Canadian days....

So I meant to do an update on Canada day, but since I didn't get home until 3 am after working a lovely evening shift, I didn't quite get around to it. However, a happy belated Canada day to all and also happy 4th of July to my American friends. I've always been fond of Canada day for a few reasons. First, I am quietly proud to be a Canadian citizen. All through my childhood, growing up in the States, I was known as "that Canadian kid" and it always gave me a sense of pride, a sense of being something different from the norm. Ironically, upon my return to Canada in 1987 I became known as the American kid. This in particular since I had developed an accent (since shed) from my time spent in the mid west. The story of my life...although I am generally like everywhere, I don't quite fit in anywhere.

Anyhow, since my return to Canada back in 1987 I have come to appreciate the country for different reasons. Canada has a quiet dignity and an abundance of natural beauty that is sometimes understated but always present. Even here, in the heart of our country's largest city and in the middle of a garbage strike, the natural beauty of the country presents itself. In one of the biggest cities on the continent, I can still feel like I am in the middle of the woods by just walking ten minutes away from my apartment building. We have rivers, we have beaches, we have forests and meadows..not to mention some "great" lakes, all within Toronto city limits. This is an amazing thing. It's no wonder that I am annoyed by those who litter here in Toronto. They don't know just how lucky they are.

Of course the USA had some beautiful scenery and natural wonders also. Our are less obvious though, and thus suit my taste just a little more. It's a quirk of mine.

The second reason that I am fond of Canada day is that it is also the halfway point of the year. It's a good time to take stock of what you've been doing so far and what, if anything, needs to be changed. Can be just the kick in the ass that you need to finally get around to accomplishing all those tasks that you've been putting off for the last 6 months. For myself, I certainly need to finally file my taxes. Luckily I don't owe any money so there are no penalties, but seriously...that should have been done months ago. I also desperately need a brake job for my car that I've been putting off, not wanting to spend the money. Oh, and there's that little matter of finally actually filing for divorce rather than simply being legally separated. I really ought to get around to that.

Speaking of accomplishing things, I thought I'd update on how the book writing is going. First off, my ambitions of writing 500 words a day from my last post are falling far, far short. I learnt in short order that I need to be in the right state of mind or else my writing is terrible. Thus, I've decided to write at my own pace rather than force myself to an arbitrary number of words per day. Better to write 50 words that I enjoy than 500 that I dislike. It's actually a fairly simple concept, but it hadn't immediately occurred to my poor, goal-oriented brain.

As far as the story itself, it is coming along quite well in my brain and on paper...filled another 6 pages hand-written in my notebook just today...and the story has expanded in my head as I realize that it may take a lot more than 30,000 words to tell. So I am content. As long as I can keep motivated to continue writing, at whatever pace I choose, then I am happy. Hopefully I won't lose interest until I finish for once. Time will tell. Thanks for the support from those who are interested in what I have to write! It is a huge motivational factor for me to think that someone other than I might care about it....

So that's the first week of July for you. Happy birthday Canada and America! Now everyone back to work!