Not So Scared After All (Sky Is Falling Part 2)

OK so maybe the sky's not falling. I don't believe we'll be living in cardboard boxes any time soon. It's too cold up here for that. I don't think the world economy is going to collapse either, that's a wee bit dramatic. The paranoia of a pending doom is benefiting me though. As Mrs. Pilgrim and I move to live a simpler life I'm finding I'm much happier. The less TV I watch, limited to a few dozen laps of NA(p)SCAR and coming to a TV near you in April.....BASE-A-BALL.... the more time I have for other things. The more I try to live with what I have, the less preoccupied I am with getting more stuff. Cutting down on tube time and techno lust frees up more space in my head and calendar for nicer things, like playing with cars on the floor with the wee ones or siting in a cafe for a couple of hours with my oldest getting caught up and planning a book about some pretty exciting events and lessons that the young fella has learned.

No I don't think the sky is falling. I think that maybe the world, like water, is seeking it's own level. The balance is off and the free market is seeking to right itself. The only thing that can come of that Hobbesian phenomena is good.

The only thing falling from the sky right now is snow and plenty of it, over 13 feet since December 1. I'm good with that because it's going to be April soon and that means new birth is around the corner. Blossoms and beautiful green grass. Young deer running through the pastures and trees full of leaves. Gray and white will turn to green and blue.

Life is grand.

Pilgrim

S'More Blue Rodeo for Liquid

While the US/Canadian cultures may be mirror images of each other, one thing the U.S misses out on is some really good Canadian musical talent. I'm not sure if anyone from the US or UK has heard of this Celine Dion chick but she can really belt out a tune.

There was a period in the 80's that a lot of Canadian talent made it's way onto the world stage. Bryan Adams and eh-hem, Loverboy come to mind. There are gobs of other artists you haven't heard of though. Even I missed out on Blue Rodeo while I was an ex-patriot living in the Sunshine State for 10 years. Upon my return I thought their radio played material was so-so. Then one fateful day in '98 I was offered two tickets to a Blue Rodeo show in a small theatre out here on the East Coast. It was a last minute offer. Acting impulsively and an avid lover of live music I snatched them up.

What a great decision. That was probably one of the best shows I have ever seen. I was blown away by the talent. They were tight and played simple tunes that swept me away. They border on the country/blues/rock crossover line, not really falling into a definitive genre. I can't really compare them to any other bands. There's lots available on the web if you are so inclined. Amazon carries them also.

This next video is dedicated to Liquid. If you liked Bad Timing you will also dig Try.

Enjoy......

Try

Friday Night Videos on a Saturday Afternoon - Now Tha's Bad Timing

Earlier this afternoon I was listening to Blue Rodeo on the MP3 while I chopped wood. There I was outside the wood shed swinging an axe and singing Bad Timing at hte top of my lungs Imagining I was harmonizing perfectly with Jim Cuddy and Greg Keeler. For those listening it was "Just bad TUNING, that's all".

The Sky is Falling?

A very good friend of mine once said, "If you're paranoid, you probably should be.". While I don't necessarily think I'm paranoid I am afraid of a pending doom. I want to run through the streets shouting and warning people to prepare themselves. My problem is I'm not an effective orator. When I start talking about my passions I tend to sound preachie. That's a turn off, even to me. The thought then occurred to use this medium to at least begin sharing but there again when I start plotting out a thread I tend to go down roads that put people to sleep. Personally I find my best writing comes from inspirations I've been recently mulling over. I've come to rest on the solution that I'll simply tell everyone what I'm doing and let them decide if there's any merit.

The doom that is giving me the heebie geebies has to down with Western civilizations economy. I fear that we are going to be thrust into an economic down turn that may make the Great Depression look paltry. I fear that we (Westerners) have lost perspective with how wealthy we rally are. But I won't preach, I will talk about my position and what I've been doing.

My .beautiful and intelligent wife has done a wonderful job of grounding me even further than I was previous to meeting her. I have always been of the mindset that I need to live below my means. Unfortunately I haven't made the brightest decisions in the past and wound up paying a very heavy price. After 16 years of bailing out from those missteps I am finally able to have a little bit of savings in the bank instead of paying gobs of money in interest every month. Now that I'm getting clear though I'm finding that my desire to live below my means is not so easy. I make a decent salary, a bit above the average but by no means anywhere near the double income that my DW and I brought in when she was working full time outside the home.

Still we are wealthy compared to most of the world. We have one car but there's no doubt it will start every single morning. We have a lot of living space. I think we still need to do more. DW goes to great lengths to be frugal. She actually does a wonderful job of making meals from scratch. Heck, she even makes laundry and dishwasher soap from scratch. Maybe it's the Mennonite in me that makes me worry. Could it be genetic?

As the fear looms in my mind I find I am becoming more passionate in everything I do. My work, my chores and my relationships are becoming more intense. I am finding myself moving away from the luxuries of my life and desiring a simpler more plain life. I enjoy chopping wood on the weekends. I really find I am caring more for coworkers and customers. I want to make a difference in others lives more than ever before. The difference is that I don't have to force it anymore. By keeping things simple I find my head is clearer.

Maybe it's not a fear of doom but simply the fact that I'm becoming (gasp) mature? I don't know but 'm enjoying the way things are turning out. Maybe this is the midlife crisis I thought I was starting to enter. If it is I'm really liking it. Except for the part of the pending doom but if there is trouble around the corner I'll be ready.

Pilgrim

Denial Above the 49th Paralell

Although most of my Canadian brethren and sisteren will never admit it, Canada is a very willing Annex of the United States. We are more than just culturally aligned we are melded right in. We may have a slight taste of our British foundation in the way we spell some words and the pronunciation of the last letter of the alphabet (zed as opposed to zee) and some other pleasant nuances but there's not enough to make us distinct. The differences are not as drastic as say the cultural differences between California and New York. Let's face it we are one and we love it.

This was supposed to be a preamble to a completely different post but it took on a life of it's own.

In closing I want to ensure everyone knows I love you all equally.

Back In The Saddle Again

....And Ridin' the Range Once Again

Thank you to all my friends in webville for your kindness and support. I am alive and well and living in New Brunswick. A lot has happened in the past few weeks but I am alive and kicking. One of the biggest setbacks has been the crapping out out of our back-up laptop at home. My lovely wife loved the 10 year old Sony Viao, it's actually quite a cute little machine. Alas it needs a new hard drive so we're shopping ebay for a trustworthy vendor with the right stuff. Right now we're coming up short but I'm sure it will be humming again soon.

Now that we're a one laptop household with two bloggers it come down to some hard decisions. I've been blogging for two and half years. I have 20 to 30 loyal readers who visit me regularly. My lovely wife has been blogging for two months, she has upwards of 200 loyal visitors daily and is now being paid to write a blog for an organization that scooped her up. What the? I'm the devoted writer in the household and she's the, well, she's the one getting paid enough to let her stay home with the kids. I guess that trumps me. Blog away my darling. Work those pretty little fingers and weave the gold that emiantes from your beautiful mind. Do you think you could wrangle a new computer into your compensation package?

I will try to get on when I can. Right now she's down at the barn lunging her horse and the two youngsters are asleep in their beds so I'm stealing a moment to jump on the keyboard. I will do my best to keep this site updated. I'll try to jump on to your sites during the day while at work or early in the morning. I will be back regularly though. I have lots to write after my hiatus.

You've been a beautiful crowd, I love you all and wish I could take you home with me. Good night!

Pilgrim

Distracted

Thanks everyone for your comments and e-mail to the last post. I promise I will be responding to that post and meme's in the coming days. Some troubling news from back home has monopolized my attention for the time being. I will be back here as soon as I'm able.

Thank you all for your support.

Humility

Two sincere questions for my small but very dedicated and appreciated audience.

What is humiliyt?

How do we force ourselves to become humble?

Humility is near and dear to my heart. Moses is described as the most humble man on the face of the earth (Num 12:3). That's humble. Proverbs is full of commands and quips about humility and of course my all time favourite passage, the Sermon on the Mount (Matt chapters 5-7) isfull of references of humility, meekness and all round righteousness. I know it's important to be humble but I hear how do we attain such a lofty (?) position?

Of course I have an opinion or at least a leaning on the subject but I'm eager to hear from you. What say Ye?