Posted on July 6, 2013 under Storytelling with no comments yet

I know I should be sitting in an air conditioned bar sipping on a few cool ones. But those of you who have been following my stories for several months, know that I am not normal… not even close. I am sitting at a my computer,  in a room that could pass for a sauna, drinking coffee. Writing.

I don’t know if there are any road races scheduled for this weekend. Hopefully not. This heat would be brutal for runners but I can tell you, this is exactly what it was like in 2012 when a few of us ran  the Boston Marathon. You can check out a story I wrote about this at www.week45.com. Go to the archives for April 15th. In honor of all runners, especially new runners, I wrote a story today that I will be posting on Sunday the 7th. of July. I am going to try and describe what it is like to stand at the starting line for your first race. The story is called ” It All Starts Here”.

As promised, in a video on my website ( Sea People ), I am going to tackle a tricky subject: the problems in the lobster fishery. I am doing this with a great deal of trepidation. I value the small number of friends that I have and this number could be significantly reduced after publication! The story is called “Into a Pot of Boiling Water”.

And coming up later next week, I will be posting a story about the Antigonish Landing. It is called ” A Soft Landing” and once again you can preview the video of the same name.

What a weekend to be in Canso or Cavendish for two incredible music festivals.

Hope you’re having an awesome weekend and get ready to lace ’em up tomorrow morning.

 

Posted on July 5, 2013 under Storytelling with one comment

Our youngest daughter is soon to be wed.  I have watched with a combination of admiration and astonishment as she and her fiancé have planned the modest event in the calmest, most laid back fashion humanly possible.  They have made it easy for everyone around them.  In my humble estimation, this is an exception to the rule… a complete and utter aberration.

I remember distinctly the day we got engaged.  Immediately after making the announcement and sharing a glass of champagne with my future in-laws, the wedding plans ramped into high gear.  I suggested a small, family wedding.  There would have been a better response from a conference of deaf people.  I found out very quickly that my outlook, well, didn’t count.  So guys, here is tip number one: your opinion simply does not matter when it comes to planning the wedding.  Do not offer any brilliant ideas because you will quickly find out that they hold no merit.  Get used to shutting your mouth, nodding your head and keeping a silly perma-grin on your face.  Your fate is in someone else’s hands.

My daughter’s wedding is going to be a small, intimate family affair.  If most men had their druthers, they would opt for one of those classy wedding chapels in Vegas where you can rent just about everything, including the wedding attendants and guests, including cheerleaders if you want them.

Many weddings these days can take months, and in some cases, years to plan.  By the time the couple says “I Do”, everyone is suffering mental fatigue, emotional hangover and insolvency.

Here is tip number two: if you are a man, your impending nuptials have nothing to do with you.  You are an afterthought.  Quite frankly, if you don’t show up at the ceremony you will hardly be missed.  Nobody cares what you wear.  Absolutely nobody is going to be looking at you.  If you have a plate of spaghetti and meat balls before the service and slobber some of it on your crisply ironed, white shirt, not a single living human being will notice the orange hue as you stand sheepishly at the altar waiting for your betrothed.

Tip number three: on your wedding day, stay out of the way.  Grab a few of your buddies and go for a game of golf.  I did.  Or grab the fishing rod and head out to some remote river where the only sound you will hear is birds and gurgling water.  Now if you are a masochist, you may not take my advice and may want to participate in some of the last minute wedding details.  You are one sick puppy so don’t ever come to me for advice again.

During the summer we often drive by the Cathedral as a wedding is about to take place.  I watch as the dazzling bride exits the limo followed by her entourage.  I start to roll down the window to scream at the top of my lungs “Don’t do it!”, but I am stopped by a stern rebuke from my wife.  She is on to me.

Posted on July 3, 2013 under Thursday Tidbits with no comments yet

Yeah, yeah, I know it’s not Thursday yet but I have friends in Scotland and it’s Thursday there.

The bra story should have been called ” My Cup Runneth Over”. Thanks very much for all the feedback. Some female athletes were offended that I did not mention the sports bra. Come on. A guy can’t always get these things perfect. One woman asked me how I could possibly know about bras. I was tempted to say ” research, research, research” but I took the easy way out and admitted that I came from a family of ten. In big families, there are no secrets. Not even Victoria Secret.

Someone suggested  I write a story about lipstick. I better be careful or else I might get a gig with Vogue magazine.

Our youngest daughter got married on the weekend in Halifax. I want to give a shout out to the good folks at the Best Western in Chocolate Lake. They did a great job and they are pet friendly. They have a chocolate lab on staff, sitting behind the check in counter.

And speaking of weddings, as a segue to a recent story about first waltzes at wedding receptions, I have a story coming up Saturday that is a must read for prospective grooms. It’s called “The Wedding Planner’s Guide For Men”.

Someone ( you know who you are! ), sent me a story idea about packages that are impossible to open, other than using blunt force and foul language. If you have a story idea, e-mail it to me. If I do a story, I will send you a draft… a sneak preview, as it were. You can take part in the editing process. I decided to do a story on this topic called “Open Sesame”. Coming soon at Week45.

Finally, I draw your attention to my website, particularly the video tab. I like to introduce some of my stories using video. The very first video is very important to me as it lays out my “big dream”. please take a look when you have time.

It’s almost time to dust off the kilt. “Lang may yer lum reek”.