tag:jasonpricecountry.com,2005:/blogs/today-i-begin-a-blog-that-has-to-be-an-acronym-of-some-sort-that-i-will-have-to-look-up-it-certainly-doesn-t-sound-appealing-so-maybe-i-will-call-it-my-public-journal?p=3From Behind The Mic2022-05-25T06:34:43-03:00Jason Pricefalsetag:jasonpricecountry.com,2005:Post/69793062022-05-25T06:34:43-03:002023-10-16T12:02:53-03:00Above all, be a good person...or in other words....<p>My favourite t-shirt is one that I can't wear everywhere I would like to, at least not without something covering it. It's a reminder to follow the guidance of Marcus Aurelius and above all...be a good person. It was hanging in a store in a local shopping centre and was produced by a local company. My thinking was help a local company, and that the slogan on the front resonated at that time. It still does. </p>
<p>Kelly and I went on a trip to NYC a couple of years back. I packed everything we needed in a military back pack that I bought at a base years ago. It was perfect because we could bolt from the airport and head right to a train to get to Manhattan without pulling a suitcase behind us. This trip was right in the midst of Donald Trumps presidency. I had completely forgotten that Trump was from the area, and while walking toward Central Park for our marathon march through the largest soccer field on earth we passed Trump Tower. Of course we had to go in. </p>
<p> I had emptied most of the contents of the back pack into our hotel room and carried it mostly so that we could have our hands free if we purchased every flavour from the M&M store. As we walked into Trump tower there were approximately four secret service standing inside as security. I'm not sure why they call themselves secret service and then let the secret out by printing it right on their uniform. Anyway, I got the eyeball as we walked through with all of the other tourists and I thought to myself, "Ugh, I wore a military backpack into Trump Tower!". No harm, one in particular watch me as I walked by but didn't stop us. There wasn't much imagination to the place. Trump store. Trump cafe. Trump restaurant. We left fairly quickly. </p>
<p>On the way out, one of the agents said something to me. Startled and unsure of what he said I apologized to prove I was Canadian and asked him to repeat himself. He yelled out "I love your shirt!". I was immediately confused and looked down and realized which one that I had on. Slightly embarassed I yelled back "Thank you!". "Where did you get it?" he asked. Of course then I had to tell him I got it in a little store in Canada. At which point he hollered out, "It's awesome, I really like it!". One last wave and a maritime nod, and we were out of there. Kelly and I laughed and laughed for a few minutes as we walked toward our destination. I hadn't intended on wearing that shirt that day, and specifically to that particular place. The shirt was from a company called Be Kind. The slogan on the front of the shirt....#DontBeADick. </p>Jason Pricetag:jasonpricecountry.com,2005:Post/69783532022-05-24T06:44:18-03:002022-05-24T06:44:18-03:00Authenticity<p>I read a book lately by Nancy Regan (I highly recommend it), and in her book there was a line that she brought up that everyone has heard over and over. Just be yourself. That was it. She also went on to chat about how difficult that can be. </p>
<p>It's a pretty simple statement but it isn't really that easy for everyone to actually live. I'm sure that everyone can probably say there are times that we have not acted like our true selves. It could be living up to someone else's expectations; trying to fit in; trying to be professional; or the fake it till you make it attitude. I believe in authenticity. It's pretty evident to most people when someone is not being their true self. Being authentic, being the true self is freedom. I know several people in the music business, and there are some that stand out to me as having a stage face on all the time. It's almost like an act that is always hoping for applause or admiration. Playing on stage does come with a responsibility to entertain; however, there is a way to do that and still remaining authentic. A prime example...Willie Nelson will not ever be accused as being a bubbly excited performer. He is just his authentic self. Unapologetic. </p>
<p>I think that these days more and more people are being their true selves in the way they dress, the way they act, and post; however, there are still many that are not being their true selves in the exact same parameters. I believe that the person in the mirror has to like who is looking back. That's primary. If that isn't the case then become that persons biggest fan. Be you...there isn't anyone else that can. </p>Jason Pricetag:jasonpricecountry.com,2005:Post/69675512022-05-10T06:39:25-03:002022-05-10T06:39:25-03:00Are you injured or are you hurt?<p>I took that phrase from a movie called "The Program" a long time ago. The player was down on the field and the coach came out and said "Are you injured or are you hurt?". The player asks what's the difference and the coach replies "If your injured you are done; if you are just hurt then you can still play...so are you injured or are you hurt?".</p>
<p>I have asked my own kids that same question, and I have asked them to ask themselves that question when they feel like lying down on the ice/field during a game. I don't agree with the whole soccer mentality of rolling around on the playing surface like you got shot if you can just find the strength to get up and get to the side lines. I think that my boys have bought in to this. Now if I have to come out onto the surface I know that there is a real problem. </p>
<p>As some who follow this know, I have taken up BJJ. I actually had to ask myself the very same question after my first day of sparring aka "rolling". I didn't do too bad for my first day. Got submitted a couple of times, but I also made a few moves that were good then had no idea what I should do from there. At the end of the 5 minute roll, I stopped. I didn't roll again with anyone else. Something just told me that I shouldn't and boy was I right. As I cooled down, my ribs began to really hurt. They began to hurt as if I had a stick lodged into them. That was two weeks ago today. The wise me, asked myself the next morning...are you injured or are you hurt. The answer was that I was injured. I couldn't sleep on either side, nor roll over and it was pretty sore to even breathe. So I sat out. I didn't train, I didn't really do much of anything physically. It was only last night that I could bear to roll over onto each side while lying down. Still not pain free, but bearable. </p>
<p>I tell you this because there was a time that I would have taken Advil and just went back to it. I would have ended up staying injured for quite awhile. These days, I listen more to what my body is trying to tell me. Sometimes it's that I need more sleep; sometimes it's that I should get up before my alarm. Sometimes it's that it's just a bit of pain and I can keep going; and sometimes it's a woah partner. I think the difference now is that I'm honest with myself. I am finally treating myself as I would treat another who I might care for. I read in Jordan Petersons book that people will take their dog to a vet if they feel it is sick at all, and give the dog the prescribed medicine dutifully, never skipping one and ensuring its well taken care of. When it comes to ones self, he said, many don't treat themselves as good as the family pet. </p>
<p>I have in large part my wife to thank for my new found care and attention to myself. She keeps on eye on whether I am red lining and lets me know. The cool part though is that when you do start taking care of yourself on this level, you gain a friend. You actually befriend yourself. Maybe this is just some form of self preservation as I start to realize that I am not as interested in competing with 20 year olds in the sports scene anymore; or maybe I am just starting to wise up to some of my own limits. I still don't feel that it's ok to roll over and lie down if you can keep going. I still think it's honourable to play hurt if the time is right to do it and you can be effective. Playing guitar on stage after being off for awhile and then going for two and three nights in a row for a few hours hurts, but I am not injured. </p>
<p>Preventing these injuries is the answer and I still haven't wisened up to that part yet. I do still jump in and go for a run instead of working up to it. I don't go as hard anymore, but if I am honest with myself I still do jump in. Even on the guitar front, I would hop on a stage and play for 4 hours after not touching my guitar for two weeks. That may not sound like that big of a deal to someone who doesn't perform but that's a bit too much time off without reps. </p>
<p>So the take away from this I guess is to be honest with oneself. Have you prepared? If so go all in, if not take it easy. Does it hurt? If so, how important is this activity? Are you in the league final of the lawn bowling national championship or is this just a Saturday afternoon game with your buddies? And finally are you injured or are you hurt? If one can be honest answering those questions without ego getting involved, the down time should be less in the long run. I'm expecting to be back on the mats at BJJ next week but only time will tell. </p>Jason Pricetag:jasonpricecountry.com,2005:Post/69623862022-05-03T07:07:50-03:002022-05-03T07:07:50-03:00Respect in Schools<p>I have heard now more than a few times that there seems to be an issue with respect among kids these days with not only each other, but with teachers as well. Kids that are cursing at adults in the hallway, kids as young as grade 2. </p>
<p>We did it to ourselves in my opinion. You could almost watch it coming like a prairie storm in the distance. The earliest sign I remember was when it was deemed that one could no longer fail a grade. It didn't matter if the individual didn't meet the requirements for grade 3, the student would move on. </p>
<p>Things got worse from there. Teachers were stripped of all leverage in the class room. No longer is a teacher permitted to make an example of a child misbehaving. That would cause undue harm to the child. We need to be inclusive and let the tyrant disrupt the entire class. If we were sent to the principals office in my day, it meant there was hell to pay. It could have been that nothing at all would have happened, but the fear of the principal was real. There is no fear any longer. I am not advocating that people should be ruled with fear; but I do feel that there should be accountability and the fear of knowing that accountability is going to be actioned. </p>
<p>Parents of course are the root cause. The utter disbelief that their little angel could have any part in a condemnable action is a real issue. There are some chameleons that are out there. It's not permitted for a teacher to video any of them to show their parents exactly how those kids are acting. That would give people truth and those kids and parents need to be sheltered from the truth. If they were outed, they may actually have to change and become respectful contributors and we couldn't have that as that would be too easy to learn in that environment. </p>
<p>It's been trending for quite some time. I remember being a kid and laughing at the fact that Bart Simpson was pulled off of TV due to the fact that he would say "Don't have a cow man" to adults thus being blamed for kids mimicking the behaviour. It wasn't far off was it? Todays kids now have nearly full access to the internet. Cursing used to be something that was hidden or taboo among kids...not anymore. The lazy language has become the norm around them now. In fact, so many of the things that used to be shielded from kids is now just out wide in the open. If you think that this doesn't impact how a kid grows up you are dead wrong. It adds an element to their environment. If I started adding just a drop of dye to the water outside everyday, and it was deemed ok and so more people did it, well eventually that water would no longer be clear and it would be polluted. That same thing happens with the accepted norms that we are permitting around our youth. </p>
<p>My hope is that the generation that is incoming is going to realize that this coddling needs to stop. I hope that they will be the ones that will deem it unacceptable to allow someone special treatment just because they aren't feeling it today. It will happen when they need to jump in to salvage any sort of production in our society. When the wheels really start to fall off, they will out of necessity have to step up and step in. My hope is they have tools to do it. </p>Jason Pricetag:jasonpricecountry.com,2005:Post/69615152022-05-02T06:40:30-03:002022-05-02T06:40:30-03:00Friggin Wind<p>I have found myself saying that these days. I'm not sure why I notice it more than I have in the past but the wind is a bit of an arse in my opinion. </p>
<p>Sure a nice warm island breeze is always welcome when it's warm out. Television has used this sort of breeze to captivate our eyes for quite some time. Lady with long hair dancing around off her shoulders turns and faces the camera; guy in the warrior pose with the wind swirling around him. That's all fine and good when the wind is warm. Spring wind sucks.</p>
<p>These are the deceptive days. These days are like the cute looking little toddler that turns out to be an absolute menace. The sun is shining...the birds are singing...walk outside with a spring jacket and come back in for mitts and a toque. Add in the spring showers that apparently bring the flowers, and it's a sideways blast of northern air mixed in with a barrage of wet nerf pellets. </p>
<p>Walking the dog is a bit of chore in the wind as well. Sure walking with the wind at your back is no problem at all...sun on your face, happy bouncing dog, and then you turn the corner in your subdivision and all of a sudden you are walking up hill leaning forward at a 45 degree angle ensuring the dog doesn't find the perfect place to pee right in front of you. </p>
<p>Summer time hits and gone is the wind. When we could really use that nice breeze...gone, unless it's cloud covered and raining then old Walter Wind comes blowing back in. I am sure that the surf community out here loves it. I know for sure that the crazy people that I see with the parachutes on surf boards twisting through the air are wind aficionados . I'm with the golfers on this one. The wind is no friend of mine. </p>
<p>All that TV stuff I mentioned earlier. The truth about that is that most women that I know that get all dressed up aren't hoping the wind is going to be blowing their hair around. It's false advertising by the people at NBC and the like. What do we call someone that talks too much...a windbag. Wind isn't romantic. Try putting down the old picnic cloth on your date with the wind blowing around. Paper plates taking off, napkins flying around. I will credit the wind with one thing though and that is that it's likely the best insect repellant on the earth. </p>
<p>In my mind, Chicago can keep it. It's probably why the pizza there is deep dish...so it won't blow away. </p>
<p>I will enjoy the nice breeze in Mexico when I go but around here...the wind blows. </p>Jason Pricetag:jasonpricecountry.com,2005:Post/69588732022-04-28T08:15:03-03:002022-04-28T08:15:03-03:00The Art of the Job Interview<p>Job interviews ask for absolutely the opposite of what I have been taught growing up from my parents, coaches, mentors, etc. It's always been a good thing to be known as humble. Don't talk about yourself; be gracious; be thankful; work hard. </p>
<p>One of the hardest things I have found to do in music without a management team are things like submitting bio's to places, Tell us how good you are! The same thing applies to job interviews. Tell us how great you are. Make us want to hire you today! To be quite honest, I forget many of the things that would probably warrant some discussion in some of those forums. It just doesn't come naturally to brag about accomplishments. </p>
<p>There does seem to be a bit of an art to it though where you can highlight the things that you have done, while at the same time showering the people that were around you with praise. The fact is that unless you sat home and did every part of a job by yourself from start to finish in every role then any success is shared. Nobody in my opinion gets through alone. I would much rather have people that I worked with go into the interview for me to tell the interviewers what was done on my behalf. I have actually considered hiring someone to write my bio's and applications for that reason, but then I wonder how they would actually know anything about me. Its a bit of a hard place to be in! </p>
<p>I think some of the funniest questions on a job interview is the one that asks for your weaknesses. I think that one is to determine if you would be a good politician or not. Well should I tell them that I can't turn down a good polka dance or go with the old, "I probably work too hard at times". There are actually scripts of answers online for these types of questions. If they don't apply to you well that's simply lying, but I guess that doesn't matter in the job hunt anymore. </p>
<p>Someone once said in an article that I read once that when you are good at something, people will tell you that you are good. When you are great, they will tell everyone. I don't feel that many people are going to accuse me of being good or great at the interview process....and I think that I am fine with that. </p>
<p> </p>Jason Pricetag:jasonpricecountry.com,2005:Post/69579422022-04-27T06:55:37-03:002022-04-27T06:55:37-03:00Late Nights<p>The last while I have been struck by the requirement to keep some late hours. That was never a problem for me, and really still isn't; however, it sure makes it hard to get up in the morning. I used to just sleep in until whenever o'clock if I was up late. As any of you know who follow this blog, I have made it an effort to get up pretty early to give myself a bit more time in the day. The difficult part is doing that and getting the required amount of sleep....and not waking up a sleeping wife who does not subscribe to the idea of getting up uber early. </p>
<p>The iPhone has a setting that one can set that will remind someone to go to bed if you enter the desired amount of sleep you wish to have and the desired wake up time. Last night for example, I had just pulled into the second of two baseball sessions for my kids in Burnside when my watch said...time to start winding down. While I waited out in the parking lot for the first tryout of the season to end (you can't go in to watch which isn't a totally bad thing that we can get to in another blog) I got the prompt...time for bed. I live about 30 minutes away from that location at that time of night with light traffic, and the tryout was only half over at that time. </p>
<p>By the time that I get home, it's now an hour "past my bedtime". Realize of course that I am a grown adult and my watch is now telling me my bedtime. This isn't too bad except that I don't kick off my shoes, immediately go into my bedroom and shut down. There is a stop in the kitchen for a drink of bubbly water, mosey on down to the bedroom to chat with Kelly about the tryouts and all that Luke had to say about them, get ready for tomorrow, brush the teeth and get ready for bed. Finally the old, "You aren't setting your alarm for that ungodly hour tomorrow are you?". She doesn't ask this out of malice, or the fact that she knows that I may hit snooze 2 or 3 times before getting up...it's purely out of concern that I won't get enough sleep and wear myself out. She knows me sometimes better than I admit I know me. </p>
<p>So today I got up an hour later. I reset the alarm to account for the later time, no snooze, and up for the day. Getting up an hour later crushes a couple of things. I didn't get the HIIT workout in first thing and creative writing took a back seat this morning. I did manage to do some light Yoga, brewed a pour over coffee, and hit the blog. I'm not too broken up over that kind of change in routine. I have Jiu Jitsu today so that will replace the HIIT work. I would have been pretty tired for any real creativity should I have sacrificed the extra hour and a half, and now I am still getting the blog done. The best plans are flexible plans they say.</p>
<p>The good thing is tonight I think that I may be able to get to bed on time, and that should get me back to the flow tomorrow. Life is a dance according to John Micheal Montgomery, sometimes you lead and sometimes you follow. </p>Jason Pricetag:jasonpricecountry.com,2005:Post/69544162022-04-22T08:09:14-03:002022-05-10T17:31:50-03:00Badminton<p>I used to play quite a bit. I was actually a decent player. So when my son was trying out for the badminton team I figured I would help him along. Got him the racquet, the goggles for doubles, and brought him out to the gym to teach him the basics. That got him going and he began practicing with the team. </p>
<p>Fast forward 5 weeks and the tournament is over. He and his doubles partner crashed and burned but had a great experience playing people who actually play badminton. Having a bit of time with them at the gym a couple days ago, I figured we could practice again. Crazy how much he had improved. I actually had to work to get in position a few times...and that's when it dawned on me. My brain knew exactly where I had to go, and my body pulled back like a stubborn horse. In my head it all still felt the same. I stand in the middle, hit my shot, back to the middle, return the shot, back to the middle and so on. Instead, I hit the clear, started back for the middle and when he hit the short shot that just dropped over the net my brain said "Go!" and my body said "No!" as I watched it hit the floor while I shuffled toward it. Today, two days later, I am sore in my badminton places. </p>
<p>I realized that if I don't start getting back to some of these things, these young bucks are going to go screaming by me merely on fitness and flexibility. I'm not saying I am jumping head first now into badminton and tournaments; I already started BJJ this past week. What I am saying is like a parked car, if you don't start that up and move it the parts start to seize up! So, I challenged my two youngest to start coming to the gym aftershool. We will hit the weights for 45 min and then play a sport on the gym floor for a bit. Nothing too serious, but something to keep the bones in motion. So if you see me missing in action, check the gym floor first, and if I'm not there, and I'm not in an arm bar on a jiu jitsu mat, or playing a gig....then I'm likely still trying to change that damn headlight or I'm hiding asleep in a lawn chair trying to catch up to my youth. </p>
<p> </p>Jason Pricetag:jasonpricecountry.com,2005:Post/69535132022-04-21T09:21:22-03:002022-04-21T09:21:22-03:00Changing Headlights<p>My foglight went out on my vehicle awhile ago and ever since, the little notification has come up when I start my car....check Fog Light. I didn't pay too much mind to it figuring it was just a fog light. Yesterday, the headlight notification came on. Check headlight (low). So now that it was an actual light that I needed I went in and bought a replacement. I was going to just put that in this morning before I took off for the day.</p>
<p>Have you replaced a headlight or foglight on a newer car lately? In order to get at it, I have to take off a few bolts under the car, that's right...under the car, to remove a shield in order to reach up and disconnect the foglight to replace the bulb. The headlight? Gumby is a little clay animation from waaaay back. Gumby was manufactured for toy stores as a rubber character with a wire body that could be bent into any position or shape. In order to first reach the headlight, then grasp the connection, then physically turn it to remove it...you need to be built like Gumby. </p>
<p>Why make things so difficult? This is a part that is obviously going to need to be replaced throughout the life of the vehicle, so why do they make this so difficult?! The conspiracy theorist in me is contemplating that if that that little computer is telling me to check the headlight because it knows that its out...then maybe it has a setting to burn it out. Once it becomes known what a pain in the ass it is to fix it, then the poor customer will go back to the dealer to have it done. More money. Maybe a little too much Bo thinking from The Ranch, but one could imagine in these times that it is plausible. </p>
<p>I remember taking the entire headlight off of the front of my old Pontiac Acadian with a screwdriver, replacing it with a new one in about 10 minutes. Easy. Pull up to a store wall in the evening to calibrate it and you were good to go. Now its just a small bulb that you can't even touch with your fingers. Did I forget to mention that part? The tricksters made it even more difficult in that you aren't permitted to touch the bulb with your bare fingers or the oils from your skin will damage it thus making you go through the whole process again. For a headlight!!! </p>
<p>My kids can take a picture of Genghis Khan, have the mouth move to music making it look like he is actually singing The Sound of Music in about 3 minutes....and I am outside cursing at changing a light bulb. I think it may be easier to call an uber if I need to drive anywhere in the dark. If you don't see me for the next few days, then either I am stuck in bed with another bout of COVID...or the other headlight went in my car and I will be outside replacing it for the next 48 hours. Who knows, maybe I may write a song or 18 during the time it takes to get it done.</p>Jason Pricetag:jasonpricecountry.com,2005:Post/69524372022-04-20T07:08:00-03:002022-04-20T07:08:00-03:00Change in seasons<p>The change of seasons is happening again. In our house this isn't the fact that robins are singing outside, or buds are growing on trees and brown rabbits are scampering about. No, this means that the smell of the hockey arena is being replaced by the crack of a bat and the perfect placement of a row of lawnchairs to watch the action on the field. </p>
<p>It's baseball season. </p>
<p>I am a big proponent of playing multisports as a kid. How else would a kid find out if they like one sport over another if they don't try new ones? The other great part is the variety as a fan! How nice is it to go sit outside and watch a ball game? It's got it's draw backs as any other sport would, like rain, and the fact a game is sometimes two and a half hours long plus warm up, and the dreaded double header; but overall its great to change it up</p>
<p>Some may think its also a great way to get away from the crazy hockey parent. Untrue. Baseball parents can be way worse. If you haven't been, just imagine those same fanatics that scream at their kids behind the glass, now projecting their instructions to little Tommy behind a fence....literally 10 feet from where he stands in the batters box trying to swing at a ball that is coming at him from a pitcher who is less than accurate. On a hockey bench, the coaches discussions with the players are between the coach and the player...not in ball. In ball the coach is standing right beside third base. That's within 15 feet of the crowd in many fields. Not to worry though, no crazed parent would ever shout at a coach that is trying to volunteer to help your kid. </p>
<p>The same goes for the officials. Rarely will the official hear the lunatic in the stands in an arena. It's much easier to hear from behind a back stop. The worst part is that it's likely the same 15 year old kid that refs the hockey game that takes the abuse from some adult who deems this ball game as the lead up to the World Series. </p>
<p>Where will you find me at these games? Often sitting way back with a great view and in the company of my family and a golden retriever. It's a much more peaceful way to watch a game without the commentators around you, or the 42 year old ex-player who still brings the bag of seeds to spit all over your feet. </p>
<p>Some insider tips? Watch for the odd foul ball; know where the closest bathroom is, and bring a cooler. Bring a blanket in your car, sometimes it does get cold. Sunscreen is a must for fans, even more than players. And of course the umbrella can save you from both sun and rain....and a large Tim Hortons cup will definitely hold a full can of Bud Light.</p>Jason Pricetag:jasonpricecountry.com,2005:Post/69514622022-04-19T06:45:12-03:002022-04-19T06:45:12-03:00BJJ<p>Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is the one thing that I have tossed around in my own mind as something I need to start. I used to listen to Jocko Willinks podcast quite often and in each one, he talked about training Jiu Jitsu and the lessons that you can get from it. There was just something about what I now know is called drilling, where allowing another man to just sit on my waist or vice versa wasn't something that I was very comfortable with doing. To be honest, I am still not comfortable with the idea of it, but last night was practice number one. </p>
<p>I was actually a little nervous going in. I watched several video's on what to expect day one of starting Jiu Jitsu. One that I was particularly thankful for was a video on some of the etiquette. Things like taking a shower and brushing your teeth before you practice due to the proximity of your training partner. I have avoided starting with several excuses, mainly time, but with hockey season over that was something that was no longer relevant. So I purchased a pair of compressions shorts and a compression shirt, got in the car and headed down for my trial lesson. I had thought, well maybe I am going to get there and the place will be closed because it's Easter Monday. Nope, less people but it wasn't closed. </p>
<p>I really had no idea what to expect. I don't watch MMA or UFC so couldn't even tell you what any of the moves were. It started out with something really familiar...jog around the outside of the mats. Perfect, I got this. Shuffle facing in, shuffle facing out, jog again. Easy. That's when things started. Lets get on the mat and shrimp all the way up, run back and repeat. Shrimping is a tactic that is used to essentially move and create some space when someone is on top of you, or you are trying to get into a position to get them off of you. I think I probably looked awkward, but I got it down to a reasonable level of achievement for day one.</p>
<p>Now, everyone that was in the place other than maybe the instructor was minimum 20 years lighter in face lines than me. So what I did learn when we started drilling (practicing moves) is that agility is not going to be my strength in the coming months. Pure strength is likely not going to be my super power either. In fact, the best thing that I have going for me is my ability to listen. As a mature athlete (according to google), I am very coachable. I will listen and then move slowly through the movements in order to learn them efficiently. I will also listen to myself a little better than a younger me would have. That means that I will tend to ease up before I get hurt. This is why after the drilling, which lasted about an hour came the rolling. Rolling is essentially sparring in boxing terms. Its where you actually try to put into play the drills that you learn.</p>
<p>I took part in the rolling portion from the sidelines last night. It was the first that I have ever seen Jiu Jitsu at all, and up close. Thankfully I listened and took the time to just watch this one. Pretty certain I would have been hurting today if I had just jumped in, but now that I know what to expect I will be able to take things a little more slowly when it comes my turn. </p>
<p>In the end, I finally got to check it off the bucket list and started it. It felt good leaving knowing that I finally jumped in. Very doubtful that I am going to be the next Hoyce Gracie or be taking any skills to any tournaments, but it seems like something that will definitely keep a fella fit. I'm looking forward now to the journey. It's kinda cool to be a rookie again...even a <em>mature</em> one. </p>Jason Pricetag:jasonpricecountry.com,2005:Post/69506522022-04-18T07:01:31-03:002022-04-18T07:01:31-03:00I'm Back<p>Well the plague finally caught up to me. I'm not sure what others experienced with it, but for me, it certainly wasn't the monster that had to be hid from. The worst part of it was the isolation I think. Being stuck in a room makes a fella feel useless. Although it wasn't a crazy bad experience, it did have one impact that took a long time to bounce back from....fatigue. </p>
<p>I have been getting up pretty early as most people who read this know. I will do a 20 minute calisthenic type work out, brew my pour over coffee; do some creative writing exercises; then this blog and hopefully finish with a few guitar scales before my kids wander up stairs. In order to do that I have to get the right amount of slumber. I really start to wear down if I don't; so that means that it's early to bed for me. The virus messed with my routine. I just couldn't get up in the morning, and even when I did I felt hungover. </p>
<p>I wear a Fitbit that has a sleep tracker in it. I don't know exactly how accurate that is, but it does give me a decent baseline for me to track how well I have been sleeping. Any sleep score over 80 is classified as good. Under 80 and it gives a score of fair. Typically, I use how I am feeling in conjunction with this app to determine if my sleep hygiene is on point. In the last two weeks, I had my alarm set as per usual but each morning turned it off. In the end, I would sleep 8 hours and still get a score of Fair. That lined up with how I felt as well. It just seemed that I could not catch up on the rest, despite the fact I lay around binging on Peaky Blinders for a week straight. </p>
<p>Just this past week I woke and everything seemed to feel "normal". Slowly I started winding back the alarm and happy to say...I'm back. I actually missed my morning routine. For anyone who doesn't have one, like me for the entirety of my adult life, I would recommend starting it. Get up a little earlier and spend some time on you. Maybe just some light stretching, some journaling, meditation, a walk....just something where you get some time with just you. It seems to set the day off right. It does impact your evenings. You will be tired earlier but it's something that can just set your day off right. If your days are good, that means your weeks are good. If weeks are good, then months, then years etc. </p>
<p>I haven't experienced waking up before the sun throughout the summer, and I am looking forward to that part. This morning birds are chirping, sun is pouring into the windows, and I am just finishing this blog off on time. The coffee is still hot and my guitar is calling so I am set to enjoy the day. Thanks for checking back in here...."See" you tomorrow!</p>Jason Pricetag:jasonpricecountry.com,2005:Post/69398802022-04-04T11:21:47-03:002022-04-04T11:21:47-03:00End of the Season<p>Well at last spring has come and it's the end of the winter hockey season. I say winter season because many opt to play Spring Hockey. We tried it once with our kids because there was nothing for them to do between winter and summer sports. Wrong decision on our part in my opinion. I never enrolled any of our kids after that one. The gist is that you play nearly a hockey season condensed into a spring 2.5 month season. </p>
<p>There are a number of issues with the Spring league stuff, including not being a sanctioned league by Hockey Canada. The biggest for me though is the subscription to Wayne Gretzky's idea that kids should enjoy multiport's. I am a big advocate of Multisport for cross training. It allows for less burnout, more enjoyment when hockey comes around again, and cross training in other sports has a big impact on some of the shared skills like weight transfer, hand eye coordination, balance, agility, etc...</p>
<p>Add to this the fact that isolation on a single sport should really only be done by the high performance athlete after they are well on their way. Most kids, even the really talented ones, will not play any particular sport professionally. Those kids should be able to play a game of pick up basketball, baseball, badminton, tennis, whatever they want. I know kids who are extremely talented in the sport of hockey who cannot throw a ball. That sounds a little insane, but it's true. They just haven't practiced throwing mechanics because they are so single sport focused that they just never learn. </p>
<p>Let kids try other sports. Let them make their junior high and high school volleyball teams, running teams, baseball, track and field. Let them experience some of those other skills. Some may actually be insanely good at some of those other events. There is one kid that I know of who made a transition from AA hockey into rowing. Within a season, he was at the Nationals for rowing. He has a gift for it. How would he have known if his parents elected to only put him in summer camps, spring hockey, fall camps etc. </p>
<p>I do believe that in order to play a decent level in any sport these days, it does take sacrifice. Gone are the days that you completely abandon the sport for an off season, but the off season can be way lighter. Going out once or twice a week to practice a few skills, versus full on practice and competition is something that can happen in conjunction with other sports. It should happen in order to give everyone the best chance at playing at their true capability. Imagine going into "training camp" these days the way that the players in my generation did as a way to get in shape, instead of being in shape and ready. After a month of teams making cuts etc, a really good player could just be hitting the stride only to find themselves two levels lower than they should be. In the end it is about fun, but nothing is fun about being in a league that is well below or well above your level. </p>
<p>And so, I guess I will sign this off and go looking for the bag of baseballs downstairs...its only a month and a half to ball season.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>Jason Pricetag:jasonpricecountry.com,2005:Post/69381022022-04-01T15:12:48-03:002022-04-01T15:12:48-03:00Gloves on the ice<p>5...4....3.....2.........1...and the buzzer sounds. For a second or two the air is full of sticks and gloves and the players all crowd around and on top of their poor goalie. Players pair off in hugs and high fives. There is no better feeling in hockey to get to the league final and win the championship. Looking for gloves and sticks on the ice has to be a feeling that never gets old. </p>
<p>Many of the players in the hockey world never get to experience that feeling. This year two of my kids played hockey. One made it to the semi-final, just one win away from the league final; and the other made it through to the end...eventually capturing the title. He called it back in October while we were at White Point Beach Resort. A mother from another player saw that he had his logo on and asked him how he did last season. He said, "We won the whole thing...and we are going to do it again". True to his word, that is how things played out!</p>
<p>The crazy part is that his team won the league last year, then proceeded to win the baseball league, then again in hockey this year. I keep telling him that this is rare air he is breathing, but to him it is the accepted norm now. In my mind, it is a bumper crop of talented young kids at his age group that are just happy to compete. I don't remember winning the whole league when I was younger, though I don't remember much about stats. We did get the opportunity to hoist the cup when I was with Acadia University, but I was support staff in that role. I've definitely experienced winning tournaments in different sports but the league championship...I honestly cannot remember if we did which tells me that I likely haven't. </p>
<p>I know the old saying it isn't about winning or losing, but I can tell you this...you don't forget the people you win with. Even as support staff at Acadia, I can tell you almost everything that happened that day, how the walk to the Maple Leafs Gardens felt, how it felt as the time ticked down against Waterloo; the celebration in the locker room; how the night felt in my new black suit that I got at the Eaton centre that trip. What I truly cherish is the memories on the bus that year, and the weeks after the championship celebrating with the team. Someone once told me you never forget who you win with, and I believe that is truth. </p>
<p>I truly love sport, and I believe there are so many lessons that people can and do learn from them. I wish that every kid could experience the feeling of gloves on the ice. That every parent could experience that feeling from the stands. That every coach could feel like a kid again jumping up and down on the bench with that big win. Until that happens, you don't need to get the big win to celebrate. Celebrate the small ones. I believe that winning does matter. It can be habit forming. Enjoy every success no matter how large or small the victory then move on to the next one.....and when you get the chance fire those gloves on the ice and hope that someone is taking pictures.</p>
<p> </p>Jason Pricetag:jasonpricecountry.com,2005:Post/69356542022-03-30T06:07:05-03:002022-03-30T07:59:37-03:00You Never Know<p>That is an interesting saying that is likely overused, but still holds effect. It can demonstrate your behaviour rather quickly if you have kids. They can sense and read your habit and adjust on the fly to the algorithm. An example. Blake asked us for a treat not to long ago. It was about 10 AM. Kelly answers with "You Never Know". Blake then looks at his brother and says "That means yes". Because we didn't straight out say no, Blake assumed it was yes because our behaviour in this very type of situation likely leads to a yes verdict. We may be raising a gambler. </p>
<p>It is a true statement though. In reality we could be mulling over all the factors when asked and that answer is given, or it may just be that we are trying to keep him guessing. I always believed the people in my life growing up when they said those words. It was like there was an immediate mystery to it....there was a chance. In fact, I have always clung to that belief that there was a chance. I would almost always believe until there were only a few seconds left on the clock that we could win the game even when it was out of reach. Delusional? Maybe, but there was a chance however small.</p>
<p>Yesterday, Blake won his game in the semi-final of the league championship. The opposing team was down 4-1 with 3 minutes left and pulled the goalie. On the way home, Blake thought it was ridiculous to pull the goalie to try to win leaving the net empty for 3 minutes. I had to explain, and the words, 'You never know" came out of my mouth. It was true. That team potentially could have tied things up. It's happened in the past. I can tell you what would happen if they didn't pull the goalie, their chances would have been even lower. They actually held the puck in our end for about 2 min and 45 sec. You never know, a few seconds earlier and it may have worked in their favour! </p>
<p>I guess that one leads to "You never know, if you don't try". Maybe that is the origin of the phrase? The other that holds true is "You never know who is watching". That one can have a major effect if the timing is great and someone significant actually was watching. An old friend of mine who was coaching his hockey team in a scenario where they were a team that hardly won going into a playoff game with the best team in the league. The coach had inside information that there would be an Elvis impersonator at the game that night. In his pre-game speech, he told the guys to work hard, take lots of shots, etc. and that "You never know...you may just see Elvis". What do you think happened when they did? A laugh, but also belief. They did very well that game from what I recall of his story and went on to win. </p>
<p>I write this blog almost daily. These days a number of things have come into play, but I try to get it in everyday before 7 am. I truly have no idea who reads it, or if anyone does. This morning while logging in, the page took me to something that showed that people have commented on some of the blogs. What a great surprise! A few were just gibberish from advertisers, but there were some actual people that commented....and it made me think....."You just never know".</p>Jason Pricetag:jasonpricecountry.com,2005:Post/69337612022-03-28T07:51:12-03:002022-04-01T15:14:56-03:00Karma<p>I believe in Karma. I believe it may be the very thing that allows me to go to a more positive place when the darkest of places start calling. <br>Take for instance the recent judgement of a man who while driving drunk in Sydney CB hit and killed a 10 yr old girl on her bike. The event was witnessed by her friend who lives with that trauma. The man failed to stop initially citing to police that his girlfriend was driving, and that he thought they hit a deer. Police did find him and his blood alcohol was over the legal limit. After questioning, the man admitted he lied and that he was driving. Seems like an open and closed case. The judge and the attorneys needed to be escorted out of the court in protective custody to ensure their safety when they set him free with a not guilty verdict. <br>Immediately, the dark side in me starts to reveal itself in something like this. I don’t know the specifics, only what was reported so perhaps somewhere along the line evidence was mishandled that left the judge no option and hopefully that will come out. At this point there will be no legal justice for this man who sickeningly shirked his moral responsibility and claimed not guilty in his contribution to the death of a 10 year old. <br>This is where I have to believe Karma will step in. I believe that this freedom that he has gained will be worse than incarceration. I believe he had a choice to admit his responsibility and accept the consequences. The fact he didn’t is likely to result in a more lengthy sentence that I believe will be worse for him and those involved with his freedom. Being shunned in a community is long lasting that now more than just he will be dealing with. He will possibly move about for the rest of life always wondering what eyes are upon him. The “freedom” gained is self inflicted torture. The universe just seems to have a way with dealing with those choices. <br>Feeling that Karma exists allows me to quiet that dark side. It keeps things balanced. It allows me to go through life not wishing for revenge which can be a truly debilitating thing to focus on. Think of all of the good and positive that could be done instead of keeping the unhealthy and negative mindset of revenge. This is incredibly difficult to do. As I mentioned the immediate feeling is that of being in the bees nest that got hit and to attack. I’m doubtful that if it was my child in this circumstance that I would be able to take this approach which is why the legal judgement is so imperative to get right in these cases. Nothing will bring that poor girl back, but a not guilty verdict dismisses that families loss. It says that the man was not wrong in his actions. That is what draws the ire of a community. A guilty verdict doesn’t make anything better it only confirms that their pain is recognized. Society will do that. I have to believe that society will surround them and protect them from more pain. <br>My hope is that this gets rectified and that new evidence is found that will allow more healing for the family and the community.<br>If left to Karma alone, it can have an awful mean streak. <br> </p>Jason Pricetag:jasonpricecountry.com,2005:Post/69316792022-03-25T06:45:22-03:002022-03-30T08:22:20-03:00When Things Don’t Go As Planned<p>This morning I am typing this blog out on an iPhone. I had to pick my son up from school yesterday after his badminton practice and somebody came into see me just prior to me having to leave. In a hurry, I left my laptop, schedule, and the current book I was reading in a bag there. </p>
<p>So this morning I adapt and I type this out on the phone. Is it as fun…no, typing on a small device with autocorrect trying to guess my every thought isn’t awesome but it’s better than nothing. Did I wish that I had that book I was reading last night when I was winding down? Sure I did, but the book that I chose when that one wasn’t there was great as well. Did I wish I had my schedule so I could be sure I hit everything I intended and start today with some sort of map? That would have been nice. </p>
<p>Here is the thing about plans and routines. They need to be flexible. Shit happens. Not everything is going to go to plan. Even the so called “best made” plans will need some flex for outside issues. So this morning I know that I had to get up and do my workout, I knew my laptop wasn’t here and so I prepped for that by ensuring I could log in from my phone last night. Simple adaptation. </p>
<p>Time is going to move on no matter what happens. The clock doesn’t stop ticking. If things don’t go to plan, adapt the plan and keep moving forward. This isn’t a self pat on the back either. One of my first thoughts was that sucks, guess no blog tomorrow. That’s just having a quick look at the cheap easy path. It’s natural I think to do that. The more difficult one is choosing to keep my own thought clear and say “How else can I get this done or something even remotely close?”.</p>
<p>I bet that some of the best inventions were made that way. Just think of the good folks at Viagra who intended to make a cardiac pill only to find out they could really raise a few spirits instead. </p>
<p>So I am not sure how this will turn out. I can’t foresee any real issues though maybe it will be completely lost in format and come out as gibberish, but it’s the best option I had this morning, and most importantly it isn’t nothing. Even when it isn’t awesome, I have found if I still just show up it’s better than not being there at all. </p>
<p>I used to run a competitive hockey program that just due to the nature of the work of the players saw anywhere from 5 to 20 players showing up for practice on any given day. Talk about a wake up call on day one when I had a practice designed for 20 players including 2 goalies and 5 people were there. I learned a lot about changing things up on the fly that season. The team won silver after not making the cross over for years. Just show up. </p>
<p>I also planned to have bacon and eggs this morning but teenage kids have a way of meddling with groceries so it looks like my bacon is being adapted to scrambled eggs and toast. <br><br><br><br> </p>
<p> </p>Jason Pricetag:jasonpricecountry.com,2005:Post/69306802022-03-24T08:56:32-03:002022-03-30T08:26:23-03:00What's Next? <p>I think it's important to have that question on the tip of my tongue. I often reflect on things these days, mainly in the morning in solitude, and I think that question is one of the most important one's to ask oneself frequently. It can become quite easy to rest on your laurels, achievements, accomplishments etc. and eventually fade away. </p>
<p>I have had the opportunity to speak to with some great people so far on my podcast "Who Should I Be Talking To?" who I would offer are successful individuals so far in life. There are a few common threads between them, but one is the fact that none seem to have sat and gushed over their accomplishments. They moved to the base of the next mountain and began to climb. Jocko Willink, who I have referenced in the past, identifies this in his podcast and books as having a next mission. It's keeping busy. It's having a goal or something to strive for that has a bit of challenge and effort required to accomplish. </p>
<p>There always seems to be a next project for those that we may define as successful. Those that have enjoyed some success and then rested on it are often called the "one hit wonder'. Don't get me wrong, who wouldn't want to have that one hit that they could put on the resume, but I would venture to guess not many people know what many of those that hit their peak a single time are doing today. I wonder what that gangam style dude is doing today?</p>
<p>Here is the other thing that has been confirmed being successful. Nobody needs to know that you have accomplished all of these things. Fame is not a good measure of success. Many many people have a level of fame and that may seem glorious to some but it's much different than successful. Success may be the fact that one has overcome a smoking habit. That's a success and that is a great thing, congratulate yourself, be proud of yourself then move on to the next challenge. To call oneself successful for one single success, then one would have to in the same vein call oneself a failure for one single event as well. That just doesn't hold true. The Tampa Bay Lightning went through the regular NHL season with the winningest record in history and were swept in the first round a few years ago. Are the players on that team failures? Ask one of them and they will likely show you the Stanley Cup ring that they earned the following year. The regular season was a success, but they learned that year that the regular season was a mountain and the playoffs were a new one. The next year they scaled both. </p>
<p>Perhaps one of the most successful people in history is Sir Winston Churchill. Many people throughout his career dismissed him, but he continued to adapt, continued to take on different challenges and is renowned world wide as a success story. His words are quoted throughout current literature today. </p>
<p>The point here is that success can and will likely shine on everyone at some point. It's crucial that one doesn't just bask in it, but enjoys the moment and asks "What's next"? That may seem ungrateful for the moment to some, but that is certainly not the gist here. Definitely enjoy the moment, but let that moment pass. Remember how it felt, and go after that feeling again with the next challenge. </p>
<p>Being in the music industry as an independent artist is a constant challenge, so I definitely have that rubics cube that I am still trying to solve. There has been some success there, and there have certainly been some failures...but I enjoy the game.</p>
<p>I enjoy trying to figure out.... what's next. </p>Jason Pricetag:jasonpricecountry.com,2005:Post/69296982022-03-23T09:14:44-03:002022-03-30T08:44:07-03:00Potholes<p>Funny how potholes just show up seemingly randomly over night. My interpretation is that they are road acne. Just when the road was smooth with a great complexion on the way to an important meeting, the crater shows up and spoils the day. </p>
<p>This year the craters seem particularly harsh. It seems it isn't just a local problem either. People in all maritime provinces have mentioned them which means that the weather must have been particularly bountiful for this years crop. It has become a game of pothole frogger for commuters on their way to work everyday. </p>
<p>Kelly and I were driving out of a parking lot from a grocery store recently and the view from the car was basically a an overhead vantage of a small lake. I bet that fish could have lived in it. I actually asked Kelly to have a look and let me know if anyone was sitting at the bottom of it helplessly stuck. </p>
<p>What I don't understand is how there isn't some sort of expansion foam or quick-crate temporary fix that is available for these. Are the tire shops outside with pick axes just randomly throwing a few of these things in for unsuspecting drivers at merge lanes? Why can these holes not be fixed quickly on a temporary basis? We live in an era that Dolly the sheep was literally duplicated and created in a lab, where I can have a FaceTime meeting with someone in another country and have the language translated by a website on the fly. Are we being asked to believe that it just isn't possible to find a temporary fix for a few holes in the pavement? Yes Jason your phone can recognize by your pupil reaction what you like and don't like, then will send advertisements to your social media based on that...but fix a hole in the pavement....now you're getting a little crazy. </p>
<p>In my drivers education class when I got my licence, the instructor told me never to swerve for a squirrel, dog, cat, etc. Swerving in traffic is too dangerous. The animal is the sacrifice in this case....and yet complete disregard for the canyons that are growing throughout our streets as traffic zig zags around them like a 120 handicapper on a golf course. </p>
<p>I guess we just continue to play traffic golf with our tires until summer time because that's the way its always been done. The problem is just accepted as the norm and we continue to move around without addressing it in any sort of solution. I guess maybe I'm asking for too much. I guess I'll just finish typing this up here on the MacBook that doubles as a recording studio, post it to a website for all the world to see and wonder if the technology will ever come about to fill a hole in the street. </p>Jason Pricetag:jasonpricecountry.com,2005:Post/69286792022-03-22T07:01:47-03:002022-03-30T08:57:18-03:00The Real Thing<p>Coca Cola had it right with their long lost commercial..."Ain't nothing like the real thing baby". The substitute is often times close, but the real thing is noticeably better. </p>
<p>I have been running 3-4 times per week lately on a treadmill. Each week I put the speed up by .1 and have reached what I thought was a respectable 7.3 level on the treadmill for 20 minutes at an incline of 1 to ensure that I wasn't just running on a "flat road". My cardio seems to be improving, and I definitely get a sweat on. </p>
<p>Yesterday, I decided that the ice is gone from the trails so I was going to take the run outside. I put on my shorts, my barefoot shoes, plugged my AirPods in and took off. I started off a little too quick, but the music was upbeat and I was outside, so I just kept the pace. I realized about 4 minutes into the run that the ground was no longer moving for me in the sterile environment of a cardio room. Running on the treadmill was definitely a good substitute with ice on the trails, but it was nothing like the real thing. </p>
<p>The terrain didn't stay at 1degree. According to my watch it went up and down quite a bit. There was no spinning belt keeping me at a specific pace where I just had to ensure my feet kept up. No, I was self propelled out there in the wild. The ground didn't have a flex deck either so every foot strike felt the full force of the run. I think I felt my kidneys bouncing at one point. </p>
<p>I had this false sense that I was way more advanced than I actually was before hitting that trail. I am sure that the same goes for the spin bike vs the regular road bike. Or perhaps it is the equivalent of driving in Mario Kart vs getting behind the wheel of a real car. There are obviously many similarities but it is difficult to recreate the real thing without doing the actual real thing. </p>
<p>I reflected a bit on this, and I think that it's a wonderful thing. In a world where so many things have gone virtual it made me think about it in that regard as well. Facebook Mark is trying to create a virtual world where you can zoom into a concert on the other side of the world and experience the show as if you were there. I don't think that is possible. There is nothing quite like a live show. The feeling of standing in a crowd shoulder to shoulder with the bass hitting your chest and draft beer splashing out of a red solo cup onto your hand. The smell of the festival with bbq vendors or arena popcorn. Or even the theatre show with the cascading seats in an acoustically sound environment where you can feel the murmur of the crowd before the show starts and the hush falling with the first note. </p>
<p>I think that most of us experienced zoom or teams meetings over the last couple of years. Those could have been a replacement for work meetings, or even a Friday night round of drinks and stories with friends. The first one was kind of cool having that buddy that lives in Albuquerque right there at the party, but it grew stale pretty quick. The feeling of actually being together in the same environment, experiencing the same background noises, and the seeing each other in live dimension cannot be replaced. I'm actually thankful for that. Yes, we can move forward with a few things that can be handled with these zoom calls, but there is still nothing quite like a live meeting. </p>
<p>So enjoy the real thing whenever you can. Skip the instant oatmeal and cook the oats on the stove this morning. Forget the zoom call and go see your friend, or better yet take that friend to a live performance from a local country singer (or any other one). Get out to a local authentic Mexican joint and leave the Taco Bell where it is or head down to an arena and catch a local hockey game. I think I may just do that this evening...right after my run. </p>Jason Pricetag:jasonpricecountry.com,2005:Post/69277452022-03-21T07:15:29-03:002022-03-30T09:21:10-03:00Getting Back<p>Well that was quite a week! I think that one of the toughest things to do character wise is to, as Jocko Willink may address it, "Get back on the path". It would be easy to just hit snooze and give myself just one more day, or maybe stay up late and watch just one more show or have another beer. The morning will slip by and the things I had promised myself that I would do won't get done. Nobody but me would know. </p>
<p>That is the struggle. That first step back to doing what nobody really wants to do. I certainly didn't feel like getting up this morning at 5 AM and working out. The quilts were definitely whispering in my ear about how comfortable it was in bed; how I could reset my alarm to 6 or 6:30. That's when the excuses to back those ideas up start coming in. My back does feel a little sore, maybe working out wouldn't be a good idea. I could use the extra sleep, it was a long week last week. I could just skip the creative writing and pick that up tomorrow...I could just start slow. </p>
<p>The hardest part to getting back from a disruption in the routine for me is the weaker side of my own mind advocating for easy. In my experience, this is where the mindset has to kick in. Robin Sharma actually says it well in one of his books. If you want to do what only the 5% get to do, you have to be willing to do what the 95% won't do. You don't get to breathe the rare air by taking the easy more travelled way in life. So I got up. I got back after it. </p>
<p>I didn't attack a workout like I would have in years past. I waded into one that wasn't going to make me hate getting up for tomorrows. All I needed this morning was to push on that rock to get it moving in the right direction. Once things get rolling, it's easier to keep them rolling. I believe that is one of the rules in physics...An object in motion stays in motion until acted upon by an outside force. The same hold true (at least for me) in actionable behaviour. If I didn't get up today, it would have been the equivalent of allowing more water in a leaky boat without bailing it out. Tomorrow, it would have been harder again to get up and get moving, and eventually that boat would sink and I would not be writing this blog, would not be getting up early, would not be getting any work done on creative writing; and would not be setting my day up for success with a jumpstart workout. Now the leak is plugged, and now the rock is rolling. </p>
<p>Now it will pick up more speed and will become easier again to get after it. This is the process that has helped me to become more productive. Trust me, this isn't the me that I have always been. It's taken a major paradigm shift for me to schedule this sort of thing. The truth is I really don't have to get up and do these things. That is precisely why it's difficult to do and so easy to quit. I am not what you would call a natural morning person. I could lay in bed till 8:30-9:00, make a coffee, then another, scroll on the phone for a bit, react to whatever I felt like doing and soon it would be noon without a thing accomplished. I reflected on that awhile ago. Isn't life supposed to be more than that? Aren't you supposed to live each day to the fullest? How is letting it pass by mindlessly doing that? Am I wasting it? </p>
<p>I'm not saying that rest and relax shouldn't happen. In fact, I think that I actually get lots of that...I just know now when I am going to get it. The schedule I make for myself ensures that things I promise to me get done. I promise myself that I will play a game of Xbox NHL with the boys; I promise myself that I will ask Kelly for a date night; I promise myself that I will run 3 times this week. What I have found with that is that when you keep those promises to yourself, it becomes easier to do things for others and it also becomes easier to honestly say no when you know that you can't get something done.</p>
<p>I'm no sage or guru, but I believe that I have found something that works. I didn't come up with the idea. It isn't new. It's a recipe that is tried and true by many successful individuals. A challenge then....Try today to invest in yourself. Look at the person in the mirror and make that person a promise to do something today. Do something that you really don't want to do but isn't that hard. Maybe it's as simple as making your bed. Make that promise to yourself, and then keep it. Unless I miss my guess, you will begin to feel a new found internal peace that you truly can and will do what you put your mind to. When you continue keeping the promise to you, the promise that nobody else knows about but you, you will forge a strength that will keep people wondering how you do what you do. It isn't "The Secret", where you just throw a wish to the universe that things will happen...you are making them happen for you. You become your biggest advocate. You become someone that you can trust. Give it a shot and let me know how it works out for you. </p>
<p>I promised myself I would work on guitar scales after this blog so I'll end this here. I gotta keep my rock rolling...in a country music sort of way. </p>Jason Pricetag:jasonpricecountry.com,2005:Post/69249762022-03-17T16:15:06-03:002022-03-30T09:25:16-03:00The Joe<p>Well, the last few days saw a pause in the blogosphere and that was a direct result of the Joe. Never heard of The Joe? The Joe Lamontagne Hockey Tournament is Cole Harbour Minor Hockey's biggest tournament. This year was a great one in that it was the first one that any of our boys were permitted to attend since the start of the pandemic in March 2020. The kids had a blast!</p>
<p>I saw some great things and some not so great things that happen in kids sport over the course of the week. Some of the greatest were the kids all coming together to truly become a team and go for the gold, the volunteers that put in such a vast effort to pull out all the stops and the kids that got to work as runners in their first ever "job". </p>
<p>My guys were lucky enough to have made it to the semi-final and the final in each of their age groups only to be eliminated by overtime in one case, and a shoot out in another. Still...an awesome showing and something they will remember. </p>
<p>Unfortunately, the ugly side of kids sport came out as well. In one game, a local teams parents went over the top crucifying the officials, yelling at 14 and 15 year old kids from the stands, and even going so far as to wait for them at the end of the hall to make them walk through a gauntlet of jeers and sneers on the way out of the building. Why? Because they didn't agree with the officials calls in a kids "B" level hockey game. I was actually sickened over it. I led one of my kids through that line of hostility after the game and was embarrassed for them even the next morning. I can't imagine being so hostile over a kids hockey game that security would have to be called in to monitor parents behaviour so players could exit the building safely. As someone watching it unfold from the bench, it was deplorable behaviour and to be honest as depressing as a downtown bar with the lights on at the end of the night. Shame on them.</p>
<p>A huge shout out has to go to the officials as well. I know that coaches and parents don't always agree with their calls, but they are a huge part of the game. One kid, who couldn't have been more than 17 or 18 told me he was scheduled to referee over 26 games this week. I have referee'd for a few seasons, and let me tell you that multiple games in a night in a cold arena does not feel good on the hands or the feet. Both are numb and in pain. Some of these kids are out there for 6 hours a day pulling these games off so that we can have our kids play in tournaments. Tell me you would be on point making every right call in those conditions. A little forgiveness and a lot of gratitude must go out to the zebras this week. </p>
<p>Finally, we were presented on one team (oddly enough the same day as the deplorable behaviour from the parents) the Constable Heidi Stevenson Memorial Award for team spirit. The team had no idea that the things that they did all season, sending cards to seniors and to troops overseas; doing community clean ups; sending their support to a player who experienced a disgusting incident of racism in PEI, would result in an award in honour of a fallen RCMP officer from the local area. It just added one more element of teachable to the lessons learned over the course of the week. </p>
<p>I am a huge believer in sport, both individual and team sport. I truly believe that kids should compete in both types growing up so that they realize the lessons that each can provide. It's interesting how many opportunities to learn some of those valuable lessons that showed themselves this past week. This week of sport taught lessons in resiliency, sportsmanship, work ethic, patience, adaptability, and so much more. </p>
<p>Who knows...It may have taught the kids a few things too. </p>Jason Pricetag:jasonpricecountry.com,2005:Post/69215492022-03-14T06:54:43-03:002022-03-30T09:30:59-03:00Day Light Savings Time<p>A person hearing about daylight savings time would exclaim, "Is this some kind of a mean joke?". I completely understand that questions. I mean, do we truly need to mess with our clocks twice a year? In order to do what exactly? I believe at one time it was meant to conserve electricity so we better made use of the sunlight into the evening. Guess what? Technology and new cars are shattering that initiative. I think I would rather have the extra hour of daylight in the winter so that when I get home from a days work I don't leave in the dark and come home in the dark. </p>
<p>What's wrong with the sun going down in the evening anyway? I go to Mexico whenever I can and typically thats between November and April. After 6 pm in Mexico...it's starting to get dark!! I actually travel to a place that is light in the morning and gets dark in early evening to escape the winter here. Messing around with the clocks just seems unnecessary. </p>
<p>This past weekend we "sprung ahead". Was it nice to have some daylight while we ate supper? Yes absolutely, but can't we just leave it there now? Why do we "fall back"? I can't think of any good reason other than university students feeling like they hit the lottery with an extra hour at the bar that night! </p>
<p>I don't know the reason, but it always seems like there is some kind of early morning event that happens on the Sunday morning of Daylight savings time. There always seems to be the one or two people that miss it. Sorry, I totally forgot to put my clock ahead. I completely missed all the newspapers, Facebook posts, and radio bulletins when I was under my rock. I'm not sure about anyone else, but in our house the night before it's a constant reminder. "Well really its 7 PM". "No, its currently 6 PM"..."Tomorrow morning it will be 5 AM when I get you up"...."No it will be 6 AM"...."Yes, but it will really be 5 AM"...and so on. It's basically a Seinfeld episode for the evening. The same chatter goes on pretty much all of Sunday and disappears like the hour did on Monday. </p>
<p>I bet if they actually included this in a voting platform in the next election, more people would actually care to come out and vote. People would care more about this item alone than the stories that seethe through the teeth of the party leaders in a typical election. Maybe it's just the sleep debt talking but I would give serious consideration to the person that put that in their reforms. </p>
<p>Yes, time is a funny thing. It's currently a different time in every other province West of me. Newfoundland has seen 30 extra minutes already. Once time passes, its spent they say. You can never get it back.... Well at least till the Fall.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>Jason Pricetag:jasonpricecountry.com,2005:Post/69209702022-03-13T06:57:37-03:002022-03-30T09:33:13-03:00First Jobs<p>My first paying job was a paper route. Every Wednesday after school I would carry a load of newspapers from door to door and I would ask everyone on that street..."Would you like to buy the Gander Beacon?". The first day I went, my Dad followed me around in the car to be sure I got the route right and to allow me to refill the bag from the car so it wasn't too heavy. I was nervous. I had knocked on doors for fundraising, but not to sell anything, and certainly not for a job. </p>
<p>Eventually, I would take the bag and walk the route myself. I always enjoyed the days that there was less news and no flyers in the middle of the paper. When the papers were so thick that they hardly fit into the bag and it dug into a bony adolescent shoulder it certainly left it's mark for the rest of the week. I got through it though. I got pretty good at figuring out what my portion of the take was on the way home each day. I would stop at the convenience store at the end of my cul de sac on the way home and buy myself a couple of small treats each time. The companies take was put into a brown cash envelope and sealed. I had to return any remaining papers to account for the difference in cash as well. I did that the following morning. I would walk to school and drop the money off at the paper office on the way. </p>
<p>I think that other than the added benefit of being able to start an RRSP earlier, having an initial job early helped me. I would think that may be a good study to determine how that affects a persons success level later in life. I was in no more than Grade 7 at the time. It teaches responsibility, punctuality, and work ethic in my belief. My two oldest kids, Alex and Abbie, have jobs. They started later than I did, but they have jobs and it keeps them busy. Luke, starts today. He got his first real gig as a "runner" at the Joe Lamontagne Hockey tournament. He works a few shifts this week running around picking up pucks, delivering game sheets, etc. I am sure he is a bit nervous for his first shift too.</p>
<p>Having the jitters before trying something like this is a good thing in my opinion. He doesn't know it, but he is going to remember this for a long time. Today is the start of the foundation for work life. He is going to realize by days end that he put in this shift today, that it wasn't so bad, and he will be more at ease for the next one. It's going to make him grow. More than any money that he earns out of this today, I am most eager for that side of things. </p>
<p>I think I will keep it at that. He needs a ride to the rink and I don't want him to be late on his first day. </p>Jason Pricetag:jasonpricecountry.com,2005:Post/69204262022-03-12T06:36:20-04:002022-05-11T07:00:42-03:00Taco Night<p>Taco night has become a thing in my house. We never used to be that big on them; that was until Kelly and I went to a resort in Mexico and there were taco's on the beach. I'm not talking about El Paso boxed shells and ground beef here. I am talking about freshly made tortilla shells with steak or pork, avocado, lettuce, cheese, tomato and hot sauce. This little hand held delicacy was bursting with flavour. </p>
<p>We ended up taking a cooking class at that resort, which was one of the greatest experiences that we had on a trip. The picture at the end of that was us in with couples and families from all over the world and everyone was truly happy. We all got to share that experience of cooking and dining together in that little Casa. <img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/164188/3e6d938958d0bf666b61cbe08ab38b2c4540f29d/original/tempimageccczri.png/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W1sidCIsMTgwXV0=.png" class="size_l justify_center border_" />I immediately got onto amazon on the way home and ordered the stuff that I needed to create this at home. The flour from a local Mexican grocery. The skirt steak from a local butcher here. A mortar and pestle to grind the cilantro, and a victorian press to make the shells. We have fish tacos with mango salsa, shrimp tacos with purple cabbage and jalapeño, and of course the steak tacos; at least once or twice a month. The experience we had at that resort was an "extra" meaning it didn't come with it, but it came highly recommended. Saying yes to that experience has had a profound effect on our family. Our kids pick tacos for their birthday dinners. We put on Spanish music, drink a shot of tequila while we cook (well not the kids, but that would make for an interesting birthday dinner), and buy the kids Jarrito soda from Mexico at the local grocery. The lesson for us? Say yes to some of the extras. Don't just do what the main stream is doing. Take a good look at every face in that picture. There isn't one person that wasn't happy with the evening. If we didn't take that chance, we would never create this for our family. Guess what's on the menu tonight!</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/164188/89a11991e38a098c119ce70fbb8d2349059dd6c4/original/2d475892-8375-4667-b493-a378577d9ad1.jpeg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>Jason Pricetag:jasonpricecountry.com,2005:Post/69195832022-03-11T07:47:21-04:002022-03-30T09:44:54-03:00Dreams<p>I find dreams somewhat fascinating. I don't know if mine are more vivid than others but I really wish it was possible to actually record them. Wouldn't that be cool? To be able to hit play the next day to rewatch one of the dreams that seemed so real? </p>
<p>I think if one could wake up and really remember all of the details and write them down it would make for some pretty awesome Netflix shows. I haven't really done any sort of tracking on mine. What I ate, what I drank, how tired I was before bed etc. I am sure that some of that has to come into play. What I find really kind of interesting is how real the people seem in the dreams that I otherwise don't know! Or perhaps the visit with old friends who I haven't seen in years. </p>
<p>According to wikipedia, "A dream is a succession of images, ideas, emotions, and sensations that usually occur involuntarily in the mind during certain stages of sleep. Humans spend about two hours dreaming per night, and each dream lasts around 5 to 20 minutes." Two Hours!!! That's a whole movie! At the very least it's a pretty big collection of short films. </p>
<p>What is really bothersome are the dreams that you have and just when the dream is really getting good you wake up. Try as you may to get back to sleep and continue where you left off is futile. It immediately turns into a choose your own ending book, but it's like watching a video that just shuts off before the end never to be seen again. Strange how the mind works.</p>
<p>There are also the nightmares that are terrifying. I am not sure why one would want to watch a horror movie after having a nightmare. Waking up in a sweat, or outstretched because of the dream that feels like you're falling. The fight with your spouse that felt so real but so out of character for them, but yet you still wake up a little perturbed with them. </p>
<p>There are many theories online and I am sure each one has some sort of valid argument, but I don't see how anyone can truly know why we dream the dreams we do. It's like asserting that you truly know why a dog turns around three and four times before lying down. Until these things are able to be projected from the mind to the big screen I guess it's just each persons own private cable show. </p>
<p>Now if you will excuse me...I have to try to finish that dream I was having before my alarm went off. </p>Jason Pricetag:jasonpricecountry.com,2005:Post/69177352022-03-09T06:54:08-04:002022-03-30T09:55:00-03:00Read More Books<p>I am sure that many people look back often with regret. I make it a point not to do that but I thought about the question as I read an article that asked someone if they had anything they had any regrets in life. I believe that if I could have some of my youth back I would like to convince myself to read more.</p>
<p>It wasn't until later in life that I started reading more and more. Right now I have 4 different books on my shelf that I am currently working through. I am actually starting to develop quite a library now. I believe that if I would have given myself the opportunity to learn what is in some of those books early on, the compound interest on that knowledge may have made me a better person earlier in life. </p>
<p>As I mentioned, I don't regret the path that my life has taken. Far from it. In fact, I was probably much more present and enjoying the day to day, minute to minute way back when. Perhaps it just comes with maturity, but the more I read now, the more that I find out I don't know. The more that I learn how much that I have to learn. Each day passes with the same time as the day before..right to the second. When you are busy and consumed, that day seems to pass more quickly. When there doesn't seem to be enough time to get done what you want to get done, that time speeds up somehow again. </p>
<p>I wouldn't have picked up Winston Churchill's biography when I was 25 years old unless I was going to use it as a door stop to keep the patio door open at a pub. Even if I did, maybe what I was reading wouldn't sink in. Maybe it takes a bit of aging in the bottle before that wine is truly ready to be enjoyed. The books that I did read were more technical as well back then. Books on training methods to hone my craft as a strength and conditioning coach. I kept up with all of the trends like the Atkins diet, etc in order to be able to speak to it. I read journal articles on training methods and kept on the cutting edge. I was hyper focused on that. Those were great and helped me become who I am today, but some more balance could have come into play upon some reflection. </p>
<p>These days I do have more balance in what I am reading. I am currently reading "How To Win Friends and Influence People" by Dale Carnegie; The biography of Winston Churchill; "About Face" by General Hackworth; and "Gates of Fire" by Stephen Pressfield. Quite a broad spectrum there. I also have a few songwriting books that I am going through every morning as there are writing exercises in them so more of a text book than a read for enjoyment. </p>
<p>What is even crazier to my younger me is that I have also begun to re-read books. That's another level right there. Why on earth read it again once you have already done it!? You wouldn't believe the things that you actually pick up on that you may have missed, or remind yourself of that you have forgotten by re-reading a worthy book. I re-read "The 5 AM Club" about two weeks into my journey into getting up earlier. The first time I read it I thought it was ridiculous. I tried getting up then. It didn't work out. I kept going to bed at the same time and expecting that I could just get up early. I also didn't pay attention to what the rest of the book was about. It's arguably not a book about getting up at 5 AM. It's a book about a multitude of habits that can help create some great habits. I have several pages now earmarked that I didn't catch when I read it the first time. I have several now on my list to "re-read" and am looking forward to the visit with them. </p>
<p>I believe that for some time I had some sort of mindset that unless it was the most current information then it couldn't possibly be good. That today's society had to be much smarter than say even ancient civilization. Today stoic philosophy is still taught as a gold standard for behaviour modelling. The bible and teaching in whatever religion one may follow is filled with life lessons from elders. The elders in the indigenous communities are often revered and respected passing down lessons learned from generation to generation. The original authors are long gone, but we still learn from them. </p>
<p>I enjoy sitting with a book these days...who knows I may even visit a public library again.</p>Jason Pricetag:jasonpricecountry.com,2005:Post/69168032022-03-08T08:46:37-04:002022-03-08T08:46:37-04:00The Morning Rush<p>I typically get up around 5 am these days. I have a quick little workout, make my coffee, do some writing and maybe practice guitar before the kids wake up. All of that depends on one thing. Sleep. If I get to bed too late, or can't get to sleep then I change my alarm to get an extra hour of shut eye. </p>
<p>The end result of a later night, and a disruption in my morning routine is the morning rush. Kids are flying around with no actual intent other than to make noise it seems. The stillness of the morning is missed. It's waking up in a tent in a wind storm instead of the cottage on the lake on a glorious still day. I used to wake up in that storm every single morning. I would sleep until I absolutely had to get up, get ready quick and out the door. There is little preparedness in that style and often times it left me reacting to the days issues. </p>
<p>Now my time is scheduled more than ever. It starts as I mentioned with the first two hours of my day before anyone else is really up and mobile...other than my trusty old pooch Gibson. I have a plan for the rest of the day, but it is just that...a plan. The best ones I have learned are flexible. Every intent is made to stay true to the plan; however, as it happens things change and need to be modified. Last night, Luke had a game that ended at 9:30 pm. I got home close to 10 pm which my watch is set to tell me every evening is bed time. If you have tiny people that resemble you in your house, you will know that it just isn't possible then to enter the house, take off your shoes, brush your teeth and hit the quilts in that case. There are the usual shenanigans of encouraging them to brush their teeth, stop the horseplay, no you can't watch a show right now, and go to bed. I don't blame them. Getting off the ice at 9:30 the adrenaline is still pumping a bit and needs some time to level off.</p>
<p>The whole point is, I knew that it was going to be difficult this morning to get up at 5. I was willing to do it as I had my alarm set, but that was if I ended up getting a few winks. I won't wake up at 5 and workout for some badge of honour that I am not going to be presented. I do it for me. Today I needed that extra hour sleep or I would have slept less than 5 hours. I wasn't waking up to make a flight to Mexico so the squeeze isn't worth the juice in that case. Now the difference is that I am prepared for that. I saw that coming, so this morning I was comfortable with the chaos. I didn't get that calm when I got up, but I was braced for it and was still able to sneak this blog in after they left. There was a plan B, an escape route if you will. </p>
<p>It isn't a morning that I want every day, but once in awhile it's fine. I would rather take the "off day" for getting up early in order to continue to have the ability for the rest of the week. Trust me, I am the last guy of anyone that really knows me well that anyone would have thought would get up that early and schedule my day, but in the end it gives me freedom. I know that sounds like the antithesis to freedom, but it does. Though a plan is in place well the old adage holds true that life is what happens when you are busy making plans; so I am not crushed when it doesn't go according to plan. It has taken some time to get to get to a point like this, but I feel I am more productive now than ever before. </p>
<p>Now if you will excuse me, I have to get to my next appointment....and I don't want to have to be in a rush. </p>Jason Pricetag:jasonpricecountry.com,2005:Post/69156192022-03-07T07:03:00-04:002022-03-07T07:03:00-04:00Video Games <p>We let our kids play video games, though we have some pretty strict rules on them. Pretty much any sports game is ok; however any kind of shoot em up, last man standing type thing has to be vetted through us. The other rule in our house is the time limit. An equal amount of outdoors, fitness and or sport activity has to be accomplished. No screens after 9pm to ensure that their minds aren't racing before bed about the character that they need 473 more points to unlock. These are just a few of the rules, but one came about that we didn't impose.</p>
<p>My two youngest boys play NHL 22 quite often. In this game there is a feature that you can tour the country playing NHL alumni in a game of 3 on 3. If you take the challenge of putting it on superstar mode (the most difficult mode) then you could unlock and win one of the more favourable NHL alumni to play on your team. For example, if you play the Edmonton Oilers, you may unlock the rights to Wayne Gretzky. </p>
<p>I decided to go down to the rec room and play for a bit with the boys. That's when I heard my youngest say that he always likes to play on rookie (the easiest mode) because its easy to win. That goes against every principle I have in growth, but was a good opportunity to delve into that a little deeper. I asked him if there were any rewards for playing on easy? No, not much..a few points that maybe could unlock the logo of a team so you could put it on your teams jersey. Is it frustrating when you don't win? Yes, he replied he gets very frustrated when its difficult. Do you want to unlock the player to play on your team? Yes, he really wanted Gretzky. Then you have to earn it. </p>
<p>My view on wasting time on video games changed a bit right there. There was a challenge and there is a life lesson in there somewhere. I believe that the game has some sort of algorithm in it as well that adapts to the play that you may try every time, so the necessity to think and be creative is also there. The message was coming through to my young guy that you don't get rewarded by playing it easy. There has to be a challenge to win the big prize. Outstanding! Bravo to EA sports on this one! How far we have strayed from the fact that life doesn't give out participation prizes. </p>
<p>Far from a video game, but why is it that the Olympic Medal is something so sought after by athletes around the world? It's because only the best get them. The top 3 in any of the competitions get medals. Everyone else gets a memory, some swag, and some great stories and life lessons...but only the top 3 get the prizes. There are no participation medals. </p>
<p>I think many try to eake their way through on the easy setting in this video game of life. That's too hard. I'll just take the easy points and end up with whatever I get. The most successful relish the challenge. They compete. They fail and then they get up and try again and again until they win. </p>
<p>The roar that came from downstairs shook the house when they finally unlocked The Great One. You could here them communicating their plays. You could hear every time they got close and got pissed off that they lost....and then the elation when they won. High fives, cheering, and the sound of two happy boys bounding up the stairs to share the news. It was awesome.</p>
<p>I make it a point to go play with them now. I'm terrible so I definitely drag their team down. I don't plan on putting in any extra practice time to get better, but I enjoy spending the time with them doing something they enjoy as well. I don't even throw the controller anymore when I get beat! I guess I will leave it with that for now. I have a big game coming up so should try to focus a bit....tomorrow night we try to win Gordie Howe. </p>Jason Pricetag:jasonpricecountry.com,2005:Post/69150302022-03-06T06:14:17-04:002022-03-06T06:14:17-04:00Using your manners<p>Who else remembers being told by their parents, "Use your manners"? I am curious to know if that phrase is still in use today. A lot has changed in a short amount of time. Manners seems to be one of the things that are dropping off. I'm not certain as to why. One theory I would propose is the use of cell phones. People these days have grown accustomed to the short hand, get to the point, text message. Gone are the long form messages, emails, and perhaps even conversations. </p>
<p>Maybe our ability to socialize fully has been infected with the desire to scroll. Next time you are in a restaurant have a look around at the people that are there enjoying each others company. Or are they really? I am betting that you see in one scan of the room several people with phone in hand, or down by their side with head bowed and eyes focused on the screen below. It's hard to imagine that anyone can give their attention to the screen and engage in any form of true communication with another party. It's lack of manners. </p>
<p>Perhaps all of that stimuli from screens, and the constant barrage of information and misinformation has also made people a little less patient, and a little less cognizant of their behaviour? Ask a teacher who is close to retirement what has changed over the last 25 - 30 years in the behaviour of our youth in general? Do they still use the same manners that were pounded into heads? Has the Tic Tok world become their influencers over parents, coaches, and teachers? The cell phone in this way has had a bit of a Peter Pan effect. This is how we do it where I live! I would wager that many parents of today would be shocked at how little junior is acting in school these days. I am not saying this didn't happen in the past, but it was to a much lesser degree; and kids and parents both were held accountable for it. </p>
<p>As a coach, I have heard it first hand from kids talking to their own parents in a tone that would have had my head rotated 720 degrees very quickly by my parents. Outright cursing at their own parents, demanding this and that. I of course was shocked the first time and was prepared to call the funeral home for the first one, but nothing. There was nothing. The kid got what he wanted, the parent complained about kids these days to the other parents and the vicious cycle repeated itself. It happens more and more. </p>
<p>Bart Simpson was taken off the air for awhile when I was a kid because of the arrogance and rudeness he apparently portrayed by saying "Don't have a cow man". Where along the way has today's behaviour become acceptable? Why is it ok now for someone to tell off a senior citizen? Little by little, the wholesome behaviour that was strived for seems to be disappearing. What's acceptable now is at an all time low as a standard. I feel we are better than that. We have a responsibility to leave this earth in capable hands, as much as we have a responsibility to keep it clean to live in. This is a leadership problem at the lowest level. The adult is the person in charge. The adult pays the bills and enables and accepts the standard level of behaviour in their household. The adult in each individual household wields the power to help steer the world we live in for good. It can be as simple as demanding that manners will be used. Be kind. Be thoughtful. Be respectful of people. Who wouldn't want a neighbour like that? </p>Jason Pricetag:jasonpricecountry.com,2005:Post/69146282022-03-05T14:02:16-04:002022-03-05T14:02:16-04:00Google<p>Google has become a word that has inserted itself into the dictionary as both a noun and a verb. If one is trying to determine anything that is in the realm of the unknown, google seems to be the choice of many to get the answers. The power of the internet. If its on there it must be true! </p>
<p>Feeling a little unwell, or have a unexplained symptom...google it. You will get a myriad of results that you could pick from to self-diagnose yourself. For the hypochondriac, they can immediately confirm the worst. For the hopeful, they can pick the one that confirms that there is nothing to worry about. In nearly all cases, there is a disclaimer online that says that one should go see a physician if they are truly concerned. Google has in a sense become a medical assistant of sorts...without so much as a background check.</p>
<p>It's a phenomenal tool if you would like to know the weather, or directions to a store, hours of operation, etc. It's like having your own personal assistant in your pocket. Gone are the days of rows and rows and rows of Encyclopedia Brittanica sitting on a family bookshelf. It was nice to have known back then that at least there was some credible research that went into publishing the books. </p>
<p>Take something as simple as how much sleep should an adult get. Googles answer in the first few rows are likely to be 7-10 hours or one will spiral into a chronic sleep debt that will take years off of a life. Scroll down a little farther, and you may see 5-8 is ok. A little bit more and it will pose the argument that it is an individual issue and some can get by with as little as 4 hours. Often then, the comment section of the online world will be filled with tales from those who argue back and forth on their individual beliefs. </p>
<p>I will give a huge nod to those that post the informative videos that can save people a bundle of money if they are willing to do the research. For instance, unclogging a septic line may be something that with a little digging, a clothes pin for your nose, and a strong will not to throw up is something the average person can do without a $500 emergency call from a plumber. Things like simple automotive fixes to cooking the perfect steak can be looked up and given a whirl. </p>
<p>In my own opinion, it is certainly a good start; but nothing beats the expertise of the experienced. There are several little tricks of the trade that are often missed. Often times, the bandit on line creating the content isn't a red seal carpenter...it's some handy fella named Tom in his garage down the street who just does it the way he does it. No rubber stamp from an engineer, no insurance, no other research. The way to get things done properly is to call the expert. The individual who has repeatedly solved the issue with success over and over again. The individual that is backed by a warranty, and the training to get the job done right. </p>
<p>There certainly are times when the DIY is warranted and occasionally necessary. Simple fixes are in those categories, as are many other things that don't result in risking personal safety. Often times, the small things may take a little longer to do, but come with the self gratification and confidence boost of taking care of business. Painting your walls, absolutely fits this category. Hire a painter, and you will see the difference that experience makes. The pro will take the time to pay attention to every detail; while the amateur may get into "good enough" territory. </p>
<p>The world is a better place with Google in it, but a little temperance has to come into play when it comes to believing what shows up in the search results. If you don't believe me...just google it. </p>Jason Pricetag:jasonpricecountry.com,2005:Post/69134832022-03-04T07:24:53-04:002022-03-04T07:24:53-04:00Date Night<p>It's funny that as a parent date night is something that has to get scheduled. Kelly and I used to be free. We could decide to go do whatever we wanted. Want to go for sushi? Sure! Maybe we should go to a movie now? Sure!</p>
<p>Gone. </p>
<p>Now the date night has to be planned. I'm not the best for scheduling my "free time" so date night wasn't happening as frequently as it should. I recognized that fact and I book them now. I don't head out very often anymore so I typically have to go with a few recommendations on the best places to take my date. </p>
<p>Lots of planning has to go into date night for parents. Firstly, what are we going to do with the kids? If your lucky, and their Grandparents adore them, they are a great option. My kids love going there, and my parents love having them so it works. If they aren't around or willing though?</p>
<p>I have seen parents get creative with their kids. Hey little Johnny...when was the last time you slept over at your friend Tommy's place? Maybe you could see if a sleepover is good for Friday? An Aunt or Uncle with no other responsibilities is definitely worth considering as well. In this case, you must assume, and be ok with the fact, that they may eat ice cream for supper and whatever bedtime you had in mind does not exist. </p>
<p>Of course, the evening itself isn't the only consideration when it comes to parents date night. What about the morning? Does Emma have a 0600 hockey practice? Is little Johnny supposed to be at his rehearsal by 0830? Now, hiring a sitter to come into your own house enters the equation. You may need to pay someone to let your kids eat too many treats and miss their bedtime while the individual scrolls on their phone. That means, no drinks and coming home in a taxi unless that taxi is carrying on to drop the sitter off as well. </p>
<p>Add to the whole complication of driving the sitter home is the Golden Time that exists before your partner who thoroughly enjoyed the evening falls asleep while you are gone thus eliminating any romance build up the evening may have developed. A good strategy here is to phone your date immediately after dropping off the sitter to talk all the way to the driveway. Bless the creator of mobile phones. </p>
<p>Then there is actual date night. Gone is the spontaneous freedom of just going somewhere you feel like going when the moment strikes. This has to be scheduled, and if not, you may find yourself driving around aimlessly with the discussion that goes "What do you feel like having?". "Whatever, I'm not fussy". "How about Italian?". "No, I went there for lunch last week". That discussion can go on and on and on until you are sitting in subway talking about the kids report cards. Make the reservation ahead of time. Text it to your date well ahead of the night. This solves where you are going, what the dress code is, and takes the last minute decision out. If you are really worried you may not want to go to the restaurant you booked, book two reservations and cancel one. </p>
<p>Yes, Date Night takes some planning but it is worth it. Having some time with just the two OG's makes the bedrock solid. It's date night for us tonight...gotta go shine my sneakers. </p>Jason Pricetag:jasonpricecountry.com,2005:Post/69123622022-03-03T06:41:25-04:002022-03-03T06:41:25-04:00Success<p>What is success? I think the everyone has their own definition of what that looks like, though I also suspect many don't have any idea when they truly have to look at it and explain it. </p>
<p>I can't tell you how many times I have been told, "you are going to make it" in the music business. I truly appreciate the intended compliment, and the belief in my ability; but I wonder what "it" is? Where am I going to make it to? Is there a level that one hits that is now deemed as success? I consider my ventures a success already to be honest. I don't often sit and mull over any success, but my feeling is that if you are moving in a positive direction, and you keep getting up for the challenges of the day, you are experiencing a level of success. </p>
<p>Lets take for example my daughter who is kicking some serious butt in the gym these days. She has been experiencing success as soon as she stepped in the door. Yes, the threat of failure exists...maybe she wouldn't continue, maybe she hates the gym, maybe she only goes once...but she got up, made a choice to walk in, and then did it...that is a level of success. </p>
<p>I am certainly for long term goals, and that used to be the only thing I focused on. What I have come to realize is that you can still have a laser focus on that long term goal by breaking it down into the action that's required to attain that goal. It's the equivalent to lining up a putt or a drive in golf. If you focus on the target that is way out of your reach you might make it to the area you were hoping to, in fact you may even hit the target as well. If instead you look at the target, then look at the path that you need to take to get there and then focus on the first few feet of that path to launch your ball towards, the odds of you getting close to your target have increased by a lot. It is much easier to see the path in that is only a few feet in front of you and go after that. Yes, one needs to get up and have a view from above to ensure that the path hasn't changed and that check in should happen frequently but the focus should be on overcoming the obstacles in the path directly ahead of you that leads to the ultimate goal.</p>
<p>Success will breed more success. The best in the world in their given area of expertise don't sit on that success after they achieve it, they merely keep it as a checkpoint and move toward the next goal on the path. It's only ends when they do. </p>
<p>As I reflect, am I happy with what I have achieved so far in music. YES! I can answer that with one hundred percent truth. Yes, I am happy with the milestones that I have achieved thus far. Is it over? No. I am still on the path. I intend on experience more levels of success that I have in my plan to reach goals that rely on those successes but really just lead me to other goals. </p>
<p>I think that one important element to being successful is to ensure that you are meeting your own honest measure of it. Don't let others dictate what success is to you. Did the Olympian have a successful career despite not winning a medal? Did the minor league player who never played a game in the majors have a successful career? That's truly up to them, and where that path ultimately leads them. </p>
<p>Someone has read this blog today. It may never find it's way to a viral post. It may never creep into the New York Times; but someone read it today and that one element makes it a success. I also got up early to write it. If not a single person reads it then that fact makes it a success as that lead to other morning routines that set up my day for the best possible outcome. </p>
<p>So celebrate the small wins. Collect them like they are loose pennies and before you know it you will realize you are richer than you think.</p>Jason Pricetag:jasonpricecountry.com,2005:Post/69113162022-03-02T09:16:12-04:002022-03-02T09:16:12-04:00When I was One and Twenty<p>WHEN I WAS ONE AND TWENTY by A.E. Housman</p>
<p> </p>
<p>When I was one-and-twenty </p>
<p> I heard a wise man say, </p>
<p>“Give crowns and pounds and guineas </p>
<p> But not your heart away; </p>
<p>Give pearls away and rubies </p>
<p> But keep your fancy free.” </p>
<p>But I was one-and-twenty, </p>
<p> No use to talk to me. </p>
<p>When I was one-and-twenty </p>
<p> I heard him say again, </p>
<p>“The heart out of the bosom </p>
<p> Was never given in vain; </p>
<p>’Tis paid with sighs a plenty </p>
<p> And sold for endless rue.” </p>
<p>And I am two-and-twenty, </p>
<p> And oh, ’tis true, ’tis true.</p>Jason Pricetag:jasonpricecountry.com,2005:Post/69104512022-03-01T11:45:14-04:002022-03-01T11:45:14-04:00The Great One!<p>My favourite hockey player of all time was known as the Great One long before the term GOAT ever came along. That's right, number 99 Wayne Gretzky was the athlete I revered. Yesterday's blog got me thinking about him. I mentioned that I got to test my driving skills in Saskatchewan on a road trip with my Dad. Not many people can tell you the exact date that they got to get behind the wheel for the first time, but for me it's stamped on the internet as August 9th, 1988. </p>
<p>The internet won't tell you that I got to drive as a young lad on a road trip with my dad. It will tell you though about the day that shook the foundation of professional sport when a team did the unthinkable and betrayed it's loyalty to their franchise player, the best player in the league at the time, and arguably the best that has ever played the game. It was the day that Gretzky got traded from the Edmonton Oilers to the Los Angeles Kings. </p>
<p>I couldn't believe it when we heard it driving across Saskatchewan on our way back home to Winnipeg. We actually stayed in a motel that night and I was sure that it couldn't be true until we watched the news that night. "The biggest name in Canadian sports - the man hockey fans call The Great One - is going to the United States," Knowlton Nash announced on the National, as the show kicked off that night. "Wayne Gretzky has been traded from the Edmonton oilers to the Los Angeles Kings."</p>
<p>I was shattered. I and droves of other Canadians felt absolutely betrayed by Pocklington the GM of the oilers. How could this have possibly happened? I believe it opened the door to anyone being traded. I am sure that the reason that there are now over 30 teams in the NHL can be traced back to that dreadful day. The leader of the NDP in Canadian Politics actually asked the Canadian Government to intervene to stop the trade! Tell me that doesn't speak to how he was regarded as a National Treasure...and to a 13 yr old boy it was like banishing Superman from planet earth. </p>
<p>I'm no sports statistician and so I am sure that there is someone out there who will tell me that Babe Ruth was traded somewhere, or Larry Bird, or what have you; but in my country and in my era this changed the face of sport. Nobody was safe from being dealt after that. In fact, I am pretty sure that within a year or two, Carson the hot shot player that was included in the trade was dealt to Detroit. Soon after the trade, Grant Fuhr and Glen Anderson got deported from Edmonton. Messier ended up as a Ranger. It may have actually been the caveat that started all of the no trade clauses in todays sport. What an influence he has had and continues to have in Canadian hockey. </p>
<p>A single post just days ago with his belief that Russia should be banned from the World Juniors hit the internet in the morning. By the afternoon, the IIHF announced Russia will be banned. Coincidence? Maybe so, but the 13 year old boy in me is hoping that Superman is still influencing the hockey earth from afar. My allegiance to any professional team faded when Gretzky got traded. People will ask for my favourite team and my answer now is the same...Canada. No NHL favourite. I have players I love to watch, and specific line combinations, like the "Carson, Tucker, Roberts" line the Leafs had for awhile; I have friends that I root for when they play...but no favourite team. </p>
<p>That loyalty left with The Great One on a hot sunny prairie day in Saskatchewan on August 9, 1988. </p>Jason Pricetag:jasonpricecountry.com,2005:Post/69092712022-02-28T06:49:30-04:002022-02-28T06:49:30-04:00Learning To Drive<p>Riley Green has a song out now called "I wish Grandpa's never died". It's a nice song, but one of the lyrics that I though was really good was "Wish I could learn to drive again". It's one of those things that you just can't undo without some sort of trauma blanking your memory out. Who doesn't remember sitting behind the wheel of the car and realizing just how heavy the thing felt when it turned? </p>
<p>I was pretty young when I got my first chance. We were on a stretch of highway in rural Saskatchewan. If you haven't been to Saskatchewan, think about looking out at an ocean from the beach...now put a straight road in the middle of that for as far as you can see. On each side instead of water, now put crops of wheat or canola and that is rural Saskatchewan. I was probably around 14 and was on a road trip with my Dad. </p>
<p>It felt awesome being behind the wheel of that Oldsmobile Omega. There was a small piece in the fibreglass piping that was missing on the steering wheel that I can still almost feel under my palm. I was pretty nervous at first but got really confident as I kept it between the lines on a road straighter than Alex Trebecks tie. I got so confident that when I saw the sign that said 50K to Regina, I thought I would be more than ready to tackle the city streets. I was made to pull over shortly after announcing that. </p>
<p>I would actually learn to drive a couple of years later in a 5 speed Pontiac Acadian (Pontiacs answer to the Chevette) in an empty parking lot of a mall (those used to be closed on Sundays). Once you learn that skill, it's done. That experience is in the books and cannot be repeated. There may be some things similar, like maybe you could learn to drive a bus or a motorcycle, but the magic of that moment of learning to drive is a memory. </p>
<p>My two oldest are going through a bunch of these type of memories now. It's when you start to get about that age that those sort of things happen for you. Buying groceries for your own apartment for the first time. The first real job that you need to punch in and out for. That first night that your buddies brother set you up with too many beer. All those experiences that happen for the first time are only for the first time once. Unfortunately, it's something that doesn't get the due attention and reflection it deserves until much later in life when you realize it can't be repeated. </p>
<p>The good news is that those first times can be experienced later in life. My brother in law was overwhelmed with the excitement of his inner child the first time he met Mickey Mouse at Disney as a grown adult. He muckled right on to that terrified minimum wage employee that resided in the pristine velvety costume and shouted.."It's You! It's really You!!!" </p>
<p>I've said it in previous blogs but it holds true. It's never too late to start. It's not too late to try a new project or a new experience. Maybe don't get too crazy and go for the midlife crisis head first jump from a bridge in Costa Rica with a rubber band as the only modifier for life or death; but hey maybe learn to ski, or water ski; start climbing at a climbing club; learn to play piano or write a book. There are all kinds of firsts just waiting to be initiated. </p>
<p>Get another first time skill under your belt and relish that moment. Won't it be something when you look back in a few years and say "I wish I could learn to ____ again"? At that point you may be so damn busy knocking of firsts that you won't have time to wish. </p>Jason Pricetag:jasonpricecountry.com,2005:Post/69086212022-02-27T09:50:14-04:002022-02-27T09:50:14-04:00What's you favourite color?<p>A lot of people can answer that question immediately and enthusiastically. I don't think that I am one of those people. I am not sure exactly how one says...this color right here is my absolute favourite. What goes into that? Maybe it's just a preferred color that they like to wear....or maybe be surrounded by in a room but it seems odd to me. I can understand a preference to warmer color or maybe light colours, but a specific one? </p>
<p>I would think if that favourite color got out to all the people that knew the person then every gift they received from then on would be drenched or accented in that particular color. Wouldn't that be the equivalent to vanilla? </p>
<p>Some people are just fanatics. When I say that I mean that they are the people that follow a sports team and say "We lost yesterday" or "We won yesterday" without ever being close to being a player or a coach for said team. These people are decked out in the teams colours from head to toe including painting their faces. Basements have more logo's and paraphernalia than the team locker room. I can see how these people have a favourite color. </p>
<p>For others it's just a particular one. I know that my grandmother favoured the color green. I have no idea why, but I can tell you that she had one of the largest gardens that I have ever seen. Maybe it was just a color that represented that passion...or maybe she just felt that she looked really nice in green?</p>
<p>Then there is the argument about what is and what isn't a color. Some people prefer the Johnny Cash method of always throwing black on their backs. Apparently both black and white are not considered colours, but absence of color. I'm not sure about you but the last time that I checked black and white were both color options when purchasing a car. The dealer didn't ask, would you like your car with or without color?</p>
<p>Painting the rooms in your house is a process that will cause one to never talk about colours again. Every hue imaginable is available in every shade of color. Each of them have their own name that some person laid off from Hallmark must have created. Arctic Grey...Dusty Road...Opulent Vanilla. Go to another paint store and ask for one of those and they never heard of them. </p>
<p>If you look up classic icebreaker questions, one of them is normally What is you favourite color? Maybe this is a test to determine if there is anything in common with the person. I wonder if you followed up that question with Why is that your favourite color then how many people could answer it? I'm not sure, they might say, ..I have always had an affinity for bright orange.</p>
<p>I believe that the fashion industry has a lot to do with what colours are in "season". They kind of dictate what available choices there are at any given time. I suppose if someone found a color that was very flattering and garnered a lot of positive comments, then that would become a favourite color. You would get sick of that color because it's only in "season" for a short duration and then would become difficult to find until the guru's at Calvin Klein decide it's time that it makes its reappearance. I can only imagine that the same problem exists for the lipstick industry. </p>
<p>One thing is for certain. A world without color would be a dreary one. So go ahead and paint your world with your favourite. Buy that hat with the neon piping. The last thing we need is a world of snow blindness. Pick a favourite and shout it out from the roof tops...unless it's beige. Nobody likes beige. Beige is the Hooper Humperdinck of colours. </p>Jason Pricetag:jasonpricecountry.com,2005:Post/69068432022-02-25T06:54:04-04:002022-02-25T06:54:04-04:00The Beaver<p>There is a creek out back that borders my property that I rarely go down and visit much. In fact, the entire 1/2 to 3/4 of an acre was naturally cleared back there by a hurricane years ago. When we moved in, the previous owner had taken a wood chipper back there and the entire area was littered with wood chips. Not the most fertile space I thought. When we bought the place, I had in mind that it was a natural place to put a submersible pump to flood a small hockey pad out there for our kids. </p>
<p>I never ever got around to building the "Do It Yourself" rink. In fact, the winter here these days rarely holds ice consistently any more. It definitely gets cold, but then warms, then rains, then freezes, melts, snows, repeat. This past summer, I took a little walk back through the property and I couldn't believe how much it had grown in. No more wood chips. It was in fact full of alders, small birch tree's, and the ground was wet and mucky in many places. I investigated a little more and found an area of birch trees cut off at about 2 feet high looking like they were placed in the ground like little spikes. I of course was intrigued and followed the area right to the creek in the back where carnage to any tree three inches or less in diameter seemed to have been victimized. That's when the water seemed to be flooding the property a bit in the far end...and that's where I saw the dam.</p>
<p>A beaver had built a small dam across the creek in the back! The water was starting to creep into the back yard and the trails it seemed to be creating with its belly were meandering creating pathways to the bounty of young birch trees throughout the yard. I was immediately offended that this oversized rodent was interfering in my plan from 14 years ago to build my rink. I took my chainsaw to any area that there were small stumps left and pilfered whatever loose trees it had fallen and took them for my own outdoor fire pit. I then did what most people would do in my situation...I hit google. "How to get rid of beavers?", "What do beavers like to eat?", "How to break a beaver dam?". </p>
<p>What I had determined is that to get rid of one of these things takes a lot of work, and in general is a call to the experts at the Department of Natural Resources. Seeing as it was close to the end of fall when I found it, and I had determined there wasn't really any more activity I dropped the matter for the time being and began to think of the pros and cons. </p>
<p>If I left the beaver there, eventually that whole area may become submerged. I would have a small lake in a few years that maybe had some fish, or a spot to use a small paddle boat. That could be pretty cool. That could also bring a huge infestation of mosquitos, and a constantly wet golden retriever....not as good. </p>
<p>Maybe I could rent a digger or a bobcat and get rid of the dam? Or maybe I could just leave it and build up the border of the stream with a bunch of big rocks that I could push up to it? All kinds of scenarios began to develop in my brainstorming noodle. Most of these plans of course are just initial thoughts and not well thought out. </p>
<p>Things may have changed a little over the course of this past winter. This winter in particular was a great one for outdoor rinks. I know what you are thinking....I cursed that vermin and my procrastination for not building that outdoor rink. Wrongo!! After skating on my dads lake I figured that I would head down and check to see how well the water pooled on the pooling side of the dam. When I got down there and shoveled off the snow, the most clear, flat, pristine pond of thick ice was awaiting for nothing more than a net and a bench to the side to change into skates. That beaver made my rink!!! </p>
<p>The boys loved it! It wasn't huge but it was enough for a game of one on one, some shooting practice and of course the breakaway challenge. We named it The Beaver Palace...then I thought that could sound like we owned some sort of strip club so it was renamed shortly afterward to Beaver Pond. The boys would rush down after school and be on the ice for hours. </p>
<p>So this summer may be interesting. Do we wait to see what Barney the Beaver is going to do next or do we make the call to boot the buck toothed tenant out and possibly lose what could be the next twin arena right there in our own back yard? If only he would involve me in the design. I'm sure being one of nature's engineers the plan is way better than anything I would come up with but I really wanted my own dressing room. Maybe one more season to see what the little fella can do...it was a twenty year plan anyway. </p>Jason Pricetag:jasonpricecountry.com,2005:Post/69057852022-02-24T07:10:36-04:002022-02-24T07:10:36-04:00Hot or Cold<p>I'm one for the heat. I really don't enjoy the cold much. A nice walk on a crisp day when bundled up is great but in general I'll take tropical over arctic any day. That's different at night though. For some reason, at night, I can't stand the heat! Too warm and there is just no way that sleep is happening. I've been on the other side of that as well when it has been too cold and the shivering just keeps you lying there praying for morning so you can get up. And speaking of morning, well morning should be the opposite. Nobody likes to get up and be cold in the morning. </p>
<p>Its a bit of a dichotomy I guess, or maybe I am as fussy as goldilocks? As I type here now on this Canadian February morning, I am in fleece jogging pants with a t-shirt on, sitting in a comfortable chair in front of a heat pump that is blowing at 18 degrees celsius. I have a microfibre blanket draped around my back but open in the front, and a fire place going right beside me. The temperature is perfect. It's cozy. </p>
<p>Pretty much any kind of activity feels better when you are warm in my opinion. Try getting up and doing chin ups in the cold. Just the feeling of the grabbing the cold bar makes me shiver. Going for a little early morning run? Way easier to commit to when I can wander out the front door in a t-shirt and shorts than when I need to figure out if I should choose the lined pair of under armour spider man tights or go with the pair of track pants. T-shirt, plus hoodie, plus jacket? Gloves or mitts? Toque or Balaclava? It's just easier when it's warmer. No wonder the population of the warm states of the US is so dense! I played a Christmas show outside this year. Try playing a guitar in your "show gear" in minus whatever it was with no heater on the stage. Wim Hof was there but he left because it was too cold. </p>
<p>I can totally see Kelly and I as snowbirds down south when "retirement" comes into play. I'd opt for a beach hut in Costa Rica but I'm not sure that the amenities we've grown accustomed to would be readily available. Yep, my entire wardrobe year round could consist of jeans and cotton shirts for the evenings, and Tommy Bahama gear for the rest of the day. </p>
<p>I hear people say I would miss a white Christmas. Let's say for the course of argument, that I have actually gone insane and miss the snow for some reason; as far as I see it, I could fly into the all inclusive resort of a relatives place for my 10 day vacation and fly back to the shade of a palm tree. I could just reverse what is happening in reality for me now. </p>
<p>All of this said, maybe the grass is greener on the other side. Of course it is, because ours is under a damn blanket of frozen precipitation half the year! </p>
<p>We visited Hawaii once. It was 23 degree's celsius every single day. It had desert, rain forest, and mountains all on one island that you could travel all over in a day. It rained at night when we slept, and the sun came out in the morning. One of the locals there told me that the temperature doesn't change more than a degree or two the entire year! That's the place to go. Then I start to wonder...why then do people leave there? Maybe we are meant to experience some sways into both hot and cold? Maybe goldilocks is boring? Maybe those Hawaiians are dreaming of a place that they can lace on the skates and play a bit of hockey on the same lake that they will be sipping bud lights on the deck of a pontoon boat 3 months later! Maybe WE have paradise with the best of both worlds?!</p>
<p>Kelly an I have obviously got some thinking to do about this; but for now, I am going to ditch this microfibre blanket and turn off the fireplace...its getting a little too warm for me. </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>Jason Pricetag:jasonpricecountry.com,2005:Post/69048682022-02-23T07:21:49-04:002022-02-23T07:21:49-04:00Garbage Day<p>Garbage Day is a almost celebrated in my house like it's own bi-weekly holiday. Recycling day doesn't carry the same sort of jubilation as the garbage day. It's more like the Easter Monday of the Easter weekend, whereas garbage day is the egg hunt and the dinner of an Easter Sunday in comparison.</p>
<p>It could be that our house is not set up for much storage. It's kind of laid out in a particular way that an extra coffee cup could look like a lot of clutter; but on garbage day...hide your belongings because they could be swept up in the toss it out tornado. </p>
<p>It's almost a day of mourning when the sanitation engineers don't dawn our streets on the regular day that they were supposed to. Recently a snow storm cancelled it. Garbage day was cancelled and post-poned to the following Saturday...over a week away! Kelly nearly fell into a depression. We had to watch several episodes of Kevin Hart and Jim Carrey just to make it through the day. I'm joking of course, but it is funny to see how something like this just completely disrupts routine. </p>
<p>People on our street wouldn't acknowledge it. Put it out anyway they said...and they did. Some left it street side for an extra week refusing to be bent by a storm day. Perhaps they averted their eyes on their way out of the driveway just pretending it was gone? I'm not sure how they didn't notice the storm cloud of crows that were congregating on the phone line above their house for no apparent reason. </p>
<p>We aren't the only ones who have our little garbage routine. The garbage day habits that one see's in the neighbourhood are often amusing. There is one house that must enjoy picking up the decimated bag that gets strewn all over the end of the driveway because each week they refuse to cover it or put it in a can. I can only imagine that the caw caw caw of the crows in that area means that the buffet is open. </p>
<p>While I don't enjoy the garbage sprint myself it is also particularly amusing to watch the driveway dash of someone in their house coat, and the most easily slipped on oversize footwear available, in an attempt to beat the truck to the pick up point. Wagons get loaded up and hitched to a running kid who topples it on the way to the rendezvous point. It's like the evening show of the Calgary Stampede! </p>
<p>Step that one up a bit and you find the defiant trooper that missed the truck and is loading the car to take the short cuts through the subdivision in some effort to head the garbage truck off at the next street. All the while they keep an eagle eye out searching for a house that hasn't hit their limit of privacy bags to add to their pile! I wonder if the truck drivers collect it as fast as they can just to see how quick that they can get the latecomers really moving? </p>
<p>The windy days are a treat. That's the day that you come home and collect your can from a ditch down the road and the lid from the front yard on the the next street. Perhaps an invention where the garbage can has a base that it gets locked into or a strong magnet to hold it down would be a great invention? There is always the route that a few others have taken which is to essentially build a shed at the end of the driveway. Some of these get pretty elaborate. Personalized with an address, maybe a window and with routered corners and decorative patterns adorning them. That's an elite garbage game right there. </p>
<p>Yes, every second Friday morning is a bit of a whirlwind and yet a fresh start in a way. I must say, I am looking forward to this one. We just decided to clean out the closet in the spare room and I'm pretty sure that it's going to look like a 4 x 28m relay in a couple days....or who knows...we may just do something crazy like put it out the night before. </p>Jason Pricetag:jasonpricecountry.com,2005:Post/69029672022-02-21T07:01:39-04:002022-02-21T07:01:39-04:00What's Your True Passion?<p>For some it could be stamp collecting; for others maybe travel. Determining what your "thing" is can be a life changing opportunity. For me it was music. Somehow along the way writing and performing became a passion of mine. How do you know what your passion is? How do you know if you are good enough at something to perhaps turn that passion into a profession? </p>
<p>My personal belief is that it must be something that you truly enjoy "working" at. I can quite literally sit down for the day and noodle around on my guitar. Time can simply pass by and I will have practiced the same scale or progression over and over and over without any direction that this is something I am told to drill on. To actually do that for the day without interruption is difficult with all of the rigours of life around me, but it is something that wouldn't be abnormal for me. I simply love playing and singing. </p>
<p>I'm certain that if one was to interview the greatest in their particular endeavours, that the amount of time that they put into their craft would be mind boggling to someone who didn't have the same level of passion for it. Take for instance a person that juggles. There isn't anything that really draws me to want to practice that skill for more than a few minutes, but to someone out there, that whole day could pass by and they would still be throwing things in the air and catching them in succession. A hockey player who goes outside and stick handles and shoots pucks all day long. The one you need to call in for lunch and for supper because they are seemingly consumed by it. Maybe then they come inside and start shooting pucks in the basement at an old dryer.</p>
<p>It's different than an addiction. An addiction doesn't necessarily give you any real enjoyment; it's more of an immediate hit that may or may not be followed with guilt. Passion for something brings magic. It brings a sense of pride and accomplishment that leads to more wonder, curiosity, and creativity. For most, it doesn't lead to a profession but whatever realm it is in can certainly immerse you into the world of one. Take for example chess. No, you may not become a professional chess player, but you could create a club, run tournaments, maybe write a book about it. You could be quite passionate about baking, which may lead you to helping others with fundraising, starting your own cooking show online, or becoming an influencer on Pinterest. The key to it, in my opinion, is the true joy that is experienced. There doesn't have to be a personal financial profit, but wouldn't it be great if you could do something you actually loved for employment? </p>
<p>I also believe that when it is time, it will show itself. I imagine that if someone told me to sit down and play the same scale on a guitar over and over and over when I was 19 years old I wouldn't have followed through. It has to come from within. Arranged marriages to a craft don't seem to work as well as the organic approach. Not that it doesn't work at all; some athletes have gone on to tell their stories about how much they hated their sport but were forced through by a crazed parent, coach, or government. There are in outliers in everything I suppose.</p>
<p>It also seems to me that passion can eventually shift. I loved hockey. I mean, I loved playing. Though thinking about it...I didn't love practice as much. I wouldn't go out and work one tight turns at the community outdoor rink, or stick handling etc. I just really loved playing. Since music entered my life; my playing days have diminished to an almost non-existent level. I still really enjoy it, and get out with my kids when I am coaching, but I rarely play anymore which becomes readily apparent when I do try to rip a shot these days. I never had a great one to begin with and there is more than a little rust to go through before I could possibly showcase my hands of stone.</p>
<p>I've mentioned before in a previous blog that trying something new is probably the only way that the passion that you didn't even know you had will be discovered. The cool part is that it can happen at anytime. I was 38 when I picked up a guitar to learn to play; two albums later and I have had multitudes of experiences that would never had happened if I hadn't tugged on that loose thread and followed the passion. It's been a phenomenal trail for me and my hope is that everyone can find their own true path to follow.</p>
<p>Now if you'll excuse me....I have a bit of practicing to do with that guitar. </p>
<p> </p>Jason Pricetag:jasonpricecountry.com,2005:Post/69025032022-02-20T11:48:27-04:002022-02-20T11:48:27-04:00Bottled Water<p>I sometimes think back to the time that I was in Boston with the Acadia University hockey team. It would have been around 1996. We were all in a restaurant for some kind of free afternoon, or maybe a pregame meal for an exhibition game against Harvard. Those days called for some pretty diligent budgeting if I was to be able to partake in the evening events of a few beers so when the waitress asked me what I would like to drink with my meal I answered "water please". It was at that point that she asked me what I thought was the most preposterous question I may have heard at the time. "Would you like bottled water?" </p>
<p>Bottled water?! Who in their right mind would buy a bottle of water? What kind of rip off, snake oil scam was this she was trying to pull? I of course went with the trusty old glass of tap water. Ridiculous question I thought.</p>
<p>These days if I am on the road, I'll even drench my toothbrush with bottled water. I mean, who can really trust that potentially toxin laden stuff that pour freely out of the tap? It is pretty funny what we can get used to and sold on I guess. My whole childhood to adult life I was hydrated with water straight from the pipe, and now I'd walk a kilometre to a store to buy a bottle rather than take a sip from a fountain. </p>
<p>I believe I know the turning point for me. I went to India to take part in the Military World Games as a support staff and the team doctor was adamant that we drink only bottled water. Even a drop of the other stuff could bring on disaster he told us. Drink Coca Cola; don't eat any vegetables that may have been washed in the water; be careful even with the bottled water as the little ring on the bottom of the cap may have been glued on if someone refilled it and is trying to resell; beer is always a good option (my go to for the entire trip). I was literally tight lipped about the water situation. I wouldn't even let the shower hit my face. A ducks backside would let more water in than I did. I was one of the people that didn't get sick, and the ones who did...lets just say I was quite happy to have passed on the salad.</p>
<p>I took the same advice that doc gave us on my first trip to Mexico with Kelly. Boil it, Peel it, Fry it, or forget it. Good tips! I was prepared not to have ice in my drink and to only drink beer and wine. That was until the guy that toured us around the resort informed us that the water in this particular resort had a double osmosis filtration system and was perfectly fine to drink. No worries at this resort he said. He was on loan to the resort from a company in Toronto so I believed him....and he was right! We dived into every pool, drank iced margaritas....no worries and no effects! It was a fantastic trip!</p>
<p>The next year we went to a different resort; and that's when I let my guard down. I knew enough not to go pour a glass from the tap. In fact even at the last resort I hadn't done something like that. This time though, I still had last years resort and the safety of it in mind. I know exactly where it happened...it was the shower that rained from the ceiling with lights that would change depending on the heat of the water. I looked straight up at it oblivious that I was spouting the bacteria riddled fluid up and out of my mouth like a marble fountain in Venice. It hit me that night. I couldn't be more than a few feet from a bathroom for the rest of the night...then all day the next day. Fortunately, they had chewable pepto bismol and bottles of gatorade at the gift shop. I bought both and before bed that night I chewed up a couple of the pink chalky pills and hoped for the best. Success! Way better night!! </p>
<p>I was on top of the world standing confidently then side by side with Kelly in front of one of the his and her sinks brushing my teeth with bottled water...until I spit the toothpaste into the sink. It was black. I opened my mouth and looked into the mirror...my tongue was black. I mean ink black. My stomach sunk and as did the slow turn to Kelly and said "What the #$&% is that?!". We had heard the horror stories of finding a doctor in some of the local areas so I began the internet search right away on getting home, finding a reputable doctor in Mexico....I was sure I had some sort of bubonic plague that would be my demise. For some reason, I did regain a bit of logic and thought about anything that changed in the course of the last 24 hours. I was an Athletic Therapist for years so I could think logically about something like this. Pepto Bismol. I looked up the contraindications online. Chewable pepto bismol it turns out can leave a residue on the teeth that may turn stool and the inside of your mouth...<em>black</em>. Phewwwwwww. The relief of that moment made the rest of the trip enjoyable and I was able to carry on with the trip and enjoy the remaining days. </p>
<p>That was the turning point I think. That was the last time I really trusted the water coming form the pipe nearly anywhere for quite some time. Nowadays I am a little more careful. I still brush my teeth with bottled water at the hotels, and I don't fill a water bottle at the rink anymore; but I am fairly trusting on the water a restaurant would serve in town here. I do drink the well water from my tap, though we get it tested as well. </p>
<p>So if we cross paths sometime in the future in Mexico (or some other place that the local tap may be a bit suspect), and I have a beer in my hand at 9 am...don't judge...it's for the safety of my trip. </p>Jason Pricetag:jasonpricecountry.com,2005:Post/69018162022-02-19T07:28:48-04:002022-02-19T07:28:48-04:00Are you hurt or are you injured? <p>They always have a way of sneaking back into your life if you aren't careful. I did a bit of damage to myself as most guys did that I hung around with. Broken bones, cuts, bruises and strains. Often times it was just a suck it up mentality and keep moving...play through the pain.</p>
<p>The pain would eventually get better, and yes, for the most part things would seem to heal without any major limps or noticeable ramifications. There were benefits to living that way. One major one was that pain wasn't something that would hold you down. That word resiliency keeps creeping back in. There is a difference of course in being hurt and being injured. If a person is just hurt, they can continue...if they are injured that is a different story. The danger is not knowing the difference between the two.</p>
<p>I've had as I mentioned my fair share of injuries. One that came creeping back was a torn ACL that I sustained in a rugby match back in high school. It happened in a game when I was driving up the field with the ball only to meet two players who both agreed it would be a good idea to make a highlight reel hit on this lanky frame that thought it could shake and bake its way around them. Boom! One hit me high, one hit me low and my knee said, "That hurt". I was having a great game up until then. My coach at the time had actually loaned me to another team in a day long tournament because they were short players. I was doing so well that right after I got hit he said "Phew, for a while I thought I gave them the wrong player." He was really good with motivating speeches like that. Instead of leaving the game then, I would limp my way through the rest of it in another position that didn't involve much running. Boy did I show him. My knee swelled to the size of my thigh forcing me to walk like I had a stove pipe for a leg. It stayed like that for a couple weeks. The doc told me to take hot baths. Worst advice possible for an injury like that I came to find out. It wasn't until years later that it was diagnosed in a classroom at Acadia University when the athletic therapy professor used me as a guinea pig for a demo of how to test for an ACL tear. His eyes lit up with surprise and joy when he was able to show the whole class what a positive test looked and felt like for a torn ACL. I didn't have any pain then but I was in pretty good shape. </p>
<p>I stayed in good shape for quite awhile, until I got a little lazy, then a little lazier. Dad bod started to creep in, and the weight room was a place to go if I needed a door stop instead of a place to lift. What happened slowly was that the knee that I kept so strong for so long after that hit, started to show it's weakness again. I never truly rehabilitated that knee or acknowledged that it actually got damaged. It just lay dormant waiting me out before it would show its face again. </p>
<p>It took not being able to show my kids a few things with that leg in particular on the ice to realize that if I didn't look after this properly, it will hinder me later. </p>
<p>I think the same can be said with nearly any injury. Now we find even more that mental injury is equivalent to physical injury. Those same injuries that we "play through" can come back. They can come back hard if you don't get the proper treatment when the injuries happen and learn how to keep yourself resistant to cope with the effects for a lifetime. I just had a chat with someone on an upcoming podcast episode of mine that brought this to light. A mental injury he sustained that he didn't even realize he had, eventually exacerbated itself into physical pain. This guy was an athlete and a soldier raised in an era when "pick yourself up and keep going" was not only a motto, but an expectation. People were taught to move on and forget about it. Move on is good advice, once the injury is noted, worked through and rehabilitated properly. Forget about it,,,not good advice. Learning to recognize the difference between hurt and injured is something that can save a bundle of time and pain down the road. If you are hurt, get off the field as soon as you can..check yourself over and if its safe, get back in the game as soon as possible....If you are injured take a knee and get some help. </p>
<p>I am happy to report now that I can demo those skills on the ice that I couldn't earlier. I had to go get some help from a physical therapist. I had to acknowledge that there was an injury there, and today I practice daily in keeping that strong. It can be a true dichotomy wondering whether it is time to tough it out or a time to get help. I think the key is not hesitating to get a second opinion. Talk to someone you trust...and trust the person in the mirror. If you ask that person for honesty...I am learning that you will usually get it in my experience. It's kinda hard to get one by that person. </p>
<p>Off to do a few lunges now...there is no way I am letting those kids beat me on the ice. </p>Jason Pricetag:jasonpricecountry.com,2005:Post/69009582022-02-18T07:16:18-04:002022-02-18T07:16:18-04:00Hoodies<p>I am a sucker for a good hoodie. I know that they aren't the epitome of fashion and are probably deemed as a skateboard wearable, but I see it like a car. I want to ride in comfort. There is something about getting cocooned in a heavy cotton hoodie with the kangaroo pouch to rest a lazy set of arms in. </p>
<p>The great hoodie is going to set you back a few bucks. I won't mention here any specific brands as I am not some sort of brand ambassador nor am I getting paid to be an influencer here. I will caution you though, that what you pay for in this regard is generally what you get. That holds true until you get into some of the "performance" wear. This stuff is definitely comfortable in its own regard, but is a little on the light side. </p>
<p>One could almost class hoodies by seasons. A nice performance wear hoodie would be good for the late evening or early morning in late July. It's pretty much a summer hoodie. Now the big heavy, almost canvas exterior hoodie can be a replacement for a jacket on cold fall and early winter days. There are companies that actually make these specifically for that purpose!</p>
<p>My go to is the heavy cotton one that feels like you just slipped on a customized portable duvet. I'm not a big logo guy though. I don't like walking around feeling like a billboard unless it's something I truly want to get behind; like perhaps my own logo; or maybe an Team Canada logo. Having a nine inch logo of the brand of shirt that I am wearing, after I paid for the actual shirt, seems like free advertising to that company. I opt for the black on black type advertising in this regard; or perhaps the small well placed logo on the nape or sleeve.</p>
<p>Regardless, the marketing genius behind these heavy cotton hugs is not the point. They hoodie has a bad wrap. Maybe it stems from the old Rocky movies where the grey sweat soaked training sweater gave the image that this was just glorified gym wear. Admittedly, Stallone was did his best to paint himself as some "bum" from Philly which earned him an Academy Award if I am not mistaken, but that just shows the versatility of this wonder garment! </p>
<p>Garth Brooks wears hoodies. He does interviews in them, plays shows on the Garth Channel, sound checks. I think Garth and I would get along famously. Now, when it's show time, it's definitely time to dress more smartly. I mean I wouldn't advise anyone to go into a job interview wearing their favourite hoodie; nor show up to your brothers wedding draped in the comfort of chicken noodle soup either. There are then indeed times that the hoodie has to be put aside. But as soon as those times hit their limit...well not much better than getting out of the dressy gear and slipping into the hot tub of the old faithful hoodie. </p>
<p>What's the best thing to wear with a hoodie? Well, you could go old school gym teacher and opt in for matching sweat pants. That may get you an invite to act as an extra in a Gerry Dee sitcom or an 80's rap video. The best thing in my mind is your favourite pair of jeans. That though is a blog in and of itself. Until then, I should probably head into work...or maybe it's a work from home day....in my favourite hoodie. </p>Jason Pricetag:jasonpricecountry.com,2005:Post/68999812022-02-17T06:36:08-04:002022-02-17T06:36:08-04:00The Weather<p>It's a funny thing that gets talked about by nearly everyone on earth. The weather. I guess maybe it's because it is something we are all experiencing together at the exact moment. It can give some common ground to either praise or curse together. </p>
<p>I rarely know what the weather is expected to be like on any given day. Unless I have a task that is truly weather dependant like travel, or an outdoor event like a golf game; I rarely even peek. I can tell you in the morning if its raining without even looking outside just by the way I feel when I wake up. I don't believe that I have some sort of internal barometer but when it rains I just feel super groggy in the morning. </p>
<p>We really have no say over what the weather holds so I guess my reason for not looking is not to give it any credit on how my day will go. I just kind of accept it. When it's beautiful out, I am grateful for it and surprised by the sun coming through the windows for the most part. If it's cold I notice the bite as soon as I open the door and am grateful for heated seats. I'm not a fan of wind though. </p>
<p>There isn't much that I can say heavy wind is good for other than to blow away fresh lawn clippings or dead leaves. Maybe if I was a surfer, I would love the wind. A breeze? I love a good breeze! A breeze can set the tone for a warm evening and a great picture. A breeze will flirt with you when you drop that piece of paper from your hand skipping a step or two on the ground laughing. Wind tells you to piss off and takes it into whatever random direction it wants. Wind just knocks things around. It sends whatever precipitation is falling into a sideways direction straight into your face seemingly with the hopes of driving itself under the skin. Wind can knock you off your feet on an icy sidewalk; and of course, take your favourite hat. </p>
<p>Guess what is going to show up everyday? The weather. We don't have any say about what kind shows up, all we can do is be prepared to deal with it. Raining? Wear a raincoat or pop an umbrella. Sunny and hot, put on a t-shirt, some sunscreen and a hat. It's just a thing that is going to be there no matter what time you go to bed, what time you wake up, whether its your wedding day or you are stuck inside. It just is. So why let the weather dictate your mood? Why would someone let something completely out of their control, that is accepted as entirely random, set the tone for their day? I can understand heeding storm warnings of course. That keeps you safe, but who cares if its raining or cold unless there is a specific task to do outside? </p>
<p>You know who cares about the weather? People that work outside. That isn't most people. Most people don't have outdoor work. And my guess, is that most people that work outside...they don't like the wind either. </p>Jason Pricetag:jasonpricecountry.com,2005:Post/68990882022-02-16T08:38:18-04:002022-02-16T08:38:18-04:00The Minimum Standard<p>What is our minimum standard these days? I listened to a podcast with author Stephen Pressfield recently and he spoke to the lack of shame that we have as a society in general these days. He mentioned the days when shame itself would set our minimum standard. An example he brought up was the Samurai. The Samurai would quite literally rather die by his own hand than live dishonourably. I am not a proponent of the extreme but there was a time not long ago that people would at least do what they could to live an honourable life. It was a time when being called a liar or a cheat cut to the quick of a person. There was a level that a person just wouldn't stoop to in order to get their own personal gain.</p>
<p>What is our new level? Have we developed some sort of tolerance for shock value? Things that get printed in the news doesn't seem to be truly investigated. Journalists will rip out an article to get readers attention, and then not so much as an editors note in the next edition (that used to be there) apologizing for any incorrect facts. The former President of the the United States said some truly offside remarks during his tenure. These things wouldn't have been uttered by someone in that position at one time, at least not publicly. </p>
<p>Maybe I am completely wrong on this one and things have always been this way...maybe just behind the scenes. Maybe now, people are just being themselves? I find that hard to believe but maybe it's true? I was watching a movie made by Disney very recently. They advertised another movie by Disney coming soon. It was the story of Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee. Disney?! Seriously?! Is that the new minimum that the wholesome home of Winnie the Pooh has? Producing movies about leaked sex tapes and throwing their name behind it? </p>
<p>Graphic images and scenes can be found at the click of a button online. Was it the internet that caused the demise of our minimum standard of honour and integrity? Is it just the fact that human nature was been truly exposed through clickbait? I like to think that we are mentally tougher than that, but it has seemed to have opened the gossip column to an entirely new level. A picture used to be proof. Now there is photoshop. A recording was damning evidence. Now there are ways to manipulate that to ensure an entirely different message is heard, even created out of an algorithm that analyses tone and intonation of a persons voice. I don't mean to go down any rabbit hole here, but it seems that we are living in an era where a person truly cannot trust what they see and hear...even from those that used to be valued as trustworthy sources. </p>
<p>For centuries, politicians have jokingly been known to bend the truth, but it's at an entirely different low these days. Now if there is even a glint of truth it can be wrapped in so many lies that one doesn't know what to truly base a decision on anymore. Our minimum acceptable standard of the level one will go to in order to stay in a position, to climb a ladder, or even to get "likes " on social media has reached a depth that just can't be healthy. The media has a major role in this and has the audacity then to get behind and push the snake oil solution of Bell Lets Talk down one line, while feeding the machine in another that facilitates shock and depression in whatever means that they can to create a story. </p>
<p>Now more than ever it is time to put the oxygen on yourself in order to help those beside you in this turbulent aircraft. It's very easy to go down the slippery slope of negativity and to waste time eating wherever the scrolling slot machine of distraction takes a person. It takes a lot of discipline to live wholesomely these days. It takes some careful treading through the information highway to figure out what is safe and what isn't. I'm not an overly religious person but it seems to be similar to that shiny apple in the garden of eden. The Ten Commandments can arguably said to have been tossed aside somewhere along the way. </p>
<p>All is not lost though. There are likeminded people who don't subscribe to a lot of the misinformation. There are people who can be role modelled, and can be looked up to as mentors. It really is as simple as deleting a few from your daily interactions and social accounts that bring about misinformation; that bring the energy down in life; that engage in the gossip. There is the freedom of choice. The freedom to choose how one will act and react; and the freedom to live and hold others in their circle to a higher degree of standard. Each one of us can truly be world class in that regard.....Let's not accept the minimum standard...it's the minimum for a reason. </p>Jason Pricetag:jasonpricecountry.com,2005:Post/68980672022-02-15T06:54:23-04:002022-02-15T06:54:23-04:00Youth Sport<p>I can think of no other equivalent to youth sports for learning life lessons. I know that each sport has it's own culture and environment, but each has similar characteristics as well. Namely, you need to put in the work to enjoy any sort of sustained success. There are so many relevant things to learn about in sport, that in my opinion it is a disservice to any child not to have them in at least one team sport; and preferably in one individual sport as well. </p>
<p>Take the team sport first. Learning that there are multiple positions on a team, and that each role is critical to the teams success, is a pretty big one to come to grips with. What's more is that as a player on a team, you can't be in every role at once. Yes, you can jump in and out of roles, but you can't play all of them at once. You can play your position really well, but you cannot control the game entirely. The selfish player who only looks for glory at the risk of alienating him or her self in an attempt to satisfy only self is often shunned. Individuals play golf. Individuals aren't welcome in a team dressing room. Team is sacrifice. That of course would be the ultimate level of team. Thankfully, youth will learn the lessons of what doesn't work in a team format, because they are still just figuring it all out. There will be teammates who are along for the ride, whose oars are not in the water paddling in the same direction. There will be some who opt out of every practice because preparation isn't as fun as the game. This happens specifically when the practice time is inconvenient in its timing (see the early morning practice blog a ways back).</p>
<p>Team sport allows a young person to trust in the idea of a teammate as well. Someone who may help them when they make a mistake. They may also realize that when a mistake is made, it costs the entire team bringing an entirely different realm of responsibility in. Learning self control for the good of others is a great team lesson. Having an opportunity to step up and lead in any given play can be great for the young player looking to boost confidence. Social opportunities galore come up through youth sport as well. Fund raising efforts in order to attend special events. All of these are fantastic lessons for youth if they are done correctly. We can probably all relate to a co-worker today who could have used a few more lessons in team sport? </p>
<p>Individual sport also has its place. Nothing speaks higher to work effort and ethic than to have the entire performance resting on your own shoulders. Badminton, Golf, Swimming, Gymnastics, etc. are all examples of individual sports that put the player in a position that they have to act. Who can be blamed for poor performance when playing a solo sport? Individual strengths and weaknesses are glaring in an individual sport. There is no one to bail you out. Conditioning becomes a part of the game, and ultimately the biggest thing in my opinion is mental fitness. The fact that every play is on the individual ensures that some level of stress is going to be felt. Keeping emotion in check and learning to overcome adversity on your own makes you a better teammate when it comes to playing team sports. The individual sporting world is an ideal breeding ground for those traits. </p>
<p>The other part of individual sport, particularly golf, that I feel is a good lesson for youth is that sometimes you will hit a great shot, or make a fantastic play, but you just don't get the break. That life isn't always fair. That what deserved to be rewarded wasn't and an unlucky bounce can snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. An official could make an error that costs the match. The same holds true when a good bounce comes when it truly wasn't deserved. Ever shank a golf ball into the woods only to find it had hit a tree and landed in the middle of the fairway with a much better lie than the person who striped it up the middle and had it run down to the rough? Sometimes, you get a lucky break as well. You learn gratitude.</p>
<p>Resiliency is a huge lesson in sport. The blades are dull on your skates; the lace breaks on your gloves webbing; a ball hits you in the face that hurts but isn't an "injury". All of these things could cause the unseasoned athlete to quit. The lessons learned to find a way to carry on will serve that person for life.</p>
<p>Yes, there are all sorts of lessons here and in my twenty minutes of typing I will merely land on the tip of the iceberg. To truly experience the benefit of sport there is no replacement to feel the joy and the sorrow of winning and losing than to jump into whatever arena you fancy. The sweet taste of victory, and the ache of defeat. The thrill of a game winning shot or the rejection of the one that missed. It's important to be placed in all of those scenarios when all that counts in the end is the score of a game. When life gives you some of these same tests, when you need to step up and take the "shot "; and things are truly on the line, it is good practice to know how to react. In a time where we could use more resilience than ever; consider sport as an arena to help round out some life lessons for your kid. It may just make the difference for them down the road, and as an added bonus, a tired kid is a quiet kid so it may just help you out as well. </p>Jason Pricetag:jasonpricecountry.com,2005:Post/68971022022-02-14T07:21:15-04:002022-02-14T07:21:15-04:00Valentines Day<p>Ah, the day that all shall profess their love with boxes of waxy "chocolate" in heart shaped boxes found right next to the onslaught of Easter goods at the local Walmart. Valentines Day has always been a bit of a strange one to celebrate. I think it's a fantastic day for the young lovebirds to really focus on each other, but to start it off in elementary school seems a little bizarre. </p>
<p>Valentines Day in elementary school is kind of similar to real life FaceBook isn't it? Build a little heart shaped folder to tape to your desk and hope that you get a bunch of "likes" from your peers. Parents and siblings pushing cupids will onto a 9 year old to ooh and ahhh that he got a valentine from his girrrrlllfriend. It's all of course done in fun but what kind of pressure is that! The kid doesn't have a chance. It's tradition so we can't mess with that can we? You must go buy a box of 48 little perforated cards with the hot cartoon of today, that have enough space to write a to and from onto it, fold it in half, and check the name off the provided class list. It's a bit archaic now isn't it? In a world of google and eCards, I am sure that some kids are wondering what this fuss is all about. What do you do with this bundle of generic cards that come home? Put them in the memory bin (aka the junk tote), keep them for several years, then decide to throw them out during a frantic spring cleaning in the future someday. </p>
<p>We gave our youngest the choice this year, and guess what...he opted out. We asked him a couple of times, did you want us to stop and pick up some Valentines cards? Nope. That was it. He is a lovable kid, enjoys being with all his friends...but has no desire to hand out paw patrol hearts to them this year. I can't blame him. It just seems like one of those holidays of the past. The commercial ones that aren't about bringing family together and really just focus on the hype. The exchange of valentines have been happening since the early 1700s apparently, until someone named Esther Howland began to sell mass produced cards in the 1840's. Well, I am sure Esther put a lot more work into her valentines with ribbons and lace; todays market sends about 145 million cards around the globe according to a bit of internet research. That's a lot of love at about $5 a card. </p>
<p>While a card can certainly say a lot, and of course flowers are also a nice gesture; in my opinion time once again seems to be the one best thing to give. Having dedicated time with your loved one as a routine makes Valentines Day just another day. Why wait for February 14th? I'm sure that Saint Valentine was a great guy, especially risking his life to marry couples against an emperors will; but shouldn't true love be something that just is? It's real chocolate for no reason at all. It's giving her the last bite of a shared dessert. It's putting the other first always. It's picking up a new book because it's just something you know she would like. True love isn't at all commercial. It certainly can be a day that some need in order to prompt a little more romance I guess, but it needn't be something that has to be purchased or pressured. In the sport of love, I think it's better to play the long game. </p>
<p>I guess that now that I have convinced myself that all is good here..... I better get to Walmart...I don't want to be outdone by any 9 year olds. </p>Jason Pricetag:jasonpricecountry.com,2005:Post/68966892022-02-13T16:14:20-04:002022-02-13T16:14:20-04:00Sunday Dinners<p>My family typically does Sunday evening dinners at my parents house. Whenever we can and the schedule permits, it is just something that we do. My grandmother has had this sort of thing occur every weekend since I was a young boy. When we were over there, all of our extended family would show up on Sundays to drop in for a bite to eat and just to say hello.</p>
<p>I don't know if this is then a maritime tradition, or a small town type tradition, but it's definitely a good one. Our kids look forward to raiding Grams treat cupboard upon arrival. Gibson heads for the treat closet of his own and waits for his jumbo milkbone; and Kelly and I generally have a glass of wine in hand within 15 minutes. It's just a nice way to end/start the week depending on how you judge day 1 or day 7. </p>
<p>These days it's more important than ever to stay connected to family and maybe not so connected to the internet. If you have the ability and your family is within sensible driving distance it makes sense to take a timeout from the rest of life and just spend some time together. I was just speaking to a friend of mine who moved back home after leaving home around the age of 19. He told me that since he has been back around 3 years ago, he hasn't missed a day of going to spend some time with his mother. What a great story. The thing that has become apparent to me over the past month is the appreciation of time. You can never get time back. It's the most valuable currency we have. You can take a pair of pants back to the store; you can get cancellation insurance on a trip; you can end up with a free dinner if you didn't get what you ordered....but you can't get time back. There is a strict no refund policy on that. I have been more cognizant of that lately. </p>
<p>When you let that settle into your mind, you begin to get present and stay present for more things. I played a couple of solo acoustic shows over the weekend. With that presence in mind...each song became extremely important. Beyond that, each verse, each chorus, and each strum on a granular level became more present and precise. It made an immediate impact on the show because I was cognizant of the time that people were spending to sit there and listen. I wasn't concerned with how many, nor the ticket price, etc..just really giving them every bit of everything I had for the full show. </p>
<p>I tried it again this morning at breakfast. I tried to focus on every bite that I took. What a difference! When your mind is not wandering absentmindedly and you focus on what you are doing it's a huge difference. Imagine that, being focused makes your level of appreciation go higher. What a novel concept. It's easy to skate by with a ton of useless things on your mind these days. I would challenge anyone to actually sit and be present at your next meal, in your next conversation, or even as you sit in solitude and read some hillbilly songwriters blog. </p>
<p>Presently, I am finishing this one here so that I an go enjoy the Sunday evening that we look forward to every week. </p>Jason Pricetag:jasonpricecountry.com,2005:Post/68960092022-02-12T15:15:25-04:002022-02-12T15:15:25-04:00Routine<p>Routine is a great thing when it works. I have had a certain routine that I have adapted to over the last little while. I typically get up pretty early, get a workout in, walk the dog, do some creative writing, post a blog, then practice guitar scales until the rest of the family gets up. It’s been great! I have gotten a lot done that I wouldn’t have in the past. </p>
<p>This morning was different. I played a show last night at Whitepoint Beach Resort. It’s a great little room to play a songwriter’s acoustic individual show. Getting up early was going to be a bit difficult this morning because the show ends after my typical evenings wind down for bed. That wasn’t what disrupted the routine this morning though. You see, the room that I stay in at Whitepoint is usually a room with a couple of double beds, a desk, and an arm chair. Don’t get me wrong, it’s got a beautiful view of the ocean and I am certainly not complaining here. The problem with it, is that Kelly does not subscribe to the early morning wake up specifically on a weekend with no kids around. Secondly, she does not want to be part of nor privy to my bouncing frame doing jumping jacks on a creaky laminate floor when the first signs of morning consciousness show up. I can’t say that that I blame her! </p>
<p>Maybe I could take to the road and get a little run in out in the early morning darkness? That would be ok if it weren’t for the fact that my golden retriever would desperately want to join me. I would take him; however, the resort I am in is famous for the rabbits that have multiplied all over this area like…well rabbits, and I would rather not be pulled by an excited golden into the woods on my run. It’s impossible to leave without him. He just wants to be with me so when I leave he will incessantly whine until I come back. To understand how this may be viewed by Kelly, just reflect back to the bouncing frame doing jumping jacks and insert “his wagging tail and a dog whining”. </p>
<p>So what did I do? I slept in. I took a morning off of my usual and just went with it. It did definitely set my day off differently. I actually felt groggier than usual by getting more sleep! In the end though, my blog got done (though I had to type this all a second time due to the internet dropping when I tried to publish the last one); we walked the dog around mid-morning after breakfast; the creative writing and guitar practice will happen a little later this afternoon; and the world didn’t stop turning! I can certainly see how a truly routine oriented person may feel like their world was unravelling if things didn’t go a certain way; but isn’t that what life is supposed to be like? Wouldn’t it be kind of vanilla if it was always groundhog day? </p>
<p>Tonight I play another one, so I should probably set my alarm for the morning knowing that this is going to be another later night. Maybe tomorrow I will walk the dog first, then do the creative writing in the lodge….or maybe, I will just go with the flow for one more day. Stay tuned and if the world stops tomorrow, I hope it wasn’t me!</p>Jason Pricetag:jasonpricecountry.com,2005:Post/68948882022-02-11T06:55:09-04:002022-02-11T06:55:09-04:00The Merge Lane<p>I'm not quite certain as to what happens to us as people when we find ourselves behind the steering wheel of a car. I have seen some truly meek individuals morph into a completely different person. The competitor. There seems to be this very territorial instinct to protect the lane that one is driving in here in my local area. It's so bad that people will take the opportunity to get into the lane that they need to be in to take an exit about 2 or 3 KM's out on a two lane city street, just to be sure they will get through to the off ramp. Heaven forbid that they use both lanes all the way to the exit...The whole zipper effect is completely lost on these people. </p>
<p>There are the others as well who will essentially play frogger down both lanes trying to jump up a few cars by cutting off whoever is in their way, passing on the left or the right with complete indiscretion. Motorcycles are often guilty of this. Our local traffic, as bad as it is, is extremely orderly in comparison to a place like India. While I visited there a 3 lane road would swarm with 5 lanes of traffic all jumbled together, moving forward in waves like ants following a dripping Popsicle. There was no use of signal lights, just horns blasting everywhere in some sort of system that allowed them to weave in and out of each others way, avoiding oncoming traffic while carrying their entire family on a scooter. I didn't see one accident, nor one incident of road rage; and somehow traffic seemed to flow. </p>
<p>Locally, I think it leads back to that territorial thing. The quick hurry up to the car that is directly in front of you in order to prevent someone in the other lane from getting in front of you somehow. The funny part is that nobody seems to care at all if that person in the other lane goes miles ahead of them...in the other lane; or if they pull in behind them...apparently that is ok as well. It's only that two car lengths in front of them that they are so damn adamant to protect. Picture this, an elderly driver puts on a blinker indicating that they would like to move from the inside lane into the outside lane because they will need to turn onto an exit up ahead. The middle aged soccer parent see's the indicator light and squeezes up closer to the car ahead to prevent that driver from getting in front of them in their lane. No way is Grandma getting in front of me. Get in line sister. Grandma misses her exit and ends up lost in a traffic circle that takes her to the other side of the city. It's ridiculous. </p>
<p>It's as if commuting is some sort of Olympic time trialed event. If I let that person beside me move their car in front of me into my lane, I may lose upwards of .5 secs from arriving to my destination!! That would kill my time! Screw that...Speed up!!</p>
<p>It's worse it seems when merging onto a road. How many times have you been in a car that was merging from an on ramp to pull on to the highway? A sole car travels on the lane you are merging into. It's a 3 lane highway. Not another car in sight and yet this person says...yer not merging in front of me buddy. Instead of moving over to the next lane with some sort of courtesy that one would think would exist, they keep their pace...maybe even speed up..so that the person merging in has no option but to floor it and pull some Dukes of Hazzard thing off, or hit the brakes to find their spot behind the King of the Road. </p>
<p>People are using their cars like dogs use fire hydrants. It's a bit insane when you actually take yourself out of the picture and just watch what is happening. People will actually get furious about someone putting on their indicator and moving into a space in front of their car. The rage boils over and the person that got "cut off" tramps on the pedal at the next opportunity just to fly by the offender in order to cut back in, and then slows to the speed limit. Now that they are back in the proper order, it becomes permissible by the highness for that road peasant to pass on the left, as long as it stays in the left and doesn't move back into the lane until at least one more car up ahead has been passed.</p>
<p>What's the end result of all of this. Frustration, road rage, accidents; and people arriving to work, the grocery store, and sporting events just as quickly as they originally would have, had they just waved that nut job in who had the audacity to want to get into the lane that they owned. The only real difference in driving with a bit of courtesy would be arriving to your destination in a great mood. </p>
<p>I'm not sure if the culture will ever change here in this regard, but I would encourage you to try for one day letting whomever puts their signal light on beside you into your lane with happiness. I'm betting you may get the same feeling you did the last time you held the door open for that nice old lady at the gas station who stopped for directions to get back to the other side of the city. </p>Jason Pricetag:jasonpricecountry.com,2005:Post/68937592022-02-10T07:29:22-04:002022-02-10T07:29:22-04:00I'm Starting A Podcast<p>Never one to back down from something I don't have a clue how to do; I am starting a podcast. For those that don't really know what a podcast is; it is basically your own personal radio show that is hosted on a website and pushed out to all sorts of arenas like Apple, Spotify, YouTube, etc. The podcast world is typically very specific, for example, if you were to enjoy fitness you may start a podcast in that world but narrow it down to strength training for the figure skater. It can be solo (like a blog), it can have a host/guest format (like an interview); or perhaps multiple guests (like a panel on Hockey Night in Canada). There are all shapes and sizes.</p>
<p>My decision was to go with an interview format, which for me is more of a long conversation than an actual interview. It's something new. There are a ton of little nuances that must be learned along the way, which I am still feeling out, but in the day of Google and YouTube anything is possible. My studio is a laptop with a microphone or two, and some headphones which all depends on if the show is in person or if I am chatting with someone in the virtual web world. </p>
<p>A couple of people have asked me "Why did you start this?". That's a good question and there are a few answers but one of them that sticks out is that it made me nervous. It made me nervous to figure out all of the equipment that I would need, to ensure that I could find the right software to use, and to be a good host. In my podcast, I don't actually have any idea who my next guest is going to be! That is a little scary but also puts into practice the ability to talk with a stranger and truly listen to their story. </p>
<p>The podcasts so far have been anywhere from 1.5 to 2 hrs long. It's typically something that you as a listener would throw in your headphones while you are going for a walk, or doing the dishes, maybe over the car speakers on your way to work. The cool thing about the podcast is when you shut it off, there is an automatic "bookmark" that just picks up from where you left off so you can listen at your leisure. </p>
<p>I'll share my idea here now. The premise of my podcast was to try to link each of the guests that I have on the show to the one that immediately preceded them. What I did was ask four people from different walks of my life that I found to be inspirational, interesting, motivating, and positive; and recorded my conversation with them to introduce them and their stories to the world through the podcast. In turn, they recommend the next guest that I should be talking with. The same caveat applied for them. Maybe it is a mentor, or a role model, or someone that they feel just needs their story told. The cool part is that after my initial launch, I am literally waiting to find out who I will be talking with next! In most other podcasts, the host seeks out who they will feature...mine are being introduced by my last guest. My job then is to make sure that I do right by my initial guests and really connect with the people that they recommend to ensure that the world hears what my initial guests know about these people, and so on in perpetuity. </p>
<p>The entire project could fall flat on it's face. It could fail miserably, there could be glitches in technology which I am sure will happen at some point. I may have a guest whose recommendation doesn't work out, effectively pruning that chain of guests back at that point. I could fumble and conduct the worlds worst interview. All of these things may happen...but maybe they won't. Maybe it will be overwhelmingly successful and the show will become the number one podcast in podcast world. Maybe guests on this show will help to turn some listener's life around, and that person will become a world leader and impact millions. My point here is if it merits consideration for the worst things that can happen, then consider the best as well and in all likelihood it will fall somewhere in the middle; but why not try?</p>
<p>The fact that this idea made and still makes me nervous means to me that there is an opportunity for growth. On top of that, think of all of the people that I will get to meet and chat with! That in of itself widens the circle and creates relationships out of simple conversation. It is my opinion that the world can always use a little more positivity. I have effectively left social media on a personal basis. I do still monitor my music accounts; however, the barrage of negativity that is often found in the roulette wheel of a thumb scroll on your phone can leave one feeling a little discouraged. It made me ask what I am doing to help. This upcoming podcast, this blog, and the self-improvement that will come with both are my answer. I become a better teammate by improving myself. Sharing the stories of the people who you may pass in your own grocery store should help illuminate and serve as a reminder that we don't need to be a superstar with a huge social platform to be an inspiration and a positive influence on the world. Everyone has some greatness in them. </p>
<p>My hope is that this project turns out. It isn't something that I am doing for financial gain, in fact it actually costs me money to get it done but so does a gym membership. I really don't have any gauge on how it would be declared a success to someone that might ask. My true belief is that just by launching it, it becomes an immediate success. That's the point of using a little creativity isn't it? To come up with something where there was nothing before? To bring an idea to life? To improve on that something over time and build it and help shape it into whatever direction it goes? </p>
<p>If you are interested and want to follow along to see how it turns out; and to listen to what I am certain will be some great stories from some great people, then check out the "Who Should I Be Talking To?" podcast. The initial 4 episodes with the starting guests will be available on 16 February 2022 on your favourite podcast platform. I will have links to it on my website here as well. I hope that you get as much out of listening to it as I have so far with the conversations that I have gotten the opportunity to have already. </p>
<p> </p>Jason Pricetag:jasonpricecountry.com,2005:Post/68927082022-02-09T07:19:26-04:002022-02-09T07:19:26-04:00The Perfect Temperature<p>We keep our bedroom a bit cooler than the rest of the house. There's a white noise machine that purrs in the background, each light is dimmed or extinguished altogether. Before drifting off to unconsciousness, everything seems perfect. The right amount of blankets, the perfect coverage of said blankets, the firmness of the pillow, a kiss goodnight and its lights out.</p>
<p>Somehow throughout the first hour and a half of dream land...things change. I'm not sure how it happens but the blankets either shrink causing a grab a corner of the blanket and roll over tug-of-war with your spouse; or perhaps some devilish elf casts some sort of spell that makes the blankets exceedingly heavy causing your poor legs to engage into a marathon of a river dance rehearsal. What was the perfect ambience is now some sort of slumber storm. </p>
<p>Personally, I find the temperature to be the thing that fluctuates most. Once again drifting off to sleep in the moment feels great. Perfectly cozy in a quilted Egyptian cotton burrito. That's when you begin to feel like your burrito got left under a heat lamp. Maybe pulling the blanket down just off the shoulder will work; fire an arm out as well. That's fine temporarily then its too chilly again, back to burritoville...for a few minutes. Then the foot wanders out like a turtle peeking out of its shell...followed by the rest of a single leg. That works for a while until it withdraws back under the blankets to join the other. Wash, rinse, repeat. </p>
<p>That's bad enough when you have a solo mattress. As soon as you add company, there's an entirely different element to it. I say company instead of partner or spouse, because one never knows what company will decide they need to add to this melting pot of discomfort. The partner or spouse could be an inferno or an ice block at any given moment. Think your feet are cold? Just wait till Jacqueline Frost puts her feet on you to warm up! Feeling a tad on the warm side try moving a little farther away from the furnace that is intent on taking every inch of your space while leaving an oasis of cool mattress on the other side. Kids are fantastic little lumps under the blanket that sneak in somehow during the night and find whatever space you were going to roll into next. Wear shin pads and cup to bed if these creatures reside in your house or you may feel you ended up in a nocturnal UFC match. </p>
<p>I'm not sure how people allow their dogs into the mix. My guy sleeps on the floor by my bed, then tic tacs to the other side of the bed; then to the bathroom mat; off to the hallway, and then randomly picks any of the aforementioned areas to settle down in for the next 20 minutes before moving again. I let him up on the bed once when it was just he and I travelling for a gig in my hotel room. Dogs sleep with their legs extended as if they fell suddenly from a standing position and landed paralyzed on their sides. Their legs may creep in a bit but that is only until they feel they need to over extend them into a full on stretch putting both front paws anywhere from your upper chest to your face, and sinking their lower paws anywhere from your soft relaxed belly to about mid thigh. Add the crazy dog dream that they are having and the rabbit they are chasing in that dream, and you aren't catching a wink of sleep. </p>
<p>I investigated some sort of wizardry that slips onto your mattress and keeps both sides of the bed customizably climatized. The price was outlandish so I haven't succumbed to that yet, and I don't believe that this company has truly considered any of the external factors I mentioned already about the guest generators that randomly occupy any given space in the surface area of a Sealy Posturepedic. </p>
<p>I don't remember having any of these issues in my early twenties, although it's likely I didn't even remember going to bed on many of those nights. I would just hit the mattress without any consideration whatsoever that I may even stir. Lights could be left on full beam with a Metallica concert left on the TV that eventually turned to some sort of W5 episode at 3 AM, and no factor, I would just drift off and sleep in the middle of that virtual construction zone. </p>
<p>If you do get that perfect sleep....that perfect temperature...it feels like you just sunk a 42 foot putt for birdie on the 18 hole of an otherwise 40 over par round of golf. It's elusive but it lets you know that it's out there and today just may be your day again. Maybe tonight is my night? I'll let you know how it goes. For now, it's time to get things going and wake those mattress mounds up for school. </p>Jason Pricetag:jasonpricecountry.com,2005:Post/68916402022-02-08T07:09:16-04:002022-02-08T07:09:16-04:00The Gym<p>I'm not stranger to the gym. I've worked in gyms for a lot of my life as a strength coach, trainer or even a manager. There is some etiquette that goes hand in hand with sweating and moving weights around among other people in a semi-private space. One of the big ones right away is don't stink. It may come as some surprise to some but a shower before you go to the gym isn't a bad idea. I understand the logic of not showering beforehand, but trust me, you don't want to be the person that the trainer must awkwardly inform of your offensive odour that is leaving its mark in every area you wander. Same applies to your gym clothes. You will still have the same chances of lifting a new personal best if you run some water and Tide through the fabric once in awhile. </p>
<p>The next little etiquette point is returning the weights. Some people will show you just how tidy their house is when they go to the gym. They leave a trail all over the place indicating every bench and weight that they used. Listen Hercules, if you are strong enough to lift the weight onto the bar or move the 135lb dumbbells to the bench, then just put them back. If you really would like the rest of the gym to know what you lifted, ask someone to take your picture for your instagram. </p>
<p>That leads me to another point. The gym is a place to workout, not do the photo shoot for the next muscle and fitness magazine cover. Sure a quick selfie or even a video to check your form is acceptable, but ditch the modelling shoots. People are waiting for that piece of equipment so use it or lose it.</p>
<p>Dropping the weights is always a good one to touch on. It would be good practice to work out as quietly as you possibly can. Nothing is more impressive in the gym than the ninja beast who lifts heavy without a peep. Honestly, that person becomes legendary. The one that becomes infamous is the person that gives the senior citizen working out right beside them a heart attack with the boom of the iron hitting the floor. There are actually spots and platforms that are made for powerlifters which is completely acceptable, but the general area of the weight room is typically not for that; and almost never a good idea with dumbbells. </p>
<p>Don't be shy to ask for a spot. A spot is when you get someone to stand either in front, back, or beside you when you are lifting a weight that you may find a tad heavy. This is especially important when doing things that can pin you to the bench like a bench press for instance. The rookie that gets pinned usually doesn't have the strength to push the bar back up and now has it resting across the rib cage. There are only a few ways out of this predicament. One: A person comes to your rescue and helps get the bar up off of your chest; Two: You don't have collars on the bar and so tip the bar to one side causing an avalanche of weights to hit the floor only then to immediately feel an extreme river kayak motion jerk you to the opposite side of the bench (sometimes taking you with it) for the plate dump that happens there; or, Three: The wriggle. This is a good one where the individual then rolls the bar down their rib cage, over the stomach, grinding over the two prominent bones that some call their hips that are actually the front of the iliac crest, only to land across the top of the sensitive area of the pelvis. The individual then does a sit up of sorts, and attempts to stand up as the weights then roll down their legs scraping their shins on the way down to the floor or with any luck the person ends up capable of holding them and makes it to standing. Either option brings its own source of embarrassment and risk of ending up on social media. </p>
<p>Next, nobody wants to work out in your pool of sweat. Bring a towel and clean the gear you were using after you leave your residue all over the place. There are generally spray bottles available as well. Trust me, you are not Elvis. Women are not screaming and passing out to receive some sort of perspiration filled piece of cloth from you.</p>
<p>Lastly, the mirrors are for checking your form. They can also be used for a quick scan of the room, for safety purposes to ensure that nobody is behind you when you move, and even to check for torn body parts after getting the bar stuck on your chest. They are not for posing and flexing, nor are they for you to watch yourself walking through the gym with ILD (imaginary lat disease...a common occurrence where the individual perceives that their lats are so big that they cannot effectively let their arms hang by their side naturally and must walk around as if imaginary barrels are under their arms). If you truly are a competitive bodybuilder, then flex away...far away.. into another room. Nobody in the gym is a judge awarding you points today.</p>
<p>Yes, the gym is full of all different walks of life. The screamers, the grunters, the talkers, the gawkers, and the average Joe's. I bet it would be a fascinating place to study human behaviour. Just do your best to be a good person and respect others in the room and you will be fine. </p>
<p>Now back to my push ups...my gosh, all of these etiquette points would be twice as bad at a commercial gym.</p>Jason Pricetag:jasonpricecountry.com,2005:Post/68906572022-02-07T07:05:40-04:002022-02-07T07:05:40-04:00Scary Movies<p>My daughter Abbie likes scary movies. She tends to find them funny; maybe its the cheese factor that is the draw there? I don't know, I avoid them like onions on pizza. I just can't fathom how some writers would come up with some of that stuff and then actually put it into a format that we can actually go visualize.</p>
<p>I was about 4 years old when I developed a habit of getting up in the middle of the night, without my parents knowing, to turn on the TV. One night in particular this movie came on that I should not have been watching. It was a guy running around in an amusement park trying to get away from some sort of vampirish fella. My eyes were glued to the screen. At some point, the vampire guy caught up with the other fella and grabbed his hand like he was going to shake it. Instead of a gentlemanly shake, he squeezed it until his hand split into two which was graphically shown for my viewing pleasure. I can still see it in my mind today. That is the impact that had on me. I was horrified obviously, and of course tattled on myself for being up by running into my parents room for some consolation who abruptly took the knob off of the television before bed each night thereafter.</p>
<p>The next one I remember was at a birthday party sleep over when I was about Grade 5. I was introduced to Freddy Krueger. Who the hell let Wes England come to a kids birthday party? For those that don't know, the genius that created this movie came up with a character who was burned alive in a furnace for atrocities he committed only to come back to kill kids with a glove that was made of four long razor blades. The worst part, he could only get you if you fell asleep. Try going to sleep after seeing that masterpiece as a 10 year old! </p>
<p>I just don't see the point of these movies. It's the equivalent to me of going outside and hitting your thumb with a hammer on purpose. Weeeeee....pain is fun! Furthermore, what kind of individual thinks up this stuff? That's the person I want showing up to date my kids. Who's your friend Alex? Oh this is Sadie. Nice to meet you Sadie, what do you do to stay busy? Oh, I sit around and think of the most vile twisted crazy ways to kill people, and then I write it down in a script in the hopes that people will enjoy watching it. Goodbye Sadie. </p>
<p>I understand that cinema is supposed to tap into your emotions, similar to a song I suppose. I'm a country music singer so perhaps the same argument of why on earth would you sing such a sad thing as He Stopped Loving Her Today? Is the goal to dampen the spirits of the entire audience? No, that in my mind, is story telling based on some real experiences that people go through. Do you know what most people don't go through? A guy in a goalie mask with super human strength, that can't be killed, revving up a chainsaw and dismembering scantily clad prom dates in a summer cabin.</p>
<p>Who needs to add this sort of fear and stress to their lives?! Do you want fear and stress? Have a kid. Have a four year old kid who asks for nothing for Christmas then lets you know on Christmas Eve that at the mall with Grandma that week, he asked Santa for a sold out Lightning MacQuack Attack figurine. That should get the old juices running. There just seems to be enough things in day to day life to step on your nervous system than to add into the mix some deranged lunatic doll that comes to life and kills everyone in the house.</p>
<p>I'm just gonna keep on watching the ridiculous humour of Jim Carrey, maybe some more action flicks, and of course the obligatory date night smoosh movies; and leave the slasher films to the people that bungee jump from bamboo scaffolding in Mexico.</p>
<p>Gotta run...it's time to put the batteries back in the TV remote...TV's don't have knobs anymore and I have my own 10 year old. </p>Jason Pricetag:jasonpricecountry.com,2005:Post/68899812022-02-06T06:11:58-04:002022-02-06T06:11:58-04:00Practice makes Perfect?<p>Ask my son if practice makes perfect and you will get a resounding "No!". What he will tell you is that practice makes permanent. This is not his own logic, it came from a hockey coach that he has. That coach is right on the money. Practice does not make perfect...it makes permanent. Practice a bad habit over and over, it becomes engrained.</p>
<p>I can tell you that this is true first hand through guitar playing. There are merits to learning guitar on your own, but there are also shortfalls. One of those is if you practice a technique or form long enough in the incorrect way, you will not want to change and it will stunt your ability to be as good as you could be. I have stumbled on that with the use of my pinky finger on my fretting hand. Most average guitar players and some good ones will get away without using their pinky finger much, but the great ones use every tool in the toolbox so to speak. I found out that my pinky has been ignoring the push-up protocol that the others seem to have been doing. Where does that leave me? At the beginning with the pinky finger relearning exactly where it is supposed to be. </p>
<p>Most mornings now, I set a metronome to a specific tempo and run through scales ensuring that I use my pinky finger in the right place. Improvement comes much faster when you can already navigate the course. It would be very similar to tweaking your golf swing. Really just slow down, practice the technique very slowly and deliberately, then get up to tempo...and try not to curse. </p>
<p>I actually enjoy the practice aspect. I can quite literally sit and practice the same little lick, scale, chord progression, whatever...for hours. The key to it I find is that if I start to put in any garbage reps, then I stop and take a short break then come back to it. You see, I also had a coach that told me the same thing in principle so it isn't a new idea. Mine said "Garbage in equals Garbage out". Basically, if you put in garbage reps, you will get garbage results. It also works when you talk about nutrition come to think of it! </p>
<p>So learn from my mistake here newbies. If you try to pick up a new habit, skill, or technique be patient. Do it right. Practice makes permanent. I knew I should have been in the NHL All Star Game...I just practiced the wrong things!</p>
<p> </p>Jason Pricetag:jasonpricecountry.com,2005:Post/68893702022-02-05T07:05:37-04:002022-02-05T07:05:37-04:00Washing The Dishes<p>I don't know why but doesn't the dishes seem like such a terrible chore? I'm not sure if it is those perpetual ones that really get to you because it is a daily occurrence? It kind of goes hand in hand with yesterdays blog though doesn't it? Yep, our household learned about home cooking again, but we also learned about dishes. </p>
<p>We have child labour in our house so we are fortunate. I call it rent. I remember having to pay my rent in a similar fashion. I dreaded it. I wished over and over that someone would invent dishes that would just clean themselves. I need to warn you, before you entrust your children to do the dishes, you must be prepared to wash them again for awhile or eat off of half clean utensils. Kids don't really have an eye for detail unless it's the glint that you can now see off of the players skates in EA Sports NHL 22...then they pay attention to the finer details. One way to handle that is to make the person with the drying towel in charge of quality control. Kids rather enjoy returning a dish with a speck on it to a sibling with dish pan hands. </p>
<p>Chores are a great way to teach kids a bit of resiliency though in my opinion. For instance, I don't have a wood stove in my house but I am seriously considering getting a cord of wood delivered to split. Sounds a little crazy I know, but just hear me out. </p>
<p>I recall being the "pilot" when I was a kid and we did have a wood stove. My Dad would split it, and I would pile it. It sucked. It wasn't easy but it wasn't too difficult either. After it was done, the pile looked pretty good; and there was a sense of accomplishment. Winter wasn't fun with going outside and digging out the wood to bring into the garage, but that was all part of it as well. This is why I am thinking of getting the wood. I have a fire pit outside so it wouldn't go to waste. It would just be a this-kind-of-sucks-but-we-got-it-done lesson...and the wood splitting would be a decent way to work out outside. Besides, I don't have a rock quarry on the premises.</p>
<p>I think that the more little things that we can teach our kids that way will help them with a bit of resiliency in the future. Bearing down and getting after it when the task seems insurmountable and there is no really good place to start; but just teaching them that the starting is the hardest part will pay off in dividends for the rest of their lives. I have learned that lesson countless times and still relearn it often. </p>
<p>There is of course the other side of the coin to all of these lessons meaning I still despise doing the dishes, and I know that these little people will not be here forever, so best to take the break while I can! Gross, I believe that I just found a piece of dried egg on the side of my coffee cup. I'll just go give it another quick rinse before I go price out a cord of wood. Till next time. </p>Jason Pricetag:jasonpricecountry.com,2005:Post/68883522022-02-04T07:12:39-04:002022-02-04T07:12:39-04:00Home Cooking<p>I really don't want to cite the recent pandemic, but I must point out something that has occurred out of the time we have spent at home in my house. We learned about home cooking again. </p>
<p>Our household is often pretty mobile, from sports practices and games, rehearsals, shows, to weekend getaways. A lot of the time, we were pretty heavy on the slow cooker or the grocery store deli. Add in a pizza from the local pizzeria and that was the week. The measures that were put in place to keep us at home forced us to take a break from the hectic schedule, but also forced us to plan our meals a little bit more. We actually made grocery lists! We looked up recipes and purchased ingredients well in advance, and we started cooking again.</p>
<p>The end result was extraordinary food. We ended up discovering that eggs benedict made at home was exceptional; that homemade steak rub and a meat thermometer made a world of difference on the BBQ; and that a little patience and planning paid off. I definitely don't mean to tell people not to go out to their favourite restaurants, because they truly need your support; however, now there is a new standard that must be hit to turn over any kind of money for this. The old, "well I could make better than that at home" has been uttered a few times since discovering the magic of a cast iron pan. </p>
<p>There is a certain satisfaction to knowing that you can make a few dishes really well. Over the last couple of years for instance we haven't purchased a box of pancake mix. The pancakes are now from scratch, one of Kelly's specialties. The kids ask for them now by title. "Can we have Mom's pancakes?". There should be trophies for that.</p>
<p>Now I am certainly not claiming that our house is getting any sort of Michelin Star, or that Jamie Oliver is going to lose his job to a cooking show from our kitchen, but we definitely upped our game. Yes, the preparation sometimes takes a bit, but the satisfaction of what was created both from a food aspect and the environment that is created makes it well worth it. We also had our share of the recipes that went into the "Lets never make that again" category; plus the ones that took a second attempt to get right (<em>Good thing Mary Janet from Tunes and Wooden Spoons recorded her lesson on butterscotch pie so I could try it again</em>). My advice...If you could burn a boiled egg then you should start slowly, but definitely start.</p>
<p>I also must speak up for the musicians in the world. Next time you decide to have Italian, Mexican, Greek, etc..find a playlist on your favourite device and throw it on in the background on a blue tooth speaker as you cook and dine. It creates another element altogether, and the musician makes dozens of pennies when you stream it.</p>
<p>My recommendation is to try something from scratch today. Buy a better cut of meat from a local butcher than you usually would at the big grocery store. Buy the pure vanilla extract instead of the artificial. Put some time into getting fresh ingredients and preparing you and your household a great meal. You are putting that stuff into your body, so treat yourself well. Somewhere I read a long time ago that if you owned a Ferrari you wouldn't throw old gas into it...you would use premium. Start putting some premium fuel in your own tank and I promise you will notice the difference in not only the taste but your mood from a job well done. </p>
<p>Gotta run...I think I smell those pancakes cooking!</p>Jason Pricetag:jasonpricecountry.com,2005:Post/68873282022-02-03T06:33:04-04:002022-02-03T06:33:04-04:00It's never too late<p>I picked up a guitar to learn how to play when I was 38 years old. My intention was never to get up and sing in front of live audiences or write my own songs...but that's what happened after I did wander down that path. There was nobody telling me that I had to take on this new challenge. Nobody forced me. I just went ahead with it, not really even thinking of anything in particular other than I wanted to show my kids that you could learn something if you stuck with it.</p>
<p>I tell you about this, because I have heard the phrase "It's too late for me" recently. I believe it is a Chinese proverb that says "The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now". My belief is that it is never too late to start...unless you are sitting at an exam..then you should start when they tell you to.</p>
<p>Think about Nelson Mandela. The story of his life is quite fascinating if you check it out. He was actively involved in protesting, and by admission had openly decided that he was prepared to give and take casualties to further the cause of defeating apartheid prior to going to jail on Robben Island in South Africa. He was horrendously treated during his stay by guards that made life miserable for the inhabitants. He was 45 when he went in. He gained quite a bit of knowledge and insight into how to best approach the fight against apartheid and when he was released from prison 27 years later at the age of 72, he became the president of South Africa. The version I just went through is extremely condensed and there are a number of other things that happened both prior to going and his stay in prison that are factors worth noting; however, how easy would it have been to just live out the rest of his days as a free man after being released from prison? Instead, he jumped into the political arena at the age of 72, took on the presidency in a country that was in dire straits at the time, and proceeded to bring it closer together than it ever was before. He became legendary.</p>
<p>Kelly's uncle impressed me awhile back. I don't know the specific age that he started only that he was the oldest one there. He began to take Yoga classes. He was definitely in his 70's when he started. When he started! He didn't just wander into a special class for seniors; he instead jumped right in with the general membership and practiced yoga at his speed with them. By Kelly's account he improved immensely! It wasn't something he had ever planned on doing, but when the opportunity presented he took it. He didn't accept that it was too late to start. </p>
<p>Give yourself the gift of starting something new. Say yes to the salsa lessons. If you've thought of writing a book, then start. Want to lose a couple pounds, get walking. Just start...the rest will take care of itself.</p>Jason Pricetag:jasonpricecountry.com,2005:Post/68863312022-02-02T06:51:31-04:002022-05-25T08:40:35-03:00Take Pictures<p>For some reason, I don't take a lot of pictures. That isn't what my phone will tell you, but when it comes to capturing some moments it's something that I am just not very good at. For instance, I am not sure that I have a photo of my whole band together. There are several of some of us, or one of us in the shot, but I can't recall ever seeing or being in a photo with all of us. </p>
<p>Family photos used to get booked at department stores like Sears. Blake has never experienced that. Alex, Abbie, and Luke all went through it at a young age with individual shots, but somehow the invention of the camera phone seemed to dissolve those places with the swirly blue backdrops. Relying on yourself to take great pictures has never been easier, but if you are like me, you often get caught up in the moment. Maybe that isn't a bad thing either...being present and just soaking it into memory? The problem that I have found with that is the old USB drive upstairs gets a few corrupt files that just don't ever resurface. A photo can reboot that system and get things going again. </p>
<p>In a time when you don't have to pay to have your pictures developed....thats right kids, you used to have to wait to see the picture until the kind people at Japan Camera had enough time to develop the film and hand you your out of focus pictures....there is no excuse for not having memories captured. My family has a huge family gathering at my parents place nearly every August. The space they have in their yard is quite large and is covered in tents; every room inside is used with either the beds that occupy it or a blow up mattress on the floor. Kids are running everywhere throughout the day, people are laughing and carrying on; boat rides, swimming, bbq's and campfires. I may have a couple of pictures on my phone of that. Luckily though, there are people that are outstanding with their cameras. One of my cousin's who comes to this event every year, captures the whole weekend somehow without us even realizing it. Big thanks to Kayla for having the presence of mind to realize that some of us may need our memories jogged...and please delete the one of me wearing speedo's and a cowboy hat.</p>
<p>Christmas is another time of year, where many gather and again my first thought isn't to grab the phone and start taking pictures. Maybe it's a generational thing too? Kids now all have a camera everywhere they go. When I was raised, you rarely heard a guy say, "Hey fellas, lets all get in a picture". We were too busy living. Let someone else take the picture. In fact, it was almost frowned on that our fun was getting interrupted in order to sit still enough to get one. </p>
<p>You realize you don't take enough pictures when you go to social media to post one of you and said person because that is where many of our photo albums now reside. Gone are the days when you perused a book of actual photos on a coffee table that were stuck under a piece of sticky plastic film cementing them into place. Now its scrolling through the social media feed. There was something to be said about holding a picture in your hand without scrolling through all the comments and getting distracted by the clickbait video of the puppy and the random strangers falling off a skateboard provided by Facebook. </p>
<p>Perhaps with the combination of 35mm now essentially extinct, and the immediate desire to roll through social feeds as soon as the eyes land on a hand held device; there are less people capturing those moments? Maybe the posed pictures are a thing of the past? Kids these days go on "streaks" with their friends on snapchat by sending a photo back and forth each day...of the ceiling or some obscure portion of a room. The equivalent shot would have been cursed and thrown out for wasting film with an accidental trigger pull back in the day. Could you imagine handing that to your friend and saying here...this is for you. HA! </p>
<p>There are some things we should take less photos of...like our dinner plates. That's another one that would be funny to receive as an actual printed picture. Oh look, Martha sent pictures from her vacation...and here is a picture of pork chops and rice on day 14. </p>
<p>I guess I am rambling a little here, but my point to all of this is to remember to take some quality photos. It's easy to remember to take a picture at Disney. It's the everyday that passes that the majority of our lives are made up of that escape the lens. Get a picture of you and your kids playing a board game. Don't get in a rush when your spouse wants to capture the moment on a random hike. There was a big fan of a hockey team that I used to work with named Cowboy Jim. He was an individual that needed full time care and showed up everyday to the hockey office just to sit with the staff. One day he attended the press conference about a trade or a signing or something and the press were invited. The newspaper photographer walked up to take a picture of the GM, and Cowboy stood up in the audience and yelled out..."Hey Buddy...Take my picture will ya!?". I wish I had a copy of that today. Be like Cowboy...get the picture. </p>
<p> </p>Jason Pricetag:jasonpricecountry.com,2005:Post/68852402022-02-01T07:02:51-04:002022-02-01T07:03:08-04:00My first real guitar<p>When I was young my parents thought it would be good to put me in guitar lessons. I'm guessing I was in grade 5 or 6. The idea was good, but the instructor wasn't. He tried to teach me straight off the top a song called "The Green Green Grass of Home", a classic country song. Not something I listened to, nor enjoyed at that moment...Bryan Adams was the king back then. The song has some advanced chords for a raw beginner and there is no doubt that was part of the reason I didn't practice and failed to fulfil any guitar playing prodigy aspirations back then. </p>
<p>I picked up an electric guitar in grade 11 because some of the other kids I was hanging with played guitar. I learned the odd power chord and could play the intro to "Smoke on the Water" by deep purple pretty well. Other than that...no idea what I was doing. </p>
<p>Eventually, when my youngest son was born I decided that I was going to teach my kids a lesson about sticking with things and decided to buy a used beginner Yamaha guitar on kijiji. I picked it up for $100. It had no pick up to play live, which was not even in the realm of possibility in my mind at that time. I picked away at that for a little bit until I decided to buy CMT's Top 100 Country Song guitar books. I was finally learning to play some songs that I liked. I enjoyed the practice (I still do). I would practice for hours at a time, normally when my newborn son was asleep. I mean 4 hours could literally go by and I would be practicing the same song over and over without realizing the time had past.</p>
<p>Eventually I got good enough that I started playing live. There is more to that story that maybe I will share another day, but needless to say I had improved. The problem was that my guitar as I mentioned earlier had no pick up, meaning I couldn't plug it in to play through any sort of speaker, PA, amplifier, etc. A pick up can be installed after market, but it would have cost more than that guitar was worth. So, I purchased one that could be taken in and out that rested in the sound hole. It did an ok job and at least I was getting some sound. I used that for at least a year.</p>
<p>Christmas came that year and that's when I received my first real guitar. Kelly and my Parents went in on a guitar for me from the local music store. The sales person told them (once he heard what I was currently playing) that he might just cry when he gets this. I can't tell you the feeling that I got when they gave me that guitar. It was completely unexpected to have received it, and the reaction was not something I knew that I would feel. I opened the case and the wood smell of the guitar consumed me. When I lifted it out of the case and held it...tears started streaming down my face without apology. Over some wood and wire!!!! I won't ever forget the feeling of getting that guitar. Next to my kids and my wedding ring, it's the best gift I believe I have ever received. That guitar led me down a path that I still travel on to this day, even now as I type a blog that you are reading on the website that came from that. That guitar was a vehicle that gave me a chance. </p>
<p>Yesterday, Kelly sent me a picture of our 13 year old, Luke, of him with her Dads old Martin guitar in his hands showing her what he learned in music class. Maybe, just maybe, that wood and wire may show him a few things as well.</p>Jason Pricetag:jasonpricecountry.com,2005:Post/68842682022-01-31T07:29:10-04:002022-01-31T07:29:10-04:00The 5AM Club<p>Recently I have joined the 5 AM club. I don't make resolutions in the New Year, but I do sometimes take stock of the last year, reassess, recalibrate, reload and re-engage to steal a line or two from author Jocko Willink. Jocko is an ex Navy seal that has authored a few books now on leadership that are full of great information and ones I would highly recommend. I bring him up because he often posts on his instagram or twitter account a picture of his watch...at 0430 in the morning. As he indicates that is the time he gets up to "Get after it". I have followed his account now for a few years. </p>
<p>Lately, I re-read a book called the 5 AM club by Robin Sharma, who incidentally was raised not only in Canada from the age of 1, but just down the road from me in a place called Port Hawksbury, Nova Scotia! Robin's book is about getting up early and a number of habits that you can and should do in those early hours to ensure that your day is set. I have never been a morning person. I am indeed an I love my bed, please leave me alone, and is there coffee ready person. Lately, however, I took the plunge of self discipline and decided to try to get some productive hours in the early morning darkness. I would like to point a few things out to would be 5 AM members.</p>
<p>The first is, if you intend to try this...you will be in bed earlier in the evening. I used to be up to around midnight, now I start yawning at 8:30. Not a good scenario for a musician I know, but the adrenaline of a show would get me through that. It's easy to get really caught up in the tutelage of these lifestyles and books; however, they are not living your life. The picture gets painted that this may be difficult to get up, that you can do it, you can own it, and it will be awesome once done. I agree in principal; however....</p>
<p>Here are the things not mentioned in the book. Not everyone in your household would like to join you in your new morning life. That's a great thing, but also a double edged sword. That means that not everyone would like to join you in going to bed early. That means that law and order may be blaring from a TV in your bedroom at 1130 at night or your thirteen year old and his buddies may be up later than you are screaming at his virtual soldier who is trying to be the last person standing in Fort Night. Luckily for me, Kelly doesn't like Law and Order, but you get the gist. Next, old Robin fails to mention how one can get away with not waking up the spouse/partner that shares your bed when the alarm clock startles you out of unconciousness at 0500. I can tell you that part doesn't go well. </p>
<p>The first bit of advice that the early morning gurus have is to work out vigorously. Tony Robbins jumps on a trampoline for awhile, takes ice baths, journals, etc. Do you have a sound proof home? If not, said partner/spouse will not be happy to hear creaky springs of a mini trampoline bouncing your heavy carcass up and down at 5AM. Groaning through weights, push ups, etc...also not permitted. You need to find a way to work out vigorously and also have stoic ninja stealth at the same time. Difficult, but not impossible. Sneaking downstairs to do this without your Golden Retriever trying to join you is unfortunately impossible. </p>
<p>The best place of course to get this vigorous exercise in is to go outside. Did I mention that these authors now live in places like California? Outside at 5AM in a Canadian January isn't exactly super conducive to wind sprints. Again difficult, but not impossible. If you think your dog will allow you to leave the premises without him, and will just quietly watch you walk up the dark driveway for your jaunt around your slumbering neighbourhood...not going to happen. The dog now believes that your early morning ritual is for him. In fact, while you sweat to the oldies he will begin whining to go out as if he didn't always used to sleep in right beside you and you were in fact torturing him all of these years by letting him stay in a warm ball by your bed. </p>
<p>There is also the coffee. Best advice, prepare everything you think you might need the night before. I am a bit of a coffee snob these days and use a pour over type coffee. That means beans go into the grinder then into a filter and water is manually poured over the grinds. Grinders make a lot of noise at 5:30 AM. I know that to be true because I was given that information first hand. Grind your beans at night instead of trying to find a place to wrap the grinder into a hug underneath a hoodie crouched down behind a door hoping to keep it quiet. </p>
<p>If you don't have a baby waking you up all night, or a toddler going through bad dreams or sleep walking, or perhaps a university aged night owl who stumbles in the front door after a sampling Bud Lights 5 newest flavours...then you may get the sleep you require to make this early morning happen on the regular. That part isn't in any of the books. </p>
<p>The point I guess is not to take all of the things in the books as a literal recipe. Tailor make your routine to your lifestyle and make some sort of micro improvement is kind of what I have learned. All those small little changes will eventually add up to some big things. Getting 1% better each day would get you 365% better than you were in a year, unless you get hit with a leap year that's going to add a percentage point. Even if you get 1% better per week that is still 52% better over a year and surely we can all improve by 1% per week in some aspect of our lives? My last piece of advice if you begin to wake up early is to have a plan. I said that I re-read the 5 AM club because I had tried it in the past...without any real plan. Trust me, waking up to sit alone in a chair and wonder what you should do next is not going to work. If you do give it a whirl, good luck to you with it all. I think it could be a game changer for some. Time for me to go wake up the kids and let them know that it's 7:30 so the day is nearly half done. That part is fun. </p>Jason Pricetag:jasonpricecountry.com,2005:Post/68835702022-01-30T07:00:37-04:002022-01-30T07:00:37-04:00Halloween<p>I am not certain that I really like Halloween anymore. I'm not sure when it lost its appeal. As a kid, it was definitely in my top 3 for holidays. You just had to knock on the door, and voila, free candy. I think parents back then likely had the same feeling as I do now. I remember being told at school to check your candy apples before eating them as some crazy people would lace them with needles or razor blades or so the legend goes.</p>
<p>We earned our candy back then. I don't mean to sound like an old man on a rant, but not in my wildest dreams would I have been driven from door to door to get the tooth decaying handout we were after. There was definitely parents that accompanied their toddlers, maybe in a wagon or something, but getting a ride from house to house?! Unheard of. What fun would that be anyway? Half of the fun was cutting across yards, evading the dog that indicted you for trespassing through to beat your buddies to the next house. If it was raining you wore a raincoat..under your costume of course...and same applied for the snow suits for that matter.</p>
<p>These days it feels like we don't get the same amount of snow that I remember as a kid. I believe I was at least ankle deep in my plastic spider man costume that immediately ripped open at the seams, and the plastic mask clinging to my face by a single elastic thread while trying to breathe through an opening the size of a cocktail straw. This year, as my kids wandered from home to home in their climate controlled costumes that cast holograms of their choice onto the street in front of them, they finished rather early claiming that they were cold! The only reason that we would return home on this night was to quickly enter the house to grab another pillow case because the loot in the one we were carrying was slowly tearing from the top border. There was no such thing as too cold on free candy night. </p>
<p>Now as a parent it kind of makes me wonder. What in the world are we actually doing? On what other day of the year, would we believe it was a good idea to go to as many completely random strangers houses in the dark, ask them for food and then actually bring it home and eat it? It's kind of whacked if you think about it. That neighbour six doors down that you eyeball from a distance because you think there is something just a little off is all of a sudden no factor on Halloween! Just another chap handing out dollar store cheezies. </p>
<p>I do wonder as well what the hell happened to the rest of the chocolate bars these days as well. I of course purchase all the ones that I enjoy in the hopes that we get way fewer kids this year and I profit from their absence. Now I don't know if its that I am bigger and these bars are the same size, but I am pretty sure that an Oh Henry was at least 8 peanuts long when I made the rounds. I had a Reese Peanut Butter Cup this past halloween that I mistook for the cap off of the soya sauce. The bag of chip that I stole from my son was exactly that...a bag of chip...not chips....chip. </p>
<p>It will be interesting to see if halloween continues in the format that it is in now or if it will eventually just become a fable of the past at a neighbourhood block party with bowls of candy everywhere; or a preregistered hall party or something. It's changed so much already that one can only assume it will morph into something else. I just hope that no social justice committee comes up with the idea that health food would be better to hand out. It would be hard to convince Kelly that I was buying chocolates in October to prepare for Christmas if that ever happened. I think I better start stocking up now...easter is just around the corner. </p>Jason Pricetag:jasonpricecountry.com,2005:Post/68828652022-01-29T06:42:43-04:002022-01-29T06:42:43-04:00Yoga<p>Ever tried Yoga? I would definitely recommend it to anyone that hasn't tried it. I did some this morning before typing this and it really does start the day off well. I can't remember where I read it, but I am pretty certain that humans are the only land mammals who don't stretch immediately upon waking. </p>
<p>I'm not talking about the old reach over your head, point your toes and groan kind of stretch. No, I am talking about the ones that you need to know the code names to. You see walking into a Yoga studio as a beginner is similar to trying to follow a mass at a Catholic Church, or jumping into a line dance at your local saloon. Nobody tells you in advance what the "moves" are, what they are called, and just begin. So here is how your first yoga session will likely go down.</p>
<p>You will arrive early and be greeted by someone who swallowed sunshine that is oozing from their pores. You will of course have your mat that you purchased on sale at a Canadian Tire and will proceed to get changed in the change room and head to the studio. Opening the studio door, hopefully with someone you know, you will tip toe around in the dark to find a place to unroll your mat and wait for class to begin. Showing up early, you will think that you will be first in the room; however, there are a few people as you enter either looking like they are dead on the mat, or doing things like headstands with a half twist. Those people are like the people at the oscars who fill the seat of the award winner. They just rise out of the floor and live there. More and more will filter in, some shattering the silence with dangling keys and cement water bottles that pound on the floor when the drop them. You won't realize, and nobody will let you know that you have "stolen" Gerti's spot today. Gerti has been coming for 27 years and always gets the same spot...everyone knows that. </p>
<p>You won't know what to do with yourself, so you will likely look around and mimic a few others with some basic stretches until you end up sitting cross legged on your mat. The teacher will enter and say something prolific like "good morning". Then the teacher will start...today we are going to start in a child's pose and move into a flow where we will hold dragon fly for 7 minutes. It will bring you back to the early days on the ice where your coach repeatedly yelled to the defence..."Keep your head on a swivel!". Now you are a swivel head as I like to call the newbie. No clue what you are doing, believing that everyone around you that is making this look so easy is looking at you in disgust. That would be true at line dancing; however, in Yoga there is an accepted fact that everyone has their own practice. The yoga instructor, who will be twisted into the advanced Koala Bear half pigeon pose will speak with ease while you are sweating and doing your best to remember to exhale before moving from sitting to standing. Everyone has their own practice the instructor will say. </p>
<p>As you look around the room, you will notice that this is indeed true. There are people in the room who either don't care at all what the instructor is doing and just want the company, or use the class to exercise some form of defiance or rebellion by doing anything but the pose that the instructor recommends. As a newbie you like this person...later they become a distraction (which may be why they are there in the first place come to think of it. Perhaps it's planted mental training!). Regardless you aren't the only one that isn't winning the synchro award with the instructor. </p>
<p>Towards the end of the class, you will have finally figured out that a flow is actually about 3 or 4 moves each with their own name all strung together including the downward dog. If it is at all possible, before you go to the first class watch a YouTube video and you will be miles ahead of the regular newbie. Finally, the end of the class. This is the chivasana (spelled here how it sounds but likely incorrectly). This is a nap at the end of class similar to kindergarten. It is truly the best part. You get to lie in the dark on a mat that you realize much too late is much to skinny and slippery because you cheaped out at Canadian Tire and should have just used one of the ones they provided. You just find your most comfortable spot when the instructor interrupts the chorus of woodwinds playing in the background to tell you to be seated at the front of the mat. This is when the sermon begins about how life is often hard and you should correlate that to Yoga and let the joy and love swirl around you in a spectacular embrace for the rest of your day. Then they will finish with an Ohm. That is when I wish there was a camera on my face for the first one I experienced. Everyone in the room will, in unison, say Oooooooooooohhhhhhhhhhhhhmmmmmmmmmmm to bring about some sort of vibration that is really good for you apparently. I thought I was in a cult ritual the first time that it happened to me. I had absolutely no idea what was coming or how to get to the exit but by it ended fairly quickly and nobody's heads spun around or anything so it was all good. The last thing that happens is the instructor bows at you and you in turn are supposed to bow back in a show of gratitude with an exhange of Namaste's. That word basically means that you are grateful for everything and is the Yogi equivalent of amen. </p>
<p>As the the you continue to go back, you will get to know Gerti and will laugh when some other newbie aimlessly walks in and takes her place. You will start to get a little territorial over your own place too! nd you will improve, and it will eventually get easier. So give it a try. Know that you are in for a bumpy ride at first and please...buy the good mat. Until then...Namaste.....NowImGonnaGo.</p>Jason Pricetag:jasonpricecountry.com,2005:Post/68818132022-01-28T07:16:10-04:002022-01-28T07:16:10-04:00Arts and Crafts<p>What do other parents do with all of the arts and crafts that come home from school over the years? At first it's so nice. A couple of random colours streaked across a page resembling graffiti on the picture that was supposed to have contained the crayola residue inside its lines. Right up on the fridge. I am not certain as to where my wife and I have collected the magnets that pin these masterpieces to the stainless steel door that was so important to have in that color. I don't remember purchasing even one, but the front and sides of my refrigerator are riddled with these magic clamps. </p>
<p>It's impossible to keep all of these creations. Let's put it in their baby book! Yeah, that lasts for awhile, then you buy a rubbermaid tote from Walmart. Why? Well you can't possibly throw that away...they made it for us. What's that? You want to make me a picture? Oh that's nice...why don't you make one for Grandma instead. She would love that. And Grandma does, but Grandma has been through all of this before. She will keep the token one or two. The rest...somehow she can't remember where they would have gone. You'll have to make me a new one honey. Genius. </p>
<p>Eventually, seemingly right before one gets nominated for an episode of hoarders, both parents come to the same mindset where enough is enough. We can't keep all of this stuff. Do not under any circumstances let the child help you clean it out. It's worse than going through an old toy box. I was looking for that!!! You haven't played with this for years. I''m going to play with it now!! Of course you are.</p>
<p>I bought a shredder. It may sound harsh, but it was for the good of our neighbourhood. Should an errant spark have found its way to the wrong tote then our house would have ignited more frail old paper than the Vatican vault. We now have a small collection of reminders of how our children's fine motor skills developed over the years, along with a copy of every report card that they had ever received.. which are underneath the odd swimming badge and stickers from the dentist. </p>
<p>It is interesting to go through the things we keep. Stuff we haven't looked at for an eternity. University text books were one of those things. The ones that you got stuck with at the end of the year, or perhaps one that you knew you would use for the rest of your career. Yep, those sat in a box marked "Heavy" for years. Recycling day is a favourite at our house. Blue bags make you feel that you are really doing a wonder for the environment by contributing all of these things each week. That reminds me...it's recycling day today and I am pretty sure my wife just walked by with my old scratch and sniff sticker books, and my minor hockey trophy collection.... I can't get rid of those. </p>Jason Pricetag:jasonpricecountry.com,2005:Post/68807602022-01-27T07:01:54-04:002022-01-27T07:01:54-04:00Don't Quit<p>I thought today I would share another poem with you. This poem was one that I read as a moldable teenager that I absorbed back then. The funny part is that I actually have to google this to ensure that I get it down correctly. Sitting here, there are really only a couple of lines or phrases that I can recall from memory, and yet, I rely on those specifically one when I need to dig deep and keep going.</p>
<p>"When life is all uphill...don't quit" and "You mustn't quit". Those are the two phrases that I recall from that poem, and I can't even say with 100% accuracy that I have quoted those properly. That is what I interpreted from the poem. I will now share with you the true version of "Don't Quit" by Edgar A. Guest.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><em>When things go wrong as they sometimes will, </em></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><em>When the road you're trudging seems all uphill,</em></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><em>When the funds are low and the debts are high,</em></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><em>And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,</em></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><em>When care is pressing you down a bit,</em></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><em>Rest if you must, but don't you quit.</em></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><em>Life is strange with it's twists and turns</em></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><em>As everyone of us sometimes learns</em></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><em>And many of failure comes about</em></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><em>When he </em><i>might have won had he stuck it out;</i></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><i>Don't give up though when the pace seems slow -</i></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><i>You might succeed with another blow.</i></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><i>Success is failure turned inside out - </i></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><i>The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,</i></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><i>And you never can tell just how close you are,</i></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><i>It may be near when it seems so far;</i></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><i>So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit - </i></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><i>It's when things seem worst that you must not quit.</i></p>
<p> </p>
<p>So there you go...I was in no real danger it seems of ever plagiarizing the poem; but the lesson stuck. Perhaps maybe the version I read said mustn't instead of must not, but the cool thing is that the actual lesson has lived with me through many many years. It's something that was pounded into me from a young age. Do your best, work hard, and <em>don't quit</em>. It's much easier to say than be resilient.</p>
<p>This may be a day after "Let's Talk Day", and maybe that's why this came to my mind this morning, but for anyone that needs this poem today...my hope is it will reinforce the resolve and the grit that you have inside to help you keep on keeping on....just don't quit.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"> </p>Jason Pricetag:jasonpricecountry.com,2005:Post/68797592022-01-26T07:26:59-04:002022-01-26T07:26:59-04:00Get A Dog<p>There is just something about a dog that makes life better...Unless it's raining outside...that's not as fun. The companionship that a dog brings is just so pure. I don't know all of the stats on specifically the cognitive bandwidth of a dog and the terms it can understand, but they seem to know when you need them the most. </p>
<p>If you have been considering getting yourself a pooch, take note you may want to consider getting one already trained...puppies are extremely cute, have a sweet breath that almost anyone loves, and are a joy to watch and play with. The accidents on the floor don't seem to matter to most, nor does the chewed up wooden feet of the couch, or even the tiny scratches from their needle teeth on your skin. It's all simply adorable...during the day.</p>
<p>Night time. You realize fairly quickly after you have put the young tired ball of fluff in its crate beside your bed (like all of the experts tell you to do) that a puppy doesn't sleep very long at all before it has to take another trip to the loo. In fact, you have just inherited a cluster feeding newborn. It's actually worse than a newborn, because you can swaddle a newborn, change it's diaper and fall asleep with it sitting in a chair...indoors. No, not a puppy. Have you ever wondered what your neighbours house looks like at 3:17 AM from your front lawn? Maybe you have always wanted to hear what the neighbourhood sounds like when nobody is stirring. A puppy will treat you to that. Here is the absolutely nutty part. You can't just go out there all groggy and think that you have no role in this. You need to get your best cheerleading self together and celebrate like you just won a trip to Hawaii using nothing but hushed tones and body language. You have to let this puppy know that you are over the moon that they had a whiz outside. I'm sure it looks like you have been hit by a taser to anyone that is watching. </p>
<p>Do you know what happens when you do that other than looking completely ridiculous outside in polka dot boxers and a t-shirt dancing like a fool? You actually believe it too! It's playtime! How can you possible resist? Look at how cute that little ball of fluff is! And so you play in the darkness until the puppy is tired and you put him back into the crate, and you start to drift off to the deepest 10 minute sleep you have had when the whimpering starts again. Ignore it. Go back to sleep. You can't. What if it pees in the crate or worse, the other? The experts have you terrified that if you have overestimated even the slightest on the room that is available in that crate, then the puppy will find a corner in there to relieve itself in and it will set you back months! So you get up. It wants to play. Don't give in. Don't give in. Don't give in...well maybe one little game of tug of war with a t-shirt. And it begins again.</p>
<p>Morning time and you peel yourself out of the bed. The little puffball is sleeping soundly. Time to get ready for work. You let it out, quick play, feed it, back into the crate. I can't remember specifically what the know it all gurus say, but there is some kind of a formula that dictates how long then the pup can be crated before it has to be let out prior to it breaking a seal in its bedding. That means, you need to have either taken vacation from work; live close enough to have multiple breaks; or have begged a family member or neighbour to drop by your house a few times with implicit instruction on how you want your new family member never to have too many treats or human food. People always listen to those instructions and follow them to the letter. They would never succumb to a puppy's eyes and playful demeanour and try to have a special bond themselves with said fuzzpot. </p>
<p>This goes on for a couple of months. Somehow during this time, you need to determine that you are indeed the boss and are not going to fall for this puppies genuine desire to make you have fun all the time. Sitting isn't fun! Let's run and chew the hell out of stuff. Yes, you will need to train the young creature and set your ground rules early, otherwise, you will end up living in the largest dog house on the block.</p>
<p>If you can do it though, if you can make it through, and have commanded a minimum level of respect from the four legged sidekick, you will see it is much like building your own house. It's very difficult, lots of things to consider and mistakes made, but it's truly got your touch on it. I had one dog ringing a bird bell to go outside to pee. Everyone was blown away. Remember what I just said about making mistakes. Bird bells don't sound good at 2:47 AM when your dog wants to roll on a stick on the front lawn just to let anyone out there wandering the streets at dusk know that it is indeed his stick. </p>
<p>So if you see a dog owner, and the dog is walking by it's side on a leash that isn't pulling the individual in a dryland waterskiing training exercise; know that person put in a lot of work with that pup. One final point about it all...and this should give you some perspective on if it is truly worth it to you in having a dog. You will be literally picking up after it for the rest of it's life. I often wonder if something was watching us from space, and saw a human walking behind a dog picking up what it was putting down, then carrying it in a thin plastic bag...who it would deem as the leader of the two. </p>
<p>All of that, and here by my side as I type lies my furry shadow. Gazing up at me with adoration. Waiting with patience to see the leash come out from the closet and twirling with excitement ready to lead me through the streets of the neighbourhood. Nevermind....he just wanted to roll on his stick. </p>
<p> </p>Jason Pricetag:jasonpricecountry.com,2005:Post/68788392022-01-25T07:05:05-04:002022-01-25T07:05:05-04:00The first sip<p>Is there anything as nice, refreshing, comforting or all of the above as the first sip? It can be just about any beverage that you would want to let sit in your cup. Consider the end of a week where the days felt longer than the week itself and how that first taste of a wine instantly soothes the soul. Maybe the anticipation of the taste of that morning coffee while you wait for the grounds to finish transforming the water into that caffeinated nectar that somehow dissipates the fog from your minds car window. </p>
<p>Any beer league player, or even the pro after the culmination of a successful season celebrating the win on the final game of the playoff can tell you just how good that first beer tastes. A good friend of mine once described it as an angel delivering down your throat. Don't get me wrong, often that first drink, tastes like a second one is the right idea. There just isn't anything as good as that first one though. Winning makes it taste even better. </p>
<p>A bad drink can also have the inverse effect. There is nothing as bad as the first sip of really bad tequila for instance. A second drink of it isn't as bad, likely because your prepared...or pickled, regardless its funny how the opposite can also hold true. The first taste of coffee..with spoiled cream. The sip of a wine that's gone bad. Here is the great part though...return those things and follow them up with a really good cup of your favourite selection of whatever you typically bathe your teeth in, and the first taste can once again be achieved. It's why people take a bite of pungent cheese after each drink at a wine tasting or so I am told. For years, I always thought it just went well with wine, but the truth is that the aficionado is searching again for that sought after first sip. It's not a bad way to try, but it never truly replaces it. Once you have that first true sip, you just can't put that genie back in the bottle so to speak.</p>
<p>I wonder what the time limit is before that first sip gets reset? I believe it's a matter of circumstance. Every morning that first taste of silky java tastes like that start of the day...but what if you don't get to have it? What if you had to wait a week or more? Ask a soldier how good that first beer tastes after a dry deployment. I bet that first sip gets amplified by a factor of a thousand...and very likely the second sip as well. Could it be that moderation is indeed the key? Is it actually true that absence also may also make the palate grow fonder? It sounds like a great experiment. If anyone wants to try it out, please get back to me...my coffee is almost done brewing and I don't want to miss that first sip. </p>Jason Pricetag:jasonpricecountry.com,2005:Post/68779202022-01-24T07:34:44-04:002022-01-24T07:34:44-04:00Laundry<p>I can only assume that the stories online are true sometimes. Laundry has this mystical ability to hide. I completely understand how my kids can't find theirs because I have watched as they remove their socks and drift them across the room in separate directions. I'm sure there is one in the bottom of an old toy box that was scattered from its partner like a para trooper late jumping from a plane. </p>
<p>I'm an adult! How on earth can one of my socks go missing? Did I somehow miss my 3 point jump shot from across the room? Maybe I should start putting my socks in my pants pockets when I put them in the laundry bin. Everything that sits in your pant pockets seems to wriggle itself out and present itself with pride at the bottom of the washer...or even more proudly in the bin of the dryer seemingly yelling.."Look! I made it through both cycles!" One never has to worry about whether my guitar picks are sanitized. When I need a new one I just go to the laundry room where they sit glistening in the washer drum.</p>
<p>Really though, it does puzzle me on the sock thing. How does the washing machine find a way to digest socks so that they are never seen again. Am I the only person that has a grocery store bag in the basement full of orphaned socks just waiting to be matched up with their long lost partners? I bet there are socks in that bag that have been in there for five years waiting like a dog at the front door for their owners to come home. I would and have gone through that bag, paired up the lucky survivors, and thrown out the rest only to start a new collection. What inevitably happens is that almost immediately the others begin to show themselves or is it really them? Did you throw out the one with only one line across the top...wait this is a grey line not a white one...yup that's the one I was looking for. Damn, that one didn't even have a hole in the toe.</p>
<p>My kids don't even care. They have absolutely no reservation whatsoever to put on a polka-dotted red sock on one foot and a yellow plaid printed sock on the other. Yep, ditch the shoes and walk all through their grandmothers house parading around looking like a rodeo clown and showcasing our lack of basic housekeeping ability. </p>
<p>It's never ending. Quite literally it is never ending. It's something that has to be done from the time you move out of your house as an early adult until you can't possibly do it on your own anymore. It's a life sentence. The temptation has to be there to become Bart Simpson and simply wear the same thing every single day. It worked for the Fonz and Red Green....Darth Vader? Maybe the Tibetan monks are so at peace with meditation because they don't have that yoke to bear. Wake up, on with the robe and go.</p>
<p>I guess until someone invents "Find my iSocks" then we will never quite understand the great laundry mystery, so until then you may see me washing my car this summer with a Hanes hand mitt. You never know, I may find another guitar pick!</p>Jason Pricetag:jasonpricecountry.com,2005:Post/68773472022-01-23T07:54:52-04:002022-01-23T08:01:24-04:00Picture Frames<p>Recently, we had the interior of our house painted. Now, when I say recently, I don't mean that you walk in the front door to wet paint signs, or the lingering smell of a completed race of brush strokes. No, we are at the point now where a single hand mark or blemish shows up and we immediately search for the kid that did it to come and clean it off. "Don't touch the walls on the way up the stairs!" and the innocent response "Why not, they aren't wet anymore?". It really is a nice way to give your place a "fresh start". It truly does change things up...but it leads to a whole lot more that I hadn't considered. </p>
<p>You see, when you change the color of the walls, there is an unadvertised clearance event that goes along with it that says immediately upon completion that everything must go. This is often only unbeknownst to the party that needed the convincing to paint. This is also the person in the relationship that owns the hideously outdated comfy chair from their first apartment and immediately gets defensive each time a conversation even detours towards de-cluttering. Anything but the chair!</p>
<p>No, this person has no idea what they have done when the big "refresh" happens. It's an absolute pandoras box, so take warning ye of little foresight. The key here is not to focus on the fact that every piece of furniture has to be moved, drop sheets need to be put down, and all of the laborious details that will come along with it....that right there is a distraction...a slight of hand that has been made on you to take your attention from the second impact that is coming. While you are thinking of all of the things that need to be done, and you are being made to feel like you are indeed helping to pick the actual colours that will transform the room into a new oasis from strips of one inch squares that are micro shades in the difference; the maestro of this orchestra has already considered and is directing you through to the second act. </p>
<p>Doesn't it look fantastic?! Isn't it great?! And you will fall for this and agree. You will truly believe that it does look so much better and that it was all worthwhile. And it definitely does! In most cases, the house is brighter, there is a renewed pride. I think we should invite the neighbours over soon...show it off while it's new! Then the phase two begins. Time to put the accessories back. </p>
<p>Well that's strange...the curtains no longer match the color scheme. We can't ruin this new look and everything we put into this by putting these curtains up. There is absolutely no winnable counter argument to this. The functionality of the curtains blocking out light doesn't matter because they aren't used for that purpose anyway. No, the curtains mostly sit evenly shaped on each side of the window covering precisely the same upper corner space of the sill, and are tucked neatly behind a couple of things that made some designer very rich whose sole purpose is to hold the curtains open so that they cannot do their job. With any luck, the curtain rods will be a neutral color and new hardware won't be required. </p>
<p>The lamp. Did you know that lamp shades need to match the walls in your house? And the side tables that they sit on are also now completely the wrong color. The maestro may give you a suggestion to buy some sort of chalk paint and make the tables match with some sort of color splash that apparently fits. If you didn't learn your lesson with painting the walls, then consider buying the paint. The couch cushions and the pillows that everybody throws to one side because there is no actual purpose to them but to take space when the couch isn't occupied....yes these all need to change. There is only one way out of this in my mind my fellow non designers; and that is weather the storm. The curtains are a no win situation and you will hear about them daily, so just get the new curtains...and potentially an area rug unless you have a dog. A dog can save you as soon as you mention the amount of dog hair that things like that could expose.</p>
<p>The key to weathering the storm is to begin to think a little bit like the maestro. Start complaining about the picture frames. Divert all the attention from the big expenses. The wedding photo that was custom framed that cost more to have done than the actual wedding itself. Yes that one. The one that was carefully selected because the frame and the matting would match the colours of the wedding party. Pick that one. Get the kids school pictures put into new frames that match the colours of the room. Buy them in multipacks at a local crafting store. Get a print or two made at Walmart...its about $20. Things are really looking good now. Then come back to the wedding photo. My guess, if you hunkered down just long enough, and you're no longer immediately struck by the difference each time you walk into a room, then you show the maestro the new frame and matting you found online that would really match up the wedding picture frame to the room (<em>and not the dresses and the corsage's</em>). I must stress that this cannot happen too early. Too early and you may get UNO reversed and actually have to carry through with it....but if you have waited long enough...you may find that the maestro agrees that enough is enough and it doesn't all have to happen at once. It's a delicate balance, and maybe a little bit of dirty pool to use the emotion of wedding colours to your advantage, but if you have done this correctly....you may have a few dollars left in your account, and will be able to walk into that new oasis every morning with a hot cup of coffee,...take a moment to scan the room and soak it all in...and take a seat in that hideous but oh so comfortable chair to admire.... a job well done.</p>Jason Pricetag:jasonpricecountry.com,2005:Post/68767162022-01-22T07:55:39-04:002022-01-22T07:59:38-04:00Early Morning Hockey<p>It's essentially a rite of passage that a hockey parent must make to go to the early morning practice. It's something that is passed down from generations of hockey families. The sickening feeling the night before knowing that the alarm needs to be set for the 6 am practice. </p>
<p>For those that aren't immersed in the sport and the practice of waking up the 7 year old next big league (<em>sorry meant to say Beer League</em>) prospect, I will let you in on it. We parents and some people who are crazy enough to be parent coaches (<em>I'm one</em>), will pay hundreds of dollars to a local arena for the opportunity to rise out of the warmth of a blanketed bed, go outside and start the car in -20 weather (so it can be warmer than you will be for the next hour and a half of your life), so you can take up your frozen piece of bench in the practice arena. </p>
<p>It's an especially hateful process if the coach is insane and would like to have his players there 45 minutes ahead of time so he or she can "talk" to the players. Have I mentioned how excited the kids are to enter the dressing room at that hour? Zombies for the most part that stumble in hardly saying a word. They aren't absorbing any sort of instruction in that room at that time. </p>
<p>There is always the one kid of course that appears as though it is actually mid day and just came off of the Aerosmith rollercoaster at Disney. Once in awhile you may even run ino a coach like that as well that yells out "Good Morning...Isn't this Great?!...Woooo Hoooo! Who's excited?!!" There has to be these people or the buzz and rattle of the dressing room heater that is set to not freezing but miserable would be the only thing you would hear.</p>
<p>The parents huddle like cattle in a field, typically in a corner of the arena sipping on coffee and bond over complaints about how early it is for the first ten minutes, and why the U17 teams aren't the ones that have this ice time...they could drive themselves!! </p>
<p>Back to the dressing room. At the U7 to probably about U11 level these players, although they can tie their own shoes, somehow they have no ability to tie a pair of skates. That's absolute truth. They aren't faking it, they can actually not tie a pair of skates. Apparently the gear they wear must be such a drain on their physical abilities and their level of cognition that they are immediately perplexed when they look at the laces criss crossed back and forth with no idea on which to pull. If they do get it right, then the skate is so loose on their ankles they could quite possibly walk out of their skates on the way to the ice surface. This all to tell you that the parent coach ends up tying several pairs of skates. Did you know that the time of day is directly proportionate to how painful it is to tie a kids skates? For some reason, perhaps early onset hockey parent arthritis, as an adult it hurts to tie skates in the early morning. It actually hurts. You can identify anyone that does it rather easily if you wish. Just have a look at the outside of the pinky finger. About 3/4 of the way to the finger tip, on the outside, near the crease of the farthest knuckle is the badge of hockey skate tying honour. The small calloused patch that grows throughout the season. I'm pretty sure that the thickness of the pinky finger on the brave souls who do tie these skates goes up measurably from October to March and then shrinks over the summer due to lack of use.</p>
<p>All of this to watch the first 15 minutes of the practice as the coaches try to coax some sort of motor skill into the young phenoms bodies with a carefully planned out drill with more changes in direction than a traffic circle in Cairo, before they resolve to the fact that they better just stick with the basics for this one.</p>
<p>All of this, and still we do it...and guess what?...the crazy part from what I've been told from the elders in the hockey parent alumni is that once it's all said and done and the kids move on...that it is one of the things you miss the most. It will be awhile before I will get to verify that but for now I'm going to relish the fact that we get a break in the early ice lottery for this weekend and my tender pinkies currently don't miss that part at all. </p>Jason Pricetag:jasonpricecountry.com,2005:Post/68757532022-01-21T07:31:10-04:002022-01-21T07:31:10-04:00Who Made Up These Words?<p>Have you ever sat and pondered for awhile just who made up some of the words we use? I mean there are definitely some slang words that come from pop culture that can pretty easily be traced back. I asked my son yesterday if his brother was downstairs...his response..."No, he dipped". He did what? "He dipped". I googled it. It means he left. That would have been difficult to say I guess.</p>
<p>There are more words though that I wonder about...tons of them actually. Like for instance, who sat for awhile staring at a majestic wonder clad with feathers doing aerial acrobatics, tapped whoever they were with, pointed and said... "<em>Bird</em>". Why did that word get accepted? Who made that guy right...and why <em>bird? </em>Did it just spread like wildfire?! Hey Gronk figure it out...it Bird!!! Just say that word to yourself...its preposterous! Don't even get me started with Platypus. </p>
<p>There are also then the bad words...the curse words. Once again, who gave the rubber stamp of approval that these words were indeed unacceptable words to use in everyday conversation and should only be used by English speaking fathers all over the world when trying to put Ikea furniture together or to emphasize specifically that someone should leave. I think any word can be implied a bad word...our youngest son cursed like a trooper at two years old, well at least I am sure he thought he did. He would say "Awe Pickles!" with mischief in his eyes. We would act shocked then laugh, and with the reaction he sought he would continue. Friggin Pickles. </p>
<p>Apparently there are dictionaries available of etymology...(<em>Pro tip - never use a big word when you can use a </em><i>diminutive one instead</i>). Etymology, I have learned, is the history of a linguistic form. I'm not sure who was around at the time "Bird" was created...but apparently they can trace things like that back and accept it as accurate. </p>
<p>Then we get into completely different languages, and again one must wonder who got to pick each word for them? I can walk through parts of Quebec and let every curse word I know fly out of my mouth in a grocery store line without a single head turning other than to wonder who the English guy is in town. I witnessed it first hand. I was in a place called Rouyn-Noranda for a major junior hockey game we were about to play. The first song in the warm up? DMX - "Up in Here". I forewarn you, if you look it up and haven't heard it before please put earphones in and have a glass of holy water at the ready.</p>
<p>Great Segway...holy water brings me to the next point. En Francais, it is reprehensible to speak out against the Church. Those are where the curse words come from in Quebec. Those words meant nothing to my good friend who was with me at the grocery store in Rimouski. He had no ability to speak French but learned to say the curse words improperly but with effect. The kind old lady at customer service rang in his purchase, to which he was surprised at the total and said "Madame...Tabranack". That isn't the way it is spelled, nor is it the way that it is pronounced; but the kind old lady knew the meaning and shook her head right away shaming him "Oh monsieur, non - non". He would never have dropped the F Bomb, but this word was meaningless to him and found it especially humorous quite similar to a two year old saying pickles. </p>
<p>I guess when you think of it; and you likely shouldn't for too long or you may end up writing a ridiculous blog, the old "sticks and stones" adage really is true! The pen is mightier than the sword! Maybe that's why the police in England don't have guns...stop thief...or I'll make up a terrible word that will be accepted by the world and it will be about you! </p>
<p>It's a little perplexing if you think about each one. That's what's happening now as I type. Every. Single. Word. Is. Making. Me. Wonder. Its. Origin. That's too much info for me, so for now I am just going to accept with the rest of the population the etymology that a bird is indeed a bird and go enjoy the rest of my coffee. Till next time...I gotta dip. </p>Jason Pricetag:jasonpricecountry.com,2005:Post/68747022022-01-20T07:27:39-04:002022-01-20T23:49:46-04:00Toughness<p>What is being tough? What does that mean these days? There are many connotations I guess. That person is tough, don't mess with her. This steak is tough. Algebra is tough. There are so many different uses and meanings for the word that it seems like one of those words that gets carelessly thrown around too much. I guess that maybe there are just multiple scales of toughness?</p>
<p>Many of the things I saw in regard to social media posts around New Years this year implied that 2021 was tough....but was it really that tough? Certainly, it wasn't a banner year full of social galas; and there was definitely some hard times for some business, and yes, some people got sick...but how tough was it as a whole? In my area, I could order take out from most of the restaurants; I could go online, put in my shopping list at the grocery store and have it sitting waiting when I pulled up; and get this...I could call a liquor store and have beer and wine delivered to my front door...that used to be called bootlegging!! Sure, I missed my fair share of shows. Many things got cancelled or rescheduled, but I got more opportunity to spend time with my kids; learned how to make a few dishes at home (<i>the residual effect is now we appreciate a good meal again</i>). I am just saying I guess, that it could have been much, much, much tougher. </p>
<p>Maybe there should be a huge flashing billboard or better yet for these days, an annoying sound coming from our mobile devices to grab our attention....WE ARE GETTING SOFT!!! </p>
<p>My grandparents on my father's side have both passed on for awhile now. My grandfather was born in 1910, contracted polio by his teenage years, spent 7 years in a hospital and came out with such limited mobility of his braced legs that he was resigned to spend the rest of his life on crutches. I could write an entire book about him, but will give you just a few important parts for now. He eventually became a farmer on land that was pretty much deemed unusable in the Neutral Hills of Alberta. He and my Grandmother, went through the depression and apparently there was no skip the dishes number they could call back then, in fact, they had to eat to <em>survive</em>..not for pleasure. He found a way to plough fields behind a team of horses..on crutches..to stack hay...to make his way to and from the barn in the winter time (<em>of course my grandmother was there as well, and also one tough mama..I'll get to that in a minute</em>). It would have been easy to complain, to give up, to quit and look for handouts. That wasn't the way things were. Nearly everyone his age had watched people go off to World Wars and not return, faced the Spanish Flu, try to live through the Great Depression....and do it without internet, without the fast easy science of today, without a grocery store around the corner that carries everything from flour to the wonders of the international aisle.</p>
<p>I watched my grandmother go to a hospital in Alberta with a nose bleed that wouldn't stop. I listened as a Dr. told her that he was going to cauterize the inside of her nose. I didn't really get the picture until I watched him hit the button on this little pen that had a thin looped wire on the end of it. The wire glowed red hot, and he put that up into her nose which on contact let out a small puff of smoke. She didn't moan, didn't cry...<em>didn't even flinch!</em> It was likely the single most impressive feat of physical toughness I had ever seen. I think about it every time I am subjected to the rapid tests of today. </p>
<p>We all have a choice as to how we react to things. There are certainly some things going on now that we wish would just go away, but is it all that bad...is it really that tough? There are naturally going to be people who need help to cope, are getting a raw deal, or maybe just need someone to talk with. That's when we as a society become a team...to put it in sporting terms...we become tough to play against. There are literally thousands of stories that each of us has heard from people in our own families and friends with truly remarkable feats of toughness. Maybe, just maybe, we can draw on some of those and know that level of resolve is attainable, and actually lives in each of us. The old adage of when the going gets tough, the tough get going is true. I will leave you with this quote from a book that I read recently that should be required reading for anyone. </p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><i>We who lived in concentration camps can remember the men who walked through the huts comforting others, giving away their last piece of bread. They may have been few in number, but they offer sufficient proof that everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms - to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way.</i></p>
<p>The book is called Man's Search For Meaning,by Viktor E. Frankl. He was a concentration camp survivor...and he was tough. </p>Jason Pricetag:jasonpricecountry.com,2005:Post/68735702022-01-19T06:57:13-04:002022-01-19T14:00:12-04:00Just Try<p>I listen to a podcast called The High Performance Podcast on a regular basis. Most of the time it's while I am walking the dog, so I usually get through the full hour episodes as they roll out. They are of course uplifting, and deconstruct the habits of some of the top world performers in sport, business, music etc..</p>
<p>The one episode that resonated with me lately was with the guest Chrissie Wellington. I hadn't heard of her before this episode and what a story! A great listen for everyone. She didn't have an extraordinary upbringing and participated in swimming growing up. I will keep this to a minimum here, because if you do want to check her out, I don't want to spoil the whole thing. What she did do, with no aspirations to do so prior to getting on a bicycle when she was 28 years old, was become a 4 time World Champion in the sport of Triathlon....Ironman distance no less! To put this in some perspective...there are world class triathletes that train their entire lives to become competitive and she decided on a whim to throw her hat in the ring, compete, and beat them all...consistently.</p>
<p>The message that she conveyed later was that people need to try. Try different things. Don't assume that you know you will or will not like something, but jump in and give whatever it is a whirl. You may find out that you have a real knack for whatever said thing is. I don't want to paint the picture that she was able to just jump in and go with no effort. She certainly discusses the amount of gruelling work she put in (<em>I've learned the key to most of the high performance individual's habits are that every one of them </em><i>acknowledges that you need to put in the work.</i>). What she does say though is that she did have a natural talent for this sport and had absolutely no idea that she possessed it. </p>
<p>Can you imagine if Bach or Mozart were never tempted to touch a piano? What if Gretzky's family didn't give him a hockey stick to try out in the back yard? The initial, seemingly small act of handing someone an instrument, inviting them out to play volleyball, join them at a chess club or a cooking class...whatever it is....that act may be the first introduction to the world of the next champion in that activity. The odds are, that won't be the case; however, maybe the person introduced has a natural talent, puts in the work and just enjoys it. Maybe then that person passes their passion on to the next soul that jumps in and they become inspired to continue. There is a real chance, and great odds that this will indeed have a ripple effect. That person will meet others, will exchange experiences, will give back to society in some form or another just by participating. </p>
<p>The lesson that I loved from that podcast episode was that a 4 time world champion in arguably one of the more gruelling self disciplined sports in the world wasn't pedalling her sport (<em>see what I did there)</em>...she has just asked that we try new opportunities when they appear. </p>
<p>My parents always said "Try it...you might like it". Well sorry Mom and Dad, I will never become the fishcake eating champion of the world; but I am getting better at guitar, so good thing I gave that a try.</p>Jason Pricetag:jasonpricecountry.com,2005:Post/68724422022-01-18T07:18:57-04:002022-01-18T07:18:57-04:00Are the best songs gone?<p>My bandmates and have discussed this topic at length, more often than not after a show with a few Bud Lights to help us think more clearly and really help the deep wisdom ooze to the surface. It's a fair question in my mind. Are the best songs already gone? Have the best one's already been written? There is an argument there for each side.</p>
<p>Consider the likes of Elton John, The Beatles, Merle Haggard, Kris Kristofferson, Joni Mitchell, etc. They had some really strong lyrics in some of those songs; in fact, there are actually university courses and currently a multi part documentary on Disney Plus, specifically about the Beatles and their process. Today, much of the writing is deemed by music critics of my era to be a bit lazy in some of the bigger commercial hits. My good friend said recently to his son, "Your generation doesn't have any music that will stand the test of time.".</p>
<p>I wonder if that will hold true, or if the likes of Hank Williams said the same thing. Did Elvis fans who bopped along to "You Aint Nothing but a Hound Dog" rave about the songwriting and tell their kids they wouldn't have any music that would last? Was Jerry Lee Lewis really tapping into the muse with Great Balls of Fire? We all know the song...goodness, gracious, you probably just sang that line out loud! I think the trouble is that people get caught up in comparing the music of the era's instead of just enjoying what is presented. Of course, most maturing adults are going to see fault in the music that is out today. How many kids and young adults are running out of their rooms asking their parents if they can please turn the stereo down so they can think? My feeling is not many.</p>
<p>Todays music may or may not stand the test of time. I would wager that there will be songs by the likes of Adele, Chris Stapleton, Eric Church, etc that are around at that time. I went to a Garth Brooks show in Ottawa a few years ago. He hadn't toured in 20 years. Hadn't put out any music for over a decade. There were twenty year old people there singing every word. The greats in country music past thought electric guitars were ruining the country music genre. Tradition was being thrown out. The kids that were singing along to Garth were not even born when he had initially stopped touring! </p>
<p>Personal preference aside, the music of today will have a heart beat in the future. I don't have a clue what that will look like, but there will be some hits that continue to grace us. I just read a quote about survival of the fittest and some of Darwins work. If the mutation works, and allows that species to live then that species will continue to evolve with that new mutation. Now I am not calling anyone a mutant, but what I am saying is that people will be influenced by the greats of the past, and will put their own flare on it. If people like that new "breed" then it will flourish and someone will put their own flare on that and so on. It isn't a disrespect of tradition...it could actually be considered respect for the old ways by building onto it. The DNA of the past is still there. </p>
<p>Maybe it's time as a songwriter to try something new? Maybe mutate a little myself? Or, I can continue to do what I personally enjoy and have a few people sing along with me. Currently, there is an audience that still loves the Brooks and Dunn era, but you don't hear Hank Williams on the radio much. Eventually, the music is going to evolve to the point that the O.G.(<i>Term of today meaning original gangster, but I prefer to use it as Old Guy</i>) is on the shelf. I do often wonder now though, how something like "Sunday Morning Coming Down" can be written by a single writer and some of the things that come out with four and five writers don't even get close to the same standard of lyricism. That's my own thought to ponder of course...I mean I haven't had a #1 radio hit in.....jeez how about that Elvis fella? </p>Jason Pricetag:jasonpricecountry.com,2005:Post/68712612022-01-17T07:21:29-04:002022-01-17T11:36:41-04:00Waking up late<p>I am not what you would call a natural "morning person", though lately I have taken steps to get up earlier than the rest of my household and the quiet time is hugely productive. I would recommend it to anyone that doesn't have a favourite tv show that starts after 10 pm. Getting up early though isn't really the subject I had in mind for today. I was just thinking about that sinking feeling you get when you wake up late. </p>
<p>Why is it that the ever elusive most absolute best sleep happens on a day that you simply cannot be late? Most of the time if I have to be up at a specific time, I will wake up throughout the night and seem to get the best hour of sleep right before the alarm is set to go off. It's almost like I worry throughout the night that I won't hear that alarm, and then with an hour or less to go the worry disappears because its so close to wake up time I can easily just drift off and coast into the finish line. That sometimes works...if your alarm isn't set to PM instead of AM, or if your phone dies because you didn't plug it in. </p>
<p>The panic feeling of waking up, or getting woken up by a phone call from someone asking you where you are...it's got to be comparative to a roller coaster thrill (<i>I can't accurately tell you as I don't strap myself into open air trains of g force...but I hear it's a real thrill</i>). If someone could somehow bottle that feeling and sell it they would make a fortune. It would be funny to actually capture it all on video. The facial expression as the confusion sets in as it turns to surprise, panic, anger all at the same time. I bet that people who wouldn't normally curse could be heard drifting a few expletives. I think it would make for a great reality show. </p>
<p>I could have been a star if that was the case. I woke up with less than enough time to get to the airport on two separate occasions that I remember. It was much more of a game of chance in those days when google maps couldn't tell you specifically the fastest route to get there and what time you would arrive. In one place that I wasn't exactly familiar with, I had to get to the airport in my rental car. I hadn't paid much attention to the route to where I was staying and didn't explore the area while I was there, so I pretty much had a general direction to point the car towards. Somehow, and I am still not sure to this day...but I must have made every correct turn along the way. The relief that you feel when you actually get there late and yet on time. </p>
<p>The same can't be said when you get there late and are indeed too late. I had to open a building once where I worked. It was my first week there and the manager needed me to open. I was literally still figuring out the best route to take to get there from my house when this responsibility got passed on to me. I took the tour of the building the day before, wrote down all the steps to opening; turn that light on first, then open this room, etc. I remember the feeling waking up and it dawning on me that I was late. No kids in the house at that time so they wouldn't have heard the panicked obligatory curse that escaped my lips. People were waiting outside waiting to get in when I got there. Talk about embarrassing. I apologized profusely and figured it was just me and the embarrassment left to deal with. I hadn't counted on the fact that someone would have left in disgust and called my boss to let him know before I had the chance to. When you deserve it, you just gotta accept it and eat crow. </p>
<p>I haven't had one of those episodes in quite awhile. I'm not sure if it's because I wake up more through the night, or if maturity is starting to grace me these days. Now I generally double check the alarm when I need it; however, I'm also pretty lucky to have someone who knows me fairly well to elbow me in the ribs if she feels I may hit the snooze button. Interestingly, I never wake up late for golf or hockey. Strange.</p>
<p>Maybe someone will actually create that reality show and we can all get that thrill from afar. If they don't I guess I will just have to reminisce about those times or maybe get my adrenaline rush from something crazy like skydiving or simply wait till my number gets called again. Until then, I better get this online...I wouldn't want to be late. </p>
<p> </p>Jason Pricetag:jasonpricecountry.com,2005:Post/68705972022-01-16T07:23:38-04:002022-01-16T12:39:45-04:00IF<p>Poetry isn't something that I dive into on a regular basis, in fact, I rarely ever read it. There are a couple that have stuck with me over the years...<a contents="When I was One and Twenty" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/52706/when-i-was-one-and-twenty-56d2316642304" target="_blank">When I was One and Twenty</a>; <a contents="The Road not Taken" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/44272/the-road-not-taken" target="_blank">The Road not Taken</a>.... The one that hits me now and sticks out is one I wanted to share with you today. I feel that every single line in this poem can teach a lesson. It's something that comes to mind every once in awhile and when it does, I take the time to look it up and read it. This poem, hung on the wall in my parents house on a cloth scroll of sorts. In a world that seems to be changing so much these days it seems like something to cling to. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.</p>
<p><strong>IF <em>by Rudyard Kipling</em></strong></p>
<p>If you can keep your head when all about you</p>
<p>Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,</p>
<p>If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,</p>
<p>But make allowance for their doubting too;</p>
<p>If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,</p>
<p>Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,</p>
<p>Or being hated, don't give way to hating,</p>
<p>And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise;</p>
<p> </p>
<p>If you can dream - and not make dreams your master; </p>
<p>If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;</p>
<p>If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster </p>
<p>And treat those two imposters just the same;</p>
<p>If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken</p>
<p>Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,</p>
<p>Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,</p>
<p>And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools:</p>
<p> </p>
<p>If you can make one heap of all your winnings</p>
<p>And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,</p>
<p>And lose, and start again at your beginnings</p>
<p>And never breathe a word about your loss;</p>
<p>If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew</p>
<p>To serve your turn long after they are gone,</p>
<p>And so hold on when there is nothing in you</p>
<p>Except the Will which says to them 'Hold on!'</p>
<p> </p>
<p>If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,</p>
<p>Or walk with Kings - nor lose the common touch,</p>
<p>If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,</p>
<p>If all men count with you, but none too much;</p>
<p>If you can fill the unforgiving minute</p>
<p>With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,</p>
<p>Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it, </p>
<p>And - which is more - you'll be a Man, my son!</p>Jason Pricetag:jasonpricecountry.com,2005:Post/68698782022-01-15T07:38:14-04:002022-01-18T19:23:15-04:00Its an acquired taste<p>It's an acquired taste. Isn't that a bit of a mind boggling statement? I mean who in their right mind would put something to their lips for a second time under the premise that "Hey this really sucked the first time, but maybe if I eat enough of it, I eventually won't hate it".</p>
<p>How many times have you seen this sort of scenario? "What?! You haven't tried scotch before?! Well you have to have some! Here take a glass! Yeah, yeah I know...it's an acquired taste". Ohhhh...You mean if I keep drinking this swamp juice eventually I will trick myself into the illusion that it actually tastes good? Well then, fill er up again Sam!</p>
<p>As a kid, I couldn't figure out why my parents liked coffee. I had a sip of theirs...it was horrible. Tastes change they said...you might like it someday. I am currently two coffee deep and its 7 am. I may actually truly love my morning coffee. I know exactly how it happened. I had pulled my first and maybe only "all nighter" at school trying to get some sort of a semblance of a paper done that I had procrastinated on to truly the last minute. I knew I wasn't going to get through the night without some sort of help, so I bought a jar of instant coffee from the grocery store on the way home to start the paper that evening. Two heaping spoons of dirty brown crystals, a heaping spoon of coffee mate, and two sugar. I drank at least 6 cups of that through the night. I did finish the paper in just enough time to walk to class. I thought at that time, I would likely have had my last cup coffee...it was horrible; however, I had to pass a Tim Horton on my way to class. Feeling great about getting the worst paper I have written done, I stopped in to load my veins with some java from the polyester clad professionals. I ordered a double double and headed to class. That first sip tasted so good. I was making it all wrong! This stuff was amazing. Thinking back now, I believe that what I was drinking all night tasted so terrible, that anything would have tasted good. The rest is history in that department. Now I'm a coffee connoisseur in my mind.</p>
<p>I get that one though. There was a pay off for that. I had to get through that night, and this sludge would help get it done. That's understandable. Olives aren't. Who eats an olive and immediately says "Well that was the most delicious thing I have ever put in my mouth!"? There is absolutely no reason for a second olive in this case. There is zero pay off. Nobody is going to starve because they didn't eat that second olive...but perhaps it is the same as the coffee. Maybe that first olive was one of the crappy ones, and the next one is a gourmet olive (<em>I have no idea if there is indeed a gourmet olive</em>). That would then make sense. Here chew on this pellet that tastes like fermented garbage smells. Awful huh. Try this one...not as bad is it? Sure take another one. </p>
<p>I did this experiment with my oldest son lately. He turns 19 today actually (<em>Happy Birthday kid..I love you</em>). So over the Christmas break he asks me about a good sipping tequila. I like tequila...I acquired that taste in Mexico at a tequila bar...same logic as the coffee only the pay off was waaaay more fun. So I get the terrible gasoline down that one only makes frozen margaritas with. I'm not here to bash any brands so I won't give that detail only to say that it was one of the cheapest ones on the shelf. I pour him a shot of that, then I pour him a shot of Hacienda de Chihuahua, one of my favourites around here. Take a sip of that one there. His face immediately implodes and tears stream from where his eyes used to be. Doesn't taste too good does it? I laugh and laugh. Now try this one. Oh, well that is way better! Now take it easy on that stuff...its called a sipping drink for a reason. </p>
<p>I guess the only thing that I can attribute the acquired taste thing to then is quality. Likely the first time you try something that could be deemed awful, it is the cheapest version of it. That also makes a little bit of sense. Why on earth would someone give you their more expensive quality version of "input whatever disgusts you here" when you may just spit it out. Likely you taste the cheap stuff first. That is about the only logic I can garner on the subject. It still doesn't explain polka music, but it may account for why anyone may still follow my blog. It's could be that it's an acquired taste. </p>
<p> </p>Jason Pricetag:jasonpricecountry.com,2005:Post/68687872022-01-14T07:24:34-04:002022-01-14T07:24:34-04:00Public Speaking<p>Many people that I get the opportunity to meet tell me that they could never get up on stage. Some wonder how I remember all of the lyrics (sometimes I don't!), but for most I get the sense that they wonder how I can perform with all of the eyes on me. Maybe that's like the old story about asking a spider how it can walk with its eight legs...the gist of it is the spider begins to think about it and then freezes unable to take another step. At this point, I think that I am kind of like that spider...though I still have some butterflies each time, It just comes naturally now. That hasn't always been the case.</p>
<p>My first public speaking engagement that I can remember was back in about grade 8 or grade 9. Mrs. Blyth, a stern but fair teacher who kept her desk at the back of the room so you didn't know if she was watching you, asked the class to write a speech about any topic of your choice. The topic I picked was moving from one place to another (<em>It just dawned on me that this may have been a memory triggered from my last blog!</em>). I wrote my speech out about all of the things that I experienced in the actual move. I put a little humour into it of course, though back then I definitely didn't have the Dad jokes to lean on. I remember writing in that speech about the gas station stops along the way. Moving across the country we could just stop any time we felt the urge, so the stops were spread out a bit. I remember writing into the speech that my sister and I would race into the gas station as if we were in Olympic trials in order to get to the bathroom first should there be only one. I remember thinking that line was pure gold. I drew the whole speech up on cue cards, practiced looking up, and went to class the next day to deliver the speech to my classroom.</p>
<p>We all had speeches to do. I knew every kid in that room. We were all friends. I delivered that speech as if I was talking to family. It couldn't have gone any better. I nailed it!! What I didn't know at the time is that whoever old Mrs. Blyth felt would do the class proud would be delivering this same speech at a full school competition! That included the high school in the school that I went to. I won my way into a lesson I still remember to this day.</p>
<p>The evening of the competition, I felt great. No pressure, I was just going to get up and deliver this speech the same way that I did in class. I'm pretty sure that I felt I had the thing won before I even arrived. Confident? More like naive. Did I mention that families were invited to attend? The audience was huge (<i>I'm not talking an arena full of people, but it may have well as been to me at the time</i>). There were people of every shape and size and the only ones that I knew were my own parents. This wasn't the same Kansas any more Toto. No this was different. Competitive nerves started to creep in a bit. That isn't always a bad thing according to my coaches. That just meant I wanted to win they would tell me at my games. In public speaking though, you don't get to burn off those nerves by trying to avoid getting laid out on the ice! </p>
<p>It's finally my turn and everyone has been great. At this point I still feel like I have a chance. I lock in, and begin. As I mentioned earlier, I practiced looking up. That was part of the lesson from Mrs. Blyth. Don't keep your head down and just read from the cards she would say. So I looked up. In the back row three of my buddies came to "support" me. Remember...grade 8/9. In mid-sentence, about 15 seconds into my speech, I see my buddies making faces and pointing at me. I choked. I started stammering, lost my place and all focus. It was like a plane spiralling down at that point. There was no recovery in sight. My face got red, I felt the sweat start in my hands and down my neck. After what seemed like eternity, I found my place...looked at my cue cards and I read word for word from them with zero delivery. People actually go to NASCAR races to see crashes like that! </p>
<p>The first time that I played live was in a coffee shop. I hadn't prepared for a live performance, the opportunity just happened to come up. The same feelings came back. I knew exactly one and a half songs. I played the first one and it went over fairly well. The host of the Open Mic says "You can't leave us with just one", so I start the next one and finished right square in the middle of it. That's all I knew. My wife and I quickly left after that performance and the entire way home I kept asking her why she let me do that. I felt like a moron. I was trembling. She just laughed and said I did great. The performance itself wasn't, but the fact that I got up was. It led me to where I am now. </p>
<p>Now I get on stage prepared. Now it really doesn't matter if there are 5 people, 50 people, 500 people and a dog...I'll stop there as I am not sure I have played to 5000 yet, but you get the point. Now...the songs are the familiar. Now I have rehearsed, and do I still mess up...yes <em>nearly every show</em>. Sometimes its so small that only a fellow musician would notice, but sometimes I may completely forget a line, a chord, a story, where I put my beer, etc..The difference now is that I know nothing dire is going to happen. Now I laugh at myself publicly if I make a mistake. I think by doing that, I immediately forgive myself for it and that is the person who was in my own head choking in grade 8. I didn't have the capacity then to realize it was ok and that I was the one making it worse. So if you find yourself in the position that I did and you feel even the smallest inclination to get up on that stage to play, tell some jokes at a wedding, join a band for a song, whatever muse is coaxing you to get up there inside...do it. Do it and when you mess up, not <em>if </em>you mess up, but when..think of that 8th grader who crashed and burned that now sits in front of strangers singing songs he wrote and playing guitar...sometimes incorrectly.</p>
<p> </p>Jason Pricetag:jasonpricecountry.com,2005:Post/68676592022-01-13T09:34:36-04:002022-01-13T22:44:41-04:00Where are you from?<p>Where are you from? That was always a tough question for me to answer. For most people it would be where they were born. Maybe they had a childhood in one place where they had the same bedroom from the time they started school until they left home. If I was visiting another country then it would be easy..."Well, I am from Canada", but I am rarely out of the country so the question gets harder.</p>
<p>I was born in Fredericton NB...I'm told we stayed there for a few short weeks before my father was posted to an Air Force base in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. Maybe then I am from Moose Jaw? Nope, it was just a course and we were shipped off to Edmonton Alberta by the time I was 2. Am I an Alberta boy then? I guess I was for a couple years. The next move was to Comox, BC. I'm sure that you can see the pattern developing here. Every two to three years we would move. My dad was a Search and Rescue pilot in the Canadian Armed Forces. </p>
<p>Moving wasn't so hard, at least in the beginning. It was exciting! What new place are we going to next? I wonder what my room is going to look like? Does the hotel we are in tonight have a pool?</p>
<p>Once everything was packed and taken by the movers (<em>and with any luck I would get one of the moving guys to give me one of these huge rubber bands they had that I could turn into sling shots for my own entertainment</em>), my family would split up into pairs of parent and child (<em>There was just the four of us, my Mother and Father, my Sister and I) </em>to drive across Canada to our new home. This was often the time that I would get to see my grandparents and relatives as we would stop in on the way through for a few days. One set of grandparents lived in Alberta (<em>a very small town named Consort..home of KD Lang, and Chad Kroeger of Nickelback..until you realize just how small the town is it won't strike you on how impressive that is), </em>and the other set lived in Renous, NB. Talk about covering both ends of the country! It was exciting to travel across the country as a kid! Eventually that stuff wore off a bit and I was a typical teenager that was too cool care my families car just climbed Mount Washington..just let me go back to sleep and let me know when we are there. </p>
<p>We always made an adventure of the move, stopping at multiple tourist targets and landmarks. My parents always tried to make sure that there was a pool at the hotel we stayed at. Driving any distance with my own kids now makes me wonder how they made it across. Once we dipped down and went through the US. I was in a huge Star Wars phase and was collecting the figures. Kmart had the figures for waaaay cheaper than they were in Canada, or so I thought. I had no idea what exchange on the dollar was. The lady at the counter laughed at me and asked if that was Monopoly money when I tried to use my crumpled up Canadian dollars. My parents bailed me out of that one. I also found out in a diner along that trip that iced tea is made from real tea in the USA. Imagine that! Picture your favourite seven year old taking a big gulp of cold tea with the expectation it was going to taste like Nestea from back home. Barf.</p>
<p>So after moving from province to province it became increasingly difficult to say where I was from. It was always the last place that I had moved from as a kid. I was, more times than most people, the new kid in school. Where are you from new kid? Um, Trenton Ontario. Uh, Gander NF. In high school I did grade 10 in Winnipeg MB, grade 11 in Summerside PEI, and graduated from West Kings High School when I lived in Greenwood NS for grade 12. </p>
<p>Where are you from took on a new meaning once I was out of school and on my own. That's when it really hit me I guess that I don't have a place that I grew up as most did. Most people I know can answer that question definitively even if they have moved. They can tell you stories about their best buddies and how they have done crazy things together since they met in first grade. My wife Kelly tells me those kinds of stories. For the longest time growing up I thought that maybe I should just pick one of the places I lived longest?</p>
<p>I've learned now that where I am from is where I have family. Even though I moved around from place to place to place, those places stayed constant. I have no idea what any of my relatives street addresses are in NB, but I can tell you how close I am based on the old house on the right beside the big church in Rogersville; by the left hand turn after the bridge that everyone fishes under; by the old general store that has a new name that my cousins and I would walk to from their house. In the middle of prairie Alberta, I could tell you that you are almost there when you pass the sign that said 'Home of KD Lang"; just one more left at the UFA and head straight up till you see the White House with a ramp on it...green hedge all around it and the huge garden, the one kitty corner from the towns outdoor pool. </p>
<p>Now I live in Nova Scotia. I have my own family, and I haven't moved in quite awhile. I don't expect to move in the foreseeable future but who knows, anything is possible. What I do know is that I don't need a geographic place to call home. I don't need a specific place to say "that's my hometown". I don't have that. If I am pressed, my answer now is "I was born in Fredericton and I currently live in Lawrencetown". That usually satisfies anyone that really presses. The reality is...Home is where the love is, and I am lucky to have a few places to call home....now if I could only figure out a way to bring my own bed to all of them. </p>
<p> </p>Jason Pricetag:jasonpricecountry.com,2005:Post/68664552022-01-12T07:38:18-04:002022-03-30T09:10:47-03:00Guys Night<p>Every year for the last two or three, my two youngest boys have been making our way through the Rocky movies. I have of course seen them multiple times, but to my boys its all brand new. Wouldn't that be cool to be able to experience that again for the first time? I remember the thrill of the movies. My first one was Star Trek, believe it or not, when I was a kid. I had never been to the theatre before that I remembered. The mother of the birthday party I was attending was shocked to find that out. I don't remember much of it other than the fact that one of the characters had a bug put in his ear and when it came out later in the show it had grown by huge proportions. Still gross. Still weird. </p>
<p>Its funny what memories coming rushing back. My first drive in show watching "Empire Strikes Back" which essentially formed my entire child hood from the ages of 5-10. Grabbing a towel and wrapping it around my neck, closing it with a clothes pin to re-enact Christopher Reeve in Superman. That was an awesome show. My friend Davey Lukes and I had watermelon that day which was a rare treat back then (<em>none of that seedless stuff either...that didn't exist back then)</em> Fast forward in and around the same year, and I remember drying my eyes on my dads t-shirt when ET died right in front of my eyes. I still remember the relief when his heart lit up in that plastic bag. </p>
<p>Hence, I make it a point to watch a few movies with the family. Rocky in particular for "guys night". Those are the nights that Kelly escapes the lunacy that we can often surround her with. Most often she is gone for a few hours to wade into a glass of wine and conversation with some old friends. We (myself and my two youngest boys) take the opportunity then to order Wings, pick up a couple of Stewarts Root Beer for them and of course a couple Bud Lights for me. We turn on the TV, rent the next version of Rocky and its on like donkey kong. I know what's coming and I still love it. What I realized at some point is that there are tons of life lessons in those shows. After the show I always ask what they learned from it. Im overwhelmed sometimes to hear their answers about never giving up, about facing fears, about chasing a dream...and here I was just enjoying making some memories. Add to that, who doesn't like walking around with kids after a show like that talking in that Rocky drawl for an hour. Eh Yo Kid..Why you gotta eat the last wing like that?</p>
<p>We have wrapped up the Rocky series, so its time to start from the beginning again or find something new I guess. They are still a little young for Die Hard I guess. Yippee Ky Yeah!! I digress. Whatever we pick, whether its a great movie or not; whether it leaves them wondering why on earth did you make me watch that (<em>Quite literally what my then 9 yr old shouted out when we watched Turner and Hooch...I forgot what happened to Hooch), </em>whether it's happy or sad or action-packed; the most important thing is that it's maybe the only time it is currently accepted by my wife Kelly that I can buy wings and beer for the kids. Ha Ha! Sorry left turn there in Albuquerque (<em>my mind occasionally does that sort of thing</em>)... the most important thing is obviously the time we get to spend together. It's something that is inclusive of everyone, is the end result of someones creativity, often gives us a few feel good moments and yes...Mama joins us for "Family Movie Night" which has its own unique memories as well and by rights deserves it's own blog...no wings and beer though. </p>
<p> </p>Jason Pricetag:jasonpricecountry.com,2005:Post/68654342022-01-11T11:31:49-04:002022-01-16T13:15:45-04:00Day one of my blog (AKA my public journal)<p>I figure that with the recent environment and the impact it has had on music that maybe I can take another avenue to entertain for awhile. I think that most people aren't exactly the same in writing versus the spoken word. In the written world, there seems to me to be more time to think about precisely what you will say though I have been trying a bit of creative writing lately so I may jump around a bit here. I'm not sure how many people will read this, if it will even be visible to anyone, or if it is at all interesting but I'm up for something new so here it is. </p>
<p>I haven't read more than a paragraph or two of any blog so not really sure what to write about here or if there is a standard format. My interpretation is to basically write about whatever pops into my mind. Perhaps today a glimpse at my own introspection? </p>
<p>Recently, I have been kind of taking stock of where I sit in the music world and where I want to go. I have determined that I am simply not working hard enough. There are some people who know me who may say that statement is ridiculous; but it is true. I released my last album in August of 2020 and believed that the music would just kind of speak for itself. That I could send it out there and watch it ride off like a kid that just kept pedalling a bike for the first time without falling. My expectation was that it would get shared; that the songs I released would get added to radio, playlists, etc. That definitely happened, but not to the degree I was expecting. There are many reasons for that I am certain but ultimately there one specific one. Often I hear, "How is this not getting played on radio?" or "How come I haven't heard of you before?!" or "Why aren't you in Nashville?!". The answer that I convinced myself of was that you have to be signed to a big label; radio won't play indie musicians (<em>which isn't completely untrue in my opinion</em>); I don't have the time or the money to market the way I need to, etc. <em>Excuses.</em></p>
<p>The real reason is this, which I have been pondering over the past few weeks....I haven't put in the work. I am super proud of my albums. I believe the songs are good enough to be played, featured, added, to almost any country format. Take me completely out of it, and the musicians that are on them, the production, etc are world class in my opinion. What I haven't done is <em>consistently</em> put in the work after the fact. I celebrated that it was out there. I hustled for a bit to have a few added to playlists. I took to social media and shared. I did a few interviews. I did all the things that other indie musicians were doing and that is the key statement. <em>I did what everyone else was doing</em>. I did that and expected a different result. To quote Robin Sharma, if you want to be in the Top 5%, you need to be willing to do what 95% are not. I didn't do what 95% are not. Instead, I promoted my album on social media...like everyone else; I released it on a Friday...like everyone else; I sent it off to different stations...like nearly everyone else. I didn't get up like Kobe and hit the gym at 5, come home for breakfast, work on my trade, get another workout in, work on my trade, journal, meditate, improve. I did what nearly everyone else does. I got caught up in life and lived in the 95% category. </p>
<p>When I began to play, people were astounded at the fact that I improved so quickly. That I was playing live shows in some great places with my own songs in such a short time. The secret....I put in the work. I practiced everyday for probably 3-4 hours. l didn't even realize that the time was passing by. I had help from a lot of people, but the more I put in, it seemed the more of those type of people were attracted into my life. I still had time with my family; I still held down a day job; but, my "spare" time was dedicated to practice...and I loved it. That was the path to the 5%. </p>
<p>Somewhere along the way, I lost focus on the process and without realizing it wandered off that path. My life is admittedly different now than it was when I first started on that path. My kids are into more things; Like many "maturing" adults, I have even more responsibility in my day to day; the environment and the scene are truly different...but...when I looked inside recently, when I took stock, when I stripped away all of the excuses, I realized I let "good enough" get in. I settled. When I started, I didn't realize that I was truly good enough to be a professional. It was a dream, but it wasn't something I was focused on. It just happened organically because I was focused on the process.</p>
<p>I recently vowed to myself that I needed to get back on that path. I have started actioning a few things...this blog I guess is one of them! There is hard work to be done. There are some early mornings in my future. There are some sacrifices coming. I am back to a mindset of enjoying the process without as much focus on the end result. I am back to putting time in with my guitar. I am back to writing. I'm grateful to be doing that. </p>
<p>I'm going to wrap this up here. I'm a little nervous about posting this which means that its probably right. My goal is to share a few thoughts most mornings. It will keep me honest and will help get my ass in gear. With any luck, and a lot of work, I will be able to reflect back at this day 1 blog and marvel about where this path led. Thank you to all of you who do listen to the music, both live and recorded. I am truly appreciative in sharing the experience with you and I look forward to sharing some new ideas and projects with you soon.</p>Jason Price