Saskatch-a-toon and INXS

In the summer of 2006 I took a long overdue road trip to Saskatoon, Saskatchewan with my friend Daunean to see INXS in concert (which I was just reminded of when I heard on the news last week that they broke up).  This wasn't really about the show though. It was about escaping my humdrum summer job and catching up with a few friends.  Then again, I've never needed much convincing when it's come to road trips.


Daunean got the tickets, I drove from Medicine Hat to Regina to pick her up, and from there we took the short drive to Saskatoon for the show and to meet up with our buddy Kelly.  What was especially memorable about the trip was that I immediately got a flat tire in the Buick after leaving.  I was delayed a few hours, but eventually made it to Regina for the night.

On the road the next day we took our time driving to Saskatoon by stopping at every random roadside attraction along the way.  This was my first trip to Saskatoon and so I really wanted to soak in the local culture - I know it may not be clear but I'm laying the sarcasm on pretty thick here.  

We checked out the giant coffeepot and metal sculptures in Davidson, we grabbed snacks in Chamberlain, took a brief drive around Lumsden, and explored Kenaston, the Blizzard Capital of Saskatchewan.  Kenaston is also pronounced exactly the same as the yeast infection medication, which I found particularly hilarious at the time.

Once in Saskatoon we headed over to the University of Saskatchewan campus to explore and kill some time.  It really is a beautiful place, although I don't think that I knew how to take a serious picture of myself at that point (and maybe I still don't).

A.A. Lake has the best pose I have ever seen.

At our cheap hotel we sauced up for the concert and Kelly came by.  We joked that our room looked like a hooker was probably murdered in it, and Daunean was kind enough to reenact what that might have looked like.

I vaguely remember the concert, but I actually really enjoyed that album INXS released with J.D. Fortune as their lead singer. What I remember most from that night though is being happily drunk, rolling around on the grass and a middle aged woman saying she wanted to sit on my face, and Creed front-man Scott Stapp opening the show by preaching about his life and drug use. It was a strange, ridiculous, and hilarious evening.

We hit up the waterslide in our motel before leaving, grabbed lunch at Fuddruckers, and then it was back home. It was a great weekend with Daunean and Kelly, and I was especially happy to discover all of these pictures that I shot from the brief visit. Saskatch-a-toon! What a place!

My Regina Calendar Shot

The picture I sold a few months ago for the cover of the Regina city phone book has had its initial release (in what I consider to be a bit of a teaser) in the 2013 DirectWest desktop calendar.  A few weeks ago I was mailed a copy, and a cropped version of my picture is the header for July.  It's appropriate considering I shot the image on the Canada Day weekend on July 1 this year.  

My picture appears alongside all of the other images that will be featured on the regional phone books across Saskatchewan.  It's always cool seeing my name and work in print, and it has me anxious for the release of the phone book cover come June 2013.  If you missed how all of this came about, I wrote about this unexpected opportunity here.    

Light the Christmas Tree

Another year has rushed by again, and here I am preparing for Christmas.  Don't get me wrong, I love this season, but it does add more projects to an already lengthy to-do list. My decorations went up the first weekend of November, as they always do thanks to a ritual started in university.  Check out my dorm tree for more on that.  

The lighting is probably my favorite part of Christmas in general.  Everything has a nice glow, it's colourful, and it feels a bit warmer even though the temperatures are dipping. It also makes my place look awesome.  This year I moved my tree to a more central location in the apartment, but other than that my kick off to Christmas has been pretty relaxed. There's lots to get done before the year is out, but it's nice to be able to savor the scenery.  For as much as I've spent on movie themed ornaments and decorations, it would be a shame to not enjoy them for as long as possible.  And so it begins.