Posted on October 3, 2019 under Thursday Tidbits with no comments yet

Book Launch Friday, October 4th at 6:30 at The Arts House

 

Box lunch. noun. an individual lunch carried in a box rather than a bag.

Book Launch. noun. The definition of a launch is an event at which something, such as a book or product, is presented to the public for the first time.

So, you’ve never been to a book launch before? And you arrive at the event thinking that they’re giving away box lunches. Why don’t you pop into my book launch Friday evening (October 4) at 6:30 p.m. at The Arts House. The Arts House is located in the old Visitor Information Centre next door to Boston Pizza. Should you come, don’t be dismayed or fooled by the inordinate number of cars in the parking lot. I’m not THAT popular. A local car dealership is using this space as they wait construction of a new facility.

You might think that a book launch is a high brow affair, frequented by intellectuals and people delving into esoteric topics like philosophy. I am sure there are book launches that fit that description but not mine. My loyal readers have never accused me of being an intellectual. My writing is simple, just like me. Yes, I have a new book that I want to promote but be assured, the hour that you will spend will not be filled with me reading long, boring passages that might cause you to nod off. This launch will be different as I plan to show you pictures of my walk across Spain. And if things do get dull, you can just sneak out and grab a beer next door.

Just so you know, I accept cash, debit and credit cards. Unwashed beer bottles are not acceptable trade.

Hope some of you can make it.

I was chatting with a town official the other day about the Homecoming at St.F.X this coming weekend. Every year the citizens of our town brace themselves for a weekend of heavy duty partying by students at our local university. In an attempt to curb some of the enthusiasm, the Homecoming football game is going to be held on Friday evening for the first time.

We shouldn’t make light of the over consumption of alcohol at this annual event at the university. It is very dangerous and quite unsettling to watch. And while we shouldn’t condone public displays of drunkenness, many of us were students once upon a time (I started university 49 years ago)  and I’m certain our behaviour by times wasn’t all that desirable. Mind you, back in the day, we would go to the pub a few hours before the big game and have a few beer and a burger and then head to the stadium to take in the game. These days, the festivities seem to start 24 hours before the game.

To those who condemn university students for bad behaviour, one wonders what our town would look like if the university wasn’t here.

________________________________________________________________________________

I want to thank a friend who sent me an article about grieving. Everyone’s grief is different. Most people my age have lost one or both parents. If you haven’t, consider yourself very fortunate. Some of you have experienced the inexplicable grief of losing a child. Or a spouse.

The article I received was about the death of a sibling. Many of us come from large families and unfortunately will face this reality on more than one occasion. Here is what Emmi Scott has to say about this topic: “The death of a sibling can feel like losing a part of yourself because, no matter how different your personalities are, you’ve shared many of the same experiences. You grew up in the same family system, ate dinner around the same table, and went on the same vacations. Our family dynamics can help determine much of our adult lives. No one understands those dynamics better than your siblings.”

Still missing our brother, Tom.

Have a great weekend.

P.S. Please bring a friend to my book launch!

 

Posted on September 30, 2019 under Monday Morning Musings with no comments yet

The Bluebird Cafe in Nashville where many C&W greats got their start

 

“Three chords and the truth”

WARNING: RANT ALERT

Call me a late bloomer or just call me old but with time on my hands lately, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking. This is singularly a dangerous occupation for a senior citizen like me. I’m convinced that society doesn’t really want us thinking too much. It wants us to react to the blizzard of information thrown our way. It especially wants us to spend money on things we don’t really need.

It’s official. I have stopped watching television news. I just can’t stomach it any more. The little bits of news I consume are from my CBC News app. I pick and choose what I want to read rather than having it rammed down my throat.

I watched the opening salvo of the Federal Election coverage but I refuse to watch federal leaders tell me for weeks on end, how they are going to make Canada a better country. Sorry, I ain’t buying it. I saw one day of attack ads and that was enough to make me turn the channel and watch a Muppets rerun.

So now that I have finally rid myself of these irritants, what am I doing to fill those wasted hours?

I have rediscovered PBS. Instead of watching someone promising me the sun and the moon and a tax cut, I am learning about some of the great cities in the world like Prague, Berlin and Rome. I am watching all sorts of documentaries. I am not being force fed advertisements. I feel liberated.

Late one evening last week, I flicked on PBS just before turning in for the night. There was a special focusing on the history of Country and Western music. I got quite caught up in it and ended up staying up way beyond my normal bedtime. I won’t tell you what this is. I want you laughing with me and not at me!

I have continued to watch for the past several days and it has been quite the education. I am finally starting to realize the appeal of C&W music. The music is simple (three chords) and the lyrics are honest (the truth). In a world inundated with false news, there is something pure about Country music. You don’t have to struggle to understand what a performer is actually saying.

The other morning, rather than listen to Jay and Dan at 6:00 a.m., I turned on PBS and watched a fantastic concert from the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, a place I visited with my son four years ago. The history lesson continued with a who’s who of the greats in C&W performing many of the classic hits. It is a bit of a slight to suggest that country musicians only know three chords. “Three chords and the truth” is a Country mantra, not mine. The stage was filled with world class musicians brilliantly displaying their craft. I was mesmerized.

I’ll take three chords and the truth over fake news any day.

“My god, Len you sound like a broken record.”

“What’s a record, grandpa?”

Have a great week.

P.S. I am hoping some of you can make it to my book launch this Friday, October 4^th. at 6:30 p.m. at The Arts House (former Visitor Information Centre next door to Boston Pizza).

Posted on September 26, 2019 under Thursday Tidbits with no comments yet

From the boardwalk at Pomquet beach

 

“How many beer breaks do you take when you walk to the Cape?”

One of the greatest joys of writing is that I get to chat with my readers. Often, I bump into people while walking the streets of my hometown. Occasionally (rarely) someone calls me on my cellphone. When you think about it, very few of our communications are by phone these days unless you consider texting a phone message. I still receive quite a few e-mails but most of my exchanges are on social media including Facebook, Messenger, Instagram and Twitter.

Some of you are not on Facebook. I suspect that you were probably among the smartest kids in your class in school! But, for all of its flaws, Facebook still fascinates me.

Since returning from the Camino in June, I have been doing a long walk every weekend, somewhere between 30-40 kilometres. I typically post something early in the morning indicating my destination. Then, Facebook takes over.

Besides the obvious health benefits of a long walk, you get to see the world in slow motion. It is a beautiful world, if you take the time to look.

I love everything about my weekend walks but the best part is meeting people. Decades ago, dropping in on neighbors and friends was normal activity. It seems these days that if you don’t make an appointment, go to a sporting event, or arrange a dinner date, you might never have human interaction. But these are all planned activities.

My interactions while walking are mostly spontaneous although I have some loyal friends (you know who you are!) who routinely provide me with nourishment when I’m heading in their direction. There hasn’t been a walk yet when someone hasn’t stopped me on the side of the road to chat. Very often these people are complete strangers. And, yes, I routinely get offered a cold beer. I just love it when someone yells out my name from their front lawn and asks me to join them for a cold drink.

On a seven hour walk (35 km), I normally stop a few times by the side of the road and have a snack. Invariably, I have at least one other unplanned stop and these are truly golden. I have met some of the nicest people imaginable. Actually, I am convinced that most people are really decent human beings. It’s just that we’ve lost human contact and are caught up in all the crap and don’t take the time any more to visit.

My son was home for a visit on the weekend and we were talking about my walks and why people seem to like to follow and aging man wandering aimlessly along the back roads of Nova Scotia (and Spain… and India!). One thing led to another and we then got talking about walking across Canada. We wondered who is the oldest person to walk across our country. A Google search didn’t readily answer the question. I reckon it would take me about 200 days to go from Vancouver Island to the east coast. Now, that would be a great challenge!

My wanderlust remains intact.

My late brother, Tom was a huge proponent of travel. He felt that is was the best education that money could buy. As many of you know, my fifth book (how did that happen?) has just been published and is available worldwide through Amazon. One of the people that I interviewed for the book said that she was unable to have the book delivered to her country. Another fellow Camino walker had received his book (in France) and was wondering how he could get it autographed. Then I got to thinking… always a dangerous pastime!

With all of my new contacts all around the world, especially in Europe, why wouldn’t I just do a mini book tour and go visit these countries and hand deliver some books? I could get to see new parts of the world and re-connect with friends. Who knows? Maybe there might be another book in the works doing a follow up with the people I interviewed on the Camino.

Antsy in Antigonish.

Have a great weekend.