Your what is pierced?

So I have dated.  Plenty Of Fish has helped with that.  I have dated a fireman, someone who didn't match his profile pic, boys who are the same age, a man who had the same name as me(!?), one who was six years younger, a guy who alluded his penis was pierced, some have been five plus years older and some never even made it to an actual date, just texting. One first date lasted 45 minutes. The longest lasted 12 hours.  I have tried to date local, Kanata being the furthest but I did see one from Kingston.  Oh and the texting relationship, gone bad, was with a teacher from Brockville.  Staying local means I have dated a few Dads from Barrhaven.  Barrhaven is NOT big.

I admit some did not end well.   Many were at a time when I was hoping for more and have made some mistakes from the past, ignoring red flags.  Recently I listened to my gut(she is so smart) and called the dating done after two weeks.  Still a disappointment.  There is a reason the relationship gets going and leads to a second and then another. We did have much in common, yet not enough to keep it going.  Best advice I got from a boy, "Slow down".  Yet we aren't 20ish and after the crap I have been through I now know what I want.

Then the flip side...

I have dated a couple of men who look great on paper but if I am not attracted to them... I can't make anything happen.  It put me in the other position... 

A few have remained friends.

I have perfected the first date.  It is like an interview. Ask them a bunch of questions. They sure do like to talk about themselves:). 

Online dating has been a surreal experience.  Very very different from the last time I dated.  

I can recall months before getting divorced watching an eHarmony commercial thinking I couldn't even imagine dating at my age.  Fast forward six months and I am writing my profile for Match.com!

Online dating is very catalogue like.  Scroll through your "matches", wink, smile or wave at one of them and maybe they will do the same back.  Or you can message them asking questions based on their profile. You can choose to message many or just a few.  Message a bit via the website and then it usually moves to texting and then perhaps a date.

I am guilty, at times, of reciting the next dates name over and over before getting to the coffee shop or restaurant.  Not good if you call him the wrong name!  Ya there have been a few dates. 

Also there is the experience of dating someone and you go back on your dating website and you can see they are online too.  Still looking? I have learned to multi  task  in this area of my life too.

Obviously, none have "matured" into anything more then a month of dating.  I am currently frustrated and taking a break from the online dating world...but not done with dating!

My next profile pics?!?!

Tim W do you remember Grade 4?

So if you were to ask me my best year of elementary school I would choose Grade 4 at Georges Vanier in Kanata.

I, along with my best friend at the time, were the teacher's pet.  We got to stay in at recess and hangout in the classroom.

Our teacher was Mr Guerin, Steve Guerin.

My parents even had him over for dinner. My Mom made grasshopper pie.  It was a big deal.

What I remember about him was that he'd also been a nurse and a private detective.  He owned guns.  He might have  lived at home with his Mom and brother?  In my eyes he was a cool relaxed teacher that gave us freedom but still got what needed to be taught. Every gym class he'd play Abracadabra by the Steve Miller Band

Many years later this happened :

Member: Stephen Robert Guerin
Registration Number: 162134
Decision: Resignation and Cancellation
A panel of the Discipline Committee held a public hearing on October 20, 2003 into allegations of professional misconduct and incompetence against Stephen Robert Guerin, also known as Stephen Christopher Hart.
Guerin, 48, was certified to teach in 1979 and was employed by the Peterborough-Victoria-Northumberland and Newcastle Roman Catholic District School Board. Guerin chose not to attend the hearing nor to be represented by counsel.
Guerin faced 10 allegations of professional misconduct related to his criminal conviction on charges of weapons offences, possession of child pornography and the use of forged documents.
The panel heard evidence that Guerin used fraudulent qualifications in his application for a teacher's certificate, which was granted to him in the name of Stephen Christopher Hart, and that he also used forged documents in applying for employment as a teacher.
Guerin pleaded guilty in criminal court to charges of possession of child pornography, relating to possession of approximately 4,000 photographic images stored on his computer and sexually explicit movies involving children.
In March 2003 he pleaded guilty to criminal charges of using forged documents, carrying a concealed weapon, storing firearms in a careless manner and failing to report the loss of firearms. Guerin was sentenced to five months in jail, in addition to the eight-and-a-half months he had already been incarcerated, and three years probation.
The panel received an agreed statement of facts in which Guerin admitted to the allegations and pleaded guilty to professional misconduct. He agreed to surrender his Certificates of Qualification and Registration immediately. Guerin also agreed to never teach again in any public or private school in Ontario or elsewhere and to never seek reinstatement in the College.
The decision of the panel appears on the College's public register.

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I still hold on to my memories but definitely tainted.

Another SHOUT OUT!

This shout out goes to Speedy Auto Glass on Eagleson Rd.  Kanata , in particular Mark.

After my triathlon, my bike was hooked on the back and I am not sure what happened but my entire back window of my car shattered!

I mean into a million pieces!

We were leaving for our vacation Monday.  It was Saturday. Auto glass shops are NOT open Sunday...

Luckily with Google's help I was able to call a 1-800# that enabled me to make an appointment for when the Kanata location opened Monday morning.  And they managed to preorder the glass.  I told them I would take a clear replacement because I just wanted to get going Monday as quickly as possible.

Monday came and there was miscommunication between the actual location of Speedy Kanata and their call centre, wherever that maybe located.

Originally I was told to arrive at 8:00AM, glass will arrive at 9:30AM and the job should be done by 11:00AM.  Yeah! Then I could get on my way.

When I got there, Mark told me glass does not arrive until 10:30, my car won't be looked at until 11:00AM.  Mark understood the miscommunication with the call centre (been down that road before I assumed).  I told him we were trying to get our trip started.  We had plans to go see the Blue Jays on Canada Day (the next day).

Well a HUGE thank you to Mark.  He had my car done by 11:00AM!!!!

I am not sure how he did it but I am so thankful.  Then a bonus was that he said my after market tint was covered by insurance so I could come back and get that done too!, Mark was so friendly and personable with the kids.  His brother had played in the NHL so he and B bonded over that and about the baseball too.

My rear windshield wiper even got cracked and he taped and glued it as a temporary fix until I got a new one, which he offered to install.

Need your auto glass fixed, go to Speedy Kanata and see Mark!

Act 2

As I mentioned yesterday, I am a fan of the store Act2.  It is an upscale consignment store in Barrhaven (there is also a Kanata location).  I have brought clothing there to sell and the last time I did it was a 40-60 split.  You can bring in up to ten items and you must make an appointment to do so.  They look over your items right away and you have the choice to donate anything that doesn't sell or you can go back and pick it them up.

They sell many brand names and often have really good sales at the end of the season.

 Www.act2barrhaven.com