Saturday, February 21, 2009

trying to pull myself away

I feel like I'm caught in a pattern that I can't escape. I don't even know what I'm doing half the time. My mind lacks stimulation. My body is now my means of providing money. When I was a journalist, I felt like I had purpose. Interviewing people - interesting people - was part of my daily routine and I was completely in love with what I did. I don't have that anymore which brings me sorrow. *Note* - these thoughts only have to do with my work life, not my personal life.

Personally, my life could never be better. I am happily married, going on three years. I am in a band that plays fantastic music. I have recorded an EP with my wife and we have a great little home. I'm learning to enjoy life more. When this harsh winter ends, I'm going snorkeling. I can't wait to find treasure again. I have made new friends and reconnected with my family after a two year absence.

I am hopelessly addicted to Mad Men, a show about advertising bigwigs in the early 60s. Probably the best drama TV I've seen in years.

Luke Bruce, my international brother, if you still check this blog from Ecuador, Ruth and I miss you and think about you everyday. We still want to send a letter but we don't know how to get hold of you. We love you and hope you are having a wonderful time.

Briggins, we have your smelly blanket still. Please come and retrieve it!

Peace

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

1935

Last summer in Pugwash, N.S., my cousin Iain McDougall and I were diving in a small river off the Northumberland Strait looking for anything that caught our fancy. We found a couple of old beer bottles (the short stubby ones) dating back to the 1960s, some golf balls (new and old) and shards of pottery. I was interested in the broken shards. Most of the pieces were unrecognizable due to the strong ocean currents battering them around. Also, the river we were swimming in or rather drifting, was a river where the tide went up and down twice a day. We would dive when the tide was low to increase our chances of finding something. This is a shard of what I found.



Since this was my first piece of pottery with a ceramic mark still on it, I was ecstatic. Half the mark was missing, so I conducted a little research and discovered the mark was printed in 1935 and was probably off an old plate or mug. It was like solving a mystery!



I hope you enjoyed this.