I'm a public services academic engineering librarian at the University of Alberta's Science and Technology Library. Been there since 1983. I'm single, was engaged once to a wonderful woman, but we didn't make it to the altar. I was born in 1953 and raised in Winnipeg (St Boniface), and moved to Edmonton permanently in November 1978. My folks are still in Winnipeg, brothers are in Calgary. Yes, I'm an "older" guy - big deal.
I am also a professional musician. I've played guitar since 1966. My interests are everywhere, including music, movies, pop culture, photography, NYC, certain sports teams, working out, ethics, and hanging with my great friends. Some of my so-called favorites are listed below, but the list(s) are incomplete. Some day I'll update them when I give it more thought.
In no particular order, I:
- like lattés with a dash of cinammon and heaps of chocolate sprinkles;
- like pizza from Papadopolous on 40th Ave in Edmonton;
- like all three Law & Orders, The Sopranos, Six Feet Under, MAD-TV, SNL, and more;
- love shellfish, mostly lobster;
- love San Francisco sourdough bread and French bread;
- believe dim sum is to be shared with many friends;
- believe in treating people with respect and dignity, which can be an incredibly difficult challenge at times;
- love being with children because they see the world through innocent eyes, and don't carry the baggage adults do;
- cherish the moments when a child wants to share something with you, however simple, because it's important to them, and they value your opinion;
- am grateful when a child trusts you, because there is no greater trust in the world;
- am blessed to have a number of special children in my life;
- am blessed with a special godson, niece and nephew;
- am blessed with a wonderful extended family;
- am blessed with incredible, caring friends;
- am blessed with wonderful and supportive co-workers and supervisors
- like warm rain, which doesn't happen much in these parts;
- love my Mother's butterscotch pie;
- know that a kiss with feeling is the most wonderful thing in the world and the most special kind of physical intimacy;
- list my all-time favorite movie as 2001: A Space Odyssey, my all-time favorite bands as 1) Beatles and 2) Steely Dan, and my all-time favorite sf novel as The Left Hand of Darkness;
- admire Dennis Miller, Randy Cohen, Bill Maher, Michael Moore;
- enjoy playing electric guitar the most;
- like laughing so hard that my sides hurt - sharing such laughter with someone else is the best;
- believe butter tarts are best when they are runny;
- was surprised to learn that butter tarts are hard if not impossible to find in the USA;
- am proud that Winnipeg is the home of local delicacies to die for: Del's pate de foie, Jeanne's cakes (I had one at my first birthday party in 1954), hamburgers from Junior's, Winnipeg Safeway rye bread (which despite all efforts, cannot be duplicated anywhere else in Canada for some odd, undefined reason), and ice cream from the Bridge Drive Inn, and miss that food when I'm not there;
- miss NYC all the time;
- love stewed rhubarb on sourdough or french bread toast with a glass of skim milk with ice;
- played on the main stage of the Edmonton Folk Music Festival in 1994 with Jessica Owen in front of approximately 10,000 people, with my heart rate at 130 bpm, and hope to do something like that again someday;
- am a lifelong fan of the Habs, Jays, Expos, Vikings and Twins;
- firmly believe in karma, that every action has a reaction, and that how you treat people will be how you will be treated or judged someday - use care and caution when you burn a bridge;
- firmly believe in gratitude, in giving thanks;
- thank you for reading this as far as you have, and tell you that this list is organic and will continue to grow;
I have a BSc in Mathematics from U Manitoba (1975), and have forgotten all of it. I have an MLS from U Alberta (1978), and still work in the field. A fantasy is to someday work as a librarian and live in NYC.
Favorites
This is a list of lists, and is ongoing in its creation. In March 2001, I began lists of my favorite actors, actreses, directors, and musicians. The lists below are really very incomplete, and it will take some time for me to remember who I really admire in all these categories. Please be patient! Thanks - Randy
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Songs
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Albums
- Bands: Beatles, Steely Dan, Beach Boys, Moody Blues, The Replacements, Husker Du, Buffalo Tom, Wang Chung, Nirvana, Garbage, The Fixx, early Doobie Brothers, Los Lobos, Oyster Band.
- Solo artists or duos: Jennifer Kimball, Jessica (Schoenberg) Owen, John Martyn, James Taylor, early Bruce Hornsby, Norah Jones
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Movies - 1980s
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Movies - 1990s
- Actors: John Cusack, Chris Cooper, Robert Duvall, Sam Waterston, David Strathairn, Gene Hackman, Anthony Hopkins, Al Pacino, Kevin Spacey, Tim Robbins, Bob Hoskins, Ian Holm
- Actresses: Marisa Tomei, Ellen Burstyn, Dianne Weist, Frances McDormand, Joan Allen, Rachel Weisz, Gretchen Mol, Kate Beckinsale
- Directors: Stanley Kubrick, Steven Spielberg, Barry Levinson, Martin Scorsese, Woody Allen, John Sayles...
15 Minutes of Fame
- Folio Article - article that appeared on my musical career in Folio, 21 January 2000
- Folio
Letter - my "Letter to the Editor", printed in the 12 March 1999
issue of Folio, the official University of Alberta newspaper.
Last updated on August 16, 2002