Wasn't Meant To Be Last night was one of those nights where the chips seemed to stack against me (and my buddy Caleb). I had planned to meet up with another dude earlier that night but said dude had to bail due to general sickness (which is understandable). Caleb had called earlier about getting together as Wednesday night is one of my only free nights of the week and so the two of us decided to hit up Elgin Street in pursuit of a quiet watering hole.
To our surprise, Wednesday night proved to be one of the BUSIEST nights that I have ever experienced. Yes - last night. Wednesday, February 25, 2009. Can anyone enlighten me about some unknown holiday I don't know about? We started with a haunt that is usually a sure-fire bet - the Lieutenant's Pump. After sitting for 10 minutes and having our ears bleed due to crowd noise (no joke) and receiving zero service, we left. 'The night is young' we both said to each other, pulling on our coats.
Next stop? The Fox And The Feather. This place has only ever been 60-70 % full in all of the times that I've been there (unless it is in the summer). We came in and were told by the manager to sit 'in the back, near the dartboard'. Again. Another 10 minutes passes by and no service. We left.
Number three? The Mayflower. A great local haunt that has limited space but that usually always has a few open tables. No dice. Standing room only. We also encountered a few loud and boisterous older women at the door who asked us for ID and then joked that they didn't really work there. After we left, the ladies at the door seemed upset that we were leaving and voiced their sadness. Caleb and I walked faster.
Four. Back down Elgin to the Manx. I've heard great things about this place but had only ever been there once and it was packed to the gills. Before we set foot inside, we joked about it, too, being a wash-out. It wasn't as full as the last time I was there...but it was pretty close with a few people waiting to be seated. A line-up? To get into a pub? I don't think so.
Five. Earlier (after we had left the Pump), we had joked that Hooley's was an option as it looked pretty desolate inside as we walked past it. Sure enough - Hooley's is where our collapse finally took place (and in a private romantic booth, no less!) Luckily, Sarah showed up later so as to dispel any rumours about Caleb and myself in a romantic setting and Creemore was consumed.
Only 3 nights left before no-beer month. Gotta soak up every last minute.
Movie Review 'The Brothers Solomon' My brother and a few other friends told me about this movie, and upon initially hearing about it, I wrote it off as a lame feature. The rumblings in my mind said 'There's no WAY Will Arnett and SNL regular Will Forte can be THAT funny for 1 hour and 20 some minutes'. I also heard it was laced with a lot of sexual innuendo humour which I find to be pretty unoriginal, over-used and lacking in comedic depth.
Boy, was I wrong.
The film basically follows the lives of John and Dean Solomon - two socially inept brothers who are trying to complete their dying father's last wish to be a grandfather (who is actually Lee Majors from tv's long running series 'The Fall Guy'). Yes - the premise seems ridiculous but in the end, after all of the awkward antics are done with, it is a film that has heart. In their quest to impregnate a female and have a child, the two brothers begin to see what really matters in life. As an added bonus, you also get to see Will Arnett wear very short shorts for the entire feature.
This movie shocked me in the sense that...I haven't laughed so hard while watching a film in quite some time. One scene in particular made me laugh to the point of silly, shaky giggles that even woke up my sleeping wife. As funny as Will Arnett is (and believe me - he has some side-ripping scenes), Will Forte actually steals the show with his amazing dialogue delivery and stunningly awkward smile. SNL regular Kristen Wiig also does a bang-up job as the mother- to-be.
If you are unsure about what flick to pick up the next time you are browsing the comedy shelves, give The Brothers Solomon a chance to warm your heart and your funny-bone.
Altered State This morning began in a not-so-usual fashion. I had to take my father to the Ottawa Airport for 4:15 am which meant I had to wake up at 3:30 am and get to the house for 4:00 am. The problem with this premise is that I really didn't even get into bed until 2 and fell asleep around 2:30 (after going to an open mic with a few friends and having a few drinks). As you can see, there are already serious problems with this situation.
The alarm went off and I don't remember hitting the snooze but Sarah woke me up by saying 'Please don't hit the snooze again!' which triggered my sub-conscious and got my arse out of bed by 3:38 am. I trudged to my snowy car after an hour of very deep sleep, turned the key and hit the empty, snowy roads. While on the queensway, I started to remember patches of the night (which had ended only a few hours previous) and something about singing backup vocals to the song 'Happen Now' by Plaskett as my friend Meredith played it. I rubbed my eyes. I also remembered something about Meredith running full tilt to the stage to sing backup for 'Knockin on Heaven's Door' and wiping out on the carpeted stage in a fury.
Did this all really happen?
I arrived at my parents' house. My dad was watching for me through the front windows as I saw his head move in the wintery silhouette of a dimly lit front hall. I was there at 4 am sharp. The lights went off and he emerged from the front door with his airplane golf-bag carrier (which looks like an artillery holding device) and a few bags. He got in the car and thanked me several times for taking him so early. He told me of his purchasing a new blackberry and not really knowing how to use it. I told him about the texting benefits but I could barely speak I was so tired. We passed a few snowplows and made it to the terminal. We exchanged goodbyes and I hit the airport parkway on leg 3 of 3 of this early trip, excited to get back into bed. I remember thinking about Obama on the way home (which was, after all, the reason why I had to drive my dad as the airport wasn't able to guarantee parking or taxi service today because of security) and how the airport looked extremely empty. I wondered what he would think of Ottawa or if my dad would pass him in the air somewhere between Florida and DC.
I made it back to my driveway and back to my warm bed (after a quick gas station pit stop for some pepto as I seemed to be having some burning acidity). I slammed back some pepto and hit the warm sheets. The next thing I knew, I was in a store with chain-bar windows and everyone in the store was saying 'Oh! Here he comes. Everyone get down!' as everyone started ducking down low. Out in the street, there were several rifle-toting fatigued men with red lights on the ends of their guns. The lights came in through the store and scanned the streets and buildings. All of the soldiers then stopped and stood at attention. A very futuristic looking white car whirred past the store which obviously encased one President Obama. The car had red-stripes down its sides and had a massive fin on the hood (like that of a fish). That's all I remember.
I woke up to Sarah asking me about my time at the open mic. I was disoriented and wondered what had happened to the white fin car.
Canal Skates, Wings and Many Other Things Last night was wing night at The Arrow and The Loon. This place has become a local haunt for me as it's never too busy and a quick leap from Ecclesiax. I have been there for quite a few quiet lunches and the owner has been cool enough to give me (and other Ecclesiax folks) a discount. Sarah, my bro and a few other friends came out last night and everyone was satisfied...with the exception of The 'Dox. His mild wings were slathered in a ketchuppy/bbq sauce that was very thick and sloppy. Murphy's Law. The best wings you can order at A&L are (in my humble opinion) the hot variety. The sauce is there but not overpowering. They are also a few steps down from suicide so there's not much risk of indigestion. Unfortunately for Adam, if he has even the slightest tinge of a jalapeno fall into his food, he is chained to the can for days.
Sorry Dox - come again and go for medium or cajun- dusted.
Afterwards, a few of us walked to the canal to get a beavertail (an obvious post-wing dessert choice). We were all talking about the 'Obama tail' and how his impending visit seems to be such a massive ordeal and that everyone is so wrapped up in the 6 hr visitation of another person. Sure - he is another person with armed guards, an entire secret service, a private airline system and an armoured car that is coming with him...but he is still a human being.
On another note, I may be driving my dad to the airport tomorrow morning at 4:30 am for the very same reason of Obama's visit - taxis and everything else may be pretty tightly-squeezed. Good times. Anyone want to pull an all-nighter?
The Generic Lines Of Family Day Apparently, these days, the federal government has to institute a day so as to tell families when it is kosher to spend time together. I just got back from a local establishment that I frequent in the Glebe and it was a zoo of highchairs, yuppies, baby-boomers and young parents acting the part. Usually, this establishment is bare on a monday and for a moment, I thought I had entered a time-warp/daycare portal.
The funny thing is that I didn't see any parents with teenage kids or older - it was all parents with young kids (8 years old as the max age). Geographically, the Glebe is filled with young families so it makes sense but it just sort of irks me that this day is just an excuse for well-jobbed people to steal taxpayers' money. It's almost as if young families want to show off because when the children are young, it appears that there are 'no problems'. When you have teenage kids, things change. It's not such a romantic concept to have and raise a family. It becomes a chore.
I don't know about you but I didn't really always 'love' the concept of spending time with my family when I was younger. I remember once driving to Nashville, TN on a 19 hour straight ride and having to pee. My road-raged Dad was all about staying on schedule and forced my brother to hold a McDonalds cup under my apparatus while I urinated. I'm pretty sure this made my brother gag repeatedly. Over time, though, I have grown to love everyone in my immediate family and see the need for us to get together occasionally. We have all spent a lot of time together over the years and have put up with a lot of each other's bullcrap. There's power in that.
Socially awkward parents seem to be popping up all over the grid, these days. One thing that I can safely say my parents did well was to raise me with an acute awareness for that which is going on around me. They raised me to have respect for people of all kinds. Who are these young parents who barge into restaurants and demand highchairs? Who raised them?
The weather is pleasant today. I think I'm going to try and enjoy it.
Sittin' On Your Biscuit...Never Havin' To Risk It I have been playing a serious game of Risk this afternoon with my wife and some good friends. This game draws out the worst in people. It's funny how even the most well-planned strategies become personal. After a while, if you hang around long enough in a game, all strategy goes out the window and it becomes about attacking the person whose battle style annoys you the most.
Does this translate to real life war situations? Absolutely.
Here's an update on our current game: -Landon is sucking. -I am a sitting duck with no allegiances but with decent troops spread out. -Owen is dominating and getting very wound up. -Harley is fortified but most likely next to be outed. -Sarah is losing in a battle royale against Owen and will probably be out before I finish typing (as their epic battle is still ongoing).
And as I finish this post, my prediction was right - Sarah is out.
Weather Droids Weather is such a massive mood predictor. It seems that more and more people and friends of mine are becoming affected by Seasonal Depression. On a day like today, though, I think all are thankful for a little warmth and ray of golden sun. It's such a feeling of release to be able to remove your jacket and just walk outside with only a hoodie. It's life-giving.
I've been thinking a lot about Jesus and all of the teaching of Scripture and how...Jesus never really endured a winter! In his time on earth, he was in a pretty hot/tropical section of the globe. Weird eh? I think there is much to be learned from the seasonal swing as the winter teaches us methods of perseverance and rest while the summer teaches us to experience life outdoors in the beauty of nature. Jesus never had that seasonal dichotomy and pretty much lived 33 years in summery weather. Why?
Alright. What I have to say within the duration of this blog may not sound friendly, nice or very Jesus-like but it must be spewed. What is the deal with fashionista-mom trends? Where I work (in the Glebe), there are thousands of young, stroller-shoving mothers who scurry about the local businesses within the region. I've noticed a few things: -They like big, long puffy coats (usually black or grey) and copy each other within fashion choices -They don't care if you are walking toward them on a sidewalk because they will ram you with their strollers -They take as long as they want to when ordering at coffee shops -They don't really try to look different and blend into the fabric of every other young mom in the region -They seem to think that having a child in a stroller is code for 'Have pity on me/notice me/get out of my way'
This morning dans Starbucks, there was a young mom placing an order. I was the second person behind her in line. She had a black puffy coat. She said the words 'I want...oh, what DO I want?' while jingling her change about in her hand and hushing her child (and even asking her child who was not yet old enough to speak, let alone read minds, what she wanted). By the time she finished, looked around and had her staged moment, there were 6 people behind me in line. The whole ordeal took about 7 minutes.
Example #2: Upon leaving Starbucks, there were two ladies (same age as the Starbucks mom) who were ahead of me on the sidewalk, both with strollers, and moving at a snail's pace. As they sensed I was moving closer, they both stopped their convos and turned to look back at me. Did they move aside and let me through the snowy sidewalk? No - they did not. They stood there and expected me to go on to the busy street and go around them. It would have taken 2 seconds for one mother to move her stroller ahead or back to let me pass.
Is there need for that? Really? Is there? When you become a mother, does it mean that you give up on life and become engulfed by your own baby-esque bubble? Is there some chemical that is emitted from strollers that goes into the bloodstream of these mothers that tells them 'Hey! Act really aloof and draw as much attention to yourself as you can! It's all about YOU!'
Having said that, it is important to asterisk the notion that I DO indeed have friends who are moms...but for the most part, I'd like to think that most of my friends have a general clue about life and the regard of others. I love moms and I hope my wife has the chance to be one some day BUT in no way do I think that motherhood gives someone a 'free pass' to act like an ass.
I know - I have NO clue how to be a mom. Am I saying it's simple to raise a child into this world? Absolutely not. What I am saying, though, is that it is equally important while raising a child of your own to still respect, notice and look out for those within your immediate vicinity. There are new studies that talk about the learning rate of infants and the studies are astounding in the sense of what infants can absorb, retain and communicate (i.e. sign language, music, etc.). If that is the case, then, and a mother-child bond is like nothing else in this world, shouldn't moms be extra careful about how they act when they are in public? Just asking.
Energized Just had one of the best Graven practices to date. I didn't think I would actually go to Brockville yesterday and Montreal today...but that's what happened. The sound was ripping at full tilt. Owen was head-bobbing and funkin' riffs, Paul was crunching out thunder and great new sounds, Landon steered the bus with confidence and skill and a sleepy Ray came to life and thrashed with all of his being on the bongos.
More to come tomorrow. (p.s. I'm realizing that I wrote this yesterday night but forgot to post it. Don't hate.)
I Took The Dartmouth Ferry Into The Town... For some reason, even though it is nowhere near my favourite Plaskett song, that song (Nowhere With You) gets stuck in my head for weeks, even if I only a hear a trace of it somewhere. The ability to write a catchy song is a craft that I have not yet mastered. Sure - we get all pissed and music-snobacious when a song is not 'original' or 'truth-holding' but making a song into a catchy refrain that claws its way into your cerebrum is a gift that only few possess.
Today was a decent day. I actually had some leftover time at my job to go and do a few guerilla recordings with Dean. Will those recordings ever be released publicly? Probably not but it was nice to know that I can still play drums, bass, guitars and vocals and record all of those aspects of a whole song in just over an hour per song. That's the skill. That's the game.
The sun is dropping down. It is 4:39 pm. Thursday has been alright.
The Reflective Series - Part 1 (I'm starting a five part series that will focus on the importance of looking back in order to look ahead.)
I was 16. It was the summer of 1993. That summer, 22 of us who were around the same age were taking part in a leadership camp at IAWAH. Many of my foundations of life, love and faith were formed that summer...but in the same breath, I really knew nothing upon completion of the program. Strangely, I had met girls before but I never really liked girls the way that I did after or during that program. It's hard to explain. It's not like I had never been exposed to the female species up until that point...but it was something about the glow of the sun, the grass and the romantic/scenic vibe of the property that tinted everything in a certain light. I think I ended up trying to date/go out with about 5 or 6 girls out of the 12 (all at different times) and was ultimately rejected.
To this day, I look back with fairly fond memories upon that summer, even though it is a pretty sheltered view. I was exposed to some issues within people that I had never before fully seen. I'm not doing the entire summer justice, but just know this - it was unlike anything I've ever experienced since or before that point in time.
One guy from that summer in particular sticks out in my mind today - Jon Gale. Jon was always a pretty resourceful, sporty guy and loved being around people. We weren't really close friends but I do recall some fond memories that involved him. One of these memories happened in the summer of '94 and involved a Soundgarden concert in Hull (at Robert Guertin Arena) and shotgunning king-cans of Budweiser in the parking lot after the show. I also remember that concert being so unbelievably loud that my ears buzzed for a solid 3 days afterwards. Perhaps the cherry on the cake of the evening was when Cory (Jon's closest friend back then) was talking with a girl at Jon's house in Almonte after the show. I was lying on a couch in the living room, listening to their conversation. The girl turned to me to ask me a question and although I can't recall what the question was in reference to, I clearly remember beginning to answer her and completely passing out mid-sentence. I awoke a good 8 hours later with the sun bleeding into the room through a big bay window and feeling refreshed.
Apparently, Jon's dad passed away recently. I haven't talked to him in years. Wherever you are Jon, I wish you the best.
The Day Of SWAG Approaches 'SWAAAAAAG!!! Stuff We All Get' -Michael Scott, The Office.
It's coming. For those of you who have known me longer than a year, you know about a special day that is coming up this weekend. My rapidly-growing good friend Nathan is having his annual birthday party where he gives presents to everyone else and no one brings anything for him. That's right. Nope - you heard me correctly. On his birthday, he has a better time giving stuff to all of his friends than receiving stuff from others. Last year was a special experience for me (and you can read about it here) and I'm looking forward to it all over again. I only hope that there is no snowstorm this time and that I'm in a bit of a better mental place. (It's also only a 50 minute drive this year as opposed to the 6-hour hellish one last year).
I was able to have a good chat with my friend Nathan on the phone the other day as I asked him a few specific questions about why he feels the need to do what he does on his birthday. He basically stated that a lot of it has to do with 'tithing'. Nathan feels that if money is given to a church, sometimes you don't always know where it goes (i.e. that 10% you've been scraping aside for a year ends up being used on the purchase of a new leather couch in the front foyer or a new crystal fountain...but that was never made clear to you). He also basically stated 'If I can't give to my friends and the people who support me, how can I possibly give to a church or call myself a follower of Jesus?'
SWAG night approaches. I have to remember, though, that it ain't just SWAG - it's the chance to hang out with a friend..and someone who is making a difference.
