Monday, March 30, 2009

The New Piano

Tonight our new piano found it's way from out in the township onto the new bamboo floor I finished installing this morning. The house is going well, with 3 rooms upstairs floored, and the bamboo in, I have hope that it might actually get done. At least the floor. 'Cause it's kind of important. They tell me.

I took Peja over to the house today so I could jigsaw some final bits of the flooring, and she rocked out on my old yamaha keyboard. I bought it in Grade 8, for reasons I don't really know. I wanted to play the drums, and I already had a guitar, and we had a piano in the house -- but I guess I wanted my own. It came with all this "play along" stuff, where it plays the backing and you play the melody, and then you can start controlling the changes with one finger, and then by chording, and it really is when I started to learn how to read music and arrange with chords. Peja can't really read anything, but she quickly learned what number sounds she liked and what kind of stuff she could do with it (77 is a big favourite).

My junior boys basketball team is playing their first game tomorrow -- and exhibition game against the junior girls. The girls coach is a great coach, and a great basketball player -- I am very ready to watch my boys get killed. I think it'll be good for them. I always enjoy getting destroyed at basketball; reminds you of everything you need to work on.


Thursday, March 26, 2009

Rushed morning.

Peja came into our room at about 6:30 this morning, which is a bit early, but she went back to sleep, as did I (Sienna had left for work circa, uh, whenever it is that she leaves), and when we both work up, it was 8:35. Which is nice. If it wasn't a school day.

"Peja, we have to get up, we're late."
"Daddy, you get up first."
"We're both getting up. I'm getting up right now."
"You get up first."
"Get up!"

She headed off to her morning rounds, and we met up at the top of the stairs around 8:40.

"What do you want for breakfast?"
"Do we have any cereal?"
"Yeah, lots of cereal."
"Lots and lots of cereal?"
"Just tell me what kind you want!"
"Do we have cheerios?"
"Do you want cheerios?!"
"So we have lots and lots of cereal? Lots and lots?"
"Goddamn it! We're late!"

Now, to frame this a little better, I played about 3 hours of basketball last night, and went to bed shortly before I assume Sienna heads off to work. I had a wicked dehydration hang-over and a gimpy knee.

I want to give Peja and myself some credit, because we made it to school at like 9:07 or something, which is 32 minutes from when we woke up, having eating a good breakfast, packed a lunch, brushed our teeth and combed our hair.

We did, however, take the car. 3 weeks to the move. Count it down.

Friday, March 20, 2009

Baby PJ, and the Erin Farm. . .

More love sent out to baby PJ, who the doctors are keeping an eye on at the hospital -- he's all good, but they like to be sure before they send babies out into the world.

I'm listening to some classic Barn Flyz, because I'm a narcissist, I guess, but also to remember what the band used to sound like. A Few More Songs from the Erin Farm was a record made out of frustration -- my 8 track recorder had busted, I went back to using my old digital 4 track; which required a lot of track bouncing and figuring out before hand. What was kind of fun is that the drums almost always got added last (they sounded the worst after getting mixed down, so I'd do everything else first so they would remain 1st generation), so I could do as many takes as I wanted of the drum parts without wanting to rush off to add more stuff. The room at the farm where I recorded was a lot like my new studio in the new house -- big, old, one window. It's also the shortest record in the collection, only 5 tracks. One of it's tracks, "Millionaire" was reworked for "Songs for my Seaweed Girl", but to me, I like some of the other songs better. They are very mellow, really, I didn't know better, I'd say I got really into pot right around the time of this record. . . The lyrics don't make much sense, the tunes drone on, and there is a lot of reverb floating around. . . I would like to put together a pod-cast of a bunch of old tracks, with commentary, for the three fans of the band. . .

Peja is having a night terror. She cries in her sleep, pretty loud, without waking up. I can go in and wake her, but she settles just as fast on her own, or wakes up, which is all I would do if I went to her. It's funny to have an almost 5 year old that cries in the night and sounds just like a baby -- nearly every night -- but it seems totally normal too, because she's always done it. I've been leaving her at friends houses for play-dates lately, and not only is she fine with me leaving, she's often told me that "you can go do something daddy", which is a not-too-subtle "get out, you old loser, and let me have some fun without your constant nagging!" Oh, there, she's quiet again. Sweet. We still have a sleep chart for her, if she sleeps through, I put a sticker on it. Every morning when we come downstairs, Peja asks me if she's slept through. I told Sienna today that I've probably forgotten about the same number of wake-ups as I have remembered dreams of imaginary wake-ups; the stickers even out. When she fills the chart, she gets a toy from Sienna's toy stash.

I bought some chain and some bolts to secure the new basketball net from thieves, vandles, and basketball nemeses who might want to impair my ability to further perfect the turn-around fade-away. It will be up soon, and you'd better all fear the fade.

Thursday, March 19, 2009

The Basketball Net

I've assembled the three parts of my new basketball net. I'm not ready to leave it outside, not until we figure out something to lock it to, but it's painfully close to being together.

The floor upstairs is being pieced together. It's this cool vinyl plank stuff that sticks together and just floats as one huge piece. You can sock slide from the studio to Peja's room now; next, the sock slide to the master bedroom and the bathroom. It will happen. Peja and I went over the other night just to hang out, and we figured out that if I curled up in a ball and held on to Peja, and she ran in circles around me, I would spin around so fast that I wanted to throw up. I think that means the floor is awesome.

I have to decide what the hell I'm doing with the bamboo floor in the living/dining room. And we need a kitchen. . . The fine people at Ikea have their best people on it, and I'm sure that eventually there will be a place to cook. On the bright side, some people are coming to look at the apartment this weekend and early next week, so if we can get that sucker rented for May 1st, then everyone wins and we can pay back the $6,000,000 we owe many different places.

My brand-new nephew PJ is still trying to get home from the hospital, some wacky O2 stats are going to keep him overnight, but hopefully he can get home tomorrow, and we can Skype him for the first time!

Thinkin' about you PJ,

Jay.

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

The House

Sienna painted all the rooms (save the half bath and one wall of the kitchen), two coats, with occasional help from yours truly. We floored the new studio, which is a drop in the flooring bucket. But things are moving along. Only 1,000,000 things left to do. . .

My nephew made it home today, which is pretty neat. Maybe I'll do an album with the band called Uncle Jay and the Barn Flyz. . .

Sunday, March 15, 2009

Baby Peanut!

My sis had her baby, who is an awesome 10 1/2 lbs! Welcome baby Peanut, whom your parents will call Peyton James Bonney. I will write you a song.

Thursday, March 12, 2009

The X

If you live in Kamloops (and who doesn't?), and you listen to the college/community radio station "the x", you may have heard us. Apparenlty, our album is #8. I have no idea what this actually means for air time and such, but it is nice. Also, last week, in Edmonton, on the college station there, we made #6 last week. I'm fairly certain this has something to do with their obligation towards canadian content, but I'm happy to know that someone far away is listening; even if it's just the disc jockey.

Got the new house today. Ripped up some carpet. Painting tomorrow, right after we take over the paper-mache world.

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

The Central. . . Uh? Centrists?

Had a really great practice today with my little junior basketball team. This was the first time that me and my assistant coach really noticed a jump in skill level. The scrimmage resembled, at times, a basketball game -- shots were going in, and people were passing to the open man.

Last week I talked to the coach of the girls team about an inter-school game, and apparently that leaked out -- the boys were all asking me about it today. I think we're going to have it on the first or second practice after the march break. There are a bunch of tournaments around the city, but with central being such a small school, and our program being so new, I think we'll most likely just play our sister school, Sydenham public, and maybe a game against the teachers or something. We'll see how it goes.

We went to see our lawyer today to give him the ridiculous cheque for the house -- lots of zeros. . . Everything is all put together for the closing day on thursday. We have a final walk-through tomorrow to insure that everything is as it should be. We'd better get this deal put together, because this half-assembled basketball net is taking up most of our living room floor, and I think Sienna might notice soon. . .

Tuesday, March 03, 2009

Concrete Bunker


As I may have mentioned before, we get our new house next week. Is anyone else dying to rip up some carpet? There is hardwood in the places you can check, but it's overall condition is unknown. I'm thinking we'll probably just end up painting it white or brown or something (lime green?). Sienna and I have continued to do battle over the cut-out ikea kitchen planner, where built-in ovens and range-hood-convection microwaves have done battle for square footage and dollars.

More fun, is the search for a basketball net. The backyard has 2 paved parking spots, and we don't want cars back there (so Peja can play back there without getting run over), so my dream of my own half-court will come true. I think we're going to get a portable one -- we can probably store it in the sweet concrete bunker in the backyard. (What? your backyard didn't come with a concrete bunker? well, I'd complain. . . )


Sunday, March 01, 2009

Cover Bands, Hangovers, and Skating on the Lake

Went to a dance with Sienna and some friends at Peja's school on Friday Night. The band was smokin'; JACK PACK is the name of the group. They had 3 old guys, and our friend Grant (who plays basketball at the central games) on the drums. They played 60's and 70's classic rock and they were really great. The singer handled everything from the Monkees to AC/DC, no joke, and he was perfect every time. I'm going to go ahead and say they were the best cover band I've ever heard.

Since it was a dance, and since I never drink, I accepted a kind offer of a glass of courage before the outing. Yesterday is a blur of hang-over grumpiness, sadness, and napping. One glass. I am a light-weight. . .

Peja and I went skating out on Lake Ontario this morning. It was awesome. It was her first time up on single-blade skates, and I think she did awesome. I brought an umbrella stroller for her to push around, and by the end of our skate she was gliding while just holding my hand. The ice was making some awesome cracking and bubbling sounds -- it is indeed alive.

My sis is huge. The baby is imminent. Come on baby peanut!

Jay.