Blog!

Did you know that the word “blog” sounds like the sound one makes when they puke? Well, it does.

I haven’t posted here in quite some time. Why? Well, I’m a slacker. I also have a real life, and those things get in the way. So why blog now1? Well, my sister is blogging somewhat frequently… Hi Shira! In addition, my brother has now started a blog… Hi Moti!2

So this blog post will be a life update…

Rock and Roll Adam

I have tickets to a number of upcoming shows:

1. The Weather Station w/ Dan Romano (Tomorrow)3
2. Arizona Lily are playing at Rancho on August 274.
3. Wild Flag5 are playing at Lee’s on rOctober 11.
4. Dum Dum Girls at Lee’s on October 16.
5. I turn 30 on October 26… OH YEAH! 30 IS TOTS ROCK AND ROLL!
6. Dan Mangan6 at the QE2 on October 28.

So I think that covers my rock and roll lifestyle. Next is…

Professional Adam

Yeah, every once in a while I pretend I’m professional7. It’s the summer, so kids are gone, and teachers are gone8, so now I get to spend my summer GSD9. Replacing the wireless at both campuses, and went to the building which will, in September 2012, replace one of the campuses. It’s a bit much, but fortunately I have my Number One, who’s helping me out. The massive amount of construction is driving me nuts, and making the wireless upgrade kinda difficult, but whatever.

Literary Adam… or Historical Adam

I don’t know which to classify this one under. I’m reading, but it’s all historical non-fiction, and of course it’s all about Canadian political history. Why do I read this shit? Why do I find it interesting. It’s really weird that I read this shit. Whatever.

I was sick, and in bed, I had left work early in Thornhill, and instead of going home, I went to my parents’ place, also in Thornhill. Seeing as my bedroom has become Junk-Central, I was in my sister’s room. I noticed on her shelf a giant book called Egotists and Autocrats: the Prime Ministers of Canada. Who in their right mind would go “OOOH!” when they see a book about Canada’s first 20 prime ministers? Oh yeah, me. What the fuck is wrong with me?

I read it. It was okay. Not great. The author is kind of a dolt. He kept on inserting personal anticdotes about his life that were mildly related to the subject at hand, yet really served no purpose. He briefly chronicles the lives, and professional lives of Canada’s first 20 Prime Ministers10. What I liked most about this book was that it gave me insight into some of the less known prime ministers such as Louis St. Laurent, who had interesting times in office. It also gave me additional respect for Dief the Chief. It was okay.

While I was on vacation11, which I guess will be the next section, I finished the book, and on an excursion to Huntsville12, I found a new book called The 49th Paradox by Richard Gwyn. Gwyn, you might recall, recently wrote the first half of a biography of Sir John A. Macdonald, perhaps soon, the second volume will be released. This one’s interesting, as it was published in the mid-eighties, while the Mulroney government was negotiating Free Trade with the United States of America. It gives a fantastic historical background to reciprocity in North American politics, from pre-Confederation until the ’80s. Gwyn goes into grand detail about Trudeau’s National Energy Policy, Laurier’s reciprocity treaty13, and many other facets of Canadian history. Gwyn’s style is very good, allowing for even the most boring of subjects to become interesting. Good times, my friends.

Leisure Adam

Last week, the beautiful and gorgeous Adam Anklewicz rented a cottage with seven other friends on Walker Lake. There were three couples, Adam & Cari, Matt & Anna, Rick & Carina; two children, Emilia and Violet; and two swingin’ singles, myself and Emily. As one of the singles, I was shacking up with Emily, and she was polite enough not to complain about me being in the same room as her. I canoed. I kayaked, I pedal boated, I swam, I read, I ate, I slept, I didn’t sleep, lounged, I burnt shit, I played with “Things In A Box,” I played board games, I played card games, I tanned, I regattaed14, I picnicked, I visited Huntsville, I used a shit ton of 3G data, I did other things.

It was a lot of fun. It helped reassure me that I don’t want children, even though Violet and Emilia are adorable. They didn’t know my name! Violet never once said a single word to me, which is just plain rude… I don’t care if she’s only six months old… how hard is it to say hi. And Emilia, who did talk to me, said “He’s not Adam, he’s Ankle.” Yeah, thanks.

I learned that I’m a shitty swimmer. I learned that cannon balling into a lake with your friends is a lot of fun. I learned that I’m really bad at refraining from swearing… how do I work in a school?

Where was I going with this?

Oh yeah, I’m getting old…

Old Adam

The reason for this cottage trip was a means to celebrate our 30th birthdays. 5 of the 8 adults on the trip went to high school together, and thus were born in the same year. One other was also born in 1981, so six of us turned, or are turning, 30 this year. Of those six, I’m the youngest, and haven’t hit 30 yet, but I’m almost there.

I’ve for a while said that I look forward to turning 30, as then I’ll be a 30-something divorcé, rather than a 20-something divorcé. As you can see, much less pathetic. In addition, my life has been gradually getting better. Those who say high school is the best years of your life, are morons. High school is the worst time of your life… well, second only to pre-high school. My early 20s were decent, and then I got divorced15 and it kept getting better. Okay, okay, it went in waves, it wasn’t a straight progression. Even in waves, 30 is looking up, as the last half of 29 has been rather excellent, specifically this past month or two.

Financial Adam

I got a voicemail while I was at the cottage, it was from TD’s loss prevention department.

Actually, let’s back up a bit…

I went into my local TD branch. I put my card in the machine. It didn’t take it fully, kinda stalled, and I had to push it in16. Then I took out money, but as I was there, something about the card reader looked off. Fuck, I thought, there might be a skimmer attached. I walked to the desk, and I asked one of the employees. His response was, “No, we check it every morning.” I said that a skimmer could have been installed after the morning. “He kinda huffed, and called his manager, and walked out to the machine, glanced at it, and said, “No.” I was kinda pissed at his lackadaisical attitude towards security.

Then a few days later, up at the cottage, I had that voicemail. I called TD and was informed that my card had been compromised, and that a significant chunk of money was taken from my account. Fortunately the bank refunded my money, and I had to just visit a TD branch and get a new card.

I had a good chunk of money in cash at the cottage, so I wasn’t too worried, but I did want to replace the card before heading to Toronto. The next day I went into Huntsville, and as Matt, Anna, and Emily explored downtown Huntsville, I was in the TD replacing my card. They were wonderful and nice, and all around a great TD branch to deal with.

After arriving back in Toronto, I went to my local branch17 and spoke with the manager, she, and the other employees were shocked at the way I was treated, and I received the customer service I was used to. One of the employees, too, had her card compromised, along with a large batch of their local clients, leading me to believe that it wasn’t some random gas station I visited in Thornhill that week, but instead, it was TD.

Romantic Adam

I should probably tell my family about her soon, but I guess now Shira knows.

1. I’m not sure I like that blog is both a noun and a verb [↩]
2. Mine’s better than both of theirs… combined. I am the best sibling. [↩]
3. The Cheap Speakers, who are awesome, are playing that night, too. Go see one of these shows. [↩]
4. No ticket, but who needs that? It’s Rancho. [↩]
5. EEE! [↩]
6. *Beard swoon* [↩]
7. *snicker, snicker* [↩]
8. Baruch Hashem. [↩]
9. getting s___ done. [↩]
10. From Sir John A. to Jean Chretien. [↩]
11. Leisure Adam? [↩]
12. Financial Adam? [↩]
13. Which was denied by voters when they elected Borden. [↩]
14. Yet I’m okay with this being both a noun and verb. [↩]
15. Sorry, Lisa. [↩]
16. That’s what she said. [↩]
17. 807 Broadview Avenue. Let’s shame them. [↩]