Zebra Cam

Ever want to see Beatle pilgrims and tourists risk their lives for a photo op? Now you can with the Abbey Road Web Cam!

This camera is situated in front of the studio (you can see the white post of the front gate in the lower-right corner), looking south-ish toward the crosswalk, the opposite perspective from the album cover.

It's probably not quite as dangerous as it seems. While cars in London have the unchallangeable right-of-way at most crossings, the only time they're required to give way to pedestrians is at the "zebra" crosswalks, such as the one at the Abbey Road intersection.

Bear in mind: if you're viewing this from North America, London is five hours ahead of the Eastern time zone. Probably best viewed on the weekend during day, local time.

London Snaps

Finally got some of my photos from my trip organized. Uploaded them to Ofoto (Kodak). There are four albums altogether: 3 of London and 1 of Dublin. I still have to organize my Dublin photos and the ones from my last 3-4 days in London. I've added some comments to most of the photos. You can view them by clicking on the arrows, or by viewing it as a slideshow. There are a few of them, so pull up a chair.

Enjoy the first 2 photo albums!

London Calling

I got back from my trip Tuesday night. I was supposed to be back last Sunday, but had a bit of an unfortunate brain cramp when I was leaving London--I went to the wrong airport! I was supposed to fly out of Gattwick, but instead I went to Stansted airport. Ugh. I'm usually more organized than that when I travel. Guess I was just brain-tired. So I missed my flight, and the airline (Zoom) didn't have any other flights until Wednesday, and they said it was full and just generally weren't very helpful. So I had to scramble to find another way home. Got a flight Tuesday with Northwest that went to Minneapolis, where I changed to Toronto. Paid full fare. Ouch. Oh well, live and learn.

Had an absolutely fantastic trip, though. Best vacation ever!! London is fabulous. Weather was perfect. I actually got a sunburn. I had a blast in Dublin too. How could I not like a place that reveres writers, oozes music and celebrates pub life! Saw a bit of the country too--took a day tour, train to Limerick, then bus through County Clare to the Cliffs of Moher near Galway on the west coast.

I have to say, though it may seem corny, I left there feeling a stronger connection to my Irish-ness. It makes sense that that's where I come from. Five or six generations across time suddenly didn't seem like such a chasm. More like crossing the River Liffey than traversing the Atlantic. I definitely will return for another visit.

I'm just starting to get my 500+ photos organized, and I'll do a proper write-up later, but for now, here are a few snaps to give you the flavour.


Big Ben

A certain road

St. Paul's Cathedral

Guard at The Tower of London

The Ha'penny Bridge in Dublin

One of Dublin's famous doors

The Cliffs of Moher

Kildare train station

Oliver St. John Gogarty's pub in the Temple Bar area in Dublin

Greetings From Across The Pond

London! What an amazing city! So much to do and see! Buildings, monuments, museums, winding little streets, palaces, incredible architecture everywhere, history everywhere, pubs everywhere, traffic, people, parks! Just mind-boggling and impressive at every turn. Had a pint the other day in a tiny, tiny, tiny pub called The Jerusalem, which has been around since the 1700s. Turns out where I'm staying at Sue's is about a 20-minute walk from Abbey Road, in St. John's Wood. I ambled over there yesterday and took some photos of the outside of the studio where the Beatles recorded pretty much all their music, and, of course, the famous cross-walk. Did a Beatles walking tour the other day, through several Beatles-related sites, including Paul McCartney's offices in Soho (MPL Communications), Carnaby Street and 3 Saville Row, the former Apple Records HQ where the concert on the roof for "Let It Be" took place. Neat to see all these places that I'd only read about.

Explored a bit of the south bank of the Thames tonight, walked across Waterloo Bridge. Tomorrow I'll go see the Tower of London, the Tower Bridge and St. Paul's cathedral. Hope to get to see Shakespeare's Globe theatre, the Tate Modern museum and maybe take a trip up in "the Eye". Sunday evening we're doing a "Ripper Walk" in the east end, guided by the foremost Jack the Ripper expert, which is supposed to be quite entertaining.

Weather has been outstanding. Mostly sunny and temps in the low-to-mid-20s. People walking about in t-shirts. I actually have a sunburn! Everyone here can't believe how great the weather's been all week, and it looks like it'll continue through the weekend.

Off to Dublin on Monday for 4 days, then back here for the weekend, then home. It's been the most amazing time I've ever had, and it's not even half over. Dublin awaits!

Will share photos when I get back--I've got a ton of them!

"Leavin' on a jet plane..."

Today was my last day at work before my vacation, and MAAAN, did it drag on. I didn't get out of there until almost nine o'clock. But now...I'm FREE! My flight goes Friday night, so I have the day to get my shit together and maybe even decide to pack at some point. I have to do laundry first, though. I feel that's a sound strategy. Laundry first, then pack, as opposed to the reverse.

But I'm very excited! My flight gets in to London Saturday morning just after 10. I'll spend the first week in London, staying at my friend Sue's place just north of Notting Hill, then I fly to Dublin on the morning of Monday the 26th, returning to London the following Thursday evening. So that gives me a full eight days to explore Londontown, then the better part of 4 days in Dublin, 3 nights accommodation (which suits my budget), then back to London for the last weekend, returning home Sunday July 2, giving me the holiday Monday to recuperate.

Only snag is, while I have the London-Dublin flight booked (70 GBP return, not too bad), I haven't yet secured a place to stay while I'm there. Been doing lots of research on the Web, and have contacted a few places to get rates and availability, so I'm sure I'll get something settled before I leave tomorrow night. They're just waking up there as I type this, so when I get up (I'm about to hit the sack) I should have a few email replies to my inquiries. I think I've narrowed it down to a couple of hotels/guesthouses. One right in the Temple Bar area, a couple on the northside of the Liffey but still in the core, and one off a park near Trinity College. Customer reviews on tripadvisor.com were pretty handy. Some of the places in the Temple Bar area got some pretty bad reviews, but I have a hunch some of that was from people staying there on the weekends when the bars are all rockin', the hotels were packed with partiers and their rooms were noisy. Probably won't be that bad Mon-Thurs. I think the ideal would be to find a place just outside that area but still close to all the city centre attractions. Seems like a lot of places are within easy walking distance.

I may try to get a few blog entries in while I'm over there, so stay tuned.

Toodles.

6/6/06

Sign of...


The Devil Duckie!!

Snap snap wink wink saynamoah

In anticpation of my trip to London-Dublin, I finally went out and got myself a digital camera. That's right, no more disposables and discs for me.

After some research on the Internets, I settled on this one, which also happened to be on sale at Future Shop. The Canon Powershot A620. Seems like a pretty good one. Lots of handy features and settings (including manual), and it does video, too. I didn't want one of those ones that tucks into your pocket. Not ergonomically satisfying. I picked up a 512MB card and some NiMH rechargeable batteries, so I'm good to go.

This past Saturday was a beautiful day, and I had to replenish my coffee supply, so I took a hike down Queen Street, through the beaches, and took the cam with me for a field test.

Sauntering down toward the boardwalk, I spotted this scene and thought the colours might provide some interesting results.



Then I took a series of shots as I walked down the boardwalk itself. Nothing to brag about from a compositional perspectice. Some bad light and shadows.







Then I spotted this kayaker...



And this couple walking with their dog. I like how she's all decked out in bright colours while the four-legged companion stays closer to earth tones...and just closer to the earth, period.



Sign of the times...



Then, when I got home, I took a few pics of objects around the apartment, mostly so I could test the zoom on smaller, close objects

Bottles in my window, against the blinds.





A small skull I've had for ages. It's about the size of a billiard ball. The zoom caused quite a bit of camera shake here, but I kind of like the result. Gives it an ironic sense of motion. I call this one "SpeedSkull".



This is the front of a box I have in my living room. Like most of these shots, I cropped it in iPhoto.



And of course, the obigatory Mini-Gumby and iStick.



Maybe I ain't no Annie Leibowitz, and I doubt if I'll turn jimbuck2 into a photoblog, but I expect to have some fun with it. You can bet yer sweet aperture that you'll be seeing more stunning visual snapshots here in the days and weeks ahead. L'aventure commence.

The Good News

Despite the last couple of entries, everything hasn't been Downersville and Bitterberg here in Jimbuck2. Just nearly everything.

The good news is... I've booked vacation time for the last two weeks of June. I'm finally taking an overseas trip! Going to London, and I also plan to take a side-trip to Dublin while I'm there.

This will be my first trip across the pond. I probably wouldn't be able to swing it if it weren't for the fact that I have a friend to stay with in London. Air fares were pretty affordable, too, compared to July, so I pulled the trigger and booked the flight.

The general plan is to spend the first several days seeing the sights of Londontown, then hop over to Dublin for maybe 4 or 5 days, then back to London for a few more days. Flights to Dublin are only about $70 return, so that's pretty good. I was thinking it would be more romantic to take a train to Liverpool, see a few sights there (apparently there was some famous band from said town), then take a ferry across the Irish Sea. But after some research, I discovered that the ferry ride takes about eight hours. That's a waste of prime Guinness-guzzling time.

The only problem is that it's difficult to book any accommodations in Dublin, not knowing exactly which days I'll be heading over there. And that sorta depends on the lay of the land when I get to London. I'm not sure if I'll need to book anything that far ahead. Maybe I can make arrangements once I get to London. Not sure if I want to assume that. More research is needed. Got some websites about Dublin hostels and B&Bs. Got a few recommendation about places to stay in the Temple Bar district. I may also saunter into a travel agency here and enquire about a "possible" trip to Ireland, and pick their brains.

But it's all very exciting. I'm really looking forward to it. I've been dying to go to Dublin for ages. I think it'll be incredible to be in the Mother Country, diggin' my roots, hoisting a pint of Guinness in a Dublin pub. And, of course, lots to see and do in London. Abbey Road, baby! Stone'enge! Piccadilly and all the rest. Should be cool. Should I take some courses before I go over, so I can speak the language?

I may even try to write a few travel articles out of it; maybe start a new career! I've always been told by people who've read certain of my articles that they've "felt like they were there." I love doing that--writing about a place or an event, trying to capture the essence of what it was like to be there: the sounds, the sights, the smells, what it felt like. So maybe my calling is to be a travel writer. I could handle that.

Toodles.

After Midnight

It's been a rough couple of weeks. Lots of "good-byes." My cat, Midnight, was about 16 or 17 years old, possibly even older. I had adopted him when he was about eight years old. I had known for some time that I would need to make "that decision" one of these days--and that time had come. The day before I learned about the band nonsense, I made the call.


A couple of years ago he had been diagnosed with severe arthritis in his knees and his elbows. The vets had said it was the worst they'd ever seen in a cat. We had him on some very powerful meds, anti-inflammatories usually given to dogs, but could be safely given to larger cats. And Mid was a large cat. It seemed to help somewhat.

Then he was diagnosed with a thyroid condition. Got some meds for that. Then a mild case of diabetes. More meds and special food. Then he developed some sort of respiratory ailment, which an x-ray seemed to suggest was due to a possible growth in his chest cavity. Those symptoms seemed to have cleared up, oddly, but then he developed a nasty skin infection, probably due to his immune system being weakened as a result of his other ailments. And that's not to mention the cyst he had to have removed from his back after it burst.



Pictured here with his stylish bandage/girdle after the cyst surgery. Doesn't he look just thrilled to be photo'd in all his glory.

The poor guy. He battled through a lot of problems, and he was a real trooper. Didn't really complain that much. But his various health problems had finally just gotten the better of him. Mostly it was the arthritis. His mobility was going steadily downhill. I found him the shallowest litter box I could, to make it easier for him to get in and out. And even then he sometimes had trouble. I had to build him a "cat ladder" (sort of like a salmon ladder), so he could get up and down off the couch on his own--just an old trunk and a smaller box arranged like steps.



I covered them with towels so his footing was secure. Pretty funny, actually, but effective.

But in the past few months, he really seemed to be having more pain. There were times when he was just unable to get himself up on his feet. And he would complain more. I wasn't sure how, or even if, I'd know when the time had come, but I always told myself that when I sensed his discomfort had crossed the line into pain, it would be time to end his suffering.

It was a pretty tough day. The vet and the staff had gotten to know us pretty well over the past couple of years, and they were so incredibly respectful, gentle and sympathetic. I stayed in the room with Mid and petted him as his body relaxed and he went limp. He looked very peaceful. The walk back from the vet's, an empty cat carrier swinging too lightly from my hand, was about as sad a journey as I can recall lately.

I sure miss the big guy. The apartment seems pretty empty without him. During the week afterwards, I kept turning around at my desk thinking I'd see him sleeping on the couch. Even now, when I come home, there's a split second as I turn the doorknob and enter the room, that I think he'll be there, waiting for me. You sure get attached to those critters.

So long, old friend.

The Ides of May

The Dick Ellis Revival played Grossman's last night. How did it go? I have no idea. Y'see, I'm no longer in the band.

I've been turfed from the band I helped start.

Boag and I met up a few weeks ago at The Only Cafe, ostensibly to discuss our live show, but instead I was informed that most of the other members of the band had held a secret meeting and told Boag that I was no longer welcome in the band. Apparently the charges were that my playing was not up to snuff and that I had a bad attitude, that I was "uptight."

As for the first charge, nobody's more critical of my playing than I am. I've had some bad nights, or parts of nights, and I've been really disappointed with myself on those nights. But my playing hasn't been bad all the time, and at times I think it's been pretty good. I've even been complimented on my playing on occasion. I'm told that some members of the band have had "concerns" with my playing from the beginning. That was almost two years ago. How does one nurse these concerns for two years? I don't think my playing has been so uniformly bad as to warrant being kicked out of the band. I'm no Jimmy Page, but that just seems like a smokescreen.

Moreover, questions have been raised about the playing of other people in the band, and their attitudes as well. I have actually stood up for said members and suggested that a conversation with them might be the best way to address the concerns. This is the thanks I get for my sense of loyalty and fairness.

As for the second charge, I suppose it's different sides of the same coin. Some of them felt I was too uptight, and I thought some of them were too slack. Some of those guys seem happy to keep things loose and spontaneous on stage. And that's fine; it has its place. There's room for that, but there are other things that you need to put some work into, to put some effort and thought into, and it seems like I was always pushing for that, to get our arrangements down, for instance, whereas some others don't want to work that hard, or something. Granted, we had difficulty getting together for rehearsals--we haven't had a real rehearsal since late February--and that's just part of life in a band where people have jobs and real lives. But it seemed like I just cared more about how we sounded, and I didn't like it when we were not as good as we could have been. I figure if you're gonna do something, do it well. And when we played Grossman's, I was usually the only person suggesting that we actually do a proper sound check. I'm the rookie. Everyone else in the band has been playing for years, yet no one seemed to care enough to make sure that we sounded as good as we could. I just don't understand that.

I guess maybe that's part of the problem. Most of the other people in the band have been playing for years, have been in several bands, some may feel that they've "been there, done that" or that they've had their shot, and this was just a band to have fun with. Most are also in at least one other band. But this was the only band I was in. I was 100% committed to it, and I wanted it to be as good as it could be. For all of this, and for being resistant to and critical of some of Boag's bad judgments on stage, I'm branded as being "uptight."

I'm told that my former bandmates all appreciate and admire the dedication and commitment I brought to the band. That's nice. Too bad it wasn't a 2-way street. It would've been nice if the band members could have shown a little dedication to me in return, for all I did for the band: bringing songs to cover, writing songs, working out arrangements, designing posters, burning CDs, contributing to the website, etc. If there was a problem, they could have simply talked to me about it. That's what adults and friends do. You see if the situation can be resolved. Maybe it can't, but at least you show them the respect of dealing with it in a human and decent manner. I find it particularly classless that they didn't even have the decency to address it with me face-to-face.

It's pretty disheartening, especially since I considered some of those people to be friends, and had helped them out in personal matters, as they had helped me at times as well. Some of them had even told me that they agreed with some of my concerns about the band and our stage antics.

In the aftermath of all this I've been listening to a lot of Neil Young for some reason, especially his stuff with Crazy Horse, and re-reading parts of his highly recommended bio "Shakey", by Jimmy McDonough. Here's a guy who stuck to his vision, no matter what. If things weren't being done the way he thought they should be, he walked. And then he put himself in a position where he could have absolute control over his music. If I end up in another band or musical project of some sort, I think it'll have to be that kind of approach for me. I accepted compromise in this band, but I have very strong ideas and opinions when it comes to music, how it should sound and how it should be. I don't think I could be in another band unless I was 100% onboard about its direction and its music. So that either means starting my own band, or hooking up with people who are very much like-minded. In the case of the latter, I hope I can trust them.

I also re-watched the great Neil Young & Crazy Horse film "Year of the Horse", by Jim Jarmusch. Part concert film, part documentary. There are a couple of scenes where Neil and the band, principly bass player Billy Talbot, are almost at each other's throats over messed up arrangements on stage. In one scene, Neil is pissed because Talbot messed up. They're yelling at each other backstage. Neil: "Why did I rehearse it with you guys for three hours this afternoon? What was I doin', just jerkin' off?!" Talbot: "All I'm sayin' is, I didn't mess up any more than anyone else! I knew the arrangement as well as anybody else!"

Crazy Horse is not the greatest band in the world. They make mistakes. But Neil and the Horse have been playing together for 35 years, and something magic happens when they play together. What I saw there was a group of musicians who cared enough about their music to argue about it. To fight for it, so it's as good as it can be. But I guess they're all "uptight."

I need to find a band like that. Not one that yells a lot, necessarily, but one that cares enough to make it special, to make it as good as it can be.

So I'll leave the last words to Neil:

I hear some people been talkin' me down,
Bring up my name, pass it 'round.
They don't mention the happy times
They do their thing, I'll do mine.

Ooh baby, that's hard to change
I can't tell them how to feel.
Some get stoned, some get strange,
Sooner or later it all gets real.

Walk on, walk on,
Walk on, walk on.

I remember the good old days,
Stayed up all night gettin' crazed.
Then the money was not so good,
But we still did the best we could.

Ooh baby, that's hard to change
I can't tell them how to feel.
Some get stoned, some get strange,
Sooner or later it all gets real.

Walk on, walk on,
Walk on, walk on.

The Scream Heard Round The World

Ever heard of The Wilhelm Scream?

No doubt you've heard it, unless you've somehow managed to avoid seeing any Hollywood movies made over the past 50 years or so.

One of the other copywriters at work stumbled across this, apparently while researching some movie we were writing a feature on: The history of The Wilhelm Scream.

Great stuff! Also a great name for a band.

I'm so getting a t-shirt.

A Kink in the Coinkydink

Okay, this is just plain spooky.

A while back I heard the Kinks' song "I'm Not Like Everybody Else" on WFMU (probably on the Sunday afternoon slice of zaniness and vintage music nirvana known as the Glen Jones Radio Programme (featuring X-Ray Burns). For some reason I had never heard this song before, at least not to my recollection. It's a great song, and I immediately determined that it would be a fine addition to the Dick Ellis Revival arsenal. A quick search of the P2P universe netted me the Kinks' original, and also revealed versions by The Chocolate Watchband and Camper Van Beethoven. Moving these songs into my iTunes, I also discovered that I already had an MP3 of the song on file, courtesy of my friend Vernam Cipher in Chicago. (So Tom, if I ever get to Chi-Town, here's a song we can jam on.)

So now today, I'm perusing WFMU's "Sites For Sore Eyes" (the oft-linked-to portal to some of the wackiest and wonderfullest www's you'll ever find), and the first entry on the list is this one: exactitudes.

"...an almost scientific, anthropological record of people's attempts to distinguish themselves from others by assuming a group identity. The apparent contradiction between individuality and uniformity is, however, taken to such extremes in their arresting objective-looking photographic viewpoint and stylistic analysis that the artistic aspect clearly dominates the purely documentary element."

Pretty interesting project. I've always been fascinated by that contradiction.

But here's the weird part: At the exact moment that I'm looking at that array of individuality-uniformity, an ad comes on the TV; an IBM ad that I've never seen before, and it features... da da dummm... the Kinks' song "I'm Not Like Everybody Else"!!

I kid you not!

That's not just some coincidence. That's mind-blowing. Like a custom-made soundtrack from the cosmos. Must be a kink in the space-time continuum or something. You can also stir in the fact that Ray Davies played here last Thursday.

What does it all mean?

Can You Please Defenestrate?

I was so angry at myself for forgetting to set my clocks ahead, I defenestrated all the clocks in my apartment, hoping to prove that Time doesn't fly!

(Of course, since I'm at ground level, the effect wasn't as dramatic as I would have hoped.)

--------
Word of the Day for Sunday April 2, 2006

defenestrate \dee-FEN-uh-strayt\, transitive verb:
To throw out of a window.

Some of his apparent chums . . . would still happily
defenestrate him if they caught him near a window.
-- Andrew Marr, "No option bar the radical one,"
[1]Independent, July 5, 1994

I defenestrated a clock to see if time flies!
-- Lane Smith, "quoted in Who's News," [2]Time for Kids,
September 25, 1998

A woman, driven to fury by the manner in which her lover
prefers to lavish his attention on a match on the telly
rather than her, starts to throw his possessions out of the
window. He's finally moved to stop her when she tries to
defenestrate his new Puma boots.
-- Jim White, "Budgets substantial enough to buy most of
the clubs in the Endsleigh," [3]Independent, April 6, 1996
_________________________________________________________

Defenestrate is derived from Latin de-, "out of" + fenestra,
"window." The noun form is defenestration.

Bubbling Up

Check this out. Bubbles from "The Trailer Park Boys" has a page on MySpace, and he's added my friend Heather to his Babe Of The Week list! Act now, though, the list may change soon. Apparently he only picks girls with glasses. (Hear that Corry?)

If Heather has slipped out of Bubbles' favour, you can check out her page to hear a few of her tunes.

There are many ways to measure success, but getting the thumbs up from Bubbles must certainly be right up there.

Outta Sites

You know that song, "I Hear A Symphony"?

No, not that one. The one by Matthew Ryan.

Well, this film is nothing like that.

These and other wonders courtesy of WFMU's Sites For Sore Eyes.

I especially love Arthur Ganson's Kinetic Sculptures--those are simply wonderful, and made me feel all good 'n' stuff--and Joe Vaux's Home Pig--that made me feel all weird 'n' stuff, but still absolutely fascinated.

Y'know, some days the world seems like a big pile of blah, rotating uselessly in the void. But then you stumble across stuff like this, and the sheer scope and variety of the expressions that blossom from the human spirit just leaves you in a state of warm wonder. And you look for this big ol' roller coaster to come round again so you can hop on for another ride, to see what it has to show you this time.

"You are not alone
You are not alone
I swear this burden is not your own
You are not alone"
--Matthew Ryan, "I Hear A Symphony"

Anything Ellis?

[Okay, not the best title I've come up with, but it's better than another "dick" pun.]

I'm very pleased to announce the launch of the first ever Dick Ellis Revival tour! I'm calling it the Dick Over Ontario tour (a nod to the Wings live album). Right now it consists of a gig in Belleville next weekend...but, hey, even Dylan's Never-ending Tour had to start somewhere.

Belleville is Boag's hometown, and this gig is actually a private party for some of his friends, several of whom are turning the magical 40 around the same time. They've rented out a place for the occasion, The Belleville Club I think it's called, which is apparently a nice old heritage building. Should be a fun roadtrip, and a nice chance to get away and road-test our material. You know what they say about Belleville...if it flies in BelleVegas, it... well... it... you're good to g... it's all good... well, maybe they don't really use Belleville as a litmus test of any sort, but it should be fun all the same.

We've added a few new numbers to our repertoire:

Wait For The Light To Shine, an old Roy Acuff song that's been covered by lots of folks including Dylan
I've Got a Feeling, The Beatles
Burning Love, Elvis
Don't Cry No Tears, Neil Young (from Zuma)
I Still Miss Someone, Johnny Cash
Help Me Make It Through The Night, Kristofferson
Take Me Home Country Roads, John Denver

Plus we're trying to work out versions of Van Morrison's Wavelength and a funky Rufus Thomas song called The Breakdown (Part I). And there are some new originals on the horizon as well.

Last week's gig at Grossman's was a typically crazy time. Two songs into our set, this woman gets up on the "dancefloor" and starts doing cartwheels across the space in front of us, the first of which was rather expertly executed. Quite impressive. The second attempt fell a bit short of the bar, so to speak. I don't know if maybe she actually aimed to land in the chair, but the execution garnered very low marks, even from the French judge. As our imprudent gymnast landed hard on the floor, the chair tried to meld with the table, unsuccessfully so given the laws of physics, but this did succeed in the quite spectacular transformation of a full pint of beer into a creature of flight! Oddly, the gentleman who had been trying to drink the beer wasn't as impressed with his beverage's new aerial ambitions.

Cartwheel Katie then began grabbing Boag's mic, stepping on my pedal board to do so, and eventually leapt onto a table for some more dancing. This finally drew the ire of the bartender, who eventually managed to give her the bum's rush, after much high-pitched protestations and further furniture mangling. Of course, throughout all of this, we're all playing away. This all happened by about the third song. We did manage to use the occasion to work in some Jagger-at-Altamont-isms between songs.

"Peey-pul, peey-pul... who's foyting and wot foah? Who's foyting and wot foah?"
"Oh babies, everyone just calm down now. Let's get it together."

After that, it was a fairly normal evening. During the second set, we honoured some guy's request for Baby Please Don't Go, which we'd never played before, but we managed a reasonable facsimile. Late in the third set, a trio of 20-something yarmulka-wearing Jewish students ambled in and sat at the back. One of them kept bellowing for The Doors, so we obliged with the only Doors song you can pull out without any prior rehearsal: Roadhouse Blues, of course.

Always an interesting time at Grossman's.

I actually just discovered a newly added feature on our website, featuring kind words from locals who have seen us in action. Thanks for the kudos.

I'll let you know how the tour goes.

Say hello to my (new) lil frenz

I am fully aware of the fact that life is not about getting "things". That saying "whoever finishes with the most toys wins", just leaves me cold. I sincerely believe the Western world's rampant materialism will be our downfall (if that isn't a fait accompli already), and is certainly the source of much of the world's disparities.

Still, some toys are just so neat!

So I finally took the plunge and got myself an iPod. I was thinking I might get a Nano, but after fiddling around with a friend's and trying out the different varieties of iPods at the computer store, I concluded that the Nano was just too small, not just in terms of capacity, but physically. It just felt too small in my hand.

So, thanks to the fact that I was able to sell a superfluous guitar on consignment at a local music store, I went for the real iPod.


The new fifth generation 30GB iPod with video. It's a cool little machine. I doubt if I'll use the video function very much, but it is nice to have that. And you can hook it up to a TV, so you could download a movie on it and bring it over to a friend's house to watch. Same with photos. A travelling photo binder. Also has some neat extras like a calendar, contacts list, alarm, clock, stop watch, etc.

But of course the main attraction is the music, and with 30GB, I was able to transfer my entire iTunes catalogue (almost 20GB) over to the iPod. But I found that was just too much, and too unwieldy. So I switched from "auto sync" mode to manual, and I've started loading it up with all my essential music, favourite albums, playlists of songs to learn for the band, etc. It's come in handy at rehearsals when we've needed to consult a song we're working on, and I've been able to whip it out, plug it into a stereo and we can all listen. And, of course, it certainly makes my commute to work more enjoyable.

The other great use for the 30GB iPod is as a portable hard drive. I've been able to load files on it and transfer them to another computer, no sweat. Good way to transport MP3s, because, of course, the iPod is designed to sync up with your iTunes, and to be loaded with songs, but there's no "downloading" functionality, per se. So you can't really offload the music from your iPod onto your work computer, for instance, or to a friend's computer. The iPod designers' concession to concerns about file-sharing, I suppose.

But, there are ways around everything, and I've found that the PodWorks application works great as a way to get around the "offloading" problem. The best part is that you can store the application on your iPod, and launch it from the iPod when you're hooked up to a computer other than your own (Mac OS X needed). Very handy.

As soon as you get an iPod, the very next step is... choosing accessories. And there are tons of coolio accessories to be had. I may upgrade the earbuds eventually, but the first thing I looked into getting was a good protective case. I had heard lots of stories of iPods' surface and screen getting scratched up (which is one of the reasons I opted for the white model over the black).

I decided on the Agent 18 VideoShield, which is a great case. It protects the iPod completely while preserving its cool looks. It looks so good, I just leave it in there all the time. Highly recommended.

The other thing I found I needed was some kind of remote to move from track to track and to adjust the volume. Being winter, I keep the iPod in an inside pocket in the lining of my coat (designed for cell phones, but the iPod fits in perfectly). And because volume levels of songs can vary dramatically, especially in random shuffle mode, I've had a few occasions where I've had to unzip my coat and bring out the iPod just to turn it down or up. Very inconvenient, especially since my coat has a removable inner lining, so I have to go through two zippers just to get to the damn thing. Plus, as my commute takes me on the bus through some rather unsavory areas of Scarborough known for gang activity and such, I'd rather not have to flash my iPod if I can avoid it. I've heard that iPod muggings have been happening in other major cities.

So last week, my solution arrived. The iPod Radio Remote. It's been a godsend so far. The radio reception is great, though I don't think I'll use it very much for that. Nice function to have though. I clip the remote to the inside lining of my coat, so I can cover it up with the outside zipper, to protect it from the elements. One little zip, and I can easily adjust the volume or change tracks. Great little device.

And speaking of great things in small packages, this is my other new acquisition.


The Vox Pathfinder 15R amp. It's just a little 15W practice amp... but it's not just a little 15W practice amp. This thing is probably the best bang for your buck, if you're looking for a practice amp. They sell new for around $200 (CDN), but you can get a deal on a used one. I found mine used at Long & McQuade for $159. This thing rocks! Great tone, and great features. Reverb, tremolo, gain boost, headphone jack, line out for recording, output for connecting to another speaker cabinet. No midrange adjustment knob, but the bass and treble knobs are very responsive, allowing for lots of tone-shaping.

It's a transistor amp, but it's got a lot of personality. When I was trying it out in the store, I had it cranked up pretty good using the neck pickup of a Telecaster, the tone dialed off a bit and a good dose of overdrive, and the salesman came over and said "What's that, a little tube amp?" It's just so fun to play through, and it just loves my Telecaster. I could use it for gigging at a place like Grossman's, but I don't think it'll replace my Fender Blues, Jr. in that regard. Great amp for practicing and rehearsing, and a good backup if need be. Apparently Vox has discontinued this amp. So if you're in the market for a great little practice amp, you're not gonna do much better than a Pathfinder, at least not in this price range.

Until next time, this has been Jimbuck2's consumer products review. And remember, it's not all about the toys, but they're neat to have, just the same.

You've heard of government waist...?

I sat down on the subway tonight for the trip home, looked down at the transit newspaper sitting open on the seat next to me, and this is what I saw:


Conclusions from the above?

1) The photo editor for this transit paper was asleep at the switch;
2) The photo editor for this transit paper decided to have some fun on his/her last day;
3) Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty has a great rack! Why would he need breast augmentation?

Another example of government waist...and cleavage!

What's New?

...well, there's this.

Happy New Year

Hi. Remember me? I live here. Haven't been here in a while though. Just haven't had the urge to blog (what the French call le joie de blogge). Or maybe my life just hasn't been interesting enough to blog about. Or maybe it's just that there are times when you simply have nothing to say. As has always been my way, when I have nothing to say, I say it.

(Did I just invent my own Yogi Berra-ism, or has that one been done?)

So here we are on the first day of 2006. I hope you all had/are having a wonderful holiday season, and I wish you all the best in the new year. Let's make it a good one, without any fear.

I had the past 2 weeks off, and it's been most joyful and fun. I went home to P.E.I. for the holidays. It was my father's 80th birthday on the 22nd, so everyone made it home this year to celebrate that occasion; the first time in about 10 years that all the "kids"--all eight of us--were home at the same time. My sister made it from L.A., as did my brother in Yellowknife, although his wife and 13-year-old son couldn't make it. But his 18-year-old daughter flew in from Vancouver Island, where she's just recently moved, having left the nest for the first time. It had been two or three years since I'd seen her, and there's a big change between 15 and 18. She's quite an interesting young lady now. Very sweet and engaging, and it was nice to see her stepping out into the world on her own, obviously excited by what life has to offer. It's always interesting to discover new relationships with my nephews and nieces as they move from their teen years into young adulthood. There's a whole gaggle of them in that age range now. Another niece, who's 20, had a baby this past summer, and it was cool to see my little grand-nephew again, and to see my niece growing into her new life as a happy and caring young mother.

I drove up with my brother from Oshawa. We drove straight through, sharing the driving duties, and stopping only to replenish the car's gas tank and refuel ourselves with Tim Horton's coffee and the finest highway dining. Couldn't ask for more perfect traveling conditions. The skies were clear and the roads were dry. We made it in about 18 hours. 1750-some kilometers. Not bad.

We had a big to-do for Dad's 80th. Rented the town's golf club (and no, I don't mean the sole available 9-iron...). Lots of old neighbours, relatives and family friends came by; people I hadn't seen in years. The mayor came by and presented Dad with a plaque. That was a nice thing. All in all, a fine night.

The major difference this year was that my parents had sold their house this past fall and moved into an apartment. It's been a bit of an adjustment for them, but they did so of their own volition. The upkeep of the house was just getting to be too much for them. Mom is 81 and her mobility isn't what it used to be. She has trouble with her ankles and knees, and has to use a walker or a cane to get around now. So it's much better for her to not have to go up and down the stairs for laundry, etc. It sure was odd, though, driving by the old house and seeing strange cars parked in the driveway and other people living there. We had moved to that house around 1973, when I was about 10, then we moved to Moncton around 76-77, sold it to our former next-door neighbours from the street I grew up on. Then, when my parents moved back around 1986, the house was on the market again, so they bought it a second time and moved back into the very same house they had sold 10 years previously! So we had two tours of duty in that house.

But things change and we adapt. Mom and Dad seem to be doing okay in the apartment. My three sisters who still live in town have been so incredible with helping Mom and Dad with the move, holding yard sales to get rid of stuff they don't have space for any more and just generally making it as smooth a transition for them as possible. God bless them.

Speaking of things changing... they renamed the street I grew up on!! I was floored when I drove by the old neighbourhood and saw the street sign that had always always always said Cedar Ave now said Oak Ave. OAK!!! What the fuck! They can't do that! Cedar Avenue was the centre of my childhood. I felt like every one of my childhood memories had been violated. Turns out it's for the purposes of some new 911 service. There were always two Cedar-named streets which connected in a T shape: the longer, north-south running Cedar STREET, and the smaller, east-west Cedar Avenue--our street--which topped the T. I guess the new 911 system couldn't handle two streets with the same name, so they changed my street to Oak. At least they kept the arboreal theme intact: above us had been Willow Ave, followed by Poplar and Maple. Elm Street was to the west. But that's cold comfort. Damn bureaucrats. They'll get theirs. I'll track them down and rename their kids. Bastards.

My sister and her family live on Maple Avenue, the northernmost entry in the (now apparently arbitrarily named) arboreal-themed street grid. Her husband has a tradition of making a large backyard rink every winter. With two young sons who play hockey, a dad who coaches hockey and a mom who's a former figure-skater, it's a no-brainer for that family unit. Unfortunately, earlier this winter, my brother-in-law suffered a hernia and needed surgery, and he was still in recovery mode when the time came to make this year's rink. So the call went out, and a whole crew of us showed up one afternoon just before Christmas to do the heavy lifting, putting up the hip-high boards that would eventually encircle the frozen surface. There were seven of us altogether: my dad, my brother, myself, two brothers-in-law and two nephews. Didn't take long to get the job done, as a light snow fell and the quips and jokes were almost as sharp as the nails we were using to whack the plywood boards together. It was a nice Rockwellian Christmas moment.

So it was a very nice family Christmas. We all had a lot of fun together and shared a lot of laughs. My mom and dad were obviously very happy to have all of us home. Chances are it was the last time that will happen, so it was one for the books.

Then came the trip back to Toronto. As perfect as the drive up was, the drive back was about as bad as it gets. My brother and I left at 5 a.m. Monday morning in rain, freezing rain, sleet, etc. My brother drove for the first stretch while I put the passenger seat in recline mode and tried to catch a few winks. Somewhere in the pre-dawn darkness between Moncton and Fredericton, we hit a patch of black ice. The car fish-tailed completely sideways, then back the other way, then back the other way, took out a small wooden stake on the roadside with the back of the car, then did a complete 180, and finally came to rest in the middle of the road, facing forward. Thank the deity or belief system of your choice that there were no other cars around. I had awoken and sprang upright as we began going out of control. Not a nice way to wake up. But my brother did a good job keeping us out of the ditch. Close call.

Then it started snowing. And blowing. 100 kph winds. And all the rest of the way through NB was just awful. Some of the worst winter driving conditions I'd ever seen. Poor visibility, blowing snow, slippery, treacherous road. Saw lots of cars in the ditch. Basically you just had to stay in the worn tracks from the vehicles in front of you or you were toast. We made it as far as Riviere-de-loups, just across the Quebec border in the Gaspe as it got dark, and stopped there for the night. Tuesday conditions were much better. Sunny skies, stopped snowing and the roads were clear, completely dry from Montreal to Toronto.

So I'm back, baby... back in the TO groove.