More musical bliss this past weekend. One of my top 2 Saxaphone players in the world, Candy Dulfer, was live in concert on 'Cool TV'. A channel that we get on a promo with Max, but will not keep, and I havebeen taping many of my favourite artists on there when I can.

She is a great musician, and I know I will never see her live, since she rarely plays outside of Europe. If you are looking for (not likely) a great sounding jazz sax witha dance beat behind her, check her out.

Mike

For those who may not see the significance of me and the guy standing next to me, here is a visual help.

Have a nice day...see post below if you don't know why this is up.

Wow, what a day.

I will blog about some other important parts of the day, but will start with this end of it...

I went to Long and Mcquade music to buy a pick guard for Colin to sign later that night, and they gave me a used one for free, the colour I wanted and just enough wear to make it look cool. (I was frustrated when they did not have the colour I needed (white) for $60 new, but then the repair guy gave me one for free.

The concert was amazing, he was so good live. the crowd sucked, they did not sing along when he encouraged, and they could have got more songs outa him but stood up and left after first encore (normal for concerts, but I have seen him do 3 encore sets if the crowd is into it.) His horn section, and especially Steve Hillman on sax was amazing.

After the show came the push for a photo and signature. I went to the stage where they made it clear (the stage hands) that he would not be coming out, and they didn't like me either, lol. They gave me a couple picks, cool. Went back out with my firends and then Steve Hillman came out. He was really friendly, signed a poster for me, got a photo, talked for a bit. Steve said Colin would not be coming out cause they had to be in Calgary by morning. I gave up, and was alright with that.

Then, a friend, whom I asked just recently to come to concert, encouraged me to go out back by the bus, and wait, if it was worth it to me. I had never even thought of the stalker strategy, but it worked, after waiting an hour with 2 other guys whom I would not normally wait with in dark places behind buildings, Colin came out, sign my pick guard, got a photo, shook my hand, and he was off. Thanks Lyn for the encouragement/idea. The photo looks great, and I am happy. I have tried to get a photo with him since 1998, so this is a big deal, and now it will be printed and hung in my guitar room.

He did one song that I was hoping he would not, cause of the words, but he did. The song is great musically, and really catchy, but I wish he had not wrote it. I dunno.

I heard the openning act was amazing, I had to miss it for priorities (Missions) but fromt eh reviews from friends, I missed a great part of the evening. It was really fun to be there with friends and especially with Amanda to be with me for the first time at his show. (she looked great in new shirt). this is getting long, but I wanted to share the photo..

Have a nice day.

Mike

Well, only one more sleep until the most exciting concert event in Saskatoon in 8 years. Many of you will be joining me on my venture there. I am glad that at least one person whom is comin will really like the opening act, I knew she would even though I don't like it.

I am going to try a link here to you tube from colin's first half of this tour... so here it goes 'colin james and LBB3

This is by far not the best song from his little big band stuff, but shows how great his lvie solos are.


I am so excited, in case you can't tell. I really hope I get to meet him.(I have already once, but now I am getting him to sign a pick guard from a Strat guitar (can't afford another guitar right now but if he signs this adn I put it on a guitar later on, it will look like he signed the guitar.)

Anyways, talk later, sorry if you are sick of hearing about colin and my adoration for his playing.

Mike

p.s. try the link. It is my first ever, i am so proud.

A night to remember, or a night to forget?

So, when you don't have school age children, sometimes your family does not shift their schedule for school break. Here is a tale you might enjoy...


Monday night, no matter how busy I am during the week and weekend, Monday night belongs to the family. We have been very intentional about that. First, Jake's swim lesson at 5:55. Take him there, and it is an unparented class so we just pack stuff for him. Change him, get to pool area, and no instructors, just a public swim, cause of school break. Well, he has seen teh water and has to go swimming, but he is 3. "Sure, go in by yourself, we will be back in an hour". Hmm. So Mr. problem solver dad has a great idea, and it worked.

I go to the lost and found, and find a pair of mens swim trunks that might fit. Of course, I don't put them on unprotected, for obvious reasons, so I keep my own undershorts on. This is all to take my kid swimming who' would have been fine had he not seen the pool.

Then we go and drop him off at amanda's parents, as per usual, so we cna go out for coffee and then dancing. I tell amanda, after swimming for close to an hour, I need more than a donut if am gonna dance. She says 'sure, but I can't eat before dancing or I won't feel well.' So we go to Kelseys and I order wings, and she watches me eat. Then she brings up the fact that I am probably not still wearing the shorts I wore under the borrowed swim suit, and says I should not dance like that. We go to superstore, and buy some more 'clothing' in prep for dancing. (wings = $10, underwear = $12) We go to dancing, and the doors are locked and lights off, cause it is a university club. University break. Ha, ha ha!

Then amanda says 'well, if we are not dancing, I am hungry, I want nachos' I say 'I am full, and I don't want to watch you eat.' (bad answer after she jsut watched you eat.) I suggest returning what we just bought but I ahve not openned yet from superstore, adn use the money to buy nacho stuff, and I agree to make it for her.

We go get jake, go home, she eats nachos (I had some to, and seasame snaps, and a peanut butter filled bun, but I am not hungry). We would have done much better just not leaving the house last night. Ever feel like that?

I got a chance to talk with another front end person at teh pool about our family change room problems, and thye siad they have told the old ladies, and the old ladies just continue to do teh same. They promised the manager would call me today, so we will see.

Hope your day goes better than my night.

A Great Show.

This is in no way reference to my last post, cause my threat has not come to pass yet. By the wya, thanks for the response, that is great to have feedback, it gives more purpose to this thing called blogging.

The great show was last night at the BNL concert. (if you don't know what BNL stands for, refer back to my last post). Their live sound is amanzing, and their interaction, story telling, and local content is great.

'So the bus pulled right into the venue today, and i thought I would just walk down town. boy this place (sask place) is handy. So how about a walk to Costco instead.....Overnight at Costco, can we just make that a regular thing?'

Most times I am at a live show, about half way through i start checking my watch cause they sound not as good as on CD (understandable) but are no more creative live than on CD. Most of my live concerts in the past 8 years have been worship related or Colin James. (because of the reason described earlier). colin's live show is amazing, and always different. the worship stuff at YC, and Breakforth engages you because of teh focus that goes beyond music and entertainment. BNL took me right to the end without looking for the time, and I had no clue it was almost 11.

I was very happy to take my wife, and we had a nice supper before hand, happy valentines day. Last year an alright meal at a nice place cost twice as much as on any other day, and this year I had a coupon the Octane, so paid half of what would be regular price. We had a great time. She is great, and fun to be with.

They did something i had never heard of, entitled Bakrenaked on a stick. (sounds like a night game like persecuted church with a twist to make it go with our current study theme in Sr. High) It is the live concert you just heard, available on a USB drive immediately after the concert. Same price as a CD, adn they do it for the speed of prep and reusability. If you wnat to borrow BNL on a stick, and my wife approves, talk to me. It is not some random live show, but the one from last night. The mixing is better than I expected for live and distributed same night.

Anyways, this is getting long, so good bye.

One Dozen Old Ladies in My Change Room.

a) this is not just a catchy title to draw attention
b) this is not the title of some wierd dream I had

What this is is the reality my FAMILY adn I found when I took them swimming on Thurs, in prep for a string of long nights at the office for me. We went into the FAMILY change room designed for FAMILIES that have both genders, so tehy can change together, especially when those FAMILIES have very young children. In that change room there are 3 large stalls where a FAMILY can change to gether, helping the toddler. There are limitted stalls cause the use of these is limited to FAMILIES.

Apparantly am aqua size class had just ended, and the old ladies prefer the FA....okay, I will stop the all caps...family change room because they are modest and like the individual stalls. Because of that, it would have been a half hour wait for us a s a family to use one of these stalls designed for our situation. we proceeded to pull ou tAmanda's swimming costume, etc from the one bag we had packed, gave her separate locker money, and went separate ways. end of the world, no, but don't call it a family change room. I approached botha life guard and the front desk person. No one wants to go give instructions or correction to an older lady though, how nice of them.

If I bring 12 high school boys who are all modest into the family change, I give it 30 seconds before the SWAT team is cleaning house, or at least a life guard witha whistle. I left a note for the civic center manager to call me since no one else would be a voice of the rule implied by the sign that says family change only.

I told my wife that next week we return at the same time to see if anyone has taken leadership. I was polite in my note to the manager, but next week if I find the same, jake and I will go in with amanda into family change, and if the stalls are full because of the older ladies, Jake and I will have little (notice I don't say no) choice but to just start suiting up (which invloves suiting down first) right there in the common area of family change.

I am sorry if you or anyone else is particularly modest, but does that not sound like the type of person who should pay for a private health club membership, not a public civic center? Just a thought, and I know I am right in that. A friend of mine used to pin his towle in the corner of the lockers, using the keys of unused lockers, and create a nice modest bellybutton high stall for himself.

Once again, sorry if I have abad attitude, just that kind of week for me I guess.

Would love your feedback so i know I have readers.

Mike

So the Mexico 2007 team is now announced. The ministry we are doing is changing. There is more awareness of spiritual things, and God is speaking clearly on some things. It is exciting, yet exhausting. I am not complaining, but it is hard for me to adjust to this and catch up on other stuff tat is still important.

Last night it was actually hard for me to commit to coming to the church prayer night, cause I know the other stuff is still expected of me even when i come to that. (bad attitude I know). I came and was ready to give myself to that, when people in another group could not get their movie working for grief share. So, while the people I was gonna pray with were preparing and dispersing, I was expoected to trouble shoot for a group I have been saying for months should have a staff representative who can fix things or set them up. I know my attitude was wrong, but I just wanted to pray(it was hard to get even to that point for me). i guess God wanted me to serve instead. I am sorry for my poor attitude, adn glad my sponsors have better attitudes than that. I just came out of the mexico interviews so beat, and things are just coming ahrder for me.

Anyways, ther eis my blog for today.

Mike