Happy 18th Birthday, Monkey
I’ve thought of how to start this post so many times over the last few months and I’ve still not figured it out. The regular platitude of “happy birthday” just doesn’t cut it. This …
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Party
53 posts tagged with this topic.
50 Years of Me
Well, I’ve somehow managed to make it to 50 years of age. I’m pretty sure teenaged me is mildly shocked. (50 year old me kind of is.) I’m not where I thought I’d be, even as little as a decade …
Christmas Trees and Parties
There isn’t a fresh, real Christmas tree in any lot in this city. They’re all gone, most of them weeks ago, at prices that would make even most unscrupulous ticket scalper blush. We learned this last week, …
A farewell to neighbours
We moved into our current home in March 2007, a few months before Monkey was born. We were not newlyweds anymore, we were bracing for a family. The home we had lived in was nice, and ideal for a couple. For a pregnant …
Evans Hunt Sick Day 2013
They say that when you put enough people in close proximity for long periods of time, their biological rhythms come into synchronicity. People start thinking the same, they pick up each other’s habits and nervous ticks …
Christmas Blitzkrieg
When I have those moments when I think I’ve gotten too old, and I think I’m starting to feel like my age, I’m thankful for sudden sustained bursts of activity that remind me that, really, I just lead a much duller life …
A Hangar Christmas
Although we’re still trying to figure out how to get the most basic things (like reliable phone service), we did manage to throw together a halfways-decent Christmas Party this year. I can take no credit for this …
CMMYs 2008 (in review)
Last night was our annual awards show: the CMMYs. I have no idea what the last “MY” stand for, if anything at all. I know it’s meant to sound like the “Emmys”, just without all the pomp and …
Critical Mass Summer Event 2007, Day 1
It’s that time of the year again — the annual Critical Mass Summer Event. Unlike last year’s events, this year we’ve had to take a slightly different approach. Frankly, we’ve officially become too big to ship everyone …
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Sod laying party
I’ve been to a variety of parties over the years, spanning many themes and genres. But I have to admit, I’ve never been to a sod-laying party before. I gotta say, it wasn’t half bad. Kyla, Alex’s friend and co-worker, …
Timeshare Sales, Beach Day and Royal Kona Luau
Alex wanted a beach day. And beach day we had. Well, once we sat through a rather lengthy time share sales pitch, anyway. That was part of the deal from the activity purchase. USD$100 off the total price if we sat …
Critical Mass CMMYs 2007
Hangovers will rule far and wide this morning across three cities. I suspect we might not see most of Toronto online today. Last night was the first-ever Tri-City CMMY Post Awards Bash. Or something like that. In the …
The Critical Mass New York Extravaganza 2006
Wow. I’ve seen some pretty swanky parties, but this one definitely ranks high up there. And as more of a stunner, it was a Critical Mass party, too! Okay, clarification needed. Critical Mass’ parties tend to be like …
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The day after the CMMYs
Critical Mass works hard. We know that from all the various nervous ticks we’ve developed over the years from working too hard. So you can imagine that when we play, we make up for the difference. There are two annual …
12 Days of Christmas at Heritage Park
It’s been a while, hasn’t it? No, I’m not dead. I wasn’t abducted by aliens. I wasn’t held hostage. I took a bit of a break. I had to. In mid-September, I suffered a bit of a breakdown. Too much stress that I’d allowed …
More weekend antics
Yeesh. Antics is putting it lightly. Here’s the short version (‘cuz I really don’t feel like typing it all out): had to work saturday to finish performance management reviews; god I hate writing them went to jim’s …
Mercedes team building
We had 2005 planning meetings this week, on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. They can be quite painful, if for no reason other than for going over projects all day. It really wears on the brain, and the body. Well, my …
Pam and Sean/Muck's Banff wedding
The schedule had been for breakfast at 9:00. Cathy and Craig weren’t terribly happy about that (it is early, after all, especially after being out drinking most of the night), but were up and running before Alex and I. …
Thelton McMillan leaves Critical Mass
A couple of weeks ago, we received a note in our inboxes that Thelton McMillan, the President and Chief Operating Officer (COO) had left Critical Mass. Needless to say, this had come as a bit of a shock to the staff, who …
Jon and Pearl's Wedding
I haven’t been to too many weddings this year. After last year’s complete lack of nuptuals, I’m up to my second. Thankfully, I didn’t have to go any further than a couple of kilometres. After my jaunt to Japan, having to …
Luke leaves Critical Mass
Today, My Favourite Giant left Critical Mass. And we are lessened by his departure. Luke Puxley started at Critical Mass not quite two years ago. He was a daunting figure, mostly due to his sheer size. Luke is not a …
Critical Mass Summer Town Hall and Kananaskis Cowpunch
It’s 23:00 Sunday night, and this is the first time in four days that I’ve had a chance to be alone with my computer. Not that I’m necessarily complaining, I might add. The last four days have been a mad combination of …
So long, Jude!
And anytime you feel the pain, hey Jude, refrain, Don’t carry the world upon your shoulders. For well you know that it’s a fool who plays it cool By making his world a little colder. — “Hey Jude”, The …
How to throw a surprise party (and not get caught)
Surprise parties are one of those great little joys in life. While I’ve never had one thrown for me, I’ve thrown a couple myself. They’re not the easiest things to do, to be certain, but they are definitely some of the …
Turning Japanese Again, Reception Party in Chiba
We woke up several times this morning. Once when the phone rang (Mike and Brenda checking in on us), when Kaz and Chris’ new refrigerator showed up, when the phone rang a second time, and when the earthquake hit. And …
Fond Farewell, Mr. Fullerton
It seems that Critical Mass is losing too many good people within a very short period of time. First, it was a round of layoffs nearly three weeks ago. Now it’s a series of resignations. Among them is Arthur. Arthur came …
The 2004 Critical Mass New Year Party
Every year, Critical Mass holds its annual holiday party. For the first two years of my employ, they were Christmas parties; the two since then have both been New Year parties. I assume this is because scheduling things …
Weekends, relationships, and parties
Friday night was not fun. Erin and I got together after work, headed down to her place to eat pizza and watch Indiana Jones movies. Or at least that was the plan. We watched the second half of “Last Crusade” …
Happy 30th Birthday Teak
It’s not every day that you turn 30. Unfortunately, it’s long since been my turn. This time, it was for my friend Teak. You may remember Teak from a previous birthday of his, when Chris and I felt the need for a little …
Jim and Luke's 26th birthday
You’d think I’d have learned from my jaunt out on Thursday night. I guess I did to a point, but I made one key error: I went out to celebrate Jim’s birthday. For the record, Jim’s a great guy. He’s a lot of fun — he has …
2003 planning meeting wrap party
There were green alligators, and long necked geese, Some humpty-back camels and some chimpanzees, Some cats and rats and elephants, but sure as your born, The loveliest of all was the Unicorn. — “The …
Aunt Brenda's birthday and my hatred of Microsoft Word
The weekend past was the August long weekend. Well, it was the long weekend for most people. For me, it was one of three things: painting the house, spending time with family, or being at work. Four things, if you count …
Leaking hot water heater and house party
I’ve often heard it said that there’s nothing like the sound of pitter-pattering around your home. This weekend, I found that sometimes this sound isn’t so nice. Like when your hot water heater is leaking. I noticed it …
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Critical Mass Reckless Summer Reunion
There are certainly worse ways to spend Friday the 13th. There are certainly more healthy ones. But when Critical Mass decides to throw a party for its employees, you can be sure of two things: There will be a lot of …
Chasing CPR Empress 2816 to Brooks
While this weekend was absolutely amazing, too many of these and I’ll die from exhaustion. I started early Saturday morning. Those of you who are chiming in with “must be train stuff” can smile smugly — ‘cuz …
My Trip to Japan, Tokyo and Shibuya
I’ve gone clubbing in Tokyo, and lived to tell about it. It’s an odd statement, I know, but allow me to explain. Chris and I didn’t have any real set plans. In fact, I didn’t really know what we were going to do until …
Test driving a Mini
Like most people who work the ol’ 9-5 grind, my weekend started just as the whistle blew Friday afternoon. It was time to get my nose off the grindstone and into something far more pleasant. A beer. Not that I want to …
CBC TV 50th Anniversary VIA Rail train, Halifax finale
[This entry written by Geoff Sowrey, ©2002 Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC). Text used with permission of CBC. The opinions expressed within do not necessarily reflect those of the CBC, employees, affiliates, or …
CBC TV 50th Anniversary VIA Rail train, Peggy's Cove
[This entry written by Geoff Sowrey, ©2002 Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC). Text used with permission of CBC. The opinions expressed within do not necessarily reflect those of the CBC, employees, affiliates, or …
CBC TV 50th Anniversary VIA Rail train, Moncton
[This entry written by Geoff Sowrey, ©2002 Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC). Text used with permission of CBC. The opinions expressed within do not necessarily reflect those of the CBC, employees, affiliates, or …
My Housewarming Party
96 hamburgers 48 hotdogs 4 jumbo-size bags of chips 104 cans of pop 240 bottles of beer 13 bottles of wine 14 hours of music 1 house equals A good time All new homeowners have one responsibility to fulfill. It’s not …
Critical Mass 5th Anniversary Surprise Party
There are parties. Then there’s a Critical Mass party. Five years ago yesterday (4 July 1997), Critical Mass launched its first ever website, MBUSA.com. That first launch wasn’t perfect, but it started a business …
Cleaning the Apartment, Rug Doctors, Golf, Wedding Showers
I remember when I used to have time to kick back, relax, and spend an afternoon watching TV. I think I was five. This weekend past was yet another in a string of busy, hectic times. As June rolls towards a close, many …
Easter in Calgary with my Family
Third year running: Lots of family, lots of activity, and way too much food. This year’s events started Thursday evening, when my mother arrived from Ontario, as did Chris’ parents for their first (and possibly only) …
The 2001 Critical Mass Christmas Party
Coming into work on a Friday with a hangover is one of the worst feelings. Well, coming in on a Monday is probably worse, now that I think about it. Last night was Critical Mass’ annual Christmas party. This year, we …
The Critical Mass Summer Social 2001
If there’s one thing Critical Mass knows how to do, it’s getting its employees horribly, horribly drunk. Last year, this was courtesy of the Download Overload in Westbank. However, owing to financial downturns in the …
Stag Party in Innisfail, Strippers in Red Deer
Note to self: Never let anyone hold a stag party for me. Stuart, Chris, and I were invited to a stag party for our friend Dory. (Dory is Janine’s fiancée; Janine is one of Therese’s best friends.) Chris opted out, as he …
The Return of 36 Chambers of Shaolin
A little over two months ago, Dave “36” Chambers left Calgary for Toronto, where we were opening another office. On Friday, he came back to visit, and it was up to us to remind him why it was (or wasn’t) a …
Visiting Vancouver, Blue Jays and Mariners Baseball Game in Seattle
It was once said that the only thing to fear is fear itself. Fear is the oppressor of souls and nations. It is the beginnings of hatred and suffering. And it’s what has kept me away from Vancouver. Fear of my past. Fear …
Three Parties and a Little Hockey
Who’d ever have thought that I would one day become the centre of attention? Okay, be invited to come near the centre of attention… Alright! Be allowed to look towards the centre of attention from a far away, but …
Kathryn comes for a visit
It’s amazing how old friends can make you feel young. A week and four days ago, Kathryn, one of our closest friends, came out to visit us (Chris, Stuart, Therese, and myself). The five of us all went to OTHS, and though …
Download Overload, the Critical Mass Kelowna Getaway in Westbank
This is a hard-working company. And Ted (our founder and corporate Chairman) knows it. To “thank” us for all the grief he puts us through, he closes (more or less) the office for two days, packs us off to …
How to Throw a Surprise Party
There’s nothing better than seeing the look of complete terror upon someone’s face. Especially if you know there’s a benevolent force behind it. Such as with a surprise party… Allison’s birthday was on Sunday …