'Twas the Season

This time between Christmas and the New Year is a great time to look back and reflect, and then to look forward and plan.

Looking back, I'm thankful that dumb luck and all the good people around me got me through to the end of another year. I'm thankful for health, family and friends. Music and humour are pretty good too!

Looking forward, I don't know that there's much to change, except to improve on my health, and to say Thanks and give back to others more often.

A great Lug-A-Mug

The October Lug-A-Mug wasn't even a little bit spooky. There was a wonderful variety of songs and vigour in singing them. A real fun event of simple appreciation for music, songs and singing.

In addition to the few guitars, there were people playing a fiddle, a ukelele, a mandolin, an acoustic bass, a harmonica and even a kazoo. Many thanks to the Lights for starting Lug-A-Mug in the first place, and for hosting it again this month. All that and cookies too!!

Valdy

This is going to sound over-the-top, but I shook the hand of a legend on Saturday night. I went to see Valdy, at the Glass Onion Folk Club in Wallaceburg. And I had the good fortune to be in the very good company of Cathey, and Robert Hubbard. An enjoyable drive and a most excellent concert.


Valdy was in great voice and great form. I was really eager to see him for the first time, and I wasn't disappointed. He sang, he danced and he played with an amazing, strong, natural grace.


We sang along to "Yes I Can", "Sonny's Dream" and "Play Me a Rock and Roll Song". Very nice.

Some people don't know or care about this piece of the Canadian fabric, but I do and I think it's an important piece. I was awestruck to be there.



If you don't know who the heck I'm talking about, Google him, or check out West Shore Chamber of Commerce or Live Tour Artists. Valdy.com isn't bad either.

Thanksgiving

I had a good long weekend. Time well spent with good people, and way too much excellent food. Friday night was Windsor Folk's Open Mic night. Saturday, Cath & I went to Dave & Anne's for dinner & cards. That was really enjoyable. Calm and quiet except for watching the Tigers beat the Yankees! Sunday was Thanksgiving celebration at church, including the anthem we've practiced. And then off to Marg's for a big family dinner. Really great.

Monday became a free day (once the pool was closed), so we headed out for a county drive. We contemplated the past & future, stopped for a visit with Bob Cooper at his place on Lake St. Clair, and then south to Lake Erie, we bought tomatos and squash at a roadside stand in Kingsville and walked Cedar Beach.


All in all a nice long weekend.

It seems so long ago...

Janet's 14th Birthday

Janet, my (smart, beautiful, talented, wonderful) daughter turned 14 last week. There were cakes, singing, gifts, messages from leaders of various countries around the world, and a bowling party. Laser light Rock and Bowl. My vision and hearing have restored enough to post this blog. My pride in Janet never fades. She just keeps on truckin...

Kitchen Party

On Friday night there was a kitchen party to celebrate Fr. Kevin George's dad's birthday. He turned 90 the day before. It was a pot luck dinner and a hodge podge of entertainment. Much fun.

First photo (L-R) is Kevin George, Andrea Morosin (why did we hide the only pretty one?!), Christian Paulton, Bob Cooper and me. Note the Newfoundland flag hanging over Kevin. You can take the boy from the Rock...


Second photo is Janet, Bob, Christian, Madhu Athavale and me.

It's our Anniversary!

Cathey and I were married 22 years ago today. I can't imagine life without her and I wouldn't want to. Man did I luck out or what?!

She's the beautiful one in this picture, smiling with pride and enjoying quality time with 'her babies'.

Here's to 22 more. At least!!

Great Picture

Dave Lamarsh had a birthday baseball gathering this weekend. Much fun. Thanks to Anne for arranging the event and putting up with us.

The big pic is a Mouldy Oldie from a few years ago when we had a 25th reunion of high school graduation. It was a great time, for sure. It included a volleyball get-together in the school gym in the afternoon of. From left to right are Dave Garlick, me, Graham White and Dave Lamarsh.

John's Blog is now available as a news feed

Depending on how savvy you are with the Internet you may have heard about News Readers, also known as 'RSS readers', 'Atom readers' or aggregators.

Many web sites also make their information available in XML format, which allows you to use News Reader software to subscribe to their site and receive the content as a news feed. You can subscribe to multiple sites and eventually you'll have your own electronic newspaper that only contains content you chose. This isn't the easiest thing on the Internet but it's not impossible and it is pretty neat. It also allows for feeds to hand-held devices like PDA's and cell phones.

Anyway, John's Blog now offers an XML feed. If you have a news reader and you want to subscribe, the link is http://ojpager.blogspot.com/atom.xml.

Passings

Bob Vandervaart passed away this past week after years of illness. Bob taught me French in high school in '75 & '77. He always had a smile and interesting, engaging conversation... and he made learning fun. I remember one year that he had a map of France on the wall and would bring in cheese from a different region of the country on Fridays for us to experience. I also remember once making too much noise while building a set for the school play just outside his classroom. To this day I try to hammer one nail in only 3 strikes, as he challenged me to do. My kids have both been taught in the French system, partly motivated by who Bob was. I wish for my children the kind of happiness, worldliness and fulfillment that Bob exhibited. I had the chance to introduce them to him on a bicycle outing a few years ago. I was happy to run into him occasionally over the past couple of years at the Windsor Folk Society. The sadness of his passing is offset by the positive memories and impact he leaves behind.

Back to School

After 3 years apart Derek and Janet are attending the same school again. Derek's in Gr. 12 and Janet's just starting high school, in Gr. 9.

The slates are cleaned for a new year. (In 2006 we don't clean slates, we "empty cache" but it's roughly the same).

Here's to a productive, educational year filled with challenges, opportunities and satisfaction! I think they're going to have a little fun this year too.

A great memory

Hi there,

Long time no post. I haven't had much blog-worthy content to offer lately, unless you want to hear about going to work, the last night of sand volleyball and some casual singing and guitar playing.
What I DO have is a blast from my past. A memory of a family vacation to BC. It was 1975. Mom, Dad, all four kids and Frisky the dog, packed in a 1974 Chevy Bel Air station wagon. What were my parents thinking??! Mary was only 2½! Some great memories came from that trip. Fresh-picked Penticton cherries, starfish, a forest fire, a bear in Revelstoke National Park, sleeping on the beach at Pacific Rim National Park with cousin Peggy, cousin Daryl's new grammar (StaBOP, StaBOP!) and the camper trailer whipping left and right behind us as we crossed the Prairies. Yet another Trip of a Lifetime.

My parents must have been out of their minds taking on this adventure, but I am very, very thankful for it.

A perfect summer vacation

After a wonderful few days with Mary and Martin, we packed the van and headed up to Port Elgin for a week's vacation. It was wonderful. Perfect weather, perfect beach, day trips (Owen Sound for the Inglis Falls and lunch on the bay, Tobermory for the glass-bottom boat tour of Fathom Five National Park, and Sauble Beach for "Ontario's nicest beach"). We got a lot of sun, read some books, had a blast in the waves, napped, played guitar and ukulele. All those things and more made it a total getaway.




It's a shame to get back to reality, but at least we can share some of it with you. Here's something I've realized... I have NEVER regretted spending time or money on travel. You won't either.
Take a vacation!

Lug-A-Mug get-together

Not only were my sister Mary and her husband Martin in town over the past few days, but the mid-summer song circle get-together was held this past Saturday. Perfect weather, good food, good music and great people. It was also great to hang around the pool during the hot couple of days that followed. Here are some pics of the mid-summer Lug-A-Mug.

Working vacation

I haven't posted in a while because I've been out being useful. The week after Canada Day was a stay-at-home vacation week. Apart from mostly doing nothing, I got quite a bit accomplished. I replaced the fence on one side of the yard last year, so this year was the time for the remaining side. The yard & pool area look better now, with outdoor speakers, mulched gardens, power-washed deck, etc, etc, etc. A total break from the usual, spent almost nothing on gas, meals and accomodation... and got something useful out of it too. I did spend money on some new lawn furniture. So you know where find me... bring your suit.

Janet is a high school student

Another milestone for this proud father... On June 26, Janet graduated from Grade 8. She's now on her way to high school. Oh my. I could go on and on about how hard she worked, how much she deserves high praises and all that, but as a parent I have other comments to make. First, grade school often seemed like a steady sequence of P.A. days and substitute teachers showing videos. Next, the last days of a school year a interesting because of the stream of information and work being brought home that had been hidden at the bottom of a locker all year. Finally, the fact is that there was much learning and growing going on. She's an amazing, smart, beautiful, talented daughter! Look out high school!!

Time flies...

Hi there,

It's been a while since I blogged. I was going to put something here simply to say 'Hi', and that I'm still around, and that there hasn't been much to blog about lately. But then I stop and think about the things I've been doing instead of blogging and I suddenly have blog-worthy tidbits. Depending on who you are.

1. End of the kid's school years - Derek's slugging through Grade 11 exams right now, with no real plans for the summer except to get away from school for a while. Janet's graduating Grade 8 on Monday. There's a whole blog to be done on the excess related to celebrating Grade 8 Graduations but I'll leave that blog for others. Suffice it to say we've spent the $8 trillion on the outfit and other gear necessary to be allowed out of grade school. She'll look fantastic. Pics in a future blog, I promise.

2. New vehicle - The Windstar just rolled past 250,000 kms and is showing signs of wear. We want to go away (somewhere, sometime) this summer, so a new van is in order. Voila, a 2003 Dodge Grand Caravan with 33,000 kms.

3. Work - I don't want to spend my blog time & space on this subject, but it must be said that both Cath & I spend 8 hours a day there, and more emotion than we really should.

4. Summer!! - Mowing, weeding, pool cleaning, bicycling, house fix-ups, etc, etc, etc. I don't know where it all goes, but it sure seems to trickle away.

5. Volleyball - Every Tuesday night. Sand ball. Mostly with the same team of people as throughout the rest of the year. Excellent!

6. Music - Church choir, practices, and the final Lug-A-Mug of the 05-06 season. (This pic must be from late in the evening. I need a good night's sleep!) It seems like there's a lot of music in my life, but it also seems like it's never enough.






So I think that's about it since the last post. Stay tuned. Hopefully the next one will be more satisfying for both of us.

Marc Gourde

It was a tremendously sad shock to hear that Marc had had a heart attack on Sunday. Marc was just 40 years old, had been married to Ami (Cathey's niece) less than a year and had a beautiful baby daughter, Sage. I blogged about Sages' baptism just three weeks ago.

Marc was a fun-loving, construction worker guy. He was always 'in the moment', and always looked you right in the eye, usually with something interesting to say. It's just stunning that he's gone.


Ami and Sage now have very different roads ahead of them than what had been first thought. I really feel for them, but I know that Ami has an amazing strength within her. She'll need our help and our hopes while she shifts gears to the new reality. I know that she can walk her new road with strength. Eventually. One day at a time will get us all there.


One photo here is of Marc with Sage just after her birth. The other is at the baptism... the proud parents Marc and Ami are at the font with godparents Janet, Tom and Jody (L-R).


Carpe Diem people.

Some emotional ranting...

I've only had a few reactions to my blogs so far. Most are saying nice things like "It's personal. It's more like NPR, and less like CNN". But a few have asked for more emotion and ranting. ...

I really don't have much to rant about right now, but if pushed, I'd rant about people who cause trouble for other people. Like the asshole in Armstrong, BC and the 18 year old punks who shot the police officer in Windsor.

Why do so many people have nothing better to do than to get in trouble?

Mostly I'd rant about all the people similar to these assholes, but who are living just below the surface. What can be done to preempt their crimes, protect their future victims and maybe get their lives in order? Better social programs, so all kids experience unconditional love and frequent hot breakfasts before school? Tougher young offender rules? And what am I supposed to do as a society member? I know about green living for the planet, but what should I do to make things right for the people living ON the planet? I personally know the childhoods of people who subsequently "went bad" and I can't remember anything that might have caused it to happen. My contemplation so far is leading me to believe that we're just too flippin affluent. Very few of us have to worry about getting eaten to death, or where our next meal is coming from, or whether we'll survive the winter. It's all about which button we CHOOSE to push to provide the instant gratification that has become our highest form of self-esteem. And don't even get me started on the sense of entitlement that's running amok in society. Everyone feels that they are entitled to sit at the front of the publicly-funded bus, and they're miffed if they have to walk the last 50 feet to their destination.
AAAARRRGG!!!!

Weddings and Funerals. And Baptisms

I attended two baptisms in two days this weekend. In addition to the very cute babies, it was good to see all the familes together. All dressed up and a little uncomfortable. Some hadn't seen each other since the wedding reception, others hadn't seen each other since the incident that drove them apart. But for the most part all were there with a common association, focused on the future of the child. Some were thinking about the eternal future of the child.

We were all reminded to contemplate our own eternal future. Remember that interesting part in a baptism when all present are asked to repeat their own commitment to God? "Do you believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth?". I'll have to get back to you on that, but I do believe in the power of family. The immediate family of mom, dad and child(ren)... the extended family of grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc... and the 'community' family of neighbours, class mates and church mates. It's better to belong. We all need, and we all want to be needed. Family fits that bill nicely. An example of that strength is when folks say how nice it would have been if others could have attended also, but couldn't because they're in Dallas TX, Vernon BC or only in our hearts and memories.

The beautiful baby in this pic is Sage Marie with parents Ami and Marc. The two ladies in the foreground are Sage's grandmother, Debbie, and great-grandmother, Eileen. On the far left is Sage's grandfather Tom. On the far right in white is one of Sage's godmothers, Janet.

Music

I found this picture of the original I-pod. It was just called a Pod in those days. (Children, this is a joke. Ha ha). Anyway, the picture got me thinking about Music.

This past weekend was full of music for me. Friday night was Windsor Folk's monthly Acoustic Stage night. Live, local, quality talent. And it's free! (Okay, donation). Saturday night I was fortunate enough to be part of a house concert with Dave & Sharon Light. I really enjoyed preparing and rehearsing with Dave & Sharon. It was great to finally share it with an audience. Sunday was the usual church choir activity. Most excellent.

I inherited an appreciation of music from both of my parents. Thank goodness for that! The world would be a much poorer place without music and humour. I was just thinking about 'memorable musical moments' I've experienced. It includes live concerts by Jose Feliciano, Anne Murray, Chicago, Jimmy Rankin, Sting, Annie Lennox, Phil Nimmons, Christine Lavin, Phil Collins and John Cougar/Mellencamp. It also includes church choirs, Lug-a-Mug song circle and two Windor Light Opera productions. (The Music Man in '70 and A Christmas Carol in '71).

Many great radio stations are streaming to the Internet now. Check out CKUA from Alberta, WDET from Detroit and CFIM from the Magdalen Islands.

Enjoy!

Derek got his Drivers Licence

Derek passed his road test yesterday, so he's got his G2 licence. Which means he can drive alone, and he can drive on 100 km/h highways. Yikes! We knew he'd have no problems passing because he's a very good driver. He was just a little nervous because of all the urban myths spread around at school. Anyway, he's already got about 20 kilometers of solo driving experience. Now all he needs to do is get a job so he can pay for his gas! One of his first solo outings was to drop off an application at Home Hardware. Smart kid, eh?

Peggy's Birthday

Today is Peggy's birthday. She and I are the first of 4 kids, and little more than a year apart, so it's not surprising that there's a special bond between us. Maybe the bond is stronger because we've lived 1000's of kilometers apart for so many years. I don't know that. But I do know that the special bond between us has little to do with me. Everyone I know who knows Peggy also feels a special bond with her. She's just naturally a friendly and personable person who cares about people and lives in the moment. It sounds simple but it's more than I can keep up. This picture has us together with my Mom, my brother Mark and our baby sister Mary. It was taken in the Fall of '04, (before we drove through the Rockies to see Sting and Annie Lennox at the Calgary Saddledome!)

I'm still going to be 1000's of kilometers away from Peggy today. If you see her in your travels please give her a hug from me. She's the beautiful one in the centre of the photo.

Birthdays

Interesting how a birthday can have such a strong good impact on you, or a strong negative impact on you. This past birthday had almost no impact on me. In fact I'm feeling uneasy about not feeling something. There were heartfelt well wishes and cards. A wonderful dinner (at Spagos!) in the company of really good people. But it turned out to feel more like "just another day". Maybe the timing clash with Easter activities. Oh well. I learned a new song out of it. It's called People My Age, by John Gorka. Check out his songs. I don't want to sound unappreciative. I've got MUCH to be thankful for generally, and I got more birthday recognition than might be reasonable. Some days are just days. Better to have them than not. Eternity will happen eventually. For now, I'm glad to be here breathing.

Easter

I attended Maundy Thursday service for the first time ever this year. Washing of the feet, sombre hymns, quiet readings, stripping of the altar and silent departure by candlelight. It brought home the point of the Jesus dying for our sins, and the commandment to respect each other.

And then Easter Sunday... colours, lights, banners, power-hymns. Celebration and smiles. And a balloon launch afterwards. Cool.

My thoughts on religion and church are: a) they are two separate things, b) they are different for each person, and c) a little bit is good prevention and a lot is a good cure, all depending on whatever ails you.

My thoughts on Easter are that we all need to be reminded that we can be forgiven, even forgiving ourselves... and we can all 'start over'. Each morning, each hour, each year. Review your situation and get on with things, embracing whatever changes you decide need to be made in your life.





If you're looking, I'm in a choir gown.





So for some of you, see you at the next blog post. For others, see you at church at Christmas.

Okay, NOW I'm a Canadian

I've visited all 10 provinces. I've seen whales on both coasts. I've been to Ottawa for Canada Day celebrations, and I've skated on the Rideau Canal. (Different trips to Ottawa of course). And I'm very proud of my bilingual (smart, beautiful, enjoyable) children. But yesterday I really affirmed my citizenship, because I went curling. It was great. Such fun just throwing rocks at each other on the ice. If you get the chance, go curling. Much Thanks to Ian, Mark, Walter and the others at St. Marks by-the-Lake church who arranged such a fun time. I also got to learn a whole new vocabulary, as well as find a whole bunch of muscles that I didn't know I had.

Spring Fever

Man, is it ever nice outside! Sunny and 12 degrees C. Beautiful. Time to get a new pair of running shoes, make sure all the bicycles are ready to go, and time to think about yard chores. The smell of fresh-mown lawn is just around the corner. Of course I'm forgetting about insects, sweating excessively, mowing and pool maintenance. I'm also choosing to ignore the fact that we usually get measurable snow in the first week of April. Ignorance is bliss.

Anyway, don't forget to Spring Ahead 1 hour this weekend, and if you're in downtown Windsor at around 1:00 p.m. on April 10, look up for the fly-by of fighter jets heading to Comerica Park in time for the first pitch at the Tiger's home opener!

March Break

Back from a March Break getaway. First we visited the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, OH. Both the Hall and city were better than I expected. I recommend both. Then a couple of days in Hershey, PA. A longer drive than expected, but an interesting place to visit. Just the smell at the corner of Chocolate St. and Cocoa Ave. was worth the drive. As always "Take the trolley tour first". We learned a lot about the town, the history, the factory, etc just by sitting on a bus and being escorted around. It put the rest of the visit in perspective. Finally, Niagara Falls, ON. If you've ever been there you'll be glad to know that nothing's changed except that there's a huge casino, more monster hotels and everything costs about 10 times what you'd pay anywhere else. I can't imagine ever going back there again. Oh by the way, the Falls are lovely.

Blog Post Number 1

And so it begins. John's Blog. "I rant therefore I am" is the title of a Dennis Miller book. It describes several people I know, including myself some days.

Today, I have nothing to rant about but something to marvel at... the Internet and the millions of folks doing their own little bit to inhabit and affect it. The most recent example is how simple it was to get John's Blog up and running. I just Googled "blog host" and discovered blogger.com. A few choices and keystrokes later and here we all are. Slick. You'll see many rants later about things that the people of the world should be addressing (overpopulation, cancer, etc). In the mean time I'm very pleased that the Internet is here and has so many features that serve us as well as they do. My thanks to all those who claim to have invented the Internet!

Later!
John