Saturday 21 December 2013

Bag?

Sure, I'll take one. In goes the Stan Kenton album, Cuban Fire (which I claim to be the hottest big band record ever) and the complete Bill Evans at the Village Vanguard, 1961, my choice for the greatest live jazz recording ever. A blank card with a detail of a kaleidoscope image. Something for next winter: a baby outfit for Al and Emmaline. I salute Vintage Vinyl & Hemp Emporium in downtown Regina.
And I salute the man who in the parking lot of the Albert south Safeway found my wallet and made sure I got it back.

Wednesday 11 December 2013

Nag

My son keeps asking me about financial planning. Not advice--I'd be the last one to have any--but prompting, as I stagger toward what might turn out to be retirement. He hasn't been satisfied by my evasions: it's not about money, it (whether and when to retire) is about do the benefits of my job outweigh the irritants and how badly do I want to write full-time.
One way to look at Tom's appropriate but uncomfortable reminders is that my years of parental nagging are bouncing back my way. Years ago when Tom was a speedy pinch-runner for the ballteam (The Fighting Words) I ran at U of A, I reamed him out for getting picked off 3rd base. He was about 12 at the time. My team-mates thought I'd been a tad harsh. About five years ago, when I ran another ballteam (Glove Story) here in Regina, Tom, now 23 or so, was the star slugger and outfielder. Still, I was on his case so much for throwing to the wrong base or his positioning in centre field that he finally told me to shut up and let him play. He was right.
Anyway, as a freelance comedy/improve writer/producer/performer, he's a bit like me when it comes to financial planning. It's more about doing what he wants to do.

Monday 2 December 2013

Sag

I hung my lights differently this time--sag-like, from a bookcase over a frame under a mirror across a mask and window down to the socket. I'll hang decorations from the cord. This is mainly to leave room for the tapletop tree--a series of walnut arms that fit together treely, made by PossibiliTree--which will sit under the left sag.
About a quarter of my decorations come from a decoration party I hosted in my apartment in Edmonton in about 1993. Everyone brought one--taking the either tacky/gag route or the classy route I revisit every year at this time.
This time for me begins once I get my youngest daughter's birthday party out of the way, as I say. That's tonight.