Had a great family vacation in Quebec this week. It is so good to see my kids spending time with their relatives in Quebec. I wasn't really excited about attending the Carnaval parade but it turned out to be much fun for all of us. The Quebec dancers, musicians etc. seem to have different and more sincere approach to a parade than we do here. All of the folks in the parade seemed to have such fun and were really "going for it."

We decided to use transit to get to the parade and it was a good idea in the end. However, the usual problems came up with my two boys on the bus; either it is the "are-we-there-yet problem" or the WWE wrestling approach to public transportation. (headlocks really don't work on a bus!)

Anyways, I was proud of my parenting skills when I reached into my bag and asked my 7yr old if he wanted to play Pac-Man on my ipod Touch. Plus, I was going to listen to the Beethoven String Quartet that I have been studying as of late. Yes, I had not only solved the problem but figured out a way to do a little work too. I plugged in the head phones, handed Leo the ipod and he was content. I put the earphones into my ears and there was the cello, the viola, the violins and WAKA-WAKA-WAKA-WAKA. Oh well. Leo is happy.

I am a bit grumpy this morning. As much as I love my kids and being a Dad I didn't sign up for missing my weekly hockey game because of a PD day/oncoming cold.

So, here I sit thinking about my pals enjoying the comradery of the dressing room and the speed, excitement and beauty of the hockey game they are about to enjoy. This all has me thinking about how and why (and if) it all works together.

Being an artist is a selfish endeavor. The trick is balancing your selfishness so that you can interact with your loved ones and the world at large. Of course my number one priority is the health and happiness of my family but that is not as simple as I make it sound. For example, if the man of the house (me) is unhappy or unhealthy then I am of no use to anyone.

In order to keep my health, sanity and happiness I try to play hockey at least twice a week. This is always tricky as it seems like I am leaving my family to "play again." The thing that makes this extra tricky is that my work often feels the same way. More often than not these days I am heading out the door with a banjo over my shoulder. (how much work could THAT be?) You might also hear me in the basement practicing the fiddle.

It seems that no matter what I do, I can never spend enough time (for me) with my kids and I never have enough hours in the week to practice and compose my music. It seems like it might be a time management issue but I think it is just a triple passion problem that gets all mixed up day in day out.

Tommorrow is Hockey Day in Canada. I hope that I can have some quality time on my instruments, quality time with my kids and quality time on my backyard rink.

tim