Got a lot done today. Made it home to hang my new curtains and switch out a light plate before seeing that the family was meeting at Encore for dinner I joined them and was happy to hang out. I popped home and grabbed a hair gift that I bought for Ashlée and ran it over to her. She had three old pics for me. Two were from my snake handling with Brutus in the March 1988 show of Talking with… at Cranbrook Community Theatre and one is of Rick and Suzanne and I in the early 80’s. She is Bill’s Godmother and has recently been moved into long term care. I loved the person I got to spend so much time with.
I finally started the great sort and purge by emptying many things out of my den, changing out a wall fixture and moving some shelves. It is much easier to access the freezer now. The games are sorted and I am slowly filling up boxes to go to the thrift store or transfer station. It is a work in progress for sure. Tracey is back from her cruise and we squeezed in a short visit. I made a delicious spicy soup for dinner which I may regret, but it was sure tasty. The kitchen is cleaned, garbage out for tomorrow and I will likely tuck in early.
I forgot to add the video of the engine from yesterday. So.. here it is
I have been daydreaming a bit about where to travel next year.
I woke up early and decided today was the day to winterized my ‘46 Willys as the insurance runs out tomorrow .
First I had my ABC Zoom and it was great to catch up.
It was sunny and cold. it started easily so I decided to head to Walmart to pick up the colour I need for my blanket (not available) and then get gas and stabilizer. I had fun on the journey, had a good laugh with a modern Willys I pulled up beside. Suddenly it started smoking so I pulled into the CP yard parking to let it cool down and google search the symptoms. I am guessing it’s a blown head gasket. I went a block and a half at a time, pulling over to cool down. Finally I was home and stored it in the winter spot and pulled the battery, with great sadness.
The day didn’t get a lot better when I learned a bestie is in hospital
This evening was amazing as I volunteered for the Bear Grease show. Serious, everyone should see it. They pre-announced that they are going to be off Broadway next summer, which is exciting for a Treaty 6 Alberta Indigenous take on Grease. I loved it!!
After party was a great girlfriend’s visit with Jess and Monica. I love the freedom to share anything feel safe in the bubble. It snowed!
I was at the nail shop for 9 and Minh had a black coffee ready for me! I love my new ‘Bucks’ season nails and we had a great visit as always
The sky was amazing today with the clouds following the mountains and then the full moon
I had an extraordinary moment today when I was contacted to see if I agreed to let my name stand for the Knights of Pythias volunteer award for 2024! I am so honoured to be nominated, just that means a great deal.
Tonight was 50/50 for the Bucks and it was also fun. It was good to see the new railings down the centre of the stairs in the arena. We raised a good amount of money too!
Just as the game was beginning I received a text with payroll hours that was suppose to come in earlier. After the game I went back to the office and ran it. I’d rather do that than go in tomorrow.
Rotary lunch was complicated by technical difficulties but was informative of the Horse Healing Haven it was also ‘welcome Ashley to member day’, and I am happy to have encouraged her to join for GrounFloor
The evening was a Friends With Benefits get together followed by trivia night. We sadly did not win, but had a lot of fun
I forgot the cool thing that happened today, I was refunded $80 Cdn and received an apology and assurance from Exoticca that there would be communication with the guide in the Galapagos who took us on the dangerous snorkel trip.
I volunteered for a show at Key City tonight and owe much gratitude to being placed on a door where I not only got to interact with Ivan and Smokii Sumac before the show, but enjoy their entire performances. Smokii is a passionate human whose animated feature that was part of the show spoke volumes to love and loss. Ivan took us on a journey through their early years as it intertwined with music of the 70’s, and 80’s and growing up in the Yukon. I may have a crush on them. We had a good laugh as they had mentioned Aussie Spray and I was actually wearing it yesterday. We also chatted about Atlin and know the same peeps there.
I met the family down near the cenotaph. It was a good service
I watched a guy put a picture down during the wreath ceremony. Afterwards I went to see it and talked with him. His name is Stephen Lathem and the picture is of his father.
Merrill Lathem of the West Nova Scotia regiment who served in Italy where in 1944 he was wounded.
Every year Stephen brings the photo down to honour his dad.
I went to the office to take care of some undone things which included my letter to the tour operator and my travel agent about the snorkeling incident.
I updated the FPPAS website and while on YouTube, looking for a video that I needed, I stopped in on my stats to see something cool. My Arlo Guthrie vid has nearly 80K views!
I also sent an email to all crew again giving them opportunity to buy t-shirts with the 2024 vimf logo on it.
I had a good talk with Cresslynn who is busy sorting and getting rid of stuff at the MusicFest office. She is going to find and keep my tote at her house and told me to just get rid of all the stage binders. It has been very hard on all involved and I only hope they can remain friends when it’s all completed. It was good to tell her I love and miss her.
I started to work on a VIMF blog by going through the years pulling my favourite pictures. It was quite the walk down memory lane and being that I started looking at The Big Time Out pics from 2008 and then MusicFest 2009 and on, I had to stop for another day.
I came home and made a nice dinner with just enough spice that I’ll be able to sleep tonight
I have pretty much been binging Doc Odyssey. It’s a little bit ER & a little bit Love Boat with Don Johnson at the helm.
I was awake far too early again so I got some things done. Around 1 I headed over to visit with Elva at Kootenay Winecrafters. While there I put down 3 batches which will be split with Monica. We had a good chat and then Gene called that he was ready to go. I wanted to take him to Kimberley to My Best Friends Closet to try on a pair of Fluevogs there. I know they would be perfect for Grad. Unfortunately, they were too snug. He did find himself a nice jacket though. We spent a couple hours wandering in and out of stores on the Platzl and chatting. It was a lovely afternoon
We got him back home by 5, had a perogies spread whipped up by Lukas, and then Rae and I headed off to the Kimberley Convention Centre for Ladies Night. It is the event that always feels like it is kicking off the season. We had great talks and that was nice as it’s been a while.
It’s good to just be home and rest in the afterglow of connection
Today was tough at work, but I got it done. I then headed to Encore for a bevie and intended to come home as there was a sold out show tonight. Rae had a booth and let me buy a ticket with the understanding that I would make sure no one took the spot reserved for her and other staff. It was nice, I was there for sound check, had time to relax and read my book, and had lively chats. And then the place started to fill to standing room only and I got a lot of stink eye, lol. I was alone so I did scroll my Facebook on occasion which lead me to two posts that I was dreading. Doug got a new job, and vimf put its Facebook page in hibernation. It is clearly done. I couldn’t hold back the eye leakage and as soon as others came to sit, I took my leave and cried all the way home. I shall post my feelings about all of this in another ‘ode’
I have struggled again with sleep the last two nights. Weird ass nightmare time, silly brain defragging.
It was pretty much a day defined by starting with an apology to a client who cares so much about me that it is all good.
Rotary lunch was great as I had the honour of introducing our guest speaker who is a local icon, the photographer Brian Clarkson. He have a beautiful presentation
Brian and Heidi
This evening, just as I was about to go into our board meeting, our janitor came to me that he wasn’t feeling right and thought he was going into a seizure. He kept trying to call his aide worker to no answer so I finally had him agree that I needed to call an ambulance. I also called his boss and she came down. I tried his worker again and she answered and came as well. The ambulance was there pretty quick and I left him in good hands to go to my meeting. I am glad I was there for him. He was very fragile.
The meeting was productive and we went to Boston Pizza after. I had a good snack with enough left for lunch tomorrow and had an especially ice visit with Steve about family dynamics. It was good to talk.. and be heard
The guy who bought my desk picked it up this morning and then it was off to the office. I had a lovely visitor for an hour while her owner was busy. Stella and I are friends
I left work at 4:30 to head to my client in Kimberley to get my flu and Covid vaccines. Mountain & Pestle is a sweet little pharmacy run by two sweet young ladies
I texted my cousin Jeanne and was invited for dinner and a visit. It was very nice to catch up. I do worry for her as she has advanced COPD and has been denied a lung transplant. There was a good long stretch in my 20’s when she was my best friend. We had a laugh about the hours we spent on our phones with the long spiral cords while we did chores
The sky outside their house was amazing. It was odd that so close to home there is snow on the ground
On the way home I was being tailgated for Dari g to go the speed limit. Good thing I was as a big buck walked across the road and I was able to easily stop. Nearly got rear ended though. Coming down the strip I saw police flashing lights ahead and as I approached Victoria Drive there was a small truck blocked by a cop car and another one came roaring along and blocked them in. not sure what was going on but I am glad to be home safe.
Today was an order Door Dash sushi kind of day. I mistakenly ordered two rolls but that was good as I finished it for dinner after the show
I had a three hour volunteer budget meeting with the FPPAS president Steve and then drove him home on the way to pick up Mom. We have tickets to The Music of the Night, a celebration of Andrew Lloyd Webber at Key City. The show was amazing from our front row spot
The best part was escaping for a few hours from the horrible news that there is actually a chance that Trump may end up president of the US, again.
I just don’t understand how a convicted criminal could be elected over Kamala Harris. We are going backwards…
If you know me personally, please don’t worry. I am going through the usual cycle of a 30 year old experience that I am reminded of and still feel the remnants. I love my son, the life I have, this much is true. I also mourn the life that I could have at this point. I want to be free, I want to be travelling, I want to have the pension, etc that I was aiming for all those 30 years ago. Some grinding days, it just overwhelms.
Addendum:
The world lost two icons today, one of whom I met and from whom I learned a great deal, Murray Sinclair He was the face and the wind behind truth and reconciliation His legacy is large, that of being the first indigenous judge in Manitoba and the second in Canada.
The second loss was mostly influenced in the soundtrack of my life, Quincy Jones.
Can we just stop changing the time please. I was up too early for a Sunday and now am ready for bed by 9. Got quite a lot of work done today including advertising my desk for hopefully a quick sale and sorting all my Disney Infinity with a thought to possibly sell. I may hold on to them as long as I still have a working PS3. No one to play with now 😦
Homemade soup for dinner with air fried garlic bread was just what I needed
I finally slept well. I got out this afternoon and sorted my shed, cleaned up the yard and loaded Tracey’s truck to take to the transfer station tomorrow. I then got ready and headed to the arena to volunteer for Rotary 50/50. It was fun and I sold the winning ticket!
Work, got it done in spite of a massive hangover. Shouldn’t have had a beer between whiskeys last night.
I had a ticket to an interesting performance of Rocky Horror Picture Show at Key City. The movie was showing on an up high screen and actors were below. They did a good job. My favourite part though was an older sounding female voice yelling out all the additional lines. She had us all laughing. I think it was 1981 when I last saw the movie at an indie theatre in Vancouver. I went as Waldo and believe me everyone could find me in that awesome dressed crowd.
Afterward, I went to Encore where Pretty for the People was entertaining a good crowd. I had fun n and met some great people including Dean and Jolene who were just the darlingest couple.
There were great costumes
Roger and GeneMike and JennyMaddiZac
The sweetest young guy was completely overwhelmed by my costume as he said he’d spent hours pouring over the books as a kid.
Okay, so I may be a bit shmammered. Today was a crazy lot of work after a disturbing night due to a client having set my email incorrectly and at 1:11 am onwards I received 159 emails! And I woke up to snow!
Rotary lunch at western financial place was a lot of fun
I came home and set up for the night with my fireplace and Fireball shots for adults and Halloween ducks for the kids. Tracey and I hung out together, debriefing our trip and shot for shot enjoying the night
Wasted Waldo was a lot of fun. I have other pics of me and the grands but will have to share tomorrow as I am awaiting my friend share.
triumphgal 