Barking Space

So, Valentine’s Day has come and gone. Or as my PhD friend calls it, “Made-Up Day”.

I was sitting with my wife for a nice dinner out last night, when I told her that I didn’t really believe in Valentine’s Day. She understandably looked a little shocked, as I am an aspiring romantic, and admittedly enjoy things that would prompt other guys to label me “a sissy” (The last label they would ever give, I might add).

It is true, though, that I don’t really believe in it. In my opinion, Valentine’s Day should not just be limited to one day. And by Valentine’s Day I mean, of course, the non-commercial aspect of it. Yes, I like to buy cards (or make them if I can), and yes, I like to buy flowers. However, I don’t really need a reason for these.

Why am I writing this? One would think that my intentions are to make you think I am cooler than I actually am (which would be an outright lie. I could never make anyone believe that I am actually cooler). In reality, it’s just a reminder to share good experiences with those you care about. Valentine’s Day is great for this because restaurants go out of their way to make things more romantic, and they also step away from their standard fare. I like this. It’s like a one-day Winterlicious.

Once in a while, I will drop the names of some great places to eat. Now, it goes without saying that my opinion of these places is just that: my opinion. So if you go, and have a bad time, please don’t blame me. You can feel free to leave comments here so that other people can judge whether or not they would like to go based on the opinions of more than just one person.

Last night, we went to a restaurant called Merlot. It is located on Bloor St W just East of Royal York Rd. It is a nice French place in The Kingsway. The meal experience there is the opposite of the one that we had at Bloom. The atmosphere is relaxed, and the staff are very nice. The food is out of this world.

We tend to celebrate special events in our lives there, because it rocks.

Let me know if you would like directions.

Filed under: Ponderings, Spaces Archive | 7 Comments »

On House last night, there was a patient who was diagnosed with ALS by a doctor (“Marty Hamilton”) from another hospital. Dr. Gregory House was not convinced of this, and didn’t rest until he figured out the problem. He made a comment during the show that really stuck with me. He was speaking to one of his team, referring to Marty as the type of guy who just fixes a problem and then hopes that everything turns out, rather than taking an active role in things.

House uses a lot of trial and error to attempt to fix problems (the human body remains one of the greatest mysteries in existence). Hamilton, on the other hand uses a defined approach to eliminate standard ailments and then leaves it at that. What is worse, the man who knows he may be wrong, or the man who thinks he’s right?

An excellent episode, to be sure.

I suppose what got my mind going on this subject was the fact that I see these two types of approaches to life from many people that I know.

For example, there are lots of people at work content to come in and do their job, and leave. Sometimes this is good. Most times, I find it to be bad. A lot of these people just do enough to get by. It’s like those people in school that always seem to do okay in school until they reach a level where they have to think. Not to mention that in a work situation there are usually other people affected by the decisions of this person, no matter how low in the food chain they may be. I, myself, look at work as a way to pay for things that I like to do outside of work. This, though, does not mean that I don’t care about what it is that I do. On the contrary, I think that sometimes I might take it a little too personally. And it isn’t because it is a matter of pride. It is my belief that it should be right in the grand scheme of things. I don’t really care who is right. So long as the outcome of the experience is positive.

I notice the same kind of thing in Martial Arts. It was one of the reasons why I left Taekwondo. I find that a lot of schools are really about money, and not about the art anymore. If you pay your monetary dues, you will eventually be a black belt. This just cheapens the meaning of the rank for me. I see it all the time, actually, in many martial arts. I see people who just coast, and then don’t know why they never get better. Or what’s even worse are the people who scrape by, but think that they are incredible. Not such a good thing, in my opinion.

I’ve always tried to do things so that I learn. Granted, we all have times where we slack, and I am definitely no exception. For the most part, though, I would like to think that there is meaning in the things that I do.

Filed under: Ponderings, Spaces Archive | 2 Comments »