Dolphins 24, Bills 10

Brad Barker of Jazz FM was in the TVO studio last week with Steve Paikin to try to explain some of the genius of Dave Brubeck, American jazz master who passed away earlier this month. Brubeck was a true musical star - which is unusual in the world of jazz which has always produced brilliant players who mostly toil in total obscurity. Barker explained to Paikin that Brubeck's innovative time signatures set him and his quartet apart from most other music we know - often popular "blues based" music - as he pushed the limits of progressive jazz. Time signature refers to the number of beats per measure. Blues based music is easy foot tapping or dancing music because its time signature is often in 4/4. Most casual music listeners are fully aware of that time signature without knowing it. The Brubeck quartet's best known piece "Take Five" (which was written by Brubeck's long time saxophone player Paul Desmond and is from the 1959 album Time Out) is written in a 5/4 time signature. Other time signatures he used included 6/4, 9/8 and 13/4. Brubeck was a serious professional musician who did not drink or take drugs. He always wore a shirt and tie when playing. He was a musical giant. As Barker said, when you listen to Take Five, it just makes you feel good. I am happy to have learned a little more about Dave Brubeck last week. And I purchased Time Out so that I can feel good anytime I want.

In the US, the National Rifle Association took a full week to comment after the Newtown shootings. But for those of us hoping that the organization shoots itself in the foot as often as possible, it was well worth the wait. NRA spokesman Wayne Lapierre held a press conference to explain that "the only thing that can stop a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun". Lapierre also called for the posting of armed federal agents in all schools and went as far as to say that if that idea seems crazy, "then call me crazy". As Lapierre was making his statement, a gunman in Ohio shot four people in an apparent random act. Whether or not the timing was by design is not clear but on Twitter, someone commented in "defence" of the NRA: "you try holding a press conference at a time when there isn't a mass shooting going on. Its just not that easy." The good news, it seems to me, is that Americans seem more and more to be rejecting extreme views such as those of the NRA and its most recent position about armed guards in schools. In the long term, these views will become more marginalized and this should pave the way for meaningful gun control in the US. Not soon but eventually.

It's Christmas Eve. I am sitting in the warm cottage looking out over the just barely frozen lake. I was able to get in 2 hours of skiing yesterday through 8-10cm of snow which is not really enough for skiing but too much for mountain biking. There is a crusty frozen layer on the ground which helps keep the skis off the rocks as I move through the forest. The ice on the lakes is too thin to ski safely on and the ice on the beaver pond to the north of the road probably is thick enough but is flooded with slush at the surface. This is the shoulder season I guess. It's about a month late based on a 100 year average.

My Christmas shopping is done. It consisted of the purchase of a crown roast of pork from Upper Cut Meats at the St. Lawrence Market. It sits in the fridge ready to be transported to St. Catharines tomorrow for our family dinner. I made a batch of apple/ginger jam a couple of weeks ago and I made my second annual cash donation to the Daily Bread Food Bank through the Sounds of the Season website. That's it. A jar of jam and knowing that I donated to the food bank is all anyone is getting for Christmas from me. And the pork roast too. Happy Holiday everyone!

The Bills close out another sad season on Sunday December 30th at Ralph Wilson Stadium against the New York Jets if anyone cares. I do because I am trying to get rid of my tickets for it.