The idea of having drinks on a patio is not unto itself spectacular. Sitting out on a warm evening enjoying a tasty beverage is considered to be a pastime by many. Having drinks on a patio in Winnipeg in late September without needing a jacket of any type, that is nearly unheard of.
I have to put the experience into the category of the 'unexpected good thing.'
We all have unexpected good things in our life from time to time. You know all the moments that you really don't expect to happen but do. They can make your day,week, month, or year. They are what keep us going between the expected good things.
The expected good things are important. These are the events we wait for, sometimes for a long time, that we know will be good. It can carry you for a long time knowing that an expected good thing is coming, but it is the unexpected good thing that gives us the shot in the arm that keeps us going.
Often overlooked, the unexpected good thing, makes life fun and unpredictable just like drinks on a patio in Winnipeg late in September.
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Saturday, September 12, 2009
That Was Rather Epic
Last night I saw the quintessential Canadian rock band The Tragically Hip. This was the seventh time I have seen them. They always put on a great show but this concert something amazing. Gord Downey didn't pay the guitar very much which, for most fans of the band feel, makes him much more entertaining.
I have been to many rock shows over the years and seen most of the biggest bands in the world. Last nights amazing experience had me thinking about what were the best rock show experiences I have ever had. These are not necessarily the best shows but the best moments that stand out from the rest.
Here are my Top 10 Rock Show Moments:
10. The encore of Nashville Pussy at the Zoo in Winnipeg. They were joined on stage by the opening act Priestess and rocked the AC/DC classic 'You Shook Me All Night Long' to a level you wouldn't believe.
9. U2 in the Winnipeg Stadium in June of 1997. I had bad seats a long way from the stage but watched Bono, not on the big screen but looking directly at him mesmerized for the entire, over the top, show.
8. Airbourne at the Garrick Centre in Winnipeg August of 2008. I saw a great show by them a few months before but this venue was a bit bigger and right before the last song of the main set the lead singer shouted to the crowd, "If you have some weed you better smoke it, if you have a beer you better drink it, and if you have a girl you better fuck her in the bathroom, cuz this is 'Too Much, Too Young, Too Fast!"
7. Motorhead at the Burton Cummings theatre in Winnipeg in Jun of 2000. After the godfathers of rock and the inspiration to nearly every hard rock and metal band had played about 4 really loud songs, Lemmy said, "Do you want it louder? we can fucken turn it up you know!" and they did.
6. KISS at the Winnipeg Arena during the Flood of 97. Glam rock gods at their best during a rather stressful and uncertain times. Paul Stanley acknowledged the flood situation and they were definitely the hottest band in the world that night.
5. Aerosmith with Lenny Kravitz in the MTS Centre in Winnipeg. On the anniversary of John Lennon's death Kravitz put on a great show before the crowd did the wave between acts and Aerosmith opened their show with 'Helter Skelter.' There was also a moment of silence for Lennon. An occurrence you would never have would expected at a rock show but it was honoured and made sense.
4. AC/DC in Fargo ND January 2009. A road trip to a different country to see one of the few big bands I had never seen. 8 people staying in 2 rooms in a dive hotel, an epic cab ride to the Fargodome, and a concert that will blow your mind. There are few experiences of any kind that would top that.
3. The Tragically Hip last night at the Centennial Concert Hall in Winnipeg. I have seen them 7 times now. I have been closer, the shows have been bigger but last night, Gord Downey and his band mates were more entertaining than I have seen from them ever. They even spoke about the time they were fired from their first gig in Winnipeg. I used to work with a guy who was at that fateful night at the Diamond Club, a long time ago.
2. Foo Fighters in the MTS Centre March 2007. I had seen them before and it was great but this show was special. They played a long time. Dave Grohl was engaging and fun. While on the general admission floor my buddy Dave turned to me and said, "Brent we are going to the front, this is why you work out all the time!"
1. AC/DC in Winnipeg August 2009. Seeing them for the second time on the same tour was amazing. Better seats, perfect weather and the band brought it. I was seated right near the centre of the field and could look around at all the people at the show. I also ran into Kris Fingas who I went to grade school with and had not seen for a very long time.
So that's my list. There were shows that the show was great but didn't have the extra to make it really stand out and besides it is hard to pick when you have seen so much. There live music experience is about a shared experience, it can pick up you spirits and move you. It will leave memories that will be cherished for a long time and stories you will tell your grandchildren.
I have been to many rock shows over the years and seen most of the biggest bands in the world. Last nights amazing experience had me thinking about what were the best rock show experiences I have ever had. These are not necessarily the best shows but the best moments that stand out from the rest.
Here are my Top 10 Rock Show Moments:
10. The encore of Nashville Pussy at the Zoo in Winnipeg. They were joined on stage by the opening act Priestess and rocked the AC/DC classic 'You Shook Me All Night Long' to a level you wouldn't believe.
9. U2 in the Winnipeg Stadium in June of 1997. I had bad seats a long way from the stage but watched Bono, not on the big screen but looking directly at him mesmerized for the entire, over the top, show.
8. Airbourne at the Garrick Centre in Winnipeg August of 2008. I saw a great show by them a few months before but this venue was a bit bigger and right before the last song of the main set the lead singer shouted to the crowd, "If you have some weed you better smoke it, if you have a beer you better drink it, and if you have a girl you better fuck her in the bathroom, cuz this is 'Too Much, Too Young, Too Fast!"
7. Motorhead at the Burton Cummings theatre in Winnipeg in Jun of 2000. After the godfathers of rock and the inspiration to nearly every hard rock and metal band had played about 4 really loud songs, Lemmy said, "Do you want it louder? we can fucken turn it up you know!" and they did.
6. KISS at the Winnipeg Arena during the Flood of 97. Glam rock gods at their best during a rather stressful and uncertain times. Paul Stanley acknowledged the flood situation and they were definitely the hottest band in the world that night.
5. Aerosmith with Lenny Kravitz in the MTS Centre in Winnipeg. On the anniversary of John Lennon's death Kravitz put on a great show before the crowd did the wave between acts and Aerosmith opened their show with 'Helter Skelter.' There was also a moment of silence for Lennon. An occurrence you would never have would expected at a rock show but it was honoured and made sense.
4. AC/DC in Fargo ND January 2009. A road trip to a different country to see one of the few big bands I had never seen. 8 people staying in 2 rooms in a dive hotel, an epic cab ride to the Fargodome, and a concert that will blow your mind. There are few experiences of any kind that would top that.
3. The Tragically Hip last night at the Centennial Concert Hall in Winnipeg. I have seen them 7 times now. I have been closer, the shows have been bigger but last night, Gord Downey and his band mates were more entertaining than I have seen from them ever. They even spoke about the time they were fired from their first gig in Winnipeg. I used to work with a guy who was at that fateful night at the Diamond Club, a long time ago.
2. Foo Fighters in the MTS Centre March 2007. I had seen them before and it was great but this show was special. They played a long time. Dave Grohl was engaging and fun. While on the general admission floor my buddy Dave turned to me and said, "Brent we are going to the front, this is why you work out all the time!"
1. AC/DC in Winnipeg August 2009. Seeing them for the second time on the same tour was amazing. Better seats, perfect weather and the band brought it. I was seated right near the centre of the field and could look around at all the people at the show. I also ran into Kris Fingas who I went to grade school with and had not seen for a very long time.
So that's my list. There were shows that the show was great but didn't have the extra to make it really stand out and besides it is hard to pick when you have seen so much. There live music experience is about a shared experience, it can pick up you spirits and move you. It will leave memories that will be cherished for a long time and stories you will tell your grandchildren.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Maybe We Really Are What We Eat
I will start by saying I know I do not have a perfect diet.
I was in the grocery store today. As I was walking in, there was a woman who walked in just before me who appeared to put a lot of time and effort into living healthy. I took a look and carried on with my shopping. About half way through my shopping excursion our paths crossed again. Her cart was full of fresh vegetables, with a few other items. It became vary obvious she eats a very healthy diet.
This whole moment made me look around at several other shoppers to see if their appearance matches their food. It seemed to be rather consistent.
In a past life, I used to be a manager in a grocery store. Part of running a store is to observe what types of food were in peoples shopping carts. There is definitely a correlation, especially at the extremes. There were people who were so out of shape they were leaning on their carts to make it to the checkout. Their carts were full of processed garbage. In contrast the people who had carts or baskets full of lean cuts of meat, vegetables, and healthy beverages seemed to travel though the store with ease.
The one unfortunate thing I noticed is most people did not have as healthy food as I did, and like I said at the beginning, I know I do not have the perfect diet.
I was in the grocery store today. As I was walking in, there was a woman who walked in just before me who appeared to put a lot of time and effort into living healthy. I took a look and carried on with my shopping. About half way through my shopping excursion our paths crossed again. Her cart was full of fresh vegetables, with a few other items. It became vary obvious she eats a very healthy diet.
This whole moment made me look around at several other shoppers to see if their appearance matches their food. It seemed to be rather consistent.
In a past life, I used to be a manager in a grocery store. Part of running a store is to observe what types of food were in peoples shopping carts. There is definitely a correlation, especially at the extremes. There were people who were so out of shape they were leaning on their carts to make it to the checkout. Their carts were full of processed garbage. In contrast the people who had carts or baskets full of lean cuts of meat, vegetables, and healthy beverages seemed to travel though the store with ease.
The one unfortunate thing I noticed is most people did not have as healthy food as I did, and like I said at the beginning, I know I do not have the perfect diet.
Monday, September 7, 2009
It's Labout Day Again
Labour Day signals a lot of things to people. If you are a student it means you are about to start school. If you are fashion conscious it means you stop wearing white. It is often considered the end of summer. However, if you are a fan of Canadian football it means its time to party like a rock star.
Labour Day week-end is the second biggest time in the Canadian Football League season. If you ask some people it is bigger than the Grey Cup. It is full of rivalry, tradition, beer, cheering, fun, taunting, winning, and losing. Ultimately the week-end is about getting together with friends and family to watch football. People travel to different cities and make it a big event. Many Labour Day week-ends are carried out in a booze induced fog, and it seems perfectly normal.
I think this epic event is a reflection of what we find important, being around people you like. When you look past everything else, it is a reason for people to get together. It is a reason to have pride in your team and city. It is a reason to have fun.
The timing of Labour Day helps. It is right before students go back to school. It is easy for a lot of people to make time for it. People are not away on vacation. They can make it to the event. People plan their summer around Labour Day.
It's Labour Day again, and like always I had enough fun to last a long time.
Labour Day week-end is the second biggest time in the Canadian Football League season. If you ask some people it is bigger than the Grey Cup. It is full of rivalry, tradition, beer, cheering, fun, taunting, winning, and losing. Ultimately the week-end is about getting together with friends and family to watch football. People travel to different cities and make it a big event. Many Labour Day week-ends are carried out in a booze induced fog, and it seems perfectly normal.
I think this epic event is a reflection of what we find important, being around people you like. When you look past everything else, it is a reason for people to get together. It is a reason to have pride in your team and city. It is a reason to have fun.
The timing of Labour Day helps. It is right before students go back to school. It is easy for a lot of people to make time for it. People are not away on vacation. They can make it to the event. People plan their summer around Labour Day.
It's Labour Day again, and like always I had enough fun to last a long time.
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Harvest Time
I went for a drive in the country today. Primarily south west of Winnipeg. I don't go out that way very often as I have no particular reason to go there. I have no aversion to the area just not much of a reason to be there.
Harvest is in full swing out there. I do not profess to be an expert on agriculture but since I grew up in a farming community, I know a bit. Maybe just enough to be dangerous. I would never attempt to farm with my current level of knowledge.
I did notice a few things as I drove through the Manitoba countryside.
A lot of the crops looked rather short. About two-thirds the height that I am accustomed to seeing.
In fields that were cut, the swaths looked small. It may be related to a lot of the crops being short.
There was a fair amount of inconsistency from field to field. Some were being straight cut while the next one looked like it was cut while it was a bit green.
The last point is a bit of a concern for me. The Manitoba economy is well diversified but does rely on agriculture to a point. If there is significant inconsistency between producers then there will be significant inconsistency between returns for producers. The ones that did well are probably going to do very well, the ones that did not do well, may be in a world of hurt.
As much as a lot of people look at farming as a way of life it really must be approached like a business, especially if you are going to provide for people who depend on you by farming. I hope most farmers do. The inconsistency I observed within a few miles of each other, several times over leaves me concerned that some producers may be forced to give up at this point.
I don't know if corporate farming is the answer, but possibly it may be in some situations. I don't know if family farming is the answer either as one family bearing all the risk of bad weather, disease, and pests is wise in every case. There is insurance, however it is really designed to limp you to the next year and who wants to limp from year to year.
Farming has changed since my parents grew up on farms. There is no way to go back to the way it was and I don't know if we want to. Farming has progressed and stagnated at the same time. We need to produce food. We need to be efficient while we do it, so we can provide a fair and reasonable living to the people who produce food.
We also need food to be affordable so everyone can afford to eat a basic balanced diet. This could be in conflict with the quality of life for the producers. We could have a $5 loaf of bread and very comfortable grain farmers, but I don't think that's the solution.
Industries come, go and change with time. There are parts of food production that cannot change. The food must grow. It must be harvested. Much of it is very dependant on the weather. Weather contributes to risk. Risk predicts failure. Food production cannot fail. So we are stuck in a interesting loop.
South west of Winnipeg the harvest is in full swing. From what I saw some will do well and others will not. Is this how we choose to produce food?
Harvest is in full swing out there. I do not profess to be an expert on agriculture but since I grew up in a farming community, I know a bit. Maybe just enough to be dangerous. I would never attempt to farm with my current level of knowledge.
I did notice a few things as I drove through the Manitoba countryside.
A lot of the crops looked rather short. About two-thirds the height that I am accustomed to seeing.
In fields that were cut, the swaths looked small. It may be related to a lot of the crops being short.
There was a fair amount of inconsistency from field to field. Some were being straight cut while the next one looked like it was cut while it was a bit green.
The last point is a bit of a concern for me. The Manitoba economy is well diversified but does rely on agriculture to a point. If there is significant inconsistency between producers then there will be significant inconsistency between returns for producers. The ones that did well are probably going to do very well, the ones that did not do well, may be in a world of hurt.
As much as a lot of people look at farming as a way of life it really must be approached like a business, especially if you are going to provide for people who depend on you by farming. I hope most farmers do. The inconsistency I observed within a few miles of each other, several times over leaves me concerned that some producers may be forced to give up at this point.
I don't know if corporate farming is the answer, but possibly it may be in some situations. I don't know if family farming is the answer either as one family bearing all the risk of bad weather, disease, and pests is wise in every case. There is insurance, however it is really designed to limp you to the next year and who wants to limp from year to year.
Farming has changed since my parents grew up on farms. There is no way to go back to the way it was and I don't know if we want to. Farming has progressed and stagnated at the same time. We need to produce food. We need to be efficient while we do it, so we can provide a fair and reasonable living to the people who produce food.
We also need food to be affordable so everyone can afford to eat a basic balanced diet. This could be in conflict with the quality of life for the producers. We could have a $5 loaf of bread and very comfortable grain farmers, but I don't think that's the solution.
Industries come, go and change with time. There are parts of food production that cannot change. The food must grow. It must be harvested. Much of it is very dependant on the weather. Weather contributes to risk. Risk predicts failure. Food production cannot fail. So we are stuck in a interesting loop.
South west of Winnipeg the harvest is in full swing. From what I saw some will do well and others will not. Is this how we choose to produce food?
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Tumbleweed
I was in a shopping mall in a rather affluent part of Winnipeg today. There were almost no customers in there. I understand that 5:15 pm on Tuesday September 1st is not the biggest shopping day of the year but nearly all the stores had no one buying in them.
They, whoever they are, are saying this recession is over and we are on the long road to recovery. I have never seen sales this sluggish in my adult life. The lowest of the low was not as weak as things appeared today.
When I think back to my entry level economics class I remember that economics is the study of human behavior in the face of scarcity and money is a means of exchange. Thinking about this not much acquiring behaviour was happening and money exchanging.
This worries me. Winnipeg faired quite well during the recent economic down turn, but it seems that it has slowly caught up with some of the harder hit areas of the country. There just seems to be less going on. We may be slowly and innoculously slipping into a worse state. The only way to turn around an economy is to spend money, increase tranactions by both value and frequency. I think everyone is sitting back and letting others fix the economy. I am tending toward saving. It seems right to take care of myself, but it doesn't help stimulate things.
I realize things will not be as hot as they were for a long time and there are parts of the country that are in much worse state than Winnipeg, but it makes me worry.
The mall seemed rather empty, I hope it was an anomoly, but I don't get that feeling.
They, whoever they are, are saying this recession is over and we are on the long road to recovery. I have never seen sales this sluggish in my adult life. The lowest of the low was not as weak as things appeared today.
When I think back to my entry level economics class I remember that economics is the study of human behavior in the face of scarcity and money is a means of exchange. Thinking about this not much acquiring behaviour was happening and money exchanging.
This worries me. Winnipeg faired quite well during the recent economic down turn, but it seems that it has slowly caught up with some of the harder hit areas of the country. There just seems to be less going on. We may be slowly and innoculously slipping into a worse state. The only way to turn around an economy is to spend money, increase tranactions by both value and frequency. I think everyone is sitting back and letting others fix the economy. I am tending toward saving. It seems right to take care of myself, but it doesn't help stimulate things.
I realize things will not be as hot as they were for a long time and there are parts of the country that are in much worse state than Winnipeg, but it makes me worry.
The mall seemed rather empty, I hope it was an anomoly, but I don't get that feeling.
Monday, August 31, 2009
We Have It So They Want It .... Maybe
Last night I was watching Real Time with Bill Maher. I don't normally watch it as it normally consists of a panel being moderated by Bill Maher. The discussion usually deteriorates to mindless bickering and name calling. Near the end of the show it often reminds me of a wrestling schmoz. A lot of confusion to distract the audience from realizing that nothing is really being accomplished. However from time to time Bill has one guest on at a time. Usually these shows are quite good, of course this is dependant on the guest that he is speaking with and about what they are speaking about.
Last night he had Bill Moyers as one of his guests. He is an author and newsman. He came across as a very intelligent man and had some very key points to bring up. For a considerable part of the the interview he spoke on universal health care.
Being a Canadian I know it is easy speak on the subject. In my country we have it and have had it for a long time. We also have to pay for it, and here is what is holding up Americans from adopting a universal health care system.
I will admit that I am comforted with the knowledge that if I or, anyone in my family, get sick we go to the doctor and it is taken care of. I am comforted knowing that no Canadian will not be treated because of how much or how little money they make.
I would like to believe that in a Utopian world people would only use public health care when it is truly warranted.
If this were the way it is, I think Americans would be on par with the rest of the western democratic world and have a universal health care system.
I think there are two big fears that Americans have:
They believe that their ability to choose to spend their money on better health care will disappear. This may or may not be true, depending on how they set up their system. This is the easier flag to wave as it has undertones of capitalism of democracy.
They also believe that the system can be easily abused and can become very costly if it is.
This is true and a real cost of universal health care.
It is difficult to control abuses of the system. There are many. It can prevent people from getting the care they need faster. It can cost a lot of money. It provides very little incentive to live a healthy lifestyle, (like preventative maintenance on your car.) although Americans as a group live the least healthy of any western democracy, even tough they have the most to gain from it. It can lead to under staffing and resource deficiencies since you cannot use the market forces of the demand of a few to provide opportunity for many.
America is about democracy and capitalism, which really means it is about choice. With any choice you make there are benefits and costs. With universal health care the benefits and costs are clear.
It is up to Americans to decide if, for them, the benefits outweigh the costs.
Last night he had Bill Moyers as one of his guests. He is an author and newsman. He came across as a very intelligent man and had some very key points to bring up. For a considerable part of the the interview he spoke on universal health care.
Being a Canadian I know it is easy speak on the subject. In my country we have it and have had it for a long time. We also have to pay for it, and here is what is holding up Americans from adopting a universal health care system.
I will admit that I am comforted with the knowledge that if I or, anyone in my family, get sick we go to the doctor and it is taken care of. I am comforted knowing that no Canadian will not be treated because of how much or how little money they make.
I would like to believe that in a Utopian world people would only use public health care when it is truly warranted.
If this were the way it is, I think Americans would be on par with the rest of the western democratic world and have a universal health care system.
I think there are two big fears that Americans have:
They believe that their ability to choose to spend their money on better health care will disappear. This may or may not be true, depending on how they set up their system. This is the easier flag to wave as it has undertones of capitalism of democracy.
They also believe that the system can be easily abused and can become very costly if it is.
This is true and a real cost of universal health care.
It is difficult to control abuses of the system. There are many. It can prevent people from getting the care they need faster. It can cost a lot of money. It provides very little incentive to live a healthy lifestyle, (like preventative maintenance on your car.) although Americans as a group live the least healthy of any western democracy, even tough they have the most to gain from it. It can lead to under staffing and resource deficiencies since you cannot use the market forces of the demand of a few to provide opportunity for many.
America is about democracy and capitalism, which really means it is about choice. With any choice you make there are benefits and costs. With universal health care the benefits and costs are clear.
It is up to Americans to decide if, for them, the benefits outweigh the costs.
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