...connections and coincidences...

Sometimes, I wonder why things happen the way they do. I’m talking about fate here, people. I mean, if I hadn’t come to Oakville, I wouldn’t have met Scott, wouldn’t have met anyone in Bug Juice, wouldn’t have been the guy I am today, wouldn’t have met my wife, and so-on and so-forth. Now, I suppose I could come to the same conclusion, cause and effect-wise, if things had happened differently, but there’s definitely a point to it. It’s as if something was guiding me and is still guiding me to some future destiny. Some things are waaaay too specific in nature to be purely coincidence. For instance, my marriage: I just happen to be the best-man at Quazi’s wedding, which Heather is at for no other reason than she was along to help Michelle and her father. She was going to leave because Joe Dimitro and Mark West were there (now that I look back on it, I don’t blame her LOL), but she managed to still be there when I asked her to dance, and then it gets weirder…Scott, my best friend, knows her, and she’s lived across the street from Chick (Scott’s grandmother) forever. It’s scary how specific all that is. Coincidence? I think not. I definitely think there’s a driving force behind things like this, I really do.

Yeah, yeah, I know what you’re thinking: the whole “we were meant to be” shtick is sappy and played-out. But, just consider for a moment how connected everything was. Of note, Heather was one of the major differences in me wanting to actually DO something with my college career, and later gave me the support I needed, which led me to where I am today.

In a related topic…one of the bids I worked on got us awarded the work! This would mark my very first victory in construction estimating, something that isn’t always easy to pull off. For those of you who don’t know, this is how it works: my company, LaClair Construction Services, goes to bid on a job. Companies A through D are ALSO bidding on the same job as us. The company that presents the most beneficial cost and most attractive offer of how much it would be to do the work is awarded the bid. That means that at the same time I’m working, other professionals are working just as hard, with a lot more experience than me. Lots of things come into play with all this, such as: which company does the work themselves versus which company subcontracts portions of the work out to others, which company has the advantage of getting materials cheaper, whether a given company skimps on materials and therefore is questionable in the quality of their work; the list goes on and on, but the main idea is the numbers on the page, which is where a construction estimator, like me, comes in. So, for MY cost estimate to be chosen over someone’s who has been at this for years is pretty damn impressive. Have I mentioned lately that I absolutely LOVE my job? :)

On the other side of work, I waited for an hour for an electrical inspector to show up to the jobsite this morning. He showed up, one of the houses failed, and about 30 seconds after he pulled away in his car, the guy from Accord Electric shows up. Fuck. Now, we need to get another inspection appointment. Not something that affects me personally, it’s more Doug’s project than anything, but it still makes me mad that I wasn’t able to stall the guy from St. Clair Public Works long enough.

I’m really liking my “Quote of the Day” section of my blog…it gives me a feeling of uniqueness and originality. What do you guys think, though? (Not that I’ll stop doing it if you guys hate it, but I would still like to know what your thoughts are.)

I sent flowers to Heather today, for the occasion of her first day back at SCOPE, this time as a contracted teacher. She has been nervous about it, so I thought I’d brighten her day a bit. I hope to Christ that the Flowerama people didn’t fuck it up for me. I’ll know soon enough.

I just realized that I haven’t done anything physical in a long time (moshing, sword fighting, sparring, etc.). I must correct this matter, as I thoroughly enjoy tossing people around and being tossed around. And no, it’s not a gay thing; it’s a love-of-battle thing. Speaking of which, I should really work on a posting about my fellow ‘Juicers and their abilities in matters of physicality. Some will be surprised. More on that later, it’s something that has to be worked on and thought out…

Scott has a new drinking buddy. Congrats to him! However, I have concerns, and I don’t believe they’re off base. Scott can drink…this motherfucker can put them away like no other, save for Heather. I think he even beats Corey at this point on drinking. But whether he can take it all day and night with no effect doesn’t change the fact that A) it’s not healthy and B) it can easily lead to alcoholism. Now, some would say I’m just jealous because I’m no big drinker and can’t front. Not true; at one point, I was a contender, but I don’t make it a point to drink that often, and I think it’d be bad if I did health-wise. Truth be told, I really don’t know HOW much I could take alcohol-wise, given the same conditioning that Scott has undergone (i.e. drinking a shitload in several sittings). Perhaps some day, we may find out. But no, I’m not jealous, just concerned about my friend. Scott, if (more like WHEN) you’re reading this, I hope to god I haven’t pissed you off with it, you know there’s truth to this, though. Just be careful with that shit.

At any rate, I must go…long days and pleasant nights, sai.

Quote of the Day: “No man succeeds without a good woman behind him. Wife or mother, if it is both, he is twice blessed indeed.” – Harold MacMillan

(Yes, that was for my mom, too. And yes, I realize this would technically be the THIRD “Quote of the Day” posted – er – today.)