Kevin's Ramblings…

As I’ve written, I have visitors from Idaho coming this week, they arrive sometime on Thursday afternoon.

Well do a mini driving tour of Calgary after they get settled in their guest suite here at the apartment complex. Each building has two guest suites which are available for $90 per night, which is a better deal than you’ll get at any hotel in the area. They are really nice suites, perfect for two people.

We are going to the Calgary Stampeders game on Thursday evening. I’m not huge on CFL football, but it should be fun. The weather forecast isn’t the greatest, I’ve ordered a rain suit from Amazon which arrives today. I’ll be dry anyway. We’ll take the train to the game. I’m guessing it’s a 7pm start, so we’ll eat dinner at the game. Food at McMahon Stadium was good the last time I was there which is probably about 12 years ago now.

We are heading to Waterton National Park on Friday after having breakfast in High River after we pick up my sister in law. National parks are free right now, so that’s a good thing. We are having breakfast at a new place I’ve recently discovered, Monki which is right across from the Calgary Farmers Market. After breakfast we’ll go to the market then head south. We’ll stop on the way back from Waterton at the Twin Butte Country General Store which has an excellent Mexican restaurant attached and we’ll also stop in Cowley Alberta at Backcountry Butchers for dinner meat.

Saturday will be a Calgary day, no definitive plans. It’s the 4th of July so we’ll celebrate America’s birthday, we’ll be BBQing hot dogs and I’m making macaroni and tuna salad. I think we’ll watch Independence Day as well.

On Sunday, we are heading to Drumheller and visiting the dinosaur museum.

Monday is Banff Alberta. We’ll take the gondola to the top of the mountain, weather permitting, possibly having lunch up there. We’ll tour around Banff for the day.

We are hitting up the Calgary Stampede on Tuesday to wrap up their visit to Alberta.

They head south Wednesday morning after breakfast.

I’m sure it’ll be a whirlwind trip and it’ll be fun. I haven’t seen them in a few years so it’ll be great to catch up.

Not a lot, really.

I’ve been buying some much needed stuff for the apartment. A coat rack for the entry way, I think it’s being delivered today. It’s from Amazon.

I bought a bread maker, it’s being delivered today. I can almost smell the fresh bread already. I also ordered a 5kg bag of flour and bread machine yeast, a container for said flour as well and a second jug for cold coffee to make iced coffee.

I’m washing some t-shirts and underwear that were delivered Saturday. I try not to wear clothing until it’s been washed, who knows what it goes through during the manufacturing process.

The apartment is, slowly, becoming a home and it’s about time, I’ve lived here over 4 months now.

I just have some finishing touches.

I’m up stupid early this morning and am currently watching Sweeney Todd with Johnny Depp. It’s a disturbing movie, I saw it years ago when an ex-girlfriend had me watch it. Good movie.

Nothing on my agenda for the day today I don’t think. Enjoy your Monday.

As I have written, my natural gas BBQ was delivered over a month ago and now that the natural gas issue in the building has been resolved, I can BBQ to my hearts content. It’s a great BBQ, heats up quickly and get to up to 800°F in no time at all. Best of all, since it’s natural gas, I don’t have to worry about running out of fuel and I’ll never have to carry a heavy propane tank.

Well, yesterday, Airdrie Lawn and Leisure delivered my new Pit Boss smoker. My patio is now full.

I’m going to be smoking ribs tomorrow and I’m looking forward to them. I plan on smoking a turkey at Christmas time, so I have a few months to perfect my craft.

I’ve read that smoked chili is excellent as well so I’ll be trying that. Brisket, ribs, chicken, maybe I’ll try a tomahawk steak as well.

The world is my oyster. I won’t be smoking oysters though, they are gross.

June has been a very rainy month, that’s for sure.

Typical, Calgary’s rainy season starts about now and that’s for 3-4 weeks, it always rains during Stampede, then it’s dry as a bone and doesn’t rain again until the rain is that annoying white stuff in October.

I suppose we can use it. Maybe the farmers need it? Maybe it’ll help with forest fire season? Maybe.

I didn’t care for it, I get wet when I go outside and so do the dogs. Now, we probably won’t melt but I don’t particularly like getting wet and I hate the wet dog smell as well.

So, for now we’ve just been outside to pee. Well, the dogs peed, I peed inside. We will wait going to the dog park to poop (again, I poop inside), hopefully the active rain will taper off.

I’m supposed to go watch a baseball game this morning, I’m unsure of time and location though. I think 10am and hopefully it’ll clear by then and the ground won’t be overly saturated so that the game doesn’t get played.

Guess we’ll see.

Yippee !!!

Actually, it doesn’t really matter, not any more. I’m off on the weekends, but I’m also off during the week, so, really, who cares?

Everything is open the same on the weekend as it is during the week, perhaps with reduced hours.

I’m getting a Pit Boss smoker tomorrow, unsure if it’s being delivered in the morning or after the store closes, one or the other anyway.

I’m unsure what I’m going to smoke first. Ribs maybe? Chicken? Don’t know. I’m thinking maybe ribs.

I don’t think I have any plans tomorrow, or Sunday. Well, tomorrow I may go and catch some minor baseball as a buddy of mine is umpiring. I’ll heckle him a bit. In all honesty, he’s a pretty good umpire I miss umpiring with him, we had fun together.

No plans on Sunday at all, the weather is supposed to be crappy with colder temperatures and rain.  Oh well.

My friends from Idaho arrive Thursday afternoon. It’ll be a great visit for sure.

That’s it for today. It’s after 11pm, so, I’m off to bed. Good night, world.

So I called my manager regarding being denied severance pay, and indicated that I’m in touch with a lawyer, he finally responded as follows:

I have received your voice mail message and put in a complex case with HR to investigate. Canada HR Partner is investigating and determining what needs to be done to correct this. I will keep you up to date on their progress, we have requested this be expedited.

Sounds like he was a bit nervous in being named in a lawsuit. All I am asking for is the severance due to me.

Sounds like he folded like a deck of cards.

More to come I’m sure…

I missed my radiation treatment last night, I was sitting on the patio with my neighbour shooting the shit… At ten to eleven she said “oh, your appointment?” Well fuck.

So I texted and he said no worries I was wondering where you were. It was rescheduled for tonight.

At 3am my phone rings, my ring tone is the Imperial March, woke me up. They want me to come in now. At 3 fucking a fucking m. Sure.

So I drive the 70 some kilometers and have my session.

Afterwards an oncologist looks at the MRI and says your head is empty of tumors. Without missing a beat, he adds that it’s just empty. Ha. Ha. Ha. He actually laughed like that. LOL.

He said your oncologist will be back Thursday, if he doesn’t agree with me, he and I will be fighting in a steel cage match.

So, that’s great news. I’m finished.

So I was approved for Employment insurance just yesterday, Monday morning, and got my first deposit today, Tuesday late afternoon. That’s some pretty solid turnaround for a government department. I’m impressed.

I was able to buy groceries, 3 bags of groceries for $178. That’s insane really. I filed up the gas tank on the car. I bought a vape. I paid my MasterCard and my electricity bill. Tomorrow, both dogs need a Mani and Pedi.

I paid back a friend who was nice enough to lend me $100.

My IBM pension is making progress, finally. The person I spoke with last week was obviously an idiot, so now I’m transferring it to another investment company. Then they’ll release the funds so I can live.

My LIRA is still scheduled for early August.

All in all it’s not bad. Having money to survive is a nice thing. Good night, world.

I’m, yet again, updating my travel plans.

IBM has discontinued my benefits for whatever reason. They’ve also said that I’m not getting severance pay, I’m speaking with a lawyer about that at 7am this morning. I can’t say more about that.

So, without travel insurance and with a pre-existing medical condition, I can’t afford out of country coverage, never mind that, I’m not eligible. So, travel to the US would be risky, to say the least.

I’d still like to visit Alaska with the dogs. We’ll be camping which will keep costs down. Not going for sure, but still thinking about it.

I am not planning on returning to Ontario although I was offered accommodations with a friend that I met in grade 7. I’m not visiting in the immediate future anyway.

I’ve officially invited other friends to visit Calgary any time this summer. They are considering driving here from Ottawa. It would be great to see them. I was in their wedding party in 1999 and have known them since 94 or 95. If that happens, it’ll happen soon, in the next two months. That would be awesome.

I’m still planning on a road trip to Edmonton on August 17 to celebrate my eldest nieces birthday. My sister in law and I will go up for the day. That’ll be in my new Ford Bronco and my first official trip using that vehicle.

The trip to Denver would be 5 or 6 days, another road trip. It’s sorta of going to depend if a buddy will come with me to help with driving. I just asked my other buddy NOT to cancel the hotel reservations so hopefully he hasn’t as yet.

I was also planning on visiting Idaho at the beginning of October and if I go, it’ll have to be a week earlier as my sister in law leaves for her winter destination of Texas at the beginning of October. I’d need to change my hotel reservations a week or so earlier. Shouldn’t be an issue, I hope.

My friends from Idaho are still coming next week, they arrive Thursday. Here’s our newest itinerary.

Day 1 – Thursday July 2

Arrival mid-afternoon. Driving tour of Calgary after checking into their suite and reacquainting with Twix and meeting Apollo. We’ll have dinner, likely out and likely at Glitch Gaming Lounge in Airdrie.

Day 2 – Friday July 3

Trip to Waterton National Park and on the trip back to Calgary, stop in Twin Butte to the General Store which has the best Mexican food north of Mexico and a stop in Cowley Alberta to Backcountry Butchers for food for the BBQ.

Day 3 – Saturday July 4

Open day around Calgary – Happy Independence Day, we’ll have to watch Independence Day on TV.

Day 4 – Sunday July 5

Drumheller to visit the dinosaurs

Day 5 – Monday July 6

Trip to Banff Alberta, ride the gondola to the top of the mountain, lunch at the top.

Day 6 – Tuesday July 7

Calgary Stampede after having breakfast in High River Alberta

Day 7 – Departure after having an early breakfast

That’s not written in stone and this is the third revision. Not that I like to plan ahead.

LOL, it’ll be a good week anyway for sure and I’m looking forward to seeing my friends.