To Learn A Song and Craving the Road...

I’m learning how to play the song “Heal the Wound (But leave the Scar)” originally performed by Point of Grace. Basically I’m pumping the music into my brain via my MP3 player powering my new Phillips SHE9700 High Definition Ear Canal Monitors. High powered ear bud earphones in other words with natural outside noise cancellation properties. Not exactly Shure quality (industry standard) but good enough for a guy who can’t shell out $200 for ear buds at this point in his life.

I set the song to repeat and let just let it play over and over again until I catch it playing in my head the next day. Embedding no? I now have the melody in my mind which I can then “feel” as I play my saxophone. This might be an unconventional way to learn how to play a song but I find it works. Also it speeds up the learning process and I only have a few days to come up with an instrumental version of the song because I’m playing it this coming Sabbath for church.

It is now that time of year when the mornings are crispy, sunny, and the air is new. That can only mean one thing: it is time for the cycling community to hit the road! I can’t express in words how envious I am when I see a “kitted” out cyclist in full flight on the side of the road. I think this envy grows even more when I am in Banff and I know these individuals are riding some of what I consider to be the best roads in North America.

There is a stretch of road that winds around Lake Miniwanka that I am totally craving to ride. (This is the stretch where Tess and I took our pseudo engagement pictures.) This road is awesome to drive on and the views are indeed breathtaking but I can only imagine that the experience is increased 100 fold when you do on the back of a performance bicycle.


I have a made the vow that before I leave Alberta, I will do that stretch on a high performance road bike. I figure if you simplify your life to simple and straightforward goals such as this one, you have a greater chance of accomplishing them.

Anyway I am going to “fire up” the saxophone for a good hours practice before I do my daily workout.

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