she is…

It’s a new song titled ‘She Is’ …and all the details can be found on the Music (New) page through the tabs above. If you don’t need details, just click below…

vermillion or bust

If you don’t know where Vermillion is …don’t worry about it – it’s not that big of a deal

It’s a small Alberta town about 2 hours east of Edmonton, and happens to be my home away from home for the past few days. I’ve been playing in a small, somewhat ‘community’ run production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. It’s alright music. It’s kinda straight ahead pop in a way – and the nicest thing is its length ….short. Short is good for musicals as far as I’m concerned. The bass parts lend themselves to being ad-libed in a way, so in that sense I have a bit of freedom with things. Sure there’s still a form and essential shots/group parts …but overall it’s fairly relaxing to play.

The neat thing about this presentation is that it’s done by kids – and that means it’s pretty fun to watch. Anyway, it’s been a gig – and it was put on by the same group of people that I did the Little Shop of Horrors with a bunch of years ago. The only sucky thing is the driving. Instead of staying out here the full 3 days, I’ve been doing the commute back and forth, excluding last night though.

Adding to this driving misery was my trip the other day. I did a silly thing and took a Dixieland gig for a trade show in Ponoka …another small town south of Edmonton. This gig was from 10am until 5. That’s not so short. It was fairly easy performance wise with breaks and stuff, but it just made for a long day – and the bonus was the great money. The problem I faced though, was getting from Ponoka to Vermillion for the start of the musical which was at 7pm. That gave me a two hour window – and the normal drive time between the two was around 3 hours. So I had to speed a little. Errr, a lot actually. I took some back highways that helped, but my average speed was at times over 150kph …which for you non-metrics is around 95mph. Luckily the roads weren’t that busy and the weather was good – but I feel sorta bad for speeding – but then again it’s not a habit. Lol, am I convincing myself that it was a fine thing to do? No – but it’s done.

Except my trip back yet. Just watch, this is where I’ll get my speeding ticket!

The Musical

The Dixie gig

video and stuff…

Hey gang.

Here’s a little vid of America Rosa that someone posted to Youtube.  If I haven’t mentioned before, this band is a 10-12 piece salsa type thingy that I’ve been playing with for more than I sometimes care to remember …and in various forms as well. It’s from a latin party/fundraiser with Tilo that I mentioned in an earlier post. The song is a tune from Eddie Palmieri called ‘Palo Pa Rumba’. And just for fun, I’m posting Eddie’s own video of the same song just for all you comparison shoppers out there

Aside from that, I’m looking forward to Monday for a bunch of reasons. Spring will be here (hopefully! ..we’ve had an extended winter here in Edmonton as of late) and my gig travels will be wrapped up. It’s not so bad driving long distances for different shows – but it sucks when you have to split it all up throughout the weekend. And oh yeah, it almost costs $60 to fill my car now!

Boooooooo gas. Booooooo extended winter. Yeaaaa soon to be spring?

stress?

I did the plasma donation thingy the other day, and it was also time for the yearly physical that the good folks at Canadian Blood Services put you through.  It’s pretty low key, that is there’s not a whole lot to it.  Anyway, it’s the perfect opportunity to ask the Doc anything that might be on your mind – so I did.  I brought up my allergy problem that seemed to hit me hard with what I figured out on my own to be a severe case of hives.  Don tipped me off to it – and after doing the ‘online google self-medical assessment’, I decided that my rash looked more like hives than anything else.

I told the Doc this and he said it could be triggered by many different things – even something like stress! Wow.  What if that’s the case?  What if I’m one of those people who, when they run themselves down, break out in hives?  Ahhhhhh!  That’s weird.  Anyway, I’m going to submit myself to a full allergy test to see what comes up.  I know there’ll be a seasonal trigger in there as I developed some springtime allergies about 7 years ago now.  What else might come up …hard to say.  I haven’t been able to pin anything down food wise, so I guess it’s a wait and see type thing.

As for the stress – well, I’m thinking that won’t be the case.  I hope so at least.  I do lead a pretty stress-free life.  Yeah, I do get tired and develop bad sleeping patterns for weeks or so at a time …but that’s not a stress thing.  Is it?

I think I need a year off to rest for a while.  That’d be sweet.

Happy Blogiversary!

It’s been two years kids, and I’ve yet to abandon my post …er, posts. I’ve thought about it of course, but calmer heads prevailed and I just kept plugging along. “Just keep swimming, just keep swimming.”

It’s true though – and swimming doesn’t necessarily have to be a graceful act. There have been many horrible posts that were done for the sake of ‘a post’, or for vanity – or even for a chuckle on my behalf, but that’s the nice thing about having a blog titled ‘Stuff and Things’ …it’s pretty non-descript, and I can add whatever I like – serious or not. It’s kinda freeing in a way …being able to work on a post towards the goal of saying something important, and then the next time around tossing up the first thing that comes across the brain – or lack thereof at times. Mixing things up sort of alleviates the pressure of having to come up with ‘quality’ posts – lol. Errr …some of the time. Once in a while?

There’s been a whack of posts that I’ve either abandoned or ’shelved’ as well. Essays on subjectivity, maths, religion, traffic, democracy, morality, compromises, abortion, absolutes, environmental issues, obesity, race …just to name a few. What happens is I get all gung-ho on something, but then start to question my stance or reform my opinion on the topic. These aren’t bad things to have happen, it’s just that I put it away for a while – let it brew for a bit …but then eventually forget about it. When the mood strikes again though, I’ll consider getting a bunch of these finished.

That’s another important aspect of blogging I find …being in the right mood. You sound more convincing when you’re completely into what you’re writing about – as opposed to the type of posts I might make in advance …when I’ve finished something and feel strongly about it, but simply put it off until the right ‘mix’ of posts present themselves – then the idea is sightly deflated. Too much of one thing gets boring as well: heavy stuff …ditto for too much fluff, too much art, too much opinion. I try to pace my topics. I think that works alright …at least it keeps me motivated in different directions.

I read blogs as well. I don’t regularly visit too many, but I’ll give any blog a brief opportunity to pull me in …if they fail, then I’m gone.  I blame it on my ‘internet attention span’. The ones I read though, I enjoy – and you know who you are! They’re either honest, well thought out, inspiring or simply interesting. I like blogs that offer different subject matter too – and I tire easily when I hear about the same thing from the same person. That’s one of the pitfalls of having a blog that is too specific – unless you’re completely into that topic, you’re going to get bored rather quickly. And diverse blogs also give you an opportunity to learn more about the writer …which is a good thing on the internet where anonymity flourishes.

Future plans? Well, I think I’m going to start posting more ‘unfinished’ musical crap. I have a tendency to start all sorts of songs, but then get diverted or lose my interest – much like many posts. Then it sits there in the ‘to do’ pile and never really leaves. By posting them, perhaps I can generate other types of motivation …maybe even from you!? Hard to say …but something has to change because I seem to be falling into musical ruts – not because I’m not doing anything …but because I’m not caring enough to finish. There’s a few other things I’m wanting to do/try as well – and you’ll be the first to know as those come along.

I suppose that’s it I guess. So let me just say thanks for reading everyone! Really!! I’m not a ’stat’ watcher …most of the time that is, but I do know you’re visiting – and I hope you find something of interest when you stop by – even if you were only looking for information on Britany Spears (lol, that post continues to haunt me). And finally, what would I grade myself on my last two years of wordpress blogging? I think I’ll give myself a ‘B’ …for Blog. And in celebration of this momentous accomplishment, allow me to repost my first ever post. Ohhhh, you guys are soooooo lucky!

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This is only a test. Please do not adjust your internet. If this were an actual blog entry you would be instructed on what to do next. However, since this is not – you can freely do what ever you like. Really – cut loose

Falstaff – Verdi

Tonight I got to see my first Opera

Interesting. Lol, not that I mean that in a bad way – but rather, it was genuinely interesting. The opera was Verdi’s ‘Falstaff‘ and was put on at Edmonton’s Jubilee Auditorium. I liked it. I liked the fact that there was no amplification needed for the vocalists or the orchestra, and I liked it because the two components were pretty well balanced …even from the upper 2nd balcony. I liked the stage design, the lighting, the costumes, the movement of the story and general pace of things. I liked the funny parts, the outrageous and often politically incorrect dialog, and I enjoyed the actual story line itself.

What I didn’t like was having to read the libretto from a prompter that was too far above the stage – because of this, it was hard to keep track (focus) on the characters and stay up to date with what they were doing. I can see going to the same show more than once though, for even if you know the story, it would be more enjoyable paying complete attention to the performers. I didn’t care a whole lot for the music itself either. It did it’s job as far as moods and scene settings go, but it didn’t ‘move’ me to take notice of it.

Would I go again if I had the chance – certainly. I’d get a better seat of course, and I’d take the opportunity to acquaint myself with the story …unless it was in english and I could follow along to the voices alone. It was nice though. It was a little too ‘high classed’ for me – as I’m sure I could as easily enjoyed it without having to dress up …but I suppose that’s just part of the pomp and circumstance of the opera experience. That, by the way, is the only thing that separates a night out at the opera from a night out at a large rock show. Unless of course you’re convinced that an orchestra is more ‘musical’ than a pop group and that a libretto about love and obese people is more fun than a bunch of songs about love and …well, obese people?

It’s all the same kids – just served on a different shovel.

comfortable run

Strange weather.

I don’t think I mind it though.  Almost a week ago Edmonton bounced into the record books with a 25C high (that’s 77 degrees on the Fahrenheit side) and today will reach a balmy -5C …23F accordingly.  The nice thing about -5 is that you can stay fully dressed and not end up being too hot or too cold.  Lol, does that make sense?  It’s also great for running as well.  This morning I did a 45 min. trip that, with a light toque, gloves, t-shirt and long sleeved shirt, was as comfortable as anything – and being comfortable in a long(ish) run is half the battle I think.  The other thing I noticed lately is that I haven’t been timing myself to specific distances through the entire winter season.  I look at my watch, leave, run where ever I feel like going, and then look at it when I get back.  Of course I have a general estimate of the distance …but I haven’t been forcing myself to the clock.  I think that’s going to be interesting when some of the snow hidden in the trails disappears – then I’ll most likely get back on to some of my measured distances.

All of my 5, 10, 15 and 20k marked runs are through the trails – and although I’ve done so in the past, this year I decided to skip any winter trail runs completely.  Was that good?  Yeah, I think so …if anything it allowed me to keep my stride up by not having to negotiate too much ice and snow, and prevented me from venturing into ‘injury’ territory at the same time.  So we’ll see if the conditioning is still there when summer really hits.  And I have a strange feeling, especially after this looooong winter, that we’re going to get some heat.  Mmmm, sweet heat.

life

I’ve come across a few things that I want to share. They’re dealing with life in various ways, and offer wider perspectives than that which we typically experience. It’s good to step back once in a while …it gives you an appreciation for the details, and hopefully sheds new light on the staleness we all seem to encounter. The first is a quote from the eighteenth century Japanese Zen poet Ryokan. I came across this in the book Gods after God: An Introduction to Contemporary Radical Theologies, by Richard Grigg. The quote is from page 98…

“In all ten directions of the universe,
there is only one truth.
When we see clearly, the great teachings are the same.
What can ever be lost? What can be attained?
If we attain something, it was there from the beginning of
time.
If we lose something, it is hiding somewhere near us.
Look: this ball in my pocket:
can you see how priceless it is?”

The second is a passage is from a book that I picked up when I was in Vancouver a few weeks ago. It’s titled The Man Without Qualities, by Robert Musil. I’ve yet to get too far in, but the book so far offers more of a psychological breakdown/revealing than a strict story-telling …kinda along the lines of Fyodor Dostoevsky’s ‘Notes from Underground. Some of Musil’s observations are simply profound – and I’m looking forward to further reading. This quote is from page 60…

“Mankind produces Bibles and guns, tuberculosis and tuberculin. It is democratic, with kings and nobility; builds churches, and universities against the churches; it turns monasteries into barracks, but allots chaplains to the barracks. Of course it also provides hooligans with rubber tubing filled with lead to beat a fellow human being’s body black and blue, and afterwards it has featherbeds waiting to receive the solitary, man-handled body” …”This is the well known matter of the contradictions, the inconsistency and imperfections of life. One smiles or sighs over it.” …”there was desperately little use in doing away with the guns here and the kings there, and in diminishing stupidity and knavery by any greater or lesser piece of progress; for the measure of all that is disagreeable and bad is instantly made up again by new forms of the same thing, as though the world were always sliding back with one foot while it takes a step forward with the other.”

My final offering is a poem from Dante Gabriel Rossetti. I found this poem amongst an online collection of poetry from the University of Toronto Library. There are many poets/poems to discover in this database, and although lacking of a diverse offering of modern poets, there are a few Canadian ones that you can easily access.

“Think thou and act; to-morrow thou shalt die
Outstretch’d in the sun’s warmth upon the shore,
Thou say’st: “Man’s measur’d path is all gone o’er:
Up all his years, steeply, with strain and sigh,
Man clomb until he touch’d the truth; and I,
Even I, am he whom it was destin’d for.”
How should this be? Art thou then so much more
Than they who sow’d, that thou shouldst reap thereby?

Nay, come up hither. From this wave-wash’d mound
Unto the furthest flood-brim look with me;
Then reach on with thy thought till it be drown’d.
Miles and miles distant though the last line be,
And though thy soul sail leagues and leagues beyond,–
Still, leagues beyond those leagues, there is more sea.

wordbiz

I’ve been playing Facebook scrabble lately. It’s a little addictive in a way …but sucks because it’s hard to get any quick games going. So then I tried my old Gamehouse program – but unfortunately they don’t support Mac anymore. Then I remembered the old ‘Wordbiz’ application from the Internet Scrabble Club …or rather eventually remembered it. I found it online, launched the java program …and nothing has changed since I first played it around 4+ years ago! The interface is the same, the commands are the same -lol, it was kinda refreshing to find something on the internet that has a ‘if it’s not broke don’t fix it’ approach to things. The problem for me was that I forgot my old login (handle) name …which means I’ve had to start fresh. But that’s all fine, cause now I can play Scrabble whenever I want – yea me!

So if you’re into that Scrabble thing and hate playing against a computer or slow Facebook friends, try Wordbiz out. There’s always someone available – and it won’t take you long to get used to the interface, or find someone your own skill level, or even find someone who wants to play 10 or 20 min. games.

The ever-so elegant Wordbiz interface

Ayla Brook

Ayla Brook did sound for the Wafer Thin Mints today …and he appears to be the resident sound guy at the Black Dog – at least as far as I can tell.  He’s the main guy behind the group AA Sound System.  I got a first listen of their initial release titled “Lily Plain…You’re Hardly Poor” back in 2004 – I thought it was very good.  Normally I reserve my ‘very goods’ for groups that I think are very good (lol) …but I truly thought it was – and I don’t really use that term a whole lot.  The songwriting was great, as well as the guitar and vocals, and it was all recorded on his farm …out by a place called Prince Albert, Saskatchewan.

In about a month now, he’s going to be finished his solo album – I’m looking forward to hearing it.  He told me there’s no drums on the thing – some token foot stomps and hand claps, but no drums.  If I recall, I think it was the percussion on the initial disc that I thought was the weakest part.

That means I’m really looking forward to it.