Day 322

This photo is from last Sunday at church, when we did a "folky" worship set. I loved it, because I love that type of music. Harmonies and acoustic instruments are very beautiful sounding to me. I have the chance to be part of two or three more music sets, which really has me excited, but nervous. I think I'll try to do them though...get my face out there as someone who enjoys and is involved in music. I am not looking for recognition and fame or anything like that. That's just silly. I just want to put my foot in the door of the music scene in the city...even if in the smallest way.

Yes, that's my Martin. I love her, and need to think of a name yet! Take care, all. Love you!

ps, Credit for the photo goes to Becky Schurman. Thanks for letting me borrow it, Becky!

Day 321

Was up late last night attempting to edit some photos, but was largely unsuccessful. It took a long, long time to upload the pictures to the external hard drive, and by the time they were finished, it was closer to 2am, and I was way to tired to do editing. Don't ask me why it took so long...I don't know, other than that there were a lot of them from a few previous shoots. On the positive side, I found a photo shoot that I thought I lost as I was searching around while waiting. Good news, because I really liked some of those pictures. Anyway, this is yesterdays post. I'll post today's during the day today. I'm off facebook for a couple weeks at least, so I'll have more time, ha...pathetic.

Take care.

Day 320

We have continued to walk through some personality stuff in a small group we have been going to for a while now. This is the sort of stuff that really fascinates me. Tonight we learned and talked about what the book called the validater personality, which is a slow paced people/relationship focused personality type. Knowing that nobody will ever fit neatly into one personality type, this is probably the one I identify with the most. One of the characteristics of this personality is that we adjust/open up to change at a slower pace than other personalities would. At first i got a bit defensive about this idea, but realise now that it is probably mostly true...although my life has been filled with change, they are usually changes that happen where the decision has been made a while before the change. Make any sense?
Another characteristic of the validater personality is that we tend not to be finishers, or task/goal oriented people at all. This is particularly difficult for me. I want to be, but it is so difficult. I am really hoping to find a goal/task driven mentor or two who can help me along in these areas...and hopefully soon.
Sorry for being such a chatty Kathy tonight. I hope youre doing great. Take care of yourself!

Day 319

At least i hink it is day 319. I will fix it later. It is a pain to check it from my phone.

It was an okay day, except i am starting to get a bit tired of working Sundays. I miss hanging out with my wife all day. I hardly get a full day with her. Hopefully it wont be for a super long time that i work weekends. It could be worse though. I am not complaining. I am just saying i miss spending Sundays with my wife.

So, just over a month till i am finished this daily blog. That actually felt strange typing that out. I need to prepare myself for it anyway.

I hope you are dong well. Take care of yourself.

Day 318

The view facing out of the kitchen. Slow day. I am in a much better mood than yesterday, thankfully. I hope youre doing well today. Take care! Love you!

Today thankfully is over. It was probably one of the worst mood days I've had in a while. I don't know why, but I was just a jerk the whole day. Tomorrow will be better.

Hope you're in a better mood than I am. Take care of yourself. Love you.

Day 316

We're going to see the midwife again this afternoon (Thursday). Although I'm generally positive about the pregnancy, I can't help but be a little apprehensive (as is my wife). I just want to hear the heart beat again, and listen to it for a long time. I want to be able to hear our little one's heart beat any time we want. I think deep down inside, I keep on expecting, or fearing, each appointment to bring bad news. We've only had one or two appointments so far. I don't know if I'll ever be completely at ease until I feel that warm baby in my hands.

I continue to eat better, and I think slowly lose weight. I mean, I have to lose weight, but the process has slowed down considerably from how fast it was a month or two ago. I am almost down under 240. I am still having trouble getting out and walking. I think I just need to accept that it's going to mean bundling up this winter, and that feels like work when I don't technically have to do it. I have also been thinking of doing winter "running" (more like walk/running", but that's just talk at the moment, and as you all know, talk is extremely cheap. We'll see.

Anyway, if you pray, pray for the health of our baby, and for my wife. She, more than me, worries for the baby. I think it is understandable, but not fun.

Next semester I might only take one class, and work full time, or close to full time. I am actually looking forward to that. I don't mind school, but working is good too. We need to start the baby stuff purchasing. I've told myself that I would never buy an expensive stroller thing, but according to some, they are all expensive. We are going to have to be very creative with space, because we're apartment dwellers. We're thinking of letting our building manager know that we're interested in a bottom floor unit, for ease of transporting baby and his/her stuff around. We'll see. If you are an inventive person with small spaces, and live closer to Saskatoon, let me know. I would be interested in getting some advice/consultation for something in return...like photos or something.

I think I've blabbered on enough for today. Love you all. Take care!

Nothing special to say about yesterday. Got my guitar back after getting a pickup installed. It as a long day because i didnt get any sleep the night before after being up all night doing an assignment. I am starting to "catch up" on my sleep now.

Okay. Have a great day! Take care.

Day 315

Up all night last night, and I'm definitely suffering the consequences of that right now.

The funny thing is that I will probably have energy when my class is finished. I need to head to the bank at some point, and hopefully my guitar will be finished at the shop. Getting a pickup installed. I'm excited to hear it plugged in

Day 314

These are my new glasses. They will take some getting used to, because their style is so different than my old ones, and because the way the lenses are cut uses new technology and everything looks different (almost closer) because they are cut on the inside instead of the outside. I think its called free form.

I had to teach myself statistics stuff today, because the web class i am taking failed to do so. It left out vital information that would have explained a lot. It was a good feeling of acomplishment....i really like teching myself things...and by teaching myself i mean i find resources online and go from there.

I hope you are doing well these days. The comments have been quite quiet these days. Let me know how you are! Take care! Love you all.

Day 313

Jammed with a few friends last night. It is fun to play through songs and do harmonies together. I should have recorded part of it to show you. Maybe next time. I played guitar, one guy played bass, one banjuitar, the other, mandolin. Fun times!

Day 312

I just payed a parking ticket online. That's a great way to do it. Beats driving to the office to pay it, or sending something in the mail. It was 10 dollars, for those wondering.

Work was pretty decent today. That's really all I have to say about that.

I used my guitar at church this morning. It was fun. That's all I'll say about that as well. I think people are sick of hearing about it. Sorry, I am just extremely excited about the opportunity.

I hope you're all doing well. Take care of yourself. Love you!

Day 311

Pretty good day. We went grocery shopping in the morning, then I worked the rest of the day till 6pm. Then I made my wife supper, and we went over to her parents and visited.

I've been feeling a bit light headed, or dizzy when I get up too fast, or crouch down to do something/get something. I'm pretty sure it's because my blood pressure has been dropping. I'm still on meds for that, but as I lose weight, my blood pressure has been dropping. It's not too low, but I don't think my body is used to having normal, or just under the 120/80 pressure. Anyway, I suppose it's a good problem to have. My goal is to get off those meds, and I think I'm on my way. It might be a while, but maybe for now I can get a lower dose. I'll talk to my doctor about that soon.

I think my wife has been feeling the baby. She keeps on feeling a sort of fluttering feeling from time to time. I've heard it explained like that before. Anyway, it's only going to get stronger from here on out. Next week week we have another appointment with the midwife. I'm really excited about hearing the heartbeat again. After that, we still have a few weeks till our first ultrasound. It just seems so long from now. I'm really looking forward to that.

Anyway, it's getting pretty late, and I have to get up a bit earlier. Take care, everyone. Love you!

Hey sorry, crappy! I did it again. I was a bit distracted as i sold my electric guitar yeserday and picked up my new Martin. It is an amazing guitar.

Day yesterday went pretty good. Ill fill you in on today later! Take care everybody!

Day 309

So i got a bite today for my guitar and amp. He says he is very interested. We are meeting Friday afternoon at 3:30 in a public location. Im pretty excited but trying not to get my hopes up. I am so pumped abot that Martin. I can taste it.

Im not sure what else to tell you! I hope everything is going well! Take care, all of you. Drive safe out there in the ice and snow (if you live in a snowy place). Later!

Day 308 Part 2

Well, I put my beloved electric guitar up for sale tonight. Now the waiting begins.

I say beloved, but I was more in love with the idea of the guitar, and not the guitar itself. I barely played it. I love my acoustic, because I have played it tons, and it has been with me for a long time now. This is why I'm going fully acoustic...because I love acoustic. That is all.

Anyway, I still haven't slept since the night before last, so I should probably head that direction soon. Thanks for stopping by, and putting up with my going on and on about my instruments. Take care. Love you all!

Day 308

I'm in class now, watching a demo of Somatic Therapy. Our teacher is actually doing a little somatic experiencing session with a student. Could be interesting.

I can't really hear from the back, because they are being quiet, but I know the student has a big fear of needles, and the teacher is getting her to park on thoughts relating to needles for periods of time. I can tell it's affecting the student. She's describing pain in her head, or numbness in her arms, etc.

Now the teacher is getting the student to focus on the last time she got a needle. I can't hear everything that is being said, which sucks, but it seems interesting. I think this is a bit like desensitization in the thought/imagination realm.

Anyway, I hope you're having a great day. I'm feeling pretty good for having no sleep last night. The coffee I'm drinking is pretty crappy, but it has caffeine in it, which is what I need at the moment.

Take care, all. Love you!

Day 307

I'm writing a paper at the moment. It's basically a response/explanation/critique/ to a video of a counselling session I did with my wife. She was my volunteer to be the client. Here's my shout out to her...she made an excellent client! Thanks sweetie! Hopefully the paper portion won't take me too long, but we'll see. It's already 10:45 and I have quite a bit to do yet. It's not really research based, so that makes it much much easier.

More news on the guitar front (like anyone cares!)...I can't remember if I mentioned this yet, but I've decided to sell off my Tele and amp and buy another acoustic guitar. There's a Martin HD-35 that I have been drooling over, and I think it's the one I'm going to get. Yes, I know it's an insanely good guitar, and probably too much guitar for ol' Jason, but it's a guitar that I will use a lot, unlike my Tele, which I hardly use. I think when I bought that guitar, I was in old guitar playing Jason mode. I thought I'd use it much more than I did. Lesson learned. Anyway, if you're looking for a great electric guitar, or a great little tube amp, or both, I have both for you! :)

A couple more things about Martin...it has been around since 1933. Their acoustics are quite traditional in shape, and very solidly built. The HD-35 is unique in that the bracing on the inside of the front of the guitar is placed slightly different than other Martins, and hand scalloped, so the guitar top can move, or vibrate more freely, giving it an amazingly deep, bassy, rich sound.

Here's a photo of the sweet lady.

The front is beautiful in it's simplicity, but the back is something to behold (You're now thinking, "Why is Jason talking about this guitar this way?") If you have to ask, you probably won't ever understand. It's okay. It's something to write about.

I think that's it for now. I have a paper to write. I'm done procrastinating for the moment. Love you all. Take care!

Day 306

I've had a bit of a strange semester. I don't think I have taken school as seriously I should have. In fact, if I'm wondering, I'm going to say that I haven't. I don't really know why, but it's been one of those 'off' semesters. I'm looking forward to finishing this one up.

I've been obsessing over the guitar I'm planning on getting in a little while. I am pretty sure I've decided to sell off my telecaster and amp (even though I love that guitar, I don't play it near enough) and get an upgraded acoustic guitar. I don't know when it's going to happen exactly, but probably in the not super distant future. I think I've narrowed down my choice to a Martin D-35. That's all I'll really say about that now, until I have it in my hands.

I'm a bit tired, and will have a long day tomorrow, so I'm going to bed now. Thanks for reading. Take care.

Day 305

I've been trying to get to bed a little earlier, and last night I feel asleep before I got around to doing the blog. I had my phone beside me, and was going to to it from that, but my sleepiness got to me too fast. Yesterday was an okay day. Work was crazy. It was nonstop people, without time for a rest or lunch. My co-worker called in sick again, so it was just me and my boss. Oh well...it went okay, just busy.

I'll let you know what's up today on today's post. :)

Take care.

Day 304

Made it through work today. My wife and I have been fighting some sort of sinus cold thing, so she has had a headache, and I haven't felt good. At one point, I felt quite dizzy, but it was fine, and the day went well. I honestly don't know why I'm telling you about our sicknesses. Not looking for sympathy points. :)

I've been thinking about upgrading my acoustic guitar. This would be a slightly longer term project...not in the next few months or anything. I'll start putting aside some scratch here and there, and slowly save up. I'll also sell my old acoustic, and go from there. I get a little obsessive about things though...so I'll research the crap out of guitars, and I'll flip flop between a few different ones about a million times. Right now I'm comparing Martins and Taylors. Each company makes insanely good guitars, but each has such a unique sound that you'd think it would be easy, but it's not going to be. I'll obviously have to play a bunch and figure it out with my ears and fingers. It's exciting, but it'll be a while.

Harmonica is going well. It will be a slow process, but fun. I was practicing scales tonight. There's something called "bending" notes, which I would like to figure out, but it seems difficult. I can sort of do it, but I need it to be day time, when my wife is either awake or away working, so I won't be annoying/waking her or others. :)

Well, it's getting a bit late, so I should get to bed. Take care, everybody. Love you all.

Day 303

One of those days. I don't really feel like writing at the moment, so I won't anymore. Sorry. Take care.

Day 302

I'll start by reminding you that I have another blog, basically that links my misterdiabetic vlogs. I do share some thoughts from time to time though, so check it out if you feel like it. I think what I'm finding is that my misterdiabetic videos aren't getting as many hits because they are regarding health and making better choices about food and exercise, etc, and people who aren't really watching that stuff don't feel like being preached to about it. Hey, I've been there. Up until I found out I had diabetes, I didn't want to hear someone tell me what to do. Well, telling people what to do is not the point. It's all about my journey...MY journey. My intention isn't to make people feel bad about themselves. I just want accountability and encouragement, which I've been getting, and it has helped me to keep going, which has been great. I also want to encourage people in their own journey toward health, if they choose to go that direction. Anyway, this isn't that blog, so I won't get into that much here. Check it out, if you would like! It's www.misterdiabetic.blogspot.com Enjoy!

Another interesting bit of news...I'm going to learn harmonica. Ha! I purchased a "C" harmonica this afternoon, and I want to learn how to play decently. I don't know where I can use it, other than sitting on the street against a brick wall in an alley, playing the blues. Actually, I just want to be Bob Dylan, with my guitar and harmonica. :) I'll let you know how that progresses. I might even post a video. Actually, I might not do a video of me playing harmonica, but I might post one of me playing guitar and singing, if I'm feeling brave enough.

That's it for now. Take care, all. Love you!

I'll leave you with this video of Stevie Wonder, singing, and playing harmonica. :) 

Day 301

I will keep this short.
Nothing much happened today. Class, some homework, hanging out with my wife this evening. That's about it...nothing super exciting. A fairly regular day. Oh, yeah, i forgot about my doctors appointment. It was a very good one. My bad numbers are all down dramatically. One of the big.ones was my cholesterol, which dropped by half. My doc was very happy about that.
Im really sleepy here. Sorry to cut this short. Take care. Love you!

Day 300

Its hard to believe that 300 days have passed by since i started this daily blog. I don't remember why i started it, but through middle i remember vividly, as it was during some of the most difficult moments of my life. Blogging, i am sure, played a huge part in my healing process. Now, for the last couple months, I've been struggling with a direction, and at times with motivation in wanting to put the time into it day to day. Anyway, you've heard it all before so I won't bore you anymore.
I know I keep saying this but I really would like to do some fun things on this blog. I don't know if that means games, or a give away, or more videos, etc. Its just a matter of making the time to do cooler things, or putting more thought into the posts.
Well, thanks again for reading day after day. I really aappreciate it. It has been an adventure, to say the least. I am looking forward to the next 65 days.
Take care, everyone. Love you all.

Day 299

I ordered new glasses today. I was going to post photos of me in different frames, but decided against it, because I find that everyone has different tastes, and I get nowhere. Nothing against your taste in frames, but it's me that has to enjoy the glasses I wear. I chose a classic black plastic frame with a vintage look, by a company called SALT.. The frames i chose are called Clark, and you can see them here. I really like them, but worried that I couldn't pull that look off. Then I said, "Self, you can pull it off because you say so". Actually, I just told myself that as long as I like them, it doesn't matter what others think. I'll still probably look for compliments, because I'm insecure a little. ;)

Anyway, I'm heading to bed. Yes, as usual, it's late. It's a problem, I know. It's something that's going to be pretty difficult for me to give up...staying up late.

See you tomorrow, for day 300. I wish day 300 fell on a better day, but Tuesday will have to do. Take care, everyone! Love you!

Strange, I'm almost at day 300. I will admit that lately i have been struggling in the motivation department. I have gotten lazy with posts. I will try hard to finish well. I don't want  to fizzle out.

Day 297 Skinny

I'm feeling skinnier today. I'm wearing an xl shirt, and size 36 pants. Don't get new wrong,it really depends on where one shops, and the brand of clothing, etc. I haven't worn a size 36 since my first year of college, in 1997.  Yup, I'm feeling good.

Day 296 (posted the day after...cheating, I know, but it's my blog. :))

Day 295

I continue my night flash series, with a piece called "Too bright for my eyes"

Day 294

About to go to sleep, thought I'd do a self portrait. I call this one, "A face only a mother could love"

Take care, all. Love you!

Day 293

Tuesday down. I felt good today. I've been feeling good in general lately. Ever since I started medication, and started eating a lot better, my energy has gone way up. I'm still very out of shape, and need to lose a lot more weight, but I'm well on my way. I just had a late night vegetable snack. One of the things I want to do is cut down on my snacking late at night. When I do snack, however, it's pretty much all vegetables. I usually steam them/cook them a bit. The difference between now and a month ago, is that now I snack because I'm hungry, not just because I am up. So, I don't feel too bad about it at all...especially because it's veggies...lots of fibre, and nutrients.

Enough about that, for now!

I'm getting more excited about the baby coming. We aren't ready at all, but we'll get there. I think closer to Christmas we'll start looking for some baby stuff. We also have to downsize our own stuff, and make room for baby furniture and all that. It'll be tight in a one bedroom, but doable. I don't care what anyone says...you don't need a huge house to have a baby in. Well, you don't need a huge house, period, in my opinion, but that's another conversation. Anyway, I'm very excited, and now that my wife's belly is starting to grow, it adds to the excitement.

That's about it for now. You all take care. Thanks for reading. Love you!