Hey Everybody! How's it going? Hope you all are awesomely well! Another cool and interesting story from the life archives of Leigh Dickey, Entertainer Extraordinaire and www.leightdickey.com. Going back to my days in high school with this one. When I was in the 11th grade, I had to enroll and take a first aid and CPR class because I had a summer job as a camp counsellor lined up and in order to get the job, I had to take the class. So I found a local class in Toronto, went to enroll, and take the class, which lasted one day. When I went to enroll, it was in the fall, around September-October, I was thinking that the class I was enrolling in would probably take place and happen within a week, maybe two. NOPE! Didn't quite work that way! I enroll, sign up, pay the fee, and the receptionist who was booking these first aid and CPR classes tells me that the earliest class that I can take happens in the winter, sometime between January and March, of the upcoming year. Needless to say, I WAS NOT HAPPY! I couldn't wrap my head around the fact that I had gone to enroll in a first aid and CPR class in September-October, and the earliest class they have available is between January-March, of the upcoming year! Still to this day it makes no sense to me! Fast forward about four to five months, I go to the class, which is located in a REALLY SMALL unit within a GIANT office building in downtown Toronto. I remember that it was SUPER, SUPER COLD, the snow was coming down from all directions, blowing all over the place, it was ABSOLUTELY FREEZING the day this first aid and CPR class took place! Back then, that's what was called a typical Canadian winter!


I walk into the building, take the elevator to, I think the fourth or sixth floor, read the signs to find the unit this class is supposed to be taking place in, find the unit, walk into that room, which is SUPER, SUPER, TINY, it looked liked the unit had been used as a studio apartment at one point, it was ABSOLUTELY TINY! It amazed me at the time, even to this day that about 15 to 20 people squeezed into that room and went through the first aid and CPR training as well as we did. So, there were about 15 to 20 people in this class, the instructor comes in, introduces himself, explains what will take place during the class, throughout the course of the day, we go through some techniques and procedures like how to approach someone if you suspect they need assistance of any kind, checking for injuries, a pulse, taught us various ways to perform the Heimlich maneuver, and then tells everyone to pair off with someone and partner up. The thing about the instructor wanting everyone to partner up and pair off was it had a catch, he wanted no opposite sex pairings, so it had to be two men working together or two women working together, which was fine. Truthfully, even though I was probably around 16 years at the time, I just wanted to receive my first aid and CPR certificate, get out of there, and go home! At the time that all had to pair off, I was one of the last ones, if not the very last one to find a partner, and the thing about that was, I didn't approach my partner for the day, they approached me. This girl came up to me and asked if I wanted to work together, I said sure, knowing that the instructor didn't want to see any opposite sex pairings because I really just wanted to get the day over and done with. With that, this girl and I started working together and going through the motions, techniques, and procedures that we were just taught, I can barely a word out before the instructor approaches me, and tells me to move and go work with this guy, to keep in theme with what he wanted. Again, it was fine, as I just wanted to get the day over with. I then move over introduce myself to this man I was now paired up with and we start going through the paces of what we've just been taught. It was INTERESTING to say the least. The man that I was now partnered with was not from Canada, I think he was from Pakistan or Shri Lanka, and I knew that there was going to be a SERIOUS language issue, and there's nothing wrong with that, the guy was trying to understand me, I was trying to understand him, we just had to make the best with what we had. We start going through the sequences of first aid and CPR, but the thing is, we weren't actually supposed to do the maneuvers, like the compression of someone's chest when performing CPR, or the compression of someone's stomach when performing the heimlich, this actually performed the compressions as hard as he could on me, I was getting annoyed, kept telling him to stop, we weren't supposed to ACTUALLY perform the maneuvers, but again, there was the language barrier to contend with. I then had to get the instructor to intervene and talk to this guy, so the instructor and my partner left the room for a few minutes, hashed out the details of what we, the students were supposed to do, and re-entered the room about 10 to 15 minutes later. Once they returned, the instructor moved me to work with someone else again, probably as a safety precaution, and he began to work with the man who was my partner, so for the remainder of that session of mimicking the heimlich and CPR maneuvers, I was partnered with someone else, made it through the rest of the day, performed CPR, the heimlich, and checking for injuries on a rubber dummy, then went through a written portion to finally get the first aid and CPR certificate. The written part and exam was pretty much, for the most part, multiple choice, and at that time, nothing I wasn't used to because I was in high school and that is how the majority of our tests and exams were conducted at the time. I remember handing in the written portion to the instructor, he quickly marks everyone's tests, and we all passed... YAY! We all formed a line, walked up to get our first aid and CPR certificate, and when I was handed this folded paper looking thing, I couldn't quite wrap my head around it. It looked like 2 tickets that you would see at a school carnival or out of a Chuckee Cheese game, and I just felt ripped off a bit, it was really underwhelming, having gone through a full day, nearly getting severely hurt on multiple occasions, the constant moving around, I was ready to check out and go home. So, I said thank you, signed the certificate, and left. It was one helluva day, quite the experience, and I was just happy that it was over. That's the story of me going through a first aid and CPR class. I hope you all enjoyed it, and if you like what you see and hear, then PLEASE SUBSCRIBE TO MY YOUTUBE CHANNEL to keep up with my latest releases and goings on. Thanks everybody! Talk to you all again soon.


Cheers,


Leigh

Hey Everybody! How's it going? Hope you all are awesomely well! Taking a page from the general LIFE OF LEIGH today! The story of my latest dentist visit! YAY (Hold your applause, please!) It wasn't one of those, "dental plan, Lisa needs braces" kind of things, but still interesting, nonetheless. I had to get a cavity filled, SO EXCITING, I know! I've had to get fillings before, no big deal, normal, I was used to it, and that's what I expected, much of the same this time. It didn't quite go that way. I got to the dentist office, early, thinking maybe they could fit me in earlier, but that didn't happen, I actually got into the dentist's chair about a half an hour later than I was originally scheduled! At that point, I was fuming, REALLY NOT HAPPY! I know never to get upset over things that are beyond my control, but still 30 minutes behind schedule is NOT COOL! I was always taught that if you're on time, you're late, and as such, I have always been EARLY! I'm a perpetually early person and just like to get to wherever I have to be early so I can organize myself and get settled before anything happens, whether it be minor or major. So when I see that the people who I am scheduled to see are constantly behind schedule (THIS ISN'T THE FIRST TIME THIS HAS HAPPENED!) it REALLY, REALLY, REALLY, BOTHERS ME! It just gets my blood boiling! Nonetheless, I get in the chair, I answer a few questions, and we get started, at least that's what I thought! The dentist gave me a shot of novocain, then the waiting game starts again, this time, for my face to go numb! For those of you who haven't ever had a cavity, I envy you and novocain is a freezing agent that numbs the area the dentist is working on because they are legitimately using a drill in your mouth! So we're all waiting for the novocain to kick in, 10-15 minutes goes by and I can still feel everything! (Thankfully, the drilling hadn't started yet!) The first shot of novocain didn't take! BOO-URNS! I get a second shot of novocain, wait another 10-15 minutes, same result, it doesn't kick in, at this point, I'm wondering, what's going on? In the past, when I've had to get a cavity filled, it's gone like this, get to the dentist, get in the chair, ONE SHOT OF NOVOCAIN, face goes numb, start the drilling, cap the filling, receive last minute instructions on what I can and can't eat or drink for the next few hours, then go home! That all went out the window on this visit! So, third time's the charm, I'm hoping! The dentist give me a third shot of novocain and we wait! Another 10-15 minutes goes by, and EUREKA! THANK GOODNESS THIS ONE WORKED! After all that, the drilling and filling starts! We get to the point where the dentist is nearly finished, all that has to be done is to cap the filling and let me out of the chair, but right before the dentist raises the chair and let's me up she asks me a question with her hand resting in my mouth! So, I start to answer and accidentally bite down! Lightly, but still I bit down, and the dentist then says, "don't bite me." Here's the solution to that problem, if you don't rest your hand in my mouth, asks me a question that will not get just a yes or no answer, then you won't get bit! Of course I just thought that because after the morning I had, I just wanted to get out of there and go home! Last thing the dentist did was take a look at the job they did on the filling, they're happy with how it looks, so I get to leave and go home, and that's exactly what I did. There it is the story of my latest visit to the dentist. Hope you all enjoyed this little tale, and if you like what you see and hear, then PLEASE SUBSCRIBE TO MY YOUTUBE CHANNEL to keep up to date with all my latest releases and goings on! Thanks everybody! Talk to you again soon.

Cheers,

Leigh

Hey Everybody! How's it going? Hope you all are awesomely well! Some more cool, behind the scenes stories for you all today! Stories about MY LEAST FAVOURITE THINGS ABOUT PERFORMING AND ENTERTAINING! As much as I love to perform and entertain, and I ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT! You can see and hear how much I love it by CLICKING HERE! There have been times when I have really disliked, even hated it, and these are just a few instances that come to mind. I have been performing and entertaining audiences of all sizes since 1995, and there aren't many times that I can remember where I haven't liked it, but something that comes up is whenever I was pressured into performing for anybody under any circumstance. There has been a few times where I was pressured into entertaining a group of friends when all I wanted to do was just relax and have a meal because I, like everyone else am entitled to just relax, have a meal, and that's it! No performing, no entertaining, just food, drink, exchanging stories with old friends, and a good night all around. Unfortunately, that's not always the case, and I kept hearing, "Leigh, you gotta perform for us!" They just wouldn't let me hear the end of it, and at times, they would laugh at me trying to give them a performance, even though I REALLY didn't want to, in the end, it really just drained me, and I stopped communicating for the most part with those "friends" and stopped going to hang out with them. All it boils down to is, I just wanted to relax, eat, have a good time, and go on about my business, but I was chasing a pipe dream apparently with wanting to just have a simple, relaxed evening with friends.

I recall several times in school where I just wasn't invested in the subject material of say a group presentation or having to give a speech. It was at those times where I just mentally was completely checked out. I do count having to give speeches, lectures, presentations, and anything else that requires me to get up in front of a crowd of people a performance, but it was specifically those elementary and high school years where the teacher would give the subject matter of the assignment, speech, presentation, or otherwise where I was completely and utterly disinterestd. Really, I do not like being FORCED TO DO ANYTHING!

Another story about my least favourite things about performing was a high school skit that I had to perform in with a couple classmates. Let me preface this by saying I went to catholic school from grades 2 through 12, and part of going to catholic school is that religion is a requirement for the length of time you are a student at any catholic school. In my grade 10 religion class we had one assignment, a group assignment that I think revolved around accepting and involving others. At first my group was struggling to come up with a scenario where accepting and revolving others would make sense, but then we settled on making fun of me because I happen to be disabled, which is true I have had cerebral palsy my entire and use a walker to get around, then have it come full circle with me eventually getting accepted by my peers. Leading into this skit, we all were called to the front of the classroom to perform and deliver our skits, my group and I had discussed the making fun of me, and I gave 'em all clearance to do and say whatever they wanted because I get made fun of everyday, even now, and I understand that it comes with the territory of being disabled and being surrounded by a ton of people who just don't understand the circumstances that having a disability is NOT SOMETHING ANYONE ASKS FOR! Nonetheless, my group and I got up there and one of the members just didn't seem to UNDERSTAND ANYTHING THAT WE DISCUSSED, OR WHAT WAS GOING ON IN THE MOMENT. I broke character, got hot, tried my best to hide it, and under my breath, quietly to the person in question to MAKE FUN OF ME! We all stood there VERY AWKWARDLY, and the whole skit just seemed to fall flat, the person finally got with the program, said one thing, that would be considered very mute in any time period, and I turned on the fake tears, and the third member of our group had to deliver this small monologue. It just didn't come off the way I had hoped and left a lot to be desired, but that's the way the ball bounces sometimes. Oh well.

Those are a few stories about my least favourite things about performing. I hope you all enjoyed them. If you like what you see and hear, then PLEASE SUBSCRIBE TO MY YOUTUBE CHANNEL to keep up with all my latest releases and goings on. Thanks again everybody! Talk to you all again soon!

Cheers,

Leigh

Hey Everybody! How's it going? Hope you all are awesomely well! I've got some BRAND NEW MUSIC, A BRAND NEW BEAT FOR YOU ALL TODAY! This original instrumental composition is very much inspired by the music of the 1980's, and the movies of that same time period, like The Pointer Sisters and Beverly Hills Cop. The 80's is the decade that I gravitate to and love the most, probably because it's the period of time that I was born in and grew up in the late 80's, 90's, and early 2000's. When it came to creating this new original instrumental composition, I started by laying down the bass line, which I originally thought was going to be the main genesis and part of the piece, that's not case, but It's still an important part to how it brings the whole composition together. I then followed that up with, what turned out to be the main meat of the instrumental, the chord progression on the grand piano, which I doubled with a warp synth lead to just give it a bit of an outer space, 80's pop vibe, and I love how it sounds, how it came together. The drum kit is probably one of my most favourite ones that I have EVER produced! I began with a punchy snare drum from the pile driver kit in GarageBand, and layered an extra loud clap on top of that, just to give it a little more oomph! On the first and third beat of every bar I placed a hip hop machine snare drum, and once the entire track comes together, you can hear it very subtly, it's not a huge sounding part but YOU CAN HEAR IT! Finally to add some extra flavour to not only the drum kit but the entire piece in total, I laid down a VERY SIMPLE bongo pattern and a small symbol part, which in my opinion is just what the track needed, and you know what ?!I love how it sounds as a complete piece, complete instrumental, a complete composition. This one is easily one of my favourite recent productions, instrumentals, compositions, pieces, any other way you can describe it! A total favourite with a summer vibe, which is what I wanted and what I was aiming for. I hope you all enjoy this instrumental because it was a total blast to put together. If you enjoy what you see and hear, then PLEASE SUBSCRIBE TO MY YOUTUBE CHANNEL to keep up to date with all my latest releases and goings on. Thanks everybody! Talk to you all again soon.

Cheers,

Leigh