My father had a fight with cancer at the end of 2010 and was very, very ill but he bounced back to enjoy 2011 for the most part. 

Though a lot happens in a year, our biggest news was the birth of our beautiful baby girl on July 13th at 7:06 am.  Her name is Victoria Linda Pettit and she’s now the centre of our small bubble.

It was fun watching Harumi’s journey through pregnancy and thrilling to watch her give birth to our first child together.  I’ll never forget that exact moment of watching Victoria enter our world. I felt useless as Harumi battled the delivery bravely.

We traveled a lot in 2011.  I went to Canada on my own for Xmas as I was concerned for my dads health.  He was weak when I was there but he was slowly recovering.  I managed to spend a night at Ward’s and a couple days with Chris but for the most part I just relaxed with my dad.  My mom was in Phoenix and I was disappointed I didn’t get to see her but if I had known what lay ahead, I would have been fine.

The horrific incident caused by the March 11^th earthquake found my family and I packing and heading to Scottsdale Arizona for a month.  We stayed in my moms condo down there trying to pretend we were on holidays but really, stressed about our future with one eye on CNN news and the other looking to the future unknown.  We came back to Japan as I had to return to work and decided to stay here as things were looking better.  Later in early December 2011, I went up to Iwate prefecture to Ootsuchi city to do a volunteer concert for the people.  The Canadian Embassy had contacted me to help and it wasn’t hard to make up my mind.  Photos really don’t express the heavy emotions one gets while being there.  I was moved beyond words.

In mid November, my mom who I hadn’t see for a good year and a half decided she needed to see her new grandchild and booked a flight to hang with us for 2 weeks.  We had an incredible time drinking wine every night, indulging in too many truffles, eating out for lunch, and always laughing.  She was a great sport for putting up with our small, embarrassing apartment.  Despite the lack of fluency in English, Harumi managed to share her feelings and get her point across quite well.  The two of them together were devilish and great company and I was so happy to see them get along so well.   Victoria loves her grandma and we all hope it isn’t too long before they reconnect.

I had knee surgery in mid January 2011 to try and repair my left meniscus.  It was a 3.5 hour job and a month in a cast followed by rehabilitation.  I bought a new bicycle in April though and by May I was on it riding almost every day.  The knee still isn’t perfect and now the other knee is giving my troubles, but it wasn’t bad enough to stop me from riding over 7000 km and entering a couple races.  I lost a few pounds and I feel rejuvenated.

2012 promises to be full of a lot of the same if all goes according to plan (which it usually doesn’t).

We will raise Victoria here for the year.  I will attempt to ride twice as far as last year and enter twice as many races.  We will travel.  Maybe all of us will go to Brazil, or I’ll just send my family there and I’ll go to Canada.  Maybe I’ll record my new CD in Nashville USA.  I’m praying some of my songs that are in negotiation for movies will finally get accepted.  I’m hoping financially we can save a little more m/oney (although after buying a new car and TV I’m not sure about that).

But again, if in 2012 everyone remains healthy and happy, then life is perfect.

Hiroshima showtime.

Song-writing, wrong-writing, and prolong-writing are what stages I am in at the moment.  If I don’t have a good song, then I shouldn’t bother making the next album.  Right now I feel I have around 3 songs that are possibilities for the new CD.  That leaves me with half a year to write another 7 or 8 worthy of being on an album.  It’s been really tough to find quality creative downtime this year.  It’s been busy to say the least.  I’m hoping if I can get some co-writing adventures going it could spark a fresh and burning fire of hot tunes.  I always want to make the new CD sound a little different from the last one but no matter how hard one tries; there are always elements of a song that are uniquely you.

I plan on working with Producer Greg Arnold again.  The established and credible songwriter/producer wants to make the next album with me in Nashville Tennessee.  Although, he is an Aussie, he has some solid connections with accomplished people in the industry there.  Another reason I MUST bring my game face with me.  But as I move quickly through life as a musician, the one thing I know that remains true in this crazy poor-mans industry is this:  It all starts with a great song.  It’s the peak of a mountain.  The rest flows naturally into the hands of fans or into a sea of mediocrity.

I yearn for the challenge and fear the failure equally.

…Sounds like a song in there somewhere….        Hopefully an albums worth!

November 6th, 2011

It rained just once this week.  Yep, during race day of course.  Oh, and it rained hard.

I couldn’t sleep that night due to nerves and finally got out of bed at 4 a.m.  I arrived at my friends’ house at 5 and we drove to the race together talking strategy and pace. 

It was early, cold and wet and I was concerned about being able to ride the 120 km race (74.56 miles) in those conditions.  Because I work 7 days a week I haven’t had the time to ride over 100 KM all year.  Most of my rides are around 50 or 60 km (31 ~ 37 miles).  I knew I could do it but I wasn’t sure how sluggish I’d be. 

Giro de Hotaka. 7th Place.

This race was a little different from regular races and it doesn’t attract many pro riders.  In fact, out of the 128 riders there were only 2 at this event.  They were mostly using it for training I believe.  I think because we shared the roads with traffic and even had to stop at 1 or 2 traffic lights makes it less attractive.  However, when the awards were being handed out at the end, both pro riders agreed that it was one of the toughest courses they’ve ridden.  There is hardly a flat section to the race and if you’re not going down one side of a mountain, you are climbing the other. 

So, my plan was to start off with a comfortable pace and ride my own ride.  Let people pass me.  Don’t get competitive.  Save energy.  Finish!

The ride started with a 10 km (6.2 m) downhill and then 26 km (16.15 m) up and up and up.  There was an aid station at the top where I fueled up before going down the backside.  It was cold, wet and slippery with leafs and switch back corners but only one accident that I witnessed.  He went over a bank and into the river the poor guy!  I think only his pride was hurt though.

The last 20 km (12.4 m) was by far the toughest.  At the 100 km (62 m) mark the climb up Semene mountain pass to Katashina became really steep.  To my surprise those riders I let go ahead at the beginning were starting to appear in my sight.  Again, I just wanted to get up and over the hill but while doing so I passed a lot of riders.  I must confess when I finally reached the top and saw the tunnel I’d been praying for, I was bagged.  Then there was a nice 9 km downhill coast to get the legs back (somewhat) before having to do another grueling last 9 km climb to the finish.  How evil of them!

On the final 9 km I saw another 3 riders who I overtook.  The bike race brochure reads “120 km Giro De Hotaka”.  During the last stretch my bike computer was reading 118 as I climbed the tough grade.  I was thinking to myself,  “No, not another 2 km of this!  I don’t think I can do it.”   Then as I rounded the corner I saw the finish line in front of me at the 119 km mark.  That was a welcomed surprise (finishing 1 km earlier than I expected). 

I crossed over the line exhausted as they yelled out, “7^th”.   I said to them, “No, my race number is 98”.  And they said again, “No, you are in 7^th place”.

Wow, that completely surprised me.  I figure I owe a big thanks to all my Dailymile friends for keeping me motivated and inspired.

Of course the 2 pro riders got first and second place respectfully and I should make it clear that they finished a good 30 minutes before I did!  Ha-ha. 

But heck, I’ll take lucky 7.

Click here for an earlier post I wrote about Giro de Hotaka.

Beautiful Fall bicyle race in Gunma Japan.

My music is out there in the internet world everywhere.  Now on SoundCloud as well. Download this song for free (right from the player.  JUST ONE CLICK) as a gift from me to you for following my blogs.   Cheers friends! 

A little N. America in Asia

As a foreigner living in Japan there are so many things from back home that I miss.  The not so simple solution for me would be to return home but that’s a blog for another time.

I became a member of Costco a few weeks ago when they opened up a store not too far from where I live.  Back in Canada I think the reason most go to Costco is to save money.  Buy bulk.  Buy generic.  Save money.

Yes, most items at the Costco here are cheaper than elsewhere but that’s not the main reason I go.  You’re pretty much guaranteed to spend over $100 CDN every time you walk into the place (over $200 last time I left there).  In fact, I always end up buying stuff that I don’t really need, just because it seems like a great deal.  So at the end of the day, I spent more than I would have had I not gone.

No, the real reason I go to Costco is to buy familiar food.  Western food.  Stuff I grew up on as a kid.  You know, “Kraft Dinner”, Cranberry juice, Raisin Bran, Muffins, Lasagna, Ravioli, Cheddar Cheese and all things Western.   A lot of this stuff is really hard to find where I live so I’ve just become accustomed to eating Japanese.  And that’s the cheaper route, too.

My father was born and raised in Australia.  He came to Canada in 1967 at 26 years old.  He’s spent most of his life in Canada now.   But inside his house you could be in Australia when you look around at a lot of his belongings and treasures. Of course he loves Canada.  But if you ask him his identity, he’s a true blue Aussie.

Costco in a sense has the same appeal as my fathers belongings have for him.  It’s the connection that makes me feel a little closer to home.

Who’d have thought buying Cheddar cheese at Costco could temporarily feed more than a stomach?

Being born and raised on the west coast of Canada I’m used to driving on long straight roads with decent speed limits.

Now that I live in Japan, my patience has run thin. With the average speed limit of 40 km/h you never get anywhere in a hurry.

In my city, in the span of 3 kilometers there are 13 traffic lights!      Sometimes they are within 100 meters of each other and they are not synced to turn green (or blue in Japan’s case) at the same time.

If that’s not enough to frustrate me, Japan LOVES to do road work.Even on roads that don’t need work.   The government gives out a huge amount of money to fix roads so therefore, in order to use it all, they create work where it’s not needed.      You’ll see road work EVERYWHERE in Japan, holding up traffic at the worst times.

To add to the frustration, the highways here have a toll and it’s expensive!    To get anywhere in a hurry you must pay.     To go about 40 km will cost you around $10 depending on the size of your vehicle or whether you have an ETC card (which discounts the price somewhat).    So, to add insult to injury, all companies that own trucks take the low roads which are free and slug around in front and behind most cars. They block the view,  slow down on corners, crawl up hills, spew out diesel and never pull over.  It’s not their fault but it is annoying just the same.

About 4 years ago, mobile phones became illegal to use while driving.   A great idea.   It’s a fine of about $60.     So the rare group of people who actually follow this rule,  obey it by parking in completely dangerous places and being completely ignorant about those around them!

Driving defensively in this country appears to have not been taught at the driving schools. And that is amazing because it costs over $2000 US to get a driver’s license here.

Finally, since I am a cyclist who has been hit by a Japanese driver and sent to emergency with an operation to follow, I have been acutely aware of some typical driving habits here. One in particular is how the Japanese break far before they use their blinker to signal they’re going to turn.     In fact, some don’t even use their blinkers at all and feel completely fine about that.

Have a vented enough?  One last thing.

I play ice hockey in a town that is only 28 km’s from where I live.    It always takes me full hour to get there.      So the 40 km/h speed limit when added with road work, big trucks, hundreds of traffic lights and bad drivers – makes getting from point A to point B a really unpleasant experience.

- Ahhhh, that felt good to vent!

~Kelly

Lots of hills in Gunma

Yesterday, I went to my friend Yukiya’s boutique shop and in the back room we filled out the application form for the upcoming race called, “Giro de Hotaka”.  It cost a whopping 8000 YEN (around $90 US) to enter.

Sometimes I think anyone fool enough to ride 120 km in wet zero degrees Celsius weather (around 32 F) for over 5 hours should get paid to enter.

I haven’t ridden that distance all year since I work 7 days a week. My regular trips are around 50 ~ 60 km.  I’ve had a few 80 plus km’s when time and weather permitted.

Now that evening is setting in early (5 pm), finding time to ride has been even more challenging.  At any rate, I will ride it but not race it.  My knee is still buggered so my goal is to finish without being legitimately bagged or in pain.

Will update how it went in two weeks time.

Wish me luck!

UPDATE:  Race is finished.  Click here for the post race blog.

Riding in Japan.

I’m probably a rare breed of cyclist that deals with knee pain. I believe the injuries are mostly ice hockey related from the old days of playing semi-pro. I had complex knee surgery last January to ‘save’ my meniscus from being removed. The procedure is new and only one doctor at this famous knee and shoulder hospital had studied how to do it in the USA. There were no guarantees but after it was done and 6 weeks in a leg cast, I worked my ass off to rehabilitate it. I got on the bicycle for the first time this year in mid May. The knee hurt at first but gradually felt stronger and better. Come August I was pain free and feeling like a million dollars.

Then, like a light switch, a week ago, in the exact same spot but on the other knee, really bad pains started to stab me. On today’s ride, I couldn’t even stand up on climbs. I’ve been limping around like an old man for a week but I’m praying and hoping that it’s not the same problem I had with the other knee. Being 42 years old doesn’t help matters but I’ve kept myself in good shape my whole life and am frustrated by this.

Sorry for the rant but I am quite bummed out. I have always loved cycling and I don’t want to lose it. Plus, I’m spent with surgery (I’ve had a total of 7 in my life time – most injury related).

Anyone else dealing with pains or injuries that affect their cycling or daily life?

Oh, on a lighter note (if you’ve made it this far), I saw the strangest thing today. I saw a middle age heavy set woman walking along the side of the road carrying on her front a HUGE LIVE turtle! I’m talking the shell was the size of a car tire! It was hugging her as she struggled to carry it. Where they were going I have no idea! English school maybe?

Today I took my video camera with me to try to take some footage of my route. It was more of a pain than anything (except my knee – lol )

Tahitian dancers in Japan.

A good friend of mine who lives in Japan but is originally from Norway, had a BBQ last weekend.

I love BBQ’s.  Good food, good people, friendly environment.

Last weekend, it was better than that.  My friend brought in some Tahitian dancers.  All of a sudden my camera got busy.

Sometimes in the least likely places, far away from anywhere….  stuff happens.     And even then, sometimes I’m actually there!

No wonder he moved from Norway.

I will forever be grateful for the invention of the internet and high speed connection.  It has changed my life dramatically.  12 years ago when I first arrived in Japan the only way I could really communicate with family and stay in touch with Canadian content was by telephone and snail mail.  At that time, I was the only member of my family to have email so it was almost useless and long distant telephone calls were very expensive.  Today, it is very different.  If I’m in front of my computer here in Japan, then I’m as close to home as I am sitting in a chair just one city over from those I want to talk to.  With SKYPE, chat, video, youtube, bit torrents, on-line newspapers and so on, I’m up to date with pretty much everything I’m interested in the moment it becomes news.

As most of you know, the music industry is going through some major changes.  For better or for worse it is happening at a very fast and sometimes chaotic pace.  But when I weigh my options I have to think it has been a blessing for me.  With the making of “These Days”, the internet was the heart of everything that came to fruition. From contacting and introducing myself to Greg Arnold via his email I found on google; to re-singing some of my vocals in my apartment in Japan and sending the files over the internet back to Australia; to receiving mastered samples of the final product the same way, all without ever so much as having to leave my room.

A simple widget application on my desktop tells me the current times of all the major cities I usually work with and I’m ready to do business anywhere.

The tough part at the end of the day is the waiting game.  I’ve put 3 years of hard work into this project and sometimes waiting for an email regarding an issue was tough (and that’s such a oxymoron because years ago none of this would have been possible) .  Such was the case during the final 6 weeks of completing “These Days”.  As it became apparent the CD would not be released as soon as I had hoped and the anxiety and stress started to mount a little each day.  Sometimes I felt that if I had been able to actually be there  and not just communicate through email, that things would have happened much sooner.  The 4^th CD, “FUEL” was the same.  But us beggars can’t be choosers and at the end of day.   The quality of the product was by far the most important and for that, things went much better than I expected.

To be honest, while I harp on the amount of time it took, I wouldn’t have wanted to rush it.  So, I guess patience is a virtue, really.