Planes To Catch And Bills To Pay

The past few weeks I've been on more than the usual amount of out of town business trips. Last night after a wonderful day's worth of Campus Stores Canada Symposium panels and discussion groups and presentations, I was sitting with my colleagues at a local pub called The Lower Deck when the band Wreckhouse started playing.

So there I am, thinking about how the past 4 days my only contact with my son has been short telephone conversations, mostly with him asking when I'm coming home, and the band's opening song was the old Cat Stevens song "Cats in the Cradle" -- you know, the old tear-jerking (at least for big sucks like me) song about a father who is too busy to spend time with his son and then, when he's older and the tables are turned, the son does the same thing to him.

"When you coming home, Dad?"
"I don't know when.
But we'll get together then, son
You know we'll have a good time then."

Blubber, blubber. I wonder how many people noticed the tears in my eyes during that song?

But in any case, the band went on to sing a fantastic line-up of cover songs and do justice for all of them, including music by Pink Floyd, Neil Young, Bare Naked Ladies, Billy Joel, Johnny Cash, Bad Company and even Neil Diamond. The eclectic yet perfectly matched songlist was reflective of the the types of mixed tapes I made when I was younger, and they executed the songs perfectly. That, combined with the excellent company of the colleagues I was with, made for a thoroughly enjoyable evening. Oh, and the beer was good, too.

Paul Lamb, lead singer for the band was not only a very talented guitar player and vocalist, but he's also a down to earth and friendly guy. I encourage people to go check out his website and learn more about his bands and his music. And if you ever get a chance to see him perform live, don't miss it.

There, I distracted myself long enough to forget how much I miss my son and my wife right now, and how when I see them tonight at the airport, I'm going to pick them both up my arms and hold them tight and never want to let go again.