange to think that the girls are now 11 and 8 and have never been without both parents during those summer months. We have always been able to pack up and go on camping adventures on a whim, even in the middle of the week!

In the meantime Shan and I stay busy on the weekends with our own sports. Shan is still playing soccer and I am at Nolan’s hockey on Sundays. In between we hang with the kids, walk the dogs on the river, and find excuses to go for a Slurpee.

Somewhere in there I am hoping to find some time to write again so that a year doesn’t slip away between posts!

Father’s Day

June 24, 2019

#, Lexi & Ashlyn, Yada, Yada, Yada

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This picture is one of my favorite pictures ever.

I think that the reason I love it so much is that it represents this idea of fatherhood that I want so badly to emulate. I imagine this man and his daughter were just hanging out one day on a camping trip and come across this serene little river and just can’t help themselves but explore it. No second thoughts for this little explorer as she sheepishly enters the water waiting for her dad to object at any moment and it never comes. Instead he embraces this moment to connect with his daughter on a level that is fiction for most of us. She is looking at the river like “this is the best day ever!”, and he is taking her in like he doesn’t want to miss a second. This man gives zero fucks about his wallet, his job, or his sweet ass Adidas shoes. The watermark on his jeans are proof that this is no accident and I love him for that. You can bet she does too!

I want nothing more than to be this father for my girls and yet at times I have so much trouble getting there.Turns out being a parent is a little more complicated than updating your Instagram feed with images of your kids always living their best life. #NOFILTER

I will get there though. This summer I want ALL THE FUN! Bring it. I am surrounded by all the girls and we are going to have ALL THE FUN. I plan on taking it all in. ALL THE LOVING. This year Ashlyn hit the nail on the head with this father’s day card…

Find Shade My Brothers

June 12, 2019

Oh thank God, and Patron Saint Blythe Hunter, for confirming for us once and for all that we are now seeing a steady decline of sexual allegations against our male role models in Hollywood. So much in fact that Ms. Hunter is inclined to attack Bill Murray for assumptions he confessed toward Selena Gomez before meeting her in person. Pardon me but is it OK to assume the title of Ms. and not Mrs., or Miss, as I would hate to offend and be deemed a part of the problem. I have the privilege of only one title (Mr.) so I need to try harder to be sensitive to these things.

It’s been months since I have heard anything about a high profile man pleasuring himself at a dinner party or making suggestive comments to a female coworker in the workplace. Mind you, I don’t look very hard for this kind of thing but when I do come across an article like “Bill Murray’s Comments About Selena Gomez Are All Kinds of Bad”, I feel sad for rational women all over the world. It’s this kind of recreational outrage that gives women a bad name. That’s just my opinion, but that is what this article is…just an opinion piece.

You can have Bill Cosby, and maybe Louis C.K. but I still think his standup is the best. I am not sure about Franco and Anasari but you can’t have Piven, that lady just wanted money. What I can’t figure out is why Bill Murray?

Ms. Hunter quotes an interview where Murray answers a question about working with costar Selena Gomez who is most known for her work as a singer.

In an interview at the movie’s NYC premiere on June 10, Murray said that he had wrongfully judged Selena before working with her. “I learned that whatever preconception I had about someone that had 55 million, billion followers [or] something… I probably thought she was different than she turned out to be.” Then he said that, “if my mother were alive, I’d bring [Selena] home to her—‘Mother. I want you to meet Selena.’” Excuse me while I gag.

“Excuse me while I gag…” seems a bit harsh. Perhaps if that was Bill Murray’s response to what he thinks about working with Gomez he would take less fire from Ms. Hunter. Murray also made jokes that he would be Selena’s boyfriend if she wanted which Hunter deemed “Cringe Worthy” and assumed a “semi-sexual tone”. But what bothered her the most was how “totally condescending” Murray was being. Hunter wrote…

Okay, but *why* is Bill Murray shocked that Selena Gomez is talented and professional?

Hunter perpetuates the belief that as a Male Bill Murray automatically assumes his dominance over Gomez and assumes she is “vapid and untalented”. Moreso that she pines for his approval. She tries to further her case by reporting that Murray made similar comments towards Miley Cyrus when he worked with her on A Very Murray Christmas.

“…Miley Cyrus is really fu**ing good. She can sing. I thought she was a knucklehead crazy girl that you’d want to go on a road trip with, but she can sing.” – Bill Murray

Wonder what would make him think that after Hannah Montana took off all of her clothes, stuck out her tongue and started humping stuffed animals on stage. Not like she invented twerking or anything. I love Miley too but I arrived there through her music…just like Bill did.

In the end, the message that gets pumped out over and over again in the industry seems to be pretty clear: an older, more established man is pleasantly surprised when he meets a young woman who he judges capable of doing her job well! What a nice guy.

Well Ms. Hunter that is both presumptuous and condescending. Of course Bill Murray was surprised that Gomez could act because he knows her as a pop singer. My wife and I went to see A Star Is Born and both of us were shocked to learn that Bradley Cooper could sing like an angel. We were also pleasantly surprised that Gaga could act! Not because as a man I assumed she was a one trick pony, but I have always related to her as a premier singer. It’s not that I figured she couldn’t act but it still strange to see her on the big screen as someone other than Gaga, sorry. I think that would be the same for anyone, male or female. Sorry not sorry.

There was a time when a man could hold a door open for a woman and not worry about unintentionally insulting her. A time when you could refer to a girl as “the type you could take home to your mother” and it came with an essence of purity and well regarded as a compliment. Today Men are under the magnifying glass and women like Ms. Hunter will do their part to tilt their hand to the sun and burn everything in their path. Even Bill Fucking Murray.

Here is another writers take on Murray and Gomez that seems a little more rational.

Penny & Joon

April 4, 2019

People Props, Yada, Yada, Yada

See what we did there? A little Johnny Depp tribute.

So this is Joon, the latest addition to the Peever Zoo…I mean crew. She is a little boxer, sprig terrier cross we adopted from Winnipeg Giant Breed Rescue. She came to us a little bit sick so it was a bit of a rocky start but I was super impressed at how dedicated the rescue was to making sure we had everything we needed for Joon. I highly recommend WGBR to anyone looking for a new dog.

I have to admit I was dreading another puppy. It’s like having another baby in a lot of ways. Eat, sleep, poop, and constant supervision. Double the food, double the hair, double the poop. In fact Timmy D got a puppy last year and specifically told us not to do it. But when Shan sent me a picture of this one there was something telling me she belonged with us and we decided to go and see her.

We were so confident in this that we took the kids with us, which we would never do if we were on the fence. Even still we told them that we were going to look at a new couch! We said we were THINKING about buying a new couch and were just going to LOOK at it. It doesn’t mean we are coming home with it, we are just going to have a look. We went over this a couple times until the kids repeated after us “…just looking”. Curious as to why we were prepping them so hard for this couch they asked if they could see it and I showed them a picture of Joon. She arrived next week.

Except for a little tummy trouble at the beginning it’s been an awesome experience. She seemed to know to bathroom outside (mostly) and goes to the door to let us know. She can sit, shake a paw, and lie down when told. She of course walks on a leash better than Penny (not amazing). Speaking of Penny, she is love. She is so intentionally gentle and accommodating to Joon that you would think they were siblings. Whenever Penny lies down along comes Joon and snuggles right in. Sometimes right on top too!

We are working on independence. We are kennel training during the day but she won’t have it at night. We tried to let her cry it out but it’s relentless. She sleeps on her dog bed at the foot of our bed and knows she is not welcome up unless invited. I was amazed at how quickly she has adjusted to this sleeping arrangement and she is good through most nights.

Oh ya, and don’t get a puppy in the spring if your backyard is a swamp.

Joon Photos

Spotify Stats 2018

December 7, 2018

#, Yada, Yada, Yada

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Music in our house has changed a lot over the last couple years. We have never really fostered “Kids Music” so both Lexi and Ashlyn have developed their musical tastes based on what we have bestowed upon them. Now that we have Google Home combined with Spotify it’s more common that music is playing in our house than not. They are constantly requesting music from Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran, Gaga, Adele, and the Greatest Showman Soundtrack, or music from the latest movie they saw. In between their picks Shan and I are asking for The Hip, David Gray, and most recently Queen!

Today I received an email from Spotify letting me know some very interesting data facts about our listening habits and I found it really quite interesting.

Of course The Hip gets the most play at our house!

I would like to know how many songs were cut off on the first 20 seconds and replaced by someone with a different voice while using GOOGLE Home?

PTEC

November 29, 2018

For those of you who haven’t heard I am now working as an EA in Pembina Trails Early College (PTEC).

After 7 years at General Byng it’s a big, but welcomed change for me. I don’t usually look for change over the summer because I was quite content at Byng but when this posting was sent my way it was like it was meant for me. I was on the beach at Hecla Island when my Admin sent me a text and said I should apply, and I am glad I did!

Pembina Trails Early College (PTEC) is an exciting new four-year program that prepares students for jobs in the Information Technology (IT) industry. Students with a passion for software development, cyber security, coding and more have an opportunity to leave with a high school diploma, a post-secondary certificate and a head start in an exciting career.

The program is just amazing and the only of its kind in Canada. I am working with kids who have a genuine interest in technology and are brought in from a handful of other schools in the Pembina Trails School Division. The hope is to fast track and support their learning so that they can enter into a focused career path straight out of high school. Jobs in which a University Degrees come second to experience and know-how.

What I love most is the idea that we are changing the way kids are allowed to learn. Although technology is the common ground they all walk a different path creatively. Given the time and freedom to expand on the concepts presented students are creating some amazing things and taking their learning to extremes simply because it’s fun and engaging for them.

I think education (in general) and curricular outcomes need to change significantly in the coming years to accommodate this incredible technological shift in the way humans are processing information. I feel as though our kids should have more time and freedom to explore their interests in a school setting where there is adult and peer support. I think programs like this are the first step toward this kind of change.

I have always loved writing. I write a blog, and I have about 3 chapters of a novel I have been writing over the last 7 years. I feel quite often that I have no time to write. The time I do make to write is very limited because of my family and work demands and my ideas feel forced and poorly worked out. I enjoyed writing at school in early years until about grade 7 when creative writing turned to essay writing. In continued to write about what was interesting to me on weekends and after school but very rarely and solely for myself. When I graduated my marks were average and I had very little interest and even less money for University so I went to work right away driving a forklift at the Northwest Company. I also applied for the Creative Communications Course at RRC hoping to pursue my interest in writing but I was denied.

Luckily that was about the same time I took an interest in HTML and creating my own website so that I could blog. Following that interest soon got me off the forklift and onto the Intranet Development Team at the NWC. I feel lucky to have worked so many years doing something that I enjoy so much but there is still a big “WHAT IF?”.

WHAT IF there was a school like PTEC (that I could start in grade nine) where I could get all of my regular credits in the morning and have my afternoons dedicated to learning about writing. All different styles of writing and different authors and publishers would visit the classroom to speak about writing careers and different kinds of publications. There would be ample opportunity to write and develop my own ideas with adult support and seemingly unlimited resources all through my high school career. In grade 11-12 I could fastrack to “CreCom” at RRC. When I graduated I could apply for jobs with industry giants I have already met through school or publish my own works if I haven’t already! This is just my story about writing. What about the dancers, singers, artists, or soccer players that could have been?

For me PTEC represents a glimmer of a better tomorrow. It’s the start of changing education to suit the needs of a person’s interests rather than feeding a need for ongoing education.

I work with an amazing team of forward thinkers and I am super excited to be a part of this team. I can’t wait to see where these kids end up.

Learn more here…

Know What I Did This Summer?

September 21, 2018

Lexi & Ashlyn, Yada, Yada, Yada

I can’t believe that the summer is over. I am going to do my best here to recap but we did a lot and I am going to miss some of the finer details forsure.

First of all CONGRATULATIONS to my parent’s who celebrated their 50 year anniversary back in July. A huge milestone for any one. Especially these days.

Happy 50th Anniversary!

Then came the “TORNADOES RULE” U9 Soccer Girls Windup. It was an absolute pleasure to coach this group of girls last year. They taught me a lot.

Next we were off to Blue Lake Ontario. Little did we know that this would be the last big trip in our “NEW” trailer. Thing was just too big to move around. I know there are manly men out there with pick-ups who probably love that sort of thing but it was a constant pain in the ass for me.

The end of the trailer started for me when it cost me a tank of gas to get to kenora. It was my plan on this trip to stop at Redden’s for gas just like have so many times before with this rig (1). Only when we arrived there, nearly on empty, Redden’s gas station was no longer there. All that was left were the charred remains so we had to turn back toward Kenora for gas. Re-arriving in town we soon realized we weren’t the only ones looking for gas in Kenora and I had to maneuver the trailer through a maze of cars in the gas station parking lot until a lane finally opened right in front of the building itself. It was a tight fit and upon getting out I realized that the outside of the trailer tires were rubbing on the curb surrounding the pump. That explains the noise I heard pulling in. Regardless I filled up and Shan and I agreed I would have to back up to avoid possibly popping the trailer tires. She guided me from outside and after several moves I was able to barely squeeze through just narily missing the Coke machine and avoiding the jackass who parked in front of the propane tank just to make my life more difficult. The same guy who clapped for me once I was finally clear. It was then as we drove off to Blue Lake for what would be our last time in the trailer, I said to Shan “I think we need to sell this sucker.”.

All that aside, and another couple of maneuvering difficulties, Blue Lake never disappoints. Especially with the Ratte’s and Morrison’s there. It’s one of our once a year places for sure.

Then it was off to Calgary to visit the Dicketts. The girls miss Sydney and Riley all year long and could hardly wait to see them. This time we decided to stop in Swift Current for a nigtht to break up the trip and I have to plug “Uncle Bob’s Diner”. It’s a great little family restaurant in Swift Current where the food is as fine as the service. In fact Uncle Bob himself took care of us personally.

We also made a detour to Drumheller on the way to Calgary. We climbed the Hoodoos and walked the suspension bridge before hitting up the museum itself. It was about $50 to walk through the museum and the girls were done within about 15 mins. It’s worth checking out but if you have kids that aren’t really interested in dinosaurs be prepared to miss out. There is a lot of interesting reading to do there but it’s also easy to lose the kids when your distracted. I would suggest doing the outside stuff and visiting the big Dino Store you pass on the way in. Save you some cash.

Easier up than down!

We hit another really cool restaurant in Drumheller called “Bernie & The Boys” where they have over 50 flavours of milkshakes and they were worth the trip. I had pistachio, Shannon had Chai, Lexi had pineapple, and Ash had blue Raspberry. The food was just ok for me.

After a dusty and exhausting day we drove the last couple of hours to Calgary. A place I can only describe as a living and breathing city. Where the Bow River flows through the city like a breath of fresh air. This time we got to experience Calaway Park where the girls got to experience their first really good roller coaster. We returned to Olympic Park to do the Luge. Bruce and Tonya had us over for a BBQ so it was nice to see them while we were in town. We don’t get to see them enough. We stuffed a lot into the first couple of days and then we were off to Edmonton for some more fun and family.

This time we booked a hotel right across from the mall. The kids had some money to spend so we took care of some shopping almost immediately before going to my Auntie Lorie’s for dinner. Crystal and Damian were staying there with the kids as well so it was nice to have everyone together. Nostalgia was in the air and being there reminded me so much of the old Sunday dinners at Granny Peever’s house. The TV tables and the kids around the TV eating supper. Except we were watching “American Ninja Warrior” instead of “Walt Disney”.

The next day we made a plan to all meet up at the Water Park in West Ed. That’s how cool people refer to the mall. I was really excited for the kids because I think the last time we were there Lexi was 4 and Ashlyn was just a baby. I was also very impressed that auntie Lorie made it out to the slides as well. The wave pool was a highlight until someone’s head smashed me in the side of my face. I honestly wonder how many concussions happen there each year. If it had been Ashlyn or Lexi we would have been hospital bound for sure. I was also impressed that the girls braved the zip line while we were there.

By the time we left Edmonton I am sure we walked the equivalent of half way home. Regardless we decided to take a trip to Banff on the way back to Calgary so that the girls could see the mountains. Shan was quick to point out that I was 27 the first time I had seen the mountains and that this was a real treat for them. Once in town we took in the local tourist shops and farmers market that was in full effect. I even ran into an old friend from my Glenwood days who was selling her art at the market. Of course we bought a really cool print and then took her advice to visit Johnson Lake where the girls and I swam at the base of a mountain. This was by far a highlight of my trip and one day I promise to return to that spot with them and re-take this photo…

Big thanks to Tim, Les, and the kids for putting us up while in Calgary. We had an awesome visit and I still owe you guys some dip. Looking forward to seeing you in Winnipeg very soon.

We made it back home to Penny and stayed in town for a couple of days before heading out to Hecla Island for one more camping trip before Shan had to get back to the grind. Oh yeah, did I mention we sold the camper before we left to Calgary? You are as surprised as the kids were but please do not scream cry at me as it will not change my mind!.

We bought a utility trailer and Hecla would be our first time tenting as a family. Besides the night we spent in the backyard after purchasing the tent. Besides the time we tried it out in the backyard and Lexi puked all over it. Hecla was awesome and it was nice to have our bikes. I did have to drive another 3 hours to replace the pedal that fell off Ashlyn’s bike on the way there but in the end it was worth it. Great campsites but the beach was pretty gross. If I am richer the next time we go I would certainly rent a couple of jet skis and get the girls out on the water a lot more.

Tenting it.

Back home and back to reality. Shan goes back to work and the girls and I spend our days with friends at the pool or playing in the backyard keeping cool. For the last week Shan went to Toronto to see Ed Sheeran and the girls and I did a different activity every day. I love having that last week with them because I really miss them when school starts again. It’s like going from having all the time in the world to having an hour at night to make sure they happy and taken care of.

Can hardly wait until next summer!

Summer Preview

July 3, 2018