Well, I'm about to head back to my summer home in a few hours. It has been a wonderful time this week. I saw lots of people, and I made it to two chamber music concerts which were wonderful.
Odd sensation today. In conclusion, I think I don't really appreciate living out in the wilderness. I walked home, maybe 20 minutes, in my suburban neighbourhood and really enjoyed the summer air and weather. To me there is no air fresher than the air you breath after holding your breath to avoid a car's exhaust. I don't feel that refreshed when I'm at the narrows and walking around in the fresh air.... I love the creek I live by - Sturgeon Creek. As wonderful as Lake Manitoba Narrows is to swim in and to watch... I still prefer my little marshland creek. Today I crossed the creek by stepping on the rocks.
I love that sensation of not knowing which rocks are going to be stable, you might just topple over into the water. It will forever remind me of elementary school. In gym class, we would all walk down to the creek and then we'd have to run along the creek all the way down from one bridge, cross the water there and then back to the other bridge to back where we started from. Some of us would always cheat.... there was a little island in the middle of the creek which you could get to by walking on the rocks. Coming up to this area, we would slow down the run and then shave off about 5 minutes of the run by crossing there and we'd play around on the island. It always seemed like a long time, and we'd join the group when the rest of the runners would come running by. Sometimes we'd get caught, but it was always worth the risk.
The same creek also reminds me of my late puppy Rex. He was afraid of water from the get go. He was always the kind of dog that would jump over or scoot around puddles, and giving him baths was always a hassle! One summer, I decided to cure him of his fear (thoughtful me). I took him for a walk down to the creek and tried for quite a while to coax him into walking into the water. I went in and tried calling him.... Obviously that didnt work. I tried pulling on his chain to pull him into the water - he got me back by causing me to fall into the water. The next step was to pick him up and place him in the water. Keep in mind that this was super shallow... maybe halfway up my calves. He would either sit there or try and run back out. I would be supportive and pet him and tell him he was a good boy or give him treats.
In the end, not much changed... he still didn't like the water.
I guess there really is no moral to that story.... too bad.
But, the moral of the set of stories is that I think I call this home. I like the city. I like creeks in the city.
The End

So I called my boss to find out if I can get a ride into the city tomorrow or if I need to leave tonight. I didn't get a certain answer on the ride... but I don't have to work until Sat morning, so it's not a pressing issue. This means that I still have til tomorrow night at 8pm to get a bunch of fun stuff done.
Tonight is going to be a gooder! I am going to the second Mozart concert with Chris and Davey. I have been doing uberwell with the visiting of people this trip.
I was also somewhat productive while I've been here. One of my composition projects for the summer is a set of variations for piano. I now have the theme entered into the computer in a state that is very close to what it will be as a final outcome. I think this will probably have been the most difficult part of the composition... writing the theme. If everything else is going to be based on it, it needs to be just right. The type of variations I am doing are not quite the standard Mozartean ones where you maintain some of the elements and then rewrite it so it's just different enough... rather I'm going to use the theme as a template upon which I will directly mark the changes.
Anyway, I'm starting to feel that I'm going to be productive with composing this summer... but I haven't felt that way about piano. The good thing about my piano practicing is that I am using my time very wisely and efficiently... the problem is that a few hours a week are simply not enough, no matter how efficiently I use them. I just need to buckle down and actually get around to practicing. This year's recital is going to be huge and I need to have a LARGE head start on it.

apparently I've done 200 posts... this being 201.... I missed the celebration.... but it's not like anyone is reading this anyway, judging from the commentary.... So, I conclude that noone cares about the meager happenings of my life.
Nevertheless, I will fill you in.
On the ride into the city, my boss asked me what I had planned, or lined up for my time in the city.... I had nothing... absolutely nothing...
When I got home, I realised that there were a couple of my piano teacher's concerts this week... so boom I have things to do. I spent time with my friend Kimberley monday night. Today I talked with friend Andrea and hung out with her this afternoon and watched some World Cup. These two events have reminded me just how much I enjoy spending time with friends on a one-on-one basis. Groups can be fun, but I prefer the more intimate setting for conversations and chit-chat... whatever. I've bumped into quite a few people today, and as a result, there are many concerts I can attend while in town... oh and tomorrow I have a lunch with workmates from the Ballet.... Perfect timing! the call was on my answering machine last night... if I wasnt in town, I woul dhave missed it, which I thought I would have to anyway, but yay!
I still have all of tomorrow and then possibly all of thursday to fill with fun times with friends and random fun!
This has been a succesful journey into the city already!

It still amazes me that I'm only in the city once ever 2 weeks,. and still I post more often than people who are here all the time. Oh well, I'm in a good mood, so no need to complain.
Basically I have begun to feel at home out at the lodge. The people I work with are like family, but even more fun. My worries about making enough money at the job have been lessened by my boss. Anyway, I think I don't care anymore about that.... I will make enough money to pay for school... and I'll have income coming in next year, so it's all gonna be good, or at least tolerable.
I'm not getting enough practicing or composing done up there. It's not that I can't find the time... I'm just not motivated. There's really no good reason. Boo.
The Jonny Cash book I bought last time I was in town was a big hit with coworkers and some diners... but it didn't do well with the tips. I think that country music is too pedestrian, not in a bad way, but it doesn't give people that sense of "this young man is a gifted musician who should be tipped", rather it makes them think "ah, good times y'all... get me a bottle of whisky and a banjo and I can do this too".
It's a subtle difference.
Ya, my bosses are wonderful. One of them gave me a ride into the city and when I said I was going to be in thursday night on the bus, another boss said "but you don't work til friday evening.... give my daughter a call, she's coming in sometime friday, she'll give you a ride in."
Im glad to be in town. I don't really have anything I need to do like shopping or anything, and I have a day longer than I did last time when I had tons to do, so it's relaxing time! woohoo!

Why driving with my mother is special:

Situation: A car signals and then pulls into the 2 and a half car lengths of space between our car and the car in front.

"Asshole! So you're gonna cut me off?!?! I'm gonna be on your ass like a hemorrhoid!"

Today I had some running around to do. I bought some deodorant, toothbrushes, cookie baking betty-crocker bags, underwear, yet more discount socks, then I went to the sheet music store, I bought lots of country music and the essential Jonny Cash collection... now I will fit in up there. I still had time before picking my mother up from work, so I went and bought a violin. It cost more than I was planning on, but apparently it is a good instrument and will last a long time. I will spend the summer becoming a virtuoso, and you will all be shocked and pleasantly surprised in the fall. The theory is that if I take it with me to the middle of nowhere, at least there will be relatively few people to hear the badness that is sure to ensue.
Grr, I spent far too much money today... but on the otherhand, I have spent next to nothing out at the lodge. If I do pay to eat at the restaurant... I get cheap meals, or a good discount, but I've been cooking my own meals a fair amount of the time. The only thing that i'm spending more money on than I would here is booze... I had actually cut back a lot of drinking lately in the city... rarely at all.. but now there's not much else to do in the country than work, drink or sleep- so I've taken up drinking again. Nevertheless, drink prices are quite reasonable, and I will keep a healthy limit on my booziness.
Anyway, last night something changed. I won't get into details cause it's very fresh, I'll perhaps comment next time I'm in town. I'll just say that I had to do something very difficult. Nevertheless, because of the other person involved, it was not as uncomfortable as I thought it might have been, and I thank them for being such a great friend in that regard. I hope that they were being honest in the front I was shown, as I appologize for any discomfort or awkwardness I caused.
I think that's all for now, once again, I will be in town next around June 12-15th ish. Hopefully I will be able to see more people then. Driving around today reminded me of just how much of a contrast there is between the city and the Narrows. I must admit that I'm still a city boy at heart, but I am enjoying my life out there as a down-to-earth rancher/lumberjack/exterminator/pianist.