itunes - mytunes

June 01, 2004

Dear all,

Some of you USA type people are already hip to this but I will announce to the rest of you that you can download all of "Giddy Up" through the apple itunes store. The newest version of itunes (downloadable on the apple site) streams right to the store so you need not use a browser.

http://www.apple.com/itunes/store/discover.html

You don't get the nifty graphics & liner notes but I'm sure you folks are creative enough to come up with something better. I suggest using Springsteen's "Born to Run" cover and just photoshopping my name on there. Meatloaf's "Bat out of Hell" is pretty good too. The apple itunes store is not quite ready for those outside the USA so I highly recommend my "sub site" at maplemusic.com.

Tim Der has apparently made some changes to his Craig Northey site at oddstp.com so that might be worth a look. I'll be trying to hook up links to my favourite sites one day as this new website grows more tentacles.

I write to you now from the Calgary airport. I am sitting at gate A11. I'm leaving through gate A19 but the wireless network doesn't work down there. If you're on your wireless laptop and waiting for a plane come over and say hello. I will wait here to see what happens. I'm right across from "Stavro's" sports bar. On the outside wall of Stavro's (under the wooden letters S.T.A.V.R.O.'S.) is a large contour cut picture of George Gardner in his 1970 Canucks home whites. Its a four foot tall, wooden mounted & contour cut, black and white photo. George is barefaced, smiling and looking for the puck in his goalie skates. He sports the traditional brown leather pads, trapper & white polka dot blocker of the era. Why is he here? I checked his stats:

http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php3?pid%5B%5D=1846

He never played here and was born in Lachine Quebec. He is not Greek and Stavros may very well be a Greek name. I wonder why there is no giant wooden photographic print of Mike Vernon, Lanny MacDonald or a Sutter brother. I used to draw pictures of George on my schoolbooks. I drew long pencil ovals to fill in those giant brown pads. I drew his sideburns or, more often, his white fibreglass mask. I emblazoned that blue rink on his chest. Now he is here to keep me company. The image is comforting amidst the unsettling sea of red & black "grade 8 graphics" Calgary Flames "C"s. Black fire! We're in this together George.