10 Negative Experiences in 2015

I have read that human's are poor at remember the negative things that occur throughout the year - so here is my attempt to recall some of them:

1) Burnt my finger last month. I was manually adjusting a log in the fireplace, I didn't realize that it was wet and all the heat going into it was boiling the moisture out. The blister was like a yellow marble glued to the end of my finger. Healed well, though.

2) Almost every decision made by management at LU or CFC: pimp out the University to a bunch of corporations without reducing tuition, great idea! negotiate a contract in bad faith forcing a strike and depriving kids in Sudbury of mental health services, brilliant!  No wonder you guys get the big money.

3) The loss of Stark and Hershey - The place is going to be a emptier this holiday without Stark's curious eyes and Hershey's smiles.

4) Reb hurting his back - I was hard to hear about his weeks of immobility, but it did put any back pain I had into perspective.

5) This year was dotted by a few weeks of sickness throughout. I enough that I noticed and wondered about it. Some long days & nights of serious bodily uncomfortableness can wear down the mind.

6) When that grouse died in front on me - I hesitated on adding this one because it was more a profoundly neutral experience of life and death, but I can still see the look of panic in the grouse's eyes as it realized something was very, very wrong with it's body, and it get to me.

7) Sciatica - I can keep it under control with exercise but it is probably with me for life, right now it is....

8 ) Returning to teach on-campus LU and realizing how little over a decade of service means. It doesn't translate into money, or an office, or a welcome back. Also criminology is not a fun subject to teach, so much sufferering and narcissism.

9) Still paying attention to world politics, still watching the West be the bad guys. Note to the Western Powers if you are destroying countries, allying with jihadists and enforcing killer austerity, then history will record you as an Enemy of Humanity.

10) That house that burnt down. Driving into town in the early morning we would drive my a house that always had two brothers waiting for the bus. They were always rambunctious and fun to see. Just after Halloween that small house burnt down, not just 'fire damaged' but charred ruins. I read in the newspaper there was one injury.  That ex-house with Halloween decoration still in the front yard was a melancholy sight.


Typing up this list was cathartic and slightly humbling. I've got little to complain about.

I hope that family is ok and whatever injury happened was minor. If the rambunctious kids started the fire (we could have easily burnt down our house) I hope they find humour in it as they age. I think if we burnt down the house and dads shirt caught fire or something but he was ok...we would be having a good laugh about it.

The house was one of those ones that had tons of stuff outside, from old cars to a family of goats, and that made the place seem alive and reminded me of our own house growing up.