Below are the 20 most recent journal entries recorded in Graham Leathers' LiveJournal:

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Tuesday, February 28th, 2012
10:00 am	Upcoming Event Some time ago, I put up a post about pickpockets being nasty. Here’s the skinny on that. I was on my way to work and my wallet was stolen while I was on the bus. As I am required to carry it by law, my Permanent Resident “Green” card was in there. It is going to cost me a fortune to replace. Now, I am holding a benefit concert - with various performers including Theresa Chandler, Laughing Hearts Pub Band, Riverfolk and others – at The Historic Mounds Theater on March 10th 2012 to raise money to replace the green card and take the citizenship exam and be done with all this once and for all. If you would care to donate now, (if I may suggest a small sum of $5.00 - $10.00) your name will go on a list and when you come to the concert, just give your name and come on in with my gratitude. There will be music, prizes and lots of revelry and enjoyment. Hope to see you there. https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=T84ERTKXC4PYU (8 Comments |Comment on this)
Wednesday, January 18th, 2012
10:12 pm	Cold! I just finished feeding the dogs.  I was washing some dishes when the dogs finished their sumptuous repast and I took a small break to let them outside.  As I peeled my wet fingers off the metal door handle, I was reminded of a breezy morning coming down the western side of Roger's Pass in the summer of 1977.  I would have been fifteen and on my third consecutive summer crossing the Canadian Rocky Mountains on my bicycle, this time with my dad and my older sister.  If you are familiar with the Trans-Canada highway between Revelstoke and Golden, BC, you know riding to the summit of Rogers Pass makes for a pretty long day.   Revelstoke sits at the comfortable elevation of 480 meters (1575 ft) and over the course of about 43 miles, you climb to about 1382 m (4,534 feet) so you are doing a fair amount of climbing.  (See video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SsuJ53HJAqs)  Picture this in the summer on a bicycle and you pretty much have what we did. We left the hotel at Glacier very early the following day; early morning in late summer.  At that elevation and at that early hour, the air is pretty crisp. From the summit, you drop down to the level of the Kicking Horse river into Golden over approximately the same distance you did the previous day.   We loaded up our bikes and began the descent.  Once you start down the western side of the pass, you don't turn a pedal for about five miles.  Coasting down the hill like a stooping falcon, I remember well the icy air ripping right through me.  I was wearing all the warm clothing I had brought with me but I was still chilled to the bone.  As I was nose diving to river level, my dad coasted up beside me.  He was in his rain suit with a hooded sweatshirt underneath and the hood was pulled up and tied so only his face was exposed and he had thick, clean socks on his hands.  His eyes bugged out of his rosy face as he pulled up along side me.  He spoke over the over the buzzing ratchets of our freewheels;  "It is as cold as a mother-in-law's kiss!" he said rather briskly.  Those words reverberate in my ears every time I step out into the cold air whenever the temperature goes below freezing.  I will apologize to all the kind-hearted and affectionate mothers-in-law for this simile but whenever the temperature drops, that's where my mind goes; before a nice cup of hot cocoa. (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Wednesday, December 21st, 2011
4:11 pm	I have been back working at the aquarium for some time now. We were recently issued a little quiz to assess our knowledge of the animals we talk about at the aquarium.  My boss spoke to me briefly after telling me he dad gone over it and told me my "grade".  I felt a bit of a Hermione Granger when he said I had scored an embarrassing 109%.  I hope I can qualify fir a time turner soon.  There are a lot of do-overs I would like to try. (5 Comments |Comment on this)
Friday, August 12th, 2011
3:47 pm	Oh,What a Mishap! I posted earlier today that my employers have been good enough to keep me working in a capacity other than driving until school starts.  Here's how I repay their good will.  The company was bought out by Koch Bus last spring.  So far, this is turning out to be a very good thing.  They are a family run business and they are as easy going as our former owners and I really like the new boss.  Anderson (That's us) had their annual inspection last April while Koch has theirs in July.  so, Hank, our resident mechanic was pulled out to their facility helping to get their fleet of buses up to snuff so they would all pass.  But, the work to be done at our own facility has kind of gotten backed up.  As a result, Hank is completely overwhelmed with his maintenance workload which has to get done before September.  I said I needed work up to the start of school, and asked if they could keep me on doing anything at all.  Hank can't get both the maintenance work and the cosmetic work done in time, so, I am gaining a new skill set in body work and painting.  Today I started scraping paint off of a very needy bus and opened up a veritable Pandora's box of rust.  With many applications of rust retarder, "Bondo" body putty, primer, sealing compound and paint, it looks quite a bit better.  As I was opening up a brand new pint can of paint it fell off the stand.  I let out a prolonged, low-registered "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!" as the can tumbled earthward in slow motion and landed upside-down - UPSIDE-DOWN, mind you - on the shop floor.  I scrambled to contain the ever widening circle of School Bus Yellow with industrial paper towels and solvent.  There is now a large spot on the floor which is just slightly to the yellow, though barely noticeable if you aren't squinting. How's your summer going? (7 Comments |Comment on this)
6:58 am	Rough Summer I don't mind saying the summer has been a little rough and a bit more disappointing than I had hoped.  It has kind of slipped by without doing much of anything fun. Last Spring, I took my bike to the Hub to use their public workshop to give my bike the semi annual overhaul only to find the frame had snapped at the seat stays.  That pretty much renders the frame dead and unusable.  No bike riding for me all summer.  For someone who has been pushing pedals since before he could walk and since a bike has been a significant form of transportation this has been a blow.  Also,  summer school tied up for the yea two weeks earlier than usual and I have been effectively grounded for August.  However, and I must compliment my employer for this, they have agreed to let me stay on for the remainder of the summer to do some painting and minor cosmetic work on the buses which will provide me a substantial income for the rest of the month.  I am very grateful to them for this as I was worried sick as to how we were going to get through August with no income.  In the end I have decided to look upon this as a summer of sacrifice and be better prepared for next year.  As an old friend once said to me, "You never know what's around the corner", so who knows what the next year will bring?  As disappointing as this last summer has turned out to be, I remain optimistic for the next year.  Already, I am lined up to start teaching guitar lessons in the fall, and I have my annual directing gig for Mounds Theater around Christmas,  Next weekend we begin ren fest so much of my time has already been booked up.  Let's hope we can breath easier and have a bit more fun next year.  This summer has left me with a lot to make up for. (3 Comments |Comment on this)
Friday, August 5th, 2011
10:42 am	Gig this Saturday Saturday at 8:00 I take the stage at the Riverview Cafe.  More fun and music.  Come and join me at 3753 42nd Avenue South, Minneapolis. (Comment on this)
Saturday, July 30th, 2011
8:34 am	Last Night There was a partisan crowd at the Coffee Grounds show last night.  Big thanks to everyone who came out.  It has been a while since I have come out to play and seeing all of you out there supporting me was heart warming.  I enjoyed myself and the fellow who books the acts and runs the sound said I can come back and play any time.  That is always a good sign.  Thanks again to everyone for coming out and enjoying the evening with me. (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Friday, July 29th, 2011
6:28 pm	Tonight Playing the Coffee Grounds tonight.  If you haven't booked your Friday night and you are in the St. Paul/Minneapolis Area, stop on by and say Hallloooooo!   1579 Hamline Avenue North Saint Paul (Comment on this)
Saturday, July 23rd, 2011
7:41 am	Raspberries at sunrise. The very first glimmers of dawn are a highly under rated time of day.  I get into the habit of getting up way too early to go to work these days and it carries over into days when I can actually sleep in.  The sweltering heat lately has made weeding and harvesting undesirable in the afternoons so i decided to do a little weeding and harvesting early this morning.  Now, all the rain we have been getting and the over hundred degree temperatures have led to some neglecting of the gardens.  These conditions make for an ideal opportunity for unwelcome vegetation.  I some considerable time on my hands and knees seeing to some of that.  We also have a bumper crop of raspberries,  I brought home a substantial bowl of them.  I also found, as I mentioned on FB, harvesting raspberries while wearing sandals brings a whole new meaning to the term 'toejam'.  Ready to hit the shower now.  Yup.  It's been a great morning. (Comment on this)
Friday, July 1st, 2011
12:18 pm	Canada's B-day Nothing makes me home sick like the first of July.  Today is Canada's 144th birthday.  Not long ago at a house party I sang a very funny song - Ontario Sucks - written by my old friend Wes Borg of Three Dead Trolls in a Baggie and I was asked afterwards, "Do you really hate Canada?  Is that why you left?".  This could not be farther from the truth.  There are things I really miss about Canada; like being able to go into an emergency room for treatment and not be asked what insurance I have, be treated and have it cost me nothing out of pocket.  To go into any walk-in clinic and get a prescription for antibiotics, should I need them, and only have to pay for the medication.  I miss being only an hour or two from the Whiteshell or Nopiming Provincial parks and some of the best back country camping in the world.  Not having people saying "Eh?" and "a-boot" to me all the time.   I came here for one reason and that is I fell in love with the most wonderful woman in the world and my place is at her side.  Nothing else could have made me go to all the trouble of moving here. Of course, the big things I miss more than anything...  My friends and family up there.  I love you all dearly.  Here's to you, Canada;  The true North, Strong and Free. Happy Birthday (6 Comments |Comment on this)
Monday, June 27th, 2011
10:47 am	Working on line So, I am in between runs on the bus driving thing and it occurred to me the other day perhaps there could be a way to bring in a little extra money during this down time.  I have been doing a little research on doing things on line that just might bring in some coffee money, as it were.  According to one of the resources I was looking at, there is some demand for writers.  Folks/companies want content for websites, manuals for products and services etc.  I have training in this area and have done very little with it.  It's long past time I honed these skills and put them to work.  With my time being as wonky as it is, it seems mt best bet is to get some freelance work doing this kind of thing on line.  I know some people out there are doing this kind of work and I am qualified.  What I need to figure out is how to break into that market.  Where do I go to find out who is needing said services and make my presence known?  Suggestions? (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Thursday, June 16th, 2011
11:58 pm	Graham to the rescue! Here we are in Chicago for Duckcon this weekend. As we were on our way down, I got a phone call telling me they had a cacelation for a concert and offered me the spot at 8:30 PM on Saturday. If you are attending Duckcon this weekend, come and join me. (5 Comments |Comment on this)
Wednesday, June 15th, 2011
9:37 am	Duckcon Off to Duckcon tomorrow.  Looks like it will be a very wet drive to Chicago.  Nothing but rain in the forecast for the next few days. (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Thursday, June 9th, 2011
5:51 am	Last day of school One more run and then I don't have to get up at 4:30 am for a while.  At least until I find out whether or not I have a summer school route.  I also no longer have to hand over my lunch money to the big bus drivers. (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Monday, June 6th, 2011
5:04 pm	A ver fun weekend We just got back from the Sioux Falls Ren fair.  It is quite small but terribly, terribly fun.  Many of the MRF acts end up there so it's a bit like the warm up for August.  But there it is a bit less intense and we can take in each other's shows.  It reminds me a little of the Saskatonn Fringe Festival that way. (Comment on this)
Tuesday, May 17th, 2011
3:37 pm	Beautiful day On such a day as this, one's mind turns to impure thoughts of fishing.  Such corruption in my heart is tolerated even encouraged by some.  "...Pretty soon there's nothing left in my way but reality and a thousand mile portage."                                                                                             -- James Gordon It's okay to daydream, just a little, isn't it? (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Friday, May 13th, 2011
2:13 pm	More gadgetry Yay,  I've got Skype up and running.  Who's on Skype? (6 Comments |Comment on this)
Monday, April 18th, 2011
12:30 pm	Wonder winterland I think winter is having too much fun here this year and won't leave.  We're supposed to get another heap of snow in the next couple of days. (6 Comments |Comment on this)
Saturday, April 16th, 2011
9:35 am	Winter is certainly not going down without a fight this year.  The snow was almost gone and this morning there was a thick layer of white on the ground.  Just when you are sure the novelty of winter has completely worn off. (4 Comments |Comment on this)
Thursday, March 31st, 2011
4:00 pm	Allergephobia I have been suffering allergy symptoms all winter long.  I can't wait until the allergy season really kicks in.  I can live with the itchy eyes, and it isn't so bad if I get sufficient sleep.  I have just gotten kind of addicted to breathing and I get grumpy when I try to give it up.  I imagine antihistamines will became a food group and I will often be quoting my old friend the late John Caspell, (may he rest in peace): "Hey, Plants!  Stop having sex in my air!" (2 Comments |Comment on this)