Retiring is Hard Work ... NOT!

In the mad dash to the actual day I was retiring ... Jan 31 ... my brain was swirling with things that I needed to get done not the least of which were configuring my email, downloading my almost 400 gb Google Drive, arranging the actual party at Finn MacCool's and tying up all of the loose ends educationally before pointing the truck south to escape the snow for a bit.

Most of that final week went as smooth as could be expected and we arrived at Finn's ready to meet 'n greet. The manager at Finn's had pressed hard to get an idea of how many people I was expecting and I patiently explained that I really had no way of knowing an accurate number ... explained numerous times TBH ... as patiently as possible. I had committed to 40 as the number and quietly wondered if it would actually have been too high. I envisioned myself well liked so I had thoughts that there would be a few people that would arrive to shake my hand and swap a story or three, but I was woefully unprepared for what actually transpired. Too say that I was overwhelmed by the variety of people, from various times in my career, that took time out of their lives to stop by, would be an understatement! My heart was bursting! Many were from my Central days, some from classes I had taught, some had taught me, others were from my new adopted Viking family, and a number were relatives or friends of our family. The pièce de résistance was the incredibly moving words that my dear friend Ron Andrews had to say. I'm not much of a seasoned consumer of adult beverages but I fancied some Crown Royal as the night's choice. Like a scene out of Hogwarts, my glass magically refilled itself all night long. I noted a twinkle in a couple of friend's eyes so my suspicions lie squarely with them. In the end, I was as giggly as a school girl and wasted no time visiting the Sandman that night.

My sincere thanks to all who participated in making it a memorable night!

Saturday was a foggy morning, at least from my perspective, but as the morning wore on, the haze lifted and I readied myself for round two ... Ron had arranged a "Boy's Tour" to Toronto to take in a Marlies' hockey game and Ryerson vs Brock in Mens' Basketball. Cow-towing to social pressure, I armed myself with the "hair of the dog that bit you" for the bus ride, resulting in another bout of giggling fun. Arriving at the Ricoh Centre for the Marlies' game, it was my brother Rob who bore the twinkle in his eye, and my Hogwarts mug was doing its magic again. Thanks to Ron's conniving, I finally saw my name in lights as the Jumbotron brilliantly congratulated me on retiring, much to the amusement of the regulars as my tour-mates had much to say. Ron had arranged a pit stop at William's Landing prior to the bus picking us up for the basketball game, and as I entered the room, I was greeted with the smiling faces of Joe and Vince Santoro, good friends I had not seen in quite some time. Joe was a standout basketball player that I had shared an elementary Simcoe County Championship (1994), a club basketball Gold Medal (1998), a Senior Basketball OFSAA Bronze medal (1999) and a Rugby OFSAA Gold Medal (1999), although he'll admit that the rugby was a graduation band wagon decision ... hoops was his thing and rugby was not. Vince, Joe's father, had been an incredible supporter of both his son's escapades (I also coached his second son, Steve) and mine, Joining the team in many a road trip, and inviting the team to his beautiful cottage in Muskoka. After satisfying our primal urges, we loaded the bus for the Mattamy Center for the Ryerson-Brock game and, upon arrival, Ron lead us to the balcony viewing area for the game. This angle was immensely satisfying to my coach-self, but the thrill proved too much for my right hand and I successfully drew the attention of the entire gym when a canned beverage slipped from my grasp, narrowly missing a family below. As my buddies scattered like cockroaches, I owned the mistake with a raised hand and a loud proclamation of sobriety. I fully expected some beefy security guard to escort me out, but they must have took pity on me and we finished the game ... BTW, Brock got the DUB. The bus ride was a giggle-filled affair, my dear wife sacrificed her regular bedtime to retrieve me, and I once again wasted no time in filling the bedroom with the sounds of snoring.

WOW! What a wonderful way to celebrate a long career. HUGE thanks to Ron and my friends who decided to join me in the fun! Special shout out to my brother ... It was awesome to have him join us.

Thankfully, The dawning of the Sunday sun brought a new fuzzy feeling day, and I enjoyed a restful day and a wonderful Super Bowl. The dawning of Monday signalled the true start to my retirement and my liver was most appreciative. 

After a lot of scheming, arranging, packing and preparing, we made the mad dash out of Barrie, not bright, but definitely early. By the time we made it to Lexington, Kentucky for our first stop of the trek, we were both ready to get out of the car, having driven through some of the craziest rain storms we had ever seen. I have previously stated that I married very well and that fact was proven yet again when I was able to convince Joyce that we really needed some fresh Mexican grub followed by Kentucky vs Mississippi State at fabled Rupp Arena. If you're not familiar with the "Big Blue Nation" then you might have been surprised by the energy and enthusiasm their faithful fans exude when cheering the Wildcats to yet another victory. The crowd was mostly Kentucky blue, middle to advanced aged, loyal to the core and had little good to say about M State, although I'd venture that would hold true for any opponent. It turned out that we lucked into ESPN's Game of the Week, meaning normal rabidness gets turned up two notches. We were treated to a pretty awesome event and the crowd was eager to extol the virtues of their side after a hard earned victory. 

We were both SUPER glad (that one's for you Simmer) about making the game!

If you've ever made the trek south, you're well aware that planning when you traverse some of the major cities along the way is of paramount importance. For us, this meant hitting the road early, and despite some traffic woes, we arrived in Gainesville, Florida with just enough time to check in to the hotel and dash up to O'Connor Arena to catch, you guessed it, another NCAA spectacle. This night's flavour was Florida vs Georgia and, when we arrived just prior to the end of the first half, we saw that Florida had laid an egg and was down 16 points at the buzzer for halftime. What happened next over the 20 min of the second half was a rare treat for an old coach like me. Although the Gator fans were not quite as rabid, they were certainly capable of generating noise when their team played well, so you can imagine the decibels emitted as the Bulldog lead slowly vanished until the Gators took their first lead with 5 min or so left. Despite a valiant effort, the Bulldogs couldn't rescue the win and the Gator faithful were a buzz with excitement.

Two for Two!

Arriving at my mother's condo, we were treated to a humid 28 C day and, once we were settled, a pleasant dip in the pool and hot tub was welcomed respite after 27 hours of driving, prompting an early visit to the guest room and the loud growls of exhaustion-inspired snoring. The following day was exactly seven days AR (after retirement) so, considering the previous six days, choosing to attend a local high school basketball double header seemed appropriate. The opener was a Jr Varsity game that was long on athletes but short on talent, but entertaining none the less, followed by one of the more exciting Sr games I had the privilege to witness. The partisan crowd loudly supported the home boys but, inadvertently, only served to spur the visiting side and the game was hotly contested down to the final 3 minutes, when the visitors found the mark more often and coasted to an 8 point upset victory. This old coach is Uber excited about the upcoming district tournament and maybe even a regional tournament game or two. 

Three for Three!

Joyce and I have had the opportunity to talk a lot these past 9 days and we have agreed that it still feels like a vacation rather than retirement. If retirement takes time to get used to, I'm up for the challenge!