Blog of the Little Bonsai

Personal Blog of Steve Baumber

Five days since the last Blog. Not improving that much. The winerack has become an entity of its own, taking up a lot of time. Pictures will be posted on the website soon. I'm really happy with it. I decided to do a bunch of notching and creative touches, rather than just slapping it together. The design's out of my head to utilize the shape of the wood from the old futon, while using as little wood as possible. Plus not having any kind of work space and only a few tools. Actually, I've been using a little room at the top of teh stairs on the roof of our building. It has a piece of plywood on some sawhorses, with a plastic lawn chair. What more could I ask for? Anyway, I've had to sit down several times and re-assess my sketches and plans and double check stuff - measure twice, cut once and all that. It's been mucho fun. Spanish is going well too - Yo hablo piquito espanol already. Open casting call for a Russell Crowe movie tomorrow afternoon. Cattle call really. Would mean relocating to Mexico for five months, though, and being the crew on a tall ship. Who wouldn't? Competition for the Suzuki Foundation job closes tomorrow. I hope I at least get an interview! posted by Steve @ 2:47 PM	4.28.2002
Only four days since my last Blog. I must be improving. Life isn't moving at a stellar pace. I'm applying to a position advertised by the David Suzuki Foundation. I'd better hide that picture of me on that stump with that chainsaw... I have discoverd the joy of "Nip Gaurds", the running gentleman's bleeding-nipple answer to bandaids. They work like a charm, but look really stupid if I take my shirt off. Yes, you can still see them under all the hair. We put on a batch of wine through the local U-Brew. Now I have to finish the wine rack. Hockey game tonight. I haven't watched this much hockey since riding the bench as a kid... posted by Steve @ 8:42 AM	4.23.2002
The audition wasn't stellar. Had to wait half an hour before going in and not sure if I gave them what they were looking for. Went in to The Company and they aren't expecting any work to come through for a few months. Luckily, today I got the cheque for all of the work I did in March. So, it must be a good time to take a Spanish class! First one was last night, and it's fun. Eight weeks of conversational Spanish - looking ahead to traveling to South America. Peru and Chile (Patagonia) at some point in the fall. Anyway, no response from a prof at UBC regarding possible PhD leads. No worries, the oxen are slow, but the Earth is patient. Feeling a bit worried as the summer opens up, though, and no jobs are showing themselves. Good thing I saved. Possibly some mountainbiking this weekend - I'd better be careful before I screw up yet another chance to do a marathon. I'm constantly reminded how good my friends are. Damn, I'm lucky. I wish the plumbers were nicer to some of them, though. I'm cheering for the Canucks. I feel cheap and used, but what the hell, the Flames were good back when Lanny MacDonald played. Now there's Bertuzzi. The evening settles before me like a magic carpet... dare I ride? posted by Steve @ 5:46 PM	4.19.2002
Audition tomorrow for a commercial. Nice today - had a lovely run around the seawall, and then later a bike ride with Rosemary through Stanley Park. Good day to like Vancouver. My left knee hurts though - not the whole knee, just a little spot on the outside of the knee cap. Stress fracture? Bumped it in the night? What else... Oh ya, the Americans have a bomb first ask questions later attitude that has caused how many friendly-fire episodes in their military history? Jeeesaaaas. At least they now know that they can keep a secret training mission secret from themselves. My heart to the families. posted by Steve @ 10:24 PM	4.17.2002
Back from the homeland, tired and weary, ready for the next week. The Long Run today was cut short due to rain and cold and Dave's thighs, which thought that 32 km was far enough. Just as well, considering my own aches and pains! The marathon is May 5, which better be a lovely, slightly overcast day. I better put bandaids on my nipples... The drive home was uneventful, lots of time to think, nod off, drift into the other lane... JESUS! Screeching tires and near misses. Just kidding. Kamloops crew was up to a DVD - Suicide Kings. Interesting indie film with Christopher Walken. Luckily, the ending is an inevitable result of the characters (in Hollywood the ending would have been a predictable result of a formula storyline - just watch Swordfish). Home to the Vancouver crew warming Dave and Shannon's new house. Three preganant women in one room. Who'd of thought I was that old? A trip home can give you cause to relfect on your path, your next step, or your last step. I make questionable choices to abuse myself physically (excercise, sport, over consumption), or abuse myself emotionally (revisiting old wounds, risking new ones, choosing to avoid or deal with current ones), and what's the result? If I choose to engage fully in a spectrum of experience, then at each moment I have the chance to appear a hero, a scoundrel, motivated, lazy, happy, sad, committed, apathetic, focused or lost. I face life with intelligence and empathy, and strive for balance and compromise in most of what I do. And I believe in times when I choose not to be balanced, where I immerse myself (mindfully, that is) in the extremes of my experience. I risk, I sacrifice, I pursue, I neglect, I step over the line, I shy away from it, I have been less than I could be, and I have been more than I thought I could be. But these are my choices, sometimes made with forethought, sometimes made to capture a moment that has just come into being that I'll fully consider later. But as a choice I carry my intelligence, my empathy, and my understanding with me, and I maintain the best path for myself that I can. I am at the centre of my choices, and I believe that the best perspective on the "why" of my choices is mine, as inscruitable or questionable as they may seem to those that care about me. I am well aware that a driver on a train can't always see that the track is out. We need our friends and our family to watch the tracks, no matter how good we think we drive. But it doesn't mean that I don't have a spare track up my sleeve, or a really good train. I accept my choices because I know that they don't come from stupidity. They may show ignorance, they may show pride. But when I fall, when I miss, when I mistake, then respect the place the choice came from. Ah, life. Ah, Venice... posted by Steve @ 6:33 PM	4.14.2002
Alright, blog Steve, blog. Considering the recent Rush revival on fingerfarm, I believe that "New World Man" is one of the best pop songs Rush put out. It has all of the classic elements found in their lengthy 70's stuff - complex, prominent bass line; drums to strive for; and guitar that ranges through styles and keys. All in a nice, 4min 30sec package. People do less with longer (Phil Collins "In the Air" comes to mind). Pete, email your friends or face the consequences. We know where you live. I worked my ass off at the end of March to produce the final report for the project I was working on for The Company (plus a few other things). The final reports are always last minute with that business. One part procrastination, two parts, "Hmm, I know that those were our original objectives, but things have changed. Maybe we should say this. And this. And this. And let's say something else here as well." I'm proud of what I produced. I'm slowly teaching myself html. Very easy, I just don't know all of the language yet. Looking forward to the visit back to Alberta, but not looking forward to the drive. Looking forward to seeing everyone. Not looking forward to squeezing it in to four days posted by Steve @ 7:01 PM	4.04.2002
Webpage is better now. Off to Alberta this weekend. posted by Steve @ 4:52 PM