Haven’t Been Around Much…Here’s to hoping for a CK Come Back

Before I begin this post, I know I haven’t been around for awhile and hadn’t posted much in the past year.  Too many events happened and I won’t go into everything, at least, not at this time, but I will elaborate on a few. Since Fall, two significant events occurred:

1) My partner lost his job after working nearly 25 years for the same company.  I wish I could go into more details about this, but I can’t.  When such a thing happens, one does not just consider the financial impact of this but what comes next, particularly when over 50 years of age? My partner is still working at that — he is returning to school this spring in the hopes of a necessary career change among other things.

He is also attending a program run by Emplois Quebec called La Passerelle, which is a job search and career transition program for workers over the age of 40.  I don’t usually plug other business’s or organization’s web sites, but I will make an exception this time, in the event any mature worker from the Montreal area reading this would need their services.  Just click the link if this applies to you.

I wrote a post awhile back, just after the French language televised debate during the 2011 federal election campaign about one Muguette Paille, the woman of the hour of the French language debate,  and a friend, another older worker who faced many challenges in his own rite.  I would invite you to read it if you haven’t and/or revisit if you already have. I intend to revisit the subject of older workers suddenly finding themselves out of work.

2) After a lengthy illness, my father passed on the week-end between Christmas and New Year’s.  A retired high school teacher who was a legend in his field and positively impacted the lives of thousands of high school students from all walks of life and academic skill sets.

A union man as a regional union rep for the Montreal Teachers’ Association in the 1980s.  I had my early education about unions and management from him at a young age. Recently, I was elected as recording secretary for my union local at work.  I would hope to somehow follow in his footsteps in this regard. We’ll just wait and see, boys n girls.

With a passion for history, he was a go to man for all things American Civil war or the Middle-East and many other historical events and political systems.

Politics was a subject he loved to debate. It was fun watching him tear apart right wingnutz. I remember hearing about a moment where he and my mother ceremoniously threw one particular right wing nut (known as Rod the rat) out of their home. I wish I was there to have seen that.  Perhaps that is where I got my taste for political blogging or tweeting jabs at many others on social media outlets like Twitter.

3) Illness over the past year. Migraines and very recently, pneumonia; again. Second time since fall of 2010.

A lot of stress. I am glad 2013 is gone but 2014 has had a rocky start for me.  I hope things finally stabilize. I would like to spend more time blogging.  I can’t promise that I will, but I will make more of an effort this year.  The political climate is just too depressing and frightening these days and despair sets in.  Lord knows there is enough to write about these days though.

In general with the journalists and opinion writers and bloggers I read, I would like to see less content written about the likes of Miley Cyrus and Justin Bieber and more about items perhaps not as sexy but very important that all should be aware like how we’re being spied upon and discussing how we, as a society, could and/or should do about it? Or how about our democracy and all things Canadians being sold piece by piece to the Chinese and other foreign interests?

I would like to see more critical thinking instead of just swallowing the kool-aid that is being served up by Harpercons and their media cheerleaders. Stories like blaming Robocop Fantino’s recent disgusting behaviour with our veterans on unions. The general attitude seems to be that old conservative stand-by, blame the unions! In this case, Public Service Alliance of Canada.

I know, I’m probably dreaming in Technicolour.

For now, I just wanted to touch base with my readers.