Three Things from Edmonton
By Glenn Kubish
Three Things from EdmontonApr 28, 2023
Three Things from Edmonton -- Episode 147: CN, time signature, gaslighting
Thanks for dropping by the podcast! Hope things are good at your end. This week's three things:
1. CN -- one day I'll take a couple of youngsters with me to the CN Tower. The one in Edmonton, I mean.
2. Time signature -- I've been listening to the old-new Beatles song.
3. Gaslighting -- A good book and a good movie came together.
Th original music in the podcast is composed and performed by Brendan McGrath of Edmonton. The end bells are courtesy of Edmonton metal artist and humanitarian Slavo Cech.
Take care. Imagine peace.
Three Things from Edmonton – Episode 146: grim reaper, fellowship of the rinks, alliteration
Thanks for dropping by the podcast this week! It dropped a bit late. This might be the new drop date, we’ll see! This week’s troika:
Grim Reaper – Our door was darkened last week.
Fellowship of the rinks – My mom got to remembering!
Alliteration – Dylan is to be heard, not just read.
The original podcast music is from Edmonton pianist and composer Brendan McGrath. The end bells are courtesy of Edmonton metal artist and humanitarian, Slavo Cech.
I’m at glenn.kubish@gmail.com.
Three Things from Edmonton – Episode 145: goalies, first snow, cross-examination
Hello, thanks very much for dropping by the Three Things podcast. Predictably, here are the three unpredictable things that made for some happiness and gratitude this week:
1. Goalies – I was struck by the generosity of the answers given by Winnipeg Jets’ netminder Connor Hellebuyck.
2. First snow – First snow means first questions here in YEG.
3. Cross-examination – Under the influence of cough syrup, I got my eras mixed up a bit.
The original podcast music was composed and performed by Edmonton composer and performer Brendan McGrath. The end bells in the podcast are courtesy of Edmonton metal artist and humanitarian, Slavo Cech. Josh Classen doesn’t know he appears.
I am at glenn.kubish@gmail.com
Three Things from Edmonton – Episode 144: the universe and the fundamental attribution error, waiting in line, above the fold
Thanks for dropping by the podcast! This is where I try to notice little things from my life that left behind tracks of gratitude and happiness. Basically being a shut in and still fighting whatever it is that has taken up residence rent free in my chest and throat, I was a bit more introspective this week.
1. Confirmation bias – the universe didn’t unroll as I thought it might
2. Waiting in line – a psychological thriller set at Rice Bowl Deluxe
3. Above the fold – my big accomplishment while Shelagh was away in Italy.
The original podcast music is from Brendan McGrath. The end bells are courtesy of Edmonton metal artist and humanitarian, Slavo Cech.
I’m at glenn.kubish@gmail.com
Three Things from Edmonton – Episode 143: weather map, Shelagh in Italy, class reunion
Thanks for checking out the little podcast. And it is little. Piddly little. I mean, three little things that left behind tracks of happiness and gratitude when the news is what it is? Come on, I sometimes answer myself. But, other times, there is a quieter voice that says, keep going, don’t be blind, but take a few minutes to put some stuff on the other side of the scale, too. This week’s other things, then:
1. Weather map – watching all the cable TV this week provided a welcome perspective on local weather
2. Shelagh in Italy – that’s it: Shelagh in Italy. Shelagh in Italy!
3. Class reunion – it wasn’t the best of times, but we got through high school.
The original podcast music is from Edmonton composer and pianist Brendan McGrath. The end bells are courtesy of Edmonton humanitarian and metal artist, Slavo Cech.
Three Things from Edmonton – Episode 142: wedding, Margaritaville, friendly face
Thanks for dropping by to give the podcast a few minutes of your time. The gift of your time is appreciated. I started the podcast as a way to force myself to notice the things of my own life, a reaction, perhaps, to all the noticing the attention merchants are doing for me. I have nothing against them. I just need some counterweights. Three counterweights each week. This week:
1. Wedding – Aimée and Steve got married, and it was a musical event.
2. Margaritaville – Sometimes you’re still in Margaritaville at 4 AM.
3. Friendly face – A welcome hello in traffic.
The original music in the podcast is from Edmonton pianist and composer Brendan McGrath. The end bells are courtesy of Edmonton metal artist and humanitarian, Slavo Cech.
I am at glenn.kubish@gmail.com
Three Things from Edmonton – Episode 141: Italy, garages, long play
Thanks from dropping by the podcast. Here are three things from the week gone by that left behind traces of happiness and gratitude.
1. Italy – Here comes Shelagh!
2. Garages – Strange places, garages are.
3. Long play – Dylan and a few of the Heartbreakers surface unexpectedly in Indiana. How does it feel?
The original music in the podcast is from Edmonton composer and pianist Brendan McGrath. The end bells are courtesy of Edmonton metal artist and humanitarian, Slavo Cech.
Find me at glenn.kubish@gmail.com
Three Things from Edmonton – Episode 140: experts, tomatoes, relay
Hello and happy end of summer 2023 from Edmonton. Here, fall lasts between 14 minutes and about three weeks. We’ll see!
While waiting for autumn’s rapid or less-rapid transition into pre-winter, it’s a decent use of time to make note of things that make for happiness or gratitude in our lives. So the winterweathermongers don’t win the day. For me, this week:
1. Experts – I don’t miss all of them, but I do miss some of them.
2. Tomatoes – A bit of a ode to the backyard varieties.
3. Relay – It’s baseball season. Every pitch, every out matters. Some outs are gorgeous to witness.
The original podcast music is from Edmonton pianist and composer Brendan McGrath. The end bells are courtesy of Edmonton metal artist and humanitarian, Slavo Cech.
Go, Jays.
Three Things from Edmonton – Episode 139: sounds of summer, replay, poets
Hello and thanks for dropping by the podcast. Here are three things that left behind notes of happiness and gratitude last week:
1. Sounds of summer – They are in their final days.
2. Replay – There are some benefits to attending a conference in our dining room
3. Poets – RIP, Jimmy Buffett.
The music in the podcast is original. It is the work of Edmonton pianist and composer Brendan McGrath. The end bells are courtesy of Edmonton metal artist and humanitarian, Slavo Cech.
Take care.
Three Things from Edmonton – Episode 138: microscopes, jackknife, drama
Back to school is in the air! I trust that you all have your duo-tangs, hole reinforcements for binders and your inky-pink erasers. Or have helped others get their school supplies. Here are three other things from the past (week) that left behind traces of happiness and gratitude, with a nod to good teachers and their enduring effect on us.
Microscopes – Plant or animal, that was, and wasn’t, the question.
Jacknife – The right tool at the right time is a small joy,
Drama – Junior high school drama helped me.
The original music in the podcast is from Brendan McGrath. He’s a talented Edmonton composer, pianist and music teacher. The end bells are courtesy of Edmonton metal artist and O’Leary class of ‘82 alum, Slavo Cech.
I am at glenn.kubish@gmail.com. I have been thinking about that probe from Ryan Adams:
Are we really who we used to be?/
Am I really who I was?
Three Things from Edmonton – Episode 137: small world, licence plates, destinations
Welcome to the Three Things podcast, it’s cool that you’re here. From each care-worn week, I try to steal a few minutes to notice three things that left behind tracks of happiness and gratitude, remember those things and then record those things. So keep some kind or record of those noticings. This week’s offering:
1. Small world – There are people you know who bring people you don’t know together. This is what I learned again last week, this time at the Sugared & Spiced bakery.
2. Licence plates – Bored? Make up a game, my mother would say. It’s advice I use when sitting in LRT construction.
3. Destinations – Happy & Olive is open in Crestwood. All aboard.
The original music in the podcast is from Edmonton pianist and composer Brendan McGrath. Dude is talented. The end bells are courtesy of Edmonton metals artist and humanitarian Slavo Cech.
Shop local.
I’m at glenn.kubish@gmail.com
Three Things from Edmonton – Episode 136: remains, laughter, Blue Rodeo
Thanks for stopping by the podcast! It’s just a bit longer this week, but it’s guaranteed to make you laugh. If you haven’t laughed by the start of the third thing, then the guarantee failed and you qualify for a full refund. Let’s get the show on the road. This week’s three things are:
1. Remains – Finding a bit of meaning in the stream of things, some semantics in the signals.
2. Laughter – See guarantee above. I’ll say no more. Shelagh?
3. Blue Rodeo – It wasn’t our first Blue Rodeo, but it was one of their best.
The original music in the podcast is from Brendan McGrath. He is an Edmonton pianist, composer and teacher. Smart dude. The end bells are courtesy of Edmonton metal artist and humanitarian, Slavo Cech.
I’m at glenn.kubish@gmail.com
Thanks to each of you!
Three Things from Edmonton – Episode 135: tarps, food, Darlingside
Thanks for dropping by the Three Things podcast. It’s a tradition here to devote the episode after the Edmonton Folk Music Festival to the Edmonton Folk Music Festival. And, so, in keeping with podcast tradition, this week’s three things are:
1. Tarps – a connection between the iconic look of Gallagher Hill and a library book reader I came across in line
2. Food – on site, off site, the story of two great meals
3. Darlingside – I lose my mind…
The original music in the podcast is from Edmonton composer and pianist Brendan McGrath. The end bells are courtesy of Edmonton metals artist and humanitarian Slavo Cech.
I am at glenn.kubish@gmail.com. See you on the hill!
Three Things from Edmonton – Episode 134: baseball, roots, body
Hello from Edmonton, thanks for dropping by my little podcast. It’s an experiment in trying to preserve my meager noticing equipment before it rusts over from lack of use. This week’s noticings:
1. Baseball – a Riverhawks game is a very Edmonton experience.
2. Roots – What do you do when you find a root on your route?
3. Body – A hand-addressed thank you note is still worth the effort.
The original music in the podcast is the work of Edmonton composer and pianist Brendan McGrath. The end bells are courtesy of Edmonton metal artist and humanitarian and O’Leary 82 grad, Slavo Cech.
I am at glenn.kubish@gmail.com
I am the Folk Fest if you read this before Sunday night!
Three Things from Edmonton – Episode 133: Oppenheimer, magpies, close calls
Hello from Edmonton’s Parkview neighbourhood, thanks for dropping by the podcast. Here is this week’s menu of three things that I noticed I noticed made me happy or, if not happy, at least, grateful:
1. Oppenheimer - I love going to the movies when the movies are this big and this epic and this contemporary. Shelagh and I went to Oppenheimer twice. That’s six hours with the popcorn.
2. Magpies - I have been thinking about a rare sight and sound of magpies in North Glenora.
3. Close calls – Let’s hear it ( and see it!) for close calls that let us correct course.
The original music in the podcast is my fave part of the podcast. It is the work of Edmonton composer and pianist Brendan McGrath. The end bells come courtesy of Edmonton metal artist and humanitarian, Slavo Cech. Cameo audio appearance is also courtesy of Slavo Cech.
I am at glenn.kubish@gmail.com
Take care. Go to the movies!
Three Things from Edmonton – Episode 132: cemeteries, electricity, witness
Three Things from Edmonton – Episode 132: cemeteries, electricity, witness
Hello from the crystal gondola in the palatial main studios of the Three Things podcast! Thanks for dropping by. I had started noticing that I wasn’t noticing as much. Certainly not every changing wind, which is the Isbell Test. So I set about trying to do a better job noticing with my stock noticing equipment. Before it rusted out. That’s how the podcast started. As it progressed, I noticed the obvious: it is quite good enough to do a better job noticing what others notice about the world, too. This week, I noticed that I have thanks to:
1. Lyle Lovett – for making me think about cemeteries
2. Bob Dylan – for helping me think about electricity
3. Shelagh M. Kubish – for showing us how to protect public places
I remain grateful to Brendan McGrath for the original podcast music, and to Slavo Cech for the end bells.
I am at glenn.kubish@gmail.com
Thanks!
Three Things from Edmonton – Episode 131: language, movies, trains
Thanks so much for dropping by the Three Things podcast! Here is where I try to hit the pause button on the flow of time (can’t be done, but the illusion is worthwhile) and fish out three things that made for some happiness and gratitude. This week, those little beings were:
1. Language – I listened while a young father relayed an old truth in language to his young daughter.
2. Movies – I got lucky last week. I went to the movies without the lineups or the cost or the butter product.
3. Trains – Some backtracking to explain an emotional reaction to a crime story on the news.
The original music in the podcast is from Edmonton pianist, composer and teacher, Brendan McGrath. The end bells that punctuate each episode are courtesy of Edmonton metal artist and humanitarian, Slavo Cech.
Three Things from Edmonton – Episode 130: The Tour, sleep, ruins
Thanks for dropping by the podcast, friends. I try my best once a week to preserve the time it takes to notice, remember and the make a record of three things that made for some happiness and gratitude in my little life. This week those three things are:
1. Le Tour – the Tour de France is my favourite kind of TV.
2. Sleep – sometimes, you get the sleep you need.
3. Ruins – some squash, some thunder and an old clothesline pole.
The original music in the podcast is from Edmonton pianist and composer Brendan McGrath. The end bells are courtesy of Edmonton metals artist, Slavo Cech.
I am at glenn.kubish@gmail.com
Three Things from Edmonton – Episode 129: double play, Poe at Faraone, real scoop
Welcome back to the podcast, friends. Thank you for the gift of your time. Here’s this week’s short list of three things that left behind tracks of happiness and gratitude in my little life up here on latitude 53:
1. Double play – I love baseball. Can’t play it. But love it.
2. Poe at Faraone – Just like that, Baltimore’s favourite literary son turned up at our weekly Coffee Outside gathering.
3. Real scoop – There’s a great little ice cream shop in Westmount.
The original music in the podcast is from Edmonton pianist and composer Brendan McGrath. Shelagh and Aimée went to listen to him last week at the Chateau Lacombe. The end bells are courtesy of Edmonton metal artist and humanitarian, Slavo Cech.
I am at glenn.kubish@gmail.com.
Have a good week.
🇨🇦 Three Things from Edmonton – Episode 128: noses, life sentence, leftovers
1. Noses – thoughts occasioned by a face-to-surface encounter with the front street
2. Life sentence – I collect sentences that stop me. The latest in the collection is from Dr. Heather Young-Leslie*.
3. Leftovers – Those turkey meatballs were superb the next day!
The original music in the podcast is from Edmonton pianist and composer Brendan McGrath. If you are reading this on Thursday evening, June 29, he’s playing tonight at the Chateau Lacombe as part of Jazz City. The end bells in the podcast are courtesy of Edmonton metal artist and humanitarian, Slavo Cech.
* Here’s the Facebook post from Dr. Young-Leslie that made me see the giant neighbourhood trees, and giant scholars in our midst, a bit differently:
The Killams are the Nobels of Canada. Hokey background music aside, this is a *great* episode of CBC Ideas, demonstrating amazing, world-changing Canadian research in _health sciences_ (Pieter Cullis, UBC, for the nano-lipid delivery system that enables MRNA vaccines and cancer cures), _humanities_ (Ajay Heble, UGuelph, for theorizing how musical improvisation works, and how the deep listening required for jazz improvisation and creative writing models the skills for negotiating difference, trust, therefore for building community, pedagogy and societal change), _natural sciences_ (Sarah 'Sally' Otto, UBC, for her mathematical modelling for evolutionary biology, especially developing the math to show why species have 'sex', aka recombine genetic materials, and power the evolutionary adaptations underlying population adaptation and, essentially, life), _social sciences_ (Charles Morin, Laval, for his critical psychological analysis of sleep, stress, leading to medication-free cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia), and _engineering_ (Praveen Jain, Queen's, for his research and electronic inventions, including high-frequency switches used to regulate electric currents, thus enabling power converters that don't waste energy, eg, in cases of smallholder farmers using solar micro-inverters, but also astronauts using the Canadarm in the International Space Station).
It's hearing professors like these people (and my university colleagues here at UofA) talk about the research questions they ask, the solutions their research provide, and impacts of their research on the 'real world' that keeps me inspired to work, and committed to the academic mission and research-intensive university endeavour.
I know my university colleagues will enjoy this episode, but I wish my non-university friends would also listen, to hear what their (and our parents' and grandparents') past tax-dollars and political choices have enabled. I hope we all recognize what is at risk when we stop funding public universities, and public radio, or think of them as only job-preparation mills converting students into employable workers, and unfair competition to commercial radio.
And I hope this will rekindle some Canadian pride, an antidote to the damage created by the convoy/covidiots/Ottawa occupyers, going into Canada Day. We're not a perfect nation, but we do have a lot to be proud of, these Killam Prize winners' research, their careers and contributions included.
That CBC Ideas podcast.
Three Things from Edmonton – Episode 127: meow! red, 1
Happy summer from Edmonton, where it’s been smoky, sunny, windy and rainy. It’s an elemental place. While we’re waiting to see how bad the mosquitoes will be, here are three things that left behind tracks of happiness and gratitude.
1. Meow! – The day Fred Penner came back to Edmonton.
2. Red – The internal debate continues, this time with some communications theory.
3. 1 – That’s how old Little Buddy is!
The original music in the podcast is from Edmonton pianist and composer Brendan McGrath. The end bells are sounded, as always, by Edmonton metal artist and humanitarian Slavo Cech.
I’m at glenn.kubish@gmail.com
Three Things from Edmonton – Episode 126: strong ads, squeak, cats
Thanks for dropping by the podcast. It was tough this week to watch former colleagues get the axe from Bell. I admired Tom Walters, especially. Great writer, great newsman, went where the story asked him to go, always willing to confront Pocklington with a unexpected question. Just want to put that on the record, as they used to say.
Back now to regularly scheduled podcasting, and three things that left behind, in my little life, tracks of happiness and gratitude.
1. Strong ads – I admire good ads. Like IKEA’s latest pics.
2. Squeak – I was stuck in a traffic circle. Darlingside kept it real.
3. Cats – I come to terms with our sons having become cat people. Almost.
The original music in the podcast is from Edmonton composer and pianist Brendan McGrath. The end bells are courtesy of Edmonton humanitarian and metal artist, Slavo Cech.
I’m at glenn.kubish@gmail.com
Three Things from Edmonton – Episode 125: bridge lights, a stick of butter, flying home
Thanks for checking out this week’s Three Things podcast. Last week, Shelagh and I were in Vangroovy, as our friend Fitz calls it. Along with our checked baggage, I brought home three pieces of thankfulness and gratitude:
1. Bridge lights – you run into former ATB Financial boss Dave Mowat when you least expect it.
2. A stick of butter – or, an ode to Rhiannon at Whole Foods on Robson Street.
3. Flying home – an eye- and heart-opening exhibit at UBC.
The original music in the podcast was composed and performed by Edmonton pianist Brendan McGrath. The end bells are courtesy of Edmonton metal artist, humanitarian and O’Leary Spartan (‘82), Slavo Cech.
Here's the transcript.
I am at glenn.kubish@gmail.com
Three Things from Edmonton – Episode 124: soft rain, Hard Rain, chainsaw
Thanks for dropping by the Three Things podcast! This is where I practise stopping to remember and record three things from my little life that left behind tracks of gratitude and happiness. This week, for your consideration, those three things were:
1. Soft rain – These are elemental days in northern Alberta
2. Hard Rain – It’s been a-falling for sixty years now.
3. Chainsaw – Teething pains after a simple request to borrow the chainsaw.
The original music in the podcast is from Edmonton pianist, piano teacher and composer Brendan McGrath. The end bells are courtesy of Edmonton metal artist and humanitarian, Slavo Cech.
I am at glenn.kubish@gmail.com
Three Things from Edmonton – Episode 123: classics, filling stations, going Dutch
Hello and thanks for dropping by the podcast. These have been difficult days here. Forest fires not far away have put people in flight. Property is cindered. The smoke has been in the city, you could taste it inside the house, it’s awful. These are elemental days. Again, we talk of fire, water, earth and wind.
The Red Cross is accepting donations for fire relief.
Here are three things that left behind tracks of happiness and gratitude this week:
1. Classics – what happened when I emailed a classics professor at Harvard.
2. Filling stations – what happened when I stopped at a Circle K in the north end.
3. Going Dutch – what happened at dinner out at OTTO
The original music in the podcast is from Edmonton composer and pianist Brendan McGrath. The end bells are courtesy of Edmonton metal artist and humanitarian, Slavo Cech, who, did you know, came up with the idea of the Christmas tree lights on the Telus building all those years ago? True story.
I am at glenn.kubish@gmail.com
Three Things from Edmonton – Episode 122: tulips, infidelity, chalk
Hello, and thanks for stopping by the Three Things podcast. This is where I try to keep some kind of record of the little things that made for some happiness and gratitude while the maelstrom keeps doing what it does—maelstroming. This week’s offerings:
1. Tulips – Audrey Hepburn in Crestwood.
2. Infidelity – A short reflection on a valuable bit of TV news theory I still carry with me. It helps in these tricky times.
3. Chalk – A few lines about lines at this time of year in Edmonton.
The original music in the podcast is from Edmonton pianist and composer Brendan McGrath. The end bells are courtesy of Edmonton metal artist, humanitarian and O’Leary Spartan (‘82), Slavo Cech.
I am at glenn.kubish@gmail.com
Three Things from Edmonton – Episode 121: old film, bottom line, anemone
Hello, and thanks for dropping by the podcast, my weekly/weakly (Differs By A Letter was a Jeopardy category this week) effort to insert into the maelstrom a few bits of countercyclical force—things that made for some happiness and gratitude, I mean. This week those mundane things were:
1. Old film – not the celluloid stuff, but, rather, the memories that friends play back.
2. Bottom line – What’s the most valuable currency in the world? was the question Iannick asked the crowd.
3. Anemone – How do you pronounce that sea creature?
The original music in the podcast is the work of Edmonton composer and pianist Brendan McGrath. The end bells are courtesy of Edmonton metal artist and humanitarian, Slavo Cech.
I’m at glenn.kubish@gmail.com
I hope you have a good day.
Three Things from Edmonton – Episode 120: teamwork, statue, the wind
Hello, happy spring to all friends and buds, thanks for dropping by the Three Things podcast for a listen to a short collection of three things from the week that left behind tracks of happiness and gratitude. This week’s offering:
1. Teamwork – Thanks to some great work in the truck, TV audiences got to see leadership in action from Oilers capitán Connor McDavid.
2. Statue – The legend lives on.
3. The wind – An ongoing, elemental conversation between me, my bike and the wind.
The original music in the podcast is the work of Edmonton pianist and composer Brendan McGrath. The end bells are courtesy of Edmonton metal artist and humanitarian, Slavo Cech.
I am at glenn.kubish@edmonton.com
Other sounds
Don Quixote (Live in Reno) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=924e8ojWv0c
Los Lobos La Bamba ( Original video clip) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLAWPrCUQQ0
Zamboni on Ice District outdoor rink, Three Things, episode 101
Gretzky scores his 50th goal in 39 games https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AE_G7i2F0So
Censor beep sound effect https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1lP44fii7Kw
Oilers' Stuart Skinner Gives The Kings Life With Mistake To Gift Danault Shorthanded Equalizer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7q-X60ylnMU
Three Things from Edmonton – Episode 119: The Stoics, the winter, the dead
Thanks for dropping by the podcast, now a healthy 119 episodes old. Once a week, the task is to stop to notice having noticed three things from my life that left behind tracks of happiness and gratitude. In case I ever, like, tomorrow, need markers for the way back.
This week:
1. The Stoics – I spent some time talking to our son Alex about our game, hockey.
2. The winter – What are you doing next February? Consider riding your bicycle here!
3. The dead – Mid-afternoon musings of mortality at MacEwan.
The original music in the podcast is the work of Edmonton pianist and composer, Brendan McGrath. The end bells are courtesy of Edmonton metal artist and humanitarian Slavo Cech.
I am at glenn.kubish@gmail.com
Other sounds in the podcast came from:
Ref’s whistle: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hboA_JXKslc
The Band, When I Paint My Masterpiece – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wq2e7DPhyHg&t=3s
Hockey Night in Canada
Three Things from Edmonton – Episode 118: special sauce, youngsters, percussion
Thanks so much for dropping by to give the podcast a listen. In trying to notice what I noticed made me feel happy or grateful, and then remembering those things, and then recording them, I am trying to remain true to a promise I made myself to do those three things once a week. I remember when I made that promise. What ever happened to the part of you that noticed every changing wind? I made that promise to myself when I finally heard that line from Jason Isbell. This week’s offering:
1. Special sauce – A pizza from a vending machine? Sure, I’ll give it a try once.
2. Youngsters – Some notes from an evening at the Winspear.
3. Percussion – A trip to Southtown Automotive took me back to the northeast end.
As always, the original music in the podcast is from Edmonton composer and pianist Brendan McGrath. The end bells are courtesy of Edmonton metal artist and humanitarian, Slavo Cech.
I’m at glenn.kubish@gmail.com
Go, Oilers. I see the Skip The Dishes logo on the ice and remember fondly the Oilers playoff run in 2006 and how much fun it was to watch the games and talk about the games with the late Skip Kerr. The hockey itself is for the players.
Three Things from Edmonton – Episode 117: Scrabble, colour, reading
Hello from our basement in west Edmonton, and thanks for dropping by to take a listen to the podcast. The entire editorial and production team appreciates the gift of your time. Here are three things from my little life that left behind still discernible tracks of happiness and gratitude. As the great Tyson said, get it all done before she goes.
1. Scrabble – I’m trying to find the words to describe the joy it is to sit down across from Rob with a Scrabble board between us and a couple of hours that can’t get us.
2. Colour – Dessert for Easter dinner is not a trifling affair in Shelagh’s kitchen.
3. Reading – There is always a better way for me to do things. I rely on characters to bring that lesson home.
The music in the podcast is original—the work of Edmoton pianist and composer Brendan McGrath. The end bells were made and are played by Edmonton metal artist and humanitarian, Slavo Cech.
I am at glenn.kubish@gmail.com
Three Things from Edmonton – Episode 116: 48, 49, 50
Thanks for dropping by the podcast. Edmonton is in the season that many people wait endure the winter to get to: playoff hockey season. The hometown Oilers are playoff bound. And, yes, McDavid has been elevated to a minor deity in this city, but, come on, have you been watching Draisaitl lately? And, so, this week, Leon Draisaitl goals
48
49, and
50
in one game against the Ducks are this week’s three things.
The original music in the podcast is from Edmonton pianist and composer Brendan McGrath. The end bells are courtesy of the Rogers Place horn and Slavo Cech.
I am at glenn.kubish@gmail.com
I do wish Skip and Billy G and Marcus were still around to swap theories with about how deep the Oilers will go in the playoffs this year.
Three Things from Edmonton – Episode 115: downtown vibrancy, 118 Ave, water in the house
Hello from west Edmonton, and welcome to the Three Things podcast. The premise of the podcast is straightforward, and easily replicable: try to notice three things from my own life that leave behind tracks of happiness and gratitude. Turn down the loud speakers, try to ignore the algorithms and just try to notice what I notice. This week:
1. Downtown vibrancy – some notes from a concert at McDougall United Church
2. 118 Ave – some notes after a trip to the music store
3. Water in the house – some water music
The original music in the podcast is just the best. It’s the work of Edmonton composer Brendan McGrath. The end bells are courtesy of Edmonton metal artist, jewelry hider and humanitarian, Slavo Cech.
I am at glenn.kubish@gmail.com
Three Things from Edmonton - Episode 114: resources, the East, the West
Hello, welcome to spring, bonjour from Edmonton. For those who still follow the French Republican calendar, bienvenue à la saison Germinal. For those who follow Ian Tyson, we’ve made it through another on the Northern Range. Here are three things that left behind some tracks of happiness and gratitude as we did:
1. Resources - What I have learned teaching.
2. The East - What I found at the Nova Scotia Archives.
3. The West - What I heard on Edmonton AM.
The original music in the podcast is from Edmonton musician Brendan McGrath. The end bells are courtesy of Edmonton metal artist humanitarian, Slavo Cech.
I am at glenn.kubish@gmail.com
Three Things from Edmonton – Episode 113: digging, building faces, music room
Thanks so much for dropping by the podcast. It’s a little experiment, going on 113 experiments now, to see, if, in the maelstrom that is life in 2023, I can invoke the stillness to name three things that made for some happiness and gratitude each week. I am always grateful to hear from you, especially when you share your own stories of happiness and gratitude. This week’s offering from me:
1. Digging – The CN Tower still has a great pull on me. No, not that CN Tower!
2. Building faces – Have you seen the giant cat of MacEwan University? How about the nearby giant emoji face?
3. Music room – For the record(er), we owe a lot to music teachers.
The original music in the podcast is from music teacher and composer Brendan McGrath. The end bells are courtesy of Edmonton metal artist and humanitarian, Slavo Cech.
I am at glenn.kubish@gmail.com
Three Things from Edmonton - Episode 112: medium/message, curling, liner notes
Hello, and thanks for dropping for the podcast. I remember the day 112 episodes ago I realized I wasn’t realizing enough. I noticed more was being noticed for me than ever before—the algorithms, the politicians, the news media, the general anger out there. So I resolved to try to notice more of what I was noticing, and, to boot, try to notice things that made for some happiness and gratitude. I get immeasurable help along the way. This week’s offering:
1. Medium/message – My buddy Barry pointed me to a bridge on Facebook.
2. Curling – It remains a hard, hard, hard, hard sport to understand, but I love watching it.
3. Liner notes – Sure, reading about music is like dancing about architecture, but it still helps me see things better.
The original music in the podcast was composed and performed by Brendan McGrath. The end bells are courtesy of Edmonton metal artist and humanitarian, Slavo Cech.
I am at glenn.kubish@gmail.com
Three Things from Edmonton - Episode 111: socks, serious dream, maracas
Hello, and thanks for dropping by the podcast. This is my ongoing effort to trust myself when it comes to noticing things that make for happiness and gratitude. It’s some kind of record, as is asked of all of us. This is what came up the top this week:
1. Socks – On some days, I have a tight connection to my socks.
2. Serious dream – An account of some time in the shadow kingdom.
3. Maracas – The music of the seed display at the neighbourhood grocery store.
The music in the podcast is as original as its composer, the talented pianist, Brendan McGrath. The end bells again sound thanks to the faithfulness of Edmonton metal artist and humanitarian, Slavo Cech.
I’m at glenn.kubish@gmail.com
Three Things from Edmonton – Episode 110: timing, specifically, sounds of home
Hello, and thanks for dropping by the Three Things podcast. This is where I keep a promise to myself to try harder to notice things for myself, at the expense of having things noticed for me by the algorithms. Specifically, things that leave behind tracks of gratitude and happiness. This week's noticings:
1. Timing – I admire people who not only say the right thing but say the right thing at the right time. There’s an extra dose of the bliss of being alive when the timing is perfect.
2. Specifically – Saul Alinsky, George Saunders, Mark Connolly and Tom Petty, specifically.
3. Sounds of home – An ode to the furnace and the other infrastructure of living here in February.
The music in the podcast is original. It comes from the original Brendan McGrath. The end bells are courtesy of Edmonton metal artist and humanitarian, Slavo Cech.
I’m at glenn.kubish@gmail.com
Three Things from Edmonton – Episode 109: Boss, belief, bike
Hello and thanks for checking out this week’s Three Things podcast, which is made up of three things from my little life last week that left behind tracks of happiness or gratitude.
1. Boss – Springsteen is coming back to town.
2. Belief – Having a beer at Aradia, looking forward to Ted Lasso, season 3.
3. Bike – A few words in thanks to my bicycle.
The original music in the podcast is from Edmonton composer Brendan McGrath. The end bells are supplied, as always, by Edmonton metal artist and humanitarian, Slavo Cech. The sun is now up at 7:51 am.
I am at glenn.kubish@gmail.com
Three Things from Edmonton - Episode 108: waves, radio, resonance
Thanks for dropping by the podcast. Each week I try to do three things: notice, remember and record three things that made for some happiness and gratitude in the maelstrom. This week:
1. Waves - in the live stream of traffic in Edmonton
2. Radio - the kitchen counter feels more complete now that we have a radio again.
3. Resonance - I hear this alot: "that really resonates with me." A print helped me understood the root of things.
The original music in the podcast is from Edmonton composer, pianist and teacher, Brendan McGrath. The end bells are courtesy of Edmonton metal artist and humanitarian, Slavo Cech.
I'm at glenn.kubish@gmail.com
Three Things from Edmonton – Episode 107: print, dolphins, crunch
Thanks for giving my little podcast a listen. It’s a continuing experiment to see if each week I can notice and remember and then record three things that left behind tracks of gratitude and happiness. Just stuff from my little life I share with Shelagh up here on latitude 53 in Edmonton, Canada. This week:
1. Print – reflections on a wonderful dinner at Filistix that left a kind of stamp on me
2. Dolphins – the night Hawksley Workman ascended from the deep
3. Crunch – putting the i back in kitchen
The original podcast music is from Edmonton pianist, teacher and composer Brendan McGrath. The end bells of gratitude are the gift of Edmonton artist and humanitarian Slavo Cech.
I’m at glenn.kubish@gmail.com
Three Things from Edmonton - Episode 106: comma, streeter, jerky
Welcome to this week’s Three Things. Once a week I try to notice in the maelstrom three things that made for some happiness and gratitude. Rising to the top this week:
1. Comma – The first punctuation mark in Crosby, Stills & Nash hit home last week
2. Streeter – What do you think about the person on the street interviews?
3. Jerky – A serving of memory from the deli counter.
The original podcast music is from Edmonton pianist and composer Brendan McGrath. The end bells, the gift of Edmonton metal artist and humanitarian, Slavo Cech.
I’m at glenn.kubish@gmail.com
Three Things from Edmonton - Episode 105: magic, misdirection, observation
Thanks for checking out the little podcast, I appreciate it. Frustrated by the various other approaches to things, I decided 105 weeks ago to try a little gratitude and happiness. Each week, stop, reflect and record three little things from the gratitude and happiness side of the ledger. This week:
1. Magic - I was reading a New York Times Magazine article about a Spanish magician when one thing led to another and I had a thought about a very curious Dylan song. Welcome back to the podcast, Señor Bob.
2. Misdirection - I was thinking about the Dylan song when I recalled my friend Graham’s touch with misdirection jokes. I gave him a call.
3. Observation - I was thinking about something Graham said about misdirection when asked Shelagh to pick a card, any card, and, then, surprise!
The original music in the podcast is from Edmonton composer and pianist Brendan McGrath. The end bells are courtesy of Edmonton metal sculptor and humanitarian Slavo Cech.
I’m at glenn.kubish@gmail.com
Three Things from Edmonton - Episode 104: Snow dome, statues, sheet music
Hello and thanks for dropping by the podcast. The podcast is my way of trying to notice what I notice. There are more than enough politicians, algorithms, advertisers and artificial intelligence prophets who are too happy to do my noticing for me. I mean, I can press tab to have the computer finish my sentence. This week’s offering:
1. Snow dome – Driving north with Sibelius on CBC radio
2. Statues – A key change here, but am grateful for the work of photojournalists in war zones, and was reminded of that last week
3. Sheet music – I just don’t have the words for music
The podcast music is original. It is the inspired work of Edmonton pianist and composer Brendan McGrath. The end bells are courtesy of Edmonton metal sculptor and humanitarian and Telus building Christmas lights designer, Slavo Cech.
I am at glenn.kubish@gmail.com
Homework: Jean Sibelius - Symphony No. 2 in D major, Op. 43 (Orchestre de Paris, Paavo Järvi) https://youtu.be/2lHncn68uyQ
Peace.
Three Things from Edmonton – Episode 103: palimpsest, family history, long view
Thanks very much for dropping by the Three Things podcast. Here, once a week, I try to stop to consider three things that left behind tracks of happiness and gratitude. This week
1. Palimpsest – Things fade, like autographs on guitar straps.
2. Family history – A new story from my mom!
3. Long view – RIP Ian Tyson.
I am not a cowboy. I don’t once a year pretend to be a cowboy. Not even a fan of the rodeo, gotta say. But on Friday, November 13, 1987, I danced a polka with Shelagh McAnally at a nightclub in downtown Edmonton. Since then I have been an Ian Tyson fan. (I was a Shelagh McAnally fan already.) I have known Harold Munsons who have helped me get through lean times. I have known what it’s like to hold my tongue at borders. I have thought about the buffalo. I still like to strum and play Night Rider's Lament.
The original music in the podcast is composed and played by Edmonton pianist and piano instructor Brendan McGrath. The end bells are courtesy Edmonton metal artist and humanitarian Slavo Cech.
I am at glenn.kubish@gmail.com
Happy New Year to all of us who have made it across the Great Divide into 2023.
Three Things from Edmonton - Episode 102: sliding home, strings, intersection
1. Sliding home – Our Christmas Eve family gathering featured some ghosts on the wall.
2. Strings – And a newly tuned piano.
3. Intersection – And a print that took me to a place I have both been and never been to.
The music in the podcast is original. It is the composition and playing of Brendan McGrath of Edmonton. Edmonton metal artist and humanitarian Slavo Cech contributes the end bells.
I am at glenn.kubish@gmail.com
Happy New Year to all!
RIP Ian Tyson.
Three Things from Edmonton - Episode 101: family, what a drag!, Zamboni
-30-
That’s how newspaper reporters would indicate the end of their copy. Remove the second hyphen and it’s how Edmontonians this week indicated the temperature. Yikes. Robbie Burns is outside? Yes, yes, come in, please, get warm, sir! What's this now? You have some winter music for us? A dirge? Yes, the floor is yours:
The wintry west extends his blast,
And hail and rain does blaw;
Or, the stormy north sends driving forth
The blinding sleet and snaw:
While tumbling brown, the burn comes down,
And roars frae bank to brae;
And bird and beast in covert rest,
And pass the heartless day.
The sweeping blast, the sky o’ercast
The joyless winter-day,
Let others fear, to me more dear
Than all the pride of May:
The tempest’s howl, it soothes my soul,
My griefs it seems to join;
The leafless trees my fancy please,
Their fate resembles mine!
Thou Pow’r Supreme, whose mighty scheme
These woes of mine fulfill,
Here, firm, I rest, they must be best
Because they are Thy will!
Then all I want (O, do Thou grant
This one request of mine!)
Since to enjoy Thou dost deny
Assist me to resign.
Thank you, sir, here are three things that left behind tracks of happiness and gratitude in my little life in the cold and snaw and -30 weather:
1. Family – Shelagh is ninth of nine, and has a lot of cousins. She encounters them regularly.
2. What a drag! – What happened when my bicycle broke in the cold and the dark.
3. Zamboni – Why I always stop to watch a Zamboni do the rounds on a sheet of ice.
The music in the podcast is original, the work of Edmonton pianist and composer Brendan McGrath. The end bells are played, as always, by Edmonton metal sculptor and humanitarian Slavo Cech.
I am at glenn.kubish@gmail.com
Happy Hanukkah, Merry Christmas, happy holidays. Thanks for being out there, friends. Jeff, the baking from Sugared & Spiced is next level again this year.
Peace.
Can I sneak in a fourth thing? When it gets this cold, I listen to the Skydiggers. Thank you, Skydiggers.
-30-
Three Things from Edmonton – Episode 100: wherewithal, Professors Plumb, reunion
Hello from snowy Edmonton, thanks for dropping by the podcast. Once a week I try to do three things: notice what made me happy or grateful, remember what made me happy or grateful, record what made me happy or grateful. As a bit of resistance against the politicians and the advertisers and the algorithms that are only too happy to do my noticing for me. This week:
1. Wherewithal – I saw Connor McDavid live. So did Leon Draisaitl.
2. Professors Plumb – What do we want? Plumbing! When do we want it? Now!
3. Reunion – A special delivery
The original music in the podcast is just the best. It is the work of Edmonton pianist and composer Brendan McGrath. Edmonton sculptor and humanitarian Slavo Cech provides the end bells, as always.
I am at glenn.kubish@edmonton.ca
✅ I am not a robot.
Three Things from Edmonton - Episode 99: cold comfort, theory, Indy scene
Welcome and welcome back to the Three Things podcast, recorded and sent out to the world from the basement of our bungalow in Edmonton’s Parkview neighbourhood. It’s been cold this week. Here are three things that left behind tracks of happiness and gratitude during a bike ride through that cold. Cold is a preserving agent.
1. Cold comfort – some thoughts about base layers in this weather
2. Theory – some thoughts about thinking
3. The Indy scene – dada da-daah, dada daaah!
The original music in the podcast is from Edmonton pianist and composer Brendan McGrath. The end bells are courtesy of Edmonton metal artist and humanitarian Slavo Cech. Siri is from Cupertino, California.
I am at glenn.kubish@gmail.com
Stay warm.
Three Things from Edmonton - Episode 98: hope and feathers, soccer balls, building lights
Hello from Edmonton where it’s been cold enough lately for the snow to stay snow for a few minutes after getting tramped into the house. Yes, this, too, shall melt. Here are this week’s three things that left behind tracks of happiness and gratitude.
1. Hope and feathers – a routine trip to the grocery story that ended in verse
2. Soccer balls – a soccer naif connects a few points
3. Building lights – the short story of the tanks in Prague and the lights in Edmonton
The original music in the podcast is from Edmonton composer and pianist Brendan McGrath. The end bells are sounded, as always, by the young boy in bedroom of the Avord Arms who grew up to be the artist and humanitarian Slavo Cech.
I’m at glenn.kubish@gmail.com.
Probably a better idea to spatula the snow back outside. On it.