the pod bay door

.: Late November 27th, I flew to Boston to spend a week hanging out in Cambridge MA.  I had been in Boston during the same week over the past three years, each time to attend meetings at a conference.  In 2010, those meetings had ceased, so I wasn’t invited back to the conference again.  But in 2009, I had spent some time in Cambridge and Somerville, meeting people with whom I’d become friends on Facebook, and visiting some of the amazing music clubs in the area, including TOAD, Lizard Lounge, Atwood’s, Johnny D’s, and The Burren.  Wanting to experience more of the music scene in Cambridge and Somerville, I decided to return during the same week, but stay in Cambridge and go to the clubs every night to experience the great music there.  There were local musicians performing that week whose music had always impressed me and who I had never seen perform before, including Kristin Cifelli and Jennifer Kimball.    I also wanted to reconnect with the people I’d met in 2009 and meet a few new ones as well.

All of the above happened.  I had a great time.  I went to a club every night for seven straight days.  In addition to seeing Kristin and Jennifer perform, I saw shows by Tim Gearan, The Wild Sea, Dennis Brennan, The White Owls, Hugh McGowan, Amy Correia, The Gilded Splinters, and more.  I spent time hanging and jamming with Paul Janovitz, and visited friends at MIT and Harvard.  The only times I was in Boston were to arrive at and leave from Logan Airport.  I hope to return again in 2011 for more of the same.  The people with whom I spent time were very friendly; I felt like I was part of the community for a few days, and I want to experience that feeling again.

.: On February 15th, I will be flying to India with my friend and colleague, Margaret Law.  This will be the first time in my life that I will visit a country other than the United States.  Yes, it’s taken that long for such a trip to happen.  Our first stop will be at IIT Madras in Chennai.  We will be attending a conference of engineering librarians, and I will be speaking at one of the sessions.  We will leave Chennai on the 21st , and fly to Mumbai, for meetings with other engineering librarians, engineering students, and faculty, at IIT Bombay.  I will also give a presentation to the librarians at IIT Bombay.

We leave Edmonton on the 15th, and fly to Vancouver, Hong Kong, and Chennai.  We leave at 10:35 hrs on Tuesday, the 15th, and arrive in Chennai at 01:35 on Thursday, the 17th.  The return flight will be on the 25th – a very long 25th that will see Margaret and I fly from Mumbai to Hong Kong.  In Hong Kong, Margaret will board a flight for Korea, and I’ll return to Vancouver.  I’ll arrive in Vancouver a few hours before I leave Hong Kong, thanks to the IDL.

I’m not looking forward to the flights to and from Hong Kong.  Each flight will take over 13 hours.  I’ll report back after the trip.

.: Hard to believe at times that I am 57, living in my 58th year.  Recently I received two new credit cards, and found myself staring at the expiration dates, both of which are when I’ll be in my early 60s.  I find it next to impossible to comprehend such numbers, but I’m grateful to still be alive and kicking, to coin an 80s’ musical phrase.  But as one gets older, one tends to pay closer attention to how one’s body is functioning, as it were.  Earlier this year, I was told by my physician that I have Type II diabetes, based on blood sugar readings on previous blood tests.  He advised me to work on a better diet, and to begin exercising regularly.  I met with the community nurse at the Family Medicine Centre, and it was a wake-up call.  I had to get an eye exam, and have my feet checked for circulation.  I was told that diabetes, when left untreated, can lead to blindness and poor circulation, which in turn can lead to loss of limbs.  Yikes.  The nurse gave me a monitor to check my blood sugar, and I also have a blood pressure monitor.  I use both regularly and record the readings each time.

While I have not been idle when it comes to physical activity, I am one who does not enjoy, in any sense of the word, working out, at the best of times.  I knew I had to do something, so Fate intervened.  At the Edmonton Folk Music Festival in August 2010, I met a woman who was working backstage in the same area as my crew (Performer Hospitality).  Early in our conversation, I learned she (Laura) was a personal trainer, and a few weeks later, we met to discuss a potential program.  I decided to go ahead with 10 sessions, and to date, we have met 15 (or 16) times.  Generally I meet her at the Kinsmen Field House, and I work through a series of exercises she organizes for that session.  The exercises include some using free weights, barbells, weight machines, and occasionally, the TRX Suspension Trainer.  I’ve made marginal progress so far, and plan to continue working with Laura indefinitely.  To offset the weight and resistance training, I do 30 minutes on the upright cycle in my basement three to four times a week.  The long range goal is to continue this regime indefinitely.  The trick is to continue to make myself do it!

In June, after travelling to Kingston ON and New Orleans LA, I have not been “on the road”.  This will change in a couple weeks, when I fly to Boston to spend a week in Cambridge.  I’ll be in a studio apt, close to Harvard.  I am going there to hang out with friends I have made there, mostly via Facebook, and to do so in places like Atwood’s, Lizard Lounge, and Toad, three clubs I was in when I was in Boston last November.  The last three trips I took at this time between 2007-2009 were to attend a conference in downtown Boston.  While that conference is on again, I’m not attending, but the desire to return and hang out with good people in Cambridge was too strong to resist.  I’m looking forward to going, and seeing performers like Kristin Cifelli, Ruth Peterson (The Wild Sea), and Tim Gearan.

.: If you live in the City of Edmonton, you cannot, ever, reach any City employee in her or his department.  If you have a question, concern, complaint, or want to praise someone, you have to call the 311 Contact Centre.  (At least one glaring exception, of course, is the Edmonton Police Service.)  Dialing 311 connects you to an operator, who ostensibly will record your concern and forward it to the appropriate department for follow-up.

The escalator at the LRT station that I use twice a day (the station, not the escalator) has been out of commission since last Monday (if not earlier).  I wanted to speak to someone in the Transportation Department to find out 1) why it isn’t working, 2) why there is evidence whatsoever that anyone from that department is working to repair it, and 3) why there is no signage to advise riders when it will be functional again.

Yesterday I called the City of Edmonton’s 311 and registered this concern with an operator.  I also expressed my general dissatisfaction and lack of confidence in the 311 service.  She told me told me that 311 saves the employees in individual City departmental offices from having to spend time talking to the public so that they can do their actual jobs instead.  These employees, of course, are the ones who could most likely answer the questions quickly and efficiently.

I halfheartedly expected a call back today with an explanation.  No call was received.  When I arrived at the LRT station in the morning and in late afternoon, the escalator was still dead.

I have called 311 in the past about other concerns.  Each time I’ve called and asked for follow-up, NO ONE ever calls back.  I often wonder if the calls are “recorded” and then immediately deleted.

It is SO frustrating not to be able to speak to any City employee in any department anymore.  One wonders what the City Manager(s) and Councilors were thinking when they rolled out this so-called “service.”  Were they hoping for more efficiency?  Or perhaps it is designed to frustrate Edmontonians so much that they would abandon the idea of getting anyone at City Hall to ever listen to them anymore.  If so, I give it full marks for having worked to achieve that goal.

How can it be more efficient to call an intermediary, describe the concern or complaint, then have that intermediary (theoretically, anyway) forward said concern to the appropriate department, rather than being able to speak to someone in said department directly?

My call yesterday was about a problem at an LRT station.  No one called me back yesterday or today.  Upon arriving at home at ~17:30 MDT, I called 311 and gave the operator my ticket number.  He checked it, and said it was still an “open file”, meaning it is (theoretically) sitting in someone’s in-box waiting for a response, apparently at their leisure.

What can we expect if a concern raised by a citizen is critical and needs a swift response?

The City of Edmonton’s 311 page tells us that “Creating a 311 service provided the opportunity for citizens to access all City of Edmonton information 24 hours a day, offering a more comprehensive and cost effective service to citizens.”

I can’t speak to its cost-effectiveness.  Perhaps it has saved the City of Edmonton money, but it is incredibly inefficient.  Alain Saffel said it best on Mack Male’s site last September:

Not sure I see the point in a service where I’ve got to explain an issue to a person who likely doesn’t know the solution, only to pass it along to someone else who can actually discuss the issue with a reasonable level of knowledge.

I ran into this as a reporter with some PR people where I had to filter everything through them instead of talking directly to the person who had the answers. It was inefficient and stupid.

And there’s the rub.  Having to deal with an intermediary is such a waste of time and energy.

I am no fan of 311, and wish the City of Edmonton councilors had given it more thought before implementing it.  Just because dozens of other municipalities in North America are using it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the right thing to do.

UPDATE: This morning (30 August 2010), I received a call from an staff member from LRT Maintenance.  He left me a message, I called him back, and received more details about the issue.  Apparently there was significant vandalism done at the LRT station in question (and others as well – very disheartened to learn this), and that the repair was taking longer than expected.  I was satisfied with his response, and thanked him for getting back to me.  I suggested signage might help, given the lengthy delay in the repair of the escalator, and he advised that he would try to have signage in place by tomorrow.

So this time – this one time – 311 did work for me.  Perhaps there is hope for the service yet.  Time will tell, but on the basis of one positive experience, I’m not convinced it’s the best way for a large city to handle communication with its citizens.

Because these cable series are or were so very good.

• The Wire
• Battlestar Galactica
• Deadwood
• Damages
• Rome
• True Blood
• The Pacific
• Treme
• Bored to Death
• Rubicon
• Nurse Jackie
• Brotherhood
• Mad Men
• Oz
• The Pillars of the Earth
• Six Feet Under
• The Sopranos
• Curb Your Enthusiasm
• John From Cincinnati
• Generation Kill
• Hung
• …probably forgot a few that I’ll add later

Looking forward to seeing:

• Boardwalk Empire
• Game of Thrones

Probably should’ve watched more of these, knowing that they are also very good:

• Dexter
• Breaking Bad
• Weeds
• The L Word
• In Treatment

Good, but I never really got into these:

• Big Love
• In Treatment

And I’ve never watched, but have heard good things about:

• Sons of Anarchy
• Spartacus: Blood and Sand
• Nip/Tuck
• Californication
• Rescue Me

.: As noted previously, I have been on the road a lot since mid-May.  My trip to New York was from 15-25 May 2010.  I went to attend a two-day board meeting at Knovel, and spent the remainder of my time hanging out.  The major highlight was seeing Buffalo Tom, finally, at last!, on two successive nights.  Many of you know Buff Tom is one of my all-time favourite bands, having influenced me musically for two decades.  I became a Facebook “friend” with Bill Janovitz, the El Capitan of the group, in 2007, and also have been following and contributing comments to his brilliant blog, Part Time Man of Rock.

On Thursday, 20 May 2010, I saw them perform a three-song set as part of the Cabinet of Wonders evening, hosted by John Wesley Harding.  Afterwards I met Bill, Chris and Tom, and had a marvellous time talking with them about their music and its impact on me.  Meeting Bill, especially, was a dream come true.  I know I sound like a gushing fanboy, but this is a band that has always treated its fans with respect and dignity, and meeting them personally only solidified that belief for me.  Bill’s blog is incredible – he was recorded over 80 “Cover of the Week” tunes in the past 20 months or so, enough material to fill 6 albums at least – and always provides a fascinating backstory.  Anyway, The Boys were gracious and kind to me, and I left with my friend Amy, feeling like a million bucks.

Me and Tom Maginnis, Bill Janovitz, and Chris Colbourn, at (le) poisson rouge, NYC, 20 May 2010.

The next night, I saw Buffalo Tom play two full shows at The Mercury Lounge.  This was the night I’d been waiting for for two decades, having never seen them perform a full electric show.  I was able to stand close to the stage for both shows, which were not the same (check set lists here and here).  I met some other Buff T fans with whom I’d interacted via Bill’s Facebook page, and after the first show, two of them took me to the legendary Katz’s Delicatessen, where I enjoyed a pastrami on rye and good company.  We then returned to the Mercury for the second show.  A wonderful, memorable evening.  I also finally met Danny DeBruin, an old friend of Bill’s, who has just released his first comic strip novel, I Am Stu Pitt.  I’m looking forward to receiving a copy in the mail soon.

.: I’ll return to more trip coverage soon, but wanted to make note of today’s date, 28 June 2010.  It’s my 57th birthday, and while I lament getting older, I’m grateful for the love and support of so many friends, colleagues, and family at this time of year, and all year round of course.  But on my birthday, I do tend to reflect a bit on what’s happened in my life to date, and to give thanks for the many blessings surrounding me on a daily basis.  So thanks to all who contribute to that warm and fuzzy feeling tonight.

.: I have been lax in posting recently, my apologies. I am in New Orleans attending the Special Libraries Association annual conference. The city is great, the heat is beyond stifling. I will try to report back with a summary of my NYC trip, some NOLA updates (the food is frakkin’ AWESOME), and other general bits of information about my so-called life.