A Year Without Liberty

When I first met Julie almost four years ago she was still living in her home town of Hinsdale, Mass. Back in the day our topics of conversation were sometimes based on her activities during the weekends, which mostly included trips down to Connecticut to visit friends and relatives. Connecticut was her second home and she enjoyed her time here quite a bit. She would often find herself wishing she lived down here because she was ready for a change of scenery and to be honest, I think she was getting a bad case of the "big fish small pond" syndrome.

One of the family's closest friends was a retired gentleman by the name of Dave Liberty. Dave was in his early 70's and lived by himself in a three story house, having never been married or having any kids. Apparently his house was the one he was born and raised in and when the chance to buy it back came later on in life he jumped all over the opportunity. He was constantly rebuilding that house or one of it's three garages, the man was a workaholic.

If ever there was a single way to describe Dave I'm pretty sure it would be damn near unanimous to say he had a heart of gold. He spent most of his waking hours finding ways to help others, or just visiting to check up and see how people were doing. Whenever Julie and her friends and family would come down for the weekend they'd almost always end up at Dave's house. He'd set up hospitality to as many that would show up and insist that you come back to visit soon.

When I first started coming down from Canada to visit Julie she had already made her move to Connecticut. Julie had mentioned her thoughts of moving south to one day to Dave, and he ended up building a brand new apartment for her on the top floor of his house and allowed her to move her home based business into the basement. You should have seen what he did to the upstairs to make sure it was ready for Julie. A large bathroom with huge counter top that featured two sinks. A brand new kitchen with all new appliances and an air conditioning unit and well, the list goes on and on. I can't remember where I heard this from but it was rumored that he spent well into the five figures to renovate the place.

Dave went out of his way to make me feel welcome and on days when Julie had to work, he had our day all planned out the night before :) I mentioned to him that I was in the woodworking industry and he took me to a few cabinet making businesses and introduced me to a few guys for future job references. He also took me on tours of the local area and explained a great deal of the history and what it was like to grow up in the area. I still remember us driving around and him constantly checking the time and saying, "It's almost noon, I guess we should head back to the house so you can have lunch with Julie". Dave realized that I wasn't down to visit for very long and wanted to make sure Julie and I had as much time to spend together as possible. I would normally suggest that him and I go out for lunch instead, which he seemed to enjoy. We would always end up at his favorite restaurant called Cassilles so he could go flirt with all the waitresses...lol. Dave used to do small repairs around the restaurant and in exchange the people working there would give him free meals, but Dave normally left the cost of the meal as a tip anyway. I remember Dave telling me that on certain days of the week he'd go to the restaurant late at night as they were closing to act like security and help them lock up for the night. He didn't like the idea of three or four ladies closing up by themselves so like clockwork, he was there whenever they closed.

Dave told me one summer day while we were driving around that he respected the way I treat Julie and that I was more than welcome to move in with her once we figured out all the immigration stuff. He suggested we stay with him so we could save up for our own place a lot sooner.

I'm sure that Julie living with Dave put the minds of Julie's family at ease as well. They knew damn well she was in good hands and in fact, Dave would call home to Hinsdale every now and then to let them know she was doing OK.

For the Christmas of 2002 Julie decided to come spend the holidays with me and my family up in Vancouver. We were very excited at the opportunity for her to finally meet my side of the family. Since Julie is uneasy with flying, especially since 9-11, she decided to take a train out west. It was a three day trip and it cost a bit more but in the end, it was a very exciting experience and most important, she felt safe. A couple days before Julie left to come see me, her and I were on the phone talking when Dave entered the office. Dave got on the phone with me to wish me a Merry Christmas and told me he was really looking forward to seeing me again. I had planned on going back with Julie and spending all of January with her in Connecticut and Dave was excited that I'd have a month to kill. He told me he had a couple small trips planned out for us and some things for us to do once Julie had to go back to work again. I laughed and wished him a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year and told him I was looking forward to seeing him again as well.

Julie made it out to Vancouver just fine and we were very busy doing some last minute shopping. I remember us just sitting in my room on Christmas Eve when we got the call from back home. Apparently Dave was supposed to pick up his good friends' kids after school and he never showed up. Dave's long time friend went to the house to check on him and discovered that he had passed away.

Julie and I were shocked, and devastated. The thought of him dying alone in the house was very sad. Julie started to debate whether or not to come home early so she could attend his funeral but after a day or so it was decided for us to just stick with our original plans.

I worried about Julie quite a bit, even before this tragedy happened. I remember thinking that Dave is not in the best of health and one day Julie might find him passed away by herself. I thought about what she would be going through after witnessing that and you know.... not to sound disrespectful in anyway, I'm really glad that Julie wasn't the one to have to find him. But now I had a new worry on my hands, how was she going to live in that house by herself once I head back to Vancouver and how long could she stay living there now that the ownership is in different hands?

It was so damn hard talking with her over the phone in the months past February knowing there was nothing I could do to help from 3000 miles away, especially when all she really wanted was for me to be there.

But Julie is a survivor. She managed to live through a difficult time and continues to live with a "it will only make you stronger" type of attitude.

We both miss Dave very much, as I'm sure anybody who ever was lucky enough to meet him does as well. He was definitely one of a kind and his gentle soul will never be forgotten. I just wish I had more time to get to know him and to spend more time with him. As with all good people who pass away, he left us too soon.

I heard a quote once before, I'm not sure where from but it definitely reminds me of someone like Dave Liberty when it crosses my mind every now and then.

"He never hurt us, until he left us"

God Bless you Dave, I can't believe you've been gone for a year already. You may be gone in person, but you'll never be forgotten in our hearts.

Thanks for everything.

My Plans For A Militia Crushed By Four Little Words

I was reading the weekend newspaper about a week ago and going through all the fliers inside. I came across the Wal-Mart flier and in the sporting goods section they had a BB Gun on sale. Now, this BB Gun was actually a three foot long rifle with telescopic scope that is accurate up to 100+ yards. It also comes with a carrying case and bottle of 1000 rounds to fire. All this for only $39.95!!

Oh man the juices started running wild now. I kept thinking that for only forty bucks I could train homeless people and streetkids to think my way and set up our own little town. We could call it "Dunnsville" or something cool like that. No, no, no, no..... how about we create our own "HockeyTown"!!. All the streets would be named after my favorite players and all the buildings would be named after arenas that the NHL plays in now.

"Excuse me, do you know where the post office is?"

"Sure, just go down Bertuzzi Avenue and turn left onto Yzerman Way. Once you reach Gretzky Lane turn right and go until you see The Boston Gardens"

Kewl. :)

But as usual with all my plans for eventual world domination, I hit a snag before I can even start. The fine print at the bottom of the ad in the Wal-Mart flier crushed all my motivation.

Underneath the rifle said, "Limit 4 per customer"

Dammit.

I Got Some Time Off For The Holidays!!

Apparently I can have as much time as I want! In other words I lost my job :)

Oh well it wasn't meant to be. I was really frustrated at first because I was being lied too and other shit was happening but in reality, Julie and I had planned on me looking elsewhere in late January or early Feb anyway.

I think what bothered me was the fact they let me go before I could quit. But deep down, I think what bothers me the most is that I know I could make some serious changes in there to make the company run better but they refused to listen... or even try. But I guess that a company that has been running since 1979 doesn't need advice on how to do things.

The work I was doing was fun. A lot of hands on stuff and new techniques I was learning... and when I say "learn new techniques" what I really mean is that I was learning how people used to do things by hand before the invention of machines that I am used to running back home at Corporate Images. An example being that back home we had a 75 foot-ish long monster of a machine that took five guys to run that we used to apply laminate to our boards. We would attach a 500 or 600 pound roll of laminate on top of the machine and then load full lifts of 40 to 50 sheets of wood into the front. Once the machine was up and running we'd be laminating a full lift of wood every 15 to 20 minutes and the forklift driver had to be quick enough to load the front of the machine as well as unload the back of the machine so everything would keep running smoothly. Well here at my new job I used to have to load single sheets of 4 by 8 plywood on to a set of saw horses.... I could do a maximum of three sheets at a time. Then I'd grab three sheets of 4 by 8 laminate and place them upside down on top of the plywood..... ending up with three "sets". Well, first you'd get this manual pressure pot that held about two gallons of glue and had a spray gun on it. I'd use the gun to spray glue all over the surface on the laminate.... then *carefully* move the laminate and then spray the plywood next. Well this glue was like instant-stick-it-aint-moving-for-shit kinda glue so you had to be very careful not to let it touch anything.... especially to itself or the whole thing would be screwed. So now I'd have to lift this big 8 foot floppy piece of laminate over my head and try to *carefully* place it on top of the plywood I just glued. It had to be perfect and square and done the right way the first time because like I said.... once the laminate touches the wood it ain't coming apart. Ok, now that that is done you need to do the other two "sets" and then lift all three of them over to the "pincher". Which is a machine that has two large heavy steel rollers you push the wood through so it evenly presses everything together and removes any air pockets if there is any. Whew!! Ok, that took about 25 minutes for three sheets.....

Anyway. The point is that the company is owned by three people, Bruce, his wife Janet and their son Todd. Bruce takes care of the contract bidding and hiring, Janet does the office stuff and apparently all the "dirty work" and Todd controls the production side of things. There is also a guy named Chris that is considered the foreman on the floor..... or so the title says. Everyday Chris would come in and get things going just in time for Todd to show up and make all the changes. The first couple of hours of everyday were frustrating for everyone.... because nobody knew what the hell was going on.

Chris is a very nice guy and communicates very well. The guys like and respect him but unfortunately he is kept out of the loop as to what is going on daily. I remember spraying some primer on some boards with him one day and asked what we were making. His response was that he had no idea what the part was, which run it was for, or when it has to be done by. This is a foreman? A foreman is supposed to know what everybody is doing on the floor at all times without having to go look. A foreman needs to be in the loop and sadly, Todd didn't let anybody know anything..... until it was late in the day and we "weren't going home until this shit is done".

The other guys I worked for did nothing but praise me. They were all glad that the company finally hired "somebody with a set of brains and some common sense". I made lots of suggestions to help the guys out do things faster and more efficient and I also did whatever they asked of me right away with out questioning it all. The guys liked that they were able to explain something once and then not have to hear back from me for the rest of the day. I got lots of compliments from everybody except Todd.

Chris and I grew close very fast... and we thought the same way and he confided in me. He came right out and told me last week that for some reason..... Todd didn't like me. He said he had no idea why he didn't like me but I definitely wasn't going to get a Christmas card from him. Last Thursday I asked Chris if I could leave work 1 hour early so I could give myself more time to get ready to attend Julie's company Christmas dinner. I told Chris to ask Todd BUT.... BUT... if he was going to raise any kind of stink about it then to drop it immediately and I will work until he end of the shift... no problem. Well apparently Todd's response to my request was "who that guy? I don't give a shit". Now of course if Chris was a good foreman he wouldn't be telling me about things like this but on the other hand, he should make people aware there is a problem so they can try to resolve it. So I decided it's time to have a talk with Todd and was going to talk to him at the end of Friday. All day long I thought about what I was going to say to him... and I promised myself that if push came to shove I was going to leave on good terms and be the better man. I pictured asking Todd if I had done anything to upset him since I started and in what areas he wanted me to improve on. I also pictured telling him that if he had a grudge against me and no matter what I did if that grudge of his was going to hold me back from advancing in the future then perhaps it was time for me to move on. I pictured telling him this and shaking his hand, thanking him for the opportunity to work and just be on my merry way.

Well 3:30 rolls around and Janet walks around giving out the paychecks and comes up to me and says that I'm not working out and that they are laying me off. I asked her to explain a bit more and apparently nobody is happy with my performance and they are going to make a change. She seemed confused and surprised when I explained to her that I've gotten nothing but compliments since I started and that everybody liked having me around. I asked to speak with Todd.

So Todd comes out of the office just as everybody is getting their checks and I start talking with him about being laid off. The other guys see what's going on and are upset. They shake their heads and I hear one guy say "that's bullshit". Anyway, I explain my side to Todd and he insists to me that I was being laid off because the company lost a couple of bids for work in January and that work was slowing down. In fact, he said my work was not the problem at all and it was never an issue. I asked him if I were to use his company on my resume would he have a problem giving me a good review and he said no... not at all. So I asked him a few more questions and then he pawned off the firing on to his parents. So I asked to speak with Bruce but he was at a job site and wouldn't be available until Monday. And let me tell ya, I'm going to go see him on Monday. Not to stir up shit but I want somebody down there just to be a man and tell me the truth. Also, I really want to go shake everybody's hand and thank them for helping me along while I learn. I admit, they do have a good bunch of guys working there and I'm not leaving without saying goodbye... and thanks.

I really want to speak with Chris again, he was great and made the job enjoyable. He was really pissed that I was being let go. He slammed his office door closed, stormed out of the shop at the end of the day and bolted the hell out of there. I remember a short while back when Chris was wanting me to start running the CNC but Todd said "absolutely not!!" even though I have more experience running that machine than they do even OWNING it. I've been running that machine for almost 7 years and they've owned theirs for only 5. Chris said to me that day that he doesn't understand why they are holding me back "because if they keep this up they'll end up pissing you off and running you right out the door and what good is that? Why not use all this experience you have?" I told him that I wasn't going to let that happen too easily. I couldn't see myself quitting without trying to work at this first and seeing if it could work out at the end.

My main problem is that I'm stubborn. People have told me even way before I applied at this job that it was flaky as hell. The suppliers that come to the door, the delivery guy who takes our cabinets to the job site, our neighbors within the same building all told me I could do better and that this company was "a sweat shop who treats their employees like shit". Christ, half the people that work there are on their second or third stint. They've quit and come back three times already so I guess the writings on the wall before you even start. But dammit, with my experience and the skills I feel I possess I felt deep down that I could make a difference and turn the company around. The company had sooo much potential and it's being pissed away by people who insist on living in mediocreville. I guess in order to be able to make changes you need the authority to do them.

Oh well, my frustrations were high for a while but I now realize it was for the better. I earned enough money to get through the Christmas holidays and looking back.... that's exactly what I wished for back in early November. I remember asking Julie even before i got my work permit that all I wanted was to find a job and get one full paycheck before Christmas. Well, that's what I got plus more so I guess I got what I asked for. :)

Now I get to take the holiday off and we'll start fresh in the new year.

News and Notes, Updates and Quotes.

Man time is flying by this year, where the hell did 2003 go? There has been so much stuff going on recently that I would have to take the next three weeks off of work just to write about everything. So to make a long story short, here are some news and notes, updates and quotes.

-- Julie and I finally picked out our first Christmas tree the other day. We had gone from store to store for a few weeks looking at what was available in the fake tree market. With time running out we decided on a tree we saw in Walmart last week that featured pre-lit branches and fiber optic lights as well. Everything was perfect and we were finally happy as we stood in line to pay for it. I pictured us sitting in the living room as the tree sent a warm glow through the room and provided a haven for us from the blistering cold outside.

-- "Son-of-a-bitch!" - Myself when I realized our brand new 7 1/2 foot tree won't fit into the our 5 1/2 foot back seat. I'll know on Christmas morning whether or not Santa saw what transpired over the following 15 minutes.

-- "Your last name is Dunn? That doesn't sound French!" - One of my new co-workers once he found out that I was from Canada.

-- "So are you like, uhm... Bilingual?" - Another new co-worker trying to figure out what being Canadian means.

-- "Why do they call it that? Is it because there is lots of fighting and stuff?" - Yet another co-worker after I asked everybody during lunch break if we have Boxing Day off or not. Apparently Boxing Day is a Canadian thing.

-- "Do you guys know how to use the Metric system in Canada?"
"Yes Sir, that's all I used in my previous job"
"Excellent, then take this board down to the table saw and cut it to 38 inches" - A brief conversation with one of my new co-workers

-- "May I see some ID?" - During my attempt to buy Powerball tickets at a convenience store.

-- So Julie and I made a second purchase last weekend, we went out and found a sofa, loveseat and coffee table. It arrived today and fills out the living room nicely. Again, we had been searching for quite some time and ended up one night checking out Bob's discount Furniture just "for the hell of it". After we decided to buy the furniture the saleslady that was looking after us told us to go wait in this lounge type area where they have coffee, drinks, cookies, candy, popcorn and a bunch of other stuff for the customers. She came over a short while later and said she was ready for us at the payment counter to fill out the paperwork and that when we were finished we could just meet her there.

-- *ahem* "Are we almost ready to fill out the papers???" - The saleslady asks after waiting for about 15 minutes and then realizing it was a mistake to leave Julie and I in the complimentary snack bar.

-- So you think you have a boss with a snarly attitude? Well I work at a company that is basically ran by the owners son who walks around all day just frowning and sneering. He never has anything to say except when giving directions or giving you shit. He sort of reminds me of a grizzly bear with a mouth full of bumblebees every time I see him. One day while talking in the lunchroom I hear that he is recently divorced and has been grumpy as hell ever since. The real kicker is that he got divorced because his wife turned out to be a lesbian, who was having an affair with her own cousin for years behind his back. Now I often wonder how he can seem so damn pleasant....lol. Poor guy.

-- Congratulations to my e-buddy Andrea who lives in Regina, Saskatchewan. She recently participated in her first ever marathon and not only finished, but finished ahead of about 40% of the rest of the field. She did it to raise funds and awareness for the Arthritis Society of Canada and was inspired by her Grandmother who suffers severely from arthritis. You go girl!

-- (giggle, giggle, giggle) "It sounds like vagina!!" - My 30 and 40 year old co-workers when I mention the city of Regina back home in Canada.


Take care folks, hope everybody is doing well.

Happy Birthday Ann!

So it's December 6th again which means it's my sister's Birthday, she turns 31 today. Happy Birthday Ann!

I look back to when we were growing up and although we had many battles, we had all sorts of fun as well. So many memories are pouring through my head right now that I don't know where to begin. My sister has many different personality traits to her that unless you've known her for many years you've probably never seen them all. The stories and events I can remember show the type of emotional ranges she can reach and some are quite amazing.

I can remember back when my family used to go to "the lake" every summer and go camping with friends of ours. As you approach the lake you are looking over a bluff and down on to the water. Just below the bluff there is room for another row of campsites which includes a trail through the woods to reach "the point". The point was a small bit of land that protruded out into the water and was a nice fishing spot. It was quiet, you could be alone, and yet still be seen by the campsite. Well one day I was out in the boat with Dad while Ann was at the point doing some bubble fishing. Just around the corner from her were four boys I'd guess were two or three years younger than her and there were just goofing around. These kids obviously got bored and started to throw rocks and use a slingshot to try and hit the bubble my sister was using to fish. I remember sitting in the boat watching this and thinking that she must be feeling pretty intimidated by these guys but to my surprise she started yelling at them to stop. Well boys being boys they just laughed and kept on throwing rocks and causing shit at which point my sister was getting pretty pissed off. As the onslaught on her fishing tackle continued she finally lost it. I remember her getting up out of her lawnchair and throwing her fishing rod to the ground and boy, did the "F" words start to fly. She started to run along the rock covered beach and just stormed those guys cussing the whole way there. The boys noticed her coming and scrambled their way back through the bushes and heading back to the camp site. All you could hear from our campsite at the top of the bluff is my Mom and our friends yelling out, "Atta girl Annie!! Go get'em!". My Dad of course was just rowing the boat along with his famous big smirk on his face, he must have been proud. I however made a mental note to stay on my sister's good side for the rest of the trip.

Then there was a time when Ann worked in Metrotown mall and used the Skytrain everyday to get to work. One day after work as she was approaching her car in the Skytrain parking lot she noticed two guys kneeling by the side of her car. Apparently they were going through the parking lot and stealing the gas out of cars. Well my sister sees this and walks up to them, grabs them by the scruff of their necks and makes them put all the gas they have back into the tank of her car, even the stuff that wasn't hers.

If Ann wasn't using her brute force to straighten people out that are pissing her off she'd use her smarts, which at times could be even more painful. Case in point of course is the whole "forking" incident. While growing up my sister and I had to do the dishes after dinner each night, she'd wash while I dried and put away. Sometimes we'd end up being left al;one in the kitchen to do these chores and that's when the fun began. She'd pile the dishes three feet high and yell at me to hurry up. I would in return put a bunch of dishes back in the sink full of water and tell her they were still dirty. Then the hitting, "accidentally" bumping into each other, kicking and yells of "doooooon't". Well one night I guess she just wasn't in the mood to start this crap so when I first bumped into her "accidentally" she yelled out at the top of her lungs, "Ow! Mom! Brian stabbed me with a fork!". I started to laugh because I thought it was funny that she would claim such a thing but the laughing stopped in a hell of a hurry. Mom came storming into the kitchen like a raging bull and grabbed a dirty fork and rammed it into my upper arm a few times and screamed at me, "How do you like it??? well?? it doesn't feel too good does it??". My Mother was pissed, my sister was laughing her ass off and I was doing both. I was pissed at my sister for setting me up like that but I couldn't help but think it was funny as well. Mom, confused at what the hell was going on didn't know what just happened or why we were both laughing, especially me while I was standing there with a perforated shoulder.

Ann always did have a heart of gold though. Whenever someone needed something she was the first to offer help, money, or time. She constantly signs up for charity giveaways, such as sponsoring a needy family every Christmas, donating toys, and many other things over the years. Even back on September 11th, 2001 on the day of the attacks. The Americans closed the airways over the United States which forced hundreds of detoured planes to land in Vancouver. Ann was down there donated coffee and food at the shelters being set up to house thousands of stranded travelers.

Putting other peoples needs in front of her own is the trait I admire the most followed closely by the ability to make people laugh. She has been a good example for me over the years and I'm very proud of her, she deserves the best and nothing less.

Here's hoping you take some time for yourself and get some rest today Ann, Happy Birthday from across the miles.

Love Brian

Honk! Honk!

Back in the day when I first started my old job at Corporate Images (actually it was only called Images at the time, oh yeah baby, I'm old school) we had a good group of guys that worked hard and was able to still have fun while getting the job done. Almost daily there would be some kind of practical joke going on over the next little while I think I'll share some of those moments.

My first story involves a guy named Tony who at the time was just a shmuck working on the floor like the rest of us (he now is the plant manager). Tony and I started at Images on the exact same day back in 1996, although I arrived first so I had 5 minutes seniority over him which he never could accept. ;)

Well one summer day I went out to the parking lot and taped a big cardboard sign to the back of his beat up old Honda. On the sign I wrote in block letters with a big black marker "HONK IF YOU'RE GAY". Now this sign covered his entire rear of the car but since he backed into his parking space he never had a chance to see it before leaving at the end of his shift. I watched him pull away and just started to laugh my ass off. The rest of the story I got in bits and pieces from Tony and some of our co-workers.

Here's Tony cruising in the slow lane down Highway #1 heading for Surrey. This is a major highway and has a TON of traffic at this time in the afternoon so plenty of people got to see this. About 4 or 5 of our fellow dayshift workers passed Tony on the highway and honk there horns and waved while pointing fingers and laughing. Tony during this whole time was thinking he was pretty popular "with the boys" and was feeling good about himself. The fact that strangers were doing the same thing didn't phase him at all.

So Tony stops into a gas station on the way home and fills up the tank in his car. Just picture him leaning against his car while filling it up as people discover his sign and stare. Oh man, funny shit. So after he fills up he heads into the store to pay for the gas and that's when he notices the sign.

*SNAP*

Apparently Tony rips off the sign and throws it to the ground in disgust and at this time.... I figure he's pretty upset....lol. He rips steaming mad all the way home and sits on his hood and lights up a smoke to try and calm down. There he sits all pissed off when his wife pulls into the driveway and sees him sitting there, still fuming. She knew something was wrong and instantly thought he got fired from work, or got into an accident or something.

"Brian's fucking dead!, I'm going to kill him!"

I'm kind of upset that he assumed it was me right away, actually no, it was one of the funniest moments in my life.

Poor guy.

If any current Images employees read this website, the next time you see Tony please go up to him and say "HONK! HONK!"