Kevin's Ramblings…

I find this time of year tough.  I go from being very busy with baseball quite a few evenings a week and both days on the weekend to having nothing to keep me busy after I am done work.  It takes a few weeks to settle into my winter routine.

Essentially, that routine is working and hibernating.  In past years, by this time of the year, I am having issues waking up in the morning.  Right now, I am still waking up early, before 4:30am.  I am OK with that, actually.  I have plenty of time before I start work at 6:30 to take the dogs for a walk, make coffee, do some reading or whatever else needs to be done before I start my work day.

I don’t end up staying up late, typically, unless I am out, I hit bed by about 9pm.  Sort of early…  The dogs like going for an early morning walk.  Surprisingly enough, there are not many people up and about at 4:30 in the morning, imagine that?

So, I am not sure if this will be the new “norm” or if I will find the ability to sleep in again.  Either way, I am good with whatever.  I would like to be able to sleep in on the weekends, but if it isn’t meant to be, oh well.

Three weeks until I move.  Packing has been started.  Clothes that I won’t be wearing and miscellaneous stuff from the office are packed away, ready to be moved.  I am using both of my suitcases, likely for the first time ever.  I am looking forward to being in the new place.  Having control over my own heat so I don’t have to wear a hoodie all day while I work will be nice.  I am not sure what the issue is with the people upstairs.  I don’t know if they are just being asshats or if there is an issue with the heat.  The last two winters, it has been toasty down here.  This morning, it is around 66F which, I think, is about 18C, maybe 17C.  A little cold.  I am sure it is warm up there, otherwise they’d turn the heat up.  I know that they have a portable heater so I am guessing it is on high.  Who knows.  I am tired of texting them, asking to have the heat turned up.  At any rate, only three more weeks…  A move out inspection hasn’t been done as yet.  It was supposed to have been, last week, but that does not surprise me.  My dishwasher also hasn’t been fixed – it works, but the mounting screws came out and now when you open the door and pull a tray out, the dishwasher leans forward – yeah, that’s nice.

Hopefully the inspection report will be done soon.  No damage in the place, so I am not worried about it.  That will end the Upper Mount Royal chapter of my life.  On to bigger and better things.

Does anyone want to help with my packing? It has to be one of the worst jobs ever. Well, perhaps not, but still, it isn’t much fun.

I guess I am basically done for now. I really can’t pack up stuff that I’ll be using over the next month. I can pack away some kitchen stuff and clothes that I know I won’t wear are packed but I can’t really do anything with my office until the day before I move. 

The unpacking will happen a little quicker. I tend to like to be set up within a few days of moving. I’m moving on a Saturday and I have the following Monday off so my plan is to have everything done by that Monday. Ambitious I guess, a bit anyway.

I’m not sure what I’m going to do with myself over the winter. I don’t have anything planned as yet. I was going to rejoin Big Brothers and then seconded guessed myself. I’ve had two little brothers since moving here, neither has worked out as one would hope. Perhaps I’ll skip on that for now. I know it is a great organization but maybe I’m not the right fit for it right now. 

Yesterday was an insane day at work, Monday’s often are. We had issues with our Citrix farm causing many employees not to be able to do anything. It made my day fly by. Hopefully, today will be a little more normal. It is a good thing when we are busy though, does make the time pass more quickly.

Off to walk the dogs, in the dark. It is a cold start, -5 rig now. The snow we got yesterday is mostly gone now, it got to 5 in the afternoon. Thankfully, the furnace was serviced yesterday, pilot relit and we have heat again. Damn gas line cuts…

Enjoy your Tuesday. 

Well, the Kansas City Royals came back, again, and beat up the New York Mets to win their first World Series title since 1985. Congratulations on the win, well deserved. Now, my baseball season is truly over and it is now my downtime.

It is November already and I’m sure this month will zip on by. I have a fair amount to organize and pack for my upcoming move. I picked up some boxes yesterday, now to assemble them and fill them. I’ve moved often enough that it is almost a routine. I don’t really enjoy the process though, wish I could fine a place that’s perfect.

So, in the CFL, the Stamps will need to play host in the Western semi-final. I have a conflict, so I may not be able to go to the game, that would suck. I might sell the tickets, I guess, or give them away. I’ll see…

Hopefully the snow doesn’t fly for a bit yet. I think this is the latest that we’ve been essentially snow free since I moved to Calgary. I’m good until mod-December, in case someone is taking a poll.

Another Monday, back to work. Enjoy your week.

The stamps game yesterday wasn’t much of a game. As expected, the Stamps blew away the visiting Roughriders. It was an all right game otherwise, I just like to see some defence. There were a lot of “roughing the passer” penalties, apparently, pushing them out of bounds is roughing the passer. Seems the CFL is developing a league of puppies, or they are trying to turn it into touch football.  Oh well.

One more regular season game, next week against the BC Lions. Then, either at home for the Western Semi or at home for the Western Final, if they win the west. It means one more trip to McMahon for me.

I’ve decided that I won’t be renewing my season tickets. I enjoyed myself but I guess really, the CFL isn’t my game. I much prefer the NFL. Too bad the nearest stadium for that is likely Seattle. 

Yesterday was Halloween, didn’t go out at all last night. Not sure how Hera would have taken to kids in costumes. No candy to eat today either so that’s good.

Another weekend almost in the books. The World Series could end tonight. Not the team I want to see win… Daylight savings ended today as well and I actually stayed in bed a couple of extra hours. I’m hoping sometime in the near future that we get rid of the non sense of switching clocks back and forth. Who knows if that’ll ever come though.

Back to work tomorrow and the countdown is on to moving day.

Today is Halloween. Happy Halloween everyone. I live in a basement suite with the entrance at the back of the house. Last Halloween, the upstairs neighbours and I purchased candy and we sat out at the front door, we had no kids. I do live on a main street and there aren’t a lot of houses in this strip, so I am not totally surprised. I didn’t suggest getting candy this year, I don’t need to have it as left overs…

So, something else with Halloween. Pictures on Facebook of people dressing up their dogs in stupid looking outfits. Please stop, your dogs look silly and it doesn’t look like most of them enjoy it. If you want to dress someone up, go and have children. That is all.

Stampeders game is 1pm today, should be a good time. It should be around 10C, not too bad for a football game. Afterwards, I’ll just stick in the house, the dogs may not like kids in costumes.

The weekend is here, or will be shortly.  Friday’s are a good day since for those of us lucky enough to work Monday through Friday, we have two days off coming up.  For those of you who work shifts or weekends, well, someone has to do it, I guess.  I worked plenty of weekends when I first joined the work-force.  I work occasionally on weekends now as well, not too often though.

Tomorrow is Halloween.  Not that I do anything for Halloween.  We bought candy here last year and no kids showed up.  I do live on a main street though and there aren’t a lot of houses along this stretch so it doesn’t surprise me.  Where I am moving to will be, I presume, a busy Halloween.  It is in a residential neighbourhood and I would guess there are lots of kids around.  Still, Halloween doesn’t seem to be as busy as when I was a kid.

I am hitting the last regular season Stampeders game tomorrow, 1PM start.  It seems like it has been forever since I have been to a game.  I missed one in September and another in October and the Labour Day game was missed as well, although I don’t remember why – was it raining that day?  I think so, possibly.

Anyway, tomorrow I am going to the game with one of the parents of one of my baseball players.  He’s a die hard Riders fan and will likely be wearing some of their green in comparison to my Stamps red.  Should be a good time.

My deposit is paid for the new place.  I am set to move in, well, sort of.  I do have to wait for the owner to vacate of course.  I get the keys on November 28.  I’ve arranged for a few friends to assist with the moving.  Lots of fun.

Enjoy the weekend and Halloween.

I guess I’d forgotten that when you move, you need to change your address with a lot of places. I believe you can do some f it through Canada Post, but the last time I checked, it was around $100, I don’t think so. I don’t even forward my mail with them. I get, maybe, two pieces of mail a month. I get auto insurance pink slips and a statement about my investments, that’s about it. Most things, I get via email, save the paper, save the stamp. I don’t remember the last time I wrote a cheque, it has been ages anyway.

I haven’t updated my drivers license of course, I will wait until I’ve moved to do that. Everything else, I think, has been updated. Feels good to get that out of the way early. I setup electricity and gas yesterday as well, with Enmax. Locked in an electricity rate for three years, I’m sure costs will only go up. Gas is a flexible rate, not surprised they don’t let you lock that in. The place I’m moving to has a high efficiency furnace, so that should cut down on costs. I’ll change light bulbs to compact fluorescent when I move in.

Packing is next. I’ve started. Dress clothes, that I used to wear to work are packed. As is my second closet with stuff I really should donate. I don’t think I’ve worn any of it since I moved here, there was dust on the shoulders of the stuff I packed away. Most of the packing will have to wait until right before I move. I can’t disassemble my office desk as I’ll need it to work. Kitchen stuff is the last day as well. Oh, how I love packing.

I was acclaimed as th Secretary for Babe Ruth Calgary on Sunday night. It will be good being on a baseball board of directors again. It’ll give me something to do over the winter. Since I am moving, I don’t think I’ll be able to continue with the Calgary centre EDA, we have too many board members from outside the area now, I think. I’ll likely join the EDA in my new area.

Saturday is th final regular season home game for the Calgary Stampeders. The Roughriders are in town. I’m going to the game with a die hard Roughriders fan, should be a good time. I’ve decided not to renew my tickets for next year though. I enjoyed it, but not as much as I’d hoped I would. I don’t feel like shelling out $700 for a pair of tickets. I’ll catch a game or two, that’ll be good enough.

Almost the weekend, enjoy it. Happy Halloween.

As I have blogged, I am moving at the end of November.  I am excited to move into a new place in a new area of the city, it will get me to become familiar with another quadrant of Calgary.  I am not excited about packing and unpacking.  The actual move process itself isn’t so bad.  Load the truck, unload the truck.  If you have a few volunteers, it is an easy process.

I guess in the packing process I will be able to get rid of some stuff that I don’t need.  I know I have a couple of boxes here that have not been opened and unpacked in the two years that I have been here, so, they will go.  Maybe I will have a garage sale next Spring, who knows…

I will need to get additional boxes, likely from U-Haul.  I had some bankers boxes the last move that I borrowed from work, not sure if I will be able to do that again or not.  I will borrow the tape gun though, for sure.  I have a fair amount of stuff to pack up.

I am moving on a Saturday, I am hoping for good weather.  It can snow if it has to, as long as it isn’t raining, that makes it miserable.

So, does anyone out there want to help?