Slow Cooking Cover

There's a great story behind the name of the band. I'll elaborate one of these days. They made their public debut the other night at a high school variety concert - 16 acts... These kids, (11-13) nailed CCR's "Suzy Q". They won! L-R - Jonathan, Claire, Daniel, Matthew, Chris.

More to come.

Crazy Busy

I haven’t abandoned this blog. I am just too busy to keep up on a regular basis. And, so, I will add bits and pieces when I can.
When I’m not writing at work, I’m writing bits for my radio show which I am fortunate to be able to do from home. Tech these days makes it simple. And, due to some circumstances that are not entirely clear…I’ve graduated to the morning show (7-9am) for the time being. It’s more of a natural fit for me and I’m happy to do it.

My wife Victoria celebrates a birthday today. She’s a beautiful 41. After her morning run she headed out for some groceries. While she was out I woke the kids up (6:45am) and got them started on the decorations and breakfast. It was fun. She cherishes their handmade cards and hugs more than anything from any store.

So, everybody is good at my house. Chris and Jon have a couple of gigs this week. Tomorrow night, they play with a larger 6 piece band called “Slow Cookin Cover”. They play 70’s rock tunes like Hotel California, Suzy Q, Don’t Look Back, you know… Chris plays lead guitar. Jonny hammers the 5-string electric bass. Very cool…with a girl singer named Claire! Their music teacher is the band coach and hand-picked the kids for this group. They are 11 – 13…and tight for a bunch of kids. Got their own sound gear…and good instruments. Chris has been playing a vintage Fender Strat – US model. Sweet. They’ll play a full set at The Mahone Bay Classic Boat Festival in July. I’ll take some band pics and post them late this week. Chris and Jon will play as a duo at a Highland Dance Recital this week too. There are lots of opportunities for them. Last weekend, they played at a little community hall in the Annapolis Valley and received a huge standing ovation. I shed a tear. It was amazing.





I had to add the pie pic. So maritime. This event was a fund-raiser for the little baptist church in Burlington, NS - raising money for a piece of sound equipment. There are only 15 members in the church...pretty amazing that they pulled off this larger community event. People came from all over!

So, I’ll keep you in the loop when I can. Thanks for stopping by.

Radio Gig

My family is away for the weekend so I have an unusual and welcome bit time on my hands. V and the boys are in New Brunswick for a couple of big birthday celebrations. Her mom turns 87 and her aunt turns 100. Amazing.

I’m not sure what I’ll do apart from raking up the backyard and maybe bagging some dead leaves that have collected over the winter. One thing’s for certain, I will record some more radio bits. I’ve been hosting a little daily one hour show that runs on 3 stations in 3 provinces here in the maritimes. Format is Christian – which is not so strange for me, though I’ve been out of radio for 10 years. It all feels a little strange and disconnected because I don’t actually commute to the station. I produce the show from home and upload it. It’s coming along fine.

It’s easier than you might think and more difficult than you could imagine. Let’s leave it at that for now. I still have my day job. You can listen online if you care to at www.cjlufm.com  My bit is music driven and airs 4:30-5:30 Atlantic Time.  

Have a great weekend.

Progress

Until I completely stop I deem my actions to be progress of some sort. I've got to. No complaints. Real quick - sorry for disappearing into thin air. I've taken on more projects and my time is all but used up. I'm probably too busy for my own good and my family may, in fact, be suffering due to my various commitments. That's a whole other can of worms.

Everyone is still good and healthy at my house. I've slowed my running to a crawl (still have a bit of forward momentum). V runs every day still - the kids are active on their bikes and the music continues on all fronts. The summer is filling up with gigs. Chris and Jon have been doing some different projects with some other players. They've been playing with Contra Bands for dances and have formed a new band with a bunch of other young prodigies playing 70's rock covers. A cool change for them.

I've gone and got involved in radio again- writing, voicing and producing a 1 hour syndicated show that airs on 3 stations. More details on that to come. Hmmm. Fun and time consuming.

I'll try and show up here on a more regular basis. Meantime, here are a few recent photos. It's good to live by the ocean.

Where I Am

Right in the thick of it - that's where I am! The days seem to be stretching at both ends so I am real happy that spring is coming along. I can hardly wait for the warmer weather to break things up.

I'm working through one of the busiest winters on record and that sure helps to pass the time. The boys have been playing a lot of music with lots more ahead. Last night, a family friend dropped over to share an amazing gift with Chris. Paul C. has been setting aside cherry, sitka spruce, walnut and mahogany for the past couple of years hoping that Chris would want to build a guitar. At 13, he will craft his own acoustic guitar alongside a wonderfully kind man. Paul has built several beautiful instruments and I couldn't be happier today. Such a gift. Here's the two of them with one of Paul's latest guitars.


I mentioned winter didn't I? Here are a few shots from this morning before school. That crazy lady? Victoria.

It's Good

Sometimes, when I fall particularly far behind. I find it hard to get moving again. That's what has happened. I've fallen and rolled in the pile for a bit but I've taken a bath and am now ready for a fresh start. That's life, and it's good.

Time seems to evaporate right under my nose. I can't explain it only to say that I've come up against this a few times. For goodness sake, my blog url is "making the time". Indeed, time is precious and there is precious little of it. That's life, and it's good.

I must confess to feeling a bit of extra energy on this day. Just concluded an invigorating and memorable meeting with ad agency types at the local pub. Great spot for a meeting - over beer-battered Digby scallops and fries. That's life, and it's good.

At any rate, since I last spent a bit of time here - Sam, my 3rd of 4 sons turned 9 years old. Tomorrow (Saturday), my wife and I celebrate 22 years of marriage. It's a short time and a long time all at once. That's life, and it's good.

Interestingly, TheRunningWife and I have been invited to take part in a roundtable youth event this evening about marriage and
family and relationships. It's one of those things that a person cannot specifically prepare for. In a sense, I suppose I've been preparing for it for 22 + years. That's life, and it's good.

Have a great weekend.

What Not To Do

Parenting is such a sweet challenge. I have my share of blessing being the father of 4 sons. I shall never complain...because...it's good. There are plenty of rules and regulations in place to keep some semblance of order in the house.

The boys earn 'time' that they can spend on the computer mainly by practicing their music or doing some sort of chore. We give them "Mum Bucks" that they collect and redeem here at home. It's their idea - and it seems to work fine.


Chris, my oldest boy at 13, is usually bankrupt. He's always out of "Mum Bucks"...so imagine my surprise to find him parked in front of the computer the other morning.

Me: "What are you doing on the computer?"

Chris: "You forgot to tell me what not to do."

That's rich eh? I forgot to tell him what not to do. I love how he shakes off the responsibility and throws it back on me as if it's my fault he's out of line. He's a smart cookie.

I laughed loud and hard.