LOTS ON THE GO

Having just launched: www.timinnz05.blogspot.com , I can now turn back to this blog. In fact, as I was feverishly getting the awareness campaign for my New Zealand trip out, many things have happened. Thus, this lengthy entry will try to capture it all:

BYE BYE HARBOUR SQUARE
After being listed for more than a year, the condo has finally sold. In some respects, I will miss living by the lake, being so close to downtown and the water at the same time. I’ve put in a lot of mileage pounding the pavement between Queen’s Quay and Mr. Christie in past 4 years! At the same time, there is a lot of emotional baggage that comes with that place, knowing that it symbolizes a failed attempt at marriage. The commute from my parents’ place in Mississauga to work everyday has been quite draining, so it’s about time that I start looking for a place of my own. Not having to continue carrying the expenses for the condo certainly makes this search easier to begin.

MEETING WITH THE MEETING HOUSE LEADERSHIP
I had a chance to meet with The Meeting House leadership to speak specifically about my current marital situation. One attribute of good leadership that I picked up in the last issue of Harvard Business Review is the appropriate use of analogies. One analogy that was shared with me, that I thought was meaningfully appropriate, is likening my marriage to that of an unplanned pregnancy. No matter how invalid you claim your state of mind was at the time of choice or how much you question the legitimacy of the resulting consequence, you have to acknowledge the fact that YOU ARE NOW A PARENT. It is incorrect to say, "well fine, I did the right thing and didn't get an abortion," but end up raising the child neglected and in spite. Covenant is very sacred and that it should really take a life time to fulfill. God chose Israel to be His bride and how many times did she turn to love someone else, not think of Him, not listen to Him, not LOVE HIM. Yet, He held true to His covenant, never giving up on her. Yes, He did not just let her have her way without recourse, but He never severed the tie to her either. And I don't think that the bride is necessarily just Israel or the church. It's us. So many times we turn away from Him but He is there patiently waiting for us to return. As before, He won't let us just have our own way without recourse, but that it because He is reaching out to guide us (the one He loves) back to Him. Normally, hearing something like this would be discouraging to me, because it could interpreted as counsel to return to the place where this relationship was broken in the first place. But I can sense some discernment here. It's not focusing on doing the right thing just "because I didn't get an abortion", but through the honouring of covenant with God.

AMBROSIA NATURAL FOODS EXPERIENCE
Having been introduced to Clif Bars when I went camping in Frontenac Park last fall, I wanted to pick some up for an upcoming hiking course. These bars are nutritious like Power Bars but taste much yummier! My office is nowhere near MEC, so I located a closer retailer: Ambrosia Natural Foods. When I walked in, I was blown away! Its layout was exactly like that of a supermarket: aisles and aisles of food stuff faced you as you walked in. (Mind you, the illusion is briefly shattered as you are greeted by a small table that is asking you to sign a petition, something about new legislation limiting your choice natural drugs). There is a bulk food section, a fresh produce section and even a wall of freezers for frozen foods. Of course, there is what I had initially thought would be the only thing inside: shelves upon shelves of natural drugs, pills and supplements. As I was walking up and down each aisle, I found myself in awe and amusement. Labels claiming “whole grain”, “non-hydrogenated”, “non-enriched”, “certified organic” – all buzz words that have entered my vocabulary through Thursday night small group and the recent exploration of better nutrition to support my training. And the variety of foodstuff that you can purchase here? Whole chickens, cereal, rice, snacks, half loaves of bread, soda pop, all sorts of fruits and vegetables, jams, and even ice cream! All have somehow qualified to make the limited retail shelf space. And the prices weren’t that far off from a typical chain supermarket's, even less in some cases.

I’M NOW A CERTIFIED HIKE LEADER!
Frontenac Park is one of the few provincial parks in this province that offers training courses. Clinton and I signed up for the Hike Leader Certification course. Most of it was common sense and the key thing to organizing a hike is to take the MacGyver approach: always expect the best but plan for the worst, deal with people issues in a non-aggressive way and always carry a Swiss Army knife (or a Leatherman, in my case). Met a lot of cool people on this course; a lot of teachers who want to implement an outdoor leadership course into their curriculum and some people who are on the verge of retiring, wanting to make trailblazing a regular part of their routine. After we came back from this course, Clinton and I played a couple hours of “pong”. I haven’t picked up my table tennis bat in quite some time now, so it was nice getting back into it. Do you know what MacGyver’s first name is?

NZ05 BLOG LAUNCHED
Ever since I went live with the NZ site, I’ve been getting feedback from family and friends to support me. I’m just so touched by how many people want to take this on as their own cause. Training for the triathlon has been going well – I’m swimming at least 3 times a week and I’m getting my bike tuned up this Friday. My left Achilles tendon is doing something wonky, though. I think tennis is irritating it and preventing it from healing, so I’ve pushed off playing with Kevin for a week. It’s weird: every time I flex or extend my left foot, like when I’m using the clutch, my foot “squeaks”.

GOODBYE ANIS, PHIL, AND ZAHIDA
I came back from lunch today and proceeded to punch in the door code to get in. The first time failed, but I wrote it off for going too fast. I tried it again, this time slower. STILL LOCKED OUT! After the third, more deliberate, unsuccessful time, I got worried. Oh oh. Usually, the door code is changed for 2 reasons: once every 3 months to keep the codes fresh (but they usually inform you by email) OR once you’ve let someone go. Luckily, one of my colleagues was just walking by and she opened it for me. She also told me that a meeting was about to start in the main board room. Instead of going into the board room right away, I ran back to my desk to check email. I just wanted to confirm that it wasn’t me being let go. After not seeing any such emails, I went to the meeting, where they announced that 3 of our colleagues were let go today due to the “strategic direction that our company is moving in”, their jobs being somewhat redundant in light of recent restructuring. I am sad to see them go, considering we had just celebrated one of their birthdays yesterday. I’m not worried that this is one of those indicators that one should take notice of when contemplating their careers. Even if it was me who they let go, I don't think that I would be too rattled, for I feel pretty good about the skills and leadership that I could bring to any setting. The attributes that are always in demand. Plus, I had a really good chat with the Senior VP of our office last week. It was one of those talks where you feel like you’ve been validated, that someone who has the power to make or break your career actually took notice of what you’re doing in a good way. So, although our company is going through a time of finding its identity, I still feel very good about what they’re doing and hopeful that I will fit in.