Day 69 – December 31st (5 Defining moments of the year)

Today is New Year’s Eve and 2007 will soon draw to a close, rather than post about today, I’ll write about what has defined the year……..if you look back upon your year and there aren’t at least 3 or 4 occasions that bring you tears of sadness or tears of joy are you likely to have grown as a person, probably not. In no particular order are 5 events that defined 2007 did they bring tears (in the most part yes), joy or sadness…..I’ll let you decide that:

Leaving the Wellington Club – The decision to remove squash from the Wellington Club in downtown Toronto was in my opinion a mistake, obviously I have a biased view given the club has been my second home for the last 6 years, and numerous of my friends have now splintered to clubs across the city.

The squash member, is different to an average gym member in that they are loyal, once you find a club that you enjoy you are likely to stay there for years and only a relocation is likely to result in a move. Are you likely to get such loyalty from a member who has been enticed by a promotion of two months at $15 each probably not. This event impacted me so much I dedicated an entire post to it.

The Promotion – I am not really supposed to post about work, so will be exceptionally brief on this one, when I was promoted at work this year, why did the decision give me sleepless nights, and make me physically sick, why was I unsure until right at the end if I was making the right decision. It should have been an easy one, the chance to finally get back to the position in the organizational hierarchy that I had prior to leaving the UK, even now a few months on I am still undecided if this was the right move or not.

Eva – For someone I barely met to make such an impact is remarkable, and to be fair despite everything else that has happened, the year can pretty much be catagorised as things that happened pre and post Eva. The full story is written here, although she is referred to as Ella. I learnt a lot from this experience mainly to not build my hopes up either too high or too soon, and secondly no matter how much we have in common with someone else if the chemistry is missing the relationship is destined to fail.

In the past I have focused more on compatibility and less on chemistry but going forward will attempt to strike a happy medium between the two. In the months since August a number of people have come into my life, who I have either led on, treated badly, didn’t give a fair chance to…….or a combination of the three. Why did I do this, I don’t know but I think it relates to wanting to move on from this specific incident before I was ready……..I intend to learn from that mistake.

Fear the Red - The Toronto Raptors once the laughing stock of the NBA are back and as a die hard Raptor fan this is indeed a welcome return. What proof is there that they are back in 2007…….take your pick from any of the following: NBA Coach of the Year, NBA Executive of the Year, Atlantic Division Champions, All-Star Starter and we’ll also throw in a couple of rookie all stars as well.

It is remarkable how quickly this debacle has turned around and in April playoff basketball has returned to the ACC. For those unfamiliar with the term “Fear the Red” it relates to the passionate Raptor fan base, and if you’ve never experienced it in person clicking on either Fear or Red will give you a taste.

The Root Canal – Ever since I had my first root canal done almost 8 years ago I feared when I would have to have it done again, unfortunately again proved to be this year, and to say it was painful would be an understatement and half……….hopefully “touch wood” I will not have to undergo something such as this again. I am sure you can easily deduce what kind of tears this event resulted in, or maybe my readers are not quite as intelligent as I thought.

All in all 2007 has been a mixed year and I remain restless about the world and my position within it, I am not entirely sure what exactly I am looking for but am pretty certain I have not found it yet. For the first time in my life I will be starting a New Year feeling as though I am now ready to embark on a long term relationship rather than a series of dates. Is a relationship what I am looking for maybe it is maybe it isn’t…….I would certainly rather be on my own than in the wrong relationship, I will await to see what the life chapter known as 2008 will bring.

Wishing everyone a happy New Year……..stay safe and of course don’t drink and drive.

Day 68 – December 30th

A very short post today, as to be honest not much of note has happened.  Didn’t make it to the gym, didn’t really step out of the house at all.  In fact the only real thing that happened was that I learnt to never, never have barbeque sauce on a sandwich again, but hey you live and learn.

I actually wrote some of tom-morrow’s post this afternoon, I will be posting a mini review of the significant events of the year and I can assure you it will be longer than this.

Talking of posts looking at the stats I have just received my 1000th visitor to the site, although there appears to be no real consistency some days I get a lot of views some days hardly any………….but as for today, that’s all folks.

Mood for the day 6 out of 10.

Day 67 – December 29th

A day of sports today, my undefeated streak at TAC is still alive with a 3-1 win over Dev, however my shoulder is now agony, back to back matches do not appear to be agreeing with me and I am almost certain this will be my final year of playing squash, I’ll see what Wellington is like after the renovation and then make a final decision. I am not overly keen in toiling in some minor leagues as my skills diminish and doubt I will be able to return to the level I was playing at in 2005/06.

More weights today, abs and biceps…….my muscle gain plan at least appears to be going well………….I will list the other sports news of the day in the order it occurred.

Basketball: The Raptors beat the defending champion San Antonio in San Antonio late Friday Night…….plan that parade, this is beautiful thing. Good 1 Bad 0

Hockey: Team Canada looses at the world junior hockey championships for the first time in 3 years, they will still qualify for the medal round so will have a shot at the medals however the undefeated streak is over. Good 1 Bad 1

Hockey: New York 6 Toronto 1…….yes you read that correctly the Toronto Maple Leafs have been spanked 6-1 in there own building this is a beautiful thing. Good 2 Bad 1

Basketball: The Raptors have been crushed in Houston, after the win in San Antonio it was probably too much to ask for the Raptors to win in Houston the next day but you win some you lose some. Good 2 Bad 2……….it will be decided by the Patriots Game.

Football: The Patriots have done it coming from behind to win a close one in New York, they complete the regular season 16-0 given the NFL is probably the most competitive league in North American sports this is quite remarkable although it will mean very little if they don’t win the next 3 and claim the super bowl.  Randy Moss and Tom Brady get the touchdown catch and pass records on the same play, I wonder who gets to keep the ball from that particular play?  Other records most points in a season, although if you win all your games I guess that would pretty much be a given.

Good 3 Bad 2……….it was close but good has triumphed a little like the Jedi, who came back from a beating by the Empire in episode 6 of the Star Wars trilogy that was unsurprisingly called Return of the Jedi.

Mood for the day 8 out of 10

Day 66 – December 28th

I am posting relatively early today as the Raptors are playing in San Antonio and I fear it could be a beating so I will post now rather than later on when I will undoubtedly be less content with life than I am now. Another day off work and I am slowly starting to feel more recharged and energized although am concerned about my health both mental and physical………

On the physical side I played squash, another win but I am flat out exhausted and couldn’t be bothered to do my weight routine afterwards although I guess the day off will do me good. On the mental side I went to see the movie the bucket list, the premise of which is interesting to say the least, if you knew you only had 6 months to live what would be the things you would want to do before you quite literally “kick the bucket”this is an interesting question and one I may post on in the coming days……..whilst I am not planning on kicking the bucket there are a few things I would like to achieve before my days are over.

The reason I am concerned about my mental health, is because there was a quote that was so good it would have made my favourite quotes list, but sadly I can’t remember what it is, hopefully it will come to me in the next few days.

I am posting under dating stories today also, whilst it is not technically a dating story it is a list of dating rules that I intend to follow in the coming months, the list was written as an article on MSN although I have tailored it for my specific situation……..whilst the list is in no particular order pay special attention to items 1, 3, 5, 8, and 9 do they ring a bell with my own behaviour, I believe so…….in fact I know so.

Dating Rules 2008

Mood for the day 7 out of 10.

 

10 Dating Rules for 2008

The basis for this list was found on MSN and given I’m pretty much fed up with dating and ready for a relationship I will try and follow the advice in 2008.  The list has been tailored to suit my own needs and is in no particular order:

10. I will explore new hobbies and interests. How many women do I honestly think I will meet at either basketball or the gym, admittedly the gym may have a few but it would break one of my golden rules of never “hit on anyone at the gym” What will my new hobby be at the moment I have no idea although at some stage I should really learn how to cook.

9. I will give someone a chance. Sooner or later, probably sooner I’ll meet someone who falls outside my description of the person I think I’m looking for. But do I actually know what I am looking for given my dating disasters of the past, what I do know is that I have rejected perfectly good people for reasons such as…….they have a dog, they have no funny stories, they live more than 20 blocks away or they have a square shaped head.

8. I will stop falling for the idea of a person. As soon as I hear that someone has a fascinating occupation (E.g. Lawyer) or hobbies (E.g. Love of the NBA) I create an artificial image in my head of we can watch games together and I can be financially taken care of.  I will try and prevent doing this in 2008 and wait to learn who people really are.

7. I will start flirting more. I think I flirt quite a bit already or so I’ve been told, but a little bit more can’t hurt.

6. I will not make too much eye contact. And no this does not mean I will spend the entire time checking out other parts of my date’s anatomy it simply means that I will find a happy balance of looking someone in the eye whilst speaking, but not turning into some kind of weird gazing into her eyes kind of freak.

5. I will not tell my life story on a first date. I think I have done quite a lot in my first 34 years on the planet and have certainly been on my fair share of dates……do I really need to recite my memoirs over a first coffee, probably not.

4. I will let her have a word in edgeways. It is, after all, polite to have a two-way conversation!

3. I will be straightforward with decent people who I am not interested in pursuing a relationship with. I will not lead people on if I don’t think there is any chance of a relationship developing, there have been at least 5 or 6 people this year where things have gone to the 4^th or 5^th date and I have sat there from date 2 onwards thinking, what am I doing here, why am I wasting this girl’s time and my own. It is both unfair and to a certain extent cruel, I will use lines such as “I don’t think we’re a match. Good luck.” and “I had a nice time on Friday, but I can’t see us working out. Thanks for the evening, and good luck.”

2. I will play my favorite power tunes before I go out on a date to get me pumped up and feeling confident. Not really sure about this one, I will probably give myself a little pep talk before going out, keep my expectations realistic and go with the two goals of a) To be myself and b) To have a good time.

1. I will bounce back better. Sarah, Eva there is nothing else to say……disappointment, the dream being shattered comes as part of the territory, I’ll deal with it, put it behind me and move on. Holding out hope for something that’s never going to happen simply eats you up inside.

Day 65 – December 27th

I slowly appear to be regaining my energy, and today did another quality workout at the gym, Shoulders and Triceps we’ll see how I feel in the morning.  I skipped cardio again in order to rest my hamstring, hopefully it will be back in shape in time for squash Saturday morning.

Another gift from a work colleague today, a smoothie recipe book, looks like my blender will be working overtime in the coming weeks.  This is the second time in a week that I have been given a gift from a colleague and have given them nothing in return……….I guess this is what has led to my scrooge like reputation.

Went to see a movie in the afternoon, I am Legend staring Will Smith, given the brilliant trailer I had high hopes, but I found the movie a little slow so left disappointed, it is very difficult to act when you are staring as the last man in town so there is no one to hold a conversation with.

It seems like an age since the Raptors last played, although they are back on the court Friday night.  What else happened today, not much although I coming to the conclusion that I may be addicted to spinach pie.

Mood for the day 7 out of 10.

Day 64 – December 26th

Today is boxing day, and I purposely stayed away from all shopping malls as no doubt it would be a complete zoo, it continues to amaze me how people will fight and claw to save $100 in the post Christmas sales but won’t take the time to fully negotiate a mortgage deal that could save them thousands in make no sense, no sense whatsoever.

I have finally got a locker that works at TAC so will start to clear stuff out from the Wellington, no doubt with a tear in my eye.  I may have been a little quick in my assessment of the equipment at my new gym as today I did a killer chest workout and followed it up with a 10 min cardio blast, maybe this move will turn out OK after all.

Following the gym, I met up with Garry as he has returned from Vancouver and as always remains good value, he sounds as though he had a great time on the west coast, and I get the impression more and more that he will end up moving there some day.  I think it is time for Garry to meet a woman and give her chance, I think like me he has been in a dating trap for too long………my advice to him was find someone he thinks has potential and give her a fair chance to succeed will he heed my advice…….only time will tell although I guess the real question is will I heed my own advice.

Given the debacle that will go down as Christmas Day, I now feel strangely calm and relaxed, it is almost as though a weight has been lifted from my shoulders……I intend to go into the new year without the burden of baggage to carry…………my sister even asked me what I was intending to clear out in the new year and supports the move.  If something is rubber stamped by my little sister then it is all good with me.

Mood for the day 9 out 10.

Day 63 – December 25th

Today is Christmas Day…………peace on earth to all, although it feels strange saying that given the amount of war and conflict going on all over the world.  What a day it has been, when I woke up this morning I had no idea how things would unfold but unfold they certainly have.

The day started off pretty standard, I woke up fired off a few emails and then chatted with my sister and mum on the phone, so far so good…………I followed this up with my traditional Christmas stroll around downtown (Whilst things appeared closed Christmas Eve, they are open again Christmas Day most strange) and then sat down to enjoy the 1st game of the basketball triple header.

As the game was drawing to a close I called the person I was due to be having Christmas Dinner with to let them know I’d be leaving soon………there is no answer so I call again half an hour later, still no answer, call again no answer………four times total.  When it becomes apparent that it is getting too late to go round and I am still unable to contact the person by phone I send a facebook message.

The individual explodes and not only accuses me of being liar, but also bans me from the friends list on Facebook.  I have no issue with someone not wanting to be my friend as everyone is free to make their own choices, I have a huge issue with being called a liar though and when my next phone bill arrives intend to send it off to prove that the calls actually took place.  I suspect someone had dial up and left the Internet connected all day hence why the constant engaged tone but I’ll never know for sure.

It is fair to say that this particular chapter of life is now closed, is it a good thing or bad thing we’ll wait and see at this stage it’s probably a little too early to tell.

What else has happened today, well given Christmas Dinner was canceled…..I will soon be stuffing my face on that traditional Christmas meal “pizza” and watching a DVD I picked up yesterday entitled the Break-Up………whilst you don’t technically breakup with a friend it is pretty ironic to say the least.

In the New Year it is my intention to move on and not look back and to start this process have signed up for not one but two speed dating events Jan 7th and Jan 9th if I remember correctly, although obviously I won’t attend the second if the first one goes well. Strange times, strange times indeed and to steal a line from a very different kind of holiday “I’ll remember, remember the 25th of December.

Hope everyone who reads this has had a great Christmas……….I feel strangly calm.

Mood for the day 8 out 10.

Day 61/62 – December 23rd/24th

It is fair to say that I am still flat out exhausted and as I write this it is Christmas Eve, and I am not sure if I should be happy or sad I am probably sitting somewhere in between.  On Sunday I did a light workout, watched a great movie about what would happen should the person you love pass away and then got home to watch the Patriots win another game to improve the record to 15-0.  I retired to bed pretty early and didn’t really want to go to work on the 24th but staggered in anyway.

It has been a strange day to say the least, firstly I heave received my new locker at the Toronto Athletic Club, however the combination does not appear to work and as yet have not been able to so much as open the door, I will go for a second attempt on Boxing Day.

Next up was lunchtime and it was a Christmas lunch with some colleagues, we go to 3 downtown bars and they all closed……..yes it is downtown Toronto on Christmas Eve and all the bars are closed, I can not believe it and to be honest it is somewhat of a disgrace given I am living in a “world class” city.  Things are very different to when I used to work in a bar (Maggies) on Christmas Eve back in the UK, their I would start serving at 11am and it would be pretty much non-stop until 2am Christmas morning.

I could probably describe them as the good days, but given the amount of temptation that was put in front of me back then I probably shouldn’t refer to them that way.  With the exception of the tiniest sip of champagne at weddings I have now gone for 17 years without drinking alcohol, I am quite impressed by this feat even if I do say so myself.

To cap off the evening Olivier comes round for the traditional Christmas gift exchange, he is always good value and provides some enlightening thoughts on my approach to dating and I will follow his advice………what was the advice that is for me to know and you to find out but given he has been in a rock solid marriage for the duration of time I have know him (7 years) he is well positioned to offer up advice.  I am now ready for the next stage of life to begin.

I will relax and shut down the engines for the next few days and will then approach the New Year with a fresh set of perspectives and goals, what are those goals and perspectives? Whilst I have the majority nailed down a few are still being formulated but I will post them in my January 1st blog.

Mood for the day 7 out of 10.

Day 60 – December 22nd

I am no officialy shattered but have manged to complete my 3 games of squash in 3 days and have emerged relativly unscathed with the exception of slight hamstring pull on my left leg however I should now be able to give it the rest it needs.

On a positive it was another win, so I guess that’s a good thing.  What else has happened today, I set Terresa up with an ab workout program at the Extreme in North York and managed to snag a whole bunch of Wellington guest passes.

The Raptors ended up getting crushed in Seattle last night but are currently running Phoenix close so we’ll see how that what turns out.  All in all not much has happened today………

Mood for the day 6 out of 10.