GRAB A STACK OF ROCK With Mike and the Mad Metal Man
Special Edition Episode: “Hey, You Like Records!” – Grab A Stack of Free Records
One day, Jen came home from bowling with a stack of records from a near-stranger! “Hey, you like records don’t you?” said the person as he dumped all this ancient vinyl in her hands. She knew I’d be able to make a video of them, if nothing else. So that is what we did.
Join Harrison and I for a look at some musty records with a couple surprises. Apparently, if you like Led Zeppelin, the Who and the Beatles, then we discovered the Canadian equivalent of those bands for the “over 25” crowd. Please welcome…the Moms and the Dads!
Gospel, Hans Albers, Wurlitzer, Bill Haley & the Coments, songs about cats and dogs…we got it all on this weird bonus episode of Grab A Stack of Rock!
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Early 2006. Jen and I had been dating a few months, and I was placed at a brand new job at United Rentals in Cambridge. Things were looking up! I escaped the hell hole that was the Record Store, the office Bully had lost all her power over me, and I had met the girl that I knew I was going to stick with. Life was coming together! It was during this glowing golden time that I briefly met and fell in love with Lil’ Buddy.
We were out walking one cold Sunday in the neighbourhood when a little stray puppy with no tags strolled up to us wagging his little tail. We greeted him and looked around for his human. There was no-one around. The little guy kept following us. We didn’t know what else to do. We brought him home and gave him some water and warmth. I just fell for the little guy immediately. He was so friendly, affectionate and quiet. I named him Lil’ Buddy. We spent a few hours with him before doing what had to be done.
It was the hardest thing to do, but the only right thing to do. We bundled him up into the car and took him to the humane society. It was very emotional for me, and I asked them, please please call me if he is not claimed. He would have a loving home with us. I didn’t know how I was going to handle a dog in my little apartment but I didn’t care. I’d figure it out. The little guy had won my heart.
I waited a couple days, and then called the humane society on my lunch break. It was bittersweet to find out that Lil’ Buddy had been claimed. I was glad that he found his human, but I was really hoping he could have stayed. Apparently Lil’ Buddy belonged to an elderly woman, so she certainly needed his company more than I did. I’m sure she loved him very much. How could she not?
We only spent a few hours with him, but I’ll never forget Lil’ Buddy. We had a very special Sunday afternoon together. We could have been friends. He was very special.
RECORD STORE TALES Part 280: Record Store Gallery III – Furry Friends
I’m a sucker for furry friends. Who isn’t? Maybe you’re a cat person, maybe you’re a dog person, or something else! I mentioned a few weeks ago that Kitchener has a high population of Miniature Schnauzers, and the Ladano clan have owned quite a few of those.
This first picture is kind of a sad one. The year is 2000, and that’s me and my first puppy, Crystal aka Gozer. (That’s what happens when you let my dad name animals.) Crystal was a great little friend but very sick. She went blind in ’94 and had all kinds of health issues. This picture of us is the last photo taken of her. I remember the day we had to put her down, I had to work an afternoon shift at T-Rev’s store. T-Rev was out of town building a new store, and I was filling in for him as I occasionally did. It was not the happiest shift to work.
However life goes on and a year later we got Ani! Ani can be a bad little puppy sometimes, but she’s been my best furry friend for a long time now. Unfortunately Ani suffers from a lot of the same health issues that Crystal did. However she’s been a resilient little Schnauzer and has outlived her life expectancy by numerous years already. And seemingly happily too. Which is the main thing.
I brought Ani into the store one afternoon when I was off. She was so good, a little scared though. But she stayed quiet and didn’t try to escape, which she often does! Customers would occasionally bring their dogs into the store, and I never had a problem with it. Nobody pooped or peed on the floor when I was there.
Lotsa Schnauzers
Finally, I bought my own place and got this guy to go with it. This is Zoboomafoo, a leaping lemur from a hit Canadian kid’s TV show. It was on every morning before work and I started getting obsessed with it. One of our store managers, a girl who worked in Cambridge, spotted a Zoboomafoo puppet at the Cinema One store there. They only had one, and both of us wanted it! It was a race to see who could get it first. Needless to say, I won!
In the continuing saga of all the pets in the greater LeBrain clan, you may recall that Lil’ Shit was the most recent addition to the family. Bass clarinetist extraordinaire Kathryn Ladano recently acquired Daisi aka Lil’ Shit, below. I finally got to meet Daisi this past Canada Day weekend!
It was a great weekend full of bonfires and awesome Canadian scenery too.
Stompin’ Tom Connors – “It’s Canada Day, Up Canada Way”
Sadly, unfortunately my sister lost her dog/best friend Ali this week. Shortly before Ali passed, Kathryn was give another little puppy, an energetic ball of fur named Daisi (with an “i”).
It is my understanding that Daisi, while at my parents’ place, “piss and shit” all over the carpet. Hey, it’s what puppies do. But according to my dad:
“Little Shit is what I’ve named that dog. Because it pisses and shits all over the house!”
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