the pod bay door

:: I arrived in Winnipeg on Monday afternoon, around 1:00 pm. On the way in, I stopped and briefly visited with friends at two locations, and then headed home. Later in the evening, my folks and I visited my Mom’s sister, Carol, who had quadruple-bypass surgery last Thursday (and is being released from hospital this Wednesday). While in the hospital, three of my cousins and their families also appeared, it was great to see them as well. Afterwards I visited my Dad’s sister, Eleanor (also my godmother), and her husband Carl.

:: Today Steve and I visted Chester Cuthbert and his wife Muriel. Chester is a legendary book collector who has lived in Winnipeg for 90 years. He is still spry and active, and Muriel and he continue to live in their own home. We had a good meeting, pouring over old fanzines and other publications, and comparing notes. In the mid-70s, many members of the Winnipeg Science Fiction Society would congregate at Chester’s house on Saturdays for regular, informal social gathering.

:: This evening, I attended the last organizational meeting of the reunion happening this weekend. I met my old pal Brenda Claggett at her condo, and we drove to Liz Bachman’s house, where I met Liz and four other classmates from 1971. I hadn’t seen any of these people since that time, and to put it bluntly, we had a blast! The committee was working out the final details of the two events, and afterwards, we sang a few songs while I played guitar, and we munched on Gondola Pizza. We also laughed ourselves silly (with the help of freely flowing beer and wine).

It was good to see these fine people again. During the evening, we went into Liz’s basement to see a memoriam she’d created for the twelve classmates no longer with us. It is a simple but moving display: each classmate’s Grade 12 picture was enlarged, scanned, framed and mounted on a black background, with each person’s name below their picture. Very tastefully done, and a fitting tribute to our mates who have preceded us to the next life.

In the past, I was ambivalent about attending a high school reunion, and recall in the early 80s swearing I’d never attend one. I missed the 25th in 1996. I can tell you quite honestly that I’m really, really glad I am here for the 32nd. The weekend will be very memorable and rewarding for me. BTW, Brenda is cooking beer butt chicken for me tomorrow. I’ll explain later.

:: The day has been spent preparing for the drive tomorrow, on the way to Winnipeg. I am not a fan of that long drive anymore, but am looking forward to being in town to attend the high school reunion, and see a few good friends. Today I enjoyed a 90-minute full-body massage, and later in the afternoon, met Avalee and had a very enjoyable two-hour coffee visit with her. Thanks, av, I enjoyed it and hope you did too. Av and I are fellow EFMF volunteers. She’s moving to Toronto soon to study web design.

:: There is too much happening, too much to do, all the time, all the time…

:: While exiting my car this afternoon (decarring?), I shut the door on my watch band and broke it in two. *sigh* I have no idea how that happened.

:: I just discovered that my new HP 5550 printer does double-sided printing! Trees will be saved. Lordy. It’s a noisy little bugger, though.

:: Keith said that there is nothing more boring than bloggers writing about blogging. This may be true. I just realized that a year ago, in early July, I started my first blog, so I’ve past the first anniversary. Doesn’t seem like it was that long ago. It’s still fun to do this. Watch for changes in the site sometime soon.

:: I’ve been anxious most of my life. I’ve done what I can so far to deal with it. Question: what can you (or I) expect to replace anxiety, if/when it goes away? What replaces it? Confidence, happiness, sense of well being, acceptance, contentment?

:: Installed an HP 5550 printer tonight, my HP 812-C was not long for this world, and not worth the trouble or money to repair.

:: Have been really tired lately, but have myself only to blame. Staying up too late, and eating a lot of not-so-good food (like ice cream and pizza). Plan to change this soon. I did 30 mins on the cross-trainer tonight, and have Pilates tomorrow. But I believe the food intake needs dramatic altering – I’ve proven to myself after 10+ years of regular exercise that I can’t shake any weight, so it must be the food plan, right?

:: My Winnipeg plans have changed slightly, I will probably drive through to somewhere east of Saskatoon on Sunday, and spend the night at a motel, then drive to Winnipeg on Monday.

As mentioned in the last entry, my high school is having a 32nd-year reunion next weekend in Winnipeg. I missed the 25th, in 1996, and decided to attend this one when I heard it was happening. Tonight, I called one of my classmates from high school, Brenda C, and we had a wonderful, laugh-filled conversation that lasted over an hour. I hadn’t talked with Brenda since 1971, and we didn’t miss a beat. I’m looking forward to seeing her, and many of my 1971 classmates next weekend in Winnipeg. Tom Wolfe and Justin Hayward may be right, but it’s still ok to go back and see old friends who still matter.

:: The weekend included three movies and a surprise birthday event, organized by L’il Kim, for Heavy G at The Sidetrack on Saturday night, which mean we who attended were able to watch The Northern Pikes, one of my favorite Canadian bands, perform late in the evening. The Pikes’ tune, Wait For Me, is one of my favorite songs ever, and features very tasty guitar work by Bryan Potvin. I was at the ‘track early enough to catch the band during its sound check, and spoke to Bryan afterwards. I told him how much I enjoy his work and style, and he took the time to show me the intro to Wait For Me, for which I am grateful – thanks, Bryan. (I’ve been working on it at home on the Martin J-40MC). The Northern Pikes are true road warriors, and have been at it for almost 20 years. Their new album, It’s A Good Life, is due out next week, check it out, you won’t be disappointed.

The evening was much fun with good friends, and my pal D Fy and I spent some time during the Pikes’ set to dance our asses off. Thanks, Deb! Geoff’s birthday is on July 8th, and he hits the big Three-Oh, so drop in on him and wish him well. He’s getting old.

:: The movies I saw were 28 Days Later, Terminator 3: Rise of The Machines, and Ash Wednesday. (ASIDE: Despite having loaded Macromedia Flash 6, I cannot enter the T3 site. Anyone else having this problem?).

:: I leave for Winnipeg in a week. One of the reasons is to attend a 32-year high school reunion.