The Oppenheimer Report 6/1/15

To my twelve loyal readers, I must first apologize for not writing a report last week. Even in times of adversity, I usually write this weekly report, and have done so for well over 22 years now. It is the discipline of writing down a page of my thoughts, no matter what the circumstances, that I strive to maintain. Frankly, the week just got away from me. After almost a month down in Toronto, we headed back up north a week ago Sunday and it seemed as if every little thing that could go wrong in our house did. The water purification system malfunctioned, the phone line was out, and even the internet was out. There were weird electrical problems we have never before experienced, and the list goes on. It was as if gremlins had been let loose to sabotage our home while we were away. Little problems; nothing went seriously wrong, these were just little annoyances to add to the adversity of the past month. Anyhow, by the time I realized that I’d missed writing the report, the week was over.

As I have mentioned in this report on more than one occasion, I very much enjoy doing my radio show on Hunters Bay Radio, but this week, my good friend and fellow songwriter Scott Gilson has acted as a guest host for me. As I begin writing this report I am listening to the show and Scott is doing a great job. That Scott is hosting this week is fitting, because I took over the Thursday time slot from him when he found he did not have time to do the show weekly. Scott has a much better radio presence than I, and he’s had a lot more experience. It’s always interesting to hear another songwriter’s take on good writing. Now that I am back, I hope to get together with him soon, as we have begun to co-write a song. Scott has a great voice, we share a tendency towards odd guitar tunings, and he has an interesting percussive guitar style.

Twenty one years ago last Friday, Shauna and I were married at the Royal York Hotel in Toronto. Some of you reading this were probably in attendance. Shauna and her parents spent almost a year planning the wedding, and it was a beautiful event. As Friday approached, neither Shauna nor I had made any plans to celebrate. We were so pre-occupied with the events of the previous month that we were just delighted to once again be in our own home, and sleeping in our own bed. We decided to postpone our celebratory dinner and instead settle for a quiet evening at home. More and more we cherish the quiet evenings at home. I have lived with this woman for over twenty one years, we have travelled extensively together, and we have shared our many joys and sorrows. I wanted to write something meaningful for her to commemorate our time together, but I was blocked. Then, Friday evening, as I was taking a shower before dinner, a memory came to me which became the seed for a song I wrote very quickly, entitled simply “21”. The memory dates back to our honeymoon, wherein for a part of it we took a cruise ship up the Alaska coastline. At one stop, in Skagway, we rented a car and drove across the border into Canada, travelling about 100 miles up the scenic Yukon Trail. We were practically alone on the highway, the trip was spectacular, and the memory washed over me like a warm summer breeze. I remember taking video of Shauna at a large lake called Tutshi Lake. Over the years I have written love songs about Shauna and me, and one common theme is the swift passage of time. Anniversaries, birthdays, holidays all blend together in time. For me, they are simply reminders of the relentless march of time. Shauna and I are not, as some people have suggested, the “perfect” couple; I doubt any couple is. Over time, what I have been fortunate enough to realize, what has become more and more important to both of us, is our mutual growth and love for each other. The best friend I married twenty-one years ago was a relative stranger to me when I was filming her at Tutshi Lake. I know her much better now, and I love her 21 times as much as I did back then (which was, by the way, a lot).

 

Written by Jamie Oppenheimer c2015 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED