I'm back in Fredericton after a fabulous trip to Nova Scotia and Newfoundland.  I was able to visit with lots of old friends in St. John's, some of whom I haven't seen in five years or more.  How fabulous is St. John's anyway?  I mean...it did rain pretty much the entire time I was there, but most Newfoundlanders seem to just take it all in stride.  It was unseasonably warm, so that certainly helped keep spirits high despite the moisture.  As I no longer live in Newfoundland, I …

We have been experiencing the most incredible fall weather here in Fredericton.  I have been warned by countless local people that I should not be tricked into believing that the constant sunshine and lovely warm temperatures are the norm for this part of the world.  I'm told that this has been the nicest autumn season in many, many years.  Well...I'm new to these parts, so I'm just going to keep on believing that this is the way it will always be at this time of year.  Who …

Vandalism...I just don't understand.  Why on Earth would someone feel the need to bust something up?  Is it anger that causes a person to get physical?  Boredom?  I just don't know.  What I do know is that the Fredericton Cenotaph was vandalized just two days before Remembrance Day.  Of all things to destroy.  It boggles my mind.  In any case, the monument was severely damaged and people can make donations to assist with repair costs.  I do hope they catch the …

It's the end of October...Halloween is upon us, and I STILL do not have a costume.  See, I'm a reluctant participant in Halloween activities...my heart is just not in it.  Why?  I have no idea...God knows I loved it as a child. That excitement of putting a costume together weeks in advance...I truly loved it.  Even through university I was into it.  My costumes were never elaborate, but at least I was dressed up like everyone else.  But somewhere along the way I've lost my …

I can't believe it's October already, and I haven't written a blog entry since the end of August!  Oh my...where do I begin? First of all, I've spent the bulk of this time renovating my new digs in Fredericton.  It's been very time consuming, but I've learned a great deal about building stuff.  I (with the help of my father) built a couple of new walls and assembled and installed new kitchen cupboards.  I can even plaster drywall now!  Amazing what you can do when you put your …

Wow...it's now August 31st, and I've reached my final destination...Fredericton, New Brunswick.  This place is just gorgeous!   Since I wrote the last time, I packed up a 26 foot U-Haul with a lot of help from some friends (thank you Andrew and Darren) and drove myself across Newfoundland to the west coast of the island.  My folks have a summer home on Sandy Lake which is just outside the small town of Howley.  We had to pack all of their things in the truck because they are …

As I have been living out of a suitcase for about three weeks now, I've been having some trouble keeping up with my blog entries.  My CD release party at The Republic on Tuesday was absolutely FABULOUS!  Even though the weather was terrible (very cold and very wet), we managed to pack the place which was wonderful.  The boys in the band were just about flawless which allowed me to "do my thing" in comfort and relaxation.  Many thanks to all the old and new friends who came …

I had my first rehearsal with the guys who will be playing with me at the CD release next week.  The boys are simply amazing...monsters, in fact!  I had already been quite excited for the party, but now I'm completely stoked.  With musicians like that, it will certainly be a good show. I'm told my posters will be ready at some point today, so I'm set to plaster downtown St. John's with reminders about my show.  Bridget, a friend of mine from Taiwan has agreed to meet me down there …

I've been home in Newfoundland for a few days now, and I have to admit that I'm struggling to adjust to the time change and the temperature.  At least I'm down to only one jacket from the three I needed when I arrived on Monday!  Don't get me wrong...the average daytime temperature in Newfoundland is in the 20's these days...it just FEELS so much colder than it did in Taiwan. Having said all that, I'm so happy to be back in Canada even though the crisp, clean air has been a shock to my …

A lot has happened since my last blog entry.  The past week has been a whirlwind of farewell parties and packing.  I left Taiwan at midnight on August 2nd and arrived in Canada at 8:00 pm on the same day.  How's that for a time warp?  I am now in the Vancouver airport enjoying the free wireless service on my way home to Newfoundland via Montreal.  I just enjoyed my first medium-double-double in more than two years, and now I'm all settled in to do some online updating.  For …