The Adjustment Bureau: Now Hiring

My return to Ontario did not come without more than a little trepidation. Much of which has come to fruition. I knew there would be an adjustment period once I returned but I may have underestimated the degree to which I had become accustomed to my mobile life. Actually, I knew it would tough to return.

The adjustments have come from pretty much everywhere – not the least of which being the weather. That could be what I was dreading the most! Add to that, my new accommodations – I’m housesitting for month of December. And, included with the house is a cat named Hope. I wouldn’t have thought catsitting would be much of an adjustment but life is full of surprises. I always knew I was a dog person. But I didn’t know how little I knew about cats.

I’m almost two weeks into my first ever catsitting stint and, I have to say, cats puzzle me. I don’t know if this is normal, but Hope seems to like to get my attention by digging her claws into my leg. I won’t lie. It’s an effective technique for getting attention. But not particularly pleasant. Sometimes she’ll meow at me constantly, but then move away when I attempt to pet her. Movie Quote Alert: “What we have here is a failure to communicate. Some cats you just can’t reach.” (ok, that’s not an EXACT quote) Anyway, at the moment Hope is sitting at my feet – not meowing and not trying to do her best Freddie Kreuger impression on my legs. All things considered, we’re getting along.

Okay, so where was I? Oh yes, adjusting. Barely. Returning to work has pretty much been what I anticipated. The return to an edit suite isn’t bad – it’s the lack of being outside that is the issue. And no, moving the edit suite outside wouldn’t solve the problem. It’s cold outside, remember?

In the grand scheme of things, I realize that these are all very much first world problems. And so, life goes on. And part of that would include finally posting my update from my final weekend in the sunshine state. Hard to believe that was two weeks ago!

My final weekend in Florida coincided with an annual NFL trip that a group of four of us have been taking for over a decade. As luck would have it, it was my turn to plan the trip. Since I was expecting to be in Miami it only made sense to see a Dolphins game this year. The downside to it being my turn to plan the trip was that I really didn’t have the time to plan it as well as I would’ve liked. For that, I apologize to my friends. Yes, we went to a Dolphins game but I was really hoping to have more activities planned. C’est la vie.

The “big” events that I did manage to plan were a Florida Panthers hockey game on Saturday night and the aforementioned Dolphins game on Sunday afternoon. Spoiler Alert: Both were fun but also a little bit uneventful.

Having now been to a hockey game in Florida I can’t help but wonder how they have a team. The attendance was pitiful. However, perhaps even more pitiful than the attendance was the prices at the concession stands. I know, I know. They’re always overpriced. But I think $8 for a regular hot dog is more than a little excessive. I mean, I think it’s a problem when your prices make Toronto’s Rogers Centre seem like a bargain. A bottomless tub of popcorn (no, not literally bottomless) in Florida was $11. Fortunately, the four of us were able to eat five tubs of said popcorn during the game so I think we may have actually broken even on that one! Oh, for what it’s worth, the Panthers beat the Sabres, 3-2.

The next day was the football game which, as usual, was pretty much an all day affair. It was also very much like most of our visits to various other stadiums. A lot of people, a lot of tailgating, a lot of traffic. The biggest difference was it was beautifully warm. Miami in December really is a good place to be. I won’t go into all the details of the game but the short version is the Dolphins lost (to Baltimore). We were kind of hoping for a hometown victory but none of us REALLY cared as none of us are Dolphins fans (or is that “fins”?). And let’s face it, it’s just a game.

Waking up on Monday morning brought the realization that not only was the football trip over, but so was the latest phase of my midlife crisis. Despite being on the road for five months and cycling over 9,000 km (5,700 miles) I feel my midlife crisis is still very much intact. It may even be stronger than ever which can mean only one thing. I need a new plan! And no, I don’t have that plan figured out yet but I’m definitely working on it.

Long live the Midlife Crisis. Wherever it takes me.

Next stop? Stay tuned.