#242 - Birthday and Farewells

We were both up at the crack of seven to get ready for work. The company is providing us with a lunch today to introduce us to the new head honcho.

As it’s the Toronto office and not the Ottawa office, we are likely to be served pizza. Seems to be the standard animation meal. I did like some of the bribe meals we used to get to make us less upset about being forced back into the studio. Thai, Greek and sometimes Italain, but the person who organized all those meals was let go a few weeks ago, so my guess it pizza. I’ve had enough pizza for a while, but a free meal is a free meal. I’ll skip breakfast because pizza is so filling.

We left a few minutes later and thanks to the timidest of all drivers in front of us we missed the train. It meant we were able to get on the next train which was an all-stops and we all know I have a preference for those at the moment as I get more writing done and the seating options are better.

It’s a much cooler out today compared to yesterday’s heat. Perfect weather for walking in the city.

My privacy screen protector didn’t arrive before we left so I can’t give it a test run today. It should arrive while we are at work, however. I’m just impatient about my deliveries.

I judged my sleep to be okay last night. I am actually wondering if I am getting too much sleep at this point. I woke feeling good. No body pains or aches and no feeling of dread. I still would have preferred to stay in bed. It wasn’t like I sprung out of bed singing show tunes at full volume, but I got out of bed with no grunts or groans.

Lately I have been known to sit on the toilet and make horse noises, like when the snort and breath out at the same time, usually while shaking their heads. I sign that I am not enjoying being up and way to cope with the fact that I am.

I did none of that whinnying and snorting this morning and thinking back on it I didn’t do it yesterday or the day before. So, improvements are being made. This biggest one is how I feel both mentally and physically. Less pain, less headaches, less dread and more energy. All that from taking a few food items at night and a couple of magnesium glycinate pills.

This is the first Thursday in months that we aren’t heading over to our friends straight after work to watch Survivor. Still having some pizza today, but no hot tub.

I’m hoping for nice relaxing evening, however, I know I will be up writing for most of it to get my word quota completed for the day. I was about four hundred words short of my goal last night and that meant adding an additional 100 words a day for the next four days.

I’ll se if I can make some of this up today with a massive writing spirt.

I need an excuse to work on my Sci-fi novel anyways and I need to start my sci-fi spy thriller assignment earlier this time around instead of waiting until the last minute. But how many times have I said that before?

Every single time is the answer!

But not tah-day!

We are sitting on the lower level of the train today. I chose it because robyns legs hurt her sometimes and I figured it would get us out of the train faster. But man, did I forget about how people are down in this section. There is always someone having an outloud phone call and others who need everyone to know they are getting text messages, their phone volumes set to maximum irritation,

Strangely, no one is talking to anyone else. I guess it’s not really that odd given almost everyone has a phone clamped in their hands. Looking around it’s harder to find someone who isn’t doom scrolling.

And an all-stops tends to get more packed with people the closer you get to Toronto, while an express is packed right from the start of the journey.

It’s my mother’s birthday today, and she is spending it in Tenerife, Spain. I hope she has a magical day and I already know she’ll be eating shrimp somewhere for her dinner, whether my dad makes it for her or they head out to restaurant with a scenic view of the ocean. She’s living the good life for the next few weeks.

Based on the pictures and their descriptions of the place, it sems like a nice place to visit. Maybe I’ll get there one day!

Until then, I’ll have to be content with all the sunny days we are getting right here at home.

I had an idea about my sci-fi novel and my upcoming assignment. I wondered if I could write the assignment but have it be a part of the novel. I might be able to have them exist in the same world. Food for thought, but maybe it’s best just to write it for the assignment and focus on the learning.

I’ve got a few stops left before we arrive at our station, and I might close my eyes for a second. The rocking of the train is like being in an infant’s cradle, slowly rocking me into a slumber.

We alighted the train and took a slow walk towards the studio, neither of us in any hurry to get to the studio. Stopping at the Tim Hortons, we managed to miss the construction worker rush and barely waited at all for our order to be served. The teas we bought had that astringent mouth feel too them from too many tannins. A clear sign that the tea was sitting for some time before we dawdled along.

The tannins were strong enough that I added in two packages of sweetner when I got into the studio. The walk there, was lovely as the temperature was cool, the perfect level. One of my painters met us at the entrance to the studio and the three of us entered together. There was a bit of a jovial atmosphere in the studio today. People were gathered in small groups just chatting.

I got to talk to the painter who met us at the door for fifteen minutes. He told me about his missionary parents and about his Japanese Grandfather. His parents never talked much about their own families.

Apparently, on his grandfather’s side they descend from a Samuria ruling house associated with the Shogun. The great, great, great grandfather was not raised with the rest of the family and was taken to live in another village and given a different last name. He grew up resentlful that he was not recognized by the esteemed family and years later, while attending a wedding tried to kill everyone in attendance.

And furthermore his father told him that his grandfather, still living in Japan, has the seals, armor and sword that prove the story of their lineage.

And that was something I wouldn’t have known if we hadn’t stopped to chat before starting our workday.

I got stuck into my workload, finishing a painting then going through more approvals, when a message came over the studio wide Teams channel that there was bagels and cream cheese available in the kitchen. I had planned to skip breakfast because we were having a work sponsored lunch today, but I do love a good bagel and cream cheese. The cheese was whipped cream cheese which elevated this bagel to luxurious in my opinion.

I picked out an everything bagel and didn’t even bother to toast it.

No regrets.

The bagel had the perfect amount of saltiness, and the whipped cream cheese was velvety and smooth. It even made my crappy tea taste better.

Another colleague arrived and we discussed our love of all things pens. I had my Zento Signature and he had a Jinhao clickable fountain pen. I believe it is a copy of a Vanish Point. The orignals are hundreds of dollars and this Chinese knock off is about three dollars shipped.

I gave him the .05 mm insert that came with my pen as I will never use it. I find them scratchy, dry and too thin for my liking.

The boss came in soon after and she added to our banter.

Before long, it was noon and the dinner bell was sounded. I was expecting to be fed pizza, but they had arranged for chicken meatballs, two kinds of salad, mixed veg and some alfredo rigatoni pasta as well as a selection of desserts and drinks.

I grabbed a lemonade and a brownie to add to my lunch.

We all gathered in the kitchen and discussed this and that. Everyone was in good spirits which was a little ironic, because quite a few people were leaving the company at the end of the week due to a lack of work. In one sense, the communal meal was a bit of a send off for them.

But that wasn’t enough for some of the people I have worked with for decades. One in particular is Sean, who is also an aspiring writer. I was a Beta reader for his urban fantasy book a year or two ago. Get that book out to the general public, Sean!

A group of us headed out the Bank Note Bar and Grill for a farewell drink. We all chatted and more people soon joined us. It was a good chance to catch up; hear what things people had planned for an unknown future. I had a beer, which is dangerous because it makes me want to take a nap afterwards and not work. But after some fond farewells I headed back to the studio and got back to work. No one mentioned the fact that I had taken a two-hour lunch, probably because we are all aware what is happening.

But I got stuck into my work fixing a painting so it could be approved and moving more things along. I was told we had completed another full episode and that was reason to celebrate. Another milestone achieved. You need to take the wins when they present themselves.

The rest of the day was more of the same, correcting paintings and going through the approvals process. Maybe it was the two-hour lunch, but I felt surprised at how fast the day had past and when five o’clock rolled around it felt like cheating to leave. Not that it stopped me or Robyn from bolting out of the studio.

And it was amazing outside. Perfect temperatures and the sun was shining. We scrambled up the stairs to the train and the doors opened to board. We didn’t get great seats and the one I was in didn’t have enough room for me to type. There was barely enough room to sit, but at least we got a seat. I fumed for a bit because I really wanted to use that time to get some writing done. But getting upset would have been counter productive, so I got my phone out and opened the Kindle app. I had some new short stories to read by Mick Herron all loaded up and waiting for me. The stories took me away from the cramped sitting conditions beside a man with a cough and transported me to far way England to solve a mystery.

I didn’t get to finish the story, but I’ll save that for just before bed as a little treat.

Back home my laptop privacy screen arrived from Amazon and was waiting for me just inside the door. The kiddo must have actually bent over to pick up off the porch. I stand amazed!

I immediately set about to install it over my screen and give it a test drive. It was only a day or two ago that I had seen a fellow attach his to his laptop on the train, instigating a purchase of my own.

The installation was painless. There are some thin adhesive mag strips that attach to the top and a sticky edge on the bottom. The screen comes with a carrying sleeve in case you don’t want it attached when you get to a more private location.

I was happy to see the screen worked really well and just a little to the left or right of center and it looks as if the screen is completely off. More than enough to discourage my fellow commuters unwelcomed gaze. It also claims to filter out blue light from the screen as well as provide anti glaring.

Out on the back deck, with the sun setting I tested it out and found it worked great. No more peeping Toms for me.

Robyn left to pick up the kiddo from work and then the two of them were heading out to get some Swiss Chalet. They love them some squishy chicken. My favourite things there are not their chicken anything. I like the ribs and the pot roast meal along with their pierogies.

For a chicken place, I think they have some work to do yet. I can make dry chicken at home without blinking an eye thank you very much.

Instead, I put together a plate of Chicken Ruby, basmati rice and some naan bread and ate like a Raj. I even had a buttered toffee cookie for dessert. Better than anything the Swiss could have served me at their so-called Chalet!

I sat outside enjoying the weather, inspecting my little garden, watching some videos and even doing a little writing. It was a perfect evening for sitting outside.

Eventually it started getting a little colder and I moved back into the house.

Robyn and the kiddo returned, and we headed up to our room to watch a show. I got the urge to take a bubble spa soak and did that first. I guess I really needed it because I soaked for the full twenty minutes and enjoyed every moment of it.

Afterwards, we put on an episode of ‘Your Friends & Neighbors,’ which had a great and crazy ending to the episode. It must the be second last episode of the series.

Robyn, who was lying with her head on my chest, apparently fell asleep about halfway through missing the big end. I think I scared her a little when I asked how she liked the show and she was forced awake.

I see in the news that they are making a John Rambo movie set to release some time in 2027. I can see that franchise being rebooted with “New Blood.”

It’s probably been long enough since we’ve had a good action movie like that. Used to be they were the mainstay of the summer blockbuster lineup. I guess all the superhero movies took most of the wind out of those sails.

I just realized the new privacy screen for my laptop, which also has a bluelight filter built into it is beneficial to my pursuit of sleep. It should, in theory, not interfere with my circadian rhythm when I finish the night working on my laptop. And it just so happens that most nights I am using my computer right up until it’s time to go to sleep.

Once again, it’s ten thirty and I just took the kiwi, magnesium glycinate and tart cherry juice combo. And I am already feeling tired. Is it from the longer working day and the commute or does this stuff work this fast? Most likely it is a combination of both.

I decided to only eat on kiwi this evening. Partially as a test to see if one was enough and also because of the cost factor. Kiwi isn’t native to Canada and therefore costs a bit more. They also don’t tend to last very long before spoiling.

Another reason to look into the frozen kiwi option.

I get a chance to sleep in tomorrow until at least nine AM. I am very excited by the thought of that. I wonder if I will wake up early again feeling great. I’m sure to go back to bed again, because I like getting up at nine. However, if this trend continues, I may institute something I tried a while ago but ultimately failed because I am not a morning person. The idea was to get up two hours early and spend that time doing something enjoyable like reading, having bacon and eggs, or watching a show.

During the times I was able to get my ass out of bed, I found those mornings to be more enjoyable than when I slept in. The extra me time made the day feel longer and more personal. Instead of sleep, work, sleep, there was more time for me to relax, reflect and ease into my day. The day felt less chaotic and I was separated from the rat race for a portion of my day.

I had some nominal control over my life and my sense of well being increased. So why didn’t I keep it up? All it takes is one crazy day to knock you off your feet and make you chose the sleep over the morning chill routine. And of course, once they mandated that we return to the office three days a week, it meant getting up at five AM. And you know how I bitch when I have to get up at seven!

But if I am waking up at five or six feeling alert and happy. Then I might need to get my ass out of bed instead of going back for more sleep. And there is the opportunity to get some serious writing done in that time slot as well.

I have noticed that other than the marathon writing sessions I force myself into for assignments from my mentor, I get way more writing done when I split the day up into three or four smaller writing sections. Leaving it to the end of the day creates an unwanted pressure to do it all at once. And that’s time I might want to spend with my wife or socialize with friends.

The days where I have to go into the studio and I write on the way in and back, plus at lunch get me a very high word count. I don’t always get the full quota done, but in the evening, the writing session ends up being much shorter and less stressful. There is a big difference between needing to write 3500 words at the end of the day versus 675 words.

One is easy and can be accomplished in less than a hour. The other could take over four hours or more.

So, creating an extra pocket of time in the morning could drastically change how much work I can done in a day without making the effort seem like a major sacrifice. And I am sure my hands and fingers would prefer the typing workload to be spread out through the day instead of all at the end of the night.

Seems like it would be worth a try. It all depends on whether I wake up earlier by using this sleep method.

On a foodie note. We picked up a couple of steaks the other day and some baking potatoes. After making Chicken Ruby, cooking a steak now feels like cheating. The effort to make it is so much less and more hands off, particularly if I use the sous-vide machine to cook the steaks, I can go do other things while it cooks in the water bath.

And baked potatoes are fairly hands off as well.

Sounds like the perfect weekend meal for the two of us.

Or three of us if the kiddo is home for supper, but we’ll have to share it three ways.

I still have to make the crab recipe from the Dishoom cookbook, and it might be a good weekend to do that. I do love me some butter garlic crab.

And this recipe looked far more approachable. Like beginner level. And sometimes the easiest recipes are the best.

I also just had the thought that the crab and steak would go together like they were made for each other. A little surf and turf anyone?

Well, it’s been a long day, and the sleep aids are kicking in. I had a great day sending off some colleagues, swapping stories and sharing some food.

I am excited about the upcoming weeks and what lies ahead. In a week’s time, kiddo #1 returns from Halifax for an extended stay, and that might mean she can come up to the cottage with us. I am looking forward to my new writing assignment. It’s a science fiction story and a spy thriller. Two great genres to work in.

It was my mother’s birthday, and I am sure she was treated to a great meal this evening and is enjoying a small sliver of paradise on the island of Tenerife.

We passed some milestones and hurdles at work this week and that means things are going to become a little less chaotic for everyone on the team. We aren’t out of the fire yet, but we can see the water bombers circling overhead.

The weather continues to improve as we head towards summer, and gardening season is open.

There is some much that we need to do this year and so many uncertain things hover over our heads. The fate of the animation industry, our future employment, writing for me and Robyn going back to school to learn skills for a new trade after thirty years as an artist.

And through all of this, at this time and at this very moment, I feel hopeful.

I think we will all land on our feet for no other reason than really have no other choice.

Good night, all.

All will be well.