OK, so it's been a while, but this is wrong

Earlier this morning while savoring the last cup of espresso before TLATO made it downstairs, I was catching up on emails and such.

I went to Facebook and looked around.

Something I saw made me stop dead in my tracks and re-read - in the event that perhaps my early morning bleary eyes were playing tricks. But no, there it was in all its glory.

A Facebook ‘friend’ had posted his morning status update and referenced his visit to a local drive-thru facility at a ubiquitous Tim Hortons.

Seems his order for a large black coffee was messed up; he received a tea with milk and sugar. OK, so perhaps not a great way to start off a day, I'll grant you that but beyond that, there really is no excuse

It's the statement made that really irked me. "Some Timtard screwed up..."

Now to put all this in perspective, please understand that this fellow is very well liked - including by me. He truly is a good guy. At times, he can be a bit of a diamond in the rough. This statement in a public forum, however, was the equivalent of waving a red flag at a bull.

While I may not be one of Tim Hortons’ biggest fans, I do, however, have utmost respect for any organization that makes a point of hiring either mentally or capable physically challenged individuals. My local Timmies is one of those. Hats off!

I do not believe that this fellow meant any disrespect. It came out. It's there. It's most unfortunate.

It's unlikely that an employee with ‘issues’, perceived or otherwise would be put at the front line of a busy drive thru early in the morning. They may well be behind the scenes, fulfilling orders.

My point, the apparent order error likely occurred in the final stages of the transaction when chaos can so often ensue – especially when busy. It's entirely inappropriate to suggest, albeit without any malice and certainly minus any forethought, to suggest that any individual working in an outlet such as Timmies is retarded.

That is not fair.

And it is most certainly wrong.

I apologize.

March 17, 2010...

In some parts of the world, today, March 17, many people feel the need to embrace their inner Irish-ness and in their own way, celebrate St. Patrick's Day.  Wearing an article of green clothing, drinking green beer at noon or even searching for that elusive pot of gold.

Slainte!

However, could we all, please be very clear on one thing: you may refer to it as St. Patrick's Day or even St. Paddy's Day but, NEVER, as St. Patty's Day.  That for some unexplained reson is the North American abomination that this 'holdiay' is often wrongly referred. 

The same people that brought you New Year's, likely created this, too.

People, St. Parick's Day, or St. Paddy's Day.

Clear?

And another thing...

Meant to advise that I received a clean bill of health from my Cardiologist, Dr. Brian MacKenzie out of Peterborough.  I went for another exercise stress test on January 29
and all was well.

In May will have another exercise stress test, once again with the introduction of Thallium - that radioactive stuff to see how the blood flow in and out of my heart is.  You may recall this was the test that started this whole thing rolling.

Say what!?!?!?!?

Graffitti on a washroom wall in a Starbucks in Peterborough:

"No prorouge, Harper"

Stephen Harper may be many things to so many people; I had no idea that he was the new spokesperson for easy, breezy beautiful Cover Girl.

Hmmmmm...

Mea culpa...

I know; I have not exactly been diligent in blogging of late.

No real excuses.

Will attempt to make more of an effort in future.

Seriously... who shot a rabbit... opened their lunch... passed gas...

I'm sitting in my office catching up on emails at the end of a Friday afternoon.

There are three of us in here.  Me, the dog Ben and one of our cats, Rocky.

There is the unmistakeable odour of something gone terribly wrong in here.

I'm trying to narrow it down.  I had a goat curry roti for lunch; could be me.  Ben?  May have eaten a cat turd or two... Rocky?  Rocky just left the room and something really nasty, evil and altogether wicked followed him on the way out the door.

Apparently, he, too, had more than enough.

Me and the dog are close behind.

"Wow... it's a little crusty in here..."

These few words are not exactly what one wishes to hear laying on a hard and quite uncomfortable table in a room so cold, you can practically see one's breath.

That short statement came from the lips of Dr. Paul Daly, my cardiologist at Toronto General Hospital in the early afternoon of November 12, 2009 as he was negotiating one of the arteries leading into my heart.

I swear I could feel the 'English' he put on the catheter wires as he attempted to open this artery that was, by all accounts 99% blocked.

The procedure was a resounding success - as the image to the right will attest.  On the left side, you can see clearly to the right of a dark, shadowy 'roadway' there is nothing; this would be where the blockage of plaque occurs.  The image on the right shows that very same artery, now wide open after the painless insertion of a small, drug-eluting stent.

Amazing.  Truly.

In an earlier post I stated that I had never experienced any symptoms that would have alerted me to this condition.  There was no pain in my chest.   No shortness of breath.  Nothing.

Now, however, I feel great, energized even.

I can only surmize that my previous state of normalcy was bad -- relatively, for me.

My thanks to all medical staff at PRHC and TGH for their diligence, thoughtfulness and dedication.

Obviously, I cannot say enough about my former family doctor, Dr. Carolyn Brown... except, again, thank you!

Socialized medicine rules!