The Burning Will Subside...Eventually...

It’s a phrase that symbolizes accomplishment within the exercise community. It proves that what you’re doing is good for you; that you’re on the path to good results. So why is it that if you “feel the burn” while doing anything else, you should be alarmed? ie: cooking; building a fire; tanning…ahem, urinating…

To me, feeling the burn means that for the next couple of days, I’ll be rendered relatively immobile, due to the adverse affects of my own vanity. Sure, everyone wants to be fit, but man, is it ever tough.

I recently jumped back on the wagon after my third relapse into laziness within the past 6 months. Prior to my wedding in June, I was going quite regularly and actually dropped about 10 pounds (my annual winter weight). Naturally, I wanted to look good for the copious amounts of photos that would be taken (our photographer alone took about 4000). I was happy. Then I went on vacation.

Vacation, if I’m to continue my sobriety metaphor, is a weeklong bender. Junk food is readily available 24/7 and relaxation is all that’s on your mind. It’s a nice break. The problem, though, is when you come back from vacation you need to be prepared to leave your vacation life behind. It’s back to the real world…which is depressing (even if you love your job).

So, you tell yourself that you need to relax to unwind from a week of relaxing - the logic is rock-solid in your mind - and that’s what you do. Eventually, a week turns into two and before you know it, the great progress you had before vacation is now gone and you’re left with the task of starting over; which you’ll do “tomorrow”. So begins another cycle.

It is amazing, though, how quickly you can feel alive after just one day of good eating and some exercise. You start to get excited. It starts to fell like you’re already in shape.

Then you wake up in the morning.

The day (or two) after is generally the toughest part about getting back into a fitness routine. It feels like you’ve been run over; like the muscles you’ve been neglecting for so long are exacting their revenge on you. Your body hates you; and you hate your body. This is your motivation. Take the pain to mean you’ve accomplished something. You’re on the path to recovery. It won’t be easy, but eventually you’ll reap the benefits.

Keep feeling the burn; at least with regard to exercising…otherwise, you may need to get that checked out.

-Crash-

Oh, and remember that this is a bad idea:

It's Not a Race Until Someone Gets Rubbed Out...

So, it was Radio Night at Speedway 660, Saturday night. The Fox crew was there (along with our sister stations) giving away free gas & groceries... I went for the fries.

I have never really been a big race fan. Other than seeing the cars go fast in front of me, and having a basic knowledge of how races work in general (first to cross the finish line wins), I’m completely clueless to the sport of car-racing. I’ve never been able to get into it the way I do with, say, hockey. Much like I follow the Leafs (yes, I admit it), race fans follow their favourite driver; buy the merchandise; and keep track of stats. I always found it kind of boring...at least on TV.

Seeing a race live, is a whole other animal; even for me.

When I was a kid, I loved the fact that an hour drive (I grew up here) meant I could witness, live, the same thing that bored me to death on TV, and be completely thrilled. I loved the sounds. I loved the speed; and I loved those fries.

Naturally, though, being a kid, I went with my parents to the races hoping for accidents. You know how it is; you can’t look away. Sure, it was fun to watch the cars fly by, but I was always waiting for a collision; a flying car; or, at the very least, some burn-outs. I usually got to see all of that - gotta love the Street-stock division – and I found it all very exciting. The crowd would cheer and look in awe as a car would collide with another and spin off the track, forcing the dust to fly... sometimes, pieces of the car. You could smell the burning of the tires as cars slid to a stop, and the added excitement was watching the other cars attempt to avoid the mash-up.

This past Saturday wasn’t much different than those trips with my parents years ago. It was the Firecracker 150, which for me - as stated above - means nothing...I didn’t see one firecracker; let alone 150... What I’ve come to realize, though, is that what made my childhood trips to the Speedway so much fun, were the same things that made my parents hesitant to take me. Crashes sure slow things down, huh?

I guess I’ve grown up a bit. With each caution flag that went out on Saturday during the main attraction, I found myself getting angry at those that caused them. I was enjoying the chase. The longer the cars went without a caution, the faster they seemed to go; the closer several got to taking over the lead. I was caught up in the excitement. Then, suddenly, it was a leisurely Sunday drive.

I had a blast this weekend, and I want to thank the folks at Speedway 660 for having us out there for Radio Night (congrats to all who won gas & groceries). If you haven’t been in awhile, I encourage you to get out and enjoy it before the season ends (here’s the schedule).

And, while the accidents may slow things down, at times...it makes for an excellent time to get those famous fries without missing the action.

-Crash-

The Key to Being Approachable...

I left my house keys in the lock over night…’cause, y’know, I wanted to see if I could trust my neighbours.

I’m happy to say I can.

I guess we just live in a nice neighbourhood…either that or the crooks are incredibly congenial -- Didn’t let the cats out; left the keys where they found them…didn’t steal anything…

“What a stupid thing to do”, you may say, but I look at it as symbol of my approachability. I mean, if I’m going to leave the keys for anyone to enjoy my house, then a casual conversation on the street is a breeze. That being said, it’s not an invite to steal my wallet…a mugging and a friendly convo are two separate encounters; I only welcome one of them.

Besides…I have a black belt.

(thanks Tip-Top)

-Crash-

Gimme an R...

Well, two days after Fred Rock, there is a lot of thank you’s being thrown around. From the Organizers to the volunteers; everyone did such a superb job making sure the weekend went well that thank-yous are definitely earned. But I have to say, I was especially proud of the crowd at the Loyalist Rugby Club this weekend!

The crowd was incredibly responsive, and that made my job as MC that much easier. Every time I asked for them, the cheers got louder and louder. I could feel the excitement and anticipation as each band performed and it got closer and closer to the headliner.

Our Lady Peace had not played the city since their Clumsy tour in 1997. I’m sure they now have a reason to come back more often. Backstage, each member had raves for the crowd with regard to how fun it was to perform in front of you, and for that, as a crowd member, you deserve a “thank you.”

Plus, when you cheer while I’m out there, I feel like the rock-star, so…thanks for the ego boost. :P

-Crash-

Lights Out, It's Time To Rock...

So, Fred Rock got off to a blistering start with Thornley at the Delta. The set-list was half Big Wreck, which didn’t disappoint...at least not me. The other bands had their moments to shine as well.

Craig Mercer & the Will Be Gones started the night with a slow - and I mean slow- one and I don’t know that the crowd ever really got into it the way they’d intended. Overall, I thought they sounded good, but that may have been lost on the crowd looking for a party. (By the way, did anyone else think the bass player looked like Snake from Degrassi? Just sayin’)

Brad Cain (from Fredericton) took the stage and began a set of all new material. It had a Tool/A Perfect Circle like vibe, which I thoroughly enjoyed. He has a new album in the works, by the way.

Saturday at the Rugby Field started off with a great set by local heroes Sleepy Driver. They’re also working on a new album and played about 4 new ones for the concert goers that showed up early. (Which I recommend every time...there’s so much talent that gets missed because people will wait til later to go…but that’s a rant for another time.)

KO hit the stage next with his brand of stoner-hip-hop-folk-rock…I guess that’s how I’d describe it. The crowd seemed to be into him, but he wasn’t really my thing. After that, Cape Breton’s Slowcoaster proved why they’re one of the premier jam-bands in the Maritimes. I can’t say enough good things about them.

After Slowcoaster, the wild-card of the festival hit the stage…

I remember when I first heard that Marcy Playground was on the bill, and I thought to myself: “where have they been?” They got two songs in before I heard the lead singer (John Wozniak) say “we’ll get there, don’t worry.” I thought waiting through two songs before requesting Sex & Candy showed incredible restraint amongst the crowd. -- I spent a good chunk of their set waiting to get some food (it was supper time, after all…and I was starving) but they sounded good to me. And yes, they played the song.

By the time I got on stage to introduce Hot Hot Heat, the crowd was growing, and the drinking side was getting their drink on big time. The heat was a great motivator.

I’d heard a lot of good things about HHH but never had the chance to see them perform before Saturday. They certainly upped the ante with regard to expectations. A superb live band, complete with energy & a loud sound, they hooked the crowd big time, and for me, was one of the stand-out performers early on.

As Hot Hot Heat left the stage, I got up to help Nick (Fred Rock Co-organizer) get a “Fred Rock” chant for the video. The crowd was impressively loud and super responsive; the dry side (which was slightly smaller) gave the drinking crew a run for their money with their enthusiasm. After the chant, everyone was awaiting Girl Talk.

Girl Talk was one of the most talked about acts of Fred Rock, because no-one really knew what to expect. He’s made appearances at some of the biggest music festivals in North America and has garnered rave reviews. There were beats, remixes, stage dancers and toilet paper…one of the most visually interesting performances of the weekend. The crowd on stage dancing really made it what it was; a great party before OLP took over.

It took the crew some time to clean up the mess that Girl Talk made of the stage (toilet paper, confetti and, thanks to Hot Hot Heat, vegetables..) so that only provided more time for anticipation, as everyone knew what was coming.

Once Our Lady Peace hit the stage, there was no denying who the majority of the crowd paid the ticket price to see. The band ripped into the most energetic song on Burn Burn (Monkey Brains) to open the show, and from there played hit after hit after hit; garnering many a sing-a-long. OLP played with energy and sounded good while doing so. The light show only enhanced the experience. By the time the band walked off stage, a good time was indeed had by all.

Thanks to everyone that was a part of it, from organizers, to volunteers, to patrons…it was a blast, at least from my perspective.

Now…who’ll come next year?



-Crash-