Solo with the short squad.

Lyn’s mom is having some big retirement throwdown thingy, so today was the the first time I’ve been alone with the entire three member team of the short squad – as Lyn and I have dubbed the kids. I’ve been alone with them a couple of hours at a time before, but this is the first overnighter, as Lyn left for Bathurst today at noon and won’t be back until noon tomorrow. I’ll give you the blow by blow, whether you want it or not…

Once Lyn left, we kicked it in the backyard with some good ol’ fashioned leaf pile jumping, being that it’s fall and all. The kids enjoyed that. Then it was time to come inside and catch the afternoon opener of the NHL season from London, England on Hockey Night in Canada – and yes – the kids did want to watch it, they dig hockey – they are after all, mine. Bubba opted out and took a nap.

After that we ventured forth to grab a cone ad the DQ and hit the recycling depot, which was, alas, closed. The DQ still hit the spot.

Then, back home, where we viewed the Black Stallion Returns – a horse movie, and therefore required viewing. Julia cried at the end ‘a happy cry’ , she said ’cause he let the horse go to be with his friends.’ Awesome.

After that, a dinner of pasta with red sauce and sausage – a kid favorite, and an easy to make for dad, then some dancing in the living room to a Lisa Loeb record (Tails, in case anyone is keeping track). Good stuff.

Teeth brushed, pajamas on, both Emma and Julia requested that I put on disc 2 o the Foo Fighter’s In Your Honor, as I had done a few nights ago while they fell asleep cause they said they liked it. Made me so proud…..Julia knows all the words.

I managed to get Bubba off to sleep on the 3rd try, and it’s 9:45 now as I type this, so that’s saying something considering he doesn’t really like drinking from the bottle and this is the longest he’s gone in 4 months without Lyn’s breast-eses around. Oh and on the totally out of nowhere tip, he weighs a honking 24 pounds now. It’s out of hand. I’m wearing an olympic weight lifter’s belt just to carry him around.

So now I’ve settled in to type this, which I’ve been meaning to do for weeks. The Foo Fighters have expired and Bruce Cockburn’s Charity of Night is humming in the background now…a disc I got along time ago from a buddy of mine, Tyler, who now lives in Halifax and brings us to our next point….

The buKit Pop Explosion.
With regard to work, the official launch for our biggest anticipated book this season, The Top 100 Canadian Albums, has been booked for October 20 in Halifax. Additionally this this is the culmination of a week long music festival there, the Halifax Pop Explosion consisting of bands performing at venues all over town as well as a music conference. Our launch will be hosted by an old Much Music VJ, Mike Campbell, which means nothing to me, the Yankee, but is apparently a big deal to the Canucks. Through the dilligent hounding of our publicist, I’ve been invited to sit on a panel at said conference entitled ‘The Power of Design in Music’ on the 20th. Once this was confirmed, and the wheels were in motion, I set about arranging what could quite possibly be one of the greatest Man weekends ever known.

I got in touch with my buddy Tyler, who runs the Music Room, a great performing space in Halifax, and a guitarist in his own right and he has assembled a fine roster of musicians to jam on Friday night the 19th in said space. We will jam all night, and have much fun, undoubtedly consuming much adult beverage. The next day, I will be on the panel in the afternoon, attend the book launch of what could be considered one of the most historical books in Canadian music in the evening – which, oh yeah – I DESIGNED – and then party on into the night with my FREE FESTIVAL PASS for the Halifax Pop Explosion that gets me and a guest (Tyler) into any of 8 or more venues with live music that night.

Sunday I will limp home at some point after having had what I can only assume will be several VERY strong coffees.

In what I’m sure is no small twist of fate, I received an email saying that hockey for this winter starts on that very same Sunday at 3:45. Should be interesting. I’m sure it will be fun, and I’ll only be in the doghouse with Lyn until Christmas or so….

I’ll try to post details closer to/during/and after said event. I should hope to have some pictures too. Which you’ll take notice of via my next nifty announcement….

The Lifestream
No, it’s not the force, or some sort of self-help higher conciouslness thing. It’s something that I first saw on Matthew Good’s site and thought was really cool, so I’ve implemented it here, thanks in no small part to the gracious and VERY expdeditous code wizardry of one Mr. Dale Mugford at BraveNewCode. It’s the lifestream, and it ties together my blog, my flickr page, my twitter page, and my del.ici.ous bookmarks in a streaming timeline that you can view and find out what has happened in a most up to date and fastidious fashion. You can check the link on the sidebar at right and get your groove on. Now all I have to do is get all my bookmarks into del.ici.ous…..don’t hold your breath.