Soup aside, it's good to be back

I've been a bad blogger. The need for a little R 'n' R took me away from my computer and the desk it calls home but now I'm back, refreshed albeit a few bricks shy of a complete rest.
Helping the transition back to the world of the working was Community Care Peterborough, two volunteers of which dropped by the office bearing the gift of a hot turkey lunch, which I greedily devoured. With Oct. 22 being Community Care Day, that organization worked throughout the day getting the word out about its services, including its Meals On Wheels program.
I rarely make time for lunch, so it was a grand treat, for both myself and a co-worker. You see, I don't do soup. Never have. So she slurped and I carved my way through mounds of turkey, all the while well reminded of how vital a life line Community Care is for thousands across Peterborough city and county, even those who like soup.

The thing I find hardest to do

What's the hardest thing you've ever done, be it a one-time endeavour or a trial over a period of time?
Maybe you ran a marathon event. Maybe you returned to school for that elusive degree. Or maybe, just maybe, you're a lifelong fan of the Toronto Maple Leafs like myself. That has been my struggle; my mountain to climb, my ocean to swim.
Continued loyalty to such a consistently inept organization has been, and is, the biggest challenge. It's a family curse, really. One which took root in early 1960s when I awoke one snowy morning to find a Maple Leafs sweater under the Christmas tree. It was number 10 and a little smaller than the jersey then worn by George Armstrong.
A family curse that firmly took root over the course of the following years and countless Saturday nights in front of the television set, the Hockey Night In Canada theme filling every nook and cranny of our small living room. In 1967, I sat on Dad's shoulders as the wonderful Maple Leafs team of that year paraded the Stanley Cup on Bay Street. Who knew then it would be 40 years and counting before that scene would be repeated?
I used to wish to see another NHL championship for my Leafs in my lifetime. Then I wished my children -- Leaf fans all -- would see one. I am loyal but I'm a realist. Now I pray my future grandchildren experience the thrill a nine-year-old experienced so many years ago. Is that asking too much? It would seem. Sigh.

Up sell this!

Never have I felt sorrier for those working retail than I did Monday. Not because of their wages, which are typically much too low for what they put up with. Not because of their working conditions, which are often abysmal at best. Just two words (or one depending on your dictionary) -- up sell.
The pressure placed on front-line retail workers to sell everything you don't need is huge, more often than not resulting in customer anger and frustration. A case in point was my visit to a chain oil-change garage.
I brought my '88 Chev Cavalier in for an oil change and new filter. Alas, something was lost in the translation as my car's need was determined to be nothing short of a complete engine overhaul. Now I know this car. More than that, I know its recent previous owner, Dad, looked after it religiously. With that knowledge, I invited, practically demanded, a full check of all the fluids and belts and drives and other car stuff. The team of "surgeons" came away amazed -- this 20-year-old patient was in tip-top shape. When they suggested an engine flush just to be on the safe side, I relented. Why? Not because my car needed one. Rather I could picture this poor guy and his crew getting reamed by head office because Paul Rellinger only spent $30 when there was so much more out there for him.
I hope the $67 and change I did spend keeps them all employed. But I'll never know. I won't ever see them again.