The links below will take you to various posts marked with that particular "label" (usually with pictures or videos) in my blog. They will appear in reverse chronological order.
This will mean that, as I continue to post in 2021 and beyond, you will have to scroll down to find 2020, or use the year/month navigation at the left.
Below is a description of my life much as it had been in 2020 as it continued until c. the Ides of March when, as you know, everything changed. After that primarily my activities are found in the Music section, and in the new Bike Riding section:
My paid work this year included Crossing Guard, Standardized Patient at the Northern Ontario Medical School (c. once a month Sept. - May), Sexton (caretaker) for Gathering Table Anglican Church, and Music Care at Pioneer Ridge Home (twice a month, and occasionally with an individual in his home). As well, I have in the past accompanied the Pope John Paul II School Choir for masses etc. See Music for their pre-recorded Nov. 11 Service for which I played guitar.
Other occasional paid gigs include modeling for figure artists, and teaching guitar.
I continue to sing as a volunteer at Pinewood Court and Pioneer Ridge, as well as every second week at St. Thomas Anglican's Community Meal. See the music section below for other gigs, such as open mics.
I am now the Past President and a Life Member of Cambrian Players, and my theatre involvement is described below. However, this year we had only one in-person Improv show, plus a bit of on-line activity.
This year I had no volunteer camp work due to the Pandemic.
I also belong to the Square Book Club, which meets monthly (approximately), which includes Keri, Tamara, Anne, Natalie, Katrina, Tim, and Bryan. (Sometimes we call it "Food Club".)
A highlight of this year was the much overdue reshingling of my roof by Strasser-Lang: Oct. 15/16
Not much to post this year. I am employed there part-time as Sexton (i.e. caretaker), but was laid off c. April through Sept. when limited in-person meetings resumed (until the 2nd Lockdown).
The "Music" link above will take you to various musical events. For my own gigs, click here.
Cheer's Open Mic sessions at Cheer's Pub ended in March, and so we started recording a song a day (approximately) for a few months. They are all in the play list above. Note that the first bunch were fairly dark & grainy. Partway through the list I started shooting them landscape view, which helped somewhat. Later in the list I started to get a bit more creative too with costumes etc. Please subscribe to my music-only YouTube Channel, and SMASH those Like buttons!!!
I have also been updating a page of my gigs here going back to the early days, though I'm not sure why.
Cambrian Players was able to stage only one play this year: Four Weddings and an Elvis - for which I designed the sound. Thankfully, we were able to finish its entire run just before Lockdown. We were able to have only one in-person improv show.
However, Thomas MacDonald who runs the Con College Drama group stepped forward (eventually forming a team to assist) to initiate
Come Play With Me Thunder Bay which presented "Zoom Plays" (and other related events): plays in the public domain since we had no budget or ticket price -- such as Peter Pan in which I played Smee (see picture above).
Once the daily song video-recording petered out, and the weather was warmer, I began to ride my bike almost every day. A rough goal was to get to all of the area "big parks", though I ended up finding many of the small neighbourhood parks as well.
If you follow the link above, you will find a map showing everywhere I went. I'd say my longest trips were to Chippewa Park, Trowbridge Falls, and Rosslyn Village. Sometimes I did drive to Gathering Table or my Mum's with my bike in my car, and start from there.
I hope to keep this up in 2021 (especially if there is still no camp). I'm setting my sights on a trip to Stanley for a Stanley burger. To do so I would ride out to Rosslyn Village (as I did this year), and then continue about the same distance again.
They were able to have their dinner, which I attended, just before Lockdown.
NOTE: This year I continued to digitize and upload many of the old Dorion slides (2002 and before). Click
here and scroll down for the appropriate year (and other souvenirs and related items).
