A Tim Harlick Retrospective

A journey of trials, tribulations, and questionable haircuts.
Witness a life so profound, it required its own webpage.

Play the Ballad of Tim Harlick

Begin The Experience
Baby Tim in a large diaper

Exhibit A: The Diaper Incident

One cannot understand the man without first understanding the diaper. So profound was its volume, it is believed to be the singular source of all future self-consciousness. A true origin story.

Tim as a child pretending to be a rabbit

Exhibit B: The Rabbit Transformation

Shedding his duck-like posterior, the subject briefly entered a rabbit phase. This performance art piece, met with laughter from his brother, was an early sign of a flair for the dramatic.

Tim after catching a fish

Exhibit C: The Last Supper (of fish)

A boy, a fish, a grandfather, and a shocking discovery of parasites. This event in Carbonear would forever alter his culinary path, creating a lifelong aversion to fish. Ignore the haircut.

Tim's high school grunge look

Exhibit D: The Grunge Epoch

A bold, perhaps misguided, attempt to channel the essence of Terminator 2. This artifact from the high school years serves as a humbling reminder that we all make choices.

Exhibit D.1: The Fleeting Fame

Before settling on a path, there was a brief, dazzling foray into the world of high-fashion fragrance modeling. The fame was immediate, intense, and ultimately, short-lived.

Exhibit D.2: The Witcher Contract

The modeling work led to a prestigious, albeit uncredited, role as Henry Cavill's body double in a popular television series. He performed all his own grunts.

Exhibit D.3: The Lean Years

But Hollywood is a fickle beast. The A-list roles dried up, leading to a humbling stint as a stand-in for both Mike Myers and Mini Me in an Austin Powers film. It was, literally, a hard knock life.

Exhibit D.4: The Dutch Detour

Ultimately, this downfall led to obscurity in a Dutch reggae band. Creative differences were, sadly, irreconcilable. And so, he was forced to go into some actual work.

A street in Newfoundland buried in snow

Exhibit E: A Note on Climate

Mainlanders think they know snow. They do not. This archival photograph from Newfoundland serves as a correction to the historical record.

Tim's wife with a face mask and a vacuum cleaner

Exhibit F: The Fateful Encounter

The subject met his future wife shortly after his formative career selling vacuums. This rare photograph captures her in a private moment, blissfully unaware it would one day be displayed here for the world to see. I will probably be killed for posting this.

A child's drawing of an 'ordinary dad' working at a university

Exhibit G: A Fulfilling Prophecy

A recently unearthed document from Grade 2 revealed a simple wish: to be an "ordinary dad and work at the university." After the detour through showbiz, the prophecy began to come true. The journey into "actual work" started in libraries (2004-2012), before shifting to university governance in 2012.

Tim being metaphorically shot out of a cannon towards Calgary

Exhibit H: The Great Migration

In 2016, with a child now in tow, it was time to leave the nest. The departure from Newfoundland was both swift and dramatic, as depicted in this artist's recreation.

Tim and his family shortly after arriving in Calgary

Exhibit I: Arrival in the West

The family successfully landed in Calgary, beginning a five-year chapter of mountain air and western living. The cannon-based travel method proved surprisingly effective.

Tim facing down a hockey opponent
Tim taking a Ken Dryden style water break
Tim becoming one with the ice after a fall

Exhibit J: The Hockey Years (A Brief Study)

Embracing the western life meant embracing the ice. Click the image to witness the subject's athletic progression: the 'Champion's Staredown,' the 'Dryden-esque Contemplation,' and finally, 'The Zen of the Fall.' After perfecting this state of horizontal stillness, it was a short leap to...

Tim covered by his child, becoming part of the furniture

Exhibit K: The Metamorphosis (Into Furniture)

Fatherhood. A journey of joy, exhaustion, and the eventual, inevitable state change from 'sentient human' to 'primary load-bearing living room structure.' Here, the subject is seen in a later stage of this transformation, having become one with the sofa. A truly profound sacrifice.

Deflated, finger-like eclairs on a baking sheet.

Exhibit L: The 'Nailed It' Incident

In an attempt to reclaim his humanity after the "furniture" phase, the subject scoffed at contestants on a baking show. The universe promptly served humility. After misreading the recipe and adding three full sticks of butter, these... things... were born. Deflated, finger-like, but reportedly, delicious.

Tim at the White House, looking presidential

Exhibit M: The Interregnum

Look, people are saying—they're saying I was the best. Maybe ever. I came in, I saw the White House, which I redecorated, beautifully, by the way. I made tremendous decisions. The best decisions. Everyone agrees. Then I left. They begged me to stay. 'Sir, don't go.' I said, 'No, the world needs more.' It was a perfect, very short, very powerful presidency. Many people are saying it.

Tim and family arriving in Toronto

Exhibit N: The Final Frontier (Toronto)

Leaving Calgary for Toronto in August 2021 meant facing the height of Covid restrictions. Manitoba, bravely guarding its borders, forced a harrowing portage. Carrying the car through untamed wilderness, battling mosquitos and existential dread, we finally arrived, forever changed.

Tim proudly holding a fish

Exhibit O: Full Circle (Almost)

Years after the traumatic parasite incident of Exhibit C, the subject bravely faced his fears. He held a fish. He even ate it when they returned to shore! A monumental step. Yet, the aversion lingers. The cure is incomplete. Some Newfoundlander I am!

Bundles of Timothy Hay

Exhibit P: The Grand Revelation

And so, we reach the end of this epic retrospective. After all the trials, travels, and transformations, the profound truth is revealed: Timothy... is a type of hay. Yes, hay. Commonly fed to rabbits (Exhibit B?). Perhaps this whole journey was just leading back to the beginning. Make of that what you will. Thanks for stopping by!