Mom got her test results back.
Finally! And I have to say, so far, so good.... well, so to speak. I mean, it's not cancer, and that's what I was mainly concerned about. That being said, she still has some serious issues. But for now, here's the run down:

• She has high blood pressure - no surprise there. Mom has had high blood pressure since she was 17, which totally blows my mind.


• Because of her diabetes and high cholesterol, her pancreas isn't producing enough insulin. As a result she has fatty deposits built up on her liver and pancreas, which in turn slows down their functionality.
  


• Her stomach lining is inflamed and damaged from years of popping Tylenol and other medications for her osteoarthritis.
  


• There is another issue that still requires some further exploration. Her doctor's motto -- investigate, then medicate. So, I guess she has to go for a couple more tests before we know the rest of the details. Hopefully it's nothing serious... and hopefully she doesn't have to wait over a month for the other results too.
  

Anyhow, I'm just thankful she's in good hands with this doctor. It scares mom (and the rest of us) to think what might've happened had she stayed with the ever neglectful Dr. Asshole. F*cking prick. Sorry.... (BTW Janet, I told my mom that's how you referred to him in your blog, and she loved it! "Dr. Asshole" is her new name for him too. Ha.)
Manager is being demoted.
While it hasn't been officially announced yet, we've been informed of his upcoming demotion from a few reliable sources who have spoken to the CEO. Sounds like CEO actually acted on the issue quite fast. I can't say I really believed that he would. Apparently Manager was confident that he was going to get promoted to the VP of Marketing position, so this demotion took him by surprise and he's really fighting it. (Good luck with all that!) We plan on having a party when they officially announce it.
And speaking of officially announcing stuff...
Manager still hasn't told us that DMC is leaving.
What a dumb ass! In reality, DMC told us before she told him, but she didn't let Manager know that minor detail. Instead, when she did finally tell him, Manager told her not to tell GD or I, because he wanted to take a couple days to absorb the news before he filled us in. Well, it's been a week and he still hasn't breathed a word of it. Jeez man... when do you plan on coming clean and telling us? I keep joking that he'll tell us the day after she leaves. They call him the Marketing Communications Director, but the dude has got the *worst* communication skills I've ever seen. Thank gawd he's getting demoted.
We got the professional readers' feedback on our script.

To be honest, while there are still huge things for us to work on, it really wasn't as bad as I expected. Suggestions included things like tighten up the first act, reduce confusion by lengthening or removing certain flashback scenes, create a concise goal and make the theory behind the plot twist crystal clear. There was a bunch of other minor suggestions -- most of it all very constructive. There were a lot of very flattering compliments as well, which I didn't expect.
Oh yeah, and Martin the Great Advocate for Older Actors, you might be happy to hear that only 2 of the 5 readers said that the story would be more successful with a younger protagonist. As I've mentioned before, we were worried that the protagonist's age would be a huge concern because that is the feedback we keep getting from producers -- a younger protagonist would open up casting choices and fill more seats. So it was kind of nice that only two of them made that comment. Perhaps it's because we have so many bigger problems with our script, that the age of the actor is merely a footnote. Ha.

Anyhow, I'm quite excited to jump back in to writing. As for J... well, not so much. He knew we'd have to do some rewriting, but to him, this necessary progress pushes his goal of shooting the film this fall completely out of reach. But really, so what if we have to wait another year? The fact is, it *will* happen -- and when it does happen, we'll have a tighter, stronger script than the one we've currently got.
May first marks the first sighting
I decided to give my running shoes a different kind of workout this evening, as I skipped the gym and decided to walk home. It's a decent length for a walk, between 40 minutes to an hour from the office to my apartment. I miss my long walks, so I was quite looking forward to it. I don't think I've walked home from the office since last summer.

I took the (slightly) longer way this time, just because the weather was warm, the trees are in bloom, and well... I just felt like it. I haven't taken the longer route since I don't when, and in that time, a new road has been paved, cutting through town where there used to only be a railway. The longer route home includes walking along an overpass that arches above this new road.... and what a difference it makes between walking above a lazy railway versus rush hour. The sounds of heavy traffic whizzing by beneath my feet has always left me feeling woozy, so I focused on the mountain straight ahead as I put one foot in front of the other, making my way across. A cement truck roared from below and I could feel my stomach quiver. Ugh... I've never been a fan of walking along overpasses.
As I made my way home I tried to imagine the first year I lived in BC, before I started taking it for granted. I can still remember how the warm air seemed to carry the sweetest scents, how every mountain rock-face was nothing short of magnificent, and how the unexpected colourful blossoms on all the different trees left me swooning all season. Almost five years later and I feel like I've slowly lost that same excitement over every tree, rock and flower that I once had. It isn't "new" anymore, and life has started to get in the way. The only thing that I have still managed to maintain that same enthusiasm over are baby ducks. Sure, I realize there are baby ducks in Ontario... but I never saw any the whole time I lived there.

I seem to recall that last year my first baby duck sighting was quite early... like April 11th or something like that. This year, I have yet to hear a single peep. I decided to make a detour on my way home and walk along the duck path, just to take a peek. I made a stop at the pond where I saw many mallards, a small handful of Canada geese, and two turtles... but no baby ducks. I couldn't help but wonder if their eggs had been scrambled in the city's effort to reduce the duck population. I know they always do it to the goose eggs every year, and while I suppose it needs to be done, it always breaks my heart to see that lone momma goose sit on her nest with such dedication for months - meanwhile all the ducks swim around the pond as if to taunt her with their newborn clutches. I hope the city didn't send anyone around to shake the duck eggs too this year...

I left the pond, and continued along my way. It's such a peaceful path, that I can't help but slow my pace as I walk along it. All the cheerful little birds singing from high up in the willows. The calming trickle of the stream that ribbons and weaves around the gravel path. It really is a perfect little place, and it sure makes for a nice leisurely ending to my power walk home.
I noticed a few little birds gathered around some bird-feeders, enjoying their dinner. As their weight shifted and bobbed between the feeders, seed spilled to the ground, which was promptly gobbled up by a male mallard. From somewhere in the group, I could hear the quietest clucking sound, which caused me to stop and lean in closer. I shaded my eyes from the evening sun's glare and tried to see which of the little birds was making the funny noise. It sounded like a duck, but it clearly wasn't coming from the boy I saw. However, I know that when there's a male duck, his mate is never far behind. Sure enough, camouflaged behind the branches of a small shrub was his lil' wife. And no sooner was I able to see her, did I see one, two, three little babies coming out from behind the shrub and headed down the slope. They paused for their momma to catch up and take the lead, and then four, five, six more babies followed from behind. The six of them huddled in a tight little group of super cuteness as they waddled behind their momma down the little hill, across the path and into the stream.
I really don't think there is anything much cuter in this world than baby ducks. They make me want to burst with happiness, and sometimes it feels like it takes all my willpower to stop myself from plucking them from the ground and smothering them with kisses.

Oh, how I love baby ducks!