More eagles
Monday, March 29 2004
Posted by brockito
I was up late last night mixing and re-amping a bass track and consequently slept in this morning. When I finally managed to climb up off the futon it was prolly eleven am. In the kitchen, I was rinsing a dish at the sink when I saw a pair of bald eagles circling and riding the currents between me and the North Shore Mountains (which have a lot less snow at this point).

I watched them for a while as they came closer and eventually lost sight of them as they passed over some blossoming crabapple trees on my street. The neighbourhood crow captain started squawking and I went out on the back porch to see if I could still see them but they were gone. One of them appeared a minute or two later way far off north near Playland. Those birds can cover a distance pretty quick.

Interesting that I saw an eagle the day my van was stolen and saw two this morning on the day I am going to see what shape it is in, recovered, at the ICBC claim centre.

PW comic
Friday, March 19 2004
Posted by brockp

I just found this Paul Westerberg cartoon while surfing a bit and editing the website (ten million broken links and out of date content - so sorry !)

the best and the worst
Thursday, March 11 2004
Posted by brockp

Yesterday while I was driving C to school, we were about midway accross the Second Narrows Bridge when a big bald eagle swooped by overhead. It was a pretty windy day and the Burrard Inlet was all alive with a dark green blue and little whitecaps here and there. If I were an eagle, I'd be soaring on the wind too, I think.

Today, there was no school, but when I walked out the front door, I noticed that my van was gone. For the second time in two weeks, someone has broken into it and taken it for a spin. This time they did not bring it back. I just had the lock cylinders replaced on the front doors too. If I were a junkie or a neglected teenager, I'd be miserable enough to steal a 1985 beater too, I guess.

Sun, Seattle, Samadhi
Tuesday, March 2 2004
Posted by brockp

Well, I've ben out of town and away from the .com and blogging and so on for a while, so first I'd like to recap the Feb. 7th Benefit at Café Deux Soleils. I received an email from Percy Schmeiser just yesterday, thanking us for the help and support in his fight against Monsanto. He mentioned that they are awaiting "the Supreme Court Judgement in regards to the patenting of higher life forms, and the rights of farmers to use their seed from year to year" so keep your fingers crossed.

I'd like to extend the thanks to all those who performed, attended the benefit, donated cash at the door and afterwards, and worked to make it happen (that means you, Todd). After expenses, we were able to send about $250 bucks to the Fight Genetically Altered Food Fund, and we had a pretty full house for the duration, so I'd say it was a big success. Hopefully next time Roadbed will get to do a full set, but that will have to wait a month or so since Shocker is heading out on tour with Mongoose this week.

Todd and I had the video projector for a bonus day on Sunday since we'd got the weekend rate, so we took advantage of the opportunity and watched the Wilco documentary I Am Trying to Break Your Heart on the big screen in my living room. I brought up my studio monitors for the audio and we had a real home theatre experience—a great way to see that film.

The next day I took the Greyhound up to Merrit, a couple hours east, where I was picked up and delivered to the Vipassana Centre of BC, also known as Dhamma Surabhi to meditators. It was night by the time I arrived and already Day 2 of a ten day silent retreat. I was shown to my own little private room where I took refuge for the next eight days.

There is not much one can say to accurately describe the experience of this practise, and as U Ba Khin (burmese meditation master) put it, "Vipassana is such a subtle and powerful thing that the less one says about it the better", so you will have to experience it for yourself. I will say I really enjoyed the rural setting and long walks on paths meandering through knee deep snow and trees, but if you do go try a course, be prepared to work very hard.

On the leaving day I got a lift into Vancouver with the guy I sat beside in the meditation hall, and another course participant. Though I'd just met them, both felt like very dear old friends. We took a very circuitous route back via highway 97C and Hell's Gate Canyon. The first thing I bought was a pair of sunglasses for my squinting eyes (lots of hours spent with eyes closed !) and a big bag of cheesy popcorn and juice. We also stopped at a desolate old burial yard in the high desert part of the interior with lots of old wooden grave markers and a few new ones for a little contemplation on Death: — "My body will also come to this and will not escape it".

Other stops included a historic church called St. John the Divine, a crazy gate entrance to some private residence with the royal crest of England on it and a Norse carving on a tree, and a memorial to the Chinese workers who built the railroad through the mountains for a dollar a day.

Whoa. Well I've just returned from Seattle this weekend where I attended a big guitar circle with many of my Crafty friends, and saw a performance of the Atomic Chamber Ensemble. After helping my buddy with some drywall finishing, we had a walk to Golden Gardens and lingered on the Beach for a while before hitting the road. Seattle is great but I'd need some kinda high paying software job to live there again.

I spent the afternoon yesterday overdubbing some drums for Nothing is Good Enough and got a good performance, though I think I hit the compressor with a bit too much signal so I might be back at it again later. For now, I think I am off for a Bon's breakfast for lunch. See ya !