Category: Feel Good Story

What’s Next?

I started this blog quite some time ago. It’s been a few years now and I’ve accumulated well over 1,300 posts and built up over 500 followers, which in the social media world means nothing but for the guy who started a small private blog, it’s pretty significant. I started writing here for a number of reasons. One of the main reasons is because during my law enforcement career, I was sent home for a time and found myself with idle hands. Sitting idle, even for a short period of time is a bad thing for a police officer, since all of our skills are kept skills and need to be maintained. Enter: this blog.

Since I was no longer writing reports, briefing notes and memos on a daily basis, I wanted to do something that would allow me to maintain and develop my writing skills. Also, I found myself in a bit of a unique position where I had decades of experience in martial arts, Buddhist study and Type-1 Diabetes and felt it would be a good thing to share that knowledge, in whatever way that I could. To be honest, I have absolutely no idea if that information is getting to anyone or serving any purpose but I like to think that someone is making use of it.

Because it’s important to have goals and because anyone who knows me will admit that I’m stubborn, I started to make a game out of certain aspects of my blog. First, I wanted to see if I could post for a full year straight without missing a day. This actually wasn’t as hard as it sounds, from a content perspective; I appeared to have plenty to post about and only occasionally found myself lacking for ideas, which I overcame thanks to ideas from my wife and some very good and important friends. The hard part was finding the time to write between work, kids and other responsibilities. I actually got into the high 300’s, nearing the end of my year and suddenly missed a day and had to start from scratch.

But once I reached a full year’s worth of posts, I found myself asking what my next goal should be. I was happy writing and that aspect wasn’t a problem but I had enjoyed the challenge of reaching that year mark. Ultimately, I decided to try for 1,000 posts in a row without missing a day. Guess what, readers… Yesterday’s post was my 1,000th post. I have officially posted for one-freaking-thousand days in a row. I could have written about this yesterday, on the ACTUAL day of 1,000 but I wouldn’t have been able to screenshot the notice that proves it. And I like me some proof…

So this raises an important question now: What’s next? Certainly, I have no interest in stopping. But my reasons for writing and posting on a personal blog site have changed from they were three years ago. I think I still have some knowledge to share and experiences to write about. But given the current rigours of life and the responsibilities I carry, perhaps it’s time for me to take a step back and write LESS. Maybe I need to spend a bit more time on my YouTube channel, instead. Or maybe, just maybe, I need to finally sit down and start writing my book. Some food for my own thoughts… ☯️

Testing One’s Medal…

I think I’ve gone overboard… A couple of years ago, I signed up for an app called the Conqueror Challenges. In short, you pay a marathon entry fee, which is pretty standard when you enter a marathon, and you perform a “virtual marathon,” completed a certain amount of distance in a certain amount NPF time. It’s a neat concept and the money you pay goes to planting trees or cleaning up plastic on the oceans. All in all, it’s pretty neat as a concept.

I started seeing advertisements for this thing on facebook and as I am with all things, I was a bit sceptical. After all, we now live in a world where almost EVERY advertisement for a downloadable game fails to accurately reflect what the actualmy is. For that reason, I sought out the guidance of others. I had a Facebook contact who often shared their link, so I asked him if he’d participated and/or ever received any medals. He said that he hadn’t participated himself but that one of his coworkers had, and he had physically seen the medals.

Alright, I was reasonably certain this wasn’t a scam and could be something worth trying. Considering the total cost was under $40 Canadian, I was willing to risk the loss if it fell through. Considering I’m not a big fan of large crowds and mass public gatherings at the best of times, this suited me perfectly. I downloaded the app and signed up for my first challenge. If memory serves me correctly, it was a “Marathon to Athens” and was 42.2 kilometres in distance and was to be completed over 3 weeks.

The collection… a few are missing, sitting at home.

The beauty part about these challenges is that you get to set your own pace, set your own timeline and you can include any of your fitness workouts that involve distance. Cycling, running, elliptical, even swimming! When I started doing these, I focused primarily on cycling but I started incorporating my walks, as well. Since I was measuring on a daily basis, it became an interesting challenge to see how far I actually walked in the course of a day. On average, I was putting in about 6 to 8 kilometres of walking, just around the office and going on breaks. That didn’t even include going to the grocery store or running errands after work!

When the summer ended this year, I decided to back it off a notch. At about $40 a piece, there’s a whole lotta money sitting on that wall. Plus, my summer was somewhat tame in terms of how much I cycled, compared to last year. That’s why I opened by saying I think I’ve overdone it a bit. But the medals are definitely gorgeous and if you’re looking for something to spice up your fitness routine, this will definitely do it. I don’t have any link to share but if you Google “Conqueror Challenge,” you’ll find it. If you’re an iPhone user, the app is also available through the App Store. ☯️

Across The Finish Line…

November 1st marks the end of “Movember” and my fund-raising efforts have come to an end. Movember was a bit difficult this year, as the team I participated with last year was less motivated this year. This might have resulted from the fact that last year, the team approached me to set it up. This year, I kind of just assumed we were doing it again and threw it at everyone. Not the best way to approach fund-raising but most of them were good enough to donate, although not everyone participated.

Before…

Charitable fund-raising is one of those odd creatures that hold a strange place within modern society. Although the motivation and reasons behind fund-raising are usually noble and altruistic, people will be hesitant to participate and/or donate, especially in light of rising costs on just about everything. It can be difficult for some, as they tend to take it personally when someone they’ve approached doesn’t donate. I was somewhat guilty of this, myself. Although a good number of friends, associates and coworkers provided donations throughout the month, I felt that unnecessary little pang of frustration when some would decline. I needed to learn to let that shit go, which led to a learning lesson as a positive.

After…

Ultimately, we managed to scrape across the finish line and achieved our $500 goal, thanks to some last-minute donations from an associate of mine as well as well as my loving wife. Although last year saw me raise more money, it was no easy task so I should have recognized that it would be a bit more difficult this year, given the current state of the world. But we made it.

I like to do my part. Even when i was younger, I would find a way to donate a couple of hundred dollars to charities or foundations that focused on Diabetes. Given that members of my family have suffered from prostate cancer, Movember landed on my radar doing my time with the Force and I’ve been doing it ever since. It’s good to contribute and help out where we can. But I think that in the years to come, I may make my donation as an individual and leave the team-building to others… ☯️

How Did We Get Here???

There are a few certainties in life. The sun will always rise in the East and set in the West. Things will always get better before they get worse and last but certainly not least, life always finds a way (Thanks, Jeff Goldblum!). Although life rarely cares about one’s plans, it throws a little ray of sunshine once in a while. My particular ray of sunshine came eight years ago when what I had previously thought to be impossible happened; I fathered a child. As a Type-1 Diabetic, there was statistically a one in three chance that I would be completely sterile as a result of Diabetic complications. Imagine our surprise when my wife and I discovered we were pregnant.

All things considered, I had my first sone a few years later than I would have otherwise chosen. A bit on the older side, sometimes keeping up with my kids can be a bit daunting. But the miracle of having had them overshadows all of that. The photo above shows Nathan and I, watching our first movie together only days after his birth. I couldn’t possibly imagine the future that this little lump of my DNA would bring. And here we are, eight years later, and that future path is still laying itself out before me.

It’s amazing how big he’s gotten and how far he’s come. And yes, that’s a significant amount of grey in my beard; I’m well aware. Nathan’s birthday was last Saturday. as is our typical tradition on that day, we had a “yes-day,” where we allowed him to choose his own cake, pick his own activities for the day and what we would be eating for dinner that night. Of all things, he chose a Christmas-themed cake for his birthday. His grandmother came to our house for the weekend, which was a fun addition. We started our day by sleeping in a bit, followed by breakfast hash and maple bacon.

Nathan opted for a couple of hours at an indoor trampoline gym called Get Air, which was closed due to occupancy issues. So, I took him to Klimerz, an indoor play structure that he usually loves. Not only did he play there for a couple of hours (before unfortunately having a little “boy accident”), he also made a connection with a young girl his own age. It was cute, watching him hold hands and run around the play structure with this young girl. It showed me that no matter what I do, the passage of time is yet another certainty in life. There’s nothing stopping him from growing up.

When we left Klimerz, I brought him home to tidy up and then we went to McDonald’s fr a light lunch and some playtime in their indoor play structure. Supper was chicken caesar pizza with stuffed crust, which is his favourite. After some pizza combined with some cake imbued with an over-abundance of red dye, he surrendered to the basement to play with the new gifts he had received as a result of his aging one more year. All in all, it was a good day to be an eight year old.

If someone had told me I would be a father, ten years ago, I likely would have laughed in their face. And yet, here we are… I have an eight year old son. I also have a three year old toddler but his journey is a different story. Sometimes life throws us on a path that we never would have expected. It certainly did, when it introduced this little bastard into my life. He adds excitement. That much is a guarantee. He had a great birthday, despite everything happening in the world. It’s important to forge our own path. Food for thought… ☯️

Weekend Wackiness

As I’ve often written about, we typically use the weekends to bring the boys somewhere fun to entertain them. This usually involves indoor play structures, jungle gyms and play places. I’ve taken to writing about these outings because it provides some balance and contrast to many of the posts I write about the negative effects and pitfalls of Diabetes. Watching my children play is effectively how I live vicariously. When I consider that most of my childhood involved being in hospitals for either myself or my brother, suffering through comas and complications, knowing that my boys don’t hav to deal with all that shit makes me feel a little bit better.

The downside to these outings is that although small children understanding “playing,” they don’t necessarily understand the cost that’s associated with all of these little outings. Last weekend, we brought the boys to a place called “Get Air,” which is an indoor trampoline gym. It has the potential to be loads of fun for a kid, so long as you can afford the special socks required and don’t mind paying about half a tank of gas worth in entry fees. But fuck me sideways, we paid for it. Nathan is at an age now where he can socialize and play with other kids without much concern. Alexander is a bit more of a problem…

Although three years’ old now, he still functions on the premise that once something catches his attention, it becomes the centre of his focus and won’t do anything else; no matter how much daddy paid for him to be DOING that something else. We paid for an hour of jumping time, only to have him focus on all of the fuckin’ dollar rides that we had no change for. Lovely. He got pretty pissy when we kept trying to steer him towards the trampolines, although he did mingle for the last ten minutes until we had to go. Then he got REALLY pissy. At least when I told Nathan we had to go, he didn’t object much. Especially since the plan was to take them to McDonald’s for lunch and further playing in their play structure.

Once at McDonald’s we managed to get some food into both kids before they disappeared into the play structure. Things reached a head when Alexander couldn’t make his way back down from the structure and my wife had to climb up there to get him. I could have climbed up but there’s a very real chance I’d get wedged in there somewhere. I don’t need the embarrassment of the fire department coming into cut me out. I mean, it would make for a great story and I’m not saying I’m fat or anything, just bulky.

Our afternoon closed out by going home and putting Alexander down for a nap. My wife and I decided on napping as well because, well… life, you know? Nathan doesn’t nap anymore and hasn’t in the past couple of years. I set hm up with some things to do and he decided to stay at the kitchen table while everyone else enjoyed family nap time. I awoke about twenty minutes in from low blood sugars. I corrected and was awoken another half hour later when Nathan wouldn’t stop humming and singing out loud. I swear, that kid likes to do everything he can to exhaust me to the point where I usually get more rest on Monday morning when I go back to work. ☯️

BrightBurn: A Review (Significant Spoilers)

in case it wasn’t obvious from the multitude of references I’ve made over recent years in all my posts, I’m a bit of a comic book nerd. Having started my collection in the early 80’s and never really stopped. I’m a child of what was referred to as the Bronze Age of comics, and was carried well into the “Dark Age” of comics before I stopped purchasing monthly editions. When I reached adulthood, I started purchasing collected works of certain titles, better known as graphic novels. Although not traditional comic books, graphic novels have allowed me to reminisce and read some of the storylines I lived through.

The Death of Superman storyline is a solid example. Green Lantern’s Emerald Dawn/Twilight and the Flash’s “Terminal Velocity” and “Dead Heat” are among my favourite storylines. Since the entire point of comic books is to read and escape to a reality where people can do amazing things, I’ve always been a fan of original and unique comic book series, as well as the visual media that’s all the rage these days. For example (and it may not be a popular opinion among my comic peers), I rather enjoyed the changes brought about by the New 52 take on the DC universe. Movies and television have only gotten progressively better, although you’ll never convince me that anyone is a better Superman than Christopher Reeve.

With some of that originality comes some ideas that step away from the norm, and they can often be quite interesting. This is where I landed on a movie called BrightBurn. Released in 2019, this is a movie classified as a “superhero horror film” and features a couple unable to bear a child who finds an infant in a crashed ship on their property. The couple raise the infant as their own, knowing that someday the ship that carried him may be revealed and they’ll have some serious questions to answer. As the boy gets older, he begins to exhibit certain abilities including invulnerability, heat vision and flight. Sound familiar? It should; that’s basically the origin story for Superman.

The difference in this instance however, is that BrightBurn (or Brandon, as he’s named in the movie) begins to respond to calls from the ship and becomes darker and more sinister as the movie plays out. After a brief and awkward chat with his father about the birds and the bees, he begins to stalk and watch one of the girls from his class, going as far as killing her mother when he’s told to stay away. When one of his aunts opposes him, he kills her husband and makes it look like an accident. His parents realized far too late that their adopted child is turning evil and get killed themselves. The movie doesn’t end well, with the child carrying on as he sees fit, wreaking chaos and killing at will.

Picture Superman growing up as the worst possible version of himself. Some graphic novels have taken liberties with what may have happened if Superman had landed anywhere other than a Kansas field to be found by the Kents. Elseworlds Comics has done a pretty good job of this. Superman: Red Son examined the possibility of Superman landing in Soviet era Russia. Superman: True Brit examines if he would have landed in England as opposed to Kansas. But none has quite examined this level of destructive evil in one possessing powers similar to Superman’s.

Picture a child with all of Superman’s powers, completely unhinged and willing to kill anyone who opposes him or questions his will. That nightmarish in the best of circumstances and this movie examines that exact premise. Between burning a hole through his father’s skull with his heat vision and dropping his mother from 30,000 feet before intentionally downing a full passenger plane, the thought of what this child will be capable of as he gets older and takes full stock of his powers is the stuff of nightmares, and they put it in a movie.

The film was widely received as a failure, with the potential for BrightBurn’s universe to be expanded upon before scoring quite low with critics and audiences alike. I don’t get it, because I thought it was creepy as hell and an interesting and refreshing take on the superhero genre that shows that power doesn’t always land at the feet of those who will do good with it. It’s a decent watch, if you’re looking for something with a bit of creepiness mixed with super powers. I thought it was good and I would certainly watch it again. ☯️

If You Can’t Block The Noise, Cancel It…

I’ve often written about how hard it can be to find moments of silence within one’s day to meditate or even just to let one’s head cool after a long day’s work. This is especially true if one has a family with small children who want your attention once you finally walk through the door. That’s where noise-cancelling headphones come in. Just to be clear, I don’t mean earbuds. Earbuds have got to be the stupidest damn thing I’ve ever used. At least headphones from the 80’s and 90’s would muffle some noise but earbuds don’t do much (at least for me) other than get jammed inio one’s ears and push earwax further. But I digress…

On my last birthday (which was September 11th, thanks for remembering), I decided to do the responsible thing and look for something that could count towards a birthday gift from my family that I could use for work, at home and for fitness. I landed on wireless headphones made by JBL, their Live model 660NC. I didn’t land on these easily. In fact, I looked up a number of different headphones from a number of different locations in order to land on a set that I felt would provide me with what I needed. After travelling the city and searching online, I landed on JBL, which ironically, is the same brand of Bluetooth speaker I’ve been dragging around with me for years.

I finally landed on purchasing from a local retail outlet and found the set I wanted. I was lucky enough to find them on special. According to BestBuy’s website, “Featuring adaptive noise cancelling technology, they avoid the interference of unwanted ambient noise to deliver loud and clear audio. Easily customize the settings and features of the headphones in the My JBL Headphones app.” Although a bit pricey (I paid a couple of hundred for mine), they would prove to be a life saver in terms of daily life and bring some much-needed peace in a chaotic and noisy world.

When purchasing this product, you get a USB-C charging cable for easy recharging, an audio cable for those devices you can’t connect through Bluetooth, and a nifty carrying case. The cushioned ear pads fit comfortably over the ears and block out all ambient noise, with multiple settings available through the JBL app, which I also downloaded and seems to work great. I use the headphones at work when trying to concentrate, I use them for workouts (some routines require some alcohol-based cleaning afterwards) and I even use them when doing dishes or chores around the house to block out noise and allow my head to cool.

Sometimes I listen to green or pink noise to allow my head to cool. Sometimes I listen to music or even binge-watch my favourite shows on my favourite streaming service. The benefit of having wireless headphones is I can wander and get things done without worrying that the cord will pull my phone or device off whatever surface it’s laying on. It’s definitely a good alternative for those who live in an environment where blocking out the noise is necessary or needed. Although the JBL LIVE660NC works well for me, the important thing is to find a set that fit well over YOUR ears and provide the benefits and features that you want. ☯️

Movember Update

Alright folks, here we are! The middle of November. On October 30th, I posted that once again this year, my team and I would be raising money for Movember, which is a registered charity aimed at men’s health, prostate and testicular cancer as well as suicide prevention. I know some folks find it odd that I would be lobbying for such a charity, especially since I have Type-1 Diabetes AND November is generally considered Diabetes Awareness Month. But the truth is, I raise awareness for Diabetes all year round with my writing and through discussed education with others. No, the month of November is when I can take four weeks ot attack something else that’s near and dear to me.

Decades ago, my grandfather was diagnosed with prostate cancer. It was long enough ago that I didn’t fully understand the situation. Hell, I had no clue what a prostate was, let alone the fact that I had one. When Movember came out, I decided right away to start participating. The best thing is that I was always part of a team that gathered together to raise funds as a group, which always made things easier. For the pst two years, I’ve gone it alone along with a few people at my work. Although we tend to donate ourselves in order to participate in moustache growth, we depend on outside donations in order to reach our very modest goals.

All we’re trying to raise is $500 and let’s be honest; you guys don’t come on my blog to be solicited for donations. But you should also recognize that I’m not typically one to solicit as a general rule. But this is a great cause and despite the fact that we’re only halfway through the month, we’re also only at about halfway of our total goal of $500. I know times are tough and everyone has their hand out, these days. But honestly, any little bit will help. Hell, if you can only donate $5 or even $1, it all goes towards the ultimate goal. This is where I ask for some help…

Please visit the Movember website. Once there, you’ll find a button at the top right corner that says “Donate.” Click on it and select “Find a Person or Team” and type in my name (Shawn Cook). There, you can donate anonymously or put your name and information in, should you need a tax receipt. It couldn’t be simpler. Prostate cancer is reasonably avoidable, provided men get themselves examined and checked on a regular basis and take the steps for self-care. I know this post will go to my Facebook as well and given the number of friends and followers I have, my hope and expectation is that at least some of you will step up to the plate. Help me help others… ☯️

Ms. Marvel: A Review (Spoilers)

During my youth and even now, I’ve been an avid reader of comic books. Often seen as a touch childish by many, it’s a guilty pleasure that allows a person to escape into the wonder of possibility and answer the question of “what if,” as it relates to superhuman and their powers. I was always partial to the Infinity Gauntlet storyline, which unlike the watered-down MCU film adaption called Infinity War (Which was the second Infinity Gauntlet book, BTW) was a rich storyline loaded with hundreds upon hundreds of characters and sub-plots.

The MCU has done a fantastic job of bringing the comic books to life, starting with 2008’s Iron Man. Although there have been a number of movies and shows based on Marvel Comics in the decades before (Hulk and Spider-man being two of my favourites), the MCU brought comic book heroes into the modern age and rejuvenated the industry. Now that the primary storyline has reached its zenith, the MCU has released a batch of series on streaming services; some good, some bad. One of those is a rather short series based on Ms. Marvel. Let’s discuss…

Contrary to what most non-comic book readers would think, there have been several iterations of Ms. Marvel in the comic books, started all the way back in the late 1970’s. The first to bear the name was actually Carol Danvers, or who MCU followers know as Captain Marvel, from the 2019 MCU film. The current Ms. Marvel, Kamala Khan, is the fourth to take up the name and is the subject of today’s post. Released on Disney+ just this past summer, Ms. Marvel is a short-lived series with only six episodes in its first season.

Although entertaining, the concept of how Kamala gets her powers is a bit convoluted and muddies the flow of the story a bit. She inherits a Bangalore from her grandmother that was left for her by her great-grandmother. After putting it one, it begins to emit a glow and Kamala is exposed to an unknown energy that appears to give her superpowers. These powers fully surface during an incident at a comic-con where Kamala went dressed as Captain Marvel and saves a fellow peer’s life.

From there, the story goes on to see Kamala and her family returns o their home country, examine her origins and discover that she is actually a descendent of the djinn (yes, THOSE ones), which is why the bangal only works for her. Some time travel and family history gets mixed in, there, before Kamala returns to the US where she fights her enemies and tries to save a fellow peer with similar powers from being captured by the government. The season ends after only six episodes with Kamala running off into the night, powers aglow.

The build-up was significantly slow and I feel that there would be plenty of room for character growth, perhaps some deeper delve into how her energy powers actually work. On the one hand, it was a campy, entertaining few episodes that gave me something to watch while I do dishes at night. On the other hand, the story was too short, with only six episodes and no clear indication whether the show will continue or be cancelled.

To have it cancelled would be a shame, considering the character potential and further storylines that could be explored. And I’m a little disappointed at only six episodes. I mean, seriously, they could have maybe had Kamala square off against two enemies in season one, instead of just the one. This could have stretched it out to an even dozen episodes. But what do I know? I’m just a grizzled old comic book reader. Watch Ms. Marvel at your leisure. Although short and sweet, it has the potential to be entertaining. ☯️

Lucky 13…

13 years ago, I was sworn in as a member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. I received my badge and swore my oaths before being stationed here in Saskatchewan to protect the people of Canada. It was a gruelling 26 weeks of intense training, including being up before dawn, training and studying until midnight or later and doing it all over again. I walked onto the academy grounds at about 185 pounds and graduated at 165 pounds. It was intense and I acknowledge that not everyone makes it through. I have to admit that there were times where even I thought I wouldn’t make it, and we all know how stubborn and tenacious I am. But I digress…

One of the things that helped make it bearable, is my pit-partner. I remember arriving at Depot late on a Sunday evening. beds within the dorm were already assigned to us by name and I found my pit right away. Some scrawny, shy-looking dude was sitting in the pit next to mine. I’m ashamed to admit that I don’t remember his name. Long story short, he mustered out within the first week. I’m, not sure why he left, I just know that he wasn’t terminated. Light knows we were too early in the program for anyone to get terminated. The following week, I was greeted by my new pit partner who would go on to have a significant impact on the next six months and my success in the program: Blair “Mambo” Mombourquette.

Blair was the right combination of pit partner; equal parts sarcasm, comedy and strength of will. We quickly became friends and started enjoying every weekend hanging out together off base, as well. I even got to meet some of his family who lived in the Regina area, which would come to impact my life in a significant way as well. All in all, Blair made the basic training experience enjoyable and I often feel I may not have made it through, had I been paired up with anyone else. As is the RCMP way, we parted ways once we graduated. I got posted to Saskatchewan and he went on to be posted in Manitoba and subsequently, Nova Scotia.

Although I managed to visit him once at his initial posting as I travelled from New Brunswick to Saskatchewan, all these years have passed without us ever seeing each other. That is, until last Sunday. Blair flew out to British Columbia so that he and his son could drive across the country, back to Nova Scotia. They stopped in Regina with intentions to stay the night, last Sunday. I picked them up and we grabbed dinner at a local restaurant, shared a few drinks and reminisced about the “good ol’ days.” There are few precious opportunities for such things in life, so it was good to remember some of the good times, the training and the fond memories.

It was nice to look back and share some time with someone who was there. Out of all of my troop, there are really only a few that I got close to and that I believe would understand everything I’ve been through. Blair is one of those people. I have some photos of us, buried somewhere in my old barrack boxes. A good blogger would probably dig them up and include them here. Honestly, I think I’m just going to enjoy the new memories, mixing with the old. Sometimes, the good memories are all we truly have that makes us rich in this life. Food for thought… ☯️