I was checking my voicemails on Friday, and there was one from a nice-sounding lady from CCS.  She said that her name was Josee, and that the comments on my exit interview from a few weeks ago had gotten some notice… and that they wanted to offer me something.

Really?  Cool.  Maybe it was a prepaid credit card!   A new car!    The keys to the vault!  I had to find out, so I called her back…

She told me that CCS President and CEO John Eisner read the comments that I wrote on my exit interview form, and thought that they were great.  Apparently they select a Client of the Year, and ask that person to come in and tell their story…  They were so impressed with mine that they were offering me the honour of Client of the Year.

Well, it wasn’t a car, but it was still nice to be noticed.  I’ve been a big fan of CCS ever since I managed to get over my pride and realized that I wasn’t going to dig myself out of debt based solely on my good looks and charm.  There just wasn’t enough of that to go around!  I can’t stress enough how helpful they were, and how I wish that I had gone to them sooner.  I even wrote a university paper on my experiences (got an ‘A’), and was asked to present that paper to my class.  I hope that anyone in debt trouble considers going to them, because I know first-hand how much better my life (and credit rating) is because of their program.

So it all sounded great.  Go in, tell my story, and walk out with a feeling of accomplishment.

“Oh, and just so you know” Josee continued, “we videotape the interview, and show it at our annual gathering, so everyone in the organization can see an example of how their work benefits our clients”

Ummmm… videotape?

Even over the phone, I’m sure that my blood pressure spiked…   I carefully considered how I was going to phrase my response…

“Well.. I’m a little surprised by all of this.. and honoured to be given the opportunity, but I’m going to have to respectfully decline the offer…”

I don’t think that she was expecting that.  Things had been going along so well.  So I explained further…

“I’m great at writing, and I think going in and talking to you would be fine… but sitting in front of a video camera… well that scares the shit out of me.. excuse my bluntness…  I’d be so uncomfortable that I don’t think you’d have anything that you’d even want to show to people…”

She said that she understood, and respected my position… and that she’d still like to take me up on my offer of writing my story, if I would agree to that.  By all means.  Not a problem.  I can hide behind my keyboard, and not have to worry about my hair being a mess.

Still, it was nice to be recognized…

Anyone unfortunate enough to follow my antics on Twitter has no doubt noticed that I started walking again.  No, not the kind of walking back and forth between the couch and the refrigerator.  Actually walking outdoors.  In the cold.  And longer than going to the mailbox and back.  (Which I was completely shocked to find out is an 800m round trip!)

Two days ago I decided that enough is enough.  I used to do a ton of walking.  Granted, I used to be a teenager without a car, and I had to walk to go see my friends.  And I used to be much lighter than I currently am.  But something that I remembered from those days of walking an hour each way still holds true today.  Walking clears my head.  Opens up my mind.  And maybe, just maybe… is good for me.

I’ve discovered that sitting around the house, waiting for the seasons to change, doesn’t appear to be doing much for my state of mind.  So rather than hide from Old Man Winter, I said “screw it” and put on a heavy jacket, gloves, hat, and a pair of boots that can only be described as a death-trap.  They have thick rubber soles on them that look like they should be good in any weather, but Olympic ice skaters could probably qualify in these things.  They’re horrible on anything resembling H2O in it’s crystallized form.

And of course, the requisite iPod.  Never leave home without it!

I went exploring.  I found a road that I’ve driven past for years, and always assumed was a private road.  Nope.  I followed it up through some sparsely placed houses, and then through the woods, all the while twittering to my heart’s content.  My sister didn’t seem to believe that I was actually out there.  Probably figured that someone got tired of hacking Paris Hilton’s account, and decided to take mine over instead.

I even tweeted as I lay on the ground after my feet were kicked out from underneath me.  I figured “why stop now?”  I pulled myself off the centre of the road, and propped up against a snowbank.  I really didn’t feel like trying to get up at that point.  It hurt too much.

Eventually, I found my way back home.  The next day I took the car and drove through the exact route that I had traveled by foot.  7.2 kms.  That’s quite a little hike.  I didn’t expect it to be that far.  I figured 5 or 6 at most…

Still would have been plenty for me and my newly-formed blisters…

My dear friend, Lisa, once asked me to make a list of some of the things that I wanted to accomplish in my life.

“Publish a book”, I told her.  I even shared the working title with her.

She seemed surprised by that answer.  I think she’d asked that question a lot, but never received that answer before.  She told me that she looked forward to reading it someday.

Lisa’s been gone for a few weeks, and it made me start thinking more about that book.  I may have mentioned to a couple of people about the idea that’s stuck in my head.  I hesitate to use the word “novel”…  more like an unauthorized biography… except that’s impossible if I’m the author, isn’t it?

I’ve had the chance to talk to a couple of local people who have their own books in the works.  It’s probably not as rare as you might imagine.  It’s actually quite encouraging to know that you’re not alone in possessing a deep-down desire to write your story.  But who would read it?  That’s the million dollar question.  Or the ten dollar equivalent! 

I’ve looked at some of the things that I’ve written over the years.  I try to keep as much as I can.  Good.  Bad.  Otherwise.  I like to be able to look back and try to find some value in those words.  I note people’s reactions to what they’ve read.  This blog actually is a direct result of years of encouragement from friends who have been pelted with emails since before email was even popular… waaaaay before the word “blog” even existed.

But I have yet to take my writing to the next level.  I have yet to write a single word of the book, or any of the other significant projects that I have mumble jumbled in my brain.  It’s up there.  I know it is.

I just have to get serious about things, dig down deep… and write.

Today is the last day of summer, although I’m sure that many of us would agree that summer lasted all of 2 weeks, and ended some time ago. 

Looking back on my summer, it seems to have flown by in the blink of an eye.  I managed to squeeze in a week off, which was great!  When the year began, I wasn’t expecting to have any time off during the summer.  I figured that it would all be spent on finishing my degree during the winter months.  So that was a pleasant surprise. 

I got over to Prince Edward Island for the first time ever.  And I managed to do it twice!  With all the different places that I’ve been, for some reason I’d never hopped over the bridge to visit Anne’s tourist trap.  It was nice.  I enjoyed it, and the kids had a great time.  I have no doubt that I’ll be back over there.

I saw Bon Jovi in concert!  I certainly never expected that!  I can’t believe how much of a great time I had that night.  I’d go see them again in a heartbeat. 

I had my yearly trip to the Sussex drive-in.  I’m a little disappointed with the movies that we went to see, but I still enjoyed it.  I know that I would miss the drive-in if it closed.

I made a visit to “the lake” for the first time in many years.  It brought back a lot of memories.  I had hoped to get up there again.  Maybe a fall walk is in order.

I spent some great moments with my friends and family.  We enjoyed some BBQing, laughter, and fond memories.  My kids are a joy to watch grow up.  Each summer gets better and better. 

There were a few things on my list that I never had an opportunity to cross off.  I wish that I could have gone camping.  I think that would have been fun.  I never got out onto the water at all, and I wish that I had done that.  I had dreams of either going canoeing, or even whale watching.  I watch the boats on the river from my place, and want to be on one of them so badly.  Maybe next year. 

I had wanted to visit friends in Ontario this summer, but that never materialized either.  Maybe next year, when I have more vacation time.  I hope so.  It’s too easy to take your friends for granted, and you never truly know how much you rely on them until they’re gone.

I certainly did not slim down at all over the summer months.  I recently found a brand new winter jacket hanging in the closet.  I had bought it as a winter clearance item, a replacement for my current one, but it was a little small.  I told myself that was OK, because by the time I needed to wear it, I would have shed some of the excess poundage.  I think that I was so certain of that fact, that I threw out my old winter jacket at the end of the season.  Now that was thinkin’!  I’ll be freezing in a couple of months…

While there may be a few things that didn’t go exactly as planned, overall the summer of 2009 was great.  I’m really hoping that it continues into the fall.  I have no illusions of winter.  I hate that time of year. 

Here’s hoping that fall lasts until March, and spring takes over.

I like to brush my teeth.  What can I say?  I like clean teeth.  I haven’t had a cavity since I was just a young child.  But apparently it IS possible to brush too much, or at the very least, to cause damage by brushing improperly.

I’ve never liked soft toothbrush bristles.  I’ve always preferred the hard ones.  Yup, the ones that your dentist tells you to clean your toilet with.  I grudgingly stopped using them a couple of years ago when I noticed that my front teeth seemed to be wearing away.  I thought that it was the gum, but it wasn’t.  The enamel was actually starting to wear down.  Soon there was a noticeable divot across two or three of my top front teeth; noticeable to me, but apparently not noticeable to anyone else. (So they say, anyway.)  Still, I knew that they were there.  I didn’t like the look of them.  And then the sensitivity started to set in.

So along with a new toothbrush, I now also had a new toothpaste.  Sensodyne.  It’s not cheap, but it seemed to do the trick.  There were a few times when I went without it for a bit, and the sensitivity returned, so I generally tried to make sure that I had some at all times.

At my last regular checkup, I mentioned to my dentist that I was using the soft toothbrush, and the Sensodyne, but I was noticing that there were times when I could still feel sensitivity.  It seemed completely random, not timed with having hot or cold drinks. He said that it was probably time to get some bonding onto the teeth.

Oh?

Apparently they would round the edges a little, and put bonding material into the divots, and then smooth it out.  It would only take about 30 mins.  Sounds great.  My biggest question was why he hadn’t told of this option a couple of years ago?  I didn’t bother to ask though.

So I made the appointment for the bonding.

As I’m laying there in the chair with my mouth wide opened in what I’m assuming is a horrible frozen expression, I’m writing this blog post in my head.  The closest thing I can think of would be that he crack filled my teeth.  He slapped a bunch of white stuff into the spot where there should have been enamel, and then sanded it down to match the rest of the teeth.  It looks much better, although it’s white and it really shows how “not white” my teeth have become over the years.

I’m sure that a few bottles of Coke will fix that right up!

I found myself back in the gym again.  (Thanks for the pep talk, Jan.  Very inspirational!)  I woke up this afternoon, and couldn’t keep focused on anything.  Just one of those days.  Seemed like a great opportunity to go treading.

I don’t know who got the worst of that workout… me or the poor treadmill.  It was probably pretty comical to see me running on that thing today, but that’s exactly what I did. 

And when it was all over, I resisted the urge to walk down two floors to McDonalds.  Instead, I went for a walk outside.  Anything to de-stress before work.

I just made another appointment to try to give blood again.  I’ve been taking my blood pressure pills faithfully, so I’m hoping that my pressure is within normal range again.  The first time I tried to give blood, my pressure was quite high and they would not let me give.  They tried a few times to see if it was another case of “white coat syndrome” but no, it was just me being negligent with my pills, exercise, and eating better.

September 16th, here I come!

I heard this a few days ago, and it’s true.  Now I have twice as many gym locations to drive by, and not go into!  Oh, I know.. I really should be getting in there more often.  I have the membership.  I had actually been thinking quite strongly about cancelling it, as this is the anniversary date.  Now I’m wondering if the added convenience of more locations might make it easier to get my ass through those doors and onto the equipment.

Only time will tell!

One of the interesting things that came out of my conversation yesterday with the optometrist was that apparently I should not be taking Tylenol as often as I have been because it’s bad for my liver.  Hmm…  I hadn’t heard that.  Ofcourse, these things seem to change around all the time, but when I mentioned it to the guys at work, it seemed as though I was the only one who didn’t know that. 

Tylenol is acetaminophen.  I wasn’t aware of that.  I thought that  Aspirin was acetaminophen. (NOTE:  I published that wrong too.  It’s acetylsalicylic acid)  I figured Tylenol was it’s own magical creation.  Apparently I should be taking ibuprophen, which for me would mean Advil.  That’s ok, I like Advil.  They’re candy coated!  (Ofcourse, so were the last couple of bottles of Tylenol that I bought)

The main thing is that the glasses prescription that I now have for reading (yet to be filled) should help with the headaches.  Although, I woke up this morning with a bit of one, and obviously I hadn’t been doing any reading through the night, so I don’t know what’s up with that. 

But I’ll give it a try.