Updater #2

I've been blessed in getting to know some new friends during this last year online. You know who you are and why I'm mentioning it tonight.

Later on today I have to be up early; I've arranged for a young 'techno-geek' friend to come over and sort out my home computer. I finally managed to get it to boot up in 'safe' mode and even that took quite a while. I really hope it isn't fried and he can get it functioning properly again in 2 or 3 hours.

At last nights meeting a program friend who works at a local university asked me to participate in a 'dream study' involving current and recovering alcoholics and addicts. (Hmmm... careful what you ask for....some of the stuff I've dreamt could cause nightmares for whoever is compiling the data for the study.) When I told her I don't typically remember the content of my dreams she said she'd been the same until she asked it to be unblocked - then it came in reams. So, I'll ask and see what happens.

My g'friend Audrey and I spent some time going through pictures of Zeph and the trip. As she handed the pictures back she asked, 'How do you suppose that trip would have been if you'd continued drinking or, would it even have happened?' Good point Audrey. It's just 2 weeks until she gets her 50 year medallion; it'll be huge; it'll be packed. I've invited Lynda to go.

Lynda spent the day Saturday with a Trinidadian friend of hers and on her way home dropped by my place for an hour, a glass of wine, and to leave me a roti. Things are looking up; she called for a half hour chat after we'd returned from the meeting. She says we're getting a long overdue visit from l'il Owen next weekend. Woo-Hoo!!

....and if this post seems a mindless ramble .... I had a brief seizure earlier that has left me feeling a bit loggy. Thankfully it was mild and they've been rare in the last few months.... can't recall when the last one was actually. Ciao for now.

Numbers Game #2

Today is stepson #2's 33rd birthday. He and Lynda have plans for the day.

It's also my original 'dry' date. If I hadn't relapsed I'd have had 5 years continuous today. C'est la vie; it wasn't to be.

Updater

I was on the line to Sarah earlier on today to let her know we'd made it home alright and to check in on Zeph. Apparently we didn't spoil him too badly; he slipped back into his routine pretty readily. We'd talked for awhile and then she zinged me with the question; So, what's going on with you two anyway? 'Whatd'yamean?' You were together every waking moment for 6 days and got on just like you always did. Why the hell are you apart? 'Hmmm...good question Sarah. Maybe you should ask Lynda that one.'

It was nice to see Lynda back in her natural element again - tending to a baby. She is able to read infants better than any woman I've ever met. Should have been like her mother and had 16 of them. Such a waste of intuitive talent.

I also had a quick talk with my manager - he needs me to cover my regular rotation next week so I'll be working 10 nights in a row; 100+ hours. Ouch. Hurt me! There might be some day shifts to do the following week.

In between there, through the afternoon, I managed to get my place sorted out - laundry & dusting done, floors swept, dishes done and away, dinner cooked. Then it was over to the house for a quick hour long visit with Lynda. In Vancouver I'd bought her a bell to hang on the side patio and she had it up already. It has a half dozen different coloured ribbons which are about 6 feet long attached to the clapper and as it was a windy day they kept getting all tangled. We re-hung it in a more sheltered spot. While we were out west I spent a little more money on myself and bought a cut quartz pendant and a silver chain to put it on. The pendant is intended for hypnosis or meditation but I thought it would do as a piece of jewelry.

One evening during our visit we watched disc one of the David Gilmour DVD (yes, I took it with me!!). Sarah got a little bitched at having to watch the rock geezers but Daniel enjoyed it. The princess of punk has a hard time with songs that have melody and harmony.

Oops, gotta go!! Later.

As Promised....

.....a few photos. I had a hard time choosing so here's a bunch.

D, S, Z and I aboard a water taxi.

Zeph relaxing after a vigorous burping session with Gramma Lynda & Pops.

'Thanks Pops, I needed that."

Looking fine in one of the sweaters Mom knit for him.

Hanging with the ladies during their afternoon at the spa.

Re-Connect!!

I'm Back!!!! Gawd - I'm in some sort of computer withdrawal. Really, really need a wireless connection and a notebook. Sarah has some computer problems and her operating system is Windows 95 (which is no longer compatible with many things apparently). I was able to check email with some difficulty but unable to post comments to the blog.

Lynda and I flew back into Toronto Wednesday evening, collected baggage and the car & made the trek through the city to Oshawa by about 7:30. By then we were starving so I took her to a favourite restaurant, The Keg, to celebrate an excellent trip and we gorged ourselves on prime rib roast and garlic mashed potatoes.

I made it home Thursday afternoon so I could get some work clothes, went to start up the computer and now mine won't boot up - drat and curses!!! There was no time to play about with it before coming to work so we shall see....

But hey; none of that is really important. Walking through the 'arrivals' gate at the airport and having Sarah hold Zeph out to me saying, 'Here Dad, meet your grandson.' - that was a beautiful thing. Not that I'm biased or anything but he's just the happiest, healthiest, handsomest baby on the entire planet. I'm hoping to post some pictures tomorrow night and prove my point, barring any more problems with cameras & computers. [and work circumstance. (walked into a bit of a mess tonight...)]

I'd had some regrets that we hadn't made it out there sooner but I'm glad we held off until now. Zeph is almost 8 weeks old so he isn't sleeping quite as much, he's bright and alert when he is awake, he grins, gurgles and wiggles in reaction to sights and sounds and being held. I managed to avoid diaper duty until Monday night but he got me with a good one when no one else was about. Just like riding a bike; some things you don't forget no matter how long it's been.

Zeph travels well too - we had that child all over downtown Vancouver through those 5 days. I don't think I've mentioned before but Daniel is a chef so he and Sarah took us to some terrific restaurants around town. First night Malaysian, second night Indian, third night some trendy grill, and on the fourth Daniel cooked - he's goooood. What else? Took in a couple of meetings - the first one was awful; the second much better. Daniel, his father, his uncle and I got in a round of golf - I played badly but had fun. Sarah, Zeph, Lynda and I did a bus tour of downtown Vancouver. It's a beautiful, vibrant city that is booming in preparation for the 2010 Winter Olympics.

Time is short - thanks to all you regulars for continuing to check in and comment. Good to hear from you Patchouli & glad you rec'd my note. BJ - let me know how your trip was. Gotta go for now.

Social Connections

I wrote the other day about missing cuz BJ, and not having heard from JPW. There was an edit to that post which didn't save - 'fuzzychip, fuzzychip, where for art thou fuzzychip??' - somehow. There was also that visit with my other cuz Sandy that didn't happen.

BJ should be back next week from their tour of Scotland with a ton of emails & pics to follow. JPW checked in and we're hatching half baked plans to get together after this trip. 'Fuzzychip', friend 'L' posted a comment and sent an email - we're hoping to get together, too. I'd sent Sandy an email to see whether she was feeling any better as yet - her reply, 'not really'. Still in a lot of pain and waiting for some diagnostic tests to be done. That visit may be put off for a while yet.

There are a couple of blogmates who have a lot on their plates right now so there are prayers of hope, strength and support going out to them, their mates and families.

I know Sarah has computer problems and I have no idea what their setup is like so this may be my last post for about a week. At the very least I'll be checking my email accounts intermittently so feel free to drop a line at this one, or if you have it, my gmail address. I hope you like baby pictures because I think I'll be posting just a few of those when I return.

Peace, love and happiness, y'all.

Numbers Game

Sept 20: This is my eldest stepson's 35th birthday. Although Lynda is just a few months older than I, she got quite a jump on me in baby making. By about 8 1/2 years.

This blog is 11 months old and this is the 266th post. As there have been days where I've written multiple posts it means there are quite a few days I didn't post at all. I'm glad for the days I did.

I'm 50 months sober today. (BtGoG) That is 1,522 days; in excess of 2 million minutes. There were times early on where it was a minute by minute existence. Thank God for this program of recovery and the fellowship.

There are 30 hours left before our flight west during which I have to pack, sleep, go to a party, sleep some more, then drive way across the city to the airport in rush hour traffic. The payoff is that in 36 hours I should have Zepherin in my arms. He is 47 days old already.

That DVD has been in my possession for over 36 hours and I HAVEN'T SEEN ANY OF IT YET! That's it; I'm taking it to Vancouver and begin Zeph's musical education.

Today was....

(once I was up for the day)....all about enjoying a couple of hours of late summer weather. Clear, mild, sunny.....what more can you ask?

Otherwise it was really about buying that David Gilmour DVD 'Remember That Night: Live At The Royal Albert Hall'. A little obsessive? Perhaps. Had to have it!! (Actually I bought two copies!!) Besides, the DVD cost way less than a 40 oz bottle of rye whiskey and I used to go through the better part of one of those on a daily basis so, if you think about it - I'm in the money and I still have a functioning liver. (Rationalization, justification) I'd hoped things would be quiet here tonight and there would be the opportunity to sit and watch it while the guys slept. No such luck - the gods had other plans. C'est la vie.

What else? Not a lot. Lots of phone calls, lots of emails, a little laundry and pre-packing. Lynda took my Mom out to dinner tonight and is taking her out again tomorrow. Sarah has arranged a few things for us to do when we get to Vancouver - a golf game for me with Daniel and his father; a women's day at the spa for Sarah, Lynda and Daniel's mother. She's even tracked down a couple of meeting locations for me - A.A. is everywhere, every day.

Blogdom has been quiet lately with some of my regular reads not being posted. Busy times for a lot of people.

Wednesday night into Thursday morning will be the end of my work week and we fly out Friday morning. Lynda booked us to go to a dinner and dance Thursday night - I'm not sure of the wisdom of that but I am sure it'll be fun.

Busy, Busier, Busiest

Here it is into the early hours of Tuesday morning and my head is still back in the stretch from when I got up Friday, through Saturday and on into Sunday. I can't believe just how much we crammed into that space of time. Way too much to try and detail here; lets just say it's nice to be back at work for a rest.

Other stuff:
Lynda and I are beginning to get organized for our trip to Vancouver on Friday. One thing I accomplished tonight was to find some personal identification documents I'll need in order to board the flight - they'd gone missing during the move but after much searching I did manage to lay hands on them. Whew!!!

Last night I posted a comment to David Gilmour's blog (which is part of his website) and had a nice comment back from the features editor, FEd. The blog is in the running for a People's Choice Award, it's that good. Check it out here. I think it's great but, hey - I have an obvious bias. I should back up my thoughts with a vote.

Tonight there have been a few emails flying back and forth between Sarah and I, and then a half hour long phone call straightening out arrangements. Their nickname for Zepherin is 'the Monster' as he's growing so fast and hitting growth markers of development ahead of schedule.

I'm missing the regular contact I usually enjoy with a couple of people. (So ante up people; I'm lonely) Cousin BJ is out of the country on holiday so I'm not getting her normal 2 or 3 emails per day. JPW has been checking the blog but not commenting lately - we were in touch by email a couple of weeks ago and trying to figure when we could next get together and break bread. When we get back from the west I suppose - just not sure what my schedule is yet. (there could be some weeks of day shifts up for grabs and I hope to get them)

I'm leaving the link up to 'callinitquits' as it's still active but friend Susan won't be running it any longer. All the resources are still there for smoking cessation. Susan is taking time to manage some personal affairs and I'm not 100% clear if she's leaving the job for good or not - I think so.... (and she did say goodbye) but I'm not counting her out.

The weather has cooled dramatically with nighttime temps getting down near frost - any time now. Daylight hours are much shorter, too. By the looks of things the fall colour change may just be a bust this year. Lots of trees look thinned out already whereas if we'd had normal rainfalls this year they'd still be lush and full. In a lot of cases the leaves are simply turning brown and blowing away in the breeze. If I'm able to get any decent shots I'll post them.

Venus has been beaming brilliantly in the east in the predawn hours. It's the last celestial body to disappear at daybreak.

Every once in a while I change up my music listening habits so for the last week I've had the radio tuned to either of a couple of stations that play primarily classical and jazz. Tonight on the way to work I heard, for the first time in about 20 years, a signature song of Louis Jordan's called '5 Guys Named Moe.' It's a swing tune and it breaks me up, slays me. Here, in part, are some of the lyrics:

I gotta tell you a story from way back
Truck on down and dig me Jack
There's Big Moe, Little Moe,
Four-Eyed Moe, No Moe,

Look at brother,
Look at brother,
Look at brother Eat Moe
Moe, Moe, Moe, Moe, Moe, Moe, Moe

Who's the greatest band around
Makes the cats jump up and down
Who's the talk of Rhythm Town
Five guys named Moe

When they start to beat it out
Everybody jump and shout
Tell me who do the critics rave about
Five guys named Moe

You just don't get lyrics like that any more - a shame really, don't you think?

David Gilmour Premiere

In an historically significant technological first David and his incredible team pulled off a marvel - the first ever satellite simulcast in 5.1 surround sound from England to 162 theatres in North America incorporating a live feed of David playing 'Castellorizon', segueing into the DVD broadcast of 'Remember That Night'. We saw an editted version of what will be available on the DVD as of Tuesdays release. Following the music portion of the broadcast we were taken back live to Brixton where bandmate Phil Manzanera emceed a Q & A session with David who fielded questions submitted to the blog on his website. (Phil should stick to writing, producing and playing music - an emcee he isn't; sorry Phil.) [The best question was asked by a 13 year old girl from Florida regarding David's music and lyric writing process.]

Both Lynda and I were moved by the performance; there were a number of 'hair-raising' moments throughout. Beautiful music played brilliantly. A couple of highlights; Graham Nash and David Crosby reprising their vocal contribution to the title track 'On An Island', then sticking around for another few tunes. An incredible rendition of an early Pink Floyd tune 'Arnold Layne' with a cameo vocal by David Bowie - he owned that song. Other standout songs: 'Blue', 'Time', 'Echoes', 'Take A Breath'. And, of course, the common thread throughout, David Gilmours seamless, fluid, seemingly effortless guitar playing.

Via his website and its blog there have been great pains taken to include his fans on the journey right from the recording of the album and straight through the tour. Before and after the simulcast documentary footage was shown from the tour showing a variety of their stops. Many thanks to David and his entire team for taking us on the road. It was a blast. Time for you to enjoy a holiday with Polly and the kids, David.

I'll be picking up my copy of the DVD come Tuesday; it'll be a terrific keepsake and reminder of when the tour stopped at Toronto's Massey Hall back in April '06. Our favourite concert ever.

Author Unknown

I spotted this on a bulletin board at the local detox last week and asked for a copy of it. Although it is written 'gender specific' feel free to substitute the word 'woman' or 'human' for 'man'.

To Be A Man

The man of greatest strength is also one of gentleness.

The most accomplished man learns both from failure and success.

The man of strongest leadership knows how to follow, too-

And that asking for help can sometimes be the best thing he can do...

The wisest man of all is one who takes a look within-

To embrace what he's becoming, and to learn from where he's been.

If a man attempts all this (and only someone special can),

Then he truly has the heart and soul it takes to be a man.

You have the ability to achieve success, so be proud of who you

are and of the way you live your life.

World Clock

I haven't had a chance to check this out thoroughly but at first glance it should prove to be fascinating. (I hope this works)

World Clock

Actually there are a number of adjectives that come to mind besides 'fascinating' but you be the judge.

(Ta-da, yippee - it worked!!)

Try following the link to the 'Life Expectancy' calculator at the bottom right of the page......hmmmm.

Life Is Good

Life is full....it's busy....it's good.

I didn't post yesterday due to the fact I was weary and in a so-so mood. I guess with the shift change and being back at work so soon I was a little off kilter. Day shifts also draw a different sort of energy from you and I need to approach them with a different mindset. Through the course of the day I continued to hear from the guys how much they appreciated having the opportunity to hear Audrey speak Monday night - she made quite an impression and gave a lot of hope. You can't argue with someone who was once a hopeless drunk and has racked up 50 years sobriety.

With yesterday being the anniversary of 9/11 it was time to pause and reflect on one of the defining moments in human history.....and the resilience of America as a nation. I vividly recall the terrible unfolding of events on that day; the horror and anguish; that the unbelievable was indeed happening. What a terrible price paid by the victims and their families............

I had a pretty strong negative reaction to a comment left on a friend's blog regarding 9/11 and left a comment of my own which , of course, in hindsight wasn't very wise. Amends have been made all round and hopefully that's the end of it - I wasn't looking to get into a fire fight. I simply don't like politicizing where it comes to such an emotionally loaded occasion. Think what you like, just don't feel you need to share your views.

Today has been busy. A medical appointment, an hour with Lynda, a few hours of fun spent with Mom out and about town, a hurriedly cooked dinner and then off to run a meeting at the local detox. Five group members showed up to participate for the benefit of five patients. After the meeting I spent an hour with a new sponsee at a coffee shop getting a better read on where he is in life and his recovery. My clothes are out and my bag packed for this 26 hour shift tomorrow which sounds like it'll be a marathon. If things go as planned I'll have 3 admissions done before noon, 2 discharge interviews and a meeting run by 4 p.m. - wish me luck. Then it's catching up all the paper work and follow up phone calls throught the evening until I'm relieved at 11 p.m. Off to bed, back up at 6, run a counsellors meeting before I'm away around 9:30.

I think the balance of Friday will be a braindead, do a little housework and cooking sort of day. It's important to have a plan.

Nothin' Much

....but a little good news.

I had a call from my Asst Mgr asking if I'd work a day shift Tuesday. Sure, just let me rearrange an appointment and I can do that. Well, how about an overnight shift Thursday morning into Friday morning - admissions, discharges, run a meeting or two?? Not a problem. Show me the money. Still, there go the plans for the my week off, straight out the window.

Yesterday once I was up I headed over for dinner and the evening with Lynda. Things are on the upswing again - who knew?? (Discretion prevents me from saying how well things are going but just let me say 'Hot Damn!') I spent a couple of hours this morning at the house doing some chores Lynda wanted done and then filled the car with more of my possessions to bring over here to the townhouse. I was hoping to finish that up this week. We shall see.

Tonight I chair at my home group and I've asked Audrey to speak. I've mentioned her before - she attained 50 years sobriety back in July and has been holding off getting her medallion until some of her family can be here. I jokingly refer to her as my girlfriend; she's 88 now so I guess that would be a December / September romance. Gotta love her - she's still full of love for life and makes the most of it. I get to pick her up at home and escort her back again.

More problems today with the camera and computer refusing to talk to one another. As I was emailing Kel earlier I noticed one of the pictures of mine that I'd mentioned to her eons ago as one I'd have submitted for her 'Art Attack' challenge. Hmmm .... snap a picture, try to download it..... no go. Futz about with some diagnostics ... still nothing. One day, Kel; one day!!!!

Time to get on with the balance of the day.

Co-Dependence

I was over having dinner with Lynda before coming to work tonight. Once we were done eating I got into rehashing the conversation of the other night that put me into a tailspin. Telling her how the things she says affect me, restating what my goals for us are, what the 'whys and wherefores' are behind the decisions and choices that are being made. I suppose the one thing that confounds me is that how I think and feel doesn't change; Lynda vacillates and doesn't seem to have her mind made up enough to be consistent from one occasion to the next. Drives me nuts and confuses the hell out of me.

I come away and think about the years we've spent together; how intertwined and involved we've been in every facet of one anothers lives and wonder....how did we get here? Can we recover completely? If we get back together, would it be settling for what is familiar? Easier than struggling to find new lives apart?

Other large issues of relationship and personality come glaring through with all the subtlety of a clown at a funeral. Dependence, co-dependency, rejection and adoption of new beliefs and values, issues tied to finances and status and life roles. They keep clacking at you like dominoes tumbling in an inter-related landslide.

While we continue to spend substantial amounts of time together, there is enough time apart and independent to give perspective. I've just recounted some of the negative ruminations. Friend 'L' advised today to recall the positives especially of the early days and the reasons we wanted to be together to start with. What I recall most vividly of those days is the curiosity, excitement and attraction. Of wanting to know everything about her. The spontaneity; how loose and unstructured it was.

I know I can live fully, completely, happily without her; I just don't wish to. That is so jarringly wrong it's like biting on tinfoil.

Sharing The Good Stuff.....

As the result of an inquiry from Kel I did a little digging regarding the photos hanging in my living room and I'll share the results momentarily....

A little history first. I had a 30 year career in the prepress part of the print trade; mainly commercial print. Each year we would receive from our paper, ink and finishes suppliers limited edition posters and calendars which would showcase their products. Those prints are from one of those calendars which I eventually had mounted on panel; I have 4 of the set - Lynda another 3. There are another 5 or 6 in a folder at home that I might someday have mounted as well.

They are from a series called 'Stonelines', taken from a 1997 calendar which is the work of a Dutch gentleman by the name of Volkhard Hofer. You can find his website here. You'll be able to browse his galleries of images - they will knock your eyes out and confound you with their variety and evident technical expertise. Some of the ones I have are in his 'Images' section, subsection 'Canyons'. Don't rely on my memory but I think they were taken in the 'Badlands' areas of Utah, Colorado, Arizona & New Mexico.

Thanks for asking Kel - I found more than I could have hoped for. Such a beautiful body of work!!

Curious Photo Problem

In the previous post I had to delete one shot (facing the computer desk) because when it posted it looked like there was a uniform 'mask' of colour covering the bottom half of the shot. I went back to the photo library to see if I'd missed seeing it after downloading the images from the camera; the whole image was there. Just wondering if anyone else has run into this or similar problems. The problem must have been generated in uploading the images to Blogger (?) but I'd have thought it would affect an entire photo and not just a part of it.

Input anyone??

**Here we have it**



and another example.....

Living Arrangements

At long last I've unpacked a few of my familiar, favourite things. Yes, I'm a glass nut.



With friend Terry's aid this got re-arranged last week - the computer desk against the outside wall; tv and stereo on the common wall; lamp toward the kitchen wall.



The torchiere lamp was a bargain from 'the evil empire', aka Walmart. The multi photo frame below it is from the Cdn version of the evil empire - Zellers.

Two months and counting since I moved; one day I'll be settled, I'm sure.

Quickly ....

...another couple of things.

Conversely, inconsistently, incomprehensively....as I'd already been on-line and purchased them .... I picked up the tickets for the theatre premiere for David Gilmour's DVD for Lynda and I to attend. And also a pair for her friend and workmate Janis and her ex-hubby Eric. They were separated for 10 years and have shared a house for the last 5. We've all been out together before.

I've started tracking my smoking and putting restrictions around it. Pretty soon everywhere will be a 'smoke-free' zone if I keep it up. I haven't reduced much as yet but I'm getting a heightened awareness about why, where and when I tend to light up. Then delay, distract, deny myself.

Sarah has been up dashing off email updates tonight as she tries to get Zeph settled. He's a month old and is rolling himself over already. A prodigy, that boy.

Messages

Cousin BJ and I were relating last week about how there are meaningful messages all about us, all the time, coming from many sources....and the need to be attuned to them.

I was in a good mood today until I'd spent a couple of hours with my 'sig' other and I've spent the last 10 hours lambasting myself for rising to the bait and allowing myself to be negatively affected by her mercurial nature. I know better. I wind up kicking my own butt anyway. (After examining my own wants, needs, expectations, motivations, ad nauseum.....)

Anyway, instead of writing I read up on my regular blogmates sites, started following links and guess what I found???? Exactly what I needed tonight ... and something for a couple of friends and relations to ruminate upon and appreciate.

It also fits in nicely with the 'one day (moment) at a time' mode of thought (to my way of thinking).

Check this out. Thanks Quinn; thanks Robin.

Unofficial End To Summer....

The autumnal equinox is still a few weeks away but with this last long holiday weekend, Labour Day, it spells the end of the season for many. Vacations are over and it's back to the real world of work and school. The weather couldn't have been better with temps in the high 20's during the day, dropping to the high teens through the night. We've enjoyed cloudless skies, endless sunshine and low humidity. Glorious!

One thing I notice particularly with swapping shifts about each week is the shortening daylight hours. Not so long ago the sun would be up before I left work in the morning and wouldn't set until well after 9 in the evening. Now it isn't up until I've arrived home in the a.m. and it's setting before 8 p.m. with no lingering dusk. It gets full dark in a hurry. We've been losing over a minute of daylight each day since June 22.

I was out on the veranda awhile ago appreciating the moment - the half moon, the stars, the sounds of frog song and crickets, the slight breeze, some high hazy cloud easing in from the northwest. Worries?? What worries? More like a mindless (thought-less) serenity.

There are a few trees changing colour already and it can't be because of cooler temperatures as we haven't had any. I think it must be a reaction to the drought conditions and high UV counts. Lynda and I were walking Freedom through the greenbelt behind the house the other night and were surprised when we reached the creek; we've never seen the water level so low, the creek so narrow. All the trees look dusty and wilted; the lawns parched.

With berry season at its height I've been buying them like crazy as they're at their cheapest. Strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, mulberries poured over ice cream or yogurt, with a cup of granola or cereal mixed in. To die for.....to be enjoyed while they last.

Music News

Lo and behold, I hadn't checked David Gilmour's website for a few weeks and damned if they haven't announced a release date for his DVD from his 'On An Island' tour. This show was recorded at Royal Albert Hall and runs 85 minutes. The DVD will be released Sept 18 here in North America but will be premiered via HD simulcast in theatres Saturday Sept 15 @ 3p.m. Eastern Time. For local showings go to his website - davidgilmour.com - click on the DVD tab and scroll down to either U.S. or Canadian listings.

Out of all the shows Lynda and I have seen together, this is the one we agree on as having been the best of the lot - back in April '06 at Massey Hall in Toronto. Our butts will be in the seats for the movie theatre showing and I'll likely be at my local music shop on the 18th to pick up my copy of the DVD.

Oh - and just in case you don't know who he is - SHAME ON YOU !!!! Find out.

Back On Track

Isn't the human mind a wonderful thing???? Full of dips and dives, ups and downs. My last few posts left something to be desired....like sanity, perhaps. There had been a lot going on - little in the way of rest, expectations not met, some negative anticipation regarding a diagnostic test on Friday, the necessary fast in preparation for that. All in all, it had a cumulative effect on my overall frame of mind.

In the end everything turned out alright. Friend Terry got me to my appointment and back home again - good of him. I fed myself and laid down for a couple of hours to rest and get rid of the chills and discomfort. Lynda picked me up on her way home from work, fed me and kept an eye on me for the night - good of her. We took Freedom for a long walk that allowed me to walk off some pain and cramping. I'm back to feeling about 90% normal today and am about to get into some things that need doing on the home front. Later on our group is doing an evening shift covering the phones at the local AA office so it should give us a chance to catch up on summer goings-on and prepare for a busy month coming up.

I'm not counting on it but I might hook up with Lynda when that shift is done - she's out for the day with one of her 'dangerous' friends and there's no telling where that may go. Not my problem really. If we don't get together I have plenty of other things to do to keep my self occupied.

One thing that continues to take up head space is the prospect of quitting smoking. I have lots of resources (thanks to Susan, et al) and support (Suzie, Robin, BJ, Lynda, et al), knowledge, motivation....... All that is lacking is the will and a decision. Even if I'm not completely prepared for a quit I think it's time for a serious attempt just to get my feet wet and see what smoke free living is like again.

Time to make that a reality and not wishful thinking.