A Great Weekend

A GREAT WEEKEND!!!

Joanne, Koly and I had a great weekend camping. I should have photos and stories for you by the end of the week. I still use a film camera and it usually takes 5 days to get my photos developed… although I’m looking into digital cameras to speed this whole thing up – soon!

Joanne is back to work today and my day will be spent cleaning and cleaning and mowing the lawn and probably a little more cleaning, too!

Most of the next few weeks I’ll be busy preparing for my upcoming children’s art workshops. They will begin this September. Along with those tasks I am already scheduling meetings to plan for more art workshops for the summer of 2009 and the 2009-2010 school year.

I’ve learned many things over the last thirteen years in regards to putting together art programs for children and the most important lesson is “Plan ahead!” I’m not even teaching my upcoming programs and already I’m planning the next year to follow. It takes that much time to put all the pieces together. The schools or libraries need to have proposals made and classes scheduled, funding has to be in order, exhibitions have to be organized and promotion of these events is a huge task all on its own.

I do have time to seek out adventures in life during all of this, as well. My task for later this afternoon will be to go to London’s FM96 radio station’s website. This radio station is usually on in my car and the other day I heard an interesting announcement. It sounds like they want to put together a weekly show that last maybe four hours. Each hour of this show will feature a different guest DJ. They want the listeners to be these DJs.

It was while Jo’ and I were driving out of London – Friday evening – to go camping when I heard the announcement on the radio. I got really excited cuz I love to DJ. I’ve DJ’d in bars and clubs in Manitoba, British Columbia and Nova Scotia. While in Nelson, B.C. I was a volunteer DJ at the local Co-op radio station and I had my own show. In 2004 – when Jo’ and I moved back to London – one of my first jobs was DJ’n weddings and stag and does. I spent some time this weekend thinking about a great list of tunes I could include in my radio show – if I’m selected.

I’ll check out their website and report back with my findings!

As well as playing music for an audience, I also like to mix cassette tapes for friends. I like mixing tapes because each side has a set amount of time and it’s my job – as mixer – to create a musical adventure to fill this time. The tape must have a solid beginning and I always take a lot of care to create a mix that will explore a few different styles of music – rock to jazz to funk to trance… etc – before finding that perfect song to end the journey before the tape runs out of time.

I usually create covers for the cassette tapes, as well. Sometimes I draw them, or I use a cropped image from a photo or painting. A few times I’ve fiddled on the computer to put together interesting covers. This tape cover is one that I created last winter. The title of the cassette is “Lock and Load”

I thought you might think it interesting to read the play list from this cassette – to give you an idea of the types of music I like to listen to.

Side A –

Lock and Load - Bob Seger
Watch The World Die - Everclear
Wrong Again - China Drum
Soul Searching - Chantal Kreviazuk
The First Cut - The Eurythmics
I Don’t Need No Doctor - Ray Charles
That’s The Way - Led Zeppelin
Hangin’ On - The Mother Station
Lights Out - Los Lobos
Decision or Collision - ZZ Top
Inheritance - Prong
Chester - Slow Burn
With A Girl Like You - The Troggs
Inside Looking Out - The Animals
Rockets - Daniel Lanois
Knowledge - Green Day

Side B –

Your Guess - Shed Seven
Flat Top - Goo Goo Dolls
Night Shade - Watershed
Edgar Allen Poe - Lou Reed
Flip The Switch - The Rolling Stones
Room Full Of Mirrors - The Pretenders
Catch A Star - Men At Work
Life of Eddie - Skaface
Willing - Rainbow Children
Doin’ My Thing - Lifelong w/ Incident
Breathe - Nickleback
Liberate - Disturbed
Burning Down The House - Talking Heads
Strange Days - The Doors
Unwind - Pink
Night Falls on London - The Waterboys

It’s hard to think that anyone could go from a Men At Work song to a song by Disturbed with only four songs between them… but it happened!

Have a great day!

Jim