A beautiful day

Today turned out to be a beautiful if one was to take a look over Vancouver after noon and well onto dusk. The sun shone and I snapped digital pix along Clark. But today was beautiful in another way. It is almost as if my metabolism had somehow altered. I felt fresh and healthy. Wearing glasses really has altered my perception of life. It is almost as if I am somehow more complete. I have gained peripheral vision and two days ago when a friend gave me a ride to first avenue in her car I noticed that I could scan the street without having to turn my head.

I guess what I am really saying is that the last few days have given me boons which culminated in my sense of ease and happiness today. In addition to the glasses my dentist told me yesterday I need no treatment and just need to come in for a check up in March. I was so happy at that point I felt I could cry. Really. This may sound melodramatic but when I first visited the dentist here in Canada and they criticised my teeth and the dentistry in the UK I was catapulted into a state of extreme gloom.
What else? Well spent the last few evenings with NDP comrades phoning party members and renewing their memberships. A real sense of optimism and feel good gripped our group of volunteers. We are on our way, our way to saying goodbye to Gordon Campbell and his Liberal regime. Not even the fact that en route to last's night session I dropped a case of beer could dampen my spirits. I picked up the eco-friendly bag containing a pack of six Granville Island English Pale Ales only for the handles to slide through my fingers and crash to the concrete just as the bus arrived. The driver waited but I had to say I will get the next one. I was left picking out 3 of 6 good bottles and mopping up.

But the single most important factor putting a smile on my face today is that today was the day that I submitted my two weeks notice at work to quit. I had my draft letter written weeks ago and knew that this day was coming for weeks. So at tea time today I popped into the office and handed the boss the letter and told him exactly what it was too. He then surprised me by saying that you can make Friday your last day. Oh no!

Drat. This was not what I wanted. I told him that I would really rather work up until the 14th. He then said well you're 35 days are coming up and he didn't want me to pass that and told me without even looking up my details that I currently sit at 29 days (as of tomorrow). So first thoughts are; "hang on, was he planning to lay me off?" "Was he only intending to keep me up to a maximum of 34 days and then getting rid of me to avoid me gaining permanent status (35 days) and thereby avoiding the wrath of our union"? Not sure however that wrath and our union go into one sentence. Foolishly I said that it wasn't my intention to give he any grief on that issue and that if I could work as long as possible that would be really good for me and my budgeting and then said that next Friday would take me to 34. He agreed.
It buys me some time and the ability to negotiate further next week. If I lose out and lose that last week of work before my departure for England then so be it.

Going back to the cutting table I felt a little deflated but worked out the last half hour of the shift with brief words to the shop steward and a copy of note for him and also updated the department head of my plans.