Dispatches from a happy Hullian

I have tried a Bullet Journal rite of passage — breaking out a topic into a collection (okay, I did one for Christmas prep, but I still want to mention this one): "Wrap up [old team]." I'm technically thinking over my options over the weekend but odds are very high that I'll be moving to a new division in July, under my old supervisor (who has been promoted in the interim). It's stuff I know well and like, and a team that's maybe a bit bigger than what I was hoping for, but by all accounts I'll have good lieutenants. I hope it'll be a good fit and let me develop as a manager while knowing that the technical stuff is familiar enough that I'm not playing catch-up all the time.

I've been back at the office for a few weeks after isolating due to Elizabeth having COVID. Biking in is good for me, I think, and many lunch hours I go for a run in the neighbourhood. It's not a panacea — I can still get thrown by chaotic days or other stuff — but it does help my focus and productivity. There's a reorganization of everything coming, to clear out materials so that the agency can consolidate into fewer buildings, and I'm not quite sure how I'll be affected, being a mostly-onsite person. Also, who knows what a change of position will do or not do to where I sit now...

My shoulder has been acting up again — once from falling over in a broken chair, and yesterday a couple of times, one just wiping cat pee off the floor (boo) and then again just stretching wrong. Often it's more likely to pop out when I'm stressed, so I'll take that as a sign. For now, naproxen, taking it a little easier, trying not to be excessively cranky.

Last weekend I went to in-person union meetings for the first time since 2019. We were in a huge room and people were still being mostly careful. It was good to physically go somewhere (even if it was on the edge of the Convoy 2.0 zone) and be a union person for full days. Learned some useful stuff about family status accommodations and the union's next steps on COVID attestation grievances, too.

Just finished my second week at home with the kids while Elizabeth was teaching in Kingston. With the older two in school much of the day, a lot of my time during the day involved errands and hanging around with Ada. She is getting so articulate, and is generally cheerful and musical as she goes about her day. We did a bunch of shopping, brought some ancient hazardous things to the Ecocentre, and kept the house from self-destructing. I got into the rhythm of things and enjoyed the change of pace… but it is definitely a lot of work keeping the logistics of the day going and I'm impressed with what Elizabeth gets done on a regular basis.

Outside of the workday, I had lots of help and company from Heather and Andrea… they took the kids on a museum adventure on a ped day when I was at a training session downtown, and we has lots of time all together with the kids. We had dagibbs over for Brass one night and he almost didn't win (which would have been news). I really enjoyed spending lots of time bonding and just being with my interprovincial loves (with kids awake and with kids asleep). We'll be back to seeing each other regularly but quite as much as we've managed in the past couple of weeks. I look forward to the next opportunity like this!

I popped my shoulder out for the first time in a while a week ago, between doing up my pants and reaching for my toothbrush (I wish I had more exciting stories for these incidents). After a day of naproxen, I was feeling better on Monday. I think a lot of whether it pops is linked to stress and tiredness.

Now that Elizabeth is back, her writing, recording and performing well be part of things around here, as well as work and union stuff for me… Positive Space, re-weighting and bargaining are front and centre for me. It's a little unreal but I'm looking forward to re-engaging with all that starting next week.

Unrelated: you should watch this magical time-lapse footage.

I put my shoulder out this morning... Oscar had broken the coffee press, and I was looking for the last bit of glass, crouched at counter top level, and I reached to move a dish the wrong way. Ugh. I got it back in pretty quickly and eventually found the bit of glass. I felt it was a little crunchy lately, maybe due to being tired and maybe a bit stressed about the return to work and life in general. Getting Oscar to sleep continues to be a bit of a crapshoot these days, and we're doing it in shifts more and more. He doesn't tend to sleep in after long battles to get him to sleep, either. On the good side, he's getting more range and some more focus when walking places; I took him on foot and Vivien strapped to me to the grocery store yesterday, about 1.5 km, and he didn't need carrying until I popped him in the cart. We took the bus home and he sat patiently in his seat until it was time to get off.

This time next week, I should be somewhat re-oriented at work. I don't have a clear vision as to how I'll get back up to speed, but there'll probably be meetings with HR to straighten out stuff arising from parental leave and make sure I get paid, a supervisor meeting about expectations and learning plans this year, and I hope there'll be some introductions and orientation with the new clients. There'll probably be some re-connecting with the confidentiality people, too, and with friends who I don't work with directly (or don't work with anymore), and figuring out what organized activities and committees I want to take part in. I'll be getting used to a very different structure of day, aside from the content of the work — coming home and shifting into high parent/cook gear right away (and helping Elizabeth get out of high parent gear), and generally being more focued when I am around home, I hope. I'll have to make a point of relaxing (but moving quickly) on the bike or bus ride home! Even with the extra responsibilities, I suspect that the increased contrast between adult-land and parent-land in my life will be a net reduction in stress.

So, this evening on the way home with Oscar strapped to me and laden down with bags, my shoulder popped out (this is a chronic thing that just happens to me sometimes). I was talking with some friendly woodgie-ing people on the #2 a little before 6, and reached to put up his sleeping hood and felt it go. It wasn't too bad, so I thought I'd see if it just slipped back in if I relaxed it as much as possible. No such luck, and so at the end of the route, I told the driver my shoulder had popped out and I might need a little time and maybe a hand with my stuff while I put myself back together.

The driver pulled over to the time-stop around the corner, called in, offered an ambulance (I wasn't quite ready for one), asked if I could stand (I managed), and was sort of reluctant to do any sort of manual intervention (there must be a "don't touch the rider" policy, which is probably a good thing most of the time). He phoned in again to tell someone he would be running a little late, and helped me get buckles and straps undone on a messenger bag, a backpack, a coat and a baby, stood around and talked to me while I popped my shoulder back in (it's a lot easier when I'm a little distracted and when I'm not wearing 50 pounds of gear and baby). Oscar slept through the whole thing — pop out around Preston, ride to the end of the line, chat, unload, sleep on the cooperative seating, let me pop in, put him and everything back on. The driver was patient, methodical and friendly through it all, and fended off a possibly grumpy dispatcher all the while. So, for all the unhappy or odd OC stories out there, I thought I'd add this to the Internet. Thanks, Mr. Driver, and happy holidays!

Managed to wonk my shoulder again (first time in five months or so) in the supermarket. It wasn't too painful, but it still sucks. I did it in front of a guy who also had recurring shoulder dislocations. He stood there and talked to me, and winced when I popped it back in. My forearm aches now.

I just realized that if Noisette has a full cat lifetime, she'll be with me into my thirties or even early forties. How's that for life-changing decisons? And feeling old?

I think, all things going more or less as I predict, I'll be financially stable on paper (as well as in reality) in a couple of weeks, delinquent roommate contributions or no. That could be very good.