AlterFocus365

Day 74: August 13, 2012

I woke up this morning and just felt like death. Back problems back (ahahahahaha, but seriously. sucked.). 

Mowed greens with Gary in the morning and was basically just in a horrible mood. 

Then went to lunch and didn’t really talk to anyone. 

But then, for some random reason, totally felt better in the afternoon. And by random reason I totally mean the hort girls. 

Look at our sign!

We deadheaded Hawk 2/weeded there. Thennnn Allie and I went to cut 200 rudbeckia stems for the Charity Classic gala. Dinner. Thing. 

Felt way better by the end of the day. 

Day 68: August 7, 2012

Raven aration tonight/today, so when I came in for the morning meeting I was literally the only person from Raven there. And they pointed it out. Of course they did. 

Anyway, mowed greens on Hawk with Allie. HAWK. Look at their silly orange flag. 

Which was fun except the greens over there are giant and Hawk politics are effed up. Not a fan. 

Also gigantic dragonfly- they’re out in full force. 

Anyway, took a bunch of pictures because it’s so amazingly gorgeous over there and I was pretty sure it would be my last time working on that course. 

Then an actual, balanced lunch. As in not stew containing potatoes, potatoes, and poato salad (yes that had happened before). 

Then awesome storm rolling in over the city, and then home and just chillin. 

Day 55: July 25, 2012

So I was in bunkers this morning. 

Got bored, so I made some bunker art. Because it’s more fun that way. 

It was actually a pretty decent morning, chill, quiet. 

The afternoon was super stressful, just because it seemed like “One of those days” for a couple of people, and other people were being frustratingly unhelpful to us again (but it actually worked out okay). 

We mulched a huge area on the new front sign, during which I cut my knuckle pretty bad (I have a picture, but I didn’t want to spoil the bunker ones by including it), and then got it covered in mulch hair and dirt and figured I should probably go get a bandaid before stuff got in it. 

Then we cut the hedge, which just, blahrhrjhbfg. For reasons. One of which, but not the only one, is that I hate hedge trimming days. I just really don’t like it. 

I feel like I probably just came home, disinfected my knuckle, and went to sleep after work. Or something. Who knows?

Day 53: July 23, 2012

(So I just saw Jenn and actually got in trouble for not updating in ten days. So I need to start really fixing that. Even though I’m pretty sure it’s only her and Mark who might have noticed at all anyway…)

MONDAY!

Cut tees on Raven for the first time. With a guy who works on Raven but I’ve never worked with him before. I expected this morning to be horrible due to lack of sleep, but it actually turned out pretty swell. 

Then right before lunch, look at that storm rolling in over 18. Woah. 

It really wasn’t that bad. Rained pretty hard on us for like fifteen minutes right after lunch, and then we just spent the afternoon weeding? Or planting? Some shit like that. I honestly can’t remember now because nothing super significant happened. 

Then I hung out with Sean! What? I KNOW. CRAZY. We went to Good Earth again. It’s like our place. Or I’m sure it would be if I really ever saw him. Also he got a haircut right before he came over there, and his hair was shorter and less messy than I’ve ever seen before. Then we went and walked around the reservoir, and were both reminded how gorgeous our city can be. We talked, and caught up, and it just made me feel really grounded in some things. I don’t know, Sean just has that effect. Probably why he’s always so busy all the time. 

Anyway, then we went down to the boating school and sat on their handicapped dock (Yes, that is an important piece of information) and got in the way and put our feet in the freezing cold water and wanted to go swimming and just life. 

Then some ducks fell in love with him and fought over their own poop. 

My life is classy.

Day 48: July 18, 2012

So I got really behind on posting these, and just want to catch up, so we’ll just cover the highlights.

This morning I just double cut with Vicky. Nothing eventful happened until Hole 13, where we found Rodrigo the muskrat dead, with the top half of his body missing. That was depressing and slightly traumatizing. 

Then in the afternoon, there was a lot of planting. Also a lot of piling as many plants in carts as possible and just looking ridiculous. 

But doesn’t the circle bed look so nice?

Then after work I did not see my dad, but I did see Mark. We got donairs from The Donair Place (ohmygod, shut up, that is it’s name) and then watched some Firefly and Mark made some swell mind-changes and yeah. 

Pretty solid day. 

Except for Rodrigo. 

Day 45: July 15, 2012

Weirdest morning ever. 

So driving out to work five in the morning, same as every other day. Then there’s this massive barricade in the highway, right after the last intersection into Calgary. Drive around everything to see that on the other side of the intersection all three lanes of highway are blocked off. Okay.

The guy in the car in front of me gets out to talk to the man standing at the barricade. I wait, assuming they’ll send him through or around on the other side of the highway. They turn him back in the direction of the city. I get out of my car and walk over. 

“Can I get through there?”
“No. The highway’s closed. Not going to open up again until about noon.”

“Oh. Okay…”

“Where you headed?”
“Priddis.”

“The golf course? Yeah. I don’t know how you’re going to get there.”

That was particularly helpful. I turn back to my car to see that Ashley and Rich, two of my coworkers had arrived and gotten out to see what’s up. I convey what I heard to them. I call my boss, who doesn’t answer. Then as I’m calling the shop, Andy and Gary show up and tell me that they already called. As we’re standing there talking about what to do, Cam walks up. 

Now we’re just having a Priddis Party in the middle of 22X at just after five in the morning. 

Cam says, “I hope it wasn’t someone from work.”

I think that sort of threw the rest of us, since we were all concerned just with how to get from work. Ashley found another route that took up through backroads south of the highway for awhile, so we were about ready to go ahead and follow her when a police officer walks over. 

A non-Priddis worker who had joined us immidiately asks, “Is everything okay?”

“No. There’s been a fatality. Second one on this highway tonight. Earlier there was an incident with a van and a motorcycle. I’ve been on since four yesterday.”

Cam asks, “What kind of car was it?”

“An escalade.” No one who works with us can afford and escalade, but, as my mom later pointed out, what kind of accident does it take to kill someone in an escalade? 

I guess the police officer used to live in Priddis, so he knew there was another backroad that cut between the farms and the reservation. He double checked on his phone and then sent us on our way along these gravel roads cutting through the Albertan farmlands. Sort of beautiful. 

Then we get to work and I walk up and Mike says to me, “You’re mowing tees on Hawk.” 

What. 

What is life.

What is this.

I don’t. 

What. 

After literally a month of greens. Also I’ve only ever been on Hawk like, twice. I was going to send a text of excitement at the change in my job, when I realized how utterly insignificant it was. 

Someone this morning was waking up, very, very early on a Sunday morning to a phone call that someone they loved was killed on 22X under suspicious circumstances (this found out when cross referencing stories at work.) What the hell does it matter if I’m mowing greens or tees?

It really doesn’t. But Hawk is gorgeous, and it was really nice to just have a change at work. It definitely made the thought of the rest of the week much more bearable. 

Since it was raining I had no hort stuff to do, so I left at nine. Contemplated the meaning of life on my drive home back past the scene. 

Stopped at Safeway and bought no actual, useful groceries. Ooops. Called my mom for the first time in ever. 

Had a nap. 

Then photoshopped a lot. 

Talked to my dad for the first time in a longer ever. 

Then somehow ended up being the kind of person who watches church services live online. Thanks, Mark. 

Day 44: July 14, 2012

WEEEEEKEND. 

Yeah. Too bad I’m on. So on, baby. 

So it rained more last night. 

So the bunkers were all washed out again.

Stupid bunkers. 

It’s not like golfers like them anyway. 

But it doesn’t really matter because I was on greens. Surprise! It was actually a fairly pleasant morning. The weather was great. And by great I mean exactly like Vancouver weather. Upon that realization, I also realized that I actually really miss Vancouver. I love the sun in Calgary, but I miss the humidity. 

I miss the clouds that don’t feel like clouds, but more like an infinite blanket, just keeping you safe. 

I miss the ocean. 

I miss running on the beach, and then just collapsing in the sand and listening to the waves.

I miss the mist that makes you feel like you’re living in a dream instead of reality. 

I miss the colour and the vibrance of everything despite the ever constant grey skies. 

I miss how alive it feels. 

All of this missing is comforting that maybe it means I’ll miss Calgary less when I go. It’ll always be home here, and I’ll always miss the people, but maybe Vancouver will become home easier than I thought. 

Anyway, after greens we did have to help with bunker repairs. Pushing wet sand around with rakes is a bitch. I mean, it’s really hard work. I was gasping for breath at some points, whew. Out of shape. (ahahahahaha. but actually, it’s sad). 

Then I did horticulture. Which was basically just a massive clean-up from Thursday-night hell hail. The poor plants. It took me almost a full three hours to just go through our baskets and planters and dead head/extract broken branches and snapped stems. 

I was also definitely talking and murmuring to the plants as I went through. 

Most of our baskets are by the clubhouse. 

Yep. 

Eight hour-day, no break!

So I came home and slept. For… six… hours… Then woke up with the intent to get ready and head down to Commonwealth, but decided I just couldn’t do it. So I hung out in bed (and got ridiculously morose and panicky about the fleeting qualities of time), then went to sleep at like ten. Oh gosh, I am like a cat. 

I sleep a lot, because I work really really hard at my job, okay? 

Day 39: July 9, 2012

My office. 

Holes 9 and 5, actually. The weather at 5:30-8AM this morning was amazing. Then it got really hot. 

I also, technically by myself but some help, mowed 10/18 holes. Yes. Annoying. Oh well. 

The afternoon consisted of some weeding and some mulching. 

It was, overall, a much less painful day than I had expected it to be. 

Day 28: June 28, 2012

SURPRISE! I mowed this morning!

But it wasn’t raining for once, which was super nice. 

In the afternoon we took apart another bed, this time on Hawk. Which is super pretty, and I never get to go over there and so pictures. Yes. 

Taking apart and putting together the bed involved a lot of lifting of heavy rock, shoveling about and digging of soil, moving of over an entire pallet of mulch, and weeding. Needless to say, my back is probably more knotted now than it was yesterday. 

Then I went to Alix’s and we made cupcakes! Vegan cupcakes. Chocolate with vanilla buttercream, and then mocha with expresso buttercream. So good. 

Day 25: June 25, 2012

Monday morning was super pretty. 

Mowing by myself, I got this nice bruise. Massive piece of my thigh is swollen and [still] throbs when I walk. Beauty. 

In the afternoon, we dug up one of our beds because they are doing consturction there. Moved all of the plants, and actually made the clubhouse look amazing. So something good came of it, and it was a very productive afternoon. 

Then I came home and feel asleep at like 6:30pm.

Day 22: June 22, 2012

Nothing particularly eventful happened at work today, except double cutting all 18, and the sky looked super cool. 

Then, I came home and napped. 

Ran some errands (including returning a failboat of a coat and buying cheese buns). 

Some wonderful person got home and was textable again. 

Then went to see Brave with my sister and her boyfriend. It was really good, and we were both super embarassed taking this picture. 

THIS IS WHAT I DO FOR YOU, TUMBLR. 

Day 20: June 20, 2012

So first photo is of this morning at 5:41AM. It was absolutely gorgeous out, and this doesn’t even begin to convey it. We had an 8:00AM shotgun on 17&18 and 1-12, so we were out there like speedy mofos. 

Second photo has my finger in it, yep, I’m a photographer. In my defense Andy was driving and I was trying to be speedy. Anyway, it’s from like 6:30AM. Get up earlier people, it’s beautiful out!

Because of the shotgun, we finished greens by like 8:30 (includes cleaning up, and my “team” did 13 out of 21 places to be mowed. WE ARE CHAMPIONS). So for until lunch, I was filling divits on tees and ohmygosh most boring job ever. 

Then in the afternoon we basically just needed to weed a lot of stuff on the course, so that meant I got to go on Hawk for the second time ever. It was like a field trip. So exciting. 

I want to say the third picture is from 13, but honestly I don’t even know. Again, though, the picture does not do the view justice. 
The fourth is from 17. After some crazy freak rain that was super heavy and soaking.

To finish up the day, we went to fill the pond at the clubhouse, and do the basket program. From up there, you have a really great view of the mountains, which also means you can see what weather’s coming. I have decided that’s one of my favorite things about working up there/even just living where I do.

Anyway, the clouds were black. We ended up leaving a solid hour after everyone else (I wanted hours anyway) and just after the second rainstorm started.  

Just as a side note, the weather definitely said high of 19 and sunny ALL DAY.

Then I came home and napped. Then went our for wings night with some people, most of which I haven’t seen in forever (since highschool). Then a couple of us finished off the night with frostys. 
Quote of the evening:

Brianne: We should get some ice cream after this.
Me: Or milkshakes. That’s like ice cream that you can drink. 

I am genius.