Dave's Armchair

Birthday beverages and haggis

2012-01-28T11:17:00.000-07:00

As I write this I'm sitting outside Starbucks enjoying the free birthday beverage they offer up. Today it's a peppermint mocha.

I have a stop to make at the Goodwill to drop off some household goods from my recent downsizing and move underground.

Family lunch today promises lasagna and haggis - the haggis in celebration of cousins visiting from Ontario - from the Scottish side of the family.

I'm meeting 42 with a degree of uncertainty, to be honest. Financial commitments surpass my income at present and that weighs heavily on my soul.

Perhaps 42 will bring with it some unforeseen prosperity.

Fingers crossed.

Top ten ways to annoy a gifted child

2012-01-24T23:21:00.003-07:00

I picked this up over on Facebook... certain members of my family should enjoy this one!

Click HERE

"I want to have enough money I don't have to worry about it, but I don't want so much money I have to worry about it." -R. A. Rogers III, 1987

2012-01-21T18:55:00.002-07:00

When I asked my friend Bob about his view on money, he replied with these words of moderate thought.

That was back in grade 12 when I really had very little concept of the value of money. At that point my only real reference was almost abstract in nature. I had been raised to believe that it was better to give than to receive; greed being next to the root of all evil - a love for loot. Abstract because for all intents and purposes i had everything i ever needed. To quote Dylan Thomas, I was living "golden, in the mercy of his means". (Fern Hill, 1945)

My then 17-year-old brain would, as it learned in electronics class, "take the path of least resistance". As a result, I didn't really 'get' why one should save some shekels...after all, if it's just sitting there, it's extra, right? Having extra when others have less, or none seemed to me to be greedy. After all, to sit on mass wealth just to have it IS greedy, right?

I grew up in a time of prosperity. Right before the crash of the 80s, we'd moved. The house we sold fetched more than the house we bought, so we never experienced the "21% mortgage". I was 10. After that, for the most part its been easy... downhill.

I was 38 at the time of our most recent serious economic plummet.

I was il-prepared, to say the least. I'd never experienced "no cash flow", and hence learned the hard way WHY you should have a stash of extra cash. The cash can and will stop - eventually.

Two years of little-to-no income put me in a sad state - economically and emotionally. It has been a good lesson to have learned - driven home far more effectively than had i simply read about it - however it would have been better had I paid more mind to the advice given me by those who had either been there, or were wise enough to understand that economic downs are indeed real, and do indeed affect far more than your own personal standard of living.

I've been slow to blog about this, and reluctant to share the more personal side of it, for obvious reasons. But what's more, I've generally been sharing less and less of even the happier moments in life - which is yet another consequence of an economic struggle. (My best guess is that so much of my energy is directed toward resolving matters of economic survival, very little remains for much else.)

On the upside, there is a plan in place - one that goes against my grain of following the "path of least resistance", a painfully slow and seemingly plodding repair.

My biggest personal challenge is to keep on the radar the less-immediate: other people, recreational pursuits and those things spiritual that are indeed requisite and necessary for the good of the soul.

In closing, to address Bob's concern about having "...so much money I have to worry about it", I simply feel that at this point it's a problem I wouldn't mind having - after all, first-hand experience far outweighs casual observation.

Flying high

2012-01-20T16:16:00.006-07:00

About this time two years ago I blogged (or rather, bragged) about my trip to Vancouver - specifically Chilliwack for coconut cream pie, just prior to the Olympics.

Since then, life has been - as Mike McDonald put it - "a series of ups and downs, with brief interludes of happiness." This of course applies most specifically to my work life and cash flow.

Since I have no plans for travel (summer vacay this year consisted of a day trip to Golden, blogged (or rather, bragged) about HERE.) I thought perhaps a little airline humour would be in order. I was trolling through old emails just now and came across this forward from back in August 2010, so many of you may have seen it already.

The search continues for multiple income streams. WIth my most recent application to WestJet, I consider this most blog-worthy. You'll want to click on the images to enlarge. (CTRL + SCROLL if you play on a Mac)

Kulula is a low-cost South-African airline that doesn't take itself too seriously.

Check out their new livery! And have a read about their Customer Relations.

WHAT A PITY KULULA DOESN'T FLY INTERNATIONALLY.

WE SHOULD SUPPORT THEM IF ONLY FOR THEIR HUMOUR - SO TYPICALLY SOUTH AFRICAN.

2012

2012-01-01T02:12:00.002-07:00

It's the new year - which also happens to be my house number.

In a conversation around the table tonight at my friend S.'s, we pondered this whole business of the proposed world end on what, December 21? When I queried the group about the significance of my house number being the same, they figured it made sense that mine would be the first to go.

Hmm... a little far-fetched, if you ask me.

My horoscope today reads:

"Your thinking is so far forward that some may have a hard time coming to terms with it. Don’t despair! You should be able to convince at least one influential person that yours is the best plan. You’re not a natural-born leader, but when called on today you’ll do what needs to be done. You’ll see the results somewhere other than your bottom line, at least for now. The pay off is in more valuable currency than money."

I've heard worse.

A few hours shut-eye, then I'm off to New Years Day brunch! Photos will follow, and if we're lucky I'll write a year-in-review post soon.

Feast or famine

2011-11-13T22:05:00.003-07:00

...so I've got this cat.

He's my buddy, affectionate, quite vocal and very much a resident.

When Sir W. first moved in back in 2008, I was in the habit of feeding him high-end organic cat food. Several benefits of this included the peace of mind that I was feeding him good, quality food AND (my favourite) much, much less waste in the litter box at the end of the day.

Over time, he's become quite fussy - to the point that he won't as much as touch the organic food. I tried mixing it with grocery-store brands, but eventually he even turned his nose up at those too. It seems he'll eat a food for a few months, then turn snooty. I thought perhaps it was a difference in the batches, but really he's just plain fussy.

I recently tried a semi-organic food that the girl at the pet store said he should gobble right up. (Her cats apparently devoured it) but it was a no-go.

When we visited the vet for annual shots and exam last week, I brought up the subject. We concluded that he's simply fussy and that I should let the food stand; left hungry long enough, he should eat. Failing that, I should add water and make a gravy in the food.

Nope. In fact, given the choice, he would sniff the gravy mixture and go back to the dry... but only for a nibble.

I'm not sure what, if anything, is up... but he meows around the house like it's some kind of hardship. It's wearing thin.

Do I have a fussy cat, or could there be something I'm missing?

Angry Birds and the iPhone 4S

2011-10-17T22:39:00.005-06:00

It's been out for some time now, time enough for everyone but me to catch on. Angry Birds is something of a Millennium craze I liken to Pac Man in the 80s.

You can download it free as an app on the iTunes Store, and up until recently I thought it was mildly amusing to amazingly lame. That is, until the other night when my youngest niece got hold of my phone and started playing.... and scoring big!

It was then that I discovered she was tapping the birds after they'd been launched, but while they were in mid-air. Some birds explode, some accelerate, while still others will drop like a stone as soon as you tap the screen.

Tonight was Monday Night Scotch with M. & D. and as we were leaving, D. and I were playing Birds in the elevator on the way to the lobby.

"I'm a Gamer", says D. who's just celebrated 42 years marriage to his wife of... 42 years! Yay! He hadn't played, and had hardly heard of the game. I think I hooked him.

So, for the guy (me) who rarely plays video games, I seem to have not only found one I kinda like, I'm also spreading the word to others.

Perhaps I could create my own app. I think I'll call it "Angry Apples" where you can lob a Magic Mouse at a PC tower and watch an army of Celeron Processor Protesters battle it out with the invincible force of Siri 4S Duo Cores.

I'm such a geek.

Feline fitness

2011-10-02T19:43:00.001-06:00

A terrifying thought...

2011-09-29T21:30:00.001-06:00

Fundraising mania!

2011-09-28T21:09:00.009-06:00

The last couple weekends have seen us doing a considerable amount of charity work, seemingly in a short period of time only because a number of events that were spread out over the month of September last year were compressed into the last two weekends.

Although I swore I would never do "all nighters" ever again, it would seem that each weekend warranted its own 36-hour day.

Two Saturdays ago saw me out in Madden for the second wedding for a family in the last six years, and the third for the circle of Madden-based friends. After DJing until 2:00 AM Sunday morning, I ventured back to Calgary and, after a brief stop at Tim Hortons to refuel, headed straight for the Eau Claire Market to set up for the 2011 Terry Fox Run. It was the 30th Anniversary Celebration, and the turnout was a record 1600 runners and walkers.

Because it was so much fun, I repeated the performance this past weekend. We covered off three events this last Sunday: The Millarville Ride For STARS (Shock Trauma Air Rescue Society) in Longview, the Prostate Cancer Canada "Stick It To Cancer" street hockey challenge at Crossiron Mills Market as well as the Calgary Scotia Bank AIDS Walk for Life at Eau Claire Market.

I spent Saturday evening at the hospital with my Mom, my sister came in to sit with her while I went home to load the van, then I returned to the hospital until Mom was admitted - shortly before 2:00 AM. I was scheduled to be on site for set up at 5:00 AM, figured I wasn't going to sleep anyway, so I headed to the Market early with the plan to take my time with set up.... not to mention the traditional stop at Timmies for a sandwich and a coffee! My neighbour J. calls this "in-flight fuelling" - only he does it during the day between regularly-scheduled appointments.

The headlining house band for AIDS Walk For Life 2011 was "Burning the Ground" - an 80's retro electronica band. They were amazing, and so much fun to work with and mix. I can honestly say it's the first time I've mixed a band with a keytar!

The Calgary Men's Chorus dropped in to do two sets of a-capella tunes

We even had a pump-up session courtesy World Health!

And of course... bellydancers!

The Mix station

There were even people in costume!

The Stage

The Roland V-Drum Electric Drum Kit - so VERY 80s!

The Synthesizer Station

The Keytar... also incredibly 80s!!

The best part?? This band had class... 80s electronica driven by a MacBook. (See... even the pros use Mac!)

...and Blogger's being dumb. The last set of photos will not line up with the text. Grrrr!!!!

The week in review...

2011-08-29T16:17:00.009-06:00

A couple neat things to report...

Starting with last Tuesday - I post about this one every year only because it's one of my favourite contracts. This year was the 20th Anniversary of the Charity Golf Tournament for the Tim Horton Children's Ranch at Kananaskis. For the past 16 years we've provided the sound and video for the live and silent auction and reception that follows the tournament.

I've been in the habit of donating certificates to the auction. This year, because I'm focused on bringing the live sound component of the business on line, I donated an evening's production services to the camp. I thought it best to showcase the Midas console so a photo too was also in order.

Work this last weekend was all out-of-town.

Friday, a wedding ceremony and reception at the Cochrane Ranch House

Ready for the ceremony

Dining room

Saturday, a wedding ceremony and reception at Priddis Greens Golf & Country Club:

Ceremony in a tent off the... 4th. hole??

Inside the clubhouse

Lastly, on Sunday I was down in Kensington and saw this brilliant guarantee:

The new website's up, with some flaws, but they will be ironed out over time: www.monarchmusic.ca

...more later, as we carry on, carrying on.

As the thought occurs...

2011-08-19T07:52:00.003-06:00

A brief post as the thought occurs.

I'm sitting outside the University Bookstore contemplating the day as I usually do, with a coffee after a bike ride.

Seeing the Bookstore sign reminded me of Dad and his thousands of books, not to mention his veratious love for reading.

Today would have been his 87th. birthday.

He also loved teaching and education. That may be why I'm so comfortable here.

I think I'll look for something to read in his memory.

Where there's smoke there's fire Part 2

2011-08-05T21:17:00.006-06:00

After I finished the first post, I went back to see what was happening. I walked down the back lane and caught this shot from the back of the house:

Then from the school parking lot across the street from the front of the house:

Ironically, check out the electronic sign at the school:

While I was snapping photos, the fire department escorted the home owners back into the house to survey the damage. Apparently no one was hurt, so "safe summer" applies here, methinks.

Time to buy a lotto ticket??

Where there's smoke, there's fire

2011-08-05T20:10:00.005-06:00

I was at Mom's this afternoon for coffee. In the middle of our visit I received a text from my friend Dave to say that N.'s dad G. was in the hospital. When I left Mom's, I went to the Foothills to see G. Turns out it wasn't super serious and he was ready and waiting to be discharged... waiting on a signature. As we prepared to leave, the Mother of all rain storms swooped in along with slushy hail. I'm thinking to myself, "...am I in for a new roof again this year??" We decided to wait out the storm at the coffee shop by the chapel. I'd parked at the church, so D. & G. gave me a ride to my van. I took the usual route home up 24th. Avenue across Crowchild Trail. As I came up 22nd Street to cut through the alley to home, I was stopped in my tracks by this:

My heart started to race, wondering if I might not be able to get to my house. Morley Trail was blocked off by emergency vehicles and tape lines.

This is the best shot I was able to get - it's the house three to the left of the alley, beside the apartment complex, beside the strip mall:

I went around behind the school and across to my place from the west. I was able to go in the back side of the alley from my place:

The next three shots show the overhead water feed from the back of the house:

Neighbours, police and fire crew were in the back alley:

I went around the block to get some shots from the school and East-bound down Morley Trail:

Walking back to the house, I wasn't quite fast enough to catch the shot - the Number 10 bus has been re-routed down Cochrane Road.

...and here I was concerned about hail damage to MY roof. Puts a new perspective on things, indeed.

The Dude of Contemplation

2011-08-04T08:40:00.004-06:00

Everyone knows I'm the lover of all things Mac. I'm the soap-boxer-extraordinaire when it comes to tormenting those poor, misguided Windows users. However, this morning I discovered something very frustrating about my little iPhone and that is that I too have become a victim of Autocorrect.

Autocorrect is a seemingly handy application designed to provide on-the-fly spellcheck-and-correct as you type text messages or make entries in application boxes while using your phone. Unlike spellcheck in Word for Mac or other such programmes, Autocorrect doesn't just give you the option to use its 'corrected' version of your misspelled word, but rather simply dumps it in. If you're not paying close attention, you may end up saying something you didn't intend.

Case in point, this morning I rode over to the University for a morning coffee (which, by the way I made at home before leaving - saving myself the $2+) sat outside the bookstore and proceeded to check email and of course, my Facebook. (Look at me, a guy over 40 checking in with "social" culture! ;)) A couple of my friends had recently used the "Check In" feature which allows you to post your current location as well as comment on what it is you're doing. I don't often use it - in fact, practically never - but this morning I figured... why not?

So I checked in at MacEwan Student Centre, with the intended comment attached:

"Sipping morning coffee with a side of contemplation"

Pretty simple, right?

As I look down to read the post, I notice a glaring error. Thanks to Autocorrect, my clever little post now read:

"Sipping morning coffee with a dude of contemplation"

At first I was furious. After all, I'd gone to some trouble (not really) to show to the world my cleverness. Then my mind raced to blame Autocorrect for not first checking the intended connotation of my post. Then I thought, hmm... a "dude of contemplation". As it read it wasn't all that bad, really. According to this I must be having coffee with some really deep dude. I guess I could live with that.

On my way home it occurred to me that perhaps Autocorrect is smarter than I give it credit for. After all, it knew I was indeed that dude.

Some Stampede Fun - story to follow

2011-07-18T15:04:00.002-06:00

The Golden Experience

2011-06-28T19:43:00.011-06:00

My day off yesterday was dedicated to attaining a long-saught-after collectable. It necessitated a day trip to Golden, British Columbia - about two and a half hours west of Calgary. The collectable in question is photographed at the end of this blog post, but the story and the process is far more interesting than the picture of the item.

As you know, I collect vintage audio: radios, tape recorders, phonographs and so forth. I finally found the matching set of speakers to the Yamaha EM 200 mixer; a photo of which resides currently on the sidebar. The only challenge is that I found the speakers in Victoria, British Columbia - a fair jaunt from home. The good news is that my friend Dave's friend Ian lives in Victoria these days. He also happens to travel regularly between Victoria and Golden.

Get the picture? ;) <---I think that's the first time in the history of the Armchair that I've used a sideways smiley in a post.

It's been several months setting up the deal. I was excited to hear from Ian when he'd made plans at the end of May to come out in June. It's a bit of a double celebration actually, since I haven't really travelled anywhere recreationally since my 40th a year ago January. The prospect of a day away with no set schedule was exciting.

I was to meet Ian at 1:30 since his plan was to have lunch with his daughter until around 1:00. So, I left at around 8:00 AM and took my time, stopping along the way to smell the roses.

FIRST STOP WAS LAC DES ARC SINCE I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THE VIEW ACROSS THE WATER TO THE PLANT AT EXSHAW.

WITH NO PLANS TO STOP OVER TO USE FACILITIES IN THE NATIONAL PARK, I BYPASSED THE CHECK STAND AT THE BANFF GATES.

My plan was to take the Bow Valley Parkway - the old highway between Banff and Lake Louise. It adds another 40 minutes to the 55 KM run, but is well worth the drive if you have the time. My friend Mike in Ontario used to say there are two seasons: Winter and Road Repair. He wasn't kidding. Just east of the Bow Valley Parkway turnoff, construction! What I didn't notice in time was that there was a break in the temporary barricade to access the turnoff. I continued on to the exit for Sunshine Ski Village, then looped around and back to catch the Parkway exit heading eastbound.

I'd noticed that many of the familiar signs had been replaced by a new style. I've decided I don't really like them. I prefer the vintage-style yellow-on-brown to the new white-on-navey.

COMPARING NEW TO OLD. NEW IS EASIER TO READ, BUT OLD IS MORE... RUSTIC IMHO.

I LOVE HOW THE PARKWAY ROAD SPLITS INTO SINGLE LANES AROUND PIECES OF ROCK.

NEARING LAKE LOUISE, THIS IS ONE OF MY FAVOURITE STRETCHES. THE SPEED LIMIT HAS BEEN REDUCED SINCE MY LAST RUN, FROM 80 KM/H DOWN TO 60 KM/H ON THE STRAIGHTAWAYS AND TO AS LOW AS 30 KM/H ON SOME OF THE SINGLE-LANE STRETCHES. I ALSO NOTICED A SUBSTANTIAL INCREASE IN THE VOLUME OF CYCLISTS. COINCIDENCE? I THINK NOT. THE UPSIDE? YOU GET TO SAVOUR THE SCENERY. :) <---Sideways Smiley #2

BEING THE TRAIN BUFF I AM, I WOULD BE REMISS IF I DIDN'T PHOTOGRAPH THE RAIL SIGHTS IN B.C. MY NEXT STOP WAS THE SPIRAL TUNNELS.

NEARING GOLDEN, THE FAMILIAR GREEN OF THE FRASER RIVER WITH - SURPRISE, SURPRISE - A TRAIN TRACK!

AT THE KICKING HORSE REST STOP PART WAY DOWN THE HILL TOWARD GOLDEN - LOOKING EAST UP THE HILL.

LOOKING WEST, DOWN THE HILL

I had about an hour for lunch before meeting Ian, so remembering this little cottage-style restaurant near the Husky, I pulled in... only to discover it was no longer cottage-y. It was now the Golden Grizzly - a BBQ style cookhouse. No worries! After a sizeable Greek-chicken salad I met up with Ian who didn't have a whole lot of time to visit, so we had a brief chat and I was on my way.

If you know me, even in the least, you know I'm always on the lookout for coconut cream pie. Of course, anywhere there's a truck stop or a diner chances are there's coconut cream pie. I stopped at the Husky on the highway, and sure enough...

COCONUT CREAM PIE AND COFFEE! THE COFFEE WAS A DISAPPOINTMENT, BUT THE PIE - NOT BAD. :D <---a pie-smiley

Golden has rail yards, so I simply had to go in search of interesting track shots. Sadly, but not surprisingly, there was construction on the bridge that leads to downtown Golden, else I would have captured some fabulous overhead shots of the rails. In lieu, I drove over the bridge and followed the road around to the same tracks, but on ground level. There was a convenient place for me to park the van, then hop on to the road bed.

AFTER I SHOT THIS ONE...

...I LUCKED OUT - A TRAIN!!

ON THE TRANS CANADA FOR THE JOURNEY HOME, I SNAPPED THIS: AN OVERPASS FOR WILDLIFE. THERE ARE SEVERAL OF THESE BUILT UP TO ALLOW ANIMALS TO CROSS THE HIGHWAY SAFELY.

HOME SWEET HOME - THE YAMAHA S4115H SPEAKERS SET IN PLACE.

These seemingly oversized-for-the-space speakers remind me of this ad from around the same time the speakers were built:

THE SLOGAN WAS: "IS IT LIVE, OR IS IT MEMOREX?"

Yup, that'll be me watching a good action flick... something to do the speakers justice: Top Gun, methinks!

Effective marketing strategy

2011-05-08T13:01:00.001-06:00

This seen in my travels today...

It's a whole new angle that I never thought the Conservatives would have taken, but apparently it worked!

Sir Mix A Lot

2011-05-07T22:31:00.006-06:00

Today it's rainy and cold. I'm staying inside with the intention of cleaning house and re-cooping lost time. For the last two weeks I've been down with a really nasty cold/flu thing. I have the tolerance for about three days of downtime. After that, I get grumpy.

Despite barely feeling better, I did manage to pull off a charity event last Sunday at Eau Claire Market. I think the motivation was there to simply get out of the house after being sick for ten days!

I arrived around 7:00 AM

As I stood outside my van, I realized just how sunny it was. I had to take this shot to prove it.

After the tent guys put up our stage and after the band showed up (they were on time, so I did big happy claps!) and obviously skipping ahead a few hours of Turtle labour, here is the stage: complete and ready to rock!

The band that came out was a group of fellows who had played in 2s and 3s, but never all together. They had jammed the night before and figured it would work... and did it ever work! They came up with a name twenty minutes before the show and called themselves the Plaid Philosophers!

Back at the mix station, everything is in place - including my prized Midas console. It was the first show I'd done with it, and it was DREAMY!!

Picture the nicest car you've ever driven - everything's at your fingertips and in the right place. Control with precision!

I've come to love my label maker. My handwriting is notoriously illegible, so when control-central is neatly labelled it's easy to make quick, last-second adjustments. To explain briefly how the console works, it simply has a volume control for each of the various inputs.

From left to right we see: MC Handheld microphone, Bass Guitar, Acoustic Guitar, Vocal Mic 1, Drum Vocal Mic (which they changed on the fly to the keyboard vocal), Vocal Mic 2, Electric Guitar, Saxophone, Keyboard, Kick drum, Tom1, Tom2, Snare 1, Snare 2, and two overhead mics for cymbals. The other inputs were not used except the one labelled DJ which was the DJ rack on the other table - allowing me to play music for background.

The red buttons are ON/OFF to allow you to turn any one of the channels off without changing its set volume.

The yellow and red knobs are volume controls for stage speakers, allowing you to send the signal from that channel to any one or all of four speakers on stage so the musicians can hear what they're playing.

The green knobs allow you to apply effects like delay or reverb. The processor isn't on-board and I didn't get a picture of it specifically, but it's mounted in one of the racks shown two photos back.

The knobs in the light blue section are essentially Bass, Midrange and Treble controls for each of the channels.

Everything's really quite simple, but the art of mixing is creating the correct balance of volumes and tone control to make the mix sound "right".

SOAPBOX TIME: One of my pet peeves with sound guys in general is that so many of them allow the vocals to be buried under the music. The first thing I do in a mix is to make sure the vocals are at the front. I then bring the instruments in behind to compliment. It makes my blood boil to hear a bad mix by some highly-paid "professional" - ESPECIALLY when people are paying big money for their tickets.

Energy 101.5 was the sponsoring radio station. A fellow came to me just before sound check to ask if we could tie in his receiver so that we could play the radio station as background music between events. I figured, "Perfect!" (less work for T.G.!)

At the time I thought this shot was kinda cool. Dunno why.

From the mix station looking forward.

Some people in costume!

A gym troop came out to entertain.

The Mayor made an appearance to say a few words.

A really great day, and I have nothing but rave reviews for the Plaid Philosophers: absolutely genuine guys not to mention extremely talented musicians. They too had complimentary and kind words for me, which really makes the job fulfilling and worthwhile.

Having trouble with your Blackberry or your Apple?

2011-04-28T13:32:00.002-06:00

Well then, you really must see this!

I've never been big on mass-forwarded emails and so forth, but when Anvilcloud posted this one to Facebook this morning, I laughed so hard I just about banged my head on the desk!

Of course, I've always loved British humour. I'm a huge fan of series such as Red Dwarf and Monty Python. This little bit ranks right up there.

One thing though, you must be made aware that Orange is a British telecom carrier - much like Rogers or Telus here in Canada.

Enjoy!
(I certainly did!)

The One Ronnie

QUESTION OF THE DAY: Have I discovered a time machine?

2011-03-27T10:14:00.004-06:00

It would appear that my spare room storage is really a time capsule. Amongst all and sundry, I found one of my Aunt's photo albums.

Yes, indeedy.

It's one of those old-school albums that has the peel-back plastic and low-tack glue designed to hold your prized photographs in place.

On the back page my Aunt kept our school photos over the years. They were awkward to scan, but when I tried to remove the photos to lay them out on the scanner bed individually, I discovered that 1970s low-tack glue - over time - becomes New Millennium Super Glue. As cropped and weird as the scans look, here's a glimpse into not only my past, but my sister's past as well.

Hee hee... not sure what I'm going hear about leaking her photos...

Turtle Guy Evolves. If you compare the first photo, taken in Kindergarten (c. 1975) to the photo currently on the sidebar of the blog (c. 2010), you'll note I no longer use binding tape to hold my glasses together. Quite an accomplishment.

Turtle's Sister. The photo sequence is far more complete, ranging from K-12. The time period however (c. 1973 - 1985) corresponds.

So from photos of childhood beginnings to school-day computers unearthed to long-lost lighter 5-packs, it's been an enlightening, if not entertaining weekend... not to mention educational.

QUESTION OF THE DAY: Have I discovered a time machine?

Apparently.

QUESTION OF THE DAY: Is it good that I kept all this stuff?

2011-03-26T12:16:00.002-06:00

Further to yesterday's post, I've been blasting through the bedroom/storage room (or should I say, "dumping ground"). The process has culminated in stuff being strewn throughout the house in an attempt to sort it all out. When I was wee, Mom and Dad used to say I'd make a bigger mess "cleaning up" than the mess I'd started with.

Organization has been my nemesis. I've always felt it takes so much time to "get organized", I tend to shortcut. It's a double-edged sword of sorts because I waste more time, energy and frustration looking for stuff I've laid out just any-old-where. I admire, nay am jealous of those who can seemingly go through life highly organized.

At 41, and after having cleaned out my parent's house in 2005, I've slowly (like... 6-years-slowly) come around to believing that less is more. Mom and Dad kept everything. It was a function of the times in which they'd grown up - through the 1930s. Here I've recently lived through a fairly deep recession, and yet the only thing I truly feel like collecting now is money.

Money doesn't clutter your space and make your house all messy.

Although...it would be interesting to see what it would look like.

My digging and sorting endeavours have yielded a long-lost 5-pack of Bic lighters that I'd bought ages ago since I find matches so messy. I picked up the habit (of carrying lighters, not smoking!) from my friend Dave B. who would take them camping. It seemed so convenient, I caught the habit. Sadly, along with my habit of tossing stuff here and there, I'd lost the whole 5-pack! (behind the dresser, on the floor)

The creme-de-la-creme of my finds this morning was an unopened (up until about 30 minutes ago) bottle of Irish Creme. I'd bought it to take to Christmas Morning breakfast at my sister's, thought it got lost in the van, and found it today in a bag of goodies I'd swept up from the van and simply tossed into the store room.

Are you getting the picture of my nasty little habit?

My friend Norm told me years ago,

"If you have less stuff, it takes less energy and effort to keep it organized." (1998)

See how I jumped right on it and got organized right away?

A/C commented on the last post,

"An Apple IIC. Really?"

Yup, I've been hoarding a realack of a computer, in a box, complete with software and all the cool games - not on display and hooked up ready to enjoy... simply packed away and stuffed into a spare room.

So, QUESTION OF THE DAY: Is it good that I kept all this stuff?

Who knows.

I've got most of the floor cleared away so I'm going to move my sorting table from the living room into that bedroom and finish up my taxes this weekend.

Perhaps another Irish Cream first, though.

QUESTION OF THE DAY: Who made the rule that says we have to keep stuff??

2011-03-25T20:05:00.002-06:00

I'm taking a break from cleaning out the "spare" bedroom - the one I've used over the years as a Master, a yoga room and most recently a catch-all storage room for - well, to be honest - just stuff. It's full of stuff that I've felt should be kept, but never bothered to sort. Makes me wonder if I really need it all anyway?

I've given it a good three hours tonight and I'm exhausted, but determined. I'm going to bang away at it until it's clear. I really need a place to put all the stuff that I want to throw out. I've felt for a couple years that perhaps an industrial dumpster might be handy.

Moreover, what do I do with the stuff I want to keep? For instance, I came across a box FULL of snap photos dating back to the 90s. I've never bothered to album them up, so do they really matter? My Apple IIc and all it's accessories... boxed, but it might go well with my "vintage" theme. Alas, I have no place for it.

So the sorting and pondering will continue tonight until I drop.

It begs the question that is also tonight's title: "Who made the rule that says we have to keep stuff??"

It's just the kind of day I'm having...

2011-03-11T14:07:00.002-07:00

Celebrating 41 Venice Style - a very long post

2011-03-02T22:55:00.000-07:00

The first birthday I had in the blogosphere was in 2006. I had celebrated nine days early with tickets to see Bryan Adams at the Saddledome.

In 2007 I spent the day at the pottery studio, according to the blog post, " making a mess of myself".

In 2008 I reflected on how much I admire those with drive and ambition to accomplish their dreams.

In 2009 I observed Viagra being advertised at an all-ages hockey game.

In 2010 I was on the ferry between Naniamo and Vancouver. It was the year of the delectable coconut cream pie adventures - not to mention... my big 4-0.

This year was different, yet again.

Back in October I noticed that a very nice mixing console was "on sale", of sorts, at Axe where my industry friend Dwayne works. When a showroom piece has been on display for a year or longer, it goes into what they call the Dutch Auction. The retail price is reduced by 5% each week, until it sells.

I got excited. Not just... excited, but ecstatically excited. You see, in the world of professional audio there are all different grades of equipment. The world in which I live, professionally, is commonly served by "mid-market" equipment; that is, equipment priced in the middle of the market. It's commercial grade stuff that's acceptably reliable, sounds great and is priced suitably; not inexpensive, and not out-of-this-world unattainable. The console that went on sale is leaps and bounds above mid-market.

Most people I know drive a car of some description. To draw a parallel, the mid-market equipment I speak of (Mackie, Numark, Tascam, Soundcraft) is really great stuff, comparable to a Honda, Toyota or Nissan. The low end equipment (Behringer, Gemeni, Peavey) is great for those who want to get their feet wet in the pro end of things without spending a lot of money. My experience with these low-end products however, has been quite literally equipment failure BEFORE the expiration of the warranty period. After a horrific experience last July I will NEVER again purchase a Behringer product, and after a very frustrating system installation in January using Peavey product, I will likely never again buy it either. This is equipment comparable to a Ford Pinto: it blows up if you bump it.

Now... the BMW or Mercedes of mixing consoles, at the top of the market is Midas. They're designed in Britain, not the U.S., built in Germany, not China. The board on sale was their entry level 28-channel Venice. Not many people in the Calgary market own one, mostly based on price. You see, a mid-market board with its features is relatively affordable and reasonably reliable.

A Midas will do what every other mixing console on the planet will do, but it does it with finesse. It's like the difference between a Mac and a PC. PCs work great, they're affordable and somewhat reliable. Macs do much the same thing, are generally more reliable but have all the little operational refinements that make them a simple joy to operate.

I'm sure if Mac were to build a mixing console, it would be a Midas.

I've been harping on about price, so perhaps I should clarify something: I normally wouldn't look at a Midas. It's WAY out of my price range. In need of a console, I would naturally look at a comparable Mackie. I have the utmost respect for Mackie - they're an amazing mixer.

However....

Back in October, I started dreaming about the Midas when I saw it could possibly be within my grasp. I consulted Dwayne who was excited to see my interest. Of course, in October the price had barely moved. The big orange tag had only a couple entries reflecting a price I still could not justify, let alone afford. As the weeks went by, Dwayne too became more and more excited for me.

I decided, for the sake of my sanity, that I wouldn't get too excited about it for fear that someone could walk in at any time and grab it from under my nose. I told Dwayne that I would play the "Midas Lottery". I would set a date, far into the future, and IF it were still available, I would buy it on that date.

I decided on my birthday at the end of January

Come January, I could hardly contain my excitement at the prospect: it was still in the showroom!

Come my birthday, it was sitting there, simply waiting for me to bundle it up and take it home! For the months of anticipation, and a little of Dwayne's "encouragement", we felt an official photo was in order.

I CALL THIS ONE "THE MIDAS MEN"

After one of the other salesmen snapped the photo for us, I jokingly (but not really) asked Dwayne if, because it was my birthday, the $250.00 steel stand it was sitting on would be included...

His words?

"Uh... not today."

We returned to Dwayne's office to complete the paperwork and to figure out just how much I'd saved. The manufacturer's suggested retail price is $6502.84. (A comparable Mackie (the Honda) is $2400.00, a comparable Behringer (the Pinto) is $1100.00. I won't tell you what I paid for it, but I realized the other day that it cost me less than moving a girlfriend across the country.

While we sat and congratulated ourselves on the results of our combined efforts, the fellow who took the photo returned to Dwayne's office. Dwayne excused himself briefly only to return with a big grin on his face:

"The stand, my boy, is yours!", he said.

"Um... for why?", I inquired.

It turned out that the stand had come with the board as part of the display promotion. It didn't exist on the store's inventory, therefore it was to go with the console.

Happy Birthday to me, Happy Birthday to me...

Further celebration continued at the pottery studio that night. As luck would have it, they decided to have a pot luck supper that very evening. I took a bottle of scotch (don't think I didn't have one with Dwayne first, though!) to celebrate.

THE MIDAS VENICE NESTLED IN, AT HOME IN THE OFFICE

THE REAR PANEL

Sadly, a road case wasn't included in the the deal, so I went shopping. An eBay deal out of British Columbia got me a case designed for a Mackie, but the Midas fit... at the Behringer price! The day the case arrived by Fed-Ex, I snapped a few pics:

Oh, and one more thing: Dwayne dropped a bombshell on me that day. Apparently, and it pains me to publish this, Behringer has bought Midas.

Yup.

It turns out I bought from the last generation of Midas boards before the buyout. My friend Sharon would say,

"Happy Claps!!"

I figure the sale is going to run the quality of the Midas into the ground, but Dwayne says it may just raise the quality standard of the Behringer product. With the 25th anniversary of my company fast approaching, the Midas represents in my world, an increase in the quality standard of what we will be doing.

One night last month I couldn't sleep, so i got up and tinkered away at the Mac. I created this, which I circulated to my industry friends with the tag, "Sad really, the irony."

Request to blog

2011-03-01T21:12:00.010-07:00

I'm a tired Turtle.

Remember when you were a kid and your parents told you there was nothing like a good night's sleep to make the world a brighter place?

They weren't kidding; they were actually serious, and for good reason:

It's true.

I went to lunch with my Mom last Tuesday because when she has a day off from her regular weekly yoga, she likes to sample the ethnic food theme days in the cafe. Last week they tried to pass off frozen mixed veg, as Vietnamese stirfry and plain white rice as Jasmine. The chicken skewers were tasty, but I didn't know that skewers were a Vietnamese thing. We both agreed that the meal was somewhat less than stellar, but what stood out in my mind was my mood - also less than stellar.

I was irritable, grumpy and generally no fun to be around. It might have been a good time to suggest a different day for a visit, however I knew Mom really wanted to go to the cafe lunch because even at its worst, it's better than the assembly line, no-flavour-added "chicken-or-beef-selection" they get in the dining room on their floor. The "sameness" of it all I think gets to her after a while.

Today her yoga instructor was off, so with yoga class cancelled she could stay in and enjoy another Tuesday lunch in the cafe. She invited me - kind of her since I was such a barrel of laughs LAST week - so I joined her for a Greek repass.

You know what?

It was bordering on phenomenal! Albeit, no feta cheese OR black olives in the Greek salad... nevertheless, it was good and Mom went wide-eyed over the "warm Greek potatoes" and Lemon Fish while I savoured the chicken pita wrap.

I've been spending the last while sorting out my year end, preparing for my accountant her requested 12 envelopes of financial fun. The dollars picture around here is still not back to sparkly, and that being the case, I anticipate a GST refund, perhaps enough to say... cover the accounting bill?

The other day I said to the teller at the bank,

"I'd like a year where my taxes go through the roof... only because it would mean I've made a TON of money!"

We laughed because we both knew that's not the ONLY way one's taxes might go through the roof. Wishful thinking though.

Last weekend was harried. I arrived at Sunday feeling beat down, exhausted, burnt out and overworked. Even though I was doing what I love to do, I over-did it.

One event on Saturday that contributed to my tiredness, but was quite enjoyable was the annual Baiden Powell Dinner for the 38th Scouts of which my middle niece is one. In fact, not only was she decorated with her Religion In Life badge, she also graduated from Cubs to Scouts.

My friend Matt (the fellow who helped me refinish my hardwood floors here) and who's famous in my circle of blogging buddies for his dislike of raisin pie (the story here), was at the dinner. His Dad, Lorne, is a fire chief in Calgary and is also involved quite actively with the Rover company. He gave a talk on water rescue in the Calgary area which included a 5 minute department video.

I ended Saturday on a really pleasant note. My last pickup of the evening was at the Alberta Wilderness Association's Music For the Wild. I supply the sound system for this quarterly event. This month, Jim McLennan played amazing guitar tunes: many of his own works plus lots of familiar favourites.

It's been a chilly time here too. Today was -37C if you take into account the windchill factor. Here we are at the beginning of March, and for the last number of weeks folks around here have been grumpy. Yours truly, no exception. I think it may have contributed to a number of road incidents I've witnessed too.

Yesterday I went down to Okotoks to drop off an order for the school and was greeted with this as I reached the top of the Glenmore overpass:

On my return from the bank around 9:00 this morning, I drove by my friend Sharon's parent's house, not two blocks from my own and saw a car "parked" on their front lawn. At first I literally thought it was intentional: it was dead-straight, and the driver appeared to simply be sitting in the car as if she were waiting for someone to come out of the house for a ride. When I slowed down to realize that she was indeed stuck, I stopped, got out and told her I'd run home and grab a tow rope and a shovel to help. On my return there was a fellow towing her car out with his truck. When I inquired with Sharon via email (she's my friend in the Vancouver area) if she'd heard from her parents about it, she said it was a result of "doing donuts in the intersection". Funny - the girl seemed really rather embarrassed and said,

"Do you think I should leave them a note? ...I really feel like I should go home and start this day all over again!"

Additionally, I found out via Facebook that my friend Sarah had been rear ended today - the second time in four months. Her car is likely written off, but she's OK aside from a headache and stiff from head to toe.

I do have some happier news - what should have been blogged about in late January alas, I've been remiss in my blogging duties. You can thank my sister for putting in a "request to blog" It seems that's how she keeps tabs on her Turtle brother. She's a "lurker". (I KNOW I'm going to get a call about THAT one!)

Tune in tomorrow for how I celebrated my birthday "Venice Style"!

Until then, keep warm and cheerful.

Farewell to 40

2011-01-27T22:44:00.003-07:00

As tomorrow looms ever closer, I feel it's best to acknowledge what everyone seems to view as a landmark year in every life.

40 wasn't exactly what I expected it would be when I was 10, 20 or even 30.

It was indeed, quite different: lots of dreams unrealized, yet so many accomplishments I never thought would come to fruition. In the midst of some unruly turmoil was woven several incredible highlights. You can visit the year in review here.

Reflecting on the last year, I realized that even though the last couple of years have been heavy and full of all sorts of things that threw me off my intended path, this was the year in which many of the things I lost, I've regained. My life really looks much like it did before the "crash of '08", and in true yogic fashion, things have simply unfolded this way.

Am I uncertain about the future? Of course - and admittedly, a little scared. But perhaps my fear is really more a sense of realization: realization that I know now where I need to be. The path there remains uncharted and although this has been something of a cryptic post, it's simply because I'm not quite ready to share my plan with the rest of the world.

On a lighter note,

"Let me tell you something, Johnny: The first 90 years or so... they go by pretty fast...then one day you wake up and you realize that you're not 81 anymore..." -Burgess Meredith

That makes me chuckle!

Artistic Fun

2011-01-14T22:24:00.007-07:00

I first learned to mix on this, a Yamaha EM 200 series mixer. It was the heartbeat of the sound system for the Bowness Boys Choir.

I was 12.

On two separate occasions this, along with the matching speakers, came home to our basement for safe keeping... and the odd ego-driven show-off session. After all, I had the biggest, not to mention the coolest stereo on the block!

The mixer pictured here is the same make and model, however I had to go to Kijiji to find it. It now sits at home in my office; on display as part of my vintage audio collection. It serves as the office amplifier, driving a pair of home stereo speakers I picked up back in the summer of 1992.

Vintage meets Modern Day as my beloved iMac is tied into it with plenty of playlists to spare, thanks to iTunes.

With exactly two weeks left until my 41st. birthday, I was feeling nostalgic. I posed with this piece of history, using the technology of the Mac to snap the photo.

...and of course to write and post this blog.

Today's Horoscope for Aquarius

Now is a great time for a family reunion or
any event at which you can reminisce.
Today is perfect for comparing the present to the past --
and maybe figuring out what you want to do in the future.

Time warp

2011-01-09T01:16:00.002-07:00

I must be losing my mind.

Friday night I popped in at the pottery studio after yoga to ready the, what I thought were, one-year-old pieces. As I sanded away rough edges, I began to think...

"Y'know, it's been more than a year... it's been two!"

When I did the math, it fit: We moved the studio on January 1, 2009. All the pieces I have from that time were dated 01/09.

That shelf of mine sat for TWO years, not ONE!

...just thought I'd point that out.

Home Sweet Home

2011-01-06T23:09:00.005-07:00

I returned to the pottery studio tonight for the first time in just over a year. I sent an email to Dave, my instructor, only to get the response that not five minutes before he got the email, he had decided to clear off my shelf at the studio!

Here I thought my stuff would have been long gone.

Nope.

I walked in today to not only find my tools, but several pottery pieces I had thrown but not fired over a year ago. In fact, one piece had been bisque-fired (the first firing before glazing) and dated... well, I'll let you see the date in the photo below.

It was like old-home week. I was amazed that everyone at the studio tonight knew me, even though I needed a refresher on some names! They all said they'd missed me too, and "Where've you been? Why did you leave?"

Explaining that it had been a matter of economics and a few other personal details, I simply went about my regular routine. It was kinda like hooking up with an age-old friend; you know, the kind who can go away seemingly forever and when you meet up you simply continue from where you left off and it's like you'd never parted. That's the feeling I had tonight.

It felt good to be home.

MY SHELF - 160 - LEFT UNDISTURBED FOR OVER A YEAR!

LEFT IN TACT WAS MY FULL BOX OF POTTERY TOOLS, GIFTED TO ME: "Dave, using the studio's tools is like... using the rental mats at the yoga studio. Ewww..."

I TOLD LINDA, A LIFER AT THE STUDIO: "I Was in a hurry last class and forgot to clean my tools - I'll be right back." WE HAD A LAUGH.

I WEDGED UP THREE BALLS OF CLAY FOR TONIGHT. YOU'LL NOTICE BRICKS PLACED UNDER THE FEET OF MY WHEEL. IT KEEPS ME FROM HAVING TO LEAN OVER SO FAR.

ALL THE PIECES ON THE LEFT ARE ONES THAT, TO MY SURPRISE, WERE STILL RIGHT WHERE I'D LEFT THEM SO VERY LONG AGO.

THESE ARE THE TWO PIECES I THREW TONIGHT. I MESSED UP THE SECOND BALL OF CLAY, AS IS THE POTTERY WAY. YOU WIN SOME, YOU LOSE SOME.

THE ONE PIECE I WAS ABSOLUTELY THRILLED HAD SURVIVED MY HIATUS.

REMEMBER THE PIECE I MENTIONED HAD BEEN BISQUE-FIRED WAY, WAY BACK?

WE DATE POTS BY WHEN THEY WERE THROWN, NOT NECESSARILY BY WHEN THEY WERE FIRED. THIS BOWL HAS SAT ON MY SHELF SINCE NOVEMBER 2008. THAT MEANS, IT CAME FROM THE OLD STUDIO LOCATION! AMAZING.

So life is slowly returning to normal only two-and-some years after what I call the "Crash of '08" I'm not yet back to University, however that may require a more extensive plan than simply setting aside nickels and dimes.

Two really big steps this week: Back to both yoga and pottery.

Slow and steady wins the race.

2010: A year in pictures

2010-12-31T23:22:00.016-07:00

In no particular order, some highlights from 2010. My Mom celebrated 85 this year and I discovered I hadn't taken any photos! In addition to this landmark event, you'll find some shots taken at random intervals throughout the year:

NEW FLOORS

STAINED THE SHELVES IN THE OFFICE

NEW ROOF

MATT...

...TOOK ME FOR A RIDE IN A SIDECAR

MIXED TIM WILLIAMS AND THE ELECTRO-FIRES FOR THE ALBERTA WILDERNESS ASSOCIATION

MY NEIGHBOUR JIM BOUGHT A NEW TRUCK

AND USED IT TO MOVE HIS OLD ONE OUT OF THE YARD

MY NEPHEW BUILT A TURTLE USING LEGGO MINDSTORM

I DISCOVERED AN ALL-VEGAN MEAL REPLACEMENT DURING A BOUT OF NASTY DIGESTIVE PROBLEMS

WHILE MY NIECE PARTICIPATED IN HER FIRST BIG DIVISIONAL RUN

HAD BUFFALO BURGERS AT THE PATRICIA HOTEL

AND ATE AT "GARTHS IN BROOKS"... YUP, YOU GOT THE PLAY ON WORDS!

WHILE HELPING LANDSCAPE POWER STATIONS AROUND ALBERTA

EVEN TOOK PICTURES WHILE DRIVING...
\
...ONE OF THESE

MY BUDDY DAVE D.'S LISTENING ROOM

MY BUDDY DAVE D. IN HIS LISTENING ROOM

ON THE DAY HE GAVE ME THIS AUDIO RACK FOR MY LIVING ROOM...

...I HELPED HIM PULL THE GUTS

OUR ANNUAL HAUNTED HOUSE AT MY BUDDY DAVE B.'S

THE BOX I BOUGHT ON BOXING DAY

DWAYNE SHOWING OFF HIS PET PROJECT SPACE IN OKOTOKS

THE CONTROL ROOM

DISCOVERING THEY SERVE "$4.00 GRASS ANTS" (GRASS PINTS, REALLY) AT THE PUB IN OKOTOKS!

THE PRODUCTION I DID IN OKOTOKS THE SAME WEEK

MY BUDDY NORM AT HIS PROJECT SPACE IN COCHRANE

PREPARING FOR SOMETHING BIG

TO FILL SOMETHING SMALL (POST HOLES)

THAWING OUT THE GROUND

A CHRISTMAS TRADITION

HOW I SPENT MY NEW YEARS DAY 2010

HOW I SPENT MY 40TH BIRTHDAY IN BC

OBSERVING TRAFFIC (CAN YOU SEE HOW THE TIMING OF THE SHOTS WORKED OUT?)

REPLACED THE STARTER IN MY VAN - DISCOVERING WHY I'M NOT A MECHANIC. IT WORKED OUT OK, BUT WHO WANTS TO STAND ON THEIR HEAD UNDER A VAN TO LOOSEN RUSTY BOLTS???

CHECKED OUT THE MODEL TRAIN SHOW

KEN, ADAM'S DAD, WITH HIS Z-SCALE LAYOUT. ADAM'S WORKED FOR ME FOR 9 YEARS THIS YEAR.

BOUGHT MY FIRST SPLITTING WEDGE...

...TO TAKE ON SOME NASTY LOGS...

...TO MAKE LITTLE WOOD OUT OF BIG WOOD

CABLE BUILDING DAY AT THE OFFICE

THEATRE DAY AT MY NIECE'S SCHOOL

DWAYNE HELPING ME STRING MY YAMAKI GUITAR - THE ONE I GOT FROM MY BUDDY DAVE B.

DWAYNE PLAYING.... MUCH BETTER THAN I!

AT THE ANNUAL V-3 CONFERENCE YESTERDAY: NIQUE, ME AND SHARON. WE GO BACK... 38 YEARS?? ...BUT DON'T TELL THEM THAT!

The perfect day to buy a box

2010-12-26T21:09:00.006-07:00

I've been in the sound industry for -mark- 24 years as of the 19th. Over time I've made numerous industry contacts and I've met a lot of people. One fellow I ran into at a charity event we do every year, J., is in his early 20s and super-keen. He does live sound for electronic bands - meaning bands who play a sort-of underground electronica with keyboards, synthesizers and electronic effects. He says these musicians are far more demanding of their sound guys than your everyday, run-of-the-mill musician.

J. helped me out with a live event I did back in September for a blues act. Blues guys, he says, are pretty laid-back as a general rule. From my experience with hyped-up punk-dude garage bands as well as folk and blues artists, I would concur. I've not had the opportunity to experience electronica musicians, nor by the sounds of it, do I need to.

J. is in Mexico and has allowed me to use his 32-channel Soundcraft LX-7 for a couple events while he's been away. When he showed up in September to help me out at the Red and White Club, I just about fell over when I saw his board tucked into the front seat of his car - without a road case!

"AARRRGHHH!!!!", I thought.

During his absence, I came across a used case for very, very little money. I was actually looking for one for myself, but this one was sadly too small in one dimension for my application. I figured it would, however do very well for J.

I've been emailing with the girl who had this case on line and finally found a time when we were both available to do up the transaction. As circumstance would have it, it happened to be today, Boxing Day.

What a perfect day to buy a box!

This is it - the box I bought on Boxing Day!

I had, I thought, carefully measured the board and the box. I knew it was going to be a "perfect fit", at best, but what I had neglected to notice was that the fins on the plastic sides extrude past the edge of the box! ARGHH!!

The solve will be to remove the plastic sides. On more careful measurement, I've discovered that the board will fit in the box - without the plastic sides, right-snug inside the foam liners. If J. is OK with it, I will proceed. He should be, considering what I scored for him!

So here's J's board as part of "control central" at a Christmas theatre production which I may get around to blogging about sooner or later... most likely later.

It worked great for the kids because the channels are split - much like a split keyboard for a computer. There's a group of channels on the left and a group on the right separated by the sub and master controls. We sat two students at the board so each could run a section of it for their Christmas play.

As Boxing Day draws to a close, I'm pleased to say that as tradition holds in this part of the world, I did indeed go shopping for a Boxing Day bargain, and managed to also avoid the mass panic at the mall.

Christmas Bliss

2010-12-25T11:12:00.002-07:00

The last couple of weeks have been a bit of a whirlwind. I kept a whole string of potential blog posts in my phone as I was working daily in Okotoks on a really amazing contract that has somewhat renewed my love for my work. Life has been full and rich to the point that I haven't had time to assemble the posts. "Full and rich" can mean fulfilling as well as flat-out crazy... just so you know.

Christmas Eve dinner was early this year, December 23rd, with our traditional fair of Smoked Black Cod and Scalloped Potatoes. Mom and I headed up to my sister's for the 12-person feast. Mom and I gave a ride to Mom's friend, M. My Aunt M. (Mom's cousin) with whom I share monthly Monday Night Scotch nights arrived sporting a tray of fresh veggies and dip.

In my haste to get Mom settled in the kitchen and all the packages toward the living room, I answered the door when the bell rang, only to meet the Bishop and his wife while holding both a 1-litre scotch bottle and a 1.5 litre bottle of rum. Yup, that's the way to greet a Bishop, alright! "Come on in!", I cheered... trying to make light of my oopsie. Later, as I was pouring a scotch for Aunt M. and myself, P. approached and whispered in my ear, "I bet the 'Bish' would like one of those..." I look back on that and laugh...

Yesterday I visited with my long-time friend, N. and then Mom and I went to the early service at St. A's followed by our traditional Christmas Eve "Burger and tea".

The plan was to be back at my sister's for Christmas Brunch this morning, however my Nephew seemed to have acquired the flu. As a precaution both Mom and my B.I.L.'s Mom stayed home for the morning. We got the all-clear about 30 minutes ago so I'll be joining Mom for lunch at her place and we'll head to my sister's for supper.

It's been busy, but a great Christmas time, despite not getting all the lights up.

Perhaps in time for Winterfest.

Collecting and purging

2010-12-07T15:17:00.004-07:00

If you've been following along over the last few months, you'll notice something of a theme to my posts. Restoration and purging. Most people who move on occasion tend to rid themselves of the stuff that clutters up their lives each time they change locales - easier to get it gone than to bother packing and moving it only to have to contend with it at the new place.

I haven't moved.

Period.

When I moved out of Mom and Dad's. I moved here and here I've stayed. Hence, when it was required of me to "move out" over the summer to refinish the hardwood floors, it was my prime opportunity to do that all-important purging. It's taken a great deal more time than I had anticipated to move in again - more importantly, to get settled. If you've never done it, let me tell you it takes a great deal of time, energy and mental focus to methodically go through every scrap, every bit and to save only that which is of value enough to keep. In the end, it's worth it, every minute of it.

I may have mentioned it in previous posts, but I don't remember posting photos... I collect vintage audio. Specifically, pieces that have contributed to my life in some way. Each piece I have has a story that relates to my life.

A few weeks ago I was poking around on E-Bay. I've used other local buy-and-sell services, but I've never bid on E-Bay. I thought I'd give it a try. One night I was surfing around and found an inexpensive piece. I thought it might make the perfect test pilot piece. I set up a Pay Pal account, placed a bid and waited out the six days until the end of the run. I won the bid and paid for my piece.

Today, it arrived in the mail - my first E-Bay purchase: $11.00!

The seller noted that they package their items really well and that it may affect the shipping cost slightly, but that they've had great success with buyers receiving their items undamaged.

Inside the flap, before I even got to the packaging, was a letter thanking me for my purchase and reminding me to please re-visit the E-Bay site to rate the seller. Love that marketing!

Several layers in, here it is!

Ta Da! One JVC KD-A33 Cassette Deck! I know this excites you!! "A cassette deck??", you ask, "but... why???"

Remember the vintage audio theme? Shown here is another piece I bought earlier this year on Kajiji.

And remember that I said each piece I collect has something of a history with me? This particular cassette deck is the one I first learned to DJ with back in... perhaps I'd best not say...

OK, 1982. Yes, back then we used cassettes. "What's a cassette??", you ask? You can look it up here if you don't know. Back then I was getting my feet wet in the audio world. The fellow who owned the DJ company that I would later model mine after owned these JVC cassette decks, or more accurately, the KD-A55 which also had lights behind the cassette door and little LEDs in the play, pause, record and FFWD and REW buttons, otherwise, identical.

The Yamaha EM 200 mixer shown here is also from the same era. It is the mixer I learned to mix on when I was 12. I found this one on Kajiji back in January. A fellow who lives in Winnipeg had it and agreed to bring it to Calgary on his way through to Fernie to go skiing. The transaction went down in the Mountain Equipment CO-OP parking lot at 9:00 PM the day after I returned from my coconut cream pie adventures in B.C.

I'm currently restoring a set of speakers that were matched to the Yamaha mixer. Eventually the house will be outfitted with speakers in each room, all vintage pieces.

To everything there is a story.

T'was almost a month before Christmas

2010-12-01T20:31:00.005-07:00

December 1st., and once again it's been close to a month since I sat down to update. Life moves forward with not a lot out of the ordinary to report. A week ago or so I put my trusty iPhone to work in note-taking mode. I walked through the house, pausing at each room to make more than a mental note of the things that so often leap to mind when I enter the room: the things that need doing, or have needed doing for some time. When I was done, I had a list some 60-70 items long. Strangely, or perhaps not so, they seem to be getting addressed more now than ever. I can't say that I'm doing them in any particular order, or in any order of importance, but it feels good to bite into the list.

One of the things that has been bugging me for... OK, years, is the lighting in the shop. It's abominable. A 4-tube florescent lighting fixture hangs in the centre of the ceiling (which is an improvement over the single 60-watt lightbulb that was there when I moved in) and in recent weeks has finally given up the ballast. I've come to like the brightness and energy efficiency of the new generation of twisty fluorescents. A 23-watt bulb is rated equivalent to that of a 100-watt incandescent. For home use, they're ugly as florescent fixtures always have been, but for a workspace where brightness is key, I think they're great. I'd thrown up a couple of them a couple years ago to aid in the lighting of the shop, so decided to carry through with the theme. Here are some pics of the project started Monday night:

The dead florescent light fixture

Opening it up to peek inside...

Fixture is down to expose the original single light electrical box

Added an electrical receptacle

Finished with a face plate, ready to accept the plug-in lighting

Jumping forward a bunch to show the completed replacement fixtures plugged in and ready to go

The other end of the shop: the two new fixtures in place at either end of the single twisty I'd put in place to experiment.

Yesterday I replaced the plug and light switch inside the man-door. The switch for the room lights now controls the plug, from which additional fixtures will be powered to cover the dark corners under the loft and over the work benches.

It's no surprise to anyone who's lived in an older home (mine was built in 1955) that when you modify and update, you can find all kinds of things that don't always meet today's standards. In doing this project I discovered that the shop lighting is on breaker 13 of the main panel located in the furnace room. To my surprise, breaker 13 is labelled "Fridge". These days, electrical code says that a fridge MUST be placed on its own, independent breaker so that there is no risk of something else being plugged in, possibly overloading the breaker and causing the fridge to quit. I think I may have found yet another project to add to the list: move the fridge to its own breaker! In the meantime, the minimal draw of the shop lights won't endanger my food - especially with the lower-wattage bulbs in place and the dedication of the electrical outlets attached to the switch to lights-only. What's strange is that I'd had the electrical panel upgraded in 1993. The electricians who did the switchover added a sub panel in the shop, but did little else by way of additions. They simply labelled the breakers very generally. The furnace, too, is on with the lights for the laundry room, back entry and the back bedroom downstairs. Looks like I found another project.

With Christmas fast approaching, I thought you might get a kick out of this:

A picture would have been worth a thousand words

2010-11-12T16:28:00.003-07:00

I was on the train this afternoon from the University station heading south. When the train arrived at the platform, I along with two others stepped on board through the door at the end of the car. We turned right only to discover a very large fellow sprawled from one bench, across the aisle to the other - three seats from the front.

He was asleep.

I quickly ducked into the first seat inside the door - reserved for priority seating, but conveniently empty at the time! The girl in front of me chose to climb over the fellow's legs and make her way toward the rear of the car.

I watched - for two stops - as people would board the train and awkwardly climb over this fellow to get to available seats. Oddly, no one said a word about him, and no one even disturbed him. At the second stop, a lady got on with her young son. She looked around and decided it wasn't worth clambering over the giant of a man and chose to stand near the door. I decided to offer up my seat, stepped out into the aisle, hopped over sleepy-guy's legs and grabbed a seat two benches behind him.

At the next stop, three Peace Officers were on the platform. One boarded the train, woke the fellow and asked him to step off the train. With no commotion, no fuss, he simply got up and exited the train. The Peace Officer grabbed the fellow's backpack and said, "I'll just grab this for you so you don't forget it." As the train pulled away, I saw the group of three officers questioning sleepy-guy.

I'd never seen this before; I had left my phone at home - kinda wish I'd had my camera.

More Wisdom

2010-11-08T14:39:00.004-07:00

Second post today, I know.
...but I couldn't resist!

Wisdom

2010-11-08T12:51:00.000-07:00

2010-11-07T17:01:00.007-07:00

t's no surprise that once Halloween has come and gone, the retail Christmas season is right there to take its place... for about two months, if you count the Boxing Week sales.

Today I trundled through the mall because I felt the need for something completely mindless. I came upon this display which made me feel, well, maybe not old, but odd.

Note the CD that's labeled "1988".
Incidentally, 1988 is the year that I graduated from High School.
Note too, the sign that reads "Gifts For Mom and Dad"

I thought for a moment,

"Am I REALLY that old? ...Nahhh... um... Yah..."

Speaking of "Old", I saw a trailer for that Disney movie, "Old Dogs" with John Travolta and Robin Williams. I thought it was pretty cute, AND there's a version where B.A. does a music video for the movie that features himself as each musician in the band. You can see it on YouTube, here. The trailer is really cute, and the full B.A. music video can also be viewed on YouTube.

Indeed, a Turtle blog.

2010-11-02T21:36:00.018-06:00

I have so many photos archived away, waiting for a post to accompany them. I called my sister the other day and she eagerly asked when i was planning to post about the hardwood floors that were done here months ago. She suggested I do another multi-story post, so we'll see how this one goes. I'll abbreviate the story so that it actually gets done and posted.

MOVING OUT
I literally had to move out of my house - all furniture stored in the shed and garage, the contents of the shed pulled out to the patio, the contents of the garage/shop pushed toward the front and crammed to make room.

ORIGINAL FLOORS
When I moved in, October 1993, the upper floor was covered in wall-to-wall 70s yellow shag carpeting. The flooring underneath was suitably warn and had knife marks where the installers had scored the underlay. Over time (and with the help of a couple feline friends - note the black spots) this floor has seen better days.

PREP WORK
I had to go through the house and pull the fir door frames prior to sanding. Also, you will note the patching on the walls; I figured since we were going this far, a fresh coat of paint wouldn't hurt!

THE SANDING BEGINS!
My friend Matt and his wife Liz stepped up to the plate to help with the grunt work. The first pass was with the heavy drum sander which will in fact leave waves in your floor if you don't control it well. My confidence was in Matt since he and his Dad had done numerous floors prior to mine. The dust was actually quite minimal, and the fresh wood smell at the end of the day was really quite amazing. I ended up sleeping in front of the fireplace that night.

IT'S ALL IN THE WRIST
My job between drum sander day and buff sander day was to go around each room and, with a palm sander, sand the perimeter to remove what the larger machines could not reach. The hardest to work on of all these areas was under the fireplace shelf. It was a 2.5 hour job to get that span to look like the rest of the floor!

REFINISHING BEGINS!

We started in the closet of the Master bedroom. It was my job to pour out the polyurethane. Matt had an applicator that made it a breeze to spread evenly.

A WHOLE NEW SPACE!
After two coats, we were done. The low-sheen finish turned out absolutely amazingly. Here is the office mostly back together. I made another project of refinishing the shelves here and some other pieces throughout the house. I'll post about that separately.

I'm almost settled in now. Perhaps around Christmas I'll have a wee party to celebrate new floors, not to mention a few other little victories along the way.

Concept ---> Marketing ---> Sales

2010-10-30T18:14:00.002-06:00

I've been contemplating some different marketing strategies lately. I found this amusing...

Two Races

2010-09-30T18:26:00.005-06:00

Today my niece ran in a City Divisional race at the park near my house. Turtle went down for a peek:

OFF AND RUNNING: Over my sister's shoulder I snapped this photo. Initially I thought I'd got the wrong green shirt, but yay, I was spot on!

ABOUT HALF WAY: Up at the top of the hill, the run continues...

ROUNDING THE BEND: Just ahead of the Finish chute

RACE COMPLETE: N. hands in her number

STANDING: Numbers are placed on the tally sheet in order of placement.

PROUD PARENTS: My sister and B.I.L. came out to cheer on N.

I've been running my own little race of sorts - this one since Sunday. I developed strange and rather significant heart-burn-like symptoms over the weekend. Everything I eat meets with a great deal of pain in around my sternum. I went to the doc. yesterday and after a barrage of EKG and blood tests, was placed on a prescription to lower the production of acid in my tummy. I'm not one to buy in to pharmaceuticals of any kind, so it's with great displeasure that I adhere to doctor's orders. One such order was to stay away from fatty foods. This has me thinking of an about-face where my diet is concerned. I looked into Alkaline-based foods. Since I haven't really eaten properly since Sunday, the race is on to find me something I can pass down that doesn't make me grimace in pain. My energy level really is quite low and I don't feel myself at all. After the race I went to the health food store looking for recommendations, and voila...

MEAL IN A CAN: Literally! And Alkaline-based too.

BLENDER-EASY: Simply add water...

PRE-DIGESTED: In order to help with absorption, it's all ready to scoop-and-go.

JUST THE RIGHT COLOUR: Turtle-green.

It still hurt going down, but at least I'm getting my greens... and proteins, and carbs, and vitamins, and minerals...

Cheers.

A... cat post.

2010-09-26T21:44:00.003-06:00

I have so much to catch up on story-wise, but for now how about some pictures of my cat?

PROBABLY MY FAVOURITE SHOT - SIR WILLIAM CLEANING CDS IN THE OFFICE

INTRUDER ALERT!!

WILL TAKES CARE OF BUSINESS...

2010-08-29T11:14:00.006-06:00

Things have been moving swiftly here at Chez Tortue - the floor is done and the roof is well underway. It's a rainy day Sunday here, so no roofing activity today. In fact, I'm moving extra-slowly and really don't feel up to the daunting task of a large catchup post about floors and roof. That would take too many brain cells.

Instead, I saw these and thought they would be neat to share... being the B.A. fan I am.

Bryan Adams played Vancouver on August 21st, with special guests... The Beach Boys.

Worth a laugh - I studied both poets in English 354.

I earned a C+ on my first Shakespeare essay, a B+ on this presentation of Bryan Adams' "18 Til I Die"

Roof arrives!

2010-08-20T17:16:00.007-06:00

Yesterday afternoon the shingles arrived for my new roof. I had an opportunity to photograph the mechanical process by which the roofing is put into place. It sure beats hiking the packages up the ladder!

I'll let the pictures tell the story...

"You'd better hurtle, Turtle!"

2010-08-11T20:36:00.007-06:00

Those were the words that flashed through my mind tonight. John, my rep at Shaw Renovation and Construction dropped by with his sample board for me to pick my roof colour. I was pleased to see the colour to match the existing roof. Grey, I did not want.

Calgary is in a state of craze roofing wise and I've heard that many people are waiting until the Fall to get their claims settled and their roofs repaired. I asked John when the work might commence - indicating I suspected... October??

"Oh, no. August. We're doing two to three roofs a day.", he replied.

I just about fell over.

Tonight's blog title flashed through my mind because I have to have everything in the Blue Room out of the way and the tarp down from the trough line before they start.

Guess I'm sorting and packing sooner and faster than I'd anticipated!

The Blue Room overhead.

From the yard.

The contents of the shed to be sorted and purged... and to make room for furniture.

The shed, now empty!

Beginning to move from the living room to the shed

A few pieces of furniture to go!

Looking from the front door across the pony wall toward the office.

The office is moving into the kitchen until probably September sometime.

Until I'd done it, I didn't realize that my entire book collection fits into one bookshelf. And here I thought I was well read!

My record collection crammed into two stacked bookshelves to the right of the fridge as a temporary measure

My friend Dave B. has agreed to allow me to use his son for muscle tomorrow. We're going to move a bulk of the remaining furniture to the shed.

Wish me luck, not to mention God's speed in clearing the patio in time for my anxious roofers!

Speaking of God... thank you. It would appear that sometimes what seems disaster is truly a blessing.

Who you don't meet...

2010-08-08T00:42:00.002-06:00

I did a 50th Anniversary party for a couple tonight who were referred to me by Pam at 5 Star Events. Pam and I have worked together for a few years having a mutual connection with Mike Drummond - the fellow I visited in Naniamo earlier this year. As I was loading out, a gentleman approached me on his way out the door, remarking that I looked awfully familiar. I told him who I was and immediately recognized him as well.

Harold Cliff was my principal at H.D. Cartwright school back in the early 80s. It was a very quick hello and catch up, but I did feel I should remind him that my Mom taught him years before that. We shook hands, laughed and carried on.

Before leaving the parking lot, I ran into a girl who had been at the hall helping Pam earlier in the morning. She introduced herself as Jen Cliff. She's Harold's daughter. We yammered on for a bit about "2 degrees of separation" and all that. Turns out she heads up the social committee at her office and said she'd be in touch around Christmas.

I think I blogged a long while back about the time I used to complain to my parents when they'd always meet someone at the mall and I never did.

"Just wait until you're our age..."

And you know what? They were right.

Only two stories tonight

2010-08-06T23:18:00.002-06:00

One is health related. The other, technology.

A couple weeks ago I helped a friend, Adam, move to Red Deer. I didn't think anything of it at the time, but while loading furniture, I'd lost my footing on the walkway from his front door, stumbled and ended up on the ground. My end of whatever piece of furniture it was landed square on the outside of my right leg, south of the knee. It turned a bit red, but no harm done, I thought. For the last couple days I've had some significant swelling in that area, and there is a significant lump at the site of impact. The swelling goes down overnight, but the lump remains and the inflammation returns about mid-day. I went to the walk-in clinic at Market Mall tonight preceding my 8:15 appointment at the Apple Store (see the next story) I figured I have a hematoma, except that in my experience, a hematoma generally turns blue like a bruise. According to the doc, this isn't always the case. He figures it may also remain - as in permanently. To be sure, he's ordered an ultrasound. I am to call for an appointment Monday.

If I haven't said it enough, I'm truly impressed with Apple and Everything Mac (as the slogan goes). Even when (rarely) there's a mess up, all it proves is how fabulous the customer service is. Recently a software upgrade for iPhone was released. I tried updating as usual by plugging my phone into my Mac and using iTunes to initiate the upgrade. It did everything it was supposed to: it backed up my current configuration, installed the new software... but hung up reinstalling the backup - all my settings, contacts, playlists etc. All the phone did was proceed through 25% of the reinstallation, then restart and loop. I called the Apple customer service line. Their recommendation was to make an appointment at the Apple Store, which they did for me and confirmed my time. Annie was my service rep for the trouble ticket. She started by re-trying what I had already attempted, cautioning me that we'd likely have to wipe the phone clean and start from scratch. This is, in fact, what we ended up doing. They have an all-powerful service tech version of reinstall that isn't available to the average iTunes user. It cleaned up my phone troubles within about ten minutes and I walked away sporting a Version 4.0.1 iPhone. The best part? For zero dollars. During the trouble-shoot Annie and I yammered on about this, that and the other. Can't remember how we got on the topic of accounting, but it turned into an opportunity for me to refer my accountant Julia to Annie. I think I've raved about Julia in blog posts past, but if not, let me say, she's amazing.

Me an' my lumpy leg are off to dreamland.

Turtle out.

Four stories

2010-08-03T22:38:00.017-06:00

I haven't blogged seriously in ages, and in true Turtle fashion I'm going to go to the extreme and inundate you with several bits:

STORY #!: MY ROOF: Three new Turtles!

A few weeks back we experienced a rather nasty little hail storm. I've been thinking that Chez Tortue might be due for a new roof, and perhaps the timing was simply perfect. I crawled up on to the roof shortly after the heavens opened up to discover a well worn, but not completely worn out roof. The vent covers, however, were a different story. All three seemed to be bashed to oblivion. I called my insurance broker to inquire as to whether it would even be worth putting in a claim since the roof is 22 years old - 2 years past its expected life span.

"The worst they can say is no.", was what my broker had to say. "They may give you partial coverage."

As for the impact on my rates? I would lose my 'no claim' status resulting in an increase in premiums of roughly $100/year for four years. That doesn't even come close to the cost of a roof!

I put in the claim, the adjuster came out, took some measurements and surveyed the roof.

"OK, you get a new roof. We're also putting in for new troughs and downspouts. I noticed you have rolled roofing on all your sheds. We don't really do rolled roofing so we'll waive your deductible. Is that acceptable?"

Um... let me think about that for a second...

OK. It would appear that I've scored in the roof department. I accepted the adjustor's damage report and noted that he's included the replacement of three "turtles" - these being the style of vent covers.

I couldn't be more thrilled.

Turtles.

I get three new Turtles.

How fitting, for Chez Tortue... my... shell.

The best face of the roof - still a wee bit worn, methinks...

The worst wear is in the only valley

One of the three beat-up Turtle vent covers. Yay- new Turtles!!

STORY #2 - The Great Escape

Last weekend, all of our work was out of town. On Saturday I did a wedding in Priddis, a small Hamlet south of Calgary. On Sunday I did a wedding at Buffalo Mountain Lodge in Banff. Both parties went rather well. The staff in Banff treated me exceptionally well - the manager bought me a beer and the serving staff insisted that I leave cards for referral to their clients. I was pleased.

It was long-weekend craziness in Banff - not a parking spot to be had in the town, so I spent the bulk of my free time on Sunday scouting out a place to sit, relax and play some guitar.

STORY #3 - In preparation of my new hardwood floors

A few weeks back I did the music for a friend's wedding. Matt is a fellow I know through some mutual friends. He had a Ballroom/Swing theme for his reception dance, and it was amazing. In lieu of payment, Matt has agreed to head up refinishing my hardwood floors at the end of August. I'm thrilled. It means a lot of prep work, however. I literally have to move out lock-stock and barrel for the better part of two weeks. The prep began today as I tarped off the patio - having borrowed a sizable tarp from my Aunt M. - with whom I share scotch once a month.

If it all works out, the contents of the sheds will move to the newly-constructed "Blue Room" at Chez Tortue. The contents of the upper floor will then be stored securely in the sheds. I will likely set up office arrangements in the kitchen since it's the only room on the upper floor that does not have hardwood - other than the bathroom. Depending on the level of odour, I may make sleeping arrangements in the tent trailer out back.

The tarp partially up. The breeze today was both a blessing and a curse. It actually helped by lifting the tarp conveniently so I could get it positioned properly. At other times, it would prematurely move the tarp before I had it secured.

From the roof of the house, the new "Blue Room" at Chez Tortue.

I thought I'd taken a ground-level photo of the completed Blue Room, alas no. Maybe later.

All in all, very exciting- the prospect of refinished hardwood AND eventually new baseboards!

STORY #4 - Networking

Matt and I share a love for vintage radios. He showed me a couple pieces he's collected and was really excited to hear that I know someone who works on tube-based audio. Tonight I took the "guts" of his cabinet hi-fi to Dave D.'s for service. It was a great evening to catch up with Dave and to play around in his home-shop.

I spent the evening looking over Dave's shoulder and learning all about using a tube tester.

He has seemingly countless shoeboxes and cartons full of "new" old stock tubes. One we used was new in the package dating back to 1950-something.

Tubes would read "GOOD", "QUESTIONABLE" or "REPLACE"

For one special tube, we had to break out an old Military tester.

The most expensive of the bunch illuminated green on the end...

...it sat at the front of the unit...

...and provided a seemingly 'before-its-time' trendy 'on' status.

Reading output voltage across one of the pins of a tube; note too, the can of Tuborg. We've dubbed this "Tube-borg" - great Danish beer for testing tubes.

Test speaker - every shop should have one of these!

On to repairing the phonograph...

For kicks, Dave showed me this sizeable tube: arranged in pairs, these can deliver 480 watts of output power. For the layman, that's loud.

Horiscopily speaking...

2010-07-29T20:07:00.002-06:00

...is that a word?

It is now.

Been in a bit of a funk lately, thought I'd check in with the planetary folks to see if they had any insight. If it's at all possible for the astrologers to be accurate, I think they've nailed it this week:

From astrology dot com:

Get your broom out of the closet today, Aquarius. Your job is to brush away the cobwebs from the corners of your emotional bedroom. Use the intense transformative energy of the day to say goodbye to stale and unsatisfactory relationships that have left a bad taste in your mouth. Ignite the fire of a new situation and consciously try to establish new habits so that old patterns don't continue to repeat themselves.

Sitting in Starbucks this morning, Metro magazine had this to say:

Don't sit there feeling sorry for yourself and wishing you had made more of your opportunities - get out into the wold and make a few more. You can do anything you want.

For as much as horoscopes are sometimes simply plain, good advice, I think it is true that some days that advice hits close to home.

Moving

2010-07-25T23:24:00.000-06:00

Today I helped a friend of mine move north to Red Deer. He's worked for me for a little less than ten years and keeps full time employment in radio broadcasting. He took a job in Red Deer which prompted his move today from Calgary. A mutual friend and also another fellow who works for me from time to time assisted in the trek.

Last night A. phoned me to say he couldn't get a cube van and would have to rent a van similar to mine. Considering we'd be short of space, I rigged up my little trailer with high sides to try and make up for lost room. It all worked out between my van and trailer, the rental van and A.'s mini van. We were all of the afternoon preparing the loads but once on the road everything went smoothly. We even had a chance to sit in for supper at my favourite Mexican restaurant, Las Palmaris.

T. and I were late back to Calgary, but I'm ready to settle in for a much needed sleep.

Tomorrow I'm scheduled to be in Kananaskis for a sound system demo at the TIm Horton Children's Ranch.

Speaking of moving... I'm preparing to move out lock, stock and barrel come mid-August. A friend of mine has agreed to refinish my hardwood floors which means moving EVERYTHING from the upper floor out to storage for the estimated one-week project. Might be a good time to set the wheels in motion too, for a much-needed purge.

Stay tuned for the story of my promised new roof and, I kid you not, three new turtles!

A quick blurb

2010-07-02T22:37:00.002-06:00

Mom turned 85 on Sunday last. We went for prime rib tonight at the Carriage House Inn with her University friend Margaret. There was something delightfully "English" about the whole affair; proper English table service, prime rib with yorkshire pudding, and to top it off what do you think was on the tele overhead? You guessed it, Coronation Street! I was a little disappointed in the rice pudding. It seemed dressed up - whipped cream and strawberries - a bit to frew-frew for me, but all in all, quite tidy.

Lots of "fretting", but I'm not stringing you along

2010-06-02T11:28:00.005-06:00

Guitar is coming along nicely. I've made the transition from the bargain electric I bought a little over a year ago now, to a beautiful Yamaki acoustic - practically gifted to me by my dear friend Dave B. He has collected a number of guitars - probably around a dozen - and felt the need to clear out the cupboard. He saw the enthusiasm with which I was learning to play, and felt he really wanted his guitar to go to "someone who will love it, and play it." I paid some money for it, but not nearly what it's worth.

I took my new-to-me guitar to Monday Night Scotch last month because Dwayne plays and has been instrumental, if you will, in helping me along. It was Dwayne who suggested that I begin with an electric (sadly I don't think I blogged about that) because the action is easier and it takes less pressure to hold down the strings.

Last year Dwayne and I were standing in the guitar room at Axe where he works and he had me try a Seagull - a beautiful, and cost-effective Canadian-made acoustic. I messed around a bit and remarked on how easy I thought it was to play, contrary to Dwayne's earlier comparison between electric and acoustic. He said,
"Ah, but you've already been playing for a number of months; that's why."

It was my turn to contribute a bottle of scotch to our monthly social gathering, so I sported along my favourite, Glenmorangie with a sherry finish. I figured I'd better keep Dwayne happy for the immense amount of help he's given me along the way. Scotch in hand (not pictured here), Dwayne set about demonstrating for me how to restring a guitar.

In the process I learned something of Yamaki guitars. Years, years, years ago the Japanese came to North America and bought up a number of the Martins - took them back to Japan, dissected and copied them. The result was Yamaki.
"You've got an heirloom, there, Lad...", he said.

Pictured here is my friend Dave B. with his wife, C. (right) and their friend. Dave, too, likes scotch and was the one who introduced me to Glenmorangie - which is a hit at Monday Night Scotch.

You can't sell my cat on scotch, nor my playing at this point, but It would appear that even the case - especially the case - is Sir William-approved!

It's time to blog

2010-05-19T22:17:00.006-06:00

I observed something yesterday that, while it was unfolding, made me think,

"This would be blogworthy..."

Sadly, I wasn't in a position to snap any pics because it was a bit unusual, and would have made for a great pictorial story.

I was in Okotoks yesterday afternoon to do some work for a favourite client. The installation took longer than expected, and by 5:00 I was desperately feeling the need for a bite to eat. My habit when in Okotoks - which is about 20 minutes south of Calgary - is to frequent the local Smitty's.

The school I work at there is on the highway heading towards town. As I made my way down the hill toward town centre, the volume of traffic seemed unusually high; Calgary-high to be accurate. I thought to myself,

"Okotoks has a crazy rush hour!"

However, I justified it initially by reasoning that lots of people live in Okotoks and commute to Calgary for work. The time line seemed a bit early though. I figured something must be up.

Sure enough, at the second set of lights, RCMP were directing traffic. There was no visible sign of trouble though. At the next set of lights, yet another officer directing traffic. Just beyond that lay the railway tracks.

At first I thought the holdup was because of a lengthy train. In fact, there was no train in sight, yet the crossing lights were flashing and the traffic was backed up. As I made my way down the road and approached the crossing, I discovered four people on each side of the roadway, holding the crossing bars up so that cars could pass underneath. The lights continued to flash, the police continued to direct traffic.

The next set of lights was my opportunity out of the craziness - left to Smitty's.

The Smitty's lot was empty, but I figured it was probably early for supper and perhaps the crazy traffic was deterring any would-be early diners.

Smitty's was in fact closed, with a "sorry for the inconvenience" sign posted.

I now had to make my way out of the lot and back into the flow of insane Okotoks traffic. It was easier to turn right than left, and a good thing too. I came upon a little barn-shaped pub. I went in an upstairs and sure enough there was food to be had!

I refuelled and made my way back to the school.

Not a cop nor car in sight.

Even the crossing bars were up with no lights flashing.

So, to celebrate I stopped in at DQ for an ice cream, then back to the school to finish up.

Feels good to tell a story from life as it happens. Haven't done that in a while.

Thanks for tuning in.

Turtle out.

2010-05-13T23:41:00.000-06:00

It pays to clean the shop!

2010-04-13T23:25:00.002-06:00

Was rooting through cases of cables and odds and ends tonight.

Found a contract... with its cheque.

A bit of a book keeping 'oops', but... yay!!

2010-04-11T10:02:00.000-06:00

"Why Smart People Do Dumb Things"

2010-04-06T15:28:00.003-06:00

This is the title of an article I read today, and much to my surprise, it was more about the thinking process of cognitive misers VS logical thinkers than explaining exactly why seemingly smart people do dumb things.

It's an interesting read if you've got a couple minutes, and can be found here.

A lot has been swirling through my brain over the last few weeks. It would appear that I have the mind of a jackrabbit, not a turtle. I've been thinking a lot about personality types, specifically A-type VS B-type. I always considered myself a B-type fellow: go-with-the-flow, laid-back, easy to get along with... until I took an online quiz. The result was surprising, because it read,

You Have A Type A- Personality
You are one of the most balanced people around. Motivated and focused, you are good at getting what you want. You rule at success, but success doesn't rule you. When it's playtime, you really know how to kick back whether it's hanging out with friends
or doing something you love! You live life to the fullest - incorporating the best of both worlds.

It can be found here, if you'd care to give it a whirl.

Is that not the description of a B-type personality? When I looked up typical traits of A-type folks I found entries like,
"high strung"
"overbearing"
"workaholic"
"irritable"

Sure, I can be all those things, but I don't think of them as dominant in MY personality. I took a moment to test the quiz by entering blindingly obvious Type-B answers. Indeed, the result was "You have a Type-B" personality.

Years ago I took the Myers/Briggs personality profile test as part of a career training/placement seminar at SAIT. I'm what they call an ENFP - Extraversion, iNtuition, Feeling, Perception. It all fits, but not with what I've typically thought of as an A-type personality.

Why all this hub-bub with personality types? I guess I'm looking for some answers, to be honest. My brain seems to be pulled in many directions these days. There's part of me that simply wants to chill and "be", but part of me wants to be energized, motivated and driven. In reality, I've discovered, I cannot be entirely either one of these, I'm either "turtle" to the point of not accomplishing anything or I'm prone to burn-out.

It's a strange phenomenon, methinks, to experience the conflict of:

<1> being drawn to those who seem to be "on" all the time, and I REALLY want to be that guy who accomplishes everything he sets his mind to.

while

<2> Craving the calmness of mind that comes with letting things "be", taking things as they come and generally slowing the pace of life.

The biggest question for me right now is,

"Where does "challenge yourself" cross the line to overdoing it?

One of the characteristics of an A-type personality is the need for a clear-cut answer.

Maybe there isn't one.

Spare time

2010-03-22T19:18:00.001-06:00

Today's post lives at the Ashtanga Turtle.

Landscaping

2010-03-09T18:15:00.005-07:00

I did a significant project in the yard over the last weekend. It all started, looking for a solution to unwanted guests on the premises. Some creature or other had burrowed under the steps at the front of the house. The eventuality was that we ended up with mice in the basement. The exterminator was called, but I still had a hole in the garden bed to the right of the stairs. It was recommended that I not only fill the hole, but top the area with a couple or three inches of gravel, and if I were so inclined, patio stones to ensure no further nesting.

On hearing the news, my BIL called to say they had a significant amount of clay just sitting - from digging in their basement for a sump pump installation. Turned out to be a win-win, although I didn't take all the clay off their hands.

The project went something like this:

I went to my favourite mason supply yard and grabbed a half-yard of 3/4"-crush gravel.

As I was shovelling a layer in between the step and the highly over-grown Mock Orange bush, my neighbour Jim came over to offer up a few neighbourly suggestions. The first of which was to use his gas-powered hedge trimmer to cut back the overgrowth. As he trimmed, we discussed strategy and decided it was so overgrown that a haircut close to the ground would be best. We'd done this a few years ago and, as with a hedge, it allows for new growth. I won't see any blooms this year, but will be able to keep tabs on its size and shape as it grows.

This is the result, a short, stubby root ball. It doesn't look like much now, but come Spring, it will yield a great little green starter-shrub. I also didn't take any intermediate pics, so you get to see the completed patio stone project.

It not only makes a great little platform for showcasing potted plants (or for now, potted last-year-leftovers), it also provides a triple-layer protection against unwanted residents!

I had two projects in mind when I grabbed the clay from my sister's place. A few years back, ATCO, our local supplier of natural gas, did a city-wide project aimed at relocating gas meters at residences where the meters were located inside the house. I'll have to check, can't remember if I blogged about it when it happened, but when they horizontally drilled to insert the sleeve into which the gas line would run, I'd noticed they chalk-lined right over top the covers for the fire pit. I brought it to the attention of the site foreman, and he stood over my fire pit with his jaw on the ground. they rerouted the line, but over time, the soil at the meter location has sunk. I used the clay to fill in the hole. It worked like a charm, and I'd actually estimated the amount of clay for both projects quite well...

...the gravel, on the other hand, was available only by the half-cube. I have a significant amount left over, and offering to trade up at my sister's was met with, "...there's still snow in the yard - not til the the snow's gone..." So, the gravel will find a temporary home to the left of the driveway so as not to encourage rotting of the trailer floor.

All in all, a sweet weekend's work, meeting with the desired results.

On another note, last week I decided to take in the film they show in one of the Science Theatres at the University. If you hold a U of C ID card, they're free, with all-you-can-eat popcorn for $2. For non-card-holders, it's $2/show. They call it Cinemania, and have two showings on Monday nights, 6:30 and 9:00. Last week it was Fantastic Mr. Fox, this week it was 2012 at 6:30 and The Day After Tomorrow at 9:00. I was contemplating taking in both, but felt sleep was more important.

Tonight, I'm catching up on blogging and spending some quality time in Chateau Tortue.

Night, all.

Old man, you say? I think not: simply not chemically balanced.

2010-02-14T22:28:00.003-07:00

OK, OK... before you get freaked out by the title, let me explain.

For quite some time I've been suffering from what seems to be chronic acid reflux. Back in '08/'09 I addressed the problem with the sleep clinic because what we thought initially was sleep apnea, was likely a digestion issue. I created a bit of a stir when the physician on my case prescribed Panoloc which is essentially an antacid concoction designed to arrest the production of stomach acid. She'd prescribed a double dose for 30 days. I blew a fit because I'm (A) not an advocate for prescription drugs and (B) couldn't for the life of me figure out how I was to digest anything for a month! Long story, but a friend suggested Acidophilis which is one in a trinity of probiotics. It worked well, for the most part, but I'd have to remember to take it every time I'd eat.

I was chatting with another friend this weekend whose son has suffered from a multitude of health problems which they've addressed successfully with natural remedies. She suggested baking soda in water - 1 teaspoon to a cup. I figured it couldn't hurt - it's food, after all! I didn't have any soda, so thinking back to grade 6 science class, I recalled that baking powder too, is a base. On Friday night I took a cup before going to bed.

I slept the whole night through.

On Saturday I ate as I usually do, and went to yoga class where, if I eat too close to class time, I suffer when it comes to inverted postures like shoulder stands and back bends.

No problem.

Saturday evening I took a cup of BP water, and again just now. It seems to do the trick. I'll maybe poke my nose around and ask a few questions simply to be sure I'm not masking a potentially greater problem, but one source I spoke with attributed a naturally-acidic-north-american diet to my troubles.

So, although I've reached the crest of the hill, celebrating 40 a few weeks back, I'm not convinced that I'm old, especially before my time.

CAT TAILS: IT Cat Strikes Again

2010-02-07T23:14:00.002-07:00

Turtle Guy has the cleanest clothes in the world - I'm convinced.

2010-02-03T16:44:00.004-07:00

So it's taken me a day or two or three to settle in after Vancouver. Unpacking and doing laundry was on the list today, amongst the emails, meetings across town and a quick stop at the U. to drop a coffee to my BIL.

When I zipped downstairs to start a load this afternoon, I noticed water on the floor which freaked me out, considering the history of water on the floor in this house! It appeared to be fresh water, not waste, and was quite obviously coming from the washing machine. It's happened in the past where the drain hose has popped out of the copper shaft that leads to the sewer. Nope, all secure. I checked the water lines to the washer. All dry, even whilst filling the machine.

Hmm...

The water started flowing again once the tub had a load, so I'm figuring there's maybe a crack in the tank somewhere.

Ikes.

The machine is not that old - in fact, I blogged about it the day it arrived: here

It's only three-and-a-bit years old. Frustrating.

Anyway, the point of this story is that I ran a load. While it was washing, I folded the load that was in the dryer - April's stuff... figured I could return the favour at least once.

Once the spin cycle had completed, I figured I'd give it another spin - just to get as much water out as possible. I went back a few minutes later to discover the machine filling with water.

Odd.

Put it back on SPIN and ran away.
Came back.
It's rinsing agian!
Checked the dial.
Yes, there's a "STOP" position between SPIN and RINSE - I wasn't going brain-dead.
Spun it again.
AGAIN, came back to a washer full of clothes and water!

Then it hit me: there's a selector for "ONE RINSE/SECOND RINSE"

It was on "SECOND RINSE".

Must be a girl thing. I mean, who needs to rinse a load of clothes twice?? That's the whole point of a RINSE cycle, ain't it? Clearly I must be thinking like a boy - I'm sure a girl would have a perfectly logical explanation for why you'd need to rinse your clothes twice... let alone... 4 times!

Maybe this is the Universe telling me I need to enter the modern age and get one of those front-load machines that auto-senses your load and uses just the right amount of water. I'm sure we could also programme an "APRIL" mode and a "TURTLE" mode.

So, I'm convinced that if only for today, I have the cleanest clothes of anyone.

Life settles into... almost normal

2010-02-03T00:28:00.003-07:00

The craziest thing happened to me. Once I returned to Calgary, everything... and I mean EVERYTHING needed my attention, or so it seemed. My week away was fun, yes, but not nearly as energizing and restorative as I had hoped. Vancouver is a place I rarely go, and chalk full of stuff to see and do - not to mention a great place to eat cheap! Eating out in Vancouver is cheaper than filling the fridge - it blew me away! Or maybe I've simply been living in hyper-inflated Calgary for so long I've lost my perspective on the rest of the world? Anyway, it was a treat to eat out while catching up with several good friends.

I was perusing my previous visit's post about Comox, Vancouver and Burnaby in July and realized I'd done it again: promised additional posts without posting.

I've been on the go since I got home - touching base with clients, doing quotes, invoicing (with a little prayer along the way), tending to the basement suite, catching up at the chiropractor, and today I buzzed out to K-Country to sit in on a planning meeting at the Tim Horton Children's Ranch. We're installing their new sound system in the soon-to-be-renovated Lodge.

I simply had to go to yoga tonight. I walked in, looked at the fellow behind the counter and said,

"I need to be here in the worst way..."

"...the 'worst way', huh?", he said.

"Yup."

I'm exhausted.
Tuckered
Pooped
Worn
and almost Expired.

So you'll excuse me if I don't take the time just now to upload more photos from the trip, yes?

OK, 'cept this one:

This is one of Sharon's kitties, Lugh. He's incredibly skinny because like Bob (you remember Bob, yes?) his kidneys are failing. Sharon refers to Lugh as "Old-Fart Kitty". He's a real sweetie, despite what Sharon says about it all being a facade. He and I are buddies, none the less.

Flying High For Pie

2010-01-26T10:12:00.033-07:00

I've had an iPhone since April. One of the advantages of such a device is that it is not simply a mobile phone, but also sports web browsing, email and a whole raft of applications.

Today I'm blogging whilst aboard the Queen of Cowachan, en route to Nanaiamo, Vancouver Island. I've been in BC since Sunday, staying with my since-kindergarten-friend, Sharon in Burnaby. I'm here to celebrate my 40th birthday come Thursday.

I've always enjoyed reading blogs that incorporate photos along with the story, so here we go...

THIS WAS A FIRST FOR ME: TO WATCH THE DE-ICING PROCESS. THERE'S A GUY WHO SITS IN A POD, WHILE A DRIVER RUNS THE TRUCK AROUND THE PLANE. THE POD OPERATOR CAN MOVE THE POD UP AND DOWN THE BODY OF THE PLANE. THE DE-ICER IS TINTED PINK, MUCH LIKE DRYWALL PRIMER.

COMPARATIVE SHOTS: THE WEATHER IN CALGARY ON DEPARTURE, THE ENVIRONMENT ABOVE THE WEATHER, ON DESCENT AND ON THE GROUND IN VANCOUVER.

THE WHOLE POINT OF THIS EXPEDITION IS TO CELEBRATE MY 40TH BIRTHDAY WITH PIE FROM THE CHILLIWACK AIRPORT. ON MY ARRIVAL, SHARON PICKED ME UP AND WE DROVE TO THE AIRPORT AT CHILLIWACK WHICH IS HOME TO A GREAT LITTLE DINER. WE SAT IN FOR LUNCH AND PICKED UP OUR PRE-ORDERED PIES. FOR ME, IT WAS THE LONG-ANTICIPATED COCONUT CREAM - WHICH I HAVE CONSIDERABLE DIFFICULTY FINDING IN CALGARY. SHARON'S FRIEND MALA HAD US ORDER A BANANNA CREAM FOR HER, AND I PICKED UP A BLUEBERRY PIE FOR THE TREK TO NANIAMO. WE ALSO CELEBRATED WITH A GOOD BOTTLE OF SCOTCH: GLENMORANGIE WITH A SHERRY FINISH.

LIKE ME, SHARON TENDS TO TAKE PICTURES OF ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING. HERE SHE'S PHTOGRAPHING THE ONE PIECE OF CARAMEL SOMETHING-OR-OTHER THAT SHE PICKED UP FOR ANOTHER FRIEND WHO'S ALSO CELEBRATING 40 THIS WEEK. SHE HOWEVER, COULD NOT JOIN US IN OUR FESTIVITIES.
LATER, SHARON SNAPS A SHOT OF SOME CREAM PIE THAT INTRIGUED HER.

MALA THEN SNAPS A PHOTO OF ME SNAPPING A PHOTO OF SHRON'S PHOTO.

...to be continued

As I ready the Armchair Year in Review...

2010-01-03T21:22:00.006-07:00

...something happened today that caused me to laugh.

About 4:30 this afternoon I was invited for dinner downstairs. It happens frequently, and is pretty casual. I usually end up taking a salad and maybe a bottle of juice or wine.

Tonight it was wine, but I'd forgotten the salad tongs. I found out that April doesn't own any salad tongs.

"Odd,"

I thought to myself,

"she's vegetarian."

Not that being vegetarian automatically means there would be no question about the tongs, but really... do you see why I was a little surprised. Before I headed upstairs to grab my beautiful wooden set, I thought it smart to ask,

"...you have a corkscrew?"

just in case. The response?

"Of course I have a corkscrew... I'm vegetarian!'

So, there you have it.

Who knew?

For a joke during dinner, I suddenly exclaimed,

"Oh my gosh, I p'd on the table!"

"What!?"

"Look!"

I simply had to share...

2010-01-02T23:56:00.001-07:00

...this

2010

2010-01-01T00:18:00.003-07:00

Welcome to the New Year.

In fact, welcome to the new decade. Where did ten years go? I heard a girl on the radio today. She was talking about that very thing. Her topic of conversation was music, but she still asked the all-important question.

Time, indeed, marches on.

I was thinking of posting before the clock struck 12, but was really quite busy. You see, this is the first New Years Eve I've had off in... 23 years? The boys are out there doing their thing, and here I sit contemplating stuff and things.

In actual fact, I got a bit of a bug today - a bug to organize! Check this out:

The office. I should have taken a 'before' shot for comparison, but take my word for it: it's been a zoo here. This feels great, and it's my theme for the next couple days, anyway.

I may still post a 'year in review' of sorts since I really didn't blog much last year. Back to the organizing - which feels really good, by the way!

Until then...

A lack of information...

2009-12-19T22:29:00.002-07:00

As I was logging on to Blogger just now I was stumped for a post title.

After log-in, I noticed I've posted 411 times since opening the Armchair in 2005. I thought to myself,

"Hmm... 411... that's like the number you dial for information."

Certainly there hasn't been a lot of that here in recent months. In fact, it's been over a month since I last checked in. I've felt sluggish about blogging, and have really been out of my normal operating mode: no pottery, no yoga, no English classes.

I have been busy though. Work's been monopolizing my time - catching up on housekeeping matters and keeping my eye on the horizon has been a full-time-and-then-some job. In some ways I feel like I've slipped from "ship's captain" back down to "grunt of the sea", but perhaps it's a captain's duty to do what needs to be done for the benefit of the whole. I'm looking forward to climbing myself back up on to the look-out tower in January if only to get a big-picture view of not only the work world, but my life (and lifestyle) as a whole.

As I approach 40, (about six weeks away) I'm finding myself a wee bit confused. The calendar says I'm almost 4-0, but in my mind I feel much younger. The other day I had a wee panic about it. I thought about all the stuff I haven't done yet, where I thought I might be by now, and really - what my true-to-life position really is.

For the last number of years I've madly been defending myself against what typically happens to self-employed folks - becoming married to my job. It happened in my 20s and early 30s, and those on the outside would probably say I've done a pretty good job of finding good wholesome activity to provide a counter to the insanity that can and does easily take over.

Today marks 23 years (1986) since we did our first event for actual dollars. The next year will see some significant changes in how we go about making those dollars, not to mention what will get done with those dollars. The challenge will be to somehow "box up" the work so I don't slide into the abyss. I love my work, really. Trouble is I love a lot of other things too, and I want to fit it all in.

The next post will touch on a couple gifts I picked up for the business - both of which should help keep a lid on boss's hourly involvement,

On the list for January: Pump up the biz, Back to pottery (remember pottery??) and a wee bit of travel... oh, and more blogging!

Stay tuned...

Small Victories

2009-11-17T18:07:00.003-07:00

Ever slogged away at something only to feel fruitless in your endeavours?

That's kinda how I've felt over the last couple months. Each step forward seemed to be met with two or three back - or even more confusing, sideways. Every so often though, I'd experience some kind of victory, however small, perhaps just enough to encourage me to keep going.

Today I had one of those days - a Small Victories day. All the phone calls I made or took seemed to yield good fortune and forward motion. Email traffic was similar in nature, and what breaks I took were enough to refocus and return to moving forward.

I've spent the day working away at the University - away from my home office. I think it's a good move to work here since the space I work in ISN'T my home. In fact, working in a computer lab with upwards of 60 other people at any given time puts me in 'work' mode, but also around people. I need that; it puts a whole new spin on my day. Also, since I'm not in a position to take a class this term, it keeps me motivated and excited to get back to class in January... maybe.

Not everything has been Rosy, but with today's positive vibe, the mix is easier to take. I'm on my way home to find out what went crazy-wrong on Friday to effectively take out three speaker cabinets at an event.

It smells expensive.

Dance as you go!

Since you asked...

2009-11-12T12:01:00.007-07:00

It's been one of those days -- you know the times when one thing after another seems to complicate your progress?

I'm finding a great deal of inspiration in music. It seems I'm not the only one who's "been there". As a small business guy, I'm convinced this song was written for me.

I know you think if you take that leap
You'll be in too deep, at the mercy of the current.
Winds are high, the cliff is steep.
The sharp drop-off acts like a deterrent.

Walk out into the great unknown.
You'll never finish if you don't get started.
How about you take that one small step
Into the world that's still uncharted.

I know you feel if you sing your tune
You'll be doomed to being a one-hit wonder.
Burn too brightly, peak too soon;
Gotta get out from the cloud you're under.

Some folks are gonna do you wrong
Because you do the things they wanted to but couldn't.
They'll try to cast doubt, that's their siren song.
You'll be tempted to listen, but really you shouldn't.

Every now and then just let it ride;
You'll be a winner if you just survive.
You can't miss what you never had;
You never had a chance this good,
And that's too bad.

You're gonna think you've got it all worked out,
But something takes you down,
Makes you holler "uncle!"
Even though you're on a mission to civilize,
You'd better have a cushion
If you're pushin' back the jungle.

I know, you're tired of breaking trail.
Every small detail is hampering your vision.
Fog descends like a twilight veil.
If you push on,
you'll get what you were wishing for!

Somewhere you've got a small reserve:
Tricks up your sleeve,
Chips you haven't cashed in.
If you want to get the things you deserve,
Throw caution to the wind: stick with passion.

I know you're scared to make the leap,
You're in too deep.
I know you feel if you sing your tune
You'll be doomed.
I know you're tired of breaking trail;
Every small detail...

-James Keelaghan, 2008

Missing the mix

2009-11-11T14:41:00.004-07:00

I decided to spend the day working at the University today. There are no classes, and most everything is closed down, but the computer lab in Social Sciences is open, and makes a great place to work when it's quiet.

I've been in a bit of a rut as of late - routine, actually, and I realized yesterday what it is that's bugging me. Over the last number of years I've been quite diligent to inject a variety of interests into my life... probably triggered by my short attention span? Dunno. Recently, I haven't been partaking in a lot of that variety which is the spice of my life. I've been spending a great deal of time keeping the very basics of life going - head-above-water, as it were. I'm in this routine of what seems to be "work, work, work" with very little variety injected into the mix.

I met with my advisor in the English department a couple weeks ago to map out some course possibilities, and discovered that at this rate I'll get my degree in 20 years, not the 8-10 that I had anticipated. Sucky. I thought to myself, "well, maybe I could set life up so that I could take time off from the regular work thing to hit school full time for a spell to catch up". What would that take? More people, more time in and more money. I'm working on that - part of my "routine" as of late.

In the mean time, I'm NOT taking a course this term, and it'll be a stretch to get in for the Winter term, but I think it's requisite and necessary. I'm also not going to pottery. *sigh* I miss pottery... terribly. I have, however, taken up the guitar at my leisure, at home, simply picking out some favourite tunes by ear - learning from chord charts and just messing around between appointments, after dark, just whenever I can.

Sitting here at the U today makes me miss school that much more too, but what I really need is a plan - which is in the works, and contrary to my nature, I must learn the art of patience.

SIDEBAR - This last Monday was Monday Night Scotch with my aunt and Dwayne. My Mom joined us this time and we took in Dwayne's video footage from his trip to France and Spain back in August/September. We toured Paris, mostly, which delighted Mom to no end. I think she quite enjoyed her wee dram of scotch, too - not to mention a good visit with her cousin. It was quite an adventure getting Mom out of the Bethany since one of the elevators was out of service - the only one that went to the rooftop parking lot where I'd parked out of habit. The Main doors were occupied with ambulance transfers, handi-bus drop offs and the like, so we used the South entrance which meant a fair amount of running around for Turtle! On the trip down south (which coincided with rush hour) Mom and I listened to a James Keelaghan mix I'd made up... her comments? "He's easy to listen to..." Complimentary, but I'm not sure that she'll ever be the die hard fan that I've become. He's, I must confess, at the top of my list of "guitar gods". With his influence, I may even be motivated to play at the upcoming pub night in February. (Can't remember if I've blogged about past ones, but they're quite amateur-professional, and a lot of fun.)

I need a coffee - then back to the books... business books, that is - for now.+

House of Cards: James Keelaghan and David Woodhead perform with Grace

2009-11-02T23:17:00.005-07:00

James Keelaghan's latest album, House of Cards, was released recently and being the fan that I am, I couldn't miss the show on Friday at Grace Presbyterian Church. It wasn't a packed house, but the floor was a good 3/4-sold-out.

Anyone who reads here knows that I've been a Kelo fan for years. My friend Henry from Rosseau introduced me to James' music back in the early 90s. Every time I go to a show I think of Henry (who passed away a couple years ago) and I thank him for broadening my music horizons away from mainstream contemporary pop and rock - the world in which I do much of my work.

Folk music is all about the stories, and as James pointed out on Friday, the stories continues to evolve. Years ago he wrote the song, "Kiri's Piano" - about the Japanese internment in Canada during the Second World War. A while back he was touring through the States and played a town where he knew the organizers of the folk club who sponsored his show. Sadly, I don't recall the details precisely so I hesitate to say with any degree of certainty exactly whose connection it was, but the uncle of one of the organizers was a soldier on one of the first boats sent out of Pearl Harbour. The ship was attacked, the uncle was killed, and when his personal effects were returned to the family, they included his guitar.

James was asked to play Kiri's Piano on the very same guitar, and later the guitar was gifted to him. He seemed really rather proud of the fact that he now owned a guitar that had been at Pearl Harbour - and what a wonderful offering of appreciation for his musical work!

I, for one, adore the song in all its painful realism.

"House of Cards" is the title track on the new album and it speaks quite frankly to the current global economic state. I encourage you to take a listen to the album. It's available on iTunes at .99 per song or $10.00 for the album.

Me with James at the CD signing following the show

Birds of a feather...

2009-10-10T00:29:00.004-06:00

...follow me around the yard.

Back in May I went out to a guest ranche east of the Cypress Hills, south of Maple Creek, Saskatchewan to do the music for a friend's wedding.

As soon as I got out of the van, I'd made a friend. The locals were going on about how I "...should be cafeful - it bites." All the while, anyone who approached - and I'm sorry, I'm not sure if this is a girl bird or a boy bird - my friend, would get snapped at, or walked away from.

I was followed.

Relentlessly.

It would appear that I was to pet said bird - else I'd get nuzzled to the point of agrevation! One of the fellows in the wedding party agreed to play photographer for this shot, and no one believed I could get that close.

It was bazzaar, yet kinda cool.

Good fortune, timing and a little luck

2009-10-07T15:26:00.002-06:00

On Monday I took the C-Train downtown to an appointment with a potential client. I like to take the train in and out of downtown when I'm simply attending a meeting because it means I'm free of the hassle and cost of parking a vehicle.

At home I counted out some loose change, enough for the $2.50 fare. I plugged the machine with my nickles, dimes, quarters and dollar coin - in no particular sequence. Two of the nickles fell though... consistently - they wouldn't take.

I changed machines.

Same thing.

I changed machines AGIAN.

AGAIN, the same two nickles fell through.

Frustrated, knowing this was my only change on hand, I was in a bit of a fit. Now you may be wondering why I simply didn't get on the train and take my trip - who would know, right? What are the chances of actually getting caught?

Well... back in April, I DID get caught. One in a million. It couldn't have happened on a better day, either. On that day back in April, I had just received news that my van would need a $3500.00 transmission, and I was making my way from the Foothills Hospital to a chiropractic appointment at Dalhousie Station - then at the end of the LRT line. I had boarded the train at University station after realizing my book of tickets was at home, and loose change? Nada. THEN, I figured,

"Two stops? What are the chances?"

Well, on that day, quite good, actually! (To the tune of $150.00, actually!)

So... on Monday I was ready to head home and reschedule with my client!

I had one more machine to try. I looked over at the device that stamps the ticket-book tickets. On it sat a stamped ticket.

"What are the chances it's still good?"

On this particular day, at this particular time - quite good, actually! Transit tickets in Calgary are valid for 90 minutes from the time of validation. This one had been stamped 15 minutes prior at a nearby station. I guess someone was looking out for me! It's actually quite common to see people offering up unused tickets on their way off the platform, but never have I seen a ticket simply sitting there - a gift to someone (like me, for instance) who might be in need.

I accepted the ticket from the Universe, said a little 'thank you' and proceeded on my way. I actually had enough time to do my business downtown and return before its expiration, too.

Indeeed, good fortune, timing and yes, luck.

Musing

2009-10-06T06:09:00.003-06:00

I love that word.

In its adjective form, absorbed in thought or meditative. As a noun, a musing is a contemplation, or reflection.

I haven't felt like blogging for months now, but that's not to say that I haven't been keeping true to my form; I partake in contemplations and reflection regularly. Absorbed in thought? Me? Absolutely. In fact, I've literally been accused of overthinking. Can't argue, either. I do it. But that's not what's kept me from blogging. I tend to have lots to say here whilst the wheels turn.

Since the beginning of the year, it seems, I've been far busier "doing" than I used to. I feel, anyway, far more exhausted yet energized at the same time. In January we had record sales. Ten events in a month is hardly "record", except for the fact it was January and a normal January sees normally the odd leftover Christmas party. This had me scratching my head wondering why, while everyone was banterning on about a recession, we were doing so well.

I honestly remember very little about February through April. I didn't keep a blog record of any consequence. April brought with it the onset of a flood at my place which necessitated a full-on renovation of the basement suite. We did it in a month - the entire month of May - and I came out the other side with a tenant right away for June, and it's worked out rather well. I jokingly call her my "downstairs wife" because on the occasion that I forget to flip my laundry, it mysteriously gets dried, folded and stacked. I also get invited for suppers fairly regularly. In exchange I tend to offer up rides here and there because my "downstairs wife" doesn't drive. Now, before you go getting any wild and crazy ideas, "downstairs wife" starts and ends with laundry, meals and rides. But it also provides for a bit of a humerous story:

Back in July I went on a date.
It was the first real date I'd had since Nathalie moved back to Quebec, so I was anticipating it. We went for a bevy, then over to catch the fireworks. Now, think of the most stunning question you could ever be asked on a first date - the one that would make you choke on your food, or spit your drink across the table. Got it? OK, now I'm going to tell you what happened to me. Thankfully, at the time, we were not sitting at the table so I didn't spew all over my date. That's bad, and you usually don't get a second chance for a first impression.

The question was, as we stood outside my van,

"Why didn't you tell me you have kids?"

I literally replied,

"Huh?"

(for those of you who may be reading for the first time, I don't have kids)

I was thinking to myself, 'So... is this a trick question?'

She replied,

"You have a car seat in your van. Why?"

I wish I had had something clever with which to respond. I didn't. So, I told her the truth:

"Oh, that! It belongs to my downstairs tenant." Notice I said "tenant", not "wife"... that would have been bad.

I explained that I occasionally give rides to a single mom, who has two kids, who also happens to live in my basement. My date nodded as if she understood, we had a bit of a laugh and carried on. A little while later - 'bout two weeks to be precise, I received a phone call from the same girl explaining to me that she really felt she wasn't ready to be dating again. I shared the story with my "downstairs tenant-wife-whatever" and she gave me a look like 'are you an idiot?'

"Dave, there ARE times when you don't ACTUALLY have to tell the truth! ...and... this is one of them!"

I think I actually shared a bigger laugh with her over that than with my date. So, note to self - remove other people's car seats from your vehicle before going on a date. It just makes things simpler.

How's that for "a musing"?

Getting going

2009-08-16T10:40:00.004-06:00

Some days, I'm sure you'd agree, it's easier than others. The last couple weeks have seen me exhausted. I want to get up early and have a "day to myself" before jumping into the stuff of the everyday.

Last Sunday I slept. Man, did I sleep! It's not every day I wake up at 1:00 in the afternoon.

This week I planned to be up early over the weekend to take in a run and just time to be on my own. There aren't many people out and about at 6:00 AM on a Saturday. 'Cept my neighbours. As I ran past, my neighbour Barb was sitting on her front step with a coffee. Soon her husband Mark came out to join us. We chatted for some time - not sure for how long - but it was 7-something by the time I made the University. I grabbed a coffee from one of the independent places in the food court that keep off-hours to capture the early-morning and weekend crowd. I sat and enjoyed my iPod tunes while planning stuff out on the electronic notepad.

Did I mention I love my iPone??

I decided that being worn out wasn't getting me any further ahead, so my approach to yesterday was to do a few things, but put the clock to it to keep an eye on the time. I set the timer in fact. I'd made a list of probably a dozen things which were broken down into personal and business objectives for the day. This may not be new to you, but I discovered how much you can get done with a list... and some focus.

I've been puttering away at building up a yoga room out of one of the upstairs bedrooms. Last week I swapped my room over to the front bedroom - the bigger of the two which had years ago been my office. The new-to-be yoga room needs some TLC - a coat of paint and a good cleaning. I spent some time at that yesterday.

I also did a couple or three things - you know those little projects that should get done "some day"? Yah, you know the ones you walk past every day saying, "Geeze that bugs me - gotta fix that!" Felt great... and know what? I wasn't exhausted at the end of the day! And with so much more accomplished, I felt better inside too.

I've got some ugly business stuff to do tomorrow, so it's been nice to recharge and at the same time get some of my surroundings settled.

Today I got up early and went for a run to the U. and back... but not quite as early as yesterday. I've been doggin' it today, and have a list half as long as yesterday. For breakfast I enjoyed some leftover crock pot stew... meant I didn't have to "make breakfast". It was great to turn on some tunes, eat and now write in the blog.

Whatever you're doing today, I hope it's as peaceful and recharging as I intend my day to be.

Looking west-ish through the campus toward the prairie chicken sculpture under which we had numerous Poetry classes in '07... including a picnic.

Slow like Turtle, heart like Rabbit

2009-07-31T21:12:00.003-06:00

So yesterday evening I was at Shopper's Drug Mart and simply on spec tried out the blood pressure cuff they have for public use at the pharmacy.

Was I surprised at the result? You bet.

187 / 94

For those of you who aren't in the know, 120 / 80 is normal. My "normal" is slightly lower, actually, at 110 / 70. You can see why I was surprised!

My resting heart rate is high, too - this afternoon it clocked in at 79 BPM, and although in music terms that's the tempo of a slow song, it certainly isn't anything plodding where my heart is concerned. Normal for me is in around 58 to 61.

What's up?

Dunno, but I called the Health Link folks and was told a few things of note:

--Because I'm showing no "symptoms", there isn't any reason to panic

--If my numbers reach the low 200s and/or are accompanied by blurred vision or back pain, I must seek medical attention within four hours

--Because 187 / 94 is well over 20 points higher than my "normal", I should go in to the clinic to be checked out... today or tomorrow.

I think I'll sleep on it. I was also told that you should take your BP on an empty stomach - which mine wasn't yesterday - so perhaps I'll return tomorrow to the pharmacy first.

Taken now after sitting to write this post, my pulse is down to 66.

Hmm... sleep on it, yes.

River Run

2009-07-29T06:50:00.003-06:00

This, the title of a James Keelaghan song, seemed suitable for today's post. James wrote the song in support of the Alberta Wilderness Association and to curse the Alberta and Canadian governments for the construction of the Old Man River dam.

I woke up early this morning, around 5:00. After several months of attempting to calm my own waters, and feeling a lack of physical vitality, I was inspired by the words,

"Now the river's not running as fast as it did,
there's a dam there restricting the flow;
and I don't run either as fast as I could,
guess that river and I have grown old."

inspired, yes, to go running this morning. I thought about where I had tucked my running shoes from about a year ago - having given up running because of the strain it caused on my right knee. I've since had a lift added to my orthodic to compensate for my leg length discrepancy, so felt comfortable taking it on this morning.

It's been beastly hot here as of late so to step out to a cool, freshly-rained-on yard was yet even more inspiration for the run.

Do you know that wet smell that brings out the fragrance of the Evergreens and the grass?

I was quickly reminded of why, a year ago, I started with a 30-second walk-run.

With River Run programmed on my iPod, I ran.
Then I walked.
James' words struck incredible metaphor for me as I ran and paralleled his account to events in my own life.

I've returned now, going to grab some change and walk over to the U. for a coffee - perhaps a bit of an indulgence after such an incredibly healthy start to the day, but it will allow me to smell the trees again.

Go West!

2009-07-18T15:59:00.012-06:00

Indeed I did. Last Sunday I accepted a ride to the airport from my friend Jim. Up practically the whole night before, I sleepishly miscalculated the time and ended up at the airport TWO hours ahead of flight time, not one. Ah well, time for a Tims with Jim then to the terminal.

Calgary from the air facing south across the river.

From my travels on Westjet to Quebec I learned that if you order a beverage that they likely won't serve to anyone else, they give you the whole can. I love tonic, and get the whole thing every time!

Once on the ground in Comox, I *texted* (ouch, I can't believe that word is now acceptable in the English language!) my friend Mike who was to pick me up. Trouble was, he was flying from Calgary to Nanaimo via Air Canada to grab his truck to drive to Comox to meet me for Folk Fest. Thing is, he'd missed his connecting flight in Vancouver. He was going to be an additional two hours, then the hour and a half drive north.

The Comox airport is a lovely place, and I got to know it intimately. I also got to know the security personnel and the Westjet office staff. You see, I'd inadvertently left my binder sitting on a seat outside the main doors to the terminal. I had sauntered in to the snack shop and when I came out, realized I didn't have my book. I went from one end to the other trying to remember where it was. I finally clued in to the fact that security must have picked it up. Sure enough, they'd taken it to the Westjet office. I got a teasing little lecture not to leave things lying around the airport. After hearing my friend's story of being bumped in Vancouver - the reason for me hanging around Comox - the Westjet girl said, "I guess he'll be flying Westjet next time, eh?"

I spent the bulk of my time listening to my iPod and reading poetry. Both endeavours had me reading and listening about marginalized peoples; my mood inspired this photo:

Mike showed up around 4:30 and we headed to Campbell River to pick up a couple fishing rods for my friend Norm. Campbell River is beautiful and yielded these:

We came back down to catch the last of the Folk Fest but discovered the day price still applied at the gate - a whopping $95.00! Four bands left on the stage list, none of whom were James Keelaghan - after I had noted on the website that he was to play at 8:00 Friday, Saturday and Sunday!

More than rather disappointed, we headed back to Nanaimo and stopped in at the Piper's Pub for a bite to eat. Great food, a visit with a great friend... a fabulous start to a much-needed vacation!

...to be continued

Looking back...

2009-06-26T23:28:00.004-06:00

...today marks one year since I met A/C in Carlton Place, Ontario on my cross-Canada tour to Quebec. (Despite what he says, the meal was fabulous!)

Tonight I remained local. I did the music for a party for L'Arche Calgary. At it I met two long-time friends Pat B. and Michael H., both from St. Andrew's. It was a really short party, but really quite fun.

I've booked my flights to B.C. in anticipation of Island Folk Fest in Comox on Vancouver Island. I'll stay with my friends Mike and Janie in Nanaimo, then on to Burnaby to visit with my long-time friend Sharon (we went to Elementary School together and her folks still live about a block from my place) I'm looking forward to the break as the events of the last number of weeks - nay, months - have taken their toll on my physical and emotional health. Most of it's really about lack of sleep since I really took on far too much all at once: University course, work, rebuilding the basement and bringing things around to normal after the fact. One of the bonuses of my trip West is seeing James Keelaghan again at Comox. I mentioned to him that I would be attending and he seemed genuinely excited that I was going to be there.

Right now I'm listening to a disc April gave me today. It's her equivalent to my love for Kelo's music, Jen Grant. I liken her to the influence of Jane Siberry amd Dido. It's rather pleasant to have on in the background.

The house and yard are definitely taking the shape of "home" these days. I've turned over something of a new leaf - out of sheer frustration, admittedly. I'm throwing everything out which is a dynamic switch from my S.O.P. of "I might need this sometime, keep it." The space feels far better than the stuff ever did.

Tomorrow I'm going to see my Mom.

She'll be 84.

We'll have a coffee and a chat.

The things we hear...

2009-06-24T01:47:00.004-06:00

I don't know about you, but I tend to pick up on things other people say in public. Tuesday morning it was at the chiropractor's office. I was sitting in the waiting room with an older couple ahead of me. The gentleman exclaimed to Judy, the receptionist,

"Have they changed the elevators recently?"

Judy replied, "I don't think so, why?"

"I don't remember them door-open and door-close buttons bein' there."

I'm thinking to myself, "Um... OK..."

Judy said, "No, I think they've always been there."

The gentleman's wife said, "We're probably so used to just getting on and coming up that we don't pay attention to it."

And she's right - there's lots of stuff I'm oblivious to, but it made for interesting listening. What was even more interesting was the way in which the gentleman cared for his wife. She was in a wheelchair, and when the automated computer system called her name, he escorted her to the adjustment area and quite litterally picked her up out of the chair and set her on the adjustment table. He made sure she was comfortable, then excused himself to the waiting room.

"Nice.", I thought.

This experience was not only humerous, but touching. Thought I'd share.

MUSIC MONDAY "The things we never challenge are the things that never change!" - James Keelaghan - June 20, 2009

2009-06-22T13:25:00.004-06:00

When I asked James Keelaghan for some "Kelo words of wisdom" and to sign a copy of his album "A Recent Future", he scribbled away on the liner note insert whilst I peeled the plastic off another of his discs to sign. It wasn't until I returned to the group that I read his words. It wasn't until I got home and listened to the track "Turn of the Wheel" that I realized he'd quoted his song lyrics.

My sister and I have a standing agreement: if either of us catch wind of a Keelaghan show, we are - without fail - to inform the other. Discovering this particular show was a bit of a fluke as it wasn't really advertised all that widely. I found out from my neighbour Jim who got it from a friend who was working the event. It was the 50th Anniversary of the Rosemont Community in Calgary. I live... um... one or maybe two communities over - not far. James grew up in Rosemont and spoke a couple times of tobogganing down the hill at the base of which he was singing.

I was introduced to James' music back in the early 90s when my friend Henry was living in Calgary. He was a bit of a folkie and raved on about Keelaghan's music. It took me going to Ontario to see James for the first time in '99 at "Ste. Marie Among the Hurons" a bird sanctuary, of all places. Henry had moved home and was ecstatic about the show, especially since I was out to visit at that time.

OK, pictures...

James was kind enough to pose for a shot prior to the show

I'm a sound guy so naturally I had to scope out the stage prior to the show.

I could use this shot to argue that I was the only one to show up for the show...

...but no, it was simply an intimate gathering at the hill. Reminded me of "Shakespeare in the Park", only this poet sets his work to music.

Here we are - my good friends Norm and Jacquie at front, my BIL Doug on the grass in the red shirt, and to his left my sister Laura. Behind them, April.

About half way through, James invited his brother Bob to join him on stage.

Come to think of it, I didn't ever post fully about my basement renos in May. Nevertheless, I have a new tenant as of June 1. April joined us for the show.

I have this new iPhone which I think is great, but when trading photo favours after the show, the guy who had a real camera had some difficulty making out the difference between the "home" button and the soft-touch shutter button on my phone. It was good for a laugh, and... he caught it!

I mentioned a couple posts back about the song, "Kiri's Piano" - which James played at the request of a couple who had apparently named their daughter after the song. The song holds some significant importance to me. In English 371 we studied some literature reflecting the Japanese internment in Canada, and in English 385, studied not only indigenous but also marginalized peoples. I'm sending a copy of the disc "My Skies" to each of my two professors because I think they would truly appreciate the music.

Good news!

2009-06-09T22:29:00.002-06:00

I went to the chiropractor this morning with my bundle of x rays in hand. I'd borrowed the previous years' shots to share with my massage therapist student, and last week had this year's comparative x ray taken. The one shot that excites me is the head-and-neck. They measure the angle at which your neck rests subject to your spinal alignment, shoulders and head position.

Back in 2006, my first x ray showed a curviture of 32 degrees.

Normal is 45 degrees.

After the initial 6-month aggressive treatment plan of 4 visits per week for 8 weeks, 3 visits per week for 8 weeks and 2 visits per week for 8 weeks the x ray showed an increase to 38 degrees - very rare, apparently, to have such an improvement in the short period.

One year later in 2007 I'd slipped to 34 degrees.

In 2008, 32 degrees.

Dr. Mike was beaming today when he came in to show me the most recent x ray. He reviewed the numbers from previous years, then popped the film up on the viewer.

Are you sitting down?

My neck curviture now measures...

43 degrees!

Translation?

My head now rests further back over my shoulders, and my upper back is - although not perfect - straighter.

A lot of the progress is due to massage therapy too, and to be honest I've not felt all that great muscle-wise over the last three months. I'm incredibly tight and my muscle tone is lacking.

I don't drink enough water.
I don't stretch enough.
Exercise? Got lots, thanks - I reno'd a basement in May!

OK. I've been SLACKING.

But good news on the neck front!

Otherwise, I'm quite literally exhausted. I've never felt so absolutely worn out, and after a chat with Dr. Mike today, have come to the conclusion that my long-term go-go-go lifestyle has been to blame. I don't sleep enough, and when I rest I tend to put my body to rest but I don't always quiet my mind. I'm facing a lot of my days tired and not sharp-of-mind.

I've decided not to go on the housing project in New Orleans. Instead, I must focus hyper-locally: quite literally on my body. I've lost a fair amount of weight since September, and I'm feeling the effects. I've always had trouble maintaining my weight, and the last six months have proven even more challenging. Tiredness takes over sooner rather than later simply because I'm not charged - physically.

Off to rest my body, and quiet my mind.

A piece of Canadiana: Kiri's Piano

2009-06-08T11:49:00.005-06:00

Messing around on iTunes, I downloaded this tune to my iPhone the other day. I was lying in bed listening to it last night and discovered it's the story of a Japanese war-time internee in British Columbia. This song brought back memories of my English studies last year in 370 - a historiographic metafictional piece, Joy Kogawa's Obasan: a reflection on some of Canada's ugly history.

I've always loved James Keelaghan's music, its local flavour (he's from Calgary) and his sense of story telling woven into amazing music. He's playing here in a couple weeks and I'm excited... really excited. He often opens his solo shows to audience requests.

I think I have one:

Kiri's Piano
James Keelaghan - 1993

Of all of Kiri Ito's joys,
the thing she loved the best
Was to play her prized piano
when the sun had gone to rest
I used to hear the notes drift down
Along the silent water
As Kiri played the notes and scales
for her dear sons and daughters.

Now me I played piano
though not as good as Kiri
She went in for that long haired stuff
but my she played it pretty.
The old piano had a tone
would set my heart to aching.
It always sounded sweetest though
when it was Kiri playing.

In December when the seventh fleet
was turned to smoke and ashes,
The order came to confiscate
their fishing boats and caches.
And Kiri's husband forced to go
and work in labour camps,
And Kiri left alone to fend
and hold the fort as best she can.
But the music did not drift as often
from up the cove at Kiri's house.
And when it did it sounded haunted
played with worry played with doubt;
For Kiri knew that soon she too
would be compelled to leave,
And the old upright would stay behind
and Kiri she would grieve.

I loaded Kiri on the bus
with stoic internees.
The crime that they were guilty of
was that they were not like me.
And if I was ashamed,
I didn't know it at the time.
They were flotsam on the wave of war
they were no friends of mine.
I went up to Kiri's house
to tag all their belongings,
And set them out for auctioneers
who'd claim them in the morning.
One piece that I thought I'd keep
and hold back for myself
Was that haunting ivory upright
that Kiri played so well.

But Kiri had not left it there
for me to take as plunder.
She'd rolled it down onto the dock
and on into the harbor.
That old upright in strangers' hands
was a thought she couldn't bear:
So she consigned it to the sea
to settle the affair.

So many years have come and gone
since Kiri's relocation;
I look back now upon that time
with shame and resignation.
For Kiri knew what I did not:
that if we must be free,
Then sometimes we must sacrifice
to gain our dignity.

Yes Kiri knew what I did not:
that if we must be free,
Then sometimes we must sacrifice
to gain our dignity.

James Keelaghan plays the Rosemont Community June 20, 2009 @ 7:00 PM
Turtle's attending.

Exhausted

2009-06-04T15:07:00.002-06:00

It's done.

The suite is finished, new tenant in - settled - happy.

And I'm exhausted.

Yesterday was a write-off, really. I tried to function, really I did. It seems the more I sleep to restore and the more I eat to refuel, the more exhausted I feel. It's crazy. I put in half a morning loading my neighbour's truck for a dump run to clear out the yard and I powered out. Literally.

I need a vacation, and soon. Was thinking of New Orleans in July to help out on a housing project down there, but I dunno - I think I need to get away sooner than that. Must see where the dust settles with the dollars and cents before I do anything too wild. I have so many things I'd like to do around the house that maybe a stay-home holiday is best. Maybe I need to enter a sleep-a-thon or something. The crazy days of up-at-7:30, to bed at 3:00 have taken their toll, apparently.

Going to a Keelaghan show in a couple weeks - that'll be a blast as it is always.

I think I'll have a bite to eat and hit the pillow again. I've been treating these last couple days like a cat: getting plenty of rest between naps.

Turtle out.

Bad tummy and an update

2009-05-09T21:11:00.003-06:00

I guess it's about time to blog again. It's been a whirlwind of activity around here, and frankly I've had no time nor inclination to write about what's been going on.

In a nut shell: (or Turtle shell as the case may be)

I have a grumpy tummy today and I'm sad to think that it may be a result of having eaten at one of my favourite places because it's the only thing I can think of that would cause the trouble. I visited the pharmacy today for some relief, but it's not all back to normal just yet.

The house it topsy-turvy these days with an all-out renovation downstairs. My long-time tenants Terri and Emarie were graciously refacing the suite during their tenancy and as quirky circumstance would play out, gave their notice to move only two weeks prior to a double-whammy sewer backup and freshwater flood which has necessitated their early departure by two weeks and an all-out re-renovation. Including the drywall dust, I've been eating, sleeping and breathing basement renos because I have a new tenant lined up for June 1st. As with a lot of 'repair' projects -from what I hear - mine has escalated from 'restore' to 'restore and upgrade', subsequently turning this into a much larger-than-anticipated project. It deserves its own blog post, so by month's end I should have the whole story complete with photos.

Personal stuff - well, it's personal, but suffice it to say no less demanding than basement renos and the like.

Business stuff - moving right along, and sometimes screams for the attention that it's been starved. I took a course a few weeks back called "Real Money, Real Profit", offered by ATB - my favouritest bank... but I think I've mentioned that before. It was a two-day seminar encompassing the essence of Economics 201 - a little micro, a little macro and a lot of number chasing. Had an opportunity to rub shoulders with several folks in other industries, our common interests of course being the course and our financial institution of choice. I even had an opportunity to put my professional skill to work when the hotel PA system wasn't working correctly. A minor adjustment to our instructor's lavaliere microphone and some setting changes and we were back on top. Felt good to contribute in my professional capacity, however minimal.

Around about the time of the flood, I was closing in on the completion of my Aboriginal Literature and Film course at the U. This along with everything else was quite simply too much. I was close to dropping the course and accepting an F grade because in the grand scheme of things a recreational course rates pretty low on the scale of priorities when one's house, and let's face it -- partial income, hangs in the balance. One of my classmates called the other day to inquire as to "what's up??". She encouraged me to chat with our prof and possibly work something out. As it turns out, I've been offered an unofficial deferral until the end of May so as to complete the course. There is, indeed, a God, not to mention good-hearted souls here looking out for me.

I still think of Dad on occasion, and sometimes out of the clear blue. The busy-ness of my own life has kindof overshadowed my connection with his spirit, but every so often I notice his presence, and it quite frankly - causes some tears.

That's about it for now - stay tuned for the Great Flood of 2009 coming soon to an Armchair near you.

Turtle out.

Easter fun

2009-04-12T00:49:00.001-06:00

Morning walk

2009-04-06T08:36:00.003-06:00

The days are turning warmer here. Rumour has it that the temps are supposed to reach +16C this week, which is fine by me.

I was up early today and walked to the coffee shop - about 2 miles round trip.

Lately I've been mired in a myriad of internal and external challenges that have diverted my attention from a lot of the things that make life truly pleasant. On my walk I re-experienced a lot of those things that make it all worth while: A lady walking her dog greeted me with a smile and a quick chat, excited that Spring was finally on its way. At the coffee shop, the fellow at the counter seemed genuinely happy and content to be there. On my return trip I met one of my neighbours (also named Dave, but no relation) walking his dog. We engaged in a 2-minute update on life and I quickly heard of his recent trip to Seattle. We bantered about the Pike Market and the Pier and moved forward.

I'm feeling content and satisfied right now that everything is where it needs to be - mostly - and looking forward to the end of the course at the U. and tying up some loose ends with a sound system installation contract.

The weekend yielded a great purge of long-accumulated junk which begs the question,

"Where does it all come from, and when will it end???"

Nevertheless, it's forward motion and I'm liking it - a lot!

I have several plans on paper for house projects which, if all goes according to plan, will see a dramatic change in the physical space here by the end of June.

Life has its crappy little moments, but overall is really quite pleasant. Here's to Spring, new beginnings and a ramp-up to vibrant times.

Reminiscing, what’s going on today, and future plans

2009-04-03T12:10:00.012-06:00

One year ago at this very minute, I was riding the rails underground in Montreal. I had flown out to see Nathalie and had a full day to spend in Montreal before departing to Quebec City via Via Rail. I had, admittedly, one of my best life experiences on that trip.

Upper Left - My day pass and a coffee: cheaper than a cab
Lower Left - A map of the Montreal Metro - I've been to every stop.
Lower Right - On the platform at Quebec

What am I doing today? Nothing quite as exciting as jet setting across the country and riding the rails in new-to-me territory. Nope, today I’m pushing paper. I likely won’t look back on today a year from now to reminisce about the experience. It’s kinda cold and grey outside, as is my mood.

As for future plans? I found myself standing in the back yard with my friend Norm a couple days ago. We talked about two projects I want to see come to fruition this year: one is (hold on to your seat) eaves trough and facia repair and the replacement of badly worn downspouts. (OK, be honest, doesn’t this compete with a vacation to Quebec?) The second is a chain link fence project. For years my yard has been in need of a real fence… a full fence… one that actually surrounds the whole yard. We talked at length about moving some lengths of fence to give a different shape to the yard, and to what we might consider in terms of changing the “map”. This includes relocating trailer parking, moving a shed, and possibly foot printing a section for a future garage development, being mindful to maintain the existing fire pit. Oh, and a new wood crib for firewood… that would be nice.