The Blurring of Generations

Jer's Lifestylism placed a great link to this article about a newly minted generational group - the "Grups". When I think of the circles of influence I am a part of, I realize quickly how blurred generations have become. Some question whether or not 20/30 somethings are living with a "Peter Pan" mindset and are refusing to grow up. I like to think that we are simply messing with the modernist world surrounding us and saying we are not willing to simply do what previous generations have done. Why should I wear a suit to work when I'm much more comfortable in jeans and T-shirt? But then again, I saw a 45 year old local business owner with a soul patch, leather jacket, on a Harley and I started to chuckle...who am i a decade later?

After some self reflection, I came up with these random musings: I listen to the same types of music and bands that my students do; I wear similiar clothing; I too am concerned about the environment; I agree with their apathy concerning politics and that all governments are corrupt to some degree; I prefer exploring play through adventure sports rather than sitting passively by a TV; I am addicted to technology but love to escape from "the world"; I question people that think they have it all together; I detest the pursuit of happiness through materialism but you should see the stuff I've accumulated: bikes/cameras/outdoor gear/books/music...etc! We live in a paradox it seems, caught between what we envision our ideal lives to be and how we actually live our lives. The blur of culture continues...

Do We Work Too Much?

Hmmm...understatement of the year. Apparently, working less may even benefit the business world never mind the average worker - check out this link.

The average Canadian worked 1,751 hours in 2004. That's about 300 hours — or 43 seven-hour days — more than the Dutch, Germans, French or Danes. - TheStar.com

Instead of raising my pay (which hasn't happened anyways) - why not just lower the expected hours I work in a week or add a week or two to holiday time? Any thoughts out there in blogland? Do we work to live or live to work? Are our values so upside down in North America that we have forgotten the value of rest & play?

More Recent Shots...

Last weekend was a great time to getaway from it all! I spent some time working on my new mtn bike trail near our cottage at Star Lake. I completed the loop on Saturday and rode it about 3X on Sunday. Interestingly, I came across my share of nature including this porcupine:

Unfortunately, the porcupine (the white spikey thing) wandered off rather quickly and I only was able to fire off a few shots before he escaped down a cliff. Maybe next time I'll get a shot of more than his prickly butt!

Some unidentified flower that grows along my newly constructed hiking/biking trail!

Me & my bike (posed and shot by timer on a nearby boulder)

My girlz relaxing on the deck - Wendy took this pic at home while I was away on tour.

While I was away out west - my lovely daughter ended up breaking her arm - thankfully it has healed quickly!

We have an interesting visitor at the cottage - a silver fox who is becoming a bit too friendly! These shots were taken Sunday morning at around 8 am.

Note the sneaky eyes of swiper the fox!

explore play via digital slr

Ten Days of May

My first ten days of May were spent on a road trip and tour out to the west. We traveled as far west as Calgary & Canmore, then traveled north to Grand Prairie, High Level & La Crete. Part of my duties as a faculty member at college is to direct a music team that leads worship in chapels & special events and as well some performance music. I am more "hands-on" as a musical director the first semester but purposely draw back from too much involvement which I believe interferes with the formation of such a group for the second semester. In other words, I want bands that I work with the create their own identity & sound once some strong roots and direction have been established. I was very pleased this year by both the stage presence, sound, and overall feel of the band this year. For this tour, we decided to combine our drama and music teams and create a dramatic performance that included musical interludes that contributed to the story being acted out.

A picture that captures the interplay of music and drama for our tour.

It was quite a powerful and real-world type of drama entitled "Rewind: Replay" and centered on the dating relationship of two adolescents who end up breaking up in the process of finding themselves. The audience is set-up to believe the boyfriend is at fault for the relationship failure in the initial scene. However the next scene rewinds to several days before and the audience is given a better understanding into the girlfriend and some significant challenges she is facing, along with some of her poor choices. The play did not have the classic tidied-up conclusion leaving the audience hanging, but the music performed throughout the drama sent out some clear messages as to where hope can be found in desperate situations. Ironically, it is the boyfriend's sister who reaches out to the ex-girlfriend in the end and the audience can only assume that the friendship will aid in the healing process.

I think this shot captures well the energy of a performance and is uniquely framed by our bass players arm.

I tried some more artsy stuff with my Pentax Optio and was pleased with the results. I still prefer my digital SLR but the point & shoot worked fine considering its size.

Another blurred over-exposed shot that just drips with color!

A neat aspect with touring with lights for the music/drama presentation is that I got to play with color, blur, & well you see the results - alarm red guitar in action!

One of the perks of the tour, other than furthered relationships with students, is to visit "the mountains" and although we didn't actually enter the park we did manage a hike in the mountains near Canmore. Here are some shots from the mtns, a few from a ranch we stayed at, and shots taken along the way:

Amazing mountain lake complete with a great cliff for rock-climbing.

We encountered a little snow on our hike but definitely t-shirt weather!

A shot of some cool trees near one of our gigs.

Okay admittedly, this goat is a little scarey looking but it was such a unique shot I couldn't resist posting it.

One of the cool parts of the trip was crossing the Peace River on a ferry near the La Crete area!

This shot just reminds of the blur of bridges on our epic drives across rivers in Alberta

I couldn't resist a parting shot of yours truly lit up by our travelling lights!