Pat Blythe – The Pandemic Interviews – Conversations in a changing time…..and music

Tuesday, January 26 at 6:01am my first podcast was posted on Podbean. It’s been a work in progress since last May….well technically last August/September. Let me ‘splain…..

Pat Blythe – Blue Moon…..creative dining….snow…..and music

It’s Monday. I’m writing for Tuesday. When I realized my diatribe would appear post-election, I contacted our esteemed editor and suggested that it may make a modicum of sense for our local politico, Roxanne Tellier, to proffer her analysis and observations regarding the election, and “the morning after” effect. So I swapped days. I have my views but not nearly the insight our Mrs. Parker brings to bear on politics and the entire “goings on” south of the 49^th parallel. I can just imagine the spirited discussions Chris (nicknamed The Professor) and Rox would have had regarding the spectacle of this latest presidency over the past four years. Both had/have the ability to read between the lines and proffer observations many of us don’t “see”. Research junkies the two of them…..although I’m not far behind down that rabbit hole….. Mrs. Parker and The Professor would fill a room. Chris would have fit right in at the Algonquin Round Table.

Pat Blythe – Behind the green door…..the artist…..and music

I love this painting. Done by a very good friend of mine, it has intrigued me since I first laid eyes on it. My curiosity is piqued. To most I suppose it’s nothing special. For me it holds a kind of fascination and charm. I just sit and stare. A suggestion of mystery, a hint of secrecy…..it captivates me. It empties my mind and at the same time sets the wheels of my imagination spinning. It brings back memories. The mood is set with an ease and simplicity about it.

A simple green door, slightly ajar…..just a crack.

Pat Blythe – Comparing “notes”…..and music

A great start to Tuesday morning! Mail call, and among all the real estate flyers, I spy the dreaded federal government envelope. My spine stiffens. Now what?? My brain spirals. Normally I would ignore it for as long as I reasonably could, barely avoiding jail time or another envelope with a nasty reprimand. The only thing worse than the first notice…..is the second. Coffee in hand and perched on the edge of my seat (literally), with great trepidation I open the envelope.

Pat Blythe – Blathering….mom….music

Here we go again. It is me or are Wednesdays getting closer and closer together? Reclining on the couch chaise (my office) with my nose buried in the laptop my eyes are turning square and the days are blending together. It’s a gorgeous morning with the promise of a sunnier, more seasonal week ahead. Ontario is opening up…..sort of. Folks are flocking to parks, beaches, and parks….we’ll see how this goes. I just wish people would stop griping, some of them quite vociferously and angrily about the “crowds”. Nobody has any idea who lives with whom, who’s been forced to live with whom, who is “bubbling” with whom….too many judgement calls, way too many assumptions, accusations and downright bitching…..none of it constructive. Social media is rife with it.

I’d also like to add that two metres is 6.5 feet if my days in math class are correct. Let’s at least use the proper math!

Pat Blythe – Eyes on the prize….Speak Music….and music

The eyes are windows to the soul. A rather romantic and idealized thought. Whether that’s true or not, at the moment mine are not…..at least temporarily. No matter how hard we work at it and struggle, our bodies, inside and out, begin to crumble as the years pile on. On the whole, we (as in all of you and me) exercise (okay somewhat), we try and feed our body good stuff (jujubes and chocolate don’t count!), we drink in relative moderation (I’m outta ice cubes and mint again!) and, well, the air we breathe…..that’s out of our control and so is the aging process.

Pat Blythe – 2020 and beyond….HERE WE COME!!!!….and lots of music…..

A new decade! A new year! Purging, changing, modifying, exploring, new beginnings and some endings, recounting and remembering, wondering, searching, discovering, assessing…..all these and more as a new decade begins.

Pat Blythe – Just stuff…..and music

Saw the hip doc yesterday….time for a checkup. After 14 years my bionic hip is still in rock solid shape. Yes, there’s a little wear and tear but after all this time I can still do the hippy hippy shake. I’m extremely fortunate it’s lasted this long and the doc ….he’s smiling.

I decided to walk from Queen and Victoria over to Sherbourne and Bloor (downtown Toronto). I haven’t strolled around these parts in years. It evolved into a walk down memory lane. Chris and I moved into our first apartment together on Sherbourne between Dundas and Shuter. It had brilliant orange balconies and we were situated on the top floor. Complete with sunken living room, 12-foot ceilings and a huge bedroom we were set. We hunkered down there for two years before we became Beach residents.

Pat Blythe – Indie Week wrap-up Part I…..and music

It’s been a whirlwind week with so many events happening. The big one and closing out music festival “season”…..Indie Week. Heralding five days of entertainment from all over the world, the launch bash was held at Revival this past Wednesday, Nov. 13. The following days and nights were filled with the sounds of music, cheers and stomping feet, all leading up to the wrap-up party at the Mod Club on Sunday, Nov. 17. With a 4am last call, thousands of ears were filled with international sounds emanating from the participating Toronto clubs salted all over the city

Pat Blythe – Mom is 90!….an autism benefit…..and music

Today…..today is a very special day. Well, not the day (Monday) but the date (November 4). Today my mom celebrates her 90^th birth date. If you ask her, she doesn’t feel any older than yesterday. In fact, she doesn’t feel any older than when she was 16 or 20 or 30. Inside all of us, the years just blend together. The highlights, the lowlights, the surprises and disappointments, past loves, special trips, a glance, a look, a smile, a comment, the colour of your first car…..they are the pictures inside our minds, our “living” stories….they flash before our eyes in a heartbeat….and somehow, we’re not 16 or 20 or 30 anymore.