"Brock was a joy to work with on Waynefest... when he wasn't in the beer tent." - Brad Stromberg, City of Edmonton
Vanathon (Maracouver?) · 5 May 09
So, aside from some problems on a hill in Stanley Park (damn you Prospect Point) I had a lovely 21.1km run on Sunday (May 3rd – Vancouver Half-Marathon).
My time was 1:54:05 (a pace of 5:25/km) which I think is not too bad. Beat my time from last July in Calgary (Alberta Jeep Dealer’s Half-Marathon – 1:55:02) by a minute and my time from last May in Edmonton (Dashin’ for Compassion – 1:55:36) by a minute and a half. Not bad. Was hoping for better but… damn you Prospect Point!
Everyone from Team in Training did awsomely well during the race. James Kercher kicked my butt at 1:49:51. Best of all, the 200 runners from Team in Training that participated at the marathon, raised nearly $1 Million for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society! WOO!
Here is the only photo I have of the race. Thanks to my cousin Craig for snapping it with his Blackberry as I approached the chute.
If anyone is paying close attention to this blog anymore… mom?... they may notice that I have made some enhancements. I added a Twitter feed widget on the bottom left, changed my tagline, fixed up some out of date CSS (this site is from 2004 after all) and well… that is about it. Other than the Google Analytics code that I actually got around to adding to the whole site rather than just the blog.
Someday, when I have some time on my hands and the desire to be at a computer when I am not getting paid to be at a computer, I will do a complete redesign/rebuild of the site but until then… you are stuck with this. And me. YAY!
Oh yeah, I also fixed the “Comments” portion of the blog. For sometime now it has been hanging and timing out – that should be resolved now.
Perfectly adequate. Especially considering the snow, the ice, the number of people jammed on those narrow trails and, of course, my fractured left wrist.
In conjunction with the Edmonton premiere of the documentary “Pegwarmers“ (for which I wrote and performed the theme song), I will be hosting the official “Pegwarmers Afterparty” @ The Brixx Bar and Grill, Saturday March 28th.
The Brixx Bar and Grill is located at 10030-102 Street, just a short walk from the Stanley Milner Library Theatre (where the screening is starting at 3:00pm). I will play a set at about 6:00pm~ish.
The best part is that the afterparty is going to be in support of The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of Canada. Admission to the afterparty is a mere $5.00, and all proceeds will be going directly to the Society.
I invite everyone to come out and see the film and then listen to some music, enjoy a tasty beverage and a snack, and most importantly help support a very worthy cause.
Oh yeah, by the way, I have a fractured left wrist so James Murdoch will be playing guitar and Shantel Koenig will be playing bass. I am going to try to play accordion (with a gutter splint on), but no promises. It is going to be… um, different!
I just received my musicians broadcast royalty statement (from SOCAN) and man-oh-man am I international! Way more international that I ever thought! I made $2.33 from Romania, $0.33 from Norway, $1.98 from Sweden, $0.01 from Chile, $1.32 from England and $0.19 from Malaysia!
I also got an email from 4 people in Germany who would like me to send them “4 handwritten pictures”. How awesome is that? Pretty awesome, that is how awesome. I have to hustle to get some 8X10s printed, but it is well worth it!
I may not be getting rich from being international but I am having fun. I almost feel like a rock star again… almost.
My cousin Erin Moffatt is enrolled in the Design and Motion Image class at Grant MacEwan College and I was lucky enough to be chosen to be the subject of one of her class projects. It is a video for a song Charles Wood and I wrote called The Devil Went Down East Hastings.
It is my biggest seller on iTunes and soon to be my most viewed on YouTube! Woohoo! Thanks Erin!
On May 31st I will be running for a personal best at the San Diego Marathon. A personal best in speed AND in fund raising as a member of Team In Training raising money for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of Canada (LLSC). I’m asking you to help by making a contribution! When you contribute, you are supporting LLSC’s mission to cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma, and improve the quality of life of patients and their families.
You can help by making a secure online donation using your credit card. Click on the link below:
You will receive an email confirmation, along with a tax receipt for your donation and I will be notified as soon as you make your donation. You may also pay by cheque – send me an email and I will fill you in on how.
My grandmother, Lena Armstrong, is a survivor of lymphoma and my cousin, Janice Winsor, lost her battle with leukemia in 1996, at the age of 28. My Grandfather, Bill Dennis, was diagnosed with Lymphoma and died soon after, when I was very young… so I don’t need to tell you how much I stand behind and believe in this cause.
Please, give what you can – my personal fund raising goal is $5000 so every little bit helps!
I offer you a huge “thank you!!” in advance for your support, and very much appreciate your generosity!!
I track my workouts at www.workoutlog.com and these are my totals for the year 2008. I am posting my totals here partially so I have one place I can refer to, but also ‘cause I like to show off… hee hee.
Type
Distance
Duration (hh:mm)
Run (trails & track)
1751.0 km
184:25
Bike
472.4 km
29:05
Swim
41475.0 m
22:14
Cardio (elip, stairs, ski)
n/a
16:30
Hockey
n/a
42:12
Weight Training
n/a
20:01
Tennis
n/a
12:01
Stretch/Yoga
n/a
15:11
Total Duration:
342:19
I didn’t manage to reach my (late) goal of running 2008 km in the year 2008, BUT if you add up all my mileage I did 2264.88 km. WOO!
Next year: 2009 running kilometres! Starting tomorrow… or the next day.
Influenza (or flu) is a common respiratory illness affecting millions of Canadians each year.
Many people use the terms “flu” or “stomach flu” to describe other illnesses that may actually be a common cold or a mild case of food poisoning. There is no such thing as “stomach flu.” A true case of influenza typically starts with a headache, chills and cough, which are followed rapidly by fever, loss of appetite, muscle aches and fatigue, runny nose, sneezing, watery eyes and throat irritation. Children may have nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, but these symptoms are uncommon in adults.
A couple guys approached me well over a year ago and asked if they could use a few of my songs in a documentary about the Oiler’s Stanley Cup rush in 2006. The movie is called The Whyte Movie and this is what the film makers have to say about it:
“The WHYTE Movie pays homage to Edmontonians who came together to celebrate with each other and ultimately showed why Edmonton is still the City of Champions, a city where, in all aspects of its daily life, its people live, work, and play with a spirit and enthusiasm seldom seen anywhere else,” says Calgary filmmaker Daniel Sponagle, who directed the film.
In all, the movie features 18 songs, including eight Edmonton artists from Brock Skywalker and Captain Tractor to Paul Bellows and Whitey Houston.
“It is a fun-filled, delightful journey that highlights everything that is great about the city of Edmonton,” says Sponagle.
So, without any further fanfare, here is the portion of the movie that features a song I wrote with John Whytock – Blue Satin Jacket.
Thanks to Neil Evenson, who edited the film and sent me the link.
Nov 7th update – The Big Fall has been posted now too.
So, aside from some problems on a hill in Stanley Park (damn you Prospect Point) I had a lovely 21.1km run on Sunday (May 3rd – Vancouver Half-Marathon). 
In conjunction with the Edmonton premiere of the documentary “
On May 31st I will be running for a personal best at the