the predator.

Erik has been fishing for Sockeye Salmon in Alaska every summer for the past 13 years. That, my friends, is half of my lifetime. He spends three weeks on a boat with three grown boys. During this time he lives on a little boat with the aforementioned boys.

It has always been difficult for me to understand what fishing life is like. I can only imagine how sick I would be if I was stuck on a boat for three weeks straight. And I know I would be a grumpy bear if you woke me up at 03:00 and dragged me out into the cold to pick fish out of a net. 

The boat Erik fishes on, the Predator, is in Western Washington being fixed/upgraded so I had a chance to see it. I had a chance to see Erik's home away from home. Erik took us on board and showed us the cramped quarters he stays in -- I could barely turn around in the focsle/fo'c'sle so I have no idea how four grown boys manage to do it. It would be most unpleasant.

Erik danced around the deck while the rest of us were careful not to slip. I imagine he is as comfortable on water as he is on land. He was proud of the steel shell-of-a-boat and obviously fond of the time he spends in Alaska. It was fun to see him share that part of his life with us.


 I am glad I never need to join Erik fishing in Alaska. I don't know how long I would survive… or how long those around me would survive. I'm not particularly thrilled about being cold and I hear it is downright chilly in those parts. I feel I now have a better sense of what life in Alaska is like… at least what living on a boat looks like. Thanks, but no thanks. 

Music Monday

Hola! Yo escribo una carta. El nino come pan. Nosotros somos hombres porque bebemos leche.

I'm learning Spanish, slowly.

Have I ever told you about Radiohead? About how they are my absolute favorite band? No? Okay then; Radiohead is my absolute favorite band.

Moving on here is a song from my absolute favorite band. A song called Feral



One of my most favorite things about Radiohead is how much they have changed through the years. They started as melancholy heavy pop rockers and steadily went crazy from there. You never know what you are going to get with them. By their second album they had started experimenting with sounds, instruments, rhythms, etc to make very interesting music. Each album is very different and I am always interested to see what they do next.

That being said they do have a few signature maneuvers that are fairly common in their songs. The first is layering. They have multiple layers of instruments, vocals, and sounds that they use masterfully. I have listened to the same album from them almost every night for 8 years and I still hear new things in their songs. The second thing to watch out for from them is that they build songs right in front of your ears. One has to listen to an entire song before you hear all it has to offer which is completely opposite from pop songs that give everything catchy all at once and that's it for the rest of the song.

It may also be important to give an idea of how important Radiohead has been for the music industry. Everything from innovations in recording technology to marketing strategies they have left their mark on the music industry. I like them.

Until next time, keep yourself domesticated.

EDO

Music Monday

Hello Mondains,

Today a short post as our home has been invaded by window installation men. In honor of that this is The Cinematic Orchestra with "To Build A Home"



Patrick Watson does the vocals. If you've never heard of him then you should check him out. Great musician.

Until next time, keep your windows up to date.

EO

Music Monday

Hello Mondains,

I have to admit, sometimes it gets to me. If you have never heard of or read the book "I Heard the Owl Call My Name" I highly recommend it. I remember my father reading it to me as a child. I didn't remember what it was about but I did remember that it was sad. I read it this past year and I very much connected by its insight, pace, and descriptive qualities. The most powerful description that I remember is the narrator talking about a "depth of sadness" that could be scene in a certain people group's eyes. As soon as I heard that term I knew it. I knew it in the sense that I had always known it but now it had been identified; the best kind of learning.

I see the depth of sadness every day. I see it in the eyes and actions of the people I serve. I hear it when I speak with their family members. I watch it take hold of others who endeavor to serve those in need. I feel it within. Pain is complicated and it does not wait to be introduced.

Some days it gets to me more than others. It is always present but most of the time I understand that I can only provide opportunity and I cannot control other people's decisions. This thought keeps me in line and gives me the desire to continue. I provide opportunity.

This is Neil Young and these are his songs Needle and the damage done and No more performed on Saturday Night Live.


Neil Young-The Needle And The Damage Done-No... by f838349870

Until next time...

EO

P.S. If you like I Heard The Owl Call My Name then I suggest your read Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe and The Samurai by Shusaku Endo. These three books are almost like a trilogy written by different people in three different cultures. They each compliment each other brilliantly. A little warning though I heard the owl call my name is the most hopeful of the three, the other two are downright depressing.

Music Monday

Hello,

Today is a follow up day. I said a while ago that I would find out more about the genre of dubstep as I have been interested in it for a while. I did some research. Apparently:

Dubstep started in the UK club scene back in the mid to late 90's. It is dance or electronica music characterized by it's use of low frequency bass "wobble" and repetitive drum beats. When it started it was mainly just instrumental remixes but gained popularity in the UK throughout the 2000's finally becoming very popular in the late 2000's and in the past two years in the US. Dubstep is also known as Grime but there are a couple distinct sub-genres. The one that most of us in North America would know first is called "brostep" this is bass and drum fused with heavy metal such as heard from Skrillex and others. Another popular variant is "chillstep" which usually features a much more mellow sound and usually a female voice.

Dubstep's influence is widespread today being incorporated into many different genres from pop to dance to heavy metal.

Here are a few artists who are credited with starting or developing the dubstep scene:

Benga-  One of the first artists credited with developing the dubstep sound. This song is a hit from the mid 2000's.

Plastician- An artist credited with the development of dubstep in the mid 2000's.

Skream- Now a dubsted producer. This song definitely gives you the distinct bass wobble of dubstep.

Now the piece for resistance. This is Flux Pavilion with Bass Cannon.

On second thought I need to provide two warnings:

1) If you happen to be my mother you probably will want to opt out of listening to this as you will only ask "why would anyone want to listen to that" after it is done.

2) If you do not have a speaker system with a sub-woofer you will not understand. If you do have such a device, crank it up to eleven and let the soothing sounds of dubstep concuss you.



That's all for now. Until next time keep your steps dubbed.

EDO

Music Monday!

Hello Mondains,

Here we are again another Monday. As I sit here I have been listening (or trying not to listen) to a car alarm that seems to have been possessed by an evil spirit. It has been going off for about two hours now. Sometimes it sounds like a real alarm but for the most part it sounds as if someone gave a giant toddler a giant penny whistle and a 500cc injection of caffeine at the same time. I just stepped outside and found out that it's my neighbors Chrysler making all the noise and it could also resemble a remote key-less entry double beep noise streamed rapidly together with a fluctuating pitch. Strange but true.

Now to the music! This is a song called My body is a cage by Arcade Fire. I like the song but what really catches me is the video that I have posted with it. It is a fan made video that takes clips from the movie "Once upon a time in the west" and patches it together. I am struck by how well the song and video correlate. In fact it was so much so that I had to watch the movie and I am thankful that I did because it was also fascinating and well done. Though the artists don't know that they did, I am happy for this collaboration between mediums.

My Body is a Cage from JT Helms on Vimeo.

Coincidentally the main theme of the song that of the body being a cage is not a new idea. It has been around for centuries and is repeated in many different religions and philosophies. Most notably the Christian gnostics of the second century. Gnosticism is based on the idea that matter is evil and the way of salvation is through knowledge ("gnosis" is an ancient Greek word which translates into the english "knowledge"). It is interesting to me that this idea would spring up in such away again. Interesting.

Until next time, keep the one you love on the dance floor.

EO

Here is ye ol' wiki link for Gnosticism

Music Monday

Hello Mondains,

I'm back, at least for the next couple of months before we leave for our grand adventure.

I've got some good music in store and hopefully some enjoyable useless knowledge you'resofondof.

For today, this hour, this very minute, I think that you should enjoy this:



Beggar in the morning by the Barr Brothers. An excellent track. In fact I had this in my head the entire six hours it took me to ride my motorcycle to Spokane, WA from Kelowna. No joke, the e-n-t-i-r-e time.

Until next time keep your belts loose and your triggers tight.

EeyOh!

{this moment}

{this moment} - A Friday Ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. 

Wishing you a lovely weekend! 

*** *** ***

Music Monday

Hello for the last time in a month or so. Today as it has been suggested we will be playing a game which someone else invented. That game is called, wait for it, "That Makes Me Think Of". The gist of it is to say what a certain thing makes you think of. It starts with one subject but then keeps rolling until you're thinking of things you didn't even know were there.

I'll start:



That was "Walk, don't run" by The Ventures.

That makes me think of family road trips to Minnesota. We had a tape of the top rock and roll hits from 1960 and this particular song was one of them. We must have listened to that tape at least eight times a day for the three-day trip. Between that, Bill Cosby's "Himself" comedy tape, and an occasional bend in the road in Montana it was the only entertainment we had. Oh yeah, and counting motorcycles. One year I got to ten thousand and then stopped.

That makes me think of one particular road trip when we were complaining about the heat. We were told by a certain paterfamilial member of our trip that it was "probably only eighty degrees" Fahrenheit. When we reached the nearest town to gas the car up we noticed a bank sign reading the temperature at one hundred and eight degrees Fahrenheit. Apparently that family member still hasn't heard the end of that one.

That makes me think of a time when I was in Alaska that it was eighty degrees but there was no wind and I was in my rain gear that made me feel like I was wrapped in tin foil. It's the only real summer heat I've ever experienced up there and it was great except for a few of things: 1) The bugs apparently love the heat and it also apparently makes mosquitoes extra hungry. 2) Quality control was hindered due to some of the fish baking in the holds. It smells much, much worse when the fish blood gets caked on the boat instead of being washed away by a nice rain. 3) The skipper of the boat next to us decided it was his crew's duty to make sure that he was well lathered in sunscreen. He would stand on the flying bridge with his arms held out to each side in his boxers while one poor soul made sure of that. We still tell that story and warn our skipper that we will not take those duties on.

That makes me think of... nah, your turn.

Until next month, no running by the pool!

EDO

P.S. Last week was supposed to be my big Father's day post a day late. As it turned out it was a week early. Oh yeah, I'm on the ball.

Music Monday

Hello Mondains,

Here I am, on a Monday, playing music, on a blog. Yo.

Haven't heard from these guys in a while. They have some Dy-no-mite songs, this one is no exception.

This is The Wind Up Bird from Tunng



I'll be going away in a couple weeks for my annual month of punishment. I shall not be posting while I am gone. You will suffer I know but as my boss says in Alaska "Erik, you're just going to have to suffer."

Until next time, don't suffer in silence.

EDO

{this moment}

{this moment} - A Friday Ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. 

Wishing you a peaceful weekend!  

*** *** ***

Music Monday

How do you do? A drizzly Monday in Kelowna I'm afraid to say but we made the best of it.

I've finally had the time to listen and digest some new music. Things were getting pretty busy round these parts in the last few weeks.

This is a brand new band to me but it seems that they have a decent following already. Also a good helping of interesting and skill. I'll definitely be researching more of them.

This is Apparat with The Soft Voices Die



Until next time, keep your inside voice alive.

EDO

Music Monday

Hi. Sorry we were away on a lovely weekend holiday.

Have you heard this one yet? They used it for the new Assasin's Creed video game.

Woodkid - Iron



Until next time...

E

Music Monday

So not too many people know this but I absolutely love the Rankin/Bass 1980 adaption of The Return of the King. I have watched it many, many, many, many, many times; more than I would like to count. I can recite most of the movie from memory and I often have the music in my head. Especially the following: This is "Frodo of the Nine Fingers" sung by Glenn Yarbrough.



I know that the cartoons aren't the best but they make me happy.

Until next time, keep your roads going ever, ever on.

EDO

Music Monday

Hello Mondains.

Have I ever told you about the time my mind blew up? It was October 30th 2010 and I was at the Paramount Theater in Seattle. Sufjan Stevens had just released his newest album Age of Adz. I am so glad I listened to the album a few times before going to the concert because I may have walked out if I didn't know a little bit of what was coming.

The Age of Adz is based on three things: 1. A schizophrenic artist named Royal Robertson. 2. Sufjan's own self proclaimed battle with mental health. 3. Sound. As much as possible, as bizarre as possible. There is nothing about this album that is comfortable and yet somehow it came together to make an amazing album.

Sufjan constructed the concert tour to very much represent the album. It is completely visceral; it holds no real form, it has no plot or setting, no story or narrative. It is completely worked from the senses. Sounds, sounds, sounds. Perhaps it's like reading James Joyce; you have no idea where you are or what is happening but it's brilliant. Because of this, my brain burst.

Here is one of my favorite songs from the album live. You may not like it. I had a hard time with it until I realized that everything Sufjan does in it is intentional, even if it doesn't sound nice. This is Get Real, Get Right by Sufjan Stevens:



In case you are interested here is the video that was playing in the background. It is all art work by Royal Robertson spliced together by Sufjan himself.



If you are completely perplexed here is a link to a video where you can watch Sufjan explain the Age of Adz personally

I really don't know how to explain how good it was but it was the best concert I have ever seen.

Until next time, hold on to your butts.

EO

Music Monday

Hello Mondains. Welcome to another addition of Music Monday!

Today I've been thinking yet again of days gone by which made me think of this little ditty to share. This song is one that I hold very dear. I immediately connected to it as soon as I heard it and have never looked back. I am lost in the rhythm and enveloped by the sound. It comes in like a flood tide.

It actually makes me think of a story of a big ship. In the summers, in Alaska, the company that I work for has two "floating processors." I had never seen one but when I first heard the term I thought of the usual floating type thing up there which is old rusty barges with train car apartments for people to work in. One year, during our six hour return journey to the boat storage, we decided to visit a floating processor because we would be arriving at midnight which is when they have a meal for the workers scheduled for night shifts. Being employees in a sense we decided to go for midnight lunch. I saw the lights to the processors while we were still four hours away and steered for them. The processors, it was pointed out to me, were actually ocean going vessels which were converted into mobile processing plants, not little rusty barges. We slowly crept up on the processors which went from specs to boats to ships. The moment this song reminds me of is when were approaching the vessels and a small fishing boat, like the one I was on, showed me the actual scale of the ships. It was tiny; they were huge. It is hard to gauge the size of something on the water due to the vastness of the ocean; everything looks tiny. My brain was tricked into thinking that these were not all that large and then reality struck me. It was like the moment when your brain finally recognizes how it has been tricked while looking at an optical illusion. These were big ships. Ten times the length of the boat that I was on and who knows how much more in volume. I actually gasped and went wide eyed. It was also funny to learn that the tiny boat that I had seen tied up to one of these larger ones was actually a hundred foot crab boat that makes our thirty two footer look small.

This is Brian Eno with "The Big Ship"



Until next time, keep your eyes wide and your gasps involuntary.

EDO

Music Monday

Hello and guess what. It's Monday!

Here is an inspiring piece of music by Jonsi. Don't know who Jonsi is? I'll tell you. He is the lead singer of the band Sigur Ros. His full name is Jonsi Birggison and he decided to make a side project, the result being Jonsi. Don't know Sigur Ros? I would advise you to check them out.

I enjoy both Sigur Ros and Jonsi for their emotive qualities, beautiful music, but mostly for the hope that their music is infused with. It makes for good listening.

This is Jonsi with "Go Do"



If this didn't inspire you to go and do then I suggest you have a trusted friend check your pulse because you may have ceased living.

Until next time, keep your roses victorious.

EO

Music Monday... late again

I guess my promises mean nothing... it was my birthday yesterday so cut me some slack?

Don't know much about this band but I like the video and the song. Enjoy.

Friend Fires with "Skeleton Boy."



 Until next time (hopefully on time)...

Keep your fire friendly.

EO

Music Monday... too late Tuesday?

Oops. I must apologize. Two weeks in a row Music Monday has been delayed. I have a good excuse though... I didn't post one.

This week is an interesting choice for me because I don't actually particularly like this song. I am interested by the song and I have it stuck in my head but I don't really enjoy it. It is very peculiar.

At any rate. I do appreciate the artist, Andrew Bird. He has been very inspirational for singer/songwriters for a long time and I actually like that his music is interesting to listen to even if I don't really enjoy it. I would rather hear something like this rather than mindless blather regarding partying, riches, fame, booty, etc.

This is Andrew Bird with Anonanimal:



I promise I'll be on time next week.

Until then, keep your Birds anon.

EDO

Music Monday

Good day. It's time for music.

Here is another song from My Brightest Diamond. This one's called 'We added it up'



I really like how clever she is.

Here's to a good week, better each day.

Until next time, keep your inexhaustibles exhausted.

EO