Award of Excellence (plus a bit of surgery)

 

Last week was a whirlwind, to put it mildly!

To begin with, the Friday before last, I was notified of a date of June 11 for surgery to replace the tubes in my ears. I'd been waiting for this for a year so, despite the very short notice, I took it. But that meant dealing with a flurry of last minute calls, meetings, and appointments. And a lot of driving, in the case of my Dad!

After a few days of hearing tests, pre-ops, and putting in a week's worth of work in roughly one day, Thursday was surgery day. A few minor complications with my oxygen levels, but everything went pretty well!

But wait! If you think surgery was the highlight of my week, you'd be wrong...

Amidst all that aforementioned craziness, something pretty awesome happened.

A couple months ago, I was notified by my job coach that LiveWorkPlay was in the process of putting my name up for consideration for an award. They went to several coworkers from CanNor and got more good info than they actually needed. Roughly a month passed, and I was told that I'd won! Aside from my family, I had to keep it a secret until the official announcement.

That official announcement came last Wednesday evening during an awards dinner which was part of the 31st annual conference for the Canadian Association for Supportive Employment (CASE), where I was set to accept the Philip Emerson Award for Employment Excellence, an award that "recognizes an outstanding individual that has made significant contributions to the promotion of full citizenship and personal capacity through employment and innovation within the workplace in Canada."

My parents and sister were with me, of course. Also in attendance were my job coach and several other members of LiveWorkPlay. 

I'll be honest and admit that the scope and significance of the award didn't hit me until the moment it was being announced. Presenting it to me was Philip Emerson himself (really good guy), whose intro touched on my time with LiveWorkPlay, starting at CanNor and eventually moving to Communications, and my work with CanNor's Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility (IDEA) committee. 

I walked to the stage, past a standing and cheering crowd, graciously accepted the award, and gave a small impromptu speech, thanking everyone and emphasizing the independence and joy the job at CanNor has given me!

After my award, and listening to an amazing speech by one of CASE's founders, we were directed to the lobby for photos. 

It was a heck of a night, one that I still can barely fathom nearly a week later! 

I remember a moment a couple days before the ceremony where I actually wondered aloud "Why?" and "What's the point?" But a day or two after, a friend whose family I've known for quite a while now, posted on Facebook about her teenage daughter, who has Joubert syndrome like me, getting her first job at a Lego mini-figure store with the help of a group like LiveWorkPlay. Put things right into perspective!

Infinitely big thank-you's to my family, coworkers, and all the folks at LiveWorkPlay and CASE for making this possible.

Cheers!

Of Heroes and Hosers

 

Heromachine 3, much like the use of my right hand, has been revived! So guess what I've been doing aside from work and wrist exercises lately??

Version 2.5 is really good, but some of my characters just look soo much cooler in the updated hero creator. 

Take, for example, a Canadian super team I came up with recently. Dubbed The Great White Watch (thanks to ChatGPT), the team consists of heroes ranging from an Acadian-inspired warrior woman from Nova Scotia, to a hockey goon (literally named Goon) with strength-enhancing gear (pictured in red and blue), to a humanoid water panther deity. The team already has an origin, several villains, and event too!

I get a good distraction from work and health-related things, and the Scooterverse continues to grow!

Cheers!

A pre-Summer Challenge - Monsters Maintaining Mental health

 

Recent positive test results and doctor's appointments have shown me that my monthly exercise/DVD watching/reading challenges are doing something right.

After a year of waiting, I finally have surgery to replace the tubes in my ears scheduled for later this week. Preceding that will be a few days of short notice pre-op chaos and another special non-medical event which I'll write about later. In the weeks following my surgery, I've got a few other appointments scheduled.

For the month of June, and maybe a little into July, my challenge is a fairly small one: make it through the first season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and finish The Demon King, the most recent (and also last, I think) book in Peter Brett's Nightfall saga and overall Demon Cycle universe.

Given the appointments, surgery, then more appointments, this challenge is less about exercise, and more of a mental health break.

Cheers!

41 in a (simulated) Galaxy Far, Far, Away (and the office)

 

The Earth makes another full rotation and, just like that, I'm now into my 40's!

On the list of blockbusters running from early May to mid-December, The Mandalorian and Grogu fell closest to my birthday and seemed like something my family might enjoy as well, so that's the movie I asked to see the weekend before my 41st.

The theatre I looked at had a lot of different viewing options. The show we had originally planned to see sold out just before we got there, so we chose to see it in 4DX roughly an hour later. We had looked up what 4DX was at home and were prepared, just in case. Before buying tickets we were a little nervous, but did it anyway.

4DX offers movie goers a totally immersive experience, with seats that move with the action, simulated weather and environment effects, smells, and strobe lights. 

Story-wise, The Mandalorian and Grogu is pretty good. Fun, action-packed, and even kind of cute. No need to have watched anything before, but a lot of bits from The Mandalorian and other Disney shows for those who have. 

The 4DX experience though! Almost immediately, my chair was rocking and rolling, feeling every hit amid a simulated blaster fight then lurching forward into a blast of cold air as the hero runs down a snowy peak in an Imperial walker. A few moments of character introductions and plot, and I was blasted forward into hyperspace!

During some plot time, my bladder advised me to take a quick break before the next round of action, and it was a good thing I did. 

The Mandalorian has been asked to find Jabba the Hutt's son, Rotta (^ that guy). Expecting him to be captive, it turns out Rotta is a star gladiator approaching his last match. After a nice bit between Rotta and the Mandalorian, the fun begins!

Mando offers to buy Rotta's contract, only to get into a bar brawl (rough, but exciting), then ends up in the gladiator pit himself where he first fights Rotta (I got slammed by a Hutt!). After yielding, they're both forced to fight a slew of alien monsters. (intense, but I'm pretty sure I was laughing the whole time!) Everyone breaks out onto the streets, and Rotta flees. An exhilarating speeder chase, and the heroes learn who the real bad guy is. The whole sequence ends with a bouncy, blastery storming of an Imperial compound!  

Though other parts of the movie were rather jarring and a little uncomfortable, that entire fifteen to twenty minute sequence, from the moment The Mandalorian lands on the planet until he takes off with his Imperial bounty, might just have been one of the best birthday gifts I've ever gotten. It felt like I was right smack in the middle of the old Star Wars: Dark Forces computer games I used to play!

After that, there's some scary bits with a snake monster, cute stuff with Grogu, and an ending where I was flying with an X-wing squadron!

Pretty intense, but definitely an unforgettable experience!

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I also chose my birthday for my first day back in the office since breaking my wrist. I practiced some movements beforehand and had to adjust and MacGyver a few things when I got in but for the most part, everything held up. 

I was finally able to get the paper copy of an award I'd received (along with other members of my team) roughly a month ago, got a lot of nice comments and sympathies from coworkers, and was able to go for lunch and some Ribfest mini-donuts thanks to an early start! 

Next up: He-Man and two days downtown.

Cheers!

(Countdown to) Gettin' Out 2026

I wish...

The brace I had to wear for my wrist came off very early last week, and I had my first appointment for physio Friday afternoon. So far, the exercises I've been given seem to be going okay (range of motion first, strength later), and I'm even starting to be able to do a few more important things on my own!

Obviously I won't be planning anything like a trip to Toronto, but with some tasks slowly getting easier to do independently, I am very cautiously starting to plan for going back into the office and getting out for some events and movies throughout the next month and a bit!

Ribfest starts the last week of May this year. That and either Mortal Kombat II or the Mandalorian movie would make for one really good 41st birthday! And speaking of birthdays, my Dad has suggested going downtown for my annual birthday burger so we can take the LRT. Sounds like fun.

Things to look forward to and incentives to keep up the exercising.

Cheers!
 

Communications Retreat 2026

 

*Photo used with permissions
*Edited by me (explanation in post)

It's been about two-and-a-half months, but better late than never to write about the latest retreat at work.

Mid-February, the Communications team met in Ottawa for a three-day retreat. Unlike the previous time, the weather was excellent and no one faced any major delays to or from their destination!

Things kicked off with an artistic ice breaker, drawing our responses to a small series of questions. Later, we held a major brainstorming session revolving around one of my major tasks, which was very helpful! A conversation with senior staff ended the day.

Training took up much of the next morning, getting tips and a welcome outside perspective on my various tasks and roles. 

Lunch was spent out with a colleague. We've worked together on a few things and have quite a bit in common, but are in different offices so it was nice to be able to talk about work and mutual interests in person. 

Afterwards, some urgent business came up, so everything else for the day was put on hold. Even though it was all outside of my realm, I probably learnt more during that afternoon and following morning just from osmosis and being around my fellow team members.

We went for dinner that night. Good food, conversation, and clear walking conditions. A few coworkers stayed around with me while I waited for a ride home, which was much appreciated!

The third and final morning, after more busyness related to events from the previous afternoon, it was photo time!

Now to explain my editing comment from above: Every photo taken over the three days was an absolute winner; however, in the one pictured above I originally look like I'm mid-sneeze, so I was able to super-impose another image of my face, taken during the last retreat, while keeping everyone else's better, non-sneezy visages.

The rest of the day was filled with catch-up and discussions, ending with final thoughts and an exercise where everyone wrote each other small notes or drawings of appreciation. A few final goodbyes, and we were done.

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Another fun and educational experience. 

While I've always felt included and productive, being part-time (by choice) and working with people spread across the country can have a silo effect every now and then. That's why this retreat seemed so much better to me than the last.

With all due credit to my other team members who were working their butts off at the time, being able to be right in the middle of such a flurry of activity on that second day was an amazing learning opportunity, providing insight into my coworkers and the jobs they do.

I also liked being able to let a work-appropriate amount of my "geek" out.  Two of my team members frequently describe themselves as major geeks. I do too but, prior to joining the Communications team, it didn't seem right to bring it up much, so it's nice to be able to have that outlet, share my hobbies and fandoms, and have some fun.

And lastly, this was my third retreat at CanNor. Compared to 2024 when I was still pretty new at Communications and, frankly, still awe-struck at the thought of having the job itself, and especially compared to the Administrative retreat a year before that when I was dealing with the final bought of pandemic-related jitters, this retreat felt natural. I was working, presenting confidently, and actively socializing!

Hoping to do this again, but maybe I can do the travelling next time??? (The Yukon IS high on my Bucket list...)

 Cheers!

Mmm...Writing *Homer Simpson impression*

 

#Canadiana

Between my arm, appointments, and work, it seems I completely spaced on marking The Rare Writer's dozen-year anniversary!

Continued thanks for continued following.

Cheers!