Red Cedar

i was confirmed today by a co-ordinator to have enough comm experience to work on the forest fire communications this summer which means i go on the rotation and possibly my name will be drawn to go do that if there is a fire-crisis – possibly in the interior, possibly elsewhere (depends where the provincial emergency operations center is set-up). i think i’m mainly looking for an experience where communicating with the public is essential – you know, has meaning to someone…. for a change. not that writing fact sheets about salmon doesn’t have its charms, but there is something about the immediacy of response in a situation like fire and evacution that puts a new dynamic into play.

so we’ll see.

tonight i am going to a dance show and launch of the emily molnar dance company with some of my bandmates. longtime flying folk friend gordon cobb (yes the link is not currently working, but will be in the future) has been working with emily for the past two years to compose the music for tonight’s show and according to him is some of his finest work to date. besides being the person who introduced me to sean morton (the other founder of the ffa) in a composition-improv class, gordon is a phenomenal designer of soundscapes and experimental music – so i am really looking forward to what comes of this in his collaboration with emily molnar and others who have worked on the show.

tomorrow morning i am meeting my friend anna at the tswassen ferry terminal and then heading towards the border and seattle for a quick overnight and show. a bit frenetic the last couple weeks, but this should be it for awhile…..

i am really looking forward to just staying home next weekend – if this weather holds up i’m planning on exploring a couple good swimming spots some local friends have told me about – these temperatures just beg for a dip and i’ve heard the chapman creek pools though cold, make for beautiful swimming…. all granite carved out by the river flow…. anyone want to join me for an adventuring day on the coast next weekend?

took my computer into the shop today – to get the key fixed and see if they could tell me why my wireless card hasn’t ever really worked. thought i was going to have to leave it there but instead, i got two technicians looking at it right away (mac station has the cutest techs, don’t ever let anyne tell you otherwise)….. one fixing the key and the other looking up ram prices for me…. walked out of there with the key fixed, the wireless antenna attached properly and a new 512 ram chip for my machine (onlyl $120 + tax)…. within 20 minutes….

and then i got home thinking that i could now hook up my wireless to some benefit to discover that someone very close to me (probably my next door neighbour) has an open wireless port…and i can get it on my machine at most points in the house so really, i don’t have to hook up my own if i don’t feel like it….

ha! now that’s a fine evening (and i ate ice cream on the ferry to boot!)

i put fresh strings on my fiddle last night and a new battery in my pre-amp.. by all accounts that makes me ready to rock. i forget how amazing a new set of strings makes my instrument sound…. putting my playing on auto-improve just by $75 investment. i have been seriously considering taking my violin to a local luthier on the sunshine coast in the near future to get a good once over and have a growing hairline crack in the body repaired before it gets worse. it’s been ages since i have taken her in for a check-up, and at this age (250+ years) it’s stupid not to take care of small problems as they arise.

i woke up last night at around midnight with a start, and then shortly afterwards heard what sounded like a shotgun blast in the distance. this is not the first time i have heard gun noises since moving to the coast… i forget that the further you get out of the city, the more likely people are to be shooting at moving things in their yards at night. in the weekly coast reporter, the police file often has reports of gun shots called in by neighbours etc. it’s odd, and strangely non-threatening (unlike the few times i heard shots in east van neighbourhoods, which just seemed more menacing owing to the urban context).

having a hard time focusing this morning, probably as a result of fitful sleep, and also trying to figure out travel plans over the next few months. am working out the dates to visit bella coola in july, have to book a ticket to winnipeg for a union convention in august, and start thinking about the early fall canoe trip aaron and i are planning. i’m thinking a possible trip to victoria in june (which might be the last of the island trips until fall given the fact i need some weekends for camping and may also end up working in the interior during the forest fire season – i have signed up to do crisis comm as a federal communicator if things get ugly). in all, it’s shaping up to be an interesting summer if all plans go through as i want them to.

but so rarely they do…… we’ll see what transpires and i’m sure i’ll have fun no matter. in the meantime it’s work and union cases (i feel like i’m running a counselling service off the side of my desk this week)….. there just doesn’t seem to be enough time to do everything i want to get done!

i am considering changing the date of my housewarming to june 18th because that weekend is a 3-day one for me and also because friends of mine in victoria are having a party on the 11th, which i’m not sure about going to, but i’d like the option for the victoria folks to come to my housewarming which they can’t do if there’s a date conflict.

if there is anyone out there who seriously objects to this, please let me know (by email is fine) – otherwise i’m going ahead with the new date.