i smell an alberta rat

No, I don’t believe that Alberta is absolutely rat free, but I do buy into the myth. I know we have far fewer Norway rats than any place else. Back in the 1980s I went for a ride along with the Alberta Rat Patrol for CBC Radio, Edmonton. I travelled to the Saskatchewan border and remember passing a cattle feedlot. The rat patroller says to me: “There’s no doubt about it. There are rats there.” He also went into graphic detail about how farmers deal with an infestation. “They gather in a group with shotguns, hook a tail pipe-hose to the grain silo. It fills with exhaust. Rats come running out and they pick them off.” One of my favourite podcasts triggered this memory. Decoder Ring. Here’s a link to the rat episode. If you live in Alberta and you see a rat, rat him out here.   

my day in emergency

One minute I’m walking the dogs. Next thing, my face is smashed against a concrete step; I tripped. Blood everywhere. Kind passersby calls 911. I’m in an ambulance heading for emerg with a stop to drop off the dogs. Paramedics are dog lovers. Asked me if they could snap a shot of the pups in the ambulance. Sure!  No lights or sirens. I’m not dying. Serious cuts to the face and maybe a head injury. Fourteen stiches and a CT scan to check my skull and brain. There’s nothing broken or bleeding inside. Nurses and doctors are great. Room next to me, there’s a guy swearing and shouting at them. I hear he’s a drug abuser. I try to be extra nice to staff because he’s extra ornery. I’m home with a smashed face. They say men make plans and God laughs. I got in a knife fight. That’s gonna be my story.  

flying v – the final chapter

It’s finished. December 2020, I took delivery of a Solo Gear guitar kit – Flying V - all the parts. Like a model airplane but instead of a plane, a full-size guitar. I figured it would be fun to build with the help of my friend Kevin Gullion of The New Vintage. There were delays - COVID19; he got busy; I got busy. In recent weeks, we finally finished painting. That left assembly. Kev did the wiring. That was tough. I put on tuning pegs. That’s the easiest job. Truth be told, with all the add-ons and upgrades I probably could have bought one cheaper, but it was fun to learn, and I ended up with a cool guitar in the end.     

truth and reconciliation and music

When it comes to truth and reconciliation, you can help Indigenous youth at-risk through ArtsCan Circle. Its a great way to support music education for kids. My connection to ArtsCan is through my friend Mike Stevens. He inspired its creation. Mike is the best harmonica player in the world – specialty is bluegrass and blues. He lives in Sarnia, Ontario but it all started when he visited Gander NF 20 years ago, on his way to perform in Europe. He was introduced to some kids who were sniffing gasoline. He played music for them, gave them harmonicas, and vowed to return to give them music lessons. He did, and it resulted two decades of music education for thousands of kids in dozens of Indigenous communities across North America. Mike tells the story in a TedX talk. There’s also a film documentary A Walk in My Dream. You can donate money here or musical instruments here.

clothes make the man

For the first time since I was 13, I don't own a suit – a formal sport coat and trousers. I always had one or two as I grew up, including during my CBC years but not for work. I dressed shleppy there. Being a radio producer meant behind the scenes. Jeans were fine. During my later years in communications at a post secondary, I felt I needed to up my image at the office. I wore a jacket and tie though it wasn’t mandatory. I bet coworkers thought it was a boomer thing. It wasn’t. I just felt like classing it up. I bought made-to-measure business attire and I paid extra for the fat guy size. Since leaving that job, I’ve been freelancing. Back to jeans. I gave away all my fat guy suits. Now I need one for a wedding. Off the rack here I come.

flying v guitar prep

Flying V guitar session No. 4. My kit is closer to being a guitar. Kevin, of New Vintage Custom Guitars, said the next step is to mock-up the guitar to make sure everything fits. Before that, the new pickguard needed to be cut. That was all Kev. He’s highly skilled around band and scroll saws. He traced it and expertly cut it out, plus other bits, from the tortoise shell material. It’s multi-ply plastic. No tortoise was harmed. We then mounted most of the parts and drilled holes where the strings will pass through the body. It all fits together. Perfect. It almost looks like the guitar it’s going to be, except for the colour. After a couple of weeks off, the painting will begin.  

flying v guitar update

Sanding the Flying V headstock and neck.

Session No. 2 on the Flying V kit. Two vaccines for Kevin and me so we’re up close and personal. Sanding and more sanding to make sure the neck is smooth, 200 grit, 400 grit, 1200 grit. Also, touch ups plugging tiny nicks in the wood so they become invisible. One special job is rounding off the top of the headstock. (see photo) Guitar kits come with angular headstocks to avoid a Gibson lawsuit. A minute on the sander and it has that classic V look. We are going a little rogue on the design. Changing the bridge and making a custom pickguard so some plugged holes on the body were required. Glued in some wood. It has to set. Ready for session three – sanding the body.  

Check out Kevin’s custom guitar website - The New Vintage