The dreaded travel day. Get up early, rush around, probably forget something on the counter and get to the airport early enough to sit and wait. No fun but a necessary evil to getting to somewhere that is more fun than here. After a long day of watching Westjet entertainment, we landed at JFK airport and the NYC experiences begins.

The fun began after we landed. We had to navigate our way from JFK airport to Midtown Manhattan through the train and subway system. Not such the easy task all the way from Queens. We asked a few questions to newsstand operators and people who looked like they knew where they were going and we made it. The subway system of this city has always amazed me. I have never taken a cab in all my trips here and don’t intend to now.

We checked in at the Kimpton Muse hotel which to my surprise it literally 50 yards from the big stage used for NYE and likely close to where we will settle in on Dec 31. We went for a walk in the evening and we took a look at the marvel that it Times Square. The amount of people on the streets tonight was impressive enough that I can’t imagine what this will look like in a few days. We found an Irish pub named O’Malley’s where we walked up the steepest set of stairs I have been on to get to the 3rd floor bar. We sampled some comfort food and one too many Dark and Stormy’s while we had some laughs and cries and watched the place fill up with strangers from across the land. It was amazing how the staff managed those stairs up and down with food and drinks and we wondered how many drinks had fallen down them. We would soon find out as the comedy was yet to come for us. The ensuing short walk home was interesting as two tipsy jokers navigated the big city, but we made it safe.

Onto day 1 and night 2, The Top of the Rock at sunset is on the agenda tomorrow.

Marco



Calgary is a great city. It has everything you could want in a metropolitan centre including scenery, people, architecture and commerce. There aren’t many better places to be in this world but Calgary plays in the minor league of cities compared to my favourite, New York City. Tomorrow, Mary will make her first trip to NYC and I will make my umpteenth. New York is a fantastic city.

This trip is special for me in a few ways. Firstly, I get to share the experience with Mary and see, feel and smell the city through her perspective. I have done almost everything you should do in that city but I haven’t done it from a romantic perspective. I can’t think of a greater backdrop for romance than there. Secondly, I get to see the big city in the winter and through the holidays. This city is electric at the best of times and even more so at Christmas. Lastly, Mary and I get to knock one off the ole’ bucket list. We get to stand with a million of our closest friends and bring in the New Year under the giant ball in Times Square. There are things you do in your life that you look back on and think, “Holy shit, we actually did that!” This is surely going to be one of the those moments that we tell people about for a lifetime. It won’t come without it’s interesting scenarios though.

If you have ever read anything about this experience, it is not an easy day. A million plus people jammed into a small space creates it’s own challenges. If you hate crowds, being jostled and shoved, conversing with strangers and frankly standing on your feet for 9-12 hours, this is torture for you. That would explain why “only” 40+ million people have ever taken on the experience from across the globe over the years. To my eyes, those experiences are what make this so interesting to me. I will be completely enthralled with the mass of humanity who have come from everywhere to celebrate a new beginning. I want to enjoy as many of their stories as possible because we all have our reasons for being there. Mine is just less interesting. I want to see it with my eyes and ring in the year hanging out with Dick Clark’s ghost.

We have some challenges to overcome though. The cold will be a factor as NYC is not exactly balmy this time of year. Try packing a suitcase that ranges from boots to suits to everything in between. We will stay warm no matter what. The real issue is surviving the day without being able to use the bathroom. You have little choice as there are no public restrooms (nor could there be even enough) for the million people. The rule is simple. With all the security that exists and the masses, if you leave to pee, you are gone for the night with your spot taken by some dude with a bad hat from some country you have never heard of. No point complaining about it. Either dehydrate your bladder or get creative with your ability to whizz in a bottle in the middle of a crowd. I know Mary is worried about it and I am too. My bladder isn’t what it used to be. Stay tuned for the sordid details.

We are going to have a great time. We don’t get to enjoy holidays often where it is just the two of us so I plan to enjoy the time. We will see some of the greatest historical sites in the world and do it all within this concrete jungle. Stay tuned for daily updates from our adventures around the city, the people we meet and the moments that only New York, New York can offer.

Marco

I made it through High School and University pretty unscathed. It was no walk in the park at times but I fared out pretty well. Decent grades, lots of beer, worked full time throughout and the occasional all-nighter. There could be no greater pressure in my life to be balancing all of these pressures as a young adult. The working world combined with parenthood seemed easy compared to that. So why the hell am I so overwhelmed with the amount of homework that I am trying to help my boys with!

Mary and I are good parents. We ask the kids to do their homework and put in the time to study. Often this occurs at the kitchen table, all at the same time. Thankfully, we have very different and balanced post-secondary backgrounds and can tackle these issues deftly. My business and writing background meshes with Mary’s science and math savvy and we are almost all covered. It should be smooth sailing except this stuff seems so much harder than it did when we were less wrinkled and had better eyesight.

I am not ashamed to say that I am baffled by high school math, let alone the math my university aged son is taking. The shameful part is I took all the same stuff 20 years ago and don’t remember jack shit. Mary has to tackle that greek scribble and she has a remarkable ability to recollect it. She takes it as a personal challenge to solve the problem, even if it takes her 45 minutes and Nic’s eyes are rolling back in his head. I will hear a random “AH HA!” from the kitchen and she high fives herself for a job well done. She is a pro.

I get to help tackle the writing assignments. Last night I was lucky enough to spend 4 quality hours with one of my sons researching and structuring a project. Nothing I would rather have wanted to do between the hours of 11pm and 3am than do that! We could pull this out of our asses! He had to get a plan in a hurry last night as we started with selecting a topic, creating a framework and I stepped back as he managed to write, edit and reference the whole damn thing. The juices were flowing and I was young again! In typical flying by the ass of his pants fashion, it was due this morning and I’m sure he proudly ran this across campus to hand it in, thinking he had just pulled of a Christmas miracle. I did my best to not nod off at my office this afternoon as the thrill of the moment had long worn off on my old body.

It’s not going to end anytime soon either. We have more kids coming through the system and I suspect I have not formulated my last term paper nor studied subjects that I have never seen in my life. They talk about career students but I didn’t see this one coming when these kids were born. Be warned, parents of the future.

Marco

Mary and I spent a fantastic 10 days in the Bahamas this month. It was wrapped around my pharmacy conference and it is always a tremendous time spent with friends we like a lot. It was special for another reason, I asked Mary to marry me.

The decision to ask her was an easy one. There are very few women I have ever met know can carry the attention of an entire room without being the complete centre of attention. People want to be around Mary and she makes people comfortable to hang with her. She is one of the most caring and committed women I know and she always, always wants to do the right thing for people she cares about. She has completely captivated my attention for 4 plus years and I am so thankful that she keeps me in line and makes me laugh while she does it.

The process in getting to this point was not as simple. When you are young and poor, you just make it as special as you can. The ring isn’t really as important as the event itself. You need to find a kitschy way to pop the question. As you get older and have a redo, you want to make sure that the details are looked after. The event is not as gimmicky and the ring and the details need to be on par. The challenge starts with trying to find the right ring in a world of diamonds. Let’s be clear, women like bling and not necessarily the bigger the better. Mary and I did a thorough search of  jewellery stores and the inter web before she found one she liked. Then I had to surprise her by buying it and keeping it on the down low. I successfully navigated those waters and the ring looked great when I received it. Next was a plan for launching this at her.

We had this trip planned for the Bahamas and what would be a better place than that. I really had no idea how I would find the moment but was committed that this was the time. We planned for a secured beach walk on one of the first days and this seemed this my chance. I shoved the ring in my shorts and held her hand down the beach. I figured I should take a few pictures of that beautiful morning on the beach and tried to capture some of the moments, for posterior sake. Then the moment arose.

I did what any self respecting dude would do. I dropped to a knee and presented the ring. I found out later that she thought I had hurt me knee, which wouldn’t have been a shock at this advanced age. I think I shocked her that it was happening at that moment. I’m sure she knew it was coming at some point but that day was not on her radar. I was the man!

Now I will tell you that Mary has reminded me several times since that day that she has never really said yes. She did cry and hug me which in man land means yes but in Mary land means some fun at my expense. She has told me a bunch of times since that day that she never really said yes, but I know those eyes. She is happy with me even though she will remind me for years (and every time I piss her off) that she never said yes. I know better, she is going to be my wife.

After the obligatory posting on Facebook and subsequent phone calls to family who are computer illiterate, we are engaged. We started a week long celebration with friends that was a nice treat to a great moment. In our quiet moments, we spent some time thinking about plans for the wedding but we need time to think out that next moment. For now, I have had to adjust my terminology from calling Mary “my wife” to “my Fiancee”. It feels really nice to say that. I’m sure we will have our moments while we plan this event but I plan to enjoy it. I love this woman. Nite babe.

Marco

Well, it’s been over a year now and there remains some disconnect in the way Mary and I try to bring this family of men together. As they say, it’s like herding cats when it comes to trying to get 2 different groups of boys to co-exist. The age gap in the boys is real and their interests make it more interesting to evolve. One group of boys drive, have jobs and have girlfriends. The other group need video games, Tweener TV shows and endless supply of support just to comb their hair. I have seen the transition before and know that one set of needs does eventually lead to the other but not today.

The challenge for us is getting a diverse group of young men to move the mountain in the same direction. It would be nice if they TRIED to co-exist in this house but the hands of time make that a dream more than reality. Given the chance, the older boys will vanish to their downstairs bedrooms to stay clear of the younger boys. The younger boys have nothing in common with the older boys except their desire to pick up the bad words and terms that give them a leg up on their friends at school. So what do we do with this?

Here is what I do know. This takes work, a lot of work. We also need our share of patience, compassion and cajoling to convince some glimmers of bonding between them. You see it at the strangest time too. Suddenly, the entire group is standing in the kitchen listening to one of them tell a story and you realize that this can work. Another day, they all end up outside shooting baskets and you think, they are all the same. And they are. Mary swears they have a cult that requires them to piss on the toilet seat for her benefit. That same club requires them to struggle to fold their clothes, put their dishes away and yell continuously throughout the day. These dudes are charter members of this club but I wish they would just try to appease Mary and I with the odd board game night or possibly a Sunday dinner.

I didn’t do a very good job insisting on those little moments of family bonding as my boys developed. I used the time we spent doing homework or playing basketball to bond. Mary has a chance to correct this in the younger dudes and is sticking to her guns on many things. Trying to get them on the same page at the same time, not so much. It remains frustrating and it seems that the hill only gets steeper as the outside influences take over their collective lives.

I’m sure our issues are common in this dynamic and time-poor lifestyle. Many families have this dilemma whether their boys span an entire decade or more. Take a note from me. Dig in early on the little moments with the kids and make it a part of their routine. Had I done this early, I might have been able to continue some form of the traditions today. For now, I will continue to schedule random dinners and try to bring the group together for small moments of family bliss. I will continue to fight to have them stay involved in this union and hope more so that I can alter their future fate when they come through this path with their own kids.

Monopoly anyone?

Marco

There is just not enough time in the day. Or the week or the year for that matter. I am perpetually looking for more minutes in my day and hoping that I can use them productively when i find them. The problem is, more often than not, I do find those minutes but I’m afraid that I don’t always use them for the best use.

It’s a struggle for me to take a deep breath and smell the roses. I am a very driven individual who tries to make valued use of the day that is presented. I had someone, many moons ago, teach me that lesson. She worked in a restaurant and described to me that she never brings a plate of food out without bringing back to the kitchen with her. It would be a wasted trip otherwise and your day would become an inefficient mess. She was right. I have lived to that motto my entire life and have become very comfortable multitasking within anything I am doing. My issue continues to be, should I be multitasking in everything I do? Can’t I just focus on one thing or one person at a time?

This makes relationships difficult, especially those who know me best. Mary and the boys know that that’s who I am, even to the point of laughing at my desire to be cleaning the floors while watching a movie. Or emptying the dishwasher while eating my breakfast. I wish I could just sit and relax. It would serve me so much better to be more involved in the moment, rather than thinking about what I should be doing to be productive. I want to be that person but this efficiency has become ingrained in me for a long time now and the habits are very tough to shake.

My goal is to try and give myself more to those who need me. I need to become more focused on them and their story while remaining engaged in the moment. The rest will wait and still be there when the moment is gone. Life passes you by very quickly if you choose to let it. I need to have those conversations with the boys that they need as young men. I need to make time to work with them on their issues and walk through what it takes for them to navigate their ever complicated world. I know what needs to be done but can I do it?

More importantly, I need to devote that time to Mary. She is such a vibrant woman with great ideas and grand plans in this world. Not being focused on her is not only an injustice its plain stupid on my part. She has so much to teach me that I really need to know but I won’t learn it without some focus on that time. These are some of the best moments in my year, simply listening to this dynamic woman wow me with her knowledge and energy. Why must I be wiping the countertops while she is regaining me with her day?

The answer lies with me, as it does with most things in ones life. I need to smell those roses more and more. I have to realize that I just can’t do it all nor accomplish it all. It’s ok to not be productive at all times. It is most important to stop and listen, and in turn communicate with those around you who grace you with their attention. Most things in life can actually wait for a few minutes and most people can effectively understand those rare moments when it just cannot wait. It goes without saying that your phone or electronics only add to the difficulty. Find me a successful person and they will show you how important that tool has become to their world. There are a million articles written on that topic and all of them say that you should put the damn thing down. They all lead to the same problem for me. Those roses just won’t be there forever.

Take a note from a chronic multi-tasker, when you find people that bring you roses, there is nothing more efficient than smelling them over and over and over. That’s what they are there for.

Marco