Canada Day is a day to Canada's confederation. But Canada Day 2022, it was more then that. It was a day to celebrate the marriage of two very good people. It was a day to celebrate the marriage of Jayme and Deanna. I've known them for a good five-years. But they've become friends in that time. Jayme and I along with the rest of the guys have had a bunch of good times thus far since I've known them. The reception was another. There is more to come.
The reception was at a quaint little venue in the heart of the hood part of Alphabet Soup on 20th. Never heard of it prior to this. That's besides the point. The reception was a great time. A banger as they say. The drinks were flowing, there was food all around (they classed it up with McDonalds cheese burgers and Junior Chickens), dancing, laughs, and an all around good time.
I was hoping to get ready to rumble for the garter belt. But c'mon Jayme. You could have done better than that. He just tossed it on the floor. So I went and got it. The bouquet toss was as you expected. Women always rumble for the bouquet. But seemingly a first, someone used their dress to block. Jaclyn got the bouquet. The ones that got the garter and bouquet had the option to dance. So we did. Why not? The song played for the dance was "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" from the Lion King.
Jaclyn, thank you for the dance. Riley, you have a good one. Don't let her go.
Marriage is something that people think you have to do. It's something that needs to happen right away in your life. Jayme and Deanna have been together for 18-years or so. They're proof that you don't have to get married right away. They've enjoyed life, had kids, and built a great family. It's admirable.
People come and go in your life, but some stay. I'm grateful that they're in mine. Thank you to my cousin Drew for introducing me to Jayme and Deanna. They are good people.
Cheers to Jayme and Deanna on their wedding on Canada 2022. Congrats, bay-bay!
On June 9, 2022, I submitted by resignation from my position with Club Demonstration Services Canada. I've been at the Costco South Saskatoon location since November 2017. Honestly, I don't remember applying for this job. During the interview I was asked to do an example of selling something. I did frozen. I rattled it off pretty easy. Ironically? Coincidentally? I did pizza when I did on the floor training.
When I got a couple of guys hired recently, I don't remember the interview as in-depth as this. With things constantly changing, there is a lot to learn. With all the changes over the years, I've adapted to become one of the top sales advisors at my location. My monthly, some weekly, and some daily sales figures lend credence to that. Not bragging or blowing smoke. Just acknowledging how well I've done.
I've risen to sales lead (team lead) where I've been given other responsibilities. I go above and beyond to make sure co-workers are ready to launch with their demos. I've trained a number of people. Again, this has nothing to do bragging. I've worked hard at this job. People have noticed my dedication and hard work.
Even though people are sad that I'm leaving, it's something I have to do. My boss has acknowledged many times that I work hard and that I'm a top seller. She also said that the only way I'd move up is if one of the other two supervisors left. I did at one point want to be a supervisor and she knew I did. But earlier this year I didn't want that no longer. It was more of that I deserved to be based on performance and how hard I work.
It was bittersweet when I told my boss that I'm leaving. I never thought I would be at this job for this long. Over four and half years. I met good people both within Club Demonstration Services and Costco employees. I've been slowly telling people that I've moving on. Sure some people some co-workers are wondering why I'm leaving, but it's just the way it has to be.
I posted a status on Facebook about moving on. I was vague about what the job is. It's an order picker with Maple Leaf Foods. It is a good opportunity with a great company, great pay to start, benefits, etc.. I will be able to pay off debt. I will be able to afford a place when I find one. I will be able to afford my meds and insulin. Those are the three most important things. In due time, I will find a vehicle. Nothing fancy, but something that gets me from point A to point B.
Some said I could work the weekends for CDS, but that's not happening.
This new job is full-time with the opportunity for overtime if I want
it. Working seven days a week at times would is a no.
In that Facebook status, I thanked everybody who came to see me at Costco, who bought stuff I was selling, and just talked. Speaking of talking to people, Costco members will talk to us. They tell you things you don't think they would tell you. They open up. You learn a lot about people.
You can come see me when I'm on shift. My last day is June 24. My first day at Maple Leaf Foods is following the Monday (June 27). I will try to make it out to see them once in awhile.
Here's to new opportunities, learn new skills, showing them I can work hard, and basically improving myself personally. The latter is pretty important. In the future, if I need it, I know I can count on my boss for a reference.
Yesterday at work, my demo was messy, but it was a fun one. My product was pineapple chunks. I was blending it was ice cream. People were loving how simple it was. Some were saying it tasted like a pina colada. So I was telling people that I could sing them a song about pina colada.
"Escape (The Pina Colada Song)" by Rupert Holmes was the one I defaulted to. Sorry, Garth Brooks. One member didn't want me to sing your "Two Pina Coladas" as they didn't like country music. One member said it was the me singing the former that brought her in.
I finally decided to look up the lyrics to "Escape (Pina Colada Song)." Aside from not knowing the last two lines of the first chorus (haven't memorized the rest of the song), I found out I was mishearing lyrics. I always thought it was the following.
If you like making love at midnight
In the dunes of a caves
The lyrics are actually:
If you like making love at midnight
In the dunes on a cape
Looking up what a dune and a cape is (still not exactly sure), it makes more sense based on the song having a beach theme and whatnot. Poor Rupert Holmes and his resentment towards the song. All the awards he has won for musicals he's written yet people know him as the guy who wrote that song about pina colada. Regardless of your stance on the song, I like it. It's unmistakable and catchy. You can't help but sing along.
I have yearly list of things I do whether it be listening to various Christmas albums and songs. watching various movies, TV specials and episodes, and drink my yearly carton of egg nog, and other stuff. In fact, here is my yearly checklist. It's become a tradition for me.
Movies and Television:
-"Home Alone"
-"Home Alone 2: Lost in New York"
-"Die Hard"
-"A Charlie Brown Christmas"
-"A Muppet Family Christmas"
-Hershey's Kiss "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" commercial -"The Grinch Who Stole Christmas" - Original animated not live action movie -"Merry Christmas, Mr. Bean"
Music:
-Boney M's "Christmas Album"
-"Once Upon a Christmas" - Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers
-"Christmas Time Is Here" by Daniela Andrade - The video especially - Kenny G's "Miracles: The Christmas Album"
Food and Drink:
-Yearly carton of egg nog
"Linus is right, I won't let all this commercialism ruin my Christmas." -Charlie Brown
Words to live by.
I always watch the 1965 Christmas classic A Charlie Brown Christmas.
"A Charlie Brown Christmas" has some good messages we could learn from. There are topics of not feeling Christmas, sadness on the part of Charlie Brown, commercialization, and the meaning of Christmas in which Charlie Brown doesn't understand.
The quote about not letting commercialism ruin his Christmas is one we should learn from. Growing up, getting presents was, of course, something I looked forward to. What kid didn't? Getting CDs ("Best of Van Halen Vol. 1 for instance), video games (Super Nintendo, Game Boy, etc.), toys, etc.. I loved Christmas. It was my favourite holiday. Maybe the presents had something to do with it.
I knew what the meaning of Christmas was in many respects from the story of Jesus' birth to spending time with family and friends and all that stuff. As I grew up and no longer got presents, I still loved Christmas. Getting the odd gift or not getting gifts at all is not a big deal. But for some, exchanging presents is a big deal. That's all fine and well.
For decades and decades, Christmas has become more and more commercialized. Stores start putting out Christmas decorations and the goodies you eat during that time such as chocolates and cookies, etc. way too early. Before Halloween. At work, even a kid said it was too early.
The ads and commercials bombard us with getting the latest technology (phones, computers, video games), gadgets, and all sorts of other stuff. Go here or go there for your all your holiday needs. Get various deals. That's all fine and well. I would have Christmas deals on if I had a business. Just makes good business sense.
If someone was to get me something, get me something practical that I need. I at one point was getting a yearly pair of socks from my Grandma Sheldon. Thanks, Grandma. Better than nothing as they say.
Now, in A Charlie Brown Christmas, commercialization is mentioned many times. Charlie Brown was wise to not let commercialization ruin his Christmas. He focused on the little tree he thought was perfect even though that's not what Lucy wanted for the Christmas play. He stuck to his guns and loved that little tree.
He left to go and decorate the tree and not focus on the commercialization of Christmas. We could all learn that from him. Although, at the beginning, Lucy mentioned getting all sorts of presents of things she wanted. Sally wanted money from Santa. As kids, that's what we wanted.
Now, I have a little tree that I call my Charlie Brown tree. Of course it's nothing fancy, but I don't care just like Charlie Brown didn't care. He was disheartened that a single ornament made it fall over. I get how one might feel that way. After he left, Lucy, Sally, Pig-Pen, Schroeder, and the others decorated his tree. Lucy saying afterwards:
"Charlie Brown is a blockhead, but he did get a nice tree."
Here is the clip that ends this classic including his reaction to his tree being decorated by everyone.
It's good they learned the meaning of Christmas. We should get a reminder instead of that in case we forget. You should not focus on commercialization of the season and focus on what truly matters. Family, friends, good food, good times, making memories, etc. are what matters. As said I said, getting presents is all well and fine, but that's not what truly matters.
Oh and we shouldn't forget to thank Linus for telling Charlie Brown about one of the meanings of Christmas when he didn't know. It lifts Charlie's spirits and makes him feel slightly better.
Merry Christmas, Charlie Brown. Merry Christmas one and all.
He articulates what we're all feeling. No matter when, it's a good reminder that the best is yet to come even if you don't think so. Thanks for this, Ben.
"The Best Is Yet to Come" by Ben Rector YouTube link
Here is a version with just piano which is titled "The Best Is Yet to Come (A Song for the New Year)."
Let's get this out there that this isn't coming from a point of bias due to myself being a Toronto Maple Leafs fan. It just happened to be three examples as of late. Horrendous officiating happened all last season as we all know.
You can say that refs can't see everything. But when it's blatantly obvious, that's when you have a problem. On Saturday (December 4), the Maple Leafs were in Minnesota to play the Wild. During overtime Marcus Foligno mows over Jack Campbell and lands a hit to the head. Play blown down? Why bother. Not like it was a penalty over anything. Foligno was untouched. He could have stopped and not hit Campbell the way he did regardless of intent.
Last night (December 5), the Maple Leafs were in Winnipeg to play the Jets. Late in the third period Neal Pionk landed a knee on Rasmus Sandin. Pionk didn't make a legal check and instead was out of Sandin's path when the incident occurred. Sandin made a shot which is why Pionk was out of his path. It was a knee on knee hit that could have been avoided. Did the refs blow the play down and call a penalty? Why would they? It's not like Sandin was injured or anything. It was his right leg that was injured and he had to be helped off the ice.
Sandin will be at least two to three weeks. That's a big loss for the Leafs.
The NHL and NHL Player Safety handed down a suspension for the Pionk incident. Warranted. Pionk got two games for it. The non-call is what increased it to two games.
"We acknowledge Pionk's argument that this is an attempted full-body
check, but this play cannot be classified as merely a collision between
two players, where one or both move reflexively or defensively at the
last moment to avoid contact," said the department of player safety in a
video explaining the punishment.
"If he wants to deliver this hit, the onus is on Pionk to take an
angle of approach that ensures he's in good position to make a legal,
full-body check. Instead, having taken an angle which has him lined up
outside of Sandin's path, Pionk turns his right leg and extends his
knee, jutting it forward to avoid missing the check entirely. This
results in forceful, dangerous and direct knee-on-knee contact."
Now, Jason Spezza retaliated with a hit on Pionk. Sticking up for his fellow teammate. That's usually what they do in most cases. But the hit Speeza on Pionk was dangerous and could have been a lot worse. The refs didn't make a call on this either. If they did, there would have been a massive uproar. Rightfully so if that did happen.
Spezza's hearing is tomorrow (December 7) via Zoom. With the hit he did on Pionk, I can see them handing down a slightly longer suspension. That's another blow for the Leafs. Wayne Simmonds on the other hand was fined $2,250, the maximum allowable under the CBA for laying a stick into the back of an opposing player. Simmonds cross-checked Jets forward Jansen Harkins.
Things need to be handled in the correct manner. These suspensions and fines need to handed out if necessary.
Also during the Leafs and Jets game, Pierre-Luc Dubois kneed Joseph Woll in the head. Call? Why? Just keep going with the trend of non-calls. That's the standard and status quo for NHL refs.
"Nothing is more important than ensuring the integrity of our game" says hockey operations VP Colin Campbell.
Everybody can smell that bullshit. If that's the most important thing, then the issue of horrendous officiating would have been dealt with. But it's only dealt with when refs like Tim Peel are exposed via hot mic takes and want to look like they're doing something. Brad Meier on the other hand doesn't have anything done to him. They need to be tougher on refs and have them do better.
It's long overdue for Gary Bettman and Bill Daly to be replaced as NHL commissioner and deputy commissioner. Find someone who will take a hard look at the issue and do something about it. That won't sugar coat things and only do something when exposed. GMs and owners need to put pressure on the league to make such changes. This can't go on any longer.
I have a music based Facebook group for the Rush bassist Geddy Lee (you can join here if you're a Rush fan). One of the things I do is post new music as Rush no longer makes music. Being that we're in the midst of the Christmas season, I posted a song called "Christmas Truce" by the Swedish power metal band Sabaton. I was reluctant to put it on the list. When I watched the video, which you can see here (or here, I decided to put it on the list. The imagery of the video and the song are so powerful and rife with emotion. Until I watching the video and listening to the song, I had no idea that it had any historical significance surrounding it.
On December 7, 1914, Pope Benedict the XV called for a temporary hiatus of the war. Many warring countries refused any sort of ceasefire. But an unofficial ceasefire was declared by many troops in the trenches on Christmas.
Christmas truce occurred on Christmas 1914 during World War I. Many troops ceased their fire while others kept fighting. Not sure why they all couldn't have put down their weapons for a brief period. For those who did, it started on Christmas Eve, when British and German troops fight in the war started singing Christmas carols. At various points, the Allied soldiers even heard brass bands joining the Germans in their singing.
At
the light of dawn on Christmas Day, German soldiers emerged out of the
trenches approached the Allied lines across no-man’s-land, and were
calling out “Merry Christmas” in their enemies’ native tongues. At
first, Allied soldiers were fearful that it was a trick at first. Once
they saw the Germans were unarmed, they also emerged from the trenches
and shook hands with them.
They exchanged presents of cigarettes
and plum puddings, sang Christmas carols and songs. Some Germans even
lit Christmas trees around the trenches. Some documents show that they
played a good natured and rousing game of soccer.
At least some
fighting had a temporary ceasefire and truce even if only for Christmas. Again, the countries and troops that kept fighting should have done the same.
For those that did stop fighting, we could learn something from that. But hey, hopefully you and yours all have a Merry Christmas.
