Saturday, December 02, 2006

And now it's December!!

Okay, how the heck did that happen? Well, as they say, time flies when you're having fun or sometimes, time just flies. It has been a hectic four months and enlightening to say the least. Shortly after my last post, I applied for and got hired at SaskMusic which is the Saskatchewan Recording Industry Association (SRIA). I was quite excited about this new experience as it was a position in my chosen field (music) and I really like the people that work in the office. My position was Administrative Assistant and I'd work 25 hours a week, Monday to Friday. In the three months of my employment, I experienced some cool things including attending the Juno press conference in Saskatoon and the Western Canadian Music Awards in Winnipeg. Overall though, I kept feeling a nagging doubt. Yeah, I was in the middle of the "music industry" but it wasn't feeling right. Then, I remembered an episode of "Seinfeld"...you know the one where Elaine starts hanging out with George's girlfriend, then the whole group and George starts freaking out? Basically, his explanation to Jerry is that there is "Relationship George" and "Independent George" and with his girlfriend now hanging with his buds, "Relationship George" is killing "Independent George"! (And a George divided amongst itself, cannot stand!!) Well, essentially, that's how I felt. I had "SaskMusic Casey" and "Creative Casey" and "SaskMusic Casey" was killing "Creative Casey". I was losing interest in being a writer and a performer which I know is odd, since being immersed in the business should maybe spur an interest in getting my own career moving. But alas, that's not me. So I gave my notice and now I'm back to just working at the Keg and working on my new CD.

Speaking of which, things are coming along nicely with our demos. I'm working with Mike Thompson and Dan Silljer, with help from Jeff McLeod and Kris Craig and we're slowly working our way through getting some rough demos recorded. I have to say that at our last get together, I was quite blown away by the energy that was coming off the tracks and I can only believe that is a good sign! Once we're done the demos, we'll sit back and live with them for a bit and then prepare ourselves to do the actual CD. There is absolutely no way that I can express how grateful I am to the above mentioned musicians for the contribution of their talent and time. I'm not sure what I have done to deserve their efforts and respect but God, I am thankful! I will keep you posted on our progress and when we expect to have it finished.

Since I am now back to only one day job, I have been thinking a lot more about song ideas and getting back to performing. I've got some cool things brewing, I believe and it feels good to be welcoming those creative ideas again.

Unfortunately, things have not been so well regarding our pets. This has been a rough year on my furry friends. Brent and I had a "special needs" cat, "Miss Kittie" that passed away in the spring. My little apple of my eye, Jack Russell cross, Jessie, developed a tumor and had to be put to sleep in July. I cried so hard. I didn't know I could hurt that bad - I was so devastated. She had such a strong passion for life but her tumor prevented her from keeping food or water down. She would have starved to death so I had to do what I had to do. In my previous post I told you about Harold, the cat who was quite fat. Ultimately, it was his undoing as he died in August of liver disease. Then, two days ago, I euthanised my Doobie Dog, Jack Russell cross terrier/terrorist who never met anybody he didn't want to bite. (Please hold all comments regarding "dogs are like their owners" :-) ...)He was 13, losing his senses, with an injured/arthritic leg and an ornery temper to match. I had him since he was 10 weeks old and it feels very empty in my life right now. With Jessie, I felt that I lost my shadow, and with Doobie I feel like I lost my best friend. But I guess, that's the way it goes with pets. I don't have kids - and parents, I'm not comparing!! - but there are two integral differences between pets and children. Number 1, pets never learn to speak english. How many times I wish my dogs would have understood when they looked at me so sadly and I would say, 'but I'm coming right back!' Or, 'you really will throw up if you eat this, I'm sorry!' Number 2, kids grow up and (hopefully!) become more independent and sometimes want nothing to do with you. Dogs, in particular, grow more dependent on you, the older they get. It seems to become more devastating, each time you leave! Oh well. I did my best with them and they've carved their souls on my heart.

Well, that's enough for now. Hope all is well and drop a line when you get a chance!

Casey