[Pro]gress or [Con]gress: 2005 in Review

It is officially World Hangover Day -- and I managed to avoid the dreaded hangover by watching how quickly I drank last night, and getting lots of sleep.

I have not done any blogging in some time, with the exception of yesterday's short entry. I hope everyone had a relaxing holiday season -- mine, of course, was busy as usual. I had family staying with me for a few days, and friends of mine that I haven't seen for months stopped by for some old-fashioned good times. In the meantime I had returned to work, not voluntarily, I might add. You might say that today is my last day of freedom for the next few months.

I know you've been waiting for this for at least a week now: Christmas loot.

A lot of cool, nifty things came by the way of the chimney pipe, though the items most worthy of mention was a new wardrobe, a Garageband Expansion Pack, and my Police Live Synchronicity Concert DVD. Being a huge Stewart Copeland fan, the latter gift will get tons of play in the coming year.

If you think I came across as being greedy, I'll let you know that I gave far more than I received this year.

It's officially 2006, another year has slipped through my fingers, and I often wonder if I am any further ahead then where I was the year before.

1. This was a tough year for my car. I spent a considerable amount of funds keeping the car in like-new condition. It had been vandalized, some nameless individual backed their 1/2-ton into the front bumper of my car, the piston rings were replaced, it sustained considerable damage in the hailstorm of the decade, and the starter blew. When you consider that I am still making payments on my car, it made a very expensive year for me to drive. At least my insurance premiums went down another four hundred dollars per year. I'll take any fee reductions I can get.
   
2. I endured six weeks with a kidney stone. The ordeal took far too long, and it encompassed many entries (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6). It took three trips to the hospital, and a number of trips to a specialist -- and all I got out of it was "Don't worry, it will pass on its' own". Loosely translated, this means you are in for the greatest pain a man will ever endure.
   
3. I was asked to join Mule Shoe. My tenure with the band lasted three months, however in that time, I played a number of shows, performed on Calgary Television, and even assisted in the writing process for a few of the songs that should be on their sophomore album. I published select photos of our Calgary tour in this entry. You may have noticed, that one of those photos has now become the background image to this site.
   
4. SK began calling me to do all kinds of session work. I ended up playing a few concerts between Mule Shoe gigs, and I ended up making a few extra bucks on the side. The album was never realized, but at least I met RH, a talented bass player whom would make a substantial addition to any band lineup, hopefully mine. SK soon sold his recording studio, and moved off the continent.
   
5. I upgraded the operating system of my computer to Tiger, which, in my opinion, is the most powerful, easy-to-use and stable OS I have ever used. The new features, including Automator, have allowed me to be more productive, find information faster, and assist in preventing data loss. I know more about programming -- actually I know my Mac better than I ever have.
   
6. Speaking of computers, I managed to rescue a number of essential files off a laptop that met an untimely demise. Months later, I successfully upgraded and repaired the iBook, and is now more powerful and capable than it ever has been.
7. I participated in a Musical Theatre benefit concert, which was attended by approximately 350 guests. I rubbed shoulders with cast and crew of last years' Grease production, and retained MA as guitar for a new musical project -- one that is taking much longer than I expected to realize.
8. I attended a drum clinic hosted by Matthew Good's drummer, Pat Steward. Pat and I spent a good 20 minutes after the show talking about the Canadian music scene.
   
9. After years of scrutiny, I found a deal I couldn't refuse, and purchased a digital camera. Hindsight tells me that it was a sound investment, though I do not use it daily (i.e., I do not photoblog), I use it enough to warrant its' purchase. I have a huge 1-gig flash card in the camera, so I should have no shortage of photo storage. I can also record lengthy movies in VGA resolution, though I have hardly done that either. Not like I have the bandwidth on here to publish movies of any length or quality.
   
10. I attended two major concerts this year: Garbage and KMFDM. Though I had the infrastructure to take photos at the concert, I believe the unofficial recording of live performances, albeit photo, audio and/or video, is bad karma. I did, however get some mementos from each concert, the Garbage coffee cup, and the KMFDM 20th anniversary tour DVD, respectively.
    
11. The kitchen endured a meeting with a sledgehammer, undoing renovations which were recently completed. The culprit was a leaky water pipe. Our estimations were that the pipe was leaking for some time. Speaking of which, the wall still has to be repaired.
12. I witnessed two of my friends tie the knot this year. One of which featured me playing the bass to the "bridal march" -- which happened to be Bif Naked's "Lucky".
    
13. I griped about the increase of spam in my email box. It continues to get worse and worse, and I now receive approximately 300 spam emails per day. 2005 also showed the rise of comment spam, which I soon became a victim of. Word authentication seems to be the only solution to prevent spam bots from writing unwarranted comments on my (and everyone else's) blog.
14. I was asked to join the Savoys, a local blues band. This happens to be my current gig, and we have played a number of shows in packed bars. 2006 appears like it's going to be a busy year for the Savoys, as we are already have bookings through October. All my performances are now published on my public calendar, for all of you to view.
    
15. I continued building my home recording studio. The major purchase was the Mackie Spike interface, which now allows me to plug in a myriad of instruments into my computer. Other investments include my Sony headphones, and my Garageband Jam Pack 3, which I have already mentioned in this post. The studio has seen some personal use, as I have used it to record some sessions with MA, I have given new life to old demos I once recorded with a Tascam 488 mkII, and I have even recorded an entire live performance featuring the Savoys, which I hope will become a demo CD in the future.
    
16. I was the first drummer to play a note in the Esplanade, our new arts centre. My performance during the opening gala was "The Best of Broadway", and it was attended by 750 musical theatre aficionados. The show was a rousing success, and we have been granted a 3-day reprise, which will take place sometime in May.
    
17. I was sued.

And a partridge in a pear tree.

I guess when I look back on 2005, I did accomplish a lot. If there were things I would like to improve (I dare not call them New Years' resolutions), I would hope that I could reduce expenses, especially when it comes to my car. I would like to earn more, but then, everyone wants to earn more. I would like to spend more time gigging, and less time practicing, and I would like to record more. I would like to see my little project studio grow into something a little larger, where I might be able to earn a few bucks while I record concerts.

I suppose I would like to write more, and write better. This blog has yet to find its' niche; it seems to change its' colors not unlike a chameleon. But then, this blog is reflective of my feelings and interests, at the particular moment of publication. So on that note, I send my best wishes to all readers of mcfro.blogspot.com, hoping that 2006 is a prosperous, fulfilling year for all.