BETTER LATE THAN NEVER?

Here it is... The very first picture I posted to Instagram.
TAKEN: FEBRUARY 26th, 2016

In late October, my Boss wandered into my office and told me that he thought the company should have a presence on Instagram. As many of you know, I am a self-declared “social media junkie” so I was immediately a tad embarrassed. When he asked me what was wrong, I shrugged my shoulders and explained that Instagram was the one medium that I’d never ventured into. Without hesitation, he confidently gave me direction. “...Let's get at it!”

The very next day, we dove in head first and each created a personal account. He immediately began to post and share. Then, the following Saturday night I took my phone for a late night swim in the frigid fall water of Orillia Lake. Though I pulled my Blackberry out of the water and gave her mouth to mouth, she never truly recovered. From that point, my phone lost 90% of its functionality including the camera. Meaning, until I decided which phone I would upgrade to, Instagram would have to wait.

Well, I finally bit the bullet last week and bought a new phone, so I started to read and understand just what the hell it is Instagram does. Like anything, some bash it and others love it. I guess my main comment is that I’m just not sure what the hell to do with it.

So, with not a dime in my pocket to buy a clue as to how the the platform works, today I shared my very first Instagram post via iGrann (the posting option for a Blackberry). I'm always brutally honest, so you won't be surprised to read that I had to use Google to help me get it done. I posted what I had to say as a comment (with a typo) and sent it out to amazing 51 people that have followed me from that very first day I registered in hopes that content might eventually follow. 

To keep it simple, I kept my Twitter handle. You see, my Boss didn't use Twitter before I arrived and these months later he's really enjoying it. How do I know? He started playfully greeting me when he arrived in the morning using that nickname. Not gonna lie, when I hear... "Good morning @Rhon2theDee" I instantly smile.

Anyway, wish me luck on the Instagram front. Oh... and ANY help or advice on how to navigate the social media beast is truly appreciated.

LEAF IT TO ME TO PONDER...

Is the leaf lonely... Or simply determined?
TAKEN: FEBRUARY 20th. 2016

I was awoken yesterday morning by my daughter asking if there was an umbrella handy. In a haze, told her where she could find one but wondered what the hell she needed one for.

When I pulled the window blinds, I realized that it was pissing down rain outside. (Never, in all my years, do I remember it pouring rain on the 20th of February.)

As I looked through the massive rain drops that covered my bedroom window, I discovered a site that I could completely relate to. It was a single maple leaf, on the biggest tree in the yard, hanging on for dear life. It instantly made me smile. Not only for its endurance but with my own anticipation of an early spring.

As I stood at my bedroom window, admiring my newest friend, I grabbed my phone to take a picture. When I got to my desk, I realized I hadn’t done the wee chap justice. So, I grabbed my Nikon, threw on my rubber books and bolted outside into the rain. For whatever reason, I stood there looking up and embraced the ice pellets hitting my face.

As you know, I speak openly here about Seasonal Affective Disorder. Looking up at that leaf I realized that's exactly how I cope with the darkness of winter. Alone, and at times feeling as though I am barely hanging on.

So, you can imagine my delight when Friday morning, as I walked to meet the Sweeney-meister, the sun was up; a first. That small sign of light tells me that the end is getting closer, I can feel it. Though the last couple of months have been a tad long and at times lonely, I sense that spring will bring some new and exciting things. As I do every year, I’ll be glad to rekindle old friendships, as well as discover a few new ones.

Yup, for the first time yesterday morning, I reaffirmed a couple of very important things. My last months of perseverance tells me that I am as strong as the leaf in this picture.

Not sure how else to explain a silly instant connection... to a lone leaf.

FROM THE CHEAP SEATS

Boy, I hate to be blind-sided. It doesn’t happen very often but when it does, I always try to truly understand what the hell happened. When hit on the blind side, I immediately ask myself these two questions. Do I stand up for myself and explain? Or, do I take it up the ying-yang and file away the specifics (in this instance, discovering someone's two faced) for future reference? Friday, to ultimately keep the peace, I chose the latter. 

Not gonna lie, the entire incident still has me frazzled. My metaphoric ying-yang took it so bad, that it reminded me of the joke of the old farmer and his wife. You know the one, where he's telling all the other farmers what a romantic guy he can be. Boasting to be such a generous lover that he always utters those three special words to his wife before he makes love to her. His loving words were always... “Brace yourself Gertie!”

Yup, I was poor Gert last Friday and there wasn’t a tube of lube anywhere in sight. The official result of a two-faced blindside. The monster that had roared at me 24 hours earlier, was no longer the bully but the victim. I never saw it coming but reading their words showed me their experience of being in our exact scenario. 

Still brewing from the fact that I folded like a lawnchair, I was stuck. So I sent a BBM message to my buddy A-Rod this afternoon is search of a bit of a reality check. I knew by reaching out, my tale of two faces would not land on deaf ears, and he'd tell me if I was being an idiot. (You see, he takes the gold medal for having dealt with the village idiot for years, so I truly value his opinion.) 

As expected, by the time I left to go home today he’d helped me see the light. Which is that an idiot can’t help themselves. They ultimately have an overwhelming amount of IDIOT in their overall genetic make up. In a nutshell, an idiot is who they are and what they will always remain.

Rhondi Rule #782: Never argue with an idiot. They'll just lower you down to their level, then beat you with experience! 

Truth? Not following my exact advice last Thursday morning is why I was blind-sided.

...Sucks to be right!

MY ONE AND ONLY VALENTINE

Wednesday or Thursday of last week, a coworker asked me if I had anything special planned for my husband for Valentines Day. I simply shrugged my shoulders and quietly mentioned that it's something we've never celebrated. I could tell by the look on their face they were curious, so I told them why. All they could bring themselves to say was that they were sorry. I thanked them for the kind sentiment.

My Momma & Me in Gaspe, Quebec
TAKEN: JULY 1972

I remember it like it was yesterday. It was just past midnight, February 14th, 1987, when the phone rang in my apartment. All my father said was,"your mother's gone." My first reaction was an instant sense of relief; as ALS (more commonly known as Lou Gehrig's Disease) had her suffering for long enough. 

My husband and I were only dating when my mother passed but even if we'd never married, I don't believe that I would ever have taken a Valentine other than my Mom. She was stoic in the end. So brave, though I'm sure she had to of been scared. You see, death was something we were never allowed to talk about when she was ill, that's just how she rolled. If I had to describe the last six months of her life, the one word I would chose, would have to be heartbreaking. 

At my fathers request, I left a good job in the City the May prior so that I could stay with her through the day. I was a waitress in the evenings that summer (for a bit of spending money) but my father needed round the clock help. Out of sheer necessity, he took a six month leave of absence from his job that September but she still needed the both of us. As you can imagine, that time my father and I spent together, changed our relationship for the rest of his life. Our unconditional support for one and other remained in tact until the day he died.

Anyway, I told my coworker last week that I would write about my mom today, as I had every year since I started this electronic journal. I also mentioned that I suspected that she no longer needed to by my Valentine because she'd been reunited with my Dad. 

Having said that, I know there's no written rule that you have to pick and declare only one true love today. So here's hoping you love yours as much as I love mine...As today will always be our day.

Happy Valentine's Day Mom. I miss and love you very much. xoxo

PASS MY PILLOW & AN HTMI CORD!

This past February 1st, I playfully greeted the day by welcoming all of my electronic friends to the shortest/longest month of the year. I found the post to be an exceptionally witty snippet when originally shared, until today. The aforementioned longest part, steamrolled any short comings the month may genuinely provide. 

I'm not quite sure why I'm feeling so lethargic. I am getting lots of sleep and working hard at keeping a well balanced diet. Not to mention that for the first time in the better part of a decade, I'm not even remotely stir crazy.

Could it be me? That no matter what life choices I make, I just naturally want to hibernate? You know ... Hibernate:(verb)

When one hunkers down in the bedroom closet, peacefully wrapped in a blanket, the entire month of February. My more specific version also paraphrases the streaming Sex & The City (while in said closet) as much as possible. 

Definitions of what the hell is happening to me aside, I realized today that I am totally over this stupid month. I guess you could say, it's the 10th and I'm spent. As I wallow in a post of self pity, I completely blame the shortest/longest month for this rant. I really thought when we'd had a green Christmas, I would sail though the months that followed with some grace. Apparently, today has proven that's not an option.

I'm tired, I'm cranky, and as much as the voices in my head tell me not to... I am heading upstairs to find a bag of potato chips to ease my angst. Hmmm, maybe I should add a provision for 'snackage' to my above definition.

Is this how you spell guacamole?  Never mind. Chip dip will fill the bill perfectly.

Thanks again for listening. Oh, and Season 4, Episode 4 starts streaming at 8!

Just sayin'.

OUR 1400 MILE FRIENDSHIP

About a week ago, I receive a selfie from my buddy Darin, announcing that he was finally wearing the Muskoka Bear Wear jacket I'd bought for him when we got together last Labour Day weekend here in cottage country (READ: HAT's A FACT). Not gonna lie, I was truly giddy when he sent the pic to prove he actually got around to finally having to wear it.

You see, Darin lives 1400 miles south of me in New Orleans, Louisiana. The coldest 'winter condition' this lad ultimately endures, is when he needs to turn the heat on in the car for an nano second, to take the chill off in the morning. Brace yourself for this next tidbit snowbound  peeps... Once, or twice, a freakin' season!

I bit of Muskoka officially lands in New Orleans!
TAKEN: JANUARY 28th, 2016

Winter weather envy aside, my post isn’t even remotely about that. It's more about how two people (that live so far apart) can make the effort to remain in touch.

As I mentioned to everyone when he was here last, Darin is an Architect. A very talented one, and one I was teamed together with for a Muskoka project that began in the Spring of 2012.

As the design for that project evolved, we ended up chatting on the phone almost daily. Those calls, combined with the ability to keep in touch via social media, untimely kept us electronically connected. The even bigger deal was meeting in Muskoka at the end of last summer, which was something that we'd only ever talked about.

As you know, timing is everything. No matter who you are, or what you do for a living, you have people intersecting in and out of your life all of the time. Have you ever wondered if there's a 'super sonic all that and then some' formula, that have some stay, while others go? I do. I don't dwell on it per say, yet I've always ultimately wondered.

As a coincidental aside, the morning that Darin sent me this photo, was the day that another electronic friend @MsJennie99 tweeted.... The people you meet by accident are often ones that become an important part of your life. My reply was simple: I couldn't agree more! #TrueStory.

Next up? Rhondi travels to New Orleans and gets herself a hoodie.

Which will obviously be worn by a campfire on a cool Muskoka evening in July!