So, it was a pretty good weekend. Luckily, that "storm" (darn you Mother Nature for always scheduling these things for the weekend) on Fri/Sat didn't amount to much. Just messy overnight, leading into a warm Saturday. Friday night, we won at trivia. Woo! It's been a while. I don't know how far back Neal and I are, but we're probably still just a few points off the pace. Still, we do well to do to as well as we do (what an odd sentence). There's just two of us vs. the rest of 'em, some teams up to 12 or so... average team size is prob. around six.

Saturday, I scooped a bajillion pounds of snow from the driveway, so the warmth could melt some ice underneath. I listened to Sook Yin Lee on DNTO on CBC radio. It was an interesting show, all about numbers. My arms and shoulders are stiff / weak today, but that post-exercise feeling is good. That night, we had Jen and Steve over for some games. Good thing they were coming, 'cause it made us clean the house, plus they reminded us of the eclipse when they came in. I'd have missed it otherwise, and that would have really sucked. We played Blokus, tile rummy, and auction (the card game). All were learning experiences for Steve. We had some good snacks, a good story and laugh or two, and a nice little eve was had by all.

Sunday (today) had (and will continue to be) the usual. Church, eat, waste time, blog, cram work in during TV, sleep. I heard a cousin's new baby isn't so well, which isn't so good. Plus, I asked Father C. to add my uncle in his prayers. He went to the hospital about two weeks ago, I guess, with bad back pain. They ended up finding stage 4 cancer in his bowel and liver, I think it is. Later on, last week, they found it in his spine as well, which is what's causing the pain. I hope to get to see him this week. He's always been one of my favourite uncles / relatives. I just hope he's feeling well when I see him. I know it sounds selfish, but I hate seeing loved ones in the hospital, especially when they're not themselves.

On a brighter note, I'm listening to some new music again this weekend. You'll never guess what it is... Dixie Chicks! Hey, I've got an open mind! They're not always my cup of tea (modern country is often quite rotten), but I have genuinely liked some of their stuff. Their latest CD, Taking the Long Way, has won lots of praise, and it was produced by Rick Rubin, so I figured I'd give it a whirl. It's really good! I think everything Rubin touches must be gold. As long as the people have it in them, anyway. It's a great CD, with lots of highlights. There's the rockin' "Lubbock or Leave It", the lazy "Lullaby", folk-poppy tunes like the title track and "Voice Inside My Head", which could be a Sheryl Crow tune. One big standout for me is the second track, "Easy Silence". It's a really good tune, but the chorus is awesome. It almost sounds like something that should be sung in a round... like the lines sound so similar but are made of different words. Make sense? See if you dig the turnips I'm heavin'... er... understand what I mean:

Easy silence that you make for me
It's okay when there's nothing more to say to me
And the peaceful quiet you create for me
And the way you keep the world at bay for me
The way you keep the world at bay

It's one of those perfect choruses. Great lyrics whose syllables just create the rhythm & flow. It's natural... they're inseparable and an easy fit. The melody of it is great, too. Uplifting, and not just a predictable progression of plain notes.



This excellent CD just reaffirms the fact, to me, that Rick Rubin has got to be one of the greatest and most diverse producers ever. "How so?" you say. Let me explain myself with some trivia, I say.

He had the stroke of genius of putting together Run-D.M.C. and Aerosmith for "Walk This Way".
He was the original DJ of the Beastie Boys.
He co-founded Def Jam Records with Russell Simmons, and later founded American Recordings.
He executive-produced the Black Crowes' cover of "Hard To Handle".
He looks like he could be in ZZ Top.

A selection of albums/songs he's produced / is producing:

Licensed to Ill - Beastie Boys
Raising Hell - Run-D.M.C.
Reign in Blood - Slayer
Danzig - Danzig
Blood Sugar Sex Magik - Red Hot Chili Peppers
Wandering Spirit - Mick Jagger
Wildflowers - Tom Petty
Ballbreaker - AC/DC
The Final Studio Recordings - Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan
Toxicity - System of a Down
Audioslave - Audioslave
De-Loused in the Comatorium - The Mars Volta
The Black Album - Jay-Z ("99 Problems")
12 Songs - Neil Diamond
Taking the Long Way - Dixie Chicks
FutureSex/LoveSounds - Justin Timberlake ("(Another Song) All Over Again")
The Saints are Coming - U2 and Green Day
Untitled Metallica album - Metallica
Untitled - U2
Untitled - Weezer

Plus, don't forget he's responsible for Johnny Cash's awesomely awesometacular American series (you know, the black-and-white-covered series). Those alone are enough to make you love Rubin. Along with Daniel Lanois, he's got to be one of my fave producers.