Call Me Sea Slug

No energy today. I felt like a sea slug. Is the heat getting to me already ?

Here's an excellent article in the NYT about suicide
With so many flaky health stories in the news, it's great to read something that is well written, thoughtful, and backed up with facts.

Saw the movie "In Bruges" . I liked it even though there was too much violence. If you're into political correctness don't watch it.

Steven Truscott

To all of you out there who want to get tough on youth crime, remember, one reason we have the Youth Criminal Justice Act, and no longer have the death penalty in Canada ; Steven Truscott
Do we really want to go back to those days?

That's the limit of my political commentary here. I use to do volunteer work with high risk youth and the answers to youth crime aren't so simple.

I was able to contact an intelligent life form at human resources today. I thought I'd take another crack at them and see if I could get some things sorted out. The guy I spoke to was able to answer a few of my questions, certainly more than anyone else has.

So much for the electronic age and a paperless society. Ha! The bureaucrats want forms filled
out, and lots of them. I have no clue what I'm doing anymore. I'm dealing with three separate government agencies . Oh the torture ! The only thing I'm certain of is I won't be reporting for work on July 28th, at least not full time . I wonder in a year from now where I'll be and what I'll be doing.
Things right now sure are different compared to last year.

Chili Dogs and Ice Cream

A few scenes from the Woodland Trail, Royal Botanical Gardens, on the last day of the flower festival.



































































We had foot long chili cheese dogs and fries for dinner at Easterbrook's. Haven't had a hot dog in years , have to admit it was very good.

Otherwise, it's been an uneventful couple of days with me feeling well below par. My only accomplishment, is that I might just hold the record for most maple walnut ice cream cones eaten in one weekend.

Do I feel guilty? Not after my 5k walk I don't.

Work, a Few Flowers, and Climate Change

Here's a few of my day lilies , roses, and cone flower buds, along with my neighbour's more civilized front garden. Mine is getting that jungle look again, which I will try to subdue this weekend.


After all the whining about my work situation I finally have some good news. Turns out that I qualify for a disability payment that would allow me to continue working part time and still receive about 80% of my earnings. It won't happen over night, still lots of forms and bureaucratic nonsense to get through, including nagging management to do their bit. At least I can enjoy the rest of my time off and know that something is in the works. Now maybe I'll be able to hang in there longer and get a real pension, instead of the half one I would get if I quit.
Yes, after that bizzarre conversation with my manager, I was seriouly considering it.

Not going out celebrating just yet, because these things have a way of unraveling. Stay tuned .

If you believe that climate change will have dire consequences, consider moving to Canada.

Birthdays and a Clinic

No internet all day today. Funny I didn't care.

Three big birthday bashes this week : Canada, U.S.A , and Quebec City, all celebrating. Good article about them in the New York Times today.

Quebec having the biggie, 4oo years since it's foundation. My mother claims direct lineage to the original settlers. We did go to a big family reunion when it was the 375th anniversary and I have a book showing the genealogy. I laughed when I heard on the news it was raining in Quebec, only because every single time I've been there it's rained ! We are too many of us wrecks to have done the trip this time. It's also sad that so many of the family that were at the last party are gone now.

Went to the walk in clinic today to get a prescription for skin cream renewed. Have itchy red fingers again. Stressed related ? The place was empty so I got to see a doctor right away.

The receptionist handed me a list of family doctors who are accepting patients and advised me to get one. Why should I go to a doctor an hour from home when the clinic is around the corner? Besides, I find the idea of a family doctor is a bit out dated. It's not like when I was a kid and they actually made house calls. Now they order tests and hand out prescriptions just like the clinic does, and there's nothing very " family" about it. The only doctor who clued in that I might have MS, was the guy at the clinic . He ordered my first MRI. Compare that to my mother's GP, who told her her pains were in her head and she ended up needing emergency gall bladder surgery!

When I saw the doctor he repeated the exact thing the receptionist said, so maybe the Health Ministry is making them do it . I know the media keeps going on about how many hundreds of thousands of people don't have a family doctor. I'm sure many are like me and don't care.
I think it embarrasses the government though.

Have a great 4th my U.S friends. I"m going to watch the Boston fireworks in high def !

Flip Flop

Yeah it isn't just the politicians who do it. In the space of two hours my manager back tracked on all the stupid, pointless, things she said and is going ahead with the paperwork to get things resolved . Only thing is she will be gone when I get back to work which means I have to start over again with another person. I have to get in touch with the union rep tomorrow.
How can people lie so much ? Don't they see how they are messing up another person's life ?
23 years I work in a place with minimal problems and now it's all crap !

What really bugs me is how sick I felt this evening I use to be able to handle stress , now I just get stressed out.
Well at least I have another month to recover. My plan is to have no more contact with anybody at work and see what happens. I mean they aren't paying me for my time off so why should I bother .

That's it no more work talk unless something big happens, which it won't.

!!!!!

I don't normally blog at this time of day but I really need to vent. I just had a conversation with a human resources officer who is the stupidest person ever !! That's really saying something too because they are so incompetent and dumb to begin with. I'm stunned and so upset To make things worse I had a call from my new manager and all I can say is I'm doomed. I work with evil back stabbing weasels !! Nothing worse on earth than an inefficient slow stupid bureaucracy !!
OK I have used up my limit of exclamation marks time to quit .