Sometimes pictures get trapped in your camera.
You forget then find them. Kinda like Easter eggs, except without that sulfur smell when they've spent two and a half years behind the lay-z-boy that finally gets moved to vacuum or tipped forward to find change for laundry, or all the pens it swallowed.
I had a bag of T-shirts left from the first Surge! event in September, and since I didn't have anything like party hats or noise makers I figure what could be more group spirit instilling than being dressed alike for New Year's? It worked for the Nazis.
So what's new? What's happened?
Well X-mas break was about 5 days long this year... a high water mark holidaywise.
The home part of it was the usual low-grade mesmerism I've come to expect: food, sleep, flashing lights. The kind of palliative care terminal rave goers would probably thrive upon.
The Fredericton part of it was likewise pleasant: Seeing Marc L. and spending a bit more time with M. (both pictured above). Work weeks that were only 24-30 hours long vs. my current 56. I have to say though, after years of silently mocking folks who complained how prolonged stretches of junk food and drink put them on their heels after the holidays... now the mock is on me. My system seems to yearly throw out new curves for me to consider. Is that a muscle pull or a stroke? That sort of thing.
There seemed to be a more-than-average portion of illness, death and relation rupture over the holidays. Perhaps another age-derived side effect.
What else? There was cat care, best of list countdowns, birthdays, sleep in short bursts at odd hours, plenty of chaos-fueled ducks that needed whacking back into rows. There always seems to be a pivot-point (usually around day 14-16 of January) where the possibility of a year that flows smoothly along the rails gets ker-knocked askance... either through mishap or plain ol' laziness. This year it's a little of both.
One speed bump was trying to get to a slightly less hectic work schedule, temporarily inverted by the departure of Mike the Saturday Guy (one of his many aliases) who finished school at Xmas and, due to some personal turmoil, picked up stakes and headed North (near North, but still).
The other dip in the road is getting a handle on how my routine impacts mealtime... i.e. my eating while walking or during 3 minute breaks at work. Less McD more macrobiotic? I'm still on the see saw with that one... I'll get back to you.
The last little hill to conquer is consolidating/moving forward with many disparate projects: writing, the Surgery blog and it's expanded possibilities, and the Surge! festival's posibilities for May.
The Surgery Radio one is the most tangible and exciting one at the moment. I installed a site meter and Cluster Map a little while ago, so now I can track not only how many visitors I get, but where they're visiting from. For example:
So what challenges am I gearing up for next? Well Kyle of The Fussy Part has enlisted J. Arnold (Proffessor Undressor) and me to open for them at The Capitol on February 3rd. We are cobbling together a DJ set that will hopefully both entertain and enlighten the masses. At least those who decide to come out before midnight and come inside rather that shiver and smoke on the deck. So those five people.
Finally I will impart upon you my favourite retail moment of the last few weeks. This time I had to go to another store to experience it:
Getting set up for the Surge! show on January 12th it became apparent that my stage rigging would benefit from a nice extension chord. We had about an hour and a half before showtime so John B. and I went up to Wendy's to grab some nice drive through dining to eat in the Canadian Tire parking lot. Following our dining we entered C'Tire which was fairly devoid of traffic for a Friday night. I found a suitable 10 m extension that was on sale for $14.99 and brought it to the cash. It has been a regular (pleasant) occurance at C'Tire that an even further reduced price comes up on the register screen when it's rung in... not this time.
Girl at Cash: That'll be $29.99.
Me: errr... the price in the aisle said $14.99 on sale.
GaC: Really?
Me: Really.
GaC: Well it comes up this price here. I'll call someone for a price check. [picks up phone on speaker]: Hardware call 103, hardware 103.
(five minutes elapse... a few more people are rung through... John is reading the back of battery packages).
GaC: I don't know who's back there. [tries again]: Hardware call 103, hardware 103.
(five more minutes... people are buy marked down garbage bags, John is sampling engine coolant flavours).
GaC: [to the other cashier two aisles over]: Who's back there?
GaC2: Jason, I think.
GaC: Is he on dinner?
GaC2: Not anymore. [Picks up her phone/speaker]: Jason in hardware call 105, Jason 105.
(her phone rings almost immediately and she transfers the call over to 103... I guess Jason is a little more scared of GaC2)
GaC: I have a guy here with an extension he says is on sale for $14.99, but it comes up as $29.99. OK? OK. He'll be right up.
GaC2: I had the same thing earlier tonight.
GaC: I know, but I can't just ring it in without Jason's OK.
(five more minutes elapse, then Jason, a slightly haggard post-holiday 1000 yard stare teenager shambles out of the back holding loops of extensions... looking a little like he's auditioning to replace the Crocodile Hunter dude.)
Jason: Ah... this one is $14.99 (holding up a nearly identical chord), but it's a one outlet. That one's a three outlet. They were mixed up on the shelf. (Shambles back).
GaC: Which one do you want?
Me: The cheap one.
So the whole thing took about 15-20 minutes. In the end the Girl rings it through and then looks into the pile of plastic bags as I exit without a "sorry for the wait" or "have a good night" or "never fucking come in here again." The holidays affect us all differently I guess.
