The first few weeks of 2013 have proven busy and exciting. Asher had a wild birthday party where too much sugar collided with too many kids and created a whirlwind of action for a few hours that took days to recover from.
Jasmine and I have been to the College Heights rink twice already, the first time meeting up with he friend to skate, and the second time to play hockey with her 2 year old brother Asher. He had fun for a short time, tip toeing all over the ice in his bob skates and even sliding the puck into the net with his over sized stick. He got a new mini stick set for his birthday (Thanks Lisa!) and has been obsessed with "hoggie" ever since. The trip to the outdoor rink only served to make him more crazy. I'm happy though, it could be our ticket to getting him to love the outdoors again.
Jasmine, Asher and I went to the library this week before our pool visit. Jasmine grabbed a picture book, a short novel from "her favorite horse series", then a novel about the Holocaust. Shocked, I asked what the book was about. She couldn't really tell me but then she told me that Miss Marples had been reading it in class. While surprised, I was also impressed. It seemed to be a book similar to Anne Frank`s Diary, and I look forward to asking her about it if she does indeed read it.
Hockey season is back in full force. As I have chronicled in this space, it never really left for me with junior hockey to watch and my own team to play for. I have gotten out of synch with my own team as my work schedule has caused me to miss a number of games recently. When I do have a chance to go though, I have been doing quite well. 5 goals in my last 6 games thank you very much. I will miss another game tomorrow, but it looks like I might be back at it most of the season after that. The NHL is back tomorrow, with 5 games on national television. I will do my best to not let work get in the way. The Oilers get started Sunday in Vancouver and I am giddy with anticipation. My hockey pool team will keep me busy sweating as I have 15 players from 15 different teams. My PVR will be working overtime.
I just finished reading my second book of 2013, an edited version of a George Orwell work called ``Fighting In Spain`` Full of wit and humour Orwell provides a curious account of his time participating in the Spanish Civil War. He embraced the uniquely slow pace of combat in what was a major precursor to the Second World War and left me curious to check out the unedited version ``Homage To Catalonia``. Having read his most well known works ``1984`` and ``Animal Farm`` I aim to read more of Orwell`s work in the future, it`s always really entertaining often in different ways. The first book I read this year was the recently released ``Invisible Country: A Mystery`` by Annamaria Alfieri. While I was not overwhelmed by the quality of this novel, I did enjoy the historical aspect of it. Knowing nothing of the conflict that Paraguay went through in the mid-19th century, I enjoyed the opportunity to gain a basic understanding. As the country suffers greatly it`s disillusioned dictator desperately attempts to hold onto power. The mystery of the novel unravels slowly as the country crumbles. In the end the novel comes to a fitting conclusion of the happy ending variety.
Those that know me will not be shocked to hear that I have been pretty busy watching movies to start 2013. Sheila and I watched "End of Watch" last night, and it was great again. Having seen it in the theatre helped me really appreciate the handheld camera style with which it was shot. Hard hitting violence throughout the movie really leaves an impact on the viewer. A few scenes are quite horrific, the kids taped up on the closet got Sheila gasping, as did the cage full of humans, but it was this gruesome bluntness that made this movie so good. Two of my favorite actresses are part of the cast, (hello Anna and America!) so I wasn't going to miss a chance to see it again. Last week at the theatre we went to "Silver Linings Playbook" at work. Inventive, original and extremely well acted this movie was easily the best romantic comedy I had seen. Usually the term romantic comedy is enough to ensure that the movie with lack anything funny, but this one was the opposite. Normally Bradley Cooper's acting is like stale bread, but his role as an uncured patient who had escaped the mental hospital with help from his mom was so dynamic I was forgetting what actor I was watching. He holds his own with Robert DeNiro who plays his father and engages him in some outrageous scenes, including a fight they have in the middle of the night, a 70 year old DeNiro in pajamas trading blows with Cooper's character. See both of these movies, you won't regret either.
That's my time for today. I need to get my workout in while Asher sleeps, then get the basement in order for some serious NHL viewing this week. That reminds me, I need to call to confirm my free Centre Ice subscription for this year.
Friday, 18 January 2013
Monday, 14 January 2013
This is THE Winning Team!
A group of 10 hockey geeks got together and we threw together our teams for what is now the 3rd annual hockey draft. The formats and fees had changed a fair bit from year 1 to year 2, but this year stayed relatively similar to last year. We decided to implement a 2 defensemen rule, so everyone had to pick at least that many. It added a little wrinkle which was nice. A couple of the participants are new, as we lost a couple guys but we gained a few to replace them. My buddy Jason is always in for any kind of sports betting pool, and this year my brother Ian got involved. Everyone ponied up $100 (I got in for half due to my last place finish in 2012), then 6 out of the 10 of us put an extra $50 in a winner take all side pot. I figured this made sense as I had saved the same $50 on the entry fee. I stand to win $1000 if I take first place out of the 10 teams, which is a $700 pay out, plus the $300 that accumulated in the side pot. I managed to get a few players that I really like, a few that I took gambles on (but still like the player), and a few where despite not loving the guy, I had to go with them due to "value". Allow me to run down my team for your amusement.
I got the 10th pick out of 10 teams which meant I also got the 11th pick in the snake format. This led to me waiting 18 picks before having my turn come up again. This is the result.
1st Pick (10th Overall) DANIEL SEDIN Vancouver Canucks (TSN #3 LW)
ESPN: 53 pts
TSN: 47 pts
For anyone that knows me well, my time consumed cheering the Oilers is only rivalled by the amount of time I spend cheering against the Vancouver Canucks. There is no one I love to hate more then the Sedin boys. By the time I was picking at 10 the usual suspects Crosby, Ovechkin, Malkin, Stamkos and Henrik Sedin were all gone and despite my reluctance I could not pass up on Daniel Sedin. He is just too consistent to not take here in this spot as it reduces the stress level a bit. I watch a lot of Canucks hockey, and after a season of cheering for Burrows it will be another season of cheering for points from Vancouver's top line. This pick allowed me to gamble a bit with my next one.
2nd Pick (11th Overall) TYLER SEGUIN Boston Bruins (TSN #2 RW)
ESPN: 39 pts
TSN: 43 pts
I am really excited about this pick. I know a few guys were surprised about how early he went but with my position in the draft order it was either now or never for me in this spot. I knew that he wasn't going to still be there at #30 when I got to pick again, and I have read a number of articles predicting a huge breakout year. He spent the lockout in Switzerland tearing the league apart. He played the Spengler Cup for Canada, contributing to a team that won the tournament handily. His Bruins are an elite team with plenty of talent to surround him with. This pick will likely make or break my result for the season.
3rd Pick (30th Overall) PHIL KESSEL Toronto Maple Leafs (TSN #3 RW)
ESPN: 46 pts
TSN: 42 pts
Ugh. I hate the Leafs just as much as I hate the Canucks, but Kessel is going to score if the Leafs are winning, losing or otherwise. I thought it would be fun to have the top dog off of both of my least favorite teams, especially when Kessel had no business being available at #30.
4th Pick (31st Overall) HENRIK ZETTERBERG Detroit Red Wings (TSN #9 LW)
ESPN: 41 pts
TSN: 40 pts
5th Pick (50th Overall) MATT MOULSON New York Islanders (TSN #16 LW)
ESPN: 37 pts
TSN: 34 pts
6th Pick (51st Overall) JAKUB VORACEK Philadelphia Flyers (TSN #16 RW)
ESPN: 38 pts
TSN: 34 pts
7th Pick (70th Overall) RAY WHITNEY Dallas Stars (TSN #15 LW)
ESPN: 38 pts
TSN: 35 pts
8th Pick (71st Overall) JORDAN STAAL Carolina Hurricanes (TSN #27 C)
ESPN: 41 pts
TSN: 32 pts
9th Pick (90th Overall) TOMAS PLEKANEC Montreal Canadiens (TSN #18 C)
ESPN: 32 pts
TSN: 37 pts
10th Pick (91st Overall) NAIL YAKUPOV Edmonton Oilers (TSN #25 LW)
ESPN: 25 pts
TSN: 31 pts
11th Pick (110th Overall) PATRIK ELIAS New Jersey Devils (TSN #13 LW)
ESPN: 39 pts
TSN: 36 pts
12th Pick (111th Overall) OLLI JOKINEN Winnipeg Jets (TSN #96 Overall/Center)
ESPN: 46 pts
TSN: 30 pts
13th Pick (130th Overall) DUNCAN KEITH Chicago Blackhawks (TSN #152 Overall/Defencemen)
ESPN: 28 pts
TSN: 26 pts
14th Pick (131st Overall) CHRISTIAN EHRHOFF Buffalo Sabres (TSN #173 Overall/Defencemen)
ESPN: 24 pts
TSN: 24 pts
15th Pick (150th Overall) JIRI HUDLER Calgary Flames (TSN #189 Overall/Right Wing)
ESPN: 34 pts
TSN: 23 pts
I got a number of guys who dropped quite a bit due to age and/or guys just not liking the players. I would say that Whitney, Elias, Plekanec and Jokinen fall into this category. My last pick I panicked a bit after David Perron and Derek Stepan went right ahead of my pick, leaving me to take a super longshot on Hudler. If he ends of playing lots of with Iginla I could look like a genius, if not, well I care not to think about that. For fun, let's compare my team to Ian's team. He was picking in the middle with the 5th slot.
I got the 10th pick out of 10 teams which meant I also got the 11th pick in the snake format. This led to me waiting 18 picks before having my turn come up again. This is the result.
1st Pick (10th Overall) DANIEL SEDIN Vancouver Canucks (TSN #3 LW)
ESPN: 53 pts
TSN: 47 pts
For anyone that knows me well, my time consumed cheering the Oilers is only rivalled by the amount of time I spend cheering against the Vancouver Canucks. There is no one I love to hate more then the Sedin boys. By the time I was picking at 10 the usual suspects Crosby, Ovechkin, Malkin, Stamkos and Henrik Sedin were all gone and despite my reluctance I could not pass up on Daniel Sedin. He is just too consistent to not take here in this spot as it reduces the stress level a bit. I watch a lot of Canucks hockey, and after a season of cheering for Burrows it will be another season of cheering for points from Vancouver's top line. This pick allowed me to gamble a bit with my next one.
2nd Pick (11th Overall) TYLER SEGUIN Boston Bruins (TSN #2 RW)
ESPN: 39 pts
TSN: 43 pts
I am really excited about this pick. I know a few guys were surprised about how early he went but with my position in the draft order it was either now or never for me in this spot. I knew that he wasn't going to still be there at #30 when I got to pick again, and I have read a number of articles predicting a huge breakout year. He spent the lockout in Switzerland tearing the league apart. He played the Spengler Cup for Canada, contributing to a team that won the tournament handily. His Bruins are an elite team with plenty of talent to surround him with. This pick will likely make or break my result for the season.
3rd Pick (30th Overall) PHIL KESSEL Toronto Maple Leafs (TSN #3 RW)
ESPN: 46 pts
TSN: 42 pts
Ugh. I hate the Leafs just as much as I hate the Canucks, but Kessel is going to score if the Leafs are winning, losing or otherwise. I thought it would be fun to have the top dog off of both of my least favorite teams, especially when Kessel had no business being available at #30.
4th Pick (31st Overall) HENRIK ZETTERBERG Detroit Red Wings (TSN #9 LW)
ESPN: 41 pts
TSN: 40 pts
5th Pick (50th Overall) MATT MOULSON New York Islanders (TSN #16 LW)
ESPN: 37 pts
TSN: 34 pts
6th Pick (51st Overall) JAKUB VORACEK Philadelphia Flyers (TSN #16 RW)
ESPN: 38 pts
TSN: 34 pts
7th Pick (70th Overall) RAY WHITNEY Dallas Stars (TSN #15 LW)
ESPN: 38 pts
TSN: 35 pts
8th Pick (71st Overall) JORDAN STAAL Carolina Hurricanes (TSN #27 C)
ESPN: 41 pts
TSN: 32 pts
9th Pick (90th Overall) TOMAS PLEKANEC Montreal Canadiens (TSN #18 C)
ESPN: 32 pts
TSN: 37 pts
10th Pick (91st Overall) NAIL YAKUPOV Edmonton Oilers (TSN #25 LW)
ESPN: 25 pts
TSN: 31 pts
11th Pick (110th Overall) PATRIK ELIAS New Jersey Devils (TSN #13 LW)
ESPN: 39 pts
TSN: 36 pts
12th Pick (111th Overall) OLLI JOKINEN Winnipeg Jets (TSN #96 Overall/Center)
ESPN: 46 pts
TSN: 30 pts
13th Pick (130th Overall) DUNCAN KEITH Chicago Blackhawks (TSN #152 Overall/Defencemen)
ESPN: 28 pts
TSN: 26 pts
14th Pick (131st Overall) CHRISTIAN EHRHOFF Buffalo Sabres (TSN #173 Overall/Defencemen)
ESPN: 24 pts
TSN: 24 pts
15th Pick (150th Overall) JIRI HUDLER Calgary Flames (TSN #189 Overall/Right Wing)
ESPN: 34 pts
TSN: 23 pts
I got a number of guys who dropped quite a bit due to age and/or guys just not liking the players. I would say that Whitney, Elias, Plekanec and Jokinen fall into this category. My last pick I panicked a bit after David Perron and Derek Stepan went right ahead of my pick, leaving me to take a super longshot on Hudler. If he ends of playing lots of with Iginla I could look like a genius, if not, well I care not to think about that. For fun, let's compare my team to Ian's team. He was picking in the middle with the 5th slot.
Daniel Sedin/ Steve Stamkos
Tyler Seguin/ Rick Nash
Phil Kessel/ Louie Erikkson
Henrik Zetterberg/ Gabriel Landeskog
Matt Moulson/ David Krejci
Jakub Voracek/ Jeff Skinner
Ray Whitney/ Dustin Byfuglien
Jordan Staal/ Brad Marchand
Tomas Plekanec/ Andrew Ladd
Nail Yakupov/ Tomas Fleischmann
Patrik Elias/ TJ Oshie
Olli Jokinen/ Justin Schultz
Duncan Keith/ Chris Stewart
Christian Ehrhoff/ Tyler Ennis
Jiri Hudler/ Matt Read
Sunday, 13 January 2013
Hockey, hockey, hockey!
I know what you're saying, but Matt, "it never really left!" I, more then most know that. I play beer league hockey once a week, at least when my schedule allows. I have been to a handful of junior hockey games this year, and I follow the Prince George Spruce Kings pretty religiously, keeping track of wins, losses and personal stats of all the players. I spent plenty of time keeping up with the Oilers players and prospects as they plied their trade around the world waiting for Gary and Donald to get together and make the same deal they could have made in the summer. By the way Donald, I think this means you lose. All that aside, let's be honest. When the best players in the world who play in the best league in the world are unable to perform, something is lost. It's back, and the best talent in the world can once again play together in the best league in the world. As if I need any more reason to pay attention, I take part in as many fantasy hockey pools and drafts as I can. This year, the big one is back for it's 3rd edition. 2 years ago I took part and we just circled names on a piece of paper. Last year, we gathered at a friend's house and had a live draft with about 10 guys. I finished in an embarassing distant last place, something I have no desire to repeat. So tonight at 630 I will once again join with a bunch of other dudes and pick this year's version of my team. One nice thing is that being so incompetent last year gives me a 50% discount for this year. Last year's fee was $100 but there has been talk of increasing it to $150. Fine with me, the guy with the discount. All I have to do is actually pick guys who are playing in the NHL, and not the AHL or the Swiss Elite League, or my personal favorite, the guy who watched most of his team's games from the press box last year. This is me officially stating for the record that Linus Omark, Michael Frolik, and Ville Leino will not find a place on my team this year. I'm sure there are a few more that I should avoid from last year, but those are the ones that stick out. Part of the fun of accepting the last place discount is the heckling and ridicule that come with it. I remember laying it on thick last year as Roger accepted his discount (my buddy and I had teamed up to win the pool the year before giving me added ammo) and I am more then ready to absorb similar punishment. As a way of researching, I am going to make some notes in this space below. For the most part I am going to briefly discuss some of my favorite hockey players and why they will be targets for me tonight.
Elite NHLers
JAMIE BENN (Dallas): One of the only solid picks I made last year, I recieved a few weird looks when I reached way down to grab him in the 3rd round last year. I have a soft spot for BCHL grads, and Benn is one of the most talented players to ever come through the Junior A circuit. Dallas added a few more solid forwards in the offseason, so I expect to see another increase in production.
JORDAN EBERLE (Edmonton): For obvious reasons, Eberle is one of my favorite players out there. The Oilers young talent continues to mature, and the super line of Ebs, Hall and RNH will be together again. He is likely to be a first round or early second round pick.
TYLER SEGUIN (Boston): Many are predicting a huge year for this guy who went to Switzerland during the lockout and tore the league to shreds. Surrounded by plently of talent, and possessing plenty himself, Seguin may make a big jump this year.
ERIC STAAL (Carolina): It will be interesting to see what kind of an impact his brother's arrival in Carolina might have. Also, the team added Alex Semin for the year. It's unknown as to who is playing with who as he and Jordan are both centres, but the powerplay should be interesting. I'm looking for a bounce back year from Eric.
BOBBY RYAN (Anaheim): After an off year last year it is really hard to predict what might happen with Ryan this time around. He is still very young, but had a poor year as did a number of his teammates. The possiblity of him being traded has only added to the intrigue surrounding his value.
Sleepers
James Van Riemsdyk (Toronto)
Braydon Schenn (Philadelphia)
Peter Mueller (Florida)
Nick Backstrom (Washington)
Jordan Staal (Carolina)
Mikko Koivu (Minnesota)
Olli Jokinen (Winnipeg)
Jeff Carter (Los Angeles)
Matt Duchene (Colorado)
Matt Moulson ( New York Islanders)
Jarome Iginla (Calgary)
Jiri Hudler (Calgary)
Huge Breakout Potential
Gabriel Landeskog (Colorado)
Cam Atkinson (Columbus)
Jamie McGinn (Colorado)
David Perron (St. Louis)
Brett Connolly (Tampa Bay)
Don't Give Up On Them
Ray Whitney (Dallas)
Jaromir Jagr (Dallas)
Andy MacDonald (St.Louis)
Teemu Selanne (Anaheim)
Milan Hejduk (Colorado)
Patrik Elias (New Jersey)
Daniel Alfredsson (Ottawa)
Vincent Lecavalier (Tampa Bay)
Martin Erat (Nashville)
Rookies!
Nail Yakupov (Edmonton)
Vladimir Tarasenko (St.Louis)
Jonathan Huberdeau (Florida)
Damian Brunner (Detroit)
Elite NHLers
JAMIE BENN (Dallas): One of the only solid picks I made last year, I recieved a few weird looks when I reached way down to grab him in the 3rd round last year. I have a soft spot for BCHL grads, and Benn is one of the most talented players to ever come through the Junior A circuit. Dallas added a few more solid forwards in the offseason, so I expect to see another increase in production.
JORDAN EBERLE (Edmonton): For obvious reasons, Eberle is one of my favorite players out there. The Oilers young talent continues to mature, and the super line of Ebs, Hall and RNH will be together again. He is likely to be a first round or early second round pick.
TYLER SEGUIN (Boston): Many are predicting a huge year for this guy who went to Switzerland during the lockout and tore the league to shreds. Surrounded by plently of talent, and possessing plenty himself, Seguin may make a big jump this year.
ERIC STAAL (Carolina): It will be interesting to see what kind of an impact his brother's arrival in Carolina might have. Also, the team added Alex Semin for the year. It's unknown as to who is playing with who as he and Jordan are both centres, but the powerplay should be interesting. I'm looking for a bounce back year from Eric.
BOBBY RYAN (Anaheim): After an off year last year it is really hard to predict what might happen with Ryan this time around. He is still very young, but had a poor year as did a number of his teammates. The possiblity of him being traded has only added to the intrigue surrounding his value.
Sleepers
James Van Riemsdyk (Toronto)
Braydon Schenn (Philadelphia)
Peter Mueller (Florida)
Nick Backstrom (Washington)
Jordan Staal (Carolina)
Mikko Koivu (Minnesota)
Olli Jokinen (Winnipeg)
Jeff Carter (Los Angeles)
Matt Duchene (Colorado)
Matt Moulson ( New York Islanders)
Jarome Iginla (Calgary)
Jiri Hudler (Calgary)
Huge Breakout Potential
Gabriel Landeskog (Colorado)
Cam Atkinson (Columbus)
Jamie McGinn (Colorado)
David Perron (St. Louis)
Brett Connolly (Tampa Bay)
Don't Give Up On Them
Ray Whitney (Dallas)
Jaromir Jagr (Dallas)
Andy MacDonald (St.Louis)
Teemu Selanne (Anaheim)
Milan Hejduk (Colorado)
Patrik Elias (New Jersey)
Daniel Alfredsson (Ottawa)
Vincent Lecavalier (Tampa Bay)
Martin Erat (Nashville)
Rookies!
Nail Yakupov (Edmonton)
Vladimir Tarasenko (St.Louis)
Jonathan Huberdeau (Florida)
Damian Brunner (Detroit)
Friday, 11 January 2013
Asher Turns 2!
So, there we were. First arriving at the hospital in the morning after seeing Jasmine off to school, Sheila was set to be induced into labour. By January 11th of 2011 the arrival of our little one was already 10 days late and something had to give. Being relatively ignorant about the whole situation I didn't realize that an induction did not necessarily lead to a quick and easy child birth. Our good friend Daphne arrived to provide support and later in the morning my mom arrived after driving up from Quesnel. Sparing the gory details our little bundle of joy arrived at 11:18 that night.
1/11/11 @ 11:18 reads his tagline and we called him Asher Felix Prosk. We spent that first night deciding between Felix and Jackson as his middle name, but there was never a doubt that our little guy was Asher from the first time we saw him. A few months ago it really started to hit me that my little guy was no longer a baby. It's something about the way you can see his mind at work, and some of the things that he can already say and do that tells me that he is no longer a baby. As if I needed any further proof that Sheila and I now have a toddler and not a baby anymore, Asher and I went to Strong Start on Wednesday where it was very busy with about 15 other children. He had fun reacquainting himself with his buddy Jack who he had met before Christmas. They had a third member of their gang this week, as another little guy named Grey joined them in playing in the kitchen area. All three sporting the wispy blond hair and Jack and Asher only 2 months apart in age, they seem to enjoy each other immensely. Quite excited about all the toys at their disposal, Jack matches Asher's energy easily. Jack speaks at a more advanced level, and it was beyong cute to hear him say Asher's name a few times when he needed to get his attention. Before the end of the program, all of the children sit down with their parent to sing a few songs and practice a few colors and shapes with the program instructor. Asher and another little boy named Colby (who's mom I had met previously at the Christmas Concert) both sat beaming as the circle sang happy birthday to the 2 little boys who had been born 1 day apart at UHNBC. I had inadvertently sat beside Colby's mom at the concert then after realizing our boys were a similar size, we asked the usual parent questions and realized that they boys had been born less then 12 hours apart in the same ward at the same hospital. What are the chances?
As a gushing parent on such a special day for our little guy, I keep thinking of all the cute little things he does that I can't help but love.
--Asher, I love the way angrily cross your arms, scowl and tell me or your sister to "get out!"
--Asher, I love the way you bring me the remote after knocking the batteries out to tell me it is "bogeyied"
--Asher, I love the way you bring the dining chair over to the counter so that you can get involved with whatever cooking or baking is going on.
--Asher, I love the way you giggle and laugh when you fart, especially when you grab your bum and say: "oh! my butt!"
--Asher, I love the way you stop crying so quickly when mom or dad or Jasmine pick you up, as if that was all you ever wanted.
--Asher, I love the way you walk all by yourself holding my finger when we go out anywhere.
--Asher, I love how much you love sports and the cute way you say hockey, baseball, basketball and football.
--Asher, I love how miserable you get when you are outside in the winter and you get wet or cold.
--Asher, I love how important I am to you.
--Asher, I love when you insist on putting on your own jacket, hat and gloves, even if the jacket is backwards, your fingers are all in one spot in the gloves, and your ears are poking out from under the hat.
--Asher I love the way that you move when a song comes on that you like.
--Asher, most of all, I love the way that you love me without conditions, without abandon, without any care in the world.
Happy birthday Asher Felix Prosk!
1/11/11 @ 11:18 reads his tagline and we called him Asher Felix Prosk. We spent that first night deciding between Felix and Jackson as his middle name, but there was never a doubt that our little guy was Asher from the first time we saw him. A few months ago it really started to hit me that my little guy was no longer a baby. It's something about the way you can see his mind at work, and some of the things that he can already say and do that tells me that he is no longer a baby. As if I needed any further proof that Sheila and I now have a toddler and not a baby anymore, Asher and I went to Strong Start on Wednesday where it was very busy with about 15 other children. He had fun reacquainting himself with his buddy Jack who he had met before Christmas. They had a third member of their gang this week, as another little guy named Grey joined them in playing in the kitchen area. All three sporting the wispy blond hair and Jack and Asher only 2 months apart in age, they seem to enjoy each other immensely. Quite excited about all the toys at their disposal, Jack matches Asher's energy easily. Jack speaks at a more advanced level, and it was beyong cute to hear him say Asher's name a few times when he needed to get his attention. Before the end of the program, all of the children sit down with their parent to sing a few songs and practice a few colors and shapes with the program instructor. Asher and another little boy named Colby (who's mom I had met previously at the Christmas Concert) both sat beaming as the circle sang happy birthday to the 2 little boys who had been born 1 day apart at UHNBC. I had inadvertently sat beside Colby's mom at the concert then after realizing our boys were a similar size, we asked the usual parent questions and realized that they boys had been born less then 12 hours apart in the same ward at the same hospital. What are the chances?
As a gushing parent on such a special day for our little guy, I keep thinking of all the cute little things he does that I can't help but love.
--Asher, I love the way angrily cross your arms, scowl and tell me or your sister to "get out!"
--Asher, I love the way you bring me the remote after knocking the batteries out to tell me it is "bogeyied"
--Asher, I love the way you bring the dining chair over to the counter so that you can get involved with whatever cooking or baking is going on.
--Asher, I love the way you giggle and laugh when you fart, especially when you grab your bum and say: "oh! my butt!"
--Asher, I love the way you stop crying so quickly when mom or dad or Jasmine pick you up, as if that was all you ever wanted.
--Asher, I love the way you walk all by yourself holding my finger when we go out anywhere.
--Asher, I love how much you love sports and the cute way you say hockey, baseball, basketball and football.
--Asher, I love how miserable you get when you are outside in the winter and you get wet or cold.
--Asher, I love how important I am to you.
--Asher, I love when you insist on putting on your own jacket, hat and gloves, even if the jacket is backwards, your fingers are all in one spot in the gloves, and your ears are poking out from under the hat.
--Asher I love the way that you move when a song comes on that you like.
--Asher, most of all, I love the way that you love me without conditions, without abandon, without any care in the world.
Happy birthday Asher Felix Prosk!
Sunday, 6 January 2013
Morning Thoughts
As I settle in at work I thought I would throw a few thoughts down in this space in order to keep me upright. The guys don't get up for another hour, and as I am feeling a little under the weather and sleep deprived I need to fight off any and all thoughts of sleeping until it's time to start the morning routine. Shall we?
-As I type this, the NHL mucky mucks are probably still hammering out the details of the details so they can get ready to miraculously end the lockout by tonight or whatever. I am going to be more then happy to welcome back a shortened season as it feels like the sports networks have talked hockey just as much in it's absence as they do when it is actually happening.
-The Canadians flamed out at the World Junior Hockey Champs. I wasn't all that upset really. When I watched the Semi-final where we were thoroughly dominated I noticed a few big differences. The USA had a great goaltender and depth through the forwards. The biggest difference was the ability of most of the American defense to join in on rushes and scoring plays, something that was lacking from the Canadians. The Canadian boys were much too reliant on the powerplay to generate offense.
-While my parents were visiting and helping with the kids over New Years my mom, dad and daughter were able to take in one of my hockey games. This was my mom's first game in 12 years, and she hadn't seen my brother Ian play for about that long either. I had just recieved a new stick from Santa Claus, a fancy Easton one made even flashier looking by its white color. For the hockey playing readers, I went from a Pavel Datsyuk curve to a Taylor Hall curve. I have owned about 5 composite sticks since returning to hockey last year, and I have now had 2 Datsyuk's, 2 Hall's and an Iginla curve. The major difference with this stick is I am pretty sure it's the first time I have gone to a 100 flex instead of a 85 flex. I had been hoping to try one, but was unwilling to splurge until my 30 dollar Datsyuk stick had broken. Of course, because I didn't care for it (my wrist shot seemed limp and my slap shot inaccurate) the stick had proven to be mighty durable. Back to the point, I had promised to curb the goofy stuff and play hockey for my mom. Well, it seems the fan support and new stick propelled me to a great game. I got my 4th and 5th goals of the year, recieved tons of love from my teammates for the moves I made, but in the end we blew a few leads and ultimately lost 7-5 to the second place team. Our team sits in 6th out of the 8 teams. To make things worse, a pretty serious donnybrook broke out at the end of the game. Provoked by one of our guys brushing past their keeper in the dying seconds, 3 of their guys stormed after him, our team followed and a fight broke out. In the end while we "won" the fight, we lost our top scorer to suspension for the next 3 games. So ma got her fight anyway, even though Ian and I were on our best behaviour (we happened to be on the bench when the rumble broke out). The best part was how excited Jasmine had been about the part my gift had played on the night. "Santa must have put some magic in your stick for you Daddy!" Oh, and I will tell you I play for the exercise, but damn it feels good to score once in a while.
-I started my poker year off right. Two sessions this past week for about $400 in profit. The first session I played decently, mostly benefitting from the presence of a beginner who changed the whole table dynamic. My wins weren't coming from him, but his presence made others loosen up and I was able to adjust nicely to the tune of a $380 win. A couple nights later I tried again. It was an up and down ride where I could have easily ended up a big loser. I battled through some bad luck and if I hadn't lost a ~$300 pot with AJ<Q10 on a J93 2 club board I would have walked away up that amount. In the end I settled for a break even session but will be looking to keep the momentum going when I am feeling up to it.
-My plan to be much more proactive about taking care of repairs and chores around the house and what not has gotten off to a bad start. My vehicle has been without heat for a few weeks, and though I know it is an important thing to have fixed I can't bring myself to get it done. Cost be damned, my kids need heat when they ride in my vehicle and I do to for that matter. Please let this task be done by the end of this week.
-My back and neck have been a source of problems for a while now. I lift weights and I often try to chalk the soreness and sharp pains up to muscle fatigue. At this point, I know I am kidding myself and need to get some help. Here is me thinking once again about establishing a proper relationship with my Doctor and asking him for help with my situation. Besides, I should do the turn to the side and cough thing as I never really have and it's stupid not to.
-Sheila has been absolutely on fire in the kitchen. She has embraced the wheat-free movement and has been pretty devout since August. It has led to her experimenting a lot in the kitchen with some great results. Who knew that chocolate chip cookies didn't need wheat flour? Or that nearly every dish can be made without wheat for that matter. While the rest of us haven't joined on full force we have been enjoying all the dinners that are now made without wheat, essentially for us that cut out pastas (easily replaced with corn or bran or rice pasta), perogies (no replacement yet), breads (just a side of the plate filler anyway) which was pretty easy to do. The biggest surprise had to be the Lasagna Sheila made the other day without wheat. Not sure what type of noodles she used instead, but the Lasagna turned out great, possibly it was Sheila's best ever. That's saying plenty as this is one of her signature dishes.
-I like to dabble in sports betting for fun. I never bet enough to change my life in either a postive or negative way, but merely to enjoy it. I take a little satisfaction in winning, and of course enjoy telling the odd horror story about losing too. I have had a decent little run, working off of the same 50 dollar deposit for what must be at least 6 months now. I don't bet every day, often going weeks without making a bet. The last 18 weeks I have not taken a break longer then a week as it has been NFL season. I am no expert, but I have been having some reasonable success betting football. Last weekend I made about $50 by scoring on a 6 team parlay and a 4 team parlay. Yesterday, the first day of the playoffs I correctly played the Bengals +10 and under 48.5 for the game, then in the late game I took the Packers -4.5 and under 50 for the game. I made about $60 yesterday. Of course I am going to gloss over how I went 0 for 3 midweek on the basketball games and told myself once again to stay away from betting that sport, but I am trying to be a glass half full kind of guy.
-No movies this week. Sheila and I were rewatching "Cedar Rapids" the other night before I succumbed to my sore back and we went upstairs to bed. It's a great low budget comedy flick made last year about an extremely nerdy insurance salesman that comes out of his shell. Starring Ed Helms, John C. Reilly and Anne Heche it is well acted and well written, it had me laughing a few times while rewatching it. I got Sheila watching a few episodes of the brief 7 episode run of "Life's Too Short" starring Ricky Gervais, Steven Merchant and Warwick Davis. It's really funny stuff based on Warwick Davis' real life as a dwarf in show business.
That's my time for now, i've managed to stay awake while typing this, mission accomplished.
-As I type this, the NHL mucky mucks are probably still hammering out the details of the details so they can get ready to miraculously end the lockout by tonight or whatever. I am going to be more then happy to welcome back a shortened season as it feels like the sports networks have talked hockey just as much in it's absence as they do when it is actually happening.
-The Canadians flamed out at the World Junior Hockey Champs. I wasn't all that upset really. When I watched the Semi-final where we were thoroughly dominated I noticed a few big differences. The USA had a great goaltender and depth through the forwards. The biggest difference was the ability of most of the American defense to join in on rushes and scoring plays, something that was lacking from the Canadians. The Canadian boys were much too reliant on the powerplay to generate offense.
-While my parents were visiting and helping with the kids over New Years my mom, dad and daughter were able to take in one of my hockey games. This was my mom's first game in 12 years, and she hadn't seen my brother Ian play for about that long either. I had just recieved a new stick from Santa Claus, a fancy Easton one made even flashier looking by its white color. For the hockey playing readers, I went from a Pavel Datsyuk curve to a Taylor Hall curve. I have owned about 5 composite sticks since returning to hockey last year, and I have now had 2 Datsyuk's, 2 Hall's and an Iginla curve. The major difference with this stick is I am pretty sure it's the first time I have gone to a 100 flex instead of a 85 flex. I had been hoping to try one, but was unwilling to splurge until my 30 dollar Datsyuk stick had broken. Of course, because I didn't care for it (my wrist shot seemed limp and my slap shot inaccurate) the stick had proven to be mighty durable. Back to the point, I had promised to curb the goofy stuff and play hockey for my mom. Well, it seems the fan support and new stick propelled me to a great game. I got my 4th and 5th goals of the year, recieved tons of love from my teammates for the moves I made, but in the end we blew a few leads and ultimately lost 7-5 to the second place team. Our team sits in 6th out of the 8 teams. To make things worse, a pretty serious donnybrook broke out at the end of the game. Provoked by one of our guys brushing past their keeper in the dying seconds, 3 of their guys stormed after him, our team followed and a fight broke out. In the end while we "won" the fight, we lost our top scorer to suspension for the next 3 games. So ma got her fight anyway, even though Ian and I were on our best behaviour (we happened to be on the bench when the rumble broke out). The best part was how excited Jasmine had been about the part my gift had played on the night. "Santa must have put some magic in your stick for you Daddy!" Oh, and I will tell you I play for the exercise, but damn it feels good to score once in a while.
-I started my poker year off right. Two sessions this past week for about $400 in profit. The first session I played decently, mostly benefitting from the presence of a beginner who changed the whole table dynamic. My wins weren't coming from him, but his presence made others loosen up and I was able to adjust nicely to the tune of a $380 win. A couple nights later I tried again. It was an up and down ride where I could have easily ended up a big loser. I battled through some bad luck and if I hadn't lost a ~$300 pot with AJ<Q10 on a J93 2 club board I would have walked away up that amount. In the end I settled for a break even session but will be looking to keep the momentum going when I am feeling up to it.
-My plan to be much more proactive about taking care of repairs and chores around the house and what not has gotten off to a bad start. My vehicle has been without heat for a few weeks, and though I know it is an important thing to have fixed I can't bring myself to get it done. Cost be damned, my kids need heat when they ride in my vehicle and I do to for that matter. Please let this task be done by the end of this week.
-My back and neck have been a source of problems for a while now. I lift weights and I often try to chalk the soreness and sharp pains up to muscle fatigue. At this point, I know I am kidding myself and need to get some help. Here is me thinking once again about establishing a proper relationship with my Doctor and asking him for help with my situation. Besides, I should do the turn to the side and cough thing as I never really have and it's stupid not to.
-Sheila has been absolutely on fire in the kitchen. She has embraced the wheat-free movement and has been pretty devout since August. It has led to her experimenting a lot in the kitchen with some great results. Who knew that chocolate chip cookies didn't need wheat flour? Or that nearly every dish can be made without wheat for that matter. While the rest of us haven't joined on full force we have been enjoying all the dinners that are now made without wheat, essentially for us that cut out pastas (easily replaced with corn or bran or rice pasta), perogies (no replacement yet), breads (just a side of the plate filler anyway) which was pretty easy to do. The biggest surprise had to be the Lasagna Sheila made the other day without wheat. Not sure what type of noodles she used instead, but the Lasagna turned out great, possibly it was Sheila's best ever. That's saying plenty as this is one of her signature dishes.
-I like to dabble in sports betting for fun. I never bet enough to change my life in either a postive or negative way, but merely to enjoy it. I take a little satisfaction in winning, and of course enjoy telling the odd horror story about losing too. I have had a decent little run, working off of the same 50 dollar deposit for what must be at least 6 months now. I don't bet every day, often going weeks without making a bet. The last 18 weeks I have not taken a break longer then a week as it has been NFL season. I am no expert, but I have been having some reasonable success betting football. Last weekend I made about $50 by scoring on a 6 team parlay and a 4 team parlay. Yesterday, the first day of the playoffs I correctly played the Bengals +10 and under 48.5 for the game, then in the late game I took the Packers -4.5 and under 50 for the game. I made about $60 yesterday. Of course I am going to gloss over how I went 0 for 3 midweek on the basketball games and told myself once again to stay away from betting that sport, but I am trying to be a glass half full kind of guy.
-No movies this week. Sheila and I were rewatching "Cedar Rapids" the other night before I succumbed to my sore back and we went upstairs to bed. It's a great low budget comedy flick made last year about an extremely nerdy insurance salesman that comes out of his shell. Starring Ed Helms, John C. Reilly and Anne Heche it is well acted and well written, it had me laughing a few times while rewatching it. I got Sheila watching a few episodes of the brief 7 episode run of "Life's Too Short" starring Ricky Gervais, Steven Merchant and Warwick Davis. It's really funny stuff based on Warwick Davis' real life as a dwarf in show business.
That's my time for now, i've managed to stay awake while typing this, mission accomplished.
Wednesday, 2 January 2013
Django Unchained: DO NOT MISS IT!
As has been chronicled in the space before, I am lucky enough to attend the theatre regularly as part of my work. On Friday night we have support staff on hand so that we can go out. The preference is often a movie, especially when there isn't a hockey or soccer or basketball game to attend. This past Friday found is at Famous Players Prince George to bear witness to a masterpiece "Django Unchained". While I don't intend to ruin the movie for others, I do intend to make sure you know exactly what you are missing if you don't go and see it.
So, after seeing the previews for weeks, including a number of times on the big screen at the theatre I knew that I couldn't miss this one. It had so many positive things going for it, I really felt that it was going to be awesome.
Creative and Unique Direction: CHECK
Great Acting Cast: CHECK
Interesting and Controversial Subject Material: CHECK
The Best Genre on Film: CHECK
I was dying to include that checklist in some form, so there you go. If you don't know me well, you won't know that over the last few years I have developed an affinity for the Western movie. I believe that part of this new found love is the difficulty involved in finding a really well done Western film. It also seems like Hollywood is afraid of the genre for the very same reason, it's damn hard to make an entertaining Western film that can truly capture the audience. I have really been watching a lot of movies in the last few years, and even with my developing interest in the genre, I have only seen maybe 5 or 6 good Western movies, and even fewer that I would consider "great". Due to my love of lists, I will now include a ranking of Western movies I have seen. This is my personal preference, and does not include anything from the older eras of young Eastwood, Tom Selleck classics, John Wayne and so on. This isn't to say these aren't potentially great, it's just that you can't get a decent quality for them, and I have not seen enough of them. On to my list.
1. 3:10 To Yuma (2007)
2. Appaloosa (2008)
3. True Grit (2010)
4. Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee (2007)
5. Lawless (2012)
6. The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976)
7. Open Range (2003)
8. Maverick (1994)
9. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007)
10. Wyatt Earp (1994)
Well, I was barely able to make out a top 10 list even while reaching back more the 30 years for Josey Wales. Now there are a few others that I want to see but haven't had the chance. Also, looking back through the genre just now in order to make my list I found a few more that I hope to see soon. But, the task at hand is to determine just how great "Django Unchained" really is. I really like that Quentin Tarantino is going out and tackling genres that he has never touched before. There were elements of the traditional western mixed in, but the amount of humour and wit was an awesome touch. Also, you can't ignore that the bounty hunters running around killing "bad guys" was a fresh twist as well. Jamie Foxx is an extremely talented actor, as he won me over with his turn as Ray Charles in "Ray" which was one of my favorite movies of all time. He doesn't disappoint in Django as he goes from slave, to bounty hunter, to prisoner to hero seamlessly. I was unfamiliar with Christopher Waltz's work, but I must say he is a show stealer in this one. While blowing away countless bad guys, his character is constantly cracking witty jokes with a smile. The best scene of the movie has to be when Foxx and Waltz's characters are at dinner in Candie's house when they are attempting to rescue Broomhilda. The tension is great, Samuel L. Jackson's turn as the head slave with a sneaky suspicion works really well, and it leads to an absolutely unbelievable gun fight that you have to see. All in all, this was nearly 3 hours of great storytelling that I look forward to seeing again. This leads me to the ultimate question, where does "Django Unchained" rank on my list of favorite western movies. While "True Grit" was a solid movie made by my favorite directors the Coen Brothers, I would say that "Django" is a slight bit better. I know "Appaloosa" was panned by many, but I really loved the slow moving storytelling that Ed Harris employed in it. Now, "3:10 To Yuma" shall remained untouched at number 1 as it was just a perfect blend of everything the genre should be. "Django Unchained" will settle in at #2 at least for now as I continue my quest to view more "great" western movies.
So, after seeing the previews for weeks, including a number of times on the big screen at the theatre I knew that I couldn't miss this one. It had so many positive things going for it, I really felt that it was going to be awesome.
Creative and Unique Direction: CHECK
Great Acting Cast: CHECK
Interesting and Controversial Subject Material: CHECK
The Best Genre on Film: CHECK
I was dying to include that checklist in some form, so there you go. If you don't know me well, you won't know that over the last few years I have developed an affinity for the Western movie. I believe that part of this new found love is the difficulty involved in finding a really well done Western film. It also seems like Hollywood is afraid of the genre for the very same reason, it's damn hard to make an entertaining Western film that can truly capture the audience. I have really been watching a lot of movies in the last few years, and even with my developing interest in the genre, I have only seen maybe 5 or 6 good Western movies, and even fewer that I would consider "great". Due to my love of lists, I will now include a ranking of Western movies I have seen. This is my personal preference, and does not include anything from the older eras of young Eastwood, Tom Selleck classics, John Wayne and so on. This isn't to say these aren't potentially great, it's just that you can't get a decent quality for them, and I have not seen enough of them. On to my list.
1. 3:10 To Yuma (2007)
2. Appaloosa (2008)
3. True Grit (2010)
4. Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee (2007)
5. Lawless (2012)
6. The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976)
7. Open Range (2003)
8. Maverick (1994)
9. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007)
10. Wyatt Earp (1994)
Well, I was barely able to make out a top 10 list even while reaching back more the 30 years for Josey Wales. Now there are a few others that I want to see but haven't had the chance. Also, looking back through the genre just now in order to make my list I found a few more that I hope to see soon. But, the task at hand is to determine just how great "Django Unchained" really is. I really like that Quentin Tarantino is going out and tackling genres that he has never touched before. There were elements of the traditional western mixed in, but the amount of humour and wit was an awesome touch. Also, you can't ignore that the bounty hunters running around killing "bad guys" was a fresh twist as well. Jamie Foxx is an extremely talented actor, as he won me over with his turn as Ray Charles in "Ray" which was one of my favorite movies of all time. He doesn't disappoint in Django as he goes from slave, to bounty hunter, to prisoner to hero seamlessly. I was unfamiliar with Christopher Waltz's work, but I must say he is a show stealer in this one. While blowing away countless bad guys, his character is constantly cracking witty jokes with a smile. The best scene of the movie has to be when Foxx and Waltz's characters are at dinner in Candie's house when they are attempting to rescue Broomhilda. The tension is great, Samuel L. Jackson's turn as the head slave with a sneaky suspicion works really well, and it leads to an absolutely unbelievable gun fight that you have to see. All in all, this was nearly 3 hours of great storytelling that I look forward to seeing again. This leads me to the ultimate question, where does "Django Unchained" rank on my list of favorite western movies. While "True Grit" was a solid movie made by my favorite directors the Coen Brothers, I would say that "Django" is a slight bit better. I know "Appaloosa" was panned by many, but I really loved the slow moving storytelling that Ed Harris employed in it. Now, "3:10 To Yuma" shall remained untouched at number 1 as it was just a perfect blend of everything the genre should be. "Django Unchained" will settle in at #2 at least for now as I continue my quest to view more "great" western movies.
Monday, 31 December 2012
Goals and Other Extraneous Thoughts for 2013
Wow! I and we, all of us, this means you have survived the year that was 2012. Looking back at the year that was I would have to say that I enjoyed some personal success. Also, I got to enjoy being a part of a pretty good year for my family both immeadiate and extended.
Highlights of the past year include our family trip to visit my sister and brother-in-law in Montreal. This was great fun as we spent time with 2 great people, got to see the sights of Montreal and Jasmine and Asher got to experience their first plane trip, one that Jasmine particularly will remember forever. Witnessing the culture and the variety of life that Montreal has to offer gave me significant food for thought and has altered the way I think about people and the way we interact.
Another highlight for me was seeing significant growth in my relationship with my mom as well as other members of my family. My mom has been battling some health issues for a few years, and my complacency and lack of respect for our bond had led to us growing apat somewhat. We would talk very infrequently on the phone, and despite there being only an hour or so between my family and hers we didn't see each other as often as we could or should. Sheila and I made a point of letting mom know that we wanted her to get more involved, get to know Jasmine and Asher more and that she was welcome at our place anytime along with my dad and older sister as well. While we started chatting more on the phone in the spring, and we saw them a few more times both here in Prince George and in Quesnel at their home, I believe my mom was still battling significant stress in regards to her health and the huge lift altering decision about retirement. I'm not privy to the exact date or time that my mom made the decision to retire, but it seemed she became much more relaxed and easy going throughout the summer. She and my dad went on an amazing vacation/cruise that took them to some cool places like Estonia, Russia, Sweden, Finland, Denmark and Ireland and upon their return my mom let us know that she was indeed going to retire. My dad has been very supportive of this choice, and I myself thought it was the right decision. Now, after seeing my mom through her first 4 months of retirement, I am more certain that she did indeed make a great decision. My mom can be a quiet and reserved person, but she can also be very friendly and easy going. She spends a lot of her time doing things for others with little fanfare. I have actually lost count of how many visits we have had with her since September, but every time she comes we really enjoy it. Her comfort level with Asher and Jasmine has grown leaps and bounds, and it is truly awesome to see. She has come for overnight visits, weekend stays and in October she moved in for a week while I was away in Vancouver to pursue my poker dream. If you had told me that scenario would happen even a few years ago, I could not have concieved it. Sheila and mom my have built their relationship more in the past 6 months then they had in the previous 6 and a half years, swapping advice on kids, going for outings together and what not, it has been great to see. Thanks mom, it really has been great to see you come out of your shell!
Before I get carried away with the year just passed, I would like to get to my "resolutions" for the coming year. I prefer the term "goals" as many of the items I will include on this list are pretty open ended. I want to encourage myself to strive for personal growth, and to push towards being a better person, better husband (oops, that's not technically correct), better dad, better son, better brother and so on. If I work towards these goals, I believe 2013 could be a darn good year. Shall we?
Okay, while considering this further I have decided to break these down into sections: family related goals, and personal goals. To start, my goals that involve my family members.
1) TAKE ADVANTAGE OF MY TIME WITH ASHER
While I considered how to phrase this goal I gave thought to just how lucky I am to be home with my nearly 2 year old son 3 days a week and how many dad's would kill for that situation. Many dad's are away working for weeks at a time, so to have this opportunity is something I really need to take better advantage of. Don't get me wrong, Asher loves his daddy, but I feel like I could be doing more. Most days we drop Jasmine off at school and then retreat to the basement where I fart around on the computer and slowly workout while Asher plays around me, and of course with me. He gets a real kick out of being dad's spotter, holding my feet down for me while I bench press. Often he runs over to provide the help without being prompted. Now, as a typical parent I think Asher is the coolest little man in the whole world. He is as perfect as can be, but even perfect can be improved. Due to lots of his time being spent with mom, dad and Jasmine as well as Grandma and Grandpa and his other family members, Asher has developed an unwillingness to share and play nicely with other children. The key part of this goal is to start attending the Strong Start Program at Malaspina (Jasmine's school) at least once a week. We went once before Christmas and Asher had a great time, with lots of things to play with that we don't have at home. It's nice to interact with other parents when you are there too, and I have much to learn from others as well. After a month or two if I am feeling ambitious I will look for other activities that Asher and I can do during the day when Jasmine is at school and Sheila is at work.
2) DO MORE ACTIVITIES WITH JASMINE
I realize that this goal is very open ended but it is something that I really want to work on. Jasmine and I spend some time together, but I know she and I would both benefit from doing more things together both for fun and for fullfillment. She and I are both involved in basketball once a week, and we still do our weekly swimming trips on Wednesday with Asher. We probably saw 4 or 5 movies at the theatre together this year. There was also soccer in the spring. Here is me stating to the world that we need to spend more time doing things together. My daughter is a very passionate person who's level of caring for others is quite awe inspiring. We have talked for years about doing some volunteering together. This would be great for us to bond while at the same time it would feel good to help others. I want Jasmine to be exposed to those that are less fortunate as she has been developing a sense of entitlement and we did see a little lack of appreciation this Christmas. The place I am most partial too is the St. Vincent de Paul Society, and perhaps our best bet would be to volunteer at their soup kitchen. There may be age restrictions for volunteering, so Jasmine and I will have to do some research in the coming weeks. Of course, we both like to have fun also so I am really going to work hard on getting her out of the house to enjoy the outdoors more often. Skating outdoors at the oval or neighbourhood rinks, sledding at the nearby hill, bike riding in the summer, hiking in the woods are all things that Jasmine enjoys but rarely suggests doing. Getting her away from the electronics more often is a very important goal for me this coming year.
3) STRENGTHEN MY RELATIONSHIP WITH SHEILA
After being together for more then 7 years, you would think that Sheila and I had the most perfect of relationships. Of course, that's a bunch of malarkey and for the most part, it's the me part of the relationship that needs improvement. We are both pretty busy people. Sheila works full-time, me nearly full-time and we have the odd hobby that takes up additional time, oh and then there are the kids. It is important that we take time together and work as a team to make our relationship run more smoothly. I had a period of time in 2012 where I was full of energy and was making a concerted effort to help out more around the house. We aren't talking about more then my share, but perhaps creeping my way closer to 50% of the housework and menial tasks that need doing when you have a house and kids. I also found that when I was doing more, Sheila was happier, go figure. Later in this post I will post goals in regards to my health that will hopefully lead to me regaining my previous energy levels, and combined with this goal that I know my dear lady will read, will lead to a fire being lit under my lethargic ass. That is step one. Another thing is that while we have the children and that makes it much harder to get out of the house and do things just the two of us, that doesn't stop us from spending time together at home in te evenings when the kids are in bed for the night. Recently, we have gotten back to watching movies together which we both really enjoy. Also, a couple of days ago we got to go out for a nice dinner and swimming date which was also lots of fun. So there you have it, I have carelessly and wrecklessly promised to be a better partner in the coming year and this is all the proof you need Sheila.
4) KEEP FAMILY AND FRIENDS CLOSER
For those that know me, you won't be shocked to see me state that I have a problem with relationships. I can be very anti-social and it is something that I am not proud of. I will often meet new people, enjoy their company, have an opportunity to hang out, get to know them better and I just let the time slip away. I struggle with this. I am very self-concious about what other people think of me. I am always convincing myself that my company is not something that people want. This makes me pretty inept when it comes to making new friends, and it also effects my ability to keep in contact with people that I have established relationships with. I patted myself on the back earlier for the improved relationship I have with my mom, and I have also been in contact with my sister Erin more often this year then any year since we last lived together full time more then 10 years ago. These successes are only a start. I need to pick up the phone and make an effort. I want to talk to friends more often, I want to spend time hanging out with people. Friends with kids are even better, as shooting the breeze over coffee is easier of the kids are having fun at the same time. I aim to work at getting over my anxiety issues and anti-social tendencies, and this goes hand in hand with feeling better about myself.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Now, we will move on to the personal goals section of this post, and perhaps to facilitate actually finishing this post, I will make each goal a little shorter in description.
1) BLOG REGULARLY
Nothing too crazy, but I would like to continue to write/type content for this blog. I completely fell off the rails the last half of the year, and while school work had something to do with it, I often found myself making a plethera of excuses. My goal is to post on this page once a week on average and to mix in more opinionated material. British Columbia is fast approaching an important provincial election so I should have plenty of material to work with.
2) IMPROVE MY HEALTH
I had some tremendous momentum going in the spring and summer months this year, and I can say definitively that by the end of August I was in the best shape of my life. As a teen I was a bone rack with no fat in sight, but I also was void of muscle. When the weather was nice, almost all of my recreational activities with and without the kids involved some kind of physical activity. Bike riding, jogging, playing at the park, swimming, walks with Sheila, work outs at home, yard work, I looked at all these activities at serving multiple purposes. I was also regularly taking a number of supplements that helped my general feeling of well. I vividly remember one morning in the summer when I got up before Sheila left for work (this was my day off) and jogged 3 km in the crisp morning air. I came home and while watching Asher got a weight session in. By 930 am I felt like a million bucks. Physical activity tends to boost my energy levels greatly, and I went on to have an extremely productive day. While I have still been lifting weights fairly regularly, and I am a member of a rec hockey team this winter, my energy levels have dropped off drastically. I have also gained a few pounds back, a painful reminder of just how easy it is to let it all go again. I don't want that, not after all the work I put in.
I plan to continue to lift weights 3-4 times per week. I will make it hockey whenever I am available. On top of that as outlined above, Jasmine and I are going to get out to the skating rink and the sled hill more regularly. I am going to start drinking my protein and creatine shakes more often. I will consume my multivitamins, fish oil caps, green tea pills and glucosamine on a daily basis. I want to get this back on track.
3) WORK ON CAREER GOALS/MOVE TOWARDS IMPROVING EMPLOYMENT SITUATION
I really am pretty blessed. I make enough money at work and at poker to make ends meet, put a small amount aside for family vacations and contribute to an RESP for the children. Between Sheila and I, we get it done. At the same time, having the budget as tight as it is can be very stressful on both of us. I would love to be able to blow money whenever I felt like it, but I also like having a roof over our heads. At work, I have a job that while uneventful is not all that stressful or difficult. My biggest complaint is that it is not challenging, and I have little right to complain about that. All of that being said, I'm nearing my 30th birthday and I have not landing myself in a "career" situation. I don't want to be counting every quarter until the day I retire. My career ambitions are pretty cloudy at this point. This goal is to motivate me towards improvement in some way. I need to look at the options and viability associated with the management realm at my current job. The program managers, which is the lowest tier in the management pyramid make about 30% more then I do, and they get the desirable Monday to Friday 9-5 schedule. My other option is to look elsewhere for work, taking advantage of my employment experience and the degree that I hold. I will take steps towards this in 2013.
4) MAKE AT LEAST $500 PER MONTH PLAYING POKER
This one truly is a softball. If I put in the time, I will do this. I am very confident in my abilities, and I have a 5 year track record proving that I win at the game. Averaging less then 8 hours of play per week, I managed to earn nearly $12,000 in 2012 playing poker. I also made an additional $800 or so playing on the computer casually. Now, I am fully aware of the luck factor and variance involved in playing, hence the low target of $6,000 for the year 2013. I was profitable every month this year, save for May when I lost 60 bucks, and December when I lost 150 or so while only playing 6 hours total. After my poker trip to Vancouver I kind of lost my feel for the game and ended up making absolutely nothing over the last two months of the year. I need to find that motivation again, which should be easy since Sheila, Jasmine and Asher are all counting on me. Some profit is needed to pay the bills, but some is used for fun stuff too, which is just as important as the bills. I plan to read from my extensive poker library and work on improving my game to make it more profitable.
5) READ MORE OFTEN
I read 26 novels this year, ranging from the terrible "Alexandria of Africa" by Eric Walters to a few absolute classics. Likely fodder for another post my favorites included: "Invisible Man" by Ralph Ellison, "The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao" by Junot Diaz, and "Last Words" by George Carlin. My reading time dropped off drastically towards the end of the year, as mid year I was reading nearly a book a week. Some like Ellison's book were big, his was 600 pages, but other books I just didn't get into. I will read more this year, I enjoy it, it's relaxing and it provides great conversation fodder.
6) COMPLETE HOME IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS
This one really bugs me. As a home owner, I am beginning to realize just how often shit goes wrong with a house. The project list keeps piling up, and sometimes financial reasons mean I have to put these things off. Many times though, it's just me, my brain and my muscles that are required. These tasks need to get done with more haste. If something requires assistance, and it is in my budget, then I need to make the calls and arrangments to get it done. Making a list is great, making work is better.
Highlights of the past year include our family trip to visit my sister and brother-in-law in Montreal. This was great fun as we spent time with 2 great people, got to see the sights of Montreal and Jasmine and Asher got to experience their first plane trip, one that Jasmine particularly will remember forever. Witnessing the culture and the variety of life that Montreal has to offer gave me significant food for thought and has altered the way I think about people and the way we interact.
Another highlight for me was seeing significant growth in my relationship with my mom as well as other members of my family. My mom has been battling some health issues for a few years, and my complacency and lack of respect for our bond had led to us growing apat somewhat. We would talk very infrequently on the phone, and despite there being only an hour or so between my family and hers we didn't see each other as often as we could or should. Sheila and I made a point of letting mom know that we wanted her to get more involved, get to know Jasmine and Asher more and that she was welcome at our place anytime along with my dad and older sister as well. While we started chatting more on the phone in the spring, and we saw them a few more times both here in Prince George and in Quesnel at their home, I believe my mom was still battling significant stress in regards to her health and the huge lift altering decision about retirement. I'm not privy to the exact date or time that my mom made the decision to retire, but it seemed she became much more relaxed and easy going throughout the summer. She and my dad went on an amazing vacation/cruise that took them to some cool places like Estonia, Russia, Sweden, Finland, Denmark and Ireland and upon their return my mom let us know that she was indeed going to retire. My dad has been very supportive of this choice, and I myself thought it was the right decision. Now, after seeing my mom through her first 4 months of retirement, I am more certain that she did indeed make a great decision. My mom can be a quiet and reserved person, but she can also be very friendly and easy going. She spends a lot of her time doing things for others with little fanfare. I have actually lost count of how many visits we have had with her since September, but every time she comes we really enjoy it. Her comfort level with Asher and Jasmine has grown leaps and bounds, and it is truly awesome to see. She has come for overnight visits, weekend stays and in October she moved in for a week while I was away in Vancouver to pursue my poker dream. If you had told me that scenario would happen even a few years ago, I could not have concieved it. Sheila and mom my have built their relationship more in the past 6 months then they had in the previous 6 and a half years, swapping advice on kids, going for outings together and what not, it has been great to see. Thanks mom, it really has been great to see you come out of your shell!
Before I get carried away with the year just passed, I would like to get to my "resolutions" for the coming year. I prefer the term "goals" as many of the items I will include on this list are pretty open ended. I want to encourage myself to strive for personal growth, and to push towards being a better person, better husband (oops, that's not technically correct), better dad, better son, better brother and so on. If I work towards these goals, I believe 2013 could be a darn good year. Shall we?
Okay, while considering this further I have decided to break these down into sections: family related goals, and personal goals. To start, my goals that involve my family members.
1) TAKE ADVANTAGE OF MY TIME WITH ASHER
While I considered how to phrase this goal I gave thought to just how lucky I am to be home with my nearly 2 year old son 3 days a week and how many dad's would kill for that situation. Many dad's are away working for weeks at a time, so to have this opportunity is something I really need to take better advantage of. Don't get me wrong, Asher loves his daddy, but I feel like I could be doing more. Most days we drop Jasmine off at school and then retreat to the basement where I fart around on the computer and slowly workout while Asher plays around me, and of course with me. He gets a real kick out of being dad's spotter, holding my feet down for me while I bench press. Often he runs over to provide the help without being prompted. Now, as a typical parent I think Asher is the coolest little man in the whole world. He is as perfect as can be, but even perfect can be improved. Due to lots of his time being spent with mom, dad and Jasmine as well as Grandma and Grandpa and his other family members, Asher has developed an unwillingness to share and play nicely with other children. The key part of this goal is to start attending the Strong Start Program at Malaspina (Jasmine's school) at least once a week. We went once before Christmas and Asher had a great time, with lots of things to play with that we don't have at home. It's nice to interact with other parents when you are there too, and I have much to learn from others as well. After a month or two if I am feeling ambitious I will look for other activities that Asher and I can do during the day when Jasmine is at school and Sheila is at work.
2) DO MORE ACTIVITIES WITH JASMINE
I realize that this goal is very open ended but it is something that I really want to work on. Jasmine and I spend some time together, but I know she and I would both benefit from doing more things together both for fun and for fullfillment. She and I are both involved in basketball once a week, and we still do our weekly swimming trips on Wednesday with Asher. We probably saw 4 or 5 movies at the theatre together this year. There was also soccer in the spring. Here is me stating to the world that we need to spend more time doing things together. My daughter is a very passionate person who's level of caring for others is quite awe inspiring. We have talked for years about doing some volunteering together. This would be great for us to bond while at the same time it would feel good to help others. I want Jasmine to be exposed to those that are less fortunate as she has been developing a sense of entitlement and we did see a little lack of appreciation this Christmas. The place I am most partial too is the St. Vincent de Paul Society, and perhaps our best bet would be to volunteer at their soup kitchen. There may be age restrictions for volunteering, so Jasmine and I will have to do some research in the coming weeks. Of course, we both like to have fun also so I am really going to work hard on getting her out of the house to enjoy the outdoors more often. Skating outdoors at the oval or neighbourhood rinks, sledding at the nearby hill, bike riding in the summer, hiking in the woods are all things that Jasmine enjoys but rarely suggests doing. Getting her away from the electronics more often is a very important goal for me this coming year.
3) STRENGTHEN MY RELATIONSHIP WITH SHEILA
After being together for more then 7 years, you would think that Sheila and I had the most perfect of relationships. Of course, that's a bunch of malarkey and for the most part, it's the me part of the relationship that needs improvement. We are both pretty busy people. Sheila works full-time, me nearly full-time and we have the odd hobby that takes up additional time, oh and then there are the kids. It is important that we take time together and work as a team to make our relationship run more smoothly. I had a period of time in 2012 where I was full of energy and was making a concerted effort to help out more around the house. We aren't talking about more then my share, but perhaps creeping my way closer to 50% of the housework and menial tasks that need doing when you have a house and kids. I also found that when I was doing more, Sheila was happier, go figure. Later in this post I will post goals in regards to my health that will hopefully lead to me regaining my previous energy levels, and combined with this goal that I know my dear lady will read, will lead to a fire being lit under my lethargic ass. That is step one. Another thing is that while we have the children and that makes it much harder to get out of the house and do things just the two of us, that doesn't stop us from spending time together at home in te evenings when the kids are in bed for the night. Recently, we have gotten back to watching movies together which we both really enjoy. Also, a couple of days ago we got to go out for a nice dinner and swimming date which was also lots of fun. So there you have it, I have carelessly and wrecklessly promised to be a better partner in the coming year and this is all the proof you need Sheila.
4) KEEP FAMILY AND FRIENDS CLOSER
For those that know me, you won't be shocked to see me state that I have a problem with relationships. I can be very anti-social and it is something that I am not proud of. I will often meet new people, enjoy their company, have an opportunity to hang out, get to know them better and I just let the time slip away. I struggle with this. I am very self-concious about what other people think of me. I am always convincing myself that my company is not something that people want. This makes me pretty inept when it comes to making new friends, and it also effects my ability to keep in contact with people that I have established relationships with. I patted myself on the back earlier for the improved relationship I have with my mom, and I have also been in contact with my sister Erin more often this year then any year since we last lived together full time more then 10 years ago. These successes are only a start. I need to pick up the phone and make an effort. I want to talk to friends more often, I want to spend time hanging out with people. Friends with kids are even better, as shooting the breeze over coffee is easier of the kids are having fun at the same time. I aim to work at getting over my anxiety issues and anti-social tendencies, and this goes hand in hand with feeling better about myself.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Now, we will move on to the personal goals section of this post, and perhaps to facilitate actually finishing this post, I will make each goal a little shorter in description.
1) BLOG REGULARLY
Nothing too crazy, but I would like to continue to write/type content for this blog. I completely fell off the rails the last half of the year, and while school work had something to do with it, I often found myself making a plethera of excuses. My goal is to post on this page once a week on average and to mix in more opinionated material. British Columbia is fast approaching an important provincial election so I should have plenty of material to work with.
2) IMPROVE MY HEALTH
I had some tremendous momentum going in the spring and summer months this year, and I can say definitively that by the end of August I was in the best shape of my life. As a teen I was a bone rack with no fat in sight, but I also was void of muscle. When the weather was nice, almost all of my recreational activities with and without the kids involved some kind of physical activity. Bike riding, jogging, playing at the park, swimming, walks with Sheila, work outs at home, yard work, I looked at all these activities at serving multiple purposes. I was also regularly taking a number of supplements that helped my general feeling of well. I vividly remember one morning in the summer when I got up before Sheila left for work (this was my day off) and jogged 3 km in the crisp morning air. I came home and while watching Asher got a weight session in. By 930 am I felt like a million bucks. Physical activity tends to boost my energy levels greatly, and I went on to have an extremely productive day. While I have still been lifting weights fairly regularly, and I am a member of a rec hockey team this winter, my energy levels have dropped off drastically. I have also gained a few pounds back, a painful reminder of just how easy it is to let it all go again. I don't want that, not after all the work I put in.
I plan to continue to lift weights 3-4 times per week. I will make it hockey whenever I am available. On top of that as outlined above, Jasmine and I are going to get out to the skating rink and the sled hill more regularly. I am going to start drinking my protein and creatine shakes more often. I will consume my multivitamins, fish oil caps, green tea pills and glucosamine on a daily basis. I want to get this back on track.
3) WORK ON CAREER GOALS/MOVE TOWARDS IMPROVING EMPLOYMENT SITUATION
I really am pretty blessed. I make enough money at work and at poker to make ends meet, put a small amount aside for family vacations and contribute to an RESP for the children. Between Sheila and I, we get it done. At the same time, having the budget as tight as it is can be very stressful on both of us. I would love to be able to blow money whenever I felt like it, but I also like having a roof over our heads. At work, I have a job that while uneventful is not all that stressful or difficult. My biggest complaint is that it is not challenging, and I have little right to complain about that. All of that being said, I'm nearing my 30th birthday and I have not landing myself in a "career" situation. I don't want to be counting every quarter until the day I retire. My career ambitions are pretty cloudy at this point. This goal is to motivate me towards improvement in some way. I need to look at the options and viability associated with the management realm at my current job. The program managers, which is the lowest tier in the management pyramid make about 30% more then I do, and they get the desirable Monday to Friday 9-5 schedule. My other option is to look elsewhere for work, taking advantage of my employment experience and the degree that I hold. I will take steps towards this in 2013.
4) MAKE AT LEAST $500 PER MONTH PLAYING POKER
This one truly is a softball. If I put in the time, I will do this. I am very confident in my abilities, and I have a 5 year track record proving that I win at the game. Averaging less then 8 hours of play per week, I managed to earn nearly $12,000 in 2012 playing poker. I also made an additional $800 or so playing on the computer casually. Now, I am fully aware of the luck factor and variance involved in playing, hence the low target of $6,000 for the year 2013. I was profitable every month this year, save for May when I lost 60 bucks, and December when I lost 150 or so while only playing 6 hours total. After my poker trip to Vancouver I kind of lost my feel for the game and ended up making absolutely nothing over the last two months of the year. I need to find that motivation again, which should be easy since Sheila, Jasmine and Asher are all counting on me. Some profit is needed to pay the bills, but some is used for fun stuff too, which is just as important as the bills. I plan to read from my extensive poker library and work on improving my game to make it more profitable.
5) READ MORE OFTEN
I read 26 novels this year, ranging from the terrible "Alexandria of Africa" by Eric Walters to a few absolute classics. Likely fodder for another post my favorites included: "Invisible Man" by Ralph Ellison, "The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao" by Junot Diaz, and "Last Words" by George Carlin. My reading time dropped off drastically towards the end of the year, as mid year I was reading nearly a book a week. Some like Ellison's book were big, his was 600 pages, but other books I just didn't get into. I will read more this year, I enjoy it, it's relaxing and it provides great conversation fodder.
6) COMPLETE HOME IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS
This one really bugs me. As a home owner, I am beginning to realize just how often shit goes wrong with a house. The project list keeps piling up, and sometimes financial reasons mean I have to put these things off. Many times though, it's just me, my brain and my muscles that are required. These tasks need to get done with more haste. If something requires assistance, and it is in my budget, then I need to make the calls and arrangments to get it done. Making a list is great, making work is better.
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