Mushrooms

 I drilled and filled my apple tree stump and log (which contained a huge hollow area of rot inside their core) with shiitake mushrooms from a kit I purchased online. 

Routine

 I've begun establishing a bit of a routine. Somewhere in there, I need to schedule the "taking of a picture" so that I can blog properly (sorry, this is the only shot I took today - I made some beef hamburgers and barbequed supper - but so far every day I work on writing for a while (currently doing modifications on the bird people Thanksgiving radio play, in particular I am creating songs that will be sampled in the middle of the episode) and I also do some sorting of my stuff (currently still moving things from the garage, but that is running thin). I want to fit reading into the mix soon. I want to see people, but I'm not sure if committing to daily socialization will be good for me. It takes me very far off course and I don't always feel good about other stuff if I can't get that focus. Will figure things as I go along.

Hang ups

 Sorting things in the garage sometimes means throwing things away, sometimes means putting things into boxes or into places in the house or onto shelves. But sometimes it also means building new places to put things. I constructed the shelf (lower right) to put the panorama stage. The puppet theatre box is simply on a hook (it doubles as a frame). The chairs have been installed there since the end of William's BFA show. 

"electric" chair

I purchased this chair back in 2004 (see my 2007 blog post discussing it) and moved it home earlier this month. Today I put protective oil on the otherwise untreated wood, and spayed a coating onto the metal and plastic parts. It will be outside until it degrades (unless it has an interested buyer). I now notice the signature and title on the back, but still cannot identify the creator ("Mayday" by Shawn M.). 

Saskatoon berry picking

 Went to a you pick place that Geremy recommended near Moose Jaw today. Berries are a bit smaller but very flavourful. Very hot out. Got three buckets on our own and Margaret purchased another bucket of frozen berries. 

Bird People songs

 I would like to simulate a handful of 100+ year old songs to be referenced within the bird people radio play I'm updating. I found a few things and William is working at constructing midi files from them, but doesn't seem to have them right yet. 

On campus

 On campus for a couple of hours. Had coffee with Lee and dropped off a computer. Met with Erika and Mike to practice her defence. Parked off campus and walked in. Weather is hot but felt good. 

Matt visits

 Matt came by and picked up the super 8 films and also bought a couple rolls of super 8 colour film from me. We talked at length about the screening and I told him hos exhilarated I felt by keeping on top of all the problems (which admittedly, some I caused myself). 

Geremy was also over. We did a read through of my first solo radio show. They picked it apart, but I think due to my current state of rest, I didn't feel myself getting upset. Instead, at least by an hour after the reading, I'm fairly game to do the work and make it better. 

Fish toys?

 I think the catfish moves stuff around in the fish tank when we aren't watching. Today I placed three marbles in there to see if he'll move them. 

Ron Mein was over at the house. William and Ron talked about their idea for about 3 hours. 

Lazy day

Hot weather. Played cards with mom. Cat sleeps and eats and meows, but mostly eats. I did a bit more work putting my stuff from the office away. The garage is less cluttered but (after 12 days) still pretty far from clean. The goal is to just get a bit of progress every day. That way I never feel guilty about it, nor do I feel exhausted by it. I'm also doing at least a small amount of bird people radio show work every day. 
 

Wild Boar

Had Paul over for supper. I barbecued the wild boar burgers that I bought from Butcher Boy when I was out trying to find a new source for elk burgers (I didn't find any). Boar was pretty good. Certainly tasted like pork, but was juicy and flavourful. We played half a game of Root. 
 

Ron Mein

 Ron Mein is in town for a few days. Remember him from his series of "Jerry's Journals" films. William is pitching him on a collaboration. Back at home, I cleaned the projector that I ran Bella's film through last night. The gate was pretty much entirely blocked by junk that was attached to the film. 

One Take Super 8 Event

 Matt needed to be out of town today so I stepped in as the projectionist for this year's One Take Super 8 Event. Many things went wrong, but most went unnoticed by the audience. I was more or less on fire in the projection booth, fixing and adjusting things. It was rather fun, but I didn't really get to see the films very well. Gabby did intros and ran the sound. After party was nice. 

Erik, lunch, and comics

 Had lunch at Ngoc Van with Erik and recorded a radio show. Getting really hot this week and we spend part of the evening in the gazebo. It ends but that somehow the pre-lunch part of the recording got completely lost, so I had to edit only from the second half (William needed to record a new intro). It's a shame because the restaurant was much quieter in the earlier recording. 

Games with Geremy and Erik

 Erik is in town for a few days between jobs in Alberta. Geremy had us over for a couple of rounds of of the haunted house game. 

Coffee with mom

 Yesterday was really busy so I put off coffee with mom until today. I don't know how my retirement days, with almost nothing in my calendar, can be fuller than they used to be. I am more relaxed though. 

One Take credits

Matt and I shot the credits for the One Take Super 8 Event this afternoon, following my meeting with William and his team about the Bird People radio dramas (meeting of the minds).  George and Joel dropped off ground beef. 

 

Dunlop opening

 Dunlop group show today with all five artists attending and participating in a talk. While this is great, it did become a sort of panel discussion where each of the five speaks for 2-4 minutes about each of five topics, all before anyone in the audience has seen the work. Interesting but...

Gail Bowen

We attended Gail Bowen's funeral today. She passed on June 25 from cancer. I had only spoken to her a handful of times but she was always friendly and engaged with people and topics around her. Very down to earth and intelligent at the same time. I knew her through her daughter Hildey and her son-in-law Brett Bell. 

After the service, we purchased a new fish friend for our catfish who gets lonely. 

 

Slate and family

Slate opening today for their summer group show. Had to dash in and out. Spoke with Sunny who (after I cautiously asked what was new) confirmed that she's expecting. 

George hosted dinner for their second cousin and her husband who are road tripping from Vancouver Island to Ontario. Pleasant folks. Brought some old photo albums that Margaret hasn't seen. 
 

Locked the office

 Returned to the university to pick up my desktop computer which apparently is now valued at zero dollars so I can request to just keep it. This will inevitably not be my final activities at the university. Regardless, it was today that I also left my keys and will no longer have free access to any spaces on campus. 

Canada Day

 

First day of my retirement. Mom called first thing and wanted to go for coffee. Having no conflicts, we went to French Press (contrary to Margaret's concerns, it seemed like everyplace was open). This afternoon slipped back to the office and looked BEHIND things and found a couple pieces of garbage and removed them. Back home, I edited William's CJTR Sunday Funnies radio show for this week (a task I rarely talk about but have been doing every week for four years). Barbequed ribs. I tried to do some writing but felt a bit tired so didn't get much done. Margaret and William walked down to the Albert Street bridge to watch fireworks but I opted out, started to sort my stuff in the garage instead.I caught a bit of the show from the close bridge. Margaret phoned to say they ran into four of my students and invited them back to the house for a fire. Almost all the wood is damp so it was a struggle to get it going before they arrive, but did it. They hung out until 1:30 then I drove them home. I'd wanted to invite them over today but it was rainy and Dani was moving today, so I thought it was a bad idea. It's so great that it came together in an unplanned way anyway. 

Last day of work

My day started with a TWO HOUR visit to the dentist with my mom to wait for her in the waiting room where they had great art on the walls but played game shows on the tv. I really needed to get back to the office and didn't get there until noon. Dianne helped me sort stuff for a while, until she had to go and I had scheduled to borrow the faculty truck Lee helped me move my carts. I got the keys back to him by 4:45 and then worked with my brother in law Al who helped me box and bag a bunch more stuff. Exhausted and starving, I headed home at 7:00 and ate and returned with Margaret and William who got me over the finish line, emptying the office and studio entirely and getting all my stuff consolidated into the garage. We were home by 11:30 and I think I got drunk by mindnight on one glass of gin and fresca (it was a strong one). I am retired after 27 years as a professor (now emeritus) in the department of Film at the University of Regina. It was quite a ride. 
 

Some lasts

 Office still in progress. 
William developed his one take super 8 film (my last use of the Film Department darkroom).
Our little fish dies. The catfish will miss him. He pushed his body into his cave to take care of him. 

Small treasures

 I have countless things tucked away in my office. Many are surprises to me, having forgot when and why I put them there. This is one that I saved for posterity, knowing that it was not long for the world. 

New cameras atop need to downsize

More office cleaning today (it's Saturday, but an advantage is that I can park right outside the doors all day). . The mess is still gigantic, but is actually coming along. Drawers and shelves are emptying. Much of the stuff is gone. I bought some chemistry at Don's photo and was gifted a bunch of cameras to paint (all non-functioning). 

Mecha-Canister film shoot

Big shooting day in the studio, the last with this team of students. I was mostly Mecha-Canister, a giant robotic version of Canister the Robot, which has been built to protect the city from a series of invading monsters. No plot of dialog scenes, just effects scenes. Threw out a lot of stuff at the end of the day. Cast and crew were Dani Fink, Rebekah Illingworth, Nicte Recinos-Lane, Robert Stevenson, Aiden San Andres, and Katya Shyshenina along with Geremy Lague and William. Nicte brought a mouse costume. Katya played a couple roles. Geremy's daughter was stressed by the possibility of there being too many strangers on the crew so opted out. 

Photos here are mostly shot by Robert.