Red Cedar

the main technique aiding work slackitude, is that when your boss comes around and asks you to deliver on something urgent, you do it efficiently and without error every time. this gives the illusion that such efficiency and competence exists all the time when clearly – having to perform like that 40+ hours a week, 52 weeks in the year – would be well impossible. lately i have been delivering product non-stop – presentations, written pieces, websites, and advisory notes – somehow managing to spend the vast majority of my day conceptualizing and designing (and typing… oh the wrists!) for the man…. (and yes, there is no denying – i do work for *the* man)

but that of course, offsets the slack times, and the times i am away from my desk on union business…..

my dad came into vancouver with me today and has gone back over to vancouver island, having helped me sort out some of the fundamental things about my new house (duh – where is the main water valve?). very useful to have someone show you things. he also bought me a weedeater. i hate these things because i’m not a big believer in weeds (it’s all in how you define a plant really) except for ivy which is invasive and kills trees. i have ivy behind my house and unfortunately it has a tendency to not only kill trees, but also grow into the siding and rip it apart. apparently this is why i “need” a weed eater (i would have been happy with a machete).

do i argue about these things? no, because there is no point and i live 6 hours and 2 ferry rides away (and besides which, am grateful for the other help, so why taint that by arguing about whether i need to own a weedeater or not?).

overall, this visit with my father was productive and not too argumentative – though i realized yesterday i had a golf-ball sized knot forming at the base of my neck, an old malady that plagued me during my formative years and all but disappeared when i moved out of the house at 17 (and reappeared during the last year of my marriage, but again went away upon my separation). fortunately the headaches didn’t start this time around (i would have needed a few more days before they would) – such is the learned response of one raised in a constant state of tension and mistrust… just a hint of control behaviours and my carefully reconstructed mental state starts to crumble.

even if the mind allows events to dull with time, it seems the body never forgets. or at least, it’s a lot of work to reset the triggers so it doesn’t drive itself into hyper-spasm.

despite recognizing this, there is no down in any of it. i feel quite good this election day and am looking forward to drinking beers in the pub tonight and watching the results slide in once the polls close. am having dinner with jess beforehand, and planning on staying at rob & thi’s. there is no doubt about it, hanging out in a pub talking sauce and politics is one of my favourite east van pastimes… even after all these years. i think i appreciate it even more now i don’t get to do it so often, having a more novel aspect these days.

(and i have to say, i can only be gleeful at the disappointment stephen harper must be feeling right about now – with stronach crossing the floor and all… does it matter? well, yeah, i’d rather not have an election this summer if you hadn’t noticed.)