Lunch In Lugano

The fun with the new camera continues. Still a little cold, but some better light today...

My New Camera

Well, I got the camera, and decided to take it for a spin tonight... cold wind, encroaching darkness and lack of knowledge or not. Here are some of the my first shots.

Stubby trees along the lake.



Some flowers with the lake, the city, and the Jura behind them.



Public toilets. Inviting, eh?



The stubby trees again, but in the hood of a Merc.



In the park across from the lake.



I like the texture.



LOVE the design of this window. Gorgeous.



A garage.



Nothing says "we only sell heirloom-quality jewelry" quite like a clown with a drum.



Watches and bars.



More watches and bars.



In a cafe near my home.



By the little dog statue, as my little chick knows.



My street.

Quote Of The Day

"Faith never knows where it is being led, but it loves and knows the One
Who is leading."

More easily said than done, but worth holding on to, even at that.


Oswald Chambers, My Utmost For His Highest

I Ain't Missing Bruges At All

Okay, I'm not usually one to use puns in my posts... or at all, actually. In fact, I've been moved to threats of violence before in my war against puns (threats that were, thankfully, always successful so far). But after spending a couple days in Brussels recently and having a little classic rock going through my head, I decided it's time to post a picture or two and have a bit of an internal sing-along. "... since you've been gone, away... "

From The "They Just Don't Get It" File

I'm looking at getting a camera. I found a shop in Switzerland with a decent price on the camera and lens I want, but it looked like the camera was out of stock. So I sent an email asking when it would be available, and I got this message back:

Dear customer

Thank you for choosing Architronic. We are honoured about the confidence you have shown into our company and products. As a pure E-tailer we are focussed only on the German speaking part of Switzerland. We are therefore glad to assist and serve you exclusively in German language, regardless if you contact us by phone, fax, mail or via email.

Thanks for your understanding.

The Architronic Team

Now, I must admit that getting an email in response to a query to a Swiss retailer was absolutely unheard of when I first moved here almost seven years ago. They all had pages and addresses, but out of dozens of mails I send, I never had a response. And getting it in the same day is not bad by any standard.

But the thing I don't get is the interesting combination of pointing out that they are a "pure e-tailer" and, at the same time, having shrewdly chosen to limit themselves to a small geographic and linguistic market.

The response I wanted to send:

Dear Sirs - thanks for the advance warning. I would fear for my soul and sanity, had I actually transacted business with someone unable to recognize that the whole point of the internet is for you to be able to take money from people like me who don't live on your street. I am forced to conclude that anyone with your clear business acumen would likely be unable to select the correct box or mail it to the specified address, anyways. Much obliged, Darryl.

The response I sent:

Okay, thanks. I'll order it from someone else.


Which leads me to one of the pillars upon which my life is lived: never waste sarcasm on those who don't deserve it. It's hard to hold back, but, in the long run, I believe it's worth it.

Happy Birthday To Me

I have the best friends and family in the world. Yesterday was my birthday, and I got together with a few people last night to celebrate. Honestly, I wanted to write some today about it, but I am feeling more than a little overwhelmed by the calls, the emails, the SMS's,the thoughtful gifts and wishes with them, and being able to spend some time in the evening with some of you. This doesn't happen to me often, but I can't begin to put it into words.

I am blessed beyond what any reasonable person could hope for, and while this has been a good occasion to mark the passing of another year and looking forward to what's ahead, it has turned much more into an occasion to really think about and appreciate the people in my life who love me in so many different ways.

So, thanks.

Quote Of The Day

Nathan (after watching The Usual Suspects but declining my invitation to watch with the commentary): "You know, the problem is that, even after it ends, you don't know how much is true."
Me: "But maybe you would after hearing the commentary."
Nathan: "Don't tempt me like that. Have you actually seen it? Or are you just saying that?"
Me: "I'm just saying it. But that doesn't make it not true."
Nathan [nodding, but clearly not convinced]: "That doesn't make it not true."

1,000

Thanks for reading and (sometimes) leaving a comment. Today The Yellow Couch had its thousandth visitor. I was hoping to give away a fabulous prize to the 1000th visitor, but it's hard to know exactly who it was. So I'm going to eat some Pim's raspberry chocolate cookies instead.

Ode To A Beer Glass

I broke my favorite beer glass. It was beautiful: so thin you could barely feel it, with a short stem, and just the right size to hold a half-liter (if I poured it properly). I only had one like this, too. So, I guess it's time to go glass shopping. And I like shopping for glassware - believe me - but this will be kind of like getting a new puppy. Sure, we all like visiting the puppy farm, but the new one just never seems to quite replace the one we loved and lost.

So, tonight I raise a toast:

Oh, beer glass, oh beer glass,
How I shall miss your gentle presence.
The way you held my beer for me,
Singing your song of subtle resonance.

You never once have failed me,
Holding stout, wheat beer, or bitter,
Though many cans have come and gone,
In summer, fall, and winter.

You captured scents and gave me hints,
Of the brewer's secret art.
You cast the light of amber grace,
Capturing my joyful heart.

And so I shall remember you,
With eyes so slightly teary.
May you rest forever, friend,
Chilled and foamed and beery.

*sniff*

The Demise Of YouTube

It started out as a good day, as most Fridays do. I had some time with Sam and Ollie this morning, and we were joined by my little chick. The sun is shining and I was listening to a really hammering tune by Starfield on the walk to work. I passed half a dozen stunning women a couple blocks from my office (not walking together, but all in a row; perhaps a break in some kind of convention for anti-social but beautiful people?). And so to celebrate the sum total of this good-dayness, I wanted to share with you something that Nat passed along to me a while ago: More Cowbell.

I wanted to put it here for a few reasons. First, it's really, really funny. Second, I had been telling someone about it (Chris?) but I'm not exactly sure now who it was. So I'm hoping that they will stop by here and see it and my poor memory will not entirely stand in the way of my desire to follow up when I promise to email funny things to friends. I think I find this clip especially poignant since, at one point, my band (not the MNB) actually took my cowbell off my kit and hid it. It was a trying time for us, but we're okay now. Of course, we don't see each other any more. Ah, well.

So I went looking on YouTube and, it seems, the only clips they have of this are ones of other people re-enacting it. Say what you want about the quality of SNL (and yes, when they miss, they miss big-time), but I don't care how good/bad the skit is - buddy recording it again in his garage just doesn't have the same impact. So I'm faced with only having a link to a page that you can view it on, and I'm sorry. I wish you could see it right here. But please, don't blame me - blame YouTube, and have a great Friday.

Less Words, More Pictures

I got an email from a friend who stopped by to look at my blog but was a little disturbed at the ratio of words:pictures. So, here's another picture. I was out by the pool in Lugano with a few of my colleagues. A couple of us weren't swimming, but were just watching the others swim (with a duck decoy, but that's the subject worthy of a post on its own) and the exercise class in progress. Partway through the class, I was able to get this shot. Look closely. Click on it to see the larger version if you need to. It's worth it.

And no, he's not someone I know. He would probably be an interesting guy, though.

I'm Ready For My Close-Up

I was talking with Science Nathan on the train ride back from Milan about an idea for a film. He started talking about what the real environment at CERN is like, in contrast to the Dan Brown-ish view that most people have of it. And I thought, wouldn't it be fun to show that like a wild-life documentary?

It remains to be seen if it will work. I'd love to work on the script, but am a little short in knowing the intricacies of what makes the world of physicists spin, so Nathan needs to be the man for that. And it may be a little tough for me to get into CERN to get any video footage to use. Nathan is there, but it's not entirely clear how free he would be to shoot or, perhaps more to the point, edit the material into a rather non-discovery-channel-ish kind of thing. I mean, as a rule of thumb, it's a good idea not to piss off people who know how to make nuclear kinds of things.

So it got me thinking... what other "species" would be a good subject for a fake documentary film?

Already done:

• Rock musicians (Spinal Tap)
• Dog lovers (Best In Show)
• Amateur theatre people (Waiting For Guffman)
• Karaoke singers (Reverb, a flim in which I invested and, sadly, have yet to see)
• Porta-potty attendants (Ralph? I can't remember the nane, but it's Australian and it's fun)
• Cops (Super-Troopers)
• Conservatives (anything by Michael Moore)

Probably wouldn't work:

• French farmers/Italian rail workers (would probably lead to an indefinitely extended strike bring Europe to the point of economic collapse)
• Islamic fundamentalists (can you say "get a sense of humor, boys"?)
• Rap musicians (how do you parody something that's already so.... well, a parody?)
• Authors (the film would be okay, but the book would be WAY better)

So, that leads me to the final, and most important list - begging to be done:

• Physicists (come on, Nathan - what's the worst that could happen, other than to your career?)
• Airport security agents
• Guys who sell consumer electronics, especially car stereos
• Comic-book collectors
• Soccer players (for some reason, I think the Italian ones would offer the greatest possibilities for crafting a compelling story)

Any other suggestions? Who wants to join me in Cannes next year?

Wednesday Is Graffiti Day

I thought this one was pretty clever.

Top Ten Signs You've Just Had A Good Dinner

At Eva's request, photo courtesy of Janette. For a little bit of context, this was after our 20 km day, after waiting 4 hours to eat, after a starter of tuna carpaccio, a plate of grilled vegetables, and enough fried seafood to satisfy several people who really like fried seafood.

Oh yeah, and just before chocolate/hot pepper gelato. Yeah, baby!

Milano

I went to Milan this weekend with some friends: Science Nathan, Janette, Eva, Chris and Sue, and Donata. It was great. In fact, it was like this:

I was thinking of writing about this in my usual style, but as I considered what that would look like for a weekend full of stuff happening, it would come out more like a novel than a blog. So, you're going to get the relatively short version. More details are available to anyone interested and bearing chocolate.

• The 5:50 AM train was not easy, but it was worth it. Let's just say when we did finally get to the land of shoes and coffee, we were ready for some caffeine. It's the same as that 6 AM flight to London with Easy Jet. When I book it, I think, "well, that way we'll have the whole day! And it's 15 CHF cheaper!". Every time I take it, though, I promise myself I will never book it again. Empty words, as it turns out. Even with getting back from Brussels the night before and only getting a few hours' sleep, it was worth it. Good company makes a big difference.
  
• The first time we decided to split up to explore, we met by the white tree at the duomo (main cathedral). Between some serious crowds, dead cell phones, and the lure of the perfect picture, we lost track of each other a couple of times, and that tree turned out to be pretty helpful. First it was "you know, the tree with all the flowers on it at the end of the duomo [pointing]". By the end of the second day, it was just, "see you in an hour". Just when it was starting to feel like home, we had to leave *sniff*.
  
• I was determined not to buy any shoes. I was resolute. I was not going to capitulate. And then I saw red loafers, and it was all over. They are beautiful, and, as yet, I have not had any regrets, second thoughts, or misgivings. I have, however, wondered what socks one should wear with red loafers and jeans.
  
• If you're going to the canal district for dinner, call ahead and make a reservation. Otherwise, when you ask for a table for seven they will actually just laugh at you. When it really hurts is when they start calling in the kitchen staff and, in one case, other diners to share in the fun. I think this may be mostly my fault. We got there when there was not much traffic, and went to the restaurant suggested in Donata's book. I was in the mood for seafood, and they only had a couple choices, so I asked if we could take a look at a couple more places and then come back if we didn't find a better-looking menu. Well, we did find a couple that were better and a bunch that were worse, but wherever we asked, there was no room. By the time we got back to the first place, there was no room there, either. Of course, there may not have been any room there to start with. We did end up getting into a nice little pizzeria, after "15 minutes". I don't know enough Italian to be able to translate every kind of fish that may be listed at a restaurant, but I do know enough to be able to translate 15 minutes into Swiss time...
  
• Church in Italian is fun, but can make you feel a little bit sleepy.
  
• Wear comfortable shoes if you're going on a trip with me. I really wanted to go out on Saturday night, but, according to Nathan's estimate (and, as the only one in the group who used the word "ångström" in normal conversation over the course of the weekend, we have little reason to doubt his methods, even if we don't know them) we walked about 20 km on Saturday. Between leaving home at 5:30 that morning, having the 4-hour wait between when we left the city center to go get supper and when we started eating, and the fairly good amount of walking we did, I was actually pretty happy just to get back to the hotel.
  

In other news, here's what I noticed, fashion-wise:

• Italian men are still putting in a serious effort to out-do the women. Not a good move, boys.
• There are shorts/nylons/boots (together) everywhere. Everywhere! It was terrible.
• The low-rise jeans thing was also, frankly, out of control. I saw way more plumber-butt this weekend than I had asked for.
• Skinny jeans with boots have been back for a couple of years. Skinny jeans with heels or flats (!) are starting to appear now, too. This is not good news, unless your legs account for approximately 2/3 of your total height.
  
• The boots that are being worn, though, are getting better and better. Less chunky, sleeker - very nice.
• The mullet trend I noticed last spring in Firenze with Hopper is still in force. It still seems relatively confined to Italy, but they have not given up hope.
• There are a lot of polka dots making the scene. Really, guys - come on!
• Donata spotted some great shoes in Vivian Westwood's boutique - they are formed with "toes" on the end. Pretty cool, pretty interesting, very much her.

I still need to post a song that Chris taught us, for which I will be forever in his debt: "Wicked, Awesome, Cool". It will come, but it may take a couple of days.

Parisians I Have Known/Best Beer In The World

I was in Brussels for the last couple of days. I love Brussels. I love the art. I love the architecture. I love the mussels, and I especially love the beer. I was giving training, and it went well.

I can tell already that this is going to be a bit scattered. Oh well. If you pretend I'm talking really quickly it will probably help it seem a bit more natural, though still just as scattered.

Anyways, the nature of training that we give to new people in our company is that someone, and perhaps everyone, is bound to be confused. To do the kind of work I do, you just need to understand two things, roughly: computers and banking. But it turns out that most of the people who know any amount worth knowing about one of these topics know next to nothing about the other. Not that these are stupid people by any means - these are just not two streams that meet often.

As a result, what tends to happen is that, when I am talking about the business concepts, especially the details of the day-to-day activities of private bankers, the IT people either glaze over or look frightened. And when I talk about the technical side of things, the bankers either glaze over or start making phone calls. But no matter what I talk about, somebody is threatening to glaze over. I hate the glaze, but I'm never far from the glaze.

Most of the people I "train" are more experienced than I am, are older than I am, have been working longer, and know much more about either one side or the other (business or technical) than I do. But the good news is I like to talk, and I love to help people understand things, especially if they are also interested in understanding them. So I'm more than happy to dive in and give it my best shot, and every once in a while it works. After the final session today, one of the men who had been there told me that he had done a lot of training, and he knew the challenges in it, but that I had been flawless. To be honest, I would trade "flawless" for "impassioned" every time, but from a banker from Luxembourg, flawless is not too far down on the scale of possible compliments.

And, as usual, it was an interesting mix of people. Also, as usual, in the interest of keeping my job and professional reputation (such as it is) intact, I'm not going to say much more about it than that, but I will say that last night I had dinner with three absolutely lovely Parisians.

Now, the three of them had just come to Brussels on the train that morning, sat through my training in English all day, and were still kind enough to allow me to tag along with them for the evening. And here's the kicker: they continued to speak in English. Every once in a while they would lapse into French, but as soon as one would see me approaching the glaze, they would apologize, recap what they had been talking about (!), and then continue in English.

Now, make sure you get all the sides to the story, here. They had been through a long day of fairly demanding training. There were three of them, and one of me. We were in a French-speaking country. Yet they made an effort to make me feel comfortable and included. So it turns out that Parisians are not rude, self-absorbed and insensitive. These ones, at least, were very much the opposite. They were great.

And it was truly a wonderful evening. When we arrived in the grand place, I kicked myself for not bringing my camera. The old town hall was lit up in a brilliant white light, and though the sun had gone down a little earlier (the reason I left the camera in my room), but sky behind it was still a brilliant, rather light blue, and framed it perfectly. It was breathtaking. I just stood and tried to drink it in, knowing it would never last in my mind the way that I was seeing it, but determined to try. What a beautiful city.

And then there's the beer. Wow. If I had any doubts before, they are gone now. If I could only have beer from one country for the rest of my life, it would be Belgium. So much variety and depth and complexity in the flavors... it's just incredible. I had a beef stew with new potatoes, made in Leffe Brun, and, for dessert, my very first Belgian waffle, which was good but not as good as the beer.

Then I had a wonderful conversation with a new colleague (who had been in my training) on the way home. When I got back to Geneva I went to spend some time with a friend and had a bowl of homemade soup and another great talk. Then I came back to the apartment and had yet another lovely chat with Nathan.

Unfortunately, I need to get up in a little under four hours to get the train to Milan with some friends. So it's been a wonderful few days, and I think the weekend is going to be absolutely spectacular, and I wanted to write about it because I appreciate you coming here to read. But I'm pretty tired now and need to get to bed. Right after I pack. Uggghhh.

More in a couple of days, if I make it.

Training

I'm giving training tomorrow and Friday to a bunch of bankers.

The title of the training (prepared by someone else, I want to point out) is "Introduction to PMS".






I just can't tell you how much I love the acronyms my company chooses, and how proud I am to be associated with them.

Lunch

I had the best lunch today that I've had for a while. Grabbed an apple and wandered the mean streets of downtown Geneva (you've got to watch it on Rue du Rhone... the blood feud between the Valentinos and the Guccis is more furious than ever after the recent NY Fashion Week shows). I took a couple pictures I like. And I listened to Blue Rodeo, a wonderful roots-rock/country/folk band that you know if you're from Canada, and should know no matter where you're from.

Hasn't Hit Me Yet (from Five Days In July) - I tend to prefer songs where Jim (Cuddy) is singing... Greg (Keelor) has a voice that suits most of his songs well, but it's not what you would usually describe as pleasant. He puts so much feeling into this one, though, that it's tough not to love it. It's a sad song, but a good sad song.

Head Over Heels (from Five Days In July) - somehow, the 50's piano thing in the bridge that I would expect to kill this song just adds to it. There's a wonderful acoustic guitar picking part offsetting the piano in the verses, and the vocals have some moments of brilliance... "watching the rain through a crack in the window, it's the little things that get you through - like the same sun rising on me as rising over you". Nice.

Rain Down On Me (from Lost Together) - okay, this one is really, really terrible for walking, but what a song. The drums are simple and clean, especially at the beginning of the verses, bass just gliding along with the kick. The piano is putting down some light arpegios and chords in the background, with the classic acoustic guitar driving it all along. And then there's Greg's guitar answering the vocals... gutsy, gritty, just tight enough but just sloppy enough. It's amazingly, achingly, drummer-face-makingly good. And then when the instruments drop out and Jim hits that line: "I used to think I knew what I was waiting (fighting) for... I don't think that anymore". Man... walking pace or not... give me this song, a pair of shades, some comfortable shoes and I could go for days.

Then I fast-forwarded a few to get to Fallen From Grace (from Tremelo). This, unlike Rain Down On Me, would be a fantastic song for walking even if it wasn't a fantastic song. That guitar is just so funky, it's impossible to keep from grooving when it's on. And even, I dare say, a decent while after. Love it, love it, love it!

Wednesday Is Graffiti Day

From a support group for depressed men, this is Tobias.

The Work Of Wisdom

Some continued thoughts (with no resolution, yet) from On My Mind...

Time for a little transparency - I'm going to drop any pretense, because this is important to me. I want to be wise.

I want to understand, I want to be a man who sees what other people don't see. I want to be a man who can sense (and move to) the rhythm of holiness in everyday life. I want to give counsel that will lead people to truth and peace; to be not just patient or loving gentle or strong with my daughter, but to raise her to know and love truth. I want my decisions and my words to reflect the very will of God.

Is it asking a lot? Yeah, probably. Am I going to stop asking for it? No.

I don't think much about promotion. I don' t care very deeply if some people don't get me (a little or at all). I could care less about becoming wealthy, or prominent. But I want, at my core, to be wise.


Or, at least, I thought I did. But then I started to read:

Proverbs 9:10 "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding."

How much time and effort have I put in to gaining a true and deep knowledge of God? How many hours of study have I invested? Some, certainly. But not as many as would seem to lead to the kind of wisdom I claim to thirst for. It's like saying I want to get into shape.... just not by running, or working, or sweating. Can't I order something off of the TV for that?

I like this a lot better:

James 1:5 "If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him."

That's the kind of wisdom I want... a supernatural wisdom that God gives me. It's by faith, right? I'm not going to try to live by works. And I especially like the "without finding fault" part.

But maybe a little work is just what I need.

If I sit at a table full of food and decide that, out of faith, I am going to ask God to nourish me but I will not raise one bite to my lips, I will starve. It's not that God doesn't want me to live or to be strong, but when he has given a way that I have refused to accept, he rarely seems to offer a second one. I may pray, in faith, "Father, I believe that you are able to care for my physical needs". His response? "I am not just able - I have already done it. Look in front of you."

In the same way, when I ask for wisdom through a special revelation but neglect the words that God has said time and time again that I need to live my life by if I expect to do it right, I am a fool. Instead of getting me closer to wisdom, it takes me ever further from it. Like so many aspects of this physical/spiritual life we lead, the act of faith without the work of obedience is empty.



And then I have a second understanding: I am not sure that what I am asking for is even wisdom at all.

Proverbs 12:1 "Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates correction is stupid."

Proverbs 1:9 "Then you will understand what is right and just and fair—every good path."

Am I asking for discipline? Am I submitting to correction, and, beyond that, welcoming it? Am I seeking to understand what is right and just and fair, or do I want a crystal ball to tell me the optimal time to ask for a raise?

Imagine a man prays, day after day, for wisdom and for understanding. And, day after day, he has nothing but trouble. Financial problems, issues with relationships failing at work, discord in his family, and no sense of a foundation upon which life may be lived in security. At first, he assumes his prayers are not being heard. He practices patience, and continues to pray. But after a time, he gives up and curses God - "All I asked for was wisdom, and all you gave me was trouble!"

"He who hates correction is stupid."

When I am asking for wisdom, am I asking to be shown what is good, and right, and true? Am I asking to be refined until what is impure and worthless in me is destroyed by fire? Or am I asking God to show me the path of maximum benefit and minimal cost - a spiritual Cole's Notes? Am I not just asking God to give me something that is abhorrent to him, but failing to recognize what is truly priceless when he provides it at the same time?

What is it that I really want?

The Next Ten (Or Seven For Josh)

It was going to be the next five, but it took about 15 seconds to pull #6 off the shelf. Here are the next ten books I plan to read.

1. Prayer: Does It Make Any Difference? (Yancey). This has been a major area of interest for me for a while, and this is the third-last book that I want to really get an understanding of before gathering my thoughts and trying to build a cohesive picture of what prayer is, how it is designed to work, and what it is meant to accomplish. It will be a life-long study, but I am getting to see the first chapter a little more clearly.

2. The Brera Gallery, Official Guide (Touring Club Italiano). Since I'm heading to Milano next weekend with half a dozen friends, I want to review a bit about what we're going to be able to see. It's a great museum, with some gorgeous works by Cima, Bellini, Matnegna, and Crivelli (one reproduction of which is hanging in my living room), as well as a bunch of stuff from the 17-19th centuries as well.

3. Letters To Malcolm (C. S. Lewis). His last book, and one in which he writes about various aspects of prayer. I expect it to be exceptional.

4. The Living Christ (Fickett). A book in which he celebrates the lives of contemporary people who are intent on being the expression of Christ's love. This one may be a bit of a challenge for me... I'm quite sure it will be much more heart than head, which I don't mind but am not used to reading. If it's good, I think it's going to be inspiring. If it's bad, it will be dire.

5. Emotional Intelligence (Goleman). Cause I could use a bit more.

6. Understanding And Crafting The Art Of The Mix (Moylan). Because I want to create incredible music, and I realize that my ears are only going to take me so far on their own. This one is heavy - it's a text book - but I believe there is gold inside. Gold records, baby! Yeah! *making "I'm shooting you" motion while winking*

7. What A Difference A Daddy Makes (Leman). I've read this before, but want to go through it regularly to be the best father I can to my little chick.

8. It's Not About Me (Lucado). I have the good fortune of having already learned that. I think this will be a good second step.

9. Essay Collection: Faith, Christianity, and the Church (C. S. Lewis). There is so much wisdom in this book... every time I open it I am astounded. On the short list for now are the essays on prayer, but I'm sure that my eye will wander once I start, in the most wonderful kind of way.

10. The Art Of Mixing (Gibson). This is a particularly interesting book on recording and mixing: he takes aspects of sound and represents them as balls of various densities (indicating clarity/presence) and sizes (indicating frequency range, EQ, and effect) on a three-dimensional stage (indicating pitch [up/down], pan [left/right], and volume [front/back]). Should provide a very interesting alternative way to thinking about creating music.

I guess some of these - well, all of them - will have a fairly limited appeal. Still, I think they will all be good for me. Anyone else want to contribute a list? Let's see what I can ask you about next time we talk...

Walk This Way (Part II)

After careful consideration, here are some of my favorite songs to walk to:

Fall From Grace - Blue Rodeo. It's a little slow, but has such a funky guitar going on in the back that it gives me the kick I need.

Walk This Way - Aerosmith. Ironically, just a little quick, but too groovy to leave off the list. Whenever I listen to it, though, I get visions of those white Adidas (from the video with Run DMC) shuffling forward, and I want to... well, walk that way. And that makes me feel kind of like Ozzy. And that leads me to...

Perry Mason - Ozzy. Heavy, groovy, and stompy (a word Denise coined that I am rather fond of). The tempo is good, but this one is not good for listening to in museums, while shopping, or at any other time in which I am in a crowd of people who I should refrain from crushing.

Until You - Dave Barnes. A little slow, but purposeful. And gorgeous. Is there anything this song can't do?

Steve McQueen - Sheryl Crow. This song hauls, and we're planing to do it for the MNB. This may be the toughest of the bunch to not sing along to as I walk, but it can induce a careless swagger like almost no other song can.

Great Indoors - John Mayer. This one is just a touch slow, but feels sooooooo good. And it's just perfectly in my range, so I can sing to my heart's content as I walk.

Drummer Face

No, I'm not going to post a picture. But some of you have seen it. And, if you haven't, if you show up when the MNB finally ends up playing (we're hoping for May), you will most certainly see it. It's drummer face.

It looks a little like I'm constipated (but happy, as we determined in practice today), but it means that we are rocking. It means I am ready to pound my drums into the ground and hit you with a wall of sound that will snap your head back like student driver in an F18. It means you better look out.

I get it pretty frequently when I'm playing, because, at least some of the time, it rocks. But I also get it when I'm watching a band. Or listening. So if you see me walking down the street and I appear to be in trouble of some sort, it's probably just a monster groove going on in my earbuds.

And here's something I love: Andy gets it, too.

What makes that unique is that Andy is not a drummer. He's a bass player, which is almost like a drummer but they don't use their feet at all, and they rely on amplifiers to be heard. Anyways, when Andy is laying down a deep, nasty groove, he gets a look on his face that says, "if you even try to stop this I will crush you like a little Ukrainian easter egg that wasn't allowed to dry properly and had all the ink run until it wasn't suitable for display or resale." He's one of the nicest guys you could hope to know, but if you see Andy when he's laying down a beat you would think he may be getting ready to kill you.

Anyways, today it happened a couple of times, but the best, for me, was on another Keane song: Somewhere Only We Know. It was cool to hear Kristy taking over and hammering it out on the piano (most of the rocking songs we play are guitar-driven). But that song just soars... wide open chords ringing out, funky kick drum hammering down some triplets and the snare ripping your face off on 2 and 4. It's beautiful. I love it, and I can't wait to perform it. Can't wait!

Creme Brulee

It is in what may be my favorite chocolate in the world, and I discovered today that it lives in ice cream, too. We had a MNB practice this afternoon (it appears that I am the only one the name has really caught on with, but I haven't given up hope. I am nothing if not hopeful), and Helen brought Creme Brulee ice cream. And Caro brought brownies. Kristy brought salad, but salad is important even if it doesn't have sugar in it.

So it made me think of ice cream flavors I would like to have. Maybe they make some of these, but they should be more accessible.

Watermelon (that really tastes like watermelons)
Dark chili chocolate
Super nibs (with chunks, please)
Terry's chocolate orange
Gummy sour cola bottle
Apple pie

Any other ideas?

I Just Feel Like Dancing

Yes, as it turns out, I am the exact opposite of the Scissor Sisters. The problem is that I can't find my Jackson 5 CD anywhere. Oh well... it would probably lead to my neighbour calling the police, anyways.

On My Mind

I've had three strong themes on my mind, lately: surrender, truth, and wisdom. I'm still feeling out how they fit together, but the more I study and reflect the more certain I am that these are things I need to continue to pursue with passion and abandon. I'll be writing more about this over the days to come, but here are some of the things that have been spurring on my reflections...

Remember Surrender (Sara Groves)

Remember surrender, remember the rest
Remember that weight lifting off of your chest
And realizing that it's not up to you and it never was

Remember surrender, remember relief
Remember how tears rolled down both of your cheeks
As the warmth of a heavenly father came closing in

I want to do that again

Nobody Loves Me (Derek Webb)

Well I can always tell a liar and I always know a thief
Well I know I’m like my family because brother I’m the chief
Well I’m a dangerous crusader ‘cause I need to tell the truth
So I’m turnin’ over tables in my own living room

But I might nail indictments up on every door in town
‘Cause its not right or safe to let your conscience down
So i don’t care if

Nobody loves me
Nobody loves me
Nobody loves me...but you

‘Cause the truth is never sexy
So it’s not an easy sell
Well you can dress her like the culture
And she’ll shock ‘em just as well

And she don’t need an apology
For bein’ who she is
And she don’t need your help makin’ enemies
So i don’t care if

Nobody loves me, but you

Proverbs 1:1-7 (Solomon)

1 The proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel:

2 for attaining wisdom and discipline;
for understanding words of insight;

3 for acquiring a disciplined and prudent life,
doing what is right and just and fair;

4 for giving prudence to the simple,
knowledge and discretion to the young-

5 let the wise listen and add to their learning,
and let the discerning get guidance-

6 for understanding proverbs and parables,
the sayings and riddles of the wise.

7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge,
but fools despise wisdom and discipline.

Would You Like Fries With That?

This nice little collection of shell casings is in a cafe in Lugano that we sometimes grab a coffee at after lunch. They're on the floor by one of the tables.




I'm just going to go right ahead and let you draw your own conclusions.

Sorry

I just realized that, for every six visits to this page, one person has gone on to have a look at my profile. A profile that has been pretty empty. And pretty static.

It must have been a bit of a let-down.

So, I've updated it a little bit, and I'll try to do that periodically. They even have the ability to generate random questions to answer to keep things fresh. These questions are eerily similar to the ones Natalie furnishes for the welcome dinners, but I'm the only one who gets to answer them, unfortunately.

In the meantime...

Likes: ice cream, walks on the beach, sunsets, puppies*

Dislikes: rude people, traffic jams






*especially sweet and sour

Another Sighting

I was at dinner last night with my boss and a couple of colleagues, and in walked the Hat Guy. No hat, but it was him. He was alone - maybe I misread him and the stewardess. Maybe she was just busy.

Or maybe he's trying to throw me off the scent.

It's not going to work, man.

Bedshaped

I have absolutely no idea what this means, but man, does that chorus kick! Bedshaped, by Keane:

You'll follow me back
With the sun in your eyes
And on your own
Bedshaped
And legs of stone
You'll knock on my door
And up we'll go
In white light
I don't think so
But what do I know?
What do I know?
I know!