[insert title here]

I have no title for this one, it's just random stuff.

First, say a Hello to Outburst (The Sound of Your Heart), a new addition to the blogroll. Also say farewell to Joe who has decided to move on to other things. Personally, I think the hell of the US tax season finally sent him to the Rubber Ramada.

The wake last night was actually great. It was nice to see some of my former colleagues particularly those who showed up out of the woodwork, much to everyone's surprise. There were a lot of pictures of Sarah and we passed around a 'memory book' to give to her parents; they joined us as well and I think they were really touched by the whole thing. It was like old times, sitting up on the rooftop patio, eating the Calgary Ginger Beef, drinking beer and bumming smokes from Andre. Ah, good times, good times.

Penny works late tonight, so its yet another evening where I don't get to see much of her. *sigh* I'll resist the urge to hack into her blog. ;-)

Other than that its a lovely, sunny day here in The Big Smoke and I'd rather be anywhere but at work.

Ya know....

If I was a more suspicious person I would be concerned.

I got an email last night as I headed home from the rehearsal. Another of my former colleagues from that corp training provider apparently died on Friday.

According to the email I received, I believe that Roy died from cancer. He had recently turned 60.

So that's two ex-colleagues from the same employer, deceased within a two month period.

Its enough to give one the creeps.

Although, we can celebrate Roy's life when we celebrate Sarah's tonight at our little "Finnegan's Wake".

We'll hoist one for you, Roy.

I survived the rehearsal, but...

...it wasn't pretty.

Its true that if you don't use a skill, you run the risk of losing it. (explaining, of course, why Penny and I try to set all-time nookie records...but I digress.)

I had forgotten all of the things you need to keep your mind on while running through a piece of music. Did I mention that this was my first rehearhsal with this band? I did? Okay, good. Anyway, I had my hands full, that's for sure. I was worried about getting the rhythm correct, but I kinda needed to follow the conductor, to say nothing of, well, following the damn score! I was getting a little better by the end of the rehearsal, but I still felt like a complete rookie. (of course, being stuck behind the Tuba section made it somewhat challenging to see the baton....)

Just make things that much more interesting, remember how my Dad dropped an extra piece of music on me? (not two, as originally whined about) Okay, good. I get to the temple all ready with those two and all ready to set up the myriad pieces of percussion required, when I get not one but TWO pieces of music added to the pile. I casually asked the Old Man if he was familiar with the definition of the term "sandbag"?

So I got to add sight reading to the list of skills I had to rapidly put back into operation on top of everything else.

*ergh*

I suppose my errors were magnified only in my own mind, but knowing that doesn't make me diminish them or dismiss them. (yeah, I know...it's a little self absorbed, but what can I say?) At least I have another week before the next practice and the performance is May 7.

I regret that I can't quite figure out the.... (and after having to switch to another page, I come back here totally blank as to where this particular comment was going, oh, wait, it came back to me!) ...the technical nitty-gritty of audioblogging this event for those who were interested. I don't even think this music is available for download anywhere, but that's what you get for this sort of thing.

Anyway...the music itself is really great stuff and I suppose I'll be able to get through it with a minimum of chaos.

Before the conductor kicked things off, I leaned over to my Dad and said, I'm now going to offer the Shepard's Prayer*. "What's that?" he asked. "Dear Lord, please don't let me screw up."

*Alan B. Shepard, first American in space, just before his launch.

The blog hijacking has ended...

Sheesh....

This is MOSSY here...not Penny. For all of her wonderful qualities, I have to say that my *ahem* DW does have one small weakness. She can't keep surprises long. The nastier thing to do would have been to not let me find out until Wednesday morning, but Biff bless her she told me when I got home.

I got got...I definitely got got.

And, yes, I have indeed changed my password.

(We now return you to your regularly scheduled blogging)

(love you too, baby)

Pssssst....

It's me... Penny!!

Shhhh..... Mossy doesn't know I'm here!!

Mossy offered to let me answer the 20 questions from Duff and I told him I'd only do it if he let me on his blog. Well, he's at rehearsal and I guessed his password!! (Note to self: this is the last time Mossy will ever make a password simple to guess. Enjoy this while I can.)

Now that I'm here, however, I can't think of a single clever answer for those 20 questions.

Damn.

Geeze, it feels weird being in another blogger's, uh...shoes... world... blog? Whatever.

*looking around* I could get comfortable in here.

Hmmm *laughter* if I could figure out how to do it, I'd invite everyone in.

HOUSE PARTY WHILE MOSSY'S AT REHEARSAL!!!!

(that's almost as good as "threesome while Mossy plays hockey", but not quite)

I'm sure the key to the bar is around here somewhere...

Oh crap, I didn't say anything clever yet and I think he's home!

I wonder how long it'll take him to find this...

Hurry up and publish........






(love you, hunny)

This might explain why I keep getting carded...

You Are 19 Years Old

Under 12: You are a kid at heart. You still have an optimistic life view - and you look at the world with awe. 13-19: You are a teenager at heart. You question authority and are still trying to find your place in this world. 20-29: You are a twentysomething at heart. You feel excited about what's to come... love, work, and new experiences. 30-39: You are a thirtysomething at heart. You've had a taste of success and true love, but you want more! 40+: You are a mature adult. You've been through most of the ups and downs of life already. Now you get to sit back and relax.

What Age Do You Act?

Assorted stuff

Thanks to dtrini, I've been having another DVD marathon, this time, it's all 5 seasons of Babylon 5.

I had forgotten how much I enjoyed this show when it was on. DW isn't a fan by any means, but The Boy and I spend a good part of Sunday watching Season 2. (The series ended long before he would have been old enough to enjoy it, but he's quite liking it now.) I really have to give Straczynski credit for weaving some very intricate plot lines and showing a far less idealistic view of the future than Roddenberry did with Star Trek. (note: not that I don't enjoy and appreciate ST. I do, but for different reasons.)

Is it wrong of me to enjoy the DVDs on the commuter train to & from work? :P

In other happenings, I have the first rehearsal for the gig my old man roped me into, tonight. DW and I were kinda scrambling over the last few days because we had a slight scheduling crunch with the Wondertwins and drop-offs and her work, but things have sorted themselves out nicely (of course, this was after we made contingency plans...cause fate's like that.) With the rehearsal coming up, I worked some more of the corrosion off my playing and broke in the ol' practice pad. I honestly don't know how much "cramming" one can do with this sort of thing, but I'm doing my best.

I think thats it...for now. :)

And the wait continues

According to the good folks at Royal Roads, my application package went for review only yesterday, so in 4-6 weeks ("often much faster", they tell me) I should hear whether or not I get in.

*sigh*

Bang the drum slowly, there's a lot of rust there.

Q: "What do you call a guy surrounded by a bunch of musicians?"

A: "The drummer."

Strangely enough, I've never found that joke to be funny.

Way back in my younger days I played drums. I liked it, even if I was somewhat of a self-taught player and not exactly schooled in the basic rudiments. However, I did what I could with my musical aptitude and learning from my various influences and managed okay in the various bands at school. I even played drums for a couple of years in a military pipe and drum band, but I hadn't played seriously for a number of years. I sold my kit about 10 years ago because I wasn't playing much and I didn't really have anywhere to put it in a 500 sqft basement apartment.

Over the years I've enjoyed a few moments of solutide by air drumming, but the chance to play for real was, I figured, gone forever. Sad, but not necessarily unexpected.

Enter my father.

I'll save the gory details of the somewhat trying relationship we have for another time, but a little while ago he came to me with a favour to ask.

You see, he joined the Salvation Army several years ago and is relatively active with their musical programs. They were quite happy to have a former music teacher and a skilled clarinetist at their disposal, background notwithstanding. Dad, having played a number of instruments well, has played everything for them from trumpet to trombone to stand-up bass. He's often dropped the hint that they were never happy with the guy who was playing percussion and, boy, he'd love to be able to play with me again.

(insert eye roll here, if you've ever had a parent try that trick before)

So Dad called and told me he was in a real bind for an upcoming performance (please mark May 7 on your Calendars) and he was going to fill in on percussion for a concert, but he told the bandmaster that he might be able to get another person to make it less of an octopus act back there. The band is, unfortunately, a little hurting for equipment and it will be a mix of some well-loved tympani of questionable tuning, and the rental of other pieces of specialized equipment (glockenpsiel, chinese temple blocks, etc.)

You can guess who he was referring to when he said "another person".

I must have had some kind of mind control lapse because I agreed to the gig, reasoning that it couldn't possibly be that bad.

Then Dad brought over the music for the one piece.

To say its complex is like stating that the Labyrinth of King Minos was a little tough to get out of.

This beast shifts tempo and time signatures like a F1 driver. It encompasses at least 6 different percussion instruments and lasts an exhausting 12 minutes. Okay, says I. I can probably handle this.

Then Dad brought over the other two pieces.

(other two pieces?)

One is manageable, but the second piece has a rather nasty and quick snare drum rhythm which repeats all througout the tune.

So for the next little while, yours truly will be occupying all of his spare time with a new pair of drumsticks and a practice pad, doing my damndest to crash course myself on reading music, but also making sure that I can sight-read these pieces and play without sounding like a spastic woodpecker. (which is what I sound like right now)

So call it the revisiting of the paradiddle and the 5-stroke, 7-stroke, and 9-stroke rolls until the concert.

I'll keep you posted on the musical carnage.

I should be so lively at her age

I admit it, I'm a Monarchist.

But having served in the Army of a Commonwealth nation and being immersed in its traditions and history will do that to you.

Yes indeed, the Queen turns 80 today.

Regardless of what many see as an irrelevant and anachronistic institution, I can't help but feel a certain fondness and admiration for the Royals. This is not to say that the Monarchy shouldn't change with the times, but I can't say I would want to see it gone forever.

And no matter what anyone says, you can't help but admire and respect a woman who maintains a gruelling schedule at an age when, as the Globe and Mail so nicely put it, "it is a struggle for some just to get out of bed."

She will be a hard act to follow, but the legacy will last forever.

"Happy and Glorious, Long to Reign over Us..."

Getting stuff done....including one another

Sometimes I do love where I work for purely superficial reasons. My recent raise and bonus notwithstanding, I've had my favourite work shift: Easter. A 4-day week, followed by a 4-day weekend, culminating in another 4-day week.

A guy could get used to this sort of treatment.

This weekend, Penny and I were kid-less (with the exception of the family dinner on Sunday) and that often leaves us time to do domestic things uninterrupted.

In our case for this weekend, that meant the "honey-do" list. And sex.

Lots of it.

Did I mention there was a lot of sex?

Okay, just checking.

For those of you who have not yet clicked away in disgust seeking more "PG" fare, it wasn't all about 'making the beast with two backs', we did all sorts of non-sex things. But now that I think about it, perhaps these tasks were just euphemisms for something more base and animalistic. I leave it to you, the remaining reader, to decipher the tasks from the fun.

As with many weekends it began with a little of the old in & out but that sort of routine rarely cuts the mustard. Of course, we had to do the chores like feeding the kitty and while we didn't need to clean the chimney out, the garage was another matter entirely. I have to say that after all that garage work and the astonishing amount of cardboard requiring recycling, I was ready to lie feet up.

Our plans for mass garbage disposal on Saturday came to naught when we discovered that the local recycling centre was closed for the whole weekend. We were both ready to plow someone at that point. The Mighty Intrepid still has a trunk full of trash (fortunately, not the stinky kind.) However, we took a trip up the highway on a whim and wound up in one of the local 'burbs with a "quaint" downtown. We found ourselves the proud owners of two neat-o candle holders cast like mythical tree spirit heads whose green glass eyes glow when the candle is lit and inserted.

Sunday was the dinner and we held off on the requests to pass the gravy. Family joys are such that Penny was ready to put the boots to anyone, and not in the good way. We did indulge ourselves by throwing a log or two on the fire later that night.

As Monday arrived and the weekend wound down we found ourselves with a few little jobs remaining, mostly having to do with Penny's frustration over the garden hose resulting in my rather slick installation of a new reel. Penny was also finally ready to accept Spring's arrival and wanted to give the windows a good hosing. After a trip to the local Canadian Tire, we thought we had the best solution tool for the task, but as good as the Mr. Clean Car Wash kit is for cars, it's not so good on windows above the first floor.

Thus you now find us sated and somewhat knackered, but as we have always said, all's well when ends meet.

(wink, wink, nudge, nudge)

Sports Shorts

A couple of sad notes in Mossy's sports universe.

First, the impending retirement of Luc Robitaille from the NHL. "Lucky Luc" is one of the nicest guys to play the game and used a real lunch bucket work ethic to make himself the highest-scoring Left Winger in NHL history. He also earned himself a spot on a couple of all-time lists, notably those of the League (goals, assists, and games played) and of the Los Angeles Kings, where Luc played most of his career.

We'll see you at your Hall of Fame induction in 3 years, Luc...

Second, and closer to home, was the decision of the Canadian Football League to suspend the operations of the Ottawa Renegades for the upcoming season. I'm not sure I have all the words to lament this situation properly, but I can say that Ottawa has had the worst luck with team ownership over the past several years for both the Senators and the Rough Riders/Renegades. Hopefully they'll get their stuff back together and be playing on the banks of the Rideau Canal next summer. If nothing else, perhaps it will teach the League that bringing back a pair of idiot owners just because they had money and promises of better support doesn't always mean success the second time around. CFL fans everywhere bid 'good riddance to bad rubbish' to the Glieberguys.

At least Training Camp starts sooner rather than later.

(btw, I still remain unconvinced that the Maple Leafs will somehow manage to squeak their way into the playoffs. I suppose it doesn't matter either way, because the most they'd get is the 4 games they would lose to either Carolina or Ottawa in the first round...so why suffer needlessly?)

My Contribution to Public Safety

(meant to blog about this last week and I totally forgot.)

Ya know, sometimes you can make a difference just by being there. No, really...you can!

For those who aren't aware, the TTC revamped their security services a while back and created a whole new class of transit cop. Now these folks aren't carrying sidearms, but most of them are ex-cops and quite capable of taking you down without a (Glock/S&W/Sig Sauer/Colt. etc.) They even have a plainclothes group who look for fare jumpers and other undesirables on the system. Unlike a regular security guard, these folks have police powers while within the transit system and they can and will arrest or ticket people.

This in mind, I was headed home one day and I had to leave early to pick up a card, so I arranged to meet Big Guy from work at the turnstiles of the subway for our evening commute. With my errand done quickly, I had a little time to kill and I was leaning against one of the token dispensers. I heard a big thump off to my left and saw this early 20-something guy...all laughing and goofy in his baggy clothes. I turned to look and he saw me and stopped. A couple of minutes later his buddy thumped down the stairs next to him. They paused, had a quick confab and proceeded to walk towards me and into the station. These guys might as well have been carrying sandwich boards reading "Shit Disturber", because the clothes, the body language and everything else just screamed "I've got free time and I'll do whatever the fuck I want with it." I didn't give them another thought and proceeded to read my book, but remained aware they were walking towards me.

To my surprise and amusement, the first goofball who hit the bottom of the stairs looks at me and says, "hey Officer, how you doin'...you doin' alright today?"...and kept on walking.

Me (without missing a beat) "Oh I'm just fine...you fellas have a nice day."

"You too, Officer sir", they replied.

They kept walking and started laughing to themselves, thinking they "made" a plainclothes cop and somehow played some massive trick on "The Man". Of course, the joke was, and still is, on them because the one plainclothes guy I saw nailing a fare jumper looked a lot less like a cop and a lot more like a dirty drywaller with a badge hanging around his neck. I, for one, gave silent thanks to the Army for giving me that "don't even think about it" stare, which I obviously gave the first guy when he landed at the bottom of the stairs.

Big Guy arrived a few moments later and asked why I was smiling, so I related the tale. He, of course, thought this was brilliant and he congratulated me on keeping the streets safe.

See? Sometimes you can make a difference even when you're just standing around.

An Open Invitation...

After some discussions with those near and dear about my pass on Duff's recent tag, I thought it might be interesting to see if someone wants to ghost-write my responses to the tag. There are enough creative souls on the blogroll who could come up with some very amusing answers.

Anyone interested can leave a comment here (along with some way to email you) and we can talk.

Have fun with it!

(No, duff, I'm not passing on all future tags, my answers just weren't deep enough...)

Tagged by Duff

Sorry Duff, but I'm going to take a pass on this one. I'm sufficiently dull that my responses wouldn't be worth the exercise of electrons.

If anyone wants to try and ghost-write my answers, have at it.

By the time you read this...

...it might be over. (shamelessly swiped from The Toronto Star.)

`Chronological oddity' set to occur
Apr. 4, 2006. 01:44 PM
ASSOCIATED PRESS


WASHINGTON — You don't find this happening every day. In a virtual blink of the eye early Wednesday morning, the time and date will be 01-02-03-04-05-06.

At 1:02 a.m. and three seconds on Wednesday, April 5, 2006, it will be the first hour of the day, the second minute of the hour, the third second of that precious minute in the fourth month and the fifth day of — uh oh — it's not really the sixth year.

It's actually 2006 — only in our shorthand is it '06.

"It just happens to be a chronological oddity," said Geoff Chester, spokesman for the U.S. Naval Observatory, an official world atomic clock timekeeper. "If you were to use the full year, that would screw things up completely. You do have to bend it a little if you want to make it work. That's what you call `Finagle's Law of Best Fit.' "

Even numerologists such as Rob Ragozzine, who runs the SimplyNumbers.com website, dismiss the 1-2-3-4-5-6 moment as merely ``a neat coincidence" because of that pesky 2006 thing.

"People are interested in numbers," said Jack Horkheimer, 67-year-old host of the Star Gazer public television show and executive director of the Miami Space Transit Planetarium. "Would I stay up all night waiting for it? Ten years ago, I would have had a party. Now, I will probably be deep in the arms of sleep."

There are less bleary-eyed alternatives. There's 1:02 p.m., but Horkheimer said that's really 13:02 p.m. and doesn't really count.

Chester recommends celebrating universal time, the standard scientific time, which is four hours ahead of Eastern Daylight time. So 01-02-03-04-05-06 can be celebrated at 9:02 p.m. EDT by calling up the U.S. Naval Observatory's "master clock" then and waiting for the universal time pronouncement, he said. That number is 202-762-1401.

The clock is also on the web at: http://tycho.usno.navy.mil/what1.html.

For much of the world, especially Europe, this odd line-up of numbers doesn't really happen until next month. That's because many countries put the number of the day first, then the number of the month. So for many places, 01-02-03-04-05-06 happens at 1:02 a.m. May 4.

DS al Coda on the Musical Meme

I had some, well, *interesting* comments both online and offline about my musical meme.

Friend Larry said it best when he said, "This isn’t going to be exactly to my taste as far as favorites are concerned."

I could re-do this meme by genre or even by artist and come up with some radically different results (certainly, no less amusing.)

This book is more than its cover and definitely more than just this soundtrack selection.

Watch for this meme in syndication!

Quadruple-swiped Meme

...this time from my DW, and Larry, Kal, and The Steph. Here's how it works:

Put your iPod/Winamp/MP3 on shuffle.
Reading one question at a time, press play.
Use that song title as the answer.

(Note: This should be a rather interesting test, because I have a very weird mix on my laptop at the moment...)

1. How does the world see you? "Roam" - The B-52's. Does this mean I'm considered aimless?

2. Will I have a happy life? "If I Close My Eyes Forever" - Lita Ford and Ozzy Osborne. Is this a 'See no evil' kind of thing??

3. What do my friends think of me? "Souls" - Rick Springfield. Okay, I don't get the connection here.

4. Do people secretly lust after me? I've Had Enough (Into the Fire) - KISS. Now seriously, who could have enough of me? I mean, really??

5. How can I make myself happy? "Wind of Change" - The Scorpions. I need to change? *shrug* Probably. Go with the trends?

6. What should I do with my life? "100 Years" - Five for Fighting. I love the name of this band. Does this mean I'll make it to 100? Cool!

7. Will I ever have children? "Love Will Find a Way" - Yes. 'nuff said there, I think.

8. What is some good advice for me? "Take the Time" - Dream Theater. Hmmm...slow down...take your time. Yeah, I probably should.

9. How will I be remembered? "I've Gotta Get a Message to You" - The BeeGees. I guess I'll be haunting someone's ass for eternity. Cool!!

10. What's my signature dancing song? "Sister Golden Hair" - America. Um, I like the tune but could I really dance to it?? Its just about a hungover dude bailing on a wedding. I think.

11. What's my current theme song? "Bad Boys Running Wild" - The Scorpions. Oh yeah, baby!! That's me!

12. What do others think is my current theme song? "Roundabout" - Yes. Must be my penchant for sometimes going around in circles.

13. What shall they play at my funeral? "I Can't Explain" - The Scorpions. That's fitting. A remake tune explaining constant bafflement and bewilderment. "I'm getting funny dreams again and again..."

14. What type of women do I like? "Rock You Like a Hurricane" - The Scorpions. Oh I'm not gonna comment on that one. (Love you, baby!)

15. How's my love life? "Two Minutes to Midnight" - Iron Maiden. Um, what??

If anyone wants to try and interpret the Life of Mossy through Music, please feel free, cuz I so don't get this.

I think I need new tunes.