Ah, sleep.

I cut out of work a little early yesterday, albeit only by 30 minutes or so. I didn't feel too badly about it since I was at work early and still logged in from home to check on e-mail and work ticket status reports. The early departure may not have made an objective difference to my commute time, but my drive felt a lot more relaxed despite construction on every roadway I travelled.

The new records I ordered from dosado.com were waiting for me, as well as a couple of CDs of square dance music. Combined with the MP3 files I purchased last week, I have about 10 new pieces of music to add to the collection, including a couple of singing calls. I'll test-drive the patter at club night tonight, although I'm going to play with the singing calls a while longer before I decide whether I'll actually make use of them.

I was feeling utterly exhausted by early evening so I called it an early night. Kent made dinner for us, then spent some time setting the repeat loops on the new square dance pieces. I crashed around 10 PM; I have no idea what time he came to bed.

The extra sleep has done wonders for my mood this morning: I'm feeling more rested now than I have since we returned from Anaheim last week.

Ah, sleep.

I cut out of work a little early yesterday, albeit only by 30 minutes or so. I didn't feel too badly about it since I was at work early and still logged in from home to check on e-mail and work ticket status reports. The early departure may not have made an objective difference to my commute time, but my drive felt a lot more relaxed despite construction on every roadway I travelled.

The new records I ordered from dosado.com were waiting for me, as well as a couple of CDs of square dance music. Combined with the MP3 files I purchased last week, I have about 10 new pieces of music to add to the collection, including a couple of singing calls. I'll test-drive the patter at club night tonight, although I'm going to play with the singing calls a while longer before I decide whether I'll actually make use of them.

I was feeling utterly exhausted by early evening so I called it an early night. Kent made dinner for us, then spent some time setting the repeat loops on the new square dance pieces. I crashed around 10 PM; I have no idea what time he came to bed.

The extra sleep has done wonders for my mood this morning: I'm feeling more rested now than I have since we returned from Anaheim last week.

Wiarton Willie passes away

The official weather forecasting groundhog of Wiarton, Ontario, passes away at 11 AM today following an extended illness. He was believed to be eight years of age.

Willie will be cremated and his ashes entombed next to a small stone shrine in the town's central park after a short memorial service next Monday.

I'm not making this up. Seriously. I have a rich fantasy life but this is beyond anything I could dream up.

Wiarton Willie passes away

The official weather forecasting groundhog of Wiarton, Ontario, passes away at 11 AM today following an extended illness. He was believed to be eight years of age.

Willie will be cremated and his ashes entombed next to a small stone shrine in the town's central park after a short memorial service next Monday.

I'm not making this up. Seriously. I have a rich fantasy life but this is beyond anything I could dream up.

I Am An Utter Moron

kent4str and I were supposed to be calling for Chesapeake Squares tonight. Kent, however, was suffering from a low grade migraine and intestinal issues, so I packed up to head to Baltimore for a solo performance.

This was our first calling gig since the pride day events in mid-June, and the first since the IAGSDC convention. When we were calling for Baltimore Pride, we had scavenged all of our equipment for a variety of plugs & cables so that we'd have spares in case anyone else on site had odd equipment to connect together. I was therefore very conscientious tonight about selecting precisely which cables I would require for tonight's work, and ensuring I had the right numbers of each. I was concentrating so hard on the cables, however, that I entirely neglected one key component.

When I arrived in Baltimore 15 minutes before show time, I set up the speakers on the speaker stand, unpacked the computer and my microphone, laid out the extension cord and-- oh, crap. I suddenly realized I had left the Hilton turntable/mixer/amp in the computer room at home. Damn!

I immediately called Kent and he graciously agreed to hop in the minivan to deliver the Hilton to Baltimore. In any case, the show must go on: when 8 PM rolled around, I simply turned up the sound on the computer, aimed it at the square of dancers and shouted the calls. It wasn't elegant, but it worked.

Kent arrived after the first tip: I grabbed the Hilton from the car and he drove for home. The rest of the evening was relatively uneventful, but then again, what wouldn't after a panic like that?

We didn't have enough advanced dancers for an A2 tip so we alternated MS & Plus all night. It was extremely warm & muggy tonight and the air conditioning was having difficulty keeping up so the officers decided to knock off a little early. I closed with two back-to-back singers and was on the road by 9:45 PM.

My bout of Alzheimer's was profoundly embarrassing, but I'm taking some consolation from knowing that's one mistake I will never make again.

I Am An Utter Moron

kent4str and I were supposed to be calling for Chesapeake Squares tonight. Kent, however, was suffering from a low grade migraine and intestinal issues, so I packed up to head to Baltimore for a solo performance.

This was our first calling gig since the pride day events in mid-June, and the first since the IAGSDC convention. When we were calling for Baltimore Pride, we had scavenged all of our equipment for a variety of plugs & cables so that we'd have spares in case anyone else on site had odd equipment to connect together. I was therefore very conscientious tonight about selecting precisely which cables I would require for tonight's work, and ensuring I had the right numbers of each. I was concentrating so hard on the cables, however, that I entirely neglected one key component.

When I arrived in Baltimore 15 minutes before show time, I set up the speakers on the speaker stand, unpacked the computer and my microphone, laid out the extension cord and-- oh, crap. I suddenly realized I had left the Hilton turntable/mixer/amp in the computer room at home. Damn!

I immediately called Kent and he graciously agreed to hop in the minivan to deliver the Hilton to Baltimore. In any case, the show must go on: when 8 PM rolled around, I simply turned up the sound on the computer, aimed it at the square of dancers and shouted the calls. It wasn't elegant, but it worked.

Kent arrived after the first tip: I grabbed the Hilton from the car and he drove for home. The rest of the evening was relatively uneventful, but then again, what wouldn't after a panic like that?

We didn't have enough advanced dancers for an A2 tip so we alternated MS & Plus all night. It was extremely warm & muggy tonight and the air conditioning was having difficulty keeping up so the officers decided to knock off a little early. I closed with two back-to-back singers and was on the road by 9:45 PM.

My bout of Alzheimer's was profoundly embarrassing, but I'm taking some consolation from knowing that's one mistake I will never make again.