The GMA Report

As you may have noticed, I have not been on the air for the past week and a half. Reason being GMA. GMA is the annual conference where EVERYONE involved in the Christian Music Scene heads to Nashville to eat, drink and schmooze. So I went down, and here's how things went down.

FRIDAY

We flew down to Nashville (in a very small airplane) and checked into the hotel. We had the night to enjoy the city, so what do good Canadian kids do? We went to the hockey game. Nashville lost to the Sharks which did 2 things. Eliminated the Preds from the playoffs and gave members of the Sharks a reason to celebrate into the wee hours of the night. Sadly their celebration happened to be in the room next door to ours. So at 3 in the morning I found myself eavesdropping to find out who it was making the noise in the adjacent room. After much deduction I conclude that it is Joe Thornton and Steve Bernier, along with some lady friends. Now I'm tired at this point so my judgement is pretty much non-existent. I take my hotel notepad and write "Hey Joe... You Suck! the Stars fan in room 1027" and I slide it under the door. He didn't much like the note, but he restrained himself from coming through our door in a drunken rage. (Even if he did my roommate was ready to hit him with the lamp off the bed-side table.)

SATURDAY

Seminars all day, then to Jack's BBQ for Dinner... SOOOOOO GOOD! We worked off the food with an exploratory walk around downtown.

SUNDAY

Artist Meet-N-Greet and the beginning of 30+ interviews in 2 and a half days. I went to an Urban Showcase (concert) at night.

MONDAY & TUESDAY

Lots of interviews with lots of people... Hawk Nelson, KJ-52, Jessie Daniels, Nevertheless, and much more! Concerts both nights; Kevin Max, The Afters, Canton Jones, Sean Simmonds. I tried to go to the Sanctus Real show, but I didn't have ID with me, and (apparently) I look like I'm under 21.

WEDNESDAY

Some final seminars and then off to the Dove Awards at night. The Doves were a little disappointing to be totally honest. They'd have performers during the show and I was getting excited to see Leeland, Red and Family Force 5 live. HOWEVER, they went "live" to Rocketown (a club in Nashville) to see all the slammin' bands. It was actually a video they recorded a week earlier. BUMMER! I did get to see the Crabb Family and Take 6 though! [sarcasm] To top things off Mat Kearney was shut out of the awards... So I left a little disappointed, but I still enjoyed the whole awards show.

Here are some pics of the mayhem that ensued....

Wonderdog with Hawk Nelson (gettin' ready for their baseball tour)

With Jessie Daniels (so friendly)

With Lincoln Brewster (the best worship leader in the world)

AJ & "The King"

With Brandon Heath (he invited me over to play on his XBox... It wasn't as creepy as it sounds)

I'll be back tomorrow with more pictures and the highlites of the trip for me.

Warm Weather

It's amazing the transformation that takes place in Barrie when the weather gets warm. We were up around 15 degrees this afternoon and Barrie was buzzing! People driving around with their windows down and the music cranked, people running along the waterfront, people were smiling a lot more than normal. Maybe it was because it wasn't raining today (finally), or possibly because it was warm enough to leave the jacket at home? Either way the vibe I got driving through Barrie was great. Here's to a great looking weekend [AJ toasts his can of Coke]

Blind Trust

The time comes in every man's life that he has to... get his hair cut! This usually means I take along a hat and for a couple weeks I don't show anyone how bad my hair looks. Today I decided to try something new... TOTALLY NEW! I met Emily at a coffeehouse at Trinity, and decided to try giving her a try. So I got up early and made the trek up Hwy 11 to Orillia...
I must say I am very pleased with Emily's work. She didn't bring the electric clippers anywhere near my head (that's always good) and I think I looked better leaving than I did going in. It's been a real long time since that's been the case. So kudos to you Emily! You earned yourself a lifelong customer now!

Blue Jays

Crystal and I went to the Jays game yesterday, and I must say I was disappointed. I cannot remember the game at all. I don't remember any big hits to the outfield, no homers, no spectacular plays. BUMMER! It was a pitcher's duel, which to me is the most boring game you can see. I'd rather see offensive prowess, some great plays in the field and a close game at the end. The only one of those 3 we got yesterday was a close game at the end. Oh well... We'll definitely be heading to some more games this year, so hopefully those are a little better.

Remember... "Chicks Dig The Long Ball!" (I think that's how the slogan went.)

FaceSpace

Hockey, Field Of Dreams, The Hills, Erwin McManus and Mat Kearney... These are just a few of the things I like. You can see the full list on my Facebook or MySpace. You can find out what activities I enjoy, what I'm intersted in, what's playing in my CD Player, what movies you can catch me watching on a rainy day, and other things I choose to let you in on. The key phrase there was "choose to let you in on."

We edit our profiles to reflect the person we want others to think we are. We post pictures so people think we live exciting lives, we post cool bands to establish our street cred, we post the accomplishments we are most proud of. We pick out the fun and exciting parts of our lives and put those on display. It's not lying, but it isn't the whole truth. Few of us are as hip as our profiles make us out to be.

Visit my Facebook or MySpace and you won't see a person that can be jealous, you won't see a person that doesn't want anything to do with Christianity on some days, a guy who feels like he'll never amount to much of anything, a guy who wishes the rapture would occur so he doesn't have to go to work that day. My profile doesn't say any of this because I don't want it to. That's ugly AJ, no one wants to see that. They'd rather see the fun AJ that's up there now.

It's not just online either... People do this everyday. Are you really as cool as the person you present to others? I know sometimes I walk around as "Facebook AJ." But that's not who I really am is it? I'm nowhere near perfect, I have flaws, I am selfish. Living as Facebook AJ is a crappy way to live. Do I really think people won't like the real AJ? This is where I am so glad for Crystal. She sees the real me, and she loves him despite his warts and blemishes.

If you too find yourself living as a cleaned up version of yourself, can I encourage you to do something? Find someone you trust, and tell them what you're struggling with. It frees you from whatever is holding you down, and also provides you with the support of that other person. Privately confessing to God you have a problem with anger or with your self-esteem is great, but you need someone to keep you accountable so you don't fall back into that rut.

In high school through college I used to struggle with viewing inappropriate stuff online. I could go to the front of the church every week and plead with God that he forgive me and I promised I wouldn't do it again, but whether it was a week or a month later I gave in to the temptation and then ended up pleading with God again. It wasn't until I took some drastic action and talked to my best friend and he made me accountable that I was able to overcome it. Sure I screwed up a couple times, but he encouraged me, prayed with me and kept me accountable and eventually I overcame it. So if there's anything you're struggling with I would recommend you confess it to a good friend and have them keep you accountable.

Ecclesiastes 4:12 - Usually used in weddings, but just because you're not married doesn't mean you can't have that person who, along with God, helps you to grow strong in your faith.

That's all for tonight... Time for my beauty sleep ;-)

Lumberjack Styles

NHL playoffs kicked off tonight, and it has caused some dissension among the radio ranks at Life 100.3. I come in this morning to a note on my door:

"Let the trash talking begin...
start watching Dallas now AJ -
because they won't be around much longer after
my Canucks are done with 'em!
- WOODY"

Can you believe this? Woody Woodland... I liked him! Well I guess he started it right? Anything I do from here on in is retaliation right? I must admit I've found myself caught up in the hype of the playoffs beginning today. Can you believe Ottawa still had 1500 tickets available for tonight's game? I'm thinking of getting tix to Saturday afternoon's game, there's still lots of those left. and I WAS going to take Woody, but maybe not anymore ;-)

Paradigm Shift

It's amazing what a puppy will do to how you see things. Crystal and I went over to her parents' for dinner tonight. Her parents happen to have a standard poodle (Callie) and I've know her for years now. But today it seemed to me like Callie was WAY bigger than she ever was before. Now I know she hasn't grown since I last saw her, but after 10 days of playing with a little puppy, Callie seemed like a horse! I expected that feeling to go away by the time dinner ended, but as I left their house I still found myself thinking: "That dog is massive!" It's amazing how that happens huh? Do you think it happens to us with God too? We see God one way for so long, then when we have an encounter with him (say at a retreat or conference) we leave saying: "WHOA! He's huge!"

Rolling On The Floor...

We've probably all seen a movie that we thought was total cheese. Either the acting was lousy, or the CGI wasn't at all believable. Well check out this commercial... It's for some sleep centre in Odessa, Texas. (It made me laugh) The special effects are quite possibly the worst I have EVER seen.

Enjoy!

I Told Ya So

The Leafs are out of the playoffs for the second straight year. But this is not a bad thing Leaf fans! Oh no, not at all. You see if the Leafs keep getting worse, which they are on the path to doing, then by the time John Tavares is coming into the draft the Leafs might have the #1 pick. Think about it... 2009, the Leafs pick a Superstar who grew up in the GTA. Think of how you could market that! Look at Sidney Crosby, look at what he's done with a lousy Pittsburgh team. That could be the Leafs if they do this the right way. Blow up the team, suck eggs for a couple years, then you pile up this good young talent and make your way back to respectability! I think I might apply for the GM job at Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment after the fire John Ferguson Jr this summer.

Ballin'

Hockey season is over for most of us (and soon to be the Leafs), so we need something to fill our need for puck. I think I may have a short-term solution... The 3rd Annual HockeyQuest Ball Hockey Tournament!

April 21 @ East Bayfield Arena in Barrie. (Teams of 7 people, grouping up to age 17)
It's just $35 per player and you get a t-shirt, lunch and 4 guaranteed games. If this sounds good to you, make sure you register by April 7 at the HockeyQuest Cafe on Grove in Barrie. If you think I'm nuts and you want the details for yourself call 705-721-7406.

Sounds like a good time! If only I was 17 again...

My Very Own Criss Angel Puppy

The adventure continues! Today was the first day we had to leave Snax unattended, (Crystal and I were both at work). So we planned to leave Snax in the kitchen with a "gate" keeping her in there so if she does make a mess, we can just wipe it off the tile. Let me tell you it was tough to leave. Snax started to cry right away, and I could hear her all the way down the hall. I managed to make it out of the building without giving in to her guilt trip, and figured everything would be ok.

[Fast Forward to Dinner Time]

I come home, and I don't hear any crying as I walk up to the door. I slowly open it and look into the kitchen. All her toys are there, but Snax is not. I frantically jump over the gate and start opening cupboards, the firdge and even the oven hoping to find her. No dice. I walk over to the living room, and there curled up in one of Crystal's sweaters is our dog. "How did she get out?" I ask myself. The gate was still there, fully intact, how did she make it out here? I figured I'd put her back in the kitchen and observe her daring escape. Here's what I saw:


It seems she managed to chew herself an "L-shaped" hole that she could squeeze through and have the gate return back to normal. I could not believe how smart this dog was. There was no way I could be mad at her, it was so cute, and very resourceful. I think she has been watching too much Criss Angel on tv... She thinks she can pass through walls (or fences as the case may be).

What made it less deserving of punishment was that she didn't destroy anything, she didn't pop on the carpet, and as soon as she had to pee, she went on the special mat we got for her. Now I need to figure out another way to keep her out of trouble when we're out. Any suggestions?

A New Addition

This past weekend, (after much research on Crystal's part), Crystal and I made the trek up to Bracebridge to get our new puppy. An 8 week old cockapoo (cocker spaniel/poodle cross) that we decided to name "Snax." Now if you've never had a puppy you'd likely think it's all fun and games... Not so! Puppies like to get in trouble. I think they deliberately do things they know are wrong just to see how stern you're going to be with them. But aside from the toilet training, and constant supervision they require, they are sooooooooooo much fun. Snax only sleeps for a couple hours at a time, so we're constantly being woken up by a puppy who's ready to play. On Saturday night I was up with Snax and she decides to jump off the couch... I thought she was going to die! She limped for a few minutes afterwards, but 10 minutes later she was running around again. Then Sunday morning I was sitting on the couch with her (watching TSN) and I got up to answer the phone. As I'm by the phone with my back turned to her I hear this THUMP! I turn around to see what made the noise, and Snax comes sauntering over to me. Now she's taking the leap without any hesitation. It's amazing. Having a puppy is a test of patience for sure, but it is also such an incredible experience. Even though she pees on the rug (and I step in it as I head to the bathroom to get the sleep out of my head), I am so glad she's a part of our family and wouldn't trade it for anything!

The new arrival on the way home.

Road trips make her sleepy.

Playing with her new tennis ball.

The new (expanded) Wonderdog family.