Writing

Hey neighbours. Yes I spelled that with a u. 

This is for American journalists who tout their superiority and want everyone to believe they are not Fox News, that they tell the truth, they have the facts, and they get it right. Yes, I’m talking to you CNN, The New York Times, The Washington Post. In the last three weeks I have seen photos on TV (on CNN) of Windsor, Ontario identified as Ottowa. You misidentified the location and spelled it wrong. Your credibility is failing. Your headlines herald the occupation as “UnCanadian” and “giddy.” What?  

But mostly, this is for my American friends. Do you think you are the only nation that has white supremacists? Do you believe you have the market cornered on racism? Perhaps you think that the orange menace is an American-only product. Think again. We have a population of white supremacist, racists here. We have duly-elected Trump wannabees who have a say in how this nation is run. 

Americans need a better understanding of its neighbours to the North. Kindly stop with the patronizing, stereotypical garbage portraying us as apologetic, nice, milquetoast socialists. Just stop that right now. Unlike most of you, the majority of Canadians do not buy into the company line that the US of A is greatest nation on earth, the land of the free, and accepting of the world’s downtrodden with open arms. Get a grip. You are in as much of a mess as we are. You have domestic terrorists. So do we. You have white supremacists. So do we. You have fringe groups who want to overthrow the government. So do we. We are not any more apologetic than most of you. We are not boring, eh-sayers, just like most of you are not cowboy hat wearing, drawling rednecks. 

What we are is a country in crisis, trying to maintain our place on the world stage. Most of us have received vaccinations against covid. Most of us believe in helping our neighbours, welcoming the world’s refugees with open arms, and doing what’s right. The far right-wing extremists have found their voice and have found ways to express their disgust at our government. These citizens do not believe in helping their neighbour, they resent the government helping the refugees, and their version of doing the right thing is different than most. 

Just like you, we are worried about our democracy. Just like you we are confused with the rise and level of hatred in our countrymen. These hate-filled individuals have found their voice and admire the organizers of the January 6th event; some of us believe that is where they found their “courage.” Emboldened by the actions of a few of our southern neighbours, they started yelling about freedoms and feeling oppressed. But most of all, they started yelling. They yell. And yell. And honk horns. They make noise. They speak over others and feel strong and emboldened because they have witnessed the orange menace from south of the border and his blatant disregard for the rule of law and democracy. And they want a taste of that. 

My city has been under siege for the last three weeks in an unprecedented show of force that was partially financed by our friends south of the border. In an unprecedented alliance of all Canadian political parties, our apologetic, mild-mannered politicians at all levels of government abandoned the residents of downtown Ottawa. Their inaction and uncaring attitudes have been something to behold. Just as you sat, slack-jawed and unbelieving, glued to your television sets on January 6th, we have been flailing and trying to find answers as to why all levels of government have failed us, just like they failed the residents of Washington D.C. on January 6th. The residents of this city who have been under siege, confined to their homes, terrorized, assaulted and harassed, unable to go to work for three weeks and who have been suffering mental anguish deserved better. 

Last week, the Prime Minister found his mojo and enacted The Emergencies Act. Today the police have finally started to take control of our downtown and send the illegal occupiers home. We are seeing action but we have lost our respect for our leaders and our police.

So when it’s finally over, we expect a lot of apologies. The level-headed amongst us will make it right for those who have been wronged. Because it’s the Canadian thing to do. 

In the meantime, to our friends to the south, if you can’t find Ottawa on a map, you are not allowed to comment or write articles under the mantle of journalism. Okay, eh?

[This is an entry in my project to write something every day in the 100 days before my retirement, reflecting on my career and life]

85 Days

June 7, 2018

I was doing a quick inventory of the crap in my office today, wondering if I will need a moving truck, a box, or just a plastic bag for what I will eventually take home with me when I retire.  Several months ago I cleaned out the bookcase and gave all of the “business” types books to my successor and every morning I throw at least one file into the shredding box.  That’s how I’m dealing with the business side of things. 

[This is an entry in my project to write something every day in the 100 days before my retirement, reflecting on my career and life]

86 Days

June 6, 2018

I worked at Canadian Arctic Gas Pipeline until it was shutdown shortly after Justice Berger made his decision that our competitor would build the pipeline in the north (for the history books, it never happened).  Shortly before this occurred though, I had decided to go to law school and be a lawyer – probably as a result of the influence of Mr. Goldie (see “91 Days” entry).  For various reasons, many of which were very lame and entirely embarrassing now, I changed my mind, didn’t go to law school, and ended up employed as a secretary at Combustion Engineering Canada Ltd. (C-E Canada).

[This is an entry in my project to write something every day in the 100 days before my retirement, reflecting on my career and life]

91 days, or My 14^thlast Friday

June 1, 2018

“My 14^thlast Friday” would have been considered a convoluted, incomplete thought according to D.M.M. Goldie, Q.C., the first lawyer I worked with in my career.  Mr. Goldie passed away in 2012 at the age of 88.  This morning I looked him up on Google and his obituary tells me that he was in-house counsel for several B.C. utilities.  He had a 30-year career at Russell & DuMoulin, one of Canada’s premier law firms, where he reached national prominence as counsel in a number of the leading constitutional cases regarding the division of powers and the patriation of the constitution in the 1980s. He argued his first case in front of the Supreme Court of Canada in 1953. And in 1991 he was appointed to the bench of the B.C. Court of Appeal. He retired in 1991 at age 75. 

[This is an entry in my project to write something every day in the 100 days before my retirement, reflecting on my career and life]

89 Days Until Every Sunday Morning Feels Like Freedom

June 3, 2018

What will I NOT miss when I stop going to an office job every weekday?

[This is an entry in my project to write something every day in the 100 days before my retirement, reflecting on my career and life]

88 Days

June 4, 2018

In the past, when I thought about retirement, my daydreams would always take me to an idyllic, deserted beach in tropical lands, where the sounds of the ocean waves lulled me to sleep. But now that reality is about to happen (in 88 days – YAY me!), I have been spending my time a little more productively thinking about how retirement will manifest itself.  There will be days at university, long weeks on tropical beaches, writing, days of sitting and doing nothing but reading and napping, but those days and weeks don’t add up to 365 days or 52 weeks. 

[This is an entry in my project to write something every day in the 100 days before my retirement, reflecting on my career and life]

90 Days Until Retirement

June 2, 2018

Today is Saturday and I started my day early, as the sun came up, with a coffee, sitting in our backyard.  I was surrounded by quiet, interrupted only by the swishing sound of the tree leaves in the breeze. Perfect stillness, the cool air, the colourful flowers, the blue of the pool water, took my mind to one train of thought: how blessed am I?  

[This is an entry in my project to write something every day in the 100 days before my retirement, reflecting on my career and life]

92 days until retirement

May 31, 2018

My first job at E.L. Littlejohn & Associates lasted less than a year because I had to take a long break in the middle of it to return to Germany for surgery.  Grace, the office manager, allowed me one break but when I needed a second, we decided to part ways.  I learned a lot in the job and I learned even more from Grace.  She was one of many women I worked with over my career who have had an impact on me.

[This is an entry in my project to write something every day in the 100 days before my retirement, reflecting on my career and life]

When Do I Retire? In 93 Days

May 30, 2018

I’m starting today’s entry with a very big smile on my face thinking about my first “official”, full-time job.  I realize now that it was an absolute dream job – especially for a 19-year old. I was hired as an Editorial Assistant (very fancy, lofty title) at a very small engineering consulting firm.  Wait until you hear what they hired me to do. But first, some details for the record books.

[This is an entry in my project to write something every day in the 100 days before my retirement, reflecting on my career and life]

94 Days 

May 29, 2018

Although my first choice of a career was to become a nurse, it was not meant to be.