More thoughts on blogging

Here it is, Canada Day; a little over a year since my last post. It's obvious that I haven't been inspired to write. Lately I've become reserved toward writing publicly about my life and daily ramblings. I really enjoy blogging though, and years ago I had developed a following of a diverse and eclectic crowd. I love how the whole blogging community spiderwebs: you read a blog, comment on it and sooner or later someone else with an interest in that blog is reading yours and it snowballs - especially if you post something noteworthy. Perhaps that's the key: noteworthy. I know my sister used to look to my page for an update on my life, especially if I'd been out of touch for a spell. I'd heard that there were several folks who would lurk the blog (read but leave no indication of having been by) and that sometimes made it worth writing something - anything. The last year has been full and rich, happy and sad, fulfilling and disappointing. Much like any other year, I suppose, with the exception of my Mom. She passed the day after her 87th. birthday. When one year rolled around last Friday, I reflected on what was happening then. I had taken some contract work with another firm. They were keeping me really busy at 40 hours per week. In fact, there was so much going on in all facets of my life, Mom's passing seemed something of a blur at the time. I guess that was something of the landmark event of 2012. So far, this year has been filled with a lot of catch-up. Painting, cleaning, organizing, building. I have, finally, what seems to be a normal workload, offering me a chance to give back to my house, which I have been neglecting (aesthetically, anyway) for some years. In February the laundry room got spruced up with a fresh coat of paint and some neutral, but new and refreshing colours. My office (currently located within the furnace room) is sporting a bright orange hue these days along with new LED dim-able light fixtures. Quick update - I moved downstairs a year ago to enable more passive cash flow by way of rental. The downstairs dwellers moved upstairs, and I took a University student room mate for the other bedroom downstairs. It's working out rather well. My current downstairs tenant is a linguistics student from the U of C who has, not so surprisingly, had a prof. through his undergrad that I know. That made the interview process comfortable immediately. Recently, with Calgary's flood fiasco, I've been putting in time at the Command Station set up in Montgomery. After they moved the station to Bowness, I worked an evening at the University. We signed in to the residence buildings several evacuees, mostly from the south end. The story seems to be the same wherever you go: there are more volunteers than positions to fill. That night at the U., they'd put out a call for 10 people. 22 showed up. They were expecting 150 residents - 25 showed up. I had my van handy, so they put me to work fetching bottled water from the nearby Brentwood Safeway. I felt useful, if only for a half hour or so. I'm glad, in a way, that the numbers were down. One can hope it was a sign that the need for support was less than expected. We're gearing up for Stampede Week, and this year it should prove interesting at the very least - given that downtown Calgary has been all but shut down as of late. The water restriction was lifted this weekend, so I managed to throw some water on the vegetable garden, which is something else I've not kept for some years. That's it for today's update. Happy Canada Day!

I made it to Davefest!

I'm sure you've experienced it, regardless the career you're in. There are aspects, jobs and contracts that seem to stand out from the regular and everyday. I was forced to think about this a couple weeks ago when I was faced with a conflict. One of my suppliers offered me a week's wages to work on a project out of town - 6 hours north-east, actually. It meant possibly missing one of my favourite events, Davefest. I had been anticipating the 12th. annual ever since last year. What was especially exciting was that I was prepared to play... er... and sing. So along comes this opportunity for some significant work, and for a company that I know and love - not to mention a company that seems to have a real interest in establishing a long term working relationship. It appeared to be, quite literally, an either/or choice. It's sad in a way, but really the money trumped the freebee. Trouble was, I really, really, really wanted to do BOTH. Turns out that we caught up to the other trades at this project and couldn't proceed, quite literally until they'd built another wall which wasn't going to happen for another week. My wish came true. I made it to Davefest! What's more exciting is that these photos were taken, and all I had to do was show up! I'm lovin' the Yamaki nestled in with various other guitars! From my perspective, at the back of the theatre. When you're new at something, it's a really nervous feeling that comes over you when you present it in front of the masses. My Mom came out too, which really pleased me because I haven't had a chance to play and/or sing in her presence for some time. One of the stories she often tells is that of when I was in my early teens. I was to sing a solo at the church, and I flubbed it. Not miserably, but it was highly embarrassing. This, I suppose, was an opportunity to avenge a memory. My sister's family came out, too. My BIL made a point of saying, "Who knew David could sing??!" Some days I surprise even me. OK, Editor's note: My last post was published after Blogger went to this new format, and A/C mentioned something about my absence from blogging affecting my sense of paragraph form. I just had a quick look at a preview, and although I have spaces between all paragraphs, the entire text appears to be fudged into one big block. So much for organizing my ideas, but I think you get the idea. Any ideas on how to fix this??

A Landmark Day

Indeed, it was. As we gear up for the 12th. Annual Davefest at Sir Winston Churchill High School for June 2, I'm cutting my teeth in a new realm: that of on-stage musician. Since last year's Davefest, which I apparently didn't blog about whatsoever, I have been inspired to play. Like... in front of actual people; an audience. As the story goes, there's this fundraiser held at my old high school. It's called Davefest in memory of David Elton - a graduate of Sir Winston Churchill who died in a water rescue attempt in California in 2000. His parents started the David Elton Fund to support outdoor safety programmes. Last year, my friend Dave B. encouraged me to help them with the sound production end of Davefest. It sometimes weirds me out a bit that my friend Dave introduced me (also a Dave) to Davefest - which has nothing whatsoever to do with being a Dave. Stranger still, I've extended an invitation to my industry friend Dave D. to do the mixdown for the video they shoot every year. Tonight, however, I broke some new ground. After getting myself on the Davefest planning committee, I was invited to an open stage jam tonight which involved many of the Davefest folk and to my surprise, George C. and his wife C. whom I know through the AWA. For the past year I've not-so-secretly yearned to play at Davefest, and tonight I got my first taste of playing in front of an audience. The open jam was hosted by one of the musicians who played Davefest, N. I found out through a telephone conversation that N. also knows A. who plays in another band I mix fairly regularly. Small world! So I showed up at Varsity tonight, prepared to play. They sign 10 acts, 15 minutes each. Once the list is full, that's it. Or is it? I arrived early, only for some reason I didn't get to the list until it was practically full. Lsat spot, and there was a young girl who wanted to play and had also never played for an audience... or as I found out after the show, had played only at the previous open stage last month. I told her to take the slot and that I would play if time permitted. N. put my name on the list, then promptly asked if there was anyone willing to shorten their set to allow for 11 performers instead of 10. Two acts generously offered up their shortened sets. I was in. There's something about first-time performing that manifests a shortened memory, quickened speech and sweaty palms. The combination never yields favourable results, and tonight was no exception. There, in front of 40-some people - about half of whom I know - I proceeded to kick off my song... in the wrong key. Some very blue words passed through my mind, but I calmly stopped, made some witty remark about being a newbie, and started again. Ooopsie. Funny though - as I made my way through the song, my confidence grew. By the end of the first chorus I was back on track and the rest of the tune was a piece of cake. Applause, compliments and handshakes followed - far more than I felt I deserved, but it made the awkwardness go away. Some of the more accomplished musicians complimented me on my "save". Several even complimented my voice - something I've never really thought about, just kinda gone with since it's really the only voice I have. I think it helped that I avoided milk products today. The coffee this morning was dull, I must say! What's more, in my introduction I mentioned that I'm a sound guy by trade, not a musician. Well, the two fellows running the sound quickly flagged me down after my tune and told me they wanted my help with the sound for future open stages - just when I thought I'd found an event that I could attend in a different capacity! We chatted more over beer and pizza after the show. Now these two fellows who also play very well, want to sign up for Davefest! What a small world this has become.

A shot I took in a mad hurry during rehearsal at last year's Davefest. N. (at the back playing bass) organized tonight's open stage. M., playing lead electric guitar and vocals was there tonight to play. Had a chance to chat with him after pizza and promised to send him this pic. He too is scheduled for Davefest, June 2. The next open stage is May 11 - a couple weeks away. I've promised to do something of a redemption tune. Suffice it to say, Bob Marley is not on my set list. About 5 weeks to Davefest and I have to pick yet another song to sing in front of many more than 40. Wish me luck...

Birthday beverages and haggis

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

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

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

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

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

...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

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

A terrifying thought...

Fundraising mania!

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...

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...

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

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

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.