Thursday, May 26, 2011

I don't really hate my dog

It's pretty easy to say you hate something.

"I hate cleaning the house, I hate telling anyone more than once to do something, I hate rainy days, I hate peas." There, that was easy.

But saying it and feeling it are different things. Do I really hate peas? They've never done anything to warrant my hate. I actually don't mind them in Chinese food. So hate might be wrong word when I describe how I truly feel about peas.

One of the cushions on the couch Ozzie's laying
on in this picture became his dinner.
I've cursed at our family dog more than once. He's a beagle and has chewed and clawed through our basement door and eaten a couch pillow. He's also incapable of going to the washroom in his own backyard so Heather and I take him on daily walks so he can do his business. Yes, we've both said, "I hate that dog" on more than one occasion.

Two nights ago though hate was the last thing on our minds concerning Ozzie when it became apparent to everyone he was gone. The damn dog went AWOL while we were ferrying kids off to soccer and softball games.

We didn't notice he was even gone until we were putting the kids to bed. Ozzie regularly takes his spot at the foot of my son Tavish's bed and when I called out to him he didn't respond. How could he when he was up the street at a neighbour's house eating a sausage and enjoying a new fluffy bed? Unbelievable.

While the dog was enjoying the company of strangers I was out wandering through the neighbourhood calling out for a dog who couldn't hear me from his comfortable digs at our neighbour's house. I kept thinking the worst, it was cold, it was rainy and then I remembered the cars. What if he had gotten hit and was laying dead in a gutter? Or worse, what if he got hit and was in agony laying in a gutter? My mind was making me worry but when I got home with no dog at the end of the leash it wasn't difficult to tell I wasn't the only one concerned. The kids were in tears and by the look in my wife Heather's eyes she was as worried as me was about the dog.

The next morning the kids were in tears again and when I got to work I posted a Facebook and Twitter request for people to keep an eye out for Ozzie. Kristen Calis even put a warning on her Kristen's Kritters blog at durhamregion.com. Everyone was concerned for a little dog who had no worries at all because he was having the time of his life.

Ozzie returned from his vacation in the afternoon when our neighbour's called us to say it was time for him to check out. The relief I felt was real and so welcoming when I saw the little dog sitting at home wagging his tail. The look in his eyes said, "Hey, you're not going to believe the time I had last night." I wanted to kill him but instead I just hugged him. He's so dumb he didn't even know we were worried sick about him.

Yes, I admit, I say I hate the dog more often than I should. But I don't really hate him. I just dislike many of his bad habits. I am officially going to take 'hate' out of my vocabulary.

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Player to coach transition not easy

I spent most of my youth playing softball for Baker Park. By the time I finished playing at the age of 20 I had gotten pretty good. I still have my championship trophies from those years. My son Tavish proudly displays them on the shelves in his bedroom, right next to the medals he's earned playing for Woodview Park the past two seasons. He hasn't won a city championship yet but give him time.

During my playing days I had a number of coaches. They must have done something right because I lived and breathed softball for a good decade of my life. I only stopped because this little thing called life got in the way. I was forced to grow up, go to school, get a hair cut and finally get a real job. I thought my softball days were behind me but I was wrong.

Two summers ago Tavish asked to play for Woodview so I registered him. The moment he stepped onto the field for his very first practise I was hooked again. All the old thrills of playing came flooding back and I lived for Monday and Wednesday nights, Tavish's game days.

Tavish yucking it up when he should
have been practising his swing!
Whenever Tavish's coaches needed a hand I was there to help out. I rarely missed any of his games or practises and when he did well I was on cloud nine. Likewise, when Tavish struck out or muffed a play in the field I felt his pain.  I guess that's all part of being a parent.

This year Woodview needed a coach so Tav asked me if I would step up to the plate and volunteer. I agreed. Truth be told I wanted to be the coach and given my experience playing the game I figured I could do it. When I signed the dotted line in January I thought, "piece of cake" but next week the season starts and all of a sudden I'm thinking, "Gawd, I hope I don't screw this up."

Tomorrow is the team's first practise. We would have practised earlier but it's been so rainy the past week all the fields have been off limits. It's been AGONIZING waiting for this first practise. I'm literally freaking out inside because I want everything to go just as planned. Logically I know things will be fine but I'm still nervous and that's just not how I operate. Calm, cool and collected is how I usually roll.

It's my job to teach these kids how to play the game and to keep it fun. Maybe we'll win a few games, maybe we won't. There's so many unknowns at this point.

Tavish's looking forward to getting out there tomorrow. I should probably just take a page out of his book and chill out. After all we're talking about a bunch of nine and ten year olds, how hard could it be? We'll see tomorrow, we'll see tomorrow.

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Give the rookies a chance

A lot of media types are making a big deal about the number of rookie New Democratic Party MPs who were elected in the May 2 federal election. They want to see the train wreck and can't wait for the first screw up that is bound to come.

For those who haven't heard or who may not live here in Canada, the NDP made history on election night when 104 of their candidates were elected. As a result, the party became the Official Opposition to the Conservative Party. The Liberal Party stumbled in this election and was reduced to 34 seats giving them third party status in Parliament.

 Most of the rookie NDP candidates were elected in Quebec. Quite a few were university students. Now they must put aside their studies and focus on their new jobs which pay quite a bit more than minimum wage and include benefits.

Will NDP leader Jack Layton have a tough job teaching his new colleagues the ropes? You bet. Given their numbers there's a steep learning curve for everyone. But I'm not one of the naysayers who's looking down their nose at these young people. I think it's great there's some new blood in the House of Commons.

It wasn't that long ago I was young and breaking into the newspaper industry. I remember walking into one of my first newspaper jobs at the Bloor West Villager as the whole staff minus one guy in production was leaving. They'd quit and were starting a competing newspaper down the street. In one moment I went from cub reporter to editor. It was a tough adjustment but I did it. Two years later the Villager was voted best community newspaper at the Ontario Community Newspaper Association. Victory was mine.

If I could go back in time I wouldn't change a thing about that experience. It made me learn a lot and learn it fast in a very public manner, something many of these rookie MPs will discover as well.

Given the Conservatives now have a majority government it's probably the best time for these new NDP MPs to learn the ropes. If the NDP had actually won the election outright, sure it would have been a different story. Those of us who lived through the Bob Rae years in Ontario remember some of the mistakes made when his party formed government. But being in the Opposition benches the glare of the spotlight won't be as harsh.

In 2004 a Conservative rookie MP by the name of Colin Carrie was elected in Oshawa. He was trained as a chiropractor and knew nothing about being a MP. He learned his job and has now been re-elected three times.

But that's the media, we're waiting for a mistake, something to pounce on. I may not like it but I get it.

There will be some mistakes made in the next four years by members of all political parties whether they're young or old. To err is human.

Anybody who's new to Parliament will have to learn the ropes. Let's give them all a chance before we try to knock them down.