The band I work with was playing at Harrison Landing the other night in Langley. 

That was the second time we’ve played there this year. We really enjoy it, because the residents and staff are so much fun. They dance and tap their hands or just nod along with the music if that’s all they can do. 

The image is just a test of the SQSP iPhone app, for posting to this blog.  

Southridge School had their Xmas party over at Northview Golf and Country Club last night. Circle of Friends helped with the entertainment and dancing after dinner.

We had a great time playing for the guests, and they seemed to enjoy dancing to the music. There were at least a few sad faces visible when we started packing up at the end.

I’m the roadie for the band and handle the sound mix, while the real talent provides the music. These guys continually amaze me with what they can do.

Aside from playing the music, they all have or had other careers. The band is one of the things they do for fun and entertainment.

There is something to be said for that in our busy, busy world. You can’t be ‘on’ all the time and diversions like this can keep you grounded. Hobbies or other pastimes help balance out life and help us bring more creativity to what we do.

Seize the day, as they say.

Fitbit produces a collection of activity trackers that record things like steps taken, stairs climbed, distance travelled and general activity levels. The gadgets are good for keeping your focus on how (un)active you are during the day.

If you set yourself some daily goals, the trackers can be a progressive and visual reminder how well you’re doing. They also provide some motivation to get your ‘rear in gear’ every day, something I often fail to do.

I picked up a Fitbit One about a month ago and bought into the idea immediately. I had been tracking my steps with a pedometer for about a year, but it got quite tiresome having to remember to record the steps every few days, before the records were overwritten by the pedometer.

With the Fitbit, it syncs with an app on my iPhone and also with an account online. Both places provide automatic summaries and graphs of my performance over time and help keep me on track. I also sync them up with a diet and fitness app called MyFitnessPal and a Fitbit Aria scale, but that’s another story.

The daily goal right now is 5,000 steps, at least 3 times a week. Some say 10,000 steps is the best goal, but for me that means walking about 5 miles a day. Perhaps some day I’ll be ready for that, but not right now. 

I have to be honest though. I’m now on my second Fitbit. Yesterday the first one stopped tracking. There was no apparent reason; it just stopped. However, with excellent support from Fitbit and Best Buy, I got a replacement and fired it up last night. The second one is working fine (for now) and I expect it was just a glitch. Fitbit has a good reputation for their products and service, so I’m sure this one will be just fine.

Clear out the cobwebs, dust things off. Life is getting back to normal for the fall. With any luck, I can bring this blog back to life this year. Not sure what I’ll have for content, but we’ll see. What was it Richard Branson said? “Screw it, just do it.”

September is always finds me full of energy. I guess all the excitement during years in school with new courses, new classes and new friends in September takes a long time to rub off – if it ever does.

I’m not even sure if I want that to happen. I like the idea of new beginnings, and why not use September for that. The weather has cooled down, and there is still late summer and fall to enjoy the weather. People are getting back to their normal routines, and there is still 4 months left in the year. Why not clean up the current year with enthusiasm and be ready for next year when it comes along?

Aahh, the IS glass half full 😉

Despite a major set back earlier in the year, I did have a reasonably good summer. I got out  with the Circle of Friends band as their roadie and handled their sound at some events from Squamish to Cloverdale. We have more lined up in Ruskin and Delta, so we’re busy.

I’m gradually learning to handle a sound board for that. They picked up an Allan and Heath Mixwizard 16:2 for me to use. For a guy with no background in sound, it’s quite a process to learn just the basics. Thank heaven we have an associate that was able to get me going in relatively short order.

Helping out also lets me do some interesting photography now and again.  We were there when the Fraser Valley Heritage Rail Society opened up the run with car 1225 from Cloverdale to Sullivan in Surrey. A neat event attended by locals and all the politicians, and the car has become quite an attraction in Cloverdale. I’ve got a few shots from that on my Flickr stream.

I’ve also managed to get  back up to around 30 km a week on the bike. Mostly I ride from home, over to Green Timbers Park and back, but my sister Dale came over from Victoria in July, and we explored some of the trails in Steveston. Sounds like she’s coming back next week with hubby so we can do some more of the Richmond bike paths for a change of scenery. We’re talking Steveston to Terra Nova along the west dike trail. Oh, and fish and chips at Garry Point Park, of course.

Great fun, and a good way to spend some September holidays. Here we are at Garry Point Park in July.