Health and Mental Welfare

Can someone please pull my nose down and out of my brain pan, please? If it turns out to not be the thing lodged up there giving me a headache and making my throat hurt then we'll turn our hearts and hands to something else.

The end of February came and went in a stretch of work and play slapping together like desperate trout on a river bank... or something. Notably Marc Bragdon was well-wished, swished and whisked off to the wilds of Baker Lake, Nunavut. The party at

Christmasland

saw folks of all types (friends from F'ton, friends from Lincoln, friends from work, radio personalities) gather to rock and back slap their way into the wee hours.

The planned 3 band festival was more or less a non-issue. Opting not to get a PA made the evening easier to set up and prevented the greater possibility of authoritative backlash, but it also dulled the impact of the "rawk." Piper Perabo and Bachelor Padlock essentially became one entity (esp. given the absence of one f.c. Giles... often the wacky backbone of outlandish musical events) and the special guests (Rob and Jon) went on late to an enrapt and intimate crowd. Filling in the space between was a sparkling freestyle set by MC JB Free... hip, hop and topical.

The morning following the party brought a bus trip north to Campbellton. In essence it was 6 hours of enforced unconsciousness enshrouded by the sweetness of music-mediated isolation. Once at my folks the actual task at hand went well: helping my mom prepare for a colonoscopy (sp?) and gastroscopy. This involved fasting and medication-enhanced purgation... for my part I prepared meals for my dad and myself to alleviate her having to be around food during this period. The day of the exam there was a snow storm which change the transportation plans. I ended up providing dog-sitting services for their still-not-a-year-old Cocker Spaniel that howls like a timber wolf when left alone... in an apartment... with neighbours... who don't like to hear timber wolves nearby. As with most medical exams this one yielded not much immediate information... prefering to defer to the family physician to give the actual facts at a later date... and so back I went to Fredericton on the bus...

...and off the bus and to work... right then.

PART II

The intermediate week was busy. My boss worked my off-hours at the store and graciously did a major tidying of the workspace. I must admit, and those who know me must realize, I am a clutterer. My system involves keeping pertinent paperwork and work tools out in the open and close at hand... and everything else pools away in ever increasing concentric circles which are organically spaced depending on need vs. accesibility. At the very perimeter is the stuff which, frankly, has no use... at all... but never ever finds its way to the post consumer recycling center/wastepile it deserves. My only two excuses are 1) I don't have a car or drive and 2) I have to leave each day at 4:55 p.m. to make it to my second job of the day. On the other hand I could do this sort of thing on the weekend... and I WILL... at least I like to think I Will.

In his Mr. Cleaning routine Gordie streamlined a few things but also disrupted my dirt devil-style feng shui... It is not yet reestablished, but I'm-a workin' on it.

The lab is less than busy this week (March Break) but the store is crackling, for better or worse. It seems like there's been more than the usual share of disgruntled messes, unwashed masses, and just plain "other"s.

I'll comment more tomorrow. Plus I'm sick... thus the title above. I'll <><> tell you more about that too.