Neat

So a funny thing happened a little while back.



As part of my midlife crisis that settled on me right around two to three years ago I made a real conscious effort to get back into my music.

I picked up the guitar with a renewed enthusiasm and started to push myself again with the study of music.

I am not a brilliant player..but I don't suck either.

That is probably the best way to describe my playing or ability...lol.

I am getting better and it has been a great while since I have been able to say that.
I love jazz..or more to the point ..improvised music...and yes Morin I know that makes me gay.

Music is a language...THE language really.

The difference between performance based music 'non improvised' and improvised music can be summed quite easily with the following analogy.

A great performance is like someone reciting a speech. They don't need to understand the speech, or even the words, to be successful with the recital. It helps if they have a nice sounding voice.

Improvised music is like a conversation, with subject matter, preferably by a knowledgeable person that can speak with eloquence.
This approach to the art requires a greater deeper understanding of the instrument and the music itself.

I have always been drawn to the latter.

Well..like I say...I have been pushing myself  over the past few years. Its been cool...but along with the renewed energy with the study of 'music' I have also found a renewed interest in just 'The Guitar'....

..which ...oddly enough can be quite a separate thing.

I have friends who have spent their whole lives around the guitar but literally have NO musical knowledge.

That is the nature of this funny little instrument. It used to kind of offend me. This sort of ignorance I felt undermined the legitimacy of what can be a very beautiful musical instrument.
Well...I am pooping a little better now and really don't give a shit about all that sort of thing...

Life is too short and the guitar is fun...I would like to have fun...so along with the theory and study of some of the heavy music that makes my head spin I have also been going down a road of interest with just FUN guitar stuff.

This video is a great example of some of the people out there that are on the same road.

Jim is a cool guy and I would love to buy him a beer.

THE END

Da Da Da DUN!!!

It can sneak up on you.

..and it did this year.

My Steelhead season is over...in Ontario anyway.
I am sure I will fish with Brian in Michigan over the winter...but considering the kind success ..or lack of success I tend to have over there on those mean spirited rivers it could very well be it til next fall for float fishing

I was hoping to get out today one last time. I did this weird back and forth thing in my head/heart..

as in... 'forget it I am out'...'nope, go..or you'll regret it'...'too cold , fuck it'...'go, or you are admitting you are old and smashed'...

I was still on the fence until late last night when I finally decided...it shouldn't be this difficult!!!



So I just went to bed...shut off the alarm...slept in and spent the day with the family.

I am sure that there were people on the river today and I am sure that there were some fish caught.

In a way that pleases me...I mean , I like to think there there is some hard core dude in his late twenties cutting his teeth on this sport/activity out there forcing it just because he truly can't get enough.

I was that guy...but...sigh... I am not anymore.

..and you know what?... that's Ok   ..

I had a great day today. I enjoyed my coffee at home with the kids and wife. The day had great pace. Very relaxing.
Picked  my guitar up a couple of times.

Did a little tobogganing this afternoon.

Very very nice....

Maybe it's time to hand the Steelhead maniac torch to the next wave..

In a way the last day in was a perfect end anyway.
It was a tough day against some less than favourable conditions where I had to muster as much mojo as I could just to get anything to go.



I had to wait patiently for a some crusty old turd to walk away from a run that I wanted.

Took forever but he finally gave it up.

So I walk in there and take my awaited turn.

Float drops and I set up...main line snaps and I am pulling line from the bushes...'Norland'.

I could hear Morin in my head...'Doesn't hurt to retie once in a while you useless prick'...'Check your mainline...that last fish took you through a bunch of rocks'...'ever hear of frayed line??'

I hate that pos..

So I retie.. ..can't leave on that note.

Tying frantically...looking over my shoulder..figuring at any moment to hear the crunch of boots in the snow..

The river has seen a lot of pressure and there really is no fighting that. I am trying to lighten up a bit and just roll with it.
It sucks ...but our pressure is way better to deal with than the apocalyptic pressure you can find in Michigan...so I count my blessings and try like hell to do what I can to find my little piece..

Back into the water I go..nobody shows up to bug me...few drifts in and down she goes again...
BIG FISH...( for me anyway )
Great fight...really great moment...the shoulder burns ...fish does everything right but I miraculously gain the upper hand and have myself a beauty of a Buck beached!!!










Probably my coolest fish of the season.


Few pics and gently released. I even unhooked my original line from his mouth as well...same fish..no shit!

Great way to cap off a great day.  ( go home..NOW!! )

But no..oh no...greed...

I walk back up... re-position myself on the same line thinking that maybe there is a big hen in there that was paired off with that fish ..seems logical..

First drift.

This fish dwarfs the buck and goes completely apeshit...up stream down stream around logs...rapping knuckles..frantic attempts to get line on the reel as it swims for my feet only to have it turn and tear out the chute and down through the rapids...At one point I was running as fast a s I could to catch up to this thing..
Certainly one of the biggest fish I have ever connected with on this river...EVER...

But I'll never know for sure...came unbuttoned right when I began believing that I had a chance...lol..

That is how this season will end for me...and you know what?...that is probably as close to perfect as this sport can get.

Now on to other things.

Merry Christmas 2012

Well ...it took a while but the Christmas spirit finally found me...and it feels really good!!!

This Grinch's heart is starting to grow!

Good to hear from my friend Gary today...that helped a lot.

 Thats what its all about ..friends and family...

Great to be home with everyone today.

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Thar She Blows

It was like a hurricane in there..

The only thing that can really shut the float fisherman down is wind...and it almost did today.

Well to be fair...a VETO from the warden can be a deciding factor as well.

Morin slammed em yesterday but I had commitments... Tis the season.










Owen had a Christmas play at school and he would've been really bummed if I'd missed it.

 I love fishing and I don't know if we'll have many more days like yesterday.

By the sounds of it the water was prime and the unseasonably warm temps had the fish all worked up.
I kept getting text messages from dipshit as the day went on...sigh...

Oh well, family first and I was really glad I got to see Owen perform.

He was amazing. The kid loves drama and volunteers for every part that comes along. I hope he never loses his enthusiasm.

So I was left to pick up the scraps today.

...and I struggled.

It was almost impossible to get a decent drift today because of the wind.

Add to that some fast dropping crystal clear water and it made for a pretty grim morning at times.

The fish I did get were fantastic however. Some real brutes kicking around this time of year.

There are also some real shitheads kicking around judging by all the Busch Lite beer cans and other garbage lying on the ground.

Morin gave me a heads up with that catastrophe and I picked up some and hiked it out but the real kicker was a beautiful dime bright hen that had been gutted for skeins then left on the bank.


What a waste...really wtf is wrong with people?

The older I get the more I realize there is no fighting this type of shit...its sad..but this is the world we live in.

...right up there with me trying to explain to my 8 yr old daughter why somebody would walk into a school and shoot  a bunch of innocent children..






Whatever....I refuse to let it ruin my mood.

It was a great day...cleared my head and recharged the batteries.

The Big fella in the red suit will be here in just a matter of days and the kids are all fired up.

I can't wait.

Sylvain Luc et Philip Catherine - 16ème Fête de la Guitare, le 17 mars 2012

Funny

I had to take an active role in our struggles at work the other day....really took a lot out of me but the cause was just and it was worth it.

One of my coworkers posted this on Facebook in gratitude...thought it was funny.

..... the only thing super about me is the super pain in my legs from yesterdays hike...getting old sucks it.

A Time Out From The Madness

My workplace is a war zone...and well it should be.

I am a fighter...but it takes its toll on ya and this past week just about put me in the loony bin.

It was worth it... I got through it...and today Morin and I went fishing.

Yahoo...good for the soul and all that.

I missed the real good stuff last week unfortunately but this year I really mismanaged my leave situation. One of these years I am going to save every scrap of it and take the entire fall off.

One of these days...

It looks like I may only have a couple of cracks at the river now before the season ends. I am trying to savour the trips and today was no exception although the fishing was tougher than expected.

I started the day fishing the Cedar run and the first drift right at daybreak brought a beautiful winter dressed Buck to hand that really made the entire day.
It fought like stink and had a gigantic rudder of a tail it made good use of.

Then it got weird.

I caught another fish that was hideous....lost a beautiful huge steelhead at my feet...then capped the day off with a picture perfect dime...

A good day....

We covered a lot of ground and probably wasted some time and energy rolling the dice.

This type of maneuver usually pays off for us but today it was just empty kms through the bush.

The fresh air was great for the stress levels and I feel very relaxed tonight.


DSCF1292 from Gene Norland on Vimeo.


A far cry from earlier this week.  

Inspiration When I Need It Most

Brad Meldau is one of the most interesting and heaviest dudes on the planet currently.

 He is one of those guys that is so good its a little bit scary. I am sick..yet again...this time projectile vomiting ala "Exorcist" style...

 Very frustrating...however it has given me a chance to sit around snd listen to some cool music. This video is of Meldau's Trio taking a run at an old pop tune...Paul Simon's 50 ways to leave your lover ...lol

 Unbelievable.. I usually cringe when the heavies lower themselves to mainstream repertoire but this is actually pretty cool... I may actually breakdown and buy the disc...

 I hope Paul Simon does too.

'Make a new plan Stan...'

The FIX

Well the river is up...WAY up...

I had been going bonkers lately with the less than ideal fishing conditions and we've all been praying for rain.

We got it....but just like this sport can be sometimes...the timing was all wrong.

Morin and I wanted to fish yesterday and I even went ahead and cancelled some things that I probably should not have cancelled in order to do so....
 The graph was iffy  when I went to bed and it was going to be a gametime decision and at 'game time' we pulled the plug.

Water was too high and dirty still. It can never just rain anymore ..it has to be a deluge...god hates me..

I went back to bed and Morin went into work.

I am sure it stung him more than me on this occasion because I knew that I had tomorrow...meaning today...He couldn't join me...fuck him..lol

Today...surely another 24 hrs would that have river dropping into shape??

Still high  :o/

...but the colour is getting there. 

I know that I should love the river when the water is roaring...The BIG river..."why do you fish that little creek"..
Big fish...big
Freudian?

It was too high for me today still but I forced it. I had too.

Tomorrow has me at work scheduled for something that I can't miss.

I like when the fish are active and I know that an increase in flow turns them on...but what I don't like is not being able to zig zag across the river to get to the spots I like to fish.

Many of the runs I was hoping to see today didn't get visited because I just couldn't get across...AND I HAVE BEEN KNOWN TO CROSS SOME PRETTY CRAZY WATER!!!

...sigh..

The water that was available did have fish and I think that the high water mixed with the second deer hunt kept people away because I only saw one other angler all morning..

Anyway ...short day got in and got out early...got the fix I needed and unfortunately/ fortunately I made the decision to keep a fish today.

Gut hooked and bleeding badly. I felt like a POS doing it but I do enjoy these fish on the table.
I haven't kept a fish from the fabled flow for a very very very long time.
Truth be told..as the guilt started to fade I started to get a bit excited for dinner.



Teriyaki marinade then on to the grill..

Goodness

Still fightin this cold ....I hope it isn't going to be one of those winters...ugh.

Work sucks...still no contract and tempers are flaring...

I want to go live in the woods.

Afterthought

Busy Busy Busy...

Too busy to breath let alone fish.

However there was one morning I am reluctant to include as an entry in  my little online jackwagon journal..

Morin and I snuck out...hmm .. I am not even sure what day it was come to think of it?? and I am too lazy to check or even get it clear in my head..

We didn't do very well...lol

The waters are all too low for my comfort level although I see that others have been having some success ...

There are some beautiful pics on Tony Nardi BLOG...this was the inspiration for our last trip..only to be fed some Steelhead humble pie...I fished for five solid hours...beautiful water...only to have one solid pull on a Jig ..( A Norland Jig btw..lol )..which I missed...

Sigh....It happens... I was due..but Geez...

You take what the river gives you... what the hell else are you going to do really?

I've never actually met Tony but we are now friends on Facebook ( fire away Morin !! ) and I have included his BLOG link as a quick reference here...So I can keep an eye on him!!!...lol..

My wife is very concerned that I feel comfortable adding a friend on FB that I have never met. Oddly enough I don't...what I think is odd is feeling compelled to add people as "friends" that I never think about or might even dislike.
Accepting a fellow fisherman, that seems to share the same passion for an activity that we all hold in such high esteem, as a friend is a no brainer and may just amount to a push back against the previously mentioned hypocrisy poser bullshit.

His BLOG is awesome..although the last post was bitter sweet to read about on some level if I choose to be honest with myself..   :o/

Some turdknocking bait guys outfished by some feather flingers..say it aint so!!!

To be honest... I have seen this act before and have been conditioned by the 'sport' to the point where I don't even scratch my head about it any more.

Good on you guys....but withdrawal is starting to set in...

I have some family issues to put behind me and my schedule is grim...the forecast sucks as well...things don't look too promising but hope springs eternal even from my dark soul...

On another note I am already projecting ahead to the spring.

It has become a bit of a tradition for me to set aside my tax return money for a little daddy treat. Kind of like a dangling carrot to help me get through the winter.

Last year it was a guitar.

This year it is an amplifier upgrade and I have narrowed it down to two choices.

Handwired all tube mojo sexy goodness....

Anyway... I feel the domestic pull and I better engage here before Kimi drags me out of the mancave by the ear...lol....

Convalescence

UGH..

What a bug...

Saturday during my gig I had a headache to end all headaches and didn't think much of it. I had been into the craft beer pretty heavy the night before and attributed it to that.

Sunday morning I get to go fishing with Morin and as the day progresses I get all achy and a terrible sore throat..

In the following 48 hrs the bottom falls out ..

I can't remember the last time I was this sick.

I ended up heading down to Emerge at 02:30..one night..can't even remember what night... only to have the doctor say...yep..nasty...but its a virus...go home get some rest and fight that little microscopic bitch!!

I would've rather broken my arm..

..and to top it all off Kim had planned her annual shopping trip to Chicago with the girls.

My wife almost never takes time for herself and I was not going to let her cancel her plans.

I am finally starting to feel better..but I may still stay home from work tomorrow..fuck it.

A 12 hr shift is a long time ..and with my luck I will walk right into a significant enforcement event...that would send me to the grave..
..leaning towards no ..

The kids were awesome...I think Owen might be Jesus...so selfless...its really kind of weird, but I love him for it.

Poor little Avery was sick as well...as a matter of fact I think she brought this shit home to begin with.

I had been looking forward to this weekend... I had all kinds of things that we could've done planned..but no..

:o/

..ah well... good old Netflix..

So I bought a Zoo is actually a pretty good movie...sigh..

Kim comes home late tonight..YA!!!  I SURVIVED!!!!

Avery and I made a few brief trips to the park to feed the geese and walk the beach at Mike Weir Park...the highlight of a miserable week.

DSCF1211 from Gene Norland on Vimeo.

Speaking of miserable....

Morin has been a miserable cur...his texts are very disturbing... I have been deleting them as fast as I can so I won't have to testify...LOL..

I posted the 'Apocalypse Now' scene because I have it in mind that I will be Sheen's character to Morins Brando..except he will have gone Native in his Michigan shack when I find him...

I feel bad for the guy...too much work and no play.. and so much sand in his vagina...

...Come to think of it.. I would like to kill him with a machette...'The Horror...The horror...'...lol

God willing I am going to give Sauble Falls a try this week...for old times sake, fresh air, and because I love banging my head against the Steelhead wall..lol

...or I may just sleep on the couch..

either way..things are looking up.

FUCK!