Hold that pose!

Long time friends of mine will already be aware that I have a secret love affair with my camera. What I really love is action photography, specifically, high school or youth sporting events, because there's no better center of focus than a young person's sheer elation while competing in something they love. I find the cathartic release obtained through providing memories caught for eternity to young people I have met through coaching or family interactions both intoxicating and exhilarating. Unfortunately, this cursed pandemic put a large proverbial monkey-wrench in the youth sport gears over the past 2 years, but thankfully, schools have bravely risen to the challenge of post-pandemic activities and I recently found myself behind the lens again. To say I was pleased is the understatement of the decade.

The subject of the day was rugby, as it often is, and the location was a high school in my adopted home of Guelph where I have created some new friendships as an emergency supply teacher. The classroom conversations inevitably swing towards extracurriculars and I boldly surmised that I could "kill two birds with one stone" as the saying goes ... scratch my lens itch while providing the kiddos with some things for their "Gram" or other social medias.  

Way, way back, I had always been amazed at the skill some display wielding an SLR, or something akin, and I was motivated to learn more when then principal Russ Atkinson asked me ... actually tasked me ... with running the Barrie Central Yearbook. Since I was already interested in photography and I now had to teach others how to be proficient, I concluded that I had better start learning more about the confounded device.

My dear old dad chose Nikkor when I was a young lad, and that skewed my opinion of which camera manufacturers were the best, so it made perfect sense to me to become a Nikon guy. When pressed by students in my Yearbook class, I really didn't have a plausible argument other than that was what I knew. We were blessed to have a number of Nikon models so many of my lessons were centered on the workings of Nikon, but also had a few Canon's donated to the program so I was able to become familiar with those. I've had a relatively small number of students bring their own Sony or Pentax in but I didn't use them so I can't really form an opinion, but I'd wager that all SLRs are inherently the same, other than buttons being in different locations somewhere on the camera body. One opinion I formed, rightly or wrongly, is that Canon lenses are top of the field, while Nikon bodies are the most desirable.

Near the end of my time teaching both photography and Yearbook that spanned Central to North, a few students brought in mirrorless models of various manufacturers, and since they were enthralled about this "new" trend, I let them teach me the value of it's system, according to them at least. Based solely on the relatively few opportunities I've had to use a mirrorless model, I think I still prefer my ol' SLR, but that's likely a comfort thing rather than a proficiency thing.

Getting back to the task at hand, the day was moderately warm, the sunshine brilliant, the excitement of the school high (since it was a home opener), and the commitment of the athletes was full on as I gleefully snapped to my heart's content during the Varsity Girl's, Jr Boy's and Sr Boy's friendlies. Considering the noticeable absence of rugby experience over the past 2 school years, the execution of both skills and knowledge was surprisingly high, and I must confess that I missed a few outstanding opportunities because I was busy being a fan. Trying to get back into the saddle, I had to perform some minor post-production tweaks to them to correct the small errors of judgement in camera settings as the sun conditions changed over the afternoon. Having said that, I was mostly pleased with my efforts.

The next challenge is to get the few Gigs of pics to the coaches so that they can figure out how they wish to share my work with the athletes. It was much easier when I was on staff at a school since I was already known to the parents and admin, plus I had access to the school network, but enlisting the assistance of a friend on staff to help me, uploading the lot to the school network was easy peasy. I chose not to post the lot on-line because I wasn't sure what that school's attitude was about their on-line presence. Giving the coaches access and letting them decide how to share them with the athletes seemed to be the most prudent choice. 

After all was said and done, I don't mind admitting that I'm "Jonesing" for another opportunity! The rugby schedule seems to be at odds with the local forecast, and although I'm being altruistic, I'm not embracing the idea of snapping in the rain. 

Maybe Ma Nature will change her mind ... fingers crossed. 

It doesn't take much

As my cousin Tim Burtch often says, LIFE IS GOOD! 

This weekend that just passed has yet again proven that there's infinite wisdom in those simple words as I enjoyed a few events that left me smiling widely, my soul enriched, and my body thankful.

The world of education is not a really big place, especially if you are involved with extra-curricular activities, usually meaning that names and faces of teachers at other schools are familiar. When I spent all of those years at Central, I was familiar with many of the North teachers who so willing donated their time for sports, especially the sports I was interested in. Although they were often a passing acquaintance, there was mutual respect and admiration since we were generally "cut from the same cloth" with similar background stories about paying it forward for the gifts we enjoyed as high school athletes.

One of those familiar faces was Gary Hamilton at Barrie North.

Once the closing of Central passed, the dust settled with my transfer, and the anxiety of changing schools after so many years waned, I began to build some new bridges with the long time HPE staff at Barrie North, a feat that was made infinitely easier by their kind hearts, welcoming smiles, and positive attitudes. Our group quickly hurdled the awkwardness of new friendships, sharing our stories from the "trenches", and swiftly finding commonalities in both personality and mindset. While all of my new colleagues became new friends at a staggering pace, there was a just a shade more connection with Gary. It was not a significant amount, but palpable and recognizable, born out of a genuine intention on his part to strengthen the bonds of our emerging friendship. Gary is kind, warm, positive, engaging, funny, and caring all bottled up in a larger-than-life personality that endears him to the staff and students that he interacts with. His booming baritone echos throughout the halls of North as he kibitzes and celebrates the great things housed within North's walls ... and its surroundings.

The greatest compliment I can give Gary is that he's really easy to be friends with.

A few weeks back, one of the football coaches, Ian Hunter, reached out to me with news that Gary was turning 50 and his wife Pam wished to surprise him with a bit of a gathering. Ian wanted to know if I wised to join in. It might seem pretty innocent, but I will tell you that it struck my as extremely generous and flattering that I was considered by Ian and Gary's family as someone that should be there to celebrate said milestone. Even though I was now living in Guelph, I knew that I had to put this occasion in the calendar because I felt strongly that I needed to show Gary how much his friendship meant to me.

The big event turned out to be a new experience since Pam had arranged the affair at Linx Kitchen + Social, a relatively new establishment in Barrie's south end that featured high end golf simulators in a licensed restaurant. Really, if you like golf, this place is an oasis in the frozen tundra of a Canadian springtime, where you can swing the clubs with your pals while you consume things that you know are taboo, but are so tasty that you choose the path of debauchery willingly. Upon arriving at Linx, I realized that the relatively small group was split along lines of school buddies and life friends, and as I would have guessed, despite being from a wide assortment of backgrounds, we were all similar in personality. I even got the added bonus of spending some time with my nephew Marcus, my brother Rob's firstborn, who has spent the years since graduating from North assisting Gary with the football program. Suffice it to say there was a lot of banter, smiling, and laughing as we enjoyed an informal 9-hole tournament complete with longest drives, closest to the pins, low gross scores, and mulligans ... or F12's ... this was a computer simulator after all.

As anyone who knows Gary at all might suspect, he was incredulous that so many that he values would make the effort to be there, felt humbled by the gesture, and thoroughly enjoyed the afternoon. Pam had arranged for some most delicious snacks at each of the simulators, leaving me feel a little embarrassed by her extreme generosity, compounded by the fact that she wouldn't allow me to make a contribution to the cost. I had brought a small token of friendship with a customary birthday card, complete with a personal message about the value I assign to our friendship, but I was floored by a text from Gary as I was returning to Guelph whose message prompted an unaccustomed blushing response, a big deal if you know me at all. 

Yep, Gary is really easy to be friends with.

If you were paying any attention during that weekend, you will have noticed that Mother Nature felt just a wee bit reticent about her recent snow storms and gifted us with one of the most fantastic Sundays on the 2022 calendar. With warm 20+ C temperatures, cloudless skies, and heavenly breezes it was idyllic to say the least. As you might have guessed, there was no way that this bike lover wasn't going to rip off a glorious chunk of km's in celebration of such an event. Settling into my ride with no particular destination in mind, I was entranced once again by the rural beauty of the Guelph area, the agricultural business of spring in full display, the scents of nature blossoming filling my nostrils, and the thrills of being back outside on my steed. My meanderings soon pointed toward the hamlet of Erin and its famous cycling destination, the Tin Roof Cafe, a popular waypoint for travellers of any mode, thanks to it's tremendous assortment of delectable treats. You don't have to be a cyclist to recognize the dopamine-induced glory of a piping hot coffee and a fresh ginger snap cookie ... but it certainly helps. If you aren't one, and you'd like some help with finding a choice little bakery in your area, seek out a local cyclist because they always know where the hidden gems are. Hey, it's a bike thing!

If those happenings weren't enough to pull at the corners of your grin, the piece de resistance was my inaugural exposure to the phenomenon that is the adult basketball league hosted by the Athlete Institute in Orangeville. Having accepted the assignment to referee a few games, I was venturing into uncharted waters, complete with anxiety-spawned snapping alligators born from past adult league experiences, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that while there were definitely a few gators, they were relatively harmless and docile. The institute was filled with teenage spirit, albeit bottled up in the girth of middle age, as yesterday-year's athletes struggled to find their game as their mind's vision was unmatched by their body's production, prompting frustration that occasionally targeted this NEWB "zebra" about calls missed or made. It sounds way worse than it was and I found myself on many occasions audibly laughing at the antics before my eyes. 

As I parked the RAV in the late night darkness, I found myself pausing in recollection of the blessings bestowed upon me, especially those of the past 48 hours, and I caught the twinkle of the streetlight in the wrinkled corner of my eye as I glanced in the rearview mirror. 

LIFE is most assuredly GOOD.

The view from my window

The view from my window ... Supplying all week for a basketball buddy who is on staff at JF Ross SS in Guelph.

It's an interesting turn of events, that's for sure, but not BAD interesting, more of a CURIOUS interesting since I had little to no idea what it wold be like to do an extended stay at a school that I have such a small footprint in. Even when I moved to BNC after a long stay at BCC, I knew people, was known by people, was familiar with the area, knew my way around the school, and didn't really feel anxiety in any form.

My BB buddy is Bill Price, a longtime teacher/coach at Ross. We met via the hardcourt after one of his players transitioned to more elite opportunities that I was involved in, then we built our friendship as we found ourselves facing each other across the timer's table. One thing lead to another and a quality bond of kinship materialized allowing us to share thoughts, opinions, strategies and jabs over the many years that have passed. When Bill had to be absent from class for a few days, he asked his admin if I could fill in. I was quite flattered that they would consent to an emergency supply taking an extended absence.

Prior to this week, I'd done a few days at Ross so I had a general idea of the layout for the school, but I was a definite unknown to the admin, staff and students so there was a small, albeit palpable, level of anxiety on that first day. Ross is a huge school! Way larger than schools in Simcoe County with a student population of just shy of 2200, and I let some of my unjustified, stereotypical anxieties get the better of me prior to that first day. 

Such a NEWB thing to do!

I am pleased to report that the experience has been stellar! I was tasked with delivery of a curriculum I had little experience with in two Gr10 histories and a G12 Challenge & Change, but at least I had a functioning knowledge of both. I should have known, but was pleasantly surprised, that kids are kids regardless of school size or community, and like the proverbial "riding a bike." I found my edu-mojo quickly. I would suspect that some of the credit for the smooth seas I was charting goes to Bill since he's quick with a smile, has great people skills, and is Uber intelligent, so I'd venture a guess that the kids were responding that way thanks largely to his previous guidance. Throughout the week we shared thoughts, opinions and quite a few laughs as we stumbled our way through some hyper-sensitive material like the Holocaust and organ donation. We even enjoyed the great outdoors for a writing session in JFR's quadrangle!

All in all, it was quite an enjoyable week!

To my former colleagues still attempting to stamp out the seeds of ignorance, I feel and see you and your daily grind combatting the siren's call of the device. Teaching these days is like herding cats, and I found my reflexive eye-roll to student opposition of the advice I was offering about their distraction levels didn't really warm them to me. As an aside, I did share a pretty cool graphic that I found whilst trolling the Interweb that graphically outlined the disruptive power of said devices, but some would've had to actually look up from their crotches to digest my message. The crux of the photo is a teacher who somehow bought the cooperation of her class to tally the device interruptions for an entire period. For us old geezers it's a powerful pic that sheds some light on the mental tug-of-war these teens and tweens are dealing with daily. 

Having said that, if that's my only complaint, I'm doing pretty gosh darn well.

Friday's my week's end, a gloriously sunny day, and while 4 days in a row is not a goal I would choose to set regularly, I'm glad that I could help out a friend, rekindle my edu-mojo, and gather a few shekels in the process. 

#GDTBATH

I bleed Carolina Blue!

I couldn't be very much happier with my loyalty than I am right now following the 2022 March Madness, aka the NCAA Men's D1 Basketball Championships! Well, maybe a little bit happier, like perhaps if we'd won, but I have to say that a lot of my buddies ate a sizeable portion of crow thanks my good ol' Heels bracket-busting antics this year!

I have a bunch of really old friends! I have had them a really long time AND they're really old!

As I have stated on this Blog in previous posts, my friends are very important to me. Most of the time we agree, especially on the important stuff, but when it comes to the teams we support in the wide variety of sports we pay attention to? Well, let's just say we have more than our fair share of "discussions". Some of the the most heated ones surround our allegiances when it comes to March Madness but I've never wavered from my complete devotion to the UNC Tar Heels, a relationship that goes back to my very early years. They've provided fans like me with year after year of tremendous ACC rivalries, deep runs into the tournament, and incredibly talented players ... anyone recall a skinny freshman, last name Jordan, knocking down the winning shot in '82?

If you really don't follow NCAA hoops, I'm not at all sure why we're good enough friends that you'd be reading this. HaHaHa ... just poking fun! I'd like you to know that my Tar Heels have proven to be the class of the NCAA for many, many years, and as only one example, hold a number of indicators of long, storied success like holding the record for the most Final Four appearances. CLICK HERE if you wish to read more about those records. TBH, I love watching all of the NCAA schools that make up the Madness because I find the tournament of extreme entertainment value, far greater than the NBA in my books. I'm on the edge of my seat each year as some underdog makes a run in the tournament ... St Peter's this year ... ousting long established blue chip programs by embracing the one and done nature of the Madness. 

I wager that almost any fan of college basketball has heard of North Carolina, but there may be less who could recall the coaches responsible for that incredible longevity in the national limelight. My love affair with UNC started in grade 5 thanks to an east end playground legend from my Johnson Street PS days, Jimmy Stevenson. They were his team,  and as a newbie hoopster, I really looked up to Jimmy so I of course followed in his footsteps. 

I have not regretted it a single year since. 

The coach when I was 10 was the unbelievable Dean Smith, a legend of the game who, for a short time, held the record for the most number of career wins until some skinny West Point grad from down the road recently took it over ... Coach K is easily in to top 5 to ever coach D1 basketball and has my deep respect ... despite where the school he coached. During my time rooting for the Heels, I was a huge fan of Coach Smith until his retirement in 1997 (and shed a couple of tears in 2015 with his passing). I tolerated the the Bill Guthridge years (not a huge fan though), was luke warm with the Matt Doherty years, then did a jig when Roy Williams returned to Chapel Hill in 2003 after a successful stint in Kansas. Williams both played and coached at UNC. 

The 2021-2022 season became one of note when former player and coach Hubert Davis replaced the retiring coach Williams partly because Davis is the first African American head coach in UNC history, but it's mostly about his abilities, not his skin tone. Following their 23-8 season, Davis was recently named the Clarence “Big House” Gaines College Basketball Coaches of the Year by the National Sports Media Association. Additionally, the publication CollegeInsider.com named Davis the John McLendon Award as the 2021-22 National Coach of the Year. The award covers all divisions in college basketball from D-I, D-II, D-III, NAIA and NJCAA.

One of the Dean Smith thumbprints on UNC program is what he coined, "The Carolina Way" and it embodied his personal philosophy surrounding a successful life but enshrined in it was his method of coaching the entire athlete. He believed in following a process that would keep his players focused on the things they could control. It was never about the wins, and in fact, former players say Smith rarely mentioned winning to them. It was all about the process.

The Carolina Way is essentially something simple ... PLAY HARD; PLAY SMART; PLAY TOGETHER. 

Unfortunately, like all great things, people occasionally lose their way and being constantly in the limelight like UNC leads to a lot of opinions finding "ink" in the mass media, opinions that might be counter to the Carolina Way. If you'd like to read more about UNC's stumbles CLICK HERE but I'm going to leave it at that for this post. For me, the proof is in the pudding ... the pudding being the records held plus the tremendous graduation stats.

Quite a while back, I put watching my Heels live at the Dean Dome on my bucket list, and I was as giggly as a school girl when I realized that dream in 2019. I have been blessed with a wife who is eager to share all of my craziness, and willingly tags along as we trapse around North America visiting college campuses for games. The atmosphere in the Dean Dome is electric, the signs of legendary success hung from the rafters in prominence, the fans as loyal as any in the world, and the smiles as wide as the Grand Canyon. I'm 1 and 0 at live UNC games, a streak that will be put to the test when we can finally enjoy NCAA events live again without worrying about infectious ailments. 

As for April 4th, 2022, it was indeed #gdtbath ... a Good Day To Be A Tar Heel!

Ch-ch-ch-changes

As the iconic David Bowie once crooned, "Ch-ch-ch-changes ... time may change me, but I can't trace time." 

You'd think that retirement would be pretty stable without the ever-present tide of change lapping at your shoes, but you'd be dead wrong, or at least from the lens I view it through. 2022 has been fraught with new happenings and events from returning to the hardcourt as a referee, our first "Snowbird" experience, the return to supply work in Simcoe County, and the beginning of emergency supply work in Guelph, but easily the most significant will be pulling up our relatively shallow roots and moving to "The Beach".

Yes, you read that correctly.
"The Beach" 

... as in Wasaga Beach .

.. the world's best and longest freshwater beach 

... the gem of Clearview Township 

... situated on the eastern shores of Georgian Bay. 

Yes, THAT beach.

How that BIG CHANGE transpired is a little bit of a story.

As regular readers of this Blog will know, Joyce and I sold our Barrie home of 30 years in the spring of 2020, and I convinced her that a move to Guelph to experience the charm of an old, established central Ontario city, the beauty of the surrounding Wellington County, and the buzz of a university town was what I really wished. What we found over the past 10 months more than met our expectations as we explored as much as the area had to offer. Thinking with financial prudence, we decided to rent a condo on the off chance that it wasn't what we anticipated after 30 years in a detached 2-story, but we soon came to the realization that it was silly to pay someone else's mortgage when we had a sizeable chunk of the proceeds from our house sale to apply to a new place to call our very own. 

We knew that the search would require someone who knew this area and it's real estate peculiarities better than us, and based on the recommendation of our realtor back in Barrie (BCC old boy Tomas Sample of C21), we reached out to Nick Fitzgibbon (Coldwell Banker), an old hockey buddy of Tomas', for guidance. As it would turn out, Nick was a total pleasure to work with, was extremely knowledgable and insightful, and quickly started sending potential properties our way. As the months passed, we viewed a number of potentials that checked most of the boxes we had determined were important to our future, some of which we almost pulled the trigger on, and we successfully pruned the branches to reveal the neighbourhoods that were the most desirable. 

The sad truth of the matter is that we LOVE the city and would gladly choose to establish a permanent base here, but the realities of this cursed real estate boom have resulted in ridiculously swollen costs for the properties that we would consider and we begrudgingly acknowledged that Guelph may have to come off the list. During the soul searching about which path to take, we came to the realization that some of the reasons we chose Guelph were not longer topping the list, giving birth to the notion of returning to Simcoe County. We were still adamant that we would forgo returning to the city of Barrie, but with so many awesome communities in Simcoe, we figured that there was a wide assortment of choices. In the end, the lure of "The Beach" proved powerful and we enlisted Tomas' assistance with the search. 

Our time in Guelph cemented our resolve that a condo was the choice for us for a wide variety of reasons, and after a couple of viewings we established a list of Wasaga neighbourhoods and sat back to patiently wait for a desirable listing. The top choice on my Google list of recents searches quickly became the popular Realtor.ca. After a few weeks of searching, an offering that checked almost all of our boxes appeared, but soon after our viewing, it sold conditionally in less than 36 hours. We kicked ourselves for not being ready to pull the trigger, but as karma would have it, the following week an even more desirable unit in the same building popped up so we immediately set the wheels in motion for a viewing, and after numerous discussions, submitted an offer that was quickly accepted, much to our surprise. Cue the scramble to put our ducks in a row!

You know that it couldn't possibly go smoothly, correct?

After the email flurry with our investment guy, Tim Laine, to make the deposit funds available, and scratching our heads over why in these cyber times one still has to pay for a physical bank draft to be able to transfer the funds from one bank to another, we were told that the teller at our bank had filled out the draft incorrectly, beginning a back and forth between our bank and the real estate bank that thankfully resulted in successfully giving away 1000's of our hard earned dollars in the form of a deposit. Following the legal ballet involving the status certificate, Tomas delivered the exciting news that we would be moving just before the summer holidays!

I don't mind sharing that this whole process was charged with nervous energy since the last time we purchased a home was 30 years ago, and the financial commitment was SIGNIFICANTLY less. Don't get me wrong, we're Uber excited by the whole affair, but we'd be lying if we didn't acknowledge the anxiety.

As I alluded to earlier in this post, one of the other BIG CHANGES was a return to the classroom in the role of supply following our winter in sunny FLA. SCDSB asks that all teachers on their regular supply list declare a minimum of 4 schools to be available to, but the reality for me is that I limit myself to only one location, partially because of the comfort of familiarity, but also the sensible reduction of exposure to Covid. While I love returning to Barrie, the 4 hours in commute often prompts the necessity of staying over one or two nights, and thanks to my mom's continuing generosity and her condo on the waterfront, the problem is solved. In an effort to solve the travel woes, I twice applied to the UGDSB to join their supply list, but was curiously ignored, a stab square in my ego. As luck would have it, during a catch up with a an old BB friend, Bill Price, after refereeing at his school, he introduced me to his VP and the conversation eventually wound its way to the glaring lack of supply teachers in Guelph. 48 hours later, this old fart was on the list of "emergency" supply teachers for Bill's school JF Ross!

 Perfect! I didn't wish to to fill in at multiple schools anyway. 

I recently accepted my first couple of days of emergency supply and I don't mind admitting that it was indeed intimidating being in a new school, navigating a new layout, meeting new colleagues, interacting with new students, and developing new expectations. Definitely NOT afraid, but decidedly anxious. Thankfully, the anxiety proved unfounded as I quickly settled back into the groove and shared a bunch of giggles and laughs with the new students. Now all I have to do is keep the supply requests from SCDSB and UGDSB organized! I'm choosing to work a number of supply days between the two because (a) both boards desperately need the help this spring and (b) the extra cash will help with funding the Snowbird account for next winter.

"Time may change me, but I can trace time."

I don't bounce very well!

If you're of my vintage, you'll fondly recall the yearly holiday special "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" and it's iconic, grossly misunderstood villain Bumbles, the Abominable Snowman. I'm sure I not the only child who stage aghast at the TV screen when Yukon Cornelius shooed Bumbles off the cliff, the dull pangs of shock gripping my adolescent eyeballs, only finding relief later as Bumbles reappears to assist with the Huge Christmas tree. As YC remarked, Bumbles bounce.

Well, I'm no Bumbles, although I have been known to bumble my way through things throughout my life.

I don't bounce very well ... at all!

A week ago (Monday March 21st, 2022) the sun was shining brightly, the temperatures were moderate (by Canadian spring standards), and I fancied a stroll. I coerced Joyce to make the short trip to Preservation Park here in Guelph, and we set out for a lovely mid-afternoon hike. Preservation Park has a winding, intricate system of trails that includes gravel roads, single track trails, well established double track paths, and bog-avoiding wooden berms. One could walk these trails 5 different times and end up traversing multiple different km's, be it in the open meadow or shaded woodlands. 

The first portion of our walk was easy peasy as we headed out along the well maintained gravel roads that are popular with the Guelph area dog owners, but our desired full loop would mean venturing into the woodlands, and there we discovered that the shaded protection had only partially melted the winter's snow, leaving the trails treacherously icy. Not to be outdone, we stuck to the mushy edges of trail where the melting fragile ice gave way underfoot allowing for partial traction, but we eventually came upon a small, slightly downhill section that required great care. As Murphy's Law would have it, taking great care produced the exact opposite effect, and as my right foot slid out from under my center of gravity I though, "Uh Oh!"

You know those cartoons that you watched with great glee on many a Saturday morning of your youth that featured ridiculous slapstick slips on banana peels, often resulting in both feet flying up and overhead? Well, my dear wife had a serious sense of deja vu as she watched in horror as my old, grey bulk went fully airborne before landing on my upper back/shoulder with a sickening thud. My many years of contact sports provided me with the requisite experience to not panic as air flooded out of my lungs thanks to the crushing impact of my unbridled impact, but that didn't lessen the pain that wracked my body as I lay in the melting ice and mud.

As I stated above, I definitely don't bounce ... more of a slap, really.

Lying in the muck, I took stock of my being, surmised that I was alive and partially well, struggled to my feet on the still slippery surface, and dusted myself off the best I could. On the return trip to the RAV, I could certainly feel the discomfort of the thud, but I didn't think it was all that bad. I was an ex-varsity football and rugby player ... I'd been hit far harder than any slip on the ice could generate. As the night progressed, I was stiff but unhurt.

Tuesday's shuffle out of bed was slower than normal, and standing upright immediately reminded me of the previous day's events, but moving around loosened things up enough that I felt I could get a rip on the indoor bike trainer in, reasoning that the workout would further loosen the stiffness from my back since I had a playoff basketball game to officiate later in the day. 

While all was not "normal", it was certainly tolerable, and I was able to get up and down the gym floor fairly well, the spectators only marginally aware that the old fart in the stripes looked sort of awkward running all stiff and board-like. By the end of the game I hardly noticed the dull ache in my left flank.

In the middle of the night, something stirred me out of my slumber, and as I sought a different more comfortable positioning by rolling in bed, I was startled by a crack sound that was loud enough to wake Joyce as well. The accompanying sharp jab of pain was not comforting in the least, and seemed to be emanating from my entire left side musculature, causing a low-grade muffled grunt that brought a sense of panic to Joyce. Once the spasm had subsided, it only took 10-15 minutes to re-find sleep.

Wednesday morning was the most pain I've felt in a really, really long time. 

I was scheduled to drive to Shelburne to referee Sr Boys Basketball playoffs, but Ma Nature had other plans, casting an ice storm across southern Ontario, prompting a far-reaching and complete shutdown of the school transportation system, so the day was spent attempting to deal with my spasming back. After navigating the day, the night's retirement proved to be quite the affair as I willed myself to be completely and utterly immobile after struggling to find the solitary position that would abate the pain inducing spasms. Both Joyce and I realized that Thursday I was going to have to seek some help. Being a complete chowderhead, however, I had to make it through the Guelph District 10 Sr Boys Basketball playoff games I had agreed to referee. Wrapping myself up, using a boatload of Tiger Balm, a handful of pain medication, and a lot a teeth-gritting grimaces, I made it through the day. 

One of the many benefits of teaching is the huge number of relationships that get established with the fantastic young people you work with. Of the thousands I interacted with, a healthy number had set their sights on healthcare, and one of them was early in her career as a chiropractor. Dr. Chloe (Foster) Morgan also happened to be the apple of Josh Morgan's eye, one of my co-coaches with GC State's rugby program. I reached out to Dr. Chloe seeking some advice on dealing with my discomfort and was completely thrilled when she cleared a space in her schedule to see me the next day. Upon Dr. Chloe's thorough examination, she postulated that Monday's thud had resulted in a cracked rib, so she referred me to Georgian Imaging Services for an x-ray to confirm. I should hear in a couple of days whether or not I had a break.

How's that for service? 

Armed with some input from Dr. Chloe on how to deal with this new revelation, some quick treatment in an attempted to deal with the spasms, and some KT tape to assist with stabilization, I felt a little bit better about my near future. Besides, as she confirmed, there's not much more I could do to myself, barring any mid-court collision, something I avoided with the nimbleness of a Russian ballet dancer (giggle).

Let's all just agree that, like Forest Gump's admission, "I'm not a very smart man", so of course I would go ahead with the weekend's scheduled refereeing. Through a combination of over-the-counter medications, treatment, and bracing, I am glad to report that all went well, albeit with discomfort. 

So, we arrive at today, Monday March 28th, 2022, and that signals the end of this incredible stretch of events. I'm heading out later today for Shelburne to referee those games that were cancelled last Wednesday due to the ice storm, ending a stretch that included 13 refereeing assignments in 8 days, an ass-over-teakettle fall, and a couple of days supply teaching. I have a follow up with Dr Chloe this week and I think I already feel my rib starting the stitching process because the spams are becoming far more infrequent. 

What a crazy set of circumstances! 

And, to add insult to injury, I haven't been able to get a ride in for 5 days now! 

Like the old adage, "That which doesn't kill you only makes you stronger", I will endure this bump in the road ... it's been snowing all week anyway, so I'm not missing any great tours out and about Wellington County. 

Pray for me folks. I need all the help I can get! HaHaHa!

Hello again, hello!

I'm probably really dating myself, but it's like the Neil Diamond song, "Hello again, hello!" 

I'm pecking away on my laptop after being offline for a while, and despite the plethora of topics I have opinions about (like the atrocities surrounding the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the detrimental impact on the global economy, or Ford Nation's questionable decision to remove many of the restrictions surrounding this pandemic), the muse just wasn't moving me so I figured that meant I should take a break from writing for a little.

Well, to coin the epic Jack Nicholson line, "I'm baaaaack!"

The single largest reason for my hiatus was vacationing in Florida during the snowy horribleness of the 2022 Canadian winter, thoroughly enjoying my mother's generosity by sharing of her beautiful condo in Naples. For me, life on vacation is incredibly myopic, so my attention was only slightly beyond the end of my own nose. Having said that, something as huge as the Russian invasion of Ukraine was not on a level that could be ignored, and my understanding of the initial facts were thanks to the lens of the American media.

I'm going to share some thoughts ... that much isn't new ... and I'll likely ruffle some feathers with my words so it behooves me to apologize ahead of time because I don't share thoughts to offend, even though I know that there will be many that stand on the other side of any issue discussed. One of the most beneficial components of my writer's soul is that my happiness doesn't hinge on others affirming me, and by extension, I'm perfectly accepting of others looking at any issue from their viewpoint. It's okay that we don't agree and it doesn't mean either of us is wrong. 

However, I do draw the proverbial line in the sand with others criticizing my character, slandering me or resorting to questionable efforts to intimidate or physically coerce me to change my mind.

So please go ahead a disagree ... but be nice about it. 😉

Regarding the Russian invasion, I don't think many would argue with me that the only ones who support Putin and his henchmen are likely (a) woefully ignorant, or (b) live in fear of what he'll do if they say something. By my estimation, that leaves billions of us aghast at the events playing out at the hands of the Russian military as millions of innocents are so profoundly impacted, some paying the ultimate price. When the invasion began, I stared agape at the sheer audacity of the Goliath named Putin as he faced the David that was Ukraine, and like many, I was "all in" on a David-inspired ending. As each bloody day passed, cessations looked increasingly impossible, with global efforts mounted to force Russia to back down without sparking another World War appearing to have little effect. From where I stand, Putin's ability to create the perfect cocoon while steering the Russian destruction machine seems bulletproof since he's still alive and in power. It's my understanding that his total control of all information released to the Russian people effectively keeps them blissfully unaware of the truth behind the invasion. His outrageous lies about liberating oppressed Russians from Ukraine's Nazi-like rule is both ludicrous and incredulous.

Further to the point, the rest of the planet is either (a) dead set against Putin but powerless to effect any change without sparking WWIII or (b) agrees with Russia's socialistic platform but is VERY wary of the rest of the planet's reaction should they show support. It goes without saying that it's a very frustrating set of events for the rest of us since we are "between a rock and a hard place" and the fallout is impacting our wallets through the chain reaction effect on the global economy. Obviously, having to endure increased inflation pales in comparison to the what the Ukraines are forced to endure, but piled on top of dealing with a 2 year pandemic, the pangs of frustration are tangible, none the less. I don't see how someone as warped as Putin can save face at this point, and my heart bleeds over the death and destruction of Ukraine.

I am no expert on this conflict. My opinions are built on paying attention to first the American media, and now the Canadian media, as I seek to understand more thoroughly.

Now, add to this a spicy dish of crap like Ford Nation's questionable decision to start scaling back the restrictions surrounding the pandemic despite the very obvious positive effect they have had on the spread in Ontario. My understanding is profoundly biased by the education system blinders I have become so comfortable with, creating a skewed viewpoint of importance, leaving me shaking me head in disbelief. I don't think it would come as any surprise to people who know me that I feel strongly that Ford and his cronies have completely botched the management of the province's response, especially their handling ... or is it lack of handling ... of how it impacts our formerly world class school system. 

There is still overcrowding. There have been zero improvements to the ventilation systems. The flipping between in person, on line, synchronous, asynchronous, hybrid methodologies has resulted in massive disruptions in progress for so many frustrated, vulnerable kiddos. 

Add to all of this the removal of masking mandates, the one truly effective method (the proof's in the pudding) of stemming the transmission, knowing full well that unbridling already rebellious teens, tweens, and adolescents allows them to run rampant through the viral mists filling school hallways and cafeterias will inevitably result in spikes of infections. They fully acknowledge this yet seem to be bending to the vocal minority, very likely in an effort to sway votes in the upcoming provincial election. Regardless of where along the political continuum I fall, it is maddeningly frustrating that the transparent garnering of votes could have dire consequences for the province's most vulnerable. 

Top all of that off with a little viral biology.

In the event you weren't aware, viruses continually seek to improve their ability to propagate through good ol' Darwin's "survival of the fittest" theory. When a virus infects a body, it enters an infected cell, hijacks the nucleus, and forces the cell to replicate the virus' genetic code. During this process, there are often minor glitches in the replication that usually result in that one virus being ineffective, but with probability on its side, there are those long-shot mutations that result in an enhanced effect that increases the likelihood of that one virus surviving long enough to propagate. Joe Public knows these as variants. 

Why do you nee to know this? And how does it relate to masks?

IMHO, by removing the mask mandate, many school aged children will choose to throw their mask in the trash, continue their social habits, and expose themselves to increased chance of infection. Even if vaccinated, this offers the virus a chance to mutate, significantly increasing the likelihood of another variant, causing science to play catch-up all over again. I totally understand that we will be forced to live with Covid for the foreseeable future with the very strong chance of yearly boosters just like the influenza virus, but why give biology the opportunity to speed the process up when wearing masks is a simple and easy thing? 

Are they annoying? You bet! Are they uncomfortable? You bet! Are they a smart choice? You bet!

Oh well, like I already stated, I can hold a different opinion, have an animated discussion, and not harbour resentment or offense ... I'll still be wearing my mask when I return to school to help my teacher friends.