Head Tale

Tomorrow's a day off for the working world but for me, it's the first day of a full week off before I begin my new job.  I'm pretty excited to have the week even though I know we'll never get done everything that we want to do. 

I mean, our list ranges from easy picks like “change that burnt out lightbulb” to more difficult ones like “completely kill all weeds and other unwanted pests that now infect our yard after what is, in many ways, two straight years of neglect.” 

As for weed killing, preferably in a way that leaves no poisons that may also be harmful to Pace.  I grew up, not exactly on a farm, but close enough to that world (I was raised for the first couple of years of my life in the bulk fuel dealership my parents ran) that I've had my dose of poison and it's too late to worry about that.  But I'd like to try to protect him as much as possible.  And at the same time, I know it's futile because we basically live in a world that gives us cancer and all kinds of other crap, just because we live in it.  “Here son, have some Red Dye #49 licorice.” 

Some other goals for the week?  Buy new shoes.  Decide if I'm going to be a bus rider or a car commuter.  Go into RPL and sign the papers to make it official.  Have naps whenever possible.  Change aforementioned lightbulb.  Kill aforementioned weeds.  Possibly buy a lawn mower if I can find a good deal.  Maybe get a book or two read.  Catch up on all sorts of loose ends I've really let lag in the past month – just the day-to-day basics of keeping up with regular mail, e-mail, etc. 

Although it's tough leaving Weyburn, Shea's happy to be back in the city I think.  I'm looking at the rough plan we drew up for the week and she's already got not one but two social outings planned!  (I have zero if you're keeping track.)

My parents are coming up for a day or three to watch Pace while Shea and I try to compress two houses worth of clothes, toys and other crap into one (which is really our main goal for the week if I'm being honest – pretty much everything else I listed above is lower on the priority list).  But with them here, perhaps Shea and I can steal away to such foreign delights such as a “movie” or a “brew pub”.  That would be swell!

I have to do some inquiries about my pension and it's sort of surreal to have one after 10 years of no pension (one job paid us extra in lieu of a pension, one didn't have one.)  I don't really worry about my pension and I suspect a lot of people in my generation feel the same way.  At the same time, I had a grandfather who told me to start saving 10% of everything I made when I got my first job at 16.  I think I've kept that up pretty faithfully for the most part my whole working life.  That helps reduce the retirement worry.  (Someone asked if I got a bonus when I left SRL.  No, but I did get to cash a big chunk of my unused health benefits – they're on an ASO plan – and transfer that into my RSP.  So that was sort of like a bonus in some ways.)

Shea and I sold hot dogs for La Leche League today and I felt like I was back in high school selling food for the SRC again. 

Went to a bbq on Saturday and a friend said they knew someone who named their kid Revan…which is apparently the name of a Dark Lord of the Sith in Star Wars.  Two thoughts – a) Pace isn't so bad and b) man, I have some ultra-geeky friends. 

…and yes, the pun (such as it were) in the title of this post was intentional.  Good-night.