vimeo

I became a member of vimeo back in March this year.  At the time I needed the membership to view a particular video (of which I can’t at all remember) and almost completely forgot about the site until I stumbled across another vimeo vid the other day.  I recently got back to my profile page and started watching some random vids and was kinda impressed.  Inspired actually.  If you have some internet time to kill and need a departure from your current tv programming, check it out.  Here’s a short little Thanksgiving Day vid put to some Sesame Street/Cake music.  The turkey cutting part synced up nicely.

Manamana

everybody cut…

Sorry for the non-posting that’s been going on lately.  I suppose it’s really nothing to be sorry for though, but compared to my usual output I feel kinda bad that I haven’t had anything to remark.  Or rather, haven’t got off my butt to put something coherent together.  Crap’s there …but it just hasn’t evolved past the crap stage if you know what I mean.

The Footloose thing has been eating up some time too.  The travel for the gig takes me though Edmonton rush hour traffic and the commute one-way is sometimes close to an hour.  That plus the 9 shows/rehearsals over this past week as well as me having to be at the shop 5 or 6 days a week to make up for our missing repair guy all kinda adds up.  Excuses, excuses though.  The show is fun however.  The kids are pretty good (all high-school) and the crowds are nice as well.  Out of curiosity I asked what the rental fees on the scores are …could you believe about $600 for the scores (with scripts) and over $3000 just for the license/rights to perform the musical!  And all in US funds.  That’s kinda crazy I think …in my non-qualified theatrical opinion that is.  It seems they track this kinda stuff too, and I heard that if you change/alter/omit any of the pieces you stand the chance of having the license revoked and possibly fined.  Talk about creative control.  Heck, they even forbid you to take pictures during the performance.

*shhhh …you are not about to see what you see*

not a photo of the show from the bass player's pov.

random post #476.22

Alright …just a few things to mention.

I currently have a headache.  I hate headaches, but I do know why I have one, so that much is good.

The ‘Man part 2′ (being not the Man but the other Man …yes there are two of them!) is on holidays and I  am picking up the slack of sorts.  I’ve had to repair things lately including a tuba that made me grouchy for a while and not just because I got flux on a cut I had.

There is a problem with my front-end, and I took it to my mechanic (who’s not really mine, but I’ll go with it sometimes) and he gave me four new tires …but the problem is still there.  Five hundred dollars later he is no longer my mechanic.

I swam 1K the other day and my back felt great.  It was also my first 1K in what has to be over 20 years …it wasn’t hard or really tiring either, and I alternated 50M front crawls with breast strokes plus my cheapo goggles didn’t once leak.  Yea for that.

Dad got his pacemaker and goes home tomorrow.  I’ll do the two birds/one stone thing and pay him a visit while borrowing his garage to change my rear brakes and peek at the problem that apparently isn’t a problem up front.

One of the sis’s comes in Thursday for her quint-annual-shop-till-you-drop-capade.  She’ll be nephew/nieceless, but if I get motivated I might be able to get all my Christmas shopping done while rooking her into taking the parcels back for me.

November 11th here in Canada is Remembrance Day.  I suppose if there’s one thing I remember it’s that war is the failure of communication.  Lest I forget.

I think I stupidly took on some stuff that I shouldn’t have …two gigs that require me to learn 5 or 6 sets of more top 40 crap.  They may pay off by leading to other ‘repeat’ gigs, but I shouldn’t hold my breath.  They still should be fun though …and they do pay.

I’ve been cat sitting the beast this past week for my neighbor – the one whose mother died over a year ago (click).  The thing I’ve realized after being in her house, is that once you’re gone life still goes on.  Of course we all know that …but in the same breath, do we really know that?

I noticed I haven’t updated any of the ‘links’ on my sidebar since I first put them there a loooong time ago.  I haven’t been to any of those sites in that amount of time as well, which leads me to wonder why they’re still there?  I shall fix that soon.

My Aunty Min called the other day which was nice.  I’ve been meaning to call her for a while and kinda felt bad …but it’s all good.  I’m gonna send her some pictures from a few family trips and such.

Our river (the North Saskatchewan) is not only low but has been low since Spring.  I have a strange feeling, seeing as it’s mid November and still warm/dry, that we’re going to be pummeled with a LOT of snow this Winter.  And I think that’ll be nice.

Edmonton ...and the North Saskatchewan River.

things…

A 12-14 year old slightly overweight kid was in the 7-11 tonight filling up a huge 52 oz. jug with some Slurpee brand slurpee product and I, being amazed by the size of this mug remarked… “That’s a LOT of slurpee!”  He quickly replied… “You buy the cup for $8 but then the refills are only $1.89!”  What a deal -lol.  Just for rough comparison that’s over 200g of sugar – the near equivalent of a 2L bottle of Coke. (click)  And yes, I was there getting a girl sized slurpee myself because heck, I deserve it once in while.

After a swim this morning, I was in the locker room and some kids were running around whipping each other with their towels.  A childhood memory rushed back…. it was in grade 7 gym class when my friend whipped my nads with his towel.  I think I cried.  I might have gone home.  I probably hated him for a while.  Now that I think about it, that may have been the reason why I didn’t mind stealing his girlfriend in grade 9.  Then again, I probably did him a favor.

‘The Puffy Chair‘ was a neat movie.  I kinda liked it because it wasn’t too predictable, but the whole romance thing got me depressed after a while.  Not to ruin any endings (spoiler alert …but it’s still a good rental none-the-less) but I’m glad things didn’t end up all lovey-dovey like most might have.  It’s by the Duplass Brothers.  As a bonus, it had a great Spoon song in it …That’s the Way We Get By.  Sweet.

I got one of those hair-cut things today too.  I don’t mind the Hot Razor cause anyone there seems to do a fine job …it’s close, they’re accommodating especially on Saturdays, and it’s not way over priced like some other places.  I typically ask for the ‘number 2′ on the sides and back but this girl, who I think was kinda new, said she doesn’t use the guides on her razor …like it would be cheating or something.  That was weird.  It worked out fine though.  Strangely enough she didn’t use any water either.  She did mention that I had a lot of hair.  I countered with something like ‘for now, yeah..’ but she reassured me that if I didn’t start loosing it when I was in my 30’s then it was a safe bet I’d keep it for a while.  Although, I am considering the shaved head thing again.

Then again, maybe not.

circa 1994

ch, ch, ch, changes…

The old header was a picture of a leaf superimposed with a shot of the moon …but for some reason when I recently threw up that ‘two ant’ image it kinda called out for change.  It was greener I suppose …and antier as well.  And who doesn’t like ants anyway?  Heck, they even dispose of their dead in ways that we’re still learning about!  The ants around my place have taken a liking to my basement/body-storage-chamber as a dumping ground for a few of their friends.  I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or not.  It’s been 10 years or so and I’m still alive, so I figure it can’t be that bad.  I hardly ever see them dumping the bodies though.  The vacuum cleaner works wonders as well …and it’s not as if there’s a lot of bodies either – maybe a couple times a year.  Maybe.  I remember when we first moved in we’d set up ant traps and spray the place every so often, and all to no avail.  I suppose we could use stronger chemicals …but then I suppose we could fix the foundation enough so they can’t get in in the first place.  But nope …that’s not going to happen.

The ants are here to stay it seems …so let me be the first to welcome our new insect overlords!

the three tenors

Ahhh, weddings.  What’s not to like about weddings!

Actually …when you’re a bitter old cranky bastard like myself you can find quite a few things.  But I digress, as I always seem to do.  The wedding was fine.  Heck, it was darn near beautiful – and full of all that stuff that makes all weddings special.

But enough about the wedding.  Instead, let’s talk about how the Wedding Crashers did!  Surely having a live band at a wedding would produce endless stories and memories that kids and parents could share with future generations ….reliving those special musical moments that a DJ could never duplicate!

Actually …when you’re a cranky old bitter bastard like myself there’s really not much to dwell on.  The gig worked, people danced, sound came out of the speaker thingys that sounded vaguely similar to the people producing it and it was all good.  Or rather good enough I suppose.

So, now you’re probably wondering what exactly it was that I came away with after the day.  I’ll tell ya ….I cleaned my car!  I also made a neat ’stack’ by placing the sound mixer on top of my bass cabinet …and that made it look cool.  I also gleaned some info from the wedding picture-taker girl about saving my images in RAW format as opposed to JPEG – this is good cause it might help me clear up some color issues I think I’m having.  I also vacuumed the basement and cleared up a lot of the cobwebs that were down there.  Our basement lies beneath a trap door in the kitchen btw …kinda spooky, but able to contain 5-6 full bodies before arousing suspicion.

Really …I never joke about that kinda stuff.

The three tenors ....kinda. Actually, if they sang tenor then perhaps ...but they don't. Or maybe they do? Hummmm. L-R - Jeff, Joel and Don.

the friday…

With the day off today I headed out with the camera for a bit.  I kinda meandered around the neighborhood and eventually made my way over to the Muttart Conservatory …and then inside.  Exciting ….lol, I guess.  It was somewhat disappointing though.  Not that there wasn’t stuff to see, but that there wasn’t anything that really jumped out at me.  Maybe it was the daytime experience.  I’ve been there a few times at night for some gigs, and I remembered it as kinda magical in a way …not this afternoon though.  It was fine, don’t get me wrong, but perhaps the night/post-dusk experience might have a little more to offer.

Two ants doing an ant dance. Or at least I think that's what it is? Picture from my neighbors garden however ...the Muttart ants weren't all that exciting.

Also interesting to note was the fact that Jehovah Witness people come out on Friday.  That caught me off guard.  I can’t say no to two little old ladies of course …especially when one knew my name, so I took their magazines and chatted with them for a while.  The one has been stopping by for a few years now …and they are kind.  The roomie answered the door and later made the remark that he wished he had the time to talk to them.  I’m not sure if he was truly sincere or not.  Anyway, it was a short and sweet visit.  God Bless their stick-to-it-ness!

Off to the gym for a bit, then some groceries, then I contemplate recording a guitar part for a new tune.  It’s done of course, but now comes the ‘motivation to record’ test.  It is kinda neat though …and it uses that loop I stuck in that Banff vid.  So we’ll see.  Tomorrow I’m up early for a sound-check in prep. for a wedding later that night.  Mmmmm ….and I hear we get free food!

Ahhhh, the sweet perks that come with the power of entertainment.

banff…

Hey all.  The Muskafa’s did the Banff thing this weekend.  It was fun …lots of good stuff and of course a few wrinkles which only help to make the good better.  I took some video of my trip up Mt. Rundle as well, so I’ll try to put something together (if it works out) and then post a little more about the mini-vacation/gig later.  Now I’m just looking forward to a night in my own bed.

Sleep is good.

snacks and stuff

Alright kids …straight from the kitchen of the bored, simple, uninspired and lazy chef, here’s a little snack that’s kinda good for you, quick to make and believe it or not …tasty!  Really, it is kinda good.

It all starts with…

1. two eggs (whites only)
2. fajita blend frozen vegetables
3. skim milk
4. sriracha hot sauce
5. pepper
6. one slice of whole-wheat bread
7. plate (optional)

Mix two eggs (I omit the yolk …and I’m not yolking around either) with a handful of Western Family Fajita Blend vegetables (mainly frozen peppers and onions), a bit of skim milk, dash of pepper and perhaps a tablespoon (or more) of Sriracha hot sauce.  Cover and place in the microwave for 2:22 min. (remember …repeated numbers make for faster entry!)  As that cooks away, toast (or slightly warm) your bread.  When it’s finished, remove from bowl and place on the aforementioned  bread.  You may now eat.  If you choose, you can place the toasted egg sandwich on a fancy plate and impress your friends.  If your friends are honestly impressed though …you may need to consider some different friends as these ones are somewhat dull or routinely lie through their teeth.

And that’s it!  Under 5 min. if you have your act together.  If you’re a noob, then you’re looking at around 6 min.  Feel free to substitute the ingredients as well …instead of peppers maybe you’ll use peas and carrots?  Instead of eggs you might use potatoes?  Instead of a slice of bread you might opt for an 8 oz. steak?  The possibilities are endless!

the stuff

the stuff in a bowl

the stuff on some bread after it's cooked. and no, it's not puke.

On other health related news, my pulse was interestingly low this morning.  34 bpm.  That’s usually fine, especially when I’m running a lot, but I haven’t been lately …so perhaps it’s just a welcome byproduct of a few weeks of bikes, gyms and somewhat labour intensive work?  Perhaps.  The other news is that I seem to have dropped a few pounds and slipped into those dreaded 140’s (only 149 …but still).  Again, it’ll happen when I’m running …so I suppose it could be a simple reaction to my recent sugar omission?  It’s all good though, and the important thing is that the strength is still where it should be …and those love handles might be a little lower on love.

That can’t be so bad.

rain and runs

The nice thing about rain/wet runs is that no one else is out.

It was a loooong last few days and I needed to just do something.  Something other than moving full sized tubas and driving about the countryside.  In the countryside’s defense though, it was rather nice.  From Camrose across to Buck Mountain was perfect.  Windy mind you, but hot and sunny.  As soon as I got closer to the city (around 3ish) the clouds and rain and grey and mugginess all crept in.  It seems like it’s about to break though …at least judging from the horizon.

I did a nice, semi-relaxed 35 min.  I haven’t been following any of my usual timed/marked routes this year though.  Maybe it’s the boredom.  Most likely I’m avoiding the possibility that my times are down.  By down I mean up …which is bad of course.  They’ve felt fine though.  No twinges in the knees or back or cramps in the feet or calves …nothing.  But rain runs generally are nice because they’re cooler …and cooler translates into faster.  Usually.

Judging from the recent traffic around my place, Telus Field (at times too close for comfort) appears to be gearing up for a big night.  After some confirmations with the neighbor and the internets, it seems Bryan Adams is about to make an appearance.  I suppose that should be a big deal.  I suppose.  But I’m old, tired, need a shower and have to bug out for a gig of my own …so here’s hoping Mr. Adams buys a break and gets the sun out before he goes on.

Unless he decides to go for a run …then he’d probably want the rain.

Image from ehow.com