Tuesday, March 7, 2006

v12.7 - Cut to the Quip

Morning folks,

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Well the gods have decided to grant us with another day; a beautiful day at that (at least here anyway). Today is a day of goodbyes and hellos (should there be an apostrophe in there?) so sit back, grab a coffee, and enjoy the random quips from the one you've grown to love; ME!

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Well, the first thing I want to get off my chest is the damn government. Why OH why do they feel they need to belittle us at every opportunity. Sometimes I feel like we're living in a sovereign nation or something. As you've read in some of my previous rants (not really musings), I've talked about the issues I've been having with getting my van registered here in Nova Scotia. Well, today I bit the damn preverbial government bullet and payed the damn PST (Provincial Sales Tax) on the purchase price of the vehicle. Let me tell you, living in a province with NO PST was a blessing. Anyway, approx $3200 later, my van is now legally registered in Nova Scotia and I had my driver's license transfered over as well. I hate the governmnet.

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That's the Hello news I guess. Saying hello to Nova Scotia and the way she opened her arms and gave me the embrace. While I don't feel all that "welcome" here, it is good to be finally integrated into the collective that is Nova Scotia. I can now legally drive my van around without worry of being pulled over and given a hefty fine and having my vehicle towed. You see, my Alberta registration expired at the end of February; today is March 7 :) Needless to say, I've been breaking the law. Kinda makes me feel like Billy the Kid. Well.. except for the homosexuallity part.

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The goodbye in today's musing is to Alberta. Yes, I have finally cut all ties to the province. Minus a couple of outstanding bills (shakes fist at Alberta Health, another government), I am now fully integrated as a Nova Scotianer (or whatever you call them). While it makes me a little say to say goodbye, I'll always have the memories and friends back there and look back on the good times and remember the life lessons I learned. I'd like to take some time to recognize those who directly affected my life.

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First and foremost, one of my good friends in Alberta, Fred. I met Fred a long time ago back when I was working as a PC techie for an Oil and Gas company in Calgary. Fred changed my life for the better. Without his vivacious spirits and his fatherly experience, he helped me to embrace parenthood. HE was the motivational factor in my life that led me to believe I could be a father and taught me how to be a GOOD father. While he didn't teach me everything about fatherhood, he taught me what it means to be there and take an active role in your child(s) life and break away from the single life I was in (and destined to stay in). Fred was also the one who got me hooked on MMOGs. He led me to DAoC back in 2000 and then again to WoW in 2005. He IS a great friend to have and I miss him dearly.

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Secondly, I want to send a huge wave out to my friends at GE UNIX Support Team (CompuCom or whatever the hell you guys are called now). Steph, Vip, Craig, Stacy, Jason, Witold, Ross, Ivan, Harold, the Brads, Ada, Darlene, Gale, Jim, Travis and yes, even Joy. You guys and gals got me through the hardest of times and were always there to make me laugh and shrug off things that seemed to be so large. We helped each other out on many many MANY occasions and I will never forget that. To my boss at GE, I tip my hat. You are the kind of boss every employee should have. Family first was always your motto and you stuck by that through thick and thin. When my son was in the hospital with pneumonia you gave me the time off work to take care of things (off the books). You helped me through many issues both professionaly and personal. Without you, I would have left GE a lot sooner than I did and God only knows where I'd be today.

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Thirdly, I want to thank my family here in the East. Rick, Dawn, Mom, Dad and everyone else on both sides. You helped me get to where I am today. You helped me finacially, emotionally and gave me furniture that has been sitting around for decades :) I appreciate everything you've done for me and my family and will never forget it. Life can throw some serious curve balls, I'm just thankful I have the family I do. I love you all.

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Lastly but not least, to everyone I now consider my family in the West. Katie's Mom, Shane, Cory, Erin & Drew and all the step-family members. You welcomed me into your family when I needed one. My family was over 5000kms away and I felt alone. When I met your daughter and we started dating, you accepted me and made me feel welcome. Yeah, we had our ups and downs (what family doesn't?) but in the end you made me a part of it and I deeply appreciate that. We will see each other again soon and I love you all.

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Now that the sap is out of the way, I want to also thank YOU, the reader of my musings. You guys and gals have helped me as well as an outlet for my frustration, anger and happiness. You've been supportive and have given some much needed advice. I would like to recognize at least 3 people who read this musing, Keith, Sher and Bill. Even though we've never met in person, I still consider you my best of friends. Your life experiences and advice has been invaluable to me throughout the years we've been gaming. We have sort of gone our seperate ways for now, but that friendship will remain and hopefully someday soon we will be reunited and enjoy each other's company once again.

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You see, even though you feel "small" in this great big world, you need to step back and think about how big of an influence you make on the world. This past weekend there were some comments brought up and it started to make me think. As I mentioned yesterday, I've begun to reflect on my life and what it means to others. It took me all day yesterday to come up with the above. I know I've left people out and I didn't mention everyone I could have, but I picked the ones that stood out the most in my mind. Every person you encounter every single day has been changed by meeting you. Every step you take, every word you say, every time you smile at someone or say hello; you've changed that person's life in some way.

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Jumping off that band wagon before I get too deep :) Bottom line folks, I want to thank you for everything. While I have made some sort of impact on your life, remember you have made an impact on mine. To those not on my mail list, I have touched your life if you're reading this. Maybe I have caused someone to reflect on their own lives. Maybe something I've said has changed something in someone else, maybe maybe maybe. I don't go out looking to change the world, I do that already just be living. While my name may not be lit up in lights and you probably won't read about me in the History books, I still made an impact on the world while I was here.

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I heard a quote in a movie a long time ago. It went something like, "By saying everyone in the world is special is like saying nobody in the world is special". While true on the surface, just remember we are all part of the miracle of life. We were all born and were all babies at one time. We grew, we changed and we have changed at least one life by the age of 5. We continue to live and if we're lucky, we have successful lives and go on to reproduce. To those who don't have children, you're missing out on some of the biggest joys a person can experience. Of course with the good comes the bad, but the good overrides the bad and I wouldn't have it any other way. I love my kids.

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Well, it wasn't very funny, but I said what I wanted to say. Thanks again to all and I hope to see you all again here tomorrow ;)

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Cheers,
Al

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