K, despite her blessed patience and understanding, freaked out at me just less than two months ago. It must be said that this was totally justified and deserved. For the last year, ever since K took me on a fantastic and unexpected graduation trip to Amsterdam (best present ever!!), my only task was to take another vacation with her at some point in the not too distant future. I didn’t even have to take her on vacation, I only had to scrimp and save enough so that I could go, and she would do the same, which seems like a simple enough task given that we are both avid travellers stuck living the horrid nine-to-five grind of the average working sucker.

When I suddenly found myself with a bit of extra cash, I went full barrel into the self-indulgent world of unnecessary surgery and had lasers shot at my eyes instead. K, although supportive during the immediate post-surgery healing phase, quickly pointed out my oversight. Needless to say, I felt like a heel. I prophesied that I would not make the full recovery until I had made amends for being a total and inexcusable tool. It only seemed right, in a symbolic sort of way, which is how I tend to think anyway.

Usually, after having lasers shot at your eyes, your vision slowly improves over the next three to six months. I had my two month check-up just this week, coincidentally the very same day that I asked the powers that be for a week off which would be used for an amazing week of hiking in Peru. Lo and behold, the eye doctor said my vision was 20-20 already, and I got the week off.

As tempting as it is to plan a ticker tape parade down Bank Street and declare a national “off the hook” holiday, it is exactly that kind of thinking that got me into trouble in the first place. Women are tricky, and you have to stay one step ahead of them lest you find yourself making your own dinner and cleaning the kitty litter.

So, onward and upwards we go.

D.

Posted by D. at Thursday, July 20, 2006 | Permalink | Comments

One of my favourite things about living in Ottawa is being able to show visiting family and friends around the city. On those long summer days when, even if you were to walk around buck naked with a 10-person crew using a variety of air-conditioning and fanning units to constantly cool the air around you, it remains stubbornly and unbearably muggy and gross, I still enjoy sharing the city with newcomers.

This weekend, my Dad’s cousin’s son (my second cousin?) was in town with his wife and three boys. Despite the distant relation, our two sides of the family have always been close. To make the family tree even more complicated, he is my god-father as well as my dad’s god-son. While I was “finding myself” in Europe, many moons ago, he put me up in his home and gave me a good job. But that’s a story for another post.

I tend towards the notion that I am “from” Ottawa these days. My only other viable options are to say that I am from Barrie, where I lived for four years and where my parent’s remain, or from the small-ass town of Azilda, where I spend those magical childhood years between 6 and 14. I have now been in Ottawa for seven years, but since that is three more that I spent in Barrie, and far more recent than my Azilda years, it’s as accurate an answer as any.

But Ottawa is a little microcosm of Canada in the sense that the tendency of people who ask you where you are from leans towards wanting to know where else you are from, unless you are born and raised - as if is makes that much of a difference. I’ve been here long enough to blend seamlessly with the fat-cat locals, to giggle in annoyance at the gaggles of tourists, and to impart wisdom on more recently arrived denizens. I think I’ve earned the right to answer the question “Where are you from” with “Why, Ottawa, of course” without having to add any caveats or footnotes.

When I drag family members around our capital, I do so with a sense of pride because I’m not just showing them around Ottawa, I’m helping them get a sense of Canada as well. The numerous sets of provincial and territorial flags lets me yammer on about the regional differences (“uh, those three flags are, um, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta – in no particular order. They’re the west.”), the War Museum gives them a sense of how un-militaristic we are (the room with all the old tanks and other equipment looks as though it has enough firepower to take on our current army/navy/air force, mothballs and all!) and the Parliament Buildings allow us to show our pride and our roots.

In true Ottawanian fashion, I am also accumulating a few good local stories for the guests. The locks at the end of the Rideau Canal are a good conversation starter about the Irish who built it, the old City Hall has some good ghost stories, and the stories of various neighbourhoods can be fascinating for anyone interested. I can also quickly locate the best ice-cream, Chinese food, pub, and park in just about any part of the greater downtown area, all while skilfully avoiding the Market and its overpriced, over-touristed silliness.

The only problem is that I am using up all my family members I can introduce to the city.

D.

Posted by D. at Monday, July 17, 2006 | Permalink | Comments

While I continue the eternal struggle to blog every freaking day, I thought it might be fun to add a new feature. By their very nature, blogs are nerdy. They flout our use of computers and our penchant for other people’s blogs as well as other equally nerdy web sites. Enbiggened by a quote I read in an interview in the Ottawa Xpress with some super-nerdy techno-musician who said something to the effect of “I don’t trust people who aren’t nerds. Nerds are just people who are really into something and if you don’t have the personal fortitude to totally invest yourself in something, then screw you”, I’ve decided to introduce the new Everything’s Not Terrible forum

What the hell is the ENT forum?

Well, it’s like a super-sized “comments” section that is a bit more user friendly than the version that appears at the end of each blog post.

What are you going to do with it?

I hope that it will be used by people who are either bored at work, itching to opine, have the urge to vent, or just want to find out what our little online community thinks.

Let’s say I’m “itching to opine”, how can I do this?

Right now, the forum is completely open. Anyone can start a thread or post replies. I’m going to give this a shot for a while, but if it gets too crazy and spam filled, I’ll have to put some restrictions on. You have free reign, use it wisely!

Why would I go on your forum when I can just post a reply to your blog?

Good question. First of all, I like the forum idea because it’s more conversational than the blog comment section. It also lets people talk about whatever, not just what I happen to blog about on a given day.

Secondly, I will be having regular forum contests and competitions. The first one that will be set up this weekend, so come back and look for it!

What general threads will there be on the ENT forum?

There will be the general “movies”, “books”, and “politics” threads, as well as a very useful “blow off some steam” section, in which you can verbally rant about anything you want in anonymity. Of course, as it is open, you can feel free to add whatever you want, but try to keep things organized. If you want to start a thread for your own blog, please do so with my blessing.

I think you are a big nerd.

Why thank you. I think you are a nerd too. And really, that’s what this is all about. Let’s embrace our nerdiness, celebrate it, and find new and fun ways to share in it together.

D.

Posted by D. at Friday, July 14, 2006 | Permalink | Comments