My final medical update (hopefully)

Good day to each and all of you. It's early morning, the sun has risen and the light is streaming through the Maple tree into my office and I'm feeling well. It's been over eight weeks since the surgery and I have so much to be thankful for. It has been a very difficult road at times and those times were peppered with many of you coming unannounced to deliver the "gift of presence". Many of you sent e-mails, brought food(Karen, I loved those banana muffins) and Perry(your dinner was delicious and timely), cleaned the house ferociously and regularly(thanks Janie-Lou), delivered gifts, I can't count the number of phone calls I've received and tons of large double doubles. Many of you have been praying for me(us) and we have seen the answers to your prayers. As I've written about before, many of you helped tremendously during our flood.

I have experienced an awful roller coaster of emotions as I struggled with major infections post surgery, as well as complications with new medications recently. I knew going in that the undertaking of surgery would play with my emotions, I was quite apprehensive as some of you know. My apprehensions were borne out in the weeks following the surgery.

Today, as I sit here at the computer, my heart is full of thankfulness to God, my family and to each of you who have stood beside me during this journey. Your demonstration of love to me astounds me. I am so appreciative to each and every one of you. Some of you are family, some co-workers(practitioners of the Black Art of Mediation), many are church-mates, some long time friends and some are professional contacts. I don't think I missed anyone here. I consider you all to be friends. I can't finish this paragraph without thanking my little family, Jo, Josh and Alex who continue to stand with me through all: the good, the bad and yes, the ugly. They have seen my raw frustration and they still love me.

I am doing well. I have begun to think about some return to work dates, earlier than prescribed by the doctor. I have to do some negotiating before that happens. I am feeling stronger every day(you knew there had to be a musical reference somewhere in this post). I am, unfortunately, still experiencing some parasthesia with prolonged weight bearing which the Dr. says will take six to twelve months to resolve due to the amount of time the nerve was compressed. I will continue to have some restrictions while I recover. I am in less pain than prior to surgery. The physio has already helped, I am completely exhausted for the day when I finish one hour of physio, so I need their help with conditioning. I am doing ok emotionally. I have waves of great sadness at various times during the day, however, I am getting some help to navigate those waters. I haven't purchased my bike yet, I hope to work on that, this week.

As this is my last official medical update(hopefully), let me express my thankfulness again for your many kind gestures to me and our family. We are truly grateful for everything. Feel free to check the blog whenever to see what I'm up to.

Books I'm reading this week

I finished Cusslers, "The Chase" yesterday, it was a bit thin in the plot area. I think I figured it all out pretty early on. It certainly wasn't his best work. I prefer the Dirk Pitt, NUMA books.

I'm currently reading a few books concurrently: Love and Respect: The Love she most Desires, The Respect he desperately Needs, by E. Eggerichs (we will probably use this in a small group in the future), Making Music: Profiles from a Century of Canadian Music by A and T Barris(but no Chuck) and Midlife Manual for Men: Finding Significance in the Second Half, by S. Arterburn and J. Shore.

I'm going to try and fit in another Cussler book (thanks Bev) as well, just to keep the mix more eclectic. I'm planning on using the music book for some of my "obscure trivia" ideas for the next few weeks. I think I'll do a Canadian month of trivia for September.

I'm struggling to keep up with my daily read through the Bible and will have some catching up to do if I wish to successfully complete that challenge that I placed before myself.

I want to go Home

I want to go home. Home, a four letter word that means different and similar things all at the same time. Both my parents have passed, so there is no literal home anymore. I have a family and this building and the four of us make up our home. To many Christians, Heaven is often referred to as home. I was born in Ireland, and I have a longing to go home to Dublin at least one more time. My mother was born and raised Jewish and because of that I have entitlement to citizenship in Israel under the "law of return" and have always wanted to go "home" to Israel.

The greatest longing that I have at this time though seems to be to go to Ireland. I have a strange feeling that I need to reconnect with my past. To see what were once familiar places. To talk to family I haven't seen or spoken to in years. To go to the historical and simple places like the GPO and Moore Street. To walk the streets and remember or to forget and let go. Maybe to say goodbye. I can't put my finger on it yet, but I need to go there. I'm quite sure that there have been monumental changes since I was last there in 1985, never mind since 1969 when all nine of us arrived on September 30th and our lives changed.

I love Canada, I love being Canadian and there is no question that this is where I live and where my physical home is. I wonder why there is such a longing? What is it that calls me, beckons me to return home? Ah, another question to be answered in the quiet of my day. And maybe, just maybe some day soon you'll see a post on this blog from Ireland, wouldn't that be a treat? I'll keep you posted on my plans, if any materialize.

The big reveal for the week of Aug.25/08

Good morning music fans, it appears quite grey(or is that gray) out there, however the forecast looks promising for the long weekend. I trust you will enjoy it.

There were no guesses this week, either you are all on vacation, I totally stumped you or I'm boring you. I have gotten out of the habit of giving hints so I will try to remember that for future posts. I was also quite ill this week with a reaction to a medication. This journey has taught me more than a few things. Some of which have made it to the blog, some at a later date.

The song: Inside your Heaven
Recorded by: Carrie Underwood and Bo Bice
Written by: Andreas Carlssen, Pelle Nylen and Savan Kotecha
"B" side: Underwood had Independence day and Bice had Vehicle as their respective "B" sides.

The one thing that I mentioned in Monday's post was that I had seen both of these "artists" in the same venue. For Jo-Annes birthday in 2005, Alex and I took her to see the American Idol tour live and saw the "top ten" of that year, or was it in 2006?

Have a great weekend, enjoy the extra day off. Enjoy your family and friends. Be safe if you are travelling and enjoy the fleeting moments of the summer as fall begins to sneak up on us. Already I have seen some trees whose leaves have begun to turn and change colour.

I was hoping to be back to work on Tuesday, but that's not going to happen. In addition, I will not be seeing some of you in Toronto this week, unfortunately, I'm not ready for that kind of outing yet. I will truly miss seeing you. Maybe the "farewell" from the Lord of the Rings really was it for us, hmm.

I remain,

your musical tour guide.

Music expresses that which cannot be said and on which it is impossible to be silent

Chez Robert's BBQ and Grill is open again

Thanks to Kevin P. I can bbq again. I appreciate the simple things that people have done over the past 8 weeks to help me out. I have a list of all the things that many of you have done to help us out in this journey of recovery. For example, today Kevin our friend and Pastor came by and took both my bbq tanks to be filled. A great act of service. Now I can cook again, Brady's steak anyone?

Life outside the bedroom window

I awoke this morning and as I lay there I looked out of our bedroom window and watched as tiny insects scampered about on the lavender tree or is it a bush. It looks more like a tree these days. Sometimes I can see the Chickadees fluttering about as well. What was interesting was that I could only see out of part of the window as the blinds were drawn over most of it.

I wonder if that's how I see life. I only see the parts where I have drawn the blinds open and miss the parts where I have chosen not to open the blinds. I think I need to open the blinds more and see what God has for me in the rest of the window of my life. What about you? have you fully drawn the blinds open? Or are they closed to what amazing things are out there for you?

Obscure Lyric for the week of August 25/08

Good morning music fans, I hope y'all had a great weekend. We had company for some of the weekend and had a great time, thanks "Chief" and Mrs. Chief for coming and hanging out with us.

I had the darnedest time coming up with a song for this week, I felt drained of inspiration and then I sat at the keyboard and googled something and there we have it. On to the song. I found this particular song on a list of the 10 worst songs of 2005. To be honest it did really well and it was released by two different singers. It is obscure to me, I would never spend a dime on either of these two singers, but I bet if I checked the itunes library of this thing my 17 year old daughter will have purchased some of their music. Apparently, they both did really well, which says a lot about the listening and buying public. Oops, I hope I haven't offended any of you especially if you have the extensive entire libraries of these folks, oh well, forgiveness is divine, right, especially with regards to music tastes.

I must admit that I've seen both of these "artists" live and at the same venue, I'll explain at the end of the week.

This song was released in single form first by both of these artists.

When we touch, when we love
The starts light up,the wrong becomes undone
And naturally my soul surrenders

Here's what I want to know this week:

The name of the song:
Who recorded it (both people):
Who wrote it:
What was on the "b" side (there is no real "b" side on a cd is there?):

Have a great week I'm off to physio soon and remember, "if the phone doesn't ring, it's me"

A bbq'ing cardinal sin

I'm not sure how many of you realize that we live right beside Cardinal drive, but that has nothing to do with this post. It's just a trivial geographical thing.

I was in the middle of bbq'ing a "Brady's" Angus Beef NY Strip cut personally by Mr. Rob Brady himself for us and to my utter horror I heard the sound that told me that the tank was now empty. I purchased two new tanks this year to make sure that this did not ever happen. Unfortunately, I have lapsed and both tanks are now empty. I kept thinking of asking one of my many visitors to take the empty tank to get filled and never did and now they're both empty. A cardinal sin in the bbq'ing world I'd say.

Well, I have all these new pots and pans and having watched innumerable cooking shows over the last 7 weeks I figured I could cook the rest of the thing on the stove. You know what, it turned out ok. It was medium rare, just the way we like it and everything else was cooked properly.

I have two tanks to fill tomorrow, the problem is they are too heavy for me to lift. Alex has some heavy lifting to do tomorrow that she doesn't know about yet.

I love bbq'ing and will be back at it tomorrow. Somehow, I feel like I've been to confession, bless me father.

The big reveal for the week of Aug.18/08

Good morning music fans.

I trust you had a good week. It has been a beautiful week weather wise. Lots of sun this week and no rain during the day at least. I thought that this weeks song was an easy one, even though it was older than my usual posts. Most of you must be on vacation, although I am quite sure that I am older than most of you and this song is older than me, which honestly means nothing.

Here are your answers:

The name of the song: Folsom Prison Blues
The writer of the song: Johnny Cash
The name of the first album it was on: With His Hot and Blue Guitar
What was the inspiration for the song: While serving in the US Air Force in Germany, Cash saw a film named "Inside the Walls of Folsom Prison"

There were two people who got part of the answer correct, both identified the name of the singer and the song, one did some research and got the remainder of the information, so this weeks winner is Donna M at 10:19 a.m. on Aug.18/08. Brad F. also got the correct answers but he rang in at 10:22 on Aug.18/08.

Have an awesome weekend, enjoy family, friends, loved ones and the wonderful weather we have to spend time in. Remember to listen to some music, I'm still waiting to replace my now dead ipod with a new ipod touch, that's going to happen soon. Spend some time in our beautiful outdoors, enjoying the musical sounds of nature (unless you live in downtown Toronto). I watched and listened to a pair of chickadees flirt yesterday whilst sitting on my deck, it was beautiful.

I'm looking forward to seeing you today "Chief" have a safe trip.

I remain,

Your musical tour guide

"To me, the greatest pleasure of writing is not what it's about, but the music the words make."

I started Physio

I started physio yesterday. I still feel good, and I'm really sore from some of the exercises. I'm going to take this as progress. You know, the no pain, no gain crap. My therapist (the physio kind) just advised me that she will be flying off the Beijing next week to assist with the paralympics, what an awesome honour for her.

OK, back to me, I'm walking still and I am well emotionally. We drove to Chesley Lake on Tuesday, the longest I've sat in a car since I was working. Mind you, I took some breaks on the trip up and down, and we survived it. Thanks Steve and Rose I had a great day. I'm not driving much even though I'm allowed to. I kinda defer to Jo for the driving, except yesterday when I drove to the Dr's and to physio on my own.

You know, just as life has seasons, kind of like the "to everything there is a season" from the Byrd's, who lifted it from the book of Ecclesiastes in the Bible without formal citing, even though it is public domain, for now. It appears that my recovery has seasons too and this one is rather pastoral. The formal citing thing reminds me about a dream I had last night. I dreamt that I was writing a paper for something and I forgot how to cite my references and I knew that everyone else did, I was freaking out, then I found myself in a battle in Belfast between Protestants and Catholics. I have no idea where those dreams came from. I have never been to Belfast, no interest to be honest and it has been an extremely long time since I wrote a paper that required citing references.

Well it's just about time to do some stretches and other fun filled exercises, those of you who worked in clinics before(you know who you are) know what I'm talking about.

Hey, by the way, thanks for the phone call yesterday Barry, you know I am still the "hardest working Mediator" at the Board, nudge nudge. Love ya two times and miss you more.

The Seanchai (or Shanachie)

I've changed part of the name of the post. It used to be The White Rider, I am a great fan of Tolkien and that character is one of my favourites. Recently, someone I respect greatly suggested that one of the things he liked about my blog was the way that I included storytelling in my posts. Storytelling is a huge part of my life and my work life too.

Based on that I have changed my name to The Seanchai (which is the Gaelic version of the anglicized Shanachie). In olden times before books the Seanchai would travel the rural areas of Ireland and visit and tell stories and pass on the history of the country. He was a solitary figure who would tell tales of Gaelic heroes and when he was finished in a particular area he would vanish only to be found in the next village where the storytelling would begin again. He would arrive unnanounced and leave with the wisps of the morning dew.

Before the times of the wireless (that's what they used to call the radio) or the daily papers, history would be taught and told by the Seanchai. There's a bit of a romantic nature in the sense of the coming and going of the individual. They came and went as they pleased and were taken care of by those they told their stories to. There's something to be said for that type of hospitality that doesn't exist anymore.

I hope you like the stories as much as I like telling them.

Look at all the lonely people(with apologies to E. Rigby)

Jo and I did some errands this morning,three to be exact and then went to Harvey's for lunch at about 11:30 a.m.. I was so tired after the errands that I couldn't finish my burger or frings. I kinda felt like a toddler falling asleep in my KD(although I hate KD almost as much as peanut butter).

On another and infinitely more serious note, I couldn't help but notice the number of people (seven to be exact) who were sitting alone and eating their lunch in silence. Now I'm sure that some of them were waiting for some friends, colleagues, spouse or someone, however I felt sad by their aloneness. There are times that I like to be alone, but rarely if ever at meal times. Meal times in our house have always been times of enjoyment, for sharing of information and for a time to deepen our relationships.

The sense of being alone and eating a meal has always struck me as terribly sad. I wonder who these people are, do they have any friends? Are they alone or just lonely, although you don't have to be alone to be lonely. I have found myself in the middle of large meetings in different environments and felt alone.

I wanted to talk to them, to chat and hear what their story is. Why are they alone? Do they need help? Do they want to spend time with another person who will listen. Maybe that's the crux of the matter. How many of us really listen anymore? I'll have to think about this one for a while.

Obscure Lyric for the week of August 18/08

Good Monday morning folks, I hope you enjoyed the weekend as much as I did. Wow, it was busy. Busy is not always a bad thing though. I had the pleasure of serving some friends in a way that I like to serve.

I had an e-mail from one of you last Friday about the obscurity of the the Good Charlotte song and suggested I consider something even prior to the 1970's, my words that theirs. To be honest, this is not an obscure sing at all, it is by all accounts a seminal example of the work that this artist produced over the years. I have never owned an 8 track, vinyl lp, 45, or cd of this artist. I actually enjoy their style, tone and message, I've just never purchased(or downloaded legally or otherwise) any of their music.

The song was written in the early 1950's and first recorded in 1955. The artist is sort of a solo act, with background singers at times, family and other musicians participating in recordings and live. They style is a combination of folk and country music, if you ask me. It might be considered only as folk music by those in the know. On a purely trivial note, in the movie Starsky and Hutch, the song is heard as they enter a biker bar(now that I think of it it's a pretty funny song placement). According to Billboard Magazine, the song was number 1 on July 20, 1968.

But I know I had it comin',
I know I can't be free,
But those people keep a-movin',
And that's what tortures me.

I need to know the following:

The name of the song:
The writer of the song:
The name of the "first" album it was on:
What was the inspiration for the song:

Have an awesome week, I'm looking forward to further recuperation, physio starts this week and will be ordering a new bike (slightly smaller that Jo's) hopefully this week to add to my rehabilitation process.

Having just re-read the verse, I better get lots of guesses this week, even today.

Sunday "Brain Dump", thanks Kevin.

Since last Wednesday I have been feeling good, not like the James Brown "I feel good" jumping up and down, twirling and all that other stuff. No, I just feel good. I feel like I have finally beaten both of the infections that coursed through my body for at least four weeks like Ferrari's on the Autobahn. I just pray that they are finally gone. Now I can go about the business of finding the perfect bicycle, without training wheels as so many of you have suggested in jest (or were you serious)that I might need.

Even though the last few days have been extremely busy with preparing and cooking the dinner for the rehearsal party and then attending the wedding itself, I am doing well. Honestly, I needed to choose between the wedding ceremony and the reception and I chose the reception. I spent most of Saturday in bed, I was truly exhausted from all the cooking. This time of relaxation gave me almost enough rest to attend the reception. The entire event was lovely, and as soon as the Bride and Groom said their final "thank you", we were on our way out the door.

I wanted to dance, but was afraid that I might whack a few people with my walker and then a fight would break out and the police would be called, oops wrong wedding, that might happen in Virginia or South Carolina, but never in Elmira.

And so it goes (name that singer), the active process of rehabilitation will begin next week. Someone from corporate health called last week and couldn't believe that I had already arranged my return to work process with my manager. What is with these folks? I've been "doing" return to work for over 22 years and my boss has probably been doing it for 10 at least. We kinda know what we're doing.

When I am able I will return to work. I can't wait. I love what I do and miss the work and the people I work with greatly. But(I rarely say but), my doctor was clear, don't push it, so I'll be patient and get there when I'm good and ready.

It's Sunday, I'm still not up to going to church yet. I miss the church services and the members of the congregation and especially the music.

My ipod is officially dead, they sent me the money that we paid for it last year. Now I get to buy a new one and load all my songs on it, woo hoo.

I'm quite confident that I have successfully emptied a lot from my brain during this dump, there may be more and it will squeeze itself out at another time and I need my ice pack anyway.

We cooked up a storm

I had the distinct privilege of being asked to prepare and cook a rehearsal dinner meal for some very close friends. Jo and I had so much fun doing all the prep work and visiting specialty shops to get the perfect prosciutto and the perfect shrimp and other things too.

We created a timeline to get all the hot food ready in several waves so the brave souls who were delivering the food could get it out to the wedding party and assorted invitees. It worked, I couldn't believe how much food we cooked, but I can tell you that the BBQ was started at 6:00 p.m. and wasn't turned off until 8:30 or so. Food was being cooked in the oven and in the kitchen. When I was cooking either he chicken, sausage or shrimp there was no room on the BBQ. I should have taken pictures, but I was too busy cooking. I made sure to have my trusty 4 wheeler beside me so that I could sit and wheel around and not spend too much time on my feet.

As far as I can tell, everyone loved the food. Sorry Kevin, no leftovers. I'm quite confident that no one went home hungry. I left at about 9:15, I was done like dinner. My daughter came to pick me up, as Jo was still working in the kitchen. I basked in the glow of being given a challenge and accomplishing it. We started off with a plan and we executed the plan the way we expected.

Thanks to Steve and Rosanne a good portion of the last two weeks of my recovery was filled with planning this event and this certainly assisted me to maintain some sanity. It was so nice to have a responsibility and then "work" to make it happen. I miss my job significantly and this was a small way to feel like I do at work when I have accomplished my duties sucessfully.

I'm glad it's done and I'm so happy that everyone enjoyed themselves and the food.

My ipod died, however :)

I miss my ipod. It died last week. I had to send it to Texas to see if they can fix it. If they can't then there is good news, that's the however. They will give me what it cost plus the taxes.

If they can't fix it, I'm gonna buy a new one, but this time I am buying a bigger, better one, maybe an 8 or 16 gig touch ipod with all kinds of bells and whistles.

I really like them because it will include a calendar (so long palm), google maps (so long gps) and lots of room for music, I can probably store all the cd's I own and then download new ones from albums I haven't seen or heard in so long. So once again a negative turns into a positive.

That's one of the lessons I've been learning over these past six weeks

Dinner for Thirty Eight prepared at Chez Robert

It's not really dinner in the formal sense of the word, but it is a meal for thirty eight people. It's primarily finger foods, like chicken on a skewer, sausage with little coloured tooth picks and the piece-du-resistance is shrimp, drizzled in an amazing sauce, then wrapped in Parma Prosciutto and then barbecued. There is also warm artichoke dip, Jo's awesome bruschetta and veggie, fruit and cheese trays. Our good friends Steve and Rosanne knew I needed something to look forward to and called a few weeks ago and asked if I would consider creating a menu and cooking for the rehearsal party for their sons' wedding.

I immediately said yes. I love to cook and began scouring cooking shows on TV and recipes on the web and in due time we came up with something to present to Steve and Rosanne. They approved and yesterday Jo and I began all the prep work, making marinades, cutting chicken, preparing for "braided chicken" and all sorts of other stuff.

Almost everything is ready with exception to the shrimp which must be prepared last minute before going on the BBQ. This has been such a great tonic(no gin, I hate gin) for me as I have had little to look forward to over the past four weeks. We're in the final stretch and I am so excited to see how it looks and more importantly how it tastes.

I may take some pictures and upload them in case anyone is interested.

Bon Appetit.

The big reveal for the week of Aug.11/08

Good morning music fans. It's sunny and cold here in the Township of Woolwich, but as someone said recently "at least I'm on this side of the grass and that's a good thing". So no complaints about the cold or the rain, or the weather in general, or anything for that matter, I'm feeling good. Not so many guessers this week, I think most of you must be on vacation. Here are the answers to this weeks question(s):

The name of the song: Predictable.

The writer(s) of the song: Probably Benji and Joel Madden.

The name of the Band: Good Charlotte.

The name of the album: The Chronicles of Life and Death.

The background for the name of the Band: They took their name from the children's book called "Good Charlotte: The Girls Of Good Day Orphanage.

The name of the drummer on this album: Chris Wilson, who did leave the band in 2005.

Scottie G. was the first to get all the correct answers at 9:56 a.m. on Aug.12/08.

Well that's it for now folks, enjoy your Friday and hopefully it will be a nice weekend, I'm cooking for 38 people tonight(with a ton of help from Jo), come back later to read all about that adventure in a later post today, or maybe tomorrow.

I remain, your musical tour guide.
I have my own particular sorrows, loves, delights; and you have yours. But sorrow, gladness, yearning, hope, love, belong to all of us, in all times and in all places. Music is the only means whereby we feel these emotions in their universality.

I want to ride a bicycle

Good news..................finally.

I saw my orthopaedic specialist today and he is pleased with my progress so far. I get to start physio next week, and I get to drive starting tomorrow, so stay off the sidewalks.

More importantly, both he and my family doctor have given me permission to begin riding a bicycle as part of my rehabilitation programme. So, now I'm in the market for a bicycle. I bought one for Jo for her birthday and may purchase something similar for myself. Now if we could just get some respite from the rain.

There are several flat bike paths locally which Jo has already begun riding. They are former rail lines and pass through beautiful countryside according to Jo. I am looking forward to getting out of here and riding on the trails and through town as well.

I already felt better today and this news really added to my sense of well being. I will take my time and will pace myself. My long term goal is to eventually be able to ride to work one day a week. It's a journey of 21 kilometers as the crow flies(sort of), but I will have to go through the village of St. Jacobs as I cannot go on the highway from the roundabout to Waterloo. That probably won't happen until next year, but a fella's got to have some goals, right?

Books, oh how I love to read

I have finally begun to read again, now that I can comprehend what I'm reading. I think I'm on my third or fourth book so far. I love to read, can you tell? I love the escape and the opportunity to learn and grow from the experiences of others.

Thanks to Bev I am currently reading a book by A.J. Jacobs entitled, "The year of Living Biblically" with the subtitle of "One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible".

One incident that he reminisces about really spoke to me in reference to where I am these days. I have struggled with being content in my protracted illness. The writer (A.J.) recounts a story where he gets locked in the bathroom when the inside door knob falls off bathroom door, thus disabling his ability to exit the bathroom. Mind you, all the door knobs in his apartment are faulty. That's not what struck me, it was his realization that there was nothing he could do about it. It was in that moment, after he had thoroughly observed everything in his bathroom, that he began to pray. He recalls that in this "spiritual" journey as an Agnostic he has had difficulty praying.

He says, "and, perhaps for the first time, I pray in true peace and silence -- without glancing at the clock, without my brain hopscotching from topic to topic. This is what the Sabbath should feel like. A pause."

I realized without too much of a stretch, that his reference to the Sabbath was in some way like my protracted illness or in other words a Sabbatical of sorts. I need to treat this time as a Sabbatical rather than as a time of unrest.

Thanks for the loan of the book, Bev. It may return slightly more dog eared than when it was given, however as a compeer in the love of books and literature, I'm sure you will understand.

House Rot

This blog has nothing to do with my house rotting, just in case you were concerned.

I chatted with a friend of mine today. She works closely with migrant Jamaican workers in the Niagara area. She told me about what they refer to as "house rot". We might call it "cabin fever" or something like that.

I really like the Jamaican expression, if something or someone sits too long then they get house rot. I think I have it. The little walkabouts with my four wheel friend(with reflectors) , trips around the countryside and infrequent visits out to see friends do little to delay or stop the rot.

Effective this Thursday, I am supposed to be able to drive again. I can't wait to get out, open the sunroof, turn on the tunes and de-rot myself. Now, if i could just get my ipod replaced by Thursday, I would be flying.

Thanks Jane, I feel better already.

Update on Rob, Aug.11/08

Hi there, my faithful readers of the somewhat daily entries in the days of my life.

So there I was just a walking down the street (and no I wasn't singing do wa diddy diddy dum diddy do) and going to see my Dr. whom I trust explicitly with my wellness when all I could hear was whammo. That which I thought was real, was not and the unreal was/is more real than anything else you could think of. I was sitting there enjoying the understanding that there were no infection racing through my body when another whammo (just like in the old Batman shows with Adam Burt). Here I was thinking I was doing ok, then my doctor(who I love) tells me about about some elevated white blood cells and a couple other things that showed up on the hospital report.

All that to say, I still have an infection. I am now on my second regimen of anti-biotics and praying that they will work. It appears that the prednisone helped, but really only masked the problem, which isn't a whole lot of help, don't ya know. I'm now off the prednisone and co-incidentally my feelings of wellness should be returning any day now, I hope.

Thanks for being there for me, please don't go anywhere. I believe that this recovery will appear and will enlist the aid of others to get me over this proverbial hump "as time goes by" (can't you just hear Humphrey Bogart say: "you played it for her, you can play it for me"). He never did say, "play it again Sam" particularly since he was speaking to someone named Rick.

Your prayers, calls, gifts of presence, e-mails and visits have done and will continue to do wonders for my recovery.

Goodnight Mrs Calabash, wherever you are,

Rob

Obscure Lyric for the week of Aug.11/08

Welcome to the OML for the week of Aug.11/08. This song is for Gary D. who correctly advised me that music was still being composed after 1977. I knew that already, but I seem to get stuck in the era where I enjoyed the music so much, I'll have to find some new radio stations from where to glean my obscure songs.

This song is certainly obscure to me. I know that at least one of my children have cd's from this band, however I am unsure if I have ever heard them. I would be downright lousy at the game this week. Let's see who gets it first. I really don't know if the band is any good or whether they are crappy, I'll have to have a little listen before Josh heads back to school.

The song is something that I am not. The album was released in 2004 and apparently this song was one of the "hits". Not that I would ever know that, except through my research.

Here are the lyrics:

Why am I so cold
Why I'm so hard inside
Why am I scared
What am I afraid of

I need to know the following:

The name of the song:
The writer(s) of the song:
The name of the Band:
The name of the album:
The background for the name of the Band:
The name of the drummer on this album:

I will leave you to your own devices. I hope you have a great week, looks like we might get some more sunshine and less rain. It will be quiet around here as Josh leaves for Virginia today and Alex is away at camp all week.

I remain,

Your musical tour guide,

Rob

The Power of Music

Ever since I was a child, which was a long time ago, music has had a powerful influence in my life. As a youngster I listened to classical music and the operatic stars of those days with my Dad. He was not a musician, but apparently he had a nice voice. It was a time of enjoyment and education. He inculcated in me the love and power of music. His teaching from all those years ago continues every time I hear a song or have the privilege to sing with the worship team at our church or especially when I have the opportunity to perform a solo. It is in those times that I feel the closest to God.

Music is an individual pursuit and an almost personal time for reflection, retreat and dream. Music is also a corporate undertaking. I remember when our family would gather at my Grannies house (interestingly it was always referred to as Grannies even though Grandad was still alive) for a session of singing old show tunes, ballads and rebel songs. Everyone was there, all my aunts, uncles, other relatives, friends and my innumerable cousins. Each one of us had a "party piece". A "party piece" is something that was prepared and sung at the family gatherings. Most of the songs were from the 20's and on and there would be recitations as well. My Dad would tell the story about Fontenoy and my Mom, with a small glass of sherry in her hand, would sing her song. Unfortunately, I cannot recall the title.

Mostly though, the songs were rebel songs. These were songs about how bad the British were and how good the local boys were in fighting for Ireland's freedom from the British, particularly at the Easter Rising in 1916. I inherited my Grandads party piece and I am still called upon at family gatherings (whenever they occur) to perform that song: The West's Awake by Thomas Davis. I was amazed to find that there are recordings on youtube if you would like to hear it, or you could purchase my CD as I recorded the song there also.

In the here and now, music brings both bitter and sweet memories, but more than that music has the ability to stir the heart to do great things. I find that depending on the music I am listening to I am either nudged towards a manic state of joy or the abject sadness that might if left alone to it's own devices lead towards depression. Music demands a response, no mater what it is, you must respond. It is in these memories that I think of the power of the music. Different songs or pieces of music stir my memory so that I recall events and people. Music also brings some accountability as memories trickle and flood I am reminded of that someone who I need to contact.

The problem with music today is this: most of us do not make the time to stop and listen anymore. It's just noise that fills the air, often referred to as "background music". Do we express the respect for the writers and musicians by listening to the music and dissecting the sounds to hear all of it? I have the great privilege to drive significant amounts of kilometers for my job. Besides listening to some teaching on my satellite radio, I spend much of the time listening to my ipod (through the car not via earphones, that would be unsafe). Often, the visual stimulus of seeing sunrises, whiffs of early morning fog, lonely hot air balloons, fields of grain swaying in the early morning breeze combined with the music in my car exhilarates me and prods me towards a feeling of euphoria at the opportunities that lay ahead of me that particular day.

It reminds me that the outside forces, both positive and negative, have an affect on my mood and can be a harbinger of what lies ahead in my day. Every day that I travel to work, I take the first few minutes after leaving the driveway and play music that is spiritually uplifting and this works to take the focus away from me and shifts my focus to Him who created all of this.

Wow, the power of music has taken me on a bit of a journey this morning. This is what I love about blogging, I really like starting somewhere and letting the keys take me where my thoughts (however loosely connected) want to go. I love music, it plays a huge part in my life. My ipod is broken right now, so I have some difficuly listening in private. I like the freedom of getting lost in between the earphones so I can let the daily stuff wash away and I can once again drift away (thank you Dobie Gray). I miss the solitude. It's not that I want to be away from anyone, I just want to be alone with my music and enjoy the power and majesty of the created and the Creator.

Let me know if you have similar or contradictory thoughts.

Rob

The big reveal for the week of Aug.4/08

Good morning and welcome to Friday. It's cool out there this morning, so make sure you wear some warm woolies today(I can hear the chorus already: ("yes dad"). I received very few guesses on this weeks song. I hope that all of you are able to access the blog.

This song was a favourite of ours back in the 70's. I love the artist, he has written amazing stories into his music. I remember being at a coffee in my high school (Lakeport High School) in either 1971 or 1972 and hearing a blind piano player play one of this artists most famous songs and I was hooked. It was just him and his piano and he was in a different world. It's funny how memories return like that.

Those were simpler time, of course with the exception of asking a teenage girl to dance or go on a date. Now that was stress. Me, I'm glad I'm here and not having to go through those times again.
Here are today's answers:

The Singer: Billy Joel.
The song: Scenes from an Italian Restaurant.
The album: The Stranger.
The co-producer: Phil Ramone.

The winner this week at 9:04 p.m. on Aug.4 was R. Soleil a man formerly known as Bob and continually loved by all, we miss you pal.

Did you realize that today is 08-08-08? There has got to something cool about today. I challenge each of you to find something special about today and share it with someone you love.

Have a wonderful weekend, enjoy your family, friends and loved ones. As the song says, enjoy a "bottle of white, a bottle of red" if that is your bent. Take some time to cook some wonderful food and enjoy the "gift of presence" that many of you have blessed me with.

I remain,

your musical tour guide,

Rob

"Music is the mediator between the spiritual and the sensual life"

p.s.

check out the Lion King version on the youtube bar below.

Update on Rob's recovery

Good morning and welcome to my blog. For those who are new to this, I have wanted to blog for some time and finally figured out how to do it. So here it is. From now on, all updates will be on the blog, feel free to visit and see what's on my mind as well as for updates on this journey called recovery from back surgery. The Obscure Musical Trivia group has seen the blog already.

I am doing quite well. My lungs appear to have cleared up thanks to the prednisone and other things. I do not have a blood clot, although the initial treatment was somewhat brutal (I still have the huge bruise to prove it). I am extremely thankful that I do not have to get any more heparin needles. I see my surgeon in just over a week and look forward to his assessment of my progress to date.

The basement is completely restored following the flood. At this point you would be hard pressed to know that there actually was a flood down there. One of you has offered to come and steam clean the carpets when everything is returned to its' rightful place. I look forward to another visit. Thank so much.

I have struggled emotionally with all the events from the previous two weeks. It has been tough to sit and watch other people come and do all the things that you did in such a short amount of time. It was hard on me not being able to help. Now, those of you who know me very well, will know that I might have been in the way anyway, but I digress. I have learned valuable lessons from each of you. I have also learned that I can trust the Lord and my friends to be there when I need them most. Thank you to those who have shared the "gift of presence" and have just sat and spent time with us over the past 4 weeks or so.

I have been walking outside almost daily and have been able to get to the end of the street(the long way) and back. I am hoping to extend that and will eventually be walking around the block. When I see the Dr. in about two weeks I plan on asking for permission to start riding a bicycle (as opposed to walking). If allowed, I hope to purchase a new bike (like the one I got for Jo-Anne's birthday) and start taking back control of my health. I hope to make riding part of my recovery program and use it to "restore the years of the locust". That's a reference to the book of Joel, chapter 2, verse 25 if you are interested. There are lots of flat riding paths around here, so if permitted, I will be riding the trails as soon as possible...............happy trails to you........!

I have come to a crossroads, I am in the second half of the game and want the second half to be of better health than the first half. It is my intention to make choices that will prolong my life and make it more enjoyable. What all those choices are I do not know at this time. There are things that I have no control over, however, I can choose many things including my attitude, as Viktor Frankl said:

"everything can be taken from a man but one thing, the last of human freedoms, the freedom to choose one's attitude in the midst of one's circumstances"

So there you have it, I am well and looking forward to being even better physically, emotionally and spiritually. Thank you to those who have visited, helped, called, e-mailed, lent libraries of books and most importantly prayed. Were it not for your prayers, I'm quite sure that my recovery would be no where close to where I am today.

I miss seeing my work colleagues and I miss the work too. However (it's not but), I will do exactly what I am told by the Dr. to ensure that when I do return I will be in the best physical health possible and ready to serve the people that I do.

I am always open for e-mails, call, visits and large Double Doubles from Timmies.

Rob

Obscure Music Lyric for the week of Aug.4/08

Hello out there music fans, today we celebrate Simcoe day. This has absolutely nothing to do with this weeks lyric. I just thought I would bring it up. It's the end of a long weekend, but for me it doesn't feel like it. I've been off for four weeks so the entire time feels like a long weekend, without the endless traffic, packing, unpacking and assorted stuff that occurs on a long weekend.

I would, however, like to have a Weber's burger again. Does anyone else remember running across the highway to get to Weber's on the way home from the cottage before the bridge was installed?

Alright, on to this weeks lyric. I have used this writer before, however it was a very different and older song. This song was released in 1977 and was not one of the hits from the album. The song was never released as a single and was a medley of sorts.

Here are some of the lyrics:

And the family is fine
Oh we lost touch long ago
You lost weight -
I did not know you could ever look so nice after so much time.

So there you go, let me know what you think about these fine lyrics. I gave a hint to Dan and said that they were for him. He'll have to think carefully about the visit to figure this one out. Miracle Max has nothing to do with it either.

I hope you all have an awesome week, I'm looking forward to a week and a half from now when I am allowed to drive again. Most of you know that I'm not one to wish my time away, I don't hate Mondays(not a hint) and I never wish it was Friday, however I really miss my freedom. Maybe I can meet some of you at Casa Rugantino some time for lunch.

I need to know the following:

The name of the writer.
The name of the song.
The name of the original album.
The famous producer of the album.

Take care, I'm here all week try the veal,

Rob.

After the Flood

What appeared to be a tornado of destruction, turned into an awesome demonstration of love and care for our family. Just over a week ago, a severe storm hit Elmira, a few days later we discovered that we had been the recipients of a flood. Numerous calls to our insurance agency resulted in the anticipated disappointing reply, "we can't help you".

It was time for another type of flood, the flood of despair. I have to admit that I was in the "pit of despair" as I could see no exit. All that was needed to make this worse would have been screaming eels or ROUS's. The light at the end of the tunnel was a train barreling at me. I cried out to the Lord and he sent me two angels with shop vacs to suck up the flood of rain water and the added tears from me. They were quickly followed by a flood of volunteers who did everything from removing damaged underpad, pulling up carpet, disposed of damaged drywall, took off and then cleaned panelling and then restored everything to what likely is better than before the flood.

Now it's time for another flood, this one of thankfulness, grace and appreciation. Thank you to Rick, Sharon, Kevin, Maki, Stan, Jay, Barrett, Ken, Steve, Walt, Craig, Gerry and of course to Jo-Anne who looked beyond my fears and took over the responsibility of making sure all this happened in just over a week.

I am indebted to each of you for your service to me. You treated me with love, care and respect in the midst of a difficult flood and then pulled me out to see all I have to do is ask.

The big reveal for the week of July 27, 2008

Welcome to the first "big reveal" on my new blog. I have wanted to do this for some time and now here it is. Feel free to check back whenever you wish, I will add more thoughts when I am able to sit long enough to write them.

Thanks to all who replied this week and we have a first time winner here at the "Obscure Musical Trivia" heretofore referred to as OMT. Congratulations to D. Marshall who submitted the correct answers at 9:55 a.m. July 28, 2008.

The answers are:

The writers: Jackson Browne and Brian Garofalo.
The song: The Load-Out (Stay is actually a different song).
The album: Running on Empty.
Who it's (the song) about: His roadies

Have a listen(at the bottom of the page) and enjoy. It really brought back some wonderful memories for me from the late seventies.

Have an awesome long weekend, it looks like the weather will be amazing. If you are travelling, take care, if you are just hanging out enjoy your family, friends and some wonderful music.

And remember:

"You don't love someone for their looks, or their clothes, or for their fancy car, but because they sing a song only you can hear"

Your musical tour guide,

Rob