Oorgo

Thanks, Ken

I went to see my friend Ken Aldcroft play at the Yardbird Suite on Friday, a great guy I attended college and university with who now lives in Toronto and is making a living doing just that. It was really great seeing him, as it's been years, and really wild hearing him and his new group "Convergence Ensemble". (btw, I should donate my services to upgrade his website... yeech)

It was an interesting night, right after work I and my fellow coworkers went to a nearby 'restaurant/pub' where they have dueling pianos.. yeah... dueling pianos. We were there to see off one of the more senior of our tech support who has become a traitor and going to the dark side. So I walk into this (what looks like) classy place and am greeted by the loud sounds of 70's- 80's rock ... oh yay, perfect music to highlight the dueling pianos. We're sitting eating some damn good steak sandwiches and I notice the artwork adorning the place: Miles Davis, John Coltrane, some blues artists, and other non-pop/rock/crap musician posters all over the place. "It's nice to see them keeping with one theme" I thought to myself as I heard 'They built this city on rock and roll' belting out over the PA.

I get to the Yardbird and talk about 2 worlds, I went from a crowd of '9 to 5'ers to an audience of about 20ish people there to open their ears. I submerged myself in the music for about 3 hours or so and returned in my mind to the 'self' I was about 12 years ago. It really is a different life, when your main goal is NOT to generate revenue, or profit, or cater to everyone, but to do something you feel is right and enjoyable and creating things that are unique to yourself. During that 3 hours I temporarily didn't think about the insurmountable debt or the diapers that need buying, or the school volunteering or the car payments. The only thing that tarnished it was my throbbing headache that I attempted to ignore. To feel like you're contributing something that is yours and no-one else's, that is what it is to be a performer/composer, and I definitely miss that. I could probably pull it off still, but it would take a lot of willpower and time management, two things I need work on.

I thoroughly enjoyed the experience though, they played wonderful thought provoking music that didn't tear your head off in it's madness as sometimes happens in free improvisation. Thanks Ken.

Hi there

I would like to talk to you, I would like to tell you the things that are going on in my life, things that interest me, things I care about, but all that seems to come out of my mouth is

DOOM


DOOM


DOOM

Not that my life is all that bad these days, in fact my current life is getting better; it's just that these things are always looming in the back of my mind. They taint my happiness.

Rationalize it!

I'm sure most parents feel this

I was thinking about my upcoming reunion, and there was a knot in my stomach forming. I then looked at a couple picture of the boys and I hoped that they won't have to go through some of the trials that I did. It pains me to think of them in situations of ridicule and distress. My only hope is that I can instill in them a sense of self confidence and self-esteem that I lacked, so they can handle all the crap that being a young man throws at you.

That reminds me, I still have to put up that punching bag in the basement.

the Christmas that sickness took

Well it's come and gone, that season of giving and recieving and drinking and eating and if you have spare time giving thanks.

Our Christmas season started with Xavier getting a fever which turned into a cold and still isn't completely gone. Christmas eve morning Griffin woke up with a 101.9 degree fever which went down and up all day, he went to bed and then woke up again at 1:30 with a 102.5 fever. About 4 am Christmas morning we got to sleep, I think Amber had a hard time sleeping because she woke up again at 7:30, I got up about 9:30 or so prompted by the incessant nagging of Xavier.

We had a peaceful morning of opening gifts with our wonderfully behaved kids, had a nice breakfast, etc. At 2 we went to Ambers mom's place for more gift opening and supper etc. Xavier and Griffin were engulfed with presents, alongside their cousins. I and the rest of the family got a bunch of great stuff that we liked, and Amber got a bunch of stuff looked like she had previously bought for herself and pulled out of the closet. Two example items: a variety package of incense.... she's allergic to smoke... a pair of pink furry winter boots... yeah, I've known her for 16 years and never ever seen her wear pink. It's like her parents went to great effort to get stuff for everyone that they liked and then she was an afterthought. She was not happy, and this was not just a one time thing, it seems to happen every Christmas. Sure the season isn't about presents, but when everyone else gets thoughtful gifts but you get a bunch of shit you don't even like ... how special do you feel...

I made it through Christmas without a hint of sickness, then the day of the 28th I started feeling it in my throat, that night we had a wedding gig and the next morning I had to get up to go to work and man... I was full blown sick. I sounded like some Barry White infested frog had stolen my vocal chords and sat in their place. Of course then Sat. night we had another gig, this time at the Sidetrack, and then a New Years one the next day. No rest for the sicky. I called in sick on Tuesday because I wasn't getting any better and I couldn't talk for very long, and of course my job is talking all day.

I was sickened in another way by the New Years Eve party I played at, it a tribute to the club that was burned down a couple months ago, and it lived up to the reputation. They had a Latin band, a DJ and some Reggaeton/Rappers scheduled. Our first set went fine, sound was OK, people were dancing, then we went on for the second set ... it was BRUTAL, the monitors were cranked, we were being deafened by everything and couldn't hear ourselves. We finished at midnight, the next crap came on and we left to go find alcohol. We came back at say... 1:20 to find a bunch of drunk losers yelling into mics and dancing like fools. 1:30 we started our last set, the sound was better, but apparently 3/4 of the way through a fight broke out, there were chairs thrown, and later we heard rumors of people going out to their cars to get weapons. The cops showed up, the party shut down, we got paid and left. The whole thing left a bad taste in our mouths, and made us REALLY not miss the old club. Lucky for us (sarcasm) they're building another club which will be open in a year or so, made entirely of cement and steel.

[edit] and now I feel terrible about my whining after reading about Shank's Mom. My thoughts go out to him and his family.