Blogging anniversary 1 year completed and more to come

I was sitting and thinking and looking at changing the blog this morning and realized that I have been doing this for some time now. I started to blog July 28/08 as a means to stay in touch with you after my back surgery July 3/08.

I can't believe that a year has already passed since I started to put my toes into the ocean of blogging. I am not a literal swimmer and in this pool I have barely begun to paddle even after this first year. I have recently begun to write about being honest with myself and you and this new year of sorts will be a different challenge, and those of you who know me well, know that I like to challenge people to change mindsets, get out of self created prisons and to reach out to others so they are not alone in this journey.

A year, that is: 12 months, 52 weeks, 365 days, 8760 hours, 525600 minutes, 31536000 seconds that I have not used to my potential to do the best for others. My new year challenge to myself and to you, take every second captive to do my (your) best for others. If done, this place will be better for all. Never mind all the political wrangling, care for your neighbour, look out for those who are hurting(they are probably working right beside you(or even living in your home) and reach out and make this existence better for someone else.

The big reveal for the week of Aug.10/09

Hello out there it's Friday and once again your musical tour guide has the day off again. Beauty eh! Summer is here and that lovely sound you are hearing is the gentle hum of air conditioners keeping us cool. They didn't need air con (as my American family says) at Woodstock, they had rain, mud, rivers to skinny dip in and they had each other.

I heard from several of you this week. I received another interesting story about one of the players that you may see on this weeks video. My friend Perry D. hung out with the conga player from Richie Havens band in the 80's, cool eh. he(Perry) is a really cool friend, you should see him when he plays bass, he makes that thing sing.

Although a number of you mentioned parts of the answers, no one "rang in", so.......

Here are your answers:

The name of the song: Strawberry Fields Forever

Who wrote it: John Lennon

Who performed it at Woodstock: Richie Havens

Time he started: 5:07 pm

Place named after this song: Strawberry Fields, Central Park, NY, NY

Have an awesome weekend. Mine started last night when I turned off the alarm for this morning, man I love getting up early and I really like the extra sleep too. It's going to be really warm (apparently) this weekend so make sure you stay well hydrated. And no matter what you do this weekend try to spend some of it with those you love and cherish. As some one said, yesterday is the past, tomorrow has not yet arrived and today is all we have, that's why they call it the present, cheesie I know and probably paraphrased incorrectly, but the feeling is there.

Dreams have only one owner at a time. That's why dreamers are lonely.

Time for a change

I decided the blog needed a little changing.

So I did, I hope you like it, it's a little stark, maybe even severe in the look, but I wanted it to be different, and it is. Let me know what you think.

Rob

Coffee with a friend

Wow, two in a week. I received an email recently(see Tuesday's musing) and I had coffee with a friend this week. We have known each other for several years, but have not yet had the opportunity to just sit and chat 'til last night.

It's funny how similar life experiences create such a bond and so quickly. I had the privilege to just sit and listen and be listened to, it's been a long time. There was no diminishing of expression, no magnification of the good stuff, just real open conversation. Wow and Thanks!

Tuesday Musing (#47)

Happy Tuesday everyone

It was a dark and stormy night, sounds like the beginning of a children's story, but it's just the way the weather has been now that summer has arrived. Sometimes things arrive as they were expected, some things arrive unexpectedly and some come right out of the blue, which is an appropriate colour, since it is supposed to be summer and the sky is supposed to be blue.

I sent an e-mail yesterday to an old friend on the occasion of his birthday. We don't see each other nearly as often as we should and we are trying to remedy that. In fact, there were years of famine in our friendship, no one knows the reason for the famine, but it was there. And all of a sudden, he called and said that he heard a song that was from a time when we travelled together and felt he needed to reconnect. Since then we have remained in contact usually by e-mail, and I think that we have gathered with the entirety of both of our families on at least one occasion.

What came out of the blue was his response to my e-mail. I will spare you the details but generally he spoke of the depth of our friendship even though it has been rare in the last 20-25 years that we have been together physically. What an encouragement he provided to me in that short missal, or is it epistle?

I wonder why we don't invest in friends enough, or maybe it's me. I have few people that I would consider friends and I have not taken the time to visit upon them the blessings of appreciation that were visited upon me yesterday. I need to spend some time thinking and more than that doing some things with the people I consider friends. One in particular needs to apologised to as I had hoped to spend time with him a couple of weeks ago and my "schedule" got in the way.

How about you. Have many friends? If so, consider yourself blessed. I believe that most of us don't have many that we are completely open to. And if we have any, we have probably have not developed real intimacy (you know what I mean) where we have been transparent and open in those deep friendships. Once again, the words of Harry ring in my head, "we'll get together then "friend" you know we'll have a good time then. Don't have any friends? You are not alone, although this is probably closest to what and how you may feel. If you are reading this because you know me, write me and we can chat, if you don't know me and want someone to chat with send a comment and I will reach out to you. If you are female, my wife will do the reaching.

Thanks Reg, you made my day, and it was your birthday, now that's a friend!

Happy Tuesday everyone

Obscure Lyric for the week of Aug.10/09

Good morning and welcome to another week in August. Looks like real summer weather this week, hot, humid and steamy. The old air conditioner is going to get used this week. I wonder how hot it was at Woodstock 40 years ago? We all know they had rain, no matter how hard the chanted "no rain". That was at least one thing they had no control over.

This weeks song was sung by the very first performer at Woodstock 1969. he did not write the song, but I will ask you who did. It's not that tough when you see the words. But I know then answer. The song does not necessarily sound like the original, but covers are often different as one person noted.

Living is easy with eyes closed

misunderstanding all you see

it's getting hard to be someone but it all works out

it doesn't matter much to me

I would like to know the following:

The name of the song:

Who wrote it:

Who performed it at Woodstock:

What time the first act(this person) started at Woodstock:

Where is there a place named after this song:

Have a great week, enjoy the heat and the summer that has arrived. I will be away on Friday, but will send out the big reveal on Friday morning anyway. I wonder how many of you will get this one. Looking forward to hearing from you.

So much to Say #1

Here begins a new journey in my blogging experience. To date I have qualified everything I have said with a fine personal editing tool. I need to move beyond that for my sake, not yours. It all stated with a date with my girls, my beloved and my darling daughter. More about that a little later.

Since this will become something that it has not been, I intend to be more open, creative (as much as I can) introspective, and even honest with you and with me. Please feel free to make your comments in the medium that is provided. I do not wish to spend time discussing with anyone with the exception of my beloved and my children (ands if necessary a trained professional). If that changes I will tell you, or ask you personally for your input. I know you understand.

So here goes.

I went to the movies the other night with my girls. We went to see Julie and Julia or is it Julia and Julie? The name wasn't that important, the details are. O by the way, There are no spoilers in this post.

Interesting, funny, apparently real situations, blogging, the current required anti republican political comments and more filled the screen. I was most impressed with the blog stuff though. The heart of the blogger is shown (not a part of the film I anticipated). They (the writer Julie and the filmmakers) seemed to express what I want. I want to say things that I think are important and sometimes what I have to say either is going to (unintentionally) hurt, offend or tick someone off and then I don't write it. I was unimpressed with the political rhetoric which is a mainstay of American film making these days. At least they didn't get into the latest on the snitch requests, health care bill (tax money paying for abortions) and so much more drivel, oops I'm off course.

Sometimes I am afraid to say what I want because it might upset people. I want to scream when I am hurting, I want to cry out when I am sad, I want to shout from the rooftops when I am so happy that I could %&$#. But I can't or have not until this point. I have this editorial board in my head that says "you can't say that" because you will hurt someone, or it will be misread or who knows what. Or maybe my employer will not like it and try to fire me.

Maybe, just maybe, I need to say what I think. I have this strange compulsion to be honest to break from the "don't let someone see you crying" because it will hurt some someone else, message. I heard that so many times in my childhood that it has become a tape constantly playing in my head and I need to stop it, soon.

Look for some interesting posts in the future, whenever that is!

The big reveal for the week of Aug.3/09

Good morning music fans and welcome to Friday, what a beautiful week it was this week. Wow, so much sunshine, very little rain, summer is here and the livin' is easy, fish are jumpin' and the cotton is high. Man that Gershwin dude could write. C'mon, can't ya hear Janis singing that one? Another wasted talent gone to the stupid club. OK I didn't start out to write about that now did I?
This is not from Woodstock, but it is Janis!

No one guessed this week, either you are all on holidays, I stumped you, the hints were awful or all of the above. I don't know, didn't anyone get the "fortunate son" hint? yikes! Oh well there's always next weeks trivia.

OK here are your answers:

The name of the song: Born on the Bayou
What was on the A side: Proud Mary
The original name of the band: technically the original name was Blue Velvet, but I was looking for Creedence Clearwater Revival, who are now known as Creedence Clearwater Revisited
What time did they get on stage: 3:00 a.m.
Who wrote the sing: John Fogerty
Which "Wilbury" was at Woodstock: none of them were at Woodstock (I think)

Here is a great clip of "Born on the Bayou" that is not from Woodstock, apparently John Fogerty didn't like the sound from the Woodstock sound and it didn't make it to the movie . This one sounds pretty good to me.



Have an awesome weekend. The weather man says that there's a mixed bag for the weekend, rain etc. oh well ya gotta take what comes to you right? Whatever you are doing, enjoy it with family, friends or whatever other forms of loved ones you are with along with something nice for sipping.

Believe nothing against another but on good authority; and never report what may hurt another, unless it be a greater hurt to some other to conceal it.

Tuesday musing # 47

Happy Tuesday everyone

Man it feels like a Monday. I've been off since Friday and feel like I've been away for a while, that's a good thing. Certainly didn't miss the grind for many reasons.

Harry Chapin, in Cats in the Cradle, says: "I want to be like you Dad". It's a song that haunts me because being a Dad is not the easiest thing in the world. It is an amazing opportunity to be a Dad and to watch your kids grow, but it's not easy because kids take on the good and bad qualities that we have and I know more than most of you that I am not perfect and never will be.

My kids are pretty well grown up now and the eldest is pretty much on his own and my youngest is just about to leave the nest and fly on her own. In Chapin's song, he bemoans the fact that he didn't make time for his son when he needed to and now his son has no time for his Dad.

I made the time for my kids, saw almost all their games in every sport that they participated in, went with them on grade 8 trips, got involved in their activities as much as I could and yet I am scared that maybe I missed something. I lead them to the paths and then they must choose which one to follow. Both my (I should say our) kids have decided that they will be of service to others in some way and I guess that's my answer. They want to serve God as best as they can given the gifts and skills that they have.

If that's being like me, I guess I did alright and that's a pretty good deal. I am not perfect, I did what I have always expected from them in everything they did: I did my best.

Happy Tuesday everyone

obscure lyric for the week of Aug.3/09

August is here. August as an adjective means inspiring reverence or admiration of supreme dignity or grandeur or majestic. Now that has nothing to do with this weeks song, I just wanted to throw it in.

This weeks song was sung by a band at Woodstock on day 2. They were the 7th of 10 performers that day and were surrounded by such luminaries as Sly and the family Stone, Janis, some guy named Carlos Santana and Keef Hartley Band. The band (not The band, they did not play on day 2) has broken up members have left and then reunited with a slightly different name and have been known to play at Casino Rama. There may have been some brothers involved at some time and I do recall (this is a giveaway) that one of my first purchased albums has something to do with a factory. What I do recall about that was the traveling involved (and it's not the Wilburys, cause most of them didn't attend). This song was on the B side of a 45. There are lots of questions to answer this week so get your thinking hats on and a few fortunate ones will get some of them right.

Here are some of the lyrics:

I can remember the 4th of July

runnin through the backwood bare

and I can still hear my hound dog barkin

chasin down a hoodoo there

Here is what I would like to know:

The name of the song:

What was on the A side of the 45:

The original name of the band (and the current name):

What time did they get on stage at Woodstock:

Who wrote the song:

Which of the Wilbury's was at Woodstock:

Have a great week. It's a short one. Yes, I know that short weeks mean doing 5 days work in 4 days, but as the Eagles say (not a hint) "get over it". Looks like summer finally arrived, we just had an awesome weekend. I am now humming this song so much it's driving me crazy.