Turn Me Loose
"You guys like Loverboy?"
I went out for lunch today and when I started the car that bass line kicked in at the start of
Turn me Loose and I was reminded of one of my favourite stories. 9 years ago (where the hell did that go?!?!) Slippy and I left Vancouver in his 1974 Mustang II to make the long trip to NB. The trip can take as long as you want it to but the bottom line is that it is 5000k.
Pete had bought the car a few months earlier after the old Grand Am bite the bullet in the happiest place on earth, Virden, Manitoba. After bussing to Victoria, Pete went on the hunt for a new vehicle and thanks to some pressure sales ended up with the 'Stang. He did some work on it and by May it was ready for the trek. We hit the road on a Sunday morning with visions of a Cannonball Run race home. We got two and half hours in before the 'Stang broke down. Just on the other side of Hope, after going through the Coquihalla toll plaza, the car stalled and wouldn't start again. A tow pulled up and took us back through the plaza (on us) and told us that we would need to go back to Hope to get it looked at. We were devastated. We were completely deflated. We had a tight budget as it was and any major repairs were going to break us. Sitting in the tow truck, none of us spoke. The driver must have sensed our distress and after five minutes of silence had a revelation. His eyes lit up, he turned towards us, smiled widely and said "You guys like Loverboy?" while pressing play on the tape deck. When the bass line to
Turn me Loose kicked in I too was smiling widely and bobbing my head. Slippy pulled his Bucks hat down low and toe-tapped his workboots. We didn't still weren't talking a whole lot but all of us were rocking. I'll never hear that song without smiling again.
Next weekend is the first game of the Loyalists season so this weekend is, in effect, my last rugby free weekend of the summer. So I am heading to Halifax to turn it loose. As for Loverboy, well, they are still touring and are in fact playing the Medicine Hat Stampede this weekend. Jackson that would be a good story...
Tear into the weekend.
Reno
Instant Karma
Friday night the rugby club hosted a fundraiser for the NB U-18 rugby team. There was a band, a silent auction, and a raffle of a Texas mickey of Captain Morgan rum. The irony of raffling rum at an U-18 fundraiser is not lost - they all drink vodka in high school now.
So I worked the event and Randell took me over there to drop me off. I told him he should come in and see what was up for auction. He found a couple things that interested him and bid the face value for them. He then left but on his way out the door bought a few tickets for the rum raffle. When they announced the winning bids for the auction I had to convince the auctioneer that he was indeed good for the money even if he was not present. The last event of the night was the draw for the Big Mick and, sure enough, the name that was picked was Wheat's. I wish I could tell you stories of the weekend that ensued but there was a storm and my memory got wet and I don't remember anything special. The evidence is there in the empty bottle though. I'm glad I Randy and I have friends otherwise we could have gotten really drunk.
So now we have this huge empty Captain Morgan bottle in the kitchen and the label on it is so big that the Captain logo is the size of a small child and it's eyes seem to follow you as you walk by. I've got half a mind to smash it when I get home. Then again what would that do for karma; I guess I let the little fella live.
Cuba Libre
Mr. Richard Smoker
We lost our ringer today. Young King Richard wasn't here for long but he certainly made his mark. We brought him in to play fullback for the Spruce this summer fresh from his season in Scotland. He turned out be a player in more ways than one; in addition to rugby he played guitar. He also played the media, smartly endearing himself to our media liaison immediately after stepping off the plane. By the end of his time here he earned the nickname (among several) of Thunderthief Borthwick. Well he did finish fourth in league scoring...and played pretty decent rugby too - Hiyo!!
Richie fit in like a glove and he will be missed. It was nice to have someone come here and obviously appreciate what we've got going on. You couldn't wipe the smile off of his face for his weeklong going away party. I would be surprised if we didn't see him back here someday. You have a place to stay buddy....with the girls.
Safe Travels
Simon Says
Heavy Metal Drummer
North came home last night and as I mentioned previously, he was nice enough to take me to a show at the playhouse. I was, of course, a little late but showed up in plenty of time to be incredibly impressed. I hadn't listened to a ton of Wilco's stuff before and what I had heard was good but didn't rock me. Last night they rocked me. If you notice a pattern, I will post universally glowing reviews of live music and will often throw out over the top praise but I can say without hyperbole that this band is 1 million times better then anyone else ever. Ok, maybe that's a bit over the top, but they were, without question, the best band I have seen through here in a long time. I didn't hurt that there is not a bad seat in the house and the sound was perfect at the Playhouse. If they could just find a way to work a bar into that place....
Great show...
And oh yeah I bought a house.
Tweedy
Hello, Goodbye
Out with the old and in with the new.
Acorn Jackson made his big move to the promiseland today. He went out with a bang, so to speak, again proving his inability to say no all of his last week in town. Good show! He is off to the oilier pastures of Cowtown; just in time to mosey into the Stampede. Good thing he already has the
hat. He will be missed; don't stay away long li'l buddy! And it's time to start your own blog to keep everybody posted on your boomtown adventures; suggested name - "Tiny Hands and Big Hats".
This is a straight up trade for North who arrives home from Taiwan today with Lindsay. He won't be here for long which is just long enough if you ask me. Hopefully, though, he will be here long enough to teach me a few chords on my dusty guitar. He is starting by taking me to see a Wilco show at the Playhouse on Thursday night. He has always been so generous. If anyone needs the setlist North will have it; I assure you.
Pace out
Fireworks
I spent the Canada Day weekend in the centre of the universe that is Toronto. We were up there playing a couple of rugby games. Typically we go up there and get beat but this year was a little different. This year we got beat, on Friday, then turned around and beat someone back on Sunday. It was the first time the Spruce had beaten Toronto and the first time we have one more than one game in a season. After the game I told the guys from Toronto that I thought their town was dull, lifeless, and reeked of smog and self-importance. Then I told them the truth and that I actually quite like Toronto particularly the parts that are actually Toronto and not Metro-Toronto - as Normy said "Markham made me nauseous".
We actually made it to a Jays game on Saturday afternoon and after the game they closed the dome and had a fireworks display inside the Rogers Center. Sadly the closing of the dome was cooler than the fireworks display. Although that was actually really cool.
They did show a nice montage of Canada on the jumbotron though...and all to Fireworks.
"
If there's a goal that everyone remembers it was back in Ol' 72..."No. 4
PS - Happy (belated) Canada Day
"You guys like Loverboy?"
