Bacon Ya Da

Bummer

Got some news yesterday that was no fun. My mother-in-law was hospitalized and had emergency surgery for a, as yet unknown, football sized tumor or blood clot. She's a petite lady, and apparently had been remarking to my father-in-law in recent months that she had been "getting a bit of a tummy."

She woke up in incredible pain early Sunday morning, and ended up having emergency surgery that day. Thankfully, she's made it through that first night, and by all accounts her vitals look good. My wife and I were torn, should we both head up, should she head up and I stay home? My father-in-law told us to stay, so we did, and got our updates through the phone.

She was slated to be on a plane this Thursday with my father-in-law, flying to Taiwan and working with kids out there for a week through YWAM. It's a scary thought that she could have been on the other side of the planet if her pain had waited a week, or worse. If it was a blood clot, and it had ruptured during the flight? Shudder to think. Scare like this remind me, unfortunately, that I'm not getting any younger, and neither are my parents. A perfectly healthy person can be a ticking time bomb, and no matter how faithful they are with doctor's visits, even the doctor can miss something.

My mother-in-law is one of the main reasons for me finding God. When I first met my wife, it was her mother who didn't like me, who prayed every day for me to get out of her daughters life. That kind of attitude is what kept me away from church. However, after some time, she had an epiphany of sorts. She began to pray for me to change, for me to open up and explore their world. And I did. The rest is history. Whether or not you agree with religion (for the record, I don't) or believe in God (for the record, I do) is not the point I'm trying to make here. There is no point, other than to say, go give your mom and dad a hug, if you haven't recently. If you have, give them another one.

At a Loss

This has been a crazy month. We've had a wedding to attend, our wedding anniversary, my brother's birthday, Halloween costumes to prepare. The gamut has been run.

Hockey's here (finally!) I've been watching my beloved Leafs find new ways to suck. The thing is, when they play their game, it's fun to watch. When they run around their own zone, it's a little painful...

I'm anxiously awaiting the arrival of Guitar Hero World Tour. That and Fable II hits the streets this week. Two new games that, along with NHL 09 and Star Wars Force Unleashed, should occupy up all my video game time from now until 2018.

Speaking of video games, I did something that may or may not be genius (that's up to you.) I plopped my treadmill in front of my TV so that I can play video games while I jog. It's quite a test in coordination, but it helps pass the 30-45 minutes a night. Sure, I could watch TV, or listen to music, or take time in my own head, but all that does is make the workout feel like a hair longer than an eternity.

I've been thinking about getting back into photography. I've been checking out cameras (I forgot how expensive the habit is) and decided that digital is the way to go for me, as a casual taker of pictures. I've always loved taking pictures, mainly because I suck at drawing, but also because of the emotions that can be contained and captured within. I'm going to try and find a good digital SLR (probably on eBay cuz the new ones are outta my range) so if you've got a suggestion, feel free to let me know.

I Left My Heart...

...somewhere in that there city. I just got back late last night from a relatively last minute work related trip to the Golden Gate city. My wife asked if she and our daughter could tag along, which I thought was a great idea. Any chance to get the kid-o out of Podunkville and experience some culture is a plus in my eyes. So, in the grand tradition of my family, she skipped school and headed for the city!


I have not been to San Francisco in probably 12 years. I've spent numerous holidays and family vacations to LA and the LA area (i.e. - Anaheim, of which the Angels of Los Angeles of said city are a part, at least that's where my logic is coming from.) We've taken vacations to San Diego and Lake Tahoe, but San Francisco has just never appeared on the radar.


When I was an angry young man I preferred SF over LA. The city had an edge to it, a certain, what the French call, I don't know what. I once visited this fabled bastion of all things liberal-tree-loving-forward-thinking-hippy-dom and returned both equal parts impressed and jaded. On the one hand, we spent most of our time there in bars checking out bands during the awesome Noise Pop 1996 festival. I remember it as the time my friends and I were invited to a party by one of the bands, and we ended up thinking it would be cooler to pass out in our hotel...


Anywho, present day trips would probably incorporate less late nights in seedy dives listening to awesome music, so how would it fare?

Our approach into San Fran was over the less fabled but twice as awesome San Francisco -Oakland Bay Bridge.

For 8.5 miles, we cruised over top of the bay, and the traffic underneath us, heading out of San Francisco and into Oakland (and why would you do that I must ask!?) We stayed in the financial district, which is the place where no action happens after 5 PM.

After a day of me doing work stuff, and the wife and daughter visiting relatives over in Vallejo, we met up for a trip down to the wharf and a ride on a cable car!As I hung off the sides and soaked in every inch of delight on my daughter's face, I had a flood of memories come back from previous visits. All the sights and smells reminded me of how much I love this city. Hate the traffic, infinite one way streets and little to no parking, but that's a bit of it's charm. The city begs you to tackle it on feet. San Francisco is a tight, compact city, in complete opposition to the urban sprawl that is Los Angeles. It is warm and inviting to all. Perhaps not the most kid friendly environment at times, but still, you can feel it's pulse, regardless of your age.

After we returned from Union Square, and were back in the wharf, we hit up the Rainforest Cafe for dinner. It was a perfect bookend to a small day trip. Rather than some local, bohemian, home grown food, we went to a kid friendly place that, 12 years ago would have seemed so out of place to me. It was bittersweet, and made me realize how much I miss living close to (and not in) a big city. I foresee more trips out of suburbia...

Chaos, Confusion and the Warm Fuzzies

Hokey smokes, It's been 5 days since my last post! Things have been crazy busy this past week, and are only going to get busier. In fact, tonight I drive up to San Francisco for a work related thing tomorrow. I'll be dragging along my wife and kid for a bit of fun on the town.

My wife just surprised me with a day off from work she managed to get for me from my boss. She then took us on a trip up to Lake Tahoe for a night of good food and gambling, and a day of driving around the lake and checking in on some of our favorite places (sadly, Fast Eddie's has been closed for a few years. I was hoping it would re-open one day...)

We've also got a wedding my wife is the maid of honor in, and my daughter is the flower girl. I have a lot of stuff on my plate between work and the volunteer stuff I do. Suffice to say, it's going to be a quick sprint through October.

I'm excited about the beginning of a new NHL season. I've got tickets to see my Leafs when they hit the great state of Kal-ee-four-nee-uh.

Not much to blog about today though, just wanted to stick something up in place of nothing...

Weaponized Corps

I think the main reason this album is number one is because, had my daughter been born a boy, her name would be Costello. That alone should explain my deep appreciation for Declan MacManus AKA Elvis Costello. I should also tell you that my wife and I bought a dog who we (okay, I) named Oliver, after the song "Oliver's Army" on this album. Are you beginning to detect my bias?

The first thing I loved about this album, is that the entire concept of it is the basis of male/female relationships and how, metaphorically at least to the author, they are much like military operations. Two sides, pitted against one another in a life or death struggle for survival, although that does not describe my personal relationship with my wife, is an original and fascinating take on the boy/girl dynamic of most pop and rock songwriting.

Secondly, the songs themselves are incredible. Along with the previously mentioned "Oliver's Army" there is the excellent "Accident's Will Happen" and the odd "us against the world" mentality of "Two Little Hitlers." The songs themselves take on different dynamics depending on whether or not you prefer your lyrics at face value, or if you try to interpret the metaphors Elvis is spitting.

I have a huge love for most of the early EC & the Attractions catalog, up through their country Epic "Almost Blue." Latter years, I've found to be hit and miss personally. There is something about the New Wave EC that really hits home for me.

I remember listening to this album for the first time, and feeling like it could have been written and recorded yesterday. The production is flawless, the songwriting is both topical and timeless. Very rarely does an album transport itself to the current, rather than you to the past. In a word, the album is transcending to me. My favorite memories of listening to it are always the latest ones, as the songs loan themselves so well to me personally.

Unfortunately, mere words can not describe how much I am influenced by this album in particular. It's just always been the epitome of a good album with me. I could ramble on and on about the genius that is "Oliver..." but I won't. I could tell you how much I love the bonus tracks Ryko included on the re-issue (of which my all time favorite song "Clean Money" is one of) but I would just be rambling incoherently about "awesome, awesome, awesome..." I'd say, if you are anything at all interested in music, pick this album up. It will change your entire perspective on just how smart rock music can be.

Conjoined Fantasy

It's been a few days. Truth be told, I've been neglecting this blog due to hockey reaching a fever pitch. The good people over at Pension Plan Puppets have been creating a great forum for us Leaf fans. If you love a good laugh at your own expense when it comes to being a Leaf fan, you'll find many like minded individuals, holding on against hope. Stop on by, it's a a group forum and therapy session! Anywho, I've been wasting so much time over there, that I haven't had any time to waste over here, but today is the day to talk Siamese Dream.

The king and dictator over at Unbounded Existence questioned my sanity, not on just the placement of this album, but it's choice at all. I completely understand that mode of thinking. After all, the Pumpkins were the Monkees to Nirvana's Beatles. Riding on the coattails, but stylistically, not all that similar. You may remember when "grunge" (man I hate that term) broke, the multitude of bands that were swept up under that umbrella. Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Alice In Chains and yes, the Smashing Pumpkins were all once considered...well, you know...

As a hep cat who was with it and all that, I found myself listening to all of the bands I just listed, and more. The one that resonated with me the most was the Pumpkins. They dreamed big, they played loud and had influences of a similar ilk to mine. The guitar playing was phenomenal, and the tone was a heaping hot slab of fuzz. The drumming was unlike anything at the time in modern popular music. Which is to say, no other band at the time had a rhythm section that sounded like this.

I must have listened to "Cherub Rock" a thousand times before I even let it move on to track two. In an attempt to replicate their sound, I put acoustic guitar strings on my electric guitar and played through a bass amp. Not an approach I'd recommend unless you plan on replacing your bridge. From there, nothing was off limits.

I've experimented with countless playing styles, alternate tunings, string types, guitar amps and more over the years. All owing to that first song. I delved deeper into Bowie and the 70's glam rock movement, of which the Pumpkins owe a great lot. I was also inspired to sing.

One thing I've not been blessed with is the most melodious of singing voices. I loved to sing, almost as much as anyone who's heard me wishes I didn't. Mr. Corgan gave me hope, let me know it was okay to let your voice be heard.

Lastly, this album embraced both elements of light and dark moods. Not everything is doom and gloom. There is light and beauty in the world. In those moments, it's okay to turn down the volume and stop screaming at the world.