Greetings blog readers! Today I’ve been musing on this little existential gem: What if, hypothetically speaking, no real people actually asked me questions for this blog, but I answered them anyway? Would it be that falling tree in the forest that nobody heard? Or, would it just be a new creative way to write about nothing? I’m going with the latter. And for the record, I think the tree makes a noise. There may not be a human there to hear it, but trees and all the living beings around them are organic. It makes a big noise, if it’s a big tree. But why did it fall in the first place? That’s the bigger question!

So here we go…

 

Q. Is it finally winter in Minnesota?

A. Yes. After a string of the warmest months ever recorded, the jet stream finally shifted and some Arctic air swooped down within the past few days. With that change, also came our first snow a couple of days ago, and then another smaller flurry this morning. And it’s been windy. When I left the gym last night the wind-chill factor was below zero. And I was sweaty. Bad combination. I did use the hot tub last night, while some flurries were fluttering down and it was in the low teens for temp. That was awesome. Looking at next week’s forecast, though, it clearly indicates that the real winter coats are going to have to come out. No more Twins jacket without gloves. Highs in the single digits or low teens, and lows below zero. And that’s before factoring in the wind-chill. That will be a tad chilly.

 

Q. Do you shovel your own snow off your drive?

A. That depends. Our HOA hires a contractor to scrape the snow off our driveways, sidewalks, and walkways, but there are a whole lot of caveats as to when that happens. The snow has to be at least 3.5 inches deep, and they wait until the snow storm is over to come out. In case of a blizzard, they may come out halfway through it to make a first pass. Our snow the other day was about 3 inches deep. Missed it by THAT much. So, I had to scrape that one, and it was a very heavy wet snow. My back hurt after I was done. An ice pack was utilized. This morning, it was just a powdery dusting, but the bottom is going to fall out in the temperature department so that stuff had to get scraped, as well. Once it gets below zero, like it will be next week, whatever is there is going to stay there until it warms up. It was good to get out there and just push some snow around anyway. Fresh air!

 

Q. Are you big into any particular kinds of apparel?

A. Oh yeah. I’ve been an athletic shoe fanatic since high school, when I was the first person anyone knew who had a pair of Puma sneakers. After that, it was on and always has been. It helped that my first job after baseball was with Converse, giving shoes away as a promotions rep. My brother-in-law Lonnie still brings that up, in the form of the statement, “I can’t believe you quit that job.” I had the whole family pretty much decked out. Then, when I was in indoor soccer, we had a contract with adidas (no, you don’t capitalize it) and they took such good care of me I wore them exclusively for a long time. Loyalty is big with me. Then I discovered the Reebok Zigs a few years back, and went through a bunch of them before they did what most shoe companies do. They tried to “improve” the model and instead made it worse. Most recently, I’m all about Asics Gel shoes. What ties most of those preferences together is a wide toe box. I don’t like having my toes cramped together at the front of the sneaker. Plus, these Asics are fantastically supportive, very comfortable, and cool looking. That last part is important.

 

Q. Isn’t this when you were going to be in London with Barbara?

A. ‘Tis indeed the time I was going to be in London. And if I was, this nonsense blog wouldn’t have happened today. Barbara’s nephew Todd did go in my stead, and they’re having a great time. He’d never been there before, but he took to it like a fish to water (that’s a horrible cliche). He took to it like cod to fish & chips. He landed while Barb was in business meetings, so after he checked into the hotel he went exploring on his own, to Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey, and he even rode The Tube to get to some other places. That’s all way better than taking a nap, which is very tempting to do when you’ve just flown overnight. They’re aiming to see the changing of the guard and maybe take the tour of Charles Dickens’ house today and tomorrow.

 

Q. You used to write about music a lot, at the old NHRA.com blog. Are you into anything new these days?

A. Not really. Not too much of what is coming out now, in good old-fashioned heavy rock, really speaks to me that much. I find myself listening to older music from as far back as the 60s as much as I listen to new stuff. My go-to band for working out or walking has been Chevelle for a very long time. Probably going on three years now. That says a lot about their song-writing and playing ability. They’re good, and very creative. As in, “How can you not like a heavy rock band that recorded a song about Bernie Madoff?” Seriously. The song is “Face To The Floor” and it’s great. Of course, my favorite band of all time is now retired, so that’s a big loss for me. Maybe someday Rush will record again, but they’re done touring. I recently got the Blu-Ray DVD of their newest documentary, called “Time Stand Still” and it follows them through rehearsals and then on their final tour. 33 shows across North America. And as the shows tick down and they realize it’s coming to an end, everyone on the screen begins to get more and more emotional. The final show was at The Forum in Los Angeles, and everyone backstage and in the crowd was crying. There are scenes at the end, where they show fans on the floor, and the security guys are hovering, trying to get them to leave. But the fans refuse to go. It was like the guys in the band were the only ones to keep it together. As for me, watching it for the first time, well… You can probably guess. It’s a fantastic film, in all ways, and it so vividly brings out Geddy, Alex, and Neil’s own feelings about ending their touring days. Geddy and Alex are obviously saddened by it, but Neil is 62 and as he puts it, he doesn’t want to play their music if he can’t do it like he always has. He won’t play at a diminished level, and if you’ve ever seen him play the drums you know it’s a massive physical feat to play three-hour shows like he plays. He was just getting to the point where he feared he couldn’t do it anymore. Alex Lifeson also struggles with arthritis in his hands and fingers, which is not a good thing for a guitarist. Geddy Lee, I’m sure, would keep touring forever. He has such sadness in his eyes when he talks about it on-screen. But, they toured for 40 years and we all got to enjoy that. There will never be a different version of Rush. They won’t hire a drummer to play Neil Peart’s parts. It’s the three of them. That’s it. And now it’s over. (Sad face).

 

Q. How are Boofus and Buster?

A. They’re great. Winter is a much different time of year for them, because they love being outside on the porch or going for walks in their cat stroller, but when it gets below 40 they sniff the air and turn around. They are much bigger snuggle bunnies in the winter, though, because they like to be near anything (or anyone) that offers warmth. For instance, this is the time of year I can NEVER leave my computer open when I leave the room. Boofus loves to take over the keyboard and, without fail, he manages to open eight or nine programs and applications. Somehow, he seems to open iTunes every time. Plus, whatever I been working on ends up with a thousand random new nonsensical letters within the text. But they’re great.

 

Q. How much longer on the book? Is it ever going to come out?

A. As for how much longer, it’s still hard to say. We could be done with editing within a week or two, and then it gets shipped off to the publisher. Normally, it’s a two-month process of pre-production, approvals, lay-out adjustments, and other “stuff” that has to happen, but with Christmas and New Year’s coming up, I’m sure that will slow things down. The good news is, my book is pretty straight forward, in terms of layout. There are no illustrations or fancy artwork, just a photo section at the back. Other than that, it’s just text.

 

Q. What’s for dinner?

A. I’ve had chicken the last two nights, so… Probably Mexican. Or Walleye. How’s that for two disparate choices?

 

Q. You haven’t run a snippet from the book in a while. When will we get another one, just to tide us over until it comes out?

A. How ‘about now?  Here’s the backstory. In college, I imitated famous race car driver turned television announcer Jackie Stewart at a party once, and everyone loved it. So it became a staple of mine for bus rides. I did it once on the field when I arrived in Paintsville, Kentucky for my first year of professional ball, playing for the Paintsville Hilanders in the Appalachian League, and after that the guys always wanted me to do it on the bus after we won a game. They just “asked” for it in a unique way. See the snippet below to learn how.

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After that, any time we’d be on the bus after a win, whether it was a long five-hour ride back to Paintsville or a short hop back to the motel, I’d be sitting in my seat and after a few minutes I’d hear the requests, but none of them were spoken in words. The guys would simply start to quietly make a noise like a Formula 1 car passing by, and then slowly ramp up the volume until it sounded like our entire bus was full of race cars. “Zzzzhhoooom” came the calls, and that was my cue to celebrate our win with 15-seconds of Jackie Stewart.

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Q. Anything else?

A. That’s about it. Time for lunch, I think. We have a new place here in Woodbury called Which Wich. Ever heard of that? It’s a sandwich shop, and it’s very tasty, but they added a fun twist to the ordering process. When you walk in, there are a variety of different brown paper bags on the wall, and cups full of red Sharpie pens. You find the bag for the sandwich type you’re after, and put your name at the top. Then, you check off various toppings, bread type, size, and other options with the Sharpie. Then, you hand the bag to the cashier and after you pay, he clips a hook to the top and hangs it on a wire. It then gets pushed down the wire where someone else constructs it just like you’ve requested. Finally, when it’s done they put it in the bag you used to order it, and off you go. I usually go with the tuna, cold, on wheat, with mayo, red onions, pickles, and black olives, 7-inches long. Now I’m really hungry!

 

Q. What’s that noise?

A. Um, Buster is sleeping in his carrier (he loves being in there, so we leave it on the floor near my desk) and he’s snoring. It’s adorable.

So, thanks for bearing with this existential Q&A in which nobody but me provided the Qs. But I was channeling someone. It’s just a matter who whom it might have been. Maybe it was Geddy Lee.

Bob Wilber, at your service and sad that Rush will tour no more.